It was a perfect morning for being outside.  There was a breeze but it was more of a pleasure on our run than a hindrance.  Shane and I went through the Switchbacks, a hilly and wooded path weaving its way through the golf course. 

Shane was running slow today and when we entered the Switchbacks I let him off the leash. He was stopping, sniffing, then racing to catch up to me.  This was going to wear him out quickly and back on the leash he went.  We made a couple of water stops and I doused him with anything left from what he didn’t drink, with the intention to keep him cool. 

We only saw one other runner, no golfers, not even the maintenance crew.  Maybe it was so quiet because it’s a long, holiday weekend and everyone has left town?  Last weekend for camping? Time to close up the camp for Fall?  Whatever the reason, it was quiet out there.

We ran 7.08 miles today which hit the 51 total weekly miles right on the nose.

Do you run/walk with headphones or prefer exercising with a partner?

SIMMER….. A new restaurant

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Brasserie “A restaurant where beer, wine, cider and other drinks are served; the limited menu usually offers simple, hardy foods.

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The new place in town:  Simmer Brasserie in New Hartford. 

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We arrived at Simmer before six o’clock and were not ready to eat so we sat in the lounge area.  It wasn’t a minute before we were handed a wine list.  Recommendations were requested because there were too many featured wines.

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It all began with the Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel: Robust berry flavors with exotic spice and rich in vanilla and chocolate.

Our favorite was the Hob Nob Pinot Noir (France) with its cherry essence and smooth, rich finish.  That one we shared.

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It was relatively quiet when we arrived except for the music which was jazzy and on the loud side, yet enjoyable.

Even though we hadn’t ordered nor looked at the menu, delicious fresh baked bread was brought to our table with extra virgin olive oil for dipping.

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The menu (ala carte) had multiple options that both Ted and I could have entertained.

We shared a mixed salad with house vinaigrette

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Since we do love our greens, we both ordered the Roast Beet Salad with toasted sweet walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette, and smoky blue cheese

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Now we took a step back and asked…”Are we in UTICA?” (technically New Hartford).  This food would stand up to the competition in any of New York City’s finest.  I’ll show you why but you’ll have to believe me when I say the taste was an experience in Paradise.

The Skirt Hangar Steak for Ted served with a pot of  herb fries.

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The Carmelized Striped Bass with sauce gribiche and pickled cucumber papparedelle.

Gribiche is a cold French sauce based on a mayonnaise made with hard – cooked egg yolks instead of raw egg yolks and garnished with capers, herbs, and julienne of hard-cooked egg whites; served with fish.  *I kept telling Ted it tasted like egg salad.

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Papparedelle is Italian for broad noodles and used to describe broad, flat strips of pasta… or in this case, cucumber. 

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Naturally the dinner was followed by the smoothest tasting coffee…

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Final words:  It was pricey but worth every penny.  You just don’t get any better than this. The restaurant is small and can get noisy as the crowd gathers.   The staff is friendly.  The food is incomparable and made to order (yes, they will customize the dish for you). 

What a dinner! What an experience! What a night!

Is your favorite dining experience gourmet or family casual?

Joanne

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