Greg brought home take out from Hellen's kitchen in Northport (its attached to the Mobil Station on Rte 1) Take my advice and stay away from here! He brought home philly cheese steak sandwich and chicken tenders and I must say that I can buy better low end frozen food and cook it myself. What a horror this place is.

Be afraid, be very afraid

Seth

Greg was "rich for a day" a few days ago...thats what we call it when we're flush with cash , cause thats about how long it lasts. I was having a bad day with pot hell (ever have a cupboard in your kitchen where all the junk goes? Its where we keep the baking and springform pans as well as the storage jars and lids...always like socks, you can never find the right lid for the container) and so was yelling up one side and down the other...his solution was to bring me a dozen long stemmed roses...good boy, Greg, gooood boy! and take me to lunch on our way to town for errands.
We decided on the Summer House Cafe on rte 1 just south of Belfast. Its been reviewed here, but not in a long time and not by both of us. First, what irked me about the place the first time we went in happened again right off the bat. The first time we went in, we must have been told 9 times by passing servers and other employees "someone will be with you in a minute." We finally left and went to Dudley's for breakfast that day. A year later, two people ran past us spewing out "someone will be with you in a minute" as they flew by...what I want to know is "who is this mythical someone???" Strike 1 Anyway, the place was pretty empty for lunch and our server came to ask if we wanted to try the black angus burger with steak fries, which Greg ordered, along with extra, extra, extra, extra, extra crispy fries, his usual. I had a chai and a chicken salad sandwich on marble rye. The server ran off to put Greg's fry order in pronto so that they would be done in time for lunch...which puzzled us at first...until the burger and fries arrived. {inserting a Greg says:} "Never offer fries on the menu unless you actually have a frier. Putting potato wedges or even "steak fries" from Sysco on a baking sheet and putting them in the oven is not fries, its roasted potatoes." Strike 2 The potatoes came out seasoned, somwhat brown on one side and raw on the other...it was just too sad to see happen to a good steak fry. My chai was good, but arrived luke warm and I could tell that the water hadn't boiled before it was added to the chai (tea drinkers are constantly disappointed in restaurants where we feel we get shafted..no one pays attention to the proper way to make tea...though the restaurant may have 12 different varieties of coffee) But I digress. My chicken sandwich was perfectly fine and tasty as was Greg's burger. We weren't blown away and probably will not make this place a destination. I will say that the place is at least bright and cheery, but for the same price, there are much better places for lunch in town.

Enjoy,
Seth

Last night we went out with two friends to the Penobscot Inn and Restaurant on Rte 1 just south of Belfast. This inn has changed hands three times in the 4 years we've been here. The previous owner teamed up with Belfast celeb chef Oliver Outerbridge and opened Oliver's inside the inn. When she lost interest in the whole enterprise, she closed the restaurant, subdivided the property and sold off the ocean lot with a huge house she built on it. Now the Inn is owned by a very nice couple who are running the restaurant themselves. The have three rooms full of tables which I belive can fit up to 40 people for dinner. A bonus is their sunday brunch, which we'll have to try sometime later.

We ate on the early side and when we got the menus, what suprised us most were the prices. Every entry came with soup, salad, dessert and coffee and also included choice of vegetable and either roasted or mashed potatoes. Thats a heck of a lot of food, even for yours truly. The wine list had mostly $20ish range wines and there is a full bar...a bonus for me. With two bottles of red wine, two mixed drinks and two glasses of white, the total bill for four of us was $150.00, not too shabby.

Anyway onto the review....The first thing we all agreed upon was the lighting which was perfect; medium level, not too dim or too bright with small lamps on the tables, white christmas lights hidden behind the curtains and some over heads. We sat in the old covered porch which will be very crowded for diners come summer if all the tables are filled, but since there were only three tables open while we were there, it wasn't bad. The atmosphere was really nice and cozy. Leather couches and reading material in the hall outside, and nice prints and painted woodwork on the porch.
Three of us ordered the NY strip steak based on the recommendation of a friend who had eaten there previously and raved about the steak. Greg had the chicken schnitzle, which was a breaded and fried chicken with vegetables. We all had the lentil soup and ceasar salads and the comments after we left were that it was a good concept, all the food for one price, but because it was food service food, the quality was lacking. The lentil soup had too much onion and lacked any outstanding flavor. the ceasar salads were really weak looking but did include nicely shaved parmesan cheese on top. I would suggest salad in a bag from Hannaford with the extra cheese on top, it looks and tastes much better than what we got. The steaks were really nice cut, but probably also food service. They seemed to be fairly well brined. Greg says his chicken was thin and dry. When I had a taste I was pretty amazed that there was NO flavor to the chicken at all. It is fairly simple to add a bit of cayanne and some garlic powder to add a fantastic flavor to otherwise bland food. There were two thumbs up for the asaparagus, but I have to say how disappointed I was with the mashed potatoes, which tasted as if they were right from the box. Mashed potatoes should be lumpy, have the skins on, be mixed with chicken broth and liberally salted. ITS NOT THAT HARD!!!!
For dessert we all chose different things. Greg had cheesecake from a box with sad blueberry sauce over the top. I had the warm double fudge brownie sundae which was excellent and our friends had the rhubarb trifle which was passable and icecream which was creamy and nice. I had a very well appointed pot of tea too.
The overall thought on the place was a 6 to 7 out of 10. and the comment that if the place just concentrated on making the main courses better and more hand made while leaving out the soup and salad, and charging for better desserts, the place would be a real winner. It has potential here, but just stop with the food service food!!!!!

Enjoy,
Seth

Just a short note to say that I made a cool discovery last night when I cooked acorn squash in the oven. I filled the cavities with chicken broth, salt, pepper, and celery seed and the squash imparted a great flavor to the broth and vise versa. So much healthier than filling with butter and brown sugar!
Were going out to a new restaurant tomorrow night, so stay tuned for a rip roarin' review.

Enjoy,
Seth

I was in Portsmouth a few weeks ago with my friend Christine and her friend Ted. We were driving up from Boston to attend an auction preview and in the 45 minutes it took us to drive there, Chris received about 6 phone calls from what I like to refer to now as her entourage. Everyone wanted to know if Chris was going to the preview (this was at about 8 am on a Saturday morning). I don't get that many phone calls in a week, much less on a saturday morning! Chris is my popular friend...I feel like so cool when she lets me hang out with her.
After we got to the preview, Chris collected her entourage and they planned a lunch outing. I had over 100 lots to examine at this auction, so I thought I might not go, but then I thought...hmmmm...I need SOMETHING to write about on this site. We took off in no less than five cars bound for the Rusty Hammer in downtown Portsmouth. The Rusty Hammer is pretty much a sports bar restaurant. They have a HUGE menu and their hamburgers, known as wimpys, are famous. I think I was the only one at the table of 13 people who didn't have a wimpy. Take my advice when eating at the Rusty Hammer, have the waffle fries. I think fries taste better when they are cut in the shape of waffles. My chicken tenders were actually homemade and very good and juicy. Everyone drank, except me since I had to go back to work, and the cocktails looked bountiful.
The RH seems like a great place to meet friends, drink at the bar, or sit at the table and watch "the game" Its a very friendly place, and has a TGI FRIDAY'S type of decor and feel, yet you know its not a chain restaurant.

Enjoy,
Seth

We had a great mini vacation visiting my parents in Florida...I say mini because who can actually feel that they are on vacation when visiting their parents? We were there for four days which was just enough time. One night we wanted to explore on our own, much to my mother's chagrin since she had a pork roast all set for that night. Greg and I left in the afternoon and went shopping. When we were hungry, we both decided not to try any of the restaurants on US41, which were either huge Italian eateries in pastel stucco buildings, or big chain places like Applebees and Ruth Chris. Its hard in Sarasota to find a restaurant with some charm, but we did it. We drove through the historic Burns Arts District where there are cute bungalows with overgrown front yards and huge trees arching overhead and found a bungalow with tikki torches lit outside, white christmas lights around the windows and a warm cozy look to it, so we stopped. Keep in mind that this was Tuesday, so the place was empty...and I mean, out of 30 tables, we were the only ones in the place. It was a bit steamy outside, but otherwise a beautiful night, so we sat outside and soaked in the chaaaam. The restaurant, called Le Cafe, is on 238 South Links Ave. We were fawned over by the server who gave us all the service we wanted, but also left us alone outside for good long stretches. Greg had the tomato, basil, and mozzarella stuffed meatloaf with a red wine reduction sauce and it was fantastic. Apparently it is a favorite of regular diners. I had an osso bucco risotto that was nice, but a bit soupy, so the texture was a bit off. What was great was having a nice meal in Florida where the food is made by hand rather than by Sysco. The wine, a merlot / shiraz blend, was very smooth and quite nice.

We then walked down main street in Sarasota and popped into a gelateria and had tasty servings of gelato. We took a late night drive to Saint Armands Circle on Longboat Key to window shop. What a very nice night indeed.

Back to cold Maine

Enjoy,
Seth

I just returned from auction viewing down in Boston. My friend Christine and I went to Skinner kind of late in the day and decided to stay downtown and have dinner. I picked her up at the airport and waited over an hour for her to land because of all those winds we had on Saturday. Chris was so happy to see me that she invited me to dinner and I accepted. We bumped into some collegues at Skinner and one suggested a great restaurant on Charles Street, close by and inexpensive by neighborhood standards. So we called for to say that we were just 5 minutes by foot and would they hold a table for us (no reservations) Ted, who recommended the place, was really familiar with the menu, which worked out great. We arrived at a non descript door to what we would term in Chicago, a garden restaurant, meaning one that was in the basement. And voila, we were at Artu at # 89 Charles Street. (Beacon Hill Location) This restaurant is not kind to tall people. I had to slump my shoulders a bit so my head wouldn't hit the ceiling. It is warm and inviting and extremely friendly.

We ordered a good bottle of Chianti (the most expensive wine on the menu is $58.00) and the vegetable antipasto which came heaping with gorgeous fresh squash, zucchini, carrots, green beans, and fried eggplant, drizzled in oil and perfectly grilled.
For dinner, I had the tortolini with sage butter and cheese sauce which was heavenly, though I do regret not going with my gut choice with was veal and gnocci. My two dinner companions both had the breaded chicken stuffed with prosciutto and spinach.

The meal was fantastic, the company scintillating, and the staff, so friendly and warm....all with no entree costing over $16.00. This is my kind of place. Sign me up again, I'm a regular now.

Enjoy,
Seth

Eureka, I've discovered a cool trick for my pizza dough. 1/2 cup corn meal in the dough makes it super crispy on the outside and still moist and chewy on the inside. Two packs of dry yeast into a cup of 120 degree warm water and let steep for 10 minutes. pour into bowl having 1 3/4 cups flour, salt to taste, rosemary to taste and 1/2 cup corn meal. Stir around with a fork until combined and then add about 1/4 cup olive oil and mix the rest by hand, kneading right in the bowl until elastic. If dough becomes sticky add more olive oil. When done, seal bowl with plastic wrap and set in warm place to rise for at least 1 hr.

When at least doubled in bulk turn out onto oiled cookie sheet with sides and work into corners. Add a drained can of delmonte organic diced tomatos, your favorite toppings and grated chedder cheese on top. (I used left over cheese from our last cocktail party, it was a particularly dry Irish Chedder from Dublin that tasted really good melted). Cook until dough is golden brown.

I'm off on the road today for work...don't panic food fans, I'll be back. Also giving you advanced warning that I'm leaving Monday for a week...might try and post while I'm gone, but the sun might lure to the beach instead. :-)

Enjoy,
Seth

Greg and I had one of the best lunches we've had in a long time on Valentine's Day. We decided to do something different to celebrate and be together with the dogs, cause going out to dinner on the biggest amature dining night of the year just doesn't appeal to me. Its another hallmark holiday as far as I'm concerned (though I did go out and find the biggest box of candy in the shape of a heart I could find at Reny's). We decided to take a hike up Mt. Megunticook in Camden and have a picnic at the top. Crazy you might say, but true. It was about 35 degrees and beautifully sunny, so we made sammiches from the pot roast I had cooked a few days before, added lots of mayo and jalapeno cheese, brought water and oranges and turkey hot dogs for the pooches and off we went. We haven't really been hiking that hard since the summer, and the snow made it more difficult, but is was truly amazing. I only wish I had brought my camera! We were the only ones up there which was suprising but fantastic, since we could unleash the hounds and really move on. It took us about an hour to reach the top, about 1/2 mile above the cross at Maiden Cliff and there on top we found the best spot, a natural bench out of the wind with a back support. I could have stayed there for hours and stared out at the view which spanned about 200 degrees from the ocean to Appleton Ridge and beyond. We pulled out our smooshed sammies and had the most glorious meal while the dogs ran around and did face plants in the snow (their favorite) and came over occasionally for hot dog treats.

The way down was treacherous and slippery and my knees still haven't recovered. 7 miles on the bike at the gym helped a bit yesterday, but I am still sore in the knees and groan and ache coming up the stairs.

Enjoy,
Seth

never put bacon in mac and cheese...its a sin!

never order your Thai food at spicy #5, you can't taste anything

never put mashed potatoes on your pizza

always make sure your turkey is thawed COMPLETELY before cooking it

always check to make sure you remove those packs of innards from your turkey before you put it in the oven

try and replace your spices at least every few years

throw away those bottles of red hots and sprinkles used for Christmas cookies after 3 years

never wait more than 20 minutes for a table at a restaurant...go somewhere else.

always sautee in 1/2 butter and half olive oil...it tastes so much better

nobody ever cooks better than you in your own kitchen

everyone likes soup

never cook when you don't feel like it...order out instead!

Enjoy,
Seth

While Greg and I were in New York we went to see Brokeback Mountain, which, by the time we got popcorn and sodas, cost us like $35.00. anyway, I liked the movie, loved the short story so much more...am a HUGE fan of Annie Proulx's work partially because she went to Colby. Anyway, I had been warned by many of my straight friends that this was such a powerfully moving film and that it made them think about it for a long time. I went in prepared to be awestruck and came out thinking it was a beautiful love story between two people...a bit Romeo and Romeo...textbook forbidden love case with nice scenery. I spoke with a lesbian friend and she had the same reaction...no big deal straight friends, its the way life is with us too....
We were starving after the movie and walked up to the Empire Diner on 61st and 1st ave for patty melts and fries. Nothing better than patty melts on rye bread with fries. The diner was almost empty and the food was not memorable, so I would recommend trying some other place i the hood instead.
I urge all of you to see brokeback if you haven't yet. If nothing else, it really reveals that love transends all else. We can all feel it and it shouldn't be a sin in the eyes of anyone.

Feeling a bit philosophical tonight. Certainly don't feel like cooking, but I must see what there is in the fridge for Valentine's dinner.

Enjoy and happy Valentiny's day
Seth

So I stole 3Tides asiago dip idea and served it last night and I've never seen 6 people devour a bowl of something so fast. I messed with the recipe a bit and here is what I came up with: 3/4 cup mayo, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup plus of asiago cheese, 1 or 2 jalapenos choppped, 3 cloves fresh garlic and fresh ground black pepper. Whip all these up in a bowl and let sit in fridge for the day to meld and get cold. Pop in oven and bake at 350 until top is brown. Serve with slices of toasted french bread brushed with garlic olive oil and fresh pepper. mmmmm

Got raves for the rest of the dinner too, which consisted of old standbys like beef wellington, roasted potatoes, sauteed butternut squash. People are amazed when they get any sort of home cooking because no one cooks anymore!

Enjoy,
Seth

Saturday night was the last night open for 3Tides until St. Partrick's Day, so we went down to say so long for the next five weeks. It was quiet when we got there and both David and Sarah found a rare moment to sit at our table with us. It was David's step-father's birthday, and so that was a festive treat to rib Phil and sing him happy birthday.
We tried the Spicy Asiago dip which was Sarah's contribution for the specials board. It was awesome and she gave me the recipe which I'll make tonight for our dinner party. I would change the proportions a bit so there is less mayo, hopefully making it less oily. Essentially its mayo, cheese, sundried tomatos, mushrooms, jalapenos and sour cream. The thinly sliced garlic french bread that came along with it was a perfect accompanyment.
Other than that, I had a spicy sausage quesadilla, which was more smoky and strong than spicy, not bad, but not was I was looking for.
Good travels to David who braved the snow storm yesterday by getting himself to Boston and on a plane to Ireland for a week. He called me from the airport to say that his flight would be leaving...a miracle. Have fun David!


Its about 6am and I'm about the start preparing dinner for tonight. I opened my big mouth a few weeks ago and told a friend who is moving that I would just love to make beef wellington for her since she has never had it. Well that morphed into a full blown dinner party complete with two celebration cakes, a flourless chocolate cake for her (which Greg will make) and a carrot cake for her husband. The celebration is of their time together. She is leaving town and he is staying here. How wierd is that?

Enjoy,
Seth

Its 6:30 am and Greg and I have both been up since about 3am with insomnia. Of course now I am getting tired and so will probably go back to bed or go to the gym...but its like 2 below out and, well, BRRRRRRRRRR! No wonder the dogs are still buried under the covers.

Thinking this morning about the restaurants in NY I visited with friends or as business dinners. An auctioneer in NH threw a big party at a rustic French restaurant on 56th and 2nd called Sans Coullotes, which I of course translate to "Without Pants" which was pretty apropos considering the group of folks there. Lots of drinking and waving of chicken legs from the peanut gallery. I walked in and an old boss of mine from 15 years ago was there. She is a big time Chicago auctioneer, but she wasn't invited to the party...wierd to see her there after so many years and wierd to see her slink out when the host kind of made a scene about her being there. Anyway.....1/2 way through dinner I realized that I had left the iron on in the apartment, so I dashed up, fled in a cab, turned the iron off in the apartment and dashed back to the party...my roast chicken was still warm too. The place was good but the whole scene was so surreal that I can't really review the food since it was a preset menu..but I had to share the iron story.

A few nights later some old friends took me to Patsys Pizza on 69th and 2nd. Its a very convenient place for the neighborhood, very hipster place to take your family and babies if you are a young upper east sider. Personally, I would rather have real New York Pizza from Rays or someplace else. Trendy pizza has its place, but not in the pizza capital of the world. I can't believe that by the time we left, there was a waiting line of about 40 minutes....I just can't imagine that anymore. I have a tough time standing around waiting for a table for an hour in an overpriced, crowded restaurant. Gimme the diner down the street and a patty melt with fries and I'll be so much more content.

Enjoy,
Seth

Made pot roast the other day for Greg so he can have pot roast sammiches for lunch during the week. I took the broth, strained it, separated out the fat and had a beautiful beef broth to which I added lentils and carrots. It didn't make much more than two bowls full, but it was a perfect treat for me. Tres hearty, but healthy too.

For a soup today, I thawed some frozen chicken stock and added it to two Yukon Gold potatoes, a bunch of cut up baby carrots and a diced leek with garlic. Then added some yellow curry, salt and pepper and let it simmer down and cook. When tender, I added a bunch of fresh baby spinach, and a broccoli head and cooked for a bit longer then ran the whole thing through a blender to puree. It was a healthy alternative to cream of spinach soup and hugely tasty.

Enjoy,
Seth

I was reading our local online paper www.villagesoup.com and found that they have a new auction site where lots of restaurants I never knew exitsted seem to be offering gift certificates for food. The White House, a B&B in Belfast, has a dinner menu on the weekends. The Mermaid Restaurant at the Homeport Inn in Searsport is another place I've never heard of....jeez, I think ole' Maine Foodie has to get out more. Anyway I am tempted to bid. Dinner for two with a value of $50.00? hmmmm sounds like a bargain, I wonder what the fine print says!

Enjoy,
Seth

Amidst my rambles about our trip through NY, I wanted to stop and add a review of the Cedar Crest Motel Restaurant in Camden. We stopped there the other day after hiking the hounds on some coastal mountain land trust trails. Hungry and tired, we walked in and immediately noticed the changes from the "diner" it used to be. The kitchen has been closed in, save for a window to the pizza oven. The new walls have been painted a great deep yellow color. The owners put in a pizza and bread oven and hired a pizza chef. I have to tell you that the pizzas are fantastic. The crusts are hand thrown and have a great texture I had a sausage pesto pizza and Greg had fish and chips which he said was soggy and not as good as it used to be. That aside, the place was packed, almost every table was taken up. The establishment was also giving out samples of crusty artisan bread that they were baking on the premises. $3.00 a loaf and it was really very good.

Nicely done Cedar Crest.

Enjoy
Seth

Ok, ok, here I am. Did you all email each other and decide to inundate me with emails about my not posting for weeks and weeks? It was very touching to get so many emails in the last few days asking where I was and if I was alright. Thanks, I'm fine...its just winter here and there are projects to get done. Greg and I were in New York for a week and made dinner at home just one night...meaning that there is a lot to discuss...now if I could just remember the names of the restaurants!

The first night we were in New York, our friend Joan, of Joan and David, which is how she introduces herself, took us to this marvelous Greek restaurant called Pilos. It is down in alphabet city on 7th between 1st and A, an area where I used to live when I was just out of college and interning at a museum in NYC. Well let me tell you, that neighborhood has changed a bit. Its very swank now, the chic hip urban place to live...yuck.
The restaurant's entrance is very unassuming. When you walk in, you are enveloped by the warmth of the place. The owners comissioned a local potter to make hundred and hundreds of terra cotta vessels which they hung from the ceiling all tight together. Some have light fixtures installed inside the jugs and vases. The tables are close together and I was struck by the fact that there were two greek couples eating at the table next to us. The food was incredible. We ordered a bunch of appetizers, including stewed fava beans, broiled cheese, marinated, grilled prawns, hearty meatballs in savory sauce and a grilled vegetable platter. It was enough food to feed an army. We were completely sated and rolled ourselves into a cab after dropping Joan off at her place.
For any reader who might remember wearing Joan and David shoes or clothes, know that Joan is well and is now a professor at Columbia School of International Business. As she likes to tell it, she picked me up at Sotheby's one afternoon several years ago when I had my head under a chest of drawers. She came over to inquire why the chest had such a bold auction estimate. We ended up having lunch and have been great friends ever since.

Enjoy,
Seth

Its been a peanut butter and mac and cheese kind of winter so far. We have both been super busy and really haven't done anything but work work work and grab some grub in between. I think there were about 3 days where there was just peanut butter and pumpernickle in the fridge.
Well now that my three week holiday binge is over (I get an extra 7 days due to my birthday week--hey you grab what you can in life, right?) I have gone back to the gym and started to eat better. I just treated myself to a gob of peanut butter on artisan bread because I'm just home from the gym.
I used to be a raving Skippy super chunk fan but then decided I wanted my peanut butter's only ingredient to be peanuts! I think Skippy's first ingredient is corn syrup. I made the switch to Teddie's crunchy. It takes a long time to get used to, but I can't go back, its so good now.... maybe I'll peel an orange now...sigh!

Enjoy,
Seth

Greg has a friend who buys him really fashionable clothes for Christmas every year. Usually she is spot on for his style. This year however, she came up with a John Galiano hunting jacket with pleather highlights and huge, ugly pockets, prompting Greg to remark upon opening the package "guess the old girl has finally gone 'round the bend!"
We took a trip to Boston yesterday to return the coat to Saks for a refund. I have never in my life been treated as poorly by shop girls and shop boys as I have at the Saks in Boston. I mean what rock did these "fashionistas (insert giggle here)" crawl out from so they could be snotty to the public? These people work on commission! We left with Greg's credit vowing to spend it in New York next week at the Saks there....at least you expect to be treated like some gum on the foot of a bug in NYC, but in Boston?????
Well, after an exhaustive day of trying on clothes that cost more than my stove, we decided to get a bite of cheap Thai or something and ended up at Chili Duck across the street from the Prudential Center. Why do all Thai restaurants have to get the flashiest, tackiest decor to put on the walls...I mean is there a craptastic catalog sent out to all the Asian restaurants with framed wrapping paper and sparkly velvet paintings of pagodas for sale? Yikes!
We decided on an appetizer from the authentic Thai menu, so we chose Nom Tok, which is a spicy pork in a ginger, basil, vinegar sauce. Man, it was great! Came with a beautiful orchid blossom on the side. I could have eaten that for lunch, but we went to the regular menu for that and were a bit disappointed. I had yellow chicken curry with vegetables and potatoes and it was nice, and somewhat hot, but not the best. Greg had another chicken dish with hot basil leaves that was ok, but not as hot as he was looking for.
But, for 30 bucks with tip in downtown Boston, you can't beat the price. The service was great too. There was never anytime where we had to wait for anything. I'd go back, but I would order off the small authentic menu instead.

Enjoy,
Seth