Brunch in NYC

We're having a fabulous time kicking off my birthday weekend in NYC. Andrew's sister Amanda is graciously hosting us on the Upper East Side.

We just had a yummy brunch at Panorama - the prices were comparable to a diner but the food was so much better!!

Amanda enjoyed a mushroom omelet with salad on the side, and Panorama's delicious grilled bread that serves as toast:



Andrew was kind enough to share a bite of his french toast with strawberries, and proceeded to demolish the last half of my bacon and cheese omelet with fries:


Can I say that my omelet had the best bacon ever? I've never had crispier, crunchier bacon in an omelet before.

Asparagus and Ham Casserole

I am seriously loving the Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles recipe book I mentioned last week - the recipe I tried for dinner this time around was called "Bow ties with ham" which I promptly renamed "Asparagus and Ham Casserole."

It was chock-full of yummy things such as asparagus (seriously, one of my favorites), sundried tomatoes, havarti cheese and alfredo sauce - plus, it gave me the chance to use up leftover ham:



Dished up hot from the oven - again, the asparagus was my favorite part - it smelled and tasted so good!


Ingredients
3 cups uncooked bow-tie pasta (farfalle) (6 oz) (I used 3/4 of the package but I think you could get away with using a whole 12 oz box)
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce
10 medium asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (about one cup) (I used a full bunch of asparagus, which was perfect!)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil and herbs, drained, chopped (I recommend chopping these into tiny pieces, as they pack a big flavor)
1 cup diced cooked ham (I used up all my leftovers, which amounted to roughly a cup and a half)
1 cup shredded Havarti cheese (I couldn't find a block of Havarti or any shredded cheese, so I went with Sargento's Havarti slices)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2-quart casserole (I used a 13 x 9 Pyrex pan) with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, heat pasta sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot. Gently stir in cooked pasta, asparagus, tomatoes and ham. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese (I stirred in all of the Havarti cheese). Pour into casserole.
3. Cover; bake 35 to 45 minutes (25 minutes in my old oven) or until bubbly. Top with remaining cheese (I used some leftover cheddar cheese in my oven).

This recipe earned a thumbs up from me and Andrew, especially when served with garlic bread on the side.

Monkey Bread, Part Deux

I had made Pecan Monkey Bread once before and had liked the recipe (and the name!). Then, while reading Beantown Baker's blog, I saw a slightly different recipe for Monkey Bread that looked equally as easy. I was looking for something different to surprise Andrew with, than our typical blueberry pancakes for breakfast over the weekend so I gave it a try.

Here's the recipe straight from Beantown Baker's Dad:

• 4 cans Pillsbury biscuit (get the kind that come in a 4 pack, the small ones, not the Grands)
• Sugar coating:2/3 brown sugar (I ended up using a cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar total to coat all the pieces)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (upped this to a teaspoon)

Syrup topping:

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla 'cause it makes everything taste better!

Preheat oven to 350. Spray your angel food cake or bundt pan (I used two different Pyrex pans).Mix the sugar coating in a Ziploc bag (feel free to add more cinnamon and/or sugar if you run out during the coating process). Cut the biscuits into 4 (kitchen shears work great for this). Drop the biscuit pieces into the Ziploc bag and shake to coat. Drop coated biscuit pieces into the prepared pan.

Bring syrup ingredients to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then pour over biscuit pieces. Bake for 35 minutes.Turn over onto plate and serve while hot.

Since I don't own an angel food cake pan, I used two separate Pyrex pans. This worked out well for me, since Andrew and I ate one and I brought the other into work, to the delight of my coworkers:


With the syrup poured on top, ready to go into the oven:


Out of the oven - I didn't pay attention and scorched this batch a little bit (I'm going to blame the oven too, since it was only in for 20 minutes) - I would also watch how long you boil the sugar syrup, I probably would do less than 5 minutes next time to prevent it from crystallizing so much:



Overall, it was very easy to make and tasty! My coworkers gobbled this up, despite being a day old and dark around the edges.

Pillsbury simply... Cookies Giveaway!

Not surprisingly, I have a bit of a rep amongst my friends, family and coworkers for being a baker.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, I really do love trying out new recipes and pushing baked goods on people.

For that one percent of the time where it's too hot or I'm tired and I feel forced to bake for an occasion, I like to have a few tricks up my sleeve.

That's why I was thrilled at the chance to try Pillsbury's simply... cookies line courtesy of MyBlogSpark.com. They come in two classic flavors, chocolate chip and peanut butter and are made from the same basic ingredients I would use when making cookies from scratch with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Best of all, on those days where I'm need something quick without making a mess, I can just pop
the cookies on my Silpat and they're ready to eat in ten minutes!

This is what the cookies look like uncooked:

Picture courtesy of girlchef.blogspot.com since my pictures didn't come out well.

I'm pleased to offer my first modest giveaway! Pillsbury has offered a coupon for a free package of simply... refrigerated cookies, a ceramic cookie jar and a canvas grocery tote:



To enter, just leave a comment below on what flavor you would try and who would you give the cookies to (Would you eat them all yourself? Bring them into work? Cheer up a friend?) I'll pick a winner at random on Monday night (why Monday? It's my birthday and I'll be back from a weekend trip in NYC) Good luck everyone!

Hurting and Grumpy

While I had every intention of blogging up a storm tonight, I managed to get a pretty nasty burn on the pad of my middle finger on my left hand. I've been steadily icing it for the past three hours but it still hurts like crazy each time I try to remove it.



And typing with one hand is just not cutting it. Any suggestions for home remedies to make it stop hurting? Aloe isn't doing anything. And how the heck am I going to sleep tonight?

Update: I managed to figure out a solution to help me sleep - I dunked my whole finger in aloe and then hung my arm off the bed in front of the fan. I ended up sleeping like a baby, although my arm hurt this morning from the awkward position I had held it in. And the best part is that most of the sensitivity is gone from the burn, although I have a nice blister now.

Happy Birthday Jen!

Last night, we headed into Boston to celebrate a very important occasion - Jen's birthday! The birthday girl selected Charley's for dinner, which is always a good time.

Here's a shot of the roommates, Amy on the left and the birthday girl on the right:


One of the main reasons Jen chose Charley's was because they have banana chocolate chip cake on the menu, her favorite! Here's Jen getting surprised with a birthday slice of cake and I have to mention that the one of the waitors singing had a surprising tenor voice that caught the attention of the whole restaurant - everyone was quiet during the singing and then applauded for Jen:


Jen smiles for the camera although they actually ended up bringing her a slice of chocolate cake instead (I'm not going to complain since it was free!) Luckily, Andrew ordered the banana chocolate chip cake so Jen could swap him and taste both:

Phu wanted to point out that he wore his periodic table shirt especially for Jen's birthday:

Next, we headed over to Bar Lola for their lethal martinis - the flash seems extra strong in this pic, showing off our matching pale coloring and puffed sleeve shirts:

After we left the bar, we were greeted by this scene:

I don't know what was happening on Comm Ave., but there were around six fire trucks and tons of police cars blocking off the intersection - you can't tell from the picture how bright the lights were. I prefer to think of this a light show to end Jen's special night.

Rehearsal Dinner Dress?

It seems a little ridiculous to be thinking of outfits for a wedding that is still 14 months away, but it's hard to resist, especially if you're seeking to justify something that is ridiculously expensive like this dress (as in, it's worth spending that much money on an outfit that you will be wearing for a special occasion):

BCBGMAXAZARIA Strapless Aplique Dress

If I end up sticking with the dress that I bought from the Running of the Brides, this dress would end up costing almost as much as my wedding dress! I just love the color and flora appliques. I'm seriously thinking about getting it and subsidizing half the cost from the cash back balance I currently have on my credit card. That way, it would only be a $200 dress in my head. :)

Visiting Princess World

I took a half day off from work to check out the infamous Running of the Brides at the Hynes Convention Center - it was unreal to see how many dresses were crammed onto the racks:

Photo courtesy of Megan Jicha of the Boston Globe

My intent was to avoid the morning craziness depicted here:

Photo courtesy of David L. Ryan of the Boston Globe

So I opted to go in the afternoon. At 2 pm, this is the sight that greeted my eyes - there were still plenty of browsing brides but no craziness:

With hundreds of gowns to choose from, many were truly ugly - like this one:


And this one (what bride wants rosettes and tons of tulle coming out of their butt?)

Happily, I'm also glad to report there were tons of gorgeous dresses as well - I saw labels from some of the major bridal dress salons in MA and I found seven dresses to try on - this was the heap I lugged over to a quiet corner with a mirror:

Let me just say I was planning to go in without changing in front of tons of strangers and salespeople, but in the end, it was just easier to join the dozens of other girls in their underwear in the aisle who were also trying on gowns. I thought I would feel more self-conscious but everyone was focused on their own thing.

Although the lighting was horrible, I wanted to give you a sense for the dresses I was trying on - as these were sample sizes, most were a little too big:


It was also a pain in the butt to get into some of the dresses, as the skirts were full enough to stand on their own and there were all sorts of complicated sets of zippers and straps:

For fun, I tried on a Carolina Herrera gown with a full skirt - you can't tell from this picture, but that sucker was huge! I felt like Martha Washington (I don't know why that's the first comparison I thought of!):

The skirt was beautiful but definitely confirmed that I didn't want something too poofy:

The funniest line I overhead amongst the racks was one girl telling a friend that the sale was like "Princess World" since there was so many beautiful dresses to try on.

So, the best thing is that I did end up buying a dress at the sale. I'm not 100 percent that it's the one, but it was so beautiful and such a good bargain that I couldn't pass it up. I'm still going to check out some bridal dress shops to try on dresses but I may already have my wedding gown (which will need alterations, a new zipper and a cleaning). I can't post a picture of it, as Andrew reads this blog, but it was beautiful enough that I got compliments from strangers as I was wearing it.

Overall, I thought the sale was a great experience, and something that every bride should try out even if they don't end up with a dress.

Last Minute Advice

Just saw this email in my inbox for today' Running of the Brides sale at Filene's Basement:

Thursday night
· Drink lots of water
· Get a good night’s sleep

Friday morning, before you leave the house
· Food is fuel--have a good breakfast
· Dress in a sports bra and bike shorts, leotard or bathing suit
· Leave your handbag behind; you want as little as possible to keep track of
· Don’t wear make-up—it might rub off on the dresses
· No jewelry; last year a bride-to-be lost her engagement ring when it got caught on a lacy dress.
Best time to arrive at the store Friday morning
If you want to be part of the ‘rush to the racks’ then you should be there by 6:30am; the line will form at the Boylston St. entrance to the Hynes
Or, arrive later (anytime after 11:00am) when things have calmed down and you can peruse the racks at your own pace

At the sale
Be considerate and play fair; please, please, please don’t horde dresses; grab what you can, go through the dresses quickly and give up what you don’t want so other brides can get started.
Be open-minded --try on whatever comes your way; if you focus to much on a specific style or label, you might just miss the dress of your dreams
Remember, gowns usually run small; don’t even look at size tags. Just eyeball the dress and if it’s close to your size, try it on. There will be experts on alterations and cleaning there to advise you
Take a break if you get tired and cranky; grab some water
Take pictures and have fun! These memories will last a lifetime.


As I'll be missing the initial "rush to the racks", I'm hoping that I'm able to score a dressing room there as my idea of fun is not trying on wedding dresses over a sports bra in the aisles as hundreds of strangers watch. Yuck.

Cheeseburger Casserole

With the heat lately, I definitely haven't been in the mood to cook very much. However, the combination of being home a little earlier than usual (due to my volunteering stint) and a new Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles recipe book I received in the mail (free courtesy of Pssst!), I was inspired to surprise Andrew with something new and home cooked for dinner.

The recipe I chose was called "Simple Hamburger Hot Dish" which has got be the most uncreative and unappetizing name ever. I prefer to call it a Cheeseburger casserole:



Andrew and I both liked it and as I told Andrew, it's kind of like an upgraded hamburger helper dish:


(By the way, I can't wait until I get to replace this old plates with something better for all my pictures!)

I highly recommend the dish - it was pretty simple to make and could easily be modified by what you have on hand.

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked rotini pasta (8 0z) - I upped this to 12 oz and think it would be fine even with 16 oz
• 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can diced (14.5 oz) tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 0z) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (4 0z)
• I also added a can of black olives, what wouldn't taste better without olives?

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, using minimum cook time. Meanwhile, in a 10-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic powder and salt over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is thoroughly cooked. Drain.
2. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar and cooked pasta (and olives). Pour into ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish (way too small, I used a greased 13 x 9 pyrex pan).
3. Cover dish with foil. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly around edges (I cooked for 20 minutes). Sprinkle with cheese; bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted (I messed up and sprinkled the cheese on the casserole when it first went into the oven so I sprinkled more cheese on it at this point and put it back in for 5 minutes. I don't think it made a difference either way).
4. Enjoy!

Habitat for Humanity in Harwich

As I mentioned yesterday, I had the opportunity to work on my first Habitat for Humanity site through a company volunteer day. I definitely was feeling a bit grumpy this morning since I had to get up at 5:30 am to make it to the Harwich, Cape Cod site by the 8 am start.

I instantly was in a more chipper mood once I arrived - while typical Habitat for Humanity sites tend to be scattered in different locations, they actually were building eight out of the 13 homes in this housing development:

Here's a close-up of one of the homes - each Habitat for Humanity house had a little sign that announces what organizations are sponsoring that particular home (usually religious organizations and churches):

What was neat about our volunteering day was that some of the actual homeowners were working alongside us - it was neat to hear how excited they were about seeing and participating in the construction of their affordable housing.

When faced with power tools and siding, I took the easy route out - painting! My group was responsible for priming and painting sideboards:



This was more work than it sounds like - we had to lug large pieces of board to our sawhorses, apply primer, flip the board and apply more primer and then carry the board to the drying racks. This process was repeated with a layer of paint. What made this task hard was the fact that the boards were so big and heavy that it took two of us to carry and maneuver each piece:

Did I mention how hot it was? We were all sweating within minutes of arriving (mind you, this was at 8 am on the Cape!) Armed with sunscreen and a hat, I still managed to get a light sunburn. However, I must say that my team bonded over griping about the heat and our general state of grubbiness. This is a view of my poor shorts after a priming session.

Overall, although I was worn out and dying to take a shower at the end of the day, I definitely had a sense of satisfaction from doing manual labor and seeing the fruit of my labor actually help someone. I'm glad that my company has a strong commitment to employee volunteerism and I'm looking forward to participating in more opportunities like this.

It's Too Damn Hot...

...to do anything. Boston is in the middle of a heatwave. As my place only has air conditioning in my room, this means Andrew and I sweat it out when we do anything on the lower level, which includes eating and watching TV. I've lost all energy to do anything. I'm actually happy to go to work in the morning since I'm guaranteed central air all day.

Andrew and I headed out at 8:30 tonight to try an old favorite - Stump trivia - at the Union Street Bar and Grill. I had played Stump trivia for almost two years straight at a bar in Watertown a few years back, and I was looking forward to experiencing it again tonight.

However, Union Street had trivia on its third floor and it was overcrowded, extremely hot and hard to hear the announcer. I promptly lost my voice trying to talk over the crowd and started sweating in my knee pits (Andrew family term) in the room.

Our trivia team members were Katie and Julian:

Julian was very passionate about how hot the bar was and how confusing the waitresses at Union Street were, although he did polish off his pasta dish:

While our team made a comeback by answering both final questions right for a full 20 points, we were still 10 points behind the leader.

Andrew and I have decided that we will not return to Union Street for trivia until it's officially Fall. And worst of all, I have to get up at 5:30 tomorrow to drive to the Cape for a company team build day with Habitat for Humanity. I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my air conditioned room, even if it's only for five and a half hours.

Julie and Julia, The Movie

Just came back from watching Julie & Julia with a couple of female coworkers - I must say that i loved the film a lot better than the book. Meryl Streep simply rocked as Julia Child and just managed to convey perpetual, off-kilter good humor:



I must say that some of the scenes I enjoyed the most were of Julia interacting with her equally ginormous sister - equal parts hysterical and touching!

I must say that Amy Adams did a good job of making Julie likeable as I wasn't much of a fan after reading her book - this is what Julie looks like in real life:



Although her book had plenty of cooking, it had too many flashbacks to her childhood that didn't seem to tie into the rest of the book. And I don't think her book really did a good job of explaining the similarities between Julie and Julia's lives. I'm not explaining this very well but I thought Nora Ephron's script did such a good job of intertwining Julie and Julia's lives while making them so interesting in their own rights.

I think because I didn't like Julie much in the book, I stopped rooting for her and liking the book at the end. Adding to this, while Julie and her husband are loving and supportive in the book, I read later that she ended up having affair, getting interested in butchering meat, and ended up writing a second book about this. Which leaves me wondering what she will do next in order to provide more book fodder.

Anyway, I digress. I recommend the movie and make sure you eat beforehand, otherwise you'll be salivating throughout the movie!

I Spoke Too Soon...

As I had mentioned in a previous post, Andrew and I thought we were close to signing with a photographer. As we get further involved with this whole wedding process, I'm getting too eager to share details before we get things nailed down.

As it turns out, we decided we were rushing into things and didn't like some of things that were mentioned in our correspondence with the photographer. So the search is back on and I think we'll be better off because of it. In fact, I think we'll be looking for a package where we get two photographers to cover the event. It'll be more expensive but I think we'll be happier in the end. You'll be the first to hear once we've actually signed a contract (I've learned my lesson!)

Strategies for Success at the Running of the Brides

This is taken directly from an email I got from Filene's Basement's PR person:

The Week Before the Sale:

Pick a team -- people whose taste you trust and are willing to get in there and do shopping battle for you

Hold a pre-sale meeting with your team

• come up with a team uniform- matching hats, t-shirts, headbands, carry whistles-anything that would make it easier to find each other in the crowd
• assign jobs to team members—someone to gather, someone to trade, someone to help you in and out of the dresses, someone to guard your inventory from prowlers
• tear out pages from bridal magazines, or print styles from on-line wedding gown sites to show your team what you’re looking for
• pick place to rendezvous in the store

The Morning of the Sale:

Dress code-- wear a sports bra and shorts or a bathing suit so you can try on dresses anywhere in the store; DO NOT WEAR FLIP FLOPS if you plan to participate in the “rush to the racks” (we’ve seen a couple of nasty tumbles)

Leave your handbag at home—you’ll need both hands for this.

Please, NO MAKE-UP. You wouldn’t want to see the dress of your dreams only to find it smeared with lipstick. CLEAN HANDS are appreciated.

No food or drinks inside the store; get rid of trash before the doors open in the receptacles provided

Best Time to Arrive

The doors open at 8am. Brides-to-be and their teams who have been in line the longest will get to the racks first. In fact, it’s possible that the racks will be bare by the time you get into the store. DON’T DESPAIR! The dresses are not all gone. You’ll see brides trading or putting dresses back on the racks almost immediately. Use the first hour to look for brides who are trying on dresses you like. Then, be there to grab or trade for her “rejects.”

INSIDER TIP: If you’re not up to the chaos of store opening, arrive late morning or anytime up to store closing. Dresses will be back on the racks and the atmosphere will be much calmer. REMEMBER, this sale looks a lot more competitive than it really is—most of the hundreds of people you see in the rush to the racks are helpers, not buyers. Each team ends up with just one dress. (Alright, sometimes two, but that’s rare). There are still plenty of dresses to choose from. In fact, last year over 90% of the brides-to-be who came to this sale found their dream dress.

At the Event

Be nice—with all the excitement, shoppers have been known to get a little territorial and competitive. As our security manager once said to a TV reporter, “you don’t want to be walking down the aisle knowing you had to punch somebody out to get the dress.”

Be considerate—have your helpers put dresses you don’t want on the hangers and back on the racks. Think of how disappointed you’d be if you found your perfect wedding dress, only to see that it had been trampled on and damaged.

Be fair–keep only the dresses you are seriously considering, and set the others free as soon as possible.

Remember, wedding gowns don’t always run true to size—look not only for your regular dress size, but try a size or two bigger as well. Even if a dress isn’t the perfect fit, at this price it may be worth the cost of alterations. Experts on gown cleaning and alterations will be on hand to advise you.

Try on whatever comes your way--sometimes a gown that isn’t what you pictured yourself wearing turns out to be “the one.”

Be decisive--it’s only a one-day sale and gowns are not returnable.

Have fun--if you find a dress, great. If not and you still have some time to look, go to www.filenesbasement.com/bridal.jsp for the city and date of the next sale.

Belated Birthday Celebration

Cabot's never fails to deliver.

Andrew dove into his sundae - sad to say, I can't remember which one it was but it was definitely loaded with plenty of fudge:


I went with the Mounds Delight sundae (Mounds ice cream, mellowcream fudge, creamy coconut sauce and whipped cream):

Andrew custom designed his own sundae with coffee almond fudge ice cream, hot mellowcream fudge, whipped cream and cookie dough pieces:

And for the birthday boy, a Dusty Road Sundae (French vanilla ice cream, bittersweet fudge, malt powder, whipped cream and topped with crushed whoppers):

Dinner at La Morra

Thursday night was my second Restaurant Week meal and I had Andrew, Jen and Phu as my dinner companions. As La Morra is located right on Route 9 in Brookline and reviews noted that parking was tough, Andrew and I ended up parking at Amy and Phu's apartment and walking 0.4 miles with Phu to meet up with Jen at the restaurant.

La Morra was packed and I suspect that it's really popular, even when they're not offering an awesome four course restaurant week deal that consists of antipasti, primi, secondi and a dolce.

First, the meal started with a slice of bread with an interesting butter/what we thought was cottage cheese combination:

Note: I'm going to warn you that the lighting was very low in the restaurant - each table came equipped with a tiny candle whose light blew out - I did take most of the pictures with a flash, but as this was extremely conspicuous, there were times I took a picture without a flash.

Jen opted for the Zucca fritta con fonduta fried local squash with parmigiano reggiano fonduta (this came with an extra $2 surcharge on top of the restaurant week:

Andrew, Phu and I opted for the Panzanella, a traditional bread salad that I had read about and never had the opportunity to try. It included cucumber, tomato, black olive, spring olive, spring onion and bruschetta and was DELICIOUS - it had the right combination of flavors and textures:

For the primi (pasta) dishes, Jen and I opted for orechiette with cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs - again, a great dish with a nice, slightly chewy texture to the pasta:

Andrew and Phu went with the tomato risotto:

Then it was time for our entrees - That's Phu's pork rib dish on top (it must've been a special, since I can't find it listed on their menu) and my Pollo al mattone, which is wood grilled cornish hen “under a brick” with vegetable tortino and shaved radish and carrot - I liked the cornish hen and the vegetable tortino but not the shaved radish and carrot - to me, it didn't have much flavor. Phu liked the pork but felt it was slightly too salty and there was too much of it:

Jen went with the Bistecca alla griglia (top dish) - wood grilled hanger steak with fava beans, creamy polenta, toasted garlic, and chili sugo, which I heard the waiter recommending to people and Andrew gobbled up the wood grilled bluefish (bottom dish) with corn ragu (which he really liked) and crispy polenta:

Did we have room for dessert? Definitely. We didn't plan it, but the four of us ended up getting four different desserts (strangely enough, the cheese plate didn't get picked) which gave us the opportunity to try everything. Jen had the hazelnut semifreddo with chocolate sauce (which was close to ice cream in consistency) and Andrew had the zucchini bread with sweetened ricotta:

Phu had buttermilk panna cotta with farm berries (definitely the best panna cotta I've ever tasted) and I went with the very colorful and flavorful sorbet trio - all three were delicious although I could only identify the plum and raspberry flavors:

Yet again, Restaurant week allowed me to enjoy a meal at an expensive restaurant. I still haven't eaten somewhere that I would return to on a regular day and pay regular prices, but it's definitely been worth trying each place and enjoying a meal out of the ordinary.