In light of the amount of time that has passed since my last installment of CBBC, I thought it time to provide everyone with an update from the Country Bumpkin.
January passed by relatively uneventful. You wouldn't believe the amount of time and energy this "work" business consumes! But February has flown by in a flurry of long work days and busy weekends. The first weekend of the month, I headed down to DC to surprise my friend for her birthday. I have not seen any of my friends since leaving Ann Arbor last summer, so I must admit I needed the trip a bit myself. My train was delayed, so I rushed into her house just as her friends were all singing Happy Birthday upstairs, and made it in time to tap her on the shoulder just as they finished. She was so surprised and excited that she jumped back about 5 feet and started laughing, screaming and crying all at once. We were both so excited to see each other that everything else seemed to fade away, save the murmurs of her friends saying, "That's one of her best friends from home" and "Aaawww!" We had a great weekend catching up and just hanging out. Sunday before I left, she took me on a brief tour through Georgetown and we went out for brunch at the Peacock Cafe. It was wonderful! Nothing like a wonderful meal with mimosas and bloody marys to end a fantastic trip.
The next weekend, was my birthday so J and I spent a few days up in Roxbury, NY. We both took work off on Friday and headed up to Woodbury Commons, on our way up and did a bit of shopping. Our "bit" of shopping ended up being over 6 hours! We couldn't believe that we were there that long; I suppose us having to break for food twice should have been an indication that we had been there a while. But the extent of the outlet and the amazing deals made the time fly by in the blink of an eye. J found some fantastic winter boots--I've been bugging him about how he needed good boots ever since we met--some great deals on a few shirts and a snazzy pair of designer jeans. I also had my fair share of success, walking away with TWO pairs of Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, a couple shirts and two dresses that J bought for me as birthday presents. All in all a great success.
The next part of our adventure took us to the Roxbury Motel. We stayed in "Fred's Lair," a room designed to look like the inside of a Flinstone's cartoon; there was even a dinosaur mounted above the closet like a deer head in a hunting lodge. It was a riot! When we walked in, there was a dozen long stem roses and a bottle of champagne chilling on the table with a Happy Birthday note from the hotel. J really went the extra mile to make my birthday special.
The next day we went out to breakfast at this little diner down the road. The town had a very Northern Michigan feel to it, where everyone knows each other and nothing is open past 11pm. After breakfast we went to the main office to look into skiing and dinner options. Although I had all of my equipment with me, and had the downhill skiing itch, I decided I would rather take J cross country skiing for his first time instead--we all know how hilarious it is to see someone try cc skiing for their first time. Turns out J was a natural and we had an absolute blast!
For dinner we headed to Peekamoose, whose chefs, and owners, moved up to the Catskills after working for many years as head chefs in Boston and NYC at restaurants that included Le Bernadin and Gramercy Tavern. It was spectacular! The inside felt like a mountain lodge, and the food had the gourmet flair without being overly pretentious.
The next day, we packed up our things and said good bye to our cozy cave. But before we headed out of town, we utilized our spa passes at the motel and each had an hour long massage to relax us before the drive back to the city. I've never had a real massage before, but after that I am hooked. I wish I could have taken pictures because every aspect of the spa sparkled with amazing blue and silver tiling. Even with all of the places we could go on our adventures, J and I both agreed that we have to go back to Roxbury.
The week after was back to reality. We had a low key Valentine's Day at home, since J had MCAT class that night, and decided to celebrate on Friday instead. Thanks to the generous gift certificate from the Cobanes, we were able to have a very romantic dinner at One If By Land, Two If By Sea. I wore my new red Nicole Miller dress with my Ferragamo heels, and even got my hair to curl! When we got the the restaurant we had a short wait for our table, so we ordered a couple cocktails. Even the bar area was fabulous. They had a grand piano with live music and we were able to snag two seats right by the fireplace. J had an expertly made Old Fashioned and I had the most delicious martini made with horseradish infused vodka and onion stuffed blue cheese olives. I have never had such a savory drink before.
When we arrived at our table, we decided to make our night extra special and went all out, opting for the chef's tasting menu with wine pairings. I usually look at the chef's tasting menus at restaurants as being a way to sucker people into spending more money, but this experience proved me wrong. The menu started with a beautiful presentation of fluke tartare with yuzu foam, soy gel, caviar and mint paper. The combination of textures and flavors was explosive and mellow all at once, and the pairing of sparklnig wine made every ingredient pop. Next came an araucana organic chicken egg with sous vide, braised lentils du Puy, Bev Eggleston bacon, black truffle and virgin olive oil. Again, the amalgamation of texture, flavor and presentation was outstanding. The idea seemed so simple yet so elegantly assembled. For the next course I had steamed dover sole with brussel sprouts, crushed sunchokes, cipollini onion, citrus salt and confit of lemon. J had poached lobster with courgettes, porcini mushrooms, salsify, pepitas and a lobster & tarragon bisque. I cannot comment on the taste of J's, but my dover sole melted in my mouth like a forkful of the most amazing butter, but better. Next came beef wellington with sautèed spinach, roasted beet mushroom duxelle, foie gras sabayon and a bordelais jus. I know I sound like a broken record, but this was yet another delicious delight, but with a homey, comfort food quality. Before dessert came the intermezzo. I cannot remember exactly what they said it was, but J and I both said that it may have been the best part of the meal. It was a small dish of what looked like the lightest gelato you've ever seen, with the most incredible, savory fruit flavor. Somehow they were able to keep the fresh fruit flavor while incorporating a hint of salt and an underlying savory, warm flavor that I could not identify. It was extraordinary. To finish the night, I had gianduja mousse with caramel bananas and banana bread ice cream. Talk about a fantastic finish to an already out of this world feast.
Now that I have undoubtedly stimulated your appetite, I must bid you adieu. Until next time, this is the Country Bumpkin signing off.
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