Happy Birthday...again

If there is something better than this, I don't know what it is. Happy Birthday, again, to my son!

Quickly read through A year in Provence by Peter Mayle this weekend. I can't imagine anything more ideal than the life he is describing there...and the food, God...of course, I really read it for the food...

The Center of the Universe

Well, maybe not that, but I do live in a very ideal, central location. Too bad my landlord makes it clear he does NOT want me around. The sprinklers set to go off everyday at 6:30pm (the time I get home) are not very welcoming.

So, yesterday a bunch of us decided to go to Perricone's Marketplace for dinner for their $10 pasta night (every Thursday). When I Google mapped it, I realized it was within walking distance. I live super close to Brickell and Mary Brickell Village (and no, I do NOT live on Brickell...I'm really broke, I don't say that for literary effect) but I never realized it was only a 15 minute walk. So, my friends parked where I live (across the street because I've been asked to NOT park in front of the house) and were baptized by sprinkler juice. Luckily, they are cooler than average people.

We walked over to Perricone's in no time at all. How green and healthy of us!

The place is very pretty. We were seated outside, but they have the outdoor area enclosed in a clear plastic that kept us safely entombed from the humidity and vegetation and keeps in the A/C, so it was very comfortable, temperature-wise. I do like being able to SEE my food, and the twinkly Christmas lights don't do much for that, but I guess it's good if you are trying to look attractive on a date. I wouldn't much enjoy this.

We ordered the Baked Brie en Croute for an appetizer. It was fine (it was one of those nights where everything was fine but nothing stood out) but I preferred the free bruschetta, even though the bread they gave us was not toasted. I'm just not a big fan of sweet food, I think.

Out of all of us, I think my dinner was best. I had the Seafood Linguine and it was good, not too fishy. Two other friends has the Fiocchi Gorgonzola, which had a nice balance between the sharp cheese and sweet pears but the flavor didn't seem complex enough, somehow. Wendy had the Homemade Potato Gnocchi and in the words of Monger, "It is what it is". Gnocchi does not thrill me, though it was very soft, tender gnocchi. With the Quattro formaggi sauce it just was bland, as was the Crab Bisque she had as well. We had to each take two tastes of the soup to even form a judgement, it was just so lacking. Evil G said it tasted like they had squeezed the salt water right out of the crab.

The best part of the night was just realizing how close this area was to home. And of course, good friends.

I watched The Wrestler on DVD last night and it was as heartbreaking and sad as I'd imagined. The style was simple, realistic and eloquent, and Rourke did an thorough job portraying this lonely and broken down character.

Resistance is Futile

Went to Harvey's on Saturday (it's like our Cheers) to watch the football game (or in my case, studiously avoid watching it) but their cable was out. So, we were hanging out, drinking, when goths began trickling in. Suddenly the black tarps covering the entrances made sense. Resistance had come to Harvey's. Shawn explained it's a traveling club apparently run by the guy who started the Kitchen Club, back in the day. I can't remember that last time I was in a club and did NOT feel like the oldest person around. Music was awesome and we were already in by the time they started charging a cover. Score!

On Sunday, I had dinner with Wendy and E.G. By dinner I mean I ate Taco Bell and watched Wendy eat garlic crabs. Me? I just don't want to work that hard for my food. We watched Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, which was surprisingly funny for the stupid comedy genre.

Shibui and then some

I had a nice, full, day off yesterday. I went to my super duper cheap place to get my nails done ($20, hands and feet!) and as I was sitting in the chair, pondering what to do after, I got a text from Wendy. She wanted to know if I wanted to go thrifting in Broward with her. Uh...yeah? Of course!
As she impressed me with her superior navigation skills, (no map! just an address!) I admired my gorgeous toe nails. So pretty! We hit three thrift stores but I think the best one by far was American Thrift Store. It was super crowded and pretty stinky, but it had some great selections, a lot of the more inexpensive labels like Old Navy and Abercrombie and Fitch. I got some Gap pants and a couple of sweaters, and some shorts for my son. They had a huge selection of winter wear and suits. I know, I know, it's Miami, but we do have a handful of cold days in the winter...and if you are traveling North this winter, you may as well not spend too much on clothes for your trip! The best thing of all, however, were the prices. Very cheap to start off with, a lot of items were 50% off. I got nine pieces for $22!
By then we were hungry, so went to Tijuana Flats in Cooper City for lunch. Honestly, it was a rather meh meal. I had a spinach and artichoke quesadilla and Wendy a steak quesadilla. The filling in mine tasted just like artichoke and spinach dip, which was to be expected, I suppose, but it was just too creamy. I like to have some texture in a quesadilla to offset the creaminess from the melted cheese...they did have a huge hot sauce bar if that is your kind of thing, and the service was great. The girl cleaning up the dining room was very attentive and friendly, and they refilled our drinks for free :)
After that Wendy dropped me at my car I had to go straight to my next appointment, a Reiki circle Allegra told me about. Hey, I'll try anything once. It was at Five Sisters in Pinecrest, on South Dixie Highway. I happen to love all that new age-y, hippie stuff, I just don't believe in it very much. The store is cute and smelled yummy, and everyone there had those gentle, spaced-out smiles. The Reiki master led us in a guided meditation, then the four Reiki masters there did Reiki on us. I can't say I felt all that much except extremely relaxed, to the point of being tired. My eyes did NOT want to stay open. The guy who did me said he felt something at my throat and solar plexus chakras. Good to know. It was over at 8:30pm, and then I drove straight over to Sunset. I had dinner reservations at nine at Shibui Japanese Restaurant with Monger and Lydia.
I actually got there first, and we got seated right away. We do serious eating at Shibui, all of us being sushi fans, hungry, and enamored of their (relatively) cheap prices. We got a ton of food to share: Hijiki, Age-tofu, and Crab Shu Mai to start, then the Spicy Tuna Roll, the Illegal Roll, the Louisiana Roll, the Tuna Sushi sandwich, and a bunch of nigiri. Everything was tasty but the best thing by far was the Tuna Sushi sandwich. It was like tuna tartar filling in sushi rice "bread". It made a party in my tummy. I love waiters that give you an opinion, so our waiter was perfect. When I asked for the Spicy Tuna roll, she asked if I wanted spicy mayo or red sauce. Like I know...so I asked her what was better and she said mayo with no hesitation. She was the one that recommended the Tuna Sushi sandwich as well.
I got home by 11pm or so, so I was out of the house officially for about 13 hours straight. Success! Since I was out so long I didn't have a chance to eat my Crab and Asparagus soup leftovers, so Allegra and I can partake of that at lunch time...leftovers! It's like having money in the bank!
Oh, I saw Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist on DVD the previous night. It was a good complement to the book, which I read as well. Charming, sweet, envy-inducing (how many teenagers really have that much fun on any given night?). And, I don't care that Michael Cera is always playing himself. I like that self.

Crab and Asparagus Soup

After my decomposing strawberry cake disaster, it's nice to meet with a little success. I made this last night:

Crab and Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
½ pound fresh asparagus
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp finely chopped shallots or onions
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
1 egg, well beaten
¼ pound cooked lump crabmeat, or one 6 oz can, drained
2 tbsp thinly slice green onion
1 tsp cilantro (optional but good)
½ tsp ginger (optional but good)
1 tbsp soy sauce (optional but good)
Directions
Trim asparagus, cutting each stalk crosswise diagonally into 1 inch pieces, leaving tips intact (you should have about 2 cups).
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for 1 minute, and then add asparagus, shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the shallots and garlic are fragrant and the asparagus shiny and bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, stirring to make a thin, smooth, paste. Add it to the soup. Stir the soup well and drizzle in the beaten egg, letting it swirl to form lacy shreds in the hot broth. Add the crabmeat and stir well. Add optional ingredients if using. Sprinkle in the green onion, remove the soup from the heat, and serve hot or warm.

This recipe is from Quick & Easy Vietnamese. The optional ingredients are ones I found in OTHER recipes for Crab & Asparagus soup that sounded like they would be good in THIS recipe...and they were! This tasted like something you could get as take-out which to me, means good.

Forgive me, for I have sinned

I let myself be manipulated into going to Five Guys Burger and Fries, a chain restaurant on South Beach, instead of doing the responsible thing and going to the independently owned Cheeseburger Baby right across the street. Allegra, my fashion muse and good angel (sits on the right shoulder), reprimanded me but I reminded her that I am quite as easily manipulated by her, though not for evil purposes, at least.

I had the Little Cheeseburger with ketchup, mayo, grilled onions and mushrooms, lettuce, pickles and tomatoes. All toppings are included at no extra cost. It was NOT like Wendy's as Allegra so cuttingly remarked. It was good but not the best burger I've had, just better than fast food burgers. It's no In-N-Out, for sure. They had sacks of potatoes lying around to emphasize the point that their fries are not frozen, and all the peanuts in shell you can eat/carry home. It was certainly inexpensive.

I'm not sure what the penance for this kind of transgression is. Maybe a trip to a farmer's market will cut it.

Jimmy'z Kitchen

I have to write about this amazing salad my coworker got from Jimmy'z Kitchen. As I type the amazing aroma is filling our cramped office space and the taste of the bite she gave me is lingering in my mouth. We can't stop saying how good it is! I almost wish she hadn't given me a taste because now that I know how good it is I won't stop thinking about it, but, they do say: Better to have loved and lost than not loved at all. Anyway.

She's having the Jerked Chicken Breast Salad that comes with mango, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and almonds. The chicken here plays her proper role as wallflower to the more vivacious and spicy-but-not-too-spicy jerk seasoning. Um, um, um!

Julia, Julie, and Panfiore

Went to see the Julie/Julia Project with some friends last night. Met up at Harveys first for drinkies, then grabbed some sandwiches from Panfiore, a sandwich place right under the movie theater at Lincoln Road mall. I had the Cappuccetto Rosso, a roast beef sandwich, while my friends went for the standard vegetarian options of tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and avocado added. We were the envy of everyone as we opened those sandwiches during the movie, which you DON'T want to watch hungry.

The sandwiches were great, the movie? Not so much. It was ok, especially the parts with Julia rather than Julie. I read the book and I felt that the author's voice seemed much more realistic and engaging in her book. The movie version of Julie seemed flat and fake. Meryl Streep as Julia was hilarious and dead-on, though. Well, it's to be expected...Meryl Streep versus Amy Adams...anyone would suffer in comparision.

Hazy Recollections of Last Night

Of course, went to ladies night at Harveys. A nice lady has started selling food there, and my coworker and I shared a respectable plate of roast chicken and fried rice for just $6! One of my weekly meal decisions is taken care of, at least. After way too much drinking and hanging out with the fill-in bartender, Brian, we headed on down to the Magnum Lounge. I've really got to go back there sober. It has great lounge-y atmosphere, some piano player dude, and it was almost empty. I got a round of drinks for my group: 4 mixed drinks for $31, not bad at all, plus had to chance to flirt outrageously with the cutest damn bartender I've ever seen. No, that's not just the drinks talking, either. Alas, he was unapproachable for several important reasons but still a treat to just look at. I hear the food there is good so, yes, need to go back sober. I think we ended up swimming at some point after this but my recollection of the night is hazy at that point.