Dinner with Friends

So, there has been quite a delay between postings. My brother came to Vermont from Texas to visit me last week, which took up a significant amount of time and energy. Although his presence did provide a number of culinary adventures – the most amazing buffalo chicken dip EVER and a trip to the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Waterbury – my foodie highlight of the week did not occur until after he left. On Saturday evening, I had dinner at the Bluebird Tavern with Danielle and a couple of her friends to celebrate her birthday.
Now, this was not my first visit to the Bluebird, and I have to tell you, I was a little wary. Although my previous experiences were not necessarily bad, they were…different. A little about the establishment: In some ways, it fits into the cookie cutter mold of so many other Burlington restaurants, in terms of atmosphere, service, and so on. However, in a lot of ways it is more unique. First of all, the menu changes daily based on what is at its peak in season – so the food it always really fresh and creative. This does lead to some…interesting…dishes, however. Rabbit and veal tongue come to mind.
On my first visit to the Bluebird, I was there for brunch, about a year ago. That particular meal was nothing special. I had brioche French toast, which was okay but a little soggy, and my companion had chicken and waffles. I did enjoy how they served coffee in a mini French press, and there was a live jazz duet playing that was very good, and added something special to the atmosphere. My second visit was quite a different experience. I was there for dinner with Danielle (shocking, right?). We ordered the butcher’s board for an appetizer, which consisted of various meats that they make it house (something neat about the Bluebird is that almost everything is homemade, from ricotta to ketchup and aioli to sausage). I consider myself a fairly adventurous eater – I think you have to be in my intended field. I’ve tried alligator and escargot and all sorts of strange food. On that evening, I added rabbit, pate, and lardo to the list. Some of the things we tried were really good, and others, no so much. I also had a burger after that, because it was the only thing on the menu I felt comfortable with. It was really good, and the frites that came with it were yummy. Their house ketchup is absolutely AMAZING, so that really helped the meal.
So, I was a little nervous about going back – would there be anything on the menu that appealed to me? I shouldn’t have worried. It was honestly one of the best meals I have ever had. The company was the first success. I hadn’t met Danielle’s friends before, but they were fellow foodies and lovely ladies, and we hit it off for a very enjoyable evening. The atmosphere was nice and the service was decent, but the food was the star. First, my drink – I had a cocktail they called the ‘grey gardens.’ It had a prosecco base (Italian sparkling wine, for anyone who does not know), and then flower essence added in. It was a beautiful gray color – hence the name – and arrived with a flower floating in it. I felt so classy and sophisticated drinking it! We ordered a cheese plate to share, which was much more satisfying than the butcher’s board. I then ordered two different salads – weird, I know, but they both sounded so good. First was a baby squash salad. It had goat cheese smeared underneath it, so it kind of mingled in with the greens as I ate it. A fried zucchini blossom stuffed with more goat cheese was served on top. I have to admit, this was the whole reason I ordered the salad. Fried blossoms are something I’ve seen on Food Network many times, but had never actually tried. It was delicious! My second salad was a heirloom tomato salad, served with fresh ricotta and grilled peaches. I have to tell you, that ricotta was the best I have ever tasted – and that is saying something. So good! Both salad were light and fresh and dressed perfectly. I was very happy with my dinner selections. Dessert was a cup of tea and a berry shortcake – yummy, but nothing spectacular. I didn’t mind, because I was so thrilled with my prior dishes. A sucessful evening, indeed -- the Bluebird Tavern is completely redeemed in my eyes (I'm sure they're thrilled).

A confession and a recipe -- finally!

So, I have a culinary confession to make – I am absolutely horrible at making quesadillas. I know, I know – they are so simple, and yet I constantly mess them up (usually in the form of burning them). It happened again last night. I have had this weird obsession with avocados lately. I didn’t always like them, but now I love them – so smooth and creamy, and, bonus, healthy! I have had a lone avocado sitting in my fridge for a week and a half now, and I was trying to figure out some use for it before it went bad. Suddenly, inspiration struck – in the form of Napoleon Dynamite, no less. “Make yourself a dang quesadilla!” So, I pulled out a couple tortillas, some shredded Cabot cheese (yes, that was a shameless plug for my favorite local cheese company), some salsa, and of course, the avocado. I filled the tortillas with the cheese and put it on the burner while a sliced the avocado. I then decided it was time to turn the quesadilla before it burned, and low and behold, it fell apart. Now I had half melted cheese in the tortilla and burning in the frying pan, plus a semi-burned tortilla. Awesome. I was able to salvage most of the cheese and trim away the burned part, and then top the whole mess with the sliced avocado, sour cream, and salsa. Did it look pretty? No. Did it still taste good? Yes. So, I guess lesson learned – I simply cannot make quesadillas!
Thankfully, there are plenty of foods that I can successfully prepare. I’ve been into French toast lately – I love making breakfast for dinner! French toast has become one of my go-tos, along with the unsurpassable Dutch Baby. The other night I accidentally invented the most delicious stuffed French toast I have ever tasted (the ugly photo above does NOT do it justice). I made just regular old French toast (the recipe out of the classic red and white plaid Better Homes and Gardens cookbook – eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon soaked bread – homemade wheat bread is ideal because it is denser, but I made do with store bought wheat instead). I was trying to think of a way to jazz it up, and I remembered some leftover goat cheese I had in the fridge. I’d had French toast stuff with cream cheese or ricotta before, so I figured, why not? I microwaved the cheese for just a few seconds to soften it up, and then added two teaspoons of sugar, a generous squirt of honey, some chopped almonds, and more vanilla and cinnamon. I spread this mixture over each of my four slices of bread, and topped the whole thing off with some Vermont maple syrup (only real maple for this girl, none of that fake “pancake syrup” here). OMG, it was delicious! I only made it through about a third of it that first sitting, but the leftovers were dutifully devoured over the next day or so. The French toast was very sweet – homage to my insatiable sweet tooth – from the syrup and the sugar and honey in the cheese, but also crunchy from the almonds and tangy from the goat cheese. What a perfect combination! As Rachael Ray would say, “yum-o!”

The Belted Cow Bistro and Bigger Pants

Last night, Danielle and I had dinner at the Belted Cow Bistro in Essex Junction, Vermont. We had a blast! She just got back from a volunteer trip to Costa Rica, and I had a crazy stressful week last week, so we both really enjoyed the chance to decompress with a friend, a glass of wine, and yummy food.
For starters, the bistro is adorable – I loved the décor! The walls are painted a warm yellow, and the whole place has a sophisticated country feel. The only down side was the view. I was seated right by a window, and instead of the rolling Vermont countryside one might expect, I was looking right at a gas station. This detracted from the ambiance a bit, but as long as I focused on the inside, it was great.
Now for the food: This restaurant falls into that same category I described in my last post. The menu is predictable, but well executed. I had roasted chicken, served with smashed garlic potatoes and English peas in their pod. The potatoes hit the spot – warm, and not completely smooth so that they still had some body to them. The peas were what really got me, though. They were bright and crisp and crunchy – everything a fresh summer veggie should be. Also, the bread and butter that were served with dinner were exceptional. They keep fresh loaves on a rack in the dining room and look beautiful (they certainly add to the rustic charm). The butter has a slight sweet honey hint to it that made the bread something special. Danielle had a scallop appetizer that was really good – two big scallops served with a grainy mustard sauce. The combination was different and unexpected – and tasty!
And then on to dessert, finally. First I have to tell a little story. As you might have guessed, I watch a LOT of foodie shows (as in, my TV is almost always tuned to Food Network). I enjoy cooking shows, like 30 Minute Meals or Barefoot Contessa. I think they provide the viewer with a lot of great kitchen tips and new meal ideas. However, food competition shows really take the cake for me (sorry, bad pun – I just can’t seem to help myself). I love Iron Chef, Chopped, Next Food Network Star, and so on. Over the weekend, I saw an episode of Cupcake Wars for the first time, and I liked it more than I thought I would. On the show, one of the teams made a s’mores cupcake. It was a gooey chocolate cupcake with a graham cracker crust and a toasted marshmallow meringue frosting (i.e. they took a blowtorch to the meringue for a toasty look, texture, and taste). Okay, now that I’ve explained all that, I can go back to last night’s dinner. So, the Belted Cow Bistro’s dessert menu already looked amazing, and then our server announced a dessert special – two s’mores cupcakes just like to ones I’d just seen on TV! We ordered them in a heartbeat, as well as a Jack Daniels Bananas Foster Cheesecake Parfait, which was exactly what it sounds like – layers of banana cheesecake, Jack Daniels sauce, and graham crackers. Danielle and I shared these two desserts, and both were amazing (as pictured above)!
The service was really good as well. Danielle and I can be pretty goofy together, and our waitress was happy to joke along with us. We had an early dinner – we arrived just after they started serving dinner at 5:00. I don’t know if this added to the casual atmosphere or if the restaurant is always like that, but I definitely appreciated it.
So Danielle and I managed to stuff ourselves to the brim, in a very good way. At the close of our meal, I was discussing an internship that I desperately want next Spring. It is an editorial internship at EatingWell magazine, based right here out of Charlotte. I found out about the opportunity four days after the deadline to apply for Fall, so I am already gearing up to apply for the Spring semester. This would be a dream come true. I joked with Danielle about how the internship would draw to a close just as I graduate with my Master’s, and how wonderful it would be if I was able to get a full-time job at the magazine afterwards. I would have my dream job, and not have to move to New York City to get it! Danielle remarked that I’d have to be sure to include her on my culinary excursions. Her final comment? “I’m gonna have to get bigger pants!”

A Restaurant Review...or five

I am very lucky here in Burlington. For those of you that don’t know me, I absolutely love to go out to eat. I like to try new places, but I also have some favorites that I continue to revisit. I like the whole experience – being waited on, having new and different meals prepared for me, spending time with friends and family over the dinner table. When given the choice, going out for dinner (of breakfast, or brunch, or lunch, or…) is my favorite way to spend my extra income.
Thankfully, one of my closest friends here in Vermont, Danielle, feels exactly the same way. Over the past year, we’ve fallen into something of a routine. At least once a week, we get dinner together. If we have a class together, dinner usually falls after that, otherwise, we wing it (sometimes literally…get it…Buffalo wings…oh, never mind). Because of this, we have hit a lot of Burlington’s more prominent restaurants. Of course, sometimes we get lazy and do Chili’s or Olive Garden, but that’s pretty rare. We much prefer to check out the local foodie scene, which is extensive. Some of the notable places we’ve visited include:

Al’s French Fries: iconic and cheap – and a great cremee stand in the summer!
The Kitchen Table in Richmond, VT: One of the most hyped about places around, they focus on local ingredients. The service was outstanding and the atmosphere was great – the restaurant is housed in an old farmhouse with a lot of charm. The food was yummy, certainly not a disappointment, but nothing too special either. The chef’s liberal use of bacon is definitely a plus.
The Icehouse: Deemed one of the most romantic restaurants in Burlington – which I could see, if you watched the sun set over Lake Champlain with your sweetie. Otherwise, this establishment has nothing to brag about. I ordered a spicy seafood dish and asked them to not make it too spicy. Instead, it came out bland. Desserts were satisfying but predictable. The service was a 3 out of 5. Confession: I LOVE Red Lobster. I know, I know – a chain?!? But what can I say? I’d hoped The Icehouse would provide a good substitute, since we lack Red Lobster’s here in the Champlain Valley. Nope – although the décor was similar, Red Lobster’s food is way better. Yes, you read that right.
The Windjammer: This restaurant did provide me with the seafood I was so craving after The Icehouse let me down. The crab legs were great, if not a little pricey, and the salad “boat” is a lot of fun. Service and atmosphere were pleasant, too. The quality of my experience surprised me, considering the restaurant is associated with a hotel – not usually a good sign for culinary excellence.
The Bearded Frog in Shelburne, VT: One of my favorite restaurants so far. The atmosphere here is wonderful – warm and cozy, including a real working fireplace. The service was also really good. My appetizer and entrée were good, too, but dessert was what really shined.

At this point, I need to take a break from my listing to make an important statement. This list is only a small sampling of our experiences. We have also visited Sweetwater’s, Scuffers, The Lakeview House, and Leunigs. The reason I lump all these together is their similarity. Okay service, okay food…but nothing that makes them shine, you know? The menus are also all very predictable. Salads with Vermont cheese, steak, some kind of seafood, desserts that require assembly more that actually culinary expertise. Even the Kitchen Table and The Bearded Frog fall into this category a little, but their atmospheres and service are what set them apart. I know I sound pretty negative right now, and I don’t really mean to – despite my comments here, I still enjoyed my meals at each of these establishments. I am more just making an observation, and would welcome comments on the topic.

That’s a lot of information to take in, and it is only a fraction of what I have to offer – I didn’t even get into breakfast joints yet! That’ll have to be a later post, as I am out of time and energy for the moment (so much for the superfoods diet, huh?). Until next time!

Welcome, Welcome

So, welcome to my new blog! In case the title didn't give it away, this is a blog about eating, both in and out of the kitchen (read: my attempts at cooking as well as my adventures eating out around town will be chronicled).
I suppose if I am going to expect you all to be interested in what I have to say, I should first introduce myself. I'm Allie. I am a graduate student working towards a graduate degree in English at an undisclosed location in Burlington, VT. Fun fact: did you know that Burlington has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States? Obviously my culinary options here are ample.
As I mentioned, I am a grad student in English. More often than not, when I tell people about my subject, they say, "What are you going to do with that?" For a long time, I didn't really have an answer -- maybe a teacher, maybe a writer, maybe...My indecision is no more. I finally have a clear path in front of me -- I want to be a food writer! I want to spend my days eating delicious food (and inevitably sometimes not so delicious), and writing about it. My dream job? To be the food critic for the New York Times, or to be the Editor-in-Chief for Food Network Magazine. Lofty aspirations, I know, but what's the point of dreaming if you don't dream big?
So now you know where I'm coming from, but it occurs to me that I have yet to talk about actual food. Here it goes.
Right now I am following a meal plan I got from Self magazine. it includes a lot of "superfoods" to increase nutrition, make you look younger and fitter, etc. -- basically a miracle diet, right? So far I've only been following to plan for two days, but I'm enjoying it. Do I look younger and more full of energy yet? For lunch today I had a really yummy salad made from mixed green, chucks of watermelon, and feta cheese, with a little vinaigrette tossed it. It was a light and fresh meal, and eating it made me feel light and fresh. Too bad I had to eat it at my gloomy desk instead of outside on the gorgeous New England day.
I guess that's it for now. In an upcoming post, I plan to write about some of the restaurants in Burlington that I've visited, and whether or not they lived up to my expectations...