Archive for September, 2010
It had been nearly two months since the three of us had been together. When summer was still booming we had discussed trying to go rafting in Harper’s Ferry… but by the time we got around to being able to see one another, summer was basically gone and we had to come up with another idea! Luckily, I am good at fun girlie afternoon ideas, especially ones that involve snacks and wine! And so my friends agreed and drove out from Baltimore to see me! I really love these two: Bethany and Kelly. Our lives have had some really awesome and really rough times in the past couple of years…. and I am so happy I have them in my life to support me and that I can support them.
So from a brief scan of the wineries near Frederick, I decided on Linganore and Black Ankle. So because Blank Ankle was the lesser known of the two in our minds, (and we like to support the lesser knowns!) we went there first. And well, we loved it so much there, we stayed ALL afternoon! I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this place sooner! Seriously, this plot of land, the beautiful building and fantastic wine was more than we ever had imagined! Now keep reading and see more fun and food!
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My sweet sweet godmother always takes me out for a nice lunch for my birthday. Since my birthday weekend was so jammed pack I decided for the next weekend! And because Laurita and Jen and were itching to have a girlie meal together, I decided to combine the two and have us all go out for Tea! Going for high tea holds special memories in all of our pasts. Aunt Kathy has gone for tea with her two daughters on trips in London and San Francisco. When my cousin Allison, her daughter, had her baby shower last year, it was a high tea event! And when Jen got married this summer, all of us bridesmaids accompanied the bride for a high tea luncheon after our manicures and pedicures. 
So we were excited for a nice treat! And that is exactly what we got at Serenity Tea Room!
This establishment is a family run operation and that comforted my heart. What also comforted me was how delicious our lunch was! The daughter of the owner was in charge the day we came and told us all about her mother’s story. Apparently this place was a lifelong dream of hers and now that it had been open for five years she and her husband finally treated themselves to a first time trip to England! I hope you had a lovely time on your trip Blanch, because I had a lovely time at your tea room!
…and then learns something and cooks for me!
This thing that he learned was actually quite revolutionary in our eyes, making a sauce from seaweed, bonito flakes, mirin and soy sauce. Four simple ingredients, when combined together make something AMAZING to the palate! I bought him this book, Sauces by James Peterson and year and a half ago for his birthday and once he moved home to Buffalo and had some free time on his hands, he finally picked it up and found a gem!
Simple cooking can really be a revelation to me sometimes. Basically it reminds me that cooking is not hard and fancy tasting food really can be within reach. And you know what else was a revelation? Actually not a revelation at all- I love cooking with my Neddy. It will be three weeks from today that I get to see him again and I can’t wait to get in the kitchen again and cook with him. He is such a good cook – I am so thankful to be fed with delicious food made with his hands. Now go for the jump and check out these easy steps!
Two weeks ago was one continual birthday celebrations eating fest! Go back a couple posts to see the whole eating schema… But I wanted to dress up for a date with my darling boyfriend and so I thought about the other fancy restaurants in Frederick (other than my beloved Volt.) I thought about the new restaurant in town Olives, but something drew me over to Tasting Room. Probably because their menu listed in the window on the sidewalk has tempted Ned and I to peruse many times. (But us being cheap and lazy, always seemed to go to Black Hog!). So Tasting Room it was and we were not dissapointed. The waiter was very fun and we had a nice bottle of French white to go with our appetizers and entrees. The restaurant surprised me with a dessert at the end and even though I was going to abstain from that course at the restaurant (a dessert surprise was waiting for me at home you see) I dived right in! Go for the jump and check out some pictures!
I love the window architecture of this restaurant. When inside, it really makes you feel like you are a part of the hub bub going on outside. That picture above looks pretty dark, but trust me that the entire wall structure is made of windows!
I had walked by the Orchard many times before I realized it was a hub restaurant for those eaters who are of the vegetable type! (wow that was an awkward sentence..) I looked online and realized this place was very similar to One World, at least in terms of the food. They have organic and vegetarian dishes, everything very fresh and very healthy. From the outside of the restaurant I assumed it was an antequated old place that had been around for a long time, I mean the signage is kind of aging as is the furniture… But you want to know why those things don’t matter?? Because their food rocks!!!! I think they are choosing to spend their money on getting good ingredients and serving their dishes for reasonable amounts!
So check out some more fun pictures and see the meal that I have literally craved every other day for the last month!
That Saturday night was a wonderful one. We gathered all of our best friends from JHU and had a lovely meal at a nice long table. I love eating with these people, everyone was so excited for a fancy meal and we had a grand time! Ned would be leaving town soon, so it was wonderful to have some of closest friends from his life in Baltimore to send him off with happy memories and delicious treats.
So we chose the wine market, a place with parking, lots of room for a big party, good food and very good wine. Check out the multitude of snapshots from our night below…
Elizabeth Griffiths writes the blog, Strawberries in Paris. She grew up in Jarrettsville, MD and has recently relocated to Frederick, MD. She was raised on her grandmother's Mexican food and spent many summer nights cheering for the Baltimore Orioles. Her mother was in charge of the church strawberry festival every year for the first 10 years of her life and Elizabeth happily helped her cut up quarts upon quarts of them, which later turned into an shopping and eating obssession! Moreover, two visits to Paris in 2006 and 2007 solidified her love for French style, food and pastries. She went to college to become a perfume chemist, but switched it up and now uses her chemistry knowledge during the day to do environmental chemistry and at night to bake and make dinner with local and fresh ingredients. 