Well, this sucks. I finally feel like everything has calmed down post-ALA and post-summer-without-Bug...and my USB drive decides that it doesn't want to download any of my photos. Oy.
So, while I figure out what is going on, please dream about the fabulous wine and food photos coming up. They're heaven.
But you don't think I'm fixing the problem, do you? Of course not. This is the moment where I play the heroine, bat my eyes, and say, "ADAM! FIX THIS!" So while he's working on the issue, I'm watching my brand-new Absolutely Fabulous box set. And I must leave you with this:
Eat, drink, and look forward to the next time I see the Soul Twin.
Note: Again, for those that don't read me regularly, the Soul Twin is my best friend. And for better or for worse, this is kind of us.
8.08.2010
8.01.2010
The Wild Pair*
I apologize for the total absence of blog posts lately. I could give you all kinds of stories about being super busy and "oh my god, my life is so crazy"...but that's not really the case. The truth is that Adam and I have been without Bug for THREE WEEKS. You parents understand. THREE WEEKS. So I've been spending time with Adam - eating, drinking, dating, laughing, catching up on TV shows, watching Alice in Wonderland, visiting with friends. Blogging really took a backseat to getting in touch with Adam again and, while I missed blogging, I'm unapologetic about spending that time away.
But I'm back and excited to be. I really want to tell you about a wonderful restaurant we ate at while visiting my in-laws in Oregon: Wild Pear.
I can't imagine any of you will find your way to Salem, Oregon but, if you do, I can't recommend Wild Pear enough. The ingredients are local and seasonal, and the mood of the restaurant is cozy and relaxed. I started by ordering the Cubanisimo Rosado:
Last year on our annual trip to Oregon, the Cubanisimo Pinot Noir was recommended to me and I loved it. Clearly, I am now a Cubanisimo fan.
I ordered the Lobster and Seafood Melt:
Served on foccacia, it was topped with dill havarti, tomatoes, red onion, and a creamy dill dressing. It was actually a little too dill-y for my tastes...but I should have known better. Dill cheese AND dill dressing? I read that and ordered it anyway. My loss.
Adam had the French Dip and it was excellent - almost like a Philly cheesesteak - French dip hybrid:
The sweet potato fries were even better. And how adorable is that bucket?
But the major coup was had by MC, my mother-in-law; she ordered the Chicken Hazelnut Salad Sandwich:
Chicken, hazelnuts, dried cranberries, red onions...and that creamy dill dressing. What is it this place and dill? Nevertheless, it didn't take over the sandwich. The balance here was perfect - it was sweet, nutty, and earthy. Thanks to the onion, it even bit back a little. So hands down to MC. She won the Best Orderer this day - a fine, fine competitor.
As we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, our server says to us, "Funny that you ordered the Cubanisimo...the winemaker is sitting right over there." He pointed to a rather pretty woman sitting by herself, drinking a glass of wine and reading. Naturally MC and Adam urged me to give her one of my Pinot and Prose business cards...but I just couldn't. Totally chickened out. She had an air of celebrity about her (seriously, I really love Cubanisimo's wines) and I got too stargazy...
After lunch, we walked around downtown Salem a bit where I discovered Cherry Redd (careful with the link, this may not be work appropriate for some of you). Bought myself these fab shoes:
After all that walking and shoe-trying-on, it was time for dessert so we stopped at Napolean's Creperie and Gelato. Everyone ordered gelato, of course, but I was hearing the siren call of the espresso affogato.
It was creamy and rich. Which I deserved because I worked very hard earlier. You know, trying on shoes and eating.
Eat, drink, and always give out your business card.
* Yes, I realize I spelled "pair" differently - it was a play on the fact that Adam and I have been child-free for three weeks. Get it? We're the Wild Pair. But my post here is about Wild Pear. Clever, right? Right?
7.14.2010
The Day Pinot Was Replaced by Porter
As most of you know, Adam is a beer guy. And he's getting more and more obsessed every day to the point where I'm certain he's going to start homebrewing in our bathtub, thanks to Sam Calagione (the head of all things Dogfish Head) putting ideas into his head. Or he's going to leave me for Sam.*
Adam is also notoriously difficult to shop for and, as such, our families have bombarded him with beer and its various accoutrements for birthdays and holidays. This includes magazine subscriptions. So Adam is reading the latest Beer Traveler and there's a list of the 150 perfect places to drink a beer. One of them is Henry's 12th Street Tavern in Portland (it's #25). So we go there for lunch a couple days ago.
The beer list was insane. Here's a glimpse:
Even I found lots that I wanted to try. Like this Laurelwood Organic Tree Hugger Porter (Portland, OR):
I also tried a sample of the Oakshire Amber (Eugene, OR), which I loved - it was unique and complex in its flavor.
But the STAR of the whole experience? The gorgonzola fries:
I could use all kinds of flowery language and purple prose to describe them but I just can't. Crispness: perfect. Seasoning: perfect. Amount of gorgonzola: perfect. We had one plate of these among five of us, but we could just had two plates and called that our lunch. Next time, no doubt.
The dessert wasn't half-bad either:
That's the creme "brewlee" sampler. They use Widmer Hefeweizen to make the one so there's lots of clove and ginger and spice in it. The chocolate one uses Black Bear XX chocolate stout (of course) and it's so rich that one bite will suffice. Shortbread finishes it out.
Our hope is that Henry's is going to become a tradition - it was fantastic.
Eat, drink, and be open-minded about beer.
Note: The server told us that the waffle fries used in the gorgonzola fries are not housemade but that the fries that came with the burger were. The waffle fries were better by leaps and bounds. The house fries were lukewarm and rather soggy. Stick with the gorgonzola appetizer.
*While visiting the Dogfish Head Brewpub recently, Adam actually met Sam Calagione's son who isn't much older than our Bug. Adam is thinking of arranging their marriage...
Adam is also notoriously difficult to shop for and, as such, our families have bombarded him with beer and its various accoutrements for birthdays and holidays. This includes magazine subscriptions. So Adam is reading the latest Beer Traveler and there's a list of the 150 perfect places to drink a beer. One of them is Henry's 12th Street Tavern in Portland (it's #25). So we go there for lunch a couple days ago.
The beer list was insane. Here's a glimpse:
Even I found lots that I wanted to try. Like this Laurelwood Organic Tree Hugger Porter (Portland, OR):
I also tried a sample of the Oakshire Amber (Eugene, OR), which I loved - it was unique and complex in its flavor.
But the STAR of the whole experience? The gorgonzola fries:
I could use all kinds of flowery language and purple prose to describe them but I just can't. Crispness: perfect. Seasoning: perfect. Amount of gorgonzola: perfect. We had one plate of these among five of us, but we could just had two plates and called that our lunch. Next time, no doubt.
The dessert wasn't half-bad either:
That's the creme "brewlee" sampler. They use Widmer Hefeweizen to make the one so there's lots of clove and ginger and spice in it. The chocolate one uses Black Bear XX chocolate stout (of course) and it's so rich that one bite will suffice. Shortbread finishes it out.
Our hope is that Henry's is going to become a tradition - it was fantastic.
Eat, drink, and be open-minded about beer.
Note: The server told us that the waffle fries used in the gorgonzola fries are not housemade but that the fries that came with the burger were. The waffle fries were better by leaps and bounds. The house fries were lukewarm and rather soggy. Stick with the gorgonzola appetizer.
*While visiting the Dogfish Head Brewpub recently, Adam actually met Sam Calagione's son who isn't much older than our Bug. Adam is thinking of arranging their marriage...
7.13.2010
Lutz Family Vacation: the Second Leg
So we've left Hawaii and we're in Oregon now. And it's post-ALA. So let me take this moment to thank you all for hanging in there - I know I've been MIA in a big way. I've missed blogging here very much and, even now, I'm only able to because Adam finally sat my arse down in front of his laptop and made me. He got tired of my whining about the blog, for sure. I report to you all from a lounge chair in the shade with a glass of King Estate Pinot Gris next to me - I could so get used to blogging like this...
The food has been phenomenal, as you can imagine, and the reading exceptional. I made it a point to bring NO children's/YA books on this trip because I just so needed a cold turkey break from all the coming of age and angst. So I started off with Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson (HarperStudio, 2010). I'm a die-hard Audrey Hepburn fan* and this was the PERFECT book for vacation reading. You know when you have those fantastic symbiotic moments when you read a book that so perfectly fits with your mood and your life-place? That was this one for me. And a nice outcome of this book is that the bibliography/notes are exceptional - I added about 5 more books to my to-read list after I finished.
Then, at the recommendation of my dear friend Amy Cray, I read Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman (better known as the author who told the world that she loved her husband more than her children and received a hailstorm of crap for it). Again, right book, right moment. It was funny and fresh, and it was so honest that there were moments where I wondered where Waldman's mind was when she decided to commit some of her thoughts and experiences to the page. Naturally, though, it made for a more compelling and authentic read and I loved every minute of it.
I started 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman. It started off interesting enough...but while on my layover in San Francisco I was called away...by another book...
Marcelo in the Real World? How did that get in my bag?! I wasn't going to bring a kids' book! But I finally, finally snagged a copy of this at ALA and decided that I needed to jump on the bandwagon. I grumbled at first - I felt like Francisco X. Stork's story starts off slow. Not by any fault of the writing but because, as the reader, you're inside Marcelo's head so it takes a bit to understand the rhythms and nuances of his autistic thought patterns (at least it did for this reader).
But then it takes off and soars. Halfway through the story, I wasn't paying attention to a single word Adam was saying to me and it took several "Hello? Helllooooo, Laura!"s before Adam could get me to even look at him. A beautiful, gorgeous, lush read. And I would occasionally close the book, just to gaze at the cover. One of my favorite covers of last year, for certain. I didn't anticipate reading this one on my vacation but, boy, am I glad I did!
Now back to 97 Orchard!
Eat, drink, and embrace summer reading!
* Funny story: at IRA in Chicago back in April, we took a number of our authors to dinner. A colleague of mine and a well-known author/illustrator got into an in-depth and passionate discussion of all things Marilyn Monroe. I mean, they're fans. As a avid classic movie viewer, I piped up with this gem: "Marilyn is okay and all, but I'm SUCH a fan of all things Audrey." They looked at me like I had sprouted goat horns, wrinkled their noses, and kept talking about their favorite gal. In hindsight, I realize my gaffe: all classic film stars are not equal. I should have known better. Luckily, later on, the discussion shifted to Cary Grant and we all agreed and gushed about his class and his beauty.
NOTE: I know I've made a tradition of doing conference recaps and I will certainly recap ALA Annual. However, being on vacation right now, I'm not in a good life-place to do a postmortem. Once I'm back in NYC, I'll whip one right up though. So stay tuned...
The food has been phenomenal, as you can imagine, and the reading exceptional. I made it a point to bring NO children's/YA books on this trip because I just so needed a cold turkey break from all the coming of age and angst. So I started off with Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson (HarperStudio, 2010). I'm a die-hard Audrey Hepburn fan* and this was the PERFECT book for vacation reading. You know when you have those fantastic symbiotic moments when you read a book that so perfectly fits with your mood and your life-place? That was this one for me. And a nice outcome of this book is that the bibliography/notes are exceptional - I added about 5 more books to my to-read list after I finished.
Then, at the recommendation of my dear friend Amy Cray, I read Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman (better known as the author who told the world that she loved her husband more than her children and received a hailstorm of crap for it). Again, right book, right moment. It was funny and fresh, and it was so honest that there were moments where I wondered where Waldman's mind was when she decided to commit some of her thoughts and experiences to the page. Naturally, though, it made for a more compelling and authentic read and I loved every minute of it.
I started 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman. It started off interesting enough...but while on my layover in San Francisco I was called away...by another book...
Marcelo in the Real World? How did that get in my bag?! I wasn't going to bring a kids' book! But I finally, finally snagged a copy of this at ALA and decided that I needed to jump on the bandwagon. I grumbled at first - I felt like Francisco X. Stork's story starts off slow. Not by any fault of the writing but because, as the reader, you're inside Marcelo's head so it takes a bit to understand the rhythms and nuances of his autistic thought patterns (at least it did for this reader).
But then it takes off and soars. Halfway through the story, I wasn't paying attention to a single word Adam was saying to me and it took several "Hello? Helllooooo, Laura!"s before Adam could get me to even look at him. A beautiful, gorgeous, lush read. And I would occasionally close the book, just to gaze at the cover. One of my favorite covers of last year, for certain. I didn't anticipate reading this one on my vacation but, boy, am I glad I did!
Now back to 97 Orchard!
Eat, drink, and embrace summer reading!
* Funny story: at IRA in Chicago back in April, we took a number of our authors to dinner. A colleague of mine and a well-known author/illustrator got into an in-depth and passionate discussion of all things Marilyn Monroe. I mean, they're fans. As a avid classic movie viewer, I piped up with this gem: "Marilyn is okay and all, but I'm SUCH a fan of all things Audrey." They looked at me like I had sprouted goat horns, wrinkled their noses, and kept talking about their favorite gal. In hindsight, I realize my gaffe: all classic film stars are not equal. I should have known better. Luckily, later on, the discussion shifted to Cary Grant and we all agreed and gushed about his class and his beauty.
NOTE: I know I've made a tradition of doing conference recaps and I will certainly recap ALA Annual. However, being on vacation right now, I'm not in a good life-place to do a postmortem. Once I'm back in NYC, I'll whip one right up though. So stay tuned...
6.22.2010
Nonexistent Balance
The work-life balance has been a bit, um, unbalanced lately. Between leaving for ALA tomorrow and a flu-ridden sick kid, I'm being pulled a bajillion directions and feeling like nothing is ever going to get done. And certainly won't get done to the standards to which I hold myself and my performance.
But I'm sitting at home today, working from home, and just made myself a snack/lunch. I had buffalo mozzarella in the fridge, some crackers, and a half-drunk bottle of rose. I sprinkled the mozzarella with salt and pepper, grated some lemon zest over it, and drizzled balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the top. For the finishing touch, I cut basil from my balcony herb garden and julienned it. Here are the results:
So I once had someone ask me to put into words why I love food so much. Well, this is why. In the midst of insanity comes simplicity and nourishment. No matter what goes down at ALA (there's a certain author/illustrator I'm FREAKING out about!), I can still come home to this. Food gives me the balance that work and family certainly don't allow and forces me to take a moment for myself.
Eat, drink, and seek out meaningful experiences to you.
But I'm sitting at home today, working from home, and just made myself a snack/lunch. I had buffalo mozzarella in the fridge, some crackers, and a half-drunk bottle of rose. I sprinkled the mozzarella with salt and pepper, grated some lemon zest over it, and drizzled balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the top. For the finishing touch, I cut basil from my balcony herb garden and julienned it. Here are the results:
So I once had someone ask me to put into words why I love food so much. Well, this is why. In the midst of insanity comes simplicity and nourishment. No matter what goes down at ALA (there's a certain author/illustrator I'm FREAKING out about!), I can still come home to this. Food gives me the balance that work and family certainly don't allow and forces me to take a moment for myself.
Eat, drink, and seek out meaningful experiences to you.
6.20.2010
Weird Weekend
Like the post title says, it was a weird weekend. First, it was Saturday at NY Brewfest on Governor's Island (Kelso of Brooklyn was very good and Keegan's Mother's Milk was by far the best I tried) . 
But we weren't fans of the event and probably wouldn't go again. The pictures from the ferry to the island were the best part. The company was great - me, Adam, our friend Josh (my friend-in-food, particularly the inspiration for Bacon Fest), and his friend Justin - but the thousands of other people at the Brewfest? Not so cool. Even in one of the best foodie cities in the world, you still get jerks that just want to slam beers and get drunk. Ugh.
But we weren't fans of the event and probably wouldn't go again. The pictures from the ferry to the island were the best part. The company was great - me, Adam, our friend Josh (my friend-in-food, particularly the inspiration for Bacon Fest), and his friend Justin - but the thousands of other people at the Brewfest? Not so cool. Even in one of the best foodie cities in the world, you still get jerks that just want to slam beers and get drunk. Ugh.
Then Adam and I had squash blossoms on Sunday night that were unreal:
If you tell me that this is all namby-pamby fancy food, I'll dispute it 'til I'm red in the face. This was So Easy. First you mix fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary), salt, and pepper into ricotta. Then you stuff it into squash blossoms. Where does one find such fancy food? Either at your local farmers' market or, in this case, from Fresh Direct. Stuff the blossoms with the ricotta. Dredge in beaten eggs. Roll around in panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs. You could also use finely ground cornmeal or even regular bread crumbs). I seasoned my panko with lots of salt and pepper. Fry in vegetable oil until browned. Out of this world, melt in your mouth goodness. And paired with a flute of cava (or prosecco or Champagne)? Even better.
But we enjoyed it while Bug was in bed with a 103 fever. Weird, right?
Add to all this that I'm leaving for ALA in tomorrow. Even weirder.
So you'll probably get radio silence from me for awhile. I'm back from ALA for one day and then off to Hawaii and Oregon for two weeks after that. I'd love to blog from there...but I make no promises.
Eat, drink, and cheers to the end of the tunnel that is ALA...
6.13.2010
Virginia, Photographically
Oh, Virginia. It was amazing. I can't express it in words other than to show you:
Vintage Cellar wine and beer shop in Blacksburg. An amazing selection. And wine tastings that left us...um...happy.
The Soul Twin's husband (and my second husband) grilling pizza. If I ever leave NYC, it will be because I miss outdoor living like this.
I was flipping through the Soul Twin's cookbooks...and found this great Post-It with menu ideas for our weekend together.
Luna
Peanut butter cookies...only made with almond butter and chopped raw almonds. Unreal. Soul Twin and I thought that smoked, salted almonds would elevate it even more.
The entrance to a lovely sitting area
They had a bocce court!
The winery has a goat cheese (local, of course) plate. We shared this while sipping wine next to the bocce court. Idyllic indeed.
I can hardly believe we fit so much into three days. But we did and it was marvelous. Food, wine, and friends. Add books - which I did - and it was just what the doctor ordered.
Eat, drink, and explore new places.
Vintage Cellar wine and beer shop in Blacksburg. An amazing selection. And wine tastings that left us...um...happy.
The Soul Twin's husband (and my second husband) grilling pizza. If I ever leave NYC, it will be because I miss outdoor living like this.
I was flipping through the Soul Twin's cookbooks...and found this great Post-It with menu ideas for our weekend together.
Luna
Peanut butter cookies...only made with almond butter and chopped raw almonds. Unreal. Soul Twin and I thought that smoked, salted almonds would elevate it even more.But the highlight of the trip was most definitely visiting Villa Appalaccia, a local winery. I've never been to Italy but I imagine that it's a lot like this winery. It was difficult to convince myself that I was actually on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. And - bonus! - the wines were excellent. Check out this gorgeousness:
The entrance to the tasting room
The entrance to a lovely sitting area
They had a bocce court!
The winery has a goat cheese (local, of course) plate. We shared this while sipping wine next to the bocce court. Idyllic indeed.
I can hardly believe we fit so much into three days. But we did and it was marvelous. Food, wine, and friends. Add books - which I did - and it was just what the doctor ordered.
Eat, drink, and explore new places.
6.04.2010
Mini-Break
I'm off to Blacksburg, Virginia this weekend! I've never been there before - I'm expecting a quiet town, quaint shops, and farmers' markets. Am I destined for disappointment? Maybe it's too close to the end of the school year and I'm going to get a college town with rivers of jungle juice flowing?
I'll be visiting the Soul Twin. You remember our trip to Florida, right?
But I'm a working girl so, naturally, I'm bringing a half-ton of books with me. Here's the stack:
The Bright Young Things you see is a sampler of Anna Godbersen's new series* (my love of The Luxe is well-documented here, here, and here). Naturally, this isn't for me (I read it already) - I'm bringing this one for the Soul Twin. I got her hooked on Anna Godbersen's stuff ages ago and now I'm her pusher.
All the other kids' books? That's my reading for work. When you all stop by our booth at ALA Annual and ask me what's good I need to have read the books, right? So this is all for you.
I bought A Time for Gifts after reading "Frugal Europe, on Foot" in the New York Times. I'm about halfway through and I just adore it. The writing is lyrical but not overwrought - he doesn't try too hard. It also has that wonderful aspect where Fermor clearly wrote the book post-trip, bringing all those memories back to the surface, so that the characters and details are a little fuzzy. He may not remember their names or faces but, ah, he remembers how he felt when he was with them.
Naturally, it has lots of food in it. And there's a huge focus on the idea of food as community - it brings Fermor and strangers together as only communal dining can. I loved this:
Off I go! See you next week!
Eat, drink, and savor great writing.
* Read The Compulsive Reader's discussion on the cover.
I'll be visiting the Soul Twin. You remember our trip to Florida, right?
But I'm a working girl so, naturally, I'm bringing a half-ton of books with me. Here's the stack:
The Bright Young Things you see is a sampler of Anna Godbersen's new series* (my love of The Luxe is well-documented here, here, and here). Naturally, this isn't for me (I read it already) - I'm bringing this one for the Soul Twin. I got her hooked on Anna Godbersen's stuff ages ago and now I'm her pusher.
All the other kids' books? That's my reading for work. When you all stop by our booth at ALA Annual and ask me what's good I need to have read the books, right? So this is all for you.
I bought A Time for Gifts after reading "Frugal Europe, on Foot" in the New York Times. I'm about halfway through and I just adore it. The writing is lyrical but not overwrought - he doesn't try too hard. It also has that wonderful aspect where Fermor clearly wrote the book post-trip, bringing all those memories back to the surface, so that the characters and details are a little fuzzy. He may not remember their names or faces but, ah, he remembers how he felt when he was with them.
Naturally, it has lots of food in it. And there's a huge focus on the idea of food as community - it brings Fermor and strangers together as only communal dining can. I loved this:
Beer, carraway seed, beeswax, coffee, pine-logs and melting snow combined with the smoke of thick, short cigars in a benign aroma across which ever so often the ghost of sauerkraut would float.I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "'The ghost of sauerkraut'? What the hell?" But just stop and think about it...isn't that a gorgeous way to describe the acidic tang that interrupts all those warm, smoky scents? I just thought it was a beautiful passage.
Off I go! See you next week!
Eat, drink, and savor great writing.
* Read The Compulsive Reader's discussion on the cover.
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