George Washington Would Eat at the Bistro de Leon

President's Day weekend is almost here, and we just got an awesome deal to pass on to our guests.

Bistro de Leon, one of the best restaurants in town, is offering our guests a free kir chardonnais from February 17 through the 20th. If you're interested, just stop in the office and we'll print a coupon for you. The coupon is only good this upcoming weekend, so celebrate the holiday the George Washington way--with a wonderful Frenchman (if you care more about food than history, I'm referring to Washington's bud the Marquis de Lafayette).

Jean Stephan and Valerie Poinard (two of our favorite French) have brought a little bit of their country to 12 Cathedral Street in Saint Augustine (about 3 blocks from our inn, so if you have really really cute shoes you want to wear to dinner, you can probably do it without too much pain). Jean Stephan is a fifth-generation chef, and his dna shows up in every meal, from the complementary amuse buche (last time I went, it was an amazing little spoon of soup) to the French pastries that greet you from behind glass as you walk into the door.

Don't plan on running into the Bistro for a quick bite. In fact, the menu itself extolls the virtues of slow food (it warns in a pleasantly broken English "as everything is home made "a la Minute" be aware that Chef Jean and sous chef Florian need some time at least 25 to 30 minutes to prepare and cook your entree, so order an appetizer waiting for it"). I have to agree--get an appetizer. I recommend their goat cheese salad...the smooth cheese is baked in honey and datil pepper sauce, and its combination of cool and hot and smooth and fiery is an awesome way to start the night.

For an entree, I love the Chicken Tajine, a breast of chicken slow cooked in candied lemons and Moroccan spices. It's complex and warm...a perfectly cozy little dish.

I usually don't have the gumption to get dessert, but as I said, the pastries will beckon you from the case (that's them, pictured above). I've been known to ask for one in a to-go box.

No matter what you ultimately eat, make sure you come downstairs and get your coupon for a free drink. And then get out there and celebrate...George Washington would want you to.

Guest Profile: Lovebirds Angela and Robert

You know how they say it's never to late for a new beginning?

Well, Angela and Robert Prescott of Georgia know it. They're guests who just got married at the BMH. Besides being very nice people, they also have a very cool love story. (Attention Hollywood: this would be a great flick!)

Angela and Robert grew up in the same rural neighborhood. In fact, Robert was the first boy that Angela ever kissed (he was a very smooth 15-year-old she said, to her sweet and innocent 13). They were what Robert calls "school bus sweethearts."

And then Angela disappeared. She didn't move, but her parents pulled her out of the public school and shipped her off to a private one. (Having met Robert, who is so friendly and sweet, we're sure it wasn't because of him. He is literally the type of person that parents would love--quick to laugh, very considerate, and very handsome. Come to think of it, he's probably exactly the kind of boy that parents don't want their 13-year-old daughters to meet. So never mind!)

Angela's parents were strict, and Angela didn't get a chance to hang out with all of the boys and girls from her old school.

"I used to drive past his driveway for years," she said, "and look in there and think, Oh, that's where he lives!" She sounds a little like a smitten teenager even as she says it now.

So, time passed. Their lives went on. They met other people. They divorced other people.

But they didn't forget those school bus kisses.

And then a little thing called Facebook hit the scene.

"I kept looking for her, and looking for her," says Robert, laughing. "But she didn't use her maiden name online, so I couldn't find her!" Then, Angela's brother opened an account, and Robert asked him what had happened to Angela.

In a few days, they were Facebook friends. They talked, caught up on old times, scrutinized each other's picture, and finally decided to meet up again.

The rest, as they say, is history. They got married last Friday--on 2/11/2011.

"She could run, but she couldn't hide," says Robert, laughing again.

But who would want to hide from such a sweet man? Not Angela, for sure, who looked beautiful and happy during the wedding, and earlier today when they checked out. Robert bought her a Bayfront Marin House robe and some coffee mugs to remember their special day. They shared kisses in the dining room before they said goodbye.

"It won't be goodbye for long!" promised Angela. "We'll see you before our first anniversary!"

We hope you do, Mr. and Mrs. Prescott! And, in the interim, be sure to stay in touch on Facebook!!!

Lights Out!!

The lights went out on the Nights of Lights on Monday night. The town is still beautiful, of course, but it seems so much darker at night!

Luckily for us, we're currently getting bids for new landscape lighting. So in the next few weeks, expect the trees and the stairs at the BMH to be back in glowy-ambiant light. We told the contractors we want the inn to look warm and inviting. And maybe even a little bit sexy! (insert wolf whistle here)

We'll post photos as soon as it's finished.

In the meantime, mark your calendars for Nights of Lights 2011...they start on November 19!!

Happy National Carrot Cake Day!!

Yes, kids, it's a whole day to celebrate the only decent way to prepare carrots. (Eat up, it's good for you!)

Instead of making carrot cake, however, we've been busy in the kitchen experimenting with new quiche recipes. Tonight we sampled four of them--a delicious ham and cheese quiche, an awesome ABC quiche (asparagus, bacon and cheddar--and yes, we kind of made it up), a traditional quiche Lorraine, and a spinach and sausage quiche.

There were four of us in the kitchen tasting--and the ham and cheese won by an onion (seriously, Donna put it well when she said she liked the onion in this one). But that ABC quiche was pretty darn good too...I would expect to see that on the menu this spring.

And now, while the rest of the world is getting ready for bed, I am just starting my next experiment: teeny tiny little cheesecake bites. If I'm lucky, I'll have them read for prime time just in time for National Cheesecake Day.

Meet Our Guests: Mark and Marisol

Don't you love hearing about how happy couples meet?

Our current guests, Mark and Marisol, are the winners of our "Second Honeymoon Contest." (You might remember reading about them here).

As we talked to them the other night, we heard the very cute story about how they met. They were at a restaurant in San Diego (separately of course), grabbing a meal with friends, and enjoying "six buck steak night." Mark (who was in the military) spied Marisol (who is from San Diego), and said to himself "I have got to talk to that girl." Which isn't surprising, because Marisol is exactly the type of girl you'd want to talk to too--cute, happy, smart, and bubbly.

So Mark eavesdropped on Marisol's conversation. "Everyone does it, don't they?" he asked us. "You always listen to what other people say in restaurants." Mark was listening especially hard at this restaurant, hoping he would hear something that he'd have in common with this pretty girl, so that he could jump into the conversation and say something witty.

But guess what? NOTHING. Marisol never said anything about any topic that he could comment on. He continued to listen to the conversation, but there was no opportunity, and it seemed to him that he and this girl had nothing in common (nothing that was apparent from this conversation, anyway).

Finally, Mark realized that this cute/happy/smart/bubbly girl was almost done with her dinner, and ready to leave the restaurant--and his life--forever. So he did the only thing he could think of. He walked over to her table, and said "Hi. I'm an eavesdropper. I've been listening to your conversation, and I'd like to know you better."

Now, I should mention that Mark is a pretty cute/happy/smart/outgoing guy. And Marisol must have thought so too, because she took the time to talk to him that night. Even if he was an eavesdropper.

The rest, as they say, is history. Mark and Marisol got married, and moved from San Diego to Jacksonville, just in time for Mark to get his orders and head off to Africa. That didn't give them any time for a honeymoon.

Then, Mark was deployed last year, and the young couple missed their first anniversary as well.

Luckily, all of that was rectified with a four-day stay at the Bayfront Marin House, which gave these two cute/young/happy/smart/bubbly kids the honeymoon that they deserved (finally). "We have just loved it," said Marisol. "Especially our room!" (They were in Room 5, the Robinson Lewis, pictured at right).

Even though they live in Jacksonville, this is the first time that Mark and Marisol have visited Saint Augustine. So what do they suggest to other people coming for the first time?

"Park your car in the parking lot," says Mark. "And walk everywhere."

Mark is from Texas originally, and Marisol (as previously mentioned) is from San Diego. "We weren't used to being able to walk places," said Mark. "Everything where we grew up is always half an hour away. But in Saint Augustine, everything is right here. And you really can see the town that way."

"We had a destination the first day," says Marisol (they were headed to the Hot Shot Bakery over on Granada Street), "but we soon realized that walking IS the destination here. You walk past all of these beautiful buildings, and the brick-lined streets. There is just so much to see!"

M and M suggest that visitors to the city check out the Lightner Museum, and hang around for the demonstration of all of the antique music boxes and Victrolas in the front room of the museum. "The ladies there are all so nice," Marisol said. They also enjoyed lunch in the hotel's old swimming pool. You literally sit in the deep end of the now-empty pool. I didn't ask the couple what they ordered...but Mike and I love the paninis there, and I sometimes get just the hummus appetizer when we go.

M and M also highly recommend the lighthouse, especially talking to Beau Phillips, who knew every detail about the place. "He was a wealth of information!!" said Marisol. (Beau is the public relations director of the lighthouse. And Marisol is right...he knows everything!)

They also said they recommend staying at a bed-and-breakfast. "If you don't know a town, and you stay at a family-run business like this, you get all of these great recommendations that you wouldn't get at a hotel," said Marisol. "It makes you feel like you've been to a place before because you get inside information."

Marisol has stayed at bed and breakfasts before--so she knew that she would love the atmosphere, and the ability to talk to other guests. She says she likes the back-and-forth conversations that go on in our big dining room. And, although he didn't say it, I have to assume that Mark liked eavesdropping on the other tables!

Mark and Marisol went home yesterday, feeling like newlyweds again. We hope they had a safe trip, and we hope that they come back and see us soon!!

National Chocolate Cake Day

January can be a pretty tough month. The holidays are behind us, the weather forecast up north is for snow with periods of snow, and there's no great excuse to indulge in chocolate-y goodness until Valentine's Day. And heck...that's still weeks away!

So, thank goodness for the caffeinated geniuses who came up with National Chocolate Cake Day. What? You haven't heard of it? Well, mark your calendar for 2012, because it's January 27th every year.

In honor of National Chocolate Cake Day, we'd like to share one of our favorite recipes for this iconic dessert. Now, Donna does most of our baking...in fact, for the past few months, we've initiated what we like to call "Bake Night" once or twice a week, which is when Donna pulls back her long blonde hair and hunkers down in the kitchen for a couple of hours. She can bake pretty much anything, but she makes a really really good chocolate cake.

Here's the recipe for it. I'm no chemist, but I think the coffee really brings out the chocolate's sweetness.

Donna's Almost Famous Chocolate Cake

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa (I recommend Hershey's, since I grew up so close to their chocolate factory)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. milk (you only need a cup, but buy a gallon. Because you can't eat chocolate cake w/o a glass of milk!)
3/4 c. oil
1 c. instant coffee
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla (we use vanilla we buy in Mexico--it makes the whole kitchen smell good!)

Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add milk, oil, and instant coffee, beat together.

Add egg and vanilla and beat.

Pour into cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.



Now, if you're a chocoholic like the hub, you can go for a nice chocolate icing as well. Me, I prefer a little less chocolate, so if I'm making the Bake Night schedule, I request the following Peanut Butter Icing:

2 c. 10x sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 T. butter, softened
2-3 T. hot water

Combine all ingredients in the mixer and cream together. Spread on a well-cooled cake.


ENJOY!!!

Guest Profile: Charles and Magaly

Charles Strittmatter and Magaly Toro-Ibecata of Maryland got married in July of last year.

It was a busy time for both of them--in addition to getting married, Charles got a new job right before the wedding, Magaly was working on her Master's degree, and (in their free time) they were apartment hunting (then moving) outside of Washington, DC.

With all of that going on, they decided to postpone their honeymoon to a time when things were a little more settled. Which makes perfect sense to me, as I'm tired just *thinking* about everything that they had going on.

That time finally came earlier this month, when the still-newly wed couple came to St. Augustine, staying at the Bayfront Marin House for a couple of nights in Stephanie's Hideaway.

It was their first visit to our city, and they were blown away by the architecture and European feel of our narrow bricked streets. Magaly is from Chile, so she's used to old architecture...but she said she didn't know that the United States had anything as old as her home (technically, her home wins: Chile's capital city Santiago was founded in 1541; St Aug was founded in 1565).

So what did they like about the Ancient City?

The food. Charles and Magaly had just come from a large resort further inland in Florida (one of their relatives had given them a stay there as a wedding present), so they had become used to astromically high prices and gastronomically low food. That's not the case here in Saint Augustine, where the food is reasonably priced and absolutely amazing. They raved about lunch at the Columbia (pictured at right), lunch at Harry's, and dinner at Raintree.

Speaking of Raintree, that's where we suggested that they go for their celebratory meal (Magaly said Charles owed her a nice night out--we didn't really press as to why). They weren't disappointed with their choice...and said they felt spoiled from the time the shuttle picked them up (Raintree offers complimentary shuttles to the Bayfront Marin House so you can wear your highest heels!) til they finished their scrumptious desserts. (I actually forgot to ask them what they had for dessert...but Mike just loves the bread pudding there, and I know he recommended that to them).

Flagler University. The happy couple had hoped to catch the tour here, but in the end, the opportunity to sleep in was even more appealing. They did have time to walk through the lobby on their own, however, and were blown away by the detail that Henry Flagler put into his Ponce de Leon hotel. They said they hope to catch the official tour on their next visit.

Biking through the town. On their first day here, Charles asked us how much it cost to rent the bikes that we have corralled at the back of the Inn. "Free?" he said incredulously when we said they could just take them out whenever they wanted. They made good use of them on their second day, pedaling their way through the narrow streets (a much better way to see everything, they said, than trying to drive around town).

Walking through the lights at night. Nights of Lights in Saint Augustine goes through January 31, and Charles and Magaly enjoyed walking through the uber-decorated parks and plazas in our city. It's a romantic thing to do...whether you're on your honeymoon or not!

All in all, the young couple said that they will definitely be back. And, as I pointed out to them during happy hour one night, in just six months it will be their first anniversary--a great excuse for a return trip to our town and to the Bayfront Marin House.

Safe travels, Charles and Magaly! Hope to see you both again soon!