December 9, 2015 by Katie

First Friday Art Walk, Figgy’s, and Otto’s

As great as it was to spend some time in Rangeley recently, it sure is nice to have a weekend at home, especially one with relatively few commitments now that Oireachtas is over. We made sure to pack this one full of eating, running, and relaxing.

I ditched work a little early on Friday to get a much needed haircut.

I think she cut off at least 8 inches, so it’s a big change for me. Still getting used it it and trying not to think I look like a boy.

I still managed to beat everyone else home, so I had a few minutes to check out my just-arrived order from Amazon, more about that another day.

I was just starting to relax when Mike reminded me about First Friday Art Walk. Most of the time, we forget that it’s First Friday and end up missing it. I was feeling a bit lazy this past Friday, so I could have been convinced to skip it, but I’m so glad we went. It was the perfect time to go with town all decked out for the holidays.

We dropped our two still-at-home teenagers off at their respective places of employment and went on our merry way with our youngest, Addie, who is a veteran art walker.

We parked on the west end of Congress Street and started to make our way down toward the action. We just happened to spot Figgy’s a few blocks from our car.

I’d heard a bit about it, so we walked over just to check it out – for another time. We weren’t going to get anything, since we were planning to get a slice from Otto’s once we got down that way.

But the menu looked so good, we thought we’d just get a little biscuit to tide us over.

We ordered “The Ay Ay Ron” (no idea why it’s called that).

It turns out it wasn’t such a little biscuit. Here’s some perspective with our favorite little photo bomber.

It wasn’t little, but it was amazing. The fried chicken was just perfect. It had been flattened which I really like, so there’s an equal amount of “fry” with the chicken. The breading (panko, I think – but very classic) was perfectly golden and crispy. And the rest of the sandwich . . . wow! The biscuit was one of the best I’ve had. You could just taste the butter. It was one of those messy, drop biscuits that has those bumps of delicious imperfection. The coleslaw was a great cool contrast to the warm fried chicken, and the mashed potatoes and gravy were just over the top. We managed a few, very messy bites before we realized this was not “walking” food.

The picnic tables looked kind of inviting, but not on a cold December night. We decided to walk the two blocks back to the car and stow the biscuit for later. It wouldn’t be the same cold, but I wanted to savor it with a knife and fork at my kitchen table.

On to the art walk . . . My favorite stop was the She-Bear Gallery which had a bunch of Holly Meade wood block prints. There was a great little Christmas banner in the window which I loved and had also happened to notice on my run that morning. Unfortunately that was not for sale. (I asked. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one.) We also really liked the Holly Meade “New Years Eggs” print which would be a great gift for my dad or sister who together raise egg-laying chickens. (Sorry, Dad and Maggie, not in my price range.)

Addie’s favorite stop was Coast City Comics. They had everything you could imagine from a full-sized Storm Trooper outfit to a tiny Adventure Time Key Chain (which Addie scored) to a Tyrion Lannister figurine to old arcade games and pinball machines in the back.

We finally made it to Otto’s which was a relief because after a few free glasses of wine at the various galleries, I really needed to use their bathroom. We usually just get a slice and move on, but this time, we found a seat on the Enzo’s side and got to relax

and goof off in the warmth for a bit.

It was margarita and mashed potato, bacon, and scallion along with a couple glasses of wine for Mike and me, and cheese with a lemonade for Addie.

We saw this cool truck on our way out.

We continued down Congress to check out the Christmas Tree in Monument Square.

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Addie took a turn with the camera.

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The tree was beautiful, but I also love all the other lights they put up around town.

Addie liked the Santa hats on the Time and Temperature building.

My favorites were the ones on meca

and by The Eastland.

More weekend eating coming soon . . .

December 6, 2015December 6, 2015 by Katie

Want to run with me today?

I’m doing a 16-miler, but you can join me anywhere along the route.

Sixteen miles is about where it gets intimidating for me. It’s where I draw the line and carry my pack with water. I have a love-hate relationship with the damn thing. I need it, and it enables me to carry other things, too; my phone, some Gus, my debit card (in case of emergency bakery stop), my gloves that I always end up stripping after a mile or two. BUT, the sound of the water sloshing DRIVES ME CRAZY!!! Does anyone else have this problem? Is it me? Is it my pack? Should I just always use headphones on my long runs, so I won’t hear it?

Unlike many people, I love an out-and-back. Well, I don’t love the out, but I do love the back. I tell myself that I’m just going to do 8 then come home. For some reason, that’s seems different from telling myself that I’m going to do 16. I’m always in a much better mood after the turnaround.

So back to our run together, we had a great conversation on the way out about Christmas; shopping, traditions, etc., random running stuff, and the like. Now we’re finally almost on the way back.

I’ve run past Fort Williams Park and Portland Headlight hundreds of times. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to actually run into Fort Williams Park, but that’s what we’ll do today, and of course it’s gorgeous.

This is the first view we see as we come into the park. Promising . . .

We crest a nasty hill and are treated to this view. Not bad.

Let’s not think about running back up this steep hill we’re enjoying running down.

Finally, we’re at the lighthouse. Let’s stop our watches and walk around for a bit.

Not sure the iPhone does justice to the most photographed lighthouse in the US, but we’ll do our best.

Better keep going. Oh wait, here’s another good view.

Wow, there’s some other interesting photo ops and more tourists and locals walking their dogs than I would expect this early. Let’s wait until we’re on the way back though for any more pictures. It’s crazy to be stopping every 30 seconds. Let’s try to get to mile 8 in the park.

Whew, finally hit mile 8. Let’s do just a tiny bit extra, just in case, then turn around. Here’s one of the creepy military thingies. I’m sure it was busy and not creepy in its time.

Here’s another great view of the lighthouse on the way back. You can see another lighthouse on the right. In my sailing days, I probably knew what it was called. Bird-poop Light, I think.

Time go go back up that nasty hill. No worries, more great views at the top.

Nice excuse to stop ~~to catch our breath~~ for another picture.

Okay, time to get serious and quit stopping every few minutes. We have at least a couple of miles until the next photo op. Well wait, there are some pretty nice Christmas decorations. Oh, and my favorite fancy house along the route. No, stop (well don’t), let’s have some discipline.

A couple miles later, we arrive in Williard Square. As usual Scratch is busy.

Do we want to stop there for a treat to bring home? Or go off the route a bit for Portland Patisserie? Or hit up our regular stop at Tandem?

Nah, let’s keep going. Mike’s taking some time off to nurse his hurt knee, so I’m sure he’ll have the mimosas waiting for us at home.

We’re at about mile 11 now, should we have that other Gu? Let’s wait and see if there’s a gazillion ducks at mile 12 then decide. The ducks were there on the way out but only 4 stragglers on the way back. Not worth taking the phone out. We’ve stopped enough already. Let’s totally forget about the Gu and admire the view back into Portland.

Alright, fine, we can do without the Gu. Only a little over 3 miles left, and we’re climbing back up to the bridge. Let’s stop and take another picture of Portland.

One more little climb, and we’re on the bridge.

Once we’re halfway across, we can look at the Time and Temperature building to see how hard core we are for running in the cold and estimate when we’ll get home. Wow, it’s already 45 degrees. We were hard core for starting at 27 degrees though. Due home around 10.

Woo hoo. Finally back in Portland.

Ugh. Coming back up State is harder than usual. Should have had that Gu.

Aaah. Finally at the top. My dang phone is too sweaty to take a picture, so we spend at least a minute fidgeting with that. Don’t know about you, but I’m not minding the break at this point.

Finally get the phone working and take a picture of Longfellow himself all decked out for Christmas. Last chance for Tandem.

Now we just have 2 miles left and great downhill stretch down State St.

Aaah, Home Sweet Home.

Come on in for a mimosa. (My favorite recipe is Contadino Sparking Pinot Grigio from Trader Joe’s with a splash of grapefruit juice.)

Thanks for joining me! You in for next week? It will be a much shorter run at Portland Brewer’s Holiday Dash 5K, and you can join me for real. There are still openings. There will be brunch and lots of beer. You can’t go wrong!

December 3, 2015December 3, 2015 by Katie

An Improvised Breakfast Run – Dutch’s

We hadn’t really discussed doing a breakfast run this weekend. I was too full from Thanksgiving to really even think about going out. Saturday morning, it was pouring rain, and I was lazy, so I skipped my run altogether. It stopped raining fairly early, so Mike ended up rallying and heading out. I could have, too, but my mind was made up. I felt guilty, as I always do, but not too bad, since I did run every mile that I had planned to run in Rangeley in spite of the grueling hills.

We didn’t plan to run together on Sunday. It’s usually a long run day for both of us (but it never seems to be the same distance), and I feel like it’s best to focus on that and not make it a more casual breakfast run. Just the same, we were missing our breakfast runs, so we came up with a plan to just meet up for coffee at Black Cat. Sounded great Saturday night before we went to bed.

Then, apparently, we woke up hungry because we started thinking about a more substantial breakfast from Bayou Kitchen. We’ve been there what seems like hundreds of times in our ten years in this neighborhood but still haven’t written a review. In addition to waking up hungry, I woke up unmotivated. I had planned to run 18, and I knew Mike was going to run 13, so I figured it would just simplify everything if I also did 13. So the new plan was set for BK.

We set out on one of my favorite routes which goes over the bridge into SoPo, along the Eastern Trail for a while, past Scratch Baking Company (another great breakfast option), and to Portland Headlight. 6.5 miles gets us to the gate of Fort Williams. (It takes you past a Hannaford at about 3.5 miles in case you need a bathroom break.) Mike was setting a nice pace, a little faster than I would have liked, but I was looking forward to pouring over the stats when we got home. He always seems to want to sprint up the hills. What is UP with that?!

At about mile 10, his knee really started to bother him, and I could feel him slowing down. I didn’t slow down much though because, usually when I do, he speeds up again which drives me nuts. Finally, after about a mile of that, I decided we needed a new plan and suggested we stop for breakfast in town (we were just coming back across the bridge) rather than try to go all the way to Bayou, so he could rest the knee for a bit. Ohno Cafe seemed like it would be the closest and the most likely to be open – it was still pretty early – so we headed that way. Unfortunately, they were closed for vacation. We’ve been wanting to try Caiola’s, so we (well I) swung by there next. At this point, Mike was really slowing down, so I ran up ahead to check the hours, no luck. Next we headed to Longfellow Square figuring something there must be open. LFK, nope. Local 188, nope. Then the lightbulb moment, Hot Suppa, of course! I knew they opened early. They were open, and it was nice and warm in their vestibule, but after spending a few minutes consulting our phones for other options, we decided we didn’t want to wait (they were estimating 30 minutes). Finally, we figured out we could go to Dutch’s! While still in the warmth of Hot Suppa, I consulted my phone to make sure they’d be open.

Aaah, finally getting to sit down.

I know I’m making it sound like this was our last choice, but Dutch’s is by no means a last choice breakfast destination. We’d just been looking for the closest place to sit down.

We’ve actually been to Dutch’s quite a few times now. The first time I had been lured in by a Yelp Reviewer who poetically said something to the effect of their home fries being like hash browns and tater tots getting married and having beautiful square children. That’s no lie. The home fries, hash browns, whatever you call them are amazing; crispy, crunchy on the outside and soft and potato-y in the middle. The first time I went I had the breakfast burrito which is stuffed with those, eggs, cheese, and a bunch of other good stuff. It was my first time having chimmichurri sauce which I thought was heavenly (not for you cilanto haters though).

Our youngest daughter was with us when we went, and she really wanted pancakes. They didn’t exactly have pancakes, but they recommended the griddle cakes they use for the MacDutch breakfast sandwich. OMG, those were so good, much more substantial then a pancake (as you might imagine if you’re going to use it for a sandwich) with just a bit of greasy crispness (what’s a nicer, GOOD, word for greasy? because it was greasy in a good way – buttery maybe?) and these little crunchy surprises of sweetness on the top. Turns out those were little maple sugar candy kind of things. She didn’t eat all of her griddle cakes, so we took the rest home, and I took a delicious bit every time I walked by until they were gone.

I ended up liking the hash brown thingies that were in my burrito so much that I wanted to just get those the next time I went back, but I also wanted to have those griddle cakes again. What to do? There were four of us there that time, so I convinced the crowd that we should have a breakfast appetizer of the loaded hash browns – kind of like nachos with hash browns instead of chips. This was the only thing I didn’t love at Dutch’s. The cheese sauce was a white version of the stuff you’d get on your nachos at the movie theater. I’m definitely not above that and have eaten my fair share of it, but on the hash brown beauties at Dutch’s, I wanted real, sharp, cheddar cheese. We all found ourselves eating around the cheese sauce.

For my “main course”, I did end up getting the MacDutch. I wanted those griddle cakes again, and they were every bit as good as I remembered. The inside of the sandwich was good, too, but definitely not as memorable as the bread.

This, most recent time, the croissant sandwich on the specials board caught my eye, but as I stepped up to the counter to order, this gorgeous creation caught my eye.

I just had to have it – a brioche cinnamon bun – and it was so worth it. The pastry to cream-cheesy frosting ratio was just right. The middle – always the best part, right? – was perfectly ooey and gooey and frosting-y.

Mike remembered my delicious burrito from our first visit and didn’t even seem to consider the rest of the menu before ordering that.

(Pretty much destroyed by this point)

They have a nice website whose pictures will make you drool. If you’re like me and need some time to digest the menu (ha ha pardon the pun), I suggest you check out their menu on-line before you go. (You order at the counter vs. having a server come to the table.) Then you can focus on the specials board (every time I’ve been they’ve had 5 or 6 specials) and weigh your options.

I was a little surprised the first time I walked in. The interior is quite spacious and spartan.

It’s not what you would call a cozy restaurant, but I’m thinking they must do a strong take out business during the work week so probably need the space for a long line. They have a cool old-style, postcard-like mural on one of the walls, and the bathroom is wallpapered with old Maine Gazetteer maps. The decor is very down-to-earth, similar to Bayou Kitchen and Sinful Kitchen.

It’s not in the best part of town, but it’s across the street from Slab, so it’s in good company. There’s a countertop at the window facing Preble Street where you can sit and watch the world go by. You may have some of Portland’s less fortunate stop and stare in the window not realizing you’re sitting there.

Back on the running side of things, I started to think even my cut back mileage was at risk when Mike started hinting at taking the bus or a cab (or uber if we were cooler, younger) home. I usually bring a second set of clothes to change into when we go on a breakfast run – or at least a shirt – so I don’t freeze to death as my sweat starts to get cold. This time I didn’t. I was freezing, so I was anxious to finish up breakfast and get home. The idea of a warm cab was very tempting (waiting for the bus in the cold, not so much). I decided I’d eaten all the cinnamon bun brioche I possibly could and would warm up a lot faster if I just started running again – probably in the time it would take for a cab to arrive. Besides, I really didn’t think I could stomach wimping out on a breakfast run like that. (No offense, Mike.) Seemed like a slippery slope to start down.

Mike and I agreed that he would get a coffee and have a long, leisurely breakfast while I ran home to get the car. I managed to get 14 miles in, and he managed to limp out of the restaurant to the car (and has run a few times since), and we can still say we’ve never not gotten ourselves home after a breakfast run.

Thanks for reading. Happy eating and running.

December 2, 2015December 2, 2015 by Katie

While the Cat’s Away . . .

Mike just wrote a great post about Oireachtas weekend which, for us, has always been the weekend before Thanksgiving. I took our daughter down for the first seven or eight years, so Mike has taken over for me for the last few years. There’s always a lot of stress leading up to it; rehearsals every spare minute, costume prep, and bleeding money for fees, wigs, tights, socks – you name it, but there’s nothing more stressful than actually being there with thousands of stressed out girls and their often more stressed out mothers. Not having to go is priceless.

After spending the last few weekends engrossed in Irish dance, I was so excited to have a free weekend ahead of me. Because I really know how to party, I went crazy in the kitchen preparing for Thanksgiving from morning until night. The only other thing I did was run. I ignored my poor son who was quite content to play video games in his room, have a break from the girls, and visit me occasionally for a snack.

Friday night, I made my favorite granola which I only finally remembered to start eating yesterday.

Good thing it lasts a long time.

I also made this really yummy farro and roasted grape salad – not for Thanksgiving – but just because I wanted to.

I’d been intrigued by the idea of roasting grapes since reading this Smitten Kitchen post a while ago (still haven’t tried that recipe).

I think it was one of my favorite things I made the whole weekend.

Saturday, I decided to stay in bed as long as I wanted, since I didn’t really have to be anywhere. I was on the road for a run by 6:15. Isn’t that always the way? When you can sleep late, you don’t? Anyway, I was excited to get back to the kitchen and continue my baking spree. I made bagels (including these healthy ones for after the holidays),

bialys (isn’t that weird how the onion filling turned pink? I wonder if that’s normal or if it’s the pink Himalayan salt I used. I can’t remember if that happened last time I made them),

pizza dough,

and these rosemary olive oil rolls.

I was disappointed in them at first, but I think that’s because I ate one right out of the oven, and it probably had a bit more cooking to do. They were perfect on Thanksgiving. I stuck everything in the freezer, so it would seem nice and fresh when we got to Rangeley.

Sunday, pretty much the same routine except I must have been getting kind of burnt out. I didn’t take nearly as many pictures. This time, I made bacon and chopped up some scallions for our favorite mashed potato and bacon pizza. It was really mostly for our first night at Rangeley, but Frank and I each had a sample pie. I made salted caramel sauce for a delicious looking carmelita recipe which was to be my substitute for pecan pie. Later, I actually made the carmelitas. I almost wasn’t even going to make them, but they were so good (and easy) that I made another batch when we go home. I also made a couscous salad which originally started out from this bulgur salad recipe. (I know that would be healthier but I love the way those little pearls of couscous feel in your mouth.)

Finally, I worked up my nerve to make an apple pie. I’m not sure I’ve ever really make a pie before. I’ve made quite a few galettes (or maybe quite a lot – without looking, I can tell you the recipe I use is on page 702 of The New Basics cookbook) and a few chicken pot pies but never anything where the crust was really going to be the main focus. I really wanted it to be good. I didn’t have any shortening, so I googled “all butter pie crust recipes” and was happy to see that Smitten Kitchen was one of the first sites to come up on my search. I love the way she writes. She seems so practical and down to earth but her recipes have an element of fun to them – some kind of nice twist – that makes them interesting. I followed her recipe and her tutorial for rolling out the dough, and I’m happy to say it was a success. (No twists there, just a perfect, traditional pie crust which is exactly what I wanted.)

At home, I didn’t bake it but stuck it in the freezer for an hour or two then pulled it out and put it in plastic wrap and back in the freezer. Even though Mike was under strict instructions to bake it before he put in the turkey (while I was picking up our oldest son in Vermont), he completely forgot, and we didn’t put it in until after we’d eaten. It had been thawing in the fridge all day, so it worked out just fine. It didn’t need any additional baking time after having been frozen.

It was really great having all that food prepared, so I didn’t really have to do anything on the actual day. Mike makes all the stars of the table anyway; the turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the gravy. I thought it would be nice to have at least one green thing, so I made an adaptation of this salad. The pomegranate that I had brought with us turned out to be really gross on the inside, so I want to try it again when I actually have all the ingredients.

The only thing I didn’t make that I want to try is this cranberry salsa.

Thank you all you great food bloggers for the great recipes!

Whew, I do love to bake, but after that, I’m not quite ready for any Christmas cooking baking marathons.

Are you going to the Woodford Food & Beverage Neighborhood Mixer tonight? We were thinking of it but waited too late to get tickets. Arggh! If you go, let us know what you think. So excited to have another restaurant coming to our part of town.

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015 by Mike

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Running and Celebrating in Rangeley, Maine

The last few years we have been fortunate to celebrate Thanksgiving at our timeshare at Rangeley Lake Resort. Rangeley is a magical place where you can get away from city life and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and an easy going pace to the day. I know the timeshare industry is often a scam, but Rangeley has served us well. Early on we felt like we threw away our money, but for the last five or six years, the maintenance fee has been more than worth it.

Upon arriving, “Rangeley Rules” go into effect for adults and kids alike. This essentially means that there are no rules. If you want to sleep in and then take a nap after breakfast it’s OK…Want to wear pajamas all day? That works…Skip dinner and go fishing? Yup…Start the day off with a run and crack that first libation at 9AM? No problem (adults only). We love it and the kids love it. More than the place, it’s the ~~lack of~~ Rangeley Rules that really make our stays there magical.

This year we headed up after work on Monday evening (a one day work week is AWESOME) and started the festivities that included unpacking, lighting the fire, and taking it easy in our cabin before a restful sleep.

Tuesday turned out to be such a great day. Katie and I started the morning with a run in the area. Can’t avoid some crazy hills, but it was a great start to the day:

Tuesday morning’s Welcome to Rangeley run. Man! It was 15 degrees (wind chill was 5 degrees) and the hills are killer here, but it was a great start to an awesome day.

After the run, we had a breakfast feast highlighted with Tonga Toast (pretty much French Toast coated with Fruity Pebbles). We discovered this recipe at The Bayou Kitchen and it has been a traditional first breakfast in Rangeley for us. Rest of the day included a trip to the pool in the main lodge, a few spirited games of Jenga and Apples to Apples, a dinner of Katie’s amazing homemade pizza and an afternoon trip to downtown. I was excited to purchase these beauties:

A new pair of Darn Tough cushioned hikers. More cushion than I’ve had, but they have been great so far.

After another relaxing evening, our Wednesday “Friendsgiving” started our with another Rangeley Run:

My Wednesday morning run through downtown Rangeley before a day of celebration, cooking, eating , and libating.

When we go to the resort for Thanksgiving week, we usually have to check out on Friday. A couple of years ago we had the brainstorm that we should have Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday and enjoy the leftovers on Thanksgiving Day rather than trying to pack them up for the drive home on Friday. It has been great and really stretches out the “holiday feeling”.

No Thanksgiving for us is complete without our background music which is an endless loop of these two classics:

“Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie
“Thanksgiving Day” by Ray Davies

They never get old!

Before really getting into the cooking, I discovered that I was short a couple of items to prepare for the day. Katie was gone with our vehicle, so I had to improvise with an unplanned extra run:

You know you’re a runner when you track a run (1.01 miles) to the Rangeley IGA for a turkey pan, fire log, and some adult beverages.

Maybe not Breakfast Run material, but no trip to Rangeley is complete without a visit to good old IGA!

I have to say that one of the funnest days of the year is when I’m in the kitchen all day preparing Thanksgiving Dinner. This year’s menu included Turkey (what else?) stuffed with cornbread stuffing (Pepperidge Farm with diced onions, diced carrots, Craisins, diced apples, bacon grease -in place of a 2 Tbsp of butter-, and crumbled Sweet Italian Sausage), 10 pounds of mashed potatoes, a great arugula salad (made by Katie), homemade rosemary rolls (Katie’s creation), homemade apple pie (Katie again), and a couple of vegetable dishes.

Some early prep work (still in my PEP base layer!):

My Sous Chef for the day

Prep for the stuffing

And some more prep:

Ready for the oven!

Stuffing the bird!

Sausage for the stuffing

Reluctant teenager labor.

In the course cooking the turkey, I decided to sit down for a bit and my phone was hijacked from my lap during a quick nap (these appeared on a previous post from the day):

WTF Katie! I know I didn’t match your 8 miles today, but I still did some cooking! I suspect a repeat tomorrow for the [Wednesday] Thanksgiving Dinner!

No Turkey yet, but a man still deserves a nap at Rangeley!

By early evening the meal was ready, and we were able to feast during our Wednesday “Friendsgiving” with old friends we had not seen in quite some time (with Arlo and Ray Davies still playing strong in the background).

Almost everyone at the meal.

The aftermath at the stove.

Apple Pie was a hit!

Later that night we enjoyed some more board games, good conversation, and a chilly evening walk around the resort. It was one of the most satisfying Thanksgiving times ever! I did not get into bed until 2AM, but still managed to rise early for a Thanksgiving Morning Run:

Thanksgiving Morning Run. The hills weren’t so extreme on this route.

One sight on the run was this holiday creation:

Rejected character from The Nightmare Before Christmas?

The rest of the day included plentiful Thanksgiving leftovers, some football, and more fun. Later in the evening we made our way to the indoor pool and hot tubs. One lesson I learned from the evening is that there is a good reason for those “No Alcohol Consumption” warnings while using the hot tub. You may end up with a few embarrassing moments caught on film:

Yes. That’s me with no shirt, but still rocking the vest. Just back from the hot tub and feeling the effects of too much time with John Jameson.

I hope everyone out there had a wonderful Thanksgiving and now “tis the season” for cold weather running and some great holiday Breakfast Runs.

See you on the road!

November 29, 2015November 29, 2015 by Mike

Out of Town Run: Haven Brothers (Providence, RI)

So, I was in Providence, Rhode Island, last weekend for the New England Oireachtas. This in itself is worth an entire blog post. Our Daughters, Maggie (dancing for 10 years) and Addie (dancing for 2 years) have participated in Irish step dance at the Stillson School of Irish Dance. I love Irish Dance as an art form, but as a parent, it can be one of the most daunting tasks one ever takes. At a competition, such as Oireachtas (pronounced Or-rock-tus) you watch your child dance under scrutiny of ~~Irish~~ international judges. If you ever go to an Irish dance competition you will learn the ~~agony~~ joy of hearing the “High Caul Cap” and “Saint Patrick’s Day Caley” over and over again. I don’t like my daughters being judged, but I still always marvel at their prowess on the stage and how beautiful they are. Take a look:

High Caul Cap:

Addie ready to dance!

Practicing.

Getting the full treatment. Appearance is everything it seems.

This was Maggie dancing last year:

After a long Saturday of dancing we were all ready for some good ~~and cheap~~ eats. I was checking out some local options. Since starting this blog I find myself becoming ~~a food snob~~ anti-chain restaurants much to the disappointment of my McDonald’s loving daughters. I searched out some options and found out that Providence was home to one of the oldest restaurants on wheels in the USA, Haven Brothers (an original Food Truck?).

Addie with her milkshake.

Haven Brothers is a trailer that is parked in downtown Providence and then moved after it closes at 4AM (!) each morning. They are renowned for quick service and being an “old-time” diner. Here’s what’s posted on Wikipedia:

“Once in its history, Haven Brothers set up shop in a location far from Providence. On April 9, 2008 the diner was brought to Mid-town Manhattan and parked outside the NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for the Today Show. Hosts Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer (both of whom had worked at the NBC10 studios in Providence two blocks from Havens Brothers time-honored location beside Providence City Hall) had each—independently—chosen it as their favorite “old-time” diner. http://shenews.projo.com/2008/04/haven-bros-dine.html

It was also featured in a Providence-themed episode of Man v. Food Nation.”

-see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haven_Brothers_Diner

Nothing too fancy here and that suited our needs for some fast good tasting eats:

Haven Brothers Menu inside the trailer.

The girls went for basic cheeseburgers, fries, mozzarella sticks, and milkshakes. I went with the Deluxe Burger which included (mayo, lettuce, and tomato). In hindsight, I wish that I chose a fat sub, but sometimes that burger craving is hard to overcome.

Getting our order ready fast!

You can eat inside if you want.

I was amazed that the speed our order was ready. My ~~impatient teenager~~ oldest went on ahead of us to the hotel and we still made it back just as she was entering the hotel room and we were getting on the elevator. The burgers tasted good, but were not fantastic. Same with the fries and mozzarella sticks, which probably would’ve been best right out of the fryer. The best thing about Havens was milkshakes which were made heaping scoops of ice cream and whipped up right in front of us. They were perfectly thick and tasty. One disappointment was that the order totaled $43, which seems to be a bit much for fast food for three. I was expecting in the neighborhood of $25, but I can still remember the days when ten dollars feeding a family of four at McDonald’s.

BTW, I did squeeze in a couple of fun early morning fun runs in Providence.

Saturday morning run.

Sunday Morning 10 miler. The hill up to Brown University was killer!

It was really cool to run the city in the early morning hours. During each run, I did the Providence “Rocky Run” up the steps of the Rhode Island State House. I got a little lost Sunday morning, but I eventually made it back to our hotel in the Providence financial district by looking for the Biltmore Hotel sign high in the sky. Here’s a few highlights from my Sunday morning run:

Gateway to Brown University

Rocky Run!

View for the top.

My Sunday morning lighthouse.

During the night those strings of lights lit up are really cool.

See you on the road!

November 25, 2015 by Mike

Happy Thanksgiving! (we started celebrating a little early)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! We took most of the week off and started our celebration early! We’re up in Rangeley for a few early morning runs and “a Thanksgiving dinner that can’t be beat.” (on Wednesday at least).

Can’t catch her! If you zoom in, you’ll see Katie blowing me away on a sprint interval!

No Turkey yet, but a man still deserves a nap at Rangeley!

WTF Katie! I know I didn’t match your 8 miles today, but I still did some cooking! I suspect a repeat tomorrow for the [Wednesday] Thanksgiving Dinner!

November 25, 2015December 2, 2015 by Mike

Lunch Run: The Honey Paw. Best Lunch Ever!

So last Saturday our Breakfast Run plans never materialized. We ended up doing our Evergreen Cemetary 6 mile route because our daughters had to participate in morning practices for an upcoming Irish Step Dance competition. So instead we decided that we’d get a run in, drop the girls off, and treat our younger son, Frank, to a lunch date. Not sure that 14 year olds ever are excited for a lunch date with their parents, but even Frank would have to admit that this was an AMAZING dining experience.

The Honey Paw bills itself as a non-denominational noodle bar (are noodles a religion?). I was thinking it was just a fancy Chinese restaurant. Speaking of Chinese cuisine, is anyone out there still mourning the demise of Wok Inn in Portland? I was a regular, always ordering six dumplings and a pint of pork fried rice with extra helpings of their Duck Sauce spiked with apple sauce. It was Chinese fast food: Fresh, cheap, and ~~greasy~~ fast. I loved it!

The Honey Paw is NOTHING like Wok Inn. Just a trip to the bathroom before eating will tell you that.

Does that count as a sink? I don’t know, but it is cool.

Even better, as I walked out of the bathroom, I noticed the source of the musical background:

Rocking some vinyl!

So, we started out with some adult libations (excluding the Root Beer ordered by our son Frank). I went with the Strong Paw and was not disappointed. I’m a whiskey fan, but the tequila with sweet and sour flavors was a delight. BTW, here is the menu we had for the day:

After the drinks, our fabulous server (sorry did not catch her name) offered us some appetizer selections. I gotta say that if you come to The Honey Paw and only have appetizers and drinks you will leave a satisfied customer. We had duck skewers (on special that day…we had two orders they were soooo good!!!) and the brussel sprouts (amazing nutty flavor!).

It was hard to beat the appetizers, but the entrees were amazing too! I had a noodle bowl with seafood treats and Frank had a fried crepe concoction that I can only describe as ~~sexually arousing~~ AMAZING!

We were going to sample the great looking desserts, but in the end, we decided a walk for some local gelato was in order.

BOTTOM LINE: The Honey Paw is an amazing dining experience and I can wait to make another run there!!!!

November 24, 2015December 2, 2015 by Katie

Honey Paw Review – Lunch-ish Run

Once again, our daughters’ dance practice conflicted with our breakfast run desires, so we had to adapt. Years ago, I had investigated places to eat lunch in Portland on the weekend and came up kind of short. Flatbreads, which I like, was available and that seemed to be about it. Fast forward 10 or so years later, and the options were happily plentiful. For many of Portland’s hip restaurants, lunch is a great option. It’s usually a bit less expensive and definitely less crowded than the dinner scene.

We got up later than we had planned (again, up with the sun did not happen) but managed to squeeze in a run before having to drop the girls off at dance. We were then left with each other, one son, one cat, and one dog. Having burned some calories and not eaten breakfast, we, very uncooly, searched for a place that opened at 11:00, the earliest honorable time to eat lunch (and/or have a non-breakfast-related breakfast adult beverage). Luckily, most places we looked into did open at 11:00. We’d been wanting to try The Honey Paw for awhile, so we decided on that. Not wanting to leave our son out, we invited him to come along, and he was game (although I’m still harassing him, with little success, to write a guest blog post on his thoughts of the restaurant).

We ended up having a GREAT time being tourists in our home town. The Honey Paw was awesome. Although, I must say, I’m a little worried about writing this review, since I’m DEFINITELY not a professional, and there was some controversy about that fairly recently. We were the first ones to arrive at the restaurant, so, obviously, we had our choice of seating which is actually quite interesting at The Honey Paw. You have your choice of the bar,

something like a bar along the window facing Middle Street,

and a ginormous table in the middle of the restaurant, so definitely a family-style dining experience provided you’re not the only family there.

Of course, we ordered a drink right away. I was impressed that the cool, hip-looking (probably world-reknowned) bartender started mixing our drinks before the waitress even finished taking our orders. (We were the only ones in there, and I know he overheard, but still, cool.) I ordered something called the “Lapsang Fizz”. (Have I mentioned that I like my bubbles?) It had bourbon, lemon, lapsang souchong (which I assume is some kind of tea), egg white, and soda. I’ve been hearing about egg whites in cocktails for a while. I was intrigued and wanted to try it. It was delicious, but the fizzy cocktails are never as fizzy as I would like. Mike ordered a Strong Paw as I predicted he would, but I’ll let him blog about that, and Frank ordered a fancy root beer.

Once we had the drinks figured out, lunch was a bit more challenging. I had read other reviews that recommended the brussels sprouts, so that was a no-brainer. They were delicious.

I loved the shredded potato-chip like topping, but I have to say Miyake still has the best brussels sprouts I’ve ever had. We ordered a few other appetizers; the duck skewers which were so amazing, we had to order another plate of them, and the fry bread which was actually my favorite and brought me back to our decades-ago visit to The Four Corners, but gourmet-ized.

We were getting a bit full by then but still wanted to try some of the entrees. Mike and I struggled to decide between the Wok Fried Rice Noodle and the Vietnamese Pork Meatball Soup to share. Frank struggled, in general, with the unusual-ness of the menu. He’s an adventuresome eater (he loved the duck), but this was a bit extreme for him. I tried to sell him on the Banh Mi special, but he was hesitant about its Chicken Liver Mousse condiment. He settled on the Vietnamese Masa Corn Crepe.

I loved our Wok Fried Rice Noodle. I’m not usually a big shellfish fan, but the mussels in it were delicious and reminded me more of nice, tender calamari. Oh shoot, now I’m reminded that there was squid as well, maybe it was actually squid I was eating, no I’m sure it was a mussel. The squid was good, too. Honestly, I wish I remembered the sausage part better, but the noodles themselves were AMAZING, nice and broad with such a wonderful, savory flavor.

Frank’s crepe, though, was the high point of the meal for me. The crispy, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth crepe was an orgasmic experience. That would have been enough in itself, but the melty, farm butter put it over the edge. The crepe itself was so good that I really didn’t even care about what was inside it. That said, the smoked chicken and piccalilli filling would have been delicious as a dish on its own. When we go back, this will be what I order, without hesitation. It was a special, so I hope it’s available.

We don’t usually order dessert. I mean, it really doesn’t make sense for breakfast, but I saw the dessert menu first, and since, Mike and I were splitting a meal, I though we might actually have room. I’m not such a big ice cream fan. I know, I’m weird. The walnut cake, however, was calling me. Anything that has an ingredient called “white chocolate butter cream” is not to be missed. And believe me, that was not a misnomer. I was impressed that they didn’t even bother to call it frosting. I mean is frosting really anything but butter and sugar? This was more butter than sugar, and I liked that they didn’t bother to try to hide that. You might think that would be way too rich in a cake, but the blueberry, pear jam cut the richness perfectly. So, so good! I would go back and just get that because after the delicious meal and splitting it three ways, we still couldn’t eat the whole thing. Why, oh why, didn’t I bring the leftovers home?

The food was so good, that it could have been in a mobile home, and it wouldn’t have mattered, but the atmosphere of the restaurant was really great, too. The sink in the bathroom was the coolest the boys had ever seen. The interior of the restaurant was bright and cheerful. It did begin to fill up as we ate, but being stoic, shy New Englanders, no-one opted to sit close to one another. I could see it getting friendlier later in the evening, later in the drinking. A very cool feature is that they had this cool D.J.-type booth, so the background music was all vinyl. I’ve since learned that they have some events where that is featured.

We had a super fun time at the restaurant. It just had such a nice, relaxed aura that we just really enjoyed ourselves. Mike and Frank did some kind of Star Wars trivia game that was, of course, above me.

Part of our plan of the day was to visit a local shop called Nomad’s. I had run by there recently and noticed that they had Icebreaker, Ibex, and Smartwool in their window. As it gets colder here, we’re wanting to wrap ourselves in more and more wool, so I was curious to see what this place had. They really had a great selection including our favorite wool socks, Darn Tough, but it was a bit pricier than I’ve seen on-line. Mike did buy a cool Ibex hat and some Outdoor Research gloves. I had the same version last year in mittens which I heartbreakingly lost at a comedy show. They didn’t have any Icebreaker base layer shirts in my size, so the saleslady steered me toward Ibex which did look great but were surprisingly a lot more expensive. I opted to buy one on E-bay instead.

After that, we swung buy LeRoux Kitchen (which I remember being Whip & Spoon, do you?) because I had seen on Facebook that they were doing a Thanksgiving meal tasting. It was beyond our expectations. We could have skipped lunch and had this one for free. The was a generous taste of tender turkey, mashed potatoes (that weren’t as good as Mike’s), stuffing, a nice Kale salad, and an interesting tomato thing. To top that off, there was a wine tasting. They had a bubbly rose which I loved and bought to have on our Thanksgiving.

Finally, we topped off the day with a stop to Gorgeous Gelato. We normally hit up Gelato Fiasco but wanted to try out their across-the-street competitor. As I said, I’m not a big ice-cream fan, so I’m not sure I can make a fair comparison, but I do think Fiasco has more variety. In any case, Gorgeous was delicious, and it was warm and cozy in their home while Mike and Frank polished off some scoops.

We finished up our Portland adventure just in time to pick the girls up for dance.

Thanks for reading. Happy running and dancing.

November 14, 2015November 13, 2015 by Katie

2015 in 2015!

Tuesday was a big day for me. I had set a goal on January 1st this year to run 2,015 miles before December 31st. It seemed like a big goal at the time, since I ended 2014 at just under 2,000 miles (1966.93, not that I’m keeping track). Woo hoo, I hit it by November 10th! And I still have time to get in about 350 more before the end of the year.

On Sunday night, I knew that I was going to be close, so I added an extra mile or two to my Monday and Tuesday runs, so I’d be sure to hit the goal on Tuesday. Tuesday is one of my favorite nights of the week. For some lucky reason, we rarely have kid taxi duty on that night, but, best of all, the next day is my day off of running. I love running, but days off are glorious! It didn’t take much to convince Mike we should go out and celebrate.

First we had to get through our younger son, Frank’s, first ever high school parent-teacher conference. He had texted me earlier in the day to see if we could have pizza for dinner, so I thought we could combine my celebration with a post-conference pizza dinner (as long as we were still speaking after the conference, of course – my older son legendarily got kicked out of his own conference once). I immediately thought of Bonobo, since I’ve been hooked on their pizza since our Happy Hour Run there a few weeks ago (and my subsequent, covert takeout order there one night when Addie had soccer practice nearby, and Mike wasn’t home).

We got through the conference without incident and actually got some nice compliments for Frank then headed to Bonobo. Having to park was kind of annoying, since we usually don’t have the burden of the car. As we were walking to the restaurant, it came up that it wasn’t actually Frank who had texted wanting pizza but our older daughter using his phone. (Smart of him not to mention it until we were almost there.) We got kind of a chuckle out of that.

Bonobo doesn’t seem to get as much press as some of the other pizza places in town. I actually quite like those places, so, originally, I was a bit reluctant to waste my pizza-eating budget on a different place, but I was hooked – almost the minute we walked in that first time.

The atmosphere is welcoming and bright (in a cozy, Christmas-y kind of way – not in a spartan kind of way), and it just looks like everyone is having a good time, relaxing and lingering over their pizzas and wine or beer. (Speaking about cozy, Christmas-y, I just recently read about the concept of koselig – check it out – very interesting and appealing.) There are little white Christmas lights strung back and forth across the tin ceiling, a nice bar, and banquettes along the window. It might just be where it’s located, in the West End, but I got a real neighborhood-restaurant kind of vibe from it – in a good way.

The first time we went we sat at the bar which was very pleasant.

When we went with Frank this time, we sat at one of the tables with the banquettes. A very nice couple who were sitting at a table for four offered to switch with us when they saw three of us trying to squeeze into a table for two. Even though there were people seated on either side of us, it seemed like we had our own nice, private space and had a fun conversation. (Surprisingly, our kids are really good about not pulling their phones out while we’re eating – it’s not like we set a good example.)

Mike is kind of a pizza purist, and the first time we went he wanted a Margherita pizza. I like those just fine, and I do agree that a sparsely-topped pizza lets you focus on all the important, simple, components of a pizza; the crust, the sauce (actually I guess those are the only two – doesn’t seem like you can really screw up the cheese part). But I like my pizza to be more interesting. Sometimes I can just go with the flow, but I was already cranky that night. On our run just before, Mike was weaving in and out of traffic like a madman, in the dark, so I was a little tense after taking my life in my ~~hands~~ legs and traipsing after him. We decided to compromise on a sausage pizza, but I didn’t really want that either. We couldn’t justify ordering two pizzas. Finally, we realized we could order half and half, and the night was saved! (Glass of wine helped, too.)

For my half, I had a hard time deciding between the “baby arugula” (arugula almond pesto, roasted red peppers, goat cheese, baby arugula salad on top) and the “gruyere” (potatoes, prosciutto, spinach & leeks, gruyere & parm, roasted garlic butter). I ended up with the “baby arugula”, and it was delicious. My favorite part was the subtle saltiness of the baby arugula salad.

The next time I went, I ordered takeout while Addie was at her last soccer practice, I got a “gruyere” for myself and whichever kids dared to try it and a cheese for those who didn’t. The bad thing about take out is that it was kind of cold by the time I did what seemed like a thousand other errands and got home. It was still really delicious though. The nuttiness of the gruyere really came through, and I loved it. The potatoes were purple which was a fun touch.

I liked that one so much that that’s what I ordered when we went to celebrate my 2015. Mike took advantage of the Tuesday (and Wednesday) night special of a $7 cheese pizza, and Frank opted to make the other half of mine a “caspian” (roasted chicken, smoked tomatoes, garlic & basil, mozz, parm & red sauce). I tried some of his, and it was good but not enough to make me stray from my two new faves.

If you’re in the market for a good pizza, definitely give Bonobo a try.

What are your running goals for 2015? Have you started thinking about 2016 yet? I’m planning on 2,016 miles (and, of course, some races).

Run for Breakfast

Running and Eating in Portland, Maine