Archive for the ‘Restaurants’ Category
On my current vacation in Khon Kaen, Thailand, I had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite restaurants.
I wanted to take my girlfriend’s mother out to dinner and was told lunch would be a better idea. Not one to argue, I agreed.
My lady asked me where I wanted to take her mom for lunch and the choice was simple. Having been to Khon Kaen a few months ago, I told my girl that I wanted to go to Bontonmairimnam Restaurant.
This is a small restaurant just outside the city limits and right on the bank of a river. It is cool and peaceful and has small, individual eating areas in gazebo-like wooden structures.
There is usually a cool breeze running through this outdoor restaurant and today was no exception. After ordering a couple of cokes, some water, and a cold beer, it was time to study the menu.
Fortunately for me, the menu is in Thai and English. This is unusual for the area and especially for a restaurant so far away from the few English-speaking tourists that visit Khon Kaen.
After poring over the menu, decisions by all were made. We placed out order to the very attentive young lady servers and chit-chatted while we waited for our lunch.
Within 5 minutes or so, the parade of food started to arrive. Boiled eggs, spicy papaya salad, oyster salad, squid, vegetables, and steamed rice arrived. I had to wait a couple of more minutes for my fried dishes.
Soon, my fried shrimp and onion rings and spring rolls arrived. I had already started with the food that the ladies ordered, as all is shared.
Picking from eight different plates and complimenting them with the rice on my plate, the food just kept on coming.
Conversation and drinks continued to flow and we ate and ate and ate. The pace was slow, the breeze lightly setting off the wind chime, and the river flowed behind me.
Continuing to eat, it was time to order another beer from one of the girls hovering near our table. She got it in an instant, and poured me another cold one.
After dinner goodies were available, but none of us could eat another morsel. From veggies to seafood, to salads and friend shrimp, it was all delicious.
A final bottle of water was ordered to wash it all down and some more relaxing conversation continued.
It was time to head back to the hotel so I called for the bill and since I had been here before, was not surprised. The grand total was 860 Baht, or roughly, 27 US dollars for 8 dishes, 2 large beers, 2 cokes, and a bottle of water. Adding a small, 40 baht tip and we had a feast for under 30 dollars.
One of the many reasons I love Thailand.
Just a little beyond a good wine is an aged vinegar. In Modena it’s revered as balsamico. Gourmet chefs seem to have embraced the allure of balsamic vinegar in the last two decades, but it was tradition passed down in Italy from father to son over centuries that resulted in the large scale acceptance of the finest vinegar condiments the world has ever known.
“Italy, and the spring and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy.” – Bertrand Russell
The strains of classic Italian folk music are heard in the distance as the doors open on something new, yet something altogether regal. The villa in Carpi is one of Italy’s national historic landmarks and the Villa Bellentani sits as one of its crown jewels. Built in the 18th century, the Villa Bellentani harkens to an era of rich heritage and rural sensibilities. Now, this same villa is a perfect blend or uncommon historic beauty coupled with state of the art facilities for aging balsamic vinegar for yet another appreciative generation.
It’s plain to see that the world has discovered a special love affair with Modena balsamic vinegar, yet it is also true that two other facts are equally evident. 1) There doesn’t seem to be enough quality balsamic vinegar to meet growing world demand and, 2) while inferior vinegars are easily obtained they spoil the pristine image and taste of true, aged balsamic vinegar. The Italian producer Villa Bellentani is making efforts to offer some of Modena’s best vinegar, yet preserve the integrity of the balsamico heritage.
It was with a deep respect for the thousand year history of balsamic vinegar that Italian vineyard growers join with producers at Villa Bellentani to develop quality aged balsamic vinegar that holds to the timeless traditions of Italy’s finest producers.
Americans discovered balsamic vinegar in the 1980’s, but it was tradition passed down from father to son over many centuries that resulted in the ‘overnight success’ of the finest vinegars the world has ever known.
The same country that brought you such notable artists as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci as part of the Renaissance also provides a culinary artistry that offers incomparable quality and taste – the wonderfully adaptable aged balsamic vinegar, aceto balsamico di Modena.
It is certain that such taste has value far beyond the purchase price. Long standing Italian history comes into focus when the balsamic vinegars of Villa Bellentani are tasted and found worthy to attain the ranks of the ‘world’s finest’.
Producers around the world have attempted to duplicate the Modena balsamic vinegar, but few pay regard to the tradition and taste that find customers willing to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for well aged blends. It is a shame to see something so precious treated in such a common way by many who will claim a product of comparable quality. In truth, much of what sells as balsamic vinegar is little more than common vinegar mixed with caramelized brown sugar. Yet in Carpi there’s a wooden cask of balsamic vinegar that has aged for more than a decade, and one day some of the precious liquid inside could find its way to your table. Your eyes will close and you take in an appreciative breath, for the taste was worth the wait.
The pace of life in Carpi is a world removed from most urban cultures. Perhaps it is that slower pace that is beneficial when you discover the difference in well aged balsamic vinegar in the grand tradition of Italy. Villa Bellentani a family estate producer seeks to fill that void.
Most of us eat at restaurants for a variety of reasons; time and convenience are the most common motives. Below is a prepared list of quick tips for eating out of your home.
If you eat healthy food or sensible portions, that you like, you can stick with eating healthy for life.
Your portions should be spaced out over the course of the day. Water should be a part of every meal.
After you eat, your stomach should be half full, or less, with food. For every two parts of food consumed, you should drink one part water. Leave your stomach at least one quarter empty for movement of air.
When eating at a restaurant, eat half a portion, maximum, and wait five or ten minutes. Restaurant portions are commonly two to four meals on a single or double plate.
This is way too much to consume at a single sitting and you may find out that, once you pause and sip your drink, you are already full.
In the Providence, RI area, there are some restaurants where the single portions could feed a family of four. No wonder a man of 200 lbs. is now considered thin. Do not make comparisons to other people. Eat to live and enjoy your food, but do not use someone else’s over indulgence as an excuse for your own.
Establish control over your appetite. Most of us feel guilty if we don’t finish a plate. This is usually conditioning from your childhood. Bury your guilty past and have the rest “wrapped to go.”
Always eat something for breakfast and never “skip it.” When you skip breakfast, you will over-consume for it, later in the day.
Eat slowly and thoroughly chew your food.
Make sure your last meal, or last “snack” of the day, is small and nutritionally dense. Examples: Cereal with fruit, vegetable salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, rice with vegetables, and light popcorn, without the extra butter and salt. For those who eat meat or fish: turkey, chicken, or salmon salad on top of fresh greens.
In the later part of your day, skip desserts, sugary cereals, bread, and second portions.
If you absolutely must have sugar: Eat fruit, strawberries with yogurt or low fat cottage cheese, fruit with rice, or almonds with yogurt.
If you must have coffee or alcohol, beware that these should be consumed in extreme moderation. Both substances will dehydrate your body, and you will have to drink extra water to make up for it. Wine is much better than hard alcohol, but one or two glasses a day is the limit.