Sweater weather! Kind of. October was a glorious hodgepodge of warmer days than expected and then a hint of the chill to come. It allowed all of us to still be out of doors and turning our faces up to the rays of the sun. Then as the day turned into dusk, throw a jacket on to hold that warmth close.
Wanting to catch some color Chip and I headed out on a Sunday in the old jalopy over to the western area of New York, Harriman State Park, beautiful lakes and hiking trails, fall foliage just beginning to show off.
We pulled into a visitors center and noticed a swarm of flying insects in pillowy clouds around the stone building, at first thinking that may be honeybees…but, no! Ladybugs, ladybugs everywhere, landing on our shoulders and pants legs. A generous sign of hope and good luck. We all say yes to that.
The town of Suffern is home to a small Italian storefront with a brick oven, Alta Irpinia. Even on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, the line to order was deep!!
As we always tend to do, we ordered a lot! We could not decide and knew it would go home for Chip to snack on at Midnight!
Mortadella and fresh mozzarella, on ciabatta, arugula, peppers, roasted onion
Porchetta on semolina roll, mozzarella, garlic, broccoli raab, pepperoncini, olive oil
White pizza, from the oven, possibly the best pie we have ever tasted! The next morning I popped it in the oven with a sunny side up farm egg…French style! Memories of Lyon.
We took a slice of the Ricotta cheesecake home and it was incredibly light and not so sweet.
A real find. Next time we go I will bring along a bottle of Lambrusco, that would have tipped it right to amazing.
The leaves are beginning to softly flutter to the ground and our wood floor in the restaurant has a scattering all over. Instead of constantly trying to sweep, while you are enjoying dinner!, we decided it looked festive, a foliage decor if you will, like Rose petals strewn on the floor, beckoning love to come hither.
Chip’s fall offerings are hitting all of the comfort notes we look forward to in the months to come.
As mentioned previously Lamb made its appearance.
Saddle, pan seared. Shank, preserved lemon, raisin, pistachio as a B’stila. Corsican red turned out to be its soulmate. Lighter than you would lean towards, but perfect with it’s nuance and elegance.
Muscovy Duck from North wind Farms, breast seared and then slipped into a warm stock bath to finish, ooh baby! Liver toast that I beg for like a wagging tail puppy. Braised greens. DuPuy lentils, Chanterelles, pickled pears. I have to admit, classic Right Bank Bordeaux is what it begs for. Sense of place.
Look for Chateau Arcole, yummy.
Cappellacci, the ravioli shaped like the Popes hat,
Filled with house made ricotta and swiss chard. Veal tongue poached and then shaved as thin as parchment paper, tiny crispy cubes of sweetbreads, sprinkle of fresh horseradish and chopped parsley.
Can you stand it?
Domaine Ostertag Blanc, a trio of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois Blanc. Sensitive tickle of flavors, changing with each element of the dish.
Black pepper Briochin with almond cream and apples. Calvados forward sabayon. A cheese plate on the table. I am a happy happy person.
It is now the season to embrace fuller, more voluptuous wines. What a hardship…I will have to sit with my wine peeps and discover new things. Sigh. Well, someone has to! Wanna join me?
Chip thinking about lamb. A new Carolina Shrimp starter. Quail terrine. Fig cake. I will let you know how all of that rolled out and the wines I found to create the best outfit.
Welcome back from your summer joys and travels.
Can’t wait to hear about what you ate and drank, what lifted your spirits.
We are already two years into our latest adventure.
It is the most satisfying feeling to look out into our dining room and see all of the wonderful guests who have been supporting our dream since the first…Carolina Blue on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Then beautiful bonne Soiree, Chapel Hill.
The luck and joy of the Simone, Upper East Side. And now the perfectly so Eulalie, in the iconic neighborhood of Tribeca.
As I say always. All of us, in our community of Hospitality, could not do what we do without you.
It is all of you that allow us to live out our inner delicious and soulful lives.
Halloween kicks off what is to be a fabulous holiday season.
Get together with those that you love. Enjoy each moment, every bit of laughter and conversations. Every morsel of whatever at that moment on your fork and every drop of what your glass is tipping onto your tongue!!
Until next time.
Remember to take good care of yourselves and those around you. Now more than ever before, we need it, like the comfort of a blanket.
We appreciate you,
–Chip and Tina
And the ever fantastic team at Eulalie
