Category: Restaurants

Maine Moments: First Days

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MAINE IN 2021

On Saturday, we traded hot Florida sun and humidity for cool gray Maine.  Due to airline schedules and a cancelled flight to Portland on Friday, we flew into Boston’s Logan Airport.  Waiting for our bags and then dealing with the scrum of people all pressed together waiting for the bus to the rental car center was one task. Getting ourselves and all our many bags onto the crowded bus was another!  Thanks to a mother with a young child on her hip, we and our bags made it on board.

Masks were required in the airport and on the airport buses.  Once in the rental car garage, few masks were in evidence; those that were, were mostly on young kids.  Social distancing is still encouraged and urged, and you are advised to wear a mask entering any business or store if you have not been vaccinated.  This means we’ll be able to freely socialize with our friends, inside each other’s homes and without masks.  

The bigger issue is the hit that restaurants and other businesses have taken due to the Covid epidemic.  Many restaurants are unable to find and hire enough staff to cover all the hours they wish to be open.  Add to this missing, delayed, or shortchanged food deliveries given staffing shortages at the large distribution warehouses, and you have another reason for their shorter hours.  Several local restaurants are closed a weekday or two, and some didn’t open at all this season.  But there are more tourists here than last year and so the demand for tables makes reservations essential!  Even the general store on this island is now closed all day Sunday and only open until 4 pm the rest of the week.  

Our first full day here, it teemed rain on and off all day, and the high only reached 64.  Despite that, it’s good to be back!

MONDAY FORAY TO PORTLAND

It’s a complicated story, but we had to drive down to Portland to deal with paperwork related to our rental car.  That errand was blessedly quick and gave us the excuse to go to downtown Portland and spend a bit of time in the Old Port area.  I was able to replenish my supply of note and greeting cards at Sherman’s.  We then made our annual visit to Le Roux Kitchen, a longtime favorite, where we picked up several thematic Maine mugs (simple white with blue and gray whales), paring knives and a grater, and several styles of cocktail napkins.  

Alfresco dining at Duckfat

The high point of this expedition, however, was an indulgent lunch at Duckfat, a casual eatery on Middle Street specializing in Belgian fries and local charcuterie.  We ate a wonderful lunch here two years ago and the return visit was also special.  All seating this year is outdoors under a robust wooden structure outfitted with picnic tables.  We ordered the fries, of course, a glass each of Albarino, the blistered shishito peppers, and the charcuterie board of ham, duck, and smoked salmon with appropriate garnishes.  

Very tasty!  When asked if we’d like doughnut holes for dessert, we couldn’t resist!  A small metal cone of six holes arrived along with a caramel dipping sauce with overtones of maple.  The holes had been rolled in cinnamon sugar and the interior was accented with citrus.  Yum!  Even better than churros and chocolate!

Doughnut holes!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Manhattan: Art, Food & More

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STUNNING ART EXHIBIT—People Come First

I feel as if I should have heard about the American artist Alice Neel long before this.  She lived from 1900 to 1984 and was active on the political scene in Manhattan.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a retrospective of her work on display until August 1, and it’s stunning.  Her paintings are largely people, one or two women or men and some of her children and grandchildren.  

Sam

She was one of the first women to paint male as well as female nudes, and they are not prettified at all, but real and frank in their sexuality.  The exhibit indicates that perhaps she didn’t become as well known in her prime since the art world had turned more toward abstraction and away from representational works.  In addition to the paintings of humans, she did some still lifes, which I also liked. 

Elizabeth in a Red Hat (1984)
Light (1980) painted in Spring Lake, New Jersey

NEW NOVEL—Missing Girls

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

Paula McLain is known for her historical novels, particularly the one about Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley.  This novel is a departure as it’s something of a suspense novel about a homicide detective who specializes in locating missing children.  Anna Hart has suffered recent tragedy in her personal life and is hiding away from her family in Mendocino where she grew up.  There she becomes obsessed with a missing teenage girl.  This disappearance is reminiscent of an unsolved case from her childhood and consumes her.  Anna offers her assistance to the local police detective.  They do not know if they will find a body or a girl still alive.  McLain details the acute tension of the search along with Anna’s internal struggles and her identification with certain aspects of the missing girl’s life.  

The arc of the narrative is shallow which means there is much debate and discussion, but not lots of action.  It feels like a very personal story, and to a great extent it is.  McLain herself spent much of her childhood in foster care and is a sexual abuse survivor.  I found the novel engaging, but not gripping, but appreciated why, especially after the author’s endnotes she was compelled to write it.

DINING DELIGHTS

Petite Boucherie

For lunch in the West Village, Petite Boucherie perfectly fit the bill.  Mourning the demise of A.O.C., we tried this little bistro and were delighted.  Excellent merguez sausages, delicious salmon over white beans, a pot of mussels, and delicate greens with warm chevre toast satisfied four discriminating diners.  

Eat Here Now remains the Chief Penguin’s favorite diner on the Upper East Side, and they didn’t disappoint.  He always orders a grilled bacon and cheese sandwich with a side of cole slaw.  I had tuna salad in a pita which was also good.  For a more upscale lunch, but still casual, Three Guys on Madison near Frick Madison is another good bet.  The food is even better, but the vibe is shinier and less atmospheric.

Via Quadronno is well located for a simple lunch before or after visiting Frick Madison.  They don’t take reservations, so we went early and were able to snag a corner table for four inside in the window.  While their specialty is panini and other types of Italian sandwiches, they also serve pasta and salads.  We enjoyed the lasagna Bolognese, the lasagna of the day (spinach), a lovely mixed greens salad with tuna, and asparagus with vinaigrette.  Service was relaxed and unhurried.  We were surprised when we left at the length of the line waiting to be seated.  More outside seating than inside and they don’t take reservations.  

For tasty Lebanese fare, we had dinner at Naya on Second Avenue. The wait staff were all very welcoming, took our temperatures, and asked for contact info. We had grilled halloumi followed by the kafta kebab (nicely spiced ground lamb) served alongside grilled onions and sweet pepper and a mound of rice with vermicelli strands.  We also shared the chicken shish taouk, cubes of grilled chicken with the same veggies and rice.  And we tried their baklava.  Worth a return visit!

With a hankering for some good Indian food, we ventured to Chola on E. 58 St for dinner.  Years ago, we enjoyed their sumptuous lunch buffet.  No buffet this year.   The tables were very widely spaced, and our temperatures checked upon entry.  The menu was so tempting we over ordered to try more dishes and had some to take home.  The chili shrimp in red sauce were very hot and the Chief Penguin was delighted.  Pickled tandoor chicken was appropriately piquant and sharp, while the samosas were a tad disappointing.  I found the ratio of dough to filling to be out of balance.  For an entrée, we sampled the lamb rogan josh with some buttered naan.  A very satisfying meal!

Note: All photos by JWFarrington.

Tidy Tidbits: Recent Films & Food

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Happy Egg Day! Happy Easter! Couldn’t resist including this basket of dyed eggs as the header photo, courtesy of pennlive.com

OSCAR NOMINEES, A WANNABE, AND A CLASSIC

LOVE UNDER STRESS

Supernova (Amazon Prime $)

Tucci & Firth (reddit.com)

I feel like I’ve been living with Stanley Tucci the past two weeks, what with watching his entire Searching for Italy series and now experiencing him and Colin Firth in Supernova.  It’s an intensely moving and sensitively drawn story of a gay couple dealing with dementia.  Sam is an English pianist and Tusker is an American novelist. Tusker is in the later stages of Alzheimer’s, and they have embarked on a road trip through the English Lake District.  Tusker is losing his ability to recall words and to perform certain tasks and has become more dependent on Sam.  

They are a very loving couple who also tease and bicker with each other.   Neither really wants to let go or to be alone.  But Tusker feels he’s losing control of his life and that brings him and them to a punctuation point.  The dialogue between them rings true to life, and the interactions with Sam’s sister Lily, her family, and friends are believable and not over played.  

Tucci and Firth, longtime friends in real life, are both superb.  Together, they render an emotionally powerful experience.  The soundtrack, ranging from popular songs from the 70’s to a range of classical music, adds additional depth.  The film begins with a slow arc, setting the scene with stunning landscape and showing Sam and Tusker’s daily life.  Simply excellent and should have been nominated for an Oscar!

WHEN CHILD BECOMES THE PARENT

The Father (Amazon Prime $)

Colman & Hopkins (flickeringmyth.com)

This is one of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture and deservedly so.  Based on a play, it focuses mainly on Anthony Hopkins, the father, and Olivia Colman as his daughter Anne.  The character, also Anthony, is 80 and suffering from Alzheimer’s.  He’s canny and sometimes funny, but also defiantly definite about wanting to live on his own.  Simultaneously, he sometimes acknowledges that he’s confused, and he begins not to recognize Anne.  She tries to offer assistance but realizes she can’t give him all that he needs. Time shifts in the film, and you feel you are seeing the same scene played several ways depending on whose reality it is—yours or Anthony’s.  A touching film that has painful moments.  Hopkins and Colman are excellent, and Rufus Sewell plays Anne’s mostly patient spouse Paul.  

MEDICAL CORRUPTION

Collective (Amazon Prime $)

Female reporter with Tolontan (rogersmovienation.com)

This documentary, which grew out of a disastrous 2015 fire at a club in Bucharest called Collectiv, is a heavy-hitting study of malfeasance and corruption.  When experts and others began to wonder why so many young burn survivors died in the hospital, a sports tabloid set out to investigate.  Reporter and editor Catalin Tolontan delved deeply into the tragedy and uncovered tainted disinfectants.  They were just the first evidence of systemic problems in hospitals across Romania.  

Tolontan and his team are heroes and so became Vlad Voiculescu, the newly appointed minister of health.  It’s a devasting story and a compelling one which ends with hints of hope for the future.  It’s a nominee for Best Documentary feature film.    Highly recommended!

A HEPBURN CLASSIC

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Amazon Prime)

(bookriot.com)

Somehow over the years I missed seeing this classic 1961 film starring Audrey Hepburn.  I’ve watched part of a recent documentary about Hepburn entitled Audrey, and this prompted me to see Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  Hepburn is elegant and beautiful in timeless dresses and gowns by Givenchy.  As high-class call girl Holly Golighty, she alternates sophistication with the innocence of an ingenue.  

The movie is dated, and the casting of Mickey Rooney as a bumbling Japanese man is particularly offensive.  Allowing for that, it’s still an award-winning movie with performances by George Peppard as writer Paul Varjak (who resembles Holly’s brother Fred), Paul’s patron Patricia Neal, and a handsome young Buddy Ebsen.  

CULINARY CORNER

Chateau 13 in downtown Bradenton offers some of the most sophisticated and creative food in the region.  We had dined here once before the pandemic and were delighted that it survived.  As is our wont these days, we had a table with friends outside on the sidewalk.  The street was mostly quiet, so we weren’t bothered by traffic.

The menu consists of cheese and charcuterie sharing plates, small appetizer bites, fries with a range of toppings, several salads, and entrees.  We sampled several cheeses and also frites with black truffles and Parmesan.  For the main event, we ordered the bechamel filled croquettes, shrimp Pernod, braised octopus, coq au vin, and the robust Catalan seafood stew.  Other entrees include mussels several ways, duck breast, salmon, and a chef’s prix fixe menu.  My only quibble was with the crushed croutons on the French Caesar salad. I would have them preferred them whole, but that’s minor for a delicious and different meal!

Happy Spring: Diversions & Dining

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HAPPY SPRING!

(freeimages.com)

For me, the appearance of daffodils, even in the supermarket, heralds the arrival of spring. Today, March 20, is the first day of spring, the spring equinox.  This equinox can occur on March 19, 20, or 21.  Interestingly, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, the next time spring arrives on March 21 in the United States isn’t until 2101, the next century! 

TOUCHING FILM

Minari  (Amazon Prime $)

Minari is one of the Academy nominees for Best Picture.  It’s a mostly quiet film, but powerful and very moving.  This Korean American family of Jacob and Monica and their two children, Anne and David, moves from California to a large tract of land in Arkansas.  

Jacob has dreams of becoming a successful vegetable farmer despite Monica’s doubts.  Their young son has a heart condition, and they live isolated in a rundown trailer.  The parents work at the local hatchery sexing baby chicks while the kids are alone much of the time.  

David and his grandma (latimes.com)

Monica arranges for her mother to come live with them, and she is not at all what David expects.  This Grandma is tough and foul-mouthed and doesn’t bake cookies.   You wonder along the way if this foursome will survive economically, if they will fit in culturally, and finally, if Jacob and Monica will go their separate ways.  

The performances are wonderful, especially that of the boy playing David.  I also found the soundtrack memorable.  Highly recommended!

THRILLING ESCAPISM

The Diplomat’s Wife by Pam Jenoff

First published in 2008, this historical novel was re-released in paperback in 2020.  At the end of the Second World War, Marta Nederman is rescued from a Nazi prison by an American soldier named Paul.  While recovering in an Allied hospital, Marta makes friends with Rose, another patient, and with her nurse Dava.  She has one evening with Paul before he ships out to the Pacific.  

Through a series of happenings, Marta does not return to her native Poland, but ends up in London. She is offered a secretarial job at the Foreign Office and then marries a British diplomat.  How she becomes involved in a secret mission to Prague makes for a suspenseful story with lots of hair-raising twists and turns.  Overall, some of the incidents seem improbable and there are numerous coincidences, but it’s a fast-paced read!

This is one of Jenoff’s earlier works. She has written a number of other novels and often draws on her own experiences working in the Foreign Office.

CULINARY CORNER

Several days ago, we ventured to downtown Sarasota for our first meal at a restaurant since Labor Day weekend last year.  We were celebrating having had both Covid vaccine shots and the conclusion of my term on our condo board. 

Patio (heraldtribune.com)

Rosemary and Thyme has a very large patio.  Tables are nicely spaced, and all servers were masked.  Our table even had several partial walls further dividing it from anyone or anything else!  We dined early, but by the time we finished, this outdoor space was full and service a bit slower.

The menu offers a variety of fish, seafood, and meat entrees along with salads and starters such as fried calamari and fish chowder.  The Chief Penguin and I liked the just-right size and freshness of our Caesar salads.  He then tucked into the hearty meatloaf plate, a signature dish.  I opted for the catch of the day which was a lovely piece of Branzino accompanied by risotto, green beans, and carrots.  Entrée prices range from the low 20’s into the 40’s, the latter perhaps a reflection of staying viable during the pandemic.  The food was tasty and the ambience very nice— we will return.

Note: Header illustration of daffodils courtesy of dreamstime.com.