Mobile social ride great times cap a typical saturday of active happiness. ballet fit in the morning awakes, strengthens & stretches. downtown market farming with stops to chat with Roberto, Sebastian, and the Dai Due crew leisurely entertain. last sunset valley farmers' market day Richardson Farms steak acquisition and tales of blue corn possibilities and wet fields.
To note: I was not able to find one copy of the Oxford American after visiting three book stores /sigh: I guess on-line shopping is indeed best (direct ordering costs only 5.95 from the comfort of home).
Compiling market acquired (& other local ingredients) in brunch form is one of the most rewarding enjoyable practices of the day. Nothing quite like cooking imminently with acquisitions to accentuate the excitement and reinforce the discussions had with farmers and folks.
Mobile social rides have grown from in the neighborhood of 20 people when we (I was conceptually and loosely involved at the beginning) started back just over a year ago to routinely more than several hundred folks now. amazing (& I can take no credit for any of it as I typically have to miss the Thursday night rides in favor of long standing (6 years!?) softball traditions). Acting as a ride leader is rewarding, fun & a whole different type of responsible dynamic (especially in this group. Yesterday I was able to help the googlemaps bicycle group (marketing & engineers that created the program who flew in from Seattle for sxsw interactive and attended the ride) change a flat and then escort them around town catching up with the main portion of the ride. It's always nice to welcome out-of-town folks to our city and be the best hosts possible (something that I wholly appreciate when I visit other cities and that which leaves lasting impressions). After two hours of city sun riding, free beer, raffles, & swag under a mellow johnny's tent. new out of town folks were amazed by the greatness of this (now familiar) city along with the fact that free beer was available for more that two hours with minimal lines (new belgium beer is an great supportive brewery & company!).
great days such as this have afternoons that cumulate with sunset home cycling, lola happy greetings with rewarded neighborhood hill running. further farmer market short order cooking with Zhi Oolong favorites and music (transitioning into the rewarding Up film) yield a happy tired leg relaxed self. great well rested dreams.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
urban saturday
Saturday, March 13, 2010
happy chen
small hole in the wall favorite locate in my favorite triangle of food (southeast corner of 183 & McNeal / Spicewood along with Samberts & Asia Cafe.
handmade noodles cut to order convey a warmth and cozy feeling hard to describe.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
planned banh mi
once upon a time lunch was mother morning made and packed into either a sturdy (ranging from metal to plastic) lunchbox with possible thermos accompaniment and toted to work or school where it was placed in a safe corner for several hours while lessons were learned or tasks were toiled.
eventually boxes of lunch gave way to cafeteria and restaurant fare enabled both by the ease associated with acquired lunches and the subsidization of food.
it seems that folks have transitioned to regard lunch as a type of pit-stop meal where the quality and enjoyment of food is not paramount as is a pivot point in the day mandated by those who create schedules.
finding a balance between those two while remaining productive remains a challenge.
shown: a desk banh mi (favorite vietnamese sandwich) interpretation created from the following:
Walton's demi baguette
Countryside pork loin
Boggy Creek greens
Full Quiver Farms kimchi
Dai Due liverwurst
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Service up
an afternoon of busy usual things: balletfit flexibility; balanced single speed commute night cycling; a mug of craft pale ale camping planning with friends.
unknown dinner plans and Foer's 'Everything is Illuminated' waiting leads to short order fridge cooking. it surprises and entertains that the ingredients, techniques and skills are in place to transform the best of local ingredients into what I humbly consider a very fine meal. the dilemma is that with such revelations come the expectations and understanding that a certain cost structure and price point exist; and at this juncture it is either worthwhile to partake & purchase well made quality food or that one is paying an unreasonable premium for substandard average tasting, overpriced, unhealthy & unsustainable fare...
Monday, March 1, 2010
pedernales falls
the coming of spring; slowly.
plenty of fall & winter rains allow for hill country bubbling falls, flowing talkative rivers & blooming wildflowers.
happy respite outside of the concrete jungle of busy schedules & routines.
Friday, February 26, 2010
lagoa bisque
the cheese balls (pão de queijo): amazing sublime taste and texture: a cross of gnocchi & Mochi ice cream. three varietals
soup, yucca frites, pastels (multitudes of types): all perfectly balanced
go
Thursday, February 25, 2010
French 76
preferred with just a twist of lemon; but still one of the best cocktails. discovered more than a year ago at the favorite, but not as often currently visited, Peche.
French 76 - a combination of the 75 & 77
gin, fresh lemon juice, st germain & champagne
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
2010 carnival brasileiro
2010_carnivalbrasileiro
Originally uploaded by .solo.
Friday, February 19, 2010
By morning
nevertheless: almost decade old wandering memories and appreciation of things progressed and slowly dynamic things that can still be appreciated.
which brings us to the Amarillo burger at Casino el Camino. still hand-formed and cooked to order (they do properly prepare medium rare). no longer the hand cut fries as the popularity and demand along with the small staff & kitchen make such volume inefficient & not quite affordable. the same staff: kind & talkative if properly related; surly and curt if pressed durning typical rush times or by drunkenly disorganized & demanding customers.
relax with a cold bottle and burger and peruse the excellent jukebox or take in whatever dark movie is showing on one of the two TVs above the bar.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Hens up
boggy creek coop & morning chicken waking
relaxed farming conversation regarding various plantings, pickings & tabled diners in the field by local food folks.
frosted morn warmed yet again by barrie's excellent chocolate croissant & local coffee in conjunction with this week's colorful tasty beet & carrot resupply.
stay tuned
Monday, February 15, 2010
Horrible no good productive day (opposite
a productive happy yet semi-solitary weekend of enjoyment. the usual of new exploratory things mixed with friend adventures & relaxing. overall sun, warmth & a bit of accomplishment.
this would be the summit of weekend fare: friday was a mix of cheese acquisitions & trailered lingua specials; saturday bought morning market acquisitions; tea resupply & brazilian tastings. greenbelt & siesta adventures. sunday was enjoyed with marathoning misty sunrise excursions correlated with brunching rewards and half-day sun outdoor wanderings. siesta sojourns and lazy nights of valentine still motivated culinary creativity. morning monday routines prefaces nights of finery shown:
cheeses: four & cured meats: two by antonelli's (specific available - excellent
countryside duck egg & boggy creek chervil with seasoned seaweed
sautéed yellow boggy beets & beet greens
walton's rye bread
full quiver kimchi
loire tabled white
Friday, February 12, 2010
Cheese!
second day of operation: inaugural visit.
loved.
following a passion of artisan cheeses, meats, vino, beer & other fineries. great neighborhood setting. amazing staff ecstatic about sharing tasteful worlds through samples & conversation.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
colliding colors
my favorite new tradition.
relaxed sleeping in (as much as 7 am with lola allotments); meandering neighborhood morning constitutional that reminisce of happy places wandered: eastern european city walls; canal towpath & english/welsh gardens; tide-swept sun rising beaches; silent ancient forest & conversing bubbling rivers.
rested & happy self prepared; setting off with music / news eastward; lazily weaving through neighborhoods and arriving to final pickings & tabled placements with fresh dewed produce. fully awaked cheerful farmer greetings & affirming morning welcoming rooster solos.
fresh coffee mug filled leads to growing conversations and reviews of the mini-seasons that encompass a week. favorites fondled & nibbled; choice pieces picked.
weighed & counted tallies allow monetary exchanges to complete; fresh morning pastry treats selected for immediate reward. circuitous recessional route back to auto allows fields & coop perimeter appreciation. produce stowed and the merging back into a regular morning commute schedule.
all with a comprehensive smile and cycled life affirmations
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
a few of my favorite things
an odd way to start the day?
oothu white - zhi tea
green onion, carrot - boggy creek
raw milk colby - full quiver farms
duck egg - countryside farm
chicken egg & wheat - richardson farms
smoke kiss
super bowl gastronomic day of food and excess:
finally a perfect time to experiment with a whole rabbit. typically quartered and sauteed / oven finished the opportunity now presents itself for a long slow oak smoke.
marinade of mustard seeds (black & yellow), calvados, dandelion greens, sorrel, pepper & coriander.
three hours between 230-250 (windy day of damp wood) followed by a tight wrap oven finish to bring to temp (155) yielded a beautiful sweet yet smokey moist meat.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
reward
couldn't decide on a cheese to accompany.
likely an aged goat.
a goal
Saturday, February 6, 2010
a bus I'd take
how to describe?!
a day:
begin with relaxed sloped lawn mid morn (post farmers market) coffee and delicate pastry conversations and shared tastings. add slaloming cross town smiling week hiding sun biking. new passionate indian trailer crushed glass patio feet-on-chair indian food sampling. affirmations and smiled welcomes of future patronage. headphone insertion & friend-meet-up; sampling plate of shared entrepreneurial culinary excellence. discussions of ideas & possibilities. taped exchanges. neighborhood full rollings to things yet unseen. magical school bbq stories of beginning and introductions of possibilities & sharing of local meat purveyors. unanticipated success & meat congregation. favorite patio rio relaxing with books & surprise friend transitional making; a town loved. cozy storied familiar finish: knowing that all days are new & offer endless opportunities of happy life experience