BBQ-Summer of 2013

I like to eat barbecue. I am also a KCBS certified barbecue judge. So is my husband. I don't necessarily like to cook it, but my husband does and for that I am truly grateful. I have learned about my husband that if I happen to mention ideas in passing, he very often picks up on them and makes them a reality. So, when I mentioned in passing that I would really like some ribs, there he was the next weekend making ribs, pulled pork, and pit beef in our front yard. (I married the right man.) The pit beef and pulled pork will be for a tailgate next weekend, but the ribs were just for us!

I think he is dabbling with the idea of competing in BBQ competitions, so he is always trying new rubs and techniques. This time he tried three styles, competition, Memphis dry, and Memphis wet. The standout was the competition. I wasn't such a fan of the dry. The Memphis wet was in the middle.

I hear there will be another weekend soon with ribs, chicken, and tri-tip. He is working on a new sauce recipe. I'll be there with ice tea and a few side dishes. It should be delicious.


Also this summer, there has been a short trip to WallaWalla and Waitesburg, WA. FOR ALL THE WINE.  Seven Hills and K Vintners FTW.

Anniversary Dinner

Celebrating, originally uploaded by gayle kingston.

Anniversary dinner this year was at Mistral Kitchen. We got lucky and were upgraded to the Chef's Table in the Jewel Box section of the restaurant. We went for the 8 course tasting and it was all good. Not super inventive food, but very tasty nonetheless. I was impressed.

Courses included:

Gaspacho Amuse Bouche
Big Eye Tuna Crudo with Basil, Cucumber, and Beet
Seared Scallop with Cauliflower Soup
Halibut with Farro and Chard
Duck Breast with Potato, Corn, and Chippillini Onions
Cheese Course: Triple Creme with Currents
Dessert: Honey Semifredo with Walnut Financier, Poached Figs, and Raspberry Sorbet
Rhubarb Trifle

We brought our own wine, and it was fantastic. Andy had been saving it for a special occasion and I was really happy. I also had a glass of "The Champagne of the Moment" and Andy had the very fancy Negroni cocktail from a 1900 recipe. A great way to celebrate putting up with one another for 7 whole years.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinner

Christmas Eve:

Oysters on the half shell with green apple and horseradish
Deviled eggs with chives, smoked paprika, and piment d'espelette
Roasted head-on shrimp 
Garlic bread
Champagne and eggnog

Christmas Day:

Porchetta roast
Creamed onion gratin
Roasted potatoes

Washington DC: Komi

I was in DC for two weeks during late January and early February. For a nice weekend, Andy made the trek out so we could eat some of what DC has to offer. The city did not disappoint!

By far the stand-out restaurant was Komi, located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Komi has no menu and a set price. I really love restaurants that work in this fashion and love the surprise of not knowing what you are going to get next. I took notes and the chef and somelier were nice enough to write menus for us after the meal.

Courses were as follows:

• Taramosalata: Steamed bun with Greek yogurt and smoked trout row
• Crudo trio-Hamachi with onion, Madai (snapper) with sumac and caper berry, and Kindai (tuna) with wasabi
• Scallop trio
• Lobster, uni, buttermilk, and celery (basically a deconstructed lobster roll!)
• Spanikopita
• Egg ravioli with bonito
• Cured and smoked fois gras with onion jam and cranberry
• A half-smoke with ramp relish and spicy mustard (still thinking about this dish!)
• Dates stuffed with marscapone and sprinkled with sea salt
• Casarelli-Curly pasta with lacinato kale
• Roasted baby goat (with the crispiest skin imaginable!) with condiments and fresh pita
• Myzithra-Greek cheese biscuit with quince and apple
• Caramel
  
• Baklava-Greek donuts
• Lollipops made with lime and salt

We also went for the wine pairings and that was a really good choice. We tried:

• Sparkling Moscofilero "Amalia" Ktima Tselepos Tesea, Greece
• Givry "Les Grognots" Michel Sarrazin, Burgundy, France, 2008
• Loedo Beniaka, Japan
• Brunello Di Montalcino Armilla, Tuscany, Italy, 2004
• Rioja Gran Reserva, Beronia, Spain, 2001
• Moscato Blend "Bigaro" Elio Perrone, Italy, 2009

Other dinners were had at Ray's Hell Burger and Central Michel Richard. We also had brunch at Cafe Atlantico and lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl.

(Andy at Lexington #1, Lexington, NC)

I haven't posted since April. I kind of forgot about you blog! I'm sorry.

We did a lot of good eating in 2010, from dinners out to barbecue at home. Christmas was especially nice, as was our trip to the Carolinas that I did not post about. Talk about good barbecue! And biscuits! And country ham! And seafood!

For my birthday, I had peel-and-eat shrimp boiled in Old Bay with butter on the side at a bar on the North Carolina coast, along with crab claws and a couple of beers. Perfect really.

Some restaurant standouts:

Tanuki in Portland for Izakaya (I think this was my favorite meal of the year)

Bisato with a seat at the bar

Sushi at Maskiko with good friends Mia and Ryan

The lovely light coming in to the restaurant at Spinasse and the best egg pasta anywhere

Dinner at Staple and Fancy and not having to choose just a few things off the menu

I have also discovered my new found love for a good whiskey cocktail, particularly the Old Fashioned and that will be a good remembrance for the end of 2010.

So definitely looking forward to 2011! I have a trip planned to Washington DC and some great reservations already in the works. I think 2011 is going to be starting strong.

Las Vegas

, originally uploaded by gayle kingston.

Las Vegas was fun. Except for the food poisoning. Thanks RM Seafood! You will not be forgotten.

We made a quick weekend trip to Las Vegas to meet friends and EAT. And we did a lot of eating, especially a lot of good eating.

Places we tried:

RM Seafood
The Ice Bar
Lotus of Siam
Bouchon
Golden Steer Steakhouse
Several bars in several Casinos
Burger Bar

The highlight of the trip was definitely the Golden Steer. It's an old school steakhouse with red leather booths and pictures of John Wayne on the walls. We ate in the Burt Reynolds booth! I had a petite fillet, a baked potato, and Cesar salad made table side. So good! So retro! So awesome!

Second favorite meal was Bouchon. We went for brunch and I had a lovely fluffy waffle and country ham. Andy's chicken and waffles were by far the stand-out dish. Also the cocktails were very good. We went back a second time just to get pastries and coffee, which was also really nice. The cherry jam was a standout.

Because it is Las Vegas, we also paid to go to the Ice Bar in Mandalay Bay where they make you put on boots and a coat so you can have the pleasure of having a cocktail served to you in a glass made of ice and sit on ice chairs and drink at an ice table. It was ridiculous and also a lot of fun.

Other things consumed: Spicy Tuna roll and Seafood Escabeche at RM Seafood; Northern Thai Larb and Seafood Noodles at Lotus of Siam, a really great veggie burger at Burger Bar (actually probably the best veggie burger I have ever had), and lots and lots of ginger ale to make my stomach feel better!

Portland

Best dinner tonight at Le Pigeon.
September 26, 2009

• Little gem lettuce, green goddess,cherry tomatoes
• Foie Gras, gewürztraminer, grapes

• Lamb Neck, macaroni, corn, chanterelles
• Beef Cheek Bourguignon

• Corn meal cake with apricots, bacon, and maple ice cream

• Brut -- Methode Traditionnelle -- Charles Bove -- NV Loire
• Crémant de Limoux Rosé -- Domaine Collin -- NV Languedoc

• Beaujolais -- L’Ancien, Vieilles Vignes -- Jean-Paul Brun -- ‘08 Beaujolais