SAY, "CHEESE" AT FAIRWAY MARKET

Fairway Market has a vast array of cheeses. What I love about Fairway is that they have two areas of cheese, one of which is already packages and just across are loads for you to be able to taste before you buy. If you're not sure of what ilk of cheese you want, the person behind the counter will give you suggestions if you give some palate taste, which animal (cow, sheep, or goat)and perhaps the use. You're looking at hard cheeses for grating, firm for slicing up or melting, and soft cheeses that you may want to spread on a cracker.

I do not know cheese. I grew up on either slices of "American Cheese", which is now considered to be a "cheese food" and the grilled or mac and cheese option of Velveta...another "cheese food". Over the years I have tasted many, going to Cabot Creamery in Vermont for various cheddars, and to an Italian market for mozzarella and the grating kind, since cheese is sprinkled on so many Italian dishes.

Steve Jenkins is the Cheesemonger for all of the Fairway Markets. I have yet to meet and interview him. What I wanted to see is whether the employees who work behind the counter in Douglaston were knowledgeable. Each time I've been to that Fairway I would go to the counter and ask for recommendations and taste.

Gary is the Cheesemonger at the Douglaston store. I asked for a Mac and Cheese suggestion and rather than just one cheese, he pulled these four: Cantal – French Semi-Hard Cow’s Milk;Delice Du Jura – French Soft Cow’s Milk;Swiss Gruyere Switzerland Hard Cow’s Milk; and Australian Cheddar – England Hard Cow’s Milk. I got the mouth sense of how the combination would fall. I made the Mac and Cheese for dinner to find out if Gary was "on the money"...he certainly was! One great thing about this is that I can freeze the leftovers as you basically can't freeze cheese.

There was one day that I requested a cheese tasting of one's made from Sheep's Milk. Jose offered: 16 Month Aged Manchego, from Spain; Moliterno With Truffles, from Italy; Queso Idiazabal, from Spain; and Prince De Claverolle, from France.

I caught Jose another day, saying that I was having a cheese tasting at home.
Vento D’Estate, cow's milk from Italy; Rustico With Lemon, sheep's milk from Italy;
Pyrenees Bethmale, cow's milk from France; President Wisconsin Brie, cow's milk from the USA; Drunken Goat, from Spain; Moulis Brebis, sheep's milk from France; and Idiazabal, sheep's milk from Spain

Back to shop, Rich was helping me with some dessert cheeses: Ricotta With Lemon (tastes like having a lemon cheesecake without flour), and English Sticky Toffee. I passed on the obvious soft cheeses with fruit.

I called back one day to ask about cheese life, speaking with Lillian. Waxed paper or aluminum foil will keep refrigerated for 2-3 weeks, which is why they use the paper when you're getting it from the counter. If you obtain cheese that is pre-packaged, unless you intend to eat it soon, remove it from the plastic wrap and re-wrap. Hard cheeses, especially ones that are aged for over more than about 15 months, will last a lot longer in the frig.

I certainly can't leave out Cosmo who makes the mozzarella. Fresh is best. Slice it up with the kumato tomatoes, fresh basil and olive oil or balsamic vinegar.

As for the cheese tasting. I did this with two others each having a different palate. We used sesame crackers and apple wine, first tasting it plain. All were great, some better than others regarding my palate.

I had gone online to see what was on sale, or as they call it, "Price Shockers". Eye round roast, $4.99 lb. I had the butcher pull one and slice up for steak portions to freeze. He even repacked it so that I could just toss the whole thing into the freezer.

Best bargain is when they have the ready cooked chickens for $4.99 and they are certainly not puny ones. Plain, herbed, bbq, etc. This day there was a sign that said that for $5.99 you can bring the chicken to the deli counter and get two sides. Descent variety to choose from. My problem is that garlic is used in so many of their cookings...I'm just not a fan of that spicing.

BOSTON DAY 2

After enjoying a fabulous breakfast of fresh fruit, milk, and orange/cranberry scone with cream cheese, I went back onto the Upper Deck bus. This time I got off in Cambridge and switched to another Upper Deck bus for that tour. Harvard Square, MIT and Harvard. I could have departed the bus and walked about but just wanted to relax.

It was the second Italian restaurant, Erbaluce, located on Church Street in the theatre district. The bar had a variety of bitters. I only tasted one that was "citrusy". I met co-owner Joan Johnson and her husband Charles Draghi, the Executive Chef. Rather than do a tasting of items from the menu, I asked the chef if he would do a 7-course tasting of his choice.

If it weren't for how much food I would be eating, I would have indulged on more of the bread and dip. Chef makes his own bread and the dip is made from white beans.

Here is a description of what I so enjoyed eating.

Fish Antipasti
Whole roe scallop marinated in Meyer lemon and olive oil, with a parsley and caper pesto.

Scungilli (local whelks) marinated with mustard, mint, tarragon, and garlic oil.
Duxbury razor clams, steamed Trieste-style with a green peppercorn, fennel, and white wine broth.

Meat Antipasti
Lamb and beef herbed meatballs with a spicy roasted tomato and leek sauce.

Speck with native apples, sesame and mint. Speck is a lightly smoked proscutti.

House-cured Tamworth pork lardo on grilled bruschetta, with house-cured green olives.

Soup
Roasted organic Winter vegetable and beet vellutata with black trumpet mushrooms and fresh marjoram.

Pasta
Roasted potato gnocchi with a ragu of wild boar, rabbit, and lamb braised with red vermouth and pungent herbs.

Fish
Nasello filet, roasted in red Swiss chard, with an organic carrot and anise hyssop sauce.

Meat
Rack of wild boar, slow-roasted over wine corks, with a wild Concord grape and lavender mosto.

Dessert
Giandjua (a chocolate and hazelnut truffle) with a sauce of native apples and mace, and Piemontese hazelnuts.

Herb blossom honey panna cotta, with an Italian tart cherry sauce seasoned with cassia.

Truffles
Dark chocolate truffles flavored with aged balsamico and rose geranium.

Dried fruit and marzipan truffles with sesame and orange flower water.


The photos and video will relate further! It was as if I were actually in Italy eating the local fare from a classy restaurant.

LET'S GO TO BOB'S PLACE

Bob Manning has been in the restaurant business for several years and well-known for owning Gebhardt's, a German eatery in the Glendale section of Queens. The restaurant itself had such a long time following since it opened in 1933 that even after it closed some years ago, people still wind up standing in front of the building, calling a Long Island phone number and asking, "Are you open? It looks dark. There are no lights on." The reason is that Bob having first taken over in 1985, moved to Floral Park, a town that sits on the Queens border and no one has yet claimed that Myrtle Avenue spot.

Bob then found that the German cuisine just didn't fit the neighborhood changing it in 2007 to what may be described as American eclectic with varied cuisines. The name? It also seemed that when it was called Gebhardt's most people would say, "Hey, let's go to Bob's place". Thus the name Bob's Place paired with the "food that tastes good" cuisine. I mean think about "American" food as now be a conglomerate of "ethnicities".

When you go to 230 Jericho Turnpike you'll find both the exterior and interior of an "old world" decor with wood and high ceilings. The crux of the restaurant is on the main floor and step-up second level and a cozy bar meets your view upon entering.

It looks as though there is a second floor with windows. Part of it hosts the offices while that other lends room for a private party of 20. There is another private room past the bar for a larger group of 75.

Needless to say all doesn't matter if the food is good. In checking out the Fall menu I requested a tasting from their Executive Chef Jeff Eustler.

A bread basket with a few choices is accompanied by a dish of olive caponata and an whipped herb butter. The combination of both spread on a slice of olive bread was addicting. Since chef's tend to prepare a small appetizer that's off the menu, this one was a vegetable pate in a gelatin topped with thin slices of raw tuna in the shape of a flower. Vegetables were separated and for me, there is no way that the bitter taste of broccoli rabe will ever be enjoyed.

The first tasting plate of appetizers had: Beet Salad - roasted beets (I love the taste and texture of fresh beets), Granny Smith apples, watercress, walnuts, bleu cheese in a vinaigrette; Bob's Chopped Salad - mixed greens, roasted peppers, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, calamatta olives, fresh mozzarella, tossed in a white balsamic olive oil dressing (It's easier to eat a chopped salad with a spoon to get all of the ingredients in one bite); Saki Clams - baked whole clams with pancetta, sweet peppers, scallions, sesame oil (great combination to bring out the taste of the clams); Steamed Vegetable and Shrimp Dumplings - miso bok choy, ponzu dipping sauce (I could be eating at a Chinese restaurant); Crispy Calamari - cilantro, sweet and spicy serachi and marinara sauce for dipping (perfectly cooked calamari and zesty sauces); Crabmeat Napolean - blue crab claw, avocado (Certainly a lot different than the bakery ilk).

Rather than the full entrees with their side dishes, the tasting plate featured the main ingredient. Miso Atlantic Salmon - sweet and sour plum glaze over Forbidden Rice (salmon was obviously fresh and the chef made a smart move obtaining that nutty, short-grained, black Forbidden Rice from Lotus Foods. Long Island Duckling Ravioli (Both the ravioli and sauce twittered my taste buds). Roasted Acorn Squash with Fall vegetables. Ale Braised Beef Shortribs (Couldn't have been softer). Panko crusted Rack of Lamb (cooked just the right temperature)with corn fricassee.

I stopped in for lunch at a later date ordering the Chicken Pot Pie. It's an item that I tend to avoid out of disappointment. I mean, how fresh can the ingredients be let alone the taste? The dish arrived to view a thick mound of an extremely flaky pastry, which I was able to lift off and reveal the ingredients. The chicken was sliced, the peas were from the pod, carrots were freshly diced and the gravy was just thick enough to meet the standards of being a "pot pie". I had to ask Jeff why the gravy was so delicious. He said that finely chopped herbs went into the chicken stock.

Out came the dessert plate. A picture is worth a thousand calories. My two favorites were the Crispy Banana Cheesecake and the Berries Napolean of which the contents depends upon the fresh berries or other fruit that day.

Restaurants tend to give you a mint with your check. Not Bob's! Instead you get a tiny cone with a rainbow sorbet.

Checking Out Food At A Restaurant

I recently went to a restaurant to do some food tasting. I'm not going to reveal the name of the restaurant at this time as the menu is going to change. I met the chef and took photos of what I sampled. Esther loved the food as well.

My Mystic Trip continued

I wanted to throw in a few photos and video from when I visited The Spa at Norwich Inn. I ate at their Kensington Restaurant. Here's is photo of one of the entrees (below). I was also there to check out same-sex weddings and did a tasting. So here is a food photo as well of an entree. I just couldn't help wanting to video the bathroom located on the main floor of the inn. It just made me laugh.