Aftermath

The birthday celebrations are done... I think. Only thing missing was some sicky-sweet, over-sugared, gloppy-iced, commercial cake, but I can live without it... maybe.

Brandy treated me to dinner at one of my favorite bistros, Plouf, which I think means "Make A Splash" in French, and might also explain the dearth of taxidermy marlins on the walls. They specialize in mussels. I haven't been there in years, but Belden Place is such a special little alley that feels like Paris or Rome. It was time to return there.

I'm a traditionalist, so I ordered the little bivalves a la mariniere, and Brandy got them poulette, which adds some cream, shallots, and bacon in with the white wine, garlic, and parsley. We used all the bread to sop up the heavy creation! With an appetizer of beef carpaccio drizzled with truffle oil and a chocolate fondue, we were in heaven! A stop at Lush for some bath bombs and soaps, and we were both ready to retreat.

I had a full day to recover before Lindsey and I were destined for lunch at Tartare, a restaurant that got raves the first two months after it opened. I'd promised her in when I read the reviews in April that we would try the place. I got there late and panicked when the interior was dark. How could they be closed on a Thursday? Within a few minutes, Lindsey pulled up and said that she'd been trying for five days to get a reservation... and so, we concluded they were shuttered. Sad.

Heading for the Ferry Building we set out for the Slanted Door, a unique Vietnamese dining experience. Another yummy appetizer of sliced beef, this time in salad, then entrees of squid and shaken beef. I took the leftovers home! Too full for a proper dessert, we settled on some chocolates at Recchiuti before parting ways. I'm off Joseph Schmidt and Scharffen Berger because they both sold out recently to Hershey, even though they promised it would not change their product, and cited the merger as a means for improving their product's reach. I was glad Michael Recchiuti came out and said he would never sell to a big conglomerate. That's why I stopped buying Godiva years ago, when I learned Pepperidge Farms bought them. Why pay a lot for "Belgian" chocolate made here in America?

I continued to shop for a bottle of Tea's Teas Green Jasmine, a bar of Dagoba's Organic Chocolate -- Xocolatl flavor (dark chocolate with chiles), and a couple of pastries from Frog Hollow to tide me over this weekend, while I wait for the paint on the front porch to dry.

On Friday I met up with Kathy for a quick lunch (since she was working and this was just about the first Friday I've had off since April) at my old haunt, Lightning Foods, of fabulous salad bar fame. Roasted red potatoes, roasted chicken, pan-fried crispy beans just the right shade of green and still with a bit of snap, pesto tubes, alfredo shells, silky tofu (the one and only place I'll eat it unfried), and a bunch of other things amid the usual greens and vegetables. And a nice treat of Ghiradelli chocolate and toffee crunch frozen yogurt to add the perfect ending.


I still miss having a piece of so-sweet-hurt-my-teeth sugar frosted cake though!