The Garrison in Yarmouth ME

 SP and I are life long fans of farm to table restaurants, especially in our own home. We both love to cook. It's clear from the last post on this blog that I have taken a certain break from posting here. It is not for a lack of eating out in the years prior to Covid, but I just lacked the time to keep up. Well this fall we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary and sought, post vaccinations, for a new place to celebrate our anniversary. We always splurge for a night of culinary delights, usually at the Oxford House in Fryeburg, but this year we went somewhere entirely new to us on the recommendations of a patron at The Tap House in Bridgton. 

The Garrison was a new farm to table restaurant that  evolved out of a catering business run by a Chopped champion  Christian Hayes. It was all set to open in 2020 and then BAM the pandemic hit. Fast forward to last September, we were finally able to snag a reservation in their 30 seat dining room. 

IT WAS AMAZING. I highly highly recommend you to spend the money, it is expensive, and take yourself out for a meal that will leave your body zinging in goodness. 

For starters, we had cocktails and the lovely warm flatbread with two spreads - a hummus and a celeriac spread. All delicious and full of flavors. 

Then we shared some small plates. I had the salad which changes every day and was one of the most amazing salads I have ever eaten. SP had the mushroom plate which he ate faster than I could get a picture of.

Then, I completely stopped taking pictures, and in the usual pattern of my blogging here, I put it off. SP had one of the best pieces of fish he has ever had. That includes fresh caught fish at the Spring House on Block Island. I had an amazing black lentil dish that was so large it lasted for days. Then SP added a rabbit mushroom dish that was so mouthwateringly aromatic that even I ate it. I ate rabbit!!! I loved it. 

The Garrison is a must for your next fancy meal! Thoughtful food is an understatement. Slainte!

Villiage Bakery, Rochester NY

Village Bakery was a wonderful breakfast find close to our AirBNB in Rochester. I loved their breakfast sandwiches. I didn't manage to get any pictures, but while I was blogging about their neighbor Trata, I had to give them a mention.

Their selection of breakfast sandwiches was a welcome lesson in creativity beyond the usual blanket of options. The list here is enticing any time of the day!

The airy wide open loft feel provided a welcoming atmosphere only reinforced by the communal tables upstairs. Our three breakfast experiences there were fully enjoyable.

If I took pictures, I have since deleted and apologize. Village Bakery pictures can be found here: http://villagebakeries.com/photos/gallery/village-bakery-pittsford/

Trata, Rochester NY

Our eldest child is now a freshman at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and we went up for parents weekend in October of 2016. This post is evidently very late. Following an evening hockey game of RIT vs UConn, we scrapped our plans to eat nearby and ventured back towards our AirBNB to a restaurant near where we had been getting breakfast each morning.

Trata, the restaurant at the Armory, was a delight. It had great food and a lively atmosphere.
I particularly loved the door into the kitchen.

Puckstopper ate alligator bites (brave soul). SP had these delectable ribs in steam buns. 

Pickle ate a burger but I am not sure if this one was hers or Puckstoppers.

I stayed on the simple side with some potato skins and chicken tenders.

Boda, Portland Maine

We FINALLY got to go to Boda and it definitely lived up to all the raves we heard about it!

We both arrived famished after a long and stressful afternoon at Maine Med.  Everything is fine but it was an interesting adventure. All I can say is this...

So we started off with a bunch of small plated appetizers which Boda has a lot of.
There were quail eggs





























...and fried peanuts which brought me back to my days at Belle Haven.





























I also finally found a lobster that I like. I'm not a fan of anything on the bone. Similar to my dislike of anything on the bone, I have some serious texture issues with meats and lobster is one of those. Yes I live in Maine and am not a true Mainer. These crispy lobster treats were awesome!

 
I enjoyed the chicken skewers with the satay sauce!


















Frond ordered the crispy quail which he enjoyed all to himself. 

We both enjoyed some Thai Iced Tea and the sticky rice ball.

Moti Mahal, NYC

We surprised my Dad for his 80th birthday last spring in NYC! He had always wanted to go to dinner at Moti Mahal, as he had only been there for a lunchtime brunch spread and said it was fabulous! He was spot on!

Cheers Dad! We sucessfully pulled off surprising you at Susan's apartment!

 This is Dad with me on the right and my sister on the left.

 Always a gentleman, my father insists that women walk on the inside of the sidewalk, and always puts an arm around them especially when sharing an umbrella.

These appetizers were amazing! Tiny tasty poories atop faux cocktails of the usual papadum accompaniments.  There was a coriander cocktail, a tamarind cocktail, and even one that was a red spicy onion taste. So insanely creative!

 One of the many beautiful meals that adorned our table that night.

And of course, a piece of birthday cake to wrap up an amazing meal.

Happy 80th Birthday Dad!

Artisanal Bistro NYC

I can check this one off my bucket list! Sadly Frond was not there to enjoy this. I did however bring Pickle along to see my sister and Dad. This was the morning after we celebrated his 80th birthday by surprising him for an Indian dinner in Manhattan. 

Artisanal is not to be missed. It is expensive but it is worth the visit. We shared a group meal of fondues for the whole table. It was yummy and a memorable day.

Cafe Sopresso

My eldest child is a senior at MSSM, 6 hours north in Limestone, Maine. we have been fortunate to have a "host family" during the three years he has been there. Laurie live in Presque Isle, houses us every time we travel up to MSSM, and graciously allows us to store items such as his fridge and printer over the summer. 

As a thank you to Laurie, we took her family out to the nicest restaurant in town. Cafe Sopresso was a treat!

The kids cocktail were yummy hot chocolates while the adults had their own yummy treat!

 

Pickle chose the hot artichoke dip with chips and of course and orange soda!
 

Shane had a shrimp cocktail and the Thai Basil soup!

To my surprise, Baby ordered the pork tenderloin with a blueberry sauce! When did he go and grow up on me!?

 Strangely enough the other pictures are missing! I had a wonderful Thai Curry with rice.