Monday, May 31, 2010
Graduation Dinner
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sushi and Fries
Chris and I haven’t had sushi since we left San Francisco. I will admit that although I enjoy it every once in a while, I rarely crave it and almost never search it out unless I’m really hungry.
In SF we would occasionally walk two blocks up the street to Osaka to grab a bite. The appeal there was always the service. The owners also work on the floor as servers and chefs. They are kind and welcoming to everyone, especially regular patrons. I think, more than the food, we were missing our old routine a bit, missing the bustle of our neighborhood restaurant and the warm smiles that greeted us there for so many years.
Knowing that the vibe here on the Cape is much different, we set out hungry with very few expectations. We decided to go to Mac’s Seafood on Wellfleet Harbor. We knew they had sushi because we had been once before and that was reason enough to check it out again.
The evening was cool, but absolutely beautiful. We parked the car, walked up to the patio and were greeted by a smiling host. We were dressed for the weather and decided we’d be warm enough outside at the bar. I love to dine outdoors and I’m much happier at the bar. Perfect!
As we seated ourselves the bartender greeted Chris by his first name. It turns out he is a friend from high school who Chris had not seen in years, Ethan. We chatted, ordered dirty vodka martinis, looked at the menu and began to relax.
The martinis were great. Ethan was engaging and helpful. The bar was buzzing but not crowded like it can be in full summer swing. We decided on a few pieces of raw fish, a tuna roll and grilled yellow tail collar (not sushi, but one of my favorite dishes). Finally we added a side of salty, thick cut fries to fill our empty bellies.
We sat talking with each other, taken care of by a familiar face, eating our sushi and French fries on Cape Cod. The air smelled of salt, sand and spring flowers. The music was classic rock that transported us back to being twenty-one and free. The food hit the spot.
Leaving the comfort of our well-established lives in California was a big decision. As we move forward here on the East coast, we know there will be times when we long for aspects of that life. It was so nice to discover that even at those times we might be able to slip into a new, but familiar, routine here that is just as satisfying.
If you haven’t had sushi and fries… I recommend it.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Saving up Stories
Monday, May 17, 2010
leftovers
Friday, May 14, 2010
Simple Stuff
Tonight I'm in charge of the salad. Salad is my absolute favorite. The greener the better I say!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Macaroni and Cheese
Monday, May 10, 2010
Grandma's Spaghetti and Meatballs
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Feed the Bird
I try to make dinner every night. I have a lot of recipe ideas and dinner is an excuse to test them out. Most of the time I'm working with pretty simple stuff. On nights like tonight I'm not recreating some elaborate gourmet meal or trying a complicated or foreign technique for the first time. I just want to put something together that is nourishing and tasty.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Getting Lost
We left for the Cape a week ago yesterday. Our plan was to stay a couple of days to help Chris' family with some moving.
What happened? Why are we still here?
Well, I'm pretty sure we're lost.
The Cape can whisk you away without the least effort, leading you down paths you rarely allow yourself time to explore. You wind your way through days and sometimes weeks, stopping frequently for only the simplest pleasures. You are isolated in the most welcoming of ways. It is all encompassing and very hard to leave.
We have spent our days moving furniture and sifting through boxes of memories long forgotten in the attic. We raked innumerable piles of pine needles from the yard, built our first garden from scratch and spring cleaned the cottage. We have taken our time talking to friends, family and the occasional stranger about any and every topic imaginable. And, we have cooked and shared some wonderfully simple meals.
A warm salad of frisee, arugula, crisp bacon, roasted potatoes and a perfectly poached egg was a great late night bite. Linguine with oven roasted tomatoes, grilled fennel, tarragon cream sauce and seared scallops turned out quite yummy. Chris's perfectly grilled steak with a warm pasta salad hit the spot after a long day out in the yard. And, homemade pea soup warmed our bodies and souls on a particularly cold and blustery spring evening.
We were supposed to drive back today but, here we are pushing our stay one more day.
It is warm and rainy. The trees that were bare bones just a day or so ago have soft, new leaves. The air smells like summer, cut grass, wet pavement and marshy salt.
We've left the cottage to access the Internet in hopes that a little taste of 'the real world' will help us to find our way back, off the Cape.
Maybe tomorrow :)