spring sure is tasty!

this is what happens when you use chemicals to grow your plants

OR

when two strawberries make sweet love

you decide

nicks on broadway

last night i headed off to julians to have a burger and a hard cider, but as i pulled up i saw the line out the door and that the bar (where i sit) was full. i thought about staying and waiting, but with the weather being so soggy lately, i didnt really feel like standing outside.

so i drove off down the road to nicks. id only been once before for breakfast and really enjoyed myself, so i figured id try it again. boy was i ever glad i did!

i still really wanted a cider so i ordered an organic cider from normandy, etienne dupont cidre bouché fermier. not as strong as i had hoped, not like a beer at all. instead it was more like a wine, sharp and sweet with some quite complicated flavors, a delicate nose and tiny champagne like bubbles.

i ordered the chefs tasting menu which was three courses, but i ended up with four. the first was a golden potato and cauliflower soup with olive oil and crème frâiche, which was quite perfect. i could have had a bowl of that and been done for the evening.

next i had a spring asparagus and chicken risotto. the asparagus flavor was very dominant and the asparagus tips were perfectly crunchy. unfortunately i was a tad too salty, but i think that might have been because i was drinking the sweet cider.

the 3rd course was a slow braised pork atop parsnip purée with brandy jus. the sauce and the parsnips were perfection and the pork came with fried skin which made me melt. the pork itself was very dry, but well flavored.

the final course was hereford beef with english peas and mushrooms with what i think was a red wine sauce and smoked salt. with this i had gearys london stout from maine. this was by far the best dish and it seemed as if chef derek wagner knew i was going to order that particular beer. the beef was cooked perfectly and the smoked salt complimented the mushrooms and the sauce perfectly. the smoked salt also added to the chocolate and coffee flavors of the beer which really blew me away. the english peas were quite large and sweet and really lightened the heavy flavors of the dish.

by the time i was done i was so full i thought i might pop! everything was quite tasty and i left completely satisfied. im very glad that i decided against julians and stopped in to dine at nicks! my only regret is that i didnt take any pictures of the food. the plating was quite simple, but eye appealing nonetheless.

its true, i cant help it!

pamplemousse

Oh my goodness, I can't even begin to express how much I love the deliciousness of grapefruit.

My grandmothers neighbor has a grapefruit tree, and to my benefit he isn't able to eat them. When I was living in Florida I would pick to grapefruit off of his tree each morning for breakfast. Sometimes, rather often actually, I would have another grapefruit or two throughout the day. I love them so much! Sometimes while driving to work I would even stop by a nearby house and snatch a few kumquats off of the bush next to their mailbox. Thankfully I never got caught, Floridians don't like you to steal their fruit - even if they won't eat it.

Recently my grandmother has been in a citrus giving mood and has sent me three boxes of his grapefruit! WOO HOO! In total I have received about 100 grapefruit. Each of which have been utterly divine. These have such a robust flavor, slightly sweet, very tart and mildly spicy. Did I mention that I won't share? My grandmother has tried to get me to give a few away, but I wont - not these gems!

I did, however, give away a few of the mini Honeybells she sent to me. By mini I do mean the size of a large navel orange. Apparently the large variety of this orange are the size of a large grapefruit. Sweet as could be, slightly floral and insanely juicy! They were a perfect snack, and I just had to share them with my coworkers.

I haven't had a citrus fruit I haven't enjoyed, and there are quite a few I still would like to try. Most specifically the finger lime. Supposedly the caviar of the citrus world.

To me, eating citrus is like eating sunshine. There isn't a mood so foul that a nice quality orange can't fix. Nary an odor fetid enough that can outshine the bright scent of a lemon. During the bleak winter months it is so refreshing to have a seasonal fruit that reminds you of the summer yet to come.

Hmm, tonight was especially cold so I think it's time for another couple of delicious pink grapefruit!

you cant have your mcrib and eat it too - if youre me

it figures...my first post and its about mac d's.  :-)

when i arrived in colorado for a glorious and much needed winter break i ranted to my best friend about how i had been craving a mcrib sandwich for quite some time.  later that evening i saw on the interweb that the mcrib was going to be re-retired at the end of 08.  i thought, "well damnit, just my luck.  i didnt even know it was even around."  

 a few days later my friend and i were at mac d's getting her a morning coffee and much to my surprise i saw the giant applique sign in the window for the mcrib.  i squealed like a mechanically separated pork product at the thought of having a saucy bbq laden mcrib accompanied by a cold nuclear orange drink.  the little kid in me was doing cartwheels!

three weeks later i still hadnt gotten around to getting that delicious little sandwich, but i figured that once i got back to rhode island i would grab one during my lunch hour.  normally i try to avoid mac d's, but my coworkers are fat kids for french fries, so i knew i could easily make a guilt-free food run.

nope.  didnt happen.  not a chance jack.  they arent selling them here, just as they werent seeling my favorite sweet tea at the mac d's in colorado.  by the way, why would they sell sweet tea to the yanks, but not out west?  its just plain rude not to share!

my gramma would say that its all a conspiracy against old people, but as i am merely thirty i doubt that is the case.

 then what happens?  i read this: http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/209/what_the_fuck_is_a_mcrib.php

lord help me if i start having saucy love dreams!