Love Lane Kitchen: New Visit!

Love Lane Kitchen has long been a favorite for ABF & me, so we were excited for the chance to bring out That Sara (of NYCNomNom) and her BF, Mike!

We started the day with a tasting at Clovis Point, and a few hours later we made it to LLK for dinner. First up: those delicious dinner rolls!

That Sara has a pepper allergy, and our server was very attentive and took it seriously. She checked on all of our dishes to make sure they were safe for Sara to eat, and she was also correct! Several times I've been out with Sara and we've been assured there are 'no peppers' in a dish, only to find out that there is actually a jalapeno, habanero, bell or other pepper in there after all.

We started with the calamari salad to share, which was deeeelicious. No peppers, lots of flavor! Fresh lemon juice, navy beans, and perfectly cooked calamari. Yum.

You'd think we were sick of wine by this point, but Mike, Sara & I still had room for a chilly glass or two of Gruner Veltliner.

This was light and lovely.

For my entree, I picked the skirt steak. It came with fries and a tasty chimichurri-type sauce. The serving was huge--I shared with everyone and still had leftovers. Tender, tasty, delish. The side salad was perfectly dressed and full of fresh, crispy, delectable veggies.

ABF ordered the stout-glazed short ribs with mashed potatoes. These were melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious.

Sara ordered the pork belly with a soft-boiled egg. This smelled amazing.

Mike ordered the cheeseburger, which I've never had, but which seems to be quite popular.

When dessert time came, I was crushed to find out there was NO. RICE. PUDDING. I should have bowed out gracefully then, but no, I foolishly forged ahead. We all decided to share the pumpkin cheesecake, the chocolate pecan pie, and the apple pie. They were tasty, but I prefer the rice pudding AND I was way, way beyond full at this point. The pumpkin cheesecake was my personal favorite, but everyone enjoyed everything. Pretty much sums up every visit ever to Love Lane Kitchen!

Love Lane Kitchen
240 Love Lane
Mattituck, NY 11952
(631) 298-8989

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Clovis Point: Wine & Cheese with Friends

For our fun-filled day on the North Fork, we took Sara & Mike to Briermere Farms and then Clovis Point! Sara & I had both bought Groupons for a wine & cheese tasting, and it was about to expire. To Clovis Point!

We arrived around 2pm and the joint was hopping! We saw Hal, one of the owners, pouring samples and greeting visitors. He always stops to say hi, and his passion for what he does is clear and makes the place even more welcoming.

We started with the whites, as Clovis Point's steel-barrel Chardonnay is one of my all-time favorite white wines. Mike & Sara enjoyed the oak barrel too, but they are even more fans of Chardonnay than I am. Long story short, everyone of us took home a bottle of Chardonnay.

How gorgeous are these wine glasses? Love.

We hit up the reds as well, including the complex and lovely Archeology blend. Once we had tasted all the wines, we each chose a full glass to take out on the patio with our cheese plate. I chose the Archeology. I would have gone for the Artifact, my all-time favorite there, but they were out. *sniff*

ABF, Sara & Mike all went with the Chardonnay-another great choice!

How's that for a lovely sip and nosh on the outdoor patio?

Almost as soon as we sat down, I knocked over my glass of red. No, I wasn't even tipsy, just klutzy. I did manage to get some on poor Sara's lap, but most of it hit the ground in a red splash resembling a crime scene. Thankfully, the glass didn't break, and the lovely staff more than replenished my glass for me at no extra charge.

I think we all had a lovely time, soaking up the sun's rays, laughing like crazy, and tasting delicious, award-winning wine offered by our hospitable hosts at Clovis Point. ABF & I are always happy to bring friends here for a little break from city life. Once again, a lovely visit...and our day was just getting started!

Clovis Point Winery
1935 Main Rd
Jamesport, NY 11947
(631) 722-4222

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Briermere Farms: Winter 2011

ABF & I escorted That Sara & her boyfriend Mike to the North Fork for a fun-filled day of eating, drinking, and shopping. Our first stop (after a quick visit to Williams-Sonoma in Riverhead) was Briermere Farms, which is a one-stop shop for all things delicious.

Last year, ABF & I had the caramel apple to end all caramel apples (see that here!), but it turns out this visit we were a week or 2 too late--that season was over. Bummer. There were still plenty of fresh veggies, plants, and oodles of apples available.

Instead of stocking up on pies, we opted for smaller treats, of which there were plenty! It was an almost-overwhelming assortment!

I picked up some pecan puffs, which I know better as Mexican wedding cookies (and they go by a different name for every culture, it seems). These were outstanding--crumbly but not too so, and sweet and nutty. Divine!

I also snagged a pumpkin bite square--it smelled so spicy and heavenly. We all shared some later during our wine tasting at Clovis Point.

Once again, Briermere Farms kills it in the baking department. There is no bad 'season' to visit this spot...and personally, I prefer it in the off-season when the line doesn't stretch all the way across Sound Avenue.

Briermere Farms
4414 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY
(631) 722-3931

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Martha's Vineyard: Water Street Restaurant

On our last morning on Martha's Vineyard, I persuaded (cajoled?) ABF into joining me downstairs at the Harbor View's restaurant, Water Street. The dining area is just gorgeous--white beadboard, dark wood chairs/tables, and a lovely wood floor. We were the only 2 people in there at the time, so we got the primo seat facing out onto the Edgartown Harbor and, of course, the Edgartown lighthouse!

We got tall, stately cups of coffee right off the bat. Smooth and strong--not as strong as State Road, but still good.

My rye toast was delightfully sour and fluffy--hooray!

We each ordered the 2-eggs-any-way breakfast. I got mine poached (of course--have you met me?), with home fries and a sausage patty.

ABF ordered his eggs scrambled, and he also had the home fries & sausage patty. His eggs were expertly-seasoned and fluffy, and we both looooved the home fries! I normally pass on heavy, starchy home fries, but these were great.

My eggs, sadly, were terribly overcooked, as in almost hard-boiled. This is NOT poached. If we hadn't been in a rush to catch our ferry home, I would have done something I rarely ever, EVER do: send them back to the kitchen! We were the only 2 people in the restaurant at the time, and making poached eggs takes three minutes tops, but at that point I didn't want to bother. I ate all the whites and let ABF have the hard yolks (which I just don't like. Bleah).

The view was lovely, the decor was divine, and the home fries were finger-licking-good, but the Water Street restaurant failed to wow me this visit. To be fair, I also didn't give them the chance to fix the mistake, but the clock was ticking. There's always next year!

Water Street at the Harbor View Hotel
131 North Water Street
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-3761

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Martha's Vineyard: State Road

Thanks to my new interweb/fellow-food-fan-friends at HungryNative.com, ABF & I learned that our beloved Zapotec had closed (o, fish tacos, I hardly knew ye). Where could we go for an amazing meal now on Martha's Vineyard--where we trek every year after Thanksgiving in NY? HN peeps suggested State Road, a restaurant on, well, State Road, in the West Tisbury area of the island. I checked out their review (go here), and the pictures alone told me this would be THE place for us.

First things first--ABF & I are not kidding around when it comes to coffee. Our server brought us steaming mugs of it--fresh, hot, dark roast. And I mean dark. As dark as ABF makes it on his own, and that's a pretty big compliment from our coffee camp. We both make mean pots of coffee in a variety of ways, and I think it's safe to say we both give the State Road brew two mugs up!

Brunch here goes from 8am-2pm. YES! We were up pretty early every day on our trip, getting the most hours of sunlight we could. Getting up early also builds quite an appetite!

Everything on the menu sounded delicious, but I kept going back to the bacon-cheddar-jalapeno grits ($12).And I don't even like grits.

ABF got the one item we agreed SOMEONE had to order: the cod cakes special ($15), which also came with arugula and a fried (local) egg. We were super-happy to see that it came with THREE cod cakes...each one jam-packed with flaky fish, fresh herbs, and a serious kick of lemon. The lemon-dill sauce that came with it had me coming back for 'just one more taste' a few times. I'm lucky he's such a generous guy. ;)

Check out those gorgeous slices of their house-made multi-grain bread. Each piece had real heft and weight to it--the mark of a serious piece o'bread. The housemade preserves were splendid--chock full of fresh blueberries--hardly anything extra needed! I could have eaten a lot more of this bread. It tasted like the kind your mom would make on a cold winter day. Le sigh.

I had more than enough grits to share--they're still not my favorite food in the world, but the way they make them at State Road is definitely worth trying, and it's an incredibly generous amount! Our server, Caitlin, also brought us a small bowl of sriracha sauce to dot over our food--which of course it didn't need, but sure was a nice addition. Yum. The sautéed spinach was scrum-diddily-umptious, and the local eggs from Grey Barn Farms (perfectly, perfectly poached!) are well worth the extra buck per egg. No anemic, pale yolks here!!

The service was great here--friendly, welcoming, efficient, and we enjoyed every moment in that warm, open restaurant. We wanted to go back again (and again) before we left, but time just wasn't on our side. I'd also love to see their backyard herb garden in full bloom--I'll wager it's a beauty. Next time!! And next time, honestly, can't come soon enough.

State Road Restaurant
688 State Road
West Tisbury, MA 02575
(508) 693-8582

----> Hot coffee + great food = Happy LKP

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Financier Patisserie

My friend Carlota & I met up a while back in the Financial District for a late afternoon coffee break. We decided to stop at Financier, the French pastry stop where ABF's office so often gets their birthday cakes (which I get to hear about but NEVER sample!) ABF & I have walked by this spot countless times, but we'd never stopped in before. Enough taunting stories of delectable birthday pastries--time for me to score some yum on my own!

Bright, bustling, busy, and bursting at the (display case) seams with gorgeous, painstakingly-crafted goodies.

It was still mild enough to sit outside, so we took our iced coffees and a mini-sized raspberry-white chocolate eclair outdoors. Each of our drinks came with a bite-size madeleine--adorbs!

The pastry was delightful; even though I don't normally care for white chocolate, it paired nicely with the fresh, succulent berries.

Surprisingly, though, the coffee was terrrrrrrrible. Feh. I barely drank 3 sips before deciding I really couldn't bear the bitter, ashy flavor. Shame. I've heard from others that their drip coffee is pretty awful, so if you go (and their pastries/desserts are worth the trip), get something espresso-based!

Financier Patisserie
62 Stone Street
New York, NY 10004
(212) 344-5600