A Birthday Dinner for a Wonderful Husband

Today is my husband Topher's birthday (yay!), and last night we celebrated with our friends Randy & Kim at Stove restaurant in Portsmouth.

One thing I like about their menu: most of their dishes come in both small and large portion sizes. So, if you can't decide between two dishes, you can order one as an appetizer and one as your entrée. Which is exactly what Topher and I did last night.

What We Ate:

• artisan cheese plate: Syd's Neo-Pimento, Farmstead Fresh goat cheese (Virginia), Gorgonzola (Italy), and Bellavitano Black Pepper served with bread & house relish
• my appetizer: the "Stove-o-tarian," a mix of local, in-season vegetables including Brussels sprouts and several different squashes, topped with a fried onion ring
• Topher's appetizer: "visiting greens" salad - "different lettuces from the farms with our visiting cheese tossed with a mustard vinaigrette"
• my entrée: rockfish topped with cabbage and rutabagas - I love rockfish, but I mainly ordered this dish for the rutabagas, and they didn't disappoint
• Topher's entrée: Hereford strip steak topped with brie and "lardo," served with Brussels sprouts and smoked tomatoes
• for dessert: country apple tart - the crust on this was amazing: so light, flaky, and buttery!
• to drink: Trinitas Old Vine Petite Sirah

Randy & Kim have been to Stove at least half a dozen times, and Randy always orders the "Pork-o-rama" - "local darden farm’s pork sausage, my smoochie bear ham & black pig pork belly on visiting potato sauté with cured lardo and stove-b-que sauce."

Well, last night after our meal, chef Syd Meers came out and sat & talked with us for a while, and he ended up giving Randy and Topher the recipe for his "stove-b-que" sauce. It must have 2 dozen ingredients in it! Fresh herbs & spices, peppers, bacon, ketchup, molasses, apple cider vinegar - the list just went on and on. I know the guys are going to want to try to make it sometime, but grocery shopping for all the ingredients is going to be a genuine scavenger hunt.

Dress Rehearsal

On December 23rd, Topher & I are having an early Christmas dinner with some of my family before they leave town for the holidays, and Topher has signed up to make roast duck. So last night he staged a "dress rehearsal" with our friends Adam & Meredith.

What We Ate:

• mushroom soup topped with green onions
• roast duck with anise-orange peel glaze
• Brussels sprouts confit (cooked in duck fat)
• homemade crepes
• Buena Vista 2005 Ramal Vineyard Chardonnay, Clone 17 RY

I went grocery shopping last Saturday in preparation for this meal, and Topher asked me to buy a variety of mushrooms totaling 2 lbs (for the soup). I proudly brought home three types of mushrooms: whole white, whole baby bella, and sliced cremini. I was crestfallen on Sunday evening when I learned that, in fact, baby bella and cremini are the same thing.

According to The Kitchn and Wikipedia, the three most common varieties of mushrooms that we eat - white button, cremini, and portobello - are all types of the mushroom Agaricus bisporus, just at different ages. White mushrooms are the youngest; portobellos are the oldest; and creminis, or "baby bellas," are somewhere in between.

I guess it's true that you learn something new everyday.

What to Do with All Those Leftovers

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving yesterday, with lots of good food and fellowship!

Now you're probably stuck with a refrigerator full of leftovers, and although you're looking forward to a weekend of leftover turkey sandwiches, that might get old kinda quickly.

So why not try something a little more creative? Here are some recipe ideas from Real Simple:

"3 Ways to Make the Most of Your Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers," such as Creamy Mashed Potato and Leek Soup

"10 Ideas for Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey," including Turkey Waldorf Salad, Turkey & Poblano Chili, and Turkey Reubens

What do you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers? If you've got a good recipe, please share it in the comments!

Note: Image above was found here.

Our Thanksgiving Feast

Topher and I spent Thanksgiving with his parents at their house in North Carolina, as we have the past two years, and had a fabulous feast.

We started the day off right with a breakfast of pumpkin pie and coffee. Then Topher and his dad spent the next several hours in the kitchen preparing the turkey and all the sides (including two dishes from Bobby Flay's recent "Thanksgiving Feast" Throwdown). Thanksgiving dinner - that ambiguous is-it-lunch-or-is-it-supper meal - commenced about 2:30pm.

What We Ate:

• Oven-roasted turkey with stuffing
• Creamy Mashed Potatoes with gravy
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranates and Vanilla-Pecan Butter
• Homemade cranberry sauce
• Buena Vista Carneros - 2007 Ramal Vineyard Dijon Clone Chardonnay
• And for dessert: Chocolate cream pie (topped with a beautiful meringue)

And then I spent the rest of the afternoon walking off the calories. :)

A few pictures from the day:

Topher and his dad stuffing the turkey (it was dramatic)

Topher (a la Viking) enjoying the fruits of his labor

His majesties Bandit and Smoky

Happy Thanksgiving!

Getting Excited

We've had our plans for Thanksgiving in place for several weeks now, but it just hit me today that Thanksgiving is in two days. And I got really excited.

Topher and I are driving down to NC to spend Thanksgiving with his parents, like we did last year. And although a stuffed and roasted turkey is the centerpiece of the meal, my in-laws are also quite good at the accompanying side dishes.

Last year we had homemade cranberry sauce, sauteed Brussels sprouts with toasted walnuts, and a savory pumpkin soup, made with a little bit of peanut butter and garnished with sour cream & cilantro - an interesting flavor combination, but so good. Their stuffing was pretty awesome too, made from turkey livers and gizzards, along with diced carrots, celery, and bread crumbs. Topher supplied dessert: an amazing apple cake (full of cinnamon and brown sugar) with ice cream. It was a delicious, colorful spread.

I can't wait to see what they come up with this year! My mouth is already watering.

What are you serving (or just eating) this Thanksgiving? Are there any dishes that show up on the table every year that you're particularly looking forward to? Are you trying out a new recipe?

If you're still deciding what side dishes you want to accompany your turkey, check out the following links from the New York Times - they've got lots of recipe ideas for incorporating autumn vegetables (like kale, butternut squash, and celery root) into your meal.

- Mark Bittman's Sustainable Thanksgiving

- A Star Chef Celebrates Fall Vegetables

- Vegetarian Thanksgiving blog posts, including recipes

I hope you have a safe, relaxing, and delicious Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Note: Images are from here.

Brandade and Blanc

The image above is from this website.

Last night my food education continued during dinner with Randy & Kim. The entrée consisted of steak, homemade shoestring fries, and arugula salad - nothing too exotic there (but very delicious). The lesson was in the appetizer: brandade made with salted cod, served with French bread, and paired with a Roux Père & Fils Mâcon-Villages Blanc wine.

According to Wikipedia, "brandade is an emulsion of salt cod and olive oil eaten in winter with bread or potatoes." Randy's version contained heavy cream, potatoes, and garlic, and was garnished with fresh parsley and a lemon slice. It had the consistency of a creamy dip, and I was surprised when he said it contained no cheese. It's a slightly salty and kinda heavy dish - perfect for a cool fall evening.

You can find recipes from ....

• The New York Times
• Bobby Flay on Food Network
• Telegraph (UK)
• Saveur
• Gourmet Traveller
• Food & Wine (made with smoked trout)

That last recipe from Food & Wine uses smoked trout instead of salt cod. As Serious Eats explains, "Salt cod is a wonderful ingredient, but one that's a bit of a hassle to use, requiring soaking and planning ahead." Indeed, the cod must be soaked for at least 24 hours ahead of time, and the water should be changed 3-4 times.

Although we ate ours as an appetizer, Serious Eats suggests that it's "... sort of perfect as a light meal with a huge salad." Sounds good to me!

Fall Getaway: Distrito

On our way home from Cape Cod, we stopped in Philly for another night. Topher was dying to try Chef Jose Garces' "modern Mexican" restaurant Distrito, so we met our friends Grant & Laura there for dinner. The interior design was so fun - bright pink lights and lots of white - and the food was delicious. I almost needed a Spanish-English dictionary, though, to translate some of the ingredients listed on the menu.

What I Ate:

• Atun ceviche: big eye tuna, serrano-coconut sauce, lime sorbet, tomatillo, tostadita
• Chilango huaraches: carnitas, chorizo, Serrano ham, potato, queso Oaxaca, cotija
• Mexico City Style quesadilla: huauzontle, black beans, queso Oaxaca, epazote, salsa ranchera
• Churros: vanilla ice cream, spicy chocolate sauce, cajeta

The Scoop:
Distrito is located at 3945 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Reservations are available by calling 215-222-1657. Their dinner hours are Sun-R 5-10pm, F-Sat 5-11pm. They are also open for lunch M-F 11:30am-2:30pm, and brunch Sat-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm.

Distrito is one of seven Garces restaurants in Philly (check out the Garces Restaurant Group on Facebook). The newest addition, JG Domestic, just opened in October, and we can't wait to try it!

Fall Getaway: Mahoney's

After driving all day on Friday from Philadelphia to Cape Cod, we weren't really up for a fancy dinner out. So we decided to cook (Anne graciously let us stay at her grandparents' house).

Or rather, Anne and I drank margaritas while Topher cooked for us (isn't he wonderful?!). That evening we enjoyed seared scallops, sautéed Brussels sprouts, and spaghetti squash. Afterwards we curled up in the living room with mugs of hot chocolate with amaretto (a great way to warm up).

The next evening we were a little more rested (after our morning at the spa) and ready for something festive. Leave it to my husband to find the fanciest restaurant in Cape Cod that's still open in the off season. :)

What I Ate:

• Proscuitto-wrapped scallops
• Atlantic steaming bowl: classic bouillabaisse with shrimp, scallops, squid, haddock, littleneck clams, and mussels in a tomato saffron broth served over angel hair pasta
• Pear, Ginger, & Cranberry Crisp: Fresh pear, ginger, & dried cranberries crowned with a toasted pecan, oatmeal, and brown sugar strudel served warm with vanilla ice cream
• ... and to drink: a Cape Cod martini and a limoncello

The Scoop:

Mahoney's Atlantic Bar & Grill is located at 28 Main Street, Orleans, MA. They generally do not take reservations except for parties of 12 or more. They are open seven days a week, 5-9pm.

Fall Getaway: The Chatham Squire

On our first full day in Cape Cod, my husband surprised me and my friend Anne with a morning at the spa: pedicures and massages! Afterwards we were so relaxed that we would have been perfectly content to go back to the house and take a nap. But we didn't.

Instead we took a walk on the beach, and when we finally couldn't stand the biting wind anymore, we walked through Chatham, MA. Chatham's Main Street is lined with adorable shops: jewelry and stationery stores, kitchen gadgets and housewares stores, and even a Life Is Good store. It's exactly what you would picture in your mind if you heard "quaint New England town."

For lunch we found a tavern on Main Street that appeared to be popular with both tourists and locals alike. Their menu featured everything from fish & chips, crab cakes, and calamari, to a roast beef sandwich, cheeseburger, and chicken fingers. We opted for the seafood.

What I Ate:

• 1/2 dozen raw native oysters on the half shell
• Lobster bisque: Rich sherry cream soup with lobster meat & brandy - perfect for a chilly late fall afternoon
• Sam Adams Octoberfest beer - ditto

The Scoop:

The Chatham Squire is located at 487 Main Street, Chatham, MA 02633. Contact the dining room at (508)945-0945 for info on reservations and hours.

Fall Getaway: Monk's Cafe

Last November (basically this week last year), my husband Topher surprised me with a weekend getaway. I didn't know the destination before I left, only that I needed to pack warm clothes and one semi-dressy outfit.

We left work at noon on a Thursday and started driving north over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (one of my favorite drives - 20 miles of highway over open water). As I had suspected, we ended up in Philadelphia (my old stomping ground) for the evening.

During the drive, I figured out that Topher's cryptic clue "Joan of Arc" meant that we were headed to Orleans, MA - Cape Cod! Shortly after our arrival in Philly, my friend Rebecca, who was graciously letting us crash at her house that evening, let slip the rest of the surprise: my dear friend Anne was coming to Cape Cod with us!

Anne had a meeting at church or something that evening, so Topher & I were on our own for dinner. My first choice was a place I thought Topher would like: Monk's Cafe, a popular Belgian pub famous for its "Beer Bible," a dozen-page booklet listing its extensive beer offerings.

What I Ate:

• Thai Curry mussels: Monk's Flemish Sour, fum, Thai red curry, bais, garlic, & coconut milk - the bowls of mussels are huge, and they offer them in several different sauces, all delicious!
• Lapin a la Gueuze: Rabbit & root vegetables braised in gueuze lambic - a traditional Brussels dish - a great dish for a cool November evening
• I'm embarrassed to admit this: I had two glasses of beer with dinner - one blonde ale and one brown ale - and I can't remember what either of them was :(

The Scoop:

Monk's Cafe is located at 264 S. 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. Their hours are M-Sun, 11:30am-1:00am. You can reach them by calling (215)545-7005, but if I remember correctly, they don't take reservations.

As I said, it's a popular (and not very big) place, so it fills up quickly after work, during the dinner hour, and on weekends. But it's worth the wait. Another of my favorites from their menu: the Ghent burger - topped with sautéed broccoli rabe, garlic, and cheddar cheese.

**This past summer, I was horrified to learn that an out-of-control SEPTA bus crashed into the front of Monk's; but thankfully no one was hurt badly, and the restaurant reopened later the same month.

A Morning on the Farm

My friend Kim invited me to ride with her this morning to pick up her order from Full Quiver Farm - a family farm in Suffolk, VA - and I took a few pictures to share. It was an absolutely perfect day to be outside too: sunny & 60°F!

Happy cows

Full Quiver Farm sells milk shares and grass-finished beef shares, as well as pork shares.

Happy baby cows

Chickens (for eating) in their portable coop - it's moved to a new patch of grass every day

Chickens (for laying eggs) in their portable coop

The yellow & white trailer has been gutted and now houses dozens of nest boxes. Every three days, the trailer and the white fence are moved to a new area of the pasture, so the chickens have fresh grass to eat.

Thanksgiving turkeys

They take reservations for turkeys for Thanksgiving, and apparently it's best to reserve by early October - they're already sold out for this year!

A cotton field nearby on Manning Road

Better Than Food Network

Last Christmas my aunt & uncle gave me & Topher the perfect present (for us, anyway): a gift certificate to A Chef's Kitchen in Williamsburg, VA. It's been sitting on my desk at home, waiting patiently, and this past weekend it finally got used.

The weekend's festivities started with a ride on the Jamestown-Scotland ferry across the James River, from Surry to Williamsburg. Then we met up with our friends Randy & Kim and headed to Merchants Square. There we snacked on a cheese plate and a bottle of wine (Andrew Murray Vineyards"Esperance" red blend) from The Cheese Shop and walked around historic Colonial Williamsburg.

After a quick change of clothes at our hotel, we headed back out and grabbed a cocktail at the Blue Talon Bistro (their menu looked awesome, and I definitely want to go back there for dinner sometime). Then we made our way to the main event.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with A Chef's Kitchen (as I was until we received the gift certificate and I started doing a little research), Chef John Gonzales came up with the idea "because he 'felt sorry for the audiences on the Food Network,' who never get to eat the meals they watch being prepared," according to Frommer's Virginia.

The restaurant is set up stadium-style with three rows of ~8 seats each and an open kitchen. Chef Gonzales and his sous chef Sam Hall prepare your dinner there in front of you, teaching you how to make each dish as they go along (they even give you a recipe booklet to take home). There's only one seating each night, and the meal takes ~3 hours, with half an hour for champagne and hors d'oeuvres at the beginning. The meal was good, but the experience was great!

What We Ate:

• appetizers: goat cheese balls rolled in crushed pistachios, and olive tapenade on toast - paired with champagne
• Parsnip & Chive Bisque with Applewood Smoked Bacon & Sour Cream
• Mâche, Carrot, & Apple Slaw with Golden Raisins & Toasted Pecans - paired with a (not oaky) chardonnay - very good! a healthy, colorful, & flavorful dish that I would definitely like to make at home
• Skillet Baked Corn Bread with European-style Butter
• Shrimp & Butternut Squash Risotto with Fresh Thyme - paired with a sauvignon blanc - well made (the shrimp weren't overcooked, and the risotto was just the right consistency - not crunchy, not mushy), but a little too sweet
• Seared Broadleaf Farms Venison with Braised Boneless Berkshire Spare Ribs over Mashed Celeriac & Virginia Apple Purée - paired with a regional Spanish red wine that I can't remember - this was the absolute, hands-down highlight of the evening! the spare ribs were so tender, juicy, & flavorful that my mouth is watering just thinking about them ... and I really want to start eating celeriac at home
• Lemon Mousse with a Chocolate Shortbread Cookie & Port Braised Figs - the three elements of this dessert were good (especially the shortbread), but somehow the combination of the three just didn't work

The Scoop:

A Chef's Kitchen is located at 501 Prince George Street (near Merchants Square and William & Mary) in downtown Williamsburg, VA. Dinner is served Wed-Sun at 6:30pm. Reservations are required and should be made well in advance by calling 757-564-8500.

Playing Tourist in My Hometown

This past weekend Topher & I flew to Savannah, GA, to visit my parents. The weather was gorgeous - sunny & 70°F - and the four of us spent Saturday "playing tourist." First we took a trolley tour of the downtown historic district.

Now, every kid in Georgia public schools spends a year learning about Georgia history and doing projects on their city or county. But I haven't lived in Savannah for over 10 years, and I've forgotten most of the local lore. So the trolley tour was a great refresher: we heard about Tomochichi and General Oglethorpe, Casimir Pulaski and John Wesley, Juliette Gordon Low and the Waving Girl, and of course Paula Deen and Lady Chablis (although I don't think the last two were part of the tour I got in 3rd grade).

Afterwards we headed to the St. Paul's Church & Hellenic Center for lunch at their annual Greek Festival (more on that later this week), then home for a walk and a much-needed nap.

That evening the four of us got dressed up and went out to dinner at Elizabeth on 37th, housed in a huge old Victorian home at 37th & Drayton. Specializing in upscale Southern cuisine, Elizabeth's is definitely a "special occasion" place (read: expensive), but our meal was wonderful!

What We Ate:

• biscuit with butter & marmalade
• my appetizer: blackeyed pea patty served over shredded greens & halved cherry tomatoes, with mustard sauce - the patty was slightly crispy on the outside (a good texture, IMHO), and the mustard sauce was mild but flavorful
• salad: mixed greens & herbs, julienned red apples, goat cheese, and house vinaigrette - a fabulous salad, full of mint, cilantro, spinach, arugula, and goat cheese (need I say more?)
• my entree: mustard-garlic glazed Scottish salmon, served over shredded greens & halved cherry tomatoes, with roasted potatoes - paired with a glass of sauvignon blanc - when I ordered this, I didn't realize it was served over the same greens & tomatoes as my appetizer - I guess I got my vitamin C and lycopene for the day. The mustard-garlic glaze was subtle but flavorful, and the salmon was moist & flaky ... yum!
• Topher's entree: pork chop with five cheese macaroni and apple-cabbage slaw - although he shared a bite of pork chop with me (delicious! not overcooked, still tender and slightly pink in the middle), I did not get to taste the macaroni & slaw: he was scared that I would like them too much and want to switch plates, and he was probably right - the macaroni was full of fontina, and the slaw was full of cilantro!

The Scoop:

Elizabeth on 37th is located at 105 East 37th Street, Savannah, GA 31401. They're open for dinner Mon-Sun at 6pm. Reservations are available online or by phone (912-236-5547). (Disclaimer: I went to high school with the owners' daughter.)

Note: The photo above came from this website.

Three Courses & Another Bergman Film

Last Friday night, our friends Randy & Kim invited us over to continue Bergman's film trilogy on faith and man's relationship with God. We started with "Through a Glass Darkly" a couple of weeks ago at our house, and last Friday we watched "Winter Light" (1963), the second in the trilogy.

As usual chefs Raines & Raines made a fabulous three-course meal: Randy's poached sea bass and Kim's ricotta gnocchi were both outstanding.

What We Ate:

• aperitif: Prosecco
• appetizer: Chilean sea bass, poached in olive oil with lemon rinds, served over polenta and topped with crispy pancetti, shredded parsley and a fried quail egg - paired with a Sauvignon blanc - so delicious! the fish was very flavorful but not overcooked, and the quail egg (so tiny!) was rich but not overpowering
• entrée: lamb shank, sautéed shitake mushrooms, and ricotta gnocchi - paired with a Montepulciano - after dinner, we kept eating the leftover gnocchi like popcorn - it was addictively good
• dessert: apple almond tart topped with vanilla ice cream - paired with an ice wine

(I also learned something about poaching that evening: as long as you keep the liquid/meat at a constant temperature, you can cook it as long as you want without fear of overcooking - you'll just keep infusing flavor. The French have a similar technique called sous-vide, where food sealed in an airtight plastic bag is cooked in a water bath at a constant temperature for a long period of time.)

After dinner we settled down - with coffee & more ice wine - to watch the movie. Like most Bergman films, it centers more around relationships & conversations than actions & events. The main character Tomas Ericsson is a small-town clergyman in rural Sweden; Marta Lundberg is the local schoolteacher and Ericsson's sometimes mistress. Approached by two church members Jonas & Karin Persson for spiritual counseling, Ericsson suffers a personal crisis of faith. The movie's story takes place all within 3-4 hours on one Sunday afternoon, between a morning communion service and an afternoon vespers service.

We had a good discussion afterwards: Kim & I firmly believe that the film's ending - including a conversation with the church's hunchback sexton Algot - is cynical & depressing, while Randy & Topher just as firmly believe that it's hopeful. We even went back and watched the last 10-15 minutes again. Too bad the guys still didn't get it. ;)

Further reading on "Winter Light":
Review in the NYTimes - May 14, 1963
Essay from The Criterion Collection - August 18, 2003
Essay by Tobias Wolff in The New Yorker - June 9, 2008

Soups & Stews

After last week's monsoon, the weather in Hampton Roads has turned decidedly cooler, and to celebrate the advent of autumn Topher & I have had a soup or stew every evening for the past five days.

Friday: beef stew with potatoes & carrots (made with a rack of ribs)
Saturday: our friend Meredith's pork stew, served over mashed potatoes and topped with diced Granny Smith apples - yum!
Sunday: Topher's three-bean turkey chili (with leftovers for lunch on Monday)
Monday: our friend Anne Randolph's pumpkin soup (fantastic - savory, not sweet)
Tuesday: French onion soup

I'm not sure yet if we'll be continuing the series tonight, but I've already found a few more recipes I'd like to try:

• Andean Bean Stew with Winter Squash and Quinoa from the NYTimes
• Curried Lentil Stew with Kale, Red Onion and Coconut Milk from "To Kiss the Cook" blog

And here's an old favorite that I'll definitely be making again soon:

• Salmon, Sweet Potato and Broccoli Chowder from Real Simple - it's like a superfood soup

If you've got a favorite soup or stew recipe, please share!

Note: The photo above was found here.

Bring on the Pumpkin Beverages

Yesterday on my drive to work, the thermometer in my car read 55°F. I could hardly believe it! I like fall, but it's not my favorite season, simply because it means that winter is coming, and I do NOT like winter. But yesterday I decided to celebrate the crispness of the morning with my first Starbucks pumpkin spice latte of the season. I've officially embraced autumn.

That also means that I can start enjoying some of the best brews of the year. There are a few good summer beers (especially Dogfish Head Festina Peche), but fall beers are better by far. And the Washington Post's All We Can Eat blog today reminded me of all the fun pumpkin ales out there.

Some of my personal favorites:

• Southern Tier's Pumking Imperial Ale
• Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
• Sam Adams Octoberfest
• Blue Moon Harvest Moon

This weekend I'll be digging out my jackets and sweaters - and possibly doing some beer tasting. As Topher would say, Prost!

WRPC Community Garden Update: Fall Crops

It's after Labor Day, so I feel like it's okay to talk about fall ... although I don't want to rush summer away! But whether you're looking at a calendar or not, it's easy to tell the change of seasons by walking through a garden and looking at what's still producing and what's not.

The WRPC Community Garden was incredibly successful this summer, and for that I'm truly grateful. It's been an awesome ministry to be a part of: through it I've met so many neighbors, fellow church members, and long-time Suffolk locals.

A couple of weeks ago, our director wrote to us: "The Community Garden has thrived in its first year thanks to volunteers and community participants. ... The goal of the garden is to give people an opportunity to work and earn money to provide for their families. Thanks to all of you who have made that goal possible!"

With the change of seasons comes the change of crops, and our garden is no different. A few weeks ago we pulled up the yellow squash, zucchini, & cucumber plants - they just weren't producing any more in the late summer heat. Thankfully, the tomatoes and bell peppers are still going strong (we've got more bell peppers than we'll ever be able to use, so we're making pepper jelly!). But soon we'll need to make room in the garden for our fall crops.

What are we growing this fall, you ask? Well, we've already planted broccoli, onions, butternut squash, pole beans, and collard greens, and we're hoping to grow potatoes, kale, Swiss chard, cabbage, 2-3 kinds of lettuce, leeks, beets, and radishes. And we'll still be selling both on Saturdays (at the Suffolk Farmers' Market) and Sundays (at WRPC between services).

Let the bounty continue!

Note: The photo above was found here.

My Fall "To Dine" List

Here are a few places that I want to try this fall. Watch for reviews to come!

• The Chef's Kitchen - a restaurant in Williamsburg set up stadium-style, so you can watch the chefs prepare your meal and learn as you go; this one is leftover from my summer "to dine" list
• One Fish Two Fish - a seafood restaurant in northern Virginia Beach; also a leftover from my summer "to dine" list ... sort of ... to see what I mean, check out this post (it's a funny story)
• Boot - a "local kitchen & wine bar" in the Ghent area of Norfolk, specializing in locally grown foods
• Union Square Café - in NYC; uses meats & produce from the nearby Union Square Greenmarket; highly recommended by our good friend Jen

Actually, my "to dine" list is quite long, and it just keeps growing as I get recommendations from family & friends (which I love, by the way)!

Where are you dying to eat this fall? Do you have any suggestions for me?

Kincaid's and the Virginia Stage Company

Topher & I (okay, mainly me) are already looking ahead to fall and planning our calendar. Along with a few weekend getaways, we want to go to the Virginia Opera Company's production of Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutte" in November, and I'd like to see the Virginia Stage Company's "The Diary of Anne Frank" in September. (I already have in mind where I'd like to eat on our evenings out, too!)

Our first experience with VSC was last fall, when my aunt and uncle invited us to join them for a Sunday afternoon matinee at the historic Wells Theatre in downtown Norfolk.

We saw "Alive and Well," a romantic comedy about a heartbroken Civil War re-enactor and an emotionally desperate New York journalist searching for the legendary "lonesome soldier" Civil War veteran in rural central Virginia. The play itself was a little strange, but the theater was gorgeous! (The photo above is from HamptonRoads.com.)

Afterwards we walked to Kincaid's for dinner. Yes, Kincaid's is a chain restaurant, and yes, this location is in a mall. But don't be fooled! It's still a great restaurant with a solid menu and excellent service. The four of us sat and talked for almost three hours and never felt like we were being rushed out.

What I Ate:

• steak with crab-stuffed shrimp, steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes - it doesn't get much more basic than steak, potatoes, & broccoli, but man, was this good!
• a few bites each of pear bread pudding and crème bruleè cheesecake with strawberries

The Scoop:

Kincaid's Fish, Chop and Steak House is located on the first floor of the MacArthur Center at 300 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510. They're open for dinner M-Sat 5-10pm and Sun 4-8pm. They also serve a "first seating" three-course prix-fixe ($25) meal daily 5-6pm. Check their website for hours for lunch, Sunday brunch, and the lounge. You can reach them at (757)622-8000.

Thank You, Bobby Flay!

Last fall my husband and his friend Adam planned a surprise weekend getaway to New York City for me and Adam's wife Meredith. No reason, no special occasion - they just wanted to do something nice for us. Aren't they awesome? :)

We flew to NYC early on Saturday morning, stopped at the Bleeker Street Magnolia Bakery for a breakfast banana nut bread cupcake, and spent most of the day walking and shopping in SoHo. That evening we went out for drinks at the Flatiron Lounge (they make a mean mint julep) before the big event: dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.

What I Ate:

• Shrimp & roasted garlic corn tamale with fresh corn & cilantro sauce - I like cilantro
• Spiced rubbed bison filet with corn & ancho chile sauces, and crispy red onion - I never knew bison was so delicious!
• Mashed potatoes with cilantro pesto - did I mention that I like cilantro?
• Churros dusted with cinnamon sugar & star anise with dark chocolate dipping sauce

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my husband's entrée here:

• New Mexican spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with bourbon-ancho chile sauce

It's been the inspiration for many a meal at our house since this trip -- lucky me!

The recipe for the bourbon-ancho chile sauce is featured in Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook. Step one: reduce two cups of bourbon completely into chopped red onions.

The Scoop:
Mesa Grill (www.mesagrill.com) is located at 102 5th Avenue, New York City, NY. Reservations are available by calling (212)807-7400. Note: You must call on the day of your reservation to re-confirm!



On Sunday morning we had brunch at the Belgian brassiere Markt (Meredith: "Have you ever had a Belgian beer with your Belgian waffle? I have!") before heading to the MoMA. Picasso, Warhol, and Pollack, oh my! I especially liked their sculpture garden (photo above). That evening we flew home to Hampton Roads, back to regular life.