Foodie | In Retrospect

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m relaxing in a comfortable chair while watching football and reading. Meanwhile, a huge stockpot is on the stove in the next room and I’m making turkey stock. Don’t worry the turkey carcass was frozen immediately after dinner Thursday so all is good. This weekend has been a trifecta of Thanksgiving activity.

Turkey dinner after dinner – there was so much more before dinner

First, there was dinner on Thanksgiving. Lots of cooking. Most years I roast a turkey at home with full fixings – stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Every year as I am doing this year I use the turkey to make more stock and can it to use through the year always retaining one or two jars for the following Thanksgiving. As not everyone in the household eats land-based animals, I have to find creative ways to use the stock. In the fall and winter there are roasts with potatoes and gravy for those of us who enjoy the stock. And for Thanksgiving I always add a few chunks of roast salmon. This year personally I made the turkey with stuffing and potatoes and gravy, the sweet potato casserole, the salmon, vegetarian stuffing, and home baked bread. I found the four bottle bottle of Cabernet shown above at Costco. As always, I’m thankful for my friends and family, the continued health and prosperity of all of the above, and the good food. However, next year I kind of want to take a year off and head to New York City, maybe see the Macy’s Day Parade, and go to Bourbon Steak for dinner.

As an exception to the usual I went shopping Friday. My sister always heads to the Black Friday sales and has been for the past four decades but I usually avoid the crowds. This year I went because one of the teens needed to be somewhere at 8:30 in the morning and I had four and a half hours to kill in suburbia so I showed up at my favorite mall a little before 9am, found parking fairly easily, and watched as the mall became more and more crowded. I could have just as happily found a comfortable chair and sat with a book while watching people in the mall but instead I went shopping – some for me and some for family. Eventually I left the mall and went to other stores where I was promptly ignored so ordered online instead.

Finally, Saturday, and mainly because there was time and the kids were here, the tree went up and the house was decorated for the holiday. This is the end of the trifecta – decorating, and if you’ve done it you’ve completed your Thanksgiving holiday in my opinion. So we headed to the Optimist’s club where every year they have a Christmas tree sale and fundraiser. A couple of high school athlete volunteers helped us select a tree and fasten it to the car (I say “fasten” loosely as the tree had a very loose relationship with the car and I’m convinced that if we went on the beltway it would have become airborne and past tense). We brought it home and wrestled it into the tree stand and exercised one of the “great pains of Christmas” which is “stringing up the lights” and a couple hours later the tree was decorated and lit. The whole exercise from leaving the house to returning actually only took three hours.

Last night was the cap to the weekend. Wicked For Good is in the theaters and the kids wanted to see it so we went. I chose the Alamo Drafthouse so I could have an excuse to not cater dinner. The challenge is the expense…. Tickets are $25 each and a personal pizza, drink (or cocktail in my case), and box of candy total up to about $40 each person there. I think I could go see a musical at the Kennedy Center for that price.

It’s time to start writing about things I do.

Tonight I had piano lesson. I’m on about eight years of this madness but my 17 year old daughter is on nine years. She learns better and plays better than I do, although with some songs I catch a certain nuance. But anyway, piano is still a time commitment and for now the commitment is on Monday evenings for a lesson. Tomorrow the kids come over and hang here for nine days straight so that meant last night was the night to go out to dinner. Usually this is a once a week event along with maybe a brunch. This week’s choice was Boqueria thanks to an Amex credit; more on that on another blog. But first, the restaurant.

I know I’ve been to Boqueria a few times but the last time was definitely in 2017 or 2018 so it has been seven years at least. The first time was in 2013 with my friend Brian and that’s the only time I ate outside there. In 2018 there were fewer Spanish options around and none in my neighborhood. Now there is one in my neighborhood and more Barcelona outposts.

Usually on an outing like this if the restaurant is agreeable it becomes something to add to the rotation. Boqueria was good, but I would not say it did it for me. Why? $260 plus taxes for four small plates, cheese, dessert, and drinks.

Wait, five small plates.

First, the cheeses. Valdeon, aged manchego, cabra de cabrales cheese with a dab of fig spread and bread. The cheeses were good and served right. We enjoyed them through the meal and didn’t feel as if they were too hard or heavy.

We had a plate of anchovies that arrived first. This was a classic Iberian preparation of canned anchovies along with some house made potato chips. This was followed by char grilled peppers and patatas bravas, and then a tuna crudo followed by pulpo a la plancha served over a bed of mashed potatoes with capers.

Thoughts on these – the tuna was too thick for what I would call a crudo. I was expecting something more delicate. This was more as if they took strips of tuna from nigiri and placed them over avocado paste. The octopus is good but I’m afraid I’m over-octopus. I think in January when I head to South America I will restrict my octopus consumption to ceviche and salads. The anchovies though were great – delightfully salty and served with orange. I’ll try to do this at home.

Boqueria also did a good job with crema Catalana and had a nice list of sherries for me – I had an oloroso sherry.

So, for me, Sabores in my neighborhood can give me a similar experience for about $100 less. Boqueria’s patatas are bigger and crispier but they don’t need to be. Sabores has tapas that are a little more delicate. I think if I were going for a true Spanish seafood experience I’d spring for Del Mar on the wharf, or one of the Barcelona locations.

Del Mar is even pricier, but it’s a better experience (not that Boqueria is bad).

I have no idea where this is from but it looks really good

Or one could always head back to Spain.

Have a pleasant evening, all.

Thanksgiving and the weekend

Boqueria