Beautiful Foods 2023

Thank you 2023 for good health and good food!

Here's to the home chefs and the dishes they prepared. 

Seared Scallops | Angel Hair Pasta, Lemon, Butter, Parsley

Pork Loaf | barbeque sauce, herb roasted potato wedges, green apple + cabbage slaw

 Lettuce Wraps | Sticky Rice, Yellow Pepper + Crispy Prosciutto

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Filet Mignon | mushrooms & asparagus in a bordelaise sauce

Christmas Dinner | Beef Tenderloin, twice baked potato, lemony brussels, homemade Caesar salad 

Mom's famous éclair ring

There will always be solace in gathering around a pretty table setting graced by a homecooked meal.

Here's to comfort,  joy and S U B S T A C K in 2024!

You can find me over there!

Ransom Tavern | South Woodstock, VT

From the town green in the most picturesque locale in all of New England (Woodstock, Vermont of course) make a right onto Route 106 heading south, just before the majestic Woodstock Inn & Resort, and drive for 10 minutes towards what feels like the middle of nowhere. At least, that is how it seems if you are driving just after night has fallen in early December. It is pitch black and the road is not well lit. 

A beacon at a crossroads in South Woodstock is the Kedron Valley Inn. 

The brick colonial mansion is decidedly more grand and elegant on the exterior than I had pictured. The interior is studded with antiques, artwork that beckons a second glance, and creamy upholstered furniture like velvet royal blue chairs that frame a large print of Abe Lincoln. 

Thick embroidered drapes hang in grand colonial windows. Wide hewn wood floors and worn loom rugs give way to The Ransom Tavern. 

Under a procession of glass lamps and evergreen boughs dangling from them dried oranges and Christmas ornaments - is a bar full of intimate conversation over savory Neapolitan fare. 

The expansive restaurant space feels more modern Vermont: it is brightly lit, full of light wood tables, clipboard menus, cheerfull waitresses and showcases a large open kitchen space backed by a wood fired pizza oven. 

I expected the food would be good; I did not expect it to be soul soothing and executed with such precision, so WONDERFULLY GOOD. Cocktails abound from Nonna's Old Fashioned ($12) to the Wassail ($14) which comes steaming hot in a large round teacup and saucer. The wine list is award-winning, I opt for a glass of R. Stuart + Co. Big Fire Pinot Noir ($14). It tastes of fig, rich cherry and nutmeg. 

The Meatballs and Ricotta ($15) come with two nestled in a glistening red sauce. The Roasted Beets Salad ($15) hits just right with mixed greens, red and gold beets, goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds in a maple vinaigrette. 

The pizzas achieve that outstandingly chewy meets crisp Neapolitan excellence, with topping combinations to swoon over. With a trio of mushrooms: shitake, cremini and oyster, plus roasted garlic, mozzarella, arugula and shaved parmesan over a fresh roasted butternut squash puree, The Gardener ($24) should be at the top of your list to consider.

Broccoli Rabe and Sausage ($24) lends a distinct flavor and spice from the fennel sausage, roasted red peppers and an elegant chili oil. The Capricciosa ($28) with tomato sauce, artichokes, cotto ham, fresh mozzarella and basil rounds out the parade of pizzas nicely. 

We dinned here with my sister, brother in law, and their two girls - my sweet nieces Lilah and Sage. There were many groups including multiple families with new babies and young kids. A convivial and welcoming tavern it certainly is. Reservations are recommended. 

We got the kids ice cream sundaes ($8) for dessert and for ourselves a Tiramisu ($12) and a Mille Foglie ($12) which is puff pastry meets layers of vanilla custard, and enjoyed them with final sips of Carpineto Dogajolo Rosso ($11) as we wound down our precious time at the Kedron Valley Inn. 

On the drive towards our home in Killington we opted for the back road route - over the mountains from Church Hill Road to Peterkin Hill, excited when we realized these dirt roads spit us out at Lincoln Covered Bridge to cross the Ottaqueechee River onto route 4. Crossing a covered bridge by happenstance is so quintessentially Vermont, a moment that always deserves just that - a moment.

Ransom Tavern | Kedron Valley Inn

4778 South Road

South Woodstock, VT 05071

Regards | Portland, ME

I have started writing over on Substack. I'd love it if you subscribed! I was seeking a way to re-circulate my blog and email my community when I publish a new post. Perhaps a newsletter of sorts? What I have found on Substack is a large community of very good writers that inspired me to write a bit more, too. Yes, I'll continue to post here, but my hope is that Substack gives me some more visibility. I recently wrote about this very night in Portland, Maine which will publish straight to the inbox of my subscribers. 

On this Mom's getaway we had dinner at REGARDS. I loved our experience here and would fondly recommend it!

They have an excellent wine program and (after cocktails at CBG, Paper Tiger and Blythe & Burrows) we went straight for wine by the glass. Our first was from the skin contact or orange wine section: a Bosman ($16) Fides Grenache Blanc from Western Cape, South Africa. Second, from the whites, a glass of Dorcha ($13) Sauvignon Blanc from Lower Styria, Slovenia, to close out the evening.

To eat, some of the most inventive, thought provoking plates:

casco bay oysters ($10) smoked trout roe, bergamot mignonette

scallop crudo ($24) matsutake xo, chile de arbol, toasted jasmine rice milk

birra tacos ($22) preserved tomatillo, queso oxaco

hamachi collar ($36) shio koji x tare, morita emulsion

Regards

547 Congress St.

Portland, ME

Dusk @ Dona Ana

Exploring the sea stacks and marveling in the tranquility of Praia de Dona Ana at golden hour; this was our first visit to the beach upon arrival from Lisbon. On the drive we stopped to grocery shop at Lidl, then unpacked and settled into our Airbnb. Finally, it was time to walk down to the beach. Camden immediately sprinted over to that rock, climbed it, and started making funny poses. His enthusiasm is contagious!  Ryder collected shells at the waters edge. And at last, Mom got that family selfie.

There's a feeling I love after being in a new city, of then arriving to a new beach. A change of environment, a change of pace: slowing down with my kids and being outside discovering.

Dinners in Old Town | Lagos

I posted a brief intro to Lagos and all the photos of Praia Dona Ana - but let's get into it, shall we? Our Airbnb was in a massive condo complex called IberLagos. As I mentioned, the proximity to the beach and the dueling pools were A+. There was plenty of parking and an elevator. It was a pleasant and quick walk to downtown restaurants. A bottle of white wine greeted us at check in. All great things! 

The pictures on Airbnb are super polished and while we did love it, and it was reasonably priced, it's not high end. The beds were sparse and not the comfiest. No vacation shattering issues, I guess I'm just trying to say the interior pictures on Airbnb sort of exceeded the real life feel. We loved the patio. There was a container of beach toys and an umbrella. It did feel like and ideal place for a family with small kids!

Camden loves to unpack and organize. Ryder is Livin' the Dream for sure. 

Grocery shopping at Lidl was our first real food shopping of the trip for breakfast and essentials. (Snacks. Super Bock). Groceries are inexpensive here. Generally Portugal is not an expensive place to travel, which is nice and a feels like a European travel secret that should be kept under the radar. 

Our dinners in Lagos were great. 

Our overall favorite experience was at: Arribale. off the main drag, somewhat hidden behind the old sea wall, seated in an azulejo tile both, VINHO VERDE always, the flaming sausage, the whole roasted fish, everything cooked on the chargrill, a true salt of the earth Lagosian waiter, and the bottle of Calem Tawny Port our he left on our table to drink to our hearts content during dessert. 

Another fun meal was at Imperio Do Mar.

On a very happening, boisterous, main street in the old town, we feasted here on the delicacy known as Percebes. Which are Barnacles. 

We are adventurous and discovering new foods. inquire within. 

One day it was not beach weather so we walked the sprawling pier and brunched.

An Aperol Spritz and an omlette with french fries and salad hit the spot. 

Nobody:

Me: obsessed with Aperol circa 2011 before the last Gen Zer was even born. 

We ate at Sal and Companhia on our last night. I'm starting to feel like a Lagos regular and settle into a gorgeous family vacation routine, right in time to break it. Bob and I are drinking the house red and really appreciating this trip and our family. We're eating green been tempura and seafood risotto rich with prawns and coastal mussels. Briny seafood essence is at its finest here in Lagos.

Ryder decided to try a lemon. I love this little boy. He keeps us laughing!

Lagos is a true gem. I'm glad we followed our instincts to the Algarve and stayed in this most excellent beach town.

I loved our after dinner strolls home, especially when the kids would drift off to sleep. 

Arribalé

R. da Barroca 40

8600-674 Lagos, Portugal

Imperio do Mar

R. Silva Lopes 25

8600-623 Lagos, Portugal

Sal & Companhia

R. 25 de Abril 67 

600-525 Lagos, Portugal