I just had an apostrophe.

Lightning has just struck my brain. That's a reference many of you may not get. Here's a clue.



The lightning that just struck my brain made me decide to abandon the food blog because it's too much of a pain. I'm going to keep it here. Nobody, including me wants to follow another link. I'll review restaurants here and list recipes at the food blog.

That picture also is a very appropriate representation of me last night. Belly hanging out and saluting a culinary captain. I've been married to my lovely wife for four years now. To celebrate, we decided to go out for dinner. Based on a recommendation from Fish I decided on a restaurant in P-town that his friend Andy (of Dew fame) just opened up. It's called Rooster and it's awesome.

image jacked from YHO.

We had the traditional pork and chive dumplings, bulgogi dumplings, thai basil rice, curry chicken noodle soup, molten chocolate lava cake with hazelnut whipped cream, and creme brulee with fresh blueberries. I can't stop gushing.

The dumplings were steamed, and then wonderfully pan-fried to a slightly crisp perfection, served with micro greens and two dipping sauces (C liked Andy's lighter sauce better, and I loved Simy's chili sauce).

The Thai basil rice was other worldly. Typically when I go to a restaurant, I can pick out components of a dish. I'm always thinking when I'm eating. I argue with myself over the ingredients, the quantities, the techniques etc. This dish left me blown away. I had no idea how they cooked that heavenly pork. I loved every bite.

I love a good curry. I'm firmly in the Vietnamese-style camp. Little to no sweet, more heat please. The curry chicken noodle soup was amazing. At first, you get notes of coconut, then some salt & pepper, ginger dances around on your tongue and the heat builds pleasantly. That's just the sauce/broth. The lemongrass barbecued chicken that tops the noodles was perfectly executed. A nice, flavorful char, but not over cooked. It couldn't have been better. I liked the noodles, but the biggest surprise was the pickled greens that accompanied the dish. The crunch, flavor and texture was spot on and totally unexpected. I found myself wanting to tip the bowl up and slurp the broth down. I refrained because it would have mortified my wife. It was that good.

The creme brulee was bruleed table side and was fantastically smooth and creamy. The fresh blueberries were very nice. The molten lava cake was also spot on, and worth the made from scratch as you order, 18 minute wait. The hazelnut whipped cream was divine. More dense than regular whipped cream, it was like the consistency of whipped butter. I told Chels that I could have eaten a whole bowl of it like ice cream. I would have if he put it in front of me.

In short, the flavors were complex but perfectly balanced. We also left there for under $50 with a tip. You just can't beat that. Kudos to Andy and Simy (the owners, who we met and conversed with at length, super friendly and all about the food) for a job well done.

New blog

I've decided to take a page from the Fish book and start a food oriented blog. I'll be posting recipes we like and reviewing restaurants we try out.

It's http://followtherecipe.blogspot.com

That's some smokin' steel.

Well, maybe it's aluminum. In either case, it's rad. Crazy thing is that the guy who built it did 73mph. I've hit 50mph on the road bike, but 73 is excessive. Especially when you're doing it with jet fuel and rim brakes.

Oh Yeah.

Fish and I just hit the taco cart on West Temple and South Temple. $1.50/taco and $4.00/burrito. Cash only.

I had a steak taco, pastor taco, and chicken burrito. The steak taco was good, the pastor - okay for my first pastor experience, and the burrito rocked.

It was way too much food. The tacos are on two corn tortillas, and the burrito comes in a flour tortilla. You get beans, self serve salsa/limes, and a jalapeno with each.

The pico de gallo and tomatillo salsa were as fresh as it gets. I can't believe I've never been there before.

I've got a dilemma.

There's a new addition to the stable.

A fine stationary steed, indeed. I've got some patellar-femoral issues going on in my right leg. Canyons on the skinny tires and rocks on the knobbies are making it worse. I needed something steady to get the muscles back where they're supposed to be. I looked at trainers and just about puked because they cost so much.

I checked out craigslist and picked this baby up for $50. The best part is they retail for $489 and it has barely been used. I happily coughed up the 50 bones.

Now that I'm going to be riding inside, I need a good workout mix. I've already appealed to Fish and got some goods, but I still would like some more input.

What do you listen to when you ride/run/swim/exercise? If you've got a good mix, I'd love a copy.