I spent all morning writing a newsletter only to decide it was boring, so I’m back to square one.

It’s been a week. My brain is fried. This is a list of things I ate while in limbo.

1. My mom’s Chicken in the Pot

2. A bag of Martin’s handmade “classic” pretzels, secured at the Union Square Greenmarket

3. One slice of Sullivan Street Bakery’s grape schiacciata

   

4. Two Terra Negronis on the patio of Bar Pisellino

5. Rahi’s wild mushroom and truffle khichdi (think Indian risotto topped with pieces of crispy papadum) and gobi korma (creamy, comforting cashew-and-cardamom-flavored cauliflower curry)

   

6. Tony’s Chocolonely dark almond sea salt bar

7. Les ouefs chèvre a la Buvette

   

8. An all-hits dinner for two at Babs: dirty martinis, hamachi crudo with brown butter soy and lemon curd, sardines and piquillo peppers on baguette, shaved Brussels sprouts with parmesan and hazelnut, tagliatelle laced in tomato-Calabrian chili sauce and dolloped with smoked ricotta, chocolate tart with mascarpone gelato

9. Tito’s & soda plus a giant soft pretzel at Old Town Bar

   

10. The whole-roasted abcV cauliflower showered in turmeric tahini, za’atar, pomegranate, red zhug, fresh herbs, and pistachio

11. Every item I tried from Mel—pain au chocolat, cinnamon roll, Meat Hook ham & cheese croissant, rosemary and sea salt focaccia

    

12. Wu’s Wonton King’s Peking duck buns

13. Champagne, various types

Cheers to the turnaround of a four-year descent into fascism! It’s beautiful outside in New York City, so I’m going for a run. I’ll be back next Sunday with more to say.

READ THAT

• Not so food-oriented, but this profile on Moxie Marlinspike, the founder of Signal, is great, and here’s a highlight:

To try to persuade friends to move to the city, she recalled, Marlinspike and a roommate had designed an “incentive package,” which included a place to stay, a blind date, and a bicycle. “They were really into hospitality,” Wang said, adding that, when she stayed at the mansion, a mint had been left on the pillow. [New Yorker]

• Food vendors are the first to arrive on the scene as Bangkokers protest for monarchy reforms [The Guardian]

• “You don’t need walls and tables to be hospitable—you just have to treat people like your guests.” —Othón Nolasco, co-founder of LA’s No Us Without You, a non-profit providing food security for undocumented and unemployed restaurant staff [Bon Appétit]

• Watch this mesmerizing video (shot last year) of the pan de muerto bakers at Mexico City’s Jamaica Market [Culinary Backstreats]

• With France under lockdown again, Paris’ culinary legacy is under threat [Eater]

SMC, MAPPED

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