In Memory of Debbie Haydon

10 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos By: Bob Young, Thought For The Day

The Buzz Coffee and Wine in Boise, lost a dear friend this month, Debbie Haydon. We offer this short entry in her memory. Rest in Peace, Debbie and thanks for the many, many wonderful meals. We saluted her with a glass of light pink Rose wine last night and the following words were offered about her.

Pink roses carry a connotation of grace and elegance, as well as sweetness and poetic romance. Pink roses are symbolic of gratitude and appreciation and are a traditional way to send a message of thanks. Light pink roses are associated with gentleness and admiration and can also be used as an expression of sympathy. How fitting that tonight we should toast to our dear friend Debbie with a wine of pink hue to express our gratitude and appreciation of her life, say thanks for all she brought to all of us, and say this with a sadness for ourselves in our hearts and a gentleness and admiration for her joining her beloved Don in a land not too far away. Salute and God bless.

There will be a memorial gathering for Debbie at the Buzz on State Street, Boise, Sunday August 14 from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. Please bring finger foods to share.

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!

Barley Brothers Travelling Beer Show

05 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Barley Brothers, Boise Adventures, Things To Do

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Yup! It’s back!! And this year the Barley Brothers Traveling Beer Show is bringing 10 Barrel Brewery from Bend, Oregon. This is the same beerfest that last year was called the Boise Beerfest. The program folks wanted a more general descriptor for the event so they can take it on the road. It will also be in Phoenix. The following information came from the Idaho Statesman. “Who are the Barley Brothers? The Barley Brothers are just two guys who love beer. They love beer so much that they want to share that love with all of you, so they founded the world’s only Traveling Beer Show. The Barley Bros. Traveling Beer Show is like no other show on Earth. Hundreds of craft beers, live music, games, awesome food, and did I mention hundreds of beers? They’re bringing all this to Boise, so grab your pretzel necklace, slap on a goofy hat and hit the road with the Barley Bros.”

Read more: Barley Brothers Travelling Show

Follow the link above for more information. $25 per person for unlimited samples and food. August 6th and 7th at Ann Morrison Park in Boise starting at 11:00am each day. This was really a great time last year. See you there.

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?

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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 “

Discounts For Seniors

26 Tuesday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Special Information, Thought For The Day

≈ 2 Comments

I received this in my email the other day and thought some of you may like this. Have fun with it, and no, we have not tried all of these. Cheers!

Discounts for Seniors:
Applebee’s: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+)
Arby’s: 10% off (55+)
Ben & Jerry’s: 10% off (60+)
Bennigan’s: discount varies by location
Bob’s Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+)
Boston Market: 10% off (65+)
Burger King: 10% off (60+)
Captain D’s Seafood: discount varies on location (62+)
Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee (55+)
Chili’s: 10% off (55+)
CiCi’s Pizza: 10% off (60+)
Culver’s: 10% off (60+)
Denny’s: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members (55+)
Dunkin’ Donuts: 10% off or free coffee (55+)
Einstein’s Bagels: 10% off baker’s dozen of bagels (60+)
Fuddrucker’s: 10% off any senior platter (55+)
Gatti’s Pizza: 10% off (60+)
Golden Corral: 10% off (60+)
Hardee’s: $0.33 beverages everyday (65+)
IHOP: 10% off (55+)
Jack in the Box: up to 20% off (55+)
KFC: free small drink with any meal (55+)
Krispy Kreme: 10% off (50+)
Long John Silver’s: various discounts at participating locations (55+)
McDonald’s: discounts on coffee everyday (55+)
Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (60+)
Shoney’s: 10% off
Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+)
Steak ‘n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday (50+)
Subway: 10% off (60+)
Sweet Tomatoes 10% off (62+)
Taco Bell: 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+)
TCBY: 10% off (55+)
Tea Room Cafe: 10% off (50+)
Village Inn: 10% off (60+)
Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+)
Wendy’s: 10% off (55+)
White Castle: 10% off (62+)

Grocery
Albertson’s: 10% off first Wednesday of each month (55+)
American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday (50+)
Compare Foods Supermarket: 10% off every Wednesday (60+)
DeCicco Family Markets: 5% off every Wednesday (60+)
Food Lion: 6% off every Monday (60+)
Fry’s Supermarket: free Fry’s VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday (55+)
Great Valu Food Store: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
Gristedes Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+)
Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)
Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday (50+)
Publix: 5% off every Wednesday (55+)
Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+)
Uncle Guiseppe’s Marketplace: 5% off (62+)

Cell Phone Discounts
AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $29.99/month (65+)
Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service (50+)
Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+)
*Check out our Secret Cell Phone Discounts to view all cell phone discounts available to you!

Miscellaneous
Great Clips: $3 off hair cuts (60+)
Super Cuts: $2 off haircuts (60+)

Since many senior discounts are not advertised to the public, our advice to men and women over 55 is to ALWAYS ask a sales associate if that store provides a senior discount

Thanks Robin and Nancy for forwarding this information.

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.