Oh Mickey your so fine

This is more of a lifestyle commentary than a food review or adventure in eating.  Have you seen 9 1/2 weeks?  Mickey Rourke, unrecognizable now from his younger days....a feast for the senses, quite a movie.  But I love how they immerse the film in the NY atmosphere, the people, the street vendors, you can almost smell the city..and though the movie is an adventure in sensuality, its a comment on living life beyond borders, indulging and experiencing.  I dont think even with age we ever get tired of trying a new experience, or setting ourselves up for a new adventure...but you need to go for it, and have the mindset to know you can stretch your perceived limits.  I get sad watching 9 1/2 weeks  now, seeing how handsome Mickey was, though he is just as talented today as shown in The Wrestler, but without his pretty boy looks, his potential is more limited.  Alas, I'm forever a fan.

Smaller portions need taste

Tapas is a very good example of small plates with interesting flavors, that keep you engaged and not wondering about topping it off with a hot fudge sundae.  I havent been in while to present a fresh review, but Dali in Cambridge, MA is fantastic.  Teddy and I went to Cava in Portsmouth, NH for Valentines Day and it was tremendous.  Expensive but good and "hearty" small plates.  Locally, we like to go to TBones for their "just right bites" (Bedford, NH), their pub version of small plates, tonight I had a whole grain flat bread bowl with grilled chicken, salad greens, olives and light cheese, with only fresh salsa as the dressing.  I had forgotten how wonderful salsa can be as a salad dressing substitute, fat free too and full of flavor.  Less succesful is Z bar on Elm Street in Manchester, small portions with high prices that are not justified, quality is so so, not my cup of tea.  Many restaurants are promoting smaller portions or healthier versions of their popular dishes, and me personally always likes to give them a try, considering we are considered the land of obese citizens, plus when your tummy starts to look like a mini mountain when you are lying down, I think its time to cut back! 

Its been a while - North End dining

Not only has it been a while since I posted, but we had our first dinner of the summer season in the North End-Boston last Friday.  We went to La Galleria 33 on Salem Street.   I love the restaurants on Salem Street, they seem to be about $5-10 cheaper a dish than Hanover Street and just as delicious.  We had been loving L'Osteria but we were a party of 7 tonight so not sure of the crowd on the streets, we went with La Galleria based on their willingness to take a reservation which can be rare in the North End.  They also had a decent variety on their menu, and rave reviews from fellow diners which I always look for when trying a new place.  I will preface this review with DONT order the salmon and vodka pasta.  It was smoked, and the flavor not all that pleasing, the two people who ate it, including Teddy, were not quite pleased with the dish.  I tasted it for freshness, and it wasnt very pleasing.  Having said that, the five remaining diners really enjoyed their meals, and we also shared an antipasto platter....at $16.95 for 7 people, it fed us all and was well worth it.  I had the Galleria stuffed chicken - mushrooms, fontina cheese, ham, a light lemon butter wine reduction sauce made it DEYUMMISH - truly DEYUMMISH, I have to say, even the side of linguine tasted like they churned it on the premises, with a simple tomato sauce.  A hearty dish at $21.95.  Our friend Neills enjoyed his dinner from the grill, a chicken and vegetables all looking quite fresh.  I noticed a shrimp scampi type dish that looked fantastic with large shrimps which you dont always find.  I cant remember what Lisa ate but she said it was excellent, and I believe it...we were all so quiet at dinner, which is a good sign that meals were being enjoyed.  Avoid the salmon, and I think you will agree this is a hidden gem in the North End.

Niagara-On-The-Lake

OK wine connoisseurs, if you haven't been to Niagara-On-The-Lake for some wine tasting then it's time to go up there!  While Napa Valley is the number one producer of wine in the U.S., the Finger Lakes area (right near Rochester NY) is the second largest, and there are many wineries north of us on Lake Ontario and near Niagara Falls as well.  This past weekend we went up to NOTL for a day trip to walk around the cute town, get some wine, and some delicious lunch.

Our first stop was lunch because I was starving!  We went to The Epicurean which has gourmet sandwiches and salads to choose from.  After standing in line (it's self serve) we decided to get a panini and some gourmet salads to share.  Unfortunately, they were out of panini's, so we made some impromptu choices.  The gourmet salads weren't very gourmet, just potato salad, marinated mushroom salad, and taboule.  We decided to get two sandwiches since they weren't very large, and settled on the ham and brie and california chicken club sandwich.  We also got some potato salad and marinated mushroom salad on the side.  The sandwiches were both very good, nothing to complain about, but nothing to rave about either.  Same with the salads.  The best part of this cafe/restaurant was the outdoor garden for eating.  It was such a beautiful day out and the setting really made it enjoyable.  The prices are ridiculous, it cost us $40 for lunch, but this was expected.  We've eaten in NOTL before and it was very very very expensive (more on that later).

We then walked around town and took in the sights and quaint shops.  It's really a beautiful town and if you're ever up in this area it's a must see.

When we went to NOTL last year it was more of a weekend trip, and we got much more sight-seeing in.  The wineries are absolutely gorgeous, and the wine is delicious of course.  We also had dinner one night at Hillebrand Winery and it was in the top 5 meals I have ever eaten, with a price tag to go along with it of course!  They also had outdoor seating overlooking their vineyards; let's just say I felt like I was in Napa Valley!  It was fabulous.

Overall, Niagara On The Lake is a great place to visit, but it is pricey.  And it's technically in Canada, so make sure you bring your passports!

Happy Fathers Day

We celebrated a day early with most of the Carras Clan - Olga Steven Marina and Nick, Cathy and Stevie , Jim Angela Jenna and Val gal, Mom and Dad Carras - get togethers are always filled with lots of laughs and loud conversation, we have a good time.  My Dad was in search of a great local seafood place, but we were tired of Legals' and afraid to venture towards the waterfront with the weather being so nice, so we went the traditional route to Brothers Kouzina on Rt 1 in Saugus for a taste of traditional greek food.  It didnt disappoint.  By the time Teddy and I got there, appetizers had been ordered - saganaki which is a fried cheese, horatiki salad which is basically a tomato and cucumber salad, homemade gyro platters, sauteed artichoke hearts, came with warmed pita bread.  The one thing were were missing is tzaziki, which would have served my chicken kabob dinner well since the chicken was very dry,  but I really enjoyed my greek style green beans , in tomato sauce, perfectly done.  The lamb kokinisto, which is a braised shank, I heard was great, but what really impressed was the stuffed veal chop, fontina, spinach and proscuitto stuffing with a mushroom garlic sauce seemed to earn the raves.  We topped it off with a stop at Richardsons Dairy Farm, which serves top class icecream in Middelton MA.  I would elaborate but i'm still with the Clan visiting at Cathy's - right now my two eldest sisters Olga and Cathy are sitting on the couch with me and my Mom is right by my side, its good to have a little moment of being "home" on a day like today, I hope everyone enjoys time with their families this weekend.

X Marks the Spot

Friday night, too hot to cook in the house.  I have several $25 gift certificates from restaurants.com - great deal by the way, they often sell them for $3, certain restaurants participate but a few we like in NH and in the New England area.  We decided to try the hot new NH restaurant - voted best new NH Restaurant, X on Elm.  MMMMMMMMM, MMM.  DEYUMMISH.  But  buyer beware, not cheap eats.  Portions were not overflowing but the quality made up for it.  We started with the middleeastern platter, homemade hummus had a hint of lemon and a nice consistency.  Also had their version of tzakiki with dill and cucumber, and olive tapenade, and couscous cold salad, but other than the hummus, not as impressed.  This appetizer came with pita bread and chips which were a nice compliment.  We did not get any dinner rolls or kind of bread, but we didnt need it, not sure if they offer it.  I also got their house Sangria but it had a hint of mint I wasnt crazy about.  Dinner was a braised lamb shank for me and lobster mac and cheese for Teddy.  My lamb shank was excellent, came with parmesean risotto that I think Gordon Ramsey would have said was perfect, and nice brocoli rabe.  Teddy's pasta was delicious, very cheesy, but he commented that he felt the lobster was not quite as fresh as they promoted.  All in all, a very good dinner, we would try it again for the chile salmon and Teddy wants the lamb shank next time.  Located on Elm street in downtown Manchester, we were able to sit outside and people watch too.  A must try next time you are in town.

Next Door Bar and Grill

Up in Rochester there aren't many 'trendy' places to go out.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to live and there certainly are some upscale restaurants to try, but nothing you could compare to a lounge in NYC or even Boston.  A few months ago, Wegmans opened up a new restaurant in Pittsford called Next Door Bar and Grill that was creating some buzz around town.  The first time I went there was this winter, and we only went to the bar.  The moment we walked in, I knew it was something special.  This level of coolness has not been seen in Rochester before, I can assure you that.  The bar isn't very big, but has plenty of space for everyone to pile in and order some fantastic drinks.  They also have cabana style rooms that branch off of the main bar area for more privacy, with benches and pillows and billowy canopy style curtains for a little privacy.  The dining area could not be seen or smelled from the bar (smelling food from a restaurant while at a bar is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves!), so I didn't get a chance to even get a glimpse of what it's like to eat there.

Well last night I went with 4 of my best girl friends for our monthly supper club, and it was a bit of a special occasion since we were sending off one of the girls who will be moving to Philadelphia at the end of the month with her husband.  We decided to try Next Door and see if the food was as good as the bar and decor.  The minute you walk in, you're greeted with the fresh aroma of green apples, as they are displayed on wine racks in the entry foyer.  They must replenish these apples every week, because they would certainly not smell so fresh if they had been sitting there for weeks on end.  The hostess was very nice and seated us 5 minutes early, our table was ready.  Another pet peeve is when I go to a restaurant where I have a reservation, and I end up waiting 15 minutes to be seated.  No waiting here.  The dining room at next door is very hip and urban chic, something I certainly haven't seen up this way.  There were many large parties seated, and we were surprised at how busy it was for a weekday evening.  There seemed to be at least 10 large parties of over six people there for dinner.  In the center of the dining room there was an exposed sushi bar with seating all around it, where couples were seated for dinner. Along the perimeter, were sliding doors that offered private dining areas for large parties and privacy.  One of the side rooms was decorated with branch-like chandeliers and had a large wooden farmstyle dining table for 20 with luxurious upholstered chairs.  I was very impressed, and will keep this in mind next time I want to go out for dinner with 20 of my closest friends!

Everything we ate at Next Door was excellent. We started with Edamame Hummus and Tuscan French Fries for our appetizers.  There were many options from mussells and oysters to crabcakes and flatbread pizzas, and they all appealed to me.  Prices on appetizers were reasonable and ranged from 5-$12.  The entrees all looked fabulous, and there were a few specials to choose from as well.  The other part of the menu that excited me was their extensive sushi list.  I eventually settled on a duck leg served with greens and beans.  For such a decadent dish, I thought the $19 price tag was more than reasonable.  While I don't have any pictures to share (my camera battery died!) I can assure you this dish looked and tasted exquisite!  Sometimes duck can be too fatty and flavorful, but this was cooked to perfection.  Many of the girls at my table got sushi, and one of my friends described it as the "best sushi outside of California" that she's ever tasted.  That sounds like a great review to me.  The entrees all ranged in price from about $15-$35.

I can't help but give this place an A+ for it's service, decor, food, and drinks.  While I didn't even touch on the drinks in this post, their bar area and drink menu are superb, as is their wine list in the dining room.  I had an Australian Shiraz for $5 a glass that was excellent, especially given the low price.  Their list had a wide range of variety and pricepoints.  This place is great for anyone who wants a gourmet meal in Rochester at a less than gourmet price.  I can't wait to go back!