date night at Rose Mary

Conrad and I have been fans of the show Top Chef for quite some time now.  I think the first season I watched was the 3rd, set in Miami, and I confess that it was in part because I was channel surfing, landed on it, and thought that Dale Levitski (the runner up that season) was cute.  I wish I knew what he was up to these days - I'd be glad to try what he's cooking lately.  Anyway, I got Conrad into watching with me quite a while back, and since then we've dined at multiple Top Chef contestant restaurants.  On this past trip to Chicago, we managed two, in fact.  One meal with friends, and I'll blog that soon enough, and one date night for the two of us at Rose Mary.

Season 15 of the series was set in Colorado, spending most of its time in Denver.  Going in to the season, we were rooting for Bruce Kalman, who had a restaurant in Pasadena we'd dined at previously (and although he's long gone from Union, we were back there again recently).  He went far, but not all the way.  And that's fine - the show has been so good over the years at giving viewers a lot of cheftestants who make appealing food and who seem to be good personalities.  Folks online will often point to the Colorado season as when Top Chef fully shifted into embracing decent people making good food instead of trying for some drama to liven things up.  No matter when that trend started, it is something I also welcomed.  I like when the focus is the food, and I like when seemingly good people succeed.

Joe Flamm was one such personality.  Oh, his food was good, from what we saw.  We'd even eaten at the restaurant he was at, Spiaggia (now closed), although a handful of years or more before we knew anything about Flamm.  He was a regular kind of guy from the south side of Chicago, friendly with the cast, causing no drama, not being all "bro" about things.  He got along, and he got through.  Until he didn't.  Out he went on a challenge - a quickfire, if I recall correctly - and it felt like a shock.  Nonetheless, he battled back through the Last Chance Kitchen route and into the competition again.  He won the finale, and it was a win warmly received by the viewership, I think.  We certainly felt he was deserving.

He has shown up a few times in a guest/judge capacity on the show, his regular guy self and droll humour juxtaposed against a sharp knowledge of food and cookery and empathy for the contestants.  Always welcome on the television.  He left Spiaggia, or perhaps it closed first, and opened his own restaurant in Chicago, Rose Mary, an homage to his Italian and Croatian heritage.  From what I read on Reddit, it was a great place, highly recommended.  When Conrad and I decided to skip the Monday night gala at conference, I remembered Flamm and his restaurant and booked a dinner for two there.

We hopped the green line for the second of three days in a row up to the Morgan stop and strolled the block to the restaurant.  Situated on a corner in Fulton Market, it is bright inside, open and airy.  We asked if we could be seated at the bar instead of a table, and the hostess cheerily obliged.  We found ourselves down at the window end of the bar, sitting where we could watch the whole bar and see the kitchen as well.  

Conrad opted for a Last Word, and I had the Blind Rhubarber. 

Excellent choice, and I might have wanted another, but we decided on wine with dinner.  We asked the bartender for his advice, and he suggested a bottle of a Bulgarian red would be nice with our food. 

He was right.  He was a terrific bartender, taking good care of us both in terms of drinks and advice on food and chatting a moment when he was able to.  And he had a treat or two for us to come.

First up:  tuna crudo. 

This was a smart variation on vitello tonnato, a classic Italian dish of veal and tuna.  I know, sounds awful, that combo.  This took slices of tuna and sat them on a veal aioli.  Smart rethinking of the dish.  Oh, and crispy capers?  Yes, please!

Next out:  zucchini fritters. 

We saw these head to a lot of tables, and understandably so.  The pesto aioli for dipping was an excellent complement, too.

For our main, the bone-in lamb saddle. 

The lamb was terrific, and I liked the surprise of the roasted carrots being a puree (I'm stealing that idea).  Conrad was surprised by and enjoyed the pistachios, which had been cooked (steamed? boiled?) to make them tender.  At this point came the first surprise from the bartender:  a complimentary serving of the grilled summer squash dish. 

Isn't that gorgeous?  The basil was such a good, fragrant touch.  We were delighted. 

We ordered the povitica for dessert,

and I asked for the bartender's choice of an amaro duo. 

While we waited for those, the second surprise came out:  Chef Flamm himself.  I hope I wasn't too much of a fanboy.  He talked with us for a few minutes, and it was easy conversation.  Sometimes what you see on television is what you get:  a good guy with a regular and relatable personality, making his guests feel welcome.  He agreed to a photo with us,

wished us a good evening, and headed back to his kitchen.  We were left a little giddy and starstruck.

Dessert came - I'm a sucker for flavours like rhubarb and cardamom - and we devoured it happily.  I sipped the amari, savouring them both.  It was a nice evening when we left, so we decided on taking the train back and then popping into the Marriott Marquis to have a last nightcap with ALA friends.

Rose Mary is one of those places where I want to try everything on the menu.  Whenever I told locals that we were going there, they ooo-ed over it.  I can see why.  If I lived nearby, I'd want to be a regular at that bar, enjoying the different dishes and having excellent drinks.  Meeting Joe Flamm was a huge bonus, but I was already very very persuaded that it is a great restaurant.  I'll go back, and I'll recommend it to folks quite happily.

a Friday off

Friday was a day off.  A holiday, Juneteenth, it meant not needing to go into work and not needing to pay attention to work stuff.  So what did I do most of the day?  Work with Conrad on a professional development related trip to come in October.  He'll be tagging along, and then we'll build a vacation on to the end of it.  We spent much of the day doing some registration things and finally settling on some airline tickets.  That ate much of the day for us, and that was fine.

But before that, a walk.  I actually got out the door into the June Gloom and had a little stroll in the neighbourhood without Conrad, then came back for him.  We drove down into the Arroyo and parked by the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center, then more or less did the loop around the stadium and through the golf course. 

Nice walk on a cool, overcast day.

Van was feeling better, he said, and he asked if he and Olive could come over.  Of course, I told him.  Conrad and I dashed out to pick up a few things, and that resulted in a large, rich dinner of braised lamb shanks with a parsnip puree. 

Very tasty, but I couldn't finish it all.  Leftovers for Conrad, perhaps, or lunches.  Nice meal, though, and good to see them.  Before dinner, as we sat and got caught up, I made myself a blood orange negroni, a nice pre-dinner sipper.

Friday felt like Saturday, I tell you.  I was confused all day about what day it actually was.  But it was a good day.  The trip planning is exciting!  Wait until October to read about that one.

Onward with the rest of the weekend.... 

dinner date at Perle

Usually we do sushi on Thursday evenings, and I promise, we still love our friends at Mama M.  That said, neither of us was in a mood for sushi last night.  I also wasn't in a mood to cook (and what I had taken out of the freezer in the morning hadn't fully thawed by the time I got home from work either).  We hemmed and hawed and tossed around ideas and finally settled on using a gift certificate that Conrad and received and treat ourselves to a dinner date at Perle.

It's been a long while since last we went to Perle.  French food, and fine enough.  We had dinner there with Bridget a little over two years ago, and honestly?  It was a nice night for the company.  We haven't been inclined to go back.  But we had the gift certificate in a generous amount, and it turns out that Perle now has a bar instead of just wine and beer.  So we parked on two stools at one end of the bar and were charmed and delighted by Paula, the bar manager.  Cocktails to start, including Conrad having a very very good Vesper (one of my favourite drinks) and me opting for the Marie Antoinette, a gin sour. 

Then came the Dubonnet Frais with dinner,

and yep, Paula really knows her stuff. 

The food was good, too.  I ordered a large dinner, so I just had some baguette and butter before the meal came out.  Conrad went with two smalls, with escargot (which he loves) to start, then a salad lyonnaise for his meal. 

That was substantial enough for him, very satisfying.

As for me, it was the lamb carbonnade, lamb shoulder braised with beer and served in a reduction of the liquid. 

Peas and fries with mayonnaise, and mmmm.  Good stuff.  A big meal.  I was happy.

We skipped dessert, and while Conrad ordered a second Last Word, I had an amaro as a digestif.  I could happily go back and just sit at the bar with a cocktail and fries, but I will enjoy going there for a meal a little more often than every two years. 

a return to Maestro

The great thing about travel is that you get to see new places and enjoy new experiences.  The downside is missing the comfortable and familiar.  I know some would argue that that latter point is also an upside, and sure.  But honestly?  I do miss my own bed, my own kitchen, and the local restaurants we love.

Last night was a welcome return to Maestro.  A few weeks at least, I think, since last we were there.  We always enjoy chatting with the owners and the people who work there, and we always get treated as if we very much belong.  It's such a nice feeling.  So it was this evening, sitting outside on a surprisingly cool Friday evening.  Nestor, our server, wasn't busy at first and spent a bunch of time showing us photos from a recent trip he took to Austin for a friend's bachelorette party.  Fun to see, but also reinforcing how nice it is to be there with people we like and who like us.

And then there is the food and drink.  Good as ever.  Guacamole and plantain chips to start,

and cocktails hot on the heels of that first bite.  A Last Word for Conrad, a Mezcal Campfire for me.

We shared the tetela as an appetizer (second appetizer?),

then shared the lamb shank for dinner. 

We knew that would be a substantial serving, and it very much was, so much so that we have a decent amount of lamb and some rice in a takeaway container in the fridge, awaiting a lunch today or tomorrow.  Oh, and a bottle of wine.  I knew that I would want a glass, and I figured Conrad would as well, so we asked Rigo for his recommendation, and he was enthusiastic about a tempranillo blend from Mexico. 

Lovely, smooth wine.  A nice option.

We had a great, leisurely dinner outside.  More people sat outside at other tables, and there was a nice energy to the place.  Finally, we came home, bringing half the bottle with us to sip the rest of the evening whilst lounging in comfy clothes in chairs at the back of the dining room.   A welcome return to Maestro and a fine Friday evening. 

spring break vacation, Day 5

After days of taking photos and photos on vacation, Day 5 was a bit of a comedown.  Not for bad reasons, mind you.  It was a day of packing up in Rhode Island and heading north, and that made for less time for at least some of the day to get photos in.

It was a brisk morning when we started but promised to get milder by the afternoon.  A thick sweater on,

and I was ready to head out.  Come lunchtime, we were at a fast food wraps place near Nashua, NH, and that made NH an official state visit in our books.

We continued on, stopping at one of the liquor outlet places that dot the state and that out-of-staters flock to to buy booze without tax. 

That yielded a bottle of wine to bring to Amy and a gin to bring home.  No chartreuse, alas.  Darn it.  Ah well.  North and across the state we rolled, making it to Lebanon mid-afternoon.

On one side of the town center square we parked.  A small New England Town.  I kind of expected it to be like Stars Hollow, super quaint, but it wasn't quite so cozy.  It was also not quite as into spring as Rhode Island to the south.  But Amy worked at a lovely little Carnegie library

(one of two library branches for the town), and she gave us a tour inside

before sending Conrad, Ed, and me on to our hotel

to unwind and get ready for dinner.

A nice choice for dinner, too.  Tuckerbox, a Turkish place, was her choice. 

It was good to have some food a little more vegetable focused

(my eggplant was stuffed with lamb but not overwhelmed by it),

and the cocktail (a Garden Gimlet)

and wine were also good.  Bonus points:  we were in Vermont.  Three states in one day, plus passing through a fourth (Massachusetts).  The nice thing about the smallness of it all!

So there, a transition day on the trip, but with a library and some tasty food thrown in. 

Friday in Vancouver

The loooong weekend in Vancouver was pretty packed with people to see and with food and beverage to consume, so let's take this day by day, shall we?  Agreed?  Good!

Last Friday I visited a place I hadn't been in a couple of months, curiously enough:  LAX.  My first flights of 2026, and it took me until February to do so.  Without a midwinter conference to attend, there was no travel by plane in January.  But last Friday brought me back to the familiar sights from the United Club at Terminal 7

and then the familiar feeling of an exit row aisle seat.  

I dozed off, then read, and I was on the ground in Vancouver by noon.  Canada Line to Waterfront, a block or so to walk to the hotel, and - happily! - there was a room ready for me. 

I checked in, dropped my bags, headed to the club for a not-too-late and not-too-large lunch, then came back to unpack.  And nap.  Yep, nap.  The nice thing about getting away is doing things like that, and since I had a king bed

all to myself for four nights, I took advantage!

Friday evening rolled around, and I freshened up.  It was a mile or so to walk over to Yaletown to meet up with Steven and Jenny for dinner at Capo and the Spritz. 

So good to see them again!  It had been much longer than I realized - over two years! - and I missed out on the last opportunity because I was sick in the hotel room.  We had a great time catching up over a couple of drinks (I had a negroni variation called The Alpine Fire that was tasty enough for a second one) and a special Restaurant Week menu.  I liked the food there - it didn't blow me away, but it was good, and the special price for three courses was terrific.  Especially when you check out how generous a portion that lamb shank was!

They drove me back to the hotel, and I forewent any sort of nightcap.  Night closed over the city, and I turned in at an entirely decent hour. 

Deda

I know, I know.  A bit of a gap since last I blogged.  And yes, I am sorry.  But honestly?  Quiet week, not much going on.  And that's a good thing.  Oh, my step count is up, that's something, but hardly worth a blog entry.

I have been in the habit recently of blogging whole weekends in one go, but I'd like to single out dinner tonight in its own entry.  A newer Pasadena restaurant, a cuisine that is new to us.  Deda, a Georgian restaurant.  No, not the deep south state but the country in the Caucasus.

The three of us chose the dining spot because our focus today was a movie over at the Landmark.  Today's viewing?  Marty Supreme.  We all agreed that our dinner was a far far better experience than the movie.  Sorry, but true.  Can't wait to discuss that at our online drinks tomorrow!  Anyway, it was a short walk over to Deda after the movie.  We were quickly seated for our reservation, admiring how the place had been reshaped since the (not good) steakhouse days we each remembered it as from before.

Cocktails!  Poor Conrad.  He ordered a martini, dry, and had to send it back to be remade drier.  That then happened again.  So, note to Conrad:  do not order martinis there in the future.  To their credit, the server got that taken care of without fuss each time, which we all appreciated.  Van had a drink made with chacha, a Georgian brandy, and liked it enough to order a second.  Beautiful design on top of that drink! 

I had the Black Sea Smoke, a mezcal drink with blackberry syrup.  I was a little worried it would be sweet, but it was nicely balanced. 

I ordered a second.  I kind of wish we'd explored the Georgian wines, but maybe another time.

Our server gave us recommendations, and largely we stuck to them.  The menu was mostly unfamiliar, though I had some notion of what lobio (which we didn't order) was.  The food, though?  All of is was good.  We agreed that we'd reorder the warm eggplant salad

and the Imeruli Khachapuri, a disc of baked dough filled with cheese on a future visit.  Really really good.  I liked the Chicken Baje,

though Van found the walnut taste too strong.  The Lamb Abkhazura was fine,

but the pickled jonjoli accompanying it was a bit unusual for Conrad.  The Pork Mtsvadi was the weakest dish with the potatoes outshining the grilled pork chunks. 

I thought that the Georgian Donuts “Ponchiki” for dessert were fine, a bit plain, but a nice ending to the meal.

All in all, a very good meal.  It was exciting to try some new things, and the menu promised a lot more to try in the future.  And there will be a future.  For us, and for them, that is - the restaurant was bustling!  But yes, we liked what we had and would be glad to go back.  Hooray for having a new option to turn to for dining in Pasadena.