melt

My entry for this week's for The Curiosity Shoppe's: Smarts & Crafts Thursday Photo Assignment > MELT

Last summer, we were lucky enough to go to a conference at Lake Louise and make a dream trip to the Canadian Rockies. The conference included a trip up to the Columbia Icefield. We saw all manner of wildlife on the famous Icefields Parkway, including three black bears who knew how to create a real traffic jam, but looked both ways before crossing the highway. The highlight of this daytrip was walking out on to the mouth of the Athabasca Glacier. It was about 55 degrees F, so a very agreeable temperature to be walking on a huge hunk of super old ice. There's no question it's slowly melting away. We did try some of the glacier water and it was pure, ice cold refreshment at its best.

More photos from our trip are at Flickr

old mill b&b

I organized a mini-reunion for my college friends who didn't make it to our Smith for the 10 yr. I investigated other lodging options and came across the Old Mill B&B in Hatfield. It's a lovely spot on the Mill River and only about 5-10 min drive from Northampton along Rt 5.

I recommend staying in Room 9 ($125), it sits right above the roaring waterfall and has 6 windows onto the river. Breakfast is included, we had apple cinnamon french toast and dinner is even an option on weekends. Though I'd have to recommend eating back in Northampton!

On your way to-or-from Noho, stop in at River Valley Market on Rt 5, it's a co-op but all are welcome and it's a great place to stock up on any provisions.


Old Mill B&B
87 School Street
Hatfield, MA
(413) 247-3301
http://www.oldmillbnb.net/

rolling out the moroccan carpet

A new, temporary exhibit is on loan after our friends' honeymoon in Marrakesh. And it fits perfectly in our living room! How did they know?

Stay tuned folks, I'll be featuring more photos from their adventure soon. Who doesn't want to hear more about mint tea and haggling in the souks?

eating your way through downtown northampton

Last weekend I went up to Northampton MA for a belated 10 yr reunion with college friends. We started things off at the rooftop beer garden at the Northampton Brewery. If it's a hot day most of the deck is in shade or under an umbrella and they provide a nice mist to keep things cool. It's a good spot for a larger group and I was pretty surprised we didn't end up coming home with a growler.





















It was a toss up, but between Spoleto and Green Street Cafe for dinner. Another foodie mentioned the College was trying to evict this long-time staple from its spot on the edge of campus and I decided we better go in case it closes! I never went to Green Street Cafe much as a poor student, was first introduced to it by an alum who hosted a reunion for our landscape trip to Japan!

I recommend ordering the duck breast with polenta entree and closing things down with a cool pineapple sorbet. The handwritten menu is a little difficult to read (those L's are tricky), but I that's part of the charm. Also there are picnic tables and a grill out back for burgers , dogs, & chicken on the patio. Sounds like a great option for lunch.

















I think there might have been a mutiny if the group didn't stop at Herrell's for ice cream. Ironically, no one wanted to get a medium (or larger) size serving required for the full smoosh-in effect. I tried their no-moo (dairy free) black raspberry and it was creamy, but of course no comparison to the real thing!



















We dropped in on my *favorite* art history professor who I haven't seen in years! She and Dan (who was really my true college advisor) introduced us to Hungry Ghost Bread. It's fabulous! If you are in Northampton I strongly recommend you stop in and get loaf of this deliciousness.

Dan and Dana offered such a nice late morning snack and as we chatted in their screened porch, Luna the cat occasionally wandered through. I also don't want to forget about lime zest on top of the smoked salmon. What a nice citrus surprise!

The good news is the Vistas dvd/website has been taken on by a university press and will hopefully be published next year.


















We all stayed together in a B&B in Hatfield which meant a few trips in and out of Northampton along Rt 5. I finally got curious about the River Valley Market up on the hillside along I-91 and I discovered it's a new co-op (non-members are welcome) that has been open for about a year. I wish we had something like this nearby in Connecticut!
















Unforuntately, I ate way too much at dinner to even consider drinking beer at the Dirty Truth. We had a few hard core beer connoisseurs in our group and they had read about this beer hall on the Blind Tiger blog so we decided this was our best best for after dinner. They have quite a beer selection- you can start to see how much they have on tap in this photo!



















Last but not least, I insisted on eating lunch at Amanouz Cafe. I chose the highly recommended herbed eggs which are actually steamed and wonderfully light under the dill-rich gravy. Photographed here is my friend's Bastilla, chicken and almonds topped with filo and dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. I heard the same proprietors also own Mosaic Cafe which is reported to have nicer ambiance and an outdoor patio. I'm definitely checking it out next time.

As always, here's my list "next time" list for Northampton:

Woodstar Cafe 60 Masonic St # B (inside a firehouse and recommended for lunch)
Mosaic Cafe 78 Masonic St (same owners as Amanouz)
Hugo's Pleasant St. (a true dive? recommended for some local valley flavor after dinner)
Local Burgers and Fries 16 Main St # 1(like five guys, but for locavores?)

at home in boston

I haven't been inside Louis of Boston in 15 years or more? I love their beautiful selection of home wares on the first floor.























The first time I stepped inside Bliss Home in Boston it was a fiercely cold and blustery day on Newbury Street.


















That year, the Alessi Michael Graves tea kettle (2 shelves above the champagne/ice bucket) was my Valentine's Day gift. There's a wonderful 20% off Alessi sale going on now at Bliss. I bought the matching creamer to go with my sugar bowl.


Louis Boston
234 Berkeley St
Boston, MA 02116-3186
http://www.louisboston.com/

Bliss Home
225 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02116-2522
http://www.blisshome.com/

cliff walk & ocean drive

The sun wasn't out much for our few days in Newport, but Sunday all the bad weather cleared out and it was a sunny, but windy day. Just before we haded back home we hit the Cliff Walk to check out a few of the big homes and take in some sea air. It was a specatactular view along the coastline.




















That little black speck in the white foam is a surfer. what a brave soul. It must be freezing out there

































We guessed this tent is up for Salve Regina's graduation and if so, that is one heck of a backdrop for a diploma ceremony! I sat on this very tree over 15 years ago, the last time I was in Newport. I had spent the night in a Salve dorm room and later announced it was the prettiest campus I'd ever seen.


















There were loads of families out to enjoy mother's day sunshine, but this puppy stole the show every where he ran.
























Are we in Hawaii? Nope, just watching some crazy guys in wet suits looking for a ride on the Rhode Island surf.

























...And we're off the island and heading back home! As our final seafood stop, I wanted to go to the Sea Swirl in Mystic, but we hit Bill's Seafood in Westbrook instead.

breakfast on broadway

When traveling with others, I try to remain flexible because you can't always set your own agenda. Sunday was our last day in Newport and I was excited to call my own shots. I wanted to try Norey's for breakfast. It was closed. We saw the Hungry Monkey already looked quite full so we went across the street to Jack and Josie's. it looks more like an internet cafe, but we were quite happy with our meal and the quiet ambience. I had hot cakes stuffed with lemon zest and ricotta with a bit of cool sour cream on the side.























I was glad we wandered futher afield from downtown to check out the Broadway restaurants. I fell in love with the Gulf sign inside Salvation Cafe and noticed Tucker's Bistro where I had hoped to eat on Thursday, but alas we didn't make it to Newport early enough.

Jack & Josie's
111 Broadway
http://www.jackandjosies.com/

Norey's
156 Broadway

Hungry Monkey
124 Broadway
http://thehungrymonkeycafe.com/

Salvation Cafe
140 Broadway
http://www.salvationcafe.com/

Tucker's Bistro
150 Broadway
http://www.tuckersbistro.com/


For more dining recommendations here's a great place to start:
http://www.bestofnewport.com/newport-rhode-island-restaurants.htm

downtown walkabout

scales & shells

Friends of ours have a second home in Narragansett and we were lucky that they know Newport well enough to recommend Scales for our dinner. It's all seafood and it's nothing fancy inside, but had a lovely meal. We began with clams and oysters on the half shell. D had a skate wing piccata and I had a toro tuna, cooked medium rare over a wood grill. It was simply the best fish I've eaten since we were at Fore Street in Portland. I also enjoyed their grilled veggie kebab that even has a mini corn-on-the-cob jammed on the end!

A few things to note: Scales does not take reservations (luckily it was off-season and we walked right in around 7PM) and they do not take credit cards. I'm also told there is a fancier version above, called Upscales, but I was would be perfectly happy to return to the same spot.

Scales and Shells
527 Thames Street
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 846-FISH (3474)
http://www.scalesandshells.com/

After dinner we headed to Cafe Zelda for dark and stormies, but the bar also serves food and we had alternately planned to go there first for apps there if we had to wait for a table at Scales.

The Viking

Last weekend I had a business meeting at the Viking Hotel in Newport. We stayed 3 nights on the 4th floor room 4023. Our room had extremly high ceilings and every time you got out of the elevator you could look out onto the Top of Newport rootfop bar (opens Memorial Day, but we snuck out for a peek when we found the door open on Saturday). There is a nice front porch with white rocking Adirondack chairs and a London style cab for zipping guests around the downtown area. I found all of the staff extremely friendly and thought the hotel did a surprisingly tasty job with our banquet meal of losbter and filet in the Colonnade Room.

Hotel Viking
1 Bellevue Ave.
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 847-3300
http://www.hotelviking.com/

Next year's meeting is in to Portsmouth NH, so I am looking forward to finally trying the Friendly Toast for breakfast.