Caspian from Jasper Hill Farm

You may have read my entry on Winnimere, probably my favorite all time cheese from Jasper Hill Farm a few days ago.  Imagine my surprise when the kind folks from the dairy retweeted and posted a link to my blog on facebook.  I was elated, overjoyed, and jumping up and down with excitement.  Of course, I immediately added them on twitter and FB, and as a result found out about their unveiling of a new cheese called Caspian.  I sent a text to a friend at work asking if we could get it in, and he responded that we already had it - four wheels of it in fact!  WIN!!!!

Caspian is closely modeled on a French cheese called Banon which is made from goat's milk and wrapped in vinegar and eau de vie soaked grape leaves.  Banon is made from raw milk and apparently gets pretty funky if allowed to age.  I have never had it, but I think I would like it based my love of stinky cheese and what I've read about it.  They have named their version of Banon for Lake Caspian which is near the dairy.  Like their other cheeses, it takes its name from local landmarks and/or historic events.

Zenna Noodle Bar, Brookline

Dan and I had some lunch together this afternoon! Sometimes I feel like we are ships passing in the night since he works days and I work nights.  Our delicious lunch was enhanced by the rare opportunity to have a conversation during the daylight hours.  We chose Zenna Noodle Bar, one of our favorites here in Brookline. We've been going there for a couple of years now, and they consistently serve a good lunch.  It's affordable and the food is always fresh and flavorful - oh they were playing Pink Martini on their soundtrack today which we both love!

This afternoon, I felt like something light so I tried their "Zenna" noodle soup with fried tofu, enoki mushrooms, snow peas, and assorted veggies, a first for me.  I added some of the fantastic tamarind sauce provided to my broth, and WOW!  It was a flavor explosion.  The tofu absorbed the flavor of the sauce and I even enjoyed the subtle use of cilantro, which normally isn't my favorite.  It's difficult to imagine a more satisfying vegetarian soup. Dan had the delicious "Zenna" noodle soup with chicken, which is his favorite there.  It looked great with a good amount of thinly sliced strips of white meat floating in a beautifully aromatic broth with, of course, plenty of delicious noodles.

We usually get an order of their fabulous Vietnamese style Spring rolls - and sometimes two orders because they are that fantastic.  They remind me of Spring rolls that we used to get a place my dad took the family to every Friday night for years back home called Acadian Seafood.  We opted against them today in the interest of keeping our lunches light, but they are not to be missed if you haven't been there before.

Fabulously Fierce Friends, Suzanne

Suzanne writes: I am awestruck by the continued creativity of chefs as they experiment with foods from all over the world, and by their ability to present old standbys in distinctive and delicious new ways.

CQ: 1. Who are your role models - food related or otherwise?

Suzanne: Obviously Julia Child, Paul Prudhomme, Graham Kerr

CQ: 2. What is your drink of choice?

Suzanne: Chardonnay, Bellini

CQ: 3. What is your favorite cookbook or other food related book?

Suzanne: Paul Prudhomme's Louisianna Kitchen

ICA, Boston

At about 1:30 today, I received a phone call from my manager at work asking if I'd like the night off.  My initial instinct was that I should work, but then as I thought about it for a second, my sense of adventure began to get the better of me... and I need to clean my kitchen too!  Anyhow, inspired by the beautiful crisp day outside, I set out to the Institute of Contemporary Art here in Boston.  I had been putting off making it there for a visit for far too long, and given this unexpected free evening with no plans, it seemed an obvious choice for a way to spend my afternoon.

I arrived there and bought my ticket for general admission.  The guy at the front desk let me know that the main gallery was being renovated and as a result, they were offering free admission after the 19th through the 21st of March with the ticket that I purchased today.  WIN!  I will definitely plan on heading back in a couple of weeks with my two-fer ticket that I bought today.  He stressed to me that there would be a lot more to see when I returned.  I got the feeling that what I saw today was a very small part of the collection indeed, but it was a rewarding experience nonetheless.  In truth, it was nice to be able to pop in and out and not feel as though I had missed a substantial part of what there was to see.

My first stop was an installation by Krzysztof Wodiczko called Out of Here: The Veteran's Project.  It was basically a dark room with basement window projections on the wall near the ceiling.  A soundtrack of an engagement of war played in the room and made you feel as though you were hearing what was going on just outside your own window.  It was eerie and powerful and made me question the validity of war.  It was a shocking and visceral first impression of what the ICA has to offer.

A Beautiful Dinner at Chez Henri, Cambridge, MA

For some reason, I think of Cambridge as being in a different country, even though geographically it's practically on my front step.  It probably has to do with the fact that it requires a transfer on the T, or a bus ride for the most direct route.  I try not to take the bus if I can avoid it.  In fact, we took the bus back from Cambridge after our glorious dinner at Chez Henri and witnessed a fight that nearly sparked a race riot while the bus was in motion, but that's another story for another time...  In any case, I digress.

I had never been to Chez Henri before.  It's hard to believe, I know.  Friends have been telling me about this place since I moved to Boston, and with my penchant for French food, you'd think I'd be a regular there by now.  I figured it was high time that Dan and I make it over there for dinner, and with my jaunt to see the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Monday, we settled on meeting up there after he finished teaching.  We were glad we did.  It was a wonderful way to spend a cold night together across the river.

I arrived early, and having had time to kill I sidled up at the bar for a cocktail and to peruse the menu.  I had a periodista cocktail.  It's a rum drink with apricot brandy and triple sec.  It was tasty and helped chase the cold away after my walk from Harvard.  I enjoyed looking over their wine list and menu while waiting for Dan as well as eavesdropping on the folks at the bar.  There were two men who had lots to catch up on after not seeing one another for twenty years talking about astrophysics, and a trio of octogenarians who were sipping Manhattans and sharing two Cuban sandwiches three ways.  They had stopped in before heading out to snowbird in Florida the next day.  Needless to say, there were plenty of interesting subjects for people-watching.