edpaffjr.comHarvest season is here and we are finally reaping the rewards of our vegetable garden. So far we have picked a half-dozen or so tomatoes as well as tons of kale. The kale is used to feed Amstel, our pet rabbit, while we have really enjoyed the tomatoes. There is nothing quite like a fresh tomato. So far we had BLT sandwiches last week, and I made a delicious Arrabbiata pasta sauce last night with the remaining tomatoes. The recipe I followed was one that I have used many times before, but I substituted all fresh tomatoes instead of the can. I think it turned out the best yet. I’m still holding out hope for some green peppers, jalapenos, and squash before colder temperatures set it, but I’m not sure it is going to happen. Next year I may have to move the garden to a different location.
Besides going out to eat, I spent the majority of the weekend playing in a hockey tournament. It started off on Friday afternoon, but I had to skip that game since I was still at work. I later found out that we had lost that game with a score around 14-0! Needless to say, the team was not very good, or at least not playing in the right level. This team was assembled quickly to fill an open spot in the top division of the tournament. I didn’t have high hopes for our second game on Friday night, and those expectations were met with a 12-1 loss. We were making improvements, but not quickly enough.
We had two more games on Saturday, one around five in the evening and the next at around nine. The game at five was even better than the other two the day before, and we actually had the early lead! We managed to skate pretty closely with this team, but ended up losing 8-3. Keep in mind that it was much closer than the score indicated, at least through the end of the second period. And for the big finale, well it sort of ended the same way we started. We were easily beaten once again, making our tournament record 0-4. Needless to say, we missed the championship game on Sunday. Besides the results, I had a good time and enjoyed some weekend exercise. Our next season should start-up in a few weeks, and I’m ready to get back on the ice weekly.
Yesterday was our two-year wedding anniversary. To celebrate we choose a restaurant that we hadn’t been to before, Gumbo’s Louisiana Style Cafe. It didn’t hurt that I had bought a coupon a couple of months ago from LivingSocial (similar to Groupon) that gave us $50 of food for the $25 the coupon cost. We had a couple of other ideas for dinner, but those restaurants were all closed on Mondays. Anyway, we arrived between six and six-thirty to find Gumbo’s mostly empty. Again this might be due to it being a Monday, but I was a little surprised. We were seated at a nice booth table and service was very quick.
We had already decided to try some gumbo before ordering meals. Kim went with the chicken and sausage, while I ordered the red beans and rice. Both of these were delicious, though I’d give a slight edge to the chicken and sausage gumbo. The red beans and rice were fairly typical, but not that it’s a bad thing. Our server was excellent, suggesting other beers when the one I had chosen was out of stock, as well as voicing her opinion during the crucial entrée selection. Kim decided to have the pistachio crusted Mahi, which is served over roasted shallot jalapeno cream sauce, topped with sautéed crabmeat and grilled asparagus spears. Our server commented that this was her favorite. I decided to have the blackened chicken pasta, typically served over tomato basil sauce. However, the server recommended that I order it with the mushroom bacon garlic sauce, which I did. Both of our choices were delicious. Well I’m assuming Kim’s was delicious, as I didn’t try it, but she did finish the entire piece of fish. I was glad that I switched the sauce on my pasta, as I thoroughly enjoyed every last bite.
So the food was very good, the price wasn’t overly high, and the service was excellent. I’d definitely recommend this restaurant to any fans of creole food.
After celebrating our friends’ wedding in Newport, Rhode Island, we spent the next day exploring parts of Connecticut. Rhode Island was my forty-fourth visited state, and Massachusetts was number forty-five, making Connecticut number forty-six. Rather than taking the interstate between Newport and Mystic, CT, we drove the entire way on highway 1, which […]
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Does anyone remember that Geico commercial that featured a collect call from Bob Wehadababyitsaboy? I can’t be the only one. Here is a YouTube link if you need a reminder.
Anyway, we are having a baby and it is a boy! We actually found out a few weeks ago, but it was confirmed at yesterdays twenty week appointment. I added some pictures and additional information over on kimandedjr.com to go along with all the entries Kim has added over the last couple of months. Be sure to check it out. Here is one of my favorite images from yesterday.
We spent a considerable amount of time dining out over the weekend. Saturday evening was no exception, when we decided to try the nearby Mecca Grill. This Lebanese restaurant appeared to get mostly favorable reviews, minus one or two that mentioned very slow service. After dining here I can agree with the service being extra slow, but the food was so good that I nearly forgot about the service. We arrived around eight in the evening to find one server outside on the patio chatting with a couple of customers, along with one or two tables of people inside. We walked in and didn’t know if we should seat ourselves or not, but a man who appeared to be the owner came out soon enough and asked us to sit where we liked.
The owner was not only serving as the cook and dishwasher for the evening, but also as baby sitter for what appeared to be his grade school aged son. Needless to say, he had his hands full, so the slow service from him was understandable. However, the whole experience could have been much better had the server who was sitting on the patio actually was doing his job. Eventually he did help out, but at that point it was already too late. Anyway, back to the food. We started with some humus, which was served with plenty of warm pita bread. Kim ordered the vegetarian plate, while I went with the falafel plate. Both of these were excellent selections! Their falafel were perfect, as was the baba ganoush and tabouleh. We were given even more pita bread with our meals that we filled with various ingredients before eating.
If you do decide to try this restaurant, be sure to allot plenty of time for the experience. Though it was slow, the service was friendly, and the food was definitely worth the wait.
My friends Karen and Aaron were married in Newport, Rhode Island at the beautiful Belle Mer Island House a couple of weeks ago. It was a wonderful time with many close friends, wonderful food, and delicious drinks. Before helping them celebrate their wedding vows, we also spent time exploring Newport. We had […]
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Before ducking out of Massachusetts and heading back toward Rhode Island for the wedding a few weekends ago, we made a quick stop in Cambridge to see the Harvard University campus. I didn’t take very many pictures of the campus, but it was cool to see, and we even sat in on a tour […]
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To kick of the weekend Kim and I walked over to The Local Daylight Diner (2217 East Mississippi), a place we had visited once before back at the beginning of July. On that visit, I recall ordering lunch as it was getting late in the morning. I enjoyed the chicken salad sandwich very much, and Kim really enjoyed the crème brûlée oatmeal that she ordered. We both tried different items on this weekend’s visit. I went with the mini Belgian waffles, which are served with a mixed berry compote and fresh whipped cream. I also ordered the signature hash browns, which are covered in green chile and cheese. Kim decided to have an egg sandwich with pepper jack cheese and soyrizo.
Once again the food was great! I would absolutely order the mini Belgian waffles again, and while I did enjoy the signature hash browns somewhat, I would have preferred a little more of a spice to the green chile. Kim remarked that she enjoyed her egg sandwich, but that she should have ordered the egg over hard, as it was very runny upon arrival. The service isn’t the most speedy in the world, but they were definitely busy on our latest visit. There wasn’t an open table both inside or outside on the small patio. This newly opened diner must be doing something right, and we will definitely be back in the future.
While my dad was in town, we also took a drive up to Fort Collins to visit both Odell and New Belgium Brewing Companies. We stopped at Odell first where we sampled twelve different brews (all the regular beers and a flight of pilot brews as well) and then took a very nice tour of their facility. Despite producing some of my favorite brews, I had never taken a tour and I was glad to finally check that off the list. Our second stop was at New Belgium, where reservations are now accepted for tours. I didn’t realize that before my dad’s visit, but we decided to stop anyway and have a few tastes. The waitlist was pretty long for the tours, if there were even any no-shows, so we took the three free sample chips each and headed inside to taste some brews. Next time I will have to plan ahead for any visitors who want to head up north for the tours.
The real highlight of this trip occurred on the way up as we took a small detour over to Lyons, Colorado for lunch at the Oskar Blues Grill & Brew. I’ve driven past this restaurant numerous times on our way to and from Rocky Mountain National Park, and have always wanted to stop in. I figured with my dad in town, this was a perfect opportunity to stop in. We arrived on a quiet Wednesday afternoon and were immediately seated at a booth by the windows. I had my dad sample Dale’s Pale Ale first (another of my favorites), while I opted for the One-Nut Brown Ale. For lunch I decided to try the Turkey Reuben, while my dad picked the Pulled Pork Sandwich, and Kim opted for the Chicken Avocado. The definite highlight was the Chicken Avocado served grilled with bacon, lettuce, tomato, swiss, and guacamole on naan bread. Also delicious were the side of Texas Toothpicks, deep-fried slices of onions and jalapeno, along with the rest of the meals. I didn’t hear any complaints as we nearly cleared all of our plates. I definitely hope to stop again on our next trip through Lyons.
