Bendy & Her Friendies V2 ... This Bar Never Closes! New Thread Started!

[oybolshoi]

Hugs and good thoughts coming your way, Lori. Hospice is a hard step to have to take but I'm glad you and your nana still have some time left to share with each other.

 

[ChelleinNC]

Chelle... on the way down I waved from a distance

Shame that's as close as we can get for now. Just got thru the rest of the posts and the review/food porn looks great. I really need to get to Biltmore some day

Look what Jay and I just booked for the end of the month:

Chocolate, Wine & Jazz!


Finally something on a weekend! And the best part ... it's only about 20 minutes from our house!

That looks good!

-It's been a bit busy here, bunch of work stuff & family stuff and we've all been a touch under the weather . I'm way behind on my blog partly because I had to write a piece for my work blog. Hopefully I'll get a new piece up on mine tomorrow- at least I'm up to the cruise now

-Lori, sorry to hear about your Nana. Hospice was wonderful when my mom was at/near the end. I so admire the people that can do that, they make such a difference! I hope they ease yours & your Nana's pain

 

[TigerKat]

Lori - I will keep you and your Nana in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[D&R love Disney]

I've been somewhat quiet lately. Yes, I've been posting here and there, but I've been going to visit my grandmother in hospice and dealing with month end at work. Nana was put into hospice on Tuesday, but by some miracle, is still holding on. I posted to Facebook that she's a tough bird at 94. I'm going to head back in a little while.

I did want to mention that I'm officially jealous of Sue's visit to Graham Eliot. Michelle (TheDISneyFamily) and I have discussed going there "someday", so now that I hear Sue's been there, I want to hear all about it. (I didn't scan the thread farther back to see if she did review it or not.)

And the rest of you...

Hi. I'll see you soon.

Lori I'm sorry to hear about your Nana.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Lori-Savor the time you have with your Nana. I'm sure having you there with her is the greatest comfort of all.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Here's some pics from our visit to Biltmore's Deerpark Restaurant

Approaching the restaurant

About the Executive Chef, Angela Guiffrida

Drew & Rachel walking into the restaurant

Open air courtyard of the restaurant

Table (not a very good shot)

View of the other tables

Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Pork with Apricot Chutney, Cornbread & Portabella Stuffed Chicken and Tomato Vidalia Gratin

Baby Field Greens & Romaine Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette and Fruit salad

Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Strudel, Brownie Torte with Caramel and Orange Cheesecake

This was a lunch buffet and it was very relaxed. I loved the cushy lawn furniture and open air courtyard of this restaurant. There was more food that I didn't take-Greek Salad, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Chilled Cantaloupe & Mint Bisque, Sweet and Sour Beet Salad and the Wine Poached Salmon in Lemon Parsley Butter with Wild Rice were the ones that I can remember. Oh, I also skipped their Double Crust Peach Pie (I'm just not a pie person). The winner of the meal was the stuffed chicken. I went back for seconds and thirds on that. We all had a great time here and with our annual pass discount we paid $14 per person so it was well worth it IMO.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Here's our last meal at Biltmore at the Stable Cafe. The estate pretty much closes up by 6pm, so we only ate lunches on property.

View upon entering the restaurant

View of the restaurant

Cornmeal Crusted Fried Green Tomatoes with Succotash & Local Goat Cheese with Smoked Paprika Sour Cream

Summer Squash Bisque

Just in case your not familiar with what a kids Chicken Finger Platter looks like

Herb Roasted Rotisserie Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Seasonal Veg

A blurry pic of the Stable Cafe Sampler Platter: Bourbon BBQ Ribs, Pulled Pork BBQ (under the ribs), Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese, Collard Greens, Rotisserie Chicken, Coleslaw and Pickles

This was definitely some good home cooking and we enjoyed every bite. The restaurant is right next to the main house so its really convenient if your taking any of the house tours to just pop in for a quick and tasty bite.

That concludes my food porn for this trip. For dinners we slummed it and ate at Outback, Carrabba's and Olive Garden-hardly gourmet, but not all meals have to be. If Fred were with us we would have made it to The Dining Room at Biltmore Inn, but it just didn't seem worth it to go without my hubby. The kids were happy enough with the chain restaurants after a hard day of touring anyway and with those sweltering temps we were subjected to nobody really wanted to put the effort into cleaning up.

 

[Shenanigoat]

om-gosh that Biltmore food porn looked so good. I didn't know they had that many dining options there.

 

[oybolshoi]

Soooooo ... was I the only one disappointed in the outcome of the Next Food Network Star?

I liked the two finalists and do think either of them could do a fine job starring on a show that will never be shown in primetime, ensuring that we all forget about them both within the next month, but I really preferred the method and POV of the person who didn't win.

Am I the only one?

 

[robinm1215]

We have a Trader Joe's up in Northern NJ, but it bites the big one. Just our luck we have a stinky one. They must be better elsewhere or folks wouldn't rave about them, but ours leaves a lot to be desired. I prefer a trip to Whole Foods for my needs too. Two buck chuck is something we don't buy, but I have a stock of it anyway-my aunt brings that stuff to our house every time she visits. I guess I know how highly she thinks of us. I use it for cooking. I'm sure taste varies on the variety, but she brings the Shiraz which I find icky.

Not sure which Trader Joe's you go to but I'm closest to the one in Mt. Laurel and I think it's pretty decent -- but of course I don't have anything to compare it to either. They are actually opening one up in Princeton sometime this summer so I'm excited that I'll have one about 15 minutes from my house!

Also, great pictures from Biltmore. Looks like you had a great trip

Look what Jay and I just booked for the end of the month:

Chocolate, Wine & Jazz!

Finally something on a weekend! And the best part ... it's only about 20 minutes from our house!

Sounds like a great event Brenda

I've been somewhat quiet lately. Yes, I've been posting here and there, but I've been going to visit my grandmother in hospice and dealing with month end at work. Nana was put into hospice on Tuesday, but by some miracle, is still holding on. I posted to Facebook that she's a tough bird at 94. I'm going to head back in a little while.

I did want to mention that I'm officially jealous of Sue's visit to Graham Eliot. Michelle (TheDISneyFamily) and I have discussed going there "someday", so now that I hear Sue's been there, I want to hear all about it. (I didn't scan the thread farther back to see if she did review it or not.)

And the rest of you...

Hi. I'll see you soon.

Sorry to hear about your Nana

 

[jeminni]

Lori- Sorry to hear about your NaNa.

 

[jeminni]

Brenda,

I was away for a couple of days and came back to my F&W pins and the salsa recipe. Thanks!!!

 

[PNO4TE]

Allison - thanks for posting your last bit of foodie goodness. We love eating in the stables there!

Brenda - For the first time ever we did not follow the Next Food Network Star. I think I watched the first show of the season and hated them all on sight because of their whining and general bi tc hiness. I will have to go see who won. I have to say, though, that the year that Guy Fieri won I was disappointed. I was so wrong. He was the shot in the arm the network needed. And I can't remember who he beat out that I liked so well!

ETA: Nope... didn't like the winner. Didn't like what happened with that contestant earlier on. The other finalist was a better chef, I think, but not certain it would have been a good pick either. Only time will tell, I suppose!

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

Good morning everyone! Looks like I missed some good food porn pics - thanks Alison (yes, her name has 1 L)! Glad your trip was good! Happy be-lated Anniversary, Elin! Brenda, you had me at Chocolate. The wine & jazz just makes it even better! Sorry I'll miss the virtual wine night, but I'll be in WDW! Have a great week & I'll catch up with you guys in about 10 days!

Cheers!
Michelle

P.S. Lori, I'm so sorry! I'll be thinking of you. We definitely have to turn the 'someday' into a real dinner in the city every so often. Things have been so busy for both of us, but I'm sure we can find a good time...

 

[TDC Nala]

Soooooo ... was I the only one disappointed in the outcome of the Next Food Network Star?

I liked the two finalists and do think either of them could do a fine job starring on a show that will never be shown in primetime, ensuring that we all forget about them both within the next month, but I really preferred the method and POV of the person who didn't win.

Am I the only one?

No you are not. I am really not interested in what she says she will do - a show for working moms trying to get dinner on the table. I work, but I'm not a mom and I don't cook dinner.

From what I understand she had some connection with Disney, she used to work at Disneyland Paris or something.

Ole Jeff hauled out the harissa and I wanted him to win at that point (not that I really liked either one of them all that much) but I knew he wouldn't when he didn't explain in his "pilot show" what harissa is made from and where to get ahold of some. Maybe he'll get a show anyway - the runner up from last year has his own show.

I'm still preferring Hell's Kitchen. Working on that restaurant line, they make the solo cooking show people look pretty wimpy

 

[D&R love Disney]

Alison thats some wonderful Biltmore food porn What did you think of the Jasper Hills Cabot cheese? We bought some at Cabot earlier this year and I didn't think it was very special.

Soooooo ... was I the only one disappointed in the outcome of the Next Food Network Star?

I liked the two finalists and do think either of them could do a fine job starring on a show that will never be shown in primetime, ensuring that we all forget about them both within the next month, but I really preferred the method and POV of the person who didn't win.

Am I the only one?

I never thought Melissa would make it past 2 or 3 episodes. I did like both there pilots and would try making both dishes but I'm not thrilled with either one of them and don't think they will last.

I GOT MY BUTTON I love it and can't wait to wear it and meet my fellow friendies !!!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Not sure which Trader Joe's you go to but I'm closest to the one in Mt. Laurel and I think it's pretty decent -- but of course I don't have anything to compare it to either. They are actually opening one up in Princeton sometime this summer so I'm excited that I'll have one about 15 minutes from my house!

Also, great pictures from Biltmore. Looks like you had a great trip

I'm not sure which Trader Joe's it was to tell you the truth. My aunt had dragged me to one (about 5 years ago now) and it was this teeny tiny place, which I was not expecting. Perhaps that is where my disappointment lies. I was expecting a large store, like Whole Foods. I had heard TJ's talked up so much by people and it just didn't live up to the hype for me. Its a very long drive to make (for me) for the limited selection I found there. Don't get me wrong-they had some great stuff, but I find Whole Foods suits more of my needs and is far closer to home than Trader Joe's.

om-gosh that Biltmore food porn looked so good. I didn't know they had that many dining options there.

Allison - thanks for posting your last bit of foodie goodness. We love eating in the stables there!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.

Good morning everyone! Looks like I missed some good food porn pics - thanks Alison (yes, her name has 1 L)! Glad your trip was good! Happy be-lated Anniversary, Elin! Brenda, you had me at Chocolate. The wine & jazz just makes it even better! Sorry I'll miss the virtual wine night, but I'll be in WDW! Have a great week & I'll catch up with you guys in about 10 days!

Cheers!
Michelle

Have a great time Michelle!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Alison thats some wonderful Biltmore food porn What did you think of the Jasper Hills Cabot cheese? We bought some at Cabot earlier this year and I didn't think it was very special.

It didn't do a thing for us one way or the other so its not just you. Our cheese fights were purely over the Roaring Forties Blue Cheese and the Three Graces Goat Cheese.

 

[TarzansKat]

That Biltmore food porn is incredible! Makes me hungry and ambitious to start whipping up something fantastic.

Sadly, I need to go grocery shopping in order to do that.

 

[TigerKat]

Allison - Great porn, everything looked wonderful!!

Brenda - Jeffrey was my favorite and I was hoping he'd win but I thought Melissa would win. I'd be willing to bet he'll get a show too.

Warning - depressing, feel free to skip -I haven't been around as much, kinda lurking. I do want to share with y'all what's going on (thanks Elin) ~ three years ago my sister-in-law lost her son at age 19 to drugs. Within a year she and her husband divorced and she was drinking heavily and on pain pills. She is now dying, her liver is shot. From what the doctors told us a few days ago she doesn't have much time so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers if so inclined. The saddest part is my poor MIL, 92, keeps saying she didn't want to live long enough to bury a child.