"the Buzz" – Wine Club Dinner!

09 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do, Wine Dinners

Another wonderful Wine Dinner at the Buzz with wines from Spain, Tempranillo and Verdejo. It was also great to have Kim and Victoria Williams join us.

Kim and Victoria Williams joined us for this wonderful Wine Dinner! (I was using my daughter Marnie’s camera. Fast lens … stopped Kim’s eyelid movement. My camera is being repaired. Thanks Marnie!)

Oh my! To start, Debbie prepared Shrimp and Bacon Brochette that was delicious. Of course, it has bacon on it! This went well with the 2007 Tapena Verdejo, 12%, $11.00, (17). This wine, however, tended to over power the bacon, of all things.

Next on the menu was a delightful and refreshing Cucumber Roulade. This went quite well with the 2004 Martin Sancho Verdejo, 13.5%, $16.00, (18). This light and refreshing wine went very well with the cucumber. Although the alcohol is somewhat high, this wine is not “hot”.

Here are Parmesan Bites. We had a 2007 Canfeixes , 12%, $20.00, (17) with these. Vanilla and sulfur on the nose. Soapy.

Grilled Romaine with Vinaigrette. An excellent NV Tapena Tempranillo, 13%, $11.00, (19), went very well with this salad. The vinegar in the dressing did not conflict with the wine. A creamy and smooth wine.

Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Romesco Sauce, Cucumber and Asparagus in Dill and Quinoa. A hardy 2004 Marquez Riscal Tempranillo, 11.5%, $12.00, (19), was the perfect match with this entree.

And finally, the dessert. I had mine devoured before I realized that I had not taken a photo. Oh well. Debbie made us a Brownie and Strawberry Trifle. Yum-O! And the wine? A 2004 Zuccardi Tempranillo, 14%, $20.00, (20). A hot wine, but it did not distract from the essence of black cherry and smoke. This wine was perfect with the dessert.

See you at the next Wine Dinner? The second Tuesday and Wednesday – you have your choice of seating – of every month. Call the Buzz for reservations. $15.00 per person includes the dinner, the wine and great company. Cheers!

Robin’s Quinoa Salad Listed

01 Tuesday Jun 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Salad, Things To Do

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We went to a family reunion on Memorial Day and had many requests for the recipe for Robin’s Quinoa Salad. You can get a copy of the recipe by Clicking Here. Do enjoy this salad …. It is quite good! You can also use it as a type of salsa for a dip. Cheers!

Robin’s Quinoa Salad

31 Monday May 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Salad

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Don’t wrinkle up your nose! Think of it like a macaroni salad. This is really an excellent salad. Enjoy!!

Robin’s Quinoa Salad

Source: Robin Young
Serves: 12
Tip: This salad can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Ingredients:
1 c Quinoa
2 c Water
½ c Orange Juice, fresh
¼ c Cilantro
¼ c Parsley
1 c Celery, chopped
1 t Turmeric
1 t Cumin, ground
4 T Rice Vinegar
1 T Toasted Sesame Oil
1 T Ginger, fresh and minced
Sea Salt to taste
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
1 Mango, diced
1 Jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
2 cans Black Beans, drained
1 Sweet Red Pepper, roasted and diced
¼ c Red Onion, diced
¼ c Sweet Yellow Onion, diced
½ pint Grape Tomatoes, cut lengthwise

Directions:
1). Toast the quinoa in a small dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly. Return quinoa to pan and add water. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

2). Whisk the orange juice, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Add mango, jalapeno, grape tomatoes, celery, cilantro, parsley, roasted red pepper, beans and onions. Add the spices. Toss to coat.

3). When the quinoa is finished cooking, add to the vegetable mixture and toss to combine.

Two Restaurants Reviewed

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Seafood

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Back around the first of May, I received an email from Danielle Dussult, Account Associate at MS&L Worldwide for Bonefish Grill, a marketing firm, asking us to review the Bonefish Grill and another comparable restaurant. For doing this, she sent us two $25 gift certificates, one for the Bonefish Grill and the other for Red Lobster. She also sent a nice fish spatula. We thank her for these items. Look at the review for Bonefish Grill and Red Lobster that will correspond with these photos. I will start with the Bonefish Grill photos.

Here is the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer. This is really a good appetizer.

I had the Diablo Shrimp Fettuccine. This was very good, but I think it had too much sauce on it and it was a little spicy. I think it would have been better with less sauce.

Robin had the Long Fin Tilapia. The tilapia tastes like a fresh water fish – Gout de Terrior. And the shrimp tasted like the Song of the Sea – Chansons del Mare. That is very difficult to do in Boise.

We took pour daughter and her friend with us. He had the Fish and Chips and he said they were very good. She had the Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos and said they were spicy hot.

We shared a Key Lime Pie for dessert. I did not get the intense lime flavor, nor did Robin.

The Crème Brûlée was really very good. Smooth and creamy as it should be. The caramelized sugar was good.

——————————

Here are the photos from the Red Lobster.

For an appetizer, Robin and I had the Wood Grilled Shrimp on Brochette. A good appetizer.

I had a combination platter called Seaside Shrimp Trio. It had Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, which was a little too salty, Shrimp Scampi, good, and Shrimp Linguini Alfredo, very rich. Not as good as the Bonefish Grill, Diablo Shrimp Fetticine.

Robin had the Chef’s Grilled Tilapia. She said that the flavor of the tilapia was hidden by the soy sauce. It was not as good as the Bonefish Grill.

The Apple Crisp had very little apple in it and the cake base was overwhelming.

The Key Lime Pie was more like a NY Cheese cake. It was heavy and not light.

So there you have our opinion. The rankings?

Red Lobster – 2 1/2 Stars
Bonefish Grill – 3 1/2 Stars

Our reviews are based on the following statement and have been for many years now.

We will endeavor to critique these restaurants on (1) Ambiance, (2) Food Presentation, (3) Food Quality, (4) Service and (5) Cost. We will rate these places from one (1) to five (5) stars. A 1-Star restaurant deserves the comment, “That’s good enough for this year” and a 5-Star restaurant is superb and deserves a note home to Mom. There is nothing wrong with a 3-Star restaurant – We would take friends and relatives to a 3-Star restaurant and we will return to a 3-Star restaurant.

There was one other contributing factor to the Red Lobster loosing this contest: We had to ask for table settings and napkins. To me, this is a huge mistake and should never happen at any restaurant. But then too, the food was just OK. You can see all of Our Reviews by following the link.

Berryhill and Co, Boise

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Things To Do

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Berryhill and Co, one of Boise’s better restaurants. Here is their Chicken and Risoto Chicken with Fresh Vegetables. We wnt there for Sunday Brunch and we were extremely pleased. Please look at the link for our Restaurant Review. The next several photos are from their brunch. If going for brunch, you may want to call for reservations.

Soup, gravy and roast beef.

Fruit, wilted spinach, French toast, scrambled eggs, quiche, bacon, potatoes, bangers and pasta.

The Goodie table!

The end result of the tables of food! A good meal for $14.00 per person.

Boise Saturday Market

29 Saturday May 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Buy Idaho, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young

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The Idaho Refugees – Community Supported Gardens has a booth at the Market. We have our subscription, do you have yours? An excellent Win-Win situation: We get fresh produce each week throughout the summer and the refugees get an income.

Peaceful Belly Organic Gardens, one of several well known organic gardens in the Boise area, is here at the market, also. These local vendors are really great to work with and their products – vegetables, lamb, buffalo, elk to name a few – are wonderful. If you are in Boise on a Saturday morning, plan to visit the market on 8th Street between Jefferson and The Grove.

The fountains on The Grove have a cooling and peaceful effect on all who wander by. In the summer, The Grove will increase the flow to make these much higher. It’s fun to watch the kids of all ages run through the water on a hot, summer day.

For now, that is about all. My camera is acting up so I will probably have to take it to be repaired. )-: Until then, Cheers!

Lunch Special

24 Monday May 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Lox, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Salmon, Seafood

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Robin made some fresh lox the other day out of some fresh salmon. So for lunch today, we had a Cream Cheese and Lox with Onion, Capers and Fresh Bibb Lettuce on a Toasted Bun. (Thanks Donna, for the lettuce sets!) Delish!! There is a place in downtown Boise where you can get this for $6.95 and it is called a Manhattan. Their’s is good …. But this is better. It’s fresher, I think. Anyway, it was good!

Champagne Dinner at Le Café de Paris

22 Saturday May 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos By: Bob Young, Wine and Food

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Oh yes, another delightful dinner – the last for the season – at Le Café de Paris in Boise. These dinners are such a treat and we will miss them until next season. But in the mean time, here is what we had.

The 1999 Charles Eilner Prestige Champagne went very well the the entire meal.

The Cork

Le Menu

First Course
Huîtres Sur La Demi-Coquilles
(Oysters on the Half Shell)
with tarragon sorbet

Second Course
Foie Gras Torchon
with fresh raspberries and toasted brioche

Main Course
Ménage a Trois Pétoncles
(Scallops Three Ways)
Lemon Zest Bread Crumbs Roasted with Olive Oil and Poached Artichoke Hearts

Pan-Seared with Champagne and Ginger Butter
and
Bacon Wrapped with Hazelnut Romesco Sauce

Dessert
Tarte Aux Frangipane
(Orange Almond Tart with Strawberries and Chantilly)

OK. What else can I say? My only suggestion is to get on their mailing list. Until then, Cheers!

What’s For Dinner? – Halibut

20 Thursday May 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Seafood, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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May 17th here in Boise, was a stormy night. Not much to do except turn the computers off, watch the lightning, listen to the thunder and photograph the sky. It was on fire! Beautiful colors. Here are two photos of the stormy sky.

But then, after the storm, we had to celebrate that all was well and we survived the high winds and lightning. So, here is what we had for dinner.

Halibut with Asparagus Pesto

Oven Roasted Garlic Red Potatoes

Pickled Onion and Beet Salad

It was delicious! Cheers!

Alley Garden – Completed.

18 Tuesday May 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Alley Gardens, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do

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Today in Boise, reminds me of the description of Seattle, WA or Sherwood, OR – rainy, cool. In Boise right now: 50ºF, 100% RH, winds ENE@5mph and rain rate at 0.03″ per hour (second photo). A good time to post these photos and let everyone know how the project is doing. It’s finished! Now for some more planting. I know two of the neighbors who have made raised garden beds in their yards since we started this.