Tag Archives: 2018

Another outstanding meal @Savio_Volpe.

December 14, 2018Uncategorized2018, Vancouvercathyttg

Our latest meal at Osteria Savio Volpe was fantastic. I had my heart set on the Bagna Cauda and was happy to see it still on the menu. Bagna Cauda is a hot dip of anchovy, garlic and olive oil served with bread and veggies like fingerling potatoes, radishes, and endive. We mopped up every drop with some extra bread.

For wine we chose a Nebbiolo from Langhe and it was a perfect match. The aromas of wild berries and fruity flavour complimented the deep umami of the bagna cauda.

Langhe Nebbiolo

We couldn’t resist the Faro Salad again. Always different depending on what’s fresh, this time there was squash, chickpeas, pine nuts, dates and ricotta. Absolutely delicious.

The daily pasta was a mezzaluna with salt cod and a light white wine and saffron sauce. I simply can’t resist salt cod and the smooth sauce worked with the distinct taste of the cod.

From the fire we had Albacore Tuna with romanesco, capers, olives, lemon and a side of charred cabbage with tomato and olive vinaigrette. Wow! The tuna was perfect but I’d love a big bowl of the cabbage all to myself.

Finally we couldn’t resist the polenta cake with blood oranges and mascarpone.

Polenta Cake

A great meal made even greater with the super people working there, many who have been there since they opened 3 years ago. That says a lot.

Beaulieu Vineyards and Solbar Restaurant are top picks for Napa.

November 21, 2018Uncategorized2018, California, Wine Tastingcathyttg

My 1st wine tour was 25 years ago in Napa. I have a different appreciation for wine these days and tend to put a lot more planning into my wine touring. I recommend a visit to http://www.visitnapavalley.com to help with planning and for some really great Special Offers.

We stayed at the Silverado Resort again, but next time I’m staying downtown, where there’s lots of fun in walking distance. The Napa Valley Welcome Center on Main Street is a good place to start. Be sure to see if there are any good discount coupons. Oxbow Market is great for breakfast; try Ritual Coffee for seriously good coffee. I’d love to try it for lunch or dinner too.

Mumm Napa has a great patio tasting experience. We learned that a piccolo is a small wine flute and that a water cracker is an excellent way to cover a piccolo to keep out the elements. Also worth a visit for the Ansel Adams art collection.

Mumm Napa

My favourite tasting room was Beaulieu Vineyards. The Cabernet Collectors Tasting was $50, and well worth it. We tasted 5 Cabernet Sauvignons, 2 different clones in 2 different vintages and then a 2015 BV Private Reserve Georges de Latour that knocked our socks off. We splurged on a bottle since we had a half price coupon for the tasting fee thanks to http://www.visitnapavalley.com.

Beaulieu Vineyards

Solbar at the beautiful Solage Auberge Resort in Calistoga was my favourite meal of the trip. Great service, a fantastic wine list and raves around our table for the food. The Wilted Kale salad with pickled grapes, roasted romanesco and candied pistachios was so good I’ve already pickled some grapes and am working on my replica. Don’t miss the crab cakes, no filler here so you can really taste the sweet crab.

Solbar Repro — Romanesco pickled grapes and candied nuts by Cathy

Hand churned butter is finger licking good at Spritmuseum Stockholm 5 Yums Up!

October 26, 2018Uncategorized2018, Stockholmcathyttg

I had a small butter incident in The Dining Room at the Spritmuseum Stockholm. When they tried to clear the plate with a small smear of butter remaining, my hand shot out and my finger was in my mouth quick as a wink. Just writing this, I can feel and taste it on my tongue.

Bread & Butter

Take a ferry to Djurgarden to visit some of the Museums and include lunch or dinner at the Spritmuseum.

Lunch on a beautiful, late summer afternoon made for a perfect day combined with visits to The Vasa and Abba museums.

The restaurant focuses on local, organic ingredients with a focus on vegetables.

Starting with fresh warm brown bread and hand churned butter. Yes, thank you, we would like more.

A starter of salted pike and cucumber in elder-flower vinegar, tomato and fig leaf was a bright start.

Fermented corn soup with yeast and nasturtium was a pleasant surprise. There was a depth of flavor you wouldn’t expect from corn soup.

Grilled beets and chanterelles with onions in a parsley puree was another hit. The beets sweet contrasted wonderfully with the earthy chanterelles and the onions added a touch of sharpness.

We also got to try Himmelsraften a pressed hard, unpasteurized cow cheese named for a mountain in northern Sweden. Lovely with some honeycomb on the side.

Buckwheat pancakes (like not pancake I’ve ever seen) with blueberries and cream left us with a sweet ending.

One Meal A Day

October 24, 2018Uncategorized2018, OMADcathyttg

Food. I love to eat , cook and grow it. With over 50 years of fighting with my weight it may be understandable that I’m uncomfortable saying that.

Wine is my favourite hobby and coffee is a passion. The best days start with a couple of great Americanos, then I spend a few hours hydrating with a couple of litres of water until it’s time to open today’s bottle of wine.

I’ve been eating one meal a day since May 15, 2018. It’s liberating. I can easily go through most days with nothing but coffee and water if I know I’m going to have something fabulous for dinner. No guilt and nothing is off limits.

Today I realized I had a dilemma. Since 1995 I’ve quite coffee for the month of February. Should I quit coffee in 2019? Does my “One Meal A Day” practice trump my annual abstinence?

Cheers