39 and Counting

We spent the weekend on Plum Island celebrating B's birthday...the countdown to the 40th has officially begun!

The fun started Friday night on our way in. We stopped in town at The Grog, one of our favorites local bars. They have, without fail, the best seafood chowder I've ever had. Add a little of their hot sauce and it can't be beat. Some of their sandwiches are ok, and they make great flatbread. It's always been a place where we had a drink and a cup of soup...until, a few weeks ago, we ordered burgers. To die for.

Most everyone there at 10 on a Friday night are locals, and we know - and meet - more of them each time we go. Best spot in town and the perfect place to celebrate a birthday!

Saturday morning we were up and out early and spent the day in Portsmouth. We found the more commercial side of town and spent some time checking out the Nook at Barnes & Noble. (More on that later.) But the best part of Portsmouth is downtown, on the water. I did a little Christmas shopping and B asked the gal in the kitchen store for a lunch recommendation. I had my heart set on The Press Room, a place we stumbled on when last we were there, but she insisted the Coat of Arms was a better pub.

Not so. It seemed to have good potential as an after-work kind of place - pool table, darts, fireplace - but the waiter was crabby and the food was just OK. It's always good to try something new, but we should have held out for live jazz and falafel at the Press Room....

Lest we go hungry, S&K treated us to dinner at Joseph's Winter Street Cafe Saturday night. (Anyone who's been to the Plum knows that the day starts with a committee meeting, where we decide what, where, and when we are going to eat and drink...it's pretty bad when you're planning tomorrow's dinner before today's coffee...)

When last we were there, B and the chef almost came to blows - literally - over their interpretations of steak au poivre. (Let's just say the chef had a very loose interpretation.) It's a beautiful restaurant and the owner is someone B and his family remember from a restaurant they used to go to in Hampton, so he decided to give it another try for his birthday. The owner was as lovely as ever, and our food was delicious.

B started with raw oysters, which he said were excellent (I'll take his word for it), and we got mushroom sardi - sauteed mushrooms on toast with sour cream. I think I liked them more than the others did and would like to try making them - how hard can it be? I tried the bolognese (good, but mine's better!), B and S had different fish dishes, and K had osso bucu. Their presentation is really pretty and everyone seemed to enjoy their dinner (they must have been good - there wasn't a lot of sharing or left overs!). We tried creme brulee and tiramisu for dessert - they were good, but nothing out of the ordinary. I think I'd opt for more mushrooms next time, instead! ;-)

This coming weekend we are celebrating Christmas with B's family - there'll be lots of recipes to share!

Thanks to JW for kindly reminding me that there's no sense in starting a blog if you aren't actually going to blog...point well-taken!