Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary, Balsamic Orange Sauce

23 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Cheese, Comfort Food, Dinner With Robin, Housemade Pasta, Idaho Wine, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Salad, Side Dishes, Snake River AVA, Syringa Winery, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Cheese Sauce, cuts of pork, orange sauce, pork, pork tenderloin, Wine

Such a great way to serve a scrumptious pork tenderloin. A little involved, but nonetheless delicious. The orange sauce really adds to this dish. I did not have any chicken stock, so I used turkey stock and I think it came out just fine. Then we served it with 2010 Syringa Winery Sangiovese and the paring was super good! I used this wine in the sauce, too. The original recipe came from the Cooking Channel, Kelsey Nixon. I adapted it slightly.
As sides we had a Fresh Green Salad, Steamed Asparagus and Housemade Pasta with Artichoke in a Cheese Sauce. Here are some photos of the dinner. Enjoy – We did! I will probably post the recipe in the Recipe File above. Cheers!

The pork tenderloin has cooled enough to slice it. So juicy and moist and tender. Delicious.

Pan SearedPork Tenderloin with Rosemary Balsamic Steamed Asparagus Green Salad Housemade Pasta with Artichokes in a Cheese Sauce 2010 Syringa SangioveseOrange Sauce

Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin
with
rosemary and balsamic orange sauce

Steamed Asparagus

Green Salad

Housemade Pasta with Artichokes in a Cheese Sauce

2010 Syringa Sangiovese

The Orchard House and Williamson Vienyards

07 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Brocolli, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Trout, Idaho Wine, Local Markets, Locavore, Meatloaf, Orchard House, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Salmon, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, The Orchard House, What's For Dinner?, Williamson Vineyards and Orchards, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Idaho Trout, idaho wineries, The Orchard House, trout, Williamson Vineyards, Williamson wines

What a great time last night at The Orchard House for dinner and Williamson Vineyard and Orchards serving their wines. The Orchard House is a favorite of ours when we are in the Snake River wine area. And Williamson Vineyards have some fantastic wines and their fruit in season is awesome! We highly recommend these two businesses. Here are some photos from the evening. Truly a Homestyle meal! Enjoy.

Patrick Williamson, Orchardist, explains to the Orchard House customer about the Williamson wines.

Patrick Williamson, Orchardist, explains to the Orchard House customers about the Williamson wines.

(L-R) 201o Williamson Viognier and a 2012 Williamson Blossom. Both are delightful wines.

(L-R) 2010 Williamson Viognier and a 2012 Williamson Blossom, a rosé of Sangiovese. Both are delightful wines.

More wine offerings.

A flight of Williamson wines.

Chicken Nugget Appetizer. Breading was a little heavy and they are spicy.

Some really good Onion Rings.

Some of the best Idaho Trout in the state!

I know. No one makes a Meatloaf like your Mother. And you can not find a good meatloaf when traveling. Until now. Outside of my kitchen, and my Mother’s kitchen, this has got to be the best anywhere. And if you are here for lunch, try the Meatloaf Sandwich!

What else can I say? The meal was a Plus 4-Star dinner (out of 5-Stars) and the wines went extremely well with the dinner. If you are in the area, stop in at both places. You may need reservations at The Orchard House – they get very busy for dinner. And try their breakfast or lunch. And don’t forget the appropriate wine with dinner. Say Hi to Kris for us! Cheers!

A Visit To Da Vinci’s Italian in Eagle

06 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 3-Stars, Boise Restaurants, Capers, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, da Vinci's Italian, Dinner With Robin, Green Salad, Italian Food, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Salt, Tuscan Cuisine, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Da Vinci, Tuscan cuisine, veal, veal marsala, veal picatta

Overall, a good visit and meal at da Vinci’s Italian in Eagle, ID last night. Overall good flavors in the food and good wines. My only negative comment is that there seemed to be an overuse of salt. Things were salty. But the layers of flavors – after you got by the salt – were very good. Had it not been for the overuse of salt, we would have rated da Vinci’s a 4-Star restaurant. Instead, we rate this as a 3-Star (out of 5-Stars) restaurant. You can see their menu at Yelp. From their website, “All Full Size Entrees Include Our Bottomless House Salad Bowl With Da Vinci’s Homemade Italian Dressing And Freshly Baked Tuscan Bread, Or Substitute A Caesar Salad For An Additional $2.95.all Chicken And Veal Dishes Are Complemented With A Side Of Angel Hair Pasta With Aglio Olio Or Tuscan Tomato Sauce. Add Extra Chicken $2.50 Add Extra Veal $4.50” Here are some photos from the evening. Enjoy!

The “party” area.

Art on the walls.

Table ambiance.

Robin had,

Veal Piccata
Veal scaloppini sauteed with lemon, white wine, capers and garlic

Bob had –

Veal Marsala
Veal scaloppini sauteed with sweet marsala wine and mushrooms

The 2010 Terra Nativa Cabernet Sauvignon went very well with this veal. The wine was light enough that it did not overpower the subtlety of the veal and the marsala sauce did not interfere with the wine. Good paring.

We shared –

Homemade Tiramisu
Coffee and rum-soaked chocolate sponge cake layered with mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa, and garnished with chocolate pieces

Awesome Braised Salmon

15 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Cream Sauces, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Green Peas, Heirloom Tomatoes, Photos By: Bob Young, Rice, Salmon, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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copper river salmon

After an incredible two days of snow, we got close to 10″ here at the house (BSU will play San Diego State tonight in football. 21 degrees at game time; 12 degrees by the final bell. Hope San Diego can handle the cold! Game starts 8:15 MST on DirecTV 208, ESPNU.), it was time to make a super good Copper River salmon dish. Simple, but, I think, elegant. Quick and easy; a 30 minute meal. Left-Click to see the photos enlarged. Cheers!

Braised Copper River Salmon
with
Pan Sauce
Steamed Rice and Peas
Quartered Heirloom Tomatoes
2012 Frenchman’s Gulch Chardonnay

Awesome Dinner For The Boise Farmers Market

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Appetizers, Beef, Beets, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Butternut Squash, Buy Idaho, Cheese, Classic Cuisines, Coffee, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes, Idaho Beef, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Wine, Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Organic Foods, Party Time, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Rice Family Farms, Saint Lawrence Gridiron, Salad, Soup, Special Information, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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beef short ribs, eat local, micro greens, neckar coffee

Yes it was! And many thanks to all of the Boise Farmers Market producers for supplying the awesome meal items and the Saint Lawrence Gridiron, at 703 W Bannock in Boise (208) 433-5598, for supplying the space, the Waite Staff and an awesome Chef! Just a super, super night!
I do believe that this was the first of dinners like this to raise funds for the Boise Farmers Market. And I do hope that they continue to do this Fund Raising Dinner next year and many years to follow. When you look at the menu and photos below, you will see the superb meal that we had. Congratulations to all who worked so hard to make this a success! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The flyer for this year’s event.

Delightful table center pieces added to the Fall theme.

The wonderful menu!

Butternut Agnolotti with Sage Beurre Monté

Fraiche Tartine open faced gougere chipotle fraiche cucumber

Fraîche Tartine
open faced gougére, chipotle fraîche and cucumber

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho heirloom tomatoes brown butter crouton

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
heirloom tomatoes and brown butter crouton

Harvest Vegetable Salad seasonal root vegetables candied walnuts local greens

Harvest Vegetable Salad
seasonal root vegetables, candied walnuts and local greens

Short Ribs
smoked and braised short ribs, Carolina grits, salt roasted carrots, braised leeks and pan jus

Apple Galette cinnamon custard brulee with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Apple Galette
cinnamon custard brûlée with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Neckar Coffee added some delightful coffee to our dinner. Thank-You!

Snake River Winery offered wines with the dinner and beer was also available from Woodland Empire Brewery.

The Check-In table

The Chef for the meal and on the right owner Brian Garrett. Thank-You both for this delightful evening.

Robin enjoys some Neckar Coffee.

Thank-You everyone for this event. It takes a lot of hard work to arrange this. Karen Ellis – Thank-You!

Robin’s 32nd Anniversary of her 39th Birthday!!

18 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Ahi Tuna, Appetizers, Beer and Food, Caesar Salad, Celebrations, Chandler's Steak House, Classic Cuisines, Classis Sauces, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Beef, Idaho Chefs, Joseph Swan Vineyards, Kobe Beef, Oysters, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Seafood, Spanish Wines, Special Dinners, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Wines - California, Wines - French, Wines - Idaho

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Chandlers, kobe beef, oysters, tuna

When one reaches a given year, let’s say 60 or there abouts, one really should celebrate ones birthday over several days. And one should have plenty of food and wine! I do believe that Robin had just that this year!! Happy Birthday, Honey! Let’s start the celebration on Sunday, September 14 with a dinner that Marnie and Mac made. Thanks to Sophia and Chris, too, for helping with this event. Look what we had.

Mac’s 2010 Mead!

Some pretty good IPA.

All the makings for some really good tacos. Pork, onions and tomatoes. Along with salsa and avocado.

And add some grilled flank steak and one has a delicious taco.

Stuffed Peppers for a side dish.

And Robin really likes Marnie’s Carrot Cake. (So do the rest of us!)

Then we had to rest for a while after eating all of this. This is the Birthday Rule: When it is your time to celebrate, YOU get to choose where you want to go for dinner. Any place in town. U-Pick-It! Robin chose Chandler’s Steak House this year. Good Choice. Look at this spread, and they knew it was her Birthday! Thank-You for a great dinner. The food, The Staff and the Wine were all super!

Robin at out table studying the Wine List.

We did have some great wine.

And it went very well with our dinners.

Start with these two delicious wines. Went very well with our seafood appetizers.

These two also went quite well with the appetizers.

Pacific Oysters
Freshly shucked oysters on the half shell, served on shaved ice with housemade mignonette sauce.
Kumomoto, Humbolt Bay, CA
Shigoku, Willapa Bay, WA

Tower of Tuna
Fresh ahi and hamachi tuna, diced and towered with avocado, tomato, red onion, red chili, ginger, and sesame seed vinaigrette with
Asian sesame crisps.

Now for these two awesome red wines with our entrees. Great choice!

Chandler’s Caesar Salad
Whole crisp leaves of romaine with our classic anchovy caesar dressing and garnished with parmesan cheese crouton and white anchovy.

American Kobe Beef
Snake River Farms crosses the premiere Japanese Wagyu breed with American Black Angus to create the American Kobe beef. This richly marbled beef is considered to be America’s best grade.

Veal Picatta
Scallopini cuts of fresh veal in a lemon,
butter and caper sauce, served with broccoli
raabe and orzo with sundried tomato

An awesome dessert wine.

Chocolate Volcano Cake with Grand Marnier Whipped Cream and Hot Fudge Sauce

Chocolate Volcano Cake
Grand Marnier Whipped Cream and Hot Fudge Sauce

Fresh Fruit Cobbler
Fresh, seasonal fruit baked in a vanilla crust
with house-made cinnamon ice cream

So there you have it. Several awesome meals. Here’s to next year!! Cheers.

Wine Meet-Up and Reel Foods Oyster Bar

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Caesar Salad, Dinner With Robin, Flatbread Neapolitan Pizzeria, Herbs and Spices, Idaho's Bounty, Italian Food, Lobster, Local Harvests, Locavore, New Restaurant Trial, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pizza, Reel Foods Oyster Bar, Restaurant Reviews, Seafood, Shell Fish, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Flatbread Neapolitan Pizzeria, Reel Foods Oyster Bar

On Wednesday, we joined the Wine Meet-Up group for a gathering at Flatbread Neapolitan Pizzeria in Boise at 800 W. Main, Suite 230, Boise, ID 83702 and their phone is (208) 287-4757. Not bad, overall, but their food, at least two of them that we had, were very spicy and Robin could not finish all of hers. It might be a good idea if the Wait Person would explain that some menu items are spicy. Our Waiter, Dallas, was very good, except he did not tell us of the spiciness. Their menu and bar offerings are readily available at Boise Menu. Here are some photos from our visit. I do hope that you enjoy it when you go there. Ambiance is really very good and children are welcome, they even have a childs plate of pasta, which Robin got. And they do advertise that their products are purchased locally as much as possible. I can not, however, give them more than 3-Stars out of 5-Stars because of the spiciness of the foods. Enjoy these photos. Cheers!

Robin at Flatbread.

Making pizza in a wood fired oven.

Part of the interior of Flatbread in Boise.

Claire Fenton, Organizer of the Meet-Up group, and Bev Fraser of Fraser Winery in Boise.

They list this as a

Classic Caesar
Artisan Romaine, Fresh Parmesan, Focaccia Croutons

but without anchovy it is not the classic version. Calling this a Classic Caesar Salad is like calling a Reuben Sandwich with Thousand Island dressing a “classic” Reuben. It is not!

Baked Goat Cheese

Robin had this and it was very, very spicy. She could not eat it all.

Pepperoni-Sausage-Mushroom Pizzetta

This is what I had, It too was spicy, but not as bad as what Robin had.

Robin then had

Pasta Alfredo
Picky and Proud!

A delightful change from the spiciness of her appetizer of goat cheese.

I had this

Summer Gnocchi
House-made Ricotta Gnocchi, Creminelli Proscuitto, Grilled Broccolini, Local Mushrooms, Roma Tomatoes, Pinot Grigio Cream, Shaved Parmesan
(available after 4pm)

It was very good with a nice cream sauce.

Then on Thursday morning, Robin said she would like to go to Reel Foods Oyster Bar for a Lobster Roll. Their address is 611 Capitol Boulevard, Boise, ID 83702, and their phone is (208) 342-2727 And who am I to refuse a good lobster? Here is their Menu, and it is a good one. Yummers!

Robin sitting on the patio at Reel Foods Oyster Bar waiting for our Lobster Rolls.

They now offer Sushi. too. This is not the raw one.

Lobster Roll and Fries

We could have had potato salad instead of the fries. We just love this seafood market and get 99% of our seafood from there. They even have a section of frozen, overstocked seafood selections at quite a price discount.

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer!

22 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin 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

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chardonnay, Hat Ranch Winery, Idaho wines, merlot, syrah, The Orchard House, Weston Winery

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 Humus. Not overly spiced.

A very good Redpepper Hummus. Not overly spiced.

Good selections on the Antipasto Platter.

Some of the wines we tried. We also tried a Hat Ranch Merlot and Syrah.

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.

Great Halibut Dinner

31 Saturday May 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin 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

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capers, Filets de flétan en papillote, halibut, halibut packet, saffron

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.

Fresh Made Potato Leak Soup
Great starter!

The halibut is being prepared for the packet.

Saffron Halibut Packets
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.

Awesome Easter Lamb Dinner

22 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Celebrations, Dinner With Robin, Easter Dinner, Easter Lamb, Food Prep, Greens, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Wine, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Miner's Lettuce, Photos By: Bob Young, Prep Work, Purple Sage Farms, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Ridge Winery, River View Gardens, Salads, Sawtooth Winery, Side Dishes, Snake River AVA, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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arugula, Idaho wine, Leg of Lamb, Miner's Lettuce, River View Gardens, sawtooth winery

This is probably one of the best lamb dinner we have had. I adapted it from a recipe found on Epicurious. Here is the link to our adapted recipe: Arugula, Spinach and Miner’s Lettuce Stuffed Lamb. The recipe is not for the faint of heart. But it is really fun to do. Give it a try. Take your time and enjoy the process. If you don’t have an already boned leg of lamb, here is a previous post on this blog about boning a leg of lamb. Well worth the short time to view the video. How To Bone a Leg of Lamb. Enjoy the lamb. Most, but not all, of the products on our menu were from Idaho – Support Idaho Farmers: Buy Local. And we really try to do this. Here is our list: Wine – Sawtooth Winery; Lamb – Felzien Family Lamb; Garlic – River View Farms; Salad Greens and Herbs – Purple Sage Farms; Bread – Acme Bake Shop and Vegetables – Volcanic Farms. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Cheers!

The boned leg of lamb with the stuffing in place. To bone the lamb, see the link above.

The rolled and tied lamb is “getting happy”.

The cooked lamb is resting to redistribute the juices.

Green Salad
with
Miner’s lettuce, slivered carrots and green onion
Olave Coratina Olive Oil and Agrestum Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

Wines For Dinner
2011 Sawtooth Winery Estate Grown Pinot Gris ($43.00)
2003 Ridge Vineyards Lytton East Zinfandel ($165.00 – 54 barrels produced)

Arugula, Spinach and Miner’s Lettuce Stuffed Leg of Lamb

The Entree Menu
Arugula, Spinach and Miner’s Lettuce Stuffed Leg of Lamb
Oven Roasted Rosemary Yukon Gold Potatoes
Roasted Vegetable Medley
Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread