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I made a Sicilian pizza with oyster mushroom, mozz, parm, sauce and fava leaves. Let's call it a good first effort. It has some issues.

Probably all month. Tip your towel boys.

This is what I call it when I take a shower.

Probably some Austin-specific thing.

(Formerly) live crawfish from Aquabest, and I managed to not drop them on the kitchen floor this time, thus denying my cat a lot of excitement. With over-wintered collards and potato and egg salad.

DOOOOOOOOGE

Which probably coincided with my video days. While you were in the kitchen, I was out on the floor, assisting the camera folk (you don't want me shooting, since someone my height will make the bride look 50 feet tall). I had to go to a lot of bridal expos, and I remember when The Knot crew first started. All the vendors were friendly with one another, even the direct competitors. But not them. They were uniformly rude, snotty and generally unpleasant. The party planners all hated them, and if you know any party planners, you know they're pretty dreadful people themselves, so that said something. I worked with Marcy Blum - mentioned in the article - a bunch of times; she was probably the easiest to deal with. (I finally was able to read it with textise.)

Maybe I should just subscribe already.

Anyone who hasn't already hit their free article limit. So, not me.

Please post a gift link, if you can. I have A LOT OF THOUGHTS about The Knot.

Coincidentally, I also had a terrible free meal last night. In my coop, people often leave their extra food in the laundry room (don’t ask) for others to take, and the other day I decided to pick up a shelf-stable vegetarian Kosher shells & cheese, probably someone’s reject from Meals on Wheels.The filling was a tan paste, not recognizable as any kind of cheese. The topping was very sweet tomato sauce, corn, green beans and peas. I don’t understand the logic behind this at all. And I feel bad for people who have no other options.

Around 40 people, and once everyone who could fit was sat, they switched to a virtual wait list (with a scan code), so no one had to stand around outside.

The handsomest of all the thornbirds.

I'm probably alone in my curiosity about the New York Food Court on Roosevelt Ave. in Flushing, since I assume most people on this board have already been there. But not me! Until today! It was, as they say on the Empire Szechuan menu about the Buddhist Delight, a spendiferous array. My favorites were the snail noodle soup, with excellent and impossibly long noodles, and not much evidence of snail. And these razor clams with mushrooms and a mess of other stuff, in a light broth. I also loved these tiger skin eggs, but I think I was in the minority.

Some highlights from my visit (with four others) to the 3rd weekend pop-up of Banh Anh-Em , sister to the rabidly popular Banh on the UWS. I got there an hour before opening and was first in line (though only for about thirty seconds). Totally worth it. Noodle soup with crab & snail (so crabby! so snaily!). Turmeric catfish, fatty and excellent, with dill and (unnecessary, according to me) rice noodles. Sticky rice with egg and a variety of meats, very kindly placed on the side to accommodate my meat-averse self. I will be stalking this place for their weekend specials. It's so much more convenient for me than the Morningside Heights one.

I probably got my recipe from https://www.seriouseats.com/white-negroni-cocktail-recipe. The first time I had Cocchi Americano was at a brunch somewhere in Brooklyn a few years ago, with (among others) Koharu from Bar Goto. So I would've started making white Negronis after that.

I make white Negronis with Cocchi Americano, gin and dry vermouth.

Wise, money-saving move. They certainly look like they'd eat less than I would.

I see you've never been on a first date with me.

Adolescence. Fantastic, grueling, and super-impressive for the single-shot camera and the acting, especially the kid.

Have at it. Report back. Serve as a fact-checker.

If you had read the comments, you would have noted that people are not dining at 5pm because they choose to or prefer to. They're dining at 5pm because they're afraid to take up space at more popular times.

No, the asparagus and morels. It was a good year. 🤣

That's like my earnings for 2024, arranged on a platter.

I'm going to the Hellgate party tonight - might see my idol there! It's a celebration of his $20 & Under thing.