What better way to ease ourselves into a 3-day holiday weekend than bop over to the other side of town and enjoy frukost (that's Norsk for "breakfast") at one of our 'ol faves--Cafe Muse http://www.cafemuseroyaloak.com/ in Royal Oak. This was our second visit for breakfast and we keep saying we have to sample their lunch fare. If anyone's taken advantage of that, would love to hear your review. Tom had a special, an omelet with Ammoglio sauce with a side of mashed sweet potatoes. I had a bite and it was awesome!! My french toast was good. The toast itself was not a standout but the Turkish fig/orange marmalade topping brought it to life. We have yet to be disappointed by the Muse. It has nice ambience, the service is good and the owners are very hands-on. They are very visible and hands-on and in fact, freshened my coffee and served us. Excellent job, guys!!! Keep up the good work.
** BROWNIE RECOMMENDATION **
Because we are are organic food junkies, we often frequent organic/health food stores and community food co-ops during our travels. In "Fashionable Ferndale", we discovered Natural Food Patch, on Nine Mile Road. While checking out, I spotted some packaged brownies at the register; can you say "impulse buy"? Folks, ironically I'm sorry to report that I discovered these--they're DELICIOUS and about as addictive as crack cocaine for me. As a self-confessed chocoholic (we're talking 12-step program here), I'm pretty particular about my chocolate: I like it very dark, organic, not overly sugared and free of a lot of additives. I'm possibly even more discriminating about my brownies. I usually bake them from scratch using a high quality organic, free-trade cocoa and have been playing with the recipe over time trying to get the perfect mix of ingredients. My homemade brownies are very fudgy which is something I've found hard to come by in store bought varieties. I was ready to diss the pre-packaged brownie we picked up in Ferndale even though it received a strong endorsement from the cashier who assured me he had sampled it. He also added that the company, Do-Goodie http://www.greystonbakery.com/, is a supplier to Ben & Jerry's. I managed to make it all the way home before tearing open the packaging the sink my teeth into the Espresso Bean Brownie. Zowie!!! Finally, a well-crafted, fudgy, moist, not overly sweetened brownie. All I can say is if you haven't had these, give 'em a try and I'm just glad I bought mine across town and am not aware of who carries them nearby. Way too much temptation for me.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Niagara-On-The-Lake/Finger Lakes Trip (6/09)
Our 4-1/2 drive from our home to Niagara-on-the-Lake involved the requisite, less than thrilling ride on the 401 through Ontario. Imagine driving down the 401, a flat and featureless road if ever there was one, listening to Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse" on audio. Yeesh!
This was our first visit to both Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Especially enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Stone Road Grille in Niagara-on-the Lake http://www.stoneroadgrille.com/ recommended by our B&B hosts, Jeff & John. Since they stuffed us to capacity with a 3-course breakfast followed by a sumptuous dessert (yes, dessert at breakfast--don't knock it until you've tried it), I was delighted to discover that the Stone Road Grille offers half portions at dinner. My coq au vin was delicious and just the right size while my partner, Tom, was very pleased with the salmon (also delicious). Portion sizes were reasonable with a decided focus on quality. Highly recommended if you're visiting Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Also heartily recommend Wine Country Inn http://www.winecountrybb.com/. Our innkeepers, Jeff & John, have a lovely refurbished home in an area close to downtown (and on the horse carriage route). Their breakfasts were first-rate (the best of our week and a half trip). They were very knowledgeable about the area and had great recommendations for nearby activities, wineries and restaurants.
NILES GOURMET BISTRO (NEW YORK)
Wow!!! This was the most serendipitous find of our entire trip. While staying in Skanneateles, we saw an ad for this place and, having not chanced upon the culinary finds we were hoping for, decided to give it a chance. It was a bit of an adventure finding the place as it's located pretty remotely in a country setting, off dirt roads and seemingly in the middle of farm fields. We had to follow hand painted cardboard signs, which directed us to their log cabin setting. I PROMISE you it is well worth the trip. We arrived on a very cold and rainy night (it was coming down in buckets) --hard to believe it was actually late June. We were greeted by owner/chef Sandie, her husband, Eric and their dog, Cucina. Fortunately, because it was such a miserable night weather-wise, we had the place to ourselves and were able to spend a lot of time chatting with Sandie and Eric, who built us a warming fire in the dining room and served us to die for homecooked gourmet, organic fare.
I ordered a duck egg quiche which was served with homemade cranberry chutney and delicious salad greens, nicely dressed. Tom made an excellent choice with heritage pork (yum, I had a couple bites) which she sources from Dundee--a nearby town in the Finger Lakes, a dab of the cranberry chutney and homemade spelt mustard, the perfect accompaniment for the pork. This was topped off by a delicious dessert flan topped with smoked figs and pear. Her menu is not fixed but is geared to take advantage of the bounty of the season.
If you are traveling to the Finger Lakes region, be sure and check them out; you will NOT be disappointed: http://nilesgourmet.com/
RIO TOMATLAN (CANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK)
We found out about this place when we visited Niles Bistro and decided to give it a shot. We are certainly glad we did and, in fact, enjoyed it so much the first night, wound up dining there on our second night in Canandaigua. Rio Tomatlan http://www.riotomatlan.com/welcome.htm serves AUTHENTIC Mexican cuisine sized perfectly for my appetite (albeit a light eater) with an emphasis on bold, complex flavors. Their mole sauce, served over enchiladas, was to be savored--spicy and complex. Enchiladas verdes were also delicious (lots of delicious tomatillos) and if you make it out there, be sure to sample the chocolate flan. Yum!!!
This was our first visit to both Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Especially enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Stone Road Grille in Niagara-on-the Lake http://www.stoneroadgrille.com/ recommended by our B&B hosts, Jeff & John. Since they stuffed us to capacity with a 3-course breakfast followed by a sumptuous dessert (yes, dessert at breakfast--don't knock it until you've tried it), I was delighted to discover that the Stone Road Grille offers half portions at dinner. My coq au vin was delicious and just the right size while my partner, Tom, was very pleased with the salmon (also delicious). Portion sizes were reasonable with a decided focus on quality. Highly recommended if you're visiting Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Also heartily recommend Wine Country Inn http://www.winecountrybb.com/. Our innkeepers, Jeff & John, have a lovely refurbished home in an area close to downtown (and on the horse carriage route). Their breakfasts were first-rate (the best of our week and a half trip). They were very knowledgeable about the area and had great recommendations for nearby activities, wineries and restaurants.
NILES GOURMET BISTRO (NEW YORK)
Wow!!! This was the most serendipitous find of our entire trip. While staying in Skanneateles, we saw an ad for this place and, having not chanced upon the culinary finds we were hoping for, decided to give it a chance. It was a bit of an adventure finding the place as it's located pretty remotely in a country setting, off dirt roads and seemingly in the middle of farm fields. We had to follow hand painted cardboard signs, which directed us to their log cabin setting. I PROMISE you it is well worth the trip. We arrived on a very cold and rainy night (it was coming down in buckets) --hard to believe it was actually late June. We were greeted by owner/chef Sandie, her husband, Eric and their dog, Cucina. Fortunately, because it was such a miserable night weather-wise, we had the place to ourselves and were able to spend a lot of time chatting with Sandie and Eric, who built us a warming fire in the dining room and served us to die for homecooked gourmet, organic fare.
I ordered a duck egg quiche which was served with homemade cranberry chutney and delicious salad greens, nicely dressed. Tom made an excellent choice with heritage pork (yum, I had a couple bites) which she sources from Dundee--a nearby town in the Finger Lakes, a dab of the cranberry chutney and homemade spelt mustard, the perfect accompaniment for the pork. This was topped off by a delicious dessert flan topped with smoked figs and pear. Her menu is not fixed but is geared to take advantage of the bounty of the season.
If you are traveling to the Finger Lakes region, be sure and check them out; you will NOT be disappointed: http://nilesgourmet.com/
RIO TOMATLAN (CANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK)
We found out about this place when we visited Niles Bistro and decided to give it a shot. We are certainly glad we did and, in fact, enjoyed it so much the first night, wound up dining there on our second night in Canandaigua. Rio Tomatlan http://www.riotomatlan.com/welcome.htm serves AUTHENTIC Mexican cuisine sized perfectly for my appetite (albeit a light eater) with an emphasis on bold, complex flavors. Their mole sauce, served over enchiladas, was to be savored--spicy and complex. Enchiladas verdes were also delicious (lots of delicious tomatillos) and if you make it out there, be sure to sample the chocolate flan. Yum!!!
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