December 2006

I decided to put down ONLY REVOLUTIONS for the time being. Though I was enjoying the book, I was struggling with it because this period of time is so busy with the holidays and my busiest time at work. I kept losing the thread of the book because I wasn’t able to devote the time and attention this book demands and deserves. I will get back to it once things calm down, and will start with SAM’S side this time, as it seems the more logical place to begin.

So, I’ve put it down in favor of GASTRONAUT by Stefan Gates. Gates is an “epicurean desperado”, willing to cook and eat anything — at least once. After all, he argues, if we eat 22 tons of food over our lifetimes and use 16% of our waking lives preparing food, shouldn’t we try for the occasional “culinary epiphany” by maximizing our “excitement-to-mastication ratio”?

I like the light tone of this book. It’s interesting reading and going quickly, so I will soon have to decide what to read next…

Tonight, Wendy & I joined Anne and Larry for dinner to celebrate our anniversary at The Phoenix restaurant in downtown Cincinnati. The restaurant at The Phoenix has been satisfying Cincinnati locals and visitors for over 20 years. The food and service have received high marks in the Zagat Survey and the well-rounded wine list has continuously received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

The building, a former gentleman’s club, is spectacular with its 19th century elegance, a dazzling marble staircase, Tiffany stained glass windows, and majestic 35 foot ceilings. The dining room for the restaurant is in the old President’s room and is rich with dark wood and is very comfortable.

We started our meal with a lovely bottle of sparkling wine, and led into appetizers. Larry & Anne both had Mesclun Greens and Pear Salad, Blue Cheese, Bermuda Onion, Walnuts, Port Wine Vinaigrette; Wendy had Lobster Bisque; and I had a Goat Cheese Tart with Fresh Sage and Black Pepper, Carmelized Vidalia Onions, Cabernet Balsamic Syrup. Main courses were Osso Bucco for Larry, the Tilapia special for Wendy, a gigantic Steak Oscar for Anne (she took more than half of it home, much to Larry’s delight), and I had Duck Breast with Risotto. Everything was very good, and the portions were generous. We ended the evening with coffee and desserts and headed home.

Thank you, Larry & Anne, for a lovely evening. We were delighted to spend it with you!

Wendy had some cake decorating to do this evening, so we’re spending a very-much-appreciated night in. We had LaRosa’s bring us dinner. Wendy got her usual Deli Ciabatta, and this time I switched it up a bit and got Cheese Ravioli and a salad. Everything was very good and filling!

I’m going to spend the rest of the evening catching up on a few tasks I’ve had laying around for a while and hit the sack early. What a glamorous life, eh?!

As we come to the close of this year-long experiment of recording my meals, I notice that somehow my numbering system has gotten off… We’re not going to end with 365 meals for some reason. Eagle-eyed readers of this blog may be able to spot where it went wrong. If you do, please let me know so I can attempt to fix it!

We had talked about taking this evening off to see ERAGON, but when it came time, we were both too tired and just felt like sitting around the house. So, we picked up a couple of as-big-as-your-head burritos from Chipotle and hit the couch. We got caught up on several episodes of SOUTH PARK that were on the PVR, and now we’re relaxing and getting ready to hit the sack.

It was the right choice.

My friend Paul was in from out of town (he stopped working at University of Cincinnati and took a job at Notre Dame, about 4.5 hours away from here) for the holidays, so Wendy & I met him and Julie at Tokyo Restaurant on Chester Road for sushi and other Japanese delights.

After Miso soup and a good-sized plate of sushi (eel nigiri, eel rolls, salmon & tuna nigiri), Wendy tucked into her Chicken Yakisoba and I into my Ramen. We were full, and everything was really, really tasty.

It was good to see Paul & Julie, too.