Vail - Feb 2015

Vail

Continuing with our annual tradition of having a ski weekend with Rakesh, Simran and Ria, this year we decided to go to Vail and chose to go a little earlier in February to avoid the President's Day weekend rush.  We picked them up late on Thursday night at the airport and drove out to Vail where we checked into our hotel, Ritz Carlton Residences.  We got a two bedroom with a kitchen and living room - the suite was bigger than the one in Beaver Creek and the service was great.  The only downsides were that the second bedroom only had one full bed so Ria had to sleep on the pull out sofa and that there was not much of a social scene at the hotel.  We arrived after midnight so we quickly unpacked and went to sleep.

Shawna and Simran

On Friday, the boys and Ria had to rush out the door to get ski passes and rentals and to register Ria in ski school before they met up with Nancy for their own private instruction.  Ria ended up with only one other kid in her class so she got some great attention.  Meanwhile, Keith and Rak said they learned quite a bit and improved their technique - either that or they felt like they had to say this given how much they spent on private lessons!  Shawna went to the gym in the morning and then Simran and Shawna went on the Vail Food Walking Tour which included food tastings at 6 places as well as a bit of history about Vail.  The food was yummy and the history was interesting.  After the tour, they picked up groceries and met the others back at the condo.  We had a drink in the lobby at the hotel bar and then went back to the room to cook and relax there.  Shawna made a Moroccan lamb meatball dish with couscous and pita/hummus for a snack.

Food Walking Tour

On Saturday, Ria was not feeling great in the morning - we all thought she was bluffing so her parents told her that she would have to pay them back for the ski school that had been pre-booked which got her motivated to get up and go to ski school.  Turns out she was not bluffing as she got sick on the mountain and we had to bring her back to the room where she rested that evening and the entire next day.  Shawna got a massage at the Arrabelle Resort in the morning and then Shawna and Simran met the boys for lunch at The 10th Vail which is in mid-Vail at the top of Gondola One.  We shared a lamb chili and caesar salad.  It was here that we got the news about Ria being sick so we took her down the gondola and back to the room.  That evening, Simran made a yummy pasta dish and we chilled out in the room with some wine.

Sara and Keith

On Sunday, the boys skied while Ria rested in the room.  Keith ran into Sara on the mountain so they did a few runs with her.  Shawna worked out and then grabbed lunch for Simran and Ria at Blue Moose Pizza.  We then packed up the room and relaxed until the boys returned for us to check out and leave the hotel.  We drove back home - took a bit longer due to traffic - and chilled out at our house before we drove them to the airport.  We got some take out at John Holly's which was pretty good and then looked at old photos on the TV.

The weekend went by too fast - the weather was great and the boys really enjoyed the skiing.  Shawna and Simran didn't have as many trips to plan but enjoyed relaxing and catching up.

James Beard Dinner (NYC) - February 2015

Keith, Shawna, Mark, Graham, Tom, Kim, Alicia, John and JoAnna

Keith's brother Graham was invited to be the guest chef at the James Beard House in New York City.  This was a not-to-be-missed event so we had to fly in for the weekend.

Jean, Graham and Keith

We were both traveling the week before, with Shawna in Nashville and Keith in Houston, so we arranged flights to arrive at LaGuardia within 45 minutes of each other.  It was this weekend that we finally used up all the Hyatt points that Keith earned in his 7 years commuting at Aimco, so it was the end of an era.  We both worked on Friday - with Shawna working out of hotel and Keith at Aimco's office right across the road.  John and JoAnna were staying with us at the Hyatt, and Kim and Tom flew Kim's mother up so they could spend the weekend in the city.  We met Tom in the Hyatt lobby and took a cab down to the Standard Hotel in the east village where we had drinks at Cafe Standard and then dinner reservations at Narcissa at 9pm.  The food was very tasty - we had short rib and risotto for an appetizer and a pork dish for our entree  We also shared a few veggies for the table including carrot fries, kale and cauliflower - Keith actually liked all of them!  After dinner we met John, JoAnna, and her brother Nick at the Perfect Pint near the hotel for drinks.  Shawna was feeling crummy so we headed to the hotel at 12:30am while the rest of the gang stayed out until 3am.

Bob, Ginny, Jean, Dick, Lynn, and Phil

When we woke up Saturday morning, Shawna was feeling really rough and had lost her voice.  So the rest of us met Kim and Tom downstairs and headed out for a walk around Central Park - JoAnna split from us and met her cousin to go shopping.  Kim, Tom, Keith, and John went to the park, around the reservoir, and then walked back to the hotel.  It was super-cold but fortunately anything can be bought on the streets of New York - Keith was able to pick up a hat and gloves which he had failed to bring with him.  We stopped by Rockefeller Center for a Starbucks and then Grand Central food court for lunch - Keith got a salad and a soup for Shawna at Hale and Hearty.

John, Tom, Kim, Keith, Krystal, Kelly and Shawna

We all got ready and then cabbed down to Pierre Loti for wine before dinner - Keith's parents were there early and were able to get a back room for all of us.  It was then only a 10 minute walk to James Beard House for the big event.  Entering the house there is a small check in area - and to get to the cocktail reception everyone passes through the kitchen so we were all able to see Graham working away.  The cocktail reception included Scotch Eggs, Chorizo, Rabbit Pate, and Porchetta.  At about 7:45pm we all headed upstairs to the main room.  Our table included us, John/JoAnna, Kim/Tom, Mark/Alica, and Kelly and her friend Krystal who had also flown in for the weekend.  Keith's parents also had a table for ten with Bob/Ginny, Lynn/Phil, MaryAnne/George, and Barbara and Meg.  The dinner was five courses:

• Windy Hill Cabrito, Texas Honeycomb, Crispy Purple Potatoes & Creme Fraich paired with Rouussane Stone Crusher, 2103 El Dorado
• New Frontier Farms Rabbit Agnolotti, Rabbit Lonzino, Fine herbs & Veldhuizen Parmezan paired with Chardonnay Improbable, 2013 El Dorado
• Roasted Baby Beets, Windy Meadows Chicken Liver & Latta Da Chevre paired with Granache Blanc, 2013 El Dorado
• Falster Farms Pork Cassoulet paired with Pinot Noir, Brokern leg, 2012 Anderson Valley
• Mum's Mince Pie, Creme Anglaise & Mum's Preserves paired with Etienne Dupont, Cidre Bouche Brut de Normandy

Cabrito with Purple Potatoes

All of the dishes were amazing; however, we all especially liked the rabbit agnolotti - so tasty!  Unfortunately, Kim could not eat any of them since they all had meat so we shared her dishes as well around the table.  After dinner wrapped up, the host introduced Graham and the team (Nick, Monica, and Audrey) who then answered questions from the crowd.  We stayed late and chatted with Graham before we headed out - capping off the night at the Hyatt Bar (aka the Lounge at New York Central). 

Keith, Krystal, Kelly, Shawna, Mark and Alicia

Sunday was a leisurely day - we slept in until 10am (the hotel blackout blinds are magical!) before heading down to Balthazar to have lunch with Keith's parents, Graham, and Audrey.  Graham ordered a dozen oysters and for a main course we shared the Lobster Bisque and the Shrimp Linguini.  Shawna and John/JoAnna all had flights at about the same time so they shared a cab to the airport at 2:30.  Keith stayed behind as he was heading to Philadelphia by train the next morning.  After doing some work at the hotel, Keith met his parents for an Indian dinner at Darbar on east 46th - where Keith and his dad had lamb vindaloo while Jean just had some appetizers. 

Graham with his team - Nick, Monica and Audrey

Altogether it was a fantastic weekend - great to see friends and family and celebrate Graham's cooking!

The Dodds Clan!