A happy surprise. HG’s daughter, Vicki, came to visit Prince Edward Island. Usually, Vicki’s PEI visits have been marred by flight cancellations, late arrivals, weather delays, etc. This time, she was very selective about all the sky conditions and flight times and arrived in Charlottetown punctually and looking bright and beautiful. As noted in many previous posts, Vicki and husband/chef Marc Meyer, own and run four of New York’s best restaurants: Cookshop, Shuka, Vic’s and Rosie’s. A fifth, Shukette, will open soon. Thoughtful Vicki brought to PEI a tin of caviar plus tiny blini (and black licorice for BSK). SJ and family were dining at Noel (BSK’s sister) and Yossi’s Ocean Mist Farm the night Vicki arrived. This enabled HG/BSK and Vicki to have a quiet and serene dinner with a backdrop of a long, colorful sunset. Dinner started with South Lake oysters and progressed to sweet corn on the cub with a finale of spaghettini with cherry tomatoes and sauteed Digby Bay scallops. Salad was local yellow beans in a tangy vinaigrette.
The next night, everyone at HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island home contributed to what may have been The Perfect Summertime Meal. The dinner highlighted PEI’s splendid seafood and vegetables as well as delicious imports from New York, Nova Scotia and Great Britain. Handsome Haru and Adorable Teru set the table with all the necessary wine and water glasses. Then, HG shucked two dozen big, meaty, briny Red Head Select oysters. These were consumed at the kitchen bar with chilled white wine and PEI Gin mixed with tonic, a splash of Aperol and mint. The group sat at the dining table and was entranced by Victoria’s gift, a big tin of caviar a accompanied by blini (both from Russ & Daughters in New York). Oh, my!! SJ then served tagliatelle simply adorned with a vivid, lush tomato sauce he created by slowly roasting black grape cherry tomatoes (bought at the Charlottetown Farmers Market). The meal progressed with hake (expertly fried by SJ) and BSK’s salad of PEI yellow beans. Following this was a cheese platter with wonderful cheeses curated by Victoria: A sharp PEI cheddar. Black pepper laden Leicester from Great Britain. A goat triple creme and a blue (both from Nova Scotia). The group munched BSK’s green salad while HG accompanied his cheese with bagel chips (from Russ & Daughters) and scoops of PEI lush buckwheat honey. Many glasses of red wine as the sky erupted in color. Happiness reigned.
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