any nice places for a mothers day lunch near the Minneapolis lakes?

Brunch at Tilia in Linden Hills (might be a bit of a wait, though...)

Broders' Pasta Bar (50th and Penn) is open for brunch/lunch on Mother's Day, but might be booked up at this point.

BernieBrewer in Minneapolis-St. Paul

Maine - Roadside Pie/Bakery/Produce Stands?

Dot's is definitely on the list, and thanks for the other recommendations, too!

How common is the roadside honor-system stand in coastal Maine? I've seen it elsewhere, but it seemed to register off the charts in terms of quaintness when we happened upon the stand in my initial post. I'd be crushed to know that it was a rarity! :-)

BernieBrewer in Northern New England

Maine - Roadside Pie/Bakery/Produce Stands?

On a trip to Maine in August 2005, we stopped at a wonderful little roadside pie/bakery honor-system stand on Hwy 32 on the Pemaquid Peninsula and bought some delicious treats.

We're returning to Maine in fall with my extended family, and we'd love to find more of these little gems on our daytrips, both for fun, on-the-go goodies, and desserts for dinners at our rental house.

Can anyone recommend any other notable roadside stands for pies, cookies, produce, jams, etc. (the smaller the stand, the better!) anywhere between Portland and Bar Harbor? (We'll likely be doing a good bit of driving during the week, so that entire stretch of coast is definitely in play.)

BernieBrewer in Northern New England

St. John and St. Thomas -- Availability of Good Ingredients at Markets and Groceries?

Our extended family is considering a house rental in St. John or St. Thomas. We love to cook, and would want to do a number of dinners at the house, taking advantage of the gourmet kitchen.

Any thoughts on the availability, quality, and price of ingredients on either island?

BernieBrewer in South & Central America & the Caribbean

Dinner for two -- $100 or less. Thoughts?

Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

BTAustin -- Asti is just the sort of place we had in mind! Thanks so much for the tip.

BernieBrewer in Austin

Dinner for two -- $100 or less. Thoughts?

Here's a challenge for the Austin Chowhounds: We don't live in TX, but we would like to give two special friends in Austin a gift card for dinner at a local restaurant (any cuisine goes), and we'd like the gift card to cover essentially the whole check. But here's the catch -- you have a $100 limit for the gift card (anything higher would be deemed too much by the recipients, and would defeat the purpose of the gift). I've found a number of restaurants on the board that look fabulous, but they all seem very likely to blow a hole in that budget, and we don't want our friends dipping into their own wallets at this meal.

Any suggestions?

BernieBrewer in Austin

Baked Brie with Half a Wheel?

Perfect -- thanks, Adrienne and bushwickgirl!!

BernieBrewer in Home Cooking

Baked Brie with Half a Wheel?

I have a 2-lb wheel of brie for an upcoming party, and I just decided that I'd like to use the brie to do both baked brie and brie on a cheese plate. Has anyone done a puff pastry-wrapped baked brie with only part of a wheel? Am I going to end up with a greasy/runny mess on the side where it's been cut (because there's no rind), or does the puff pastry counteract this? Thanks!

BernieBrewer in Home Cooking

Provence: Recos for a Chow-based jumping-off city? Avignon, Arles, or Aix?

Ms. Brewer and I will be spending a week in Provence in late October, and we're planning to split the time as half with car, and half without car. For the portion of the trip where we are sans auto, we'll be pretty much confined to a single city for our dinner options. If we were to choose our base city purely from a Chow-focused perspective, would we be better off in Avignon, Arles, or Aix?

Thanks!

BernieBrewer in France

Anything decent near Hyatt Long Island (Hauppage)?

I heartily second Kotobuki for Japanese (especially the sushi). It was recommended by a front-desk employee at the Long Island Marriott as her favorite local recommendation, and it did not disappoint. The rock shrimp and fried oyster appetizers were nice, too.

-----
Kotobuki Japanese Restrnt
377 Smithtown Byp, Hauppauge, NY 11788

BernieBrewer in New York State (exc. New York City)

Sayville/Bay Shore LI recommendations?

Flying into LGA Wednesday, then driving to Islandia for a work trip. Anything Chow-worthy between the airport and Islandia on my drive in or out?

Suggestions for dinner Wed. night in Sayville, Bay Shore, or anywhere else nearby?

Suggestions for breakfast on Friday before I head back to LGA?

Thanks!

BernieBrewer in New York State (exc. New York City)

Non-Alcoholic Beverage/Mocktail Pairing Suggestions?

Family is coming to town for the Fourth, and Mrs. Brewer and I are planning a tasting menu with paired wines for each course. We just found out yesterday, though, that our sister-in-law is pregnant! Exciting news, but that eliminates her from the wine-pairing fun.

Any suggestions for non-alcoholic beverage pairings (juices, mocktails, etc.) for the following dishes that will let our expecting mom enjoy some of the fun that we hope the rest of the group will have with their paired courses?

> Arugula Salad with Lemon-Oil Dressing
> Homemade Papparedelle with Tomato Sugo
> Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Roasted Cherries
> Chocolate Gelato and Walnut Shortbread Cookies

Thanks!

BernieBrewer in Home Cooking

Business Trip (UES; E 92nd and 1st) -- Recommendation near hotel?

I'm in town for two nights, with business meetings both days at our hotel (Courtyard Upper East) at East 92nd and 1st. Not sure if I'll have much of a chance to get out (likely to be working dinners at the hotel both nights), but is there anything chow-worthy nearby that's worth checking out if I can escape the hotel for a bite? Thanks!

BernieBrewer in Manhattan

Where to buy wild boar meat? (MSP)

Sorry, no-go at Lund's and Byerly's. I also asked at Whole Foods and Uptown without any luck. One of the local co-ops also directed me to Venison America, which I would highly recommend.

BernieBrewer in Minneapolis-St. Paul

Where to buy wild boar meat? (MSP)

I just made wild boar ragu last weekend with meat from Specialty Meats & Gourmet in Hudson, WI.

http://venisonamerica.com/products/biggame.html

They ship all over the country, but they also have a store-front that is open Tuesday-Friday. The meat was delicious, and Steve and his colleagues were very accommodating. I would recommend calling ahead though, to ensure that they either have what you need on hand, or will have time to order in what you need.

BernieBrewer in Minneapolis-St. Paul

Trip Planning: Restaurant Feedback (Orvieto, Montalcino, Castellina, Bologna)

Thanks, DaleJ. Sadly, they're closed the night we're having dinner in Orvieto (Wednesday)

BernieBrewer in Italy

Trip Planning: Restaurant Feedback (Orvieto, Montalcino, Castellina, Bologna)

My wife and I will be in Italy in September, and I've narrowed down our potential restaurants in several cities to the list below. I would appreciate any thoughts that anyone has on these restaurants, or any that I may have missed. Thanks!

Orvieto – La Volpe e l’Uva; Trattoria La Grotta; Del Moro; Trattoria dell’Orso; La Pergola
Montalcino (Lunch) – Ristorante Boccon Divino; Trattoria Sciame; Grappolo Blu
Castellina-in-Chianti Area – Trattoria Le Panzanelle; Il Pestello; La Toppa (San Donato); Osteria alla Piazza
Bologna – Meloncello; Gianni’s; Trattoria Tony

BernieBrewer in Italy

Tuscany/Umbria - Sagre in Late Sept.?

Any recommendations for sagre in Tuscany or Umbria from Sept. 23-27? I'd love to attend a sagra while we're there, but haven't located any good English-language references online.

BernieBrewer in Italy

Chocolate Recommendations in Salzburg?

Sturmi, the Berger chocolate looks wonderful! A search of Google maps appears to show that Berger is located at the Salzburg airport -- do you know if it has a shop within the city, or if there is anywhere to get their products in the city?

BernieBrewer in International

Chocolate Recommendations in Salzburg?

Any recommendations for chocolate finds in Salzburg? (Including chocolatiers, confectioners, bakeries, pastry shops...). We'll be heading there in September, and I always try to incorporate a special (and, ideally, unique) chocolate treat into the itinerary to surprise my wife.

BernieBrewer in International

Chocolate recommendations in Tuscany/Umbria?

While in Melbourne two years ago, my wife and I took a "chocolate tour" of the city. As a surprise for her, I would love to plan a "chocolate tour" of Tuscany and Umbria for our trip in Septebmer. We will be making stops in the following cities:

Orvieto
Assisi
Montepulciano
Pienza
Montalcino
Castellina
Radda
San Gim
Lucca
Riomaggiore (Liguria, I know!)
Bologna (again, not Tuscany or Umbria, but we fly out of Bologna Marconi)

If anyone has recommendations of where to find especially good chocolate items of any kind -- whether at markets, restaurants, gelateria, pasticceria, or anywhere else -- I would be grateful. I'm very familiar with the Perugina legacy and the Euro Chocolate fest in Perugia in October, but I'm most interested in some of the smaller, more out-of-the-way finds. Thanks!

BernieBrewer in Italy

MSP - Best Chocolate Dessert?

Along the lines of "Where would you go in Minneapolis for your last dessert ever?", we're looking to go out for dessert with friends who are leaving for a two-year stint in Mongolia on the night before they leave. Any thoughts on the best spot for dessert -- preferably chocolate dessert -- and the best dish? (As you might imagine, options for chocolate desserts in Outer Mongolia are not so so great, so we'd like to send them off with a bang!)

Thanks in advance for your picks!

BernieBrewer in General Midwest Archive