A Really Civilized Breakfast

I've found a new place to eat, and shop a little, that I adore.  Red Bread. Everything feels right about this place to me.  Raw organic dairy (including cream, kefir, homemade yogurt and butter), wild yeasted sourdough breads (and bagels and starters for biscuits, cakes, muffins, etc.), fermented veggie goodies, non commercial pectin jams, single origin coffee, tartines, pastured guanciole "bacon," oatmeal cracked cookies, and a handful of fresh vegetables, fruits and meats to take home.  This week's "The Test" was a slice of dense, sour, fresh sourdough, toasted and served with a generous slab of raw butter, sea salt and radishes.  Last week featured same but with tomato.  Usually all of these elements would signal a tinge of rarified air attitude to me, but the place is small, friendly and not to hip or precious and I hope it keeps it's sweet and noble character.  I love that they serve the food on a little wooden board with a piece of parchment-like brown paper.  We've also tried a couple of the baked daily specials -- one day a blackberry jam buttermilk muffin, another day we had a blueberry bread pudding muffin, and we also sampled the tartlet with cold yogurt and mulberries.  All were delicious, hard to pick a favorite.  The artwork and wordplay on the wall is clever and cool.  It's inspired me to shape my own kitchen up.  Stay tuned for progress in that regard! #redbread

"The Test"

Bagel with Butter and Jam

Maine 2013

MAINE 2013:

This year's trip to Maine was our best so far.  I lucked out with my blind reservation and without much research (I'd never been to Acadia) at the Acadia Cottages, located on the "quiet side" of Acadia National Park .  .  . Southwest Harbor.  Didn't know that the noisy side (Bar Harbor) was indeed noisy and busy! Southwest Harbor was small, quiet and we went for numerous beautiful walks and bike rides without any fanfare or hassle.

Coming off the heels of M's 5 star luxury find at Moosehead Lake (The lovely Blair Hill Inn), the cottages were refreshingly spartan and spare.  We patronized Little Notch Bakery for pastries each day and then one night, near the end of our trip, I had finally eaten enough fried fish, lobster and blueberry pie and the sign for "Ukranian Style Borscht" really looked good.  I'd noticed that much of the restaurant workers in Southwest Harbor had eastern european accents, and when I inquired at Little Notch my favorite pastrymaid told me that indeed, they were part of a summer work exchange.  I really loved the flavors of the borscht and thought I would try duplicating the flavors in the form of a burger topping.  Voila!

Borscht Inspired Burger

Blair Hill Inn