Tea Time at Capitol Cellars

05 Saturday Dec 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Capitol Cellars, Comfort Food, Idaho Beef, Idaho Greens, Idaho's Bounty, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Tea, What's For Dinner?

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tea, tea time

Ah yes! Interesting and a good time. No wine, although there was a bubbly offered. Tea. All types and kinds of tea. And “finger foods” – really good. And fresh made. Yummers! Here’s what we had.

No. No wine today. Just look and dream.

Interesting tea pot. The pot actually was made to fit into the cup. Look close.

Robin with her tea. Can you see both the cup and the pot?

Tea is poured

Finger foods were delicious. Blueberry/Raspberry Scone Meat, Cheese and Greens with Aoli on Sourdough Slice, Shortbread, Quiche and Chocolate Truffle

Finger foods were delicious. Individual plates consisting of –

Blueberry/Raspberry Scone
Meat, Cheese and Greens with Aoli on Sourdough Slice
Shortbread
Quiche
Chocolate Truffle

Weekend Specials at Parma Ridge Winery

03 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Beef, Biscuits and Gravy, Bistro, Eggs Poached, Idaho Beef, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Wine, Local Markets, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Sliders, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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biscuits and gravy, bistro, Parma Ridge Winery, salad

Here is the latest from Parma Ridge Winery. Great weekend specials!

Join us for delicious food, a glass of wine and a beautiful view. Check out our specials this weekend!

Friday Happy Hour Specials from 4-7 p.m. with purchase of glass of wine or beer:
2 Sliders with Rosemary Truffle Fries: Pork, Mesquite Ground Beef, “Triple B“ or “Deluxe” – $6.50
Chargrilled Kielbasa on Pretzel Bun with Black Cherry BBQ sauce, Deli Mustard and Caramelized Onions – $5.95
Personal size Flatbread: BBQ Pork, Grilled Chicken, “The Patricia,” or Pepperoni – $5.95

Ridge House Salad: Mixed greens with apple cider vinaigrette, Bleu Cheese and poached pear – $5

Basket of Rosemary Garlic Truffle Fries with House-made aioli – $5
Sunday Only, in addition to our regular menu items, you can choose from:
Bacon, Egg and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich with Cheesy Bacon Fries – $5.95

Best Ever Biscuits and Gravy with a Fried Egg – $6.95

Slow Braised Beef Short Rib over Mashed Potatoes with Grilled Asparagus and Fresh Baked Bread – $10.95

Now serving our
Creamy Northwest Clam Chowder
all weekend!

Try our Desserts:
Viognier Poached Pear – Brown Butter Sautéed Pears with a hint of coriander and star anise deglazed with Parma Ridge Viognier and honey served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – $5
Decadent Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Chocolate Drizzle – $5
Dining Room and Tasting Hours are Friday 12 -7 p.m., Sat & Sun 12-5 p.m. and we offer our regular menu all weekend.

We were joined by Bob and Robin Young this past weekend, thanks for the awesome write up about Parma Ridge! https://boisefoodieguild.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/brunch-again-at-parma-ridge-winery/#comments

We are now offering gift certificates, nothing says “Merry Christmas” like the Parma Ridge Experience.

See you this weekend!
Cheers,
Steph & Storm
Parma Ridge Winery
208-946-5187
info@parmaridgewineandspirits.com

Storm’s Deluxe Burger – An All-Beef Patty with American cheese and Old-School Diner Sauce served with Fresh Cut Truffle Fries, offered all-weekend

photo courtesy of Bob Young

Northwest Creamy Clam Chowder with Storm’s Fresh Baked Bread, offered all weekend
photo courtesy of Bob Young

24509 Rudd Road, Parma ID, 83660
208-946-5187
http://www.parmaridgewineandspirits.com
https://www.facebook.com/ParmaRidgeWineandSpirits

Easy Eggs Florentine Two Ways

29 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Eggs Poached, Food Photos, Meadowlark Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Spinach, What's For Dinner?

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tarragon, tarragon vinegar

Really very easy to do. Fresh spinach that the center ribs have been removed and spinach is chopped. Then soft cooked eggs in water and tarragon vinegar. Served with french fries. That’s one way.
Here’s another. Remove ribs from spinach. Steam 30 seconds in tarragon vinegar and water. Soft cook eggs in the same water. Toasted Sourdough with Raspberry Jam. Either way is quick, easy and yummy!
And yes, eggs from Meadowlark Farms, sourdough from Acme Bakeshop and spinach from Purple Sage Farms, all local farmers. Tarragon from our garden last year. We made the tarragon vinegar November of 2014.

Chopped Raw Spinach Topped with Two Soft Cooked Eggs and served with French Fries.

Chopped Raw Spinach Topped with Two Soft Poached Eggs in Water and Tarragon Vinegar and served with French Fries.

Fresh Spinach Steamed in Water and Tarragon Vinegar and then topped with Two Soft Poached Eggs. Toasted Sourdough with Raspberry Jam.

Fresh Spinach Steamed in Water and Tarragon Vinegar and then topped with Two Soft Poached Eggs that were poached in the vinegar water. Toasted Sourdough with Raspberry Jam.

As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

Brunch Again at Parma Ridge Winery

29 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Boise Adventures, Brunch at Parma Ridge Winery, Brunch with Robin, Buy Idaho, Chowder, Garlic, Greens, Idaho Wine, Parma Ridge Winery, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Salad, Snake River AVA Sojourn, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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brunch, clam chowder, truffle fries

This is such a treat – even driving all the way from Boise to Parma! Superb food by Chef Storm. And wonderful artwork on the walls by Artist Stephanie. Such talents and such nice people. The food is delicious and servings are quite adequate, even to the point of being large. The Storm’s Deluxe Burger is superb and almost worth the drive just for the burger! The House Salad is exceptional with those pears! We started here for a good and substantial meal before our sojourn through the Snake River AVA and 5 wineries on Black Saturday. I want to say that Parma Ridge is probably the first winery in the Snake River AVA that has open seating brunch. Bitner Vineyards has, at times, cheese plates and other meals. Great to see the bistro type winery restaurant. Parma Ridge Bistro – that’s my name, not theirs – is every bit a 5-Star establishment. Just look at what we had.

Part of the Snake River AVA from Parma Ridge Winery tasting room. Beautiful!

Part of the Snake River AVA from Parma Ridge Winery tasting and dining room. Beautiful! Don’t forget to Left-Click on any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The Tasting Bar. The artwork on the wall is all by Stephanie.

More artwork by Stephanie Hodge. It is for sale if you wish. Contact Stephanie at the winery.

Table menus and wine for our cellar.

Wonderful House Salad

The Clam Chowder is superb, although a little salty. I'd still get it again.

The Creamy Northwest Clam Chowder is superb, although a little salty. I’d still get it again. Many clams and good broth.

Parma Ridge Burger. I'd drive all the way from Boise for one of these! Probably the Best Burger around! Aoli Fries and Black Truffle Oil Dipping Sauce.

Storm’s Deluxe Burger. I’d drive all the way from Boise for one of these! (Yes, it is that good!) Probably the Best Burger around! Rosemary Truffle Fries with Mesquite Aloli Dipping Sauce. A house specialty. Gotta be!

A Thankful and Traditional Thanksgiving!

27 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Apple, Boise Farmers Market, Classic Cuisines, Comfort Food, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Family, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Photos By: Robin Young, Recipes, Recipes - Dessert, Turkey, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Zhou Zhou Winery

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cranberry, pecan pie recipe, stuffing, traditional dinners, turkey

Yes it was! A very good Thanksgiving with family. (Sorry you had to work, Chris. There’s a platter waiting for you.) Mac, Marnie, Sophia, Robin, Buddy and me. That made a good group. Mac may have a new Holiday Dinner job – The “Making of the Rolls“. They were super! The stuffing did not turn out so good. (Pictured here to the left) I think next time I will leave it in the turkey. It dried out too much. Crunchy. Difficult to eat. The turkey, though, was delicious and there is some leftover. Yea!! Dried corn was off, for some reason. Even with those drawbacks, we had a good time. Here are some photos. Enjoy! To see any of these photos enlarged, Left-Click the picture.

The wines for dinner.

Good start to the stuffing – making our own – just a not so good ending.

Tried to make individual Stuffing Cakes. I will work on this.

Herb butter is getting “Happy”. Dried corn is soaking.

Robin made this super good appetizer dish from fresh veggies and dips and roll-ups. Delicious and fun!

Mac’s new job – Making of the Rolls!

Buddy watches and waits for any tidbits that may end up on the floor. He was patient!!

The table is set and full!

Sophia brought the delicious ham.

The turkey was worth waiting for. The drippings made super gravy! Smooth, rich and wonderful.

Plated meal: Green Bean Casserole, Dried Corn, Stuffing, Cranberry, turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy.

Plated meal: Green Bean Casserole, Dried Corn, Apple Stuffing, Cranberry, turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy.

And finish off dinner with Bourbon Ginger Pecan Pie that Marnie made. Here is the Recipe. Enjoy!

Fine Steaks at Ruth’s Chris in Boise

20 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Boise Adventures, Caesar Salad, Chicken, Creamed Spinach, Dinner at Ruth's Chris, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Greens, Idaho Chicken, Idaho Potatoes, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurant Reviews, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Salad, Spinach, What's For Dinner?, Wines - French

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#RuthsChris
Ah yes! Once again a really good steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris. Good chicken also. Good service. Polite service. Great food. One of the better restaurants in Boise that ranks a definite 5-Star rating. Kids are welcome, but you also need deep pockets. Happy Hour from 4 – 6 with specials at that time only. Here are some photos of our visit and hopefully you will get an idea of the superb food. Cheers. Here is a link to Ruth’s Chris Steak House, their Menu and their Happy Hour Menu.

Robin is checking the extensive wine selection.

The wine we had with our dinner. Went very well with everything we had.

Caesar Salad
fresh crisp romaine tossed with romano cheese and a creamy Caesar dressing. shaved parmesan cheese and black pepper

Ruth's Chris is known for their steaks and here is why. Robin had this. Too big. Brought some home.

Filet
the most tender cut of corn-fed Midwestern beef

Ruth’s Chris is known for their steaks and here is why. Robin had this. Large servings. Brought some home.

Stuffed Chicken Breast
oven roasted free-range double chicken breast stuffed with garlic herb cheese and served with lemon butter

I had the chicken. Again, large serving. Brought some home.

Creamed Spinach

Good side dish served family style. Delicious.

Au Gratin Potatoes

was really good, too.

Chocolate Sin Cake

There’s a reason they call this Chocolate Sin Cake!

Wonderful “White Velvet Soup”

18 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Bacon, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Dinner For Robin, Food Photos, Idaho's Bounty, Photos By: Bob Young, Rutabaga, Soup, Sourdough Bread, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?

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Bacon, pomegranate gremolata, rutabaga

This White Velvet Soup is wonderful! Smooth. Slightly sweet. Creamy. It takes a little time, but well worth it on a cold and snowy winter evening – no not snowing in Boise! But if it were ………… And then add some crumbled bacon (everything is always better with bacon!) and the Pomegranate Gremolata at the end, it is wonderful. It makes one feel joyful. Happy. And just think, it’s just some vegetables cooked together. Look at this soup. Then make it and enjoy! Add some toasted sourdough to serve with it.

White Velvet Soup
with
pomegranate gremolata and crumbled bacon

A Good Night at the Boise Fry Company

18 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 4-Stars, Beef, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Boise Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Burger and Brew, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Beef, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Buffalo, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurant Reviews, What's For Dinner?

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Boise Fry Co, buffalo burgers, vegan burgers

The really are a lot – many, many, many – places to get some burgers and fries – didn’t Charlie Pride sing a song about that? – in Boise, but the Boise Fry Company – Burgers On The Side is by far one of the better places. Fries from russets, golds, lauras, yams, sweet, purple, Okinawa potatoes and Brussels sprouts. And the side burgers from beef, bison (the best ones!) and vegan. Craft beer, local wines and house made sodas are also in the offering. And the kids are welcome, too! The one we went to is on 204 North Capitol Blvd (where Cafe de Paris used to be). (208) 949-7523. Easily a 4-Star eatery. Here are some photos from our visit.

A spacious dining area. Tables and chair or couches.

A spacious dining area. Tables and chairs or couches.

The ordering area and more seating.

Artwork on the wall.

A wide variety of fry dips and salts are available. Help yourself.

Buffalo Burger with Classic Topping (garlic aioli, spring mix, red onion, pickles, tomato) Russet Fries for Two

Bison Burger with Classic Topping
bacon plus garlic aioli, spring mix, red onion, pickles, tomato
Russet Fries for Two
IPA for Two

Pictured are three fry toppings: Blueberry, House Made Fry Sauce and Garlic Sauce. We liked the Blueberry the best but all were good.

It was a good night!

It is interesting to see that they use all “… natural, local and whenever possible, organic products.” The prep work for making their fries takes up to 5 steps and they are then fried in GMO free sunflower oil, which is then recycled to be used in cars. The bison is “… local, natural, grass-fed … We use free-range, grass-fed beef.” Depending on what you are looking for, this might just be the burger and fry place for you. We’ll go back.

Here’s a Different Breakfast

17 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Brussels Sprouts, Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Eggs, Eggs Beurre Blanc, Eggs Sunnyside Up, Fruits, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Sauces, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Meadowlark Farms, Mother Sauces, Photos By: Bob Young, Raspberries, Recipes - Sauces, Spinach, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?

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beurre blanc

Last night I made an Icelandic Flounder with Beurre Blanc, a great Mother Sauce for white fish and other delights, and Green Peas and a Brussels Slaw with Heirloom Rainbow Carrots. A super dinner. But I had some sauce left over so here is what I made this morning utilizing the Beurre Blanc.

Eggs Beurre Blanc on Toasted Acme Bakeshop Brioche
on a bed of
Baby Spinach, Baby Arugula and Bean Sprouts

Fresh Raspberries and Blueberries

Sunday Dinner

15 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Brocolli, Butternut Squash, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Beef, Idaho Polenta Floriani, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - French

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And a good Sunday dinner! Not the standard chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. This time beef, corn and vegetables. And a good 2012 Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal. It was a good one. The polenta was an Idaho product and so was the beef.