ketchup

no actually that should be catch up! Which is what I will try to do with this post because it has been two weeks I think since I have been on... catching up on summer beach reads and hanging with my cat when it is too hot to be outdoors.

here is a quick rundown of what has happened since the reception - we returned home on Jun 25 and because it was a beautiful evening we went to Resi's for dinner so we could eat outside.  this is a geezer bar in our neighborhood that just happens to serve a pretty good plate of schnitzel and fried potatoes in a lovely backyard!

the next day was our 17th wedding anniversary - we had a casual dinner at Band of Bohemia where the winning dish was still the amazing eggplant naan! but the foie gras ice cream sandwich was very worthy!

so that was Tuesday night- by Friday we were back on the streets so to speak and meeting up with Shari and Kevin at Jibek Jolu a place in the hood for Kyrgyz food - excellent - we ate lots and took almost no photos but everything we ordered was terrifically prepared!

every ONE of the things we ordered was worth checking out...

 the next night we met up with wine friends at a "fave" out in the northwest part of the city - Cafe Marbella - sorry no photos except the wines LOL

then the following night (July 1st) we headed to the Konro pop up supper club - and met two great dining companions in Neil and Ian... hope to see them again....

since we did not get a menu I am hard pressed to remember every course  - ha ha ha ha maybe not more than a few-

a fish course- with tiny noodles rolled into a croissant shape...

cured tuna course with egg

pork course

incredible sweetbreads - my favorite course I think...

duck - maybe Phil's favorite

a wonderful cheese course with the best "cheeto" ever...

palate cleanser

my dessert and Phil's - because I am allergic to coconut I got one with spruce ice cream and Phil and the rest of the diners got one with a coconut custard...

so that brought us to July and on the 2nd we dinner with Zack and Becky and their girls Abby (6) and Maya (3)... On the 3rd we went to friends Richard and Irene's ....

on the 4th of July after a late lunch of BBQ from BBQ supply and then terrific custard from Lickety Split - once it was dark, we went to neighbors to see the fireworks from the rooftop of our building (where the 4th floor residents have their larger decks - our is off the living room of our place - where my tomatoes are starting to show the first signs of ripening)

not good photos but a fun way to see a lot going on in the distant burbs - before the city fireworks started and then were obscured by a front coming through -

which brings us to last night- the 5th - and mfk - where we met up with friend Jenny and had most of the menu including a new dish destined to be a favorite - the chipirones! and they now have three desserts (two new) so we had to try them all LOL

salt cured anchovies- followed by crudo and mussels and prawn heads and boquerones

the maitake mushrooms and the chipirones

 which were served with grilled bread-

albondigas!

seafood fideous

and the three desserts - fruit tart and a berry panna cotta with chocolate ganache and the long term favorite Basque cake!

so there is the run down on the last ten days or so... I finished four beach read summer books- of which I can recommend one quite highly - it was called LESS... a comic novel that actually won the Pulitzer Prize - well written and funny as well as endearing -

the others made it to a NYT listing for summer reads but I can't really say they were worth the time but they did help the extreme heat go by quickly - stuck indoors when it is nearing 100* F and high humidity...

BTW - if you have read this far I have an idea for a post I am going to try to pull together on the Grandpas (inspired by these two) and to include my own two and Phil's two as well when I finally get to it...

Joe (left) and Bo (right)

so keep an eye out for that one some time in the future- 
and then at some point I am thinking of taking a hiatus from posting - I am approaching 150,000 visits and 1400 posts over what will be eight years in October... who knows - taking time away may be harder than I think but we'll see... there are so many other platforms these days - more on that as I mull it over.... if you love love love the blog and don't want a hiatus - write a comment and I will see it at some point...

return anew

So for years we had been going to this place called Rub's Backcountry Smokehouse for local BBQ and we were pretty darn happy with the products they had to serve there- but alas- as George Harrison sang "All Things Must Pass"....

here are some photos of the late Rub's

We were so happy to discover that they actually had just closed to revamp and re-brand themselves.  Apparently they had always been a Supply House for BBQ equipment and supplies and now they have a new name and a new identity and the eat-in space has basically doubled -

we ate outside because it was a nice day and being Labor Day weekend we are starting to feel the summer's end approaching us...

they have added a Carolina mustard based sauce to the three traditional ones they have had over the years (Citrus Chipotle, Smokey Sweet, and Smoked Jalapeno

the sides we picked were the truffled mac n cheese (not much truffle) and the baked beans - which were very good...

In the past I had ordered the brisket melt but now they have added a brisket "burger" which was terrific - chopped wagyu smoked brisket and cheddar and onions - an excellent and LARGE choice-

 Phil ordered the two meats entree with sliced smoked brisket and rib tips... then later we ordered TO GO with sliced brisket for both of us and pulled pork for Phil (because I already had a little meat loaf at home and Phil doesn't like meat loaf LOL (which is fine with me because I DO like it!)

so even though it isn't the same it is the same - a few more choices - an added sauce and a couple of entrees and some good dessert choices which we did not have room for- all made in cute little skillets! One thing remains the same- the great sign out front!

so it remains a thumbs UP with us....

last night Mike & Leslie came over for sushi and we carried in and did some wine tasting- no stars in the four or five wines we had- but the sushi was good and plentiful!

tomorrow night - we are back to Osteria Langhe, this time with John & Stephanie! I am in a complete and total "rut" there and I already know I will order their fabulous rabbit as my entree!

It's just too good to pass up!  Stay tuned! because next week is 100% booked with a concert of Brother Sun on Monday and a Mezcal tasting at Quiote (a Mondiale event through the Chaine) - then an Italian wine dinner at the Bristol - along with a concert at the end of the week but not before my path crosses for the third  or fourth time on the physical plane with my friend Carolyn Merrick! Yes you read that correctly - Carolyn and I have been friends since 1991 and even before Face Book managed to stay in touch for all those years - she was a newly wed and I was a single woman.  But here is the thing... two days after we met the people we were working with asked us if we had met in kindergarten because we had the ease of lifelong friends - LOL- so we became them...LOL