30th Anniversary Weekend – Part 1

13 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in 10 Barrel Brewing, Anniversary, Beef, Beer and Food, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Cuts of Beef, Main Dish, Mushrooms, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Beers, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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30th wedding anniversary, cheese steaks, scrumptious meals, steak ums, toasted rye bread

And we’re off! The start of a beautiful weekend …. Our 30th Wedding Anniversary. Friday night, Robin wanted Cheese Steaks. Make our own. Anyone remember “Steak-Ums”? Can’t get them here in Boise, as far as I know. Are they even made any more? Albertson’s Markets says, “No.” OK. Slice down some bottom round really thin and then chop it. Grill up some onions, and you get what is pictured here on the grill. Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged. Please VOTE above. Thanks and enjoy!

Cheese Steak plated. Add a 10 Barrel Brewery Apocalypse IPA and you’ve got an awesome dimmer.

Saturday morning breakfast. Sauteed Crimini and Royal Trumpet mushrooms with scrambled eggs and Acme Bake Shop toasted rye bread. Add a good glass of orange juice and yum!

Two scrumptious meals. But wait …… There will be more. I promise. Cheers and keep watching!

July Wine Club Dinner at the Buzz

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Bistro, Dinner With Friends, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Asparagus Soup, flatbread pizza, food

Another great wine club dinner at the Buzz last night. A blind tasting this time. Interesting and fun! I know. In Boise during the summer months, folks have many adventures to follow and attendance at these events are low. Even when Robin and I were dancing, the summer dance events had extremely low attendance. But, everyone must still eat and have liquid refreshment. Why not at the Buzz for one of these events? $15.00 per person that includes 6 or so wines and a full, five course dinner, is a great price. And just think of all the new information you will gain and the new friends you will meet. Here is what we had and what you missed. Enjoy …. We did! Sorry for some of the photo quality, but I forgot my camera. Had to use my phone.
We started off with Cristi’s Choice, a 2007 Lan Rioja Crianza that was good, but not as good as the 2009 Alsace Classic Pinot Gris that she offered. You can find my review of these two wines on my Vivino page. Download it – it is free – to either your IPhone or Android and then follow me. It’s a great and fun little program that allows you to keep a record of the wines you try. I even use it to keep track of some of the beers I try, although the program is not setup to track beer. Vivino App for either IPhone or Android.
As a sample of a blind taste, Cristi had us work with this wine. 2010 Tin Roof Merlot 13.5% alc. not bad, as all the wines tonight were scored on the high side. This went well with the pizza – I saved a little. [18]

Flatbread Pizza and California Roll
2008 Renwood Barbera
14.5% alc. Barbera is not one of my favorite wines. But went well with the pizza and California Roll. [18]

Chilled Asparagus Soup
(Awesome)
2011 Toad Hollow Chardonnay
13.5% alc. One of the better wines and matches for tonight. This wine went extremely well with this delicious soup. [19]

Citrus Salad
(This was a great salad. Cristi said she will post the recipe for the dressing. Loved it!)
2011 Wentz Sauvignon Blanc
13.0% alc. Good Sauvignon Blanc with this salad. The citrus and the wine were perfect. [19]

Fish Tacos
with
Hominy and Bean Salad
2011 Garnet Pinot Noir
13.0% alc. Not the best match with the tacos. [17]

California Walnut Pie
and
Grilled Peaches
NV JJJ US Sparkling
Great match with the dessert. Full of almond and delightful. [19]

Quarterly Dinner at the Buzz

24 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Cabbage, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salad, Seafood, Shrimp, Special Dinners, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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food, henkell trocken, sweet and sour cabbage soup

Ah! Another great Quarterly Dinner at the Buzz! Some really good wines and the dinner was a good surprise. Especially the Caribbean Grilled Shrimp Salad and the Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Praline Sauce. But then, the tarragon cream sauce with the roast beef was a hit too! Oh please! Stop! The memory! See what you missed? The photo here are two wines that were not on the list … They are extras. The Evolution was the better of the two, so far as I am concerned. Below are some photos of the dinner. Do enjoy. The wines that were saved are also listed along with a rating based on [20]. Cheers and please VOTE above. Thanks.

Garden Beignets with Crispy Greens

2011 Jean-Luc Columbo Viognier
13.0% alc. just did not stand up to the appetizers[17] $15.00

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup
(Awesome!)

2010 Tin Roof Merlot
13.5% alc. a great match with this soup. [18] $14.00
2009 Hugel Pinot Gris Classic
14.0% pinot gris goes with almost everything as did this one. [18] $20.00

Caribbean Grilled Shrimp Salad 2011 Martin Codax Alborino 12.5% alc. [16] $18.00

Caribbean Grilled Shrimp Salad
(Great salad!)

2011 Martin Codax Alborino
12.5% alc. [16] $18.00
2011 Eroica Reisling
11.0% alc. again. did not stand up to the shrimp [17] $23.00

Steak House Dinner and Q!uiona Salad 2009 Basil Cellars Claret 15.2% alc. great with the steak.[18] $18.00 2011 Bridlewood Cabernet5 Sauvignon 13.8% alc. not as good as the Basil Cellars with this entree. [17] $17.00

Steak House Dinner and Quiona Salad
(Awesome tarragon cream sauce.)

2009 Basil Cellars Claret
15.2% alc. great with the steak.[18] $18.00
2011 Bridlewood Cabernet Sauvignon
13.8% alc. not as good as the Basil Cellars with this entree. [17] $17.00

Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Praline Sauce
(Oh my!!)

NV Henkell Trocken
11.5% alc not bad with this dessert. [18] $15.00
1997 Blaufrankisch Strowein
11.5% alc. this took the “show”. awesome with the dessert [19] $20.00 (375ml bottle)

Australian Wines At “The Buzz”

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bakery, Captain's Shack, Dinner With Friends, Morels, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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cucumber soup, layer cake shiraz, morel mushrooms, pillar box, vanilla slice

Another great wine dinner at the Buzz in Boise on June 11. Cristi and Paul do such a great job in paring the wines and the food. And Cristi tries really hard to prepare appropriate foods for the dinner theme. Great job!! This month the wines were from Australia and there were some really good ones and food of a different nature. Cristi will probably post some of the recipes on the Buzz blog. Please write down and reserve Saturday, June 15, 6:00pm – 8:00pm for the Buzz. It’s their Concert Jam Night which is awesome. If you play an instrument, bring it and join in with these super artists! They just love it when you join in. Enjoy these photos of the night. Cheers!

Morel Mushrooms in Dry Sherry and Leek Fondue
with
Acme Bakery Ciabatta

Robin and I always enjoy making these. This was a surprise appetizer that we took to the dinner. (Morel Recipe Here).

Quiche with Marmite Dgwood Dogs Zuchinni Bites 2008 Box Head White 12.5% alc. not a bad wine and went fairly well with this appetizer. A little light. [17] $15.00

Quiche with Marmite
Dogwood Dogs
Zuchinni Bites
2008 Box Head White
12.5% alc. not a bad wine and went fairly well with this appetizer. A little light. [17] $15.00

Chilled Cucumber Soup 2011 Morse Code Chardonnay 12.0% alc. really a super wine with this soup. great body, taste and finish. [19] $13.00

Chilled Cucumber Soup
(I liked this soup!)
2011 Morse Code Chardonnay
12.0% alc. really a super wine with this soup. great body, taste and finish. [19] $13.00

Roasted Beet and Mango Salad
2010 Pillar Box Red
14.5% alc. great taste and finish. a little light on the nose. [18] $15.00

Meat Pies with Ginger Beans
2011 Mollydooker Cabernet Sauvignon
15.0% alc. a super good wine. great body, taste and finish. light on the aroma. [19] $27.00

Pavlola and Vanilla Slice 2011 Layer Cake Shiraz 14.5% alc. a little heavy for this dessert, but a very good wine, nonetheless. [18] $18.00

Pavlova and Vanilla Slice
2011 Layer Cake Shiraz
14.5% alc. a little heavy for this dessert, but a very good wine, nonetheless. [18] $18.00

And it really was a good dinner. If you missed it, maybe we will see you next month or at the Concert Jam on June 15 or the Buzz Quarterly Dinner on Sunday June 23 (Reservations required for this dinner. See the sidebar.) Cheers!!!

Koenig Vineyards and Cottonwood Grille

11 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Cottonwood Grille, Koenig Vineyards, Main Dish, Merlot, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salads, Salmon, Special Dinners, Syrah, Viognier, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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apple brandy, cottonwood grille, puff pastry, wild mushrooms

On Monday, June 10, we attended a wine dinner at the Cottonwood Grille featuring the wines of Idaho’s Koenig Vineyards. Chef Jesus did a good job with the paring of the food with the wines. My only comment about the food is it tended to be salty. Maybe I am becoming very aware of the salt amounts in cooking. Nonetheless, some of the entrees were salty. The dinner was well attended and it was interesting to talk to the people at our table. The photo to the left is the menu along with a glass of 2011 Koenig VineyardsMerlot. Below are some other photos from the evening. Do enjoy the presentations and please VOTE. Left-Click any photo to see enlarged. Thanks!

Chef Jesus of the Cottonwood Grille, Boise

Winemaker Greg Koenig and his wife Kristen.

Wild Mushrooms in Puff Pastry 2012 Koenig Vineyards Rose

Wild Mushrooms in Puff Pastry
2011 Koenig Vineyards Merlot
This dish was very good, but salty. The merlot probably would have been better with the sauce had the entree not been so salty.

Fresh Mixed Greens with Figs and Berries
2012 Koenig Vineyards Rose
A good and refreshing salad. Well paired with the wine.

Fresh Sockeye Salmon with a Lemon Beurre Blanc
2011 Koenig Vineyards Viognier
One of the better wines of the night. Went extremely well with the salmon. One of Idaho’s favorite wines.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple Brandy Cream Sauce
2010 Koenig Vineyards Syrah
The Syrah was a good paring – or would have been. This entree was way to salty and both Robin and I could not finish the dish because of the extreme saltiness. Too bad.

Peach Cobbler 2011 Riesling Ice Wine

Sorry to have to pan this dinner, but we have had much better dinners at the Cottonwood Grille. This just did not measure up to their standards because of the over use of salt in the dishes. A little salt will enhance the dish and should not overpower it. If I did not know better and know the quality of their dinners, I would not return. And that’s too bad, because the wines were overall very good.

June Events at the Buzz

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Wine Tasting

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ne, Quarterly wine dinners, Special events, The Buzz Coffee and Wine, Wine, wine club

This just in from Cristi at the Buzz in Boise. There are some interesting events going on this month. I will be presenting on May 31 at the Whip Night photography ideas.

I hope everyone had a happy holiday weekend giving thanks to those that gave their all for us. There are some great opportunities coming up to enjoy food, wine, and fun. June is Idaho wine month. Each weekend we will have an Idaho wine with our weekly wine tasting. Join us on Friday or Saturday for wine tasting, our weekly dinner special focusing on “slow food”. There will be dessert specials and appetizer specials as well.

Whip Nights – We Help Inspire People. This is a casual evening at the Buzz. Each month we will have a member of the community with great passion and knowledge related to a hobby or pastime. May 30th we invited Bob Young to answer our questions about digital photography. Come down enjoy a flight of wine (featuring female wine makers) and our small bite specials for the night. No reservations needed, just stop by between 5 and 8 on May 30 and bring your questions.

Wine Club – We will continue our journey through the world of wine by learning about the wines of Australia and New Zealand at our wine club this month. 6:30 PM on June 11 or June 12 . The cost is $15.00 per person including dinner and wine tasting. All wines will be on sale 10% off after dinner. Reservations are required. Buzzwine@cableone.net or 344-4321.

Music in June
Many talented muscians will be entertaining us in June, at the Buzz. May 31 Dr Todd Palmer
June 1 Jean Cardena
June 7 Wayne White
June 14 Jack Brown/Jean Cardena
June 15 Classical Jam Session
June 21 Dr Todd Palmer
June 28 John Cazzan
Music from 7-9 except classical jam night from 6-8. (This event is sooooo much fun!

Quarterly Dinner/Special Bottle Sunday – June 23 Quarterly Dinner. This is an amazing 5 course meal with each course paired with 2 different wines. This is a great way to learn about wine pairing. Come learn about wine pairing. Cost is $30.00 per person with all wines being 10% off the day of the event. Dinner starts at 6:30 with reservations required. buzzwine@cableone.net or 344-4321. Special Bottle Sunday is inspired by the by the Wall Street Journal columnists Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher’s who wrote Open That Special Bottle Night, Special Bottle Sunday- is just what it sounds like: an evening to invite over your friends to share special wines you’ve been saving. The wines will be fun bottles to share and the food will be based on recipes from the newspaper.

We anticipate everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer and hope to see you all soon for one of the great summer events we have planned at the Buzz. Watch for menu changes over the next few weeks.
Sincerely,
Cristi and Tom Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine
344-4321 or buzzwine@cableone.net

43.624890 -116.214093
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Not Your Standard Memorial Day Dinner

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bakery, Bread, Captain's Shack, Food, Lamb, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Main Dish, Morels, Mushrooms, Party Time, Petit Verdot, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Salads, Special Dinners, Spinach, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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hard cooked eggs, morel mushrooms, Potato Salad, white wine vinegar, yukon gold potatoes

Oh my. Who could ask for more? So much fun to put together and prepare. Enjoy! We did. Here is the recipe for the Potato Salad. Left-Click these photos to see enlarged and please VOTE above.

Spring Bounty Potato Salad

Source: Sunset Magazine, May 2013

Ingredients:
2 pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup shelled fresh peas
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise $
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 spring onions* or green onions, thinly sliced
5 hard-cooked large eggs*, peeled and roughly chopped
About 3 tbsp. chopped tarragon

Preparation:
1. Bring 1 in. water to a boil in a large saucepan. Set potatoes in a steamer basket and steam in pan, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool in ice water, then pat dry. Cut potatoes into chunks and put in a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, bring some water to a boil in a saucepan. Add peas; cook until tender, 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to ice water, then drain again.
3. Whisk together vinegar, mayonnaise, and salt in a small bowl to combine. Add onions, peas, and half the dressing to potatoes and gently stir to coat. Add eggs and 3 tbsp. tarragon and gently stir to coat.
4. Spread remaining dressing on bottom of a wide bowl, add salad, and sprinkle with more tarragon if you like.

Note: Look for spring onions (regular onions picked young) at farmers’ markets in spring and at Latino markets year-round. They have a fatter bulb than green onions–which have less crunch but make a good substitute. For perfect hard-cooked eggs, cover them in cold water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand 12 minutes. Plunge cooked eggs into ice water, crack all over, and let sit in the water for a few minutes before peeling.

Grilled Lamb and Good Friends Start the Summer Season

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bakery, Appetizers, Asparagus, Baked Onion, Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Cooking Styles, Friends, Grillin' and Chillin', Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Onion, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wild Game, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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chocolate liquor, food, grilled lamb chops, lamb chop, vanilla ice cream

It is always a “great start” to any event when you are joined by friends. Geno and Debra (pictured here) were in town, so we had them over for a grilled lamb dinner. The weather was super good and we ate outside. Most of the food was local, too. The lamb was and the onions and asparagus were from Washington. The wine was from California. Still, a delightful time. I even helped Debra with her blog. She is doing fine with it. So here are some photos of the food that we had. Enjoy and please cast your VOTE above. Thanks. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Asparagus Stuffed Walla Walla Onions getting ready for the oven.

This wine was awesome with the lamb. We have more of the wine.

Robin made this super Mousse d’Phaison and Chukar Pâté with Toasted Acme Bakery Rye Wedges (not pictured). Those are fresh chives from our garden.

Grilled Lamb Chops
Fresh Green Salad
Asparagus Stuffed Walla Walla Sweet Onion

Geno enjoys a lamb chop.

French Vanilla Ice Cream with Idaho Peach Half and Chocolate Liquor Cup . What a great dessert!

Morel Mushrooms in Dry Sherry and Leek Fondue For Dinner Tonight!

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Food, Food Prep, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Main Dish, Morels, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?

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dinner, food, morel mushrooms, tbs dijon mustard

Wow! Poached Morel Mushrooms. Awesome dinner and then add some of the super Acme Bakery Baguette and some sherry, and ………………………………..
Here is the recipe. Enjoy! The mushrooms were fresh from the Boise Farmers Market. Left-Click the photo, grab a fork and enjoy.

Morel Mushrooms in Dry Sherry and Leek Fondue

Adapted from Chef Jon Mortimer, Boise, Idaho

Ingredients:
3 c Morel Mushrooms
1 c dry Sherry (1/2 Amontillado and 1/2 Dry Fino)
1 c Heavy Cream
3 T Dijon mustard
½ c sliced Leek (white part only, rinsed well)
1 T Canola Oil
½ t ground Black Pepper
Kosher salt to taste

Directions:
Carefully pick through the mushrooms, inspect them, brush any sand or grit off with a soft brush, remove any long stems with a pairing knife. In a thick bottomed non-reactive saucepan heat the oil and blanch the leeks, stirring frequently and cooking till soft (about 2 minutes).

Strain off any excess oil and return the leeks to the pan and the pan back to the heat. Add the sherry and allow to come to a boil. Reduce the heat and whisk in the cream and Dijon mustard.

Allow to reduce by ½ at a simmer. Add the morels and poach them in the liquid for 2 minutes or just until they begin to soften. Spoon the mushrooms and the sauce into bowls. Serve with crusty bread, like Acme Bakery Baguette (pictured below), Boise, Idaho.

Pacific Northwest Wine Dinner at the Buzz

16 Thursday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chicken, Cooking Styles, Main Dish, Miner's Lettuce, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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bryan carter, strawberry rhubarb crisp, tomato salad, wine dinner

This was an interesting wine dinner. Differently good! One does not often get spinach at a wine dinner. Hard to pair with the wine. The roasted tomato salad was good. There was no Miner’s Lettuce in it. The Miner’s Lettuce pictured here in in our garden. Here are the photos of the dinner and you be the judge as to whether it was different from the norm of wine dinners. I will score the wine on a [20] point rating system. Left-Click on any of the photos to see them full screen. And please VOTE above. Thanks and Cheers!

Salmon Canapes
Potato and Mushroom Apple Cake

2011 Iris Pinot Grigio
12.5% alc. a good wine with a full taste and long finish. went well with the appetizer. [18] $15.00

Pea Soup
(Interesting and good!)

2011 G3 Chardonnay
13.7 alc. nice gold color but lacking in taste. went well, however, with the soup [17] $15.00

Roasted Tomato Salad

2010 Willamette Whole Cluster Pinot Noir
13.5% alc. sand and clay on the nose. not a big Pinot as some are. it did pair well with the salad and the dressing. [17] $23.00

Huckleberry Chicken
Creamed Spinach
Biscuits

2010 Bryan Carter Abracadabra
13.8% alc. really went well with the chicken and especially the spinach. great body and taste and finish. [19] $19.00 2011

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Sawtooth Syrah
13.3% alc. Idaho’s first 91+ nationally scored wine and I can see why. the aroma was a little lite but everything else was superb. congratulations to Sawtooth Winery. [19] $15.00 (Great buy!)

And just as a closer, here are some spring flowers that Robin likes that are planted in our garden. Enjoy.