I Scream about Ice Cream Socials!

Hello Foodies,

Last night we were invited to an ice cream social given by TDF alum, Jackie Chasey. She had received the most fabulous gift from her fave friends, Robert and Stephen. Ready for what it was...9 pints of Jeni's ice cream. Jeni's is in Columbus, Ohio but they send the ice scream packed in dry ice so no meltage in the delivery. We ate the Power 9 and here's what the flavors were (yes, were - they don't last long because they're so good)!

• Salty Caramel
• Gravel Road
• Dark Cocoa Gelato
• Pistachio & Ashland County Honey
• Black Coffee
• Thai Chili
• Lemon Yogurt
• Queen City Cayenne
• Pear Riesling Sorbet

Usually we say get your forks but today we scream get your spoons. Tasting 9 different ice cream flavors is one of the best highs in the world. Precious time is wasting - go to jenisicecreams.com and order an ice cream social of your own.

If you need to know what to serve first, Jackie served a superb garlic soup with a selection of salume and cheeses expertly chosen. Also, Jackie prepared a hot, valhrona chocolate sauce - to die for!

Thanks so much for inviting the forks!

Cheers,

the Forks

Green is Good at The Botanical!

Hello Foodies,

As you can see green is not the only color served up in these exceptionally superb starters and mains. It is nature's palette combined with chef Paul Wilson's expertise that make this food masterful. Pictured above are the dishes we indulged in: the salt and pepper squid, vitello tonnato, and roasted sardines - all amazing. A lemony sauvignon blanc matched all the above beautifully. The Botanical is one of Melbourne's best restaurants and be forewarned, the prices are high, at least by US standards. At lunch, the starters went from high teens to high 20's and the mains went from mid-30's to mid-40. We were lucky forks to be treated to this meal. For dessert, if you can't decide it doesn't matter. Luckily, there is a sampling of all the restaurant's fave desserts.

Please see below.



This was a lovely farewell lunch to our stay in Melbourne. If you ever go, here's the vitals...
169 Domain Road South Yarra,
Victoria 3141 Australia
Phone +613 9820 7888

Enjoy,

the Forks

I'm Singing the Chinta Blues!

Hello Foodies,

This wouldn't be a trip to Melbourne if it didn't include my St. Kilda favorite eatery - Chinta Blues. This affordable Malaysian hawker style cafe proves consistent, fun, and delicious every time we visit. One of our favorite dishes is the beef rendang and trust me, making it at home doesn't do it - I tried, I failed - it 's worth the trip to Melbourne for this alone. Now take a look at some of our other favorite dishes...


This is the white bait, very popular in Melbourne, and when you have it here, you know why.


We were actually able to tare ourselves away from our usual favorites to try something new like the duck salad that's pictured above.


What good is eating all of this yummy food if you can't be sharing it with good friends and family. Hello Marcus and Harriet. Rene was there too although not present in the above photo.
Put Cinta Blues on your list if you're making a trip to Melbourne.

You'll find it at:

6 Acland St
St Kilda, VIC 3182, Australia

+61 3 9534 9233

Enjoy,

the Foks

Wishing you a Delizia 2008!

Hello Foodies!

Happy New Years to you and yours! We hope that one of your resolutions is to go to Melbourne, Australia because if you do -- do we have a restaurant for you! Our new fave Melbourne eatery is called DELIZIA and it is full of delicious delicacies. The chef, Richenda Pritchard, is a family friend of the forks and she took great care of us. We were treated to the zuchinni flower special - they were crunchy to perfection and stuffed with several cheeses. (Pictured is Lisa fork, Marcus Herrick, chef Richenda Pritchard, Carolyn Herrick, Melissa fork).

As you will see from the following photos, our main course choices were....





Farmed Victorian rabbit braised with fresh tomato, rosemary and balsamic with roasted kipfler potatoes.






Moroccan style lamb meatballs braised with sour cherries and aromatics, served on a bed of giant cous cous and topped with saffron yoghurt.









Pork belly slow roasted with star anise, served with poached blood plums, sauteed chicory and roasting juices.

The only one not shown here was mine. I am still dreaming about it - Blue swimmer crab meat tossed with fresh linguini, chili, garlic, olive oil and parsley.

Then for Delizia deserts, we all shared pannacotta topped with pomegranate and bomboloni freshly made with blood orange sorbet. Heavenly.

The address is 160 Victoria Street in Seddon ( a suburb of Melbourne). Phone is 9687 9397 and email is cucina@delizia.net.au.

They also sell some of their own jams and marmalades, ketchup, pickled vegetables, tomato sauce and other items.

If I could take anything back to New York with me, Delizia would be #1 on my list!

We will be blogging on where we're eating in Melbourne during our stay here. More to report soon!

Cheers,

the Forks