Month: September 2011

Happy Mouth–August 2011

Happy Mouth–August 2011

Hard to believe that summer has slipped by. It’s been head-down, busy around here. I apologize for the lack of updates. Expect a larger update soon. On Wednesday August 31, the Happy Mouth Supper Club met at Green Papaya in Hyde Park for dinner. It…

Quote for the Day — 2011-09-08

Quote for the Day — 2011-09-08

“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” — Emily Dickinson

Happy Mouth — September 2011

Happy Mouth — September 2011

On Friday, September 23, a group of us met for the monthly Happy Mouth Supper Club outing. It was Wendy’s month to select, and she chose MERITAGE (which rhymes with “heritage”), a new restaurant that has opened in Glendale. It was a great selection, and we (Ted, Tracy, Carrie, Ron, Terry, Julie, Jay, Wendy, and me) very much enjoyed the food. They offer “classic food with a twist”, and have kept the menu small and reasonably simple, but flourishes appear here and there as the “twist”.

The classic Steamed Mussels in White Wine Sauce features a couple pieces of nice bread (however, the bread should be served alongside — rather than soaking in the wine sauce and getting soggy), and the Grilled Brie Sandwich is outstanding with it’s smear of balsamic reduction on the plate (if you happen to find the tomato soup on the menu, it is a natural pairing with this sandwich!). The Fried Eggplant and Zucchini is surprisingly light, and the roasted garlic aioli compliments the crisp, fresh vegetables nicely.

A previous visit, I tried the Bistro Steak Sandwich, which was cooked properly and tasted nice, but the large vein of sinew running through the steak made it chewy and slightly difficult to eat (this is to be expected with this particular cut of meat, but perhaps the kitchen could jaccard the steak before cooking). The fries were fresh, crispy, and very tasty — a treat.

We found their selection of wine to be very nice, but were surprised at the limited number of wines by the glass, especially considering the name of the place (meritage is a type of wine, “Bordeaux-style without actually being Bordeaux”). I hope in the future to see additional wines offered by the glass. However, we found pleasant choices by the glass.

We stayed for dessert and Wendy & I enjoyed a piece of their Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Nicely executed, with a thick layer of sweet frosting on top of dense carrot cake. The only thing missing, one of my dining companions noted, was the little frosting carrot decoration!

It was a good Happy Mouth, and we have high expectations for MERITAGE. Have you eaten there? Let us know what you thought of MERITAGE in the comments.

Pick Your Kindle — handy flowchart for selecting your next Kindle

Pick Your Kindle — handy flowchart for selecting your next Kindle

Check out the flowchart here: http://theunderstatement.com/pick_your_kindle After a quick glance through the chart, my answer is simple… I want a 3G/WiFi FIRE with a phone and a camera. Oh wait. That doesn’t exist. Yet (you & I both know it’s coming, though). I’ll wait for…