Marketing day

Portland, September 12, 2010—

WHAT A FINE DAY!

This plate of pastries was delivered early in the morning, a gift to Lindsey from Kim Boyce, who sent with it an inscribed copy of her Good to the Grain, a book we've all profited from and which Giovanna's written about (here).

Then a trip to the Farm market for stuff for dinner; and then on a walk around the neighborhood a stop-off at Mio Gelato for a scoop of fior di latte and, beneath it, a scoop of "oro d'oro," deliciously eggy vanilla. Next door at Foster and Dobbs I looked for a bottle of Grillo to no avail: but they had a fine roccolo, a creamy firm cow's-milk cheese from Lombardy I'd never known before, and a nice d'Affinois which is of course a known quantity, and those delicious Picos de Aceite. A bottle of Madam Preston replaced the Grillo beautifully with all this as a late-afternoon preprandial.

Dinner was three salads: Giovanna's green-beans-and-shallots-in-vinaigretteand butter-lettuces-and-tuna; my fried-artichokes-in-oil-and-salt, heaped up on my plate on Lindsey's soft little fingerling potatoes from the market, also dressed with shallots and vinaigrette. With them, a fourth: sliced tomatoes. What a fine dinner!

Blanc de l'Herault, Domaine Gassac, 2008