Category: Travel

Posted on

Lunch, Dinner and Waterfalls, Too (Back to Canada)

We did a spur of the moment trip earlier this summer to the Niagara-on-the-Lake area with trips to Hamilton and St. Catherine thrown in. We had been to the area a few times before but now there are even more places to eat (and drink) so we like to go back as frequently as possible. The fact that many of the Niagara escarpment wineries remind me a little bit of the California wineries we used to visit in the early 1990’s also helps. I also love to drive around the area to see not only what the farmers are growing but what dishes the chefs are creating with all this bounty before them.

We made it over the border crossing in about 40 minutes (yeah!) and found ourselves at the amazing winery/restaurant of Two Sisters Vineyard. The problem with eating “across the border” is that it is difficult to make a lunch reservation because you never know how long the wait will be to get across! Luckily, even though the restaurant was packed, they managed to find a table for us.

We didn’t waste any time when ordering. Glasses of wine. A wood-burning stove that spit out pizzas (ours was covered with arugula and prosciutto) followed by a pasta Bolognese dish even though it was hotter than hell that day. For those who missed my last story mentioning the “Beef Strogonoff” that Lynn consumed (again on a really hot day), well, all I can say is “Bon Appetit!”

Dare I mention they brought us out the largest bowl of grated cheese I’ve ever seen? I mean it was the size of a casserole dish! Look, our server is even showing off by holding it in one hand! (Actually I asked her to hold it that way so I could take the photograph.)

After lunch we drove around the area and to kill some time before our next meal, we went to a winery, Tawse, in Vineland, Ontario, we had missed the last time around. But first, we drove down a street called Cherry Avenue. What did we find on Cherry Avenue? You betcha!

To say I was excited about seeing cherries for the first time in person, in all their cherry goodness, is beyond words.

Dinner at Quatrefoil

This had been on my list of restaurants to go to for quite some time. Housed in a lovely house in the town of Dundas, Ontario, on Thursday nights they do a 3 course prix fixe “Farmer’s Supper.” So it being Thursday, that’s what we had. For starters, I had the white asparagus vinaigrette. Now this may not seem like a special dish, after all it’s just asparagus, right? But since I grew up in Munich, we waited anxiously every year for the asparagus season to start (usually the end of April/beginning of May). White asparagus was always preferred to the green kind and once the asparagus came out it was sold in farmer’s markets and was a featured dish in nearly every restaurant. To say it was a big deal is an understatement. Now, however, when I see white asparagus in the market, it just doesn’t taste the way I remember. This asparagus with a perfect vinaigrette absolutely hit the spot though.

Next up a perfectly cooked moist piece of salmon. Now, I realize I shouldn’t be that excited about salmon, right? Trust me this was exquisite. Do I dare mention that Lynn had beef (a steak) again? And no, I’m not posting a picture of his steak. Absolutely not.

A few days prior, I had seen on Instagram that the chef de cuisine of Quatrefoil, James Bourdeau, had “acquired” lots of different fresh berries from a local farm. “Where were the berries?” I asked our server. He wasn’t sure but he would find out. Imagine my surprise (and laughter) when a plate of berries was brought out for me to try.

And then Chef Bourdeau came out to talk to us! How cool is that? Thank you Chef!

Dessert included a deconstructed chocolate cake and mousse combo with fresh mint leaves and a lovely rhubarb creme brulee (not shown here since the shot came out blurry – probably from all the excitement.) I mean fresh picked berries and white asparagus in the same meal? I thought the food was amazing, the plating stellar and the service was outstanding.

Craving Indian…Still Craving Indian

Lunch that day was a choice of Thai or Indian in St. Catherines. We chose the Indian since 1. We love Indian. 2. We can’t find decent Indian near us. 3. We hadn’t had naan or curry in a long time.

It’s always disappointing to crave ethnic food and then not have them deliver what you’re craving. While the chicken tikka masala was okay, the naan and poori breads were just not as light and fluffy as they could have been. We sucked it up and decided Thai might have been a better choice that afternoon.

Creekside Estate Winery for Dinner

We had been to Creekside Estate Winery the year before and liked their varietals very much. They pour a strong Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah, too. A chef I had been following on Instagram, Ross Midgley, was cooking that summer on the deck at this winery so of course we wanted to visit.

Friday nights at the Creekside they have a limited menu but live music. Dare I mention it was really hot that Friday night – so hot we were sweltering and of course there wasn’t even a gust of wind in sight. We sat and drank lots of cold white wine to cool off. And then ordered some pretty outstanding food.

We started with a plate of oysters! Yeah, I love oysters! Then moved on to the Mediterranean platter (grilled halloumi, pita, olives and red peppers). Look at those cute little French jam jars – one filled with hummus and the other with Greek yogurt. And finally, the lobster roll was pretty decent, too. Thank you Chef!

We also got a chance to talk to Chef Midgley which was a special treat since he only had one other person helping him in the minimalist deck “kitchen” (fridge/work counter/grill) that evening.

Waterfalls, Waterfalls

Before we left to drive home, we decided to visit a couple of waterfalls in the area. Now since we have a waterfall in our backyard (albeit one you have to hike to), we shouldn’t have been as excited about seeing these. But they were pretty and we basically had the place to ourselves. I’ll leave you with two photographs…

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

Posted on

The Munich Years

In 1969 I moved to Munich, Germany, with my parents and younger brother for the first time. We lived in two different apartments before we moved to a house in the suburbs. A few years later we moved back to Long Island, New York, where we stayed less than a year (I was in 5th grade at the time) and then moved back to Munich again. In total we were there nearly 10 years.

I attended a U.S. Department of Defense school (elementary, junior high and high school) in an area of Munich known as Perlacher Forst. School was a configuration of buildings set in the middle of the housing complex for those serving in the Armed Forces. It was its own village with a movie theater, a post-exchange (PX) shopping center and a hospital.

Public transportation (notably the S-bahn) was a quick walk from school which enabled me when I was in high school to cut school when necessary or in most cases get to work quickly.

By the time I was 16, I was already working weekends at a Baskin-Robbins across from the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. I remember mainly dealing with drunk Americans who bizarrely wanted something sweet (that would be ice cream I guess) after they had consumed massive amounts of beer. Isn’t that a cute picture of me looking so focused when scooping ice cream? I love the fact that my “blouse” matches the signage!

After that job, I landed a job at McDonald’s right near the Karlstor. After a brief stint on the french fry machine, it was decided for me that I would be better as a cashier. I worked there every single weekend for nearly 2 years. If you look at the tower on the right side of the photograph, McDonald’s was originally on the other side of the “Tor.”

And yes, the rainy gray day pictured here was typical of Munich weather! It was nearly always cloudy with a 99% percent chance of rain and 100% gray skies guaranteed. My fondest memories of Munich though was all the walking I did daily (before counting steps on an app was the thing!). Plus, I loved the fact that I was surrounded by amazing art and architecture.

I know this is the famous “tourist” shot of Munich’s Rathaus (City Hall) but look it’s sunny and it is in fact a pretty building.

On Saturday mornings, I loved to walk through the center of town, do some shopping, and visit the Viktualienmarkt. I think to this day that’s the reason I love farmer’s markets so much! Look at these gorgeous vegetables and flowers!

Here’s a picture of the last two houses we lived in (we literally moved around the corner) before I left Munich to attend Syracuse University in 1979.

I have been back to Munich a few times since then, the last time for my 35th high school reunion. When I visited the last house we lived in (pictured above), it looked kind of run down. Each time I visit Munich is bittersweet and filled with too many memories.

The tennis courts where I had a few lessons and played with some of my Dad’s co-workers (he worked across the street at Radio Free Europe) are still there.

And the surf boarders are still “surfing” the waves on the the Isar River in the center of Munich. I think this didn’t come about though until after I left Munich since I spent a lot of time at the Haus Der Kunst (right next to where this “surfing” is happening) and I would have remembered that.

When visiting Munich, there’s always the desire to grab a bite to eat at the places we always ate in but the “foodie” in me always wants to try something new. Here’s a surprise: I don’t particularly like German food that much. Yes, schnitzel is okay (ditto for beer and a pretzel) and you could give me a bowl of “Leberknödel suppe” (liver dumpling soup) anytime. I know that probably sounds really disgusting but trust me, it’s really good!

But truthfully, I’d rather have a nice piece of fish with an “apfel strudel” chaser.

Speaking of dessert, specifically pastries, even though I’m not a big sweets person (and my Instagram followers know that while I can bake, I find it tedious), I will always stop and take a picture of a bakery counter in any country. Look at these delicious yummy treats!

A few times growing up my mother Irene and I would go to the ballet or the opera, the Opera House in Munich being an exceptionally grand building in which to see such performances. We would dress up and during intermission walk the mirror-lined hallways that always reminded me of Versailles. When I was younger, my preferred intermission “refreshment” was a bowl of vanilla ice cream that had warm berries spooned on top. Once I got older I would have a glass of champagne AND the same warm berry and cold ice cream treat.

Recently at the cheese festival in Little Falls, NY, I ran into Lynne who runs farmerstreetpantry.com . I met her last year and was intrigued by what she was selling – homemade mincemeat! Since my parents are the only ones I know who would make a traditional mincemeat pie for Thanksgiving in addition to the usual apple and pumpkin, I thought her product would hit the spot. (It did.)

This year in addition to the mincemeat, she had added some salad dressings, apple sauce and spiced cherries to her product line. Spiced cherries! Made with maple syrup and red wine? YUMMY.

I was impressed but I also had to tell her my berries on ice cream opera story. Ironically she said she remembered me from last year because I had told her a similar (unrelated to cherries) food memory. (She probably thinks I’m a nut, but whatever.)

I’m always happy when traveling to see this simple dessert appear on a menu and to this day it remains one of my favorite after dinner treats.

These days my visits to Munich are every five years (if I’m lucky) but more often a decade will go by before I return “home.” Travel has always been the “magic pill” that truly excites me. For that I’m extremely thankful. It’s probably also the reason why I love to write about food and travel so much. So for now that’s a little bit of history about my life in Munich.

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

Posted on

A Visit to Washington, D.C.

When we realized that certain trips we took from Long Island (notably to Washington, D.C. and further south) would now take us twice as long when we moved permanently upstate, we decided a trip to our nation’s capital would be in order.

Last time we were in Washington was between Christmas and New Years. The streets were empty and it was bitter cold. This time the streets were filled with tourists and school groups.

Our first stop after checking into the hotel was a walk down to the National Mall where we thought we’d pay Abe Lincoln a visit. This has always been my favorite “monument” in D.C.; there is such a presence in the massive stone structure which always has a humbling effect on me when I see it.

After visiting Abe, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Kinship. I always love to stumble upon some interesting architecture along the way – whether it be a hidden courtyard or intriguing passageway.

Kinship

Kinship is a one-star Michelin restaurant near the convention center. What brought me to this restaurant was the inventive menu. I have to say, I loved the restaurant; the service was outstanding and most (but not all of the dishes) were superbly prepared. Here were some of my favorites: lobster “French toast,” celery root salad that looked like it had dollops of goat cheese around it but which were actually tiny meringues and finally potato crusted pike.

The next morning we woke up to pouring rain but determined to sight-see as much as possible. On the agenda that day, a trip to the National Portrait Gallery to see Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of President Obama as well as Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama. Neither disappointed and I was pleasantly surprised that we picked the correct time to visit since the gallery was not that crowded.

And even though we had visited the National Portrait Gallery before, we didn’t remember the beautiful building! I also loved reading about the history of the structure – it is one of D.C.’s oldest buildings and housed the U.S. patent office at one point. Here’s a shot of one of the hallways.

Julie’s Kitchen

We also paid a visit to the National Museum of American history to revisit Julia Child’s kitchen from her house in Cambridge, MA. We had seen it once before but it had since been moved to the ground floor of this museum as part of a “Food” exhibit. I spent a lot of time staring at her kitchen and imagining her cooking in the space.

Look at those blue cabinets! And those funky kitchen chairs!

I also loved the fact the exhibit included her much-earned degree from the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Problem is when I looked at the diploma I only saw Meryl Streep (as Julia Child in the film “Julie and Julia”) not Julia herself! I guess that means Meryl did a really good job portraying her.

We stopped to have a bite at Michel Richard’s Central near the mall area since it had been decent on our two previous visits. This time however, we were disappointed. In fairness, I’m not a big fan of brunch menus but usually can find an omelet or a club sandwich. This time around they had neither and I was stuck with eggs benedict with a couple of slices of smoked salmon which although they visually looked OK, they came out cold and not very appetizing.

After lunch, we headed over to visit the Botanical Gardens. So many flowers! So many plants! And mangoes! The visit brightened up the gray and rainy Sunday afternoon.

It’s Always Happy Hour Somewhere

Actually it was nearly 6 p.m. and we had a good two hours to kill before dinner so we headed over to the Old Ebbitt Grill for oyster happy hour. The restaurant was packed with locals and tourists alike. Tourist question of the day: Why are you dragging your luggage through the restaurant? Could you not have left the bag at the hotel or checked it somewhere? Ditto for toddlers. TODDLERS DO NOT BELONG IN BARS. This in my mind is non-negotiable and I’m all for restaurants that ban kids in certain areas.

The bar was crowded but we managed to squeeze in and order a couple of drinks and a dozen oysters. The drinks were fare, ditto for the oysters. It may be described as an “iconic tavern,” but I won’t be back.

Mediocre Sunday Eats

Sunday turned out to be our day of not-so-good eating, since dinner that night at Le Diplomate (again a place we had been to before) served us a too-salty plate of tuna carpaccio and a tough steak frites. (Although the fries were good.)

The day wasn’t a total waste however, since checking our “Pacer” app, we had walked this much! And burned off 800 calories (theoretically) of uninspired cooking!

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

Posted on

Travels Through Upstate NY, Keuka Lake and Canada!

Although Lynn and I have lived in the Mohawk Valley part time for nearly 9 years and we lived in Syracuse, NY for nearly 3.5 years, we had never been to either Corning or Rochester, NY. So this past spring break, Lynn and I decided to visit both of these cities.

First stop Corning, NY, with a visit to the Corning Museum of Glass on a damp and rainy afternoon. This image of what I perceived to be a school of fish caught my fancy. When I researched the artist, Lino Tagliapietra, and the title of the work, “Endeavor,” he described it as a fleet of boats. I’m always happy when my understanding of any artistic endeavor is close to what the artist was thinking.

I was also impressed with not only the size of the museum but the hands-on demonstrations that we, as visitors, were able to partake in. We watched glass being blown into shape, fired and molded. We watched glass being broken (carefully) and how glass heated to a certain temperature mysteriously becomes Pyrex and transformed into casserole dishes.

While I remember the tuna casseroles my mother used to make for dinner fondly now, my preference these days are layered vegetables (notably eggplant, zucchini, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms) in a Pyrex pan topped with some cheese. Anyway, I thought this “tower of Pyrex” was pretty cool. And speaking of vegetables, on the way out of the museum we stopped at the gift shop and picked up this glass cutting board. I think it will fit perfectly in the Red House kitchen especially since we grow garlic on the property (and the Mohawk Valley has both the perfect soil and climate for growing garlic in New York State).

Dinner in Corning that night was a pleasant surprise. We visited “The Cellar,” a downtown wine bar with an interesting menu which they describe as “global fusion.” Since Lynn and I frequently refer to ourselves as “professional eaters,” we usually get 3 or 4 different dishes and share them. That night didn’t disappoint with some oxtail tacos, spicy chicken skewers and pad thai to start. Tasty lamb chops and charred brussels sprouts with walnuts were a delicious finish.

Retiring back to the hotel, we stopped at the bar and had to persuade the bartender that he wouldn’t get in “trouble” if he served us the wine we wanted in the “pretty” glasses that supposedly were just on the counter as props.

What troubled me from a marketing point of view is that we were a mere 45 minutes from a Finger Lake (that would be Keuka) and there was not a SINGLE Finger Lakes wine to be had on their beverage menu! Shame on them.

Keuka Lake Tastings

From Corning we drove to Keuka Lake to visit two wineries in particular – Domaine Leseurre and Weis Vineyards. We started with Domaine Leseurre trying a few of their varietals. I really wanted to like their wines but truthfully was pretty disappointed. I’m always looking for the “wow factor” in a wine and those we tasted fell short. However, literally right next door is Weis Vineyards, a winery founded by German-born winemaker Hans Peter Weis. He’s the guy to watch out for in the next few years because the wines we tried (Dry Riesling, Gewurztraminer and most notably his Schulhaus Red) were absolutely delicious. Had we had a bit more time we would have visited a few other wineries around the lake.

On To Rochester

Here’s a photo of the outside of the George Eastman Museum. Pretty impressive, right? It actually reminded me of some of the big mansions during the “gilded age” in Newport, Rhode Island.

While there were exhibits to see and display cases filled with early camera prototypes (remember the Brownie? – it’s the camera in the middle), I was more interested in the house and the gardens. Unfortunately, the gardens didn’t open until May but we did get to see the rooms and the grandeur in which the family lived.

From the George Eastman Museum, we ventured downtown to see the falls. Kind of cool I thought to have the Genesee River mosey on down through the city to end in an old industrial area (which they have started to revamp) and culminate in the High Falls. The water looked pretty muddy that day (perhaps it’s always like that?) but I did manage to capture the rainbow that just happened to appear when we were walking along the bridge.

Italian For Dinner

If you haven’t been to Rochester and are in search of some really decent Italian (and pizza!) I recommend Veneto. True to form we split a Pizza Margarita, had a green salad and a caesar salad, then split a bowl of Rotini Bolognese. I hate to use the word “delish,” but in this case, that’s the most appropriate word for that meal.

From Rochester we drove to St. Catharines, Ontario, in search of their downtown farmer’s market. We parked the car, went to the ATM to get some Canadian $, found the farmer’s market but were disappointed in that we only found a couple of vendors selling smoked meat-products and/or lunch sandwiches. (We were on the quest for Canadian maple syrup.) Since my forte is planning ahead, I had already found a maple syrup farmer 15 minutes outside of town so that’s where we headed – stocking up on maple syrup that sells for half of what we pay in New York State.

Time For Lunch – The Good Earth Food and Wine Co.

There are some meals Lynn and I have enjoyed more than others over the many years we have traveled together. Lunch that beautiful Friday afternoon at The Good Earth Food and Wine Co. was one of them.

Nestled in what at first seemed like a residential area in the town of Beamsville, we came upon the winery and restaurant.

While it seemed like a gray and chilly day, actually by the time we sat down for lunch in their indoor/outdoor patio, the sun came out and it was quite lovely. Needless to say the food and the wines we had to go with our lunch dishes – pea shoot salad with yellow and red beets with goat cheese, lamb meatballs with cheesy grits, broccoli and roasted tomatoes, and finally the chef’s pasta special of the day -a rigatoni in a vibrant green spinach sauce with red peppers were exceptional. To say I was super impressed with Chef Andrew Thorne’s cooking skills is an understatement. I wanted to move into his kitchen and never leave!

We passed on dessert, taking time outside the winery (after buying a few bottles to go after chatting with the chef and I believe, the gracious owner, Nicolette Novak before leaving) to snap a few more pictures of some flower arrangements and a neat sculpture.

Now that we had not only seen “the fork in the road” but taken the fork too, we had time to kill before dinner so we went to Ikea!

Side Trip – Ikea!

I have to say that Ikea has come to our design “rescue” in every home we have ever owned. We’ve renovated TWO complete kitchens using their cabinets, purchased kid’s bedroom sets, TV stands, bathroom vanities, and even a dining room table and chairs. Really, the list of things we’ve bought from them over the years is endless. This time on our shopping list were temporary clothing racks (we have no closets in the Red House) so we at least have a place to hang up some clothes before we go into the closet-building business. What I particularly liked about this Ikea (actually 3 things):

  1. You can take your shopping cart loaded with all the stuff you bought directly to your car!
  2. There were associates on the floor who were available to help you find a product.
  3. The prices were cheaper than in the U.S.

Overnight and Dinner in Niagara-on-the-Lake

We had been to Niagara-on-the-Lake twice before. What I liked about going off-season was that you could get a hotel room for only half an arm not an arm and a leg, there weren’t hoards of people blocking the sidewalks licking ice cream cones and there was loads of parking.

Dinner that night was at Treadwell’s. We had discovered Chef Jason (Jay) Williams at the Inn on the Twenty the summer prior, and wanted to see what he was up to in his new digs. He and his crew didn’t disappoint.

We were lucky enough to get a seat at the bar which meant we got a bird’s eye view of the chefs cooking and plating. Let me mention that the service at Treadwell’s is top notch with a much-appreciated wine list that is heavy on the local wines and a Sommelier, James, who made some remarkable recommendations.

What did we eat? House-cured smoked salmon with hand-picked fresh herbs.

Whitefish with a creamy potato “chowder” and chunks of lobster claws.

Arctic char with roasted beets and tiny baby radishes and greens.

And while we also watched them put together an amazing charcuterie board, we only feasted with our eyes. However, we did end the evening with a lovely cheese plate.

Plus, look at all these greens! Truly farm/garden to table.

What I took away from this short get-away is there are many talented chefs who are not working solely in urban areas but all over New York State and Canada. When we first started traveling to Canada (albeit when we were in college 40 years ago), the Canada food scene, unless you were in a major city, was dismal. I remember driving in search of anything that didn’t resemble fast food and more often than not came up “empty-stomached”. Since then, the food scene in Canada has exploded with chefs and restaurants and wineries bringing creative and fresh food to the consumer. I am so happy to see and appreciate this development. Going forward, since we are now within a shorter driving distance to the Niagara wine region of Canada, we will hopefully be making many more trips to that area.

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.