Tuesday at the Table

I've been thinking of resurrecting Tuesday at the Table and seeing how that goes. Maybe it's the pending summer, perhaps the burgeoning herb garden, quite possibly the podcast I just listened to, but I feel like I've been neglecting an important part of me that I'd like to be more in touch with. As I said, I'll see how it goes.

So about that podcast. You might not know that Seattle actually has a pretty sweet little cookbook store. It's called the Book Larder, and for the first episode of their new podcast, "the incomparable Ruth Reichl [was] in conversation with Nancy Leson (a local food commentator) about Ruth’s new memoir, Save Me the Plums." The New York Times had this to say about the book: "Trailblazing food writer and beloved restaurant critic Ruth Reichl took the job (and the risk) of a lifetime when she entered the high-stakes world of magazine publishing. Now, for the first time, she chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet." Truth is, I've read all of Ruth's books, including My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes that Save My Life chronicling the year following Gourmet's closing. Of course I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. And yeah, the new book is on order.

So meanwhile, we were away to Victoria BC for a few days and in addition to visiting the gorgeous Butchart Gardens, we treated ourselves to Afternoon Tea in the historic dining room. It was a unique and fun (really!) meal in a beautifully quaint setting.

Lest I forget the yummy details, I'm going to share the menu here. So clockwise from upper right:

English Trifle

Sweets

Chocolate truffle  +  Strawberry lemon Napoleon  +  Lemon tart

Peach vanilla pound cake  +  Wildberry chocolate meringue

House Scone with Fruit Preserves & Devon-style Cream

Traditional Savory Sandwiches & Delicacies

Curried chicken & grapes  +  Deviled egg with scallion mustard aioli

Heritage ham & bell pepper Parmesan aioli  +  Cucumber, pickled ginger, & dill

Salmon, capers, & red onion  +  Tarragon almond pesto & feta quiche

House-made sausage roll

So there were a couple of highlight foodie moments from the last week. I'm on the watch for more....