Lox of Love

As I have already previously stated, smoked salmon is one of the fine delicacies of Scotland that I have fallen in love with.  It is better than the variety I have back in the States, and tastes more fresh and less “fishy.”   I have three different plates around St Andrews that offer this local favourite.

North Point 

My absolute favourite smoked salmon dish I have yet to date.  North Point is an adorable cafe on the end of North St. that claims Kate and William would get their coffee there together!  I ordered their peppermint tea, toast, scrambled eggs, and smoked salmon.  It was HEAVEN.  The sandwich bread over here is also better, it tastes less like card board, and is more fresh.  Huge dollops of butter were added on top of the toast to slowly melt on top.  The eggs were perfectly well done, and were not too runny.  And the smoked salmon was the star of the show.  Perfectly salty and it melted in my mouth!

Bibi’s 

I have already posted about Bibi’s, one of my first finds in St Andrews.  It is located on the opposite end of North St as North Point.  This salad was a delicious medley of vegetables topped with potato salad, avocado, smoked salmon, and a lemony vinaigrette.  The richness of the salmon and avocado, was well balanced with the crisp vegetables, and the tang of the dressing.

Gorgeous 

What better way to eat smoked salmon than on a bagel?  Gorgeous tops their toasted bagel with smoked salmon, greens, cream cheese, and a balsamic drizzle, which puts this sandwich on another level.

Rosebud Kitchen

From the outside, Rosebud Kitchen already portrays the traditional American diner, sporting a trailer with a retro sign on top.  Unbeknownst to outsiders, it also expands into a connected building, and has patio seating for warmer months.  The interior is dressed with rich luxurious leather booths and chairs, a beautiful bar, and personalized mugs, table mats, etc.  The ambiance alone would make anyone book a reservation for the next available seating.

Rosebud Kitchen is open for brunch on the weekends, lunch on Friday, and dinner everyday.

The picture above was the Croque Madame off of their brunch menu, and it was heavenly.  Toasted bread with béchamel, mustard, ham, gruyere cheese, and an egg.  Talk about decadence on a plate!  The béchamel is creamy and combines with the tangy mustard.  The gruyere cheese has a nutty salty flavor that pairs well with the slightly sweet ham, and the egg oozes all over the sandwich when you cut into it.  This meal is perfect for a cold winter Sunday and will stick to your ribs!

I have also been to Rosebud’s for dinner where I had the grilled swordfish served with butternut squash, mushroom & parmesan risotto, which was also delicious.  The swordfish cut like butter and the risotto was a perfect balance from the added saltiness of the parmesan and sweet butternut squash.

Rosebud’s is definitely a place I will return to time and time again.  Check out their wonderful menu here and then make a reservation ASAP.

Bagelsaurus

This small bagel bakeshop in Cambridge churns out delectable bagels that blow all local competitors right out of the water.  What started out as a weekly pop up at Cutty’s, turned into its own establishment, which speaks well of the product and hard work of the owner, Mary Hyatt.  The bakeshop is open only until the bagels sell out, so I suggest going on the earlier side.

The bagels have a slight crackle on the outside that gives way to a chewy soft interior.  I choose the sea salt bagel, as advised by my older cousin, but then went a step further and ordered it as an eggspanola sandwich.  This added an over-medium egg, Maplebrook feta, pimenton aioli, parsley gremolata, and avocado to my bagel. The slight heat from the aioli was balanced by the creamy avocado, the feta added a nice briny note, and the sea salt from the bagel added crunch.  If I could start every morning with this sandwich I would!

I have yet to go back, but really want to try their cinnamon raisin as a “t-rex” sandwich, which has bacon, banana, honey, and house made almond butter… Sounds to die for.

Definitely check out Bagelsaurus and grab a few extra bagels to go for later in the week.

 

 

 

 

Gazpacho Andaluz

While in Spain, I fell in love with gazpacho, which is a cold vegetable soup that originated in southern Spain.  My favorite gazpacho was prepared at the Restaurante Botin, and I found a recipe supposedly mimicking the dish online.  I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it, it transported me right back to Madrid!  It is a perfect summertime dish and I think next time I will top it with grilled shrimp.

Gazpacho Andaluz (four large servings)

6 slices of bread, diced

3 tomatoes, VERY ripe

1 cucumber, chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 quart water

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 ice cubes

Garnish: chopped egg, drizzled olive oil, extra chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, croutons

In a large bowl combine the diced bread, tomatoes, cucumber, olive oil, and water. Let it soak in the refrigerator for an hour.

After the hour puree the mixture in the blender in batches and pour into large bowl.  The original recipe called for you to put this mixture through a sieve, but I did not have one and it still turned out great.

Add the garlic, wine vinegar, salt, cumin, and ice.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

When plating pour the soup in a bowl and top with cubed vegetables, egg, etc.  Drizzle over a little olive oil on top.