Back again....As I thought more about this blog idea, I figured it was important to mention the local restaurants where I dine. This past week, I dined at a new Portsmouth eatery: The District . This place fairly new, opening a few weeks ago and taking the place of Pesce Blue. It is right on the corner next to the legendary Friendly Toast. The District offers outdoor dining overlooking the streets of Portsmouth and a warm atmosphere inside.
The place is small, but still open which I appreciate. I prefer to have my own personal space; neurotic? Yes. Moving on. Our waitress was excellent, friendly and helpful without making me feel like I was being babysat. Onto the meal...
Drink: I ordered the special....It was a watermelon puree with elderflower liquor and prosecco. Light and refreshing without overpowering sweetness.
Appetizer: Goat cheese salad, shared with my dinner-mate. The kitchen was nice enough to divide the salad before sending it to out table. This was immensely appreciated since 'splitting' something usually means I end up with far less than half. The fresh arugula was dressed with 18 year old balsamic and perfectly salted. It came with three goat cheese balls, each supporting a different flavor: lemon zest, tomato basil, and what I think was cumin? Delish!
Main Course: I ordered the Rib Eye burger with Vermont cheese and fresh cut shoestring fries. Now, I was skeptical that these fries were truly 'hand cut', but I am happy to say that I was wrong. The burger was cooked medium (no, I cannot handle anything less than medium) and the cheese was melted on top. I added a fried egg to my burger which added some depth and helped to moisten the meat..yum. The fries were great, and the ketchup served beside them was fresh! Fresh ketchup...are you kidding me? I loved it.
Dessert: Peaches wrapped in phyllo dough served with fresh whipped cream, with a Carmel Bourbon sauce. Enough said.
Pros: I really enjoyed this dining experience. The food was accurately described on the menu, so I knew exactly what I was getting. Another reason this place is great: The District uses local produce from various local farms! What a great way to support your local community!
Cons: While I don't have any complaints about my meal, I wish there were a few more items to choose from on the menu. When the menu was handed to us, there were about 6 pages to it. The first was the cover, second the local farms were listed, third there was the drink list, fourth and fifth were wines and beers and only the sixth page was food.
Overall: A good casual dining experience. I would visit this place again! (P.S. I forgot to mention they have bacon ice cream!)
Friday, September 2, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Introduction
As a first time blogger, I'm sure the first of these posts will be somewhat rocky.
Q: Why am I blogging?
A: As a self-declared food enthusiast, I like to spend some free time in the kitchen, reading food network magazines, and cooking light magazines. After creating and re-creating many recipes I thought it was about time that I do something with them, other than just post pictures on facebook. So here it is....my brand new endeavor: blogging.
Q: What are my credentials?
A: Mostly none. I spent eight summers working on a farm learning how to plant, pick, maintain, and cook. Cooking on a farm?! Yes! Awesome experience, and I credit Mimi with introducing me to many fresh, high quality products. From the farm, I earned a B.S in Nutritional Sciences from UNH. After deciding I didn't want to be an R.D. (registered dietitian) I started working at Atlantic Gymnastics where I am currently the assistant manager.
Q: Where do I get my recipes?
A: I find many recipes from food network, cooking light, allrecipes.com, and mostly I make them up! One recipe may inspire me to cook, however I rarely follow anything exactly.
Q: Who are the chefs I admire most?
A: Growing up my mother was a fabulous cook! She loves food and I'm sure she passed that along to me. I also learned a lot from Mimi (former farm owner) who taught me a lot of cooking basics, Italian profanities, and tricks of the trade. Other than that, I find myself following Mario Batali who KNOWS Italian; Cat Cora who can not only keep up with the guys, but can out cook many of them; Michael Symon just because he seems to really have FUN with food; and Guy Fieri since he is able to find the gems in any city. Of course I have many idols and I won't bore you by listing them all.
Question and answer session is over! I hope that whoever reads this will enjoy following me in the kitchen and maybe I'll even inspire you as so many cooks have inspired me!
Q: Why am I blogging?
A: As a self-declared food enthusiast, I like to spend some free time in the kitchen, reading food network magazines, and cooking light magazines. After creating and re-creating many recipes I thought it was about time that I do something with them, other than just post pictures on facebook. So here it is....my brand new endeavor: blogging.
Q: What are my credentials?
A: Mostly none. I spent eight summers working on a farm learning how to plant, pick, maintain, and cook. Cooking on a farm?! Yes! Awesome experience, and I credit Mimi with introducing me to many fresh, high quality products. From the farm, I earned a B.S in Nutritional Sciences from UNH. After deciding I didn't want to be an R.D. (registered dietitian) I started working at Atlantic Gymnastics where I am currently the assistant manager.
Q: Where do I get my recipes?
A: I find many recipes from food network, cooking light, allrecipes.com, and mostly I make them up! One recipe may inspire me to cook, however I rarely follow anything exactly.
Q: Who are the chefs I admire most?
A: Growing up my mother was a fabulous cook! She loves food and I'm sure she passed that along to me. I also learned a lot from Mimi (former farm owner) who taught me a lot of cooking basics, Italian profanities, and tricks of the trade. Other than that, I find myself following Mario Batali who KNOWS Italian; Cat Cora who can not only keep up with the guys, but can out cook many of them; Michael Symon just because he seems to really have FUN with food; and Guy Fieri since he is able to find the gems in any city. Of course I have many idols and I won't bore you by listing them all.
Question and answer session is over! I hope that whoever reads this will enjoy following me in the kitchen and maybe I'll even inspire you as so many cooks have inspired me!
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