Wow! Such a great evening having some outstanding wines and an outstanding dinner prepared by Chef Richard Langston, a James Beard Award Nominee! A total of 7 courses and 7 wines. This superb restaurant is located at 808 W Fort St, Boise, ID 83702, (208) 472-1463. It might be a good idea to call for reservations. We had a Dover Sole dish that was absolutely wonderful. So I asked the question, “What is the difference between Dover Sole and Flounder?” The answer is here from Chef Richard and from E-How.
Sole and flounder are both types of flatfish, and because the texture is similar, they are considered interchangeable in recipes. However, they are two separate species with slightly different looks and tastes.
Species
Sole is a type of flatfish. Dover sole, the most common type, is a member of the Soleidae family. Flounder is also a type of flatfish categorized under Heterosomata.
Features
Both fish are flat, with both eyes on one side of their face so they can hide on the ocean floor and watch for prey. While both are oval in shape, flounder is more rounded.
Here is what we had and the wines that went with each course. Thanks to Cafe Vicino for such a great evening and to Chef Richard and his Staff for great service. It was good to see “old” friends again. Enjoy these photos! Left-Click any of the photos to see them enlarged.

served with the plate above.
Fruity and bone dry. Goes great and calls out for salami.

sole in sweet and sour sauce

The wine served with the sole.
In Italy, no wine is served without food. These vines are located 1000 feet above sea level in volcanic soils; oyster shell. We asked for a little parmesan and this seemed to help the wine. This will go great with asparagus.

A good Tuscan from the west central coast. Went very well with vinegar in the salad.

stuffed quail, Amarone riotto
This was superb! The risotto was cooked in red wine.

Went superbly with the quail and risotto. From Verona, “Valley of many Cellars”. Superb, full bodied red wine at 15% alcohol.

wild boar with rosemary and juniper, currant sauce, zucchini
Great pairing with the Montalcino wine.

Great paring with the boar. Great Tuscan wine. Produced on 6 acres and 1000 bottles a year. We bought a bottle. (We’ll worry about our meds next month!)

chocolate-coffee Amaretti terrine, fresh local strawberries
The best I can say about this is, “Is there any more? I want more!”

From the Piedmont region. This is described as “A rainbow in your mouth.” Yes, it is well worth getting some. We did.
Such a grand night! Such a grand meal and wines. If you are in Boise, be sure to try this superb restaurant. One of the better ones in Boise and deserves the 5-Star rating I gave it. Superb! It would give the now defunct Andrae’s a run for their money. Cheers!
What is the Tuscan Cooking Style?
28 Monday Apr 2014
Tags
I had an interesting question the other day as to what is the Tuscan Cooking Style. Quite simply – It is a very basic style of Italian cooking using the barest of food essentials. Fresh herb, pasta, wine, bread. Not particularly a heavy tomato sauce, although tomatoes are used. Only a light sauce, if any, and pasta with herbs and cheese. There is a wide variety of information on the Tuscan Style of cooking on the web. I offer only a small portion of that information here.
If you are looking for some Tuscan traditional recipes, here is one source: Tuscan Recipes. And if you want that well known 3″ thick Tuscan Porterhouse steak, aka Bistecca alla Fiorentina, here is that recipe: Tuscan Porterhouse. And the traditional Tuscan dish of Osso Buco – here is a recipe for Veal Osso Buco. Or maybe you prefer a Lamb Osso Buco. An Osso Buco is referred to in the article by Delallo (dot) com below.
Information from the Examiner,
Tuscany is the land of simple and honest flavors with cooking that might be heartier than much of the rest of the country. It features excellent ingredients including a fair variety of herbs such as basil, rosemary and sage, strongly flavored olive oils, meat dishes from cattle and wild game like wild boar, and seafood on the coasts. Soffritto, a mixture of chopped celery, onions, garlic, peppers and herbs sautéed in olive oil, similar to the French mirepoix, is used as a base for soups and sauces, might be more popular here than elsewhere. Beans have long been a big part of the diet, and spinach is the most popular green vegetable. Excepting the spinach and the few tomato dishes, much of the cooking is unattractively brown… Commonly found dishes include the hearty peasant bread soup, ribollita, pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato soup), pappardelle sulla lepre (fresh pasta ribbons with wild hare), pappardelle con cinghiale (with wild boar), fritto misto (fried meats, offal and vegetables), tagliata (thinly sliced beef served with arugla), and the famous bistecca alla fiorentina (a thick steak traditionally from the prized and enormous Chiana cattle that used to clutter the Chianti hills, simply prepared and grilled over an wood-fired flame).
And here is some information fro EHow,
Tuscan-style cooking evolved from “la cucina povera,” or peasant cooking. The cuisine relies on home-grown ingredients, prepared fresh with nothing left to waste … Tuscan-style cooking employs a wealth of vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, green beans, fava beans, peas and all types of greens, including Swiss chard, spinach and escarole. Peaches and pears are popular fruits … The most famous Tuscan meat is the bistecca alla fiorentina, a large grilled porterhouse. Game meats, including wild boar, duck and rabbit are also important to Tuscan-style cooking … Wild porcini mushrooms and truffles add an exotic touch to Tuscan dishes. The porcini can be served raw, grilled, sauteed in olive oil and garlic. Truffles are added to pasta dishes or shaved over eggs or steak … The basis of many Tuscan dishes is soffritto, which means “under-fried” in Italian. Soffritto is made by lightly frying minced vegetables in olive oil. The soffritto goes into sauces, soups and other recipes.
And finally from Delallo (dot) com,
… The single most pervasive food image associated with Tuscany is likely that of the olive tree, which grows in a gnarled profusion throughout the region. But Tuscany’s climate also provides ideal soil for the grapes grown to create the region’s world-renowned Chianti wine. Cattle also weigh heavily in the region’s food production. Chianina cattle is one of the oldest breeds of cattle in the world, as well as one of the largest, producing prized Fiorentina beef for bistecca alla fiorentina (a T-bone steak brushed with olive oil and grilled perfectly rare).
Game meats and fowl, fish, pork, beans, figs, pomegranates, rice, chestnuts and cheese are earthy staples of the Tuscan table, and the coveted white truffle abounds in the region. Tuscan cooking is an interesting blend of dishes made from odds and ends for poor tables, as well as choosier fare created for the powerful noble house of Medici which once occupied and ruled from the Tuscany area. Osso bucco is a well-known favorite of the area, as are finocchiona (a rustic salami with fennel seeds), cacciucco (a delicate fish stew), pollo al mattone (chicken roasted under heated bricks), and biscotti di prato (hard almond cookies made for dipping in the local desert wine, vin santo). Barlotti beans, kidney-shaped and pink-speckled, provide a savory flavor to meatless dishes, and cannellinibeans form the basis for many a pot of slowly simmered soup. Breads are many and varied in Tuscan baking, with varieties including donzelle (a bread fried in olive oil), filone (an unsalted traditional Tuscan bread) and the sweetschiacciata con l’uva (a rolled dough with grapes and sugar on top). Pastas are not heavily relied upon in Tuscan cooking, and papparadelle (a wide egg noodle) is one of the region’s few traditional cuts. Pecorino Toscano cheese is native to Tuscany, as are semi-soft cow’s milk Tendaio and mixed sheep and cow’s milk Accasciato cheeses.
Soups, sauces and stews are the cornerstones of Tuscan cooking, many beginning with and relying upon the mastery of a perfect soffritto on which to build more complex flavors. A soffritto can be considered a sort-of Italian cookedmirepoix, and is a “pre-prep” combination of olive oil and minced browned vegetables (usually onion, carrot and celery) that creates a base for a variety of slow-cooked dishes. Herbs (sage and rosemary are used in many Tuscan dishes) and seasonings can be added to the soffritto as needed to bring out the unique flavors of each different recipe. Try the following Ribollita Toscana (Tuscan soup) recipe any time of year to transform your kitchen with the smells and flavors of the Tuscan countryside.
Wait a minute! What about the big, bold, deep red to purple wines of Tuscany? Have no fear. Here is some delightful information http://www.winecountry.it:
Wines of Tuscany – Tuscany’s winemaking industry counts on one of the most noble and ancient traditions that predates the universally known Chianti wine that often springs to mind when this region is discussed … Nowadays, the most grown variety is the noble Sangiovese, which is often combined with small amounts of locally grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo and other grapes into wonderful blends such as the Brunello di Montalcino, Morellino di Scansano, Carmignano and, of course, the signature Tuscan wines, the Chianti and Chianti Classico, which probably are the best known Italian wines in the world. Other grapes grown here are the Mammolo, Malvasia, Colorino, Raspirosso, Gamay, Grand Noir, Barbera, Moscatello, Aleatico and Vernaccia, among others.
Some interesting reading. But like I say, there is much, much more information available on the web about the Tuscan style of cooking. Indulge yourselves and look for more specific answers to your questions. Cheers!
Grilled Lamb and Good Friends Start the Summer Season
25 Saturday May 2013
Posted 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
inIt 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.
Quail and Sausage with Grape Sauce
09 Friday Nov 2012
Such a good dinner last night. We finally got to use some of the chukar that Dr Mofid gave us. Thank-You, Afshin, it was delicious. We still have some left along with the pheasant. To the left is the plated dinner and below is what was on the menu. If you want the recipe, Click Here. You can also use Cornish Game Hens or chicken. Enjoy these photos of the process. Be sure to view the photos in full screen.
Quail and Sausage with Grape Sauce
Black Rice with Carrot and Celery
Lamb Sausage with Grape Sauce
Chukar with Grape Sauce
2011 Panul Cabernet Sauvignon