Food/Travel/Nature/Cooking/Culture
Luzerne, Michigan is a quiet little town about 15 minutes south of Lewiston. It is lush and green most of the year thanks to its many meandering rivers, streams, creeks and ponds and native pines , oaks, maples and ferns. Tubing and kayaking are favorite pastimes here during the warm summer months. I sometimes forget the natural beauty of my wonderful home state, Miichigan. It is a pure beauty sometimes enhanced by local craftsmen who love its simplicity. A feast for the soul!
The quaint Cafe Muse on Washington Street in Royal Oak, MI is a bargain foodies’ dream come true. Although I have dined here several other times, it has never been for dinner. Chef Greg Reyner has some skills and his sensibilities run toward restrained exotic. On a recent night, several hungry diners were treated to a “Bastille Day” Wine Dinner menu that showcased this chef’s understanding of wine pairings and spices that intrigue.
Course One is more of an amuse bouche than anything else. Boursin and exotic mushroom mille-feuille is lacking in exotics but tasty. Paired with a sparkling Rose Cuvee Thomas Jefferson, it accomplishes its task.
Course Two is smoky and smart. Avery tight house smoked oyster, arugula dressed with japanese mayo and duck ham really starts things up for me. It is paired with Cedrus le Blanc/ Clombard/ Ugni Blanc.
Course Three is a delicate corn pudding as light as air topped with a small medallion of monkfish and a tomato confit. The misstep here was that the chef assumed the fish was under after sous vide and decide to cook it more. Mine was tough, hence overcooked. A delicious Viognier accompanied.
Course Four shows the chefs prowess with a terrine. Redolent with wild game, nuts and fruits it is topped with tiny crouton and paired with Michel Gay Chorey-les-Beaune. Wonderful!
Course Five is a fragrantly braised lamb shank with baby carrots and roasted cipollini onions. Cardamon and orange scent the tender meat and a Vinsobre accompanies finely.
Finally, Course Six is a sweet ending to a flavorful meal presenting a tart tatin laden with silky apples and farm cheese. An Eric Bordelet Sidre Tendre is an unexpected and daring accompaniment to the tart.
Joyeux Manger at Cafe Muse!
On a slow holiday weekend I decide to give the Grille at the Morrison House a second chance to win me over.
The cozy piano bar/grill side of the restaurant is more than enough to set the stage for a great meal.
Our party orders two appetizers, which our fantastic waiter, Martin, deftly separates into two servings so everyone at the table has access. Escargot in a garlic butter sauce are perfectly cooked and delicious.
Steak tartare, unusual in its consistency, but flavorful and strangely addictive, is topped with a fried quail egg. I personally would have preferred a raw egg atop the tartare to mix into the chefs chop, but other members of my party disagreed.
Our entrees don’t fail to impress either. Vichyssoise so smooth and creamy you mistake it for creme fraiche, serves as a soft pillow under pickled hen o’the woods mushrooms, the perfect acidic accompaniment to expertly seared snapper.
Bison hanger steak cooked to a perfect rare!
Filet mignon seasoned to perfection and done to the temp requested with whipped potatoes and green beans bundled with chive ties.
Dessert continues the wonder. Profiteroles fit for a king, stuffed with three different ice creams and topped with a dark chocolate sauce.
Petit fours don’t stick to standards.
It’s all good…
Our last day on Cape Cod brought us to a great little bakery in Dennis port called Woolfies. A wonderful selection of baked goods, made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, breads and coffee awaits the morning warrior. If you’re not a morning person, stop by later for a lobster roll on freshly baked bread! It’s delicious in here!
When you find a cute little Italian restaurant that makes homemade manicotti the size of Rhode Island chimichangas in a sleepy little Cape Cod town, cantare! Visit La Scala sometime soon and enjoy a menu reminiscent of an Italian restaurant circa 1980. Recent visits sampled the Antipasto Salad, Manicotti with Meatballs, Linguini fra Diavolo, and Cannoli. Buon Apetito!
A beautiful day in Dennis port started out with great breakfasts at the Red Cottage Restaurant. Quiche, eggs and grits with a big slab of grilled ham, and caramelized onion, cheese and sausage omelet. Hot coffee, great service and many gluten free options mean a 4 star rating for this little gem of a place.
In a darling little town called Dennis Port, Massachusetts, we experience our first bites of summertime greatness. It is not quite high season mid-cape, so we don’t yet have to fight the crowds at the local eateries. This is an excuse to try as many as we can fit into our week here! Today, we visited the Wee Packet Restaurant on Lower County Road.
Butter poached lobster roll, Cape Cob Salad with lobster and shrimp, and deep fried lobster all fit the bill.
Wicked good!
Who says northerners don’t know ‘que? Pork butt, here we come! When it’s almost Father’s Day and my hubby wants to barbeque, I say let’s do it! First: rub, rub, rub. Second: make marinating sauce to dab on the butt as it takes a long, slow sauna in our combo griller/smoker. Third: make the blue cheese coleslaw. Shredded cabbage and carrots, crumbled blue cheese, mayonaisse, balsamic vinegar, celery salt, sugar, cracked black pepper. Fourth: make special barbecue sauce to spoon on after cooking for extra flavor. Finally: corn on the cob so sweet you can eat it plain.
Yáll come back now…ya hear?
After a relaxing afternoon boating and fishing with friends on East Twin Lake in Lewiston, Michigan we reap the bounties of this wonderful, relaxed way of life. A 3.5 pound large mouth bass makes a delicious dinner when accompanied by braised Brussels sprouts with bacon and garlic. I cook the bass en papiotte, Michigan style. After cleaning and descaling, stuff cavity of bass with sliced scallions, lemon slices, and a little butter. Season liberally with thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of white wine. Wrap up tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake in a 425 degree oven or on a grill with medium high heat for approximately 25-30 minutes. Be careful when opening foil as steam will be hot!
And don’t forget dessert! Hudsonville Ice cream is a Northern Michigan favorite. Try their new flavor, Chicago popcorn carmel. Outrageously good! Vanilla ice cream with pieces of popcorn and a salted carmel swirl! WOW!
Northern Michigan farmers markets are abundant with eggs of all sorts, pork products, locally raised beef, young plants for planting, honey and maple syrup,and ramps…also called young leeks here. Tonight’s dinner is a mix of several of the above with a little experimental twist.
My first attempt at a favorite restaurant’s deviled eggs is a smash hit with my hubby (the unofficial deviled eggs officianado). Mine are lacking the siracha (hard to find up here) but not the soy and jalapeño punch. Boil the eggs for ten minutes, soak in soy sauce for 1 hour, mix yolk with mayo, miso paste, chili powder and paprika, re-fill, top with a couple drops of hot sauce (siracha if you have it) and a slice of jalapeño.
Sautéed ramps in olive oil and a char grilled locally-grown sirloin steak with a teriyaki-garlic marinade complete the meal. Dinner anyone?
Betzabroad...My personal recipe for tasting our big, fat, wonderful world 