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I'm going to see if I can get through this post without ranting about something. I know part of my problem: I've taken to browsing through Op/Ed pieces in various on-line publications and there always seems to be a plentiful display of ignorance available for my reading pleasure, begging for a skewering. But for now, I'll turn a blind eye and stick to nicer subjects
Like last night. I left the office around 5:45 and went to Fork, a restaurant near my condo. I usually spend copious amounts of time at Fork during the summer months - they have some nice tables outside where I can sit, read, eat a light dinner and breathe in the bus fumes along Market Street. When it's colder, I occasionally go in and sit at the bar and read. Chris the Bartender and I talked about the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show - he gave me the Home & Garden section of yesterday's NY Times to read.
Factoid: Philadelphia's Flower Show is the largest and most well-regarded indoor flower show in the world. It is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and has been going on since 1829. Admission price: $20-$24.
Holy Schnikes, Batman! That's half the cost of a ticket to Disneyland! And while I have been to the Flower Show in the past and it's pretty cool, it's no Magic Kingdom. Besides, the convention center is all concrete floors and my legs just ache after walking the whole show. So, I think I'll have to take a pass this year.
Anyway, back to dinner. I had a warm mozzarella, radicchio and endive salad with balsamic dressing - it was, ehhh, OK. There have been one or two exceptional dishes Fork has had over the last five years, but this wasn't one of them. Oh well. I spent some time talking to Ellen Yin, the restaurant's owner. Her boyfriend owns a place across the street from THE HOUSE so she always stops by to chat when I come in.
Despite the so-so food, I do like the atmosphere of the restaurant. It's convenient, the people are friendly, they let me taste the wine I order by the glass to see if I like it first, and Chris always lights a few extra candles to put near my spot so I can read my magazine.
Last night's magazine was Metropolitan Home. Love that one - very much my taste, for the most part. They're having a New Home Contest later this spring - maybe THE HOUSE will be done in time? Or not. Anyway, one of the articles in the back of the mag seemed a bit out of place, but it was interesting. It was about a website called Seafoodchoices that warns about species of seafood that are in danger of being over-fished or threatened. But instead of getting all, well, PETA, about it, they give a brief description of the problem and provide recommendations for possible substitutes, as well as recipes. Just food for thought, or perhaps that should be "thought for food."
Oh, and they had a link to another site urging conservation of Caspian Sea Sturgeon - the source of the majority of the world's caviar. Again, valid points and instead of demanding that the world stop eating caviar, they offer alternatives - some of the sturgeon and paddlefish farmed in the US provide excellent caviar without threatening a species' population. But the best part was their home page - Caviar Emptor: Roe To Ruin.
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Quote du jour:
"Wit ought to be a glorious treat, like caviar.
Never spread it about like marmalade."
-- Noel Coward (1899 - 1973)
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