Have Knives. Will Travel!

Menus, Tahiti and Cannes Film Festival...

2009-04-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

First would like to say to all in the Carlton Area- This saturday is a wonderful night of eating and drinking at Brookside Inn on the Abbey road. Space is limited, so if you would like to come out to the event, it is important to make your reservation as soon as possible, by calling Bruce or Susan at 503 852 4433. Here is the menu for the adventurous pallates, and it is being paired with Ray Walsh's (Domaine Meriwether and Capitello) wines. So come on out and support your local businesses!
The Menu-

Wine and Food pairing with Ray Walsh and Capitello wines
Brookside Inn April 18, 2009

Passed Hors D’oeuvres/ Amuse bouche
Buckwheat and red onion waffle with American Caviar, crème fraiche and soft poached quail egg

Starter
Panseared Foie Gras, served on toasted brioche with a Rhubarb-Dolcino baste, topped with fried leeks

Seafood Course
Panko crusted Northwest Oyster atop a green papaya and savoy cabbage slaw, dressed with a curry buerre blanc

Pasta Course
Sauteed wild mushrooms with hints of anchovy, white wine and fresh Thyme, tossed with handmade semolina pasta, Reggiano Parmesan, topped with braised rabbit

Main Course
A trio of flavors- Braised buffalo short ribs with a raspberry barbecue sauce, confit of duck leg with a fig, juniper and rosemary compote, grilled elk sausage with caramelized shallots, traditional Irish champ, mélange of vegetables

Intermezzo
Fresh fruits macerated in Dolcino with a hint of fresh mint

Dessert
An enticing platter of small bites- stem ginger shortbread, lemon tartlet, petite angel food cake with chocolate and berries, pine nut and golden raisin Florentine

Next, would like to let all that read this know that I will be gone for 5 weeks, three to French Polynesia and then two weeks of work at the Cannes Film Festival. So if you want to know more about it, shoot me an email at quinn@haveknives.com. I will write before I go, but get your butts out to the Brookside Inn on Saturday night and have a culinary experience!!!!!

On Finishing salts, BBQ tastings, et al...

2009-03-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

So first off, my opinion on finishing salts- I was always taught to season before you cook. In my career, I've found this to be very sound advice. I had the occasion to eat at a very nice restaurant in Seattle a short time ago, and as is the case with nice, cutting edge restaurants, they want to be, well, on the cutting edge. So they use finishing salts. I found that one bite would be oversalted, and one bite would be bland. Please folks, have fun with your finishing salts, but do yourself a favor and make sure you season BEFORE the food goes in the pan... and now I will step down from my soap box, and tell you another tale of culinary bliss!

My friend Ken, owner of The Filling Station Deli, came over to the house yesterday so that he and I could work on a spankin' BBQ sauce for his pulled pork sandwich that is on his menu. We made three different sauces, all similar but with all slightly different flavor profiles, to come up with the 'mac daddy' BBQ for the best sandwich shop in Yamhill Co., Oregon. I will keep you informed on what happens with it, and what route Ken takes on his way to BBQ fame.

I have to run, but keep up the fun, and for the love of blog, keep cooking, and tell me about it, I want to know!

Peace,

Quinn

Long walks, Street food and boats...

2009-03-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Portland, OR... What a great city! Saturday was the opening of the Saturday market, and a wonderful day it was. I met with my lovely friend D., and our day together started with a lovely walk along the esplanade, right on the river. We walked the east side of the river with a gentle sprinkle on our backs, crossed over to the downtown area where we proceeded to enjoy the food court of the Saturday market. We had wonderful turnovers from Africa, one with lentils and the other with beef, and then we were off to find the falafel man. Falafels ordered, we had a chat with the chef and owner, Mouhamed, and found that he also made New England clam chowder. Being of a New England mind, we asked for a taste and the taste was offered up. Wonderful chowder! It was creamy with out being too thick, a nice smooth consistency with lots of good clam flavor as well. And the falafel was wonderful too, with all the appropriate condiments, which made for a nice filling yet healthy experience. Mouhamed's restaurant is called Bumblekiss, incidently, and is in NE Portland, at 46th and Fremont. If you want a great falafel or chowder(he also does fish and chips that looked wonderful too!) then head on down and let me know what you think.

Our stomachs full of good food, we washed it all down with some strawberry lemonade, while we watched a one handed man play a guitar like instrument and sing songs. Very fun! We said goodbye to the market, and headed off to complete the southern leg of our journey to where we had parked. We passed by the Oregon Maritime Museum, which is actually an old paddle boat. They were giving free admission, and since free is good, we took a tour of a really cool old boat. We stood on the observation deck and watched a rather large sea lion playing in the river. We talked to an old maritime historian. We got bumper stickers! And then we headed on...

The day finished with a stop at Petite Provence, where we enjoyed tea and cappucino, and artfully crafted pastries. I highly recommend them if you like french pastry. I don't drink cappucino, but that looked gorgeous too.

So there you have it, a day in the life. Thanks again D. for a lovely day! Until next time, have fun all,
Quinn

My holy trinity strikes again...

2009-03-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

You can talk of your fathers, your sons and your holy ghosts, but for me the holy trinity consists of good food, good friends and good wine. This was apparent again last night, when I was invited over to some friends house where we cooked up some pearl couscous risotto with mushrooms and sweet potatoes, fortified with duck stock and an aged Gouda. Served with that was a hard seared filet mignon, served rare, a very colorful salad of Bull's blood beets, asparagus, butternut squash, caramelized shallots, beet tops and baby greens, all of which was topped with panseared sweetbreads.

I'm telling you, if you haven't had sweetbreads, and have an adventurous pallate, there isn't much better in my mind. These particular sweetbreads were seasoned with truffle salt and pepper, dipped in buttermilk and dredged in flour, then quickly sauteed in peanut oil and finished in the oven. Divine!

So the meal was served up with great friends and great wine(2006(I think) Road's End from Carlton Cellars), and a bit of local cheeses to start.

So dear friends, please, if you have a mind, try this recipe, it is unfailing:

3-4 good friends
1-3 bottles of nice wine
As much food as is needed

Bring together in a comfortable happy environment and let the three ingredients meld and blend their flavors. It's a hit every time!

St. Paddy's Day, and a celebration of meat...

2009-03-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hello all my few faithful,

I hope all is grand in all of your little slices of heaven. St. Paddy's, like any other day, is not a day of rest. I got the call to do a small(4-5) person, high end dinner, and I made all attempts to rise to the occasion. I was told they like meat, were carnivores as it were, and that I should make the menu as such. So without further ado, here is the menu, and after I will discuss some points of it-

Brookside Inn Event
March 17, 2009

Passed Hors D’ouevres- Pork cheek rillettes on a Yukon gold potato chip with a five-dry chile mayonnaise

Amuse Bouche- caramelized shallot and Oregon Black truffle brulee with a toasted brown sugar crust

Starter- Panseared Buffalo slider on soft Rosemary lavosh with baby greens, concasse of tomato and a roasted garlic aioli

Pasta- local mushrooms with hand-made pasta, white wine and cream, aged Reggiano Parmesan

Main – Confit of duck leg, roasted breast of duck with a maple-rosemary-juniper baste, sweet potato puree, white wine braised spinach

Intermezzo- Tomato sorbet with baby greens, crispy Carlton farms bacon and a savory black pepper biscuit

Dessert- Vanilla bean soufflé with a raspberry-dark chocolate sauce

Cheese- local selection of cheeses

So there you have it, and to break it down by course, here we goooooo...

Hors D'oeuvres- The pork was braised in red wine with onions, rosemary, and chicken stock. They were cooled, pounded out, pressed into molds, and warm braising liquid was poured over them, then cooled. unmolded, they were then sliced and put atop the chip with the mayonnaise.

Amuse- a custard of caramelized shallots, and black truffle that was pureed with the cream and eggs made for a very savory and rich custard that was complemented by some fine local Pinot Noir.

Slider- Buffalo from L Bar T Ranch in Forest Grove, OR was mixed with a small portion of ground Carlton Farms Pork cheek, seasoned, and served on homemade rosemary foccacia and aioli. It was a perfect complement to the rich, oaky Archery Summit Pinot Noir it was served with.

Pasta- Fortified with duck stock, the wild mushrooms used were- Hedgehogs, hon shemigi, king trumpet and hen of the woods. as a bit of a bonus, I added a bit of panseared sweetbreads to the top. Very tasty. This went with a lighter Pinot from Stevenson-Barrie.

Duck- locally raised duck was used, a much leaner duck than typical farm raised ducks. Two of the four diners said that they don't eat duck or sweet potatoes, but nevertheless they cleared their plates.

Sorbet- The intermezzo was off the top of my head. I wanted to make something that would make me smile, as well as something that would make the guests question the course, then ultimately taste it and be pleasantly surprised. It worked quite well. They had never had anything like it, and they loved it. I curled the raw bacon around the handle of a wooden spoon, so after it baked in the oven, it held it's spiral shape. The biscuit was actually a shortbread that I infused black pepper into, and the sorbet was grape tomatoes, a touch of mayonnaise and stiff peaked egg whites, hand stirred.

Dessert- very straight forward, very traditional.

Cheeses- three of four were Oregonian, and one was California. aaawwwwwww.... it's sooo good.

So there you have it, yummy yummy. I still had time afterwards to go to a small house party, have my alotted amount of Corned beef, Guinness, and a bit of a tipple of Power's.

So as always, I look forward to comments, concerns(with this menu, probably mostly cholesterol related concerns, and just whatever else you would like to comment on.

take care all,

Quinn

Hopworks beer and sausage...

2009-02-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

So I gave myself a little break from the diety thingy I'm doing, and came to Hopworks for a pint of beer and an internet connection. I'm sitting next to four writers from the Oregonian, and I just finished an ESB, and I tell you, it was Extra Special, as the name suggests. It was happy hour, the waitress suggests the the pepper and garlic sausage, so I said sure. Here comes a mammoth sandwich with Kraut and whole grain mustard, served with handmade chips for $3.75(!)- it wasn't the most amazing sausage I've ever had, but it was more than filling, complemented the beer very well, and was a great deal. Bravo Hopworks, and here is to handmade beer in a frothy mug!!!!

Peace,

Quinn

Sitting in a cafe, tea in hand...

2009-02-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

Food and chance meetings... aahhh, life is grand! I've had some wonderful experiences lately, and a common thread in each was good food and good people. Le Pigeon was an incredible experience, a bit pricey but amazing- foie gras profiteroles with foie gras ice cream and the rest- amazing!

My father came out from Maine for ten days, and we ate and drank our way across the Willamette Valley- notables were Elk Burgers from my next door neighbors Fall hunting endeavors. The elk was succulent, blended with a bit of ground pork to give it a neccesary level of moisture. A night at my friend Adria's house, was spent with good local wine, her four boys and of course my buddy Nike, Adria's 3 year old Golden Retriever. I brought over a braised elk roast(again from my friend Kevin's elk) that I braised with rosemary, juniper red wine, and a bit of barbecue sauce. This was accompanied with simple sides, and her next door neighbors home made tamales. Good friends, food and drink- the holy trinity of a wonderful evening.

On Friday evening, Adria and I met up with other friends at a great place in Carlton, OR called 'The Horseradish'. It is a nice little Wine and Cheese shop that has local music on the weekends. We danced to the music of two guitarists(the lead guitarist actually teaches Adria's son), had wonderful tapas plates of Italian meats, wonderful cheeses, marinated cipolline onions, sweet vinegary peppers, artichoke hearts, and of course the prerequisite local wines- Anthony Dell Syrah and a great Pinot from White Horse Vineyards. Another amazing fun time with that holy trinity I mentioned earlier!

Last night- I had a date! At least, I think it was a date. I believe it had all the neccesary attributes of a date- Amazing conversations, wonderful company, great food and drink, mutual attraction, a designated time and place to meet- I ask all that read to be the judge(D.? would you say it was a date or a meeting? I never know). Anyway, enough silliness. We met at the Delta Cafe. A wonderful corner seat offered an oppurtunity to be close enough so that we could talk at a normal conversational level, and appreciate each other's company. The Delta Cafe offers up southern and New Orleans fare at a very good price, and as I found out a high quality level as well. We started with a couple of adult bevies- my companion for the evening had a bloody mary that made me reconsider my general dislike for the drink- it was what a Bloody Mary should be- large and full of good veggies- pepperoncini, green beans, oversized celery stalk, and probably a few other things that I missed. I had a drink of Cucumber vodka with sour and cranberry- so very refreshing! Our orders came in a very timely fashion- a Southern sampler plate was three sides- the choices were Collard greens with pork, broccoli and cheese casserole and Mac n' cheese. I ordered pan seared red snapper with aioli, Mac n' Cheese and Red beans and rice. All were wonderful- the greens were tender and flavorful, with nice chunks of pork, the mac and cheese was probably some of the best restaurant Mac I've ever had- not dayglo orange and artificial, this was the real deal. the broccoli casserole was 'Momma-made' if you will, topped with corn flakes which gave for an interesting chewiness that was not unappealing. The red beans and rice were wonderful as was the fish. But in all of what I have written, and if you have gotten this far I commend your patience and fortitude, there is one underlying note in all I've written, and it is this- good food is made great when you have wonderful people to eat it with. I feel that I have achieved this at every turn in the last few weeks. And to those that were present for these festivities and read this and have comments, I welcome them. For those that were not a part of these good times, I suggest you start looking at booking a ticket to the great Northwest! Cheers!

computers suck, friends and atolls are great!

2009-02-21T00:37:00.000-08:00

had a great new blog, and it got erased before I could post, so I promise my two followers that tomorrow I will write a bang up blog that will leave you literally reeling in your seat. take care till then!

Quinn

Another Tuamotu go round...

2008-12-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

Well hello all friends and family that are quickly becoming super-duper fans of my blog! I'm off again, flying into the sunset to the Tuamotu atolls, where I will be cooking for a couple different groups. There are a few new atolls to add to my list, including Rangiroa and Hao(pron. How), along with some that I don't yet know the names of. Rangi actually has a winery, which I hope to check out. The picture that I have posted on this blog is black pearl farm on the lovely atoll of Fakarava, another stop on our trips. You can find these atolls on www.oceandots.com. So that is what is going on- now a bit of a jump to the past.

On the 13th of the month I did a lovely dinner for some lovely people in the Newberg, OR area. It is the third year in a row, and it just keeps getting better. Here is the menu, check it out and tell me what you think. The dessert is something that I started doing a few years ago to pair with Syrah, and usually I serve it with a slightly sweet, slightly salty Blue cheese mousse. It seems to pair very well with the wines. So until next time, everyone be safe in this crazy X-mas weather, and watch out for that new year! Cheers!

Hors D’oeuvres

Lamb and rosemary skewers with crumbled feta

A savory crème puff of Alder smoked salmon, with crème fraiche, red onion and capers

Goat cheese and wild mushroom tartelettes

Starter
Dungeness crab wrapped in fresh herb crepe, topped with a horseradish béchamel broiled and served with fried leeks and Yukon gold potatoes

Entrée
Duck two ways- Confit of duck leg, served with roasted duck breast, served on a sweet potato gallette with a dried cherry and orange compote, roasted haricot verts

Intermezzo
Blackberry and lemon sorbet

Dessert
Red wine poached pear with a black pepper shortbread cookie

Great Balls of Fire!

2008-12-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Faithful Blog-followers!

Last night, I spent the night at a fun restaurant in Beaverton, OR called Salvadore Molly's. I was there to watch the filming of a nationally televised TV show called Man vs. Food. It involves a guy buy the name of Adam Richman, who goes around to different foodie competitions and pits himself against the food of choice. Last night was 'balls of fire'. They are very similar to hush puppies, but are spiked with cheese and habenero peppers. I had one, dipped in the 'salsa' which seems to be not much more than habenero peppers, and perhaps a bit of vinegar and carrot. I had one, and though it started quietly, it became very hot, very quickly. But as Mr. Richman suggested in his piece on them, though they are quite hot, they taste very good as well. I enjoyed my one... Adam ate 5 in 5 minutes. These tasties that were created for a charity event to benefit Oregon Heat, a non profit dedicated to getting much needed heating assistance to the elderly, sick and underpriveleged, have been burning people up inside for years. I am to understand that a few years ago, a person ate 45 of them in competition. Bravo I say! My one was excellent. Until next time, be safe and watch out for those great balls of fire- they will getcha!

Turduckens, Thanksgiving and Tahiti...

2008-12-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

Sitting here in LAX, just getting back from French Polynesia, and another successful trip. Thanksgiving saw me making my first ever homemade Turducken, the Louisianna classic. It was very well recieved by the guests, along with all the other fixin's. T-day was spent in Huahine, a 10 hours Northwest of Tahiti. It was a quick trip, four days, but we caught a beautiful wahoo, and a couple of equally beautiful Trevalley. That wahoo was sashimi'd, sushi'd, grilled, oven roasted, and deep fried, with filet to spare. The trevalley was tempura'd and enjoyed immensely.
the weather was nothing to write home about, unless it was to say that it sucked. It was rainy and overcast every day, with big gusts of wind that did minimal damage, but damage just the same. getting ready to hop on a flight to Portland, but will write more later. Peace!

It's Deja Vu...again?

2008-11-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, airports. I landed at 1105pm on Thursday, it is now 940pm on Monday, and I am sitting in the food court at Bradley International Airport, in lovely LAX, waiting for my second of two flights today. Although not aesthetically pleasing to the eye, it is a fun place to be, I am afraid to admit. It feels like what I would imagine Ellis Island may have been like- thousands of people, seemingly with every bit of crap they own boxed up and ready for delivery, of every ethnic derivation you can imagine, and all going in a different direction. If you are a people watcher, this is your Mecca, your Shangra-La.
When I was a child and we were going on a long driving trip, my mother would amuse my brother and me by having us play a game where we would locate items starting with the letter A, then B, then C, and so on till we completed the alphabet. I sometimes think that if I was travelling with a friend, and we were in this airport, we could play a similar game, only with people.
I would say, "Try and locate a "fish out of water" American family, with way too much luggage." , to which my travel mate would say, "Got it, they are off to the left, the father is impatiently waiting for the wife while she is in the duty free attempting to buy all the Marlboros and all the Malibu rum." My friend of course would gain extra points for each child that was either crying or behaving badly.
I say au revoir, but remind all that read these words, Bradley International is proof that 'getting there' IS more than half the fun!

Leaving, on a jet plane...Again.

2008-11-23T23:00:00.001-08:00

Hello all-

I leave tomorrow, again, off to the South Pacific for another go round of the lovely game called 'motor yachting'. I have to put that chef's hat on again, and go to work. I would like to say that had a great experience on Friday night, with a great dinner party for some friends returning to the East coast after 4 years here in the Willamette Valley. Five different types of sausage, grilled and served with some of the finest wines around, bacon and blue cheese potato salad, grilled sweet potatoes with cumin and cilantro, salad, cheese platters, a green salad with pomegranate and chevre, and about 30 great fun people. I shall not soon forget that time. Bravo!

But I'm off to Polynesia, back to the grind. Will write again in a week or so, if not a quick one in the airport tomorrow. Stay safe while I'm gone, fair readers!

... as told from coach class at 39000 feet...

2008-11-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

Dit dit da dit dit dit dit... Dateline, 11-20-08, 2113hours PST, somewhere over Montana, some 36000+ miles above the earth, en route to Portland, OR.
Hello Faithful Blog hounds, all three of you! When you read this, it will be dated material, as I am up above, flying high in a jet propelled tin can. My time on the east coast is done, and as always, it is wonderful to have been there, but there is a bit of excitement of getting back home. But let me fill you all in on some of the fun, food, friends and family encountered in lovely, chilly New England.
When I last left you, I had spent some time in Boston with my good friend Sam, and had spent an evening in lovely Brewster, Ma. I spent much of the next day there as well, got to see my late mother's dog, Blue. Blue is an Aussie shepherd that won't call it quits. He is 16 or 17, and he looks every bit the part. He and I were inseperable after my mom passed away, and upon seeing him it was very apparent that senility had set in. He didn't know who I was, and remained aloof over the half hour that I spent with him. At first it made me a bit sad, but upon reflection, It's ok. In the past, he would freak out upon seeing me, after even a short period of time of being away from each other. With him not remembering me, it allowed me to see him without him going through the moping period and the confusion of my leaving that was a part of our lives when I had to go somewhere, even if it was to work. Bravo Blue, and I hope the time you have left is comfortable and without pain.
A few hours later, an old college friend, who I'd not seen in quite a long time, picked me up, and she took me on a tour of the lower Cape. Beaches, surfers, lighthouses, drive in movie theaters, her lovely Rottweiler, a 'Stuffie' at Land ho! Restaurant, where her boyfriend runs the bar. Now you dear readers who may not know what a 'stuffie' is, let me shed some light on this oh so wonderful culinary delight. A stuffie is a little treat that you find in the south eastern areas of New England. I've had stuffies from Portsmouth NH to Hartford, CT. In my experience, the best come from the RI and Cape Cod areas. Since I was in that area, I decided that I should dig right in, and did, to my delight. A brief description of a stuffie- shuck a nice sized Quahog clam. Save the shells. Grind the meat of the clam, keeping as much juice as possible. put into a bowl and mix with diced onions and celery, salt, pepper, cayenne, and possibly a hint of Old Bay if you wish. Fresh bread crumbs are then added, to make a stuffing, with maybe a bit of melted butter added if you desire. stuff the mixture back into the clam shells, and then bake in a nice hot oven. serve with lemon wedge and tabasco, or my personal preference, Cholula. If you and yours are on the lower Cape around Eastham, Wellfleet, Chatham areas, get your stuffies at Land ho! or at the Chatham Squire.
An evening bus ride and a commuter train brought me out to Norfolk, MA for a nice session with my Uncle Jim, cousin Alex and Jim's lovely girlfriend Rita. A few libations to wash down the grand bruschettas that Rita served up, coupled with fall out of your chair, side splitting stories, well that just makes for a memorable evening. Food Note- the Bruschetta's were smoked gouda, sweet red pepper, pulled turkey meat and anchovie. A very nice combination. In the conversation, I mentioned my love of the Boston Bruins, Jim said he could get tickets, so the date was set for the night before I left. More on that later.
Tuesday found me in my Uncle John's car, which I picked up in Warwick, RI, after Jim was generous and kind enough to give me a ride down from his area. I pointed the nose of that machine to New London, CT, to see my old friend Brendan. We met up, went to 'the Dutch', a quaint little locals hangout in downtown New London. A petite steak sandwich with extra onions and cheese, a burger, and a Black and Tan later, I was satiated, both with food and with good company. B still had some work to finish up, so took a quick ride over to where the Coast Guard training vessel Barque Eagle was tied up. A friend of my father's is stationed on it, so stopped in to pass on salutations, had a nice visit and a nice tour of such a historic boat. I won't go into much detail, just to say if you are interested in learning more of the Eagle, it is all over the web.
On the way back to Brendan''s palatial estate, in the woods of CT, we picked up some thick juicy ribeye steaks, red bliss taters and some fresh broccoli. As stated in a previous blog, good friends make simple food something that is over the top. Grilled ribeyes,bone in, with a rosted garlic and onion mash, broccoli sauteed in white wine, Brendan, his lovely girlfriend Laurel and myself and a piping hot woodfire was the setting. Does anything more need to be said? Nope.
The next day saw me oversleep, due to night visitin old friends can produce, an stellar breakfast, as hearty as they come was served up- two eggs, bacon, whole wheat toast and the secret ingredient, on rarely seen but one of my favorites, crispy pan fried scrapple. Not heart healthy, but too good to pass up. A late lunch with B's sister and nephew and I was off to Boston to see my beloved team play the Buffalo Sabres. An extra ticket was proffered to my aforementioned buddy Sam, and the stage was set. I could write a whole blog just on the game and the antics surrounding that evening, but suffice it to say it was probably one of the best games I've ever seen, and the fun we had in the stands was unparralelled. Bravo Bruins!
A lovely hike this morning(to work off all the fun and food I've had!) with my uncle Jim and Rita, then off to Providence for the plane ride. Got to see my Uncle Kevin one last time before I hopped on the plane, and that is where we stand! I hope you stuck through the whole thing, let me know if you think I got too carried away. Would love to hear comments from all of you, and let me know what's happening whereever you are.
Chef on wheels, signing off, till next time, New England rules!

The three 'F's'- Friends, Family and Food

2008-11-17T07:11:00.001-08:00

Hello all! I'm in Brewster, MA, a lovely community about halfway down Cape Cod. As a chef, it is important to me that in my travels I eat some good food, but more importantly that it is shared with good friends and family. Two nights ago I spent the evening with a good friend of mine, Sam Jackson, an Aussie that lives in South Boston. We met each other about 7 years ago, in Antigua, when we were both working on yachts. It had been a while since I had seen him, so reconnecting was great fun.

We actually met up a few days earlier in Portland, ME, when he and another of our old mates, Tina Siegl, stopped in for lunch and a bit of a surprise for Tina. They were headed up to Montreal, and took a little detour up to Maine. We ate at a place called Gilbert's. There is nothing like good friends and fresh Maine seafood with a nice local ale to wash it all down with.

Our night in Boston consisted of a couple of lovely wines from the Willamette valley of Oregon, a Solena Pinot Noir and a Terra Vina Malbec. We ate at Saint Alphonzo's Kitchen, in Southie. And what is equally good as Maine seafood? A great cheese steak, the best calamari I've had in quite sometime, and once again, the company of old and new friends. The night continued on, but that is a story not for the faint of heart.

Yesterday was spent with my old friends Dineen and Tracey. We went to a steakhouse called Abe and Louie's, in the Newberry street area of Boston. I had the Crabcake benedict. I'm not usually into Benedict type items, but good crabmeat made this an incredibly memorable meal, and not to sound redundant, but again good friends complete the experience.

A nice enchilada platter rounded out the evening at Sam Diego's in Hyannis, some fried ice cream all enjoyed with Dineen and her husband Michael. Fried Ice cream... yum.

So this morning was family, of a sort. My mother passed away 5 years ago, leaving an orphaned Aussie Shepherd. I located a family to take care of him here in Brewster, as my life unfortunately is not conducive to having a dog. Blue is 16 or 17 years old, and still kicking. It was great to see the venerable old man, and despite his ailments, he seemed to be in good health. I wish him well.

I'm off today to Norfolk, MA to see my uncle and cousin, but not before meeting up with an old college friend, Michelle. All of what i've written about are the reasons I love traveling, because there is always something new and exciting around each turn. Peace.

2008-11-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

So here I am in lovely, lovely, Maine. I've been here for a few days, hanging out with my brother, his wife Kelly, and my great nephews, Mike and Sam, and my favorite niece, Kathryn.
They have three dogs- Pirate, a Dashchund, Max, hound/mutt, and Matilda, or Maddy is the beautiful specimen to the left. She is an English Mastiff, with a wonderful, mellow disposition.

I've had a wonderful time, but as a traveller, I must move on to the next stop on my journey. I leave today by bus for Boston to see friends and family. I came out to the east coast from Oregon on the 10th of the month, and leave on the 20th, back to the west coast. So though my time is limited, I'm making it all count. I came out here to see family and friends and to see a town square be named Corbett square, in honor of 6 of my great uncles. Check this video out, if you are interested in those festivities-

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Military-family-honored-for-sending-seven-sons-overseas-/1226437370.html

The ceremony was very touching, and I got to reconnect with many relatives. We Arlington Corbett's are quite prolific!

So I'm off to get ready to take my niece and nephews to a 'cookie bistro' where they will make, decorate, and bake cookies, drink milk, and have a great time. So until the next entry, 'May the Blog be with you!"

Hello! Bonjour! Namaste! Iorana! Hola!

2008-11-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Hello to all that read this!

My name is Quinn Corbett, and I am a chef for hire, a travelling chef. This is my first blog so bear with me. Many people in my life, friends and family have suggested that I write down some of the stories of my life, my trials and tribulations. So I'm throwing my hat into the proverbial "blog" ring, and we will see what happens.

So at the moment, I am in the great state of Maine, my self proclaimed 'home'. I say that Maine is where I come from, as that is where my mother's family is from, and my father and brother live here, and have lived here for 20+ years. I myself haven't lived here since I graduated high school, in 1988, with the exception of a few months in Rockland around 2004.

I know live in Carlton, Oregon, a lovely wine village southwest of Portland. I have a small catering company in which I work with local winemakers to produce wine and food paired dinners that, if are carried out properly make for a very memorable experience for the guests. I also have a more lucrative position as a personal chef on a private yacht in French Polynesia. I am lucky enough to work in one of the most beautiful placed in the world, and live in an equally beautiful spot right here in the good old U.S. of A..

So this is a little introduction of who I am, and what I do. My blog will be geared toward food from a professional culinary aspect, as well as travel, not only present experiences, but past experiences as well. I enjoy conversing with a diverse group of people, so I look forward to anyone and everyone's input. So happy trails, happy life, happy eating and happy drinking.