Baltimore and MAL

I went to visit my late Sir's hubby, Mike, this past weekend. He had just had some surgery for prostate cancer a few days ago and had recovered enough to be mobile and I wanted to visit him for a bit, in no small part because it was also his birthday on Monday. The weekend started out nicely with me arriving on Friday and having dinner with Mike before heading off to curl up in Steve's place (thank's Steve!). Mike looked well, and was certainly very glad that the last of his surgery and medical issues were probably behind him.

I had a late breakfast with him and Steve, and was thinking I would like to get a picture of the three of us together as I had not done so in a very long time. I had been under some pressure to go to Mid-Atlantic Leather from friends, and given the late start I had to the day, I left in a bit of a hurry for an unannounced visit just to show face and then head back to Baltimore. I ended up being there in the late afternoon, just in time to catch the puppy mosh, before heading off to have some kibble with my friend Saxon (a friendly Rottweiler on the outside but a bit of a Poodle / Jack Russel mix on the inside... if he reads this I am going to need to disappear for a bit, LOL). The day was a bit hectic, but we had a good deal of fun.

Unfortunately, later in the night I got a call from Steven telling me that Mike had been readmitted into the hospital for some serious bleeding. Poking and prodding hadn't turned up much, and when I went to visit him the next day he really did not look good at all. Mike's friend Mark was there already when Steven and I arrived, and we visited for a while. Mike was not in good shape physically, looking very pale and thin, and his spirits were really low. I did my best to help console him, but I was really worried that I was going to lose him. I have to admit that I was rather scared, and though I was trying to be encouraging, I know that more than a few tears escaped while I was with him. Of course, among the things that one thinks about is things like, Why didn't I take that extra few seconds to take a photo the other day?

Thankfully, Mike is recovering. But life does have an uneasy way of reminding us that we should act on things that come to mind, and that there is no time like the present, for we can plan all we want but nature manufactures its own course and plots our destinies.

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A music video for this post:


Eddie Vedder and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, The Long Road (from Dead Man Walking)

Food / Bouley

Those who know me, know that I love food and that I love to cook. A lot of my friends often think that I only like haute cuisine, likely because I talk about it a lot, but the truth is that I love food of all sorts from the humble street crepes of Paris and the dirty water dogs of New York City to the culinary fireworks of restaurants like Alinea and Louis XV.

Since I decided to use this blog to share a more personal side of me, I thought that this would also be a great place to share my experiences at various restaurants and various meals of interest. I am not aiming to review restaurants per se, but letting this be a place to share something that really gives me great joy.

And since I am starting this out on the New Year, I guess that it is fair to start with a restaurant that is a perennial favorite, and that I have just come back from for my New Year's Eve celebration: Bouley in the TriBeCa neighborhood of New York City.

David Bouley's restaurant has always been a consistent crowd pleaser. I have had many good memories there and have celebrated the significant milestones there. So with my mother visiting, and no particular plans for New Year's Eve, we decided to book a table for two.

One of the many benefits of coming to TriBeCa on New Year's Eve is that you avoid the crush of traffic around Time Square, and you can make a quick exit through the various tunnels and bridges downtown afterwards. Another benefit is that parking is readily available. We had a late reservation so that we would be able to have a leisurely dinner that would end past midnight and the countdown, and still found a free parking spot directly across from the restaurant.

The single story restaurant, located on the corner of West Broadway and Duane street, is a fairly nondescript white building with arched windows, and a big wooden door that would be at home in the country. You walk in, and one of the first pleasures that the restaurant offers you is a small vestibule that has racks of apples by the door. The heat of the lights warms the apples and provides a wonderful apple scent that is at once warm, appetizing and homey.

There are two rooms in the restaurant and when I made my reservations, I asked for us to be seated in the red room because it is the color of good fortune and happiness for the Chinese, something appropriate for the new year. The room has some triangular lights that are recessed into the wall, backed with gold leaf and trimmed in wood. I also happen to think the red room is just prettier than the other room, which is white and smaller.

As for the meal itself, there were two dishes per course of the meal since my mother and I decided to get different things from the tasting menu and share. Each full course was paired with a wine selection which we also shared. The meal began with a Chef’s canapé of baby beet gelée with beets, horseradish foam and roasted pumpkin seed.

For the First Course, my mother had Phyllo Crusted Florida Shrimp with Baby Squid, Cape Cod Sea Scallop and Maine Jonah Crab Meat in an Ocean Herbal Broth. The crusted shrimp reminded me of the texture of the ever popular coconut shrimp, but lighter and better at allowing the flavor of the shrimp to speak. The entire dish tasted sweet and of the sea. For myself, the first course was a Sashimi quality Tuna with Elderflower Apple Vinegar Gelée, Fresh Gingko nuts and a toasted Sesame-Sansho Pepper dressing. While the dish itself was tastey, I seemed to have managed to devour it entirely before looking for the fresh ginko nuts! We shared a glass of Pinot Gris, Domaine Barnes Buecher, Silicis, Alsace, 2004.

For our second course, I was presented with Maine Day Boat Lobster with Fresh Porcini Mushrooms, Black Trumpet mushrooms, Jumbo Asparagus, Parsley Root Purée and Burgundy wine sauce while my mother had the wild, line caught Wellfleet Codfish with fresh Half Moon Bay artichokes, Baby bok choy, Salsify and Black Truffle Broth. All of that was paired with a glass of Viré-Clessé, Domaine de Bongran, Jean Thevenet, Burgundy, 2002. The lobster was delicious, rich but not overbearing, with each flavor still speaking clearly. The codfish was a much lighter item, and yet the flavors were still intense and engaging -- to me, that is a sign of true artistry in the kitchen, to make intensity with strong flavors is far less challenging than coaxing out subtle flavors.

For our main courses we had Roasted Organic Baby Pig lacquered with kumquat and homemade lavender salt, Spice of the Sultan, a chutney of baby carrot, mangoes, and sweet onions, cous cous of cauliflower and currants. When I saw this on the menu, my mouth watered and I knew that this was what I wanted. Unfortunately, this was my least favorite item on the menu as I found it a little fatty and not quite as crisp skinned as I would have liked, although the flavors were still outstanding. My mother had the organic Colorado Rack of lamb with homemade sheep’s milk ricotta gnocchi, Rocket salad, with a fresh sage and zucchini-mint purée. The Nuits Saint Georges, Les Grandes Vignes, Daniel Rion, Burgundy, 2001 that we had to accompany it all was wonderful.

The palate cleanser was an interesting fresh Hawaiian pineapple carpaccio that was served with a with pomegranate coulis, Key Lime sorbet and some candied violets. It was different from the typical cup of sorbet, and was far more pleasing to the eye. this came accompanied with an effervescent glass of Moscato d’Asti, Moncalvina, Coppo, Piedmont, Italy, 2006 which was dryer than I expected.

At the end of the meal, my mother had the snowball of frozen mint meringue with Banana Coffee Toffee, Ten Flavor Exotic Fruit sorbet, and coconut ice cream while I had chosen the Hot Valhrona Chocolate Soufflé, which came with some Vermont Maple Ice Cream, Gingerbread Ice Cream and Chocolate Sorbet. While the soufflé was good, it was the ice creams that were outstanding. The small scoops definitely made you smack your lips and want to lick the plate clean. A sweet glass of Alois Kracher, Beernauslese, (Chardonnay & Welschrieling), Austria, 2006 accompanied the dessert.

After the meal, we settled down to wait for the New Year's to arrive so that we could bring it in with a toast of champagne. The chef had other ideas though, as he had prepared a second dessert as a surprise for the diners, a glass layered with vanilla flan, spiced pineapple, passion fruit granité, and some curry sorbet. This was delicious despite the unexpected contrasts in flavors and, in fact, was almost more delectable than the desserts that we had ordered. The repetition of the pineapple in the meal did make my mother and I think that perhaps there was a fire sale somewhere on them but that was easily forgiven for the fact that we could have devoured many more of these.

The meal ended with a plate of Petit Fours and by the time we were finished, we were quite full! We had some coffee and waited a little while for midnight to come around. As my mother and I settled into casual conversation, the time flew and next thing we knew the ball fell in Times Square and the chefs came out banging on their pots with wooden spoons to celebrate.

We went home with a nice loaf of brioche as a parting gift, and quickly zipped through the Holland Tunnel ahead of the onslaught of traffic. All in all, a wonderful night!