Vincent

In lieu of coming up to watch the Tony Awards show with Fred and Roger tonight, Conrad and I went out to dinner with them last night, trying a place new to us all up in Andersonville, Vincent. And really, given that Conrad and I have been to one play in ten years of being together, a dinner out makes more sense. Any reader of this blog knows where our interests and sympathies lie.

Vincent features Dutch or Dutch-inspired cuisine. I'm not at all familiar with Dutch food beyond having had gouda and a beer or two, so I can't say for sure whether it was authentic or inspired. What it was, though, was fairly tasty. Rich - a good amount of mayonnaise or frying or dairy. Salty. That last one sticks with me - I like salt (too much for my own good, I am certain), so I tend not to mind its presence, its dominance, in the food I eat. This skirted to the edge at times, though, and if it does that for me, then I wonder how others perceive it.

I don't count that as a negative, though. What I might say works against the restaurant are the acoustics. One customer at another table had a voice that somehow cut through the general din, rose above it. Consequently, everyone else tried to keep up. We struggled until that person left (about the time we ordered, so blessedly early) to hear each other.

Many good things, though. A good waiter. I am embarrassed not to recall his name, but I thought he steered us well with menu and wine choices (an inexpensive white Bordeaux for the table, then a glass of a perfectly fine Spanish red for me with my meal). He was friendly, he wasn't overly familiar. If/when we go back, I hope he takes care of our table again.

The menu options are a good price, especially the three-course dinner Roger opted for. I'm still keeping red meats out of my diet as much as I can, but there were a number of options for me, too. I was tempted by the mussels, but went a different direction.

Soup to start: zaansemosterdsoep. Dutch mustard soup, but the base is carrot with chicken stock apparently. The waiter couldn't describe it to us, and I understand why. The tarragon pesto was notable without overwhelming, and the rest of it all just, well, made sense. Sweet, savoury, a bit of tang, the hint of the cheese in it. I couldn't pin it down. I simply liked it.

Conrad opted for an enormous piece of haddock atop pea soup so thick that it was moundable as his dinner option while I went for the Cornish game hen. I liked the bird. I preferred the go-alongs: fingerling potatoes, cheesy watercress, pea shoots. The salt was there (more so on the hen), but it all tasted great together. The bird itself reminded me of hot dogs in flavour. I don't mean that scornfully, though by the end I was wishing it reminded me more of hen. Again, I liked it, but I might choose the mussels on a future visit.

No photos of dessert, sorry. Be assured, it was good. Two rounds of chocolate cake sandwiching peanut butter mousse. Atop it? Other than a chocolate glaze, a sprinkling of sea salt.

I wonder what the Dutch word for salt is.

;-)

A good meal, a good time, and a place we need to get back to. And now to get ready for another fine meal tonight!

big swims

Two down, one to go!

It's summer, and for some of us on the swim team, that means open water/long distance season. Me? I don't swim in the lake all that much, but I do like a swim where I can just go and go and go.

Case in point: the 10 km timed swim at the UIC Natatorium late last month. 2 hours, 29 minutes, 48.61 seconds of go and go and go. I paced off Adam as best I could, and even clawed back a bit of distance from him in the later stages before cramping calves forced me to stop to stretch a few times. I was afraid the cramping would keep me from my goal of making a sub-2:30 swim. Happily, I squeaked in under the wire. Parts of that swim weren't pretty, but I was quite pleased with the second wind after 5000 meters.



And then I went home to nap followed by eating everything I possibly could.


This past week I took a longer lunch and shared the pool with John (who also swam the 10 km with me and Adam) and Seth (who has yet to do the 10 km - have fun Seth!!!!). We each did a 5 km timed swim. A maddeningly erratic swim for me with a switch to a modified single-side breathing pattern to restore some good technique to my stroke. The cramps held off. I know I took the swim out far too hard, but I did want to, well, go for it. 1:11:38.54 was my time, and frankly, I'm pleased. Not too bad for almost-41!


May and June are crowded with long swims (and in March, April, and May I put in over 40 miles a month in the pool, I should add). Up next is Noblesville, a team event with Liz, Dana, and Mike. I'm looking forward to it greatly - I've done swims there twice, and I've had a good time in each case. I've also had a national title and record, but that's a high bar to reach again. I'll settle for a good swim, a good time, and no sunburn.

After the 10 km, one or two people joked that it was odd to see me wet, in a swim suit. Yes, perhaps. I tend to swim mostly on my own early in the morning rather than with the team, I know. Still, there really is nothing like doing the events with the Smelts - the swimmers I know and like so well.

One more to go, then a week away from swimming while away at conference. I have no other summer events planned, but you can bet I will be keeping regular hours at the pool. I have to look good for that wedding later this year, after all!

chilled dinner

Temperatures well into the 90s? Look, I love Chicago and all, but this is stupid. It's not yet the middle of June. Honestly? Bring on the winter weather - I can just pile on a nice thick sweater.

Jeepers!

I did not want to cook tonight, but I had some vegetables and fruit to use, and I dislike wasting them. I stopped at Whole Foods for a few more items, then came home and put this simple meal together:



Shrimp, barely poached, cooled, chopped. Toss them with chopped mango and red onion and red pepper and cilantro and jalapeno. Add lime juice, salt, and pepper. Let sit in the fridge while enjoying a bit of rose wine. Plate atop a bit of arugula, take photos, then toss it together to make a juice, messy salad. A nice chilled meal for a warm evening.

It was either that or pick up sushi again for a second night in a row!

views of Vancouver

One last blog post about Vancouver, and then it's time to move on. In any case, there are plenty of photos of the trip on Flickr, and I am perfectly happy to rave on to friends about how much we love the city and what a good time it was there.

Alas, it's almost a week now since we came home, so it's time to blog about life as it moves forward.

Many things to reminisce over from the trip, but I want to go back to last Monday night. Conrad and I had invited my sister, Marie, and our friends Chris, Brian, and Sherri to go to the Club with us for cocktails (and then wine) and light bites in Cuvee, the wine bar. Such a fine evening for it, and we had a terrific time. Chris and Brian went on their way after that, but the four of us ended up at the revolving restaurant atop the Harbour Centre.





It was a joking suggestion, but it turned out to be an excellent one. The weather was good, the view was gorgeous, and if the wine was a bit cheap and simple and the desserts were a bit pre-packaged in nature, that didn't matter. We had four people in a terrific mood and some outstanding views to match.

In fact, I hope that Marie might take our family members there for dinner the day after the wedding while Conrad and I start on our honeymoon. A fine view for them, and truly, I think the dinner will be quite fine.

Enjoy the photos, check out the others, and stay tuned for more Vancouver later in the year!

rare achievement

Friends will know this: I am very critical of my own cooking. Badly and even unnecessarily so, but I think that's not unusual for people who enjoy cooking. I'm hard on myself, I know. Sorry.

Conrad is out of town for a handful of days, and rather than do my usual thing of putting together a selection of things I can nibble on idly while I sip wine and watch old episodes of Top Chef on my iTunes, I actually cooked and plated a real dinner for myself.

And you know what? It wasn't exactly refined, but by gosh did it taste good.

A nice piece of sockeye salmon, seasoned with kosher salt and ground cumin, sauteed in a pan. Asparagus cooked crispy-tender. A fresh salsa made with corn cut from the cob, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice, salt, and pepper.



And there I sat, a bit of Pinot Noir, Top Chef on iTunes, a dish of fresh cherries (rushing the season - oh! I can't wait until the cherries are in the thick of their season) awaiting me for dessert. And a nod to myself, a silent mental pat on the back for a job well done.

favourite coffee shop

One more post before heading to bed, and oddly (given the time of night), it's about coffee.

So much to write about with Vancouver, and each time we go there are some of our reliable favourites and new experiences. New this time? Bao Bei.


Good restaurant, nearby. We'll go back. Familiar to us? Campagnolo on the Friday night.



Shopping at Roots.
Granville Island.




And then there's Safari Cafe.

We go there everyone morning we're in Vancouver. A short stroll over for what we have come to think of as the best coffees in Vancouver.
They remind us of the flat whites we came to love so much on our New Zealand visits. It's not a big place, but there are some seats and free wireless. And regulars. We don't know them really, but the faces are familiar, and occasionally conversation flies across the room. Adam, the owner, takes good care of us. Breakfast items daily for us, though we are careful not to take that for granted.



And anyway, the banana loaves are quite satisfying.

I would find it interesting to know how many hours we've spent at Safari Cafe on past visits. It must add up into days, easily. I think it was 10-12 hours on this trip, though I tend to get there well before Conrad, who likes to sleep in a bit. My/our morning ritual in our second city.

By gosh, are those coffees good.