My Plate or Yours?

Long Gone Restaurants

This post originally appeared in the Bloomington Herald Times on December 28, 2005

Another year's end, accompanied by that familiar, heady combination of fizzing anticipation for the fresh, untrammeled days ahead, laced with mellow, sweet nostalgia for those long gone. If there is ever a time for maudlin sentimentality, this would be it and, as always, I am just the one to wallow in it.

The particular memory lane I am wandering this year is a culinary one, triggered by the closing of a favorite restaurant - Tortilla Flat. I know the owner, Becky Wann, felt beleaguered by the unceasing demands of the restaurant business and eager to launch a new career in real estate. Still, I'll miss her eggplant burritos and ummm, that incredible Chile con Queso. No gluey processed cheese at Tortilla Flat, her queso dip was spicy, creamy, rich, coating the chip and dripping long stretchy strands of cheese. On cold winter nights it was a warm and melting bowl of comfort.

Upside Down Desserts

This post originally appeared in the Bloomington Herald Times on December 14, 2005

I guess I am just missing the pastry gene. In general, you know, I love to cook. Working in the kitchen teases and delights my senses, filling me with joy and with solace as I dice vegetables for rich stock, breath the earthy, steamy perfume of a pot of mushroom risotto, toss crisp greens with just the right amount of fruity olive oil and sea salt.

But with desserts I am ham-fisted; hours of frustrating labor are likely to leave me only with a kitchen liberally splattered with batter and something vaguely cake-like, listing alarmingly to one side of the plate.