Seasonal Dining

 Seasons advertises itself as a brasserie, and is in the first floor of MallDova.  This was a lunch meal, and I thank the ladies who let me photograph their lunches!  We started off with an order of bruschetta.  Their bread is crisp and the presentation is beautiful, as you can see.  It also tastes wonderful.  Unlike most prosciutto here, the pieces used on the bruschetta are moist and flavorful.  Definitely something we order often.

A couple of others and I had the beef salad.  Beef is problematic here.  It's hard to get some that's not tough and stringy, even with the best cuts.  They managed to get some that was very good.  There's a light balsamic dressing on the salad, and it complemented the beef and greens well.

 Greek salad here.  Most of the time, the locals use the local brinza as feta.  Seasons and some of the other restaurants use Bulgarian feta, which is probably the best feta I've ever tasted.  

Regan, who is gluten intolerant, had the steak medallion in mushroom sauce.  Presentation was impressive.  The top bits are shoestring potatoes and onions, and they tasted good too.  She was very pleased with her meal.

The chicken doesn't look nearly as impressive after the steak, but it tasted good, according to its eater.  This is their teriyaki flavored one.

And now, dessert.  This is a molten lava cake, which was brought to the table warm, along with some fruit and a scoop of ice cream.  Below is a caramelized banana with a brownie and three kinds of sauce, again with a scoop of ice cream.  My favorite is the banana, but both were excellent.

Little Bits of Flowers

This bit looks like more progress.  I've got the beginnings of the central motif done.  There's just not been as much stitching time as usual since I went to the US and came home.  On the other hand, the progress is very visible.

Easter Stuff At MallDova

 I beg pardon for the dark pictures.  They were taken with my phone, and the lighting wasn't that good.  Easter here, for most people, is a week later than in the States because the predominant religion is Orthodox.  The bunnies stationed in the first floor of the mall look somewhat sad and sinister to me, but the kids seemed to like them.

Renzoku Temari

 Temari Challenge, the Yahoo group, had a stitchalong for this design.  I decided  to hop in and did it, too.  I've done this pattern before, and I always love how it comes together.  The pink was serendipity.  I had a pink ball wrapped and didn't have any other plans for it.  I think it came out pretty well.

The Loft Is So Easy

 The Loft is less than three blocks from the embassy, the wait staff speaks some English, and service is relatively fast.  This makes it our "go to" restaurant for quick lunches out.  This particular lunch was in early April.  We still wouldn't go if the food wasn't good, too.  We can get that any day at the embassy cafeteria....

 Andreas had two courses - a pasta and chicken dish that he said was pretty bland, and some other thing with potatoes and cream, which he said tasted better.  My lunch is below: zeama, a sour/salty chicken soup with noodles, and the "warm chicken breast salad".  The salad is mixed greens, no dressing, with sliced chicken breast and a soft boiled egg on top.  The restaurant serves it without dressing; I usually ask for balsamic vinegar.  The greens are invariably fresh, and the egg's yolk, when broken, covers the salad.  The chicken is moist and fairly flavorful, without have any really defined spice.

Building Out

The little bit at the bottom is very close to the bottom edge of the whole piece, so I don't have all that much to go.  The castle itself is beginning to take on life and looks good, even if it's just me saying so.

Dinner At Buffalo Steak House

 This place is probably the most American restaurant we've gone to in Moldova.  It's good, and they import most of their beef.  The pictures are of a dinner for four that we had at the end of March.