Heading South
Mar. 5th, 2010 08:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bex77We're on our way to the snow belt...I mean, Maryland. Heh. Hubby's "Doctor Who" buddies are in from Australia, so the gang is gathering at their parents' home once again.
We started off with a short drive Thursday afternoon, to take some of the load off the long haul, going down to our favorite Courtyard by Marriott in Waterbury, CT. They put us on the 9th floor this time, overlooking the hillsides on the I-84 side.
We had a very special dinner at N's favorite place for special occasions - Diorio Restaurant. http://www.diorios.com/.
We made a reservation for the quiet dining room that is separate from the big bar area with booths. We started with their lovely warm scali bread and butter. N tried some of the sliced mixed peppers garnish. Then it was on to the soup. N tried the soup du jour - a marvelous black bean soup with a garnish of onions, bells peppers and sour cream. It had the most amazing texture and just a hint of hot spices. I had lobster bisque. It was water-based instead of creamy, and had a ton of shredded lobster meat, sort of like lobster puree. Divine!
N tried their Shrimp Angeline, a dramatic presentation of three large shrimp wrapped w/ bacon, melted fresh mozzarella, balsamic reduction. The sauce was the perfect unifier for the other ingredients. I had the lobster ravioli - four large rounds in a cheese sauce that tasted like fondue. There were big pieces of claw meat inside. Yum.
For mains, N. had the NY strip steak au poivre - a huge rectangle 2 inches high, with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veg. This is the steak he dreams about - the marinade is incredible! I ordered the Diver Sea Scallops w/ a creamy mushroom and cranberry risotto, drizzled w/ a fresh citrus confit. It came with five large perfectly cooked sea scallops lined up on top of the most creamy risotto I've ever tasted. The cranberries added a nice color and tang to the mix. The citrus confit tasted like caramel to me, not a bad thing, as I prefer that to the tartness of most citrus.
N got the cream brulee for dessert, which was a large oval of custardy goodness with the burnt top. I went with their signature slice of banoffee pie for dessert - a light, heavenly mixture of chocolate crust, toffee cream, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. For much of the time, we were the only ones in the dining room, so we had a nice chat with our waitress, Tammy. She kept my water glass full! We got to tell the story of the ice storm that first brought us here about 15 years ago. It was a fitting celebration of a special day for my special guy.
So it's off down the highway all day today. More from below the Mason-Dixon line later!
We started off with a short drive Thursday afternoon, to take some of the load off the long haul, going down to our favorite Courtyard by Marriott in Waterbury, CT. They put us on the 9th floor this time, overlooking the hillsides on the I-84 side.
We had a very special dinner at N's favorite place for special occasions - Diorio Restaurant. http://www.diorios.com/.
We made a reservation for the quiet dining room that is separate from the big bar area with booths. We started with their lovely warm scali bread and butter. N tried some of the sliced mixed peppers garnish. Then it was on to the soup. N tried the soup du jour - a marvelous black bean soup with a garnish of onions, bells peppers and sour cream. It had the most amazing texture and just a hint of hot spices. I had lobster bisque. It was water-based instead of creamy, and had a ton of shredded lobster meat, sort of like lobster puree. Divine!
N tried their Shrimp Angeline, a dramatic presentation of three large shrimp wrapped w/ bacon, melted fresh mozzarella, balsamic reduction. The sauce was the perfect unifier for the other ingredients. I had the lobster ravioli - four large rounds in a cheese sauce that tasted like fondue. There were big pieces of claw meat inside. Yum.
For mains, N. had the NY strip steak au poivre - a huge rectangle 2 inches high, with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veg. This is the steak he dreams about - the marinade is incredible! I ordered the Diver Sea Scallops w/ a creamy mushroom and cranberry risotto, drizzled w/ a fresh citrus confit. It came with five large perfectly cooked sea scallops lined up on top of the most creamy risotto I've ever tasted. The cranberries added a nice color and tang to the mix. The citrus confit tasted like caramel to me, not a bad thing, as I prefer that to the tartness of most citrus.
N got the cream brulee for dessert, which was a large oval of custardy goodness with the burnt top. I went with their signature slice of banoffee pie for dessert - a light, heavenly mixture of chocolate crust, toffee cream, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. For much of the time, we were the only ones in the dining room, so we had a nice chat with our waitress, Tammy. She kept my water glass full! We got to tell the story of the ice storm that first brought us here about 15 years ago. It was a fitting celebration of a special day for my special guy.
So it's off down the highway all day today. More from below the Mason-Dixon line later!
