Lemon Grass

Michael and I took a break from wedding planning today for lunch at the Lemon Grass Restaurant in Moultonboro, New Hampshire. It's Asian cuisine complete with a sake bar and sushi, and we are very glad we stumbled upon it. There was a brochure for Mike Love's Lemon Grass Restaurant and Sake Bar at the bakery where we were picking out our wedding cake today, Love Bites. They make most of the desserts for the restaurant. Michael and I shared Crispy Lemon Grass Calamari for an appetizer with Saigon Slaw. We seem to be fried calamari connoisseurs since we try it most places where we go out to dinner. This calamari was served with three sauces: sweet & sour, wasabi mayo, and a citrus soy sauce. I had the Phat Thai for my entree, which was the best I have ever had and full of peanut flavor. And Michael had the Sesame Crusted Rare Ahi Tuna. He got some interesting pickled veggies with his tuna: beets, cucumbers and cabbage. Very enjoyable and a nice atmosphere. I particularly liked the assortment of small bowls, plates and cups they had for all of the different entrees. And the kitchen is open to view from all of the tables so there's something to watch. It seems like the restaurant is newly set-up or renovated. I can't wait to try it again. Maybe when we head back to the area for our wedding weekend in March, we can plan to stop in again. Check out the restaurant's website.

Love Bites!!

Michael and I went to Love Bites, a bakery in Moultonboro, New Hampshire this morning. It was a beautiful ride up route 109. Love Bites was once owned by Donna Love, who is a well known pastry chef in the area, but she sold the bakery to Darcy Remillard. Darcy now continues the Love Bites business out of the commercial bakery in the basement of her home. They had just finished up on the Thanksgiving pie rush. I had sent Darcy a few photos and an e-mail description of my vision of the perfect wedding cake to which she responded that it was very doable. After tasting fondant and a hazelnut cookie, we decided this was the place to order our wedding cake from. And most impressive, Michael made a key decision on cake filling and was very concerned over depth of flavor and whether one filling would be strong enough to stand up to the others. Darcy was impressed also with his level of participation. And Darcy and Mike discussed songs by Def Leppard and Judas Priest that have Love Bites in the lyrics. We left a deposit and took away a tasty cranberry square, a bacon flavored dog bone for the kids, hazelnut cookies, and a sample of the cake we ordered. I won't give too many details here, as many of my blog readers will end up at the wedding and I don't want to spoil the surprise. But I will divulge that it is not a Diabetic-friendly cake and it will be very decadent.

3 months and 2 weeks left to get everything else in order for the wedding...