feeding frenzy

I might possibly be the biggest dork ever but I don't care. I saw SIXTEEN different birds on my feeder within an hour. So freakin cool. In the picture, clockwise from right: Eastern Bluebird, female Purple Finch (I think, on house feeder), and a Carolina Chickadee. Here's the total breakdown:

Familiar faces - Blue Jay, male and female Eastern Towhees, Brown Thrasher, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, American Goldfinch, Mourning Dove, Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, male House Finch, and the female Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Just here for the winter - Dark-eyed Junco, female Purple Finch, and the White-breasted Nuthatch.

no power

Camping lamps and headlights out!

Seriously?

> Tonight is the first night of vball practice so of course I'm stuck
> in traffic. And as usual I see some pretty interesting things, like
> the silver balls hanging down from the baby blue Hummer below.
> Seriously?
>

Woodfire Grill

Last night our friend Jimmy (the half-Chinese, half-Korean dude with the snowman from the previous post) took Pink and me out to dinner at Woodfire Grill as a belated wedding gift. In short, it was amazing. We expected nothing less and were not disappointed.

We all opted for the 5-course Chef's Tasting Menu and I'll do my best to reconstruct the meal here. But we had a lot of wine and neglected to take pictures or write anything down for fear of looking like losers so I know I am missing critical pieces of each dish.

Amuse-bouche: Roasted(?) pink lady apple with a sliver of marinated celery (this part was sweet and juicy). It was really light and crisp, perfect way to start.

1st course: Tempura fried chanterelle and oyster mushrooms over a chevre sauce. Super rich and delicious. And this was only the beginning.

2nd course: Salmon, seared on one side and raw on the other served over a red salsa and capped with a green olive tapenade (they called it a salsa but we all disagreed, it was a tapenade). This was the most melt-in-your mouth, perfectly cooked piece of salmon I have ever eaten. The salsa was a little too acidic for Pink but Chino and I loved it.

Intermezzo (?): Ever-so-slightly roasted oyster (just enough to open up the shell) served with some kind of light sauce, topped with small bits of sauteed bacon. We all agreed we could eat a hundred of these and nothing else. This was when the meal started to crescendo.

3rd course: Barbecue roasted bob white quail, pork belly, and roasted root vegetables including carrots, turnips, and parsnips (I think). Unanimously this was our favorite course. While Pink and Chino salivated over the pork belly I loved my perfect little bird the best.

Intermezzo (?): A melon-ball sized scoop of apple sorbet which tasted like cool crisp apple cider shaved ice.

4th course: Sous vide antelope served over a cranberry reduction smear and a drizzle of coffee syrup, with farro and shaved Brussels sprouts. The meat was totally tender and cooked just right, but because of the method there's no roasted flavor on the skin, but it was so good anyway. The coffee syrup was the piece that made this dish for me.

5th course: This was the dessert course. Chino and I both were served chocolate-lava crepes with chocolate sauce and a dollop of cacao whipped cream. Pink was served a pink lady apple bread pudding with a meringue cap. All of it was great. Personally, I could have done without a sweet dessert course and had another savory course or cheese course.

In the end, it was a phenomenal meal where every plate came out perfectly cooked. It was so great that we all had the same dishes because we shared our own personal experience with each course. It wouldn't have been as great an experience otherwise so I'm now convinced that if you're going to blow it out, a Chef's tasting menu is the only way to go for the whole table.

In keeping with the Top Chef theme, we're going to hit Eli's place, Eno, some time in January. This is actually where Pink and I had our rehearsal dinner (5 years ago) but with a different chef. I don't think we've been there since so it should be great.

Thanksgiving in Atl

The Virgin's Lover

Author: Philippa Gregory
Category: cheats

I read this book while I was in Africa and completely forgot to post it. As with most of her books, I was definitely engaged and loved the storytelling. Every time I read one of her books I learn a ton so it always feels like it's worth my time.

This story focuses on Queen Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn. The feel of the court at this time reminded me most of the first book in the series, The Other Boleyn Girl, which made it completely entertaining.

The Wolfen

Author: Whitley Strieber
Category: cheats

Dougie Fresh told me this was the only book to ever give him nightmares. Written in 1978 and made into a movie, I'd say that it was moderately scary. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised, given how en vogue werewolves and the undead are, if this movie were resurrected by Hollywood. The story itself was pretty good. The only thing I didn't like was that some of the dialogue seemed really disjointed, like I had missed a paragraph or even skipped a page.

super pathetic cheater

I'm not even going to log this as a book I've read this year for a couple of reasons. One, I've read it already. And two, it only took me 2 days so it really hasn't put a dent in my progress of my other books. And three, do I really need to admit with a post title that I've read New Moon, again?

And just like a true glutton for punishment (see here) my three girlfriends and I have secured our New Moon tickets for tomorrow afternoon. At least we're not as pathetic as my sister who is going at midnight tonight. H, I hope you enjoy all the screaming teenagers and don't feel as old as we really are.