23 Monday Mar 2009
Posted in Food Prep, Interesting Information, Thought For The Day
Hi All – I received this email today,
“I ran across your blog today and, as a fellow Boise foodie I really enjoyed it. I am a competitive BBQ cook and have a blog of my own. Keep up the good work, John”
Here is his web site: BBQ Web Site and it looks like a good one! Check it out. The kitchen is done! Check out the updates at Our Retirement Blog. Cheers!
07 Saturday Mar 2009
I’m just trying this slide shpw presenter out. I just want to see how well it works.
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| Make a Smilebox slideshow |
03 Tuesday Mar 2009
Posted in Celebrations, Photos, Restaurants
Ah yes, he really was here! After seeing him win the 2nd season of the Foodnetwork’s Newest Star, Guy Fieri was pleasant to meet. I was glad, in my own small way, to have something to do with this production. The program should be aired 3 to 6 months from now.
Now all I hope is that I won’t miss the airing of the program.
02 Monday Mar 2009
Posted in Photos, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants
On Sunday, March 1, Robin and I went to the 36th Street Bistro, 3769 Woody Street (Hill Road and 36th Street) in Boise, and it really was a treat. You can call them at (208) 433-5111. Usually we rate restaurants from 1 to 5 Stars, 1 Star says, “That’s good enough for this year” and a 5-Star restaurant is superb in all aspects. The 36th Street Bistro is a 3-Star Plus restaurant. The food is quite good, the service is friendly and good and the overall quality is very good. Prices range from $6.00 to $18.00. Their hours are: Tuesday – Saturday 8:00am to 9:00pm; Sunday Brunch 8:00am – 6:00pm.
As photographed here, and there was no problem taking these photos, shows the open ambiance and space. They are trying very hard to be “green”. That is, they use thermal heat (from hot springs right here in Boise). The highest windows are thermostatically controlled: If the temperature goes too high, the windows automatically open and evacuate the heat. Likewise, the windows in the restaurant area are carbon dioxide evacuators: If the level of carbon dioxide gets too high, the windows automatically open and evacuate the air.
From Left to Right: Joe, the Chef; Rob, the Floor Manager; and Megan, our Waite Person. These folks were extremely friendly and polite. They blend in with the ambiance of the restaurant. The one criticism that we have is that it would be nice if they used heated plates and coffee mugs in order to keep the food warm longer. They do have some wines available and some are from Idaho. All in all, our experience was really a good one. We will be going back at some time – maybe for dinner or another brunch. We do suggest the 36th Street Bistro for your enjoyment.
28 Saturday Feb 2009
Posted in Celebrations, Interesting Information, Restaurants
“To our friends and family,
As some of you may already know, Chris was recently named a semi-finalist for the 2009 “Best Chef Northwest” award by the James Beard Foundation. It is a tremendous honor to be considered and came as quite a surprise to us. We at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen are humbled to be listed among so many of Seattle and Portland’s great chefs and restaurants.
This news has given us a moment to reflect on how grateful we are to be in Walla Walla and to have supporters both locally and nationally. Walla Walla has and will continue to build a reputation for having amazing wines and restaurants that highlight many of the Valley’s rich agricultural gifts. We are blessed and proud to be apart of this valley.
Since our opening, we have been fortunate to have talented people working with us. Some of them have come, gone, come back and most have been with us since day one. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dear restaurant family, Justin Anderson, Henry Baumgartner, Jenna Bicknell, Robert Brannon, Guillermo Corro, Ryan Crane, Michael Espinoza, Kimi Galasso, Rex Grigg, James Guzman, Brandon Hardy, Rudy Hernandez, Benjamin Humbert, Hannah Israel, Lindi Kauer, Noe Martinez, Luana McKinley, Kimberly Nemeth, Sandra Perez, Julia Russell, Jamil Scherief, and Boe Stevenson. Thank you for inspiring us in your pride and dedication to your work.
It’s been nearly two years since we’ve moved our family (our two beloved Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Alabama and Bahari) and opened Saffron’s doors, with Pho Sho following six months later. In that time, we’ve made many friends and developed wonderful working relationships within our community. This incredible recognition has every thing to do with the love and support you show us, in your words and in your presence. We thank you sincerely.
Chris & Island Ainsworth
—
Have a great day!
Red Dog Productions, LLC dba
Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen & Pho Sho
125 West Alder Street
Walla Walla WA 99362
P 509-525-2112
F 509-525-2909
http://www.saffronmediterraneankitchen.com
http://www.phoshowallawalla.com”
If you have never eaten at the Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen you really need to make the commitment to go. But make your reservations! You absolutely will not be disappointed. It was really great to receive this email from Island and to know that Chris was “… named a semi-finalist for the 2009 “Best Chef Northwest” award by the James Beard Foundation.” Chris is to be commended! Kudos to you Chris!
27 Friday Feb 2009
Posted in Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Guy, Recipe By: Guy
Here’s the recipe for the Shrimp Etouffee. It’s from the cookbook Le Bouche Creole by Leon Soniat. The only thing I did differently was to poach the shrimp shells in the beef broth before adding that to the dish for more shrimpyness. Also, I cooked the shrimp only for a minute at the end, not the 20 minutes in the menu. (The key to reading this recipe is to Left Click where you can get a full screen version and then print it.)
Shrimp Etouffee
Taste Testers. No, this is not our kitchen —– Yet!
27 Friday Feb 2009
Posted in Food, Photos, Restaurants
It isn’t often that I wait so long to write a critique on a restaurant. But this one, the Garden Cafe in Twin Falls, Idaho, is an exception. Usually we rate a restaurant on a 1 to 5 star basis, 5 stars being superb. With that in mind, the rating for the Garden Cafe is -1 Star!!!
And here is the reason why the rating is so poor. (1) The floor manager, Tom, needs some schooling in intra-personal relationships, (2) The floor manager should never be so arrogant as to tell customers, “No, you can not sit there because that area is used for large groups (the area is photographed below)”, or “No, we can not turn on the lights because this is the ambiance we like at this time of day (lunch time)”. “If you want to sit in a better lit place, go sit over by that wall”. “What are you doing? You can not take photos in here”. The photos that I was taking was one of the dining area above – which, by the way, is the area we wanted to move to. I don’t see any customers there, so I can not imagine why he was so offended and offensive. We have taken photos at many, many restaurants, but have never been refused the opportunity to photograph the interior.
But on the plus side, and there is one, the waiter we had was fantastic. Well schooled in how to treat a customer and attentive to our needs. Polite. The food was good, nothing really exceptional, but good. Since the floor manager, Tom, is the one in charge, the responsibility has to land squarely on his shoulders for such a poor experience. There is just nothing more that I can say about this experience. It was worse than bad.
25 Wednesday Feb 2009
Harken, all ye who love food! On 3 March from 9:00am until 5:00pm, the Foodnetwork and Diner’s, Dive’s and Drive-In’s with Guy Fiere will be at the Westside Drive-In, 20th and State Streets for a filming. Want some great food and be on TV? Chef Lou saw me at home and relayed this info to me. He also said that the Westside Drive-In was the Number 1 Requested Restaurant in the state of Idaho for this program. I am happy to say that I was one of those people who contacted the Foodnetwork for this purpose. They wanted to come last November, but Chef Lou Aaron told them that they did not want to come to Boise in November. Hope to see some of you there. If you have time, you may want to walk down the alley – east on Madison Ave or Tin Pan Alley – and say Hi, if we are not there! You can find a review of Westside Drive-In that Robin and I made at Restaurant Review. You can also look at their Web Site.
21 Saturday Feb 2009
Posted in What's For Dinner?
OK. Monday, 23 February, is the start of this major project! Below are some drawings of the project.
Overhead view of the kitchen.
Elevation view of the major appliances: Stove, Microwave, Exhaust Hood (West Wall) and Refrigerator (South Wall)
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The Sink (North Wall) and the placement of the Dishwasher. Note the cabinets and drawer space.
These last two views are overhead views and placement views.
What you don’t see is the Sky Light, LED lighting under the cabinets, the Ceiling Lights , the new flooring and the Pot Rack.
It is said that it will be completed in one week. I hope so, but one must always be ready for the unexpected in a house that was built 104 years ago – it’s one of the “perks” of owning an old house. We are trying very hard to keep the design and appearance in the ambiance of the early 1900’s. Joe Levitch, our contractor, is working very hard to keep this in mind and to keep us in line. He is succeeding! Wish us luck! I had promised some Fasnachts for Shrove Tuesday, but I really don’t think that will happen this year.
15 Sunday Feb 2009
Posted in Celebrations, Dessert, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes
Perfectly Simple Dark Chocolate Tart
Adapted from Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham (Chronicle Books)
Parisian in spirit, this elegant tart is best served with a tiny dollop of crème fraîche on the top or side of each wedge.
(Serves 12)
Crust
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Filling
14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cocoa powder for dusting
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
2. To make the crust: Process the sugar and walnuts in a food processor until the walnuts are finely ground. Add the flour, cocoa, and salt and pulse just until blended. Add the butter and pulse just until the mixture begins to come together when a small amount is pressed between your fingers; do not overprocess—the mixture should not form a ball. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.
4. To make the filling: Melt the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the eggs and sugar until well blended. Whisk in the vanilla. Transfer the filling to the warm crust.
5. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center; the top of the tart will look a little blistered, and that’s okay. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 1/2 hours.
6. To serve, remove the pan rim. Lightly dust the tart with cocoa powder and serve cut into wedges.
Boise Foodie Guild 