Longing

Although I haven’t eaten out every night for the past 2 weeks, it sure feels that way.

Between book club meetings at restaurants, my fella’s birthday dinner out, dinner at a new diner with my Mom, I’ve been out a lot.  A ton.  More than I’d like to, but that’s what happens sometimes – no matter how carefully I plan my schedule, there is always a week or two where everything smushes up against one another, leaving me craving to cook at the stove like many women leap outta their bodies for a piece of chocolate.  Then when I was home, I made simple food: soups, salads and pasta.  Quick things I could do in between writing, editing and the various events that have made the last couple of weeks a frenzy.

Last night at dinner with lovely colleagues of my fella, the restaurant “reflected the seasons and regional Pugliese cooking.”  Over neatly procured appetizers and handmade pasta, we talked about restaurants, cooking, barbecuing and of course, work.

What got me is that while our evening was filled with fun and laughter, I felt like the food didn’t live up to the hype.  This restaurant, after all, was supposed to be the “real deal” but actually it was just boring  fare that you could make at home.  You absolutely could.

When we got home, I poured over cooking magazines and some new  recipes I had collected and I so wanted to stay up, cooking my little heart out.

Instead, I went to bed like the responsible adult I am and will try and patiently wait until I can be at the stove again.  At this point, it’s looking like Saturday might be the first chance I get.

In the meantime, I am going to dream and swoon and think about all that I am going to make once I get the few precious hours I need.

I can’t wait.

Finger licking

A couple of nights ago, it was simply gorgeous out so my beau and I decided to go for a walk along with dinner and a movie.

I love picking a spot spur of the moment.  Because I spend so much of my time picking out restaurants, what I’ll have, etc., this is a real treat for me.  Even better if my fella gets to choose for once .**

The area of town we were in was a fantastic mecca of choices – Would we have El Salvadorian or Korean?  Chinese or Hungarian?

We decided on Malabari cuisine, as it’s few and far between here.  Scott picked some lovely dishes.  We started with beef samosas with a tamarind sauce and then moved onto traditional Kerala dishes – Kingfish curry and crab curry, along with vegetables in a cashew coconut sauce, hot, buttery roti and plain rice.

Good stuff, but then the crab arrives.  There are a couple of whole crabs covered in a dark date-like paste.  We are not given any tools, nor was it described to have the shell on. It simply said, “Crab Curry.”

My guy, ever the trooper, dug in, brown fingers and all.  I had a couple of legs, but that was it was me.

Our night was memorable for a lot of reasons, but I’ll never forget Scott heading to the washroom to wash up afterwards and the owner rushing over to open the white door leading downstairs for him.

** When we go out to dinner with friends, they almost never choose the place because they say that I’ll know all of the best places to go.  Sure, I’ve been to many places, but that doesn’t make it any better than a place you’ll choose.

Salad days are here again

Last night my best friend and I went to a restaurant with a salad bar.

For $13.99 we could eat as much as we wanted.

And we did.

Can you ever have too much salad?

I think not.

p.s. you can have too many pickles though…

A nice problem to have

I’m reviewing a restaurant tonight.

Funny, I look forward to the next one practically the moment I’m leaving last week’s restaurant for review and yet I always feel a little sadness at not being able to cook the night I’m out.

Of course, the next night I’m at the stove, I’ll be thinking, “Gosh, wouldn’t it be great to just head out for a bite to eat and not have to worry about marinating, chopping or washing anything?”

It’s a nice dilemma to have though, isn’t it?

So I finally caved…

… and started a food site because not only am I reviewing restaurants and writing about food for a living, but I’m spending much of my “free” time cooking, shopping for ingredients and basically thinking about what I’m going to make next.

So I hope you’ll follow me and my little adventure here.  I will not be posting pictures of everything I make step-by-step (one photo will suffice), or what I eat at every meal or anything like that. But I will be sharing TMI – what I bought, what I made, what I read.

I figure if I’m thinking about this stuff, someone out there must be too.  I can’t be the only one questioning whether next time I make lime chicken I should finish it with grains of paradise or pepitas.

You’ll find out soon enough…

Thanks for joining me on this ride.  I am excited.

And hungry.