Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
—Robert Frost
V and I went La Cucina Flegrea on Murray Avenue for a decade and then it closed. We had missed going there for the Spaghetti Arugula and Rigatoni in Vodka Sauce. J and I took a cooking class there, you might remember that post click here
Well, Chef Anna is back and she was glad to see us. Our first visit to the new place. She opened last November but it was Laura’s wedding and all. It was my friend R who told me about this new location. Here is the website for the new one, complete with menu-La Cucina Flegrea to downtown’s Market Square. We were celebrating V’s birthday. Happy birthday V!
We started with the 5 Fagioli soup and then because we ordered the Baccalá with Sweet Onion and Shrimp Sauce, a Mozzarella Wagon with Fresh Tomato sauce came as an appetizer- 4 balls of mozzarella breaded and fried and accompanied by a delicious sauce. Here’s a shot of the Asparagus with all the lovely, succulent crab meat on it.
Dessert was Baba au Ruhm. Whipped cream and raspberries, a rum sugar sauce. And a cup of hot tea.
It was a happy birthday dinner and we were glad to eat at La Cucina Flegrea again. Everything was delicious.
With the sun sinking as I was headed to Swissvale to deliver Girl Scout cookies for Anna, I saw Carrie Furnace and the river in a warm glow. I pulled into the Rivers of Steel parking lot and got out of the car and photographed a few shots of the reflection. And then I saw the full moon in the frame! Good to return to a location shot before and to try to capture a different light and scene. No barge today. A travel channel video on the history and a tour of Carrie Furnace is here. The autumn view is here.
The phone rang after six. My eldest son was on business and saw a sign that said Pittsburgh 35 miles, so he cancelled his hotel reservation and drove to the city. (So that is why his wife called earlier to see what I was doing)YIKES! I was boiling a pot of water for some Spinach Ravioli but Mark is on the Paleolithic diet these days. No grain! The tiredness I felt from a school day dissipated as I got in the car and drove the two miles to the Whole Foods Market where I bought some Grass Fed Beef, Organic Garnet Yams, (I had two zucchini at home and a jar of coconut oil which I hadn’t even tried yet) and got back home to fire up the broiler, pronto! Got out the cast iron skillet for the zucchini slices, chopped up some romaine I had already washed and drained. Pulled it together in no time at all. As I set the dining room table he said he would rather eat in the kitchen so we did.And there we were eating in the kitchen and the house came alive again. We used his iPad and Face Time to talk with the kids before they went to bed and we had a happy time together.
VOILA- a quick Paleo approved meal- this is the son who baked the Carrot Cake, Paleo Style.
For dessert we had coconut milk frozen Mint Chip with No Sugar Added.
From the Paleo Food website gluten-free, grain-free, bean-free, potato-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. (they are eating some dairy still)
Ingredients used: meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruit, berries, mushrooms, herbs and spice seeds. Oh yes,after dinner he showed me the you tube of Derek Redmond and his father from the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Tears rolling down my cheeks. Mark said he wants to be that kind of father. And he also played me a couple of Seekers songs as he remembers my cassette tape of them singing Someday, One Day, Right now he is sleeping in the room across the hall, to get up at 5 AM to get to somewhere in Ohio, early. I feel fortunate.A classy restaurant we’ve driven by on a daily basis but never stopped to dine.
Celebrating 19 years- our unanniversary- a solid friendship and steadfast companionship, not sure where all that time has gone but there we were in East Liberty and we headed to SPOON.
What we ate- the service was excellent and even though we weren’t ordering up the Foie Gras or the Tasting Menu or a Magnum of Champagne, they treated us hospitably and did not make us feel out of place as we were “walk-ins” and didn’t have reservations which would be a good idea for future visits.
Breadbasket: warm cream cheese chive biscuits/baguette and warm muffins
garden vegetable baby mix green salad: Golden Harvest Farm baby mix greens, fresh garden vegetables, champagne vinaigrette
Spoon burger: 8 oz. Kobe beef, aged white cheddar cheese, parmesan + herb fries, challah bun
Too full for the desserts but they sounded wonderful.
White snow on white fur. Too bright, the reflected light. But what looks like just a pile of snow is some white fake fur puddled on the sidewalk as I got out of the car to go into school Monday morning.
In Laura and James’ neighborhood, I see a lot of people lined up at this food truck whenever it is open- Ray Ray’s Hog Pit in Clintonville. I read that on Sunday they feature a special of grass fed beef brisket. Laura and James are veg so we’ve eaten at the Whole World Natural Restaurant & Bakery across the street or at their home. But one of these visits I am going to get in this line and see why everyone is willing to wait in the chill air, order up and eat! It must be really good. In fact, I think one weekend I should make a tour of Columbus Food Trucks Here is one review
A busy picture. So busy I –
transformed it to black and white due to the wild colors, stripes, patterns and conflicting light. Caught with the iPhone without a flash, just a snippet of the fun I enjoy with the grandchildren when I visit. Now the boys say they want a campout with grandma but I think it is my iPod touch they want to use to watch a cartoon. We’re in the basement guest room. Maura(3) looks around and says,”There are no windows.” That’s true, not in this room. Hope no one wakes up at 3 AM and is missing his or her own bed.
Reflection in a spoon was my granddaughter’s (8) idea. She went to the kitchen drawer and pulled out a soup spoon and showed me the distortion. We tried the bottom of a stainless mixing bowl, too. She was at her desk, drawing before bed and we tried the spoon one more time and she rolled her eyes. And since she was upside down I am flipping the picture so you can see. Most weeks I am pulling from the archives but this week’s challenge required a set up shot to respond.
To see fellow bloggers’ interpretations there is a list of ping backs if you scroll down
Flat Ruthie got in on the challenge this week, too.
T
Here I am celebrating by wearing the Cat in the Hat Costume. Click to see post