July 22nd, 2009
A side trip to Vancouver
Isn’t it funny how, when something happens that you think is a problem, suddenly turns out to be a great bonus!This happened on my way to Chicago in June when the flight from LA to Chicago was cancelled and the only way a standby passenger could get there was via Vancouver! I have never been so unprepared to visit somewhere. Normally I do lots of homework before I go to a new city but this was a true adventure.
What to do with 7 hours in a strange city? Well it was nearly dinner time so I sought out a fish restaurant. I won’t bore you with the details of why I chose Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop house but lets say it was serendipity at work again.
My waitress Cole set the tone for the evening with her knowledge and understanding of the various fish choices and the wine to go with that. I discovered Joe Fortes follows the Ocean-wise programme which promotes the use of safe (as opposed to overfished) fish choices so I tried Sablefish (a black cod I understand)served blackened with a side of squeaky fresh asparagus and rice. She brought me a taste of a Canadian Gewurztraminer which I agreed was just right so I had that with my meal and then had a lemon tart and a short black before hopping back on the airport bus for my 11pm flight to Chicago!
I had a chance to get a feel for the city and it certainly piqued my interest in returning. It may just become my new route to Chicago each year.I have been told it has the feel of Auckland and there is an element of that and it certainly felt very safe for a woman on her own so next time at Joes I will look at the huge range of oysters and compare them to the Bluff variety. see the link to the restaurant on the links column.
Posted by Sue Story // Filed in Gourmet travel, Uncategorized
July 13th, 2009
USA 2009
Long Island in the State of New York has long held a fascination for me but without a car it seemed too difficult to get to.However this time I managed to get there thanks to my US resident Kiwi-born friend who offered to drive down from Boston to help me achieve this.We drove through from La Guardia airport and within a short time we were at Pinder Winery which has been operating for 30 years! I bet most people didn’t even know they grew vines up here.We tasted an interesting selection, from a “quincey-flavoured” Viognier to a very nice Mythology 2008 which was a Bordeaux blend but they had something for everyone there and Terri was a knowlegable host.She even guided us to a great inn with a restaurant which had an interesting name, the Jedediah Hawkins Inn.
Recently restored from a near-ruin this was a beautiful spot (see photo) for dinner of the more formal kind. www.jedediahhawkinsinn.com We were treated to a look at the accommodation including the Belvedere Suite but every room was individually decorated and rather gorgeous.At dinner I particularly enjoyed the fresh foie-gras from Upstate New York served with a tiny blue cheese souffle , seared artichoke hearts and a drizzle of a sweet-tart glaze.
The following day we explored the Hamptons, very smart towns indeed especially Southampton and Bridgehampton. I later found out where the Barefoot Contessa, cook, Ina Garten lived but the huge mansions all around the area were certainly impressive. They must need a team of gardeners working fulltime to maintain the enormous hedges and immaculate lawns. Some places only had that much visible to protect their privacy!This area has a feel of Cape Cod about it and makes a nice escape from the city of New York for those lucky enough to own a property there.
Posted by Sue Story // Filed in Gourmet travel