Brunch with Friends

It’s like the game Words with Friends except that they have nothing in common.

This past summer, Lindz and I, met up with some friends (Jess, Jay, and little Penny) in Rochester.  We decided to go get the Sunday brunch at Chester’s and catch up on life.  I’ve never eaten there before and based on Jess and Jay’s recommendations, I went with the Prime Rib Hash.

Now this is what I call a proper brunch dish.

Like any proper hash, it consists of potatoes, veggies, eggs, and meat.  What Chester’s does is step everything up a notch.  They use fresh veggies, a nice cut of meat (prime rib), they poach the eggs, and top everything with a hollandaise sauce.  Plus two pieces of multi-grain toast.  Yes, it was as tasty as it looks.

I didn’t get pictures of the other items ordered (I know, shame on me).  But I’ll give you a brief description of each.  Jess ordered the prime rib hash like I did, so nothing more on that.  Jay ordered huevos rancheros with poached eggs.  It contained refried beans, chorizo, salsa, queso fresca, and of course, some toast.  He said it was pretty decent, but I got the impression that in the back of his mind, he was figuring out how to make it better.  The curse of being a chef.  I thought Lindz got biscuits and gravy, but I’m not finding it on the menu.  So, I guess I’ll just leave what she ate as a mystery.  I do remember her saying that it was good.

Putting everyone’s responses together, the review of Chester’s is that it is a good place to eat.  The food is definitely above average, but there is room for improvement.  Granted that is nit-picking the recipes tied in with the fact that we didn’t have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it either.  Making a short review even longer, I recommend going there.  It had a nice relaxed atmosphere with good, quality food.

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I just found something even more unnatural than a Turducken!

Since it’s already all over the internets, you may have already seen this.  But for those who haven’t, I present to you the Cherpumple!

The Cherpumple in all its unholy glory.

I know what you’re thinking.  What in Dante’s Nine Levels of Hell is this creation???  It is the chef d’oeuvre (gotta love the thesaurus!) of Charles Phoenix.  It is a cherry, apple, and pumpkin pie baked in white, spice, and yellow cake, respectively.  Topped with cream cheese frosting, of course.  For a more extensive write-up, I read up on this concoction here.

I have to admit, I’m a bit curious about tasting this.  Don’t think I’m going try and make it, but if given the opportunity . . .

A Traditional Birthday Meal

Well, a traditional meal if you are over in East Asia.  Or if you’re me, it’s something that I’ve been doing for the last six-ish years.  That’s right, it’s sushi time!

This year for my birthday meal, Lindz and I went out to Osaka with Matt and Janessa.  Since it was my birthday I got to get whatever I wanted (not sure how that is different from any other time we’ve gone there, but I just rolled with it).  I decided that it was past due on ordering a boat load of sushi.  I mean that quite literally.

A boatload of happy!

Osaka has an item on their menu called the Love Boat.  It contains 10 pieces of sushi, 18 pieces of sashimi, a rainbow roll, and a dragon roll.  All served in a wooden boat.  Hence the name.

All of the pieces were “chef’s choice,” so from the outset I wasn’t expecting anything too lavish as far as selection.

Close up of the bow selection.

Close up of the stern of the boat.

I was right about the selection.  A lot of tuna, salmon, and the like.  Nothing off the beaten path, but all very tasty and a lot of it.

Ever since Matt and Janessa ordered deep fried crab in RI, we’ve been ordering it as a an appetizer.  Been working good so far.

Not quite as good as Enn’s, but then that was the best I’ve ever had.

Since I can put away a lot of sushi, I finished off Lindz’s half and still ordered a couple of extra pieces to cap off the meal.

A bit of octopus and eel as a nice finish to a nice meal.

Bliss in a Bowl

This is one of my all-time favorite snacks.  It goes back to the days that I was growing up on the ol’ farm.  I don’t have it often nowadays. but that’s mainly because I don’t usually have heavy whipping cream sitting in the fridge.  For whatever reason, I don’t think of picking some up on the grocery runs.

The recipe is really simple.  Cut up fruit of your choice, throw it in a bowl, sprinkle a little sugar onto it, pour enough cream to cover, and enjoy!

Plums, blueberries, cream, and a bit of sugar. What more could you possibly ask for?

I sometimes marvel at what passes for healthy (or even normal) eating on the farm.  Granted, more often than not, you were burning through 4000 calories in a day, but still boggles the mind.

The Salty Hog

If you’ve ever been to Baker’s Square, you know that they have quite a selection of pies.  Every month they have a featured pie.  In September, it was definitely something that caught my eye (and taste buds).

Everything is better with bacon.  Well, most things.

The idea of candied bacon on top of french silk pie, on top of chocolate cake, on top of caramel and almonds, on a pie crust seems like a good idea.  Unfortunately, the whole is not equal to the parts.  I think if you took away the cake, it would have been a great improvement.  As far as specific ingredients, the candied bacon was by far the best.

The Salty Hog in the display case.

And the close up shot.