LA CUCHARA'S BAR IS FINALLY OPEN AGAIN (hoooooray!) |
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Last week, my friend Heather and I met up for drinks at the bar at La Cuchara. The day prior, La Cuchara posted on their Instagram that the bar would be reopened for the first time over two years. Holy moly!
They are offering happy hour drinks weekdays 5-7. No happy hour food specials yet. But the comp bread service is certainly there. Ahhhh, the soft salted butter.
Guests are seated at the bar by the host to make sure everyone has enough room and feels comfortable. I liked that a lot. It felt so good to be sitting there, seeing the staff and enjoying the food, drinks and hospitality. The kitchen sent out a little off-menu treat (gorgeous mussels and scallops in an amazing saffron broth — thank you, Jake!) and we ordered lots of snacks to share.
Since March 2020, like so many other restaurants, this wonderful crew pivoted endlessly and moved slowly and very cautiously back to in-person dining. I am especially thankful for the online market they had, plus many friends told me they loved the Thanksgiving packages and other special prepared meals. So many things to thank the Lefenfelds and their fantastic staff for, mostly for being kind and generous people.
Sitting at this bar, having special dinners, dining out on the lovely patio...I enjoy it all so much.
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NEOPOL OPEN ON HOLLINS STREET |
I was down in Pigtown dropping off a bag of clothes, hats, scarves and gloves off at Pauls' Place (such a great place!) and remembered that Neopol's new location was very nearby. I popped in and was so happy to see owners Barbara and Dorian (mom and son) there working alongside their kitchen staff, prepping for the weekend's farmers markets. Dorian gave me a tour and WOW the production space is a real game changer for them. Walk-ins, storage, space to prep, cook, everything. It's really impressive. Plus a case filled with freshly made Neopol goodness and a place to sit and enjoy your food, too. Their gravlax has become one of my very favorite things. I buy it every few weeks as a treat and never ever get tired of it. Go check it out: 875 Hollins Street
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STAR BRIGHT FARM + BLUEBIRD / DE KLEINE DUIVEL
EVENT NEXT WEEK
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The Bluebird & De Kleine Duivel Present
The Loves of the Plants Series: Seed to Still to Sip
From the Bluebird & De Kleine Duivel:
In our first installment, enjoy a conversation with Star Bright Farm's Peter Elmore, where we'll discuss innovative ways to use organic herbs, with a concentration on distilled hydrosols, for the at-home cook or bartender, or the restaurant professional.
Enjoy drinks, passed hors d'oeuvres and conversation.
February 24, 2022
6:00pm
De Kleine Duivel
3602 Hickory Avenue
$95/person
This speaker event series overall will be mainly about beverages, in keeping with Bluebird and De Kleine Duivel’s commitment to ingredient-focused drinks. Here's little more info you might not know. Paul Benkert (owner of Bluebird and De Kleine Duivel) is sober, so he is always enthusiastically finding ways to enjoy creative, delicious drinks without alcohol. The kombuchas Paul is creating with his team at De Kleine Duivel and Bluebird are very, very good. If you don't drink or are just very interested in issues surrounding sustainability, I highly recommend following Paul on Instagram. (I've been to Paul's lab and it's super nerdy and cool.)
Here’s a bit more about Star Bright Farm: They grow aromatic and medicinal herbs like calendula, chamomile, lavender, multiple mints, lemon verbena, lemon thyme and many more — 24 total.They are certified organic and grow herbs to dry for teas and tinctures, and to distill for the essential oils and floral waters called hydrosol and this event's conversation will focus on the hydrosols. Guests will enjoy two drinks with their hydrosols and there will be passed heavy hors d’oeuvres. Participants will leave with two cocktail recipe cards, as well.I met Mark and Helen Norman of Star Bright Farm when I was waiting tables at Ladew Gardens over 25 years ago. I soon began babysitting their young sons, Peter and Patrick. We've stayed in touch a bit throughout the years, so I am especially happy that Peter and his family have come so far in their work with growing and distilling herbs. They always wanted to do something special with their farm and now they are. More details on the event info HERE. And check out Paul Benkert talking with Martha Lucius on her Holy Guacamole podcast.
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CLAVEL'S NEW TIENDITA salsa, tortillas and lots more |
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Photo credit: Justin Flythe
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As I wrote about a while back, last year Clavel built out a new space next the the restaurant where they now make their own tortillas, a nixtamaleria. This is a big deal. They start with corn from Oaxaca and the eventual result of this very labor-intensive work is a tortilla with great flavor and texture. Soon after opening the space, they began selling bottles of mezcal – and now they are also selling Clavel's housemade salsas, pickled things, tortillas, etc. Highly recommend going and checking it out. (It's where you pick up your takeout.)
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THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS |
A NEW AND EASY WAY TO ACCESS PAST NEWSLETTERS |
My wonderful graphic design pro, Jess Wilson of Moondog Development, helped me fix something on my site this week that had been bothering me. Since I started this newsletter, they were shared chronologically on my website as blog posts. So, if you were new to the newsletter, there was not a really quick and easy way to just find past newsletters. I asked Jess to create one page with simple links and I'm so happy I did! HERE is a link. Check it out and share it!
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I always ask this: PLEASE FORWARD this onto your friends. If you received this via a friend, please consider signing up. There is also always a link to my latest newsletter in my Instagram bio. Copy it and text it to your people, share it in your IG story. Help me get the word out! I make no money from this newsletter. I just want to help people find great food and drinks and good people to support. So important. Thank you so much,
xo -
Amy
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