I have a craving this Christmas for an English style gingerbread pudding with an orange sauce. I found a recipe, made a few modifications, and tried it out today in advance of Christmas Dinner to make sure it's ok. Trial run turned out great and with a few slight adjustments will make a great Christmas Dinner dessert everyone is sure to love! English Christmas "pudding" is really a dense, moist spiced cake. This gingerbread version is flavored with orange marmalade and topped with a traditional hard sauce — butter and sugar mixed with brandy (or Grand Marnier)

• We plan educational and convivial events of eating, drinking, and socializing, where we learn to reclaim and evangelize the joys of the convivial table, and educate our taste.
• We recognize and promote food producers, artisans, purveyors, chefs and restaurateurs who contribute meaningfully to the quality, authenticity, and sustainability of the food system that feeds West Michigan.
• We support other like-minded organizations working towards a good, clean, and fair food system by promoting, volunteering and donating.

I've traveled to Kansas City twice in the past several months.  On my trip back in September, I found myself looking for a place to eat one evening as I was on my own for dinner that night.  Kansas City is a great place for steaks as well as excellent barbecue but I wasn't really in the mood for either that night.  So, I pulled out Yelp and started looking for a different type of place to eat.

Le Fou Frog came up in Yelp and the name immediately drew me in.  The reviews on Yelp were positive and after taking a look at the menu decided I had to check it out.  Kansas City is not the place I expect to find a french bistro and as my taxi approached the restaurant, admittedly I wondered if I had made the right choice.  The restaurant is in a location not far from downtown but has a very plain facade and it's plain enough from the outside, it makes you wonder if you're in the right place and if a french bistro is really behind the door (as opposed to a bar with pub grub).

I was immediately at ease when I walked in.  The decor has a decidedly French influence and I really did feel a bit like I walked into a Paris bistro.  I had such a great dinner there that night (see the photos below) that on my most recent trip back to KC, I was able to convince my coworkers and our gracious vendor we were visiting to go back to the restaurant for dinner.  We had 13 people there and while I think our group size was a bit of a challenge for a kitchen I suspect is more used to preparing for tables of two or four than 13, they did a great job and everyone really enjoyed the experience. We happened to show up on the monthly "Night of Song" and were entertained as several of the wait staff sang songs to the guests.

I have quickly grown fond of Le Fou Frog for both the food and the atmosphere.  I will definitely make it a regular stop as my travels take me back to Kansas City.  I ran across the following description of Le Fou Frog and think it's very fitting:

Le Fou Frog has been lauded in local and national newspapers as an authentic, hip, quirky, yet romantic French bistro. The Daily chalkboard of entre selections range from traditional Bistro fare such as: Steak au poivre, bouillabaisse, escargot, mussels and onion soup. Some of the offerings have a distinctive Southern French accent, being that the Chef owner hails from Marseille. However other entre offerings show the worldly influence showing impact on Chef Manos style. Diners have become accustomed to trying new and exotic offerings such as: Kangaroo with a sweet spice reduction sauce, or interesting pairings like sweetbreads and diver sea scallops in a truffle vinaigrette. Le Fou Frog is many things to many different people. There is always a happening at The Frog.

Prince Edward Island Mussels steamed in a broth of white wine,  bay leaf, mustard and cream

Duck Confit with lentils and mixed green salad with a raspberry vinaigrette

Amuse-Bouche : pate mousse with chicken liver

Seared Kangaroo Loin in a game stock reduction with sweet and savory spices

Tarte Tatin paired with a 2005 Le Tertre Du Lys D'Or Sauternes

Truffle

Several summers ago while on vacation in the Pacific Northwest, as we perused around Pike Place Market in Seattle, we happened upon a stand from Johnson Berry Farm.  We tasted the samples they had out and one caught my fancy as the flavor was unlike I've had before.  We purchased several jars of the jam and have since ordered more online.  I just received a shipment in this week and it reminded me I should share this great find.  The jam is a bit expensive considering the shipping charges and that you can get great local jams here in Michigan.  But, this jam has such great flavor it's one to keep on the shelf for those lazy Sunday mornings when I'm looking for something to go along with my Earl Grey tea.

The description of Tayberry Jam is sure to make your mouth water!

Scottish Raspberry crossed with Aurora Blackberry, this dark red fruit has the best of both worlds.  It was created in Scotland but loves our Washington climate, fabulous flavor!  Extremely popular.

This one looks like a raspberry but is considered a blackberry.  It's a little sweeter than the Loganberry and has great flavor.  It's considered one of our most popular jams.

A long weekend in Chicago over Spring Break afforded us the opportunity to visit The Purple Pig again.  I took pictures this time of the various items we ordered.  All of them fantastic as usual!

Slightly off topic, but the past two times we've been in Chicago for pleasure, I've used Priceline.com to get our hotel rooms.  When searching on hotels in Chicago, I was able to identify the area of the city we wanted to stay in and then had Priceline search only for four-star hotels to ensure we'd get a good place to stay.  I started at a ridiculously low price and kept inching the price up until my bid was accepted.  For our most recent visit, we ended up staying at the Renaissance Hotel for $125/night.  A great deal and right downtown on Wacker and State to boot!

The February 2011 edition of Wine Spectator has an entire section devoted to scotch called "A Wine Lovers Guide to Scotch".  In their own words:

Scotch whisky’s evolution from a primitive product to its modern virtuosity has taken centuries, and you can spend a lifetime tasting and exploring the best. Here’s our guide to help you find your way.

With a large portion of the magazine focused on scotch, Wine Spectator presents a great overview fit for beginners and experts alike on the complexities of this fine spirit, its history, how it's made, and reviews of 64 single malts.

Among those reviews, one caught my eye.  I've enjoyed many a dram of Glenmorangie but the recent addition of Glenmorangie Finealta to their stable of fine whisky's looked very intriguing.  Incidentally, Finealta is Gaelic for 'elegant'.  What makes this particular whisky is how the recipe for it came to be:  

Glenmorangie Finealta is a painstaking recreation of a recipe dating back to 1903. Matured in a combination of American white oak casks and Spanish Oloroso sherry casks this whisky is unusual for its light touch of peatiness - a reminder of a time when Glenmorangie dried its barley in a peat fired kiln.

Distillery archives show that at this time, Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt was being served at The Savoy in London. Making this whisky a window onto a grander age, where optimistic young souls toasted sweeping changes within Art, fashion, and technology. And where society demanded a drink of both depth and distinction.

The tasting notes for this whisky are equally enticing and I can assure you from having tasted it myself, the notes are right on.  This is one of my new favorites.  Go out and get yourself a bottle or three.  You won't be disappointed.

Carrying on a bit of a swine theme, I had dinner earlier this week with my friend Dan at The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park, FL.  The Ravenous Pig is an American gastropub experience, set against the backdrop of the cozy and comfortable neighborhood ambiance of downtown Winter Park.  Their extensive menus range from traditional pub fare to raw bar offerings, creative salads, house-made pastas and the freshest seafood and bistro classics available anywhere.

I must say I really like the gastro pub scene.  Whether it's The Green Well here in Grand Rapids, The Purple Pig in Chicago, or The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park, the food is fantastic, the ambiance is casual and relaxed yet trendy and energizing.  Another great new venue Cindee and I have recently started frequenting that should also be mentioned among these other fine establishments is Brewery Vivant.  It's a new brewery/pub here in Grand Rapids devoted to using local sources for ingredients and running their business according to the three pillars of sustainability; Environmental Integrity, Social Equity, and Economic Viability.  But, I digress.  I'm sure I'll come back to blog about Brewery Vivant in the future.

Back to dinner at "The Rav".  Reservations are recommended as when I tried to make same day reservations, the earliest we could get a table was 8:45 (on a Wednesday night).  We took our chances and went there hoping to be able to find a seat in the bar where we could eat from the full dinner menu.  Luck was on our side and we were able to slip in to the last two seats in the bar without having to wait.

We started with drinks.  I had The Ravenous Pig Old Fashioned which used bacon infused Buffalo Trace bourbon, vanilla maple syrup, and bitters.  A very similar drink to one I make myself with my own homemade bacon infused bourbon.  Dan had a Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti beer.  It's from Denver, CO and is a Russian Imperial Stout infused with espresso and aged in oak barrels.  A phenomenal beer to be sure.  Later on I had a second drink, a Rye Mule, which is Michter's Rye, Captain Eli's Ginger beer, and muddled lime.  Another familiar drink given I got my start with whisky drinking that traditional Canadian mixed drink, Rye & Ginger Ale before I eventually moved on to single malt's.

Below are pictures of what we had for appetizer's, dinner, and dessert.  A note to Kathleen that Dan not only ate goat cheese at this meal but also one other night this week . . . . . and liked it!  I wasn't supposed to tell you that. ;-)

Shrimp and Grits local royal red shrimp, c & d mill grits, green tomato chutney, chorizo oil

House-made Charcuterie and Artisan Cheese sopressata, pepperoni, brown sugar fennel, grilled speck-wrapped dates, chicken liver mousse, smoked rabbit sausage, benon chalais soft cow's milk cheese, beecher 'the truckle' reserve cheddar, lardo, house pickles, grain mustard

Veal Chop wild mushroom bread pudding, roasted garlic puree, porcini oil

Suckling Pig and Bay Scallops lantern bay scallops and braised suckling pig, king farms romanesco, apple salad

"Pig Tails" warm cinnamon-sugar tossed fritters, chocolate expresso sauce

The Purple Pig

I was in Chicago on business earlier this week with several co-workers and we were pondering where to eat dinner on a Sunday night.

Being dressed in jeans, somewhat tired from the trip, and not wanting a formal dining experience, we contemplated our options.  Aside from the typical steak houses which were easy to find and not very interesting to me personally, I consulted my trusty smartphone and looked to Yelp to provide a more diverse selection for us to consider.

As reliable as ever, Yelp spit back a myriad of choices and my eye caught The Purple Pig.  While the name drew me initially, when I reviewed the menu I was sold.  Next challenge, convince my work colleagues to agree to eat at this restaurant with me.  Tolerant of my excitement and willing to take a risk trusting I wouldn't steer them wrong, we walked the 100 yards from our hotel to The Purple Pig.

Needless to say, by the end of the night, all three of my co-workers stated they were happy we went to The Purple Pig and that had I not suggested it, they would not likely have chosen it on their own.  So, I took that as a compliment and was appreciative of their adventurous spirit to try something unique and unusual.

The menu is fantastic and we let our waiter create our dining experience by making our selections for us.  He did not steer us wrong, gave us a number of the dishes we were interested in trying, and left me wanting for more as there were many things on the menu which I didn't have a chance to try.

The full menu the night we ate there is further down this blog post.  I don't know how frequently the menu changes and wanted to remember the choices we had that evening.  But, our dinner consisted of the following small plates:

- Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette
  (I actually didn't taste this one.  I don't eat beats.  They are poisonous!)

- Lardo Crostini

- Fried Cardoons