An Afternoon at Asiago’s and Powells

23 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Asiago's, Boise Adventures, Caesar Salad, Chicken, Chocolate, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Robin, Italian Food, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian

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Asiagos, candy, chocolate, Italian food, Powells Sweet Shoppe

We originally planned to go and see the baby owls. But the property owner was not feeling good so we will go on Saturday. We had planned to go to Asiago’s for lunch before going birdwatching. We did. And then we needed dessert, so Powell’s Sweet Shoppe in east Boise was the place to go. Here are some photos from today. Left-Click any of them to see the photo enlarged. Enjoy the food photos and following us on a Foodie Sojourn! Cheers. Here is a link to Asiago’s Menu. Asiago’s is definitely a 5-Star restaurant (out f 5-Stars) for an Italian restaurant in Boise.

Robin at Asiago’s

(L) 2012 Vesevo Beveventano Falhnghina Campania, Italy Althnuma Pinot Grigio DOC Val d'Adige, Italy

(L) 2012 Vesevo Beveventano Falhnghina Campania, Italy
(R) Althnuma Pinot Grigio DOC Val d’Adige, Italy

Can’t really say that any one of these was better than the other. The Pinot Grigio went extremely well with the smoky salmon while the Beveventano went better with the salad and the mushrooms. They were both good selections.

Funghi
fresh mushrooms sautéed in champagne and butter, finished with gremolata

Caesar Salad
hearts of romaine, croutons, anchovies and asiago with the house caesar dressing

Yea! Finally a restaurant in Boise that knows how to make a Caesar Salad. It’s not a Caesar without the anchovy and garlic! Sorry, but that’s the way it goes.

Smoky Salmon with Fettuccini and Cream Sauce

Chicken Asiago
gremolata chicken breast over fresh fettuccine in Asiago-garlic cream, finished with tomato-pesto sauce.

Then we were off to Powells in east Boise for some Gilato. Here Robin is enjoying some.

Then we were off to Powell’s Sweet Shoppe in east Boise for some Gelato. Here Robin is enjoying some.

Gelato – Italian Ice Cream

Awesome Easter Lamb Dinner

22 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Celebrations, Dinner With Robin, Easter Dinner, Easter Lamb, Food Prep, Greens, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Wine, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Miner's Lettuce, Photos By: Bob Young, Prep Work, Purple Sage Farms, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Ridge Winery, River View Gardens, Salads, Sawtooth Winery, Side Dishes, Snake River AVA, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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arugula, Idaho wine, Leg of Lamb, Miner's Lettuce, River View Gardens, sawtooth winery

This is probably one of the best lamb dinner we have had. I adapted it from a recipe found on Epicurious. Here is the link to our adapted recipe: Arugula, Spinach and Miner’s Lettuce Stuffed Lamb. The recipe is not for the faint of heart. But it is really fun to do. Give it a try. Take your time and enjoy the process. If you don’t have an already boned leg of lamb, here is a previous post on this blog about boning a leg of lamb. Well worth the short time to view the video. How To Bone a Leg of Lamb. Enjoy the lamb. Most, but not all, of the products on our menu were from Idaho – Support Idaho Farmers: Buy Local. And we really try to do this. Here is our list: Wine – Sawtooth Winery; Lamb – Felzien Family Lamb; Garlic – River View Farms; Salad Greens and Herbs – Purple Sage Farms; Bread – Acme Bake Shop and Vegetables – Volcanic Farms. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Cheers!

The boned leg of lamb with the stuffing in place. To bone the lamb, see the link above.

The rolled and tied lamb is “getting happy”.

The cooked lamb is resting to redistribute the juices.

Green Salad
with
Miner’s lettuce, slivered carrots and green onion
Olave Coratina Olive Oil and Agrestum Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

Wines For Dinner
2011 Sawtooth Winery Estate Grown Pinot Gris ($43.00)
2003 Ridge Vineyards Lytton East Zinfandel ($165.00 – 54 barrels produced)

Arugula, Spinach and Miner’s Lettuce Stuffed Leg of Lamb

The Entree Menu
Arugula, Spinach and Miner’s Lettuce Stuffed Leg of Lamb
Oven Roasted Rosemary Yukon Gold Potatoes
Roasted Vegetable Medley
Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread

The Entree Menu
Arugula, Spinach and Miner’s Lettuce Stuffed Leg of Lamb
Oven Roasted Rosemary Yukon Gold Potatoes
Roasted Vegetable Medley

Yummy Grilled Idaho Beef

07 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Bitner Vineyards, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Cabbage, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Cuts of Beef, Food Photos, Grilled Vegetables, Grillin' and Chillin', Grilling, Idaho Wine, Indian Creek Winery, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Sourdough, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Beef Rib Steak, bitner vineyards, Homestead Farms, idaho wineries, indian creek winery, Purple Sage Farms

You might say that this was the “First of the Season” grilling, although I have grilled this past winter. This was a great change for dinner for one night. Loved the Beef Rib Steak from Homestead Farms. Medium rare, and tender. And of the two wines we had, we much prefered the Indian Creek Cabernet over the Bitner Vineyards Cab. The Indian Creek had a lot of fruit forward and went extremely well with the grilled beef. The Bitner Cab is probably on the “downhill side” of perfection.
The beef was from the Farmers Market, the sourdough was from the Farmers Market and the lettuce was from the Farmers Market. The potatoes were Idaho potatoes and the wines were from the Snake River AVA, Idaho. Eat Local! Enjoy!

Homestead Farms Beef Rib Steak Idaho Grilled Potato Wedges Slaw on Purple Sage Lettuce 2004 Bitner Vineyards Reserve Caberbet Sauvignon 2008 Indian Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Homestead Farms Grilled Beef Rib Steak
Idaho Grilled Potato Wedges
Slaw on Purple Sage Lettuce
Acme Bake Shop Toasted Sourdough
2004 Bitner Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Indian Creek Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

Cloud 9 Nano Brewery, Boise

18 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Beer Tasting, Bistro, Burger and Brew, Cloud 9 nano Brewery, Comfort Food, Dessert, Gaston's Bakery, Hamburger, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Wine, Local Markets, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salads, Sandwiches, Side Dishes, Sliders, Special Beers, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?

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Albertsons Shopping Center, Classic Burger, cloud 9 nano brewery, Gaston Bakery, nano brewery

The Cloud 9 nano brewery opend on March 17th in the Albertsons Shopping Center at 18th and State Streets, 1750 W. State St. It was a full house! In the following quote from their website – link above – we see that they are trying very hard to use locally produced products, both in their beer production and their food preparation. I know their hamburger rolls come from Gaston Bakery here in Boise.

We are Boise’s first nanobrewery, and the only certified organic brewery in the state, producing only four barrels per hand-crafted batch. We are focused on sustainable, local, and organic beers and our brewery also houses an amazing restaurant with a similar focus.
By keeping batches to only four barrels in size, we are able to vary our beers to match seasonal ingredients and provide a wealth of variety for craft beer lovers.
Expected Hours:
Monday – Closed
Tuesday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Wednesday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Thursday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Friday – 10:00am to Midnight
Saturday – 10:00am to Midnight
Sunday – 10:00am to 9:00pm
Happy Hour from 4-6 with $1 off pints and a limited Happy Hour Menu is coming soon.

Their seasonal menu includes such items as Classic Burger – $9.50 and photo below, Chicken Pesto – $9.50, Roasted Veggie – $9.50, Shepard’s Pie – $10.50, Vegetarian Shepard’s Pie – $10.50, Corned Beef and Cabbage – $10.50 and Corned Beets and Cabbage – $8.50. I had the burger and it was very good. They use Gaston Bakery buns and 3/1 burgers (3 burgers to the pound).They also serve a wide variety of appetizers ranging from $5.00 – $7.00. Some of the folks there were getting their salads and they looked good. $2.50 – $8.95. They serve beer, of course, and their own made root beer which I had earlier and it was very good.
Good to see that they serve Idaho wines, Indian Creek Winery and 3 Horse Ranch Winery. Seating is limited, about 35 seats at tables and at the bar. They hope to have outside seating when the weather changes. Enjoy these photos and hope to see you there!

The bar area and menus.

The menus and an empty Irish Dark Lager – good lager!

Irish Dark Lager

The beer menu. They do have samples and from what I saw, three different sizes of servings. Great idea.

Classic Burger. Very good! I think I would rate this a 4-Star pub. Remember the size. It is small and not near the size of 10 Barrel Pub downtown or Kilted Dragon or Sockeye. The beer is good. The food is delightful and the service is good. Don’t be in a rush. They are just getting started and give them time. Enjoy!!

Boise Foodies Party On!

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Boise Foodie Meet-Up, Comfort Food, Curry, Dinner With Friends, Finger Foods, Friends, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Indian Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Salads, Side Dishes, Special Events, Tapas, Turkey, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Boise Foodie Meet-Up Group, curry, Heirloom Seed Suppliers, Idaho wine, indian food, Thai Food

And a great party it was! Great to see so many people there and to talk to them. Thanks Kat for opening your home to all of us. And the decorations, as in this tree where Robin and Tina are chatting, were marvelous. And the food that everyone shared was fabulous. And if you are in search of Heirloom seeds, here is a list of Heirloom Seed Suppliers. Enjoy the following photos and Left-Click any of them to see enlarged. And while you are at it, please rate this article above and Follow us on this blog – there is a place to do so in the sidebar. Cheers!

Kat, Rick and Tina are chatting on the couch.

Cathy

Lance, The Elevated One, and Bernadette

Krista and “Louie’s Pizza Maker”

Kitchen workers

I don’t know what to say here.

Layered Russian Salad that Robin brought. I will have the recipe posted in the Recipe File above later today.

Seven-Layer Russian Salad that Robin brought. I will have the recipe posted in the Boise Foodie Blog Recipe page, listed at the very top of this page, later today. (Seven-Layer Russian Salad Recipe – PDF format)

Turkey Meatballs. Here is the recipe: Cranberry Turkey Meatballs (This is a PDF file)

Curry, Thai food, different types of rice, chicken, pasta and much, much more. No one went away hungry!! There are some awesome cooks in this group. I like this type of Meet-Up just as well as visiting our local restaurants. As my Supervisor at the duPont Company would say many years ago, "Atta boy!!"

Curry, Thai food, different types of rice, chicken, pasta, chocolate bacon, egg salad bruchetta and much, much more. No one went away hungry!! There are some awesome cooks in this group. I like this type of Meet-Up just as well as visiting our local restaurants. As my Supervisor at the duPont Company would say many years ago, “Atta boy!!” A job well done.

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!!!

Sushi Joy With Margaret and Robin

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chicken, Chinese Food, Comfort Food, Ethnic Foods, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Seafood, Sushi, Sushi Joy, Traditional Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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asian restaurant, pot stickers, sushimi, tea ice cream

Robin and I keep asking Maggie what we can make for her to eat. Yesterday, she said she wanted to go to Sushi Joy, a really good Asian restaurant featuring Chinese, Japanese and American dishes, 3 blocks from our house. So today, for a late lunch, Maggie, Robin and I all went to Sushi Joy. Enjoy these photos of our entrees.

House Salad

which Robin and I get every time we go.

Pot Stickers

Sushimi

Mango Chicken

Green Tea Ice Cream

Another Good Cooking Seminar At Williams-Sonoma

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Brunch, Classes, Cooking Classes, Dessert, Food Photos, Fruits, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Mahi Mahi, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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food, ground mustard, mission figs, Williams Sonoma, yummy dessert

A good seminar with Chef Chad entitled Farm To Table. It was good to have Robin with me at this event too. In keeping with the theme, Chef Chad emphasized the use of local and fresh products from local farmer’s markets and vegetable stands. He did a good job in using these local products where ever possible. Black Mission Figs don’t grow in the Treasure Valley! Here are some photos of the dishes that Chef Chad showed us this evening. Cheers and enjoy! There are recipes available if you would like one. Just let me know.

Fig and Fromage Blanc Crostini

A great appetizer. The recipe says to use ciabatta, but Chef Chad changed it to sourdough which worked very well.

Baby Arugula Salad with Berries and Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola is not one of my favorite cheeses, but the combinations in the salad worked very well with the cheese. It was suggested to add some toasted nuts to the salad. Try adding fresh thyme and stone ground mustard to the vinaigrette. You can also make this into a main dish by adding marinated red onions and thinly sliced grilled steak.

Rolled Eggplant with Sausage and Mascarpone Reday for the oven to bake at 450 degrees for 4-7 minutes.

Rolled Eggplant with Sausage and Ricotta

Ready for the oven to bake at 450 degrees for 4-7 minutes.

Rolled Eggplant with Sausage and Ricotta

Sauteed Pluots with Mascarpone and Almonds

Ok. What are “pluots”? Good question. They are a cross between apricots and red plums. Also known in some places as Red Apricots. Slightly sweet. Slightly tart. A yummy dessert!

So as you can see, a delicious and wonderful seminar/class. We will not be able to make the September event, but will try to make the October class. Most of these recipes come from the Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers’ Market by Tasha DeSerio and Jodi Liano (Weldon Owen, Inc. 2010). Cheers and Bon Appetite!

Chilean Wines At The Buzz

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Carrots, Chicken, Chilean Food, Ethnic Foods, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Shrimp, Soup, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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butter scotch, shrimp soup, the Buzz, wine club

In spite of all the troubles this past month or so for Cristi, this was an exceptional Wine Club Dinner. (And all for $15 per person!!) Cristi had some superb support – Paul Colwell from BRJ Distributors did a great job in matching the wines with the dinner. And Peggy Hands-Behrens did an awesome job in finding the menu ingredients and preparing this feast. Thank-You both for helping Cristi.
With that in mind ….. The wines that Paul choose went well with the dinner. Cristi’s Choice, not chosen by Paul, was a malbec from Bodega Elena from Mendoza. A good red from the 2011 vintage with an alcohol level of 14.5. A little hot, but good. I rated this red an [18] out of [20]. You can get a bottle for $11.00. Here is what else we had. Enjoy! Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Pan Con Palta

An avocado breakfast dish in Chili. I don’t particularly care for avocado, but Peggy did a great job with this.
2012 Arenal Artnot Carmenere
14.0% alc. One of the better wines of the evening. Went very well with the avocado and the olives. [19] $13.00
(Robin and I both liked this appetizer. She even made it for breakfast this morning using Acme Bake Shop Sourdough.)

Ensalada Chilena
(This was a great salad.)

2011 Tabali Sauvignon Blanc
13.5% alc. Hints of celery, cedar. The cilantro in the salad overpowered the wine. [17] $14.00

South American Shrimp Soup
(I really liked this soup!)

2011 Iyzaguerre Cab/Merlot Blend
13.5% alc. full bodied and went well with the soup. [19] $12.00

Pollo Arvejado

2011 Tabali Chardonnay
13.5% alc. butter scotch and lemon. Not my favorite. I don’t think it went with the chicken. [16] #15.00

Torta De Hojas
(A good and different dessert.)

2011 Tabali Cab/Syrah
14.5% alc. French oak. full bodied and a great ending to the evening

As you can see, this was a great dinner and some great wines to go with it. If I were to give this event a rating, it would easily be 4 1/2 Stars out of 5. It was that good and the “Step Up Help” did an awesome job. I can not emphasize that enough. Thank-You one and all. Here are some of the wines that were served tonight.