B and Bs are just Better ; )

Whew, this was a rough weekend with my bum arm and a full house.  I started physical therapy for my arm (I fell skiing last week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming) I'll be fine and ready to ski again in a few weeks.

 I thought the Oscars were tonight...my bad. I am going to see Lady Gaga with or without her egg on Tuesday with my great friend Kelly. I was thinking of seeing the Spiderman musical, as it might be one of those shows that you wish you had after it closes...which it will.


One of the guests played the Chickering square grand piano this morning, and I really need to make a call and get it tuned again.  The B and B affiliation site http://www.bbnofo.com/ is getting on more and more websites, and that is good. The Elegant B and Bs of the North Fork are truly the best places to stay out here, and that includes hotels. The most reputable lodging ratings system shows that the top rated East End hotels start off with 4.5 out of 5  ratings, while the top B and Bs on the North Fork earned 5 out of 5. Check it out. The mindset has finally shifted. A decade ago, people though B and Bs were going to be like staying in someone's home in some spare room . Now the educated guest knows that the B and B experience is superior, that the Band Bs are a tightly run little business, and that the top B amd Bs have amentieies on a par with a 5 star Manhattan hotel. The concierge service cannot be beat as the hosts are the local owners - people who really know the restaurants, the chefs, wineries, who has been fired, or moved to a new location.

Jazz on the Vine Winterfest has been great for the guests to go and spend some time listening to great music. http://www.stirlinghousebandb.com/  is offering Winterfest guests (2+ night stays) exclusives at the inn.

Here are the Long Island Winterfest Jazz on the Vine Venues for next week:

FEBRUARY 26

1 pm Southampton Cultural Center Inside the "Out" Side of Jazz – FREE!

Discussion with Ed Green. Moderator Steve Watson.

"Ellington, Jazz, the Opposites – and You!"

3 pm Laurel Lake Vineyards Monday Michiru

3 pm Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard Janine DiNatale

4:30 pm Sherwood House Vineyards Ahmad Ali

4:30 pm Martha Clara Vineyards Groove Gumbo

FEBRUARY 27

S U N D A Y 2 pm Raphael Isaac Jaffe Quintet

2 pm Bedell Cellars Matt Marshak

 

2 pm Brecknock Hall, Greenport Hot Club of the Hamptons

3:30 pm Osprey's Dominion Vitaly Golovnev

3:30 pm Jamesport Vineyard MEM3 (Ernesto Cervini)

The Best new B and B website for Long Island Wine Country

Well, Happy New Year. It is going to be a great one! The 15 Best B&Bs of the North Fork have united onto one easy website. The affiliation is called Elegant Bed & Breakfasts of the North Fork. The website launched New Year's Day! This is a site dedicated to the independent B&B owners. They span the entire North Fork from Jamesport to Orient, and I can honestly say that as far as the B&Bs in the area, this website includes the cream of the crop.

The website is easy to remember : www.bbnofo.com

This website was created to make it easy for the customers who are planning Weddings, celebrating anniversaries and Birthdays, planning wine club events, wine country getaways (such as Vine Time and Vine University) and the like. Now you have one simple website for all your needs.

So remember Elegant Bed & Breakfasts of the North Fork (www.bbnofo.com)

and again...Have a healthy and Happy New Year!

Eye Spy

Well, modern medicine is a wonderful thing. I noticed over the past year that my right eye's vision was getting worse and worse. I went to the Doctor to find out that I had a cataract. Long story short, I had the surgery, and now I have 20/20 vision. The black eye is fading and it is like a new world was given to me. I cannot believe how clear the world is meant to be seen! So if you know someone who is thinking about having the surgery...tell them to DO it!

Back to business!
The B&B was featured in several stories for the Beer Special we are running now thought October. And The Boston Globe may run a story about Vine Time. Things are moving along. We remain very highly rated thanks to our wonderful guest comments. Today I put together all the hanging flower baskets, and will finish them tomorrow morning. Greenland Family Farms is a terrific place where you can buy all things for the garden, including the new "dirty Dozen" koi goldfish for the fish pond. A mockingbird has nested off the front porch...I hope it doesn't expect breakfast! The Long Island Wine & Food Festival is coming fast...looking forward to that. we are sold out that weekend. I emailed our to all area B&Bs to get their participation. Its a win win (or a wine wine lol) situation. It should bring a great deal of exposure to the wine region...and that is always good. Joe has re-opened Vine Wine Bar, and I have heard a rumor (a strong one) that The Fifth Season will be opening a 2nd location at their original restaurant...right here in Greenport. That will be great, but I have not yet confirmed it. Guests from here until mid-June without a break...here we go...the high season...It's what we all want. This has been a banner year so far, and on our tenth anniversary no less!

Let it snow, let it snow let it snow

OK, it is beautiful and all, but enough snow already!!!

When you get lemons, make lemonade, so being housebound, today will be new recipe day at The Stirling House. I like to try new things out and test them on friends before putting them out for the guests. I watched Zombieland last night (the movie is funny and crazy...but you cannot dislike like Woody Harrelson and his twinkie fetish!) So today I am going to create Twinkies from scratch and see how it goes. I think I have a good idea of how to approach them. If they are good, they will be a fun addition to the afternoon snacks, they will be all natural, so no 20 year shelf life! LOL . Hey I guess with todays weather, I should be trying to make snowballs and not twinkies. I am also experimenting with my French Madelein recipe. The Parisian chef might scoff but I am trying maple syrup as a flavoring. I will let you know how it all goes.

The Vine Time getaway has been moving along. Stirling House is now sold out for March's VT date, but there is still availability at the other 3 participating B&Bs. They are all great with wonderful people running each B&B. This recession has proved that people still want to enjoy life a little. They are travelling closer to home, and our breakfasts and waterfront (walkable to everything) location has been a major plus keeping us quite busy all Winter.

I got a few calls from friends who saw me on "The Good Wife" earlier this week...it was fun doing that bit, as I don't carry a decapitated head every day.
OK...time to shovel! Talk to you soon...Clay