Evening, Sunday, May 23, 2010 • 28 responses
Narayan, Nara, and Ray are pleased to announce the birth of Anya Viola Nayar. She was born (very quickly!) on May 23rd at 13:29, weighed in at 7lbs 9oz and measured 19.5”.
After Anya and Nara settled into a nap, I went to pick up some Ray and some dinner. My first conversation with Ray after his sister was born unfolded as follows:
Me: Hey buddy, we’re going to get some pizza and some ice cream for your mom…and your sister!
Ray: gasp … Did the baby come out?
Me: Yes, she did!
Ray: Is she a robot that shoots fire from her tentacles?
Me: …
Ray: Because that would be cool. And dangerous.
Me: …
Ray: Can I eat my ice cream next to the baby? What if the baby puts fire on my ice cream?
Me: I don’t think the baby will do that.
Ray: That’s great news! So can I have sprinkles on my ice cream?
And so it begins…
Addendum: Anya Viola’s Flickr Set grows almost as fast as she does. If you’re on the main page, some of my favorites to date are after the break.
Continue reading Meet Anya Viola Nayar…
top
Just before midnight, Monday, May 03, 2010 • 3 responses
Food Bender 2010 involved some quality time in a part of the country I don’t know very well—the southeastern midwest (or if you prefer, the northwestern South). In 2008, I went to the Woodworking in America Handtools Event in Berea, Kentucky, but other than my brief stay at the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, that trip was primarily about woodworking, not about food.
This year, in addition to a few nights in Cincinnati (a way cool town, it turns out), three friends and I used the Old Ministry House (pictured above) as a base of operations for exploring the area’s culinary and cultural offerings. The bucolic setting and the sporadic mobile phone reception left me about as unplugged as I get—both mentally and electronically. And not since my last road trip, which now seems a handful of forevers ago—have I imbibed in such a distinctly American experience. And by “American” I don’t mean the “fusion-of-everything, rooted to nothing” way California expresses American, but rather the bourbon-making, horse-racing, black tobacco barn raising, salty country ham-eating American woven into the cultural tapestry of southern Ohio and northern and central Kentucky.
After the last few chaotic months of work and just around the corner from once again being father to a newborn, time away with quality people and quality food was just what the doctor ordered (and, to give credit where credit is due, it was also what the wife allowed—thanks, honey!). As was the case with Food Bender 2009, names are being withheld to protect the guilty.
Sunday, 18 April
Nada: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Chips, Salsa, Guacamole
- Nada Sliders (Angus beef, steamed onions, queso, jalapeño)
- Short rib Sopes w/ creme, cotija cheese and pickled onions
- Cazuela tasting (iron pot sampler): Tinga Poblana (chicken & chorizo, spicy tomato, poblano rice), Pork green chile (braised pork, roasted chiles, salsa verde, poblano rice), Lamb mole (braised lamb shoulder, ancho chile, peas, spaghetti squash)
- Yucatan chicken: allspice-chile rubbed bressed, charred green beans, carmelized cauliflower and grilled chayote squash with citrus-habenero salsa
- Carnitas tacos
- Crispy Pork Belly tacos
- Margueritas
Monday, 19 April
Delites: Maysville, Kentucky
- 2 very gray hot dogs. (Editorial note: After seeing the world’s largest hammer museum I was starving and needed to make an emergency food stop. Let me just say that the interior of this place reminded me of a 1970s diner but in someone’s basement. I think the hot dogs dated back to the 1970s as well.
- Diet Coke (a rarity in my diet—but in this case a necessary one, since we all know that beverage is the Clorox bleach of beverages.)
Tuesday, 20 April
Taste from Belgium: Findlay Market, Cincinnati, Ohio
Tuesday, 20 April
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill: Trustees Office Dining Room: Harrodsburg, Kentucky
- Johhny Cakes and Mushrooms: Silver dollar cornmeal cakes, topped with sautéed Sheltowee Farms mushrooms with shallots, white wine, butter, garlic and fresh herbs
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken: A fresh chicken breast, leg and thigh soaked in buttermilk and fried to perfection,served with sour cream mashed potatoes and crisp baby green beans
- Baked, Sugar-Cured Bluegrass Farms Country Ham
- Shaker Lemon Pie
Wednesday, 21 April
Keeneland: Lexington, Kentucky
- Kentucky Bergoo (for the record, it’s listed on the menu as KY Bergoo, which is just…wrong)
- 2 Beef Hot Dogs
- Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream
Thursday, 22 April
Kurtz Restaurant: Bardstown, Kentucky
- Johnnycakes
- Corn pudding
- Hot Brown
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Lemon Pie
Thursday, 22 April
Maker’s Mark Distillery: Loretta, Kentucky
- Tasting of Maker’s Mark Mint Julep
- Tasting of Maker’s Mark Bourbon
Thursday, 22 April
Jack Fry’s: Louisville, Kentucky
- Shrimp and grits: sautéed shrimp in a red eye gravy with shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, and country ham served over creamy grits
- Duck Confit: Local duck served on a buttermilk biscuit with Brandy demi-glaze and blueberry Bing cherry preserves with Crème fraîche
- Dates: Bacon wrapped Medjool dates stuffed with chorizo sausage and Capriole Farm goat cheese with a smoky tomato sauce
- Spicy Fried Oysters: Kentucky country ham, green onions and creamy grits
- Roasted Beed Salad: Kentucky arugula with pistachio and herb rolled Indiana goat cheese in a shallot citrus vinaigrette
- Veal tenderloin: with gremolata mashed potatoes and caramelized apples in a Calvados cream sauce
- Filet: grilled center cut beef filet with Parma Proscuitto, asparagus, sage beurre blanc and a crispy potato cake. Finished with Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Filet: Encore. ()Editorial note: No, really. Because it was that friggin’ good.)
- Lemon Raspberry Beignets: lemon curd with raspberry coulees, almond ice cream, and caramelized ginger
Friday, 23 April
Tucker’s: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Home Fries Deluxe: Deluxe Home Fries with Mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and fresh basil
- Goetta (Editorial note: uh, yum!)
Friday, 23 April
Honey: Northside, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Honey Fries: Sweet, Yukon, and Idaho with chili lime honey
- Creole Meatloaf with Tasso ham gravy, cracked Tellicherry mashed Yukon potatoes, and sautéed vegetables
- Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin with apple and house-cured bacon bread pudding, wilted greens, and Router’s apple compote
- Braised beef short ribs served over mashed Yukon potatoes, seasonal vegetable, and Amaretti cherry fortified braising jus reduction
- Banana walnut croissant bread pudding with homemade vanilla ice cream
Saturday, 24 April
Taste from Belgium: Findlay Market, Cincinnati, Ohio
Editorial note: Yeah, I went back. Because, uh, yum! Why aren’t these available everywhere?
- 1 Belgian Waffle
- 1 Belgian Waffle w/ strawberries & whipped cream
Notes
- Best meal: Jack Fry’s.
- Worst meal: the gray hot dog incident in Maysville. I have to admit I was somewhat conflicted about writing about that particular meal. In the end I did so not out of malice but out of some sick sense of pride. It takes an immense amount of courage (and intestinal fortitude) to wolf down two tubes of gray meat on some dry white buns.
- Best dish: my hands-down favorite is the crispy pork belly tacos at Nada. If I could, I would walk the earth with a bottomless bag of these, spreading porkgasmic goodwill, teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony, etc. These tacos would, without question, single-handedly resolve the conflict in the Middle East (if people in that region ate pork).
- Runner-ups: Shrimp & Grits or the Filet at Jack Fry’s
- Biggest surprise: Cincinnati. I’ll be back.
There are, of course, photos from Food Bender 2010 on Flickr.
top
Late afternoon, Sunday, April 11, 2010 • 1 response
A 3-week long business trip a few weeks ago began in early March at 6:15am when Scotty pulled up to the house in his taxi. I got into the back seat and, having used Scotty’s airport service several times, asked Scotty how he was doing.
“I’m cold, man!”
“Yeah? How cold is it?”
“I don’t know. It’s freezing. It’s like 42 degrees or something”.
Scotty’s a great, affable guy. If he didn’t tell you, you’d be able to guess in 5 minutes that he’s a Redwood City native, born and raised.
I said, “Are you kidding? I’m going to Chicago! Don’t complain to me about being cold!”
Hours later upon exiting the airport in Chicago, I met Jonas. Jonas is a taxi driver my parents use often and speak of highly. I had never met him and, not having any other options, I had arranged for him to pick me up. He pulled up to the curb and shook my hand vigorously.
As he put my suitcase in the trunk he said, “Welcome to Chicago! You’ve come on an absolutely beautiful day—it’s like 42 degrees or something!”
top
Lunchtime, Thursday, December 31, 2009 • 5 responses
Most of my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances found 2009 a harder year than years past. The global economic downturn and its residual effects of course weighed heavily on all of us—some more directly than others. For me, 2009 really wasn’t bad, and I’m going into 2010 with some good momentum.
The Could’ve-Been-Better
2009 was a bad year for the Nayar dogs. Both Sadie and Lakshmi passed away, and their absence is palpable. I can say without hesitation that Lakshmi’s death was the low point of the year for me.
Other than at work and in regards to PS3 game trophies, I was spectacularly unproductive this year. In woodworking, I tried a lot of new things (like turning) and have honed some essential skills over the last year, but in service of nothing productive (sans more shop furniture). I’ll endeavor for more tangible results in 2010 and already have a list of pieces I hope to build in the first half of the year (and yes, dear, your side tables are on it 
). I’m also empty-handed when it comes to etherfarm developments—I had grand plans for this site this year, but at the end of a day staring at screens and talking with people who stare at screens, after Ray goes to bed I find I’d much rather be at my lathe or at my bench in the woodshop than in front of HTML, CSS and PHP.
Sadly, though, I more often ended up with a videogame controller or mouse in my hands rather than a tool. This I lament, even though there were some amazing games in 2009, some of which I even found inspiring.
The Good
My work travel was less than 50% of my 2008 corporate globetrotting. That didn’t necessarily translate to more time at home; I spent almost all of my vacation days in Illinois. Which, for a variety of reasons, is a splendid place to be.
I might be one of the few people I know who likes their job. I took on a new role at work this year, and it’s full of new and interesting challenges. For the first time in a long, long time, I feel that when I’m engaged with what I’m doing, I can end just about every day having learned or done something new or having found new ways to apply the one or two things I actually do know.
I spent a lot of time with friends this year—old and new, near and far. Last year, my tolerance for West Coast Flakiness achieved a critical mass and I more or less went into seclusion. This year, a few of my friendships in the Bay Area seemed to take root and it somehow worked out that I had more quality time with friends in other locales. It perhaps goes without saying that I ate a lot of good food with some of these good people in 2009.
And to counter all that good food, I managed to swim at least 3 times a week all year this year (with just a few exceptions due to travel). This wasn’t really a goal (it’s an unintended accomplishment) but I’m ending 2009 feeling much more healthy than I have in years past. Which is nice, because despite my relatively low number of years on this planet, I’ve felt physically old and decrepit since my back surgery in 2003.
We transformed the front and back yards from worthless patches of horrible, clumpy grass to wonderful outdoor rooms. I admire them every time I leave and arrive home and probably will until we leave this place.
And of course, there’s Ray. I go on and on about him, and I’ve found that those who meet him tend to go on and on about him as well. It’ll suffice to say that in the last 365 days, he’s gone from toddler to little boy, and I find joy and poetry in almost everything he says and does.
Obviously, in balance, I really can’t complain about 2009—to do so would be absurd. It has left me exhausted in a good way, like being “just full enough” after a great meal. And I’m optimistic about 2010 for a variety of reasons, but Nara has the biggest one in development:
If all goes well, Ray’s little sister will arrive in early June. And if that’s not a reason to look forward to 2010, I don’t know what is.
top
Mid-afternoon, Wednesday, October 21, 2009 • 2 responses
This year I’ve traveled only a quarter of what I traveled last year. Though I have friends in most places I visit, it has been nice not having to go overseas so much. The real difference, though, is not measured in miles traveled or time abroad. The difference is that this year Ray really notices when I’m away. You have my word that etherfarm won’t become a repository for quoted conversations with my son, but if you ever hear the following, it’s time to unpack the suitcase for a while (or be sure to pack him in it next time you leave).
Narayan: How are you today, Ray?
Ray: I’m fine. But I got run over while you were in Philly-delphia.
Narayan: You got run over?!
Ray: Yes. I got run over.
Narayan: What ran you over?
Ray: A lawnmower.
Narayan: A lawnmower?! Did it hurt?
Ray: Yes. But I also got run over by a jackhammer.
Narayan: Really?
Ray: Yes. It was a steel rod jackhammer.
Narayan: Oh, those are the worst kind.
Ray: And I got a boo boo.
Narayan: Where?
Ray: On the inside.
Narayan: You got a boo boo on the inside?
Ray: When you go away I miss you and I get run over on the inside.
Narayan: …
top
Just Out of Reach
- Thursday, December 31, 2009: On To Two O One O
- Wednesday, October 21, 2009: Less Is More
- Sunday, July 05, 2009: Silly
- Friday, June 26, 2009: Five Years
- Thursday, June 11, 2009: Lakshmi, 1995-2009
