What are you eating?

[SonicMan46]

I'm really impressed Dave. Most husbands, whose wives were out for the evening, would heat up a TV dinner. Not you! 

P.S. Mrs. Rock wants to know what the brown things are sticking out of your salad. Bread?

Hello, Sarge!  Just some low cal/fat whole grain crackers covered w/ sesame seeds - quite tasty!

Well, the dinners that I make for myself are pretty easy & quick, but tasty!  In fact, that was one of the best lobsters that I've bought locally - came out nice & RED; my 'gold standard' are the lobsters that we've had in Maine & Nova Scotia - colder waters, fresh caught, etc. - just superb up there, so I'm pleased when one comes out as well in North Carolina!     Dave   P.S. did like your dish 'published' in the listening thread!   

[SonicMan46]

Well, a dinner that we don't do that often (but always enjoy) - of course, living in North Carolina - pig barbecue is a favorite around here (several different styles in the state, but Lexington style is the local choice) - so, tonight, wife (Susan) drove up the road (about 5 mins. from the house) to pick up a pound of coarse chopped pig meat w/ several different cole slaws (we skipped the buns, hush puppies, fries - not that they are bad!) - 

The place is called Little Richard's Bar-B-Que - long smoked & chopped on the premises - probably the premier place in the city for this food; the cole slaws are finely chopped and come in two styles - standard white (which I prefer - I add a BUNCH of celery seeds) & barbecue flavored (which Susan likes best) - now, she is a Jewish gal, but loves that PIG MEAT! 

CLICK on the image for a brief description of the cooking/chopping process - actually, there is a book & a PBS show made on North Carolina barbecue places, if you ever visit the state & like that food - 

[toledobass]

Well, a dinner that we don't do that often (but always enjoy) - of course, living in North Carolina - pig barbecue is a favorite around here (several different styles in the state, but Lexington style is the local choice) - so, tonight, wife (Susan) drove up the road (about 5 mins. from the house) to pick up a pound of coarse chopped pig meat w/ several different cole slaws (we skipped the buns, hush puppies, fries - not that they are bad!) - 

The place is called Little Richard's Bar-B-Que - long smoked & chopped on the premises - probably the premier place in the city for this food; the cole slaws are finely chopped and come in two styles - standard white (which I prefer - I add a BUNCH of celery seeds) & barbecue flavored (which Susan likes best) - now, she is a Jewish gal, but loves that PIG MEAT! 

CLICK on the image for a brief description of the cooking/chopping process - actually, there is a book & a PBS show made on North Carolina barbecue places, if you ever visit the state & like that food - 

Damn you Dave!!!!! That kind of post just shouldn't be allowed......

Allan

[SonicMan46]

Damn you Dave!!!!! That kind of post just shouldn't be allowed......

Allan - LOL!    From your reaction above, I perceive that you enjoy the REAL THING! 

If so, I'm sure that you would love this great PIG MEAT!  Susan also loves to 'munch on' ribs but not offered at Little Richard's BBQ; however, up the road about 5 mins is our 'Mountain Bistro' which offers a long rack of 'Baby Back Ribs', smoked & w/ a delicious BBQ sauce - the meat just falls off the bones, tender & juicy, and w/ just a cornucopia of flavors - some tasty eating! 

[SonicMan46]

Just looked at this thread - boy, no posts in over a week! 

Just returned from a 3-night long weekend to our favorite 'quick' mountain get-away - Blowing Rock, NC near Boone - about a 90 min drive from our home in the Piedmont.

For those who might be travelling through the mid-Atlantic states, the Blue Ridge Mtns & Parkway are a definite must!  Blowing Rock (small) & Asheville (a larger city) are two major attractions - the places we dined at on the trip can certainly be recommended:

Storie Street Grille - right on Main Street (just about 3 blocks or so) - started out w/ a wonderful fresh greens salad w/ a homemade dressing; main course absolutely fresh North Carolina trout w/ rice & a veggie - couple of glasses of NZ Sauvignon Blanc; Susan tried their award-winning Andy's Espresso & Ale Braised SHORT RIBS - quite a treat for her! 

The Best Cellar - have probably eaten at this place a half dozen times - highly recommended!  Shared a wonderful 'lumped crabmeat' appetizer; excellent salad; rare grilled tuna steak w/ a wasabi/soy sauce - just pefect!  Couple of glasses of Pinot Noir - my fav w/ tuna!

Rowland's @ Westglow Spa - this is one of the top-rated spas in the world (yes, hard to believe but true; quite expensive - we just go there to eat 'lightly') - offers a 'regular' & a 'spa' menu (the latter, smaller portions & lesser calories - my appetizer + main course was about 300 cals only - all that information is provided in the menu); started out w/ the Hawaiian Blue Spot Prawns (Grilled Sourdough, Tomato, Edamame, Garlic) followed by Tournedo of Elk Au Poivre w/ Carrot Puree, Baby green beans; shared a wonderful cheese course for dessert!

Plenty of more excellent places to eat at in & around Blowing Rock - let me know if you plan to vist! 

[ChamberNut]

Chocolate covered coffee beans.

Warning:  Eating more than 3 or 4 of these may cause rapid heart beats and increase in frenetic energy.   

[bhodges]

Chocolate covered coffee beans.

Warning:  Eating more than 3 or 4 of these may cause rapid heart beats and increase in frenetic energy.   

Those are delicious.  I got a box as a gift awhile back, and almost devoured the entire container in one sitting.  (Not a good idea.)

--Bruce

[M forever]

M had a great seafood day today. 

I had to drive all the way to Portland, Maine, today because a customer there had a serious technical problem. I dreaded the long and boring drive (2 1/4- 2 1/2 h each way), so I called the M girlfriend and asked her if she could spontaneously take the rest of the day off and come with me. She could, so I picked her up and we headed north to Maine, which is of course known for its seafood, especially lobster which is harvested from the sea right there. So when we arrived, we first had a light snack in the form of fried clams and mussels, then I went to look at that problem which took less than 1 1/2 h while the lady wandered around town on the lookout for local antiques and artwork shops and galleries (she is an interior decorator and apparently has an inbuilt radar to find these kind of places), then we took off and found a nice beach area to talk a long walk and then we headed back towards Boston, but only a little bit, and went to a seafood restaurant a friend had recommended.

Believe it or not, before today, M had never eaten an actual lobster! Bits of lobster meat in seafood dishes and on seafood buffets (but these never tasted really good, so I always wondered why people are so crazy about lobster, but I also suspected that the stuff was simply not really fresh), but never the whole thing as it comes out of the sea!

So, after sharing a bowl of steamed mussels in a garlic and white wine sauce, we each had *a whole lobster*, the complete thing in its armor, lying there on the plate, staring at me. I had never cracked one open (or "shucked" it as they say), but luckily, the aprons they handed us came with complete instructions printed on them. And the aprons were *very necessary*. But it was great. It tasted great and it was a lot of fun to disassemble the thing, and all that with my favorite lady, so what more can you ask for?

[Bonehelm]

M had a great seafood day today. 

I had to drive all the way to Portland, Maine, today because a customer there had a serious technical problem. I dreaded the long and boring drive (2 1/4- 2 1/2 h each way), so I called the M girlfriend and asked her if she could spontaneously take the rest of the day off and come with me. She could, so I picked her up and we headed north to Maine, which is of course known for its seafood, especially lobster which is harvested from the sea right there. So when we arrived, we first had a light snack in the form of fried clams and mussels, then I went to look at that problem which took less than 1 1/2 h while the lady wandered around town on the lookout for local antiques and artwork shops and galleries (she is an interior decorator and apparently has an inbuilt radar to find these kind of places), then we took off and found a nice beach area to talk a long walk and then we headed back towards Boston, but only a little bit, and went to a seafood restaurant a friend had recommended.

Believe it or not, before today, M had never eaten an actual lobster! Bits of lobster meat in seafood dishes and on seafood buffets (but these never tasted really good, so I always wondered why people are so crazy about lobster, but I also suspected that the stuff was simply not really fresh), but never the whole thing as it comes out of the sea!

So, after sharing a bowl of steamed mussels in a garlic and white wine sauce, we each had *a whole lobster*, the complete thing in its armor, lying there on the plate, staring at me. I had never cracked one open (or "shucked" it as they say), but luckily, the aprons they handed us came with complete instructions printed on them. And the aprons were *very necessary*. But it was great. It tasted great and it was a lot of fun to disassemble the thing, and all that with my favorite lady, so what more can you ask for?

An Elgarian vibrational field.

[SonicMan46]

M had a great seafood day today. 

Believe it or not, before today, M had never eaten an actual lobster! Bits of lobster meat in seafood dishes and on seafood buffets (but these never tasted really good, so I always wondered why people are so crazy about lobster, but I also suspected that the stuff was simply not really fresh), but never the whole thing as it comes out of the sea!

So, after sharing a bowl of steamed mussels in a garlic and white wine sauce, we each had *a whole lobster*, the complete thing in its armor, lying there on the plate, staring at me. I had never cracked one open (or "shucked" it as they say), but luckily, the aprons they handed us came with complete instructions printed on them. And the aprons were *very necessary*. But it was great. It tasted great and it was a lot of fun to disassemble the thing, and all that with my favorite lady, so what more can you ask for?

Well, M - you may be 'hooked' for life (i.e. to eating lobster and/or your girlfriend!  ) - as said before in these pages (and w/ a number of lobster pics), I've eaten MUCHO lobsters in my life, but the best experiences have come in Maine & Nova Scotia (although there have been plenty of glorious moments otherwise) - 

[M forever]

It tasted really good but I obviously don't have much comparison, so I can't say how much better than other lobster it was or how good it was in terms of Maine quality. I really liked it but I think I still like oysters better (oysters are my big guilty pleasure, pretty much the only thing I am willing to spontaneously spend a lot of money on...).

[SonicMan46]

It tasted really good but I obviously don't have much comparison, so I can't say how much better than other lobster it was or how good it was in terms of Maine quality. I really liked it but I think I still like oysters better (oysters are my big guilty pleasure, pretty much the only thing I am willing to spontaneously spend a lot of money on...).

Well, if you visit the pages of this thread often, then you must know my love for shellfish in general, including oysters & crabs - our last bit FEAST for oysters was on a trip to Richmond, VA last month - wife & I love virtually any type of oyster, but we are particularly fond of those from Prince Edward Island and also the wide variety from the Pacific Northwest area - now having an 'oyster withdrawal' experience - must correct that soon! 

[Lilas Pastia]

Malpeque oysters are terrific. On the shell preferably, but I love them deep fried too.

Deep fried cod tongues are also a delicacy ( with tartar sauce and tossed salad  ).

[SonicMan46]

Just returned from an 'overnight' stay in the Raleigh area - short post in the 'vacation thread' - went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, part of a travelling exhibit - had a wonderful dinner last night & lunch today:

Dinner at Herons in theUmstead Resort & Spa, our hotel night - if interested & travelling to the area, click through the dinner menu (PDF file) - not cheap but the service, food, and presentation are superlative - there are just a 'handful' of restaurants that we've eaten at in North Carolina that matches this one - a unique dining experience.  We shared the Heron Trio appetizer (tuna tartare, duck prosciutto, & goat cheese terrine), had two different but delicious salads, and I the the grilled wahoo w/ an asparagus/mushroom/lobster based sauce/veggie - for dessert, shared a superb cheese course.

Lunch at The Crossroads in the historic Carolina Inn located in Chapel Hill (on the way home) - wonderful cooking w/ really a southern flare!  Both started out w/ a cold soup, a clear gazpacho w/ a little heat and some subtle flavors - wife had a lightly cornbreaded fried catfish on some cheezy grits and a wonderful sauce w/ deliciously combined ingredients, including andouille sausage (just little bits to add flavor); I had salmon on top of couscous, also w/ a superb, flavorful sauce - ended the meal by sharing a blueberry oatmeal crisp w/ homemade serbert! 


 

[M forever]

What's a goat cheese terrine?

[SonicMan46]

What's a goat cheese terrine?

Well, we were not sure, either!     The terrine came as a chilled rectangular light-colored dish w/ a pudding texture - usually I think of a terrine as a pate-like preparation but w/ more coarse ingredients (game, nuts, etc.) - this dish was fairly bland w/ a cheesy/tomatoe taste - the tuna tartar was our favorite of that trio of appetizers - 

[toledobass]

I'm up in Bar Harbour and so far I've had a lobster and some fired clams.  Two things I must get as soon as I arrive.  Sometime early this week I'll make the trip out to the Trenton Lobster Pound for some steamers.  I guess I'll give the lobster roll another shot this year too.  I was totally underwhelmed by it last year.  Could've been a case of over hype though.



Allan

[Bogey]

I'm up in Bar Harbour and so far I've had a lobster and some fired clams.  Two things I must get as soon as I arrive.  Sometime early this week I'll make the trip out to the Trenton Lobster Pound for some steamers.  I guess I'll give the lobster roll another shot this year too.  I was totally underwhelmed by it last year.  Could've been a case of over hype though.



Allan

A lobster roll in Trenton!?  You should know better Allan.  Rolls are for when you are just bumping around in Bar Harbor and need a snack to get you by until you can make it down to the bridge for the whole critter.

[Bogey]

And if you do snag one...or two, make sure they look like these numbers:

[SonicMan46]

....I guess I'll give the lobster roll another shot this year too.  I was totally underwhelmed by it last year.  Could've been a case of over hype though....

Allan - boy, try again!    I love lobster rolls, but they really have to be made right - i.e. plenty of lobster meat w/ just enough dressing to hold the meat together + the right kind of 'toasted' bun - delicious (like the one below) - but, hey, can't turn down the 'real thing!' -