Of Slogging and Blogging
The time is 2.17 am. This the typically the time I sit to share my thoughts with you. Today I have a bowl of pasta leftover from last night sitting in front of me. Its not as good as it once was but I’ve only eaten a few bites during a hectic day.
It was a good day full of apologies and lots of warm feelings too. Tomorrow will be v difficult although I really appreciate the media letting people know I messed up. That sounds funny but I’ve come to see that my modest ambitions have been overtaken by something I never anticipated. Seeing myself in Gourmet? My heart skipped a few beats. Its surreal.
I just read Steven Davey’s response to my blog posting and now I’m feeling badly about calling him a “Fucker”. I’ve come to learn that he visited my place at least four times instead of the usual two and I did feel he was generous in many respects. I also know that he’s under pressure to render his judgement and I’m sure in a perfect world he’d wait a few more weeks.
Nothing is ever black and white. Like me and my meat. On the surface it may appear I’m an idiot for not ordering and smoking enough meat. The reality is far more complex.
The good news is that I’ve secured the proper smoker and it’ll be here in a week or so. Until then I hope my customers will be patient. We’re doing our best and I know we’re all excited to get back at it next week.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Dear Mr. C,
I would like to share with you some thoughts after my experience at your Deli today. Since you’re out of smoked meat, I went with: soup of the day (tomato & carrot), borsht and chopped liver ($4 appetizer portion).
Tomato and carrot soup was good (although, it is basically tomato sauce). It could be better if served hot and with something green as garnish (i.e. parsley, cilantro or mint). The croutons were a nice touch.
Chopped liver and onions: This is NOT chopped liver. What you served is called Liver Pate. Were you out of chopped liver, or is this really served as intended? That being said, the pate was good, but I found a long black hair in it and had to abandon it. It could also use a green garnish.
Cabbage Borsht: This is NOT borsht! I must emphasize this, as my mom and all my relatives make this frequently. Borsht is made with beets, not just cabbage. What you served is close to what we call Salyanka — a cabbage soup. On Moscow streets, you will find this served with a tablespoon of sour cream and real black bread (Borodinskiy Xleb). Also, please don’t put shards of smoked meat in this soup! It should instead be fresh meat that is boiled, as the smoked meat gives it an odd taste.
I am not here to bad-mouth your enterprise, as it is obvious a lot of work went into making it happen; I do, however, hope that my comments are helpful to you. Thanks!
September 26th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Hey Zane
Wex, Sabina and I had the best dinner tonight – thank you so much! The lack of smoked meat, while disappointing, was not the end of the world and the tongue and chopped liver, kishke, knish, matzo ball soup and salad made the three of us very happy.
See you again soon!
Marilla