I may be the last foodie in America to see Julie & Julia. What am I waiting for? I think the scenes from Paris and the hollandaise sauce might shock me. She had such a larger-than-life life. Reality check: this is not the south of France. Oh well, we can cook and dream right? This restaurant blog is breaking rank to ease into the recipe realm today. I whipped together a smashing Mediterranean cobb salad over the weekend from a Mohegan Sun cookbook. No pix, it disappeared too quickly. Although I had a great meal at the Blue Taleh over the weekend (shout out to the Thai calamari) I'm finding cooking at home to be a relaxing nocturnal activity. Who knew an entire day could be centered on getting the right ingredients and working them into an edible masterpiece like paint on canvas? OK, most of you knew this already. I never truly experienced said nirvana until recently. Thank you Julia for making antics in the kitchen an engaging pastime. And dropping food and dusting it off a respectable tool. Any reviews? Did this movie make you hungry?
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I'm enjoying the heck out of some cooking this week after an all-out gnoshfest last week as part of restaurant week. The wifey and I managed to partake in no less than six restaurant week meals in seven days.
Started last Sunday with a bike over to Left Bank in Tyngsboro, where we had a restaurant week brunch to die for. Buffet-style antipasto and desserts, with a breakfast entree from the menu (the best breakfast sandwich I have ever eaten - fried eggs, Applewood-smoked bacon, grilled tomato, and Vermont cheddar cheese, all on handcut sourdough bread...I'm drooling just thinking about it!). Continued things on Sunday night at the Blue Taleh, though I opted for sushi instead of partaking in the Restaurant Week selections.
On Monday, we headed over for our (sad to say) inaugural visit to Moonstone's, where I enjoyed FOUR courses for a measley $28. My lobster and wild mushroom "tortilla" was more like a cupcake, and I couldn't wait to dig into it. Delicious. Following the caesar salad was the twin fillets entree with parmesan truffle fries. The steak was nothing to write home about (though it wasn't bad), but the fries were over-the-top delicious. Profiteroles with hazelnut ice cream ended the night on a high note. Can't believe it took me a year to partake in Moonstone's. Sorry, Scott!
On Thursday, we found ourselves at Centro following our screening of Monster Road. I had outstanding mushroom risotto followed by chicken breast with cheese ravioli (a nice touch), but the highlight of the evening was the brownie sundae dessert. It's hard to go wrong with such a delectable treat, but Centro's was exceptionally tasty.
On Friday night, we were back at Left Bank for dinner (and a special restaurant week evening stay that was worth every penny). I had a tasty tiger shrimp salad, but one bite of my wife's savory tomato tart (with smoked gouda) sent me through the restaurant's glass ceiling. Yummy buffalo shortribs that fell apart, in a good way, were the entree, and profiteroles (again) for dessert.
AND...since we were staying the night at the Stonehedge Inn, we couldn't help but finish off the week with lunch at Left Bank. The watermelon gazpacho with cucumber sorbet was both unique and tasty. The barbecue chicken pizza didn't knock my socks off, but the raspberry and mandarin orange sorbet sure did!
As you can probably deduce, Left Bank was a regular stop, and it never disappointed. Luckily, the restaurant is carrying their selections through August 22. I would highly recommend taking part in dinner or at least brunch. For $20, you will get your money's worth.
Whoever planned this Merrimack Valley Restaurant Showcase, God bless you!!!
Hi GG, Saw it last night. The interesting part was how little I knew about Julia Child. She was in a different class as far as social circles is concerned (hers and the average Joe). It showed how women were still not accepted in some respectable occupations like being a Chef. It also showed the level that people smoked. What a difference today!
The movie was about how 2 people, one larger than life and one ordinary (or so we think) can have something like cooking transform, enlighten and sort of complete their spirit.
I thought Meryl did a good job as usual and Amy Adams is Ok but for some reason I left the movie feeling a little empty.
Dear Lord BC, how did you fit it all in? I feel like a gained 10 pounds just reading this. You are a multi-tasker. Good thing you rode your bikes to LB. How were the accommodations at Stonehedge?
Ken, you left empty, as in hungry?
I was shocked (for some reason) to see a pic of Julia smoking in her book My Life in France. A co-worker let me borrow it. You should pick it up, a nice compendium to the flick.
Stonehedge was great. It's amazing to think a place so close can feel so far away! We definitely splurged, but it was worth it. They had a pretty amazing Restaurant Week special. For $400, we got 1 of their two primo rooms, which included a jacuzzi and a screened in porch that was the same size as the room(!). We got up early in the morning and sat on the porch reading the paper while the sun came up.
For the $400, we also got two free massages at the spa and dinner for two at the restaurant. Normally the primo room alone is $350, so we got our money's worth.
Did I mention I started a diet this past Monday?
You're not the last foodie to see it - I still have yet to hit the movie theatre. I admit to my shame, but plan to see it at some point this week. I've only heard stellar reviews!
The movie was so entertaining. Made me want to dust of my 'Master the Art of French Cooking' and prepare an aspic.