Patty and I are enjoying a rather indulgent culinary adventure. We've spent a week in New York state and are now at our home away from home in the Auvergne region of France.
Some highlights of the trip so far:
Seattle Airport: My friend Rob highly recommended the fish tacos at the take away window at Anthony's and indeed they were tasty and good value.
Hudson Valley, New York:
Millbrook Vineyards and Winery
The location of my dear friend Danielle's wedding and a rather charming destination. The wine was surprisingly good (I suppose I had low expectations). The tiny town of Millbrook is super cutesy and is apparently full of celebrities, including Mary Tyler Moore, Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weever to name a few. Also, Timothy Leary resided in Millbrook and their is some appropriately trippy architecture to check out at Hitchcock Farm.
Tarrytown, New York:
Super posh, farm driven cuisine. We spent three hours eating something like 15 courses. Maybe a little too much actually. It was however very impressive. Veal marrow with American sturgeon caviar, coddled egg with mushrooms and lamb neck we're all highlights. Patty struggled with the braised cod head a bit, I would have preferred it earlier in the meal. We were both blown away by the Red Fife brioche with zucchini marmalade and freshly split ricotta cheese from the chef's grandmother's farm.
New York City:
We had such a good time at Hearth. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. I would describe the culinary theme as modern Italian; we loved the sweetbreads, duck breast and braised lamb tagliatelle. That said everything was fantastic and the wine pairings were creative and insightful. You'd think I would struggle to get through dessert, but the ricotta cheesecake was comforting and not too rich at the end of a well balanced menu.
Two words - smoked trout. This was the best trout I've ever eaten. Lightly smoked from raw, served medium rare, with an onion puree. Patty's pork croquette was also a big hit, but it was the farro and zucchini accompaniment that he wouldn't shut up about. Finally, the peanut butter semifreddo. I don't really go for peanut butter usually, but the server assured me this was the best pick and it was super tasty. I especially liked the way it was nested in a French macaroon.