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ADVENTURE OF THE MONTH—NOVEMBER, 2003 Here's
a helpful resource for Home at First
Second Stop—SCOTLAND It’s a clichι in the US to stop at places where truckers congregate to find the best road food. In pre-war France, LES ROUTIERS was founded on the same principal as a network of hotels and restaurants offering French truckers home cooking and comfortable accommodation. Over the years the network has expanded to include other parts of the Continent and the British Isles. Restaurant recommendations for the British Isles from a group with a name like LES ROUTIERS may be off-putting on several levels. Politically, at the moment, many Americans have, as we say, "a problem" with the French. What do the French know about British and Irish restaurants that the British and Irish themselves don’t know? First of all, the French know road food. Before they became Freedom Foods, they were French fries and French toast, and already staples of the US road food menu. In Britain and Ireland, LES ROUTIERS has sniffed out the best of the local cuisine without being snooty. Their reviews are neither vicious nor Vichy. In fact, they are imaginative, clever, homey, personal, and sensible—the right set of adjectives also to apply to any cuisine that travels well. We’ve become so taken with the consistent quality and surprising individuality of the establishments that feature the red, white, and blue LES ROUTIERS shield that we now look for it when we are on the road in Britain and Ireland. Here then, from each Home at First destination throughout the UK and Ireland, is a briefly described LES ROUTIERS recommended restaurant. Click the link to see the complete info at the very good web site: LES ROUTIERS SCOTLAND 1. CENTRAL SCOTLAND: The
Lade Inn, Kilmahog by Callander. 2. SCOTTISH BORDERS: Crook Inn,
Tweedsmuir 3. GLASGOW: The Pot Still 4. ABERDEENSHIRE: Raemoir House,
Banchory 5. INVERNESS & NORTHERN SCOTLAND:
Palio Pasta & Pizza, Inverness 6. EDINBURGH: A Room in the Town Watch for more excellent eating along British and
Irish waysides HOME AT FIRST offers travel to five regions of Scotland, six regions of England, — YOUR DREAM TRIP BEGINS BY CONTACTING HOME AT FIRST — |
" …this warm, traditional pub was noted for basic
pub food. …good use (is) made of the excellent produce that is available locally such
as Highland beef, and seafood from suppliers around Scotland. There is a bar menu as well
as a dining menu, but plans are afoot to change the dining room into a comfy seating area,
with large sofas and chairs, where people can delve into huge bowls of shellfish chowder
and crusty bread, or enjoy a selection of tapas. There is a good selection on the
specials’ board, dishes such as salad of Mannbury smoked venison, or goose breast
with onion marmalade. Pork fillet with apples and sage, topped with Highland black
pudding, or lamb steaks with sun-dried tomato and pesto are typical main courses. A good
selection of real ales, such as Lomond Gold, Ben Nevis, Meridian and Greenmantle, change
every month or so."
"With such atmosphere and character, it is easy to believe
that the polished wooden floor, dark red leather seating, wood paneling and dusky
pink-painted walls hung with sepia pictures, haven’t changed much since the Pot Still
opened in 1835. It’s certainly a Glasgow legend, a traditional city pub that was run
from 1870 to 1981 by several generations of the McCall family. The bar extends along one
whole wall and houses over 300 malt whiskies (a great draw for visitors as some are hard
to find elsewhere). In addition, there’s a good selection of real ales, with at least
2-4 quality cask ales changing twice a week, but you can always expect McEwan’s 80/-
and Caledonian Deuchars IPA. Every couple of months whisky tastings are held and the £50
ticket price sounds good value, given the fact that £6,000 worth of whisky can be drunk
in one night. The food is very simple, typical pub staples of baked potatoes, baguettes,
homemade soup, steaks, burgers, steak and ale pies, and liver and onions, but is served
all day, so is worth noting just for that."
"The classical mansion, set at the end of a
winding drive, is surrounded by 3,500 acres of parkland and forest of Royal Deeside.
Within, it’s a visual feast: a low-lit corridor of lamps, candles, draped curtains
and vases of scented flowers, the bar, a glorious room giving on to the garden, the
morning room where high ceilings and impressive marble fireplace strive to make this a
grand room, but family photographs, books, and a muted colour scheme leave a calming and
relaxed impression. One of the more unusual rooms is the oval ballroom, now the
restaurant. It is a tranquil place where the cooking is distinguished by clean flavours
and precise technique. This might mean an early summer meal of seared loin of tuna with a
herb salad and gazpacho dressing, fillet of sea bass with herb couscous, peas, broad beans
and a spinach cream, and rhubarb tart with its own sorbet and light syrup to finish."
"Carol and Michael Cracknell describe their informal Italian-style restaurant as
‘a taste of the Mediterranean in the middle of Inverness,’ and their simple
formula of good value and lively, fresh flavours has won them fans aplenty. The former
bank premises make a chic setting for such an informal town-centre eatery, not that there
is anything slapdash about it: service does everything properly and efficiently, and the
menu caters successfully to a wide range of tastes. The two-course business lunch is a
terrific bargain, offering soup or garlic bread, then smaller portions of main-course
pasta dishes, perhaps, or half of any pizza with a salad, maybe an omelette with salad,
and coffee to finish, all for £4.95. The theatre of an open-to-view kitchen adds to the
atmosphere, and the carte runs to grilled goats’ cheese and tomato on crisp Italian
bread, chargrilled tuna steak with a tomato, olive, parmesan salad, and smoked salmon
tortellini. Pizzas include a very popular quattro formaggi and il toscano: sun-dried
tomatoes, artichoke, peppers, olives, roasted courgettes, mozzarella and tomato. The wine
list is short, Italian and eminently fairly priced. House wine, for example, is
£10.50."
HOME AT FIRST photo
"A Room in the Town captures the feeling of history evoked by this cobbled street and
it is a popular spot, drawing in customers with a bright, colourful daytime look, and by
lowering the lights and bringing out the candles in the evening. With a few exceptions all
produce is obtained from small, independent local suppliers and producers, such as
MacSweens for haggis and Tombuie smoked cheese from the Perthshire Hills. The menu offers
bistro fare with a contemporary twist: roast chicken, chorizo and couscous salad with an
avocado and corn salsa, or pink peppercorn and mustrd crusted tuna garnished with a chunky
nicoise vinaigrette. A Highland element is evident in the cooking too, with the likes of
smoked haddie and black pudding dauphinoise topped with peppered goats cheese, or haggis,
neeps and tatties, accompanied by heather honey roasted shallots, and cassis soaked
brambles with lemon meringue ice cream. Scottish cheeses are teamed with hot gooseberry
chutney and oatcakes. Value for money is a major factor, combined with generous portions
and use of fresh produce. A mixed selection of mostly new world wines includes two by the
glass."