One of Ben’s go-to sayings that makes exactly no sense is “half on it,” which is how he responded when I asked him if he was up for grilling some chicken to serve with pasta and broccoli. It might be his approximation of “have at it,” but it’s hard to know. In any case, I took it as affirmative and we marched forward with a meal plan. “Half on it” seems to perfectly sum up this time of year, the ides of March. One day it is grilling season with a high of 66º, and the next day you get a blizzard, or maybe a tornado.
What else are we making this week? Reservations. Marleni Feinstein is the guest chef at the Herdic House on Friday, where she will be making a wonderful “taste of Singapore” meal. To be fair, the Herdic House always makes something wonderful, but Marleni brings her heart and her heritage to the table. When Ben broke his hip, so many people brought us so many amazing meals, but Marleni made us a beef bourguignon meal that literally brought tears to my eyes. It was so exactly what my stomach and my heart needed.
Click below to check out what she is cooking up this week!
https://herdichouse.com/a-taste-of-singapore-this-week-at-the-herdic-house/
What else? Well, Barrel 135, which has been our solid go-to restaurant for ages, is going out on a high note. Their last day is Saturday, and we are eating there one last glorious time. When Kelli broke the news a few weeks ago, Ben literally cried. At the table. Big ugly sobs that required my standing next to him for table-side comfort. Some people opt for table-side Caesar. We do racking sobs. You’re not wrong, Ben.
So, I now realize that the two preceding stories involve tears. I guess we are people whose feelings for food run deep. We know what it is to pour our hearts into a meal, so when someone does that for us, we don’t really have the words, only the tears.
Our cooking this week during the ides of March is half on it. To those of you picking up the other half, thank you.