Showing posts with label Local Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Local Food. Show all posts

A Delicious Spring Progressive 

Monday, May 2, 2011 -
Steven has done it again!  Another wonderful meal at Tastings that included not only great dishes, but some great wines as well.  For all those who didn't show up, I have to say thank you because our portions were a bit larger, which left my stomach very happy!

 
Aperitif - Cherry Blossom Cocktail
Pink in color, I sipped and was immediately reminded of cherry 7-up.  The fizz, the flavors, it all was light and refreshing with that slight imitation flavor you sometimes get when using flavored products.  It was made of vodka, sake and Nuvo - a good sipping beverage.





First Course - 2009 Folonari Soave served with Asparagus Crostini
The wine was clean and crisp, perfect for the crostini that we were served.  A lightly toasted baguette had the perfect crunch, and was topped with a homemade ricotta of TPC whole milk and goat cheese.  The creamy cheese was the perfect accompaniment to the thinly shaved asparagus.  The perfect spring vegetable was dressed in lemon-mint vinaigrette.  I loved the sweetness of added honey with the asparagus.  Simple, refreshing, perfect.

Second Course - 2009 Dom. Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz-Viognier served with Salmon Nicoise
I loved the bottle - it had braille on it which we learned was for a family member of the winery.   Sharp, berry smelling and tasting, it was paired with cured Atlantic salmon.  A dijon mustard-cured salmon was slightly salty, but creamy on the palate.  Served with deeply roasted green beans and gold potatoes.  The earthy potatoes were paired perfectly with a subtly salty olive vinaigrette and shaved manchego cheese.


Third Course - 2009 Renato Ratti 'Ochetti' Nebbiolo d'Alba served with Basil Crusted Duck
What my friend Rachel dubbed as a 'friendly' bottle, this was a sweeter red that both red-wine lovers and non-lovers alike could share.  The duck fat was rendered before being finished in the oven to a perfect medium rare.  Crunchy panko was mixed with basil and covered the duck for a perfect crunch and smooth texture.  This was served on a creamy sunchoke puree.  Sunchokes are similar to the sweet taste of a parsnip, which was great with the chanterelle jus, rich in rosemary flavors.  Even my friend Melinda, who had never eaten duck before, finished her dish wanting more.

Final Course - 2009 Dom. de margui 'Vin De Pays Du Var' Rose served with Rainbow Sorbet
The wine wasn't memorable, but the kumquat sorbet was.  We were served three different sorbets: lime, kumquat and raspberry.  The raspberry was sweet, the lime tart, and the kumquat just right.  Perfectly cleansing, I really enjoyed the flavors.  These were served with shards of an almond-sugar cookie, both crunchy but soft, thick with the almond extract flavor.


A great evening with many flavors.  I loved the variety: some cheese, seafood, protein and a dessert.  Everything was light - exactly how Spring should be in dishes.  Thank you again for a wonderful evening Steven and all the staff at Tastings!

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More Greens 

Sunday, May 1, 2011 -
Week four of our CSA has given us more greens.  The cooler was full, lots of things to use for this week - which is short due to a trip to Green Bay (one of my best friends is getting married!) so we'll need to be creative this week. We have...
  • baby romaine
  • spinach
  • mache
  • red and green lettuce
  • chives
  • green onions
  • our own sage plant
So, a few repeats.  Well, a lot of repeats.  I wish we were getting a few different things, like asparagus and other spring vegetables.  But leafy greens it is!  I already have plans for most of it, but if anyone has any suggestions, don't hesitate!  

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Eating Organic for Earth Day 

Monday, April 25, 2011 -
Celebrating Earth Day can be done in so many ways.  From shopping with your own bags to cleaning a highway, there are ways for all of us to pitch in and remember that we need to take care of our surroundings.  One celebration I was looking forward to was eating and sipping at Tastings.  Yes, eating and sipping organically counts as well.  We had a variety of organic wines and ate some great courses, 90% that was organic. Here is just a taste of what you missed:

Apertif - 2008 Perlage "Altana' Rosato Frizzante


2nd Course - 2008 Domaine Eugene Meyer Pinot Blanc served with Citrus Ceviche
The ceviche was Ahi tuna, turbot and bay scallops, blood orange & Meyer lemon dressing, honey-chamomile goat cheese served with sesame crisps.

3rd Course - 2006 Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir served with Veal Ragout
The ragout was a free-range veal, crimini mushrooms, striped eggplant, San Marzano tomatoes and sweet yam and sage polenta.  Just a note, this veal ragout was one of the best Italian dishes I've had in a very long time.  Hubs direct quote, "If I had an Italian grandmother, she would make this."  Classic Italian, rich in flavor from the veal and roasted eggplant that was seasoned with thyme and sage.  Subtle back heat finished this dish - delish. 


4th Course - 2009 Caligiore 'Reserve' Malbec served with Muscovado Pork
 Muscovado & chipotle marinated pork tenderloin, served with a pancetta-black eyed pea stew and a crispy onion.  Perfectly cooked pork that was tender and clean tasting, served with a rich stew.  Took me a few bites (I'm not a huge black eyed pea fan), but I really loved all the flavors as they worked together - I was licking my fork by the end of it.


2007 Lange Twins 'Proprietary' Cabernet Sauvignon served with a cheese tasting
Lightly-fried Hungarian Kashkaval and American Pecorino Romano with French plum and cherry chutney.  Salty cheese paired with a sweet chutney.  One word sums this up...nom.

If you haven't had the opportunity to dine with Steven, I think you have to make it a priority. He is extremely talented, always fine tuning his dishes and thinking about the flavors that he is pairing with the wines.  And the wines that Tastings offer, especially with this tasting, were fresh and bold.  Always a great experience, I'm looking forward to this upcoming Wednesday - a Spring Progressive.

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CSA Week 2 

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 -
Another Saturday means another CSA!  Last week, we had greens and this week is no different.  The line-up includes:
  • Spinach
  • Red and Green leaf lettuce
  • Mache (which we used last week to make fish tacos)
  • Wild chives
  • Green onions
  • Kale (plan on not keeping it so simple this week!)
Some thoughts for this week's menu includes a mixed Spring salad and potentially a gratin.  We'll need to use our greens earlier than last time since we don't want any wilting to happen!

Any ideas for the ingredients we have?

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Supporting Local Food & Farmers 

Friday, April 15, 2011 -
A few weeks ago, the IndySpectator published an article about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).  Ever since our friends Mallory & Ryan had signed up for a CSA last year, I've been bugging hubs to get in on it so we could have a veggie box of our own.  And after the article came out, it reminded me that I still wanted one.  Thus, the Ahrens' purchased their very own CSA for the spring.

You may ask, what is a CSA? I'm a huge fan of farmer's markets, and this is another way that you can support your local farmer's and the community of food producers.  Essentially, you purchase a "share" of a local farmer's produce and for that price, receive a bounty of fruit, veggies, herbs and other local items.  Programs can vary by weeks (ours is 7 for the Spring) and by price points, as well as items offered.  These bountiful boxes can be delivered directly to your door or you can pick them up at the farm or a local shop.

After some research, I settled on a local farm in Zionville, IN called Valentine Hill Farm.  This particular CSA worked for us because of the price point (around $17 a week) and because of the pick-up location, which is at the delicious Trader's Point Creamery (go there for brunch if you haven't - delish).  Another reason we picked it was because of the options.  They had four:
  • Small share (for two people)
  • Small share (for two people) including bread
  • Large share (for four people)
  • Large share (for four people) including bread
I was extremely interested in the bread, because you could get freshly made loaves of bread, English muffins, homemade pasta or pies.  Delicious, but not necessary for us.  Since we enjoy making our own pasta and hubs is one fantastic baker, we decided to stick to the small share sans carbs.  I signed us up, and our first weekend pickup was this past Saturday.  I was in Chicago for work and a friend's bridal shower, and hubs was working, so bestie Mel came to the rescue and picked up the veg box for us.  Plus, she sent me this photo to get me all excited for Sunday menu planning (a ritual in the Ahrens' household).  And can I just note it came in a Charles Shaw wine box?  Veggies in a wine box?  My kind of veggies!

What was in the lovely veg box?  Spinach, mache, baby Little Gem romaine lettuce, kale, wild chives, and cilantro.  I love not knowing what we'll get - it is all fresh and in season which makes the pending weekend menu planning that much more fun to me.  And Valentine Farm sends a newsletter with 3-4 recipes that you can try with your new produce.  Honestly, what is there not to love?

We are still in debate if we'll continue through the summer.  You may wonder, "Why Angie, you love your CSA veg box!?" but it is because we also love to frequent the farmer's markets.  Taking a quick bike ride down the Monon to the Carmel Farmers Market is one of our favorite summer activities.  And we are still getting fresh and local ingredients, all while supporting the local community. So, I guess we'll see...

Stay tuned for all the great cooking we get from this new adventure.  Not to mention, future photos of veggie box excitement.  Can you tell I'm excited? I hope you are too!

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Movember - A Gala for the 'Stache 

Tuesday, December 7, 2010 -
Thank you to all of my friends and family who donated to Tim's Movember fundraising!  Though itchy, he grew his 'mo through November in support of raising awareness for men's health.  We celebrated the 'stache with friends at the Indy Movember Gala.  It was an evening of great costumes (by us and a few others), great local craft beer at Tomlinson Tap in the City Market, and a few nibbles here and there.  Here is a photo recap (thank you to my extremely talented photographer friend, RMatthea, for allowing me to post her photos - she is utterly fantastic!  The only one that is mine is the group photo - you can see how talented she is!)


 
 


I'm also happy to report that though the 'stache was grown for a cause, it is no longer.  I am happy to have my hub's freshly shaven face back!  A big thank you to all the volunteers who put on this gala - a great cause that was supported by great people.  We enjoyed the evening and were happy to be a part!

Cheers to next year!

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A Slice of Pizzology 

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 -
Have you ever recommended a place but never been yourself?  I didn't until Pizzology came along.  I heard all the raves and reviews but hubs and I had not been able to try it yet.  Yet, I still told people they should go there.  This past Thanksgiving weekend, hubs and I were over turkey and only wanting pizza.  Pizzology, it was about time we tried it, especially since it was only a seven minute drive.

I knew it was going to be crowded, but luckily we were told the wait was only 20 minutes.  We found a spot at the crowded bar and ordered local beer.  They have quite a selection of local brews.  I decided to try to Popcorn Pilsner from Sun King that everyone has been raving about (and I can see why!) as hubs selected another brew.  I have to say, I can't remember what it was as I was taking in the environment of the casual,  but modern, pizzeria and pub.

Clean decor, friendly staff and great drinks had me anticipating a fantastic meal.  We started off by being sat early (yay!) at a table in the back near the open-window kitchen.  I slid into the booth while hubs sat in the chair across from me so I could take in all of the restaurant.  Flat screen tv's were framed on the wall as were large photos.  I especially loved the chalkboard wall where the menu was written.  But the highlight?  The open window kitchen where you could watch the chef's prepare your food to order.

Our server greeted us with a smile and friendly attitude.  As we told her we had never been, she took the time to go through her favorites and explain the menu in detail in the perfect way.  As we already had our brews, we decided to order a few appetizers.  We started off with the grilled romaine salad and zucchini fritters.

The salad came moments before the fritters giving us time to split it between the two plates.  It was a large baby romaine head, lightly grilled with perfect char marks.  On top were Indiana baby tomatoes, perfectly plump and ripe for eating.  Chunks of fresh mozzarella were abundant and plentiful allowing every bite to have a piece of the semi soft cheese.  The dressing, a yogurt based herb dressing, was delightfully light and portioned perfectly.  It was one of the best dressed salads I've had in a long time - not overwhelming the natural flavors of the salad but complimenting them.

'Tony's fritters' arrived shortly after the salad, so as we munched on romaine, we were also munching on fritters.  I wasn't expecting the more 'pancake like' fritter, but was happy to see it served that way.  Finely shredded zucchini was lightly breaded and fried for a crisp outer layer but a smooth inner texture was still present.  Drizzled on top was a truffle oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.  Unfortunately, they were fried a bit too heavy for me, but still the flavors were great.

We ordered another round of beverages just in time for our main dish, the Old Kentucky Rome pizza.  After much debate (so many pizza's looked fantastic) we settled upon this white pizza full of flavor.  Delicious roasted figs were chopped into bite size pieces and sprinkled over the pizza as Kentucky cured prosciutto was layered over a bed of spicy arugula and taleggio cheese.  Taleggio cheese melts well and some could even compare it to a balance between a mild tasting mozzarella with the consistency of melted brie, making it a creamy concoction that worked perfectly with the spicy balance of the prosciutto and arugula.  Plus, the sweetness of the figs really gave the pizza a great flavor.  I enjoyed just a tad more than the hubs (he wasn't loving the prosciutto)and we both managed to each eat two pieces.  A pie could easily serve two people, maybe three if you have appetizers to share.  And trust me, that crispy but doughy crust is well worth it.  I enjoyed all the elements as they played perfectly well together, but that crust was just delightful.  In addition, it was served with a garlic fondue that our server brought out for us to taste - garlic heaven with that crust!

One thing to note, as we were waiting for our pizza, I kept seeing all of these tables receive orders of breadsticks.  Hubs and I adore breadsticks, so I asked our server how we could get some.  She smiled and said that though it wasn't on the menu, you could definitely order them (4 breadsticks for $5,) so we did.  Delivered shortly after the pizza (due to our late ordering,) we received these fantastic breadsticks that were warm, soft and delicious.  Two sauces were served with them - a red marinara that was hands down the best marinara I've had in a long time.  It was how marinara should be - the fresh taste of the tomatoes shined through with great seasoning.  The other was an alfredo type of sauce, but not heavy.  I have no idea how you can make a heavy sauce light, but they accomplished this. I couldn't help but sample both at the same time with each bite of the breadsticks.  These are a must order!

We had a great meal and even ran into a few Hoosier Beer Geek's (pleasure meeting you Rod & Jess and seeing you again Gina!) who were enjoying meals of their own.  I can't wait to get back and try one of the pizza rossa's (red sauce) because if we get that marinara, you know that will be a good pie for sure!  This past September, I had the great opportunity to dine at Tom Douglas' restaurant Serious Pie.  I have to say I'd pick Pizzology over Serious Pie any day because of multiple reasons: friendly service, comfortable dining, local brews and fantastic food.  We have another jewel in Carmel that I can't wait to get back to - cheers!

Pizzology
13190 Hazel Dell
Carmel, IN 46033
p.317.844.2550
t. @pizzology
t. @NealjBrown (owner)

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Matt's in the Market 

Friday, November 12, 2010 -

This is the last of the Seattle recaps.  But, this may be the best of them all - because another highly recommended restaurant in Seattle is Matt’s in the Market.  No one verbally told me about it, but every where I read, Matt's was listed.  Located in the best location a restaurant could be in, it is located within the Pike Place Market, immediately across the street of the famous flying fish of Pike Place Fish on the third floor of Corner Market Building.  After we perused the market, we made our way upstairs for some delectable delights.
Even though it was a Friday at the end of a busy lunch time, we only had to wait a few minutes for a table.  And I couldn't have asked for a better spot as it was a window overlooking the Market.  The sun was shining, and it made the restaurant that much more comfortable.  
 
I was pleased with the simplicity of the restaurant - it felt like I was visiting a friend's kitchen.  From the open kitchen to the simplistic counter bar where people could dine, the whole feel of the restaurant was home with a twist.  Being across the street from some of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen, they did not disappoint with simple sunflower blooms on the table.
Our server greeted us with a smile and explanation of the menu.  She was utterly fantastic, friendly and spot on with her recommendations when I asked her opinion between a few options (she is in the photo above, all the way to the right in the blue shirt and some fantastic earrings!)  I ordered a glass of 2009 Leyda Sauvignon Blanc to enjoy during my meal.  At this point, I was expecting to get some sort of seafood so I wanted wine that was light, crisp and refreshing to accompany it.

Hubs ordered some of the most succulent crab I have ever seen.  He surprised me by ordering a salad, but when I saw it presented, it all made sense.  Baby arugula was lightly dressed in a citrus vinaigrette, presented with slices of orange and avocado.  But the star of his meal was the dungeness crab, and there was a lot of it!  It was absolutely delicious and simple.  I was able to take a nibble (with hubs permission of course!) and knew that he had a stellar dish on his hands.  I wouldn't have been surprised if they picked it up from across the street when he ordered it - that is how fresh it was.  It was meaty (in a crab sense of course) and savory.
Onion jam changed my life.  To be honest, my whole meal changed my life.  I had ordered Don & Joe's lamb burger, and it may have been the best decision of the day (and trust me, I had a GREAT day!)  The lamb was fantastic, melt in your mouth fantastic.  It was perfectly cooked and perfect size to indulge in.  Covered in goat cheese (you may remember - I adore goat cheese) and thick slices of bacon, this play on a bacon cheeseburger was beautiful.  An earthy herb aioli and spicy arugula complimented the great flavors.  The onion jam - as I said - is life changing.  It was slightly sweet because of the caramelized love that it was.  Honestly, I could have just eaten that on the rustic, hearty brioche the burger was served with - but not really because the whole sandwich was amazing.  This was the kind of burger that you don't want to share, but you keep asking the person you are with to try it (again and again) so they can see why you are drooling and eating at the same time.  I needed hubs to understand why I was so in love with my meal. 
Trust me.  Go and get it.  You won't be disappointed.  If I was on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate" and it was about burgers, this would be it.  Thank you Don & Joe for making such a beautiful thing.

I do have to comment on the fantastic side as well - a garbanzo bean-sultana salad.  It was crunchy and earthy, with hints of delicious grain mustard.  I loved the texture, and I'm not normally a garbanzo bean lover so I was surprised to be eating it up.  It was quite a large serving, but that could have been because I was having a love affair with my burger. 

My Seattle recommendation: take a stroll through the Market with a cup of original Starbuck's love, buy some great food and try to not nibble (at least for that day) because you should be dining at Matt's.  Dinner or lunch - it is reasonably priced with a great view, fantastic service and some unforgettable nosh.

Matt's in the Market
Corner of Pike & First
94 Pike Place Street, Suite 32
Seattle, WA 98101
206.467.7909

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Elysian Brewing Company 

Thursday, November 4, 2010 -
In preparation for our trip to Seattle, I reached out to Hoosier Beer Geek to get some recommendations on which breweries we had to try.  Though we found Granville Brewery ourselves and La Conner Brewery by accident, HBG sent a map of too many breweries to name via the Beer Mapping Project.  If you are looking to see what establishments are in area to enjoy some craft brews, this is the map for you.  Chatting via twitter, Elysian Brewery was recommended and I put it on my list of "must drinks" and planned to visit.

There are a few locations in the Seattle area, and we ended up in the Stadium District location, which is right by both Qwest Stadium and Safeco Field.  I was so anxious to get inside because their 'Dark o' the Moon' pumpkin stout won a silver medal at GABF.  I love pumpkin, so I was dying to try this great beverage.
This establishment was so much bigger than I ever anticipated.  With an clean and modern industrial feel, it was welcoming - a place I could easily see my friends and I frequenting. 
We grabbed a seat outside since the weather was fantastic and picked up the beer menu.  Not only did they have the pumpkin stout, but another two pumpkin brews on the menu: 
I was ready for a taste of all of them, but was soon to be very disappointed.  I learned they were out of all three of the pumpkin brews.  My heart broke a little, but it picked back up when I received the sampler of brews to try.
The list of brews that were on my sampler included (from left to right):
  • Elysian Field Pale Ale - hoppy with a bite
  • Dragonstooth Stout - probably the smoothest stout I've ever had.  Beyond drinkable, it had great malt flavor and tasted like perfection on a crisp day
  • Perseus Porter - a great porter that was rich in chocolate undertones, very smooth
  • Immortal IPA- a pale ale golden in color that was lackluster to me, a basic 
  • Wise ESB - a redish in color extra bitter brew with an intense malt flavor, but was pleasantly creamy
While enjoying these great brews, we also ordered some lunch.  Hubs ordered a pesto tortellini dish that was on special.  It was a rich dish, full of salty flavor, both from the cheese ravioli as well as the pesto.  I would have enjoyed a few bites (as I did) but would craved something else to satisfy my hunger...

...like my wonderful pastrami sandwich and barley soup.  The sandwich was fantastic and more than a mouthfull.  The thinly slice meat was full of flavor which mixed well with a vinegar tasting grainy mustard.  To bring it all together, gruyere.  The cheese was perfect with this sandwich as it was all held together with some toasted bread.  The soup was warm and filling with perfectly cooked barley and beef broth flavor.  Chunks of tomatoes and celery were the perfect pairing to this fall soup.


For dessert, more beer.  I just had to have a glass of the stout since it was so lip smacking delicious.  I also got a sampling of the Avatar Jasmine IPA.  I absolutely loved it and wished I had sampled it before ordering the stout (though ordering another glass wasn't out of the question.)  The flavor of jasmine was so apparent, but I absolutely adored how it complimented the tastes of a IPA.  I could absolutely see some people not liking it because of that, but it was such a treat and the first time I've ever had a jasmine in a brew.  Delish.

It was a lazy lunch, sipping on brews in fantastic weather why sitting next to the beautiful Safeco Field.  If that didn't make me fall in love with Seattle on day one, I don't know what would have (well, samplings of pumpkin brews would have nailed it!) 

Have you ever tried a jasmine IPA before, and did you like it?  What beer (or other beverage) surprised you upon sampling lately?

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