north fork: part 2

nofo_shinn_0908.jpg Yesterday we left off on Sang Lee Farm. From there we were headed to Shinn Estate Vineyards to hear owner Barbara Shinn give a guided tour of the vineyards. This had to be the most informative stop on our excursion. Shinn Estate is the first farm on Long Island to become biodynamic, which is a holistic way of farming. Shinn takes something that is seen as a burden by many, like weeds and finds a way to make them a benefit by letting them grow into a meadow underneath the vines. The meadow is mowed to keep them under control, and the clippings from the mower are piled underneath the vines and provide essential nutrients to the growing grapes. It's pretty interesting stuff. After the tour through the vineyards, we sat down for a tasting. Aaron and Angela did the tasting and agreed that they were good stuff. nofo_pipescove_0908.jpg All full of information, we headed to the tip of the North Fork to visit an oyster farm. I think I've tried oysters once before, but since I can't exactly remember, I considered myself a clean slate. In fact, I was a bit nervous about the whole thing because I knew if presented with one, I'd have to suck one of those puppies down. And sure enough, as we walked through the sand along Silver Sands Resort and up to a little stand, there were lots of oysters to be had. Oysterman and all-around-friendly-guy, Dean Yaxa made us feel like we were right at home. After I voiced my apprehension, he warmly instructed me on how to eat one like a pro. "Suck it out of the shell, then chew! chew! chew! Swallow some of that juice, then chew! chew! chew!". It was like a sporting event and I was certainly the winner. And guess what? I liked it! I even had another, this time without the coaching. Even though I haven't had many oysters in my day, I feel confident when I say these were really tasty. You could taste the ocean with each bite and while the little buggers look really slimy in the shell, I didn't really feel that in my mouth. The Foodie Tour was a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I think one of the best things I learned was that you don't need a special tour to do these things. Farms and farm stands dot the landscape on the North Fork and would make for a lovely summer afternoon adventure. Here are the farms we visited: Catapano Dairy Farm 33705 Rt 48, Peconic Sang Lee Farms 25180 Rt 48, Cutchogue Shinn Estate Vineyards 2000 Oregon Road, Mattituck Pipes Cove Oysters, at Silver Sands Motel 70930 Silvermere Rd, Greenport Here are some others we didn't get to: North Quarter Bison Farm 1984 Roanoke Avenue, Riverhead free-range bison Golden Earthworm Organic Farm 652 Peconic Bay Blvd., Jamesport certified organic farm with rare breed animals The Farm 59945 Main Rd., Southhold vegetables grown biodynamically
Filed under eat and events and travel by Kelly. September 11th, 2008 . 0 Comments

north fork: part 1

I read about this Foodie Tour through Brooklyn Based and couldn't resist the urge to rent a car and go on an adventure. So last Sunday Aaron, our friend Angela and I hopped in a rental and drove an hour and half outside the city to see some farms. nofo_catapano_0908.jpg All of us being cheese lovers, the first on our list was Catapano Dairy Farm, where they make award-winning goat cheese. We could hardly contain ourselves as we drove up, all eager to learn how the cheese was made. But a little disappointment set in soon after we walked up, apparently the owner wasn't interested in talking about her operation and walked away as we approached the table to taste the cheeses. But luckily we did have a nice woman to give us all samples of the different cheeses, including chevre, gouda and a blue, and two types of fudge. Yum! They were all quite tasty. We were able to walk around and see the baby goats playing on their jungle gym and also witness the adult goats fighting, including one that looked like a unicorn. So that was exciting. We also saw some lovely chickens, but other than that we left wanting more. nofo_sanglee_09081.jpg On a whim we stopped by Sang Lee Farms to kill some time before visiting another stop on our tour. Oh boy, it turned out to be an excellent decision. Sang Lee was established in the 1940's and soon after started supplying New York City's Chinatown with quality Asian vegetables. Today they grow over 100 varietes of specialty vegetables, heirloom tomatoes, baby greens, mesclun, herbs, specialty Asian greens and flowers. We walked up to the farm stand and there in front of us were the most beautiful tomatoes I'd ever laid my eyes on. I mean, truly lovely little works of art in the most amazing colors and shapes. nofo_sanglee2_0908.jpg Then I walked inside and there were lovely greens and other vegetables, along with a few coolers filled with things like fresh pestos and sauces made by owner Karen Lee. I picked up a container of Asian Pesto and as I was perusing the vegetables, Ms. Lee asked if I needed any help. Soon we were deep in conversation about ways to use the pesto and then about these lunch time talks she's started in her community. You can read more about them in the latest edible east end. To top things off, we got to pick tomatoes from the vine, perhaps popping a few in our mouths every now and then. We were feeling pretty good as we made our way to our next destination. Tomorrow look forward to two other awesome farms, Shinn Estate Farmhouse and Pipes Cove Oysters.
Filed under eat and events and travel by Kelly. September 10th, 2008 . 0 Comments

boston

We had such a great time in boston this past weekend. It's always a different experience when you visit a city where you know a local and lucky for us our locals know us well. Unfortunately I wasn't with it enough to photograph each place we went, but I think you'll get a good view of some really great places in the Boston area. boston_02_09081.jpg The first few stops are in Somerville, which is about a 15 minute walk from Cambridge. We started Sunday morning at a delightful coffee shop named Bloc 11. The coffee was really top notch and gave me the kick I needed to get my day going. Along with coffee, they serve a ton of different teas and their pastry area was filled with awesome looking baked goods. The space was really interesting as well. The building was once a bank, so it's quite an ample space filled with different rooms to sit in, including the vault. boston_03_0908.jpg Our next stop was just down the street. It's a great little Portuguese restaurant called the Neighborhood Restaurant. When it's warm out, all dining takes place outdoors under grapevines and brightly colored umbrellas. There's nothing fancy about the place, but the food is undeniably mouthwatering. To start every meal comes with a choice of fruit or cream of wheat and a super tasty orange juice. Our friends recommended the Portuguese Meat Plate, which consisted of two crab cakes and shrimp cakes, potatoes, eggs with all sorts of goodness mixed in and rice and beans. That was one meal. Aaron chose pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon and walnuts, which also came with a side of sausage, eggs and potatoes. Ok, that's just a little nauseating to read the amount of food that was given to us. I'm happy to say we didn't eat it all, but it was so, so good. The kind of good that makes you sad that you have to leave some behind. boston_02_0908.jpg After brunch, we somehow rolled ourselves home and packed up the car to take a little trip outside the city. On the way out, we stopped at the dreamiest little gourmet shop called Formaggio Kitchen. I'm not quite sure how we were still able to think about food after that brunch, but as soon as I stepped inside, it was like the day was a blank slate and I got lost thinking about all the possibilities. First there's the cheese, which is the key to my heart. They have two big cases of cheese and helpful staff to answer any questions. We somehow walked away with two lovely choices, a spicy blue and a 3 cream cheese. Yum. After the cheese room you walk into a room filled with chocolate and candy, both homemade and from around the world. The last room was like a visit to the farmers market, with a few extras tossed in. There were baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, assorted beverages including coffee and beer. I tried to be good inside, I really did, but I still came out with a few bags of goodies. boston_04_0908.jpg Finally, we took a short car ride to a park called World's End in Hingham, MA. The park is actually a little penninsula where you can see great views of the Boston skyline from across Boston Harbor. We set up a blanket, opened up some violet lemonade and blueberries that we picked up at Formaggio, and just relaxed. Cheese, crackers and beer came a little later after our stomachs had forgiven us for the earlier meal. I actually can't think of a way the day would have been any better. Great friends, delicious food, the great outdoors and a little relaxation...  I mean come on. That's the life.
Filed under eat and read and travel by Kelly. September 3rd, 2008 . 0 Comments

midwest vacation: Nelson Cheese and Creamery

nelsoncreamery0708.jpg One of the things I was looking forward to most about our vacation was cheese. I just love the stuff and when I realized we'd be traveling through the dairy state, I knew we'd have to visit a few creameries. Just like the luck I had with Anchor Bar & Grill, I happened to read an article in Gourmet about the area we were visiting. It gave a lovely list of restaurants and cheese resources, so I mapped them out and we set out to try some cheese. The first two places we stopped were a little disappointing. It's not that they didn't have good cheese, it's just that they were cheese factories rather than a single person who was super passionate about cheese. Then we pulled up to the Nelson Cheese and Creamery and it was like we stepped out of rural Wisconsin and onto the Swiss countryside. When I walked in the shop, I knew we were in for a treat. While it's no longer a working creamery, it has been in the same family for over 100 years. They started out making cheese and butter, then they opened their doors to the public in the 70's and it got so busy that they decided to stop making their own cheese and source out the best cheeses they could find. Oh man do they have good cheese. We took a seat on the pet-friendly patio (major bonus points) and chose from a fair selection of local microbrews. We decided on a couple sandwiches from the hefty sandwich menu as well as a cheese plate. The owner brought out a selection of five cheeses and described them all and answered our questions. Then because there was so much cheese, she told us she held our sandwich order because she thought we might have second thoughts about ordering two sandwiches... she was totally right. After sipping our beer and snacking on cheese for awhile, we realized one sandwich would be more than enough. But let's get back to the cheese... so good! All of them were really tasty, but one really stood out. It was a cheese called Marieke Gouda with Foenegreek Spice and it's unlike any cheese I've ever tasted. It's the second from the back in the picture above. The best way to describe it is butter pecan ice cream in the form of cheese. It was a little less sweet than ice cream with a just the slightest bit of tang to it. Could life get any better? I'm not sure if it's widely distributed, but it's certainly worth asking your local cheesemonger. The people were so friendly and helpful, the range of products was fantastic and the views made me want to camp out on the patio. If we hadn't already made reservations 200 miles away, I think we would have stayed all night.
Filed under eat and restaurants/shops and travel by Kelly. August 6th, 2008 . 0 Comments

midwest vacation: splendid table + anchor bar and grill

anchorbar0708.jpg One of our favorite restaurants of the vacation was the most serendipitous. Before we left I loaded my ipod with a ton of podcasts, one of which was the Splendid Table. I wasn't super familiar with the show, but I figured it was about food and aired on NPR, so it had to be up my alley. I was so right... I couldn't get enough! If you haven't listened, check it out here. Each program begins with a segment called "Where we eat" by Jane and Michael Stern. Basically they travel the country and hit up random, but extra tasty restaurants and then tell lucky listeners about it. What do you know they mentioned a place called the Anchor Bar and Grill in Superior, Wisconsin which was right on our way. I couldn't believe our luck, so I looked up directions on my fancy new phone and we made plans to stop by on our way back from Minnesota. As we drove down the exit ramp I got a little nervous that the directions were wrong. The landscape looked a little desolate, with big patches of grass situated between sad looking buildings. We drove a little further and then we saw that awesome blue awning that read "Anchor Bar & Grill". We parked the car and made our way in. The darkness was blinding. We had to stop ourselves for a minute while our eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, but alas, we found a seat and perused the menu that sat waiting on the table. As we were trying decide whether to go for the cheese and cashew burger, or just stick with a good old cheeseburger, our waitress arrived. I looked up to see a t-shirt that read "All stressed out and no one to choke". Awesome. I mean, I really couldn't imagine this experience getting any better. We both decided to be boring and ordered a cheeseburger and fries. A mere five minutes after the order left our mouths, a paper plate piled high with fresh cut french fries and a juicy burger was plopped in front of us. I think Aaron's fries were gone in seconds, they were that good. And the burger didn't take much longer to go down. It was hands-down top notch bar food. For dessert we got to watch our waitress smoke a cig and watch her soaps. Find a reason to go down my the water in Superior, Wisconsin and hit up the little hole in the wall called Anchor Bar and Grill. You won't be disappointed.
Filed under eat and read and restaurants/shops and travel by Kelly. August 5th, 2008 . 0 Comments

back to reality

Vacations are the best! It seems like over the past few years so many of our vacations have been event driven (weddings, birthdays, holidays) which are great... but sometimes they're not quite relaxing. This vacation started with a wedding, but instead of just heading home, we decided to take a week to ramble through Wisconsin and Minnesota. nature07081.jpg The day after the wedding, we made a beeline for northern Minnesota where we spent lots of time outdoors enjoying nature and visiting with Aaron's grandparents. I found lots of beautiful wild mushrooms like the one above and maude splashed her paws in the lake for the first time. donut0708.jpg We also got to try the world's best donuts. They were pretty dang tasty... but I have to admit, I didn't actually eat a donut, instead I tried this lovely elephant ear-like pastry called a skizzle. Oh yeah! Who wouldn't want a cinnamony elephant ear for breakfast? Awesome! wisconsincheese0708.jpg After Minnesota, we wandered through Wisconsin looking for cheese. We drove through the country with windows down, taking in the scent of fresh air and the occasional cow farm. We ended up visiting 3 places that satisfied out cheese craving and we loaded our cooler with a variety of goodness. yoders0708.jpg After days of cheese and micro brews, we stopped in Shipshewana, Indiana to check out an antique show. While there we had to stop by Yoder's Meat and Cheese where we stocked up on all natural, hormone-free meat. So with a car packed tight with our favorite beer, delicious cheese, a few pounds of meat and a handful of antiques we couldn't live without, we headed home after a dreamy week on the road. Over the course of this week, I'll beposting a few more of the highlights of our trip, which I think you'll really like. You might even want to take your own little tour of the midwest.
Filed under eat and read and travel by Kelly. August 4th, 2008 . 1 Comments

michigan

michigan0608.jpg Ahhhh, it's Monday again. I had a whirlwind tour of the midwest this past weekend and I'm a little tuckered out. Besides attending a bachelorette party, I was able to visit my hometown for the first time in about five years. I used to dread going, but as I've grown and my tastes have changed, I find it exciting. In the few short hours I was there I visited the new farmers market and just couldn't pass up those cherries. Are they not the most beautiful cherries ever? And they tasted as good as they look. I also hit up a few antique malls and garage sales and found lots of treasures, but only came home home with a little vintage mug. I saw this vintage Schick razor at one of the garage sales, and while I didn't buy it, I couldn't resist photographing that awesome typography.
Filed under travel by Kelly. June 23rd, 2008 . 1 Comments

on the road

ontheroad.jpg worth it.
Filed under read and travel by Kelly. May 24th, 2008 . 0 Comments