Anyway - I ate well yesterday. Are you ready for this shiz??
My Aunt's Company's General Manager, Jess, is having a baby. And yesterday was her shower. It's was a luncheon at a downtown Manchester restaurant, Richard's Bistro. Lunch was three courses - Richard's freshly made bread, either a seafood chowder or one of four salad options, and a finishing course of a dessert dish. Here's how it went down for this Chubb-o:
Please excuse the bad lighting in general - the function room of the teeny bistro was only lit by the dimmed wall sconces and the open windows directly against the table from me. Hence, the problematic glare.
But I digress.
This was my bread choice from the passed basket - I am not sure what it was, embarrassingly. It wasn't foccacia, I'm pretty sure it was dusted with parmesan. But - it was excellent. My mom had a bread with spinach and tomatoes baked in (no photo). The little cactus-shaped thing were candles - party favors. How cute is that???
The second course - My mom's choice, the Caesar salad with grilled shrimp added. The croutons are polenta - how cool is that?? She said that the dressing had a kick to it, but I didn't test it. My own salad was enough to fill me above and beyond capacity.
I am truly sorry this photo did not come out better. My salad choice was Richard's Pear Salad - mixed greens, raspberries, blackberries, candied pecans, fried pears, and a balsamic vinaigrette. I also added some grilled shrimp, I've had a very seafood-filled couple of days and have no regrets. I practically licked the plate from this salad. If I had made something similar for myself, I might have put a few less candied pecans on it. They get old pretty fast. But as it were, I gave a few to the Madre, so it worked out fine for me.
It was at this point that I overheard one of the guests complaining about her salad and picking through it to eat the things she actually liked. One of my pet peeves is finicky eaters, of all ages. Granted, there are things that people do not actually like, and it can be hard to get kids especially to eat specific foods. This is also hilarious, because my boyfriend is the pickiest eater on the planet. HOWEVER, he will eat something presented to him, or try to order around the offending food. He's polite about it, so I try not to be too concerned about it.
I guess I generally have an issue with people being rude with food, or not even trying something. My blog is about enjoying food and life, and trying to love my Chubbeh self in the journey to being healthier, and for me part of that is adventurous eating and joie de vivre. I was raised to think that eating food at someone's house was a mark of politeness, despite how much you might not like it.
I'm guilty too, though, so don't think I'm without sin on this one. I do not eat salmon, in any way, shape, or form. Watching a kid pick through food at a restaurant because they don't like broccoli, or seeing an adult pick through their salad because they don't like fruit and veggies mixed together? It just grates me a little.
Let's move to happier things - THERE WAS DESSERT AT RICHARD'S.
My mom's dessert choice - the creme brulee. OMFG. I love creme brulee like a fat kid loves chocolate cake (which...I also love...I'm a fat kid, remember?) and this was BY FAR the BEST creme brulee I have ever, ever had. The crack was a perfect sound, and got my attention instantly. I should have ordered it, because after the first crack, Madre was practically licking the dish clean. I managed to sneak a taste, and god it was soooo good!
I didn't pick this, as I said, because I have had creme brulees all over the world, and I was feeling more of the fruit vibe from the salad. So I went with this:
The blueberry crepes with fresh cream - pretty damn good. I have a secret crepe problem - it started my senior year with a trip to Quebec and Montreal, and a daily morning ritual of a walk to a creparie for crepes with fried apples and chocolat chaud. These were pretty good, the cream was really something, but again - I wish I had gone with the creme brulee.
Richard's Bistro, overall, had a nice atmosphere. Brightly lit (aside from our room, of course), nice colors, and plenty of artwork from local artists (it's a few blocks from New Hampshire Institute of Art). It was a cute place, nice independent Bistro, cozy atmosphere, a delicious, aesthetic food. I would hit it up for lunch again sometime.
Richard's Bistro
http://www.richardsbistro.com/
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