Passage Irish Bar with Friends

Passage Irish Bar and Kitchen

Passage Irish Bar and Kitchen, 40-11 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103

Getting together in Queens with friends, planning the trip to Cuba and catching up.  AND REAL Shepherd's Pie!!! Most American versions of Shepherd's Pie is made with beef. Shepherds do not tend cows; they tend sheep.

Notes

Diane, Amy and Richard

Just a few Whiskey choices... where to start

Signature Fish and Chips: 
crispy Guinness battered cod with Irish coleslaw, mushy peas, tartar sauce and fries served in a shopping basket

Curried Shepherd’s Pie:
minced lamb, carrots, peas and onions in a curry sauce topped with mashed potato

Snow Day Lunch at Olive Garden

Olive Garden

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, 500 NJ-3, Secaucus, NJ 07094

We have a snow day, so we went shopping and to Olive Garden for lunch.

When we showed up at 1:30 there was a 20-minute wait for a table for 2.   We had the lunch special, Unlimited salad bowl, and breadsticks. 

Chicken Picatta with Breaded Zucchini and Caramelized Lemon

Lasagna

More Private Notes

Sunday Brunch in Englewood, NJ

Emma

Emma, 34 E Palisade Ave, Englewood, NJ 07631

Excellent Crostini with Cured Salmon, smoked yogurt, dill, and cucumber.  Harissa Marinated Lamb with lime scented hummus.  Chipotle Shrimp, avocado, cilantro, and lime.

We had the restaurant pretty much to ourselves when we arrived, a few more customers showed up before we left

Adorable little milk pail creamer

Banana Pancakes with chocolate sauce

Subtle Argentine Chorizo with Chimichurri Omelet with Home Fries and Mixed Greens.  Wanted more taste - spicier sausage or sharper chimichurri; I should have asked for a hot sauce or something.

Clever bathroom demarkation

Great Mason jar wall hanging - I might make one - maybe with tealights and sand.

More Private Notes

Coach House Happy Hour

COACH HOUSE DINER

Coach House Dinner, 921 Kennedy Blvd, North Bergen, NJ 07047

After Amy got her MRI, we headed here for happy hour. 4-7 pm.  We ended up having non-happy hour burgers.

Cuban Burger

Mushroom Swiss Cheese Burger

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Spaghetti Squash

Dinner tonight was an easy weeknight 'stir fry'.  Here is the recipe I used:  http://laurenariza.com/2012/11/16/buttery-spaghetti-squash-with-lemon-arugula-and-parmesan/

Spaghetti squash, garlic, arugula, scallion whites and tops (separated) lemon zest,  lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and I added heirloom cherry tomatoes. 

Saute the garlic and scallion whites, add the pre-cooked squash, let it all get hot and mixed. Add the arugula and lemon - toss. Add the cheese and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper a couple times along the way. Taste before you serve.

We added a little additional cheese and salt as we ate. 

Serve with a homemade baguette. I made three baguettes this weekend. Had mussels fra Diavolo with the first loaf. 

Notes: I roasted the squash last night so tonight really was less than 30 minutes.  Double everything except the squash and the cheese.  Rough chop the arugula, mine was too fine. Add the tomatoes as late as possible to get heat without becoming mushy. 
Tomorrow, mussels fra diavolo over spaghetti squash with arugula, and baguette #3!

Ruffino Wine Dinner - Dessert and Sparkling Wine

Chart House, Weehawken, NJ

Ruffino Wines, Italy 

A white wine is made from Glera grapes (same grape as Prosecco) and a second red wine is made from Pinot Noir grapes. These two wines are then blended, creating a wine with a beautiful rose hue and bright flavors. In the second stage, the Charmat method is used to bring about a secondary fermentation before the wine is bottled under pressure, preserving all of the fresh and fragrant characteristics of the wine.

Crostata con Frutti de Bosco, rustic tart shell, macerated mixed berries, crystal rose petal gelato. The 'rustic' shell was a thick shortbread crust, the gelato was subtle flavor, and there were more strawberries than I personally like.

Ruffino Wine Dinner - 4th Course, Entree

Chart House, Weehawken, NJ

Ruffino Wines, Italy 

The Entree course was Braciola di Agnello a la Griglia - grilled lamb chop, smashed baby potatoes, tuscan black kale.  The lamb was perfectly cooked and the smashed potatoes were kinda plain and uninspired.  Both were improved magnitudes with a little seasoning, something that should have been done in the kitchen before serving.  The kale, while tasty, was a bit tough as the midrib was still attached.

Paired with a Brunello, Greppone Mazzi, produced with Sangiovese grapes in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montalcino located about 80 km south of Florence.  Today Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy's best-known and most expensive wines.  This wine ages well,  unlike the fresher wines earlier in the evening.