Baasville

Weekend in Duluth - Part 2 - Va Bene

Once again recalling our recent trip to Duluth, I’d like to convey another great dining experience that we took in while we were there.  We enjoyed dinner at Va Bene, and it was fantastic!

First of all, this intimate establishment, overlooking the lake (just up the street from Fitger’s), has a great atmosphere.  Fireplace, cafe seating in the front room, open kitchen, it all leads to a welcome feeling.  Seating in the covered patio on the lake side gives fantastic views as well.

For dinner, we began with the Prosciutto and Gorgonzola Crostini.  Fantastic texture to the proscuitto, accompanied by fig jam, it was a excellent starter.  We skipped salads, although the Spinaci looked very appealing on the menu.

For main courses, she had the Arrabiata Al Padre Ricardo, with penne, San Marzano tomato sauce, Italian Sausage, and some heat from red pepper flakes.  The heat was just right.  I enjoyed the Fettuccine E’polpette de Carne, which was made with their fantastic house-made red sauce, and flavorful meatballs.

For dessert, we enjoyed two gellatos, a wonderful treat!

The atmosphere was wonderful, the service was attentive and helpful, and the price was of great value.  Next time you’re in Duluth, give Va Bene a try for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Weekend in Duluth - Part 1 - New Scenic Cafe

This past weekend, Kristen and I traveled to Duluth for an annual tradition of ours, a mid-winter getaway to the North Shore.  There were a number of highlights from our trip that I’d like to share with you in a few posts.  Today, it’s New Scenic Cafe.

We stopped in at New Scenic Cafe for lunch on Friday.  Located on North Shore Drive between Duluth and Two Harbors, the location is the first benefit of this eatery.  The interior of the cafe is bright, with windows facing the lake along the entire length of the dining areas, providing a great view.  This is not our first visit, and the service has been consistently high-quality each time we’ve dined there.

We each had a soup and a sandwich for lunch.  What I really need to tell you about, however, is the sandwich I ordered.  The croque provencal was, without doubt, the best sandwich I have had in a very, very long time.  It was truly an “Oh My God” reaction when I took the first bites and that sentiment lasted through the entire experience.

The sandwich includes ham, a slice of tomato, bechamel sauce, and truffle oil, on ciabatta bread.  Gruyere cheese is then melted atop the sandwich.  Yes, you eat this sandwich with a knife and fork.  The ham was fantastic, great flavor and not too salty.  The bechamel was fantastic.  Overall, it all worked together fantastically, and I left not a crumb on the plate.

I now have a potential problem, however.  I’ve always enjoyed trying different dishes with each visit to New Scenic Cafe, but I may now find it impossible to order anything but the croque provencal.  It was that good.

The Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

Every year, the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend, we exercise one of our family traditions.  We bundle up in our warm clothes, make some hot chocolate, pack up in the truck, and head out on our annual Baas family Christmas tree hunt.

This event has taken place, for us, at the same location each year - Jan’s Cut Your Own Tree Farm.  Our experience there has always been a joy, and the trees are of very high quality.  We’ve never had a tree that we’ve been disappointed with, and we even had a tree sprout new growth while in the tree stand one year.

We arrive at Jan’s, get our map and saw, and head for the area with our specie of choice, the Fraser Fir.  A tape measure is a key tool to bring along, as trees look much smaller when standing in the field.  Believe me, I know.  We still have the skid mark on the ceiling from the one year that I didn’t bring the tape measure and was off a little bit on my estimate of the tree’s height.

The amount of time it takes to find “the right one” varies by year.  Sometimes it seems to take forever, other years we’ve found that “one” almost immediately.  We look for the 8-footer that’s not too wide, has great symmetry, and simply calls out to us.  Generally, we know it when we see it!

Jan’s has other great features as well.  A hay fort for the kids to play in, a blacksmith shop, a bonfire where where you can cook hot dogs or make smores, a kettle corn stand, horse-drawn wagon rides, and a Christmas decoration shop.

Reese was also able to talk with Santa on our visit this year, confirming her gift request for this year.

This tradition is one that I truly look forward to each year.

Star Gazing

Growing up in Pease, I didn’t think much of looking up and gazing at the stars.  The sky was filled with them, you could make out the milky way, and of course you could find constellations and other shapes you could connect the dots to.  Now, living in the city, the stars seem to have dimmed.  That is, until this weekend.  On a moonless, clear night outside of the reach of the city light polution, we stopped to gaze at the stars.  Unbelievable!  I had forgotten how impressive that view can be.  So, if you get a chance, slow down and take time to star gaze.

If you have an Android or iOS phone or tablet, there are astrology apps available to you that can be a nice enhancement to your star gazing.  I use Google Sky Map, and it’s incredibly easy to use and seems to be relatively accurate.

Excellent Recipe

Recently, Kristen came across a recipe for Tortellini Minestrone and we tried it at home.  Anyone who knows us well is aware of our enjoyment of cooking together and trying new recipes.  Beware, however, as Kristen is not afraid to try out new recipes on guests and family (in spite of a memorable pumpkin pie experience).

True to form, however, Kristen cannot follow a recipe to the letter.  Her changes for this recipe include:

• Used sweet Italian sausage (turkey, mild or hot would be great too…use whatever you like or have on hand)
• Did not include green pepper (only because I thought this is not a classic minestrone ingredient)
• Used 1-28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes, roughly chopped, undrained
• Added one can of drained cannelloni beans

This immediately became one of my favorite soups.  Enjoy.

Pilobolus

As a family, we went to see Pilobolus at CSB last night.  I’d describe it as acrobatic interpretive dance.  Great show and highly-talented dancers.  Reese was bored at times and laughing loudly at others.  A fun family night out.

Time to relocate Baasville

I’ve decided its time to reevaluate how I maintain a blog or website in order for friends and family to keep up with the Baas family.  Here’s to new beginnings!