But we will be back in full force, promise!

My random thoughts…brought to you once a week!

• My daughter’s bathroom toilet got clogged up the other night. I ran to the supermarket for a plunger. While there, I got a massive craving for some quickie sushi—making me the first person EVER to be in the check-out line with only sushi and a plunger.

• There’s just no time in my life to read a book. Actually, that’s not true…reading books bore me. But I do keep two on my nightstand…looking at them just makes me feel smarter.

• Real conversation between me and my 2-year-old…Me: “Which do you love more, this popscicle or me?” Her: “Well, this popsicle…and elephants.”

• Ever seen those old Fairy Tale Theaters with Shelley Duvall? It’s some freaky sh*t.

• I kind felt bad for Wes Welker on Sunday night. Then I saw this. I think things will be ok for ol’ Wes.

• Following Twitter during the Madonna half time show was very entertaining. Lots of Betty White references.

• Loved the Matthew Broderick Honda commercial.

• I’m not a big steak guy. But then when I have it, I really love it.

• Cajun Pawn Stars…not bad. Not great, but not bad.

New Monthly Feature

I’ve decided to start a new journey here with The Mighty Rib, we’ll see how it goes. I’m still trying to figure out the details of exactly what this new piece will be…thus the either/or name. Originally, I thought this monthly piece would be called “Executive Lunch” and that I’d use my lunch hour to experience the finer restaurants in Houston offering a fixed menu at the noon hour, or rather an executive lunch menu. But, right off the bat I went to a finer restaurant and was dismayed to find that they didn’t actually have an executive lunch menu.

So I improvised, and thus the idea for “The Long Lunch” was born. I guess it is a safe bet to say you’re going to see a little bit of both over the coming months. Incidentally, this is also helping me work on one of my New Year’s resolutions: eating lunch at my desk less. Yes, I’m one of those.

For my first attempt at getting away from my office to have a lunch that I could actually write about, I grabbed a couple of co-workers, hit the door, and headed to one of Houston’s latest and greatest eateries: Haven. I’d been dying to try Haven and this was the perfect reason. I did think they had an actual executive lunch menu, so I was slightly disappointed to find out they didn’t once we were seated and I actually had the menu in hand, but luckily, that’s where the disappointment stopped.

The long lunch began with a very delicious roasted broccoli soup. I had been hearing raves about their soups, and while I’m not a huge soup person, I figured a few extra vegetables never hurt anyone. This soup was fantastic; I had slightly feared chunks of broccoli stalk, but the soup was a perfect puree and possibly one of the prettier shades of green I have ever seen. Smooth as silk and not a drop was left behind.

I was feeling the call of the ocean, and couldn’t resist the fish of the day—tile fish. I had never even heard of tile fish, much less tasted it, and I was intrigued. I could not have been happier about this choice. Honestly, when I first heard the day’s selection was tile fish, a certain visual popped into my head, and I literally envisioned a piece of fish on a tile, like maybe they hadn’t meant the name of the fish was tile, but rather that tile was just a reference to serving method. As soon as the dish arrived I felt silly for ever thinking as much. The fish was a perfect flaky white, cooked just right. The bed of wilted/sauteed greens it was served on (not tile) was equally delicious. Absolutely fabulous, a dish that will likely find me heading to Haven quite often. I just hope tile isn’t seasonal!! If it is, I guess I’ll just have try something else because there were definitely some other entrees catching my eye. The daily blue plate specials would certainly be worth a second trip very soon–I’m shooting for Thursday.

And just when I thought this might be the end of the long lunch…we stretched it out a bit further and went for dessert. So glad we did. In an ongoing effort to be healthy(-ish), I let my skinny jeans do the choosing and I went with the Ambrosia–mixed fruit served with coconut and lemon curd. It was perfect. I’d order it again in a heartbeat, unless of course my sweatpants decide to do the talking next time, in which case I will 100% get the Mexican Coke float with the Jack Daniel’s ice cream. I’m not even sure how I avoided it this time, next time I know I will not escape.

Haven is definitely a new favorite for me. Give it a try, I think you’ll feel the same.

My random thoughts…brought to you once a week!

• What is with these disturbing Febreze commercials? Why must they take two stay-at-home moms, tell them to go sit in a crackhouse, and have some homeless person take a sh*t in the corner? “Ladies, what do you smell?” “We smell the ocean!”

• Note to my wife: Don’t buy me the cheapo boxer briefs. U.S. Polo Association (commonly found at TJ Maxx) is not Ralph Lauren Polo.

• From 9am to 9:30am EST (M-F), you can ALWAYS find me having a dance-off with my 2-year-old daughter. It involves her dressing up like a princess and me spinning around like a deranged lunatic.

• I went to my first Bruins’ game the other day. They were playing a big rival…the New York Rangers. It was a pleasure to sit in the nosebleed seats and hear some wonderful exchanges between fans. Here’s one: Bruin fan to Ranger fan after a home team goal: “Hey, why don’t you suck on this (points to his crotchal region)?”

• My 2-year-old tried to give me a high-five. She missed and nailed me right in the junk. It hurt.

• Oh House Hunters…how I love AND hate you at the same time! At what moment in history (my guess is the mid-90′s) did having stainless steel appliances become THE most important thing about buying a home? And can we eliminate the term “mancave?” Any guy that uses the term “mancave” is a complete ass wipe.

• Quote from 7-year-old: “Whew! Dad, I feel so much better after my diarrhea!”

• We went out last weekend with some friends for a nice dinner. Food was great, conversation was wonderful…bladder was full. So, off to the latrine I went. One day, I will tell my children’s children about the restroom facilities at Strip T’s in Watertown. I could devote an entire Unique Randomness to this experience. I could, but I won’t. One nugget though: Have you ever walked up stairs that lead directly to a toilet? I have.

*Image courtesy of the great Jon B.

Monthly Feature

Everything is about making personal connection these days.  We are living in a remarkable age of technology and networks.  Take twitter for instance. I am amazed how often I casually mention a favorite cookbook author or chef and, lo and behold, they tweet me back.

A fleeting connection, yes, yet still a touching point.

There are days when I open a cupboard and stare at my vast array of cookbooks.  Who will inspire me today?, I ask. Sometimes a vivid photo of a dish or ingredient will capture my heart and inspire me to scribble down a shopping list.  Then there are other times where I am looking to be inspired to prepare chicken a different way or find a unique way to “use up” eggs as the dozens pile up in my refrigerator.  If I have to be honest, 90% of the time I just open a cookbook simple to browse, drool, and dream.

Today was a day like that.

Bill Telepan’s book, Inspired by Ingredients, caught my eye.  It had been awhile since I had browsed its pages.  Purchased on New Years Eve 2010 while visiting NYC, page after page flooded back foodie memories that rank at the top of my favorite eating moments. I stopped for a moment and tweeted a little comment about how this book inspired me today.

Unexpectedly, Bill Telepan tweeted back.

Are we friends? No.  Does he remember me?  No way.  What he doesn’t know is that he made an impression on me that pre-blizzard night. My husband and I scored an OpenTable reservation early that evening in his restaurant on the Upper West Side.  It had an understated, classy, quiet yet not ackwardly-so, and romantic atmosphere.  The menu was clean food, simple ingredients that burst with flavors that were anything put simple.  The staff was personable and treated us as long-lost friends.  From beginning to end, each bite was a revelation.

As we were leaving, I glanced to my right and noticed Bill Telepan sitting down with his wife and kid, enjoying their meal together.  He was dressed in his chef’s coat yet his demeanor was unhurried and relaxed.  He was simply enjoying his family.  As we purchased his cookbook, he noticed and came up to thank us for dining at his restaurant.  He signed my book and went back to his family.  I hesitated leaving and instead asked for an unusual request, would our waitress sign the book, too?  I realized this place wasn’t just his namesake; it was the family of staff who served the patrons, too.  My wonderful dinner memory involved the entire experience, from the water glass to the foie gras.

It wasn’t just that I had a great meal, bought a book, got it signed, and tweeted back and forth. An experience like this reminds me just why there are so many of us that embrace the world of food:  food blogs, food communities, forums, and food trends.

It’s about how food makes us feel.

Happy and connected.

Happy eating, my foodie friends.

Lyndi

www.nwafoodie.blogspot.com

*Images courtesy of NWA Foodie.