LIWINEDAD

  Today is the last day of our expedition to the greater Raleigh, NC area, and the day starts with a trip to the Holly Springs, NC, Farmers Market .   The market is in the classic format of being open every Saturday morning and is chocked full of small vendors with an endless array of farm and home goods.   Today three vendors caught our attention, and we have some items for taking home, but the vendors also accept online orders and ship to Long Island.   The first stop was Misty Morning Ranch for some Ostrich Jerky (Fig 01,02), but the Ranch raises and supplies all Ostrich meat products that can be ordered online and shipped directly to the house.   The next stop was the Natural Choice booth, a purveyor of fine mustards and preserves (Fig 03, 04).   Keeping the best for last, the Remedy Cocktail Company makes a wide selection of Cocktail bitters.  We picked up two bitters (Fig 05), the Aromatic Bitters (Fig 06) and the Noir Bitters (Fig 07).  The bitters paired very well with Bourbo

As we continued to explore Fuquay-Varina, NC, we came upon the Aviator Smokehouse for dinner, a remarkably excellent choice.  The Aviator is a blend of a classic Bar-B-Que smokehouse and a beer hall.   The Aviator has a large selection of handcrafted beers and fantastic Bar B Que.  The Aviator is a casual dining place and kid-friendly, so come one come all.  The Bar B Que is smoked everything, and we tried a lot of it and had plenty to take home.  Unfortunately, we did not take many pictures as we were too busy enjoying all the goodness. We are looking forward to many return visits.  #avaitorsmokehouse #fuquayvarina FIG 01 – AVIATOR SMOKEHOUSE LOGO 13 AUG 2022

  We just arrived in town from NY to visit family, and we stopped at what is their local pizza shop.  The place was quite good, using NY and Long Island Pizza restaurants as my reference.  The Stromboli (Fig 01) was a generous size and well stuffed.  The pizzas for the rest of the family were also delicious, and the prices were very modest.  The team was friendly and attentive, paying good attention to the 3-year-old Grandson.  The lunch was well-paced but not rushed, and we could have spent even more time if we wished.  We will keep this place on the revisit list each time we return to town.  #fuquayvarina #pizza FIG 01 – ANNA’S PIZZERIA STROMBOLI 08 AUG 2022

  While Long Island remains the perfect place to live, work, and play, we still need to venture off LI to see Jack the Grandson, Bridget (Daughter), and son-in-law Stud Muffin (Anthony).  To try something different, we explored a more traditional method of traveling by train.  The travel time to Raleigh is about the same as the drive time, around 10 hours.  We opted to take a car into the city to avoid schlepping all the luggage on the LIRR.  Our jump-off point is the new Moynihan station in the old Farley Post Office building above Penn Station.  It is a beautifully done, bright, open, grand train hall and a large lounge overlooking the great hall.  The train departed on time and arrived within 5 minutes of its scheduled time; however, the return trip ran about 2 ½ hours late.  We booked ourselves into a comfortable sleeper compartment that included meals and a private bath.  A note on the cost, it was about 45% higher than Delta First class to Raleigh and 8 hours longer.  The views w

  Anchor Down Dockside is a short walk from the office, so we stopped in again for a most enjoyable revisit.   Opening cocktails was a bit of a switch from our traditional Cosmo and Woodford; instead, Jo opted for a Sangria and a B l uebe r r y F res ca for me; both were perfect for a late afternoon on the water dining.  The place continues to be bright and cheery (Fig 01, 02) with an engaging, attentive team, and extensive menu (Fig 06, 07).  For starters, the was grilled Octopus nestled on a bed of greens, cucumbers, and chickpeas with a balsamic drizzle that was done perfectly (Fig 03).  Next, Jo opted for the hot lobster roll with lots of lobster meat and hot-drawn butter and plated with Cole Slaw and a generous helping of fried (Fig 04).  Today the special was a Trout in white wine, lemon, and caper sauce accompanied by sauteed spinach (Fig 05) that paired very well with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  Once again, a fine early dinner waterside ensures many return visits.      #a

  We were searching for a carnivore’s feast, and Vincent’s Steakhouse came to mind.  We have been there in the past; the food is good and the pricing very moderate.  Once again, Vincent’s did not disappoint.  On the table was a basket of Jalapeno Corn Bread with sweet maple butter that paired perfectly with just the slight kick of the Jalapenos (Fig 01).  The opening round of drinks was our traditional Cosmopolitan and Woodford on the rocks, both well-made and a good size (Fig 02).  For openers, we had the Caesar Salad and the Seafood Platter (Fig 03).  The dinner Entr é es were going to be significant, so the team suggested we move over to a larger table to accommodate the food, and they were correct.   The dinner drinks arrived, and I switched out the Woodford for a Chianti (Fig 04).   The Vincent’s Mix Grill (Fig 05) was, in fact, enormous and designed for two, a detail I missed when ordering but resulted in a fine dinner the next day.   The Mixed Grill includes two of each, a sirlo

  I am a committed supporter of Long Island wine, but good wines are produced in other parts of the world worth trying and enjoying.  The path to discovering this wine is a bit convoluted but enjoyable.  A long-time friend in Chicago, Adam B, shares my passion for wine and has a friend who happens to be a winemaker and winery owner in California.  Adam wanted me to try his friend's wine, which was on the list to do, but with so many wines from Long Island, it would be a while; well, Adam found a way to move the California wine to the top of my priority list.  Adam arranged to have a sampler kit (OK, an entire case) shipped, which arrived yesterday.  In addition, the Seabold Cellars case arrived with what looks to be just about one of every wine Seabold Cellars and related wineries (Adroit, Bold Wine Co.) produce (Fig 01).    Seabold Cellars case looks like a fantastic sampler pack and will take a good part of August to work through all the wines, a tough job, but somebody needs to

  First, select a large rack of ribs, Stew Leonards – East Meadow has a fine selection.   Second, pick an excellent Bar-B-Que sauce; Jim Beam Maple Bourbon (Fig 01) is a fine one, for example.   Next, into a vacuum seal Sous Vide bag, add the ribs cut in half, a bottle of Bar-B-Que sauce, and an extra-large shot of good Bourbon, then seal the bag with minimal air inside.   Next, toss the bag of Ribs into a Sous Vide water bath at 167 F for about 4 hours (Fig 02).   While waiting for the ribs to slow-cook, open a good bottle of wine.   A W ö lffer Estate 2010 Umbra is a fine well aged Merlot.   The Umbra 2010 is a hardy Merlot with a very light touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, a delicate nose, rich fruit, and smooth tannins.   Enjoy with friends while the ribs cook.   After about 4 hours, remove the ribs, drain the juices into a small sauce, and simmer over low heat to thicken.   While the sauce is reducing, char the ribs on an outdoor Bar-B-Que over an Infrared Searing Station for abou