Pangaea Lounge

After a long day of kayaking and sunbathing, these folks needed some dinner. 

Pangaea Lounge in North Bennington had some sweet reviews, so we headed in sans reservation.  Unforch we couldn't sit outside on this beautiful night, but we still got to sit within 10 minutes on a Saturday (early) evening.

Note that we are in the Lounge, not Pangaea Restaurant, which is shmancier.  It's like Palena Cafe or Bourbon Steak--we do it up right in the Lounge.  The menu had a lot of options, with sandwiches, burgers, salads, sides, and a bunch of appetizer or entrees, depending on the size.  We decided to choose a la carte from the tasting menu, mostly.

Roasted beet, spinach, squash, and chevre salad.  This salad was superb.  Recently when J of J&J asked me what year it was, as in "the year of the trail mix" or "the year of the zucchini," I suggested that for us, it's the year of the beet.  We've been roasting them up on the grill with their friends every week.  SO delicious.  Also pictured, less colorfully, is the chilled cucumber asparagus soup.  We probably shouldn't have gotten a bowl because the flavor and texture eventually wore on us, but we mostly enjoyed this dish.

Mmmm meat.  This burger was really well cooked (as in, medium rare) and the thin potato slice fries were a nice touch.

The star.  The diva.  The reason why we'll definitely return: gnocchi with peas and basil in a mustard cream sauce.  The gnocchi's texture was perfect - it wasn't mushy, it wasn't hard.  The flavor of the sauce was uhhhhhhhhhhhh ok, so I might have asked if they would sell it to me by the jar.  (They wouldn't.)  Go.  Eat seasonally, and enjoy the gnocchi.

Pangaea Lounge
1&3 Prospect Street
North Bennington, VT

Fewer Words Friday

I mentioned it on Twitter and posted a picture on Facebook.  I really couldn't get over how fun it was to rent a big boat with 6 other people, eat sandwiches and chips, drink beer, jump off rocks (that's not us, but thank you YouTube for the reference), swim, and tube on Lake George.  I thought you needed a special license to drive a motorboat, but it turns out you just need to be awesome like my friend N and zoooooooooooooooom after listening to a dude tell you about the boat for 5 minutes.

The weather was ridiculous.  This activity should be scheduled into your near future.

No matter what you do, have a most excellent weekend.  I hope in the next few weeks I'll be able to tell you about some delightful meals in Bennington, Cape Cod, and dear old Albany.

 

 this looks remarkably like the fake stock photo when you're waiting for your photos to load in Windows Explorer

Mile End

Mile End: A Montreal-Style Jewish Delicatessen in Brooklyn. Sounds like a book title.  The inside jacket would read: mmm smoked meat nom nom nom nomz.

 [washed out hipster pic.  aka it was very sunny.]

I saw Mile End on Unique Eats not long after my trip to Montreal, and L obviously had already tried some of their food at a local festival.

This place was petite.  Expected for New York, I know, but I didn't know the tables were perpendicular to the wall and were meant to sit 4, so we squeezed 6 there and put mom and dad in the two-seater right behind us.  I had my back to them, not so nice, but they were busy chompin' up delightful smoked meat hash.  I loved the feel of the inside--wooden tables, chalkboards, the subway tile, the hockey pictures in the bathroom--all of it!

I knew before our arrival, but others were surprised--you cannot get smoked meat before noon unless you get the smoked meat hash.  No sandwiches, no pile of meat (ahem, remember Schwartz's?).  Next time, FIL!  I'm with them, I want to go back for a sandwich.  Not a problem.  When are you free?

The smoked meat hash looks good, doesn't it?  It was.  Well-done, and that's not only a compliment, I mean crispy and crunchy.  The way I like it (and my mom, and my grandma, and everyone else in my family with the burned lovin').  My only criticism is that I wish there was more meat and fewer potatoes. It wasn't totally out of whack, and granted I was starving for more protein, but it would have made a noticeable difference in my book.

I also got a bagel (imported from Montreal's St. Viateur) to see what the fuss is about.  I didn't notice a particular sweetness, but indeed it was smaller and denser than the typical NY bagel.  It was too crazy--maybe because I lived in places with weird smaller bagels for a while and ate them anyway?

The strawberry jammy preserve was good, but the chunks of strawberry were big, and it was difficult to actually cut it to spread some on my bagel.  Highbrow problems.

J's onion, greens, and salami scramble situation.  Mile End serves Boylan's sodas AND iced coffee (yay), and they have an olive oil type dispenser for simple syrup.  Love it. 

AG had a special: egg in a hole (a hole in challah, by the by) topped with greens and crispy chicken skin pieces.  I didn't get particular details on how she liked this, but the plate, like mine (and J's, etc) was clean.  It looked delicious.  If smoked meat hash wasn't an option, the special would be for me.

In all, 5 of us got smoked meat hash, and the only unpictured item is Grandma's delightful whitefish salad and bagel platter.  The whitefish salad was fresh, full of herbs and a citrus squeeze. It was light and refreshing, everything I definitely did not want that morning--GIVE ME MORE MEEEEAAAAAT.

Fewer Words Friday

I want to wish you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. In most parts of the east coast it looks like it'll be gooorgeous.  Beach! Beach! Beach!

Today I bring you photos of a brunch from the past that escaped publication.  In short: I liked it, I'd go back, I'd recommend it.  Look at that popover (with strawberry butter).

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Blurry CBH with scrambled eggs.  L was obviously my dining companion.  Not quite Good Enough to Eat, but a solid, adorable brunch. 

Postcard from Montreal

36 Hours in Montreal?  I had more like 27 hours (not to be confused with 127 hours, also known as almost 32 days).  When my sister said she'd be at a big conference just 4 hours up the road, I jumped at the chance to share the weekend with her.  The ride up took just under 5 hours because I was quite delayed at the border.  The lines didn't look long, but it took forever.  I zoomed back (with no wait at the USA gate) in 4 hours with one short stop.  (And no tolls.  Can you believe that, everyone?)

I've heard tons about Montreal bagels (even in 1987, when I was really too young to be thinking about it).  But I just didn't have time to eat one on this trip.  I know we'll be back this summer, but if I can't wait until then, I may just need to go to Mile End in Brooklyn (a Montreal-style Jewish deli that imports the bagels and smokes the meat in-house). 

Naturally, after parking the car, my first stop was Schwartz's.  The long line outside scared me a little, but it turns out that's for the restaurant.  Anyone can walk in and order at a counter, then either take out or head to the back where there are some tables and stools.  I won't lie, it was hot in there.  Besides the obvious reason (hi, they are smoking meat all up in there), I think it was hot inside a lot of places in Montreal because it was the first warmer day in quite a while after a long, cold winter.  I had the smoked meat sandwich, $5.90.  I didn't make any specifications (I think someone behind me ordered "lean"), and it arrived with a little mustard on rye.  It was delicious, and it smelled like heaven.

By the time I arrived, Sister had already had French food several times, abysmal conference fare, and tapas. When we finally headed out to dinner we didn't feel like waiting too long for our dishes.  Yelp led us to some options for pollo a la brasa, often referred to as "Peruvian chicken" (although in Montreal one place explicitly said "Portuguese").  I remembered the drill from the good old days in Arlington at El Pollo Rico or Super Pollo, and I figured for a low price Sis and I would be chowing down on 1/4 or 1/2 a chicken and some sides.  That's exactly what happened.  We had super juicy tender chicken, potatoes, and decent slaw at Coco Rico. We tried Romado's first, but they close at 8pm--we arrived a little later, and they were actually out of chicken.  We grabbed some pastries from Presse Cafe on our way back to the hotel, which we served ourselves with tea from the lobby (because nearly every day of my life ends with a hot beverage).  The ginormo biscotti was dipped in delish white chocolate on one end and regular ol' chocolate on the other.  Sister happily guessed correctly that the danishy-twisty friend had apple in the middle.

 Is there anything like Diet Coke in a can?  So what if it'll kill me?  Not if something else does first.

 Sweet industrial decor.

Now on to the main event.  You and I both know what I was really looking forward to--brunch.  The fruit of the hen.  My favorite.

I read around on Yelp and elsewhere and decided we should go to Le Cartet.  We waited about 15 minutes, but we used that time wisely in their little shop.  You could definitely do some damage getting takeout and boxed/preserve treats for a picnic.  I stocked up on some made-in-Quebec treats for my best buddy back home, and obviously got a blueberry and chocolate spread that I finished alone in two short workweeks.

Lots of choices here for brunch--you could get anything from a pastry to an enormous plate with many things on it, and every option in between.  We opted for enormous plates with everything on them.  Sister had the Brunch de L'Atlantique: Eggs with smoked salmon (or lox, right Em?), half a bagel with all the typical accoutrements, greens, a little sweet potato and salmon cake, and fruit.  They weren't kidding about the salmon, I know.

I went for the Brunch de Sante: yogurt with granola and blueberries, poached eggs on greens, and grilled bread, cheddar sticks, and a fig.  And it came with coffee and juice, all for $15.  I highly recommend you go there and try it.  Illy coffee.  Luv.

Sigh, home sweet home.  For now.

Postcard from Chicago

I hope you are having an excellent Valentine's Day.  If you're like me, you are at work. Nice!  High five.

Anyway, off to the Windy City.  You know why it's so windy, right?  Because when best friends get together, they basically do nothing but constantly gab.  Gab while putting together furniture, gab waiting in line at a trendy torta spot, and gab while run/walking along Lake Michigan on a balmy winter's day (around 33 degrees).

After Home Depot, a snack, and a waddle, we enjoyed brunch at home.  Made up squash hash topped with over easy eggs. T chopped all the veggies ahead of time, so this was quick, packed with nutrients, and obviously delicious.  Pita bites, hummus, and sheep's milk feta on the side.  Wait--you don't buy sheep's milk feta in a two-pack from Costco?   Oh.  T doesn't understand you, then.

I was so looking forward to XOCO for dinner--it's the casual Rick Bayless sandwich shop next to Frontera and Topolobampo. 

I would love to try XOCO for breakfast.  Keep in mind that it's closed Sunday and Monday - that would be disappointing to find out at the door.  :(

Ever since I had goat at Komi I've been dying to have it again.  It's such a tender, delicious meat (when cooked well).  The goat barbacoa sandwich was the special torta for Saturday--a mild tomatillo salsa, avocado, onion, and cilantro rounded this sucker out.  The bread's texture is awesome--it's crispy and chewy the way toasted bread should be, and everything about this sandwich makes you think about how you want to eat it every single day.  Dang.  So satisfying, so comforting, just so everything.

This sandwich--the ahogada (pork carnitas, pickled onions, spicy tomato broth, etc) is the first thing T ordered at XOCO, and the second time she naturally decided to have something different.  Although it seemed like a good idea at the time, she had major ordering regrets once she realized Choice 2 wasn't as awesome as Choice 1.  On her 3rd visit she went back to the favorite, and even got to taste my torta.  The tomato broth here was way too spicy for me, I was on fiya.

Just so you know the drill, you wait on line to order, and you can get a beer or something while you wait.  Even if you get to the front of the line, you can only order if you have a table number.  We got to the front of the line before being given a table number, so we just sort of waited.  A few minutes later we got a number, ordered, then were led to our table by one of the runner/hosts.  

Dessert rounds out a meal.  Also, sandwiches are on the smaller side and we didn't have any accompaniments.  T had the churros on a previous visit, and while there was nothing wrong with them, they didn't send her senses flying.  We opted for this ginger lime tres leches cake, and it was fantastic.  The cake itself was cool, sweet, and wet, and the topping was marshmallow (!!) and some candied lime.  T wishes she had a bag of that candied lime; she is so predictable.

Cocktail time--hello, we are ladies on the go.  We headed over to Sable Bar & Kitchen for drinks after torta heaven.  The huge drink list had something for everyone, and the lounge environment was comfy.  They had tall bar tables and a long bar with stools, but also big, high-backed leather chairs.  This would be a great spot to grab apps and drinks with a friend.  It reminded me of our late dinner of appetizers in Pittsburgh. 



Breakfast the next morning found us at The Bagel.  T had heard from a coworker that they had great bagels, and she goes there all the time, etc etc.  Now, this coworker is likely not from the east coast.  I don't want to be a northeast liberal elitist snobaholic in your business, but T and I are Jersey Jews, and if anyone knows a bagel, it's us.  I'll show you a bagel.  Exhibit A: I present the cinnamon raisin bagel from Wonder Bagels in Jersey City, NJ.

I know.  Try to get a hold of yourself.

So The Bagel turns out not to be a bagelry at all.  And that's ok, it just wasn't what we were expecting.  It also wasn't the tastiest place ever.  I probably should have Yelped or something, but I didn't.

The bagel chips were sort of a redeeming factor; the baked goods just weren't very fresh.

I got whitefish salad; it would have been better if I didn't find a handful of little bones in it.  Choking hazard says what??

T's Greek omelet was kind of sad, too.  I know it's not really time for tomatoes, but these put the worst ones to shame.  Omelets are tough sometimes, especially if you are a really good cook (like T), because if it's not good you are just thinking "I could have made something much better at home."  Bummer.

Also, the service was odd.  People kept coming by and filling our water and T's iced tea to the point where it overflowed, which was messy.  But when we needed more napkins to clean that up, no one could be flagged down or found.  I can't stand when you take one sip of water and someone refills it, it means people are allllways at the table.  Stressful.  But The Bagel will survive; there were lots of families and regular-looking people around. 



So you all know how I feel about Top Chef.  I'm a fan.  I loved Stephanie Izard as a contestant, and I was super happy when she won.  I follow her on Twitter.  I knew that booking my Southwest flight to cChicago would be shortly followed by booking a rez over at Girl and the Goat.

I love the goat image that's all over the place.  Cute and delicious at the same time.  Real napkins were a nice touch. 

T and I like almost all the same foods, so we picked 4 "small plates" to share.  The dishes weren't all that small, and 4 was perfect for us.  We didn't have room (or time) for dessert on this particular late afternoon.

We started with the shaved squash and kohlrabi salad with fennel, almonds, and ginger dressing. Crunchy, flavorful, and cold, this could decorate our plates any night of the week.  Have I mentioned that we love ginger?

We had a list of daily specials, including breads.  This was super toasty crusty bread invaded by peanuts with a miso butter and a lemony dip (sort of).  It was the bomb.  Get a bread for sure.

Below is the sunchoke soup with olives and red grapefruit.  I'm not as olive-friendly as T, but the different flavors and textures here were delicious.  Salty? Check.  Sweet? Check.  Creamy?  Check yet again.  Also you can add this to the long list of Things T and I Would Share That J Wouldn't Touch With a Ten Foot Pole.

Lamb sausage stuffed calamari with sweetbread crisps (those little guys on the bottom right).  The calamari here is a casing for really flavorful, well-seasoned (but not salty) lamb meat, and there's a currant situation that sweetly contrasts.

Everything so far was so good.  But lastly came this goat masala pizza with farm fresh cheeses and the house yogurt.  (We made sure to ask whether goat meant goat like bleat bleat or like goat cheese--it meant bleat bleat.)  It was so good.  I could eat this "pizza" on a regular basis.  Somehow we stopped ourselves from eating the last few pieces.  I had a plane to catch, and I knew I'd be uncomfortably full if we went on.  Also, I knew this meal was so good that T would enjoy eating leftovers for breakfast (and she did). 

I imagine The Goat would be a great place to grab a few plates to share and some beers after work.  I know I'd go back soon if I could, but maybe you Chicago people can go in my place.



I think J and I will go back to Chicago this summer to enjoy what the area has to offer in the nice weather and visit our dear T.  By then she'll be well-versed in brunch options, late night drinks, and everything else going on, but we'll still explore and try new things because that's what friends are for.