#The deli station is the only consistently good food here

[melonpond]

if I were a sim I'd have a bubble that pops up on my social menu called "theorize about sandwiches". This would also be an autonomous action for when hypothetical sim me is stuck in extremely boring classes and has low hunger

[helahades]

The Goddess and the Grocer

(Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader)

Summary: Sappy and hopelessly romantic, the part time art student, part time grocery bagger, and full time fantasy creator Steve Rogers lives in his head, with you as his muse. Making puzzles out of your groceries, and portraits of your every curve and edge, he fears and craves every interaction, while living with you as a lover in his mind.

A/N: Well. I have struggled with motivation for the longest. Something hit me though, and by something I mean other supportive writers and great friends. Hugest shoutout to @threeminutesoflife for being a darling and @imanuglywombat for making TWO beautiful mood boards I stare at more than Steve stares at the Peggy compass.

Warnings: creepy, obsessive Steve. ideation of creepy thoughts. food focused talk. mention of overeating. dub-con concepts. two mentions of alcohol consumption.

New blog, new me! I’ll take this moment to say I’m taking requests, and I love feedback even more than Steve loves you! hope you enjoy

Word Count: about 3k

-

Now rain slicked, the sheen of oil and water twists the reflections of the tonights red, red, green—-“can I make the turn, no too late” on yellow—now red traffic lights into a twisted rainbow on the city streets.

Down those streets, and across a barren parking lot, parents, lovers, businesspeople and more squeak and clack and slap their rainy shoes on the old speckled tile at the entrance (that Steve had just mopped) as they do every week.

At the Potts Grocery Store, nothing ever changes. And never in the night.

It isn’t just night though, it’s dead night. The odd time after things have slowed for sleep, after the rush in between when people bumble in (promising themselves promises they won’t keep about doing the shopping sooner next month), after the ten minute period within which Dr. Banner wordlessly picks up the same array of bland teas.

The night has crawled beyond all the events that happen as they do, and entered the dead night.

Maybe Steve is too poetic—like his dad says he is—too tied up in fate, and hope in life’s mystique, but he holds hope for what happens where the night is dead.

When the night dies, and most are asleep, with it, facades die too. The only people to come in the dead of night, are drunks, doctors, various night shifters, and… you.

He hasn’t yet questioned your reason for showing up so late. Hasn’t really, technically, spoken to you at all, really.

Some part of Steve thinks, maybe if he startles you, says something that clangs too loud or awkward, all your pieces will blow away, like some agitated dandelion, and he will never know you again, if he ever even knew you at all.

No, Steve’s job isn’t to startle you, or to take up your space. It’s to try and meet your eyes as you hand him the reusable bags. It’s to try and figure out what meal you’re planning from what he’s bagging, and what he already knows lies unused in your kitchen. It’s to put the bags in your cart if you’ll let him.

He hasn’t seen you yet. It’s getting late, where are you?

Somewhere between cold fluorescent and neutral warm desk lamps, the lights of the grocery store seem to exist both to chase shadows on tired shoppers' faces, and to mock him, like a candle finally blown out by a stood up date.

Had he done something wrong the last time? If he had, that couldn’t be helped. You were wearing those shorts and looked like you had just gotten ready for bed and you had your hair pulled back, but just a little fell into your face anyway.

And your scent. It always wraps around him like the saccharine spice of pastries when he swings open the bakery door for his morning shift.

The moment you breezed by him after checkout was almost too much to bear. He caught the fresh damp scent of your tied up and deep conditioned hair. You smelled like fresh linens and a life he can only imagine having when he’s chasing orgasms alone and twisting up his sheets.

He could have devoured you.

But he didn’t.

Not even when your shoulder accidentally grazed him while you were rushing out in a frenzy.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” came your frantic whisper.

He dreams of making you that delicate again. He thinks he could shape your unsure apologies in his hands like clay, or spread you thin on a canvas when you whisper so soft. But he didn’t do those things at all.

Steve being Steve, he tried to make his large frame slouch, your aura wrapping him up into a double life Clark Kent shyness, despite your gentleness.

He didn’t say a word.

A wordless, mirthless stretch of his lips. An “It’s okay, walk all over me” grin. You regarded him with a flicker of an odd glance, and then you were out the door.

As he finishes up with the last shopper in his lane, his worn Converse squeak as he leans his frame against the bagging station at checkout.

-

Last class, last week, his art teacher dropped a big assignment. Stuffy and sadistic, the man seemed to only eat the pain of lovers kept from expression, so of course, he relished in the moment he told the class to try a new medium, with a subject they hadn’t previously captured.

He seemed to look directly at Steve as he delivered the blow.

Steve's problem certainly isn’t creativity. It isn’t talent or lack of effort. He surely is adaptable, he rarely tells on his love!

For the still life project, he captured the tree that blocks your kitchen window. Heavy strokes in his sketchbook.

He even painted the park in blooms on a paper towel—yes a paper towel—when you justified to a cashier one day that all the crackers and deli meats were for a picnic.

So he has a muse. But he’s not a fool. Sometimes he spends so much time trying not to look like a fool, and paints so much around you instead of you, that it’s a self portrait of his own obsession.

Your face. Your curves. The many separated sections where he tried to master the texture of your hair. All those traces of you live in his sketchbook. Only twice has he turned in a portrait of you.

Being told he can’t have you makes Steve feel like he’s been too obvious. You’re his little secret. And he is no fool. He’ll have to be more careful. So here he is.

The canvas is as bare as the walls of his studio apartment.

Three jobs and a potted plant from his mom just aren’t enough to decorate life. He wishes he could capture sleep in a picture frame and hang it on the wall. When he got too tired and caffeine stopped working, he thinks he’d pick up those frames and absorb the sleep in the way he can absorb nostalgia when looking at a real picture.

Then, he thinks, that’s the sort of thing art majors say when they haven’t slept in three weeks.

The canvas is still bare. It isn’t like Steve. He always knows where to go, what he feels, what he wants.

His teacher told him to try something different. Had the nerve to clap Steve on the back after class and say something about stretching creative wings and finding a new muse.

He thinks the guy should have punched him in the face instead.

There’s nothing stuck about Steve. He knows what he wants and how to get there.

He also knows that schooling ruins the intent of art, he knows how to put love into colors, that art teachers know the least about expression out of everyone on earth, and that he works two night jobs a week to barely afford to be taught by that man anyway.

Life is full of oddities.

-

Some of life’s oddities are right there in your cart as you approach. Steve notices the rain has frizzed your hair, the lovely heart shaped curve of your lips as they stretch into a smile, and the way you yawn before you say hello to the cashier.

He makes a mental note that your hair might have a warmer tinge when illuminated by the sun. You’re already his sun. His stars too. Maybe even his whole universe.

You’re always warm in his paintings. Anything to separate you from the dreadful scheme of this commercial death trap.

What’s for dinner this week?

Your groceries thump onto the counter in practiced succession. Perishables together at the front, and non perishables as neatly as possible following behind.

So thoughtful, my sweet darling.

Your produce today mostly consists of fruit. It reminds Steve of how practiced he is with a knife. How he’d slice up your apples just right for you. He has the practiced skills of an artist. He’d take care of you.

Bucky likes to tell him that cooking is the art and baking is the science. That’s meant to mean that it’s no surprise that Buckys got a perfect little life with a perfect little baker who smiles like the sun and only trusts Bucky in her kitchen.

...And it’s no surprise that Steve’s artsy streak has led him here. Thinking about folding mandarin slices between your perfect lips and letting the flavor explode across your tongue.

He thinks about kissing you. How you would taste tangy and sweet as you try not so hard to push him off so he gets back to cooking and doesn’t burn the house down.

The house. A house with you. A home.

He sees you’re wearing a sundress, and tries not to pity you for the irony. In the closet of some cookie cutter three bedroom, you might ask him how you look in it. He would beg you to wear it just for him a little longer, but ultimately, he would have been able to warn you about the rain.

You wouldn’t have listened though, my stubborn angel.

He thinks about your thighs beneath your dress, and the heat between them.

Sometimes, his dreams betray him, and he steps through the threshold to your shared home, not an artist, but a “Honey, I'm home” suit wearing prisoner.

He fears the simple life, but with you, he believes simplicity could be enough. Maybe he would be rich enough to buy you a million sundresses.

But without his art, he’d be powerless to show you how rich you look, bathed in color, divine from his perspective.

Without his art, he has no outlet for imagination. The only thing that gets him off these days is imagining what you look like under your clothes, and how it might sound if you spoke his name.

When you buy lotion, or a candle, he makes a mental note of the scent, and uses it to color his experience later. You like warm sugary scents, or natural outdoorsy ones, with no in between.

As you small talk with the cashier, your card slips from between your fingers and clatters onto the unswept floor. Finishing a thought, you delay in retrieving it, but by the time you’re leaning down, Steve’s already handing it back.

Eyes flitting up to meet the baggage boy standing up at full height, you melt into an easier smile.

You notice first that his eyes are incredibly blue behind the dark window frames, and second that his hands are incredibly warm as he hands your card back.

Frazzled, and just a bit smitten, you smile kindly.

“Thank you,” you say sweetly, regarding him fully, perhaps for the first time, and pausing only to let your eyes drift to the knitted cotton polo stretched across his broad chest—no, to the name tag resting on it…

“Steve,” you finish with a smile that makes it ring like an exclamation point. To hear you finally pronounce his name… it’s like church bells. But they’re muted because now he can only consider your eyes locked on his.

He’s never wanted to escape somewhere and go home with someone so badly. And would it be so wrong?

He could slice up fruit for you. He could bring sausages and deli meats and blocks of cheeses whole from the market where they slipped him things free. He’d slice them up nice and wrap them in cloth and surprise you with an old fashioned wicker basket picnic in the mountains.

He’d let you eat yourself round. And after you were full, he’d still offer to feed you grapes, to pour you more wine.

Steve never understood why the rich ate bread with olive oil, but God he wanted to be rich enough to give you that. All the things that sound ridiculous to people who work to live. He wanted to work so hard you’d never work again.

He wanted to kiss you dizzy, bunch up the fabric of your dress on your hip and tell you he loves you while you’re wine drunk. He’d carry you back to the car and surprise you with wildflowers in a bunch.

Later, he’d paint you nude with them in your hair, and he’d feed you more grapes.

He would tuck you in and wrap you up for later when you woke up missing him. Maybe he wouldn’t leave at all. Maybe you would want to spend the whole day with him too.

He’s got a twinkle of charm in his eye and just a bit of sadness that looks every bit like the starving artist people believe him to be. Bucky hasn’t stopped bringing him the leftover rolls at closing since he found out Steve spends more money on paint than meals.

And is it so wrong? As Steve looks into your eyes, he musters all that charm his mom said he was born with. He blinks brighter the twinkle in his eye.

“You’re welcome,” comes Steve’s gentle, but sure reply.

You pause at that, because really it’s nothing... But people always seem to say “Don’t worry about it!”, “It’s nothing”, or maybe nothing at all.

You pause at how the reaction seemed genuine, in a world of practiced replies, and on a day that you’re feeling shitty because the rain ruined your hair and happiness.

You smile at him again, grateful for a pocket of truthful kindness, and turn back to the cashier, effectively ending the interaction.

Steve’s mind is spinning in ways he just can’t bring himself to understand. So he bags your groceries. You forgot the reusable bags, he doesn’t pause to wonder why.

Click. Click. Click. Beep!

Tomatoes. He bags them with the apples. Double bags for good measure.

Beep.

Spaghetti. The good kind that most people overlook in favor of a more common brand. New bag.

Beep.

Frozen garlic bread. He adores you. You’ve got garlic and basil and more herbs than you’ll ever need at home. You’d probably make the spaghetti noodles and parmesan yourself if you could. But you love five minutes at 400 garlic bread.

He imagines your pretty little kitchen, with all its various knick knacks, smelling like garlic and tomato sauce. He can’t help thinking you’d be impressed with his chopping skills too. Just how his mom taught him.

He imagines cooking with you in the dead of night, instead of being here. He imagines you bending over with your legs straight and your back curved and the oven mitts on to get garlic bread out of the oven. You put the tray on the cold burners Steve’s not using.

Maybe he would ask you to try the sauce, he’d hold the spoon to your lips after blowing off for you. Your eyes always flutter closed to process the taste of things, and sometimes he swears he could read your mind.

Then they would open. Wide. The same way they did when you tasted the new product double chocolate brownie sample last Tuesday. You would tell him how perfect it is and praise how he finally isn’t shy about using garlic anymore. Turning off the burners, he’d pull you into his arms, he’d kiss you til you saw stars…

-

Walking you backwards, still entangled in the breathless kiss, he wouldn’t stop until you bumped the padded kitchen bench. Then he’d fall to his knees.

“Steve, honey”—

You’d cut yourself off with a breathy moan because he’d already be under your skirt.

Kissing up your thighs, flattening his tongue against you, kissing you gently, before sucking your clit, while working it with the tip of his tongue, he’d show you again, like always, how passionate of a lover he is.

You’d moan like heaven, because you are.

You’d lean back, propping yourself up on an arm and pushing the other hand through his golden hair. You just can’t stop your hips from rolling against his tongue that’s still worshipping you.

He won’t use his fingers. It wouldn’t be proper, he’s just been cooking. So instead, he uses those hands to pull your thighs up onto his shoulders.

Still swirling his tongue around your clit, Steve is drawing you closer, your body seeming to know it’s own ways to pull him to you too.

It’s electric. You can’t stop and you’d never want to. He’d make love to you every single—

-

That’s not where he is though. He grabs the paper bags he’s bagged up with your ingredients and some other oddities, and he places them in the cart you’ve pushed forward.

He tries not to think about the fact that you’re going home alone. He tries not to think about how he’ll be sleeping alone, and in cold colors. Tries to skip forward to later when he has all the time in the world to imagine the way things should be.

A quiet goodnight and you’re on your way. You’re careful not to graze him as you walk away, and he’s careful not to be obvious watching.

The cashier leaves the station, and Steve puts his head down as he passes, before looking up in your direction as he always does.

Except… when he looks up to see your sundress swishing, it isn’t. And you’re turned back looking at him with this funny little look.

You smile. A twinkle of embarrassment, nervous to have been caught looking. He tries not to chuckle for all the irony.

He watches you as you watch him just a bit longer, before your sundress swishes out the door, and the light of your halo fades into the distance, consumed by the rain.

-

By the time his shift is up, the rain has stopped and the sky is colored like a bruise. The sun knocks at a threshold unseen, just slightly feathering light through the sky.

Steve is dead tired, but he won’t sleep a wink. Once he arrives at his apartment, he begins the project.

A mixed medium piece. Acrylic paint, charcoal shadowed details. It’s a wicker basket, full of apples, grapes, and wildflowers.

-

Later, as the sun rises, and the painting is half done, he flops into bed, finishing up a stale roll from the bakery, and dreams about waking up to you.

He pretends there’s no job to be at in three and a half hours, but instead, that it’s a quiet Sunday, and he’s waking up to you in his arms...

Soft and ethereal.

-

Thank you for reading!

Whether or not this is your type of writing, or you liked it at all, I just want to tag some authors who generally inspire me and helped in some way to motivate me posting my first piece: @threeminutesoflife @imanuglywombat @sherrybaby14 @jtargaryen18 @heavenbarnes @tropicalcap @allaboardthereadingrailroad @thotty-tatertot @sapphirescrolls

[caffeinated--writer]

Group Assignment

Pairing: Peter Parker x fem!Reader

Warnings: Idk cursing

Prompt: “Wanna get away from here?”

Note: Written for @starksparker ​ summer writing challenge. Thank you so much for letting me submit this late and a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ❤️ (I’m sorry for bothering you on your special day asking for more time, I had no idea🙈)  

Kind of a continuation to my last one-shot A Knock Away to be added to my one-shot series on Ao3     

Peter was a good student. In the months since you had transferred to school and gotten close to your next-door neighbor, it was one of the first things you noticed -aside from his boyish good looks-. He was always the first to raise his hand to answer a question (if you didn’t beat him to it) while most students ducked down behind their stacks of books to avoid it, always helped any students if asked, and with grades usually ranging between high A’s and B’s it was no surprise he was almost constantly found on the honor roll list.

But with all that being said, you also noticed that for a good student…Peter often found himself in detention. A lot. Whether it be for consistently coming into classes late or just not coming to class period. Sometimes for days on end. And as good as his grades were when he did turn in his homework there was also a good amount of times he didn’t turn in any homework or it was turned in late.

Like the school project you two had been assigned and grouped up to do this past week.

–

You had never been a big fan of group assignments on a count of the fact that no matter how well you did on your part of the assignment there was always the possibility that you could fail due to your other group mates mediocrity and lack of care in their work. This has, on more than one occasion, led to you doing group assignments by yourself in order to salvage your grade.

So, you weren’t exactly jumping for joy when the Chemistry teacher announced he would be assigning groups for the assignment.  Going down his roster of names you could already feel the exhaustion, from the possible hours of missed sleep you were going to have to commit in order to pick up the slack of your unnamed groupmate, creeping into your bones.

“Final group: Peter Parker and Y/N.”

At the sound of your name, you picked up your head that had unceremoniously clunked down on the lab table in your despair. Owlishly you blinked at your teacher, processing the information, before turning to the left to stare at your partner. Eye’s meeting when Peter turned to look at you at the exact moment, a shy smile forming on his face as he waved. You grinned back.

–

“How could you steal my favorite partner away from me!” Ned whined, his head down and cheeks pressed firmly against the cafeteria table to make a show out of his distress.

Glancing up from the book MJ lent you, you stared at his display with uninterested eyes. “Why are you complaining to me about something I, nor Peter, had a say in? You were literally in class when the teacher said he was assigning groups.” You replied, rolling your eyes before taking another bite out of your homemade sandwich. You still didn’t like the school’s food.

A smiling Peter approached the table with slow unsure steps as he noticed Ned’s slumped form and slightly flailing arms. Slowly sitting down next to Ned brown eyes turned to you and MJ in question.

“He’s whining about the groups you were assigned to in chemistry,” MJ mumbled, eyes never looking up from her book as she pointed a finger in your direction “and he’s sad she gets to have all your attention now.”

A light blush dusted over Peter’s cheeks as he stared at his friend in confusion. Sputtering in disbelief at the accusation, Ned’s head popped up to glare in MJ’s direction only to be met with a smirk and the bird flipped at him.

“That’s not it! It’s just not fair that the two best students in the class get paired up to work on a project together!”

“Like a power couple,” MJ mumbled. A loud cough rang out at the table as Peter chocked on the chocolate milk he was drinking, previous blush now back on his face and brighter than ever. Lightly elbowing MJ for her teasing and causing Peter’s chocolate milk coughing fit, you slid a couple of napkins his way.

“The point is that they’ll barely even have to stress over the work while I get stuck working with stupid Flash!” Ned whined, head falling back on to the table to resume his slumped over form. Rolling your eyes at Ned’s continued dramatics you decided to ignore for the rest of lunch. All you ever got paired with was slackers and you had never gotten this theatrical about the woes of it. Or at least not in public; behind closed doors where MJ silently listened to you bitch was a completely different story.

“So…” you started, taking Peter’s attention away from simultaneously glaring at Ned and MJ “did you want to hang out after school? Work on the project?”

“Y-yeah, definitely!” Peter grinned, shaky hand running through his curls “want to go to Queens Center? Sit in the food court or um the Starbucks and talk about it?”  

“Sure, see you after school. I’ll wait by the front gates.”

Conveniently the bell rang out, signifying the end of the lunch period. Gathering your stuff and throwing a balled-up napkin at Ned’s head in the process, you headed for the door.

–

You found, as per usual, that you didn’t have to wait long for Peter. It wasn’t uncommon for you two to walk home together after school since realizing you both were next-door neighbors but it still surprised you how he managed to meet you after school so quickly considering his last class for the day was usually on the other side of the building.  Did he sprint? If he did, he never even looked like he broke a sweat.

Walking to the bus station you two began to fill each other in on the day’s events. considering most of the classes you had you shared together it was mostly spent rehashing incidents from class. It wasn’t long before you both found yourself struggling to catch your breath in the laughter that erupted between the two of you.

“Flash’s face…when his sleeve caught on fire…was priceless!” You wheezed, clinging to Peter’s arm to stay upright.

Peter shook with barely contained laughter, “I thought…his face when Ned poured the bucket of water on him was better!”

“He’s going to make Ned’s life a living hell on that project!” Ned’s theatrics at lunch didn’t seem nearly so dramatic now that you thought about it.

You were only a block away from the train when suddenly the ground shook taking you off steady footing and into Peter’s arms for balance, clinging to the sleeves of his sweater. The sound of maniacal laughter rang out and carried through the air as you both watched what looked like smoke rising in a distance.

“What the hell was that…?” You whispered, eyes squinting in a poor attempt to see what was going on.

Peter was already running before you had a proper chance to say anything.

“Peter! Where are you going!?” You shouted “The project!

Halting his sprint, he turned to look back at you, eyes looking around erratically. “Um…I-I just remembered that Aunt May needs me for something really important! I’ll stop by your apartment tonight to work on it!”

Speechlessly you watched him leave, confused by the sudden change in attitude. Shoulders slumping in slight defeat, already missing the presence of your friend, you continued your walk to the train station perking up only slightly at the thought of seeing him later that night.

Unfortunately, he never made it. The only warning in the form of a text at 10PM;

“I’m sorry, won’t make it tonight.”

–

Moments like that went on for the next couple of days, Peter making plans to work on or discuss the project only to bail last minute, his excuses getting vaguer every time he opened his mouth. You gave him the benefit of the doubt the first couple of times because Peter was your friend and even more so because he was good; He was never the type to take advantage of another person not even for the smallest of favors. Hell, every time you let him borrow your notes, he thanked you with goods from Delmar’s Deli-Grocery.

But when there were only three days left before the project was due and still no sign of Peter you began to realize maybe your judge of character wasn’t that great. With a sigh you turned to the TV, barely taking in any of the information on the green goblin spider-man coverage. It had been going on for days and quite frankly you were tired of hearing about it. Grabbing the remote you turned off the news and tossed it on the couch with a huff, preparing yourself for one of the three all-nighters you were going to need to pull to finish the assignment on time.

-

“Can you please wait?” Peter shouted, running to catch up to your fast-paced stomping. “I want to apologize!”

Tired eyes turned to glare at Peter with fierceness. 2hours. 2 HOURS is how much sleep you got in order to finish the project on time, and by yourself no less! Peter was the last person you wanted to talk to this early in the morning.

“Don’t bother!” You yelled “If you’re worried about whether we have an assignment to turn in, don’t be, I got it done so your grade is intact. But leave me the fuck alone!”

Slamming your locker closed you stomped into your third period (chemistry) paying no mind to the other students watching you, too exhausted and filled with anger to be bothered with what your peers thought of your outburst. The sooner you turned in this project the sooner you could be done with it.

With a huff you sat in your assigned seat which, though two tables behind Peter, you suddenly decided was far too close to him. You could practically feel his eyes burning a hole into you.  

“Alright,” Mr. Cobbwell started “before we start class everyone please turn in your group assignment

Assignment in hand you sluggishly made your way to the front of the classroom, not even bothering to acknowledge Peter as he stood with you.

“Good job guys, I can’t wait to see what you guys did.” Mr. Cobbwell praised

“Mr. Cobbwell, I didn’t help…”

Your weary eyes shot up in surprise, jaw falling slack as you watched Peter’s miserable form. What was he doing?

“I didn’t help with the project. She did it all by herself…” Peter turned to face you “I’m so sorry Y/N. I’m so sorry I made you do it by yourself, it was never my intention to make you feel…used.”

You didn’t know what it was, the sad look in Peter’s face, the heartfelt apology, or the exhaustion leaving you to raw and aware of all your emotions, but you found yourself tearing up a bit.

You had it right the first time…Peter was good. He was a good one.

While in the past you had no problem rating out a group mate who tried to slag by on your hard work, you had no actual intention of doing that to Peter. Maybe it was because there was a soft spot still in you for your friend or maybe it was because deep down you really wanted to believe something truly had come up to make it impossible to help. Whatever it was you had every intention of letting Peter get the grade. He…he didn’t need to do it…

Sighing Mr. Cobbwell stood from his desk and motioned to the door. “Let’s have a conversation in the hall, Mr. Parker.”

–

It was around 4:30PM when you finally got out of your after-school practice session. You were lucky, practice usually didn’t end until 6 or 7PM but the minute your coach saw your exhausted face, falsely assumed it was because of sickness and sent you on your merry way only an hour in.

You were so beat you didn’t even bother to correct her.

In the empty hallway you sluggishly you trudged to your locker to grab your backpack, thankful for the lack of student chatter roaming the halls. The lack of sleep had turned into a throbbing headache you could feel behind your eyes and you were already dreading all the rush hour train chatter you were going to have to hear on your way home.

The sound of a Captain America PSA halted your steps. Looking around in confusion you followed the sound to an open classroom you had passed. It was a bit late in the school day to be listening to a Captain America lecture, right?

Taking a couple of steps back you peaked your head into the classroom you passed and had to hold in a laugh at the sight: a passed out Coach Wilson snoring to his heart’s content while slumped over Peter watched the PSA in boredom head-nodding lightly every time Captain America reminded him detention was a time “contemplate the wrong they’ve done” and to remember that “doing something bad…does not make you bad.”

Yeah…Peter didn’t deserve to be left alone to listen to that.

“Psst! Peter…” You called in a loud whisper. Thankfully he heard you the first time around and immediately turned to you at the sound of your voice. Good, you didn’t want to stand there whisper-shouting like an idiot any more than you needed to.

A fit of laughter almost passed through your lips at the comical wide-eyed look Peter sent your way. The snort was that came out was a little bit harder to keep in when he went so far as to point a finger at himself, as if to ask for clarification that he was the one you were calling despite being the only student in the room. He was adorable. You nodded your head before motioning him to come to you with a couple of flails of your arms.

Nervously Peter ran his hands through his hair “Hey…I didn’t expect to- “

“You wanna get away from here?” You cut in, carefree grin making its way to your face despite your fatigue. Owlishly Peter blinked at you, your word being processed -you assumed- before he cautiously turned to look at a still slumbering Coach Wilson.

“Come on he won’t even notice,” You urged “plus you only have 20min left in detention anyway.”

Crossing his arms Peter looked up at the ceiling in thought before cocking his head in the direction of the TV where the Captain America PSA continued to play. “I think Captain America would frown on that.”

Smirking you placed a defiant hand on your hip, “You gonna listen to a former war criminal or me, the girl who’s willing to buy you your favorite sandwich from Delmar’s store on the way home?”

Beaming Peter rushed to go grab his bag, careful not to disturb Coach Wilson’s sleep by running into a desk, before following your skipping form out of the classroom. Once by your side you linked arms with Peter, suddenly a bit more cheerful than drained, and grinned.

“So…what should we do this weekend?!”

TAG REQUEST: 

@pandamemine

@starksparker

[suddeninklings]

Summary. Louis Bloom needed a change. Alone in a new city, he is ready to make his mark as he had in Los Angeles. Sadie Sims is alone, too. But she knows the city in ways he doesn’t.

Introduction.

The dinner rush at Whitney’s on 4th had long passed. It had been busy, for a Tuesday. Customers of all sorts had come and gone. Tourists, locals, and regulars, but the crowd was mostly middle age. This wasn’t a place where young blood flocked. It was a staple of the Inner Sunset, but it had remained more or less unchanged since Ben and Vera Whitney had purchased the property in 1972. Too old to be hip. Too young to be a historic treasure…

Now there were only the hangers-on. An older couple sat in the coveted corner window booth, sipping decaf, indulging in a hard-earned, comfortable silence. Two men were seated at the counter, eating eggs and reminiscing. There was only one patron who sat alone by the front window. Louis Bloom. He occupied the same booth he had the night before. And the night before that. It was the only storefront on the block still open. The others, consisting of a family-owned pharmacy, a chain deli, a hardware store, a UPS store and a hippy gift shop, were all closed for the night, their windows darkened. Street side, he sat just under the “h” in “Whitney’s” that had been painted on the window in a curly, but dated font. The paint had been scratched away here and there, a victim of age and weather. The booth he chose was in better shape than most. It was perhaps too plush, covered in a cherry red vinyl, but it was clean. In front of him sat a plated omelette, barely picked over, and a large mug of black coffee.

His attention was directed at his phone, a pair of cheap, black headphones crammed into the aux adapter. One bud was stuck in his ear. The other hung down in his lap. He was listening intently, scrolling through several online police patches he had discovered thanks to a local reddit board. He switched between them every third minute, but it was turning into a dead night. Aside from a few low key robberies. Maybe on another night he would have considered pursuing them, but he needed something big if he was to maintain a good relationship with the contact he had made at one of the local stations. His name was Robert Dean and he was primed for Louis’ intervention. His station was struggling in the ratings and he was desperate for a leg up. The perfect partner. It was no small miracle that he had been able to track one down only two weeks into his tenure in this new city. San Francisco.  

The decision to leave Los Angeles wasn’t an easy one, but he couldn’t deny that circumstances needed to change if he were to continue to grow in the industry he had revolutionized. His relationship with Nina had soured. The competition had grown since he had exploded onto the scene. The number of copycats had risen significantly in a matter of months. It didn’t surprise him. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, they say. They. He thought, bitterly. They were ruining everything. He was no longer a lone shark in a large sea. He was one of many, hunting and feeding at the first scent of blood. Bait was being gobbled up so quickly, he was lucky to get by with one good story a week. It wasn’t enough. He needed more. A new sea, one untainted by the mimics that clung to him as if he were some giving, door-opening host. He thought long and hard about where he would choose to move. Chicago had been his second choice. Perhaps he would find himself there, eventually. But the city by the bay had some scintillating perks. It was a city in flux. The burgeoning, nationwide class war was escalating faster here than in most urban areas. The beloved streets, still rife with historical infamy, were now caught between the poorer sentimentalists and the vampiric greed of Silicon Valley overlords. A battle wouldn’t decide the victor. This was a war. The tension was palpable. He could smell it on the air as soon as he arrived in town, with only his equipment and his car. It thrilled him. What need was there for uppers or alcohol when the night brought a rush that could sustain him for days.

“Refill?” A waitress stood by his table, a tired but sincere smile gracing her face. She must have been at least forty years of age. Her hair was dark, her teeth and fingernails showed signs of steady smoking, but she never smelled of it. She wore a small name tag clipped to her apron, bearing the name “Annie”. He smiled back, maintaining eye contact.

“Yes, thank you.” He said.

“Anytime, honey.” She replied, before shuffling away.

He liked Whitney’s. The staff was amiable and attentive, but never chatty or meddlesome. For the most part, they let him be, only stepping in when it was clear he needed something. Aside from the owner, there were no men working there. At least, the night wait staff was all female. There were three of them: Annie, Laurel and Sadie, each working five days so that there would always be at least two to support Vera at the counter while Ben hovered over the kitchen staff most nights. Except for the first and third Monday, when the diner was closed altogether. Annie was off on Sundays & Mondays. Laurel on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. And Sadie on Thursdays & Saturdays, most likely because she was the youngest and therefore the most likely to want to be out and about on such a vital weekend night. Vera was a warm woman, portly with a throaty voice, but she seemed rather attached to the youngest waitress. At first Louis thought them related in some way. They had the same bright eyes. He had never met the day shift staff, since he was usually tied up at his place, editing or planning his route for the night, running errands or sleeping if the need presented itself.

He shifted in his seat, sighing as his eyes flicked from the screen for a moment. His stomach constricted. That’s right, he had come here because he was hungry. He reached for his fork, severing another large bite and swallowing it down. The omelette was more cold than hot now, but he barely tasted it. He focused again on the screen, this time turning his attention to a watchdog group he had found on facebook. He had gone to the effort of creating a burner account for the sole purpose of gaining access to the group. It was made up of locals throughout the city, and while he had only found two leads worth following, it was proving to be a helpful tool as people seemed to post to the thread day and night, hour by hour. It baffled him, people’s need to overshare, to shout to the technical ether every thought and experience they deemed worthy of public consumption. Though in most cases, not a single shred of it was worth more than a scrap of trash. What was it about the social networks that lulled the masses so easily into a false sense of security? Didn’t they realize people were always watching, cataloguing it all? It baffled him. But people clung to it as if they were made from it. As if every post or like or emoji were connective tissue, vital to survival. Pathetic, he thought, padding through another thread. Eyes searching for various keywords. But helpful. That he couldn’t deny.

“Uh, sir?” Came a soft call.

He looked up. It was Sadie this time. She wore the same royal blue dress as the others. It sported a wide wrap around white collar, with five large buttons that came together at the front. Unlike the older two, she pinned her name tag to the side the cropped apron tied around her waist. Her hair, a natural ashy blonde, was choppy and short, but she had most of it tied back away from her face by a thin folded floral bandana.

“We’ll be closing in ten minutes.”

“Alright,” He said, his eyes drifting to his watch. It wasn’t often that time slipped away from him unnoticed.

“Was there anything wrong with your food?” She asked.

He looked to his plate where a good portion of the omelette still sat untouched.

“No, actually, could you box it for me?” He asked, his dark blue eyes meeting her cool, almost grey ones.

“Sure,” She said with a smile. It wasn’t as seasoned as Annie’s but Louis could appreciate the effort. She took the plate and headed into the back. He watched her disappear through the door, the chatter on the radio in his ear dimming. There was something strange about her, something familiar. He had yet to put his finger on it.

She returned a moment later and handed him the box in a brown paper bag.

“Thanks,” He said, thumbing a wad of bills in his pocket.

“Oh, you pay at the front,” She said, gesturing over her shoulder.

He pulled a twenty loose and held it out to her. She eyed it, almost suspiciously.

“Split it?” He explained. “With Annie.”

She nodded, taking the bill in between her thumb and index finger and folding it. “Thank you.”

Her gaze fell away from him, dodging his eye. Louis thought little of it. He was used to it. She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but drifted back to the counter, calling for Annie.

He took one last listen to each station, hoping for some sort of lead before he would need to resort to drifting up and down the streets. He was still familiarizing himself with the streets and alleyways. Which ones were less traveled, which were highly looked after. Fortunately for him, at seven miles, it was a much smaller layout to anything he was used to. He didn’t expect it would take him much longer to learn the ins and outs of the landscape. For now though, he was taking it easy. Acclimating.

With nothing sparking his attention, he slid from the booth tucking the phone into the back pocket of his jeans and slipping the other earbud into place. He stepped outside, pausing at the edge of the street corner, trying to remember where he had parked.

He heard the faint tinkling of the bell that hung above the entry door behind him.

“Goodnight, Ms. Sadie.” It sounded like Annie’s voice.

“Night, Annie.”

“You walk around the panhandle, you hear me? And head straight home. I don’t like the thought of you wandering around.”

Louis pivoted slightly, watching them from the corner of his eye. Sadie was rolling her eyes.

“Annie,” she said, seemingly over a conversation they must have had more than once. “I don’t wander, I just walk. And I’ve never run into any trouble.”

Annie just tutted, stepping of the curb and crossing the street to her car. “That don’t mean you won’t.”

Sadie lifted a hand to wave her goodbye, then turned on her heel and headed down the street towards the park. As she walked, she pulled the kerchief loose and stuffed it into the pocket of her jean jacket. The jacket was at least two sizes too large for her. She reached into the backpack slung across her left shoulder and pulled a folded baseball cap out, plunking it onto her head. It was a deterrent. With the large jacket, short hair and hat, she could easily be mistaken for a boy.

Follow her. A voice in his head urged. He wasn’t sure why. There was potential there. A young woman walking alone through the streets at night…it meant trouble certainly. But was it newsworthy? Or was it an everyday tragedy. Too familiar and too frequent for people to care. Really care.

He took one step towards the park when a blaring siren shattered through the relative peace of the dark, empty street behind him. His fingers went to his ear, pressing the bud deeper in as his free hand fiddled with the tracer on his phone.

Finally, he thought, listening greedily to the dispatch. Something good.

He spun back around, heading for his car and his equipment.

Thanks for reading! This was really just to get my feet wet I guess. This story is just flowing out of me and I can’t be stopped.This story will eventually go to some dark and creepy places. It’s the nature of the character and noir after all.

[biteblue81-blog]

The Vast, Incredible World of Peruvian Sandwiches

It’s late morning on a Sunday in Lima, the coastal capital of Peru. The sky is a dull gray color, which the locals call panza de burro—"donkey's belly"—typical of the city's skyline for all but maybe three months out of the year. Most residents of the “thrice-crowned city of kings,” as it was known in the colonial era, are filing out of one of its many, many Catholic churches. After all, the Church (always with a capital C) holds a legally privileged status in this country. Those who aren’t religious may just be waking up from a pisco-fueled, all-night jarana.

On these days, limeños—whether religious or secular—are united in a nearly singular hunger for one particular type of dish: sánguches. In Lima, sandwiches are closely associated with breakfast, not lunch. You can get a sandwich almost any time of day in the city, which makes them rather unique in the Lima food world. Food is on a very strict schedule here. Good luck trying to find good ceviche past lunchtime, for instance, and you may want to say a little prayer to El Señor de los Milagros if you want to savor anticuchos (grilled beef heart skewers) before sundown. But Lima’s many sangucherías are often some of the first food businesses to open, and many still serve their meaty, hand-held specialties well into the night.

Now, locals might not consider a sandwich substantial enough for the main meal of the day. If your abuela were to ask, for instance, if you'd eaten, and you said a sandwich, you could've just as well said a bag of chips. The Peruvian sandwich might feel a bit minimalist compared to a Mexican torta (and its regional cousins), with its many layers of brightly colored, intensely flavored fillings. But the sánguche reflects a distinctly limeño appreciation for a quiet, almost restrained elegance in food.

The focus of a sánguche is the quality of the meat and its often complex preparation—but the sandwiches themselves are simple. They require only a little bit of ají sauce and some gossamer strings of lime- and cilantro-marinated red onions (sarsa criolla) to cut the richness. (Perhaps we owe this intricate, balanced approach to our significant nikkei community, the Japanese immigrant population living in Peru, who may be responsible for upgrading Peruvian ceviche to what we know today.) Lima boasts several types of these deceptively simple sandwich fillings:

Roast turkey seasoned with ají amarillo chile, plenty of cumin, and a splash of soy sauce is a perennial favorite. Asado is also popular: fork-tender beef pot roast drizzled with its braising potion that carries almost chocolaty notes of ají panca chile and sweetness from carrots. Quechua-speaking indigenous migrants from the Andes brought their love of roast suckling pig—called lechón—to Lima. Now you can see street carts and humble sandwich counters throughout the historic center of the city displaying a roasted pig’s head watching over dainty sandwiches filled with its tender meat. Some more old-school limeños are devoted to relleno—a spicy, savory filling of fried chicken's blood. Others gravitate toward huachana: This filling is also spicy, made with a bright orange sausage that's the specialty of a town called Huacho, just north of Lima. It’s crumbled, fried, and mixed with scrambled eggs to form a sort of Peruvian sausage and egg McMuffin (there's just no English muffin).

Despite the variety of sandwich fillings available in Lima, the bread always remains the same: pan francés. These rolls are the de facto daily bread here. It's what strolling vendors announce to the neighborhood first thing in the morning, what mothers scurry out to buy hot from the oven, what you have with your café con leche, and a requirement for every single limeño sandwich. In fact, one could argue that without pan francés, the sandwich isn’t truly authentic. Although its name implies a French origin, pan francés might be closer in form to a Portuguese water roll, except that it has a noticeable slash in the middle. (My father used to tell me that pan francés is often used to describe a perfect posterior: a deep crease dividing two round, firm globes.) The rolls have crunchy crusts that provide structure to sánguches and soft, slightly chewy insides that can soak up the juices of whatever meaty filling a limeño fancies.

While limeños can fancy any of the fillings I described above, there is one particular filling that might be considered the reigning viceroy (because Peru was a viceroyalty of Spain): jamón del país. This translates to "country ham," but bears little resemblance to conventional deli meat, except for the pork. It's made by brining a butterflied pork loin or shoulder, spreading it with a mixture of ají chiles and spices, rolling it up, trussing it, and poaching it in a flavorful broth. It's then rubbed with a deep ochre-colored oil infused with annatto seeds to give the “ham” its characteristic orange exterior. Every bite reveals tiny bursts of flavor from the ribbons of seasoning spiraling through.

If boiled pork sounds unappealing, then I cannot stress enough how magical jamón del país is and how difficult it is to make correctly. There's a reason you can only get jamón del país from eateries that specialize in sandwiches: It's an art. I'm currently on my sixth attempt at creating my own recipe for it and still haven’t gotten it right. The brining and gentle poaching actually help the pork retain its juiciness, and the decades of experience that many of its cooks have means that they know exactly when it's at its optimal succulence.

While other sandwiches are called “pan con...” (“bread with...”), the combination of pan francés and jamón del país is so beloved in Lima that it has a specific name: butifarra. This name—like many other Peruvian food names—confuses people throughout the Spanish-speaking world, especially Spain, where a butifarra is a type of sausage. It's unclear why we Peruvians decided to repurpose the name of a sausage for our most popular sandwich, but like our use of the word palta for avocado, it's one of the things that makes our cuisine unique.

Cordano

Every sanguchería has its secret seasonings that gain it loyal fans. Perhaps one of the first places a visitor should sample a butifarra is at one of its oldest and most iconic purveyors, Cordano, which is located just catty-corner from the rear of the presidential palace in the colonial center of the city. It's been around for over 100 years, and during this time has been a popular hangout for politicians and political journalists. The focal point of the wood-paneled dining room is the glass-enclosed carving station that enshrines the jamón del país. The salt and seasonings in the ham allow the restaurant to keep it at room temperature and carve thin slices whenever a diner orders a butifarra. Refrigeration would actually dull the flavors of the pork and diminish its succulence. Similarly, heating it could damage its nuances. If you're really concerned about pathogens, then wash down your sánguche with one of the bar’s excellent pisco sours, Peru’s official cocktail. The potent drink is sure to kill off any bug (or at least get you buzzed enough to no longer care).

La Lucha

A more modern addition to the roster of sangucherías in Lima is La Lucha, which has a few locations throughout the city. La Lucha features a few innovations that have set it apart from other more traditional sandwich shops in the city, like the inclusion of smoked meats cooked in steel barrels and a selection of Amazonian fruit smoothies. The butifarras, however, are faithful to tradition, lest the owner upset denizens of Lima who hold this sandwich close to their hearts. The quality of the pork here is its greatest distinction, because it yields a jamón del país that's almost buttery without being greasy. The complete La Lucha experience includes a side of its famous French fries made with huayro potatoes, an heirloom variety whose daffodil flesh is interspersed with seams of purple. Dipped into one of the sanguchería's creamy sauces, the fries can almost make you forget about your sandwich.

Butifarras are enjoyed in the mornings, but many Limeños enjoy them for dinner or as hearty snacks in between meals. Miniature butifarras also feature on buffet tables at many social gatherings. They're essentially an anytime food. But if it's breakfast you're after, Lima does have a very good, very traditional one: the desayuno Lurín (or "special breakfast").**

There are two main components in a desayuno Lurín: a chicharrón sandwich and a tamal. Although the sandwich in this breakfast doesn’t get its own name like the butifarra, it rivals it in popularity. A pan con chicharrón consists of the requisite pan francés roll and slices of pork belly that's been slow-braised, then deep-fried in its own fat. As with the butifarra, the pan con chicharrón causes confusion among other Latin Americans. For many, "chicharrón" is pork rind, the outermost layer of pork belly that includes the skin. Peruvians, however, don't include the skin in their chicharrón and incorporate more of the meat that lies beneath the layer of belly fat. As a result, chicharrón in Peru is leaner, meatier, and less chewy than in other parts of the hemisphere.

The Peruvian sandwich might feel a bit minimalist compared to a Mexican *torta* (and its regional cousins), with its many layers of brightly colored, intensely flavored fillings. But the sánguche reflects a distinctly limeño appreciation for a quiet, almost restrained elegance in food.

Because this sandwich filling is so rich, it requires the extra starch of fried sweet potato slices along with the sarsa criolla and ají sauces. When ordered on its own, the sandwich comes pre-assembled. But as part of the desayuno Lurín, the components are neatly laid out on a plate for the diner to assemble. I like to make sure there's more pork in my sandwich than sweet potato, and I save any extra slices to dip into the spicy ají sauce (although every limeño has his or her perfect proportions).

What completes the desayuno Lurín is the red tamal. This particular type of tamal is attributed to Lima’s Afro-Peruvian community and is steamed in banana leaves. It's much larger than Mexican tamales and is made with ground mote, a type of processed corn akin to hominy. The corn dough is seasoned with ají chile, and the cook embeds pieces of spicy braised pork, a wedge of hard-boiled egg, a botija olive, and roasted peanuts. It's truly one of the more unique tamales in Latin America, and one of the most filling.

You can now see why this breakfast is reserved for Sundays, when most families in Lima rest.

El Chinito

You can often get an assembled pan con chicharrón at the same places that offer butifarras and other types of sánguches. But there are places that specialize in chicharrón, and these are the eateries that pull in limeños on Sundays like iron fillings to a magnet. One of the most popular places to get a desayuno Lurín on a Sunday in Lima is also a perfect representation of the city’s cosmopolitan food culture: El Chinito. The restaurant owner is Peruvian-Chinese, and what makes his chicharrón so appealing is that he uses Chinese seasonings like soy sauce, along with more traditional Peruvian ones, to give his fried pork extra flavor. El Chinito also features other Chinese influences throughout the menu, including char siu sandwiches. Everything else about this sanguchería is quintessentially limeño, down to the café pasado (filtered coffee) that the city’s residents sip with their desayuno Lurín. The caffeine helps to keep diners awake enough to make it safely back home (or to a park bench or movie theatre seat).

As late Sunday morning fades into early afternoon, the residents of Lima slowly trickle out of the city’s many sangucherías and finish the last hours of their weekend languidly. Memories of savory, meaty sandwiches are still fresh in their minds’ palates. The satisfying meal encourages them to slow down and enjoy the sensory pleasures that the city offers in spite of its grey, donkey-belly sky—the historic architecture, the parks and plazas, the dramatic cliffs abutting the Pacific Ocean, and the deliciously unique food.

Have you ever had a Peruvian sandwich? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: https://food52.com/blog/23635-best-peruvian-sandwiches

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/lifestyle/how-to-organize-your-kitchen-like-a-professional-chef/

How to Organize Your Kitchen Like a Professional Chef

In kitchens the world over, the French culinary phrase mise en place has come to mean “everything in its place.” In practice, it’s a codified philosophy among chefs in which every mixing bowl, every spice and every tool consistently returns to a designated shelf space. For Ellen Bennett, the Los Angeles-based founder and C.E.O. of the culinary and lifestyle brand Hedley & Bennett, that system is a way of life. An exacting standard of organization, she learned as a line cook at restaurants like Los Angeles’s Bäco Mercat and the two-Michelin-starred Providence, is what keeps fast-paced kitchens running smoothly. “When you have a place for everything, you don’t have to think twice,” she says, because there’s no searching for what you need. “It’s about not having to do the extra work.”

[Coming later this spring: the T List newsletter, a weekly roundup of what T Magazine editors are noticing and coveting. Sign up here.]

Today, Bennett no longer works in restaurants. Almost seven years ago, she launched Hedley & Bennett under the simple premise of giving cooks more dignified workwear, swapping out the standard cheap synthetic aprons for top-grade linens and canvas. She now sells to thousands of restaurants and countless aspiring home cooks, retailing at shops that include Whole Foods and Sur La Table. (Next up, she’ll serve as the Creative at Large for Downtown Los Angeles’s forthcoming Firehouse Hotel.) Despite turning her culinary experience into a multimillion-dollar business, Bennett still retains the discipline and know-how she learned from working back-of-house — and continues to abide by the codes of mise en place in the kitchen of her own sunny Echo Park home.

Mixing the minimalism of Marie Kondo with the functional efficiency of a fine-dining cook, Bennett walks T through the cabinets, pantry and drawers of her kitchen, passing on the methodologies she’s learned from master chefs — because, as she puts it, “just throwing things in a drawer is selling yourself short.”

Divide and conquer

Bennett is a huge fan of “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” the book and Netflix series by chef Samin Nosrat that focuses on those four elements as the pillars of flavor. Similarly, Bennett believes that all cookware falls under the four pillars of “prep, cook, serve, store,” and should be divided accordingly. Her drawer marked “PREP” includes tools like mixing bowls, her mortar and pestle, a scale and a measuring glass, while the “COOK” drawer is full of pots and pans. Items for serving — plates, bowls and glasses — are in the cupboard, her resealable containers are all stacked in a drawer of their own, and never shall the four ever meet.

Sort by flavor and function

“Knowing there’s a zone for everything makes it easier to just go and find,” says Bennett, whose refrigerator contents have been grouped based on flavor profile and function: Asian sauces, American sauces, fruits, vegetables and pickled things each have a designated section. On the countertop, she keeps what she calls her “flavor station,” a reliable wooden bowl stocked with shallots, garlic and red onions. “They’re the raw materials,” she says, “the all-around the basics of good flavor.

Date and label

With all these identical containers, knowing what’s inside and when you bought it is essential. There are, however, no label makers here. “In a professional kitchen, everything is labeled with painters tape,” Bennett says, “but chalkboard paint with a chalkboard pen looks nice, and it’s also easier to read.”

Keep everything in plain sight

Bennett hates the guessing game of pulling knives out of a butcher block to see which is which. She prefers to keep them in a drawer or on a magnetic strip mounted to the wall. “It’s all about visibility and making it easily accessible,” she says. On the same note, she transfers her dry goods to labeled, transparent plastic or glass containers from Restaurant Depot or the Container Store so that she can always see what’s inside, a trick she learned from doing restaurant inventory. “When you have a carton, you can’t tell how much is left over,” she explains. “In a professional restaurant, you see how much is left, and if it’s below halfway point, typically, you order new. This is a way for you to be able to say, ‘Oh, O.K., I’m running out of cinnamon sticks.’”

Keep your gadgets to a minimum

The tools in your kitchen don’t need to spark joy, but you should toss the things you never use, according to Bennett, who recently disposed of the juice machine that had been gathering dust underneath her sink. “All the kitchens I’ve worked in have the tools they need, and they get rid of the things they don’t,” she says, “because it’s just standing in the way.” Counting a chef’s knife, a paring knife, a bread knife and a pair of scissors as kitchen drawer essentials, she’s a staunch opponent of single-utility items like cherry pitters and garlic presses. “Do not get an avocado slicer,” she says. “Learn to use a knife.”

Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket

Separating like items into different trays and baskets makes them easier to grab on the go: All of Bennett’s vitamins and medicine bottles are in one tray in the fridge; her utensils are divided up by open rectangular boxes in drawers; and a hamper in the pantry holds the bagged items that don’t stack neatly on shelves, including potato chips and feed for her pet pig, Oliver, and chicken, Olive Oil.

Keep shopping bags in the car

That way you’ll never forget to bring them to the market.

Store essentials close at hand

“Counter space is precious real estate,” says Bennett, so only the truly necessary basics get to stay there. Next to the stove, she has a tray of butter, salt, pepper and oil, and a can that contains tongs, a spatula and wooden spoons. “Those are good to have at your fingertips,” she says. (And butter, by the way, is better outside the refrigerator.) The cutting board is also always on the kitchen island ready to go, next to her trusty flavor station.

Don’t throw out your takeout containers

Where rectangular storage containers make a mess of mismatched lids and sometimes unstackable shapes, the ordinary cylindrical deli cups used for food delivery are far superior. Available online or at chef supply stores, they’re cheaper too, and all three sizes can stack and use the same lid. According to Bennett, “It’s honestly the best Tupperware out there.”

[12b-nondo-blog]

A Three Course Meal at Chinatown 

Kim, Hyeeun 

What comes to your mind if you think of an appetizing course meal? Most people would imagine a fine dining restaurant with a dress code that offers expensive wine list with a perfect shiny city view. A classical music by Ludwig Van Beethoven that sets the mood and a luxury three course meal that consists of an appetizer, main course and dessert being served. However, there is a place in Binondo also known as the city’s Chinatown where they serve a fascinating three course meal without a strict formal dress code with affordable price. 

Binondo is the Chinatown of the Philippines considered the oldest in the world, established in 1594 by the Spaniards as a settlement for Catholic Chinese. For this reason, I observed numerous signage boards written in Chinese, colorful traditional lanterns and arch. Personally, I noticed many red private cars along the Ongpin Street. Before I started the three course meal journey, I went to Binondo church. I lighted an orange candle that symbolized “studies” and I prayed for my academics and upcoming graduation. It was such a memorable experience since it is unique and very personal where you can pray for what you desire and wish for. A three course meal that I will introduce includes an appetizer, main course, and dessert. 

Since it was my first time going to Binondo and I am not used to public transportation, I used Grabcar. It cost Php 250 and took 25 minutes to arrive at 9:30 in the morning. First, I decided to eat Pan-fried dumplings and Shrimp Hakaw as an appetizer. Since Chinese dumpling is part of the Chinese tradition and culture, I decided to experience it. The place is called The Great Buddha Cafe located at the second floor of Eng Bee Tin, found at 628 Ongpin Street behind Binondo church. The restaurant was an air-conditioned enclosed area, with charging station for your phone, and several tables. The Shrimp Hakaw costed Php 158 for five pieces. It was served with soy sauce, calamansi and chili sauce. On the outside, wrapper looked soft and smooth. When I cut it in half, it was filled with small yet fat shrimps. I tried it with soy sauce and calamansi and when I took a bite, the flavor of the fresh shrimp was rich and the 

wrapper was thin yet sticky. It was well-balanced. The Pan-fried dumplings tasted great as well. It costed Php 148 for six pieces. With every bite, I felt its crispness, juiciness and the generous amount of minced pork. It was also well-balanced with soy sauce with calamansi and when the taste became a bit greasy, I tried it with chili sauce to lessen it. The Great Buddha Cafe may be a bit pricier compared to the street food and 

well-known restaurants in Binondo, but its elegant interior, quality service, and definitely the 

taste of the food makes the price worth it. There is also a giant statue of Buddha and it’s a spot 

where you can take a picture. 

Beside The Great Buddha Cafe, there is a souvenir shop where you can purchase lucky 

charms, magnets, mugs, Chinese chopsticks and more. Moreover, Eng Bee Tin is found at the 

first floor of the store, also known as the home of the most recognizable Hopia in the Philippines. When you enter the shop, you can see displayed various flavors of Hopia like ube, munggo, kundol, buko custard and mochaccino other classic Chinese deli goods like Tikoy with affordable price around Php 50. Before purchasing, when you are unsure of what to buy for pasalubong, you can try their free taste service as well. Personally, I suggest mocha and 

chocolate mochi balls that costed Php 50 in Eng Bee Tin. It has a soft texture and the size is 

small and round. It is different with ordinary mochi balls because it is not that powdery and 

sweet, but filled with mocha and chocolate paste-like bean fillings. Therefore, Eng Bee Tin is 

considered as a must visit place in Binondo. 

Second, I also considered an appetizer and the most memorable part of my journey in 

Chinatown. As a Chinese food lover, I was excited to eat the popular Shanghai Fried Siopao. It is a small pork bun stall located at Ongpin Street near Binondo church. As mentioned earlier, it was my first time to go to Chinatown and the streets looked totally complicated. When I searched the location in the Google map, Shanghai Fried Siopao stall was only five minutes away. I tried to follow the given direction but every street looked alike so I got lost. But with the help of the kind people from the place, after 20 minutes of walking and asking, I arrived at a small stall. The first thing I noticed in the stall was a big simple signage board with “Shanghai Fried Siopao” in color red and food displayed at the side. I ordered Fried Siopao for Php 20. It disappointed me at first because it looked like an ordinary siopao. The soft bun was still hot when it was handed to me inside the plastic. But when I took a first bite, soft white bun filled with chewy and soft minced pork played around in my mouth. The taste was great and unforgettable. It was the best fried siopao I have ever had with affordable price. I expected to wait around 30 minutes but surprisingly, there was no waiting line. The tip here is go to Shanghai Fried Siopao in the morning. Once I go back to Binondo, I will definitely visit this place again. Third, the main course I chose to eat in Binondo is Wanton beef noodle soup at Ling Nam Wanton parlor & noodle factory located at 616 T. Alonzo Street. I chose this small restaurant which makes this place more unique and warm because the restaurant has been operating since 1950. I wanted to experience authentic and classic Wanton beef noodle soup. I suggest this place because it has the best Wanton beef noodle soup in town. The green vegetable leaves on top were fresh and crunchy, fresh hand pulled noodles were soft. It combined very well with the chewy beef and soup. The soup was beef sauce based, flavorful and rich in its taste. It costed Php 200. It was a perfect main course with affordable price. Not only the food but also the interior described 

and attracted the place. The red signage board symbolized the Chinese culture of good luck and the noodles, as a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture. Since noodles do symbolize long life, it is considered very unlucky to cut up a strand. That’s why I challenged myself not to cut up a strand while eating it. 

Lastly, after a long tour around Binondo, I decided to make a final stop and try a dessert in Lord Stow's Bakery, known as the home of the famous Macau egg tarts. It is famous for its "best-tasting" egg tarts, which came all the way from Macau with an affordable price of Php 42 per piece. The egg tart was tenderly creamy that created a melt in my mouth sensation, and the filling is appropriately crisp. For sure, you will definitely savor each moment biting the egg tart. This is worth trying because you are able to experience a trip to Macau with Php 42 located at Reina Regente Street. 

The world’s oldest Chinatown in Binondo, established in 1594 will definitely give you the taste of China once you visit the place. Its originality, appetizing dishes, generous servings and prices will make you explore more about Binondo. The ambiance of Chinatown restaurants will let you experience their different culture, colorful tradition and long history. In my perspective as a Korean, I prefer the Chinatown in the Philippines compared to the Chinatown in South Korea located in Incheon because it has its own charm and originality. The dishes are unique and very sincere in its taste. Additionally, the place provides a wide range of price, where everyone can enjoy various kinds of Chinese food. Although the shining city view was not around, there were hardworking and heartwarming people and great bridges through the windows. Although Chinese songs which I didn’t understand were played instead of classical western music while eating the course meal, my heart felt the Chinese-Filipino values, integrity and unity. Along the long streets of Binondo, the history and hidden beauty was present and untouched by time. Thus, if you want to experience a fascinating three course meal in the Philippines, I would like to recommend Binondo Chinatown. A creative and historical arch will welcome you to the food journey! 

[cookymoms]

Best Meat Slicer Reviews 2019: Top 5+ Recommended

Only meat blokes like me will ever understand that every day is a great day to eat meat!

Although meat cuts will do, I love getting my hands on deli-style cuts of meats. But, I’m also not into going to my local meat shop every day! Why pass by a deli when you can have it in your kitchen— fresh and expertly cut, right?

But knives?

Nahhh.

As much as I believe that food preparing and cooking is a form of art, there are just some things that are best left to machines.

Sure, a machine will never be able to cook a dish as I can, however, when it comes to preparations such as food slicing, I am all for turning the engine on!

Why would you spend your energy and time slicing a piece of meat manually— a process that is both tiresome and prone to injury— when you can just turn something on, a little push and voila— perfectly cut meat with style!

And that something is called a meat slicer!

No. Images Products Where to buy?

1

Chef’s Choice 6150000 Food Slicer

2

BESWOOD Premium Meat Slicer

3

KitchenWare Station Premium Electric Meat Slicer

4

F2C Electric Meat Slicer

5

WELOVE Manual Control Meat Slicer

Meat Slicer: What Is It and Is It For?

Originally, meat slicers are invented to perfectly cut any type of meat. However, most people also use the machine for slicing other types of food such as bread, cheese, vegetables and anything you need slicing.

And to answer the question:

What is the meat slicer for?

It is for making your life in the kitchen a lot easier!

Manual slicing is a tiring process and can provide inconsistent results. And in such a fast-paced world we are living in, a meat slicer can save you valuable time that you can later spend with your loved ones.

The Perks of a Having a Meat Slicer

1. Easy Cutting

As I have mentioned before, manual cutting is a tedious job and extremely tiresome. Also, cutting through frozen meats can be quite troublesome. Not for meat slicers, though! With this powerful machine, meat cutting is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

2. Uniform Cuts and Desired Thickness

Because you are using a machine, you can expect even, uniform cuts you see in meat shops. This makes the food look more presentable. Also, the best meat slicers come with adjustable knobs to produce your desired thickness of food slices. Now, you can create Japanese dishes that require thin slices of meat. 

3. Versatility

I already told you that meat slicers are not just for meats. This is why some people like to call it a food slicer, rather than meat slicers. It can cut through vegetables, fruits, cheese and more!

Buying a Meat Slicers? 8 Things to Consider

1. Construction

Meet slicers need to have a sturdy and strong housing which is made from high-quality materials such as aluminum alloy, die-cast aluminum, stainless steel, premium coated steel or a combination of these materials.

Other than being sturdy and durable, these materials are highly resistant to rust. Aluminum is typically lighter, while meat slicers constructed from premium coated steel or those with bigger aluminum alloy housing can be heavier and bulky.

2. Power

When buying a meat slicer, you want to make sure that it has enough power to cut whatever meat you have.

In general, there are two different types of slicers— belt driven or gear driven, or a combination of both.

Belt driven meat slicers usually lack the real power, so if you are planning to slice harder meats or bigger slices, then consider getting a gear-driven meat slicer.

But, if you are looking for a simpler in-home slicer, then a belt-driven meat slicer should do just fine. Plus, this type of meat slicers is usually quieter and perfect for thin and softer meats.

3. Blade Type

In terms of the blade, you get two choices— a smooth edge blade or a serrated blade.

Smooth blades work best on lean meats and vegetables, providing you with cleaner cuts. You need to avoid crusty bread and tough meats with a smooth blade, though.

For serrated blades, slicing bread and tough meats are easy. They can also cut through veggies, but, can leave a messy edge.

But, if you want the best of both worlds, then it would be best to get a secondary blade to switch in and out.

4. Controls

All meat slicers have an adjustable thickness that is usually controlled by a knob or dial on the machine. In general, the lower the number means a thinner cut, whereas a higher number means that you will have a thicker cut.

However, such numerical system can vary from brand to brand.

In order to help you slice frozen meats, the handle you use to slice meats is important too. Therefore, look for one with a large handle, a dual handle system or a fixed device handle which can make your slicing process a lot easier.

5. Safety Features

Remember:

Meat slicers are machines with extremely sharp rotating blade that you will be operating by hand. So, there is no question that you will look for safety features included. Here are some you should look for:

Knife GuardIn general, the blade of a meat slicer needs to be exposed as little as possible in order to prevent accidents. Look for a meat slicer that comes with a hand or knife guard that should act as a barrier between your hands and the blade.

Dual Safety SwitchThis feature prevents accidental startups. This feature, however, can be annoying and inconvenient depending on the slicer model you choose. So, if you are vigilant with where you are using the meat slicer and where you store it, this feature is not really necessary.

Rubber FeetMeat slicer should have rubberized feet in order to bring stability to the whole machine when cutting meat and avoid any accidents.

Safety Blade LocksBlade lock functions are highly common, particularly for meat slicers. A blade lock should prevent the slicer blade from moving unintentionally, which is great if you are storing the slicer within reach of kids.

6. Size

Meat slicers are fairly large appliances. Sadly, they do not break down for easier storage. So before buying, make sure that you choose one that can fit inside your kitchen cabinets.

7. Noise Levels

As you slice veggies or meat, will you be able to hold a conversation with the people next to you? Most meat slicers have a noise level range of 60 – 70 dbs.

8. Cleaning

Some meat slicers, particularly those for commercial use, have parts which can be removed and cleaned very easily. There are some other models that may not come with such parts which are so easy to detach. S, before making a purchase, take into consideration the cleaning requirements of these complex machines.

The Top 5 Best Meat Slicers 2019

*Below, you'll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

#1: Chef’s Choice 6150000 Food Slicer

Via Amazon.com

Quality

Price

Our rating

Looking for high precision cutting at higher speed? Look no more than this slicer, accurately named. If you are a chef and this is not your primary choice, then are you really one?

The Chef’s Choice slicer is dedicated to producing restaurant-quality, paper-thin slices of meat, bread and more! It comes with the best food pusher design featuring a non-slip grip to minimize accidents.

And even though the unit is 120 watts, it produces super clean cuts fast and is really a quiet operator. The unit comes with removable parts, for easier cleaning.

What We Like

Removable parts for easy cleaning

Non-slip rubber feet

Creates consistent cuts

Good value for the money

Non-slip food pusher

Large food carrier

What We Don't Like

Suction cup feet can become stuck easily

#2: BESWOOD Premium Meat Slicer

Via Amazon.com

Quality

Price

Our rating

Carbon steel. Chromium-plated. This meat slicer from BESWOOD is designed for both commercial and home use. This thing comes with a massive 10-inch carbon steel blades which can cut through any type of meat, effortlessly!

It is multi-purpose, too. Veggies and cheese? This slicer has no problem cutting them down! Featuring industrial-grade aluminum body, this machine is built to last long for generations. What I love about this slicer is that it is fitted with 2 whetstones at the top in order to keep the blade sharp all the time!

The slicer uses high-quality V-belt which keep the vibration and noise to a minimum. In order to add an extra layer of protection against power shock, this slicer features a double-illuminated on / off switch. Featuring a blade ring guard, your hands should be safe when operating and the skid-proof rubber should keep the machine stead when slicing. Lastly, this meat slicer meets all U.S quality standards for safety such as ETL, NSF, and FDA.

What We Like

Commercial-grade equipment

Does not make too much vibration and noise

Produces thin slices

You do not need to sharpen the blades

What We Don't Like

Expensive

Not that easy to clean

Heavy

#3: KitchenWare Station Premium Electric Meat Slicer

Via Amazon.com

Quality

Price

Our rating

If you want a slicer that can cut through anything you want to cook, then you can’t just look past the KitchenWare Station Meat Slicer. It is perfect for anyone who takes the art of slicing seriously— whether at home or in their restaurants. This beast has more than enough power to slice through a selection of different types of foods while also keeping consistent results.

Built to last, the slicer housing is made of aluminum alloy which is highly durable and less likely to corrode. With a powerful but low noise motor and power transformer which can prevent short circuit and electric leakage, this slicer can slice meat at an extra fast rotary speed. Its 10-inch Teflon non-sticky stainless steel blade is extremely sharp an comes with a built-in sharpener that keeps the blade continuously hones and sharp for high precision slicing.

Featuring large numerical scale knobs, you can easily make thickness adjustments. For added security, the machine boasts skid-proof rubber feet that will keep the machine stable and secure. It also has a ring guard protection to prevent cutting yourself and the on/off switch and relays are separately built to prevent from being damaged. Easy to clean, the machine comes with removable parts for your convenience.

What We Like

Low maintenance

Skid-proof rubber feet

Ideal for commercial and home use

Smooth and low-noise operation

Durable aluminum alloy housing

Rust-resistant

Built-in whetstone

Easy to clean

Easy adjustments

What We Don't Like

Heavy

Smaller slice range

Smaller deck space

#4: F2C Electric Meat Slicer

Via Amazon.com

Quality

Price

Our rating

If you love to eat deli-style meat (like me) or you own a deli shop, then you will definitely love Amazon’s choice for “deli slicers for home”— the F2C Electric Meat Slicer! Solid and heavy duty construction, this slicer comes with die-cast aluminum and prime coated steel housing. Designed with spacious sliding food carriage, it is the perfect solution for home and professional chef looking for machines that can provide them nicely cut meats!

Featuring a 7.5-inch stainless steel cutting blade, this rugged, yet sophisticated looking slicer offers you a high yield slicing power. Boasting an impressive 150 watts of power, it can slice through just about anything and comes with a cool running motor and reliable smooth gear drive for a continuous slicing operation.

The built-in knob allows adjustments of thickness from 1/32” to ¾”. With a compact and sleek design, the small slicer can fit most home kitchen cabinets and countertops. Not only does it simplify your cooking needs, but it also simplifies the cleaning process, thanks to removable parts for easy cleaning.

What We Like

Compact and small

Removable parts for easy cleaning

Cool running motor for continuous slicing operation

Heavy duty construction

Easy slicing

What We Don't Like

Horrible instructions

Noisy

#5: WELOVE Manual Control Meat Slicer

Via Amazon.com

Quality

Price

Our rating

Now, this last item is very different than the rest. Why? Because this one is a manual meat slicer. Unlike other units on this list, this one requires your strength (not too much, though) to cut through meats and other food items.

This manual meat slicer from WELOVE resembles a paper cutter and is operated like one. Just place the machine on a table and load the meat to the meat shelf. Grab the meat block with your left hand and using your right hand, use the handle to slice the meat into thin pieces.

Made from premium stainless steel and a PVC handle, this meat slicer is durable, highly resistant to rust and completely waterproof. Thickness can also be adjusted from 0.2 mm to 25 mm. The unit comes with a replaceable high carbon steel blade, a sharpener, a spanner, 10 bags for rolling meat and a user manual.

What We Like

Premium stainless steel

Adjustable thickness

Comes with great accessories

Easy slicing

What We Don't Like

It does not work on fresh meat

Requires force

Tiring

Precautions When Using a Meat Slicer

Meat slicers have really sharp blades in them.

And it is not just about being careful when slicing meats. The, even more, trickier part is dealing with the blades while you clean the meat slicer. Using safety guards such as safety gloves while washing the blade is needed to avoid cuts on your hands.

Most meat slicers come with a user safety manual. You need to read it carefully before using the machine. Make sure that the power button is off until the meat is ready to be sliced. Also, checking for any loose or missing parts is crucial to prevent the chances of malfunctioning.

You also need to pay close attention to the surface on which the meat slicer is kept. The base of the slicer needs to be clear of any uneven surface as it may slip or turn upside down when operating.

Maintenance 101: Cleaning a Meat Slicer

Like all kitchen equipment, it is essential that you clean your meat slicer thoroughly— for hygiene and prolonging the life of the machine.

When you do not regularly clean your slicer, food residue can eventually build up in different parts of the machine which causes bacteria to grow. The bacteria buildup can contaminate foods and be the cause for foodborne illnesses, making you ill.

Additionally, a meat slicer can transfer small food particles or flavors onto foods you slice later, changing the texture and taste of your dishes.

Specific Problem Areas

The slicer handle, blade guard and ring guard monitor should be monitored carefully for any broken, cracks, unattached or missing parts. Food particles accumulate under the slicer handle, inside the blade guards and at the ring guards.

Also, make sure that you regularly examine seals and seams on your machine to see if they have worn away and created additional crevices where bacteria and leftovers can accumulate.

Tips Before Starting

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

Wear protective gloves. Choose cut-resistant gloves such as cut-proof metal gloves are the best option.

Never submerge the slicer completely.

Never use steel wool since it can scratch the meat slicer.

Cleaning A Meat Slicer

Set the thickness of your slicer to zero. Wipe both sides of the blade using a gentle scrub pad as the slicer is in motion. Once you remove any large particles, turn or and unplug the slicer.

Make sure that the gauge plate is in a closed position and the whetstone is out of the way. Remove the product tray, center plate, and the product tray and wash and rinse these components.

In order to clean the blade, you can leave it in place or remove it. If you leave the blade in place, clean it thoroughly. Alternatively, you can use degreasing spray in order to clan the blade. Clean both back and front of the blade while wiping from its center outward.

Wipe down the exterior and remaining pieces. After that, rinse with hot water using a towel.

Oiling a Meat Slicer

Lubricating a meat slicer is just as important as cleaning. You need to keep the blade of the slicer well-oiled so it keeps a consistent and fast rotation. Regular oiling keeps the blade and the machine from rusting.

The best oil for the job is a food grade machine oil. Stay away from vegetable and canola oil since these can turn the blade rusty and blunt.

Slicing Royalty

And now, to announce the best of the best. We crown…

BESWOOD Premium Meat Slicer as the king of meat slicers!

Designed for both home and commercial use, this is one durable machine that should last for a lifetime. Steel blades that come with its own sharpener, you can cut through anything and do not have to worry about dull blades. Other than that, this beast comes with all the safety features that you need!

Meaty Thoughts

Whether you are hosting a meaty party or want to serve a meat dish, deli-style, a meat slicer should guide you through the easy path of preparation.

Do you have any questions? Suggestions? Violent reactions? Feel free to voice up your concerns and hit the comment section below.

Until then, happy slicing!

The post Best Meat Slicer Reviews 2019: Top 5+ Recommended appeared first on Cooky Mom.

[303magazine]

Food halls of all shapes and sizes continue to explode across Denver’s culinary food scene. Come Friday, June 1 at 7 a.m., the newest iteration will open its doors in LoDo. This one is a bit different, though. Instead of a collection of restaurants from several chefs, Milk Market is the product of one company: Bonanno Concepts. Led by Frank Bonanno, the long-time Denver chef and restaurateur, he is no stranger to openings. In fact, he loves them. Even with his newest beast — which include 15 (soon to be 16) concepts —building a new addition to his empire thrilled him.

“It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had cooking,” said he in reference to opening Milk Market. Bonanno, who is consistently hands-on, explained he loved bouncing around from station to station — tinkering with recipes and learning how to craft each dish to his specification.

“I was super obsessive about the way they build the burger. Like I don’t want the cheese melted… because texturally when it melts, it gets really thin. It was just really important to me — finding the perfect potato roll the butcher sauce,” he explained.

The Space

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Frank isn’t alone in his endeavor. His wife and partner Jacqueline, who’s designed the interiors of restaurants in the Bonanno empire, took the project to new heights. Constructed in part with Cynthia Steinbrecher of Davis Partnership Architects and the Bonanno team, they inserted personal touches in every inch of the 18,000-square-foot space. This includes approximately 30 different types of tile including a hand laid floor made of hundred of pennies at S&G Salumeria. The pennies serve a larger purpose — with each spot having a “good luck” in the form of some design element or object. Similarly, each food stall has a familial tie  — a long time tradition of the Bonnano’s who have named restaurants after their kids (for example Luca).

“Because each concept is rooted in a family member, a favorite trip or a dining experience, it was impossible to not approach the physical embodiment of each without a lot of love and care,” said Jacqueline. “The design is not only meant to be engaging and fun for the guest, but it is also a love note to every memory that each space represents.”

Two concepts including Albina by the Sea and Ruth’s Butchery are named after Frank and Jacqueline’s grandmothers — respectively.

“Albina was a Brooklynite in a penthouse and Ruth was a farmer in Upstate New York and here they are facing each other on this corner,” she said in reference to the two food stalls. ” I hope this is a legacy piece.”

Local artists also played a big role in the market, including pieces by friends of the Bonannos. Throughout the space, you’ll find art pieces big and small — like the huge Moo sign above the main cocktail bar by The Public Works or the lifesavers behind MoPoke by Jennifer Hendrick. On the alley of the space, you’ll find a painting of a milkman which harkens back to market’s history as Windsor Dairy — which opened in the same space 100 years ago in 1918.

“… just as Windsor Dairy nourished the community with its dairy products, we strive to do the same with a focus on family, community and a love of celebration within our doors,” said Frank.

The Food

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While design features may be plentiful — food and drink can we found everywhere you turn. With 15 concepts open (the alley’s late night pizza place, Engine Room, opens mid-summer), the expansive space feels crammed with options. Inside you’ll find three bars — each dedicated to a different form of booze. There’s the Moo Bar that focuses on cocktails, the Stranded Pilgrim with beer and Cellar the offers wine by the bottle or the glass. On tap at Stranded Pilgrim, you can find taproom only beers including a tomatillo sour from Odell and Frank’s Honey Blonde” – which was brewed exclusively for Denver Milk Market by Great Divide Brewing Company. For the health conscious you can pick up bites from The Green Huntsman for salads, drinking vinegar and nitrogenized green tea or MoPoke for fresh poke bowls. If you’re there early, you can stop by Morning Jones, the coffee shop for pastries. Lou’s Hot and Naked (which is a remake of the old Lou’s Food Bar) will also have some brunch items including chicken and biscuits. Make sure to stick around for lunch and dinner though as Lou’s is churning out some serious hot sandwiches with its Nashville hot chicken (it was our favorite bite of the night).

If you want to take some stuff to make at home, the Milk Market has plenty of packaged goods to take with you. This includes fresh pasta and sauce from Mano Pastaria (which also serves dine-in dishes), S&G Salumeria for deli meats, fresh mozzarella (along with huge sandwiches) and Ruth’s Butchery or Albina at the Sea for deli case items as well as hot sandwiches and fish-focused dishes — respectively.

If you’re still not full, you can head to Bao Chica Bao for ramen and bao buns, Fem for crepes or a whole pie at Bonanno Brothers Pizza. Then you can finish the night on a sweet note with boozy milkshakes, sundaes and gelato at Cornicello.

—

Falling in line with our increasingly option-filled lives, Milk Market caters to a wide range of appetites. It’ll be hard to find at least one thing you’re craving at the new LoDo hub — that is if you can even decide on where and what to eat in the first place. But as consumers of never-ending variety, today’s shopper is increasingly accustomed to making decisions — to the point that having this much variety might not only be comfortable but expected.

Milk Market is located at 1800 Wazee St., #100, Denver. It opens June 1 at 7 a.m. with normal hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily with Morning Jones at Lou’s opening at 7 a.m. and Moo Bar, Mano and Stranded Pilgrim open until 11 p.m. Milk Market will host a weekend-long opening celebration from Friday, June 1 through Sunday, June 3. Many of the events are free and open to the public. For a full list of events, visit Denver Milk Market’s Facebook page.

All photography by Brittni Bell Warshaw.

First Look Inside Milk Market – Denver’s Newest Food Hall Food halls of all shapes and sizes continue to explode across Denver's culinary food scene. Come Friday, June 1 at 7 a.m., the newest iteration will open its doors in LoDo…

[epchapman89]

The Many Breathtaking Cafes Of The City Of London’s Ned Hotel

Strolling through the doors of The Ned for the first time can be awe-inspiring. It’s impossible not to be impressed by the beauty of the place and marvel at the scale of this hotel. The Ned is the latest outpost of the Soho House Group in London, and it’s located between the Bank of England and St Paul’s Cathedral. The SHG already runs 18 members’ clubs and 37 restaurants around the world, but the Ned (opened in partnership with Sydell Group) is a whole new ball game. While the SHG usually tends to open hotels in hip neighborhoods, the Ned is located in the City, the finance and business district—one of the most corporate parts of London.

The Ned is simply spectacular: Spread across 320,000 square feet and 11 floors (three of which are underground), you will find 252 hotel bedrooms, a members’ club, six meeting and event spaces, three bars, indoor and rooftop swimming pools, a gym, spa, a barbershop, and steam room. Seven restaurants are open to the public, all located on the 32,000-square-foot ground-floor lobby. The Grand Banking Hall of the former Midland Bank still features some of the original 1920s design including massive ceiling skylights, rows of walnut-paneled banking counters and 92 columns covered in green verdite marble tiling. The hotel was named in honor of Sir Edwin “Ned” Lutyens, who designed this building in 1924.

Walking into the Ned is like stepping into a parallel universe. The hall is imposing and grand, marvelous, and monumental. Spending time here can also be somewhat alienating, and can feel similar to being in a crowded train station, airport, or shopping mall. There may be as many as 1,000 people walking through the hall at any time when you consider that the restaurants cover up to 850 diners, plus hotel guests, club members, and Ned staff coming in and out. It may be anything but intimate, but it can also feel isolating. One of the restaurants at the Ned, Millie’s Lounge, is open 24 hours, so you can be there all day and lose track of time. In fact, you could probably spend a whole month at the Ned and never eat the same dish twice!

The dining options are varied and range from Kaia, an Asian Pacific–inspired restaurant to Millie’s Lounge, serving classic British dishes; from Zobler’s Delicatessen, a traditional New York–style Jewish deli to Cecconi’s, an all-day Venetian brasserie. Malibu Kitchen is a cafe inspired by the healthy food menu of Soho House Malibu, while Cafe Sou is a Parisian-style cafe. The Nickel Bar is the place to go for drinks, but also for coffee and a small selection of hot dishes served throughout the day.

Naturally, coffee is the reason we chose to visit the Ned. Daniel Thompson, head of coffee development at SHG, gave us a tour of the Ned and shared details about the Soho House coffee program, which he oversees globally. Thompson himself was involved in the development and design stages of the Ned, along with Global Creative Bar Manager Tom Kerr. He contributed to the design of the bars, product sourcing, planning of coffee events for Ned members, and barista training.

There are eight dedicated baristas working within the Ned and one Coffee QC Manager, Gina Daubaraite, responsible for maintaining the quality standards. David Robson oversees the Ned as part of his remit as Coffee Operations Manager for Soho House UK. Members of the bar staff are also cross-trained in coffee to support the head baristas (they must complete two modules of the SCA Intermediate Program supplied by Origin Coffee Roasters). The objective is to ensure that quality and consistency are maintained across all of the Ned’s cafes.

All the restaurants and bars at the Ned (and SHG in the UK) serve coffee roasted by Origin Coffee at their HQ in Cornwall, England. The partnership between Soho House Group and Origin started three years ago. The beans are a blend of three Brazilian coffees from two different farms. They are sourced especially for the Soho House Group and they change seasonally to maintain a consistent flavor profile.

“We worked closely with Origin, creating a custom blend six months into our coffee program,” Thompson says. The first espresso I taste, prepared by Thompson at the bar at Malibu Kitchen, is nutty and sweet, with a good body and a little to no acidity. “We try to keep just ahead of the mass market, but also to push ahead and keep it interesting all the time,” Thompson explains.

Thousands of customers walk through the Ned every week and Thompson’s job is to make sure that the coffee will please as many of them as possible. “Our members have a broad range of coffee tastes, from top end specialty to traditional Italian roast and everything in between,” he says. “So when it comes to our coffee, we tried to develop a blend that is progressive yet accessible.” The espresso machines are Linea PB by La Marzocco. Filter-coffee lovers can order the “house brew,” a batch-brew drip coffee made with ISB Bond Brewers.

“Globally as a company we go through a lot of coffee, currently more than 45 tons per year in the UK alone,” says Thompson. “Our goal is to bring specialty coffee to people on a large scale. Showing not only that it’s possible, but that specialty is better for business and customers alike. Success is seeing other big companies follow suit as ultimately this improves the livelihood of the farmers at origin. We all win.”

We have visited the Ned several times since our initial visit and both times we found the coffee to be consistently good (though we mostly visited Millie’s Lounge so far, so it’s difficult to express an opinion on the entire operation). The Ned is a very appealing place, especially the glamour and charm of the main hall, the Vault Bar, and the rooftop cafe (though the latter two are only open to members). It’s wonderful to have a place where you can sit in a corner for hours with a coffee while doing some work or meeting clients, having breakfast with friends or a drink with colleagues after work. It’s the kind of cool spot that was missing in the City, and that was badly needed.

The Ned is located at 27 Poultry, London. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Giulia Mule is a Sprudge.com contributor based in London. Read more Giulia Mule on Sprudge. 

The post The Many Breathtaking Cafes Of The City Of London’s Ned Hotel appeared first on Sprudge.

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[fadingfartconnoisseur]

72 Hours in Düsseldorf: The Perfect Weekend Break You Haven’t Considered!

After countless visits to Germany, I finally made it to Düsseldorf, a city whose name I was familiar with, yet a city that I had managed to avoid. For some reason I had gotten it into my head that I wouldn’t like Düsseldorf; my reasoning was that Germany has plenty of charming towns with castles and timbered-houses galore, so why would I want to visit what I imagined was a modern, nondescript city? Well, I sure swallowed my words, because it turns out everything I had envisioned about Düsseldorf was wrong! I ended up have the best time in the city and there were even a few moments over the course of my trip where I found myself looking around and thinking, “I could actually live here”. Düsseldorf was green and livable, it had super funky futuristic architecture but also historical pockets, cool street art and free outdoor concerts, oh, and enough restaurants to make any foodie drool. It was the perfect city break and today I’m going to share my  72-hour itinerary to some of the best things to do in Düsseldorf, so that hopefully you two can see what all the fuss is about!

Things to do in Düsseldorf

  A video of our weekend in Düsseldorf!

Friday

12:00 p.m.

Check into the me and all hotel

Before we could begin our exploration of Düsseldorf, we needed to get rid of our bags, so we checked into the me and all hotel which is located in the Japanese Quarter just a short walk from the train station. This was a super fun hotel with a relaxed vibe and even free candy, but more on the that later.

Address: Immermannstraße 23

1:30 p.m.

Have lunch at Hausmann’s

First up, we needed food so we made our way to Hausmann’s is a bistro and brasserie specializing in German dishes with a modern twist.

The restaurant was started by Chef Tim Mälzer, a television cooking show host in Germany, and the place had a relaxed yet artsy feel with cool murals, industrial lighting, and mismatched furniture. Since this was our first meal back in Germany, we went for a classic: Currywurst!

Address: Hafenstraße 9

3:00 p.m.

Sample some mustard at Löwensenf

After lunch it was time to eat some…mustard?

Yes, I know visiting a mustard shop sounds a bit quirky, but this place is an institution in Düsseldorf. They have special flavours like honey, dill, chilli, cherry, onion and just about anything you could imagine.

If you’re a mustard enthusiast it’s a fun place to sample some new flavours and even pick up a souvenir or two to take back home.

Address: Berger Straße 29

3:30 p.m.

Have a sip of Killepitsch

It may have been a bit early to start drinking, but our friend insisted we needed to try Killepitsch and it wasn’t long before we had little shot glasses in front of us!

Killepitsch is a herb liqueur from Düsseldorf that is flavoured with fruits, berries, herbs and spices. It also happens to have 42% alcohol content!

It’s a pretty polarizing drink; you either love it or hate it, and I was in the second group. To me, it tasted a bit like cough medicine with a strong burn on the way down, but to each their own.

Address: Flinger Straße 1

4:00 p.m.

Wander around the Altstadt

Before visiting Düsseldorf, I had this image in my head of Düsseldorf being a very new, and while that’s in part accurate, Düsseldorf also has a charming Old Town, better known as Altstadt.

Some points of interest here include the Rathaus, the old city hall; Glockenhaus, with bells that ring on the hour; and Schlossturm, the last remaining part of the City Palace.

The Old Town is also home to ‘the longest bar in the world’ because it supposedly has over 300 continuous pubs, discos, and bars. I think that may be stretching the truth a bit since you’re not just looking at one single establishment, but it’s a hub for nightlife nevertheless.

5:30 p.m.

Feast on poutine at Frittenwerk

Maybe it’s because I’m Canadian, but I was really excited to have dinner at Frittenwerk.

They specialize in poutine, which for the non-Canucks is a fast food dish that consists of French fries, beef gravy and cheese curds.

They had the classic poutine, but also a few fun creations including Chilli Cheese served with chilli con carne, Tijuana Street Fries served with guacamole, and BBQ Pulled Pork which was as delicious as it sounds.

Address: Friedrichstraße 145

Saturday

9:30 a.m.

Walk the canal along Königsallee

Technically, Königsallee is home to designer brands and high-end shopping – as a matter of fact, it’s been nicknamed Germany’s Champs-Élysées – but that’s not the only reason to visit.

Königsallee is about a kilometre in length and it has a beautiful tree-lined canal that runs right down the middle of it. It’s an urban escape right in the middle of the  Stadtmitte district, and it’s just one of those beautiful spots you have to see for yourself.

11:00 a.m.

Have a quick snack at Carlsplatz Markt

From there, it’s just a short walk over to Carlsplatz, and outdoor food market that sits just south of Altstadt. It’s open 6 days a week except for Sundays, and it’s the place to pick up fresh produce, baked goods, and deli meats, but you can also enjoy some ready made food and drinks in the patio area.

12:30 p.m.

Grab lunch at Zum Ürige

Zum Ürige is a craft brewery and restaurant located in the heart of Düsseldorf’s Old Town and the beer is always flowing here. If your waiter sees an empty glass at the table, he’ll refill it before you’re able to raise any objections. The only way to stop the top ups is by placing your coaster on top of your glass – that means you’re done drinking. Also, because this is Düsseldorf, you’ll be drinking Altbier, so don’t you dare ask for anything else!

I also learned that the perfect accompaniment to Altbier is Soleier, which is a hard boiled pickled egg. Once the dish arrives at the table, you have to cut the boiled egg in half, scoop out the yolk, pour a little bit of vinegar and olive oil, add a generous dollop of mustard, and then mix it all together. You then stuff this paste back into the egg (it’s quite reminiscent of deviled eggs). It’s delicious!

Address: Berger Straße 1

3:00 p.m.

Dangle like a spider at K21

For something completely out of my comfort zone, we went to K21, a modern art museum in Düsseldorf with a really popular art installation that has been luring people from far and wide; we’re talking about Tomás Saraceno’s In Orbit.

This installation is suspended 25 meters over the museum’s courtyard and it looks like a giant spider web. To participate, you’re given painter suits to wear, and then you climb up the net where you can walk (or in my case, crawl!) along the different levels and around strange spheres.

It’s kind of terrifying if you don’t like heights!

Address: Ständehausstraße 1

5:00 p.m.

See what’s playing in the Hofgarten

Hofgarten is quite the lively spot during the summer months and you can always count on there being an event. I happened to be there while the Jazz and World Music Festival was on, so I spent the afternoon lounging on the grass and enjoying some live music. It was cool to see people of all ages in attendance and there were even a few pups!

6:30 p.m.

Sample some international cuisine

I’ve been talking a lot about German food and German beer so far, but Düsseldorf also has an international food scene, so for dinner that night, we opted for Indian. We went to Tandoori, where we ordered a nice mix of vegetarian and meat curries to share with friends. Again, super tasty!

8:00 p.m.

Go up to me and all lounge for drinks and city views

The hotel where we were staying is well known for putting on cool events that are not just open to guests but also locals, and on this particular night, they had Sons of Time, a cool hip hop band from Berlin, playing. It was a really fun night with friends where we tried some new German drinks, enjoyed some really cool music, and then were also treated to fantastic views of Düsseldorf at night.

Address: Immermannstraße 23

Sunday

9:00 a.m.

Check out the street art on Kiefernstrasse

If you’re looking for things to do in Düsseldorf that are a bit more off the beaten path, I would suggest checking out Kiefernstrasse, a street known for squatting, street art and alternative lifestyle.

The apartment blocks along Kiefernstrasse were first occupied in 1905 to house the workers from the local steelwork. However, when these jobs shut down in the 70s, owners began to terminate their existing tenancy agreements and the buildings became municipal property. This marked the beginning of squatting, as people looking for somewhere to live began moving into these empty apartments, and over time this became a hub for alternative culture in Düsseldorf.

10:30 a.m.

Take a cruise down the Rhine River

From there we hopped in a taxi and made our way to the banks of the Rhine River for a boat cruise with KD Rhine. This is the longest river in Germany, and you can even travel down to some of the neighbouring cities by boat, but this visit was all about Düsseldorf, so we opted for the 1-hour cruise which took us as far as the Media Harbour.

12:00 p.m.

Stroll along the Kasematten

If you’re feeling peckish after your river cruise, look no further than the Kasematten. This section of the Rhine Promenade is lined with different bars and restaurants, and it’s a nice spot for some al fresco dining and drinks during the warmer months of the year.

2:00 p.m.

Go up the Rhine Tower for city views

For a bird’s eye view of Düsseldorf, we then made our way to the Rhine Tower which stands 240.5 metres above the city. This gave us a better idea of just how massive the Rhine River really is, plus because it was a clear day, we were able to spot the neighbouring city of Cologne off in the distance.

Address: Stromstraße 20

4:00 p.m.

Check out the architecture in MedienHafen

Also known as the Media Harbour, this part of Düsseldorf made me feel like I had been transported to the future. The buildings in this area were very modern and outside of the box.

This is another fun place to wander around with a camera in hand (and you’ll likely spot many a fashion shoot taking place!), plus they also have a lot of bars and riverside restaurants where you can enjoy a relaxed sunset drink.

8:00 p.m.

Go out for Japanese food

Seeing as Düsseldorf is home to one of the largest Japanese communities in the world (and since we were also staying right in the heart of the Japanese Quarter!), we just had to go out for some Japanese food. We went to Wakaiido for a sushi buffet, but there is no shortage of Japanese restaurants in the city – in fact here’s a list of some of the best Japanese restaurants in Düsseldorf.

Monday

9:30 a.m.

Tour Düsseldorf in a VW Beetle

And to finish off our amazing weekend in Düsseldorf, we joined Düsseldorf Safaris for a tour of the city and a little taste of the countryside. They have a fleet of VW Beetles from the 1970s and even a VW Bus, so we went cruising in style! If you feel comfortable driving standard, you can drive the vehicle yourself or you can ask to have a driver too.

Where we stayed in Düsseldorf

And now going back to our accommodations, while in Düsseldorf we stayed at the me and all hotel, which is one of the coolest properties I’ve stayed at in a long time.

The hotel is set in the heart of the Japanese Quarter so they really played that up in terms of the design; they shelves full of manga in the lobby, bright lanterns in their lounge, and the rooms felt like a little oasis with a bamboo forest-themed shower and sliding partitions to make the bedroom dark and cozy. Their lobby also had a cool wall where you could write an item on your bucket list, play on the ice hockey table, and grab free candy on the go!

And that was my introduction to Düsseldorf! I had a great time on my first visit to the city and it’s definitely a place I would visit again, next time, hopefully with a few more days to spare!

Have you been to the city? What are some of your favourite things to do in Düsseldorf?

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[takeatrip-rp]

TODAY'S REVEAL IS: 

CANON PLACES

sunset bay, california was founded by four families in the year of 1816: the evans family, the costanzo family, the whittaker family, and the queen family. each of these families built establishments in sunset bay from the ground up and these have been passed down generation by generation for the past two centuries. over these years many people have come to and from sunset bay and as the population has grown and changed, so has the town and the places in it to become what it is today.

we have provided this list and description of the canon places in sunset bay to give a basis of what everything is and where it is situated. the canon places are listed, but not limited to below.

residences

sunset side b&b sunset bay's first and only bed and breakfast. over the years it has grown from the single story establishment built by the evans's to now have a dozen rooms over three floors. the b&b still has the same homely feel and to reflect this the place is a little old fashioned but extremely welcoming and helpful to anyone that stays, whether they want a weekend break or are visiting from out of town.

sugar cove apartments a small, upmarket apartment complex situated on the outskirts of the town. the complex consists of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments with the larger 2 and 3 bedrooms containing an additional master bathroom. the gated complex shares a pool and has access to a private park area which gives the opportunity for dogs, who are permitted in the apartments, to stretch their legs.

rosemont apartments positioned much nearer the centre of town, these apartments were established first and have a more cozy feel to them. the block is three stories high and whilst cheaper than the other apartment complex, rosemont apartments and perfectly adequate and provide the average amenities.

shopping

surf n' turf market known primarily for its incredible deli and extremely friendly staff, the market is a popular grocery store within easy access from anywhere in town. the deli offers take out or the option to sit in the market's small sub cafe and many locals flock there for this reason or just to browse and purchase their stock.

rose gold boutique a chic and unique clothes shop in town providing fashionable clothes, shoes and accessories for primarily women, with a back section of the store reserved for menswear and tailored suits. the boutique mainly stocks smart and elegant garments but is reasonably priced and appeals to most locals and tourists.

pacific plaza an open air mall located on the outside of town that contains the average shops and is probably the closest to a shopping centre or commercialisation that sunset bay will ever get. many come here to splash some cash or buy something that they can't get in town.

industrial district just down the road from pacific plaza is where the majority of bigger industry and business occurs in sunset bay. there are several small office buildings and demountables with some housing permanent companies and others providing the option of renting office space for the smaller and up and coming businesses.

dining

serenity waves giovanna costanzo created this fine dining establishment in 1895 to achieve her life long dream. diners can eat inside or outside on a grand wooden deck that overlooks the crystal clear beach waters at all times of the day and later into the night. to this day, serenity waves remains a family ran business. the menu has expanded over the years to offer the best food from different cuisines and cultures, but italian is still the specialty and heart and soul of the restaurant.

edible emotions the bakery was founded in 1820 by genevieve queen and due to the traditional home kitchen feel and secret recipes, the bakery has successfully been passed from generation to generation. today, the bakery can sit a good deal of customers and has been well-known for catering and donating sweets to the townspeople and organisations as well as charities of sunset bay.

starbucks appearing in sunset bay in the late 1900s, the internationally recognised coffee shop was loved by both tourists and locals alike. offering both sit in and takeaway and recently adding a small drive through, this starbucks provides fast paced service and good quality coffee without compromising the sunset bay local charm.

la cuchara a mexican and spanish inspired family friendly buffet in town. the food borders on cheap and cheerful but it's a quick place to have something to eat and is extremely well priced. a kids section half inside and half outside contains a play area and arts and crafts station.

nightlife

drifter's bar providing live music, big poker pay outs and the best burgers in town, the bar was opened by the whittaker twins in 1860. drifter's still has it's old-fashioned charm, but has upgraded its menu to reflect having some of the best pub food in town, being the host of a weekly karaoke and poker night, and has some of the best musical talent in all of california performing for its customers as well as simply being somewhere to grab a cold beer and relax after work.

velvet skies a strip club based in the centre of town and open from the early afternoon into the late hours of the next morning. velvet skies has multiple themed nights a week as well as the opportunity to rent out function rooms and a well stocked bar.

elements an elite nightclub with modern white and black interior. the club has private lounges for a more intimate setting as well as two different dance rooms with different genres of music. the club is priced accordingly but with the right sort of money security is lax.

boardwalk

sandals beach sunset bay isn't known as a beach town just for anything. the long stretch of sandals beach is perfect for long walks, sunset barbecues, surfing, bonfire parties or just soaking up the sun. the beach stretches for miles and even on a busy day there is usually a secluded spot and because of the cool sea breeze the beach can be a nice escape from the californian climate.

crescent marina at one end of the boardwalk, the small marina houses boats of all shapes and sizes. named after the shape of the crescent bay, the marina attracts tourists with its regular boat trips around the bay and also provides docking for fishermen and yachts for both locals and those just visiting.

seaside arcade at the other end of the boardwalk is sunset bay's infamous arcade. it has been there for as long as anyone can remember and provides spoils for all ages. slot machines and coin drops occupy a large proportion but share the space with novelty game machines and the back of the arcade is reserved for the bumper cars and small amusement rides.

high rollers often full of preteens and kids parties, this roller skating rink is a great place to let off some steam and just have some fun, even if you do fall flat on your bottom. it offers activities for all ages with lessons and themed skating nights as well as good old greasy canteen food for when you want to hang up your skates.

around town

stillwater day spa whether you come to this establishment for a full beauty treatment or just to exercise in the olympic sized pool, the spa has everything anyone could ever want or need to feel totally relaxed - bubble in the jacuzzi, have your back massaged or simply have english afternoon tea in the adjoined cafe.

lucky strike lanes a small 12 lane bowling alley that is home to first dates, birthday parties or co workers excursions and team building. the bowling lanes bring out the competitive spirit in anyone and there is also the possibility to use the snooker tables or play ice hockey.

central fitness the biggest fitness gym in sunset bay is situated on the outskirts of the industrial district purely to accommodate its size. the fitness centre provides machinery for exercise and work outs as well as programs tailored to the customer and the availability of free weights to use. there is a small outdoor running track for the keener athlete as well as a pool and badminton and squash courts to hire.

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Ed. Note: You asked for Blake to write about beer bars, so here you go! These are just a few of the many great beer bars in Memphis. Don’t forget to check out the blog’s Beer Lovers Guide.  I Love Memphis has highlighted plenty of beer bars over the years. We all know the Saucer has alllll the beers and that Young Avenue Deli has an amazing selection  – and they are both awesome bars – but sometimes the day-to-day beer drinkers of Memphis may want to branch out when they go out after work to unwind. Here are five great spots (in no particular order) to get a cold one and relax. 1. The Dirty Crow Inn (855 Kentucky St.) With a laid-back atmosphere, friendly staff, and mouth-watering food, it is easy to understand why the Dirty Crow is exactly what people look for in a chill beer bar. Because everything sounded appetizing, we had a tough time making up our mind what to order.  How do you choose between Poutine fries with smoked chicken and Soy Ginger wings???  We had great service at our table, plus they had a very nice beer selection for a neighborhood-sized bar; I had no problem finding different beers that I liked. Their sign inside says it all: they’re a 5-star dive bar from the the nostalgic posters plastered on the ceiling and tables, to their “Grizzly Wiggly” wall art. You should check out The Dirty Crow if you haven’t yet. Table decor at Dirty Crow. 2. The Green Beetle (325 S. Main St.) Make a pilgrimage to the Beetle, Memphis’s oldest bar on South Main downtown.  In fact, it’s one of the 365 Things To Do In Memphis. They have a continuously changing beer selection and provide patrons with a beer flow chart to help beer drinkers find the right brew.   They first find your overall opinion of macro beers (Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc…) and based on your opinions of those, take you through a range of options based on whether you like your beers dark, fruity, hoppy, etc… so that you can choose your best route to dive into the craft beer options or stick with something safer for the less adventurous beer drinkers who still want something new. I love that they provide this! The bartenders are always nice and the food menu is solid and deserving of its own separate post. This is a bar where you can sit and not talk to anyone and be happy, or you can find friendly conversation across the bar.  3. The Blue Monkey (2012 Madison Ave or 513 S. Front St.) Like slipping on a comfortable shoe, going to the Monkey is relaxing and predictable every time I step inside one of their two locations. I slide up to the bar, order a beer and know that I’m going to see Memphians having a cold beverage and a good time.   They’ve got a draft and bottle selection that has something for everyone, including local and craft beer options, but besides the beers on tap and the macro beer selection, they don’t do much to let you know what is available. A post shared by The Blue Monkey Memphis (@thebluemonkeymemphisoffical) on May 21, 2016 at 8:49pm PDT When I go to the midtown location, I just walk over to the beer fridge that is tucked behind the server’s station and look for myself, because it’s usually quicker that way than asking servers who aren’t big on beer knowledge. The downtown beer cooler is much more accessible. The Monkey is 21+ and they do allow smoking inside, but they deliver the classic beer bar experience that a lot of us are looking for. They have live music often, pool tables to enjoy and the people watching is second to none. 4. Lucchesi’s Beer Garden (84 S. Reese St.) Nestled quietly off Poplar Avenue at Reese (a bit west of Highland) the Beer Garden sits as one of Memphis’s great neighborhood bars. They have a large group of regulars who come from the area. With over 150 beers to choose from, they easily satisfy any beer drinker’s desire.   The bar staff typically consists of one bartender and one cook in the kitchen, which is important to know if you’re in a hurry and there’re five other food orders in front of yours.  The bartenders are usually very attentive, but on busy nights you might have to wait a few minutes to get your next round. A lot of people confuse Lucchesi’s Beer Garden with Raffe’s Deli, which used to both be owned by Raffe Sakan, before she sold the bar to her daughter Basma and son-in-law Tony (Lucchesi) and sold the deli and beer store to another party.   A post shared by Lucchesi’s Beer Garden (@the_beergarden) on Feb 24, 2017 at 4:55pm PST Tony comes from a long line of Lucchesi’s that reside in Memphis, but he won’t serve up Italian specialties like over at Lucchesi’s Ravioli & Pasta Company off Sanderlin (now owned by the Robilio family).  Instead he creates the Syrian specialties of his in-laws like paninis, gyros, baba ghanouj, grape leaves, and their own sandwiches like the Memphuletta and the Tiger Bite. I highly recommend the Big Bad Blake (just think lots of meats, cheese, olive tapenade, hot sweet mustard, done panini style).  It’s been waiting for Holly to put on a list of 100 things to eat in Memphis for far too long. 5. Patrick’s (4972 Park Ave) Photo via Patricks on Facebook When I sat down at the bar at Patrick’s, three regulars immediately said hello to me.  This is how I know that Patrick’s is a great beer bar. They only have six beers on tap (two are local) plus 18 different bottled beers to choose from. They hit all the regular beer styles that drinkers want, but they’re not going to impress any beer aficionados out there, which is fine because sometimes you have to give your palate a break from all those Barrel-aged Chocolate Stouts and Double IPA’s.  Sometimes a Killian’s Irish amber or a Coors Light are all you need to be happy. They also have a good neighborhood group of regulars that are always talking Memphis sports.  You can get normal bar food, but they also serve up meat and two plates (or multi-veggie plates if you don’t eat meat for some strange reason) that taste like they just came from your grandmother’s kitchen. Catfish, country fried steak, chicken & dumplings are just a few of those options available. A post shared by Christina Hartle (@cswartle) on Oct 18, 2016 at 11:43am PDT During Italian Fest, some of my teammates brought us back some Rueben sandwiches from Patrick’s which saved our souls.  My next trip there I’m taking on “The Mempho” a mac-n-cheese slab grilled on jalapeno cornbread with pulled pork on it.  These are the things that dreams are made of. Cheers! About The Author Blake Marcum was born and raised in the 901 and now lives in Midtown, helping people vicariously live out their dreams on social media, if those dreams involve beer and barbecue.  He’s a contributor to I Love Memphis, Memphis Travel, and MemphisCraftBeer.com.  A Grand Champion of BBQ Fest (2013) and BBQ judge, he really knows BBQ. Pairing that with his love of craft beer, he’s a great representative of the fun side of the Bluff City.  Blake loves the investment going into Memphis and believes the best is yet to come. Follow him on Twitter at @blakeandbrew. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout http://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

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