Yep, we moved a year ago. I haven’t made any hunter friends. We had access to all the venison we could eat before. A nice secret to prep is to marinade the meat in Korean BBQ. Family favorite.
Stone Axe full blood AU wagyu rib eye. BMS 6/7 so not as rich. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Got some catching up to do. Some "meh" meals, some better, a few wins, a near loss... First up...we very rarely go out for dinner given that we live in nowhere USA, but for my birthday we went to Jackson for a music concert and dinner beforehand was in the touristy town square Million Dollar Steakhouse...yup, just a cozy intimate dinner for my wife and I...oh, and a boatload of tourists...oh, and decent beef. I doubled down on meat...bison carpaccio for a starter and a ribeye for the main. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Another meal out was at our local diner. Whenever he goes upscale with the daily special, I show up. That day was grilled lamb chops on a bed of very fall-like beans with onion, arugula in a lamb brodo. Image Unavailable, Please Login
For the next few, I'll go in order from "near fail" to best of the lot... The near fail was clam chowder. We "thought" we had a solid recipe that we have made before. However, we made a couple of (ill-advised) changes this time, and we didn't have whole clams. Result was forgettable. Dessert was, otoh, pretty darn good. My wife made a cobbler with some of the 100+ peaches we have hanging out in my gun shop trying to stay ripe... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Moving on to "meh", was "salad" night. We had made some pretty yummy Curried Chicken Salad, my wife made a yummy Polish red cabbage/apple/carrot salad, and a decent egg salad and I threw some cottage cheese on the plate (as you might have guessed, this was "what do we have to use up before it goes bad night"...) Dessert, once again, was the highlight. This time my wife made Swedish Saffron Lussekatter - a slightly sweet pastry made with saffron threads in the dough. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next up was a "decent" pizza night. I say only decent because we tried a variation on the dough wherein I used some of our stash of fresh block yeast. So the dough was lighter and more silky, but it also cooked faster on the bottom than the top (usually in our oven its the opposite). You will see the outcome of that in the third pizza where the toppings are not cooked all the way, but I had to pull the pizza out of the oven because the bottom of the pizza was getting over-done. (yeah, I played with the heat setting and messed around trying a few things to compensate, but it cooks so fast, there is little room for experimentation in the midst of making pizzas) Still, the old saying is essentially true-enough...there is no such thing as bad pizza...these were still yummy. Pizzas: 1) Margherita - sadly we forgot to get fresh mozzarella and had to settle for shredded from a bag. Not great on a simple Margherita pizza... 2) Spicy Italian Sausage and spicy Calabrese salami 3) Peperoni, olive and onion with some fresh basil thrown on after coming out of the oven Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Last one, burgers tonight was the best of the lot... Ground Snake River Farms Wagyu beef, made into 1/2lb burgers. Added grilled onions on top of the burger and cheddar on top of the onions. Also had the final 12 ears of corn from the local farmer and used those to make a giant batch of Elote. For dessert, my wife made perhaps her favorite reminder of home - Paczki (Rose petal and strawberry jam filled, fresh fried doughnuts) Super Yummy! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mmmm. Those paczki look yummy. With two long hot summers in a row, we haven't had enough roses to make a spoonful of rose petal jam...T
I like carpaccio, but I've always found the meat itself doesn't have much flavor (to me anyways) and the condiments added usually provide the flavor. In that regard, I find bison to be like that, but even more so.
Recently returned from a 2 week journey across UK and northern Italy. Several posts forthcoming to list each restaurant. First up... Hampton Manor Smoke Restaurant in Arden (just outside Birmingham) and down the street from Manor House (former residence of former Prime Minister Robert Peel). https://hamptonmanor.com/smoke/ Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
After dinner whisky at Hampton Manor. https://visitbirmingham.com/information/product-catch-all/hampton-manor-and-peels-restaurant-p1350841 Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Milano 2 (Segrate). My buddy Francesco's regular joint for a quick meal. I had just landed after a 2 hour flight delay. Tired. He suggested this location for a quick bite. Not to disappoint for €72.00. The Mulino dei Pini Restaurant (Restaurant of the Mill of the Pines) https://www.ristoranteilmulinodeipini.com/ Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Began the next day at one of his favorite coffee shops in Milano 2 for a cappuccino and pastries. Then off to Lake Como for sightseeing, lunch near Bellagio, and coffee in Bellagio. https://www.villalario.com/our-kitchen/ (lunch location) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Dinner at La Figerio in Lecco. https://frigeriovinipregiati.it/ristorante-lecco-centro-storico/ Second dish (large pasta tubes) is paccheri pasta with pomodoro, bechamel, and pesto. Third dish is pizzoccheri. Buckwheat pasta with cabbage and potatoes in a cheese (Montasio [like Fontina]) butter sauce. This was beyond amazing. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Lunch the next day. Pasta only local to Bergamo - Casoncelli alla Bergamasca (Typical ravioli of Bergamo filled with salami, spices, amaretto, parmesan cheese and raisins.) Amazing! https://legout.plateform.app/menu/risto Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The absolute winner back in Milan. Bracelleria (no website; their FB page is: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bracelleria-Osteria-Macelleria/100042237135415/?locale=ms_MY ) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Seafood in Venice... super creative, talented young chef. (Need to remember restaurant and link...) Baccala Mantecato (whipped salt cod). Chef made bird from fried fish skins! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
