Sardines

Portland, July 11—

LUNCH TODAY AT Evoe, on Hawthorne Street, a sort of adjunct to Pastaworks, a wine, delicatessen, and produce store which itself is a sort of adjunct to Powell's Books, a branch specializing in cookery and gardening.


I had a Gallego: a sardine, fennel, and hot pepper slaw sandwich on a warmed ciabatta roll, and shared with the rest of the table a bit of artichoke and fennel salad.
It's easy to forget how delicious sardines can be, even canned sardines. They were smushed with oil, probably simply the oil they were packed in, and the slaw added a nice crunchy texture. This was a surprisingly subtle and carefully-made thing.

Rosé, l'Hortus, Côtes du Var

Then, at home, after a Saturday Martini, a light supper: thin-slice onion sandwiches on buttered bread, while watching It Started in Naples.
And afterward, a plum upside-down cake, with plums from our own tree.

Vin de pays de Huaterive, "La Baronne," 2007