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Happy Spring: Diversions & Dining

March 20, 2021March 20, 2021 JWF Leave a comment

HAPPY SPRING!

For me, the appearance of daffodils, even in the supermarket, heralds the arrival of spring. Today, March 20, is the first day of spring, the spring equinox. This equinox can occur on March 19, 20, or 21. Interestingly, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, the next time spring arrives on March 21 in the United States isn’t until 2101, the next century!

TOUCHING FILM

Minari (Amazon Prime $)

Minari is one of the Academy nominees for Best Picture. It’s a mostly quiet film, but powerful and very moving. This Korean American family of Jacob and Monica and their two children, Anne and David, moves from California to a large tract of land in Arkansas.

Jacob has dreams of becoming a successful vegetable farmer despite Monica’s doubts. Their young son has a heart condition, and they live isolated in a rundown trailer. The parents work at the local hatchery sexing baby chicks while the kids are alone much of the time.

Monica arranges for her mother to come live with them, and she is not at all what David expects. This Grandma is tough and foul-mouthed and doesn’t bake cookies. You wonder along the way if this foursome will survive economically, if they will fit in culturally, and finally, if Jacob and Monica will go their separate ways.

The performances are wonderful, especially that of the boy playing David. I also found the soundtrack memorable. Highly recommended!

THRILLING ESCAPISM

The Diplomat’s Wife by Pam Jenoff

First published in 2008, this historical novel was re-released in paperback in 2020. At the end of the Second World War, Marta Nederman is rescued from a Nazi prison by an American soldier named Paul. While recovering in an Allied hospital, Marta makes friends with Rose, another patient, and with her nurse Dava. She has one evening with Paul before he ships out to the Pacific.

Through a series of happenings, Marta does not return to her native Poland, but ends up in London. She is offered a secretarial job at the Foreign Office and then marries a British diplomat. How she becomes involved in a secret mission to Prague makes for a suspenseful story with lots of hair-raising twists and turns. Overall, some of the incidents seem improbable and there are numerous coincidences, but it’s a fast-paced read!

This is one of Jenoff’s earlier works. She has written a number of other novels and often draws on her own experiences working in the Foreign Office.

CULINARY CORNER

Several days ago, we ventured to downtown Sarasota for our first meal at a restaurant since Labor Day weekend last year. We were celebrating having had both Covid vaccine shots and the conclusion of my term on our condo board.

Rosemary and Thyme has a very large patio. Tables are nicely spaced, and all servers were masked. Our table even had several partial walls further dividing it from anyone or anything else! We dined early, but by the time we finished, this outdoor space was full and service a bit slower.

The menu offers a variety of fish, seafood, and meat entrees along with salads and starters such as fried calamari and fish chowder. The Chief Penguin and I liked the just-right size and freshness of our Caesar salads. He then tucked into the hearty meatloaf plate, a signature dish. I opted for the catch of the day which was a lovely piece of Branzino accompanied by risotto, green beans, and carrots. Entrée prices range from the low 20’s into the 40’s, the latter perhaps a reflection of staying viable during the pandemic. The food was tasty and the ambience very nice— we will return.

Note: Header illustration of daffodils courtesy of dreamstime.com.

Film, Fun & Food

February 20, 2021February 20, 2021 JWF Leave a comment

RECENT FILMS

POISON GLOW

Radium Girls (Netflix)

Based on history, this is the heart-tugging story of several young women who work in a New Jersey factory painting luminous numbers on clock faces. It’s 1925, and the “girls” are told the brush point is finer if they dip the brush in the paint, lick it, and then paint. Paid by the piece, there is incentive to paint as many clocks as possible each day. The company is American Radium, and the radium in the paint takes up residence in their bodies. Their bones, and sometimes their jaws, become infected. In time, a number of them die of radiation poisoning.

One sister has died and Josephine, another sister, is suffering when Bessie becomes determined to do something. She meets resistance, but eventually there is a notable court case. It’s the beginning of regulation and concern for workplace safety. The sisters here are a fictional composite based on several young women, and the name of the company has been altered. It’s a good pairing with the film Radioactive.

TEXAS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR

News of the World (Netflix $)

Based on the novel of the same name by Paulette Jiles, the film is a faithful rendering of the book. Tom Hanks is perfect as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, and Helena Zengel, a child actor of 12, is amazing as Johanna. Set in Texas in 1870, the psychic wounds of the Blues’ victory are still festering. The captain takes on the task of traveling 600 miles across the state to return Johanna to relatives. Her parents are dead, she’s witnessed violence and brutality, and the Indians who adopted her are gone. Johanna is angry, unruly, and almost mute.

Their journey is slow and marked by shootouts, broken wagon wheels, and suspicious relatives. Initially unable to communicate, Captain and Johanna gradually adapt to each other. She teaches him words in Kiowa and he gives her the English equivalent. I loved the book for its writing. I loved the movie for its gentle depiction of the growing trust and acceptance between these two wandering souls. Recommended!

MOSTLY FUN–AN ARISTOCRAT’S MEMOIR

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner

At age 87, Anne Glenconner has had a life of travel, tragedy, adventure, and service. Daughter of an earl and then wife of a baron, she grew up playing with the Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth. As children, they were friends. As a young woman she was a maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Later, after marriage and the birth of her five children, Anne was invited by Princess Margaret to be her Extra Lady-in-Waiting. She served Princess Margaret in that role for 30 years.

In those decades, she traveled abroad with Margaret and attended many royal engagements. There was a closeness between them, even to the point of friendship, but in conversation, it was always and forever, “Ma’am” and “Anne.” Margaret was supportive when tragedies struck Anne’s family, but Anne was always on call to the princess when working. A strange relationship from an American perspective.

Anne’s husband, Colin Tennant, was the son of a baron and a temperamental eccentric. He was subject to fits of rage, had numerous affairs, and yet was applauded for his enterprise in developing the island of Mustique. He divided his time between London and Mustique, relishing the latter’s more laid-back milieu. In his late years, he decamped to St. Lucia and opened a restaurant. We visited St. Lucia several times in the 1990’s and once met Lord Glenconner when we dined there. Tall and dressed all in white, he cut quite an odd figure.

I got curious about the role of a lady-in-waiting and found this brief summary of the duties. There is no pay, they are generally rich, titled women, they must be trustworthy, and their hours are somewhat flexible. The job is to provide company and friendship for the princess or queen, to attend events with her, to travel with her, and to be her personal assistant. Two specific positions are Mistress of the Robes and Woman of the Bedchamber. Queen Elizabeth has nine ladies-in-waiting.

Lady Glenconner has had a fascinating life, and I found her memoir an absorbing peek into the world of the royals. Her principal royal, Princess Margaret, comes off better and nicer in this account than in many I’ve read.

CULINARY CORNER

ITALIAN TAKEOUT

The little Italian restaurant not far from us changed hands some months ago and is now called Pesto. We finally tried it for takeout and were pleased with the results. Veal is not that common on local menus, so we both had veal entrees. The Chief Penguin found their version of veal cutlet saltimbocca quite good, and I liked my veal scaloppini with capers, nuggets of pancetta and slices of hearts of palm. Each entrée came with broccolini and a choice of penne alfredo or the chef’s potato of the day which was mashed potatoes.

We began with a small Caesar salad (slathered with dressing and topped with an anchovy) and the Caprese salad which was a lovely presentation of sliced tomatoes and burrata with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil, and walnut pesto. Italian bread and dipping oil were included with our order. A very successful first taste which we will repeat!

Tidy Tidbits: Filling Time

April 19, 2020April 19, 2020 JWF Leave a comment

OUTLETS

So, other than the routine activities such as our daily walk on the boulevard and the treadmill in the afternoon, what do we do to break the sameness of days?

The Chief Penguin has always been the household baker. It used to be desserts, but since retiring, he’s dedicated himself to experimenting with different kinds of flour to create tasty oatmeal bread with molasses, healthy bran muffins with a touch of orange marmalade, and multi-day adventures resulting in lovely round loaves courtesy of a famous Parisian recipe. The house smells toasty and warm, and his oven products are both beautiful and satisfying. We can’t possibly eat all this bread—some loaves go into the freezer for another day and some he gives away.

I, on the other hand, have been caught up in condo association business, writing notecards to my granddaughters and others, and reading for pleasure. I have two stacks of new books in the den in addition to the stacked bench in the bedroom. Plus, I always have a stash of unread titles on my Kindle.

But my newest diversion is Scrabble GO on my iPhone. The original Scrabble app which I liked a lot is no longer available. This new app has lots of prizes and incentives which I personally find very distracting and unnecessary. But you can play multiple games at a time and they tend to move quickly. When someone takes a turn, you get a tone and then you can play your turn. At one point, I had six games going simultaneously! Scrabble GO quickly eats up any extra time on your hands!

NOVEL PLEASURES

Secrets of Nanreath Hall by Alix Rickloff

For a change of pace, I read this historical romance set in Cornwall, England, in 1913 and 1940. Anna Trenowyth, a Red Cross nurse was injured at Dunkirk and, mostly recovered, has been assigned to a grand estate, Nanreath Hall, now turned into a hospital. It also happens to be the former home of her late mother, Lady Katherine Trenowyth, and a place she has never visited before nor had any contact with the family there. Anna is curious about her relatives and her mother’s youth, and the novel alternates between the 1940 present and Lady Kitty’s escape from her proper upper crust family to a wild affair with a dashing young painter. Morris is good on the gritty details of nursing war injuries and the nightmarish aftermath of surviving in battle while serving up an intriguing stew of family secrets.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

This title is this month’s selection for the book group here. I put off reading it for several weeks because I thought it would be extremely depressing. But, it’s a moving story of one man’s determination to live long enough to have a life outside the concentration camp. Lale, a Jew from Slovakia, is smart and knows several languages and thus, he’s given the higher status job of tattooing numbers on the incoming prisoners. His schedule and his assignments provide him with more opportunity to move around the camp. He takes risks to confiscate jewels and money left from murdered Jews which he uses in exchange for food for others and himself. Attracted to a young woman, Gita, he vows that he will one day marry her.

Based on real people and portraying horrific events, it is yet an inspiring and uplifting novel. Morris uses Lale’s powers of observation and his quiet determination to keep a distance between the reader and the horror. It isn’t exactly detachment, but a matter-of-factness that keeps one from drowning in emotion. ~(JWFarrington)

LOCAL TAKEOUT

Thai Palace

This small restaurant in a strip mall on Cortez Road in Bradenton is one of our favorites for lunch or dinner. I am especially fond of their curries and had a yen for one, so I ordered online and specified our desired pick-up time. It wasn’t curbside, I had to go up to the entrance; consequently, I put on my fabric mask for the first time and waited, with two tables between me and the server, while he checked on the order. It was already bagged and hot. The curries were in tall plastic containers, the rice in the usual Chinese takeout boxes, and some steamed veggies in a square foam box. Everything was still hot when we opened the bag at home and, it was so delicious!

Savannah Dining: From Grits to Chocolates

March 1, 2020March 1, 2020 JWF 1 Comment

EATING SOUTHERN

You will not go hungry in Savannah. Portions are generous to very large and shrimp and grits appear on almost every menu. Other local favorites are fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, ham and biscuits, and crab meat. Here’s where we dined.

Husk

We had lunch in their upstairs dining room which was largely empty and pleasingly quiet. Service was excellent and while we ate more than we had intended, we found the food delicious. Their homemade pimento cheese with benne crackers and the ham and biscuit starters were both great. We also sampled the roast cobia with sour grits and collard chow chow (slightly different) and the pastrami tongue sandwich (man-sized). This is upscale sophisticated dining and the menu changes frequently.

Gryphon

This charming café, located in a former apothecary and set up like a library, is owned and run by SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). It is cozy and welcoming and a relaxing spot for lunch. We enjoyed the very shrimpy shrimp salad, the crusted medallions of goat cheese on a mound of greens, and the salmon club sandwich. Our delightful waitress was a current SCAD student.

Six Pence Pub

For a change from just Southern cooking and because it was a cold day, we opted for comfort food at this English style pub. The shredded beef pot roast with mashed potatoes, gravy and baby carrots hit the spot for two of us. Our friends ordered the shrimp bisque and a salad and one of their hearty sandwiches; both were pleased with their choices. And the Chief Penguin succumbed to the bread pudding with whipped cream. Beer and wine, of course, were available.

The Olde Pink House

First off, the pink house is a large mansion with a beautiful deep pink exterior. Our hotel concierge felt it had become more touristy in recent years, so we lowered our expectations and were pleasantly surprised by how good everything was. There are many dining spaces and ours was large and tastefully decorated, but noisy. The maître d’ stopped by to ask how we were and would have re-located us had we insisted, but we had already ordered drinks and so declined.

They specialize in Low Country cuisine and the menu is extensive with many choices of platters, appetizers, soups and salads, entrees, and sides. Having had lunch out, we ordered mostly appetizers and salads. The shrimp, crab and sausage spring rolls with honey mustard drizzle were delectable as was the sautéed shrimp in ham gravy with a cheddar cheese grits cake.

Equally pleasing was the BLT salad: fried green tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce with a buttermilk thyme dressing. Their rendition of a chicken potpie was not as satisfying as the one at the 1540 Room, this from a lover of potpies.

Vic’s on the River

This is a very popular restaurant and given its location was crowded and busy the night we dined here. Pluses: excellent jumbo lump crab cakes with Parmesan risotto and baby arugula, tasty meat loaf, reasonable sized portions (except for the humongous wedge of meat loaf), and nicely presented romaine wedges with cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices on the side. Minuses: Very noisy and we felt a bit processed, read hurried, by the wait staff.

Edgar’s Proof & Provision

Bar cum dining venue in the De Soto Hotel. Noisy, but the drinks and the food were very good, especially the seafood chowder, fish tacos and chicken wings. Also, the wicked garlic chips with chipotle dip.

1540 Room

Breakfast and dinner venue in the De Soto Hotel. We had breakfasts here and one dinner on a rainy night. The skillet chicken potpie was excellent. One of our group also had their version of shrimp and grits.

SWEETS

Other than the bread pudding the Chief Penguin enjoyed one lunch, we skipped desserts. That said, we are chocolate lovers and so could not resist stopping in and then purchasing a few truffles at Chocolat by Adam Turoni. In 2011, this millennial brought a box of his own homemade chocolates to his dinner hosts and, from there, was born this firm.

Turoni’s flavor combinations are innovative, his creations beautiful to look at, and even better to taste. The shop we visited, one of two in the city, is modeled as a library with shelves of books interlaced with shelves of chocolate. You pick up a tray, a bit like an old-fashioned card catalog drawer except narrower, and walk around filling it with the chocolates you wish to purchase. The truffle flavors range from Mint Julep Truffle to Coconut Meltaway with white chocolate to a Café American to Blood Orange and more. Double yum!

Category: Restaurants

Happy Spring: Diversions & Dining

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