Monday Musings: August 9, 2010

During yesterday’s interminable drive back from the Bay Area, the stopped - as in put the car in ‘Park’ - time on Donner Pass gave me time to think about the next great invention. A flame thrower to motivate all the morons in front of you. Can you picture it? For the nimrod that hasn’t discovered that the gridlock has suddenly dissipated - yes, we can all resume 85 miles per hour! This idiot is still doing 35 mph.

This video is for demo purposes only. Of course the flame has to be able to shoot out the front in order to fill said idiot’s rear view mirror. I don’t want to hurt anybody, but simply want to give them something to think about and a reason to soil themselves.

Oh, I jest. Sorta.

CalTrans made it even worse, leaving signs all along the way saying that there was work ahead and to merge right. Not. Never happened. So you have thousands of cars all trying to do something that didn’t need to be done.

The trip to meet up with my family at The Book Passage for author Peter Heller’s book signing was sweet. Peter - always Mr. Buff and fit - is sporting an awesome tan these days. Not surprising for a guy who’s just written about discovering life and love through surfing. I’d developed a decent cyclists tan,  lost a bit of weight and grew my hair long since we last saw each other. I caught him sort of eyeballing me through the Q&A with that “is it her?” look . Ha!

We decided there was lots to catch up on; too much for the time and place. Hmmm. I’ve got a idea for a surefire book to pitch. I tried it on Peter and got the response I expected. “No. Not ever.” But he agrees with me that it’s perfect for Carl Hiaasen. Now, if I can just get Hiaasen to read an email or take a call. Sigh.

Five minutes is all I need.

Oh, new restaurant alert. The Crepevine

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Thoughts on what makes a solid dining experience

Mr. Maven and I had lunch out the other day with a friend at a favorite local restaurant as a sort of getting re-acquainted experience. The owners had noticed that I hadn’t been in lately or been blogging about their excellent product. There was no particular reason. Life simply gets busy and we get into ruts.

That’s not to say we don’t have our favorites, and there are definitely reasons for having those particular favorite dining spots. This whole thing got me thinking again about the experience of eating out and what qualities make for a good dining experience - or not.

 

Let’s get one thing out of the way now. I’m really fussy. I notice absolutely everything, and make a mental note - rather like points adding up on the plus or minus side of the ledger. I’m also always making some pretty stiff comparisons, having eaten my way around the world - from a hidden Parisian bistro with a knowledgeable local to the corner Italian joint in New York’s Tribeca to the best that Hong Kong has to offer - again with locals.

I see it this way, if you’re in the restaurant business to succeed, then it’s about wanting to be more tomorrow than you were yesterday. It is about passion. Everything else is just Fast Food.

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Monday Musings: May 10, 2010

Today is my mother’s birthday. She’s 93 years old. That’s damned old by anybody’s standards. She still drives around town, does her own ‘thing’, and can’t go 15 minutes without informing all that she won’t live to see another week, not to mention another year.

“Momma lived to be 96, but I don’t think I’m going to get there.”

While having the big whipped cream covered waffle at Heide’s restaurant in southwest Reno, yesterday - Mother’s Day - (more about Heide’s later) she regaled us again with stories of back in the day. Actually, some of them are pretty good.

On going to school for the first time: “the local school teacher used to drive by our gate with her horse and buggy. I couldn’t have been more than about four, and would run out and wave and tell her hello. She would stop and talk. Finally, one day, she asked Momma if I could go to school with her, and Momma told her sure. It was about a month later when the school board found out and said I was too young to be in school. They called us in. The school teacher gave me a book to read in front of them. They never said any more, and I continued in school.”

This is Mom’s explanation for my supposdedly being able to ‘read’ at age two. Highly unlikely, but it entertaining.

On having black friends: “we only had a few black kids in school, and they had to sit in the back of the room, in the corner. They never said anything, and the teacher never asked them anything. I felt sorry for them.”  … (seque to Miami, Florida in the 1950’s when I was little) … “Then there was that day I was sitting in our kitchen having coffee with that black woman who came in to do the ironing. That neighbor whose husband was in the Klan, let’s herself in the back door with a fresh pie in her hands. She looked at me and the black woman, and without saying a word, turned and went out the door and never came back.”

My mother may have been raised in Kansas, but never, ever had time or patience for racism or bigotry. Her worldview, aside from that, is pretty limited - in large part from being raised in the worst of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. She never, ever got past it. Having a job, money, and eating whatever was in front of you, was more important than anything else - including any possible joy.

It’s a bleak worldview for the most part, but it’s got her this far. And, remember, she won’t last another week. She still can’t imagine what makes her feel so tired and achey these days. She thinks it has to be fibro-myalgia. I tell her it’s possibly “93-myalgia”.

She says I’m not funny.

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A Top New Place to Nosh In Reno, Nevada: Bistro 7

I wasn’t sorry to see Ciao go away and Bistro 7 appear. Ciao was pricey with an overwrought menu and snotty service. Who needed it? I didn’t.

So apparently the owners/priniciples did some shuffling around and it’s now Bistro 7. Ron and I decided to finally give it a try the other evening, and plan on returning this evening with some friends from out of town.

I read Chowhounds review about the pricey nature of the menu. He’s right, but I’m not sure how much sympathy I can summon up when he “start(s) with a flight of wines”.  Yes, the tab came to $65. And he was surprised? Who could have seen that coming?

When I try a new spot, I’m looking for how they do the simple stuff and I don’t intend to break the bank on an unknown. That’s just me I guess, but my wallet has limits as does my plebian palette.

I did abandon my principles this time and ordered a ‘girly’ Chocolate and Pear martini. It was nice. Not too cloyingly sweet which would have turned me off. But the rimming with some kind of exotic chocolate was dry and rather unappealing. They need to work on this one. However, it was Happy Hour and essentially two fer … so I did. I had to make sure I didn’t really love it. I’ve had better chocolate martinis elsewhere …. obviously the Chocolate Bar, but also Bonefish Grille in Montgomery, Alabama of all places. Rons’ manhattan was rather watered down. But that’s what I expect with two fers. We simply asked that it be sent back for some reinforcement and then all was well.

Then on to the menu. I like small plates. Always have. We both have learned over the years (and as we, gasp, get older ) that giant portions of over worked gourmet ingredients doesn’t always make for a satisfying dining experience. Especially when you’re paying top buck for it.

The sliders menu is really different and I may give that a try this evening. But the other night I simply went for the Ahi Hand Rolls for $12. They had, well Ahi of course, but paired with avocado and fresh cantalope. They weren’t hand rolls in the usual sense as I think should have been. They were cut up on a sushi platter. But they were certainly tasty.

Ron had the Ziti Bolognese for $13 and it was killer. If I were in the mood for comfort food this is it. He will certainly order this again.

The service was snappy, knowlegeable and great to deal with. They really are trying hard. They want feedback.

So here’s their website and menu ( BTW the website needs a bit of going over, but I’d rather they concentrate on the restaurant, right?) : http://www.bistro7reno.com/about.html

Hope to see you there.

Update on Saturday, August 9, 2008 at 20:57 by mavenandmeddler

As promised, we all went to Bistro 7 again this evening with out of town guests….always a bit of a risk. These people have been there done that worldwide ( airline folks, like us).

The sliders are killer. Ron had the pork which was succulent and flavorful beyond belief. One of our other guests had the veggie sliders and they were excellent. The truffle mac and cheese is so sinful. I’ll never actually order it myself ( my waistline) but will always be stabbing at it when others at the table do. It is so perfectly balanced with the truffle flavor and just enough cheese. My fish tacos were three to an order and alright. Nothing special but nice. The salsa was a little bland and perhaps sat a bit too long with darkening avocados.

My dining companion said the chicken dumpling soup was uninspired, but I didn’t taste it so can’t speak to that.

The service was great. The wine service was very professional…and the wine ( a cabernet ) exceptional. We all had a delightful evening and would go back again. I should point out that since we’re all ‘over 50’ the small plates were the real selling point for everybody.