Connecticut
Peach Melba: L’escale
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here. Not because I haven’t had anything to say, I’ve had a whole bunch of issues on the administrative side of my website and haven’t physically been able to post anything! The whole website was down for a few days, so I want to apologize to anyone who attempted to access my site and had difficulty. I think I got all of the kinks worked out. My technology skills aren’t exactly fantastic, but I’ll try to catch you up on some adventures that occurred over the past couple weeks.
My mom and I went on our annual girls trip to Greenwich, Ct. The first night we had planned to go to a restaurant on the famous Greenwich Ave called Harvest. I say planned because it didn’t end up happening. When we checked into the hotel, the sky started to fall… literally. It was hail storming and the skies were black. With no intention of venturing into the exterior climate, we made a game time decision to cancel our reservation and eat dinner at the hotel instead.
L’escale is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Greenwich. It’s a gorgeous restaurant, very elegant decor with candles everywhere and grand chandeliers. The menu provides a great representation of the atmosphere offering pasta, meat, and fish entrees with fresh local ingredients. L’escale is a great place for groups celebrating special events like birthdays or graduations as well as providing an intimate setting for parties of two.
One of these intimate parties who arrived for dinner that evening was my mom and I. So Awkward! First of all, we were in the most basic attire ever, like tee-shirts and jeans. I was actually wearing Converse sneakers. We were the only people in the entire restaurant wearing jeans. Sport jackets, Khaki pants, dresses, and high heels were all the rage inside of L’escale. Feeling like two schmucks, we walked in and took our seats in the back hidden corner that felt like a steam room. Humid air was pumping out directly at our table. A manager (I assume) came over to us and asked if we wanted to move seats, which was really nice. Our new table was more towards the middle of the restaurant. It was a small round table with the place settings next to each other looking out into the restaurant. My mom and I had a very lovely, romantic dinner. You know the table that the bride and groom sit at during the wedding reception? That’s what it reminded me of.
Completely underdressed and uncomfortable, we laughed at the whole situation. I ordered a watermelon salad that had ricotta and tomato. I liked it a lot, though the ricotta was cubed and looked more like pieces of tofu. For my entree I had ricotta ravioli, because I live for cheese. I liked that also. Our desserts on the other hand left much to be desired. The dessert menu sounded fantastic so we decided to pick two, the Peach Melba and Dame Blanche. The Peach Melba was pretty self explanatory in that it was vanilla ice cream, peaches, Melba sauce, and almonds. It looked outstanding and we couldn’t wait to try it, but it tasted a bit more like or during a Peach Melba at an Applebee’s. Not very flavorful and pretty generic. The Dame Blanche looked like a glass of chocolate heaven. Layers of chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and candied almonds. The first few bites were delicious and chocolatey, and then I began to realize that I could have bought some Haagen Dazs and Duncan Hines brownie mix and made my own. Hashtag Basic.
I have to say, I was being a bit extra critical of the food since L’escale has been given such high praise. I think if these desserts were at a less noteworthy restaurant, I’d have thought they were excellent. The scale is a bit tipped in this critique, but the fact that there was a woman wearing a full fledged floor length dress (it was not a maxi dress, it was fancy) a few tables over from me, the girl with the greasy hair remains true. If you had a black-tie wedding, her outfit would be appropriate. If you were getting over a cold and had to go to the DMV, my outfit would be appropriate. Welcome to my life.
Tomato and Buratta: Harvest
As it turns out, we ended up eating lunch at Harvest the following afternoon and that place was really great. Well, the service was a bit strange, but the food was terrific. I had a burrata and tomato salad with a fresh squeezed apple juice (because I’m a 5 year old) and I loved it. They use high quality ingredients and you can tell. The balsamic vinegar drizzled over the salad was like fresh off the boat from Italy, delicious.
We might have been inside the restaurant for approximately an hour and a half. I’m actually not really sure, we lost track after our toenails needed a trim for the second time around. Once our table was cleared, the waiter came over and asked if we wanted anything else, to which we responded, “No thank you,” a general prompt for the check during a busy lunch hour when people are waiting for tables. Not here though! We sat and sat and then we sat more. At first we didn’t mind because it was so hot outside and we were in the a/c.
Then the ants in our pants started crawling around and we needed to get out of there. Of course our waiter hadn’t been seen anywhere near our table for a good twenty minutes, so we finally just ask anyone for the check. The check comes, it’s propped up on the table, like literally could not be more obvious that we wanted them to take it and charge the credit card. I swear to you, Father Time was getting impatient. Finally, we are able to get out of the restaurant, though I was almost ready for my next meal at that point.
In addition to L’escale and Harvest, we ate at several other restaurants during our girls trip:
Le Pain Quotidien
The Granola Bar
Versaille
East End
Blackstones Steakhouse
Mediterraneo
La Fenice
Pinkberry
B. Good
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Get Yourself An OmniRest
This past weekend I had to deal with a not so wonderful cold. I was all stuffed up and none of the food I was eating tasted right (the worst symptom of all!). Tea was my new best friend until my parents were about to pick up the necessary ingredients to make homemade chicken soup. Chicken soup always makes me feel better! Since I was staying at their house, I was lucky enough to have my mom make me a fresh batch and she was lucky enough to get to try my new kitchen essential, the OmniRest!
If you haven’t heard of OmniRest before, you’ll be glad to be reading this now! OmniRest is a silicone mat for the kitchen countertop that can be used as a spoon rest and trivet while cooking. It helps to keep your workspace clean and organized. This is an especially useful tool to have when making soup! The silicone rectangle has four oval slots for various utensils. You can even use these spaces to separate ingredients while cooking.
Making chicken soup this weekend was a much more organized experience than usual with the use of OmniRest. The ladle, wooden spoon, and tongs could all be placed on the same space instead of causing drips on the floor or the counter. Personally, I’d prefer to place a piece of 12″ x 10″ silicone in the dishwasher than have to wipe down an entire counter after preparing a meal.
If you want to learn more about OmniRest, you can visit their website at https://theomnirest.com/. You can purchase OmniRest on Amazon.com at this link: www.amazon.com/OmniRest and it’s available for Amazon Prime!
After a bit of rest, some tea, and some soup, I am feeling all better! My mom has decided an OmniRest is worth the investment for the kitchen, since I’ll be taking mine home with me! Plus, we couldn’t overlook the fact that OmniRest donates 5% of their proceeds to Feeding America. By purchasing an OmniRest you are helping yourself in the kitchen as well as helping to provide hunger relief across the United States. I call that a win-win, so go get yourself an OmniRest!
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An APE At A Concert
Concert Food! @schoolofrockusa @daltonrapattoni @sophierapattoni @hlballroom
Ever been to a concert? If the answer is “no” we can’t be friends. As a young thing, I LOVED going to concerts. Throughout high school and college I jumped at every chance I could to see a live performance. This was especially pleasing to my dad, who somehow managed to be the chaperone to the majority of the shows I went to before I was able to drive. I’ll bet his favorite event was probably the time he made friends with a security guard at a New Found Glory/Blink 182 concert and the guy gave him a set of ear plugs. (Thanks for taking me dad! I love you!)
As much as I love concerts, I tend to get major anxiety around food preparedness. Does the show time conflict with normal dinner hours? If yes, I will need to plan ahead to decide if I should eat before or after. Does the place offer any food? The answer to that questions depends on the venue. A concert at Yankee Stadium has tons of food vendors, so you can have a cheeseburger and watch Beyonce. A restaurant/lounge venue generally offers a decent sized menu that can be brought to the table, assuming you are seated at a table. But, what about all of those “standing room only” and “general admission” concerts? It seems unlikely that I’ll be “throwin’ diamonds in the sky” while trying to twirl up some spaghetti and meatballs in a bowl.
This past Monday, July 25th, 2016 I was at the Highline Ballroom in NYC to see a concert and to eat dinner. I had a plan and I didn’t have anxiety about what time I would eat, where I would eat, or what to do with the fork and knife while “raising da roof” with a few hundred people. When I purchased my ticket for the show a few months ago, I noticed that it said, “full menu available.” That seemed a bit strange to me, like am I going to have Steak Frites in the middle of a mosh pit?! (Because I’d sort of be okay with that if no one touched my food.) I did a bit of research and learned that at Highline Ballroom, there is a “standing menu” available during concerts. This means all of the food offered on the menu is prepared and served in a way that can be eaten standing up and do not require utensils. Now, you can “cut loose, footloose” while enjoying your dinner.
Upon arrival at the venue, I headed straight to the bar and asked for a menu, because I was huun-gryy. I decided on the beef sliders with pimento cheese and jalapeños. The sliders also came with french fries (SCORE!). As I waited for my food to come out, I involuntarily bobbed my head around and tapped my feet to the band on stage, the kids from School of Rock, Bedford Hills. When my food arrived, the School of Rock Summer Tour had just come out to perform their set. I had two thoughts, “wow those kids are really good,” and “wow these fries are really good.” Seriously, I was like a pig in shit! The french fries were awesome. Both the fries and sliders came in a cardboard “to-go” box making it easy to carry. There was even a cup full of ketchup inside! Now, if I’m going to be completely honest with you, I have to tell you that I took the jalapeños off the sliders before eating them. But, that’s because I don’t like spicy things! With the removal of my spicy enemy, I was able to rip into the sliders like Ozzy Osbourne did to that bat! (Rock ‘N Roll, am I right?!)
Full beyond belief, I was now ready to immerse myself in the crowd. Slightly concerned I may throw up, I contained my “moving and grooving” for a little while. Pretty much until Dalton Rapattoni came out with Prince’s, “Let’s Go Crazy.” I mean, the song is literally telling me to go crazy, so screw you digestion! It was great! The School of Rock Summer Tour performed with Dalton for the rest of the show, including a special guest, his sister, Sophie Rapattoni. Dalton and Sophie sang an acoustic duet before reconvening with the band. It was pretty epic.
Monday was really an awesome adventure. I didn’t have to worry about finding dinner and the dinner that I had was delicious. Plus, the concert itself was a lot of fun and every performance was incredible. This is including the band from School of Rock, Wayne who closed out the night. So, if you have any future plans to go to Highline Ballroom take me with you! Any place that has great food and entertainment at the same time is worth multiple re-visits! “Put ya hands in the air, like you don’t care!”
@daltonrapattoni @sophierapattoni @schoolofrockusa @hlballroom
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A Tale Of Gilligan’s Island
“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from my driveway,
Aboard my father’s whip.
My dad was a mighty stubborn man,
My mom and I unsure
Three passengers hit the road that day,
For a meal one can’t endure.
A meal one can’t endure.
The parking lot was getting rough,
Our moods becoming cross
If not for the hunger in the fearless crew,
Our dinner would be lost.
Our dinner would be lost.
We finally find a parking spot on this uncharted desert isle,
At Gilligans,
Will we eat food?
Using a fork and a knife.
We ordered food,
Looking around cautiously,
here at Gilligan’s, it’s vile.
So this is a tale without any praise
Of a dinner that was not fine,
I’ll have to make the best of things,
As I wait for my meal to dine.
The lettuce and the dressing too
Were the opposite of best,
Then tasting my calzone and sauce,
Was making me depressed.
No taste, no flavor, no atmosphere
Not a single good piece of cheese,
Like eating frozen dinners
It’s primitive as can be.
So listen close to me my friends,
Or dinner won’t create a smile
From a girl who listened to her dad,
And gave Gilligan’s a trial!”
My parents and I went to a restaurant called Gilligan’s last week. It was an extremely poor experience. I felt the best way to express myself was through song.
Honestly, the inside of the restaurant was dirty, like, “my butt is sticking to the seat” kind of dirty. Plus, the food was terrible. I don’t like to say negative things, but I can’t help it this time. I ordered Mozzarella Sticks, a Caesar Salad, and a Calzone. Granted it’s a seafood restaurants, and since I don’t eat seafood these seemed like pretty safe bets. The Mozzarella sticks were the same ones you can buy at a wholesale store, with that freezer burnt taste. The Calzone was a huge pile of bread, any kind of bread, certainly not pizza bread, stuffed with an entire cow’s worth of cheese. Normally I enjoy that much cheese, but it was not very good. I also got to have the same frozen marinara sauce again.
I can’t comment much on the Caesar Salad, as it was only in my mouth for about 5 seconds. What I can say is that I don’t recall ever seeing a “clear” caesar dressing before, in my life. That scared the crap out of me. I swear I thought it was Semen Salad instead of Caesar Salad. The entire plate, including the lettuce, was a few degrees above room temperature, so when it hit my mouth and was warm, it was immediately spit it back out onto my bread plate. That wasn’t happening for me anymore.
Without mentioning the issues with my parents’ food (cough cough a hair in my mom’s salad), the real highlight of the evening was the dirty drinking glass left on our table from someone else. Our waiter came by to see how everything was (no comment) and he had a mostly empty glass in his hand that I saw him pick up from another table. When we told him we were done eating, he set the glass down about 1.5 inches from my glass, and began clearing our plates. With full hands, he left, leaving the other person’s glass on our table.
In closing, I’d like to say that I did not want to have dinner here in the first place and I was right. I don’t even have a single picture to add to this post, because my brain was thinking, “let’s get out of here,” and not, “you may want to write about this experience, take some pictures.” Sorry if you wanted to see the Semen Salad. 🙁
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilligan%27s_Island
