Text 24665, 151 rader
Skriven 2015-03-08 06:57:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: sing a new song 322
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 ML> Playing isn't too painful, which is good because my big
 ML> concert is in a week.
 NB> So you're able to get your practice in... and hopefully all will go
 NB> well on the big night... :)

It's today 3:45 pm. Wish me luck.

==

 NB>> It's been a winter for record-breakers...  We've had a number of low
 NB>> records broken here, in the last few weeks... probably Boston's snow
 NB>> record will be broken, too...  :)
 ML> No doubt I will be there when it happens - heading there
 ML> tomorrow and spending most of March there. 
 NB> So is it broken yet...?  You have your big concert coming up... are

It's short by 1.9", and the season is coming to a close.
See tinyurl.com/rulerruler to get the ins and outs of the
measuring system.

 NB> there other concerts scheduled too...?

Nothing of note (snicker).

 ML> More to come! I'm now mulling over the possibility of
 ML> having one farewell brisket meal in the next hour - though
 ML> the Salt Lick here is pretty subpar.
 NB> And did you have the farewell meal in the subpar place, or decide to
 NB> leave on a higher note...  ;)

We didn't eat, the simplest and cheapest solution. Instead
we took advantage of the various airline clubs and had free
wine (+$1 a glass tip for the bartender). Problem with the
Salt Lick is that it trucks in its meat from the head office
and then hires minimum-wagers to cut it and make sandwiches.
No bulk meat availability, no option to get extra moist.

 ML> Next time I will inquire about the possibility of specifying the
 ML> thickness of the steak.
 NB> That could be a good idea... :)

We went out (the conductor, wife, stepdaughter and myself) to the
111 Chop House for Worcester restaurant week last night. I bought
a fancy bottle of wine for the table and paid separately, with
a fattish tip. We all ordered bang bang shrimp for an appetizer,
pretty much identical to the recipe at the bottom of this post,
but this version has some toasted coriander seed mixed in and
a garnish of cilantro sprouts. Quite good, actually, a bit sweet
for me but a bit hot for other folks. Sara, who in the past
seemed really reserved, got enthusiastic about this meal and
commented animatedly on the cornstarch crust and the frying. I
thought, I could love this girl (my favorite in the past was her
tart-tongued and more dynamic sister). Unluckily or luckily she's
engaged, plus I'm a decade older than her mother.

They all had the "Waldorf" salad, but I said no salad at all,
which caused some amused conversation at table.

Bob and Deb both had the salmon and found it rarer than they'd
had before. Bob asked Deb if she preferred it to the way he
normally served it, and she said yes.

Sara and I went with the $3 extra options - she ordered the "top
steak," whatever that is - she was sitting across the table with
a vase between us, and in the dim light I'd have had a hard time
seeing anyway - because of the mushroom sauce. She asked for
medium-rare, and Christian, the increasingly helpful waiter,
clarified, warm red center, which was okay with her. It was
apparently delicious. My 12-oz strip had pluses and minuses.
First, it came a 1 3/4 in thick 20 oz behemoth (possibly the
bottle of wine and the good tip, possibly to make up for my
not having a salad), which goes for $47 on the regular menu; it
was done perfectly, with good grill marks but a cold red center,
the way I prefer. Good marbling inside. The minuses were that it
had been trimmed almost completely clean of exterior fat; this
was made up for by its being grilled next to a piece of bacon -
which obscured the delicate but rather delicious flavor of the
beef. The mashed potatoes were sour cream and bacon, and after
picking out a couple bacon bits I passed the rest to Sara for
her lunch tomorrow. Tobasco onions were a mystery item, and we
speculated as to what they might be. Turned out to be tobacco
onions (onion strings; we've discussed this here before) tossed
with Tabasco sauce. Okay as food, okay with the meat, but
terrible with the wine.

Here's the official menu. You will note that appetizer, first
course, and entree properly mean the same thing, but whatever.

Worcester Restaurant Week - $23.15 for three courses

Appetizer Course

Creamy Potato & Leek Soup
Garnished with Fried Leek and Parmesan

Bang Bang Shrimp
Lightly Fried Baby Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce with
Cilantro Microgreens

Ginger Soy Seared Sirloin
Thinly Sliced, Medium Rare, Served with a Chilled Vegetable
and Soba Noodle Salad

First Course

Mixed Greens Salad

Romaine "Waldorf" - Granny Smith Apples, Red Grapes, Bleu
Cheese Roasted Pecans and a Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette
 
Entree

Surf & Turf Grill
Grilled six ounce CAB Culotte Steak and Bacon Horseradish
Satuteed Shrimp. Served with Green Beans and Mashed Potato.

Salmon Oscar
Alaskan King Crab Meat, Asparagus with Béarnaise Sauce.
Served with Mashed Potato.

$26.15 Entree Option

12 oz. New York Sirloin
Served with Mashed Potato, House Butter and Tobasco Fried Onions

Prime 8 oz. Top Steak
With a Rich Wild Mushroom Sauce. Served with Garlic Mashed
Potato and Green Beans.

Prices do not include tax & gratuity.

 ML> Since I wrote that, I went to a Boston-area TR, which offered
 ML> chili with considerable beans. 
 NB> Isn't Boston called Bean Town, after all...?  ;)

It is; remember the old toast - Here's to old Boston, the land of
the bean and the cod - where the Lowells speak only to Cabots,
and the Cabots speak only to God.

 ML> Here I asked for some cayenne, and the willing but uninformed
 ML> waitress said, we have some Cajun seasoning, will that do?
 ML> She was emphatically disabused of that idea and eventually
 ML> came up with a salad dressing cup with about 3 Tb of cayenne
 ML> in it. I used most of it, and it helped a lot.
 NB> Good that she finally got it... and that it was sufficient...  :)

Necessary and sufficient, in mathematicianese jargon.

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