Juliet and I drove till 3am this morning before we crashed in a panhandle hotel. When we awoke to our drive in Texas today the sky was a pristine blue and the images from the small towns brought me so easily back home.
A Wonderful New Year's Message from a Dear Friend
This amazing text message came to my phone last night. I thought I would share as we get on the road to Texas to finally see our families for the holidays.
May the luster (of even the smallest things) in the world find its way back to you. That what you see over and over again (out of routine & complacency) you begin to see as though you had laid eyes on it for the first time. We know that a lot can change in a year but more can change in a minute. This new year holds beautiful lights for you wherever you choose to see them & wherever they may find you. I wish you the first suns of mornings everywhere & the first kisses of new blooms in April. May the smiles of happiness greet your face every moment you find grace within yourself. I wish you to be happy this new year and for the millions that follow. Love to you both!!
Happy New Year Blissful Adventurers!
A Smokin' Hot Mom vs A Smokin' NOT Mom (my new segment IMO Thursdays)
Just saw an attractive Mom standing outside of her car in the wind smoking a cig while her kid hopped up and down outside in the cold. When the woman finished drawing on the smoke like she had been siphoning fuel from a car to get the last 30 miles to safety she promptly threw the butt on the icy ground and stomped it out before putting her kid into the car without a car seat.
How many things are wrong with this picture? I think sometimes I do not have kids because I do not want to have some asshole like me judging me from the window of his car. Other times I am just not sure I could be the example I want to be for my child. Today I was just disgusted by the actions of a woman who may or may not actually work hard for her family, yet cannot get it together to set an example of how to be a healthy environmentally conscious person.
Sure, she spared the leather in her nice Passat from her nasty smoke, but not the earth, the air, nor her cold child. I could see in the child an awe at her mother's face and actions and I could see years into the future as she steals a cig here and there, ultimately rolls double back with no protection, and winds up a smoking single mom. I am certain that every action adults do as parents molds and shapes their children. Sure, there are no guarantees that a mature and compulsion-less parentage will turn out an upstanding child, yet there is no reason to prime the pump of insurrection with nasty little habits and preposterous presumption that one's kid "will be fine; they don't need no fuckin' car seat when they're FOUR YEARS OLD! Fucking government bullshit is what that is"
For every David Sedaris who proved to be of value as a writer there are likely hundreds of wretched people walking the earth because their parents were pathetic. I know so many new parents in my circles and I see them working diligently to be excellent at the job. Keep in mind you are watched and always with hopes that you will slip up so your child can begin masterminding the list of transgressions you willingly accept upon yourself in return for nasty vices and silly momentary satisfaction. You are being watched and your actions will be used against you.
Happy New Year and Please Don't Smoke Around Your Kids!
Holiday Meals in Colorado (it could have been Puglia)
Happy Holidays Blissful Reindeer!
Today I will not bombard you with anything more than images of a beautiful few days of holiday dining with our dear friends from Southern Italy.
As the four of us were fish out of water this Christmas we decided to celebrate together this important holiday; and around this house that means with great food and vino.
Laura Giordano was our guest chef and she along with her partner Antonello Losito own and operate The Cooking School La Cucina at Gelso Bianco in Puglia, Italy. Laura also authors the blog A Pinch of Italy.
Please enjoy the photos (and a slideshow) from a few blissful days.
The Apps - A selection of world cheeses and artisan condiments along with some lovely Riesling as well as Juliet's special holiday Chex Mix
The First Course (La Pasta)
Laura made from scratch a famous pasta from Sardinia called Zapuletas. These round discs of yummy were served with a rich mushroom sauce and were just amazing.
The Main Course - Dry-Aged Colorado Beef Tenderloin butter seared and seasoned with I Profumi di Chianti (a seriously seasoned salt from Panzano) and black pepper from Phu Quoc Island Vietnam. Some russet and sweet potatoes au-gratin along with an asparagus salad.
Dessert - These little Bigne' (cream puffs) came in vanilla, cinnamon, and amazing chocolate. The flavors took me right back to Rome in 1992.
The Wines- My last bottles of Koehler-Ruprect Riesling Kabinett and 2003 Run Rig. I had held on to the RR since my days at TTR. It is still the finest wine made in Australia IMO.
The Next Two Days - Laura and Antonello gave us an amazing Staub dutch oven for Xmas and I used it to make Ragu' della Carne Misto which was mostly wild boar and we devoured it along with a 2006 Brunello di Montalcino. Juliet rocked out a Pumpkin bread and we must have gained 5+ pounds over the weekend.
Cholon Modern Asian Bistro - Denver's Most Engaging Dining Experience
To celebrate the end of a formidable week and the beginning of our final two weeks in Colorado, Juliet and I decided to make the drive into Denver last night and partake in one of our most exciting and relaxing endeavors; fine dining :-) Since our trip to Hong Kong and Vietnam in March we tend to have rampant cravings for Asian food and Asian decorum.
Cholon Bistro delivers both with a marked western bent towards excellent service. As habitual restaurant diners and having been in and around the industry for most of my adult life my opinion of a restaurant more and more comes down to service and overall execution. Cholon reminds me of a symphony orchestra getting together for a jam session. In other words, the polish and execution are unquestionably exceptional and yet the team is relaxed, cheerful, and full of life as if no one is watching. This level of joy in the labor of food service and preparation was something I simply have not experienced in our 6 month exploration of Colorado dining. Cholon is simply doing it better than everyone else and it obviously stems from the spirit of executive chef Lon Symensma.
While being seated for our reservation at a 2 top among some of Denver's well-heeled I immediately noticed 2 places at the chef's counter in front of the kitchen were available and our hostess was quite pleased to offer them to us. I came to find out over the course of our 2+ hours that we had lucked into the best restaurant seats in Denver. As soon as I sat I noticed that Chef Symensma was calling orders to the line and expediting final plating immediately on my right. In essence, we were seated front and center for the food show and there is no other place we would rather be.
Of course Juliet and I broke out the iPhones and began a photography barrage as soon as we sat and our gracious host and chef commented that he enjoyed what we were doing which set in motion a great back and forth dialog over the course of the meal. It turns our Chef Symensma was trained at the CIA (among many other renowned locales) and had just returned from a 2 week teaching stint at his alma-mater's Singapore location. It was clear he enjoyed the systems he learned in school and working for the formidable Jean Georges Vongerichten, yet he and his team of high energy chefs were able to find a playfulness in the rigors of french culinary tradition. While Oui Chef was the affirmative used by the team when receiving orders from Symensma, the affected accents, engaging side banter, and obvious respect for the craft made the line seem like the happiest place in the world. This was not a belabored galley from the annals of Kitchen Confidential, this was Santa's Workshop and we were the kids with the golden tickets (I realize the fantasy misnomer here).
I only once looked back over my shoulder to see the faces of the masses in the dining room behind me. I was later told by a Cholon employee that diners often feel too intimidated to sit at the chef's counter. I was not surprised to hear this and at the same time I know it will change. Cholon is only a year into its life and Symensma believes Singapore to be the most exciting food city of earth and bringing the experiences of his training to bear on the citizens of Colorado will surely lead to a rush for these seats as word spreads round the country of what is happening here.
Now, for the food! Cholon's cuisine is inventive and yet completely familiar and comforting (assuming you know and eat Asian food). The culinary team delivers a streamlined menu without confusion, intended to be shared, and executed with aplomb. Juliet and I sat smiling each time our talented server, Hannah, delivered a recommendation or simply asked our thoughts (usually reading our mind). As the pace slowed during the waning business hours the line team began to break the fourth wall and playfully engaged Juliet and I. Their work had been an honest pleasure to watch. I must have seen 200+ plates leave the kitchen and every one of them was consistent, appetizing, and pored over by the chef and his athletic runner.
The wine list was precise and easy to gauge. There were several excellent Rieslings, a lovely Pichot Vouvray, and top flight Sake'. The prices were restaurant fair and certainly in line with the level of service and attention to detail. They also had Saigon beer from Vietnam which makes me happy just to see the label.
This was precisely the meal we needed to get back on our feet after such a tough week. Broths, judicious use of curries, lots of pork belly, and absolutely nothing heavy or heavy-handed made each dish feel like eating in a dream where one is never full and the joy does not cease. The team at Cholon is crazy about food. I chatted with our hostess for a few minutes on the way out and she was quite knowledgeable about the restaurant, the menu, and was ecstatic that we seemed to "get it". This simply does not happen. How Chef Symensma put this group together is a formula I wish he would bottle and sell. Great meals are like a continuous orgasm without the need for an opiate. This was a great meal and above all, a great experience.