restaurant review: Moosewood

The primary reason we went to Ithaca, NY was to eat at the famous Moosewood Restaurant.  We, like so many others, have the cookbooks and have been enticed and inspired by their creative-without-being-complex, vegetable-filled recipes.  Understandably we had very high hopes for the restaurant which inspired 11 cookbooks.  Overall, we were disappointed.  How could the restaurant that has become a hippy, earth-crunchy cooking handbook be so bureaucratic and boring?  We arrived in Ithaca at 4, looking to grab some food, poke around a little and move on to NYC. While walking to find Moosewood, we came across an Apple Harvest Festival in full swing.  The streets in the center of town were filled with entertainers,  information booths, lovely wares and food vendors.  We walked around for a while enjoying the spirit of the place, hungry to be sure, but saving our stomachs for Moosewood.

We made it over to Moosewood at 5 only to be told by a less-than-welcoming hostess that we'd have to wait until 5:30, when dinner began, to be seated.  We were eager to get back on the road, but ultimately decided the mecca to Moosewood was important enough to warrant a still later arrival in NYC.  While we waited we noticed that the atmosphere was pretty run-of-the-mill.  Nothing you wouldn't see in a mid-range restaurant chain.

When we were seated, we perused the menu--it was a short read.  Iris and Chelsea in particular, were misted by the lack of choices given how many recipes they knew to be in existence.  While we can respect the choice for a simple menu, this one was beyond with only 2 appetizers, 2 soups, 4 entrés (only two "may be made vegan") period.  Oh and then 5 pages of wines and drinks (KLV among them!!).   Apparently their menu is rotating, which is wonderful if you have the luxury (and with the prices, we do mean luxury) of eating there on a regular basis.  With a menu like that, our choices were made for us, we decided to get the two vegan options: Southwestern Stew over Rice, Stuffed Delicata Squash and an appetizer: Tofulafels.  We played the system a little so they would not charge a fee (!) to split an entrés.

As for the food, it was EXCELLENT.  The Southwestern Stew delicately juggled the flavors and cooked-but-still-crispy tenderness of the likes of three colors of bell peppers, red potatoes, baby lima beans, corn, tomatoes and zucchini all flavored with present-but-not-overpowering cilantro and chili peppers.   The Stuffed Delicata was divine.  The half squash was sweet and tender and the mushrooms and leeks that stuffed it were perfectly complementary.  It was all topped off with a gentle tomato-roasted fennel sauce and served with a side of delectably marinated green beans.  In all the dishes the medley of flavors was amazing--each spice stood out as unique and in the same bite blended with the vegetables natural flavor.  The textures were perfect, each vegetable was gently cooked to it's own optimal tender crispness.   And the vegan chocolate cake?  set the whole meal over the edge.. .may even be better than McDougal's Zucchini Chocolate Cake.

the walk away lesson:  keep the cookbooks.

food delicious food

Aparently, people are eager to hear about where and what we've been eating.  Before several requests, it hadn't occurred to us to blog about food, but now that it's been suggested, it does seem like a simple way to reassure all those who might worry that we are indeed eating well and often. So as head chef (and bottle washer) Iris is stepping up and donning yet another hat as restaurant/food critic for the duration of this blog.

Already we've had several delicious meals.

Dorathee, our host at the vineyard, is quite the farm chef and welcomed us in with a slew of garden-fresh and homemade meals including: just-wilted chard with sautéed onions, hearty bean and potato stew with brown rice, butternut squash and curd casserole, just-steamed corn-on-the-cob, fresh tomato sauce on spaghetti, cherry tomatoes ripe from the garden, oatmeal bread with butter and jam, granola and fresh-picked peaches and raspberries for breakfast, peach pie for dessert and plenty of fresh grapes all around.
We were more than well fed with such delicious foods and plenty of vegan choosings and delicious low-sugar desserts.

  

Oh an how could I forget, the wine!  Mel kept our wine glasses well stocked with the full range of Keuka Lake Vineyard's offerings, guiding us expertly through our own private tasting and tour as well as carefully selecting among his wines for additional tasting with dinner.  What at treat!

And then there were the grapes, grapes and more grapes!

We munched on them in the kitchen when we first arrived, we purchased some at roadside stand and nibbled them on a long bike ride, ate some for dessert after another pleasant meal and on our way out, we stopped with Dorathee to pick concord grapes to take with us for the road.  Yum!

If all that wasn't enough, Zach and Iris discovered
the nourishment to be found in the wild.  On a mission with Mel, we made our way up through tangled forests to an ancient, overgrown orchard and earned our keep by collecting bags full of fallen apples to make cider.  Zach even discovered a few pears!

 Who said this vegan doesn't know how to feed himself?

Farm Sanctuary

If there were a vegan headquarters, the Farm Sanctuary would fit the bill. Located in upstate New York, the Farm Sanctuary rescues abused and neglected farm animals and give them a home in open fields with out the fear of becoming a meal.

Although though there were no tours on the weekday we still got escorted around by a lovely black cat that led and followed us all around the property.

 The visitors’ center had facts about different animals and the lives they live on factory farms including actual cages and pens that are used by factory farms.  Zach was quite disappointed that the gift shop was closed (no vegan treats!) and we all would have liked to see the rescued animals so talk had already begun of returning and staying at the vegan bed and breakfast right on the farm.



the bean counter
miles traveled: 15
pieces of snail mail sent: 0
mullets: 0

Welcome to Keuka Lake Vineyards

On Wednesday evening we arrived at what Iris considers our first official stop of Recession Road Trip Extravaganza after leaving Northfield, MA (note: this writer considers our first stop to be Northfield the first out of Boston- ah, semantics). Here we stayed at the beautiful Keuka Lake Vineyards (www.klvineyards.com) in Hammondsport, NY which is part of the Finger Lake region. This region of vineyards is best known for its Riesling: KLV boasts a dry Riesling gold ribbon winner! The vineyard is owned and operated by Zach's guardian, Edie Goldman's brother and sister-in-law, Mel and Dorothee.

Upon our arrival, Dorothee had a delicious dinner prepared for us. At this point we took the opportunity to get to know our hosts- two very interesting individuals indeed! Dorothee is a scientist and accidental inventor; while teaching about pH using make-shift litmus paper made from hibiscus flowers, she stumbled upon a simple saliva test for endometriosis! In partnership with Harvard School for Public Health, Dorothee is making historical leaps for women's health. As a person who is very interested and invested in public and women's health, this writer was very excited and inspired by this fascinating discovery. Once Mel joined us for dinner (he was busily preparing for a class he teaches at Cornell University) we spoke to him about running the vineyard and had an impromptu wine tasting with our meal!

On Thursday, we took on a challenging (and unexpectedly long) bike ride/tour de Keuka Lake through "wine country"; we stopped along the way to nibble on grapes and visit the post office, library and Hammondsport's town center to mingle with the locals. The views were breathtaking, the town was adorable, and the locals were lovely. 

When we finally huffed it back, we met with Mel for the official KLV tour and tasting.  We loved their wine so much that we decided to purchase a case of vino for the road (designated drivers, don't worry). Then we joined Dorothee for yet another home-made, delicious dinner. While this writer slept soundly the following morning, Zach and Iris ventured into the woods in pursuit of the apple orchard and relieved the vineyard of a bee hive as a thank you to our generous hosts. After visiting newly acquired KLV vines across Keuka Lake and saying fond farewells to Mel and Dorothee, our trio packed back into Frida to continue on to the Farm Sanctuary, Moosewood Resaurant in Ithaca, and NYC. The success of this first stop set the tone for a fabulous cross-country adventure!

the bean counter

miles traveled: 460

pieces of snail mail sent: 9

mullets: 0

frida's features

Let me take a minute to introduce you to Frida and all the lovely accommodations that she has to offer.
Of course, we ride in style.

the upstairs: also known as the auxiliary.  both spacious and decorative.  have something that you just don't know what to do with?  throw it upstairs and forget about it.  also contains: camping gear, gifts, and winter layers.  here's chelsea "going upstairs".

the back porch:  excellent views. also used for bike storage.

zach "on the back porch"

the library:  a small yet varied collection spanning several genres and including fiction, non-fiction and periodicals.

the wine cellar:  a recent addition, primarily featuring 2007 Riesling from Keuka Lake Vineyards.

the dinning room:  color pallet inspired by Claire's wrist accoutrements, design and execution by Emily Teague.  you wish you had this table.

the bedroom: tired from a long drive? retire in style in the cozy and spacious bedroom/office.

the barber shop:  with the premier hair-cutter of boston in the car, we can get our dos done on the go.

coming soon:  the kitchen

kicked to the curb.

For all those who doubted we'd ever leave 20p and most of our worldly possessions behind to take off into the wild west, here we are. After a whirlwind weekend of packing, we no longer reside at 20 Priesing street, Jamaica Plain. At 2am last night, the car fully loaded and the apartment stark and echoy, we sit outside on the Amato Castro Convertible sleeper sofa.
Let the adventure begin.

ps. if anyone is interested in this priceless sofa, it may very well still be available on the curb.

The story before the story

At this point, most of you already know that our apartment was foreclosed in March which was the source of motivation and inspiration for this trip. Some of you know that we've been in a slow process with our new "landlord", the bank, trying to get some compensation to move out (and fund our trip). Still fewer know that in order to get said compensation, we've been to court, twice, and hired a lawyer. All of this has taken perseverance and patience and above all, time. For that reason, we've been in a state of limbo--stuck between staying and leaving--for far longer than we would have cared to. But the good news? Our battle is over!

preparation: turtle shell

my cousin and I transform a mundane car pod into a work of art.


turtle!

Boston's last party

We made it into Robin's 365 Polaroid project this past weekend at our send off party. We (ok, mostly zach) look like little kids ready for the first day of school. Here's to new beginnings.