Food! Glorious Food!

It's rather appropriate that I am costuming Oliver! right now because it's April break week for me... and that means that I can be a lady that lunches. My boys are with their dad this week every year, which absolutely slays me, but they have a really good time. I get time to spend with friends, and this year, hang out backstage listening to endless runs of "Food, Glorious Food".  Today I FINALLY got to try the new French bistro in my little town, C'est La Vie. They've been doing some private functions and a long soft open, and the moment finally arrived- I GOT TO EAT THERE.

First of all, the decor. Funky, French, colorful, creative- it's just gorgeous. In a restored stately home, the floors shine, the architectural details standout- the time spent bringing everything back to it's original splendor, and then amped up a notch with color and fantastic art installations everywhere you look.

I actually could have taken probably twenty more photos- every where I turned there was a fantastic display, or creative seating arrangement. Our table itself was a work of art- a collage of French images, clippings, recipes and vintage art, covered in a thick epoxy resin. It's as fabulous as it sounds. I was in heaven before food even hit our table.

The menu is fairly extensive for a small bistro- multiple breakfast offerings including stuffed French toast, crepes, pancakes, open faced sandwiches, quiche, soups, salads- their hearty use of duck made my taste buds all a twitter!

I was dining with two of my foodie pals, and we just threw caution to the wind and ordered several dishes. The thing that S and I had been ogling and waiting for was the Croque Madame- "a fancy-schmancy grilled cheese- french bread, house blend cheese, country ham, gruyere, melted bechamel- topped with a sunny side up egg". It was every  bit as decadent and delicious as it sounds. The weeks of waiting were well worth it!

We also had crispy brussel sprouts with apple and crispy prosciutto, gougeres with pork belly, manchego and pear (gluten free thus extremely healthy), duck hash browns, and the crepes Florentine- spinach, mushrooms, and hollandaise sauce. It was all delicious. The only criticism I could find was that one tiny bite of brussel sprout was slightly undercooked.

Now remember, there were three of us eating all of this yumminess, so of course there was room for dessert. For a few moments we considered getting three desserts, but settled on just two. The chocolate pot-de-creme was, um, like wow. WOW. Incredibly decadent. Perfect texture, rich flavor.

We tried that first, and were blown away. Then we dug into our waffle ice cream sandwich, a towering thing of beauty. By the time I realized I hadn't taken a picture however, we had already toppled it ready to dig in. 

Waffles had the perfect caramelization, but were still chewy on the inside- the ice cream was made in house, and reminded me of a caramel/brown sugar flavor. It was topped with fresh whipped cream, a blackberry reduction, and house made caramel. It. Was. Delectable. I am not even a sweets person and I couldn't help but make nom-nom noises. 

I can't say enough good things about C'est La Vie. It's incredibly tasty, fresh, and affordable food served in a stunning setting. I can't wait to take friends and family there, and show off what our local food scene has to offer. A great lunch, and in true foodie fashion- when we were done, it was "BOOM! SPOON-drop" as opposed to "BOOM! Mic-drop."

Go eat there. And invite me. I'll order the Croque Madame and make nom-nom noises whilst you discover the deliciousness for yourselves!

Turn towards the light...

No, this post isn't about death...it's about the things that make us feel whole. I used to do a lot of theater. Most of my experience is now backstage- I have been a stage manager, costumer, prop mistress, set painter (ohhhh the Lughnasa rocks! LOVED THEM!), hair and makeup coordinator, director, tech director- the only thing I haven't done is music direct, because frankly, I can't play the freaking piano. I took lessons as a kid, and my mom encouraged me to NOT quit, but it my middle school horribleness, I did. Now I completely regret it and yet again, my mom was right. I know, big shock. Mamas usually are!  I even ran fly systems and (very poorly) ran light boards. I also was in a ton of shows- a bleating sheep in Godspell, and more than a few in the "dance ensemble", a few turns as Agravane, Winnifred, and of course Hannigan- I'm a character actress, surely. No ingenue roles for me. I'll never trip the light fantastic as a Marian Paroo, and that's fine with me! I always preferred the antics of Eulalie anyway. "One Grecian urn. Two Grecian Urns..." Yeah, those are my people. I even played every female role in the "Wizard of Oz" when I decided my students in an all boys' residential program should do theater. It was so much fun, and I am pretty sure I was horrible. Everyone clapped at the "pretend" curtain (we were in the gym, so give me a break- and whether they clapped because it was over, I'll never know), so I'll take it.

It's been years though. Too many years, since I have been listed in a program. That was my choice. I chose to have babies, and dedicate myself to raising them. I chose lots and lots of diaper changes, and rocking, and reading, and snuggling. I would trade it for absolutely nothing. My last full season was the summer of 2008- Bat Boy, Suessical, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. When I teched Chorus Line the following summer, I was pregnant with Miles. I love the pictures I have in my all black wardrobe, heavily pregnant, ready to turn mirrors. The following summer I helped with some makeup, but with a crawling baby, who has straight up peed in the lobby of the Eleanor Casey Welch Theater at Regis (I seriously didn't realize that swim diapers didn't hold pee- and I had run out of regular ones!) I knew I was done for the time being.

It's finally time for me to start tiptoeing back into the theater. I was offered a wonderful opportunity to costume a production of Aladdin, which happened to fall on a weekend I could really do it. Four casts, lots and lots of kids. Many of them are little- in another year, Miles could be one of them. They're kind of awesome. Today was load in day, and as I walked across the stage returning to my costume corner, the lights came up. Instinctively, I turned toward the light. As a former actor, you always turn towards the light- whether it's your cue doesn't matter- just turn towards the light. For a split second my brain was cycling through every show I have ever done- either performing, or being a tech person- Secret Garden, Wizard of Oz, Tales of Trickery, Stories Gone Wilde, Fiddler, Annie, Godspell, Music Man, Children of Eden, Songs from a New World, Once on This Island, Dancing at Lughnasa, Twelfth Night, Blithe Spirit, West Side Story,  Joseph, countless one acts- it was as if I had never left. They're a huge piece of my past, and hopefully, big pieces of my future.

Turn towards the light- find your joy. Make it work, and enjoy every moment.