Restaurant Review | Apple Crumbles

Duluth MN for Grandmas Marathon 2015

It was a rough start to this marathon weekend: Delay in Syracuse because of grounding in Chicago due to bad weather: We boarded our United flight on time, 6:40 for a 7 am departure. We were on the plane 30 minutes before they sent us back to the gate due to weather complications in Chicago but based on passenger AND United ticket agent conversations, weather was not apparent on radar. Mysterious bad weather. I changed my connection in Chicago from a 9:14 flight (arrival in Duluth at 11:am) to a 12:20 flight (arrival at 2pm). FINALLY, arrived in Duluth at [...]

By Joanne|2015-06-18T22:23:41-04:00June 18, 2015|Restaurant Review|2 Comments

Mary’s Secret Ingredients and Friday Night Dinner at Beardslee Castle

Haunted Castles and… Secret Ingredients! Could a Friday be more fun?! Not just food but neat kitchen gadgets as well (a Cit-Tease: removes citrus from the peel). Mary’s Secret Ingredients: Inspire Your Cooking and Fight Hunger. Visit the blog at LoveTheSecretIngredient.net Exciting new flavors. Seasonal shipments. More about the company: The food and recipe blog LOVE – the secret ingredient, is on a new mission. Two missions actually: To deliver favorite ingredients packed in seasonally themed sets to your front door, and to help hungry children across the country. As a passionate cook, Mary, blog owner, is always [...]

By Joanne|2015-05-08T11:32:26-04:00May 8, 2015|product review, Restaurant Review|1 Comment

Eating Outside the Box

Friday night, we ate “inside the box”, meaning, we ate at one of our new favorite restaurants in Utica, New York. Ancora’s A tasty dinner special: Haddock and Scallop Oreganato served with fresh tomato and pea risotto, and sautéed spinach. A gourmet delight. Moving on and out of town, to Queens, New York, more of a “business trip” than a weekend getaway, we stayed at the Hyatt in China town. There were no Italian restaurants within walking distance. Surprised? Well, we were in China town. We made our way to the Oyster Cave but they didn’t serve wine so … [...]

By Joanne|2015-01-19T12:42:49-05:00January 19, 2015|Restaurant Review|Comments Off

Cafe Hummus Restaurant Review

The other day, I needed a day off from work. Sometimes things just pile up and a break is needed. One day, that’s all. Just enough to clear the head, maintain perspective and get stuff done at home that you really don’t want to do on the weekend. It was on this particular day, Ted suggested we try a new place in town, very close to home, offering Mediterranean cuisine, specifically Greek – Turkish flavors for the usual foods we find around Utica but so used to having a Lebanese flare. This lunch was different. We perused the menu of [...]

By Joanne|2014-08-11T18:22:13-04:00August 11, 2014|Restaurant Review|5 Comments

Wine and Dine at Annex and Nola’s in Clinton NY

Ted and I don’t go into the Village of Clinton very often. That might change. We discovered a nice wine bar nestled in among the small, fascinating boutique stores along Clinton row and right next to it’s sister restaurant, Nola’s. The wine bar is called The Annex. It has been open for 8 months but just recently started advertising. A welcoming atmosphere, few tables so as not to over crowd, with a limited seating outside. The best feature is the extensive wine selection. No, no, the best feature is the QUALITY of the wine selection. Don’t know what to have? [...]

By Joanne|2014-07-28T07:47:46-04:00July 28, 2014|Restaurant Review|3 Comments

Restaurant Review: Gerber’s 1933 Tavern

At 16 Liberty Street, Utica New York, there is a tavern and it’s called Gerber’s 1933 Tavern. You won’t find any televisions to distract from the conversation. You will find a very friendly staff encouraging you to sit, relax, enjoy the food, drink and take in the historic atmosphere. Source: Located at 16 Liberty Street in Utica, Gerber’s 1933 Tavern is an historic speak easy restored to its original luster. The tavern was vacant for nearly 40 years before it reopened in April 2013. We strive to operate the tavern as it would have been nearly a century ago. The [...]

By Joanne|2014-06-14T15:04:37-04:00June 14, 2014|Restaurant Review|Comments Off