September at the Buzz

30 Tuesday Aug 2011

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

I just received this from Cristi and Tommy Takeda from the Buzz in Boise. It is the program for the month of September. Be sure to make reservations. Robin and I will be there on Tuesday. Hope to see you there!

Dear Bob and Robin,
Hope the end of summer is finding everyone healthy and safe. As we have endured our own losses this summer and have been hoping for the best for our countrymen on the east coast we just want to say Happy beginning of the fall to our friends and family.

Just to let everyone know about a couple of new things going on at the Buzz; be sure to “like” us on face book as Buzz is going to be posting wine reviews on our facebook page three to five times a week with some special order pricing available if wines are ordered when they are reviewed also we are beginning a frozen meal service so that as the busy time of year catches up with all of us you can keep your freezer stocked and have healthy quick options for your family at meal times. Both of these services will be up and running on September first so be on the lookout for updates.

Our music September 2nd will be Carter Freeman and on September 9th we will host Pat Foulkner. Both Nights the music will begin at 7PM and continue until 9 PM so come by and join us for free wine tasting, great music, and our weekly dinner special. On Saturday nights we will have the Wii at the Buzz so come by for wine tasting Saturday nights and practice with Wii resorts (bowling and ping pong) so that you are ready later this fall when we host the Wii bowling tournament.

Wine Club
Septembers wine club will feature….the vacation you did not have time for over the summer. We will enjoy Ironstone wines (continuing with our family owned and operated wineries) and Hawaiian foods to accompany the Californian wines. As always we ask for reservations and please let us know of any food allergies or intolerances prior to the event. The cost is $15.00 per person for dinner and wine tasting. Reservations can be made at (208) 344-4321 or Buzz E-Mail.

Sincerely,
Cristi and Tom Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine
2999 N Lakeharbor Lane
Boise, Idaho 83703
208-344-4321, E-Mail the Buzz

Linda and Johns Seafood Chowder, Buffalo Pasta and Corn Pie

29 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Buffalo, Corn Pie, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Seafood, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

The following recipe for Linda and Johns Seafood Chowder was submitted by Linda McCormack of Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada. She and her husband made it during the recent hurricane, Irene. We “met” her via the internet and South Africa. It’s a long story. The photo to the left is the St Anseime Church in Dieppe. Thanks Linda for this recipe. Enjoy!

Linda and Johns Seafood Chowder

Source: Linda McCormack, Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada

Ingredients:
4 cups of seafood mix – clams, shrimps, scallops, crab, lobster & haddock (fresh or frozen)
2 large stalks of celery chopped small
2 medium white onions diced
3 cups of diced raw potatoes
Pepper to taste
1½ c Milk
½ c Cream
Chopped chives to taste
4 strips of bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
Fry up bacon in a heavy skillet till crisp. Remove and drain, then crumble into pieces and set aside. Sauté celery in bacon fat till tender, then add onions and sauté till transparent.

Put cooked celery and onions in bottom of a large soup pot and add raw diced potatoes. Add enough water to barely cover the potatoes. Put seafood mix on top of potatoes and season with pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and fish is flaky. Add about 1 ½ cups of milk and ½ cup of 18% cream. Add butter, chives and bacon bits stirring till butter melts. Reduce heat to medium low and gently heat chowder until heated through.

Serves 6 to 8 depending on the appetites, lol!!!!

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And then we have this awesome Buffalo Pasta, which we got the inspiration for this from a recent event at the Red Feather Lounge in Boise. The recipe is at the link above and is linked in the Master Recipe File located in the sidebar. Here are some photos of this dish. Enjoy!

4 oz of the pasta is placed in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Salad tomatoes of various colors are cut and half and placed on the pasta.

Here are the noodles we use. Shirataki Noodles. You will be surprised at these and Dr Oz says they are far better for you than the flour based pastas. Give them a try!

The end product.
One cup of the sauce is placed over the pasta and the tomatoes. Then serve this with a wonderful 2008 Indian Creek Winery Rainy Day Tempranillo and you have an awesome dinner!

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But wait! We’re not through. It is September – well almost – and the corn is ripe and some is turning “old”. Don’t you dare throw that corn away. Make a Corn Pie from it! A what? Corn Pie! Check out the recipe from the link above or on the Master Recipe File in the sidebar. Corn Pie and Sliced Fresh Tomatoes for dinner! YUM-O! Here are some photos. Enjoy!

Garden Fresh Corn Pie out of the oven.

Corn Pie
Garden Sliced Tomatoes
with
Coarse Sea Salt and Garden Fresh Basil

Sunny Slope (Idaho) Sliced Peaches

Grilled Lamb Chops

05 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Lamb, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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Can’t say there is a much better dinner than what we had last night. Check this out and look at the photo as the menu is presented!

Mediterranean Grilled Lamb Chops
grilled center cut lamb chops marinated in olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh chopped rosemary, fresh chopped mint, fresh chopped oregano, diced garlic

Carrots in Brown Butter
steamed carrots in a rich brown butter sauce

Fresh Garden Artichoke Salad
fresh picked Romaine lettuce, marinated artichokes, fine diced celery in olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon dressing

2008 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon
42% Mendocino County, 40% Lake County, 18% Napa County

Now that was an awesome dinner!

Ling and Louie’s Restaurant

04 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chinese Food, Ling and Louies, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

≈ 4 Comments

On August 3, 2011, we went to a new restaurant in town. Actually in Meridian at the St Luke’s complex on Eagle Road. It is called Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill. You can view a complete menu and get more information on their web site at Ling and Louie’s. We had a good experience, but I am sorry that they are not local, but rather a chain. With that being said, I will still rate them as a 4-Star – out of 5 – restaurant. The food that we had, pictured below, was really good. We went for the meatloaf. It was good, but it was not Mom’s. We shared both that and a Wango Mango Shrimp dish that was awesome. Full of not overly done shrimp over brown rice – you have a choice between Brown or Jasmine rice. I would definitely have that again. But look at these photos. Then try them out. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see full screen.

Water feature in the Main Dinning room.

Wango Mango Shrimp
sweet and tangy wok’d shrimp with diced mango, fresh chopped spinach and Thai basil

Ling’s Meatloaf
homemade meatloaf with a savory Asian brown gravy, wasabi mashed potatoes, Szechuan green beans

Chocolate Volcano
flourless chocolate cake served warm and topped with fresh strawberries, vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry sauce

Banana Caramel Spring Roll
spring roll filled with banana cheesecake and dusted with cinnamon and sugar with fresh strawberries, caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream

The remains of the banana spring roll. It was that good! But then so was the chocolate volcano, but there was nothing left to photograph of that one!

This was a good experience for us and we recommend it to you for you to try. The address is 1210 E Louise Drive, Meridian, Idaho 83642. They do serve Idaho wines and a fantastic and very refreshing Ginger Lime Margarita. It was good to meet Andy, the Manager and the Assistant Manager Noah. Our waite person, was Vince.

So there you have our opinion. Do try them out. We think you will like Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill. Cheers!

August At The Buzz!

31 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food Festivals, Wine Dinners

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Here we are again in another month. Did you go to the last Wine Club Wine Dinner at the Buzz? $15.00 per person – 5 course meal and 6 – 8 wines. Here is the latest information about the events at the Buzz for August. Don’t miss these and call now for reservations. Robin and I usually go on Tuesday nights – suits us best. Cheers and see you there! From Cristi and Tommy and the Buzz:

“Hope that the warm weather and midsummer excitement is finding everyone well. This weekend July 29 and 30 we, at Buzz, will be hosting music both Friday and Saturday Nights. On Friday we welcome Pat Faulkner and her musical talents on the guitar. And on Saturday, we will enjoy the musical talents of Tomorrow Never Knows. This is a local duo who focuses on the sounds and songs of the Beatles. Both nights music will begin at 7 PM. As usual we will host a wine tasting beginning at 6 PM on both nights and will feature a dinner special both nights. Also enjoy a dessert special both nights.

Wine Club
Wine club for August will be the nights of August 9 and 10 at 6:30 each night. We will continue to feature family owned wineries with a visit from Trio out of Washington state. I am waiting to hear if Karen the winemaker/owner will be able to attend the dinner with us. We will keep you posted. But either way get a group together and enjoy the best bargain in Boise wine dinners. $15.00 per person for dinner and wine. Make reservations soon (208) 344-4321 or buzzwine@cableone.net.

News from the Buzz
Watch for coming information on our new home delivery meal system. We look forward to seeing you this weekend or at the wine club in August help us make Trio Winery feel welcome in Boise. Be safe and have fun. Remember Buzz is your place for everyday wines everyday.

Sincerely,
Cristi and Tommy Takeda
Buzz Coffee and Wine “

Baked Halibut with Sour Cream/Dill Sauce

23 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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This is one awesome way to prepare halibut, outside or course from Halibut Beurre Blanc! This is not a difficult recipe to follow or to create. Thank-You Margaret for sharing the wonderful, fresh halibut with us. It is greatly appreciated. I would, however, stay with the fresh ingredients and not used dried dill, for instance. I bet this would be good with cod, also. We might have to try that. The cod may go very well with the dill. Here is the menu as picture to the left. Enjoy!!

Baked Halibut with Sour Cream/Dill Sauce
Snow Peas Sautéed in Brown Butter
Fresh Celery and Fennel Salad

The Recipe

Baked Halibut with Sour Cream/Dill Sauce

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Adapted From: The Low-Car Comfort Food Cookbook, Michael R Eades, M.D., Mary Dan Eades, M.D.

Ingredients:
8 oz White Wine. Viognier works well + 2 teaspoons
4 5-oz Halibut Steaks or Fillets, skinned and boned
1 t Coarse Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste
1 c Bread crumbs, fresh made
½ c Mayonnaise
½ c Sour Cream
¾ c Red Onion, chopped fine
2 t Fresh Dill, chopped fine
4 sprigs Cilantro

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 ºF

Butter four individual 4¾x2½x2” ceramic pâté dishes. (See photo to left) Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the wine on the top of the butter and swirl around to cover the butter. Set aside.

Wash the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Soak the fish in the 8 oz of wine mixed with salt and pepper for about 30 minutes.

Place the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Dip the wet halibut fillets in the bread crumbs, coating them thoroughly. Transfer the steaks to the buttered pâté dishes.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion and dill thoroughly. Place one-quarter of the mixture over each halibut fillet. Bake the fish for about 15 to 18 minutes or until tender. Garnish with the cilantro.

Serve with Fresh Garden Snow Peas Sautéed in Brown Butter and a Fresh Celery and Fennel Salad.

Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe

22 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Shangri-La Tea Room, What's For Dinner?

≈ 3 Comments

To be honest, a vegetarian restaurant or cafe or bistro just isn’t my first choice. But, the Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe is awesome! The ambiance of the cafe with its low, but colorful lighting and decor, is great. And then, the entertainment that we heard, the Fleet Street Klezmer Band played some really different, but interesting music.

And when you pull into the parking lot, you are greeted by this, and some other, art work. What a tree! This is a really fun place to go and eat. I have placed a link on a more detailed review below. Go to Shangri-La and enjoy the treats!

Fleet Street Klezmer Band. A mix of Romanian, Gypsy, Jewish and Mediterranean music. A good band!

An open invitation for everyone to dance!

Belly Dancer. Great entertainment.

Drummer

Gypsy violin. Awesome music and smile!

And then, along with all of this great entertainment, there is Mediterranean food. I am by no means a vegetarian, but this meal really was good. It hit the spot. You can find a review of the food at Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe by clicking the link. I rated the Shangri-La a 3-Star, but I may have to change that when we return. Here are some photos I took of the food. Enjoy! We did!

Mango and Ceylon Tea and Granger IPA

Cold Coconut Cream Soup
cucumber, carrot, cayenne, mushroom, avocado, cilantro

Wild Mushroom Miso
porcini, Chilean boltet, black trumpet, golden oyster, eryngii, reishi, straw, portobello, shitake mushrooms
onion in a miso-garlic broth

Baba Ganouj and Pita
eggplant, spices

Available teas.

Veggie Burger
whole grain bun, mango peach salsa, spring green and tomato
(I had a Tofu Burger in Berkley at the West Brae Deli that was simply awesome. This veggie burger was at least as good. I will go back just for this burger!)

Chocolate Overload Torte and Homemade Green Tea Ice Cream
Rich and decadent. A chocolate lovers dream come true.
WOW!

Pecan Tea Cake
Awesome!

You really do have to go and try this food. It is that good. Cheers and Enjoy!!

Exploring the Basque Country Foods

21 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Basque Foods, Ethnic Foods, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

≈ 1 Comment

We were reading the July 20 issue of the Boise Weekly, and found this exciting article by Guy Hand on, Exploring the Evolution of Basque Cuisine, Going beyond pintxos and chorizos. Here is an excerpt. Click on the hot link for the full article. It is worth your time and it is interesting. And while you are at it, remember to create a garden – any size – to fulfill your need for fresh, wholesome local vegetables!

As the class watched, one chef, dressed in his crisp chef’s whites, broke open a lobster with his bare hands; another drizzled a long stream of grassy, high-end olive oil into a bright green parsley sauce; another sauteed mussels with string beans; and a fourth, speaking through an interpreter, explained the steps required to assemble a warm clam cocktail.

Gloria Totoricaguena stood to the side smiling. Through a week-long series of classes, wine tastings and dinners, she was trying to bust a few myths about the food of her ancestral home: the Basque Country of Spain.

“What the typical non-Basque person in the American West thinks of as Basque food–barbecued lamb, bean soup, chorizos in a hotdog bun–is not typical in the homeland,” she said.

Speaking of keeping it local, Sustainable Community Connections is hosting its inaugural 20X20 fund-raising event, which offers 20 local courses for $20.Guy Hand, a friend of ours, a local NPR celebrity and a locovore, does a great job in discussing and describing the Basque cuisine. Here we get a little more insight to the cultural foods. Boise has the largest concentration of Basque in the USA. Just thought you’d like to know that. Read the article. It is good.

And while we are on the subject of locovore – we were? – here is an interesting article in the July 20 issue of the Boise Weekly again. The article is by Tara Morgan. It can be found by Clicking This Link.

Speaking of keeping it local, Sustainable Community Connections is hosting its inaugural 20X20 fund-raising event, which offers 20 local courses for $20.

The event will go down at Red Feather Lounge on Sunday, Aug. 21, and feature 10 different tasting-size portions of local grub served up with 10 beer/cocktail pairings. Red Feather will shut its doors to the public for the event, which is limited to 120 attendees.

The 20X20 program encourages Boise residents “to build a strong local, living economy in Idaho” by pledging to purchase 20 percent of their goods and services from locally owned and independently operated businesses, ensure that 20 percent of the food they consume is produced locally, invest 20 percent of their assets in local banks or credit unions, ride their bikes 20 percent more and reduce electricity and water usage by 20 percent.

Robin and I already have our tickets. You can get them at eventbee.com, if there are any still available, or for info, visit sccidaho.org.

Not Meatless Monday, But Close!

20 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Meatless Monday, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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This is not Monday. It is Tuesday. But on Meatless Monday we did have, sorry there is no photo –

Grilled Talapia with Cucumber Lemon Sauce
Fresh Corn
Fresh Broccoli
1983 Mercurey Clos des Barraults

Pretty good for a Meatless Monday. But then tonight, we pushed the thresh hold with chicken and prociuto. Here is a photo and the menu –

Chicken Stuffed
with
Prociuto and Lacy Swiss Cheese
in a
Cucumber Lemon Sauce

Garden Fresh Steamed Broccoli

Garden Fresh Yellow and Red Tomato Salad
with
Garden Fresh Sauteed Red Onion

2010 Tertulia Cellars Viognier

It was fun to make after a day re-designing part of the backyard. Cheers!

Two Twin Falls, Idaho Restaurants

17 Sunday Jul 2011

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

≈ 8 Comments

On July 15, 2011, Robin and I were in Twin Falls, Idaho. We had made reservations at two places: The first was Elevations 486 located on the south rim of the Snake River canyon, where we had an awesome view of the golf course on the northside. This area of land at one time belonged to Robin’s G-Grandfather, IB Perrine.. The view of the canyon was better than the food. To start with, they have advertised on their web menu that they have Trout Ceviche. They did not. Robin had to do with a Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche, which they forgot to bring. I had a hamburger that was pretty good. Left-Click the photos to see a larger view. I would rate this restaurant a 3 Star out of 5.

We had an excellent Cold Springs Winery Chardonnay.

Robin is being served the wine by Travis.

Robin points to the IB Perrine Blue Lakes Ranch. Part of the property now belongs to Blue Lakes Country Club and golf course.

An overview of the ranch area. There used to be fruit orchards on both sides of the Snake.

The IB Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho crossing the Snake River.

On the other hand, we had a fantastic Italian dinner here at the Cucina Gemelli – Handcrafted Italian Cuisine and Fine Wines. I have to agree with Guy Hand, a local NPR food critic, friend and locovore, when he says, “The most memorable food in the Magic Valley”. For restaurants in Twin Falls, I would rate this a high 4-Star, out of 5. Well worth the time to go and visit them and to have a great Italian dinner. Lynn Sheehan, Chef Proprietor, is a very friendly person. It is great when the Chef/Owner visits each table in the restaurant and makes sure you are satisfied. Look at these photos and visit them if you are in Twin Falls. And to think of it, a great place to go for dinner if you are in Sun Valley or Haley, Idaho. Enjoy!