With 3 weeks before I'm faced with a full staff of teachers and 6 until students, I figured it was time to capture the best eats I've had thus far this summer. Last week's Blue Hill dinner was, of course, fantastic, but there have been some other highlights as well.
Our return to Oakland was full of delicious bites - from eating Frog Hollow peaches and Recchuitti caramels on Becky and Chris' back porch to enjoying a glass of Sardinian white and a cheese plate at Adesso, good food and good friends. Jasmine and I had greatness at Commis, bar seating, with 6 courses of thoughtful dishes (beet soup with unripe pickled strawberries?), a return to the anchovy-amazingness of Dopo's house pie and her apricot dessert (along with Mat and Jennifer's cherry one) at our chilly 4th of July cook out.
By myself I've embarked on rediscovery, enjoying a grilled cheese with sun dried tomatoes, basil and caciocavello cheese at Ground Support, reading a Laurie Colwin book with a bag from Anthropologie tucked underneath the wide wood table. I've tried twice for Earl Grey at the Van Leewan ice cream truck and have come up with mint chocolate chip instead. After dropping an out of town friend off in Williamsburg, I parked illegally outside Saltie to get two chocolate nudges and a lavendar shortbread and we inhaled at the movies. Mornings find me sifting, whisking and enjoying Kama matcha with white toast and fresh butter.
Liam and I shared an old favorite, Fenton's Black and Tan (above) on the 4th and have delved into new and old favorites back in New York as well. One night it was banh mi, sweating upstairs at Num Pang, another, we slid into stylish seats at Balaboosta and dredged fried olives through labneh. This week, we re-visited the bigger and better Tanoreen and after gorging ourselves on our favorite mezze, ordered the "large" knafeh which is one of the best desserts I've had all summer. Shredded filo dough baked over two types of cheeses and comes to the table melting, crispy and just a hint of rosewater deliciousness. Dessert leftovers - the best kind!
My love affair with Pantaleo continues, and enjoyed it this week on a pole bean salad at Franny's, and hope to use it in salads for two gatherings here next week - which, looking at the forecast, will both involve salads -hopefully as good as the ones I had at Bebe's bday party in Pittsfield!
Vacation is over, summer hours continue, trying to soak in all of the heat and sun now so we can complain less come December, although today I think I just need to drink some water.
