The Idaho Foodie Meet-Up group met at the Happy Fish Sushi and Martini Bar in downtown Boise today for lunch. Not bad, but my benchmarks are still Sushi Joy and Shige. That’s not to say that we would not return here. No way. Probably rated at 4 1/4 – Stars out of 5. It’s just not “as good” as our benchmarks. But that’s very subjective and I realize that. Here is what we had. Robin, myself and Bernadette were the only ones there. The ladies each had a bowl of Miso. It smelled good. You missed a good adventure. Enjoy!
Cubed cuts of fresh salmon and ahi served in our own spicy sesame soy sauce
Some call this fish white tuna, but it is actually snake mackerel. A buttery white fish that melts in your mouth!
Eel (Unagi)
Spicy Tuna and Yellowtail wrapped in Avocado and seared Ahi, topped with Sriracha
15 Turkey Fryer Safety Tips
25 Monday Nov 2013
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deep fry turkey, fryer safety, Jay Stevenor, National Fire Protection Association, Statefarm, StateFarm insurance, StateFarm Learning Center, Thanksgiving, turkey fryers, Underwriters Laboratories
I want to thank our StateFarm insurance agent, who we have had for many years, Jay Stevenor, BUS: (208) 344-6900, for sending us this article on frying turkeys this Thanksgiving. Jay Stevenor Agency. As the TV program said, “Let’s be careful out there!”
The article from the StateFarm Learning Center, starts out by saying, “It’s hard to beat the speed of deep-frying a turkey—or the irresistible flavor and juiciness that result. But turkey fryers have the potential to cause fire and serious injury, which is why organizations like Underwriters Laboratories and the National Fire Protection Association advise against using them.” There are some really simple, yet totally necessary safety rules that one must follow while deep frying a turkey. One suggestion is that you don’t use the deep fryer on a back porch, in a garage or in the kitchen. Keep listening to your local news and I bet you will hear where some one was severely burned or where a house burned down because someone did not follow these rules. You can read the rest of the article at 15 Turkey Fryer Safety Tips from the StateFarm Learning Center. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Gobble gobble!!
Two Great Meals!
24 Sunday Nov 2013
On Saturday night, we went to a BSU game party. BSU lost 34-31 to San Diego State. Yuk! But to save the day, Robin’s brother Brian sent us a recipe for Chile Rellenos Casserole. We used it as a dip and the people loved it!! It really was good and Thank-You Brian!! We just altered the recipe slightly.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 pound lean ground beef, 95% or Kobe
2 t Cumin
1 T Oregano
1/2 onion chopped, lightly caramelized
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 10 oz can diced fire roasted green chilies
1 lg Jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed and diced
1 15oz can Black Beans, rinsed
1 15oz can whole kernal corn
1 10oz can Ro-Tel
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend of cheeses
3/4 cup milk
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
2 eggs
Preparation:
In a heavy skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, diced jalapeno and onion; drain off excess fat. Place in a bowl and sprinkle beef with the first 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, cumin and oregano. Stir with a spoon to mix all the herbs.
Rinse the black beans and drain the liquid from the corn. Mix the beans, corn and Ro-Tel. Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Spread the meat mixture evenly on top of the bean mixture.
Combine milk, flour, salt, pepper and eggs. Whisk until smooth. Pour over meat and chili mixture. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted. Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with corn chips or with the chip of your choice. Enjoy!
Then we had our neighbors, Kelley and Scott and their daughter, over for a Five Hour Roasted Duck dinner. There is a recipe for this roasted duck in the recipe section of this blog.
Orange Infused Wild Rice
Green Salad
Acme Bake Shop Ciabatta Pull-Apart Rolls
Gravy
Peach Melba with Housemade Oatmeal Cookie
A variety of wine and sherry. It was a good foodie weekend with good friends. Thank-You everyone. Cheers!
Mai Thai Restaurant and the Idaho Foodie Meet-Up
22 Friday Nov 2013
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On Thursday, November 21, the Idaho Foodie Meet-Up group met at Mai Thai in Boise for a delightful gathering and some scrumptious food! Our very good Waiter Benjamin, suggested that we try their Buffet Lunch, 11am until 2pm daily, because we can try a large variety of menu items for a very reasonable price. We highly recommend the Mai Thai restaurant for their Asian cuisine and their service. Easily a 4-Star, out of 5, rating. We will have to try their buffet. Thanks, Benjamin. Eight of the Meet-Up group were in attendance and here is some of the food we had. But first, the ambiance. Enjoy and Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Please VOTE above. Cheers!
Some of the glass work and water works in the restaurant. Beautiful!
Neither this lamp, nor the one above, were made by Chihuly, but rather by a local artist. They are simply marvelous.
Each table had one of these candles on it. The Missionary’s Downfall goblet (left) Hawaiian Mai Thai goblet (right) were not on each table. Just on ours.
The bar area. As you can see, the lighting in the restaurant was awesome. A fun place with superb food and service.
And at any party, there may be door prizes. Here was one of several. A mouse pad, at that!
And now …. The food!
with
Spicy Curry Sauce
Robin and I had an excellent time. Good group! Good food! Until next time ……………….
New Boise Farmers Market Specials
16 Saturday Nov 2013
While Robin and I were at the New Boise Farmers Market today – nice to have the market indoors out of the cold rain/snow – we came across some of these booths that may be offering specials for the Thanksgiving and Holiday Seasons. All of these businesses have direct links in the sidebar. Call this an Infomercial if you wish, but we do support our local farmers and businesses. Cheers!
Acme Bake Shop. Some really great bread and they will deliver, within reason. Or you can go directly to the bakery in Garden City, just outside of Boise. Enjoy these breads!
Acme Bake Shop contact information.
Great olive oils. Check them out at Extravagonzo Foods
Local produce.
Ever had elk? Lean, very lean. Much like buffalo cooking process. Here is your supplier! Timber Butte Elk Ranch
Celebration Theme At “The Buzz”
13 Wednesday Nov 2013
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Just in time for the holiday season quickly approaching. Celebrations of the World was the theme of the November Wine Club Dinner at the Buzz. We had dishes with a Spanish, German, Basque, African, Italian and the Netherlands influence. It was an exciting evening, full of information and tradition. Great job, Cristi! My only criticism of the dinner is the Swedish Meatballs could have had a little more of the sauce on it. The meat was a little dry, although the flavor was still there. A little more sauce – An easy fix. Here are some photos from the evening. The wine rating is [20] maximum points. Cheers! and see you at the next event. Thank you Paul Colwell for the wines, Peggy and Austin for being our Servers and Tommy for your support “behind the scenes”. An 800 calorie meal.
![Spanish Fritatta I enjoyed this appetizer. 2010 Faustino Crianza Tempranello 13% alc. a light wine and went well with the appetizer. lowest score of the night. [17] $14](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/12nov2013_1a_the-buzz-wine-club-celebrations_spanish-frittata.jpg?w=524&h=348)
I enjoyed this appetizer. Great flavors.
2010 Faustino Crianza Tempranello
13% alc. a light wine and went well with the appetizer. lowest score of the night. [17] $14
![Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup If I don't like pumpkin and I liked this soup, you will also!! It was good. 2010 Durigutti Malbec Reserva 14% alc. a wonderful wine with this soup. well balanced and fruitty. best score of the night [20] $22](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/12nov2013_1b_the-buzz-wine-club-celebrations_pumpkin-blk-bean-soup.jpg?w=524&h=348)
If I don’t like pumpkin and I liked this soup, you will also!! It was good.
2010 Durigutti Malbec Reserva
14% alc. a wonderful wine with this soup. well balanced and fruitty. best score of the night [20] $22
![Holiday Salad 2011 Anselmi 12.7% alc. a good white wine that went well with the acidity of the salad. good paring. try the wine before you eat the apple in the salad - things will change. [18] $15](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/12nov2013_1c_the-buzz-wine-club-celebrations_holiday-soup.jpg?w=524&h=348)
2011 Anselmi
12.7% alc. a good white wine that went well with the acidity of the salad. good paring. try the wine before you eat the apple in the salad – things will change. [18] $15
![Swedish Meatballs Cabbage Steaks Noodles Just a little dry as I noted above, but the flavors were still there. 2011 Luna Cabernet Sauvignon 14.1% alc. good, full bodied wine that paired well with the entree. [18] $18](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/12nov2013_1d_the-buzz-wine-club-celebrations_sweedish-meat_cabbage-steaks.jpg?w=524&h=348)
Cabbage Steaks
Green Peas
Noodles
Just a little dry as I noted above, but the flavors were still there.
2011 Luna Cabernet Sauvignon
14.1% alc. good, full bodied wine that paired well with the entree. [18] $18
![Gingerbread A good ending to this meal. It really tasted good. 2010 Renwood Old Vine Zinfandel 14.5% alc. so good with the gingerbread. [19] $22](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/12nov2013_1e_the-buzz-wine-club-celebrations_gingerbread.jpg?w=524&h=348)
A good ending to this meal. It really tasted good.
2010 Renwood Old Vine Zinfandel
14.5% alc. so good with the gingerbread. [19] $22
Cristi always opens the evening with usually two wines that she labels “Cristi’s Choice”. These were two really good wines.
2012 Zolo Torrentes from Mendoza, Argentina. A really nice white wine and well worth the $15 price. [18]
2011 Arenal Vina Paralillo Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Again, well worth the $14 price. [18]
Snake River AVA Wine Dinner Extravaganza
11 Monday Nov 2013
This word just in from Hells Canyon and Zhoo Zhoo Wineries in the Snake River AVA.
“Hells Canyon Winery/Zhoo Zhoo Holiday Wine Dinner
at The Dish
The Robertson family from Hells Canyon Winery/Zhoo Zhoo will be teaming up with The Dish (205 N. 10th St., Boise) for a holiday winemaker’s dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Chef Jered Couch has put together a six-course menu of contemporary offerings designed to pair with select wines from this Sunny Slope estate winery. The dinner, to be held in the restaurant’s mezzanine, costs $100 per person (tax and gratuity not included). Seating is limited for this pre-pay event. To reserve a spot, call The Dish at (208) 344-4231
Menu
Johnnycake with vindaloo bacon, fried quail egg, warmed frisée and apple vinegar syrup — paired with Zhoo Zhoo Deep Pink (bone-dry rosé)
Smoked porcini velouté with pan-seared weathervane scallop — paired with Zhoo Zhoo Veloute (unoaked chardonnay)
Pork belly and kimch’i steamed bun with cranberry hoisin — paired with Hells Canyon 2010 Merlot
Cork-beaten octopus on a seep crisp with goat cheese feta-yogurt sauce — paired with Hells Canyon 2007 Idaho Chardonnay
Braised goat ragu with manchego cheesy grits and Brussels sprout gremolata — paired with Hells Canyon 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Saigon sundae: Star anise ice cream with pineapple relish, candied cashews, candied jalapenos, whipped mascarpone and dark chocolate sauce — paired with Zhou Zhou Redhead (off-dry rosé)”
Steve Robertson, owner of Hells Canyon Winery, is an exceptional Chef and knows how to pair the wines with dinner. For those of you in Boise, do you remember Annabel’s or Mussels Fish Market? Steve owned and operated both places and held some awesome seminars on cooking that I took. Even though Steve will probably not be in the kitchen for this event, I feel confident that he will be “tasting” and matching the entrees. Knowing the talent level of the Chefs and the Winemakers, this should be an awesome evening. Cheers!
Eat, Drink and Be Merry ……………….
11 Monday Nov 2013
Posted 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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………….. 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.
Butter lettuce topped with gold and red beets, toasted hazelnuts and served with a mustard vinaigrette
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.
Michael and Sandra joined us for the dinner party. Lots of wine. Some Scotch, Amarula, B&B, Guinness and Armagnac.
DineOut DownTownBoise
06 Wednesday Nov 2013
Such a great idea!! Plus, as hungry consumers, we get to try some different restaurants in Boise for a cut-rate cost. There are about nineteen different restaurants that are participating in the program this year. My only request is, if a specific restaurant has “special hours” for their menus, please let the public know. For instance, if you advertise a lunch menu, and if there is a time limit on the lunch menu, then please state that the lunch menu is only good until 2:00pm.
If you would like more information about this program, please click this link, Downtown Boise and follow their information links.
We went to Angell’s Bar and Grill-Renato this afternoon and had a wonderful late lunch. Out of 5-Stars, we rated our visit a good, solid 4-Stars. We had a very pleasant conversation with the owners Russ and Marika Dawe and Chef Will. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to chat with us. Great to see that they serve Idaho wines, Cold Springs Winery which we had, and Boise bakery, Acme Bakeshop Breads. Superb job, Chef Will! Here are some photos from our visit.
Robin is enjoying the ambiance and talking about wine to the distributor and our Server, Chris.
Acme Bakeshop Sliced Ciabatta
Cold Springs Winery Hot Rod Red
Cold Springs Winery Chardonnay
The soup was super and went best with the Hot Rod Red.
Green Salad
with
Citrus Vinaigrette
with
Curry Dressing
Concert Jam at “The Buzz”
27 Sunday Oct 2013
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It is great to have Jen Drake – viola – bring some of the local philharmonic talent to the Buzz again this year for the 2nd year of Concert Jam! I think this program will be scheduled about every other month. If that is wrong, I will let you know. Such a great event and thanks to Jen Drake for “directing” the music. And the really great thing – If you play an instrument, bring it! Sit down with these folks! Have fun and play your heart out! Ages? If you can read music and you play an instrument, you can join in on the fun. I think the youngest this time was a 14 year old young lady on the violin. Such a great experience for them to play with such great talent. Enjoy these photos from the evening. Hope to see you at the next one! Cheers!
Here is another venue for the philharmonic group. This month the music will be Brahms. The program varies each month. Well worth the $10 donation. Robin and I will be there.
Great dinner tonight!
with
Raspberry Sauce
Zucchini Cake
Steamed Asparagus
Chia-Li Ho, new Assistant Director at the Boise Philamonic and Jen on the Viola.
Some of the jammers! All ages are encouraged to join in.
Jammers.
At the end of the evening ….. Dessert!
Ice Cream
Whipped Cream
Cristi did a great job with this dessert. Hope to see YOU at the next event at The Buzz! Cheers!
Boise Foodie Guild 