Terrain
June 12, 2012
I was ecstatic to find out one of my favorite online stores, Terrain, was opening shop in Westport. Even better when news broke of a farm-to-table café as part of the scene. Putting it on the top of my list of places to go, it certainly lived up to my expectations– a beautifully styled environment combining everything I would want in my own personal garden space. After browsing my way through the store, picking up some pots, a watering can and endless ideas to bring home with me, we were ready for brunch. Their outdoor seating area, styled just as one would expect from Terrain, served their homemade bread in a flower pot, water out of mason jars and delivered the check as a bookmark in a vintage plant guide. It’s that little attention to detail that make it worth the extra price for a great afternoon spent in Westport.
Fresh bread with butter and honey
Bourbon vanilla french toast with maple syrup and strawberry preserve
Flower pot baked bread
Croque Madame – open-faced ham and cheese, over easy egg, hollandaise
Brown butter pecan waffle with fried chicken leg and thigh
Store interior
Lakeside Lounging
June 1, 2012
This past weekend my girlfriends and I had a wonderful time lounging lakeside in Cazenovia. Dating back to the days of junior prom camping trips, we’ve always been known to prepare far more food than necessary, and 10 years later it’s no different. While we spent an afternoon at the wineries around the Finger Lakes, and a dinner out at Brewster Inn, we still had to ensure ourselves we would not go hungry at the house. Memorial Day essentials– watermelon, hotdogs and hamburgers were in abundance, fruit salads and bagels for the morning hours and snacks like spanakopitas, pinwheels and banana pudding to fill us up during those in between hours.
Morning fruit
Everything bagel and cream cheese
Bagel
Hotdog
Hotdogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers
Spanakopitas
Watermelon
Banana pudding dessert
Pinwheels
Best of Portland, ME
May 5, 2012
If only given one night out in Portland, my top suggestion would be to spend it at Fore Street Restaurant in the city’s Old Port District by the waterfront. Although I went sans camera that Friday night, I still had to give it a shout out. Situated along a cobblestone street by the water, it’s a warehouse chic loft space that follows the farm-to-table concept with an open kitchen. Certainly worth stopping by. Saturday morning we popped into Local Sprouts Cafe for breakfast. Known for their local and organic food that comes fresh from farmers and fisherman around the state, it’s more than just a cafe, but rather a center for Portland’s creative community. Paired up with Bomb Diggity Bakery, I was able to enjoy an amazing egg and goat cheese sandwich with some english muffins for the road. Lastly, we couldn’t leave Portland without grabbing some handcrafted micro roasted coffee from Coffee by Design. In the mood for a smoothie instead? Check out Maine Squeeze!
Harbor Fish Market
Harbor Fish Market
Triple mango, coconut with yogurt, honey, orange juice and soy smoothie
Local Sprouts Cafe English Muffins
Local cage-free egg sandwich with housemade pesto, goat cheese and tomato
Local sprouts cafe
Vanilla Latte from Coffee by Design
Donna D Goes to SmorgasBurg
May 1, 2012
While I ventured Upstate for the weekend, Donna D stayed local, and spent her Saturday taste-testing Williamsburg. Check out her great shots!
Every Saturday on the Williamsburg waterfront between North 6th and North 7th St., from 11am to 6pm, Smorgasburg brings together food entrepreneurs and established purveyors from New York City and across the region selling both packaged and prepared foods, fresh produce, and other food-related stands. The market is open rain or shine, and man-oh-man, did I get my eat on this past weekend. As you can see from all the photos, I sampled a lot of food. I think I managed to hit up 50 vendors. Some of my favorites were the Lime-in-the-Coconut candy bars from Liddabit Sweets, the S’morgasm from S’more Bakery, braised Pork Belly with sliced cucumber, pickled jalapeno, scallions and hoisin from Bite Size Kitchen, and a shot of Vichyssoise soup from Sea Bean Goods [they are a micro-soupery which I’m dying to try their soup subscription]. If you don’t already know, I have an obsession with carbonated water – so obviously Brooklyn Soda Works‘ Apple Ginger Soda was a major hit to my taste buds. I also picked up some of Grady’s Cold Brew which is a New Orleans–style coffee concentrate and the best staple for a girl that doesn’t have a coffee maker.
White Barn Inn
April 25, 2012
Nestled in the quaint New England coastal town of Kennebunkport, White Barn Inn was one of my first stops through southern Maine last week, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. An intimate, classic inn setting, I was welcomed with open arms into the kitchen of Grand Chef, Jonathan Cartwright, to taste his Forbes Five Star menu. Feasting on more than my stomach could take, it was too delicious to leave the plate anything but clean. The various courses included an appetizer of Pan Roast New England Quail Breast and Foie Gras with a Basket of Smoked Leg Confit and Forest Mushroom Risotto. Parmesan Cheese Ice Cream with Crisp Fig Fitter as an intermezzo and Local Salmon Filet in a Parma Ham “Jacket” with Bacon Wrapped Scallop, Spaghetti Squash and Maple Dijon Mustard Sauce for the main course. Although it didn’t stop there, as I had to try Cartwright’s specialty smoked lobster dish and finished off with a multitude of desserts. The entire inn was more than welcoming, and certainly a must-stay for anyone traveling to the Pine Tree State. I hope to return very soon, next time booking an extra day to take advantage of their luxurious spa treatments!
A walk along Kennebunkport's rocky coastline and White Barn Inn
Smoked lobster
An extra dish from the chef
Lounge area
Parmesan Cheese Ice Cream with Crisp Fig Fitter
Inn interior
Pan Roast New England Quail Breast and Foie Gras with a Basket of Smoked Leg Confit and Forest Mushroom Risotto
Local Salmon Filet in a Parma Ham "Jacket"
Bacon wrapped scallop
Salmon
Front Porch at May's Annex
Grand Chef, Jonathan Cartwright's signature smoked lobster dish
Grand Marnier souffle with chocolate sauce
Grand Marnier souffle with chocolate sauce and sorbet
Espresso
Front porch
Maine blueberry sorbet
Breakfast Quiche
Fresh bread
Muffins
Fresh berries
Breakfast meat selection
Morning Mini Quiches
April 10, 2012
Mini quiches are the perfect answer when you have a late afternoon brunch on the weekends, but need something quick and easy to hold you over until 2 or so. Easter morning, my father cooked up these delicious muffin size quiches. Quick and easy to make, he threw in some eggs, cheddar cheese, spinach, asparagus, bacon and ham– a little taste of everything in one bite.
Mini Quiche with cheese bread
Ingredients
Ham
Cafe Lalo
April 2, 2012
Famously known for Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’ meeting in You’ve Got Mail, the Upper West Side’s Cafe Lalo has always been a favorite of mine, and quite honestly am surprised I’ve waited this long to feature it. Not only do they have great brunch options, but their large selection of cheesecakes and other desserts makes it a great late night stop as well. With it’s Euro-feel, it’s the perfect spot to go on a warm spring day when the floor to ceiling windows are open, and you can people-watch the sidewalks below.
Coffee
Steamed eggs with Bulgarian feta cheese, olives and herbs served with roasted potatoes and a Mediterranean salad
Mediterranean salad
Breads
Purple Potatoes
A Day in D.C.
March 20, 2012
This past weekend I had a wonderful time visiting friends in Washington D.C. Saturday was spent partially at Clyde’s, a pub in Georgetown to cheer on my alma mater, Syracuse, in the NCAA basketball tournament and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and the other half was spent enjoying the beautiful sunshine around the neighborhood’s quaint streets. We started off the morning with delicious chive and goat cheese biscuits from Baked and Wired, followed by their best-selling cupcakes, a vanilla cake with fresh strawberries folded in the batter and finished with a swirl of pink buttercream. It’s never too early in the day for one of these! We filled our appetites in the afternoon at Clyde’s with their top recommendations– wings, Bloody Mary’s and a crab tower. Lucky for me, with the early spring temperatures, I was even able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful cherry blossoms around the city’s sites.
Chive and Goat Cheese Biscuit
Georgetown
Chive and Goat Cheese Biscuit
Baked & Wired
Best-selling strawberry cupcake
Baked & Wired
Cupcakes & the Capitol
Cherry blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial
Strawberries
An afternoon snack
Wings from Clyde's
Is it Summer Yet?
March 14, 2012
Last night I was strolling around the neighborhood in short sleeves after I thoroughly enjoyed a dinner at the New York Historical Society. The streets were buzzing, the restaurants overflowed onto the sidewalks and the smell in the air was that of a summer evening. Whether it’s here to stay or not, I’m daydreaming of the months to come, especially for those weekend trips out to the Hamptons. Here’s a little taste from Donna D…
Last April the bf, babies, and I headed to the Hamptons for a weekend of rest and relaxation. It was one of our first times experiencing the far East-end of Long Island and it was the perfect escape from the craziness of NYC. I am quite happy that we chose April because it saved us some major money and it wasn’t crowded with all the cool kids that come during the summer. The weather was also perfect despite forecasts of rain. We stayed at the charming Hampton Beach House and spent the weekend playing on the beach, eating good food, and touring the many dog-friendly wineries. Some of the highlights of our trip included breakfast at the Mexican inspired Estia’s Little Kitchen, sampling wine at Paumanok, Duckwalk, and Pindar vineyards, shopping for our picnic lunch at the The Village Cheese Shop, and watching the beautiful spring sunsets on the beach.
Paumanok Vineyards & Pindar Vineyards
Owner, Rosemary, putting together the cheese for our picnic at the The Village Cheese Shop
The Village Cheese Shop
Owner, Rosemary, preparing a sample of cheese at the The Village Cheese Shop
The Village Cheese Shop
Lunch
Duckwalk Vineyards
Paumanok Vineyards' wine & Bread, goat cheese, fig jam, and olive
Blueberry Port at Duckwalk Vineyards
Bread, goat cheese, and fig jam
Pindar Vineyards
Picnic Lunch
The Cook at Estia's Little Kitchen preparing our breakfast
Sophie’s Crab ‘n’ Eggs with avocado on an english muffin at Estia's Little Kitchen
Guacamole, chips and salsa at Estia's Little Kitchen
Morning coffee at Estia's Little Kitchen
Spring sunset on the beach
Sunset
A Meli-Melo Morning
March 11, 2012
This cute little créperie in Greenwich, Connecticut has always been a favorite spot of mine when I’m visiting the area. Enjoying an afternoon there this weekend, I opted for the Sweet Tooth, a crepe with fresh kiwi, strawberries, mint leaf, home-made chocolate sorbet and chocolate sauce. And you can’t leave without trying one of their signature fresh juices to quench your thirst.
Sweet Tooth crepe and fresh pear, kiwi, coconut juice
Dessert for lunch
Crepes and juice
a camera in the kitchen 