Salty / Savory / Sweet

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Back at it

Soft serve sampler from Momofuku Milk Bar in the East Village: horchata, red velvet, old-fashioned donut, cereal milk flavors; caramelized corn flakes, toasted coconut, and cinnamon sugar toppings. Consumed, with friends, January 2011.

Readers, I've mentioned this before, but you really don't know how sad I was that I was unable to keep up Salty/Savory/Sweet for the last few years. Those of you who follow me (anyone still out there?) know that I rely on this blog to serve as a document of my adventures, both in eating and in life, as well as a record of my success or failure with the recipes I try. Unfortunately, the work involved in pursuing my fiction MFA degree while teaching simply made regular attention to this blog impossible. It's all appropriate, I suppose, but it didn't make my prolonged departure from this venue any easier.

Polish meal at Karczma in Greenpoint, Brooklyn: white borchst; pickle soup; stuffed cabbage; pierogis; kielbasa; sauteed cabbage; and roasted ham hock in beer. Consumed, with friends, January 2011. We followed this meal with donuts from Peter Pan.

But hey! I've submitted and defended my thesis, and am due to graduate at the end of the semester. My workload has lessened, which means I now—finally—have time again to restart this blog. So stay tuned, willya? Posts on recent Denver-area eating are forthcoming: a buffet at a casino nestled deep in the mountains; a burger so large and juicy that I needed a stack of napkins to consume it; a cream-cheese frosted cinnamon roll as large as my face; and a buffalo wing joint that also serves an extensive menu of Cambodian and Indonesian food. An upcoming weekend in Taos, New Mexico promises encounters with Pueblo green chili and the slopper, and I'll also be back in NYC for a visit in May, armed with a long list of places I want to try or revisit.

Hotpot at home: consumed, with family, Christmas 2010. Who needs ham or a roasted bird?

In the meanwhile, here are the rest of the Coloradoan restaurant profiles I've written since the last roundup:

"Big Al's Burgers and Dogs serves up satisfying fare"
"A Mediterranean feast awaits diners in Old Town"
"Ace Gillette's Lounge indulges sophisticated pleasures"
"BBQ Buffet: Nordy's a comfort food haven"

"Vincent Heavenly Pies and Pasta serve it up in an elegant atmosphere"
"Farmer's Table fills you up with no-fuss comfort food"
"Souza's Smokin' BBQ should be on your radar"
"Fresh choices make Little Bird Bakeshop irresistible"

So there it is—I'm excited, are you? See you soon!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Well, well, well

Hi, everyone.

There is so much I've missed writing about over the last year: visits from friends and family; celebrations of birthdays and holidays; the successful completion of my first year teaching college composition; travels to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.

Over the last twelve months there were meals like the the omakase at Zenkichi; the fried chicken lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar; the Colorado reuben (made with buffalo meat) at Choice City Butcher & Deli; dips and Greek pasta at Kefi; a classic Greek feast at Taverna Kyclades; steak frites at Le Relais de Venise; and dinner at the "secret" Japanese restaurant Bohemian…as well as all the awesome things I ate while in Asia.

There were also recipes I never posted, like for butter mochi; banh mi–style hot dogs; honey-soy baked chicken wings; Gruyère and black pepper cream scones; a roast of brussel sprouts, bacon, and butternut squash; pad see ew; pao de queijo; cinnamon buns; and bacon and bleu cheese cornbread. Thinking about all of these omissions pains me greatly, but I'm gradually accepting that there will be no catching up for a while, and no way that I can make up the complete backlog. I'll just have to pick up again once my thesis is completed.

Which will all be soon, of course. My last year in graduate school is going to fly by, much too fast, and be over before I know it. My consolation is that blogging about these events will give me something to remember later, but it won't actually fix things in time. What else to do, then, but simply enjoy myself while I can?

Missing you all,
Soopling