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.
This is what we had to eat and drink over the next 4 1/2 hours!
Robin getting ready to sample some superb wines from Italy.
James Beard Award Nominee and super Chef, Chef Richard Langston, our Host.
Chris Zimmerman, the Wine Host and great Commentator.
The opener –
(parmesan crisps)
served with
Bisol Jeip Prosecco
sliced prosciutto, mortadella, spec, soppressata, rosemary-sea salt focaccia
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.
local greens, tomatoes, carrots in a vinaigrette Raisins and onions
Very good salad.
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!
A Night In Shangri-La
02 Wednesday Jul 2014
The Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe, that is! Good music with the Fleet Street Klezmer Band and Dancing by the Cecilia Rinn Starbelly Dancers. And then, there is always the awesomely different food served up. Vegetarian at that. But delicious. Easily a 4-Star, if not higher, out of 5-Stars restaurant. Don’t wrinkle up your nose at the thought of a vegan dinner. This is really superior. We’ll be back! Enjoy these photos of the evening and Left-Click any of them to see enlarged. Cheers!
They do have other things besides tea. Yes, they have a fairly good selection of beer and wine.
But with close to 100 different teas to select from, you should find one you like.
And some of the teas you can steep right at your table. This is a Tea Flower.
A wonderful Coconut Soup to start things off. And housemade, as is most of their salad, sandwich, soup and dessert selections.
How about this Mock Tuna sandwich? This is absolutely delicious and one reason I keep going back.
Or this Mock Tuna and Crackers appetizer.
Or maybe you would like this Veggie Burger made with goat cheese, mango and peach salsa, spring greens, walnuts and portobello mushrooms. This is almost better than the Mock Tuna.
How about the Veggie Burger Salad?
Then for dessert a delicious Blueberry Lemon Muffin Cookie.
This Power Pudding is to die for!! It’s like eating a chocolate mousse mixed with nice, creamy butter.
After eating all of these goodies, one must have entertainment.
Body art on one of the dancers!
Fleet Street Klezmer Band. Victoria Kostenko on the violin. Shlomo Kostenko vocals and bass fiddle and Mathew Voorhees on the accordion.
The Cecilia Rinn Starbelly Dancers performed.
Some the excellent dancers.
Even the guys get to dance!!!
Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer!
22 Sunday Jun 2014
Posted in Antipasto, Appetizers, Buy Idaho, Chardonnay, Comfort Food, Dinner With Robin, Hat Ranch Winery, Idaho Trout, Idaho Wine, Interesting Information, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Marsing, Merlot, Orchard House, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Snake River AVA, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Syrah, The Orchard House, Things To Do, Trout, Weston On The Lake Winery, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho
Clear blue skies! Light, cooling breezes! 88 degree temperatures. Only thing missing is a tempting ocean breeze. We spent the day both at Hat Ranch Winery off of Plum Road in Marsing (their postal address is in Caldwell) and the Snake River AVA and then to a wonderful dinner at The Orchard House. Hat Ranch was releasing their Tempranillo, which is very good. The Orchard House has good meatloaf.
Hat Ranch Winery bought Vale Wine Co., as some of you might already know. Some of the Vale wines were there for us to try also. Their Chardonnay is really a good one and will pare well with foods that need a citru match. Not an oaky chardonnay. The appetizers that they had to accompany the wines, see the photo of the menu board below, were a perfect match. Enjoy these photos and if you are in the area, stop in at both Hat Ranch Winery and The Orchard House. You won’t be disappointed. Cheers!
Hat Ranch Winery, Tempranillo release party, menu board.
A very good Redpepper Hummus. Not overly spiced.
Good selections on the Antipasto Platter.
Some of the wines we tried. The Tempranillo will pair with most foods, especially Italian or Spanish.
The Vale Wine Co., Chardonnay.
And then, we went to The Orchard House for dinner. Goodbye diet for today! We always enjoy the meals here. If I were to choose which meal I would constantly get here, it would definitely be the breakfast. It is just so satisfying. But today, we had a good Meatloaf dinner and an Idaho Trout dinner. This is one place that you can get a good meatloaf away from your own kitchen. The Orchard House is located at 14949 Sunnyslope Road, Caldwell (just outside of Marsing) in the Snake River AVA.
We had to check this bottle of wine out. It really is named for the Weiser Old Tyme Fiddlers Festival, which is just over for the year.
This is the back of the bottle. Good information. Left-Click this or any of these photos to see them enlarged.
Robin had this good Idaho Trout dinner.
I had their Meatloaf Dinner. Just a good ol’ down home dinner. We did buy a bottle of Shane Weston’s 2009 Weston On The Lake Pinot Gris. Such a great day today. Super great tour of the area, of sorts, with Robin.
Lasagna Tonight
18 Wednesday Jun 2014
Posted in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Basil, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Comfort Food, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Herbs, Italian Food, Lasagna, Local Farmers Markets, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Salad, Tomatoes, Trader Joe's, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian, Wines - Tuscan
Yes lasagna! And summer starts Saturday! Light snow around the Sun Valley area. 66 degrees F and light rain here today. So it really did taste good. Actually, we had to try some Trader Joe’s lasagna and it was pretty good. Add a nice glass of 2004 Collazzi Toscana and the meal was complete. Here is a photo of what we had. Enjoy, we did!
Fresh Salad Greens and Tomato
with
fresh basil and carrot threads and Strawberry Vinaigrette
Acme Bake Shop Toasted Sourdough
with
garlic
2004 Collazzi Toscana
Cannelloni For Dinner
09 Monday Jun 2014
Posted in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Acme Bakery, Avocado, Boise Farmers Market, Brocolli, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Cheese, Cooking Styles, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Italian Food, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Salad, Sourdough Bread, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian
Another really good dinner tonight. We really try to observe the Meatless Monday, along with seafood on Friday. The wine went so very well with the cannelloni and the cheese. It is fun to try to keep the dinners inline with what day of the week it is. We are not always successful. But tonight, we were. Enjoy!
Acme Bake Shop Toasted Sourdough
Fresh Green Salad
with
avocado and garlic dressing
2009 Santa Margherita Chianti Classico Riserva
Great Coconut Shrimp Soup for Dinner
07 Saturday Jun 2014
Posted in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Red Wheat Bread, Acme Bakery, Bread, Captain's Shack, Chowder, Cooking Styles, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Red Wheat, Seafood, Shrimp, Soup, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food
This soup, or chowder, Coconut Shrimp Soup really makes an awesome dinner. Rich and smooth with a slight hint of spice. If you like it hotter, just add more cayenne or paprika. I have also placed a link to the recipe in the recipe file above. Enjoy!
Acme Bake Shop Red Wheat Toast
Pinot Grigio
Then for dessert –
with
Fresh Queen Anne Cherries
Great Halibut Dinner
31 Saturday May 2014
Posted in Capers, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Cooking Styles, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Greens, Halibut, Herbs, Idaho Wine, Main Dish, Parma Ridge Winery, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Salad, Seafood, Snake River AVA, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho
Last night we had this awesome Saffron Halibut Packets, a recipe adapted from Roger Mooking. This is an absolute keeper recipe. The style of cooking halibut in parchment paper is called Filets de Flétan en Papillote, or generally en Papillote. There is a great Mexican recipe – I can’t remember it correctly right now – from the movie Tortilla Soup where they prepare a fish this way. Anyway, here is our adaption. Enjoy!
The halibut is being prepared for the parchment wrap.
See the halibut and carrots in the packet?
Opening the parchment. Be careful. There is steam in the packet.
Great starter!
Fresh Carrot and Green Salad
with
lemon, olive oil and salt dressing
2004 Parma Ridge Vineyards Dry Gewurztraminer
Be sure to check the recipe above.
Puttanesca Dinner
24 Saturday May 2014
This was really very good. Fun to make and easy. It is a modified version of a traditional puttanesca, but just as good, I think. I will post the recipe in the recipe file later today. But for now, here is the dish. Enjoy!! For dessert, Robin cut up some watermelon and mixed it with some blueberries. Then splashed on some Grand Marnier. It was yummy. There is none left over! Here is The Puttanesca Recipe. You can also find it in the Recipe File as listed above.
(Shrimp Pasta Puttanesca)
2012 Bedrock Winery
Ode to Lulu RoseWatermelon and Blueberry Mix
with
Grand Marnier
Lamb Chops With Mint Cream Sauce
19 Monday May 2014
Posted in Acme Bake Shop, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Cream Sauces, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Grenache, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs, Idaho Lamb, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Ste Chapelle Winery, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food
Super lamb dinner and all the fixins’! The mint cream sauce is easy to do: After brazing the lamb chops, deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of Cream de Menthe. Add 1/2 cup of cream and stir to blend. Reduce over medium heat until thickened. Taste and season as necessary. Place 1 Tablespoon, or so, on each chop and serve.
Braised Felzien Farms Lamb Chop
with
mint cream sauce
Acme Bake Shop Ciabatta
Farm Fresh Mixed Greens and Tomato Salad
Cauliflower with Brown Butter and Sage
2011 Ste Chapelle Winery
GrenacheHerbs and Wine at The Buzz
14 Wednesday May 2014
I would be remiss if I did not send our condolences to Tommy and his family for his loss over the weekend.
We had a very quiet and intimate wine tasting at the Buzz last night – Herbs and Wine was the topic. Great topic and job, Cristi! Your choices of topics is what makes these Wine Dinners so very interesting. If you live in Boise, or the surrounding area and you missed this event, you can redeem yourself tonight as the program is repeated. The program starts at 6:30pm and costs $20.00 per person for a 5 Course dinner and at least 6 wines. Here is what we had and the wines to go with dinner. Cheers!
![Herbed Quiche 2012 Wente Chardonnay 13.5% alc.a wonderful chardonnay with this quiche. [19]](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/13may2014_1_the-buzz_herbs-and-wine_herb-quiche.jpg?w=524&h=348)
2012 Wente Chardonnay
13.5% alc.a wonderful chardonnay with this quiche. [19]
2012 Monte Fresco
13% alc. good choice with the spice in the soup. Awesome soup! [17]
2012 Zolo Bonardo
13.8% alc. great paring with the salad. big enough to go with the radish [19]
![Herbed Chicken Broccoli Saffron Tomato Rice 2012 Fernandez Gomez Rioja 14% alc. superb match. went very well with the broccoli. [19]](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/13may2014_1c_the-buzz_herbs-and-wine_herbed-chicken_saffron-tom-rice.jpg?w=524&h=348)
Broccoli
Saffron Tomato Rice
2012 Fernandez Gomez Rioja
14% alc. superb match. went very well with the broccoli. [19]
![Lavender Cupcake with Honey Frosting 2012 Tranche 13.2% alc. I thought the balance was a little off on this one. The cupcake, however, was awesome! [17]](https://boisefoodieguild.blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/13may2014_1d_the-buzz_herbs-and-wine_lavender-cupcake_honey-frosting.jpg?w=524&h=348)
2012 Tranche
13.2% alc. I thought the balance was a little off on this one. The cupcake, however, was awesome! [17]
Boise Foodie Guild 