I am in love. I have a new favorite lunch place, a new night out with Dave place, a new beautifully fresh, locally sourced, all in house desserts LOVE place.
And did I mention they serve Pomme Frite and Savory or Sweet Crepes? O Garden Bistro 24, let me count the reasons I walked away ready to return again.
1. Airy space with comfortable decor in Gryffindor colors, art vs. neutral prints.
2. Knowledgeable staff, gracious and pleasant, without being perky.
3. A small but not limited selection, giving the impression of choosing one/two things to do and to do very well.
4. Decent lunch prices for a beautiful amount of food: not too large, not molecular gastronomically small.
5. Individually seasoned ingredients in my Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Sauteed Fresh Spinach Crepe. All at the correct temp, the chicken tasting of chicken vs. the sadly expected overlooked styrafoam.
6. Correctly cooked local spinach. Bright green, with still a hint of a crunch. Easy to tell - this hit the pan at the last minute, went once around and was done.
7. Airy, Eggy Crepe. I don't claim to know what a perfect crepe should taste like, but I have zero complaints about this one.
8. Immediate correction of mistake. I asked if there was cheese in the chicken dish, was told no, and dish arrived with a cream sauce. Server checked in a minute after the dishes arrived, whisked it away; a new one arrived within five minutes, beautifully cooked. I had been sampling my dining partner's pomme frite, so I was already fairly content, but the graciousness with which this was done (I didn't say no dairy, I said no cheese - my fault as much or more than theirs) sealed the deal.
9. In house salad dressings. Roasted Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette served with perfectly ripe avocado, crisp greens, radishes, fresh peas, soy nuts and goat cheese. It looked lovely.
10. In house aioli. Honey Dijon Aioli for the pomme fritte, with a side of ketchup. The Dijon overpowered the honey, unfortunately. Luckily, they'll be making a fresh batch soon.
11. Heavy forks. I am not kidding. I love me some silverware and reasonable choices on plates, glasses, etc.
12. Pomme Frite. Small little bite of perfectly twice fried heaven, sprinkled with sea salt, a new batch on BOTH of my plates.
13. In house desserts. Enough said. Creme Brulle for dessert. It may have used up all my flex points (God help me, I'm doing weight watchers), but it was so worth it.
14. Locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
15. The company. Ran into some lovely people and my dining companion was one of the few other Young Professional Jews (as in working in the Jewish community) in the area. Getting to talk shop is a rare thing in my line of work, especially with someone of my generation to whom I do not need to explain the importance of social media in community building.
16. It puts the class back in strip mall.
17-24 I was hoping to get 8 more reasons for you, but I think that is just going to have to wait for another day. Needless to say, suitably impressed, excited to go back.
On to the veg.
This weeks share consists of: Lettuce, Parsley or Sage, Scallions or Sweet Salad Onions, Fairytale Eggplant/Large Eggplant or Green Peppers, Green Beans, Tomato, Corn, Summer Squash/Zucchini
Fruit Share: 1 pint of Blueberries and 1 quart of Peaches
And did I mention they serve Pomme Frite and Savory or Sweet Crepes? O Garden Bistro 24, let me count the reasons I walked away ready to return again.
1. Airy space with comfortable decor in Gryffindor colors, art vs. neutral prints.
2. Knowledgeable staff, gracious and pleasant, without being perky.
3. A small but not limited selection, giving the impression of choosing one/two things to do and to do very well.
4. Decent lunch prices for a beautiful amount of food: not too large, not molecular gastronomically small.
5. Individually seasoned ingredients in my Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Sauteed Fresh Spinach Crepe. All at the correct temp, the chicken tasting of chicken vs. the sadly expected overlooked styrafoam.
6. Correctly cooked local spinach. Bright green, with still a hint of a crunch. Easy to tell - this hit the pan at the last minute, went once around and was done.
7. Airy, Eggy Crepe. I don't claim to know what a perfect crepe should taste like, but I have zero complaints about this one.
8. Immediate correction of mistake. I asked if there was cheese in the chicken dish, was told no, and dish arrived with a cream sauce. Server checked in a minute after the dishes arrived, whisked it away; a new one arrived within five minutes, beautifully cooked. I had been sampling my dining partner's pomme frite, so I was already fairly content, but the graciousness with which this was done (I didn't say no dairy, I said no cheese - my fault as much or more than theirs) sealed the deal.
9. In house salad dressings. Roasted Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette served with perfectly ripe avocado, crisp greens, radishes, fresh peas, soy nuts and goat cheese. It looked lovely.
10. In house aioli. Honey Dijon Aioli for the pomme fritte, with a side of ketchup. The Dijon overpowered the honey, unfortunately. Luckily, they'll be making a fresh batch soon.
11. Heavy forks. I am not kidding. I love me some silverware and reasonable choices on plates, glasses, etc.
12. Pomme Frite. Small little bite of perfectly twice fried heaven, sprinkled with sea salt, a new batch on BOTH of my plates.
13. In house desserts. Enough said. Creme Brulle for dessert. It may have used up all my flex points (God help me, I'm doing weight watchers), but it was so worth it.
14. Locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
15. The company. Ran into some lovely people and my dining companion was one of the few other Young Professional Jews (as in working in the Jewish community) in the area. Getting to talk shop is a rare thing in my line of work, especially with someone of my generation to whom I do not need to explain the importance of social media in community building.
16. It puts the class back in strip mall.
17-24 I was hoping to get 8 more reasons for you, but I think that is just going to have to wait for another day. Needless to say, suitably impressed, excited to go back.
On to the veg.
This weeks share consists of: Lettuce, Parsley or Sage, Scallions or Sweet Salad Onions, Fairytale Eggplant/Large Eggplant or Green Peppers, Green Beans, Tomato, Corn, Summer Squash/Zucchini
Fruit Share: 1 pint of Blueberries and 1 quart of Peaches
1. Triage Short life: Lettuce, Scallions; Medium Life (through the week): Parsley, Fairy Tale Eggplant/Large Eggplant, Green Peppers, Green Beans, Tomato; Medium Life Plus (a week and a half to two weeks, if you're lucky): Sweet Salad Onions, Corn, Summer Squash/Zucchini
Is it strange that I have a great urge to make French Onion Soup in the middle of the Summer? I have two weeks worth of the onions, and the idea of the incredible caramelization that is possible just blows my mind. On second thought, I wasted some delicious time watching True Grits on You Tube. I am inclined to make a good batch of polenta, caramelize the onions, saute some of that zucchini. Spread the polenta over a parchment paper lined 9x13, spread onions and zucchini over the polenta. Bring to room temp, then chill for at least 1-2 hrs. Slice and serve. Grill if it sounds like a good idea.
2. Divide and Conquer I store corn in its husks, so this doesn't apply to that. The eggplants lose some of their bitterness if they're sliced, sprinkled with salt, then rinsed before cooking, but that only takes an hour. I am truly looking forward to those peaches, and separating them from their pits, but I think I can wait. This may be non-applicable to this week's haul.
3. Everything in its Place This is my favorite time of year for veg. Green beans go everywhere - treat them blanched, as part of a salad, or wash them before you put them away, so that they can be eaten raw right out of the bag. Tomatoes belong on my window sill, and disappear one by one, sprinkled with salt. Eggplants belong in Eggplant Parm, and I WILL find a points friendly way to make it.
4. Storage Green Beans can be blanched and frozen. Tomatoes can be pureed and frozen. Corn can be blanched whole or as kernels and frozen. So can zucchini..But, Thursday will be pickling day in our house. We shall begin a new batch of microbes, attempt some watermelon rind, play with carrots, finish off the cucumbers, and attack the summer squash before it fills the fridge whole.
Share and enjoy.
Peace,
the Nosher
Check out http://shadesofjaim.com/recipes/ for good points friendly mods of classic recipes...my little sis showed me ages ago.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip!
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