“There is but one temple in the universe and that is the body of man.” – Novalis
Friday, December 19, 2008
Christmas Dinner
I’m in charge of Christmas dinner, and thought it would be fun to document the process over the next week as I plan and prepare.
I’ve already purchased some Champagne. And, we have a bottle of 1982 Tignanello that I have been dying to drink. That along with eggnog that Lynne will make and a good stock of coffee, and I think we are set on drinks.
Here is what I think the menu will be:
Foie Gras Chaude (a nice salad of sauteed duck foie gras on a bed of apples and endives)
Roasted duck breast with a classic orange sauce
A vegetable terrine, maybe with some kind of chutney-like topping
A mushroom tarte
Dessert will be a Buche Noel cake followed by some home-made Camembert cheese
So, with that as a probable menu, the next step is to get a list of ingredients. We’ll do some shopping this weekend, weather permitting, because some things can be made a few days ahead of time. But, most shopping will come early next week with Wednesday and Thursday as the main cooking days. I’ll keep you informed and share the recipes and experience.
Posted under: Food and Cooking • by Rick on 12/19/2008 at 06:29 AM
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Thursday, July 21, 2005
Recipe Site Upgrade
I’ve significantly upgraded the recipe site. The recipe search capabilities are much improved as is the user interface. Check it out by clicking on “Our Favorite Recipes” in the links on the right-hand side of the page. Site membership is still required to view recipes.
Rick
Posted under: Stuff You Gotta Know! • Food and Cooking • by Rick on 07/21/2005 at 10:28 PM
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Thursday, June 23, 2005
Monaco Trattoria in Loveland
Tonight we decided to eat out again. (That is twice in as many weeks, unusual for us!) We went to an Italian restaurant in Loveland called Monaco Trattoria. I don’t know how long it has been open, but I heard from a work colleague that it was good.
The atmosphere was good. It is not an intimate place, the seating is all in one room side-by-side, but not inappropriate for an Italian restaurant.
I think a lot of people think of pasta and tomato sauce when they think of Italian food. But, the Monaco serves authentic Southern Italian food. The chef, Guiseppe, is from the Sorrento area, I think. There are painting of the Blue Grotto on the walls and a great mural of what could be Sorrento.
The service was good. I think they are still working out some of the kinks. But, we were taken care of in a professional manner. We never wanted for anything, all the wait staff pitched in together to make the service pleasant. And, we were not put though the pain of personal introductions and trading names…what a relief.
The wine list is enormous, and about 95% of the wines are Italian. At leasat 1/4 of the wines are available by the glass—a good thing if they are getting the volume they need to keep the open bottles fresh.
The menu is very ambitious with many great choices for appetizers, pasta, meat, fish, rissoto, and salads. They have a wood-fired oven which they use for great foccacia and for pizzas at lunchtime.
The food was good. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give them a 7. Not a bad score for Northern Colorado and not bad given the ambitiousness of the menu. We had a wonderful fresh calamari appetizer—just fresh calamari, lightly breaded, quickly fried, and topped with a squeeze of lemon and some salt—too much salt for my taste, but apparently the chef likes it that way. Lynne had a breaded veal scaloppini and the breading was not crisp but a bit mushy. Still the garlic-lemon sauce was great. I had some red snapper, braised in some capers, olives, a little lemon juice and some wine—excellent.
In summary, a very pleasant meal. Good service. Nice atmosphere. And, I’m sure we’ll be back.
Monaco Trattoria
218 E. 4th Street
Loveland, CO 80537
(970) 461-1889
Posted under: Food and Cooking • by Rick on 06/23/2005 at 09:44 PM
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Saturday, June 18, 2005
The Inglenook Restaurant in Loveland
Last week Lynne and I, along with Lynne’s mother, had an evening meal at the Inglenook restaurant in Loveland. I had eaten there on a business dinner a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it. Ever since, I’d been trying to find a good excuse to take Lynne. We are both skeptical of eating out in the Fort Collins area—we can ususally do better at home.
The night out was not a disappointment. Lynne had Chicken Marengo (although it had orange in the sauce along with tomatoes and vermouth, a bit non-traditional, but great), her mom had a Seafood Newburg Gratin, and I had Elk Tenderloin. All three were great. Each entree is accompanied by soup or salad. We all had a fresh green salad. I had an appetizer of Crab Cakes that was excellent.
Posted under: Food and Cooking • by Rick on 06/18/2005 at 02:31 PM
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Monday, April 11, 2005
Domenic’s Restaurant
Last week, Lynne and I had a night out. We went out to eat dinner (for the first time in years), and we went to a Rod Stewart concert.
We ate at Domenic’s—a restaurant that is close-by, new, and that we had heard good things about. They have a mostly Italian menu with a small wine list of mostly unknown wines. They are located in a shopping center at the corner of Harmony and Lemay in Fort Collins.
It is a small place with a large bar and about a dozen tables. They do have outside seating for warmer weather. The atmosphere is comfortable.
We each had a small Ceasar salad and we split a main dish that was flank steak rolled up with prosciutto ham and mozzarella cheese inside. It was served in a tomato sauce much like a Bolognese. It was also served with garlic mashed potatoes.
The salads were good. The cheesecake dessert was fantastic.
The main course was very salty and not very hot. It might have been the prosciutto, but I think it was the sauce that was salty. And, we could not detect any proscuitto or cheese in the dish. The potatoes were plain without much garlic flavor. And, the price, for what we got, was very high. Main dish prices ranged from $15 to $20, ours was $18.
Service was average.
Other than a good espresso and a great dessert, the place has little to recommend it. If anyone has had a different experience, please leave comments.
Maybe that is why we don’t eat out very often…
Posted under: Food and Cooking • by Rick on 04/11/2005 at 05:46 PM
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