quick aloha

Away from online most of the day (hallelujah, you all say). A quick check in to say I'm still alive. Fret not - as if you were!

And I'm still in Honolulu. My burden to bear....

leaving Lana'i

Dear Lana'i (and Lodge at Koele),

We will be back. Though we head to Honolulu today (and we will have a very good time there), we will be back. Back to enjoy the tranquility of your little village,

the cool climes of the uplands, the comforts of this gorgeous lodge, the relaxation.


2012, perhaps? Look for us one day down the road.

Take care, never change (well, maybe a little but only a little),
Peter (and Conrad)

sunglasses, please

It's the beach portion of the vacation, I'm shirtless, it happens.



Just please, don't say I didn't warn you to put on sunglasses. The glare can be fierce, I know.

good airplane food

I'm a firm believer in credit where credit is due. I have been known to send written letters to restaurants, thank you cards even, when I've had an exceptional experience. All too often, I fear, we gripe about the bad incidents and spread word of them. Any of you done that? Hands up? If so, then step back and think whether you have done the reverse.

We all like appreciation.

That in mind, let me tell you that United Airlines gave me a meal on Saturday that I would have been happy with in a restaurant (albeit plated differently). No, really. Oh, the salad was salad - simple, green, fine. The mai tais?
Tasty to me, but Conrad - ever a stickler after so many work trips to Hawai'i - was less enthused (though we agree that the ones at the Four Seasons Manele Bay poolside bar were just not good). Dessert? A warm chocolate chip cookie. Yum, though not setting the culinary world afire (on the other hand, I have friends who are cookie fiends and who would have wanted nothing more than that soft warm delight).

Ah, but the entree. The entree. Hold on, what was it? Not trying to be funny here. I can tell you that there was salmon, artichoke, tomatoes, potatoes. The sauce had cremini mushroom (in small enough doses that I actually liked having them there). The fish was terrific - cooked through, not medium at all, but moist throughout and flaking apart nicely. No, it's the sauce that eludes us. Sweet, almost candylike, which, I know, sounds dire. But this teetered on the edge of too sweet, flirted with it, and pulled back. Maddening, maddeningly good. Marsala? Not vanilla, I don't think. What was it?

I let the flight attendant know that it genuinely was one of the best dishes I've ever had on an airplane (and I've actually had a few good ones), and she was delighted to hear that. I'll fill out a United survey, too, just so they know.

The snack later in the flight? Much simpler: toasted turkey and cheese sandwich. And even that was good. Two for two United? Nicely done, and with thanks for giving me no reason at all to moan and groan about airline food. A vacation started quite well.

chestnuts needed, marshmallows in a pinch

Almost 2 AM in Chicago as I write this but not quite 9:00 here on Lana'i. I'm tired. I'll post this sometime in the AM (Hawai'i time) and get my well-fed self to bed. A good evening of sitting on the lanai with three types of poke from the local poke place plus a delicious bottle of Heron's Flight 2005 Sangiovese. Well worth carting from the mainland over!

Conrad and I just took a short stroll on the grounds and in the main lodge, and two very un-Hawaiian (well, stereotype Hawaiian things struck us):

1. it's cool out. As in temperature. I have on jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt over another t-shirt, and I wouldn't mind a sweater or my favourite Gap hoodie.
2. the fireplaces in the main lodge are oh-so-inviting.





We sat by one of the large fireplaces (there are two) and luxuriated in the warmth. I suppose it's not very green of me to admit that I really like the wood smoke smell we can catch sometimes outside. Ah well. At this elevation, high above the coast (1700 feet up), we're relishing the cooler temperatures, and if that means the incongruous (for Hawai'i, we think) notion of a big fireplace, so be it. This is still the most gorgeous hotel we've ever stayed in and a superb idea for a getaway.

where in the world are Peter and Conrad?

I can't even apologize for sporadic blogging anymore since that's become the norm rather than the exception. As TK has written to me about unrelated things: deal with it.

In any case, we have a great excuse right now: vacation. Yes, friends (all three of you reading this), we are out of town and enjoying another locale. Hawai'i, the 50th state. Only in this case, we're in a curiously very Hawaiian and yet un-Hawaiian destination.

Lana'i.



Small island, not many people. Two big resorts (Four Seasons - wow) dominate the island. There is beach. The place used to be rampant with pineapple.

And yet our upcountry lodge makes us feel as though we're vacationing in Colorado or somewhere vaguely Rockies-ish. Not much to do here, and we love it. Oh yes, we're already thinking of how/when we can return.

More detail in days ahead, assuredly. I'm trying hard NOT to spend my entire vacation online. But still, I can't resist chiming in once in a while. And when I'm silent this week, well, just be assured that all is very very well indeed!

halibut in tortilla crust

And then, once in a while, I actually like something I cook.

I am my own worst critic, likely. Dinner this past weekend. Eh, it was ok. I wasn't embarrassed serving it to friends, but it could have been better. I bit my tongue mostly, though Conrad knew what I was thinking and did tease me lightly for it.

Tonight? It was good. Oh yes, I can quibble. I shan't. The star of the meal, the fish, cooked up about as perfectly as I could hope, and isn't that enough?

I pan-fried a couple of pieces of halibut tonight. Conrad passed through the kitchen a few times, and finally I found him hovering over the plate of crusting mixture, breathing in the aroma and, when caught, asking me what it was. Nuts? I played coy and told him, "Crust." Bad of me. He didn't guess what it was, though he asked again as we were mostly through the meal.

Tortillas. Leftover tortillas from Saturday ripped into pieces and tossed into a food processor with chopped cilantro, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. Buzz it up until a small, uniform crumb. I rolled the fish lightly in flower, dipped it in an egg and milk wash, then patted it all over with the tortilla crumbs. Popped that into a medium hot pan with a good amount of olive oil and browned it nicely on each side. letting it sit a little with a lid on it to ensure the fish was cooked through but slightly steamed and moist.

Tasty!

I set this atop a quick sear of yellow squash, zucchini, and red pepper seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano. Atop the fish was a very simple garnish: thinly sliced red onion left to soak about an hour in fresh lime juice.



The truth is, it was another restaurant recipe, more or less. I sort of recall we would make this with tortilla chips in place of the tortillas, so an adaptation to what I had on hand. And in the end, it turned out (happily), to be a dish I liked.

Dan Mangan at Schuba's

First off, let me say that the beer tonight was delicious. And, in the interest of re-hydrating before bed, I am taking the time to blog a bit.

CG drove us home from Schuba's tonight, and on the drive, we three reflected on how we live in a big city but perhaps do not take good enough advantage of that. I admit: Conrad and I are old marrieds. We have a cozy life of dinner at home and a bottle of wine. It suits us.

But by gosh was it fun to get out tonight.

Dan Mangan was playing at Schuba's. Never been to that bar/venue before, and now I'm keen to go back. An intimate space for music, and - a happy addition to the evening - Conrad and I had an enjoyable dinner out on the sidewalk. Grilled pork chops, a bottle of modest Chardonnay at half price. Nice weather as a backdrop. Oh, and isn't that Dan Mangan sitting over there (pale blue t-shirt, on the left)?

Sorry, I'm such a fanboy, I know. Look, I like his music. A lot. Giuseppe introduced me to him last year (almost a year ago!) in conversation over a good lunch together in Vancouver. That is why Giuseppe is so totally A-list for the wedding. I've listened to >Nice Nice Very Nice so very much since, and I've tried to indoctrinate friends, too. During the Olympics, we dragged Brian and Conrad to a show at the Yaletown Roundhouse, and though the act that preceded him was, well, dreadful, it was so worthwhile.

And now tonight, there he was, a small room, not many people, and a good set. He opened with Sold,
closed with Robots, and encored with So Much for Everyone. Perfection would have meant playing Pine for Cedars, but I'll cut him slack since he wasn't the headliner. Still, how great was it? He was funny. He was cute. He and his band came down to do the last two songs acoustically in the middle of the room. The four of us chatted with him before the show, and then I stole a few words with him after the show as I picked up something for TK (TK, pretend you didn't read that) at the merchandise table.

And CG said he sounded Canadian.

:-)

So I sit here, having enjoyed beers during the show, high on the concert, looking toward Hawaii on Saturday, and I have to think how terrific my life is at this very moment. Now then, when can we see Dan Mangan again, and how do I convince the rest of you to go out and try his music?

A fine night, and the capper? He complimented me on me Camp Mangan t-shirt.


Peter, a giddy and girly fanboy this evening. Yep, no two ways about it...

last 40th birthday post (I think)

I know, I know: we're all a little sick and tired and bored to tears of Peter's 40th birthday.

Suck it up, princesses.

;-)

No, not a lengthy post in terms of words here. I think I've gotten across the essence of our Vancouver vacation for my birthday, and I think I've commented enough on the celebration itself. Want photos? Check out Flickr!

We hosted two get-togethers for the birthday, one at the condo in Vancouver, and one here in Chicago. Casual, easy affairs. Nibbles and wine at the first. At the second we attempted some fun cocktails. Nice to see friends, catch up, have a good time of it. Special thanks to Brian who made both gatherings - again, I very much love how our Vancouver and Chicago lives can overlap.

Some photos from both, then, with thanks to all who came. May it not take until my 50th to see you again!

(and with that, let's move beyond the birthday postings for another year...)