RedFeather Inn - Boise Idaho

I'm in Idaho with my Grandmother (she is 91 years young). We arrived safely in Boise. So we rested a little then went to dinner. It had already been a long day so it was dinner then bed.

I picked a place called the RedFeater Lounge. All of their ingredients are local (within 100 miles)! We both had the Cedar Plank Grilled Idaho Trout with a beurre blanc sauce and Idaho Wild Rice. We followed that by sharing a cheese course of Idaho cheeses with honey comb and currants:
Danish Pearl - Cow's milk, soft and creamy
Rolling Stone Chevre - Saanen goat's milk, tangy, herb rolled
Truffle Tremor - Goat's milk
For dessert with had Strawberry Dacqueri - strawberry ice cream, lime rum, and a fruit couli

I had an Iron Hills Pinot Noir and Grandma had a Rose. It was an excellent meal!!!

Photo of the multi-story wine cellar in the RedFeather Lounge

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Plumed Horse (Saratoga Springs)

Happy Birthday to me!! John grumbled about taking me to Plumed Horse after an already very expensive meal at Dry Creek Kitchen a few nights earlier. But hey, I'm only 48 once! I didn't really think we could have a more expensive meal than we had at Dry Creek Kitchen or Manresa...but I was wrong! It's been known to happen. but that's okay because we had a truly wonderful meal. Both Dry Creek Kitchen and Plumed Horse offer more "accessible" tasting menus than Manresa. Don't get me wrong, I love Manresa but it's a little out there like WD-40.

Be sure to check out their wine cellar. It is 2-stories made of tempered glass and amazing! Except I couldn't walk across the floor because you can see down into the lower cellar. Yikes! Yeah, I know the tempered glass technically won't break.

I started with a Heidsieck Brut Champagne while looking over the menu. I was after all "celebrating!"

Course 1
Sushi Tuna Tartare with Quail Egg and Caviar
And I finished my glass of Heidsieck Champagne

Surprise Course
Oyster with Pimento and Butter
2006 Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc (we had just visted the winery a few days earlier)

Course 2
Black Pepper and Parmesan Souffle
Thomas Moreau Chablis

Course 3
Wild Sturgeon over Trumpet Mushrooms
2005 Handley Pinot Noir
An excellent Pinot Noir that was a fabulous accompaniment to the mushrooms

Course 4
Lamb Ribeye with Celery Root Puree and Pear
2004 White Oak Cabernet Sauvignon

Cheese Course
John and I each had 3 cheeses. I lost track of exactly what we had except they were fabulous. This course was accompanied by a 5 yr old Port and an 20 yr old Tawny port.

Course 5
Gran Marnier Souffle
Veuve Clicquot Demi Sec Champagne

Oh, and John had mentioned my birthday when he made our OpenTable reservation. So they also brought me this!

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Angèle Restaurant & Bar (Napa)

This french bistro restaurant specializes in cassoulets. We weren't dissappointed. John and I had the Beet Salad to start. We had the Cassoulet which made with duck and house-made sausage. We ended the meal with a Banana tart. Our waiter recommended an affordable Cote du Rhone to accompany our meal.

Angele is located in this interesting renovated section of Napa.

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Dry Creek Kitchen (Healdsburg)

I've been very bad lately about posting my dining experiences. Well, John and I had a few fabulous experiences over the last week while celebrating my birthday!

Dry Creek Kitchen
The tasting menu that night was titled "Pigs and Pinot." Unfortunately, a week later, I'm a little sketchy on the courses and the associated wines. But trust me, it was fabulous! If you get to Healdsburg, don't miss Dry Creek Kitchen

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Restaurant Week Tuesday 29 January 2008

It is restaurant week across the country...including Dayton OH. Unfortunately, I'm in Newark NJ. You might think that's good since I'm just across the river from the countries restaurant metropolis. Normally, I would agree...but not during restaurant week. Even in Dayton OH it can be hard to get a reservation. It's just plain crazy in "the city across the river."

So tonight I decided to stay local. As far as I can tell, Newark NJ doesn't do anything for restaurant week. Through OpenTable.com, I found the Theatre Square Grill. While there was a Nets game going on at the Provident Center, there was nothing going on at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). I constituted 25% of the diners in the restaurant. That's 1 in 4 diners for those of us who are mathematically challenged. (And the woman at the other table was one of those people who just doesn't stop talking for any reason...including the fact that she doesn't really have anything to say.)

I didn't realize that only the Bistro menu would be available to me; presumably because there was no performance. I had the Onion Soup and the Braised Pork Shank with Lyonnaise Potatoes. While the food was good...it was nothing to write home about. On the other hand...it's probably impossible to get a dinner reservation on a theatre night.

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