Cover Girl

Found this cool website where you can put yourself on the cover of a magazine.....

Eat your heart out Tyra!!!!

(Link to the site here -----> Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com)

It's Christmas time at the Rossis

It's Christmas time at the Rossis
The family all are here
To eat and drink and be merry
And welcome in the new year!

It's been a lovely day; we've been going on about the lovely food last week at 'Pied a Terre', but I tell you what, that's nothing in comparison to what we've had for lunch today. I think that the menu was actually better than last week (but then that's possibly because I'm a total Dad fan).

Steak Tartare (wow that's my fave)
Teeny Cheese Fondue (in an expresso cup)
Creamy Salmon in Yorkshire puddings
Prawn Cocktail

A selection of Dad's jazzy salads - herrings in mayo, mushrooms, prawns, toast.
Cheese course
Panna Cotta

Hmmmm is there anything missing? Oh yes! It's the Christmas dinner!!! We got so full after 5 starters that we've voted for the roasty dinner tomorrow instead of tonight! So it's the cheese and the panna cotta and so to bed!

Happy Christmas Dad

Dear Dad,
you know how you 'borrowed' our coffee machine in August and it has been living in a corner of your (lovely bright shiny new) kitchen ever since? Well take a look at this photo.....

Can you answer these questions.....

What is it?

Where is it?

What is the date on the magazine?

What can this mean????

Happy Christmas &
Lots of love from

Lili, Dan, Bo, Ste Mum and Janey

Pied a terre - the first 3 courses

OK, so we arrived at the restaurant (which is literally round the corner from Goodge St staion) a little bit early - just before 6 - and were sat down for some aperatifs - mostly G&T all round.
After about 10 minutes we were taken to our table - a round corner booth at the far end of the restaurant.

The first course....
...was then brought out to us by 4 very good looking waiters!

This consisted of a glass slab with 4 things on it.....

1. smoked salmon with cod roe and creamy cheese
   
2. foie gras mousse in a wafery thing
3. ....can't remember (TBC!)
   
4. parsley foam with bacon and truffle cream

The final thing was in a little shot glass which sat in the glass slab. I think as a first course it was suitably impressive as it looked completely like a work of art.

The second course....
...was then brought out to us by 4 very good looking waiters!

This one was straight from the menu on the website - it was the Herb Poached Tuna, Fennel and Ginger Cream, Saffron and Potato Vinaigrette, Fennel Cress.

Our main comments were about how light it was - the tuna looked like a little roll covered in green herbs. I'm sorry we didn't get any pictures as each plate was a work of art!

The third course....
...was then brought out to us by 4 very good looking waiters (see the theme??)

This one was soooooooo nice it was on nearly everyone's favourites list - Scallops Marinated with Jerusalem Artichokes and winter truffle, Brandade Mousse, Baby Rocket.
Very light, fresh and simple.

Pied-a-Terre - information!

Ok, so the previous post was a bit brief - partly because the keyboard in the hotel room was a little bit quirky, but partly because actually, it's going to be difficult to put into words the extreme loveliness which we experienced in the restaurant.

First some background info - Pied-A-Terre is a 2 Michelin star restaruant - just as an aside - there are only 3 restaurants in the UK with 3 stars - Heston's Fat Duck in Bray, Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in Chelsea, and the Waterside Inn in Bray.

In addition, there are only 13 restaurants in the UK with 2 stars.....

LONDON

The Capital hotel, Knightsbridge

Le Gavroche, Mayfair

Pétrus, Berkeley hotel, Knightsbridge

Pied á Terre, Bloomsbury

The Square, Mayfair

ENGLAND

Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Gidleigh Park, Chagford, Devon

Hibiscus, Ludlow, Shropshire

Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire

Midsummer House, Cambridge

The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury, Berkshire

SCOTLAND

Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Patrick Guilbaud, Dublin

....so Pied-a-Terre has a lot to live up to!

There's so much to talk about the meal I may have to do it over several blog entries - not least of which because there were 10 courses plus wine!

Pied a terre

WOW.

We survived it!

There was always some doubt as to whether we'd survive the night unscathed - the last time Scotty and I spent a whole weekend with Ralphie (in Belgium) it went down in history as the most alcoholic weekend of all time) and therefore there were certain expectations of a near-death experience associated with the alcohol consumption at hiis wedding. It didn't disappoint. For starters, there was a free bar, all night. Top chaps Ralph and Louise. Next, the venue was hot and dungeon like - this meant we were all thurstily consuminng the white wine. Finally, they didn't chuck us ouut 'till after 1 - which meant that we'd been on the poop since about 5:30 - nearly 8 hours.
It's a wonder there's anyonne alive at ALL today - but actually, we'r not doing too badly - wee've walkked along the south bank for the best part of 2 hours and we've also eaten sensibly today - baguettes and paninis rather than anything too stodgy. So all good reeally - especially when you think we're eating at Pied-a-terre tonight 10 courses of gourmet deliciousness! More on that tomorrow.

From the hotel

Just arrived in the hotel, 'Club Quarters' on Nothumberland pllace - they have an innteractive TV / intern thing onn which i'm tyyping this with a wireless keyboard. It's not too good at reading single key strrokes at the speed I'm typing so I'm getting strrange letter doubblinng - see! Anyway I'm sure well be posting more as and when we float inn and out of the roomm.
L&D

London weekend

Well we're on the way to King's Cross - the 1st leg of our journey. We
arrive at about 11.30 and then have to get to our hotel. It's not too
far from the wedding venue which is @ the RSA just off the Strand. I'm
dead impressed with my packing skills - a small rucksack for a weekend
which is going to include a wedding, dinner @ Pied-a-terre, a visit to
the London eye, and general Londony wanderings! Usually I'd have more
makeup than the whole bag I've brought! Jacq: you'd be so proud. Ok
well I'll try and do some more phone blogging as the weekend goes on!
Laters!

--
Liza
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Check out our blog at
http://lizadan.blogspot.com/
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Pope on a rope

Amazing what else they sell regarding the pope. See this. I think we will have to get one for BO and Ste