thanks for the dranks

even though we've been back from Houston for over 3 weeks now, i can't stop reminiscing about our adventures there. maybe it's because philadelphia has been getting pelted with all manner of frozen precipitation ever since our return, and i long to go back to that sunny patio where we sat and drank iced coffee. maybe it's because seeing our dear mary was a sharp reminder of how intensely she is missed here. or maybe it's that the routine of working, schlepping home on the septa bus, and "being cozy" (that is, staying in to avoid the cold) is making me long for another vacation.

regardless, one facet of the houston trip that has stayed with me is the creative, lovely cocktails that we sipped at a few places across town. at home, i'm rarely drawn to bars that offer the new class of craft or pre-prohibition mixed drinks. the steep price tags and my unyielding love of beer may be to blame. chick's is just a block away from my house, and i've stopped in a few times, but with no real regularity. the wonderful southwark, too, is just a stone's throw away from my abode, but i like to reserve my trips there for special occasions. the thing about vacations is, is that every day is a special occasion! especially when you're cavorting around with three of your best lady friends, it doesn't take much convincing to order a fancy drink once the sun has gone down.

while on the plane en route to texas, lauren and i took turns thumbing through the most recent issue of saveur. in their "top 100" feature, the head chef at dolce vita was quoted about some crazy salad they serve, and we said, almost simultaneously, "we should totally go there!" and so, we did. the food turned out being great, and the drinks fully held up their side of things. we ordered these appertifs before our antipasti arrived, and they primed our palates for the delicious food to come.

vodka cocktail, with lemon and basil

negroni with a big splash of prosecco

anvil, a "bar + refuge" (oh geez), located on a jumping strip of westheimer, was packed out on a friday night, and the skilled fleet of bartenders were moving like soldiers on a mission. and while the bar had some pretty whimsical and weird drinks on its menu, it was what i would consider a serious place. once you placed your order, the bartender would literally fly into action, never needing to so much as glance at a recipe or menu to double check one of the eight obscure ingredients. they poured, stirred, shook, and served with absolute precision.

"the diplomat:" gin, bonal, curacao, maraschino, orange bitters

halimah and i fought our way through the yuppie crowd and both ordered the diplomat, a heady and strong cocktail which i assume earned its namesake from the around-the-world nature of its ingredient: gin (england/the netherlands), bonal (france), curacao (the caribbean), maraschino (italy) and bitters (well, i guess those could be made anywhere). i loved the delicate glasses they were served in, which inspired me to buy a few of my own on a recent thrifting binge:

the cheapest happy hour: a homemade vodka martini

another stand out drink i had was at a funny joint, beavers, which involved lemon and marigold infused vodka, made with flowers right from the restaurant's garden. i didn't get to snap a photo of this drink, but it was a perfect balance of floral (not soapy, just fresh), citrusy, and dry. like summertime in a cup. just thinking about that little glass of joy makes me smile, and helps me to remember that there is a light at the end of this wintry tunnel.

love,

emily

picnic in the park

two days ago we had a bastille day picnic. ok, well, it wasn't for bastille day, and the food wasn't actually french themed in almost any way, but it was a picnic and it was on bastille day. how about transitive property? eh, ehhh?

our good friend and west philly neighbor, halimah, asked if em and i were interested in dinner and a movie. we were both interested in the dinner part - surprise, surprise - but tuesday's beautiful evening was certainly not conducive to sitting in an air conditioned movie theatre (even though moon does look pretty thrilling). em mentioned wanting to eat outside and quickly, excitedly suggested "why don't we make dinner and eat it in the park?!" sounded good to me, and halimah, wisely, got on board. we agreed to make the food, she would bring the drinkables and we would meet in clark park in promptly one hour.

em had brought home a leftover greek salad from her job and we picked out and washed off the feta. from that wet, sad looking salad sprang forth a much larger, more hooked-up salad and also a kalamata olive tapenade. the salad included romaine, red radish, cucumber, onions, carrot, tofu croutons, microgreens and chopped almonds. emily is really good at tofu croutons. they are so crispy and firm! i think i may have eaten 6 before they even left the pan. oops. the dressing was a pesto-like vinaigrette featuring fresh as can be basil from our backyard garden! someone called it 'green goddess' dressing - if basiliness is next to godliness, sign me up for heaven.

the tapenade was the result of some garlic, kalamatas, lemon juice, olive oil, s&p, white truffle oil and red wine vinegar taking a few spins in the food processor. these once forgotten - left to die in a day old salad - kalamata olives were allowed to live again, a life atop a soft fluffy baguette. if gardeners have a green thumb, emily has a sauce thumb...or something that means she's really good at making sauces/dressings/spreads.

bulgar, lentil and chickpea salad came together pretty quickly and emily (did i do anything?) followed a simple recipe from deborah madison's vegetarian cooking for everyone. this dish was really good served room temperature and had a totally fresh, zippy flavor. also, can you say complete protein?

somehow em still had some moxy left in her, and with minutes to spare (we didn't want to be late!) emily threw some vodka, basil simple syrup, frozen watermelon puree ice cubes and blueberries in a mason jar and immersion blended her way to glory. like a boozy slushy, it fit perfectly with our summer picnic.


our plan was to sit on a sheet and eat picnic style on the ground but to our surprise, THE ONE TABLE in clark park was unoccupied! we tossed our sheet on as a makeshift tablecloth and dinner was served. later, our bellies were full, the sun was setting, the booze long gone, us ladies all chatted out. as we packed up our bowls and utensils, i realized, why stress over finding a [vegan friendly] restaurant with outdoor seating, when great food is created in our kitchen and outdoor seating just a 2 minute walk away? no waiting, no tipping, no travel. i think i speak for all of us when i say, the clark park cafe is my new favorite dining location.