A friend told me once that his mother didn’t consider herself on vacation so long as she was still cooking. In that spirit, we ate out tonight at Francesca’s Fiore in Forest Park.
It was my first time there, but it was exactly what I wanted and a reminder of why my family loved good Italian restaurants. There’s always something on the menu to please even the most finicky kids and plenty of good choices for mom and dad.
And just in the nick of time, right before year’s end, I had my best meal of 2009: Swordfish.
It by far is the best piece of fish I’ve ever had (except maybe the fresh salmon caught, smoked and served to us by a friend in Alaska). The hostess told us it’s not on Francesca’s menu often.
Anyway…since this clearly is one of the most memorable meals of my year, I decided to do a quick run through of other great food moments of 2009:
Butter & Sage Rubbed Turkey – I’m not much of a turkey fan, but even I was going back for seconds (and thirds) on Thanksgiving.
Organic Butter Burgers w/Caramelized Onions, Walnuts & Goat Cheese – This iFarmer creation is one we managed to repeat a couple times in ’09 and will hopefully make a few menus in 2010.
Grilled Brie & Papaya/Orange/Habanero Jelly on Sourdough – These were the favorites from our Christmas Day Gourmet Grilled Cheese Fest. Definitely a flavor combo worth repeating.
Chocolate Guinness Cake – This capped our New Year’s Day celebration, after a meal of finger-licking chipotle ribs.
Sauteed Beet Greens – These are now my absolute favorite veggie and a great way to use just about every part of the beet.
Pot Roast Nachos w/Aged White Cheddar and Cherry Salsa – We learned this year that many leftover meats can be chopped, scattered over tortilla chips, sprinkled with cheese, then baked until delicious. Still, none of our leftovers experimenting was as successful as this.
Celeriac Soup – From the ugliest root veggie came one of the tastiest soups I’ve made, at least that’s what the iFarmer says. We’ll try this again next CSA season.
Strawberries – I can honestly say that the best strawberries I’ve ever had come right from my family’s farm. This year, the pickers couldn’t keep up with the buyers.
I also can’t let the year-in-food review go by without mentioning a new pizza favorite: Pepe’s Pizza in New Haven, Conn. A trip for work took me there and I’ve been craving it ever since.
Virtual Farmgirl 