stove wine tasting, originally uploaded by Boot Boot.

Guess the year?

Chocolate Ice Cream, originally uploaded by Boot Boot.

Making adjustments to Boot Best.

We just got this beer in the cooler and we only have a limited amount. It’s not a Virginia beer but it is important nonetheless. We cracked one tonight and we have to say this pilsner is one of the most velvety lagers to hit the buds. David Blossman of Abita says this is here is a distress call and 75 cents of every bottle go to Gulf Relief efforts. So do your part and make sure we run out.

They also have a nifty website to promote it. http://sos.abita.com/

So butternut squash is coming in this week from Blanton Garden and right off the bat we will be making some soup as well as roasting it for a salad. Simple, that is what we like. Maybe get some rosemary in there, add a pistachio, hard to tell. After watching people eat for some time we might have learned a thing or two so we have a few changes planned for the fall menu. We think you will be very excited. One thing worth getting pumped on is a glass wine special. You will need to find out the details by coming to the Boot or chatting it up with a friend who has been to the Boot, but not quite yet as it will start Tuesday, next week.

Citizens! We would like to announce operational hours during Buy Fresh Buy Local’s Farm to Feast Week. The first day, Sunday August 8th we will be closed, only to celebrate our special menu each additional night during the week starting at 5 pm. Menu choices will be posted soon and we hope you are as excited as us.

Go here for more info about the event – farmtofeastweek.com

So we haven’t updated in a while and we chalk this up as a sin; to redeem such acts of disdain we will commit an act which brings balance to the universe. Eat a ray.

This article appeared in today’s paper and you may have seen it before as this is not the first time an article on the subject has run, however very little reaction has been the result. To sum things up we have a high population of the Cownose Ray (now called the Chesapeake Ray in hopes of making it more likable to the human food chain) and their numbers have gotten so high that they are devastating the populations of Bay area shellfish. So we need to figure out how to bring this into our diet and continue to eliminate the non-sustainable choices we make or it is likely those non-sustainable choices will unveil their grand exit.

Thus we will be creating a Cacciucco de Chesapeake which has Ray, Clams, Oysters, Crayfish and maybe a few other saltwater dancers and mudbugs. The Chesapeake Ray we ordered comes in tomorrow and our fingers are crossed for that grandiose palatable skyride explosion.

Summer’s coming, originally uploaded by Boot Boot.

We got a new menu were rolling out on Tuesday and here’s to the
beginning of summer’s bounty.

more from New Earth Farm, originally uploaded by Boot Boot.

Here’s a few egg layers from New Earth Farm. We use their eggs from time to time. Most of our eggs come from either the 5 Points Market or Broken Arrow Farm. Any egg we use at the Boot comes from a local source that knows about how animals enjoy the sunshine.

New Earth Farm, originally uploaded by Boot Boot.

Out to New Earth today to pick up some compost and snapped a photo of
these beautiful greens to be grilled with our fish of the day in a few
weeks. Did you know the species name of Chard was Beta vulgaris?

This little company operates a few fisheries and works closely with the Blue Ocean Institute to ensure they are fishing from sustainable populations. We get our pull from Beaufort NC just down the way. Not exactly walking distance but quite nice to be so close to folks with similar ideals. Right now on the menu we have a buttercrunch salad with citrus cured Triggerfish and right now our fish o day is a pan seared Pink Snapper with roasted baby papaya squash and shiitake mushrooms finished with a sherry almond crema.