Two Meals to Try

11 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Buy Idaho, Buy Local, Captain's Shack, Cheese, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Classic Herb Blends, Classis Sauces, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Family, Food - French, Food Photos, French Wines, Homemade Sauce, Idaho Vegetables, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes, What's For Dinner?

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Alfredo, coq au vin, shrimp

Here are two meals we made. The first is probably one of the best alfredo sauces I have ever eaten. Not “gummy” with cheese, but rather clean and smooth. Shrimp went very well with the sauce. The second is an “Old Persons Meal”, of sorts. Fried chicken with garlic mashed potatoes with pan dripping gravy and garden green beans. Enjoy these.

Recipe – http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Alfredo-Sauce.pdf

The recipe calls for penne pasta, but we didn’t have any. So we used linguini which worked very well. The shrimp really added to the dish – you could probably use any seafood, scallops, lobster or Dungeness crab might be good, or other protein. Use your imagination.

The Alfredo was smooth and creamy and not grainy. It added to the shrimp we used and did not conflict with it. Several flavor levels came through that were delicious.

I have had problems when frying chicken, but this one seems to have over come that flaw. I added some baking powder to the flour that I used to coat the chicken and beaten egg to dredge the chicken in before the flour. We also made sure the chicken was dry before dredging. Cook slowly over medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side, taking care not to burn the chicken. Start cooking skin side down. We always use thighs, or second joints if you are on the East coast, bone-in and skin on.

The gravy was made from the pan drippings to which we added some flour and some wine. Made sure that was all mixed then added some half and half and completely combined to make the smooth gravy. It was delicious.

So there are two more meals from this past week. Next thing I am trying is Coq au Vin, Rooster in Wine. Probably not as good as Julia Child would do, but good nonetheless. Stay tuned and Good Eating!

Robin’s Birthday Lunch

18 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Bacquet's Restaurant, Basmati rice, Birthdays, Brunch, Brunch with Robin, Capers, Carrots, Chef Bacquet, Classic Herb Blends, Copper River Salmon, Dinner at Bacquet's Restaurant, Dinner For Robin, Dinner with Marnie, Ethnic Foods, Food - French, Food Photos, French - Bacquet's Restaurant, French Foods, French Wines, Green Salad, Greens, Housemade Pasta, Housemade Salad Dressing, Housemade Sauces, Housemade Soup, Pasta, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?, Wines - French

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Bacquet's Restaurant

Bacquet’s Restaurant, Address: 1117 E Winding Creek Dr #150, Eagle, ID 83616, Hours: 11:30am – 10PM. Phone: (208) 577-6238. Easily a 5-Star French (the best in the area and the only one) restaurant and well worth the trip. Suggest you call for reservations, though. Here is some of what we had. Enjoy. We did.

House Salad
organic greens, tomatoes, shallots, parmesan cheese house balsamic dressing

Delicious!

French Onion Soup

Traditional Flatbread
bacon, shallots, Swiss cheese, cream on a cracker-like crust

Salmon with Pasta and Capers

Salmon Champenoise
fresh salmon filet baked in white wine, cream, pesto and crusted with Parmesan cheese and served over vegetable basmati rice

Birthday Lemon Cheesecake

Chocolate Mousse

An awesome, 5-Star late lunch. Thanks Chef for a great Birthday meal. Thanks Marnie for treating us.

Bacquet’s Restaurant In Eagle

19 Friday Jul 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Appetizers, Bacquet's Restaurant, Baguette, Balsamic Vinegars, Beef, Boise Adventures, Brioche, Carrots, Classic Cuisines, Classic Sauces, Coquilles St. Jacques, Cream Sauces, Dessert, Dinner at Bacquet's Restaurant, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Food Photos, French Foods, French Wines, Garlic, Green Salad, Merlot, Photos By: Bob Young, Photos By: Robin Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Scallops, Squash, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wines - French

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Bacquet's Restaurant, Escargot, Fois Gras

OK. This is an awesome French restaurant in Eagle, ID, just west of Boise. I know of no other French restaurant in the area of this caliber. Definitely a 5-Star restaurant! It really replaces Le Café de Paris and Andrea’s. Both of which have closed. Great interior ambiance – like sitting in a French café. The patio offers seating also, but on our visit, it was very hot. You may also have live music on the patio. It would be best to call for reservations if you decide to go. Both Chef Franck and his wife Michelle are very warm, charming and interesting. Anxious to answer question you may have. Here is some of the dishes we had and they were awesome. Delicious! Beautifully presented. Enjoy. We did. We’ll be back! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Robin is happy with the food.

House Salad and Dressing.

Escargot in Garlic Butter

Coquilles St Jacques in Saffron
Super with 2016 Bourgogne Pinot Noir

Beef Tenderloin with Fois Gras and Baby Vegetables
Super with Les Jamelle Merlot

Opera Cake with Almond and Chantilly Cream

Chocolate Mousse with Chantilly Cream

We were treated to this awesome port. Thank you Chef Franck and Michelle!

Glass of port

Robin and Chef Franck Bacquet

Bob and Michelle Bacquet discuss photos and port.

Specials board

Anyone in Boise remember this French restaurant? Right now, Bacquet’s Restaurant is the only one that I know of.

Good Breakfast; Awesome Dinner

24 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Multi-Grain, Bacon, Black Grapes, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Cheese, Corn, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Eggs Poached, Falls Brand Bacon, French Wines, Green Salad, Herbs, Idaho Pork, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, True Roots Produce, What's For Dinner?

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Breakfast was OK. Robin doesn’t particularly like Baby Swiss. Cheddar is better. But, thanks to Desert Mountain Farms and Ed Wilsey, the 1″ pork chops were super. Huge! Delicious. And we make our own stuffing for these – it could have been better this time, though. Corn was from —- somewhere. Bacon from Twin Falls. Bread from Acme Bakeshop. Eggs from Meadowlark Farms. The salad was from Idaho – greens, onion, tomato. Love this time of year when the produce can be purchased from the Boise Farmers Market every Saturday at 10th and Grove. So here are our meals. All of them very easy to do; No particular recipe. Wing it!

Poached Eggs
on
Acme Bakeshop Multi Grain Toast
Baby Swiss Cheese
Bacon
Black Grapes

Stuffed Desert Mountain 1 1/2″ Pork Chops
Corn on the Cob
Green Salad
2015 l’effet Papillon Grenache Blanc

From Cast Iron to French Cuisine

24 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Cast Iron, Classic Cuisines, French Foods, French Wines, History of Food, Huffington Post, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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cast iron, cast iron pot, French cuisine, French Food, seasoning cast iron

There was some very interesting information delivered today from some of my food groups. One such piece of info was on how to clean a cast iron skillet. Watch this short video on Cleaning Cast Iron. Other articles on cast iron include such things as identifying old cast iron pans, reconditioning cast iron and seasoning cast iron. Good information to keep in your library. I have been using the same three cast iron skillets for over 30 years. And I have a camp cast iron pot that I have had for every bit of that long. All are in good condition – like new! (And yes, that is Robin and I in 1984!)
The other great piece of information, and great reading, comes from the Huffington Post and can be found at 17 Food Reasons The French Are Better At Life. And from that article,

Between their rich buttery sauces and the artistry they’ve brought to pastry, it’s easy to understand why French food has long been the envy of the world. But it’s not just the food they make that’s so special, it’s the way they think about their cuisine. In our food-forward minds, this means that the French are winning at life. Here are the 17 reasons why — though we’re sure we could have come up with 100.

And another little interesting tid-bit of information from the same article, particularly if you like butter,

Butter is more important than water.
That’s the secret to fine French cuisine. Their sauces are based on butter. Their pastries are layered with butter. But, it’s all with good reason, because some of the finest butter in the world is made in France. Particularly, the butter made in the Normandy region, which is bright yellow thanks to their fine dairy cows. And, guys, the butter is almost always salted, the way butter is supposed to be.

So there you have it. Two really interesting pieces of information and ones that you may want to keep. Enjoy! And remember, l’heure du gouter, any hour is the “hour to taste” as this translation says. Cheers!

Le Cafe de Paris is Closing!

20 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in French Foods, French Wines, Gaston's Bakery, Local Markets, Locavore, Restaurant Closing, What's For Dinner?

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Cafe de Paris, Gaston's Bakery

It is a sad happening when a really good – Really Good – restaurant closes. I received this from Mathieu today. Good Luck with your new and enhanced adventure, Mathieu, and Thank-You for all the treats and recipes!

Customers and Friends,
In April 2002 I opened Le Cafe de Paris with the belief that good food and good service, hard work and dedication would make me happy and create a successful restaurant. I never thought I would still be here now, married since 10 years to Angela and father of 2 great kids. You don’t really plan that far when you are 23.
In 2007 I started Gaston’s Bakery to respond to the demand for wholesale breads and pastries. A few months ago we moved the bakery to a larger building on the bench. We now deliver fresh breads and pastries daily around the valley, frozen breads to restaurants in 6 states and frozen croissants nationwide.
While still loving my little café, I am not able to give it the proper attention anymore. This is why I have made the decision to not renew the lease. We will still offer catering for breakfast and lunch and be part of the farmers markets around town. Our products are available at the Coop, whole foods and the valleys best restaurants and coffee shops.
Our new catering menu will be available in a couple days. Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date with our offerings!
There is still 4 days to enjoy the Café, we will also open Friday night for a special dinner featuring some of our most popular dishes.
Call to make your reservation: 208.336.0889

Thank you for your support
Mathieu

Our mailing address is:
Le Cafe de Paris
204 N Capitol Blvd
Boise, ID 83702

Eat, Drink and Be Merry ……………….

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Boise, Boise Adventures, Captain's Shack, Chocolate, Chocolate and Food, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Duck, French Foods, French Wines, Friends, Gaston's Bakery, Locavore, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Salmon, Soup, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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DineOut Boise

………….. For tomorrow you may be dieting! Boise had this wonderful program called Dineout DowntownBoise where some of the restaurants offered a 3-Course dinner for $30. I have posted earlier on the subject, but it only lasted a week, so one had to hurry to make all of the eaterys. We didn’t make them all, but we tried.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the sponsors of this week long event: Boise Weekly, Sysco, the River – 94.9FM, Agri Beef Co., I Support Idaho Wines, Pepsi, DOWNTOWNBOISE Assoc. and Downtown Parking. Thank you one and all for offering this program. It was a joy!
And for the last dinner we went to Le Cafe de Paris where we met Michael and Sandra. Wonderful and fun people. He plays a mean guitar!! Ed K, we must introduce the two of you.

Can not have a good meal without a good wine …….

and can not have a good dessert without a good wine. (Both of these were from our cellar.)

When there is a choice on the menu, as there was at Le Cafe, Robin and I will usually get “one of each”. That way, we can try all and share. Le Cafe offered two entrees of each course. Here is what we had.

Salade de Bettraves et noisette
Butter lettuce topped with gold and red beets, toasted hazelnuts and served with a mustard vinaigrette

French Onion Soup

Confit de Canard
Duck confit
served with
roasted potatoes and Calvacios flambe apples

Saumon Papillotte Salmon with white wine, tomato and shallot baked in parchment paper

Dessert. Need I say more?

One each, then share!!

And then on Sunday night we made a 5-Hour Roasted Chicken. The recipe for a 5-Hour Roasted Duck is in the recipe section of the blog – See the headings above. We used the same recipe for the chicken.

5-Hour Roasted Chicken

Michael and Sandra joined us for the dinner party. Lots of wine. Some Scotch, Amarula, B&B, Guinness and Armagnac.

French Wines At The Buzz

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Classics, Croissant, Dinner With Friends, French Foods, French Wines, Friends, Healthy Eating, Locavore, Party Time, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Quiche Lorraine, Salads, Special Events, Traditional Food, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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food, quiche lorraine, salad nicoise

Another in a series of good wine dinners at the Buzz last night. Some very interesting wines, presented blind, and good food. Our friend Maggie, pictured here, came along with us and it was great to see that she was feeling chipper enough to join us. We always like to have her join us in these adventures. I
This was a good meal. Not particularly the best I have had at the Buzz, but very good. I am very salt conscious, and there were two dishes that could have had a little more salt and/or pepper. I will list those dishes below. All in all ….. a fun night with good friends and good food. Glad to hear and see that Bailey is doing OK after her bike fall. Enjoy these photos of the dinner and the commentary. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see them larger.

Robin is studying the wines and the dinner menu.

Quiche Lorraine
2009 Baron de Hoer Alsase Riesling
12.5% alc. went well with this appetizer, but light. [15] $14.00

Salad Nicoise
(Could have used a little cracked pepper and olives. But still good.)
2012 Sable d’Azure
12.5% alc blend of grenache, mouvedre and petite syrah. this went well with the salad [17] $13.00

Vegetable Trimbale
(Needs a very light sprinkle of Sea Salt)
2011 Chat du Pape Cote de Rhone
14.5% alc. big wine but went well with the trimbale. [15] $13.00

Beef Bourgogne
(This was the best part of the dinner. Full of flavor and seasoned perfectly!)
2010 Gigondas
14.5% alc. a big red that went very well with the beef and onions. [17] $22.00

Cream Puff and Apple Crepe
(Good job on the cream puffs, Cristi!)
Veuve du Vernay Sparkling Chardonnay
11.0% alc. a great choice to pair with this dessert. [18] $12.00

This review may sound harsh to some. It is not. Cristi and I talked about some of these comments and I think she accepted them as positive. Like I stated at the start, I really try to watch our salt intake, even if the food seems to need additional salt. And I know Cristi tries very hard to limit the amount of salt in her dishes. This was just one of those times when a little more would have enhanced the dishes. It was still a good dinner. Hope to see you at the next one. Cheers!!!