After my second month of medicine (in infectious diseases), the weekend happened to bring a lot of friends back to Houston! Thursday I went to happy hour at my favorite bar, Hay Merchant. There was an ounce of embarrassment knowing that 1/4 pint had fuzzled my brain.
Prepping for happy hour!
The next day, which was our last day at the hospital, we rounded 15+ patients and had 3 new consults. The hours ticked slowly but we made it through the 14 hour work day. Dear infectious diseases, you were one tough bugger. But I definitely grew more comfortable with antibiotics, and presenting my patients for that matter.
I somehow found enough energy to drop by and say hi to friends like old times. Two years have passed since those college days. There's nostalgia in moments like this:
We also found time to enjoy a dinner with Dsing at a HRW restaurant: Giacomo's cibo de vino. I only had my phone camera since the decision was a spontaneous one! And while I didn't order from their special menu, I did choose several items that were featured on HRW. I have to say, this place is casually intimate with the pride and expertise of a local restaurant. I loved it!
For appetizers, the hawk's garlic bread (5 per order) was satisfyingly crispy without a burdening density commonly found in most other breads. You can tell the spread was housemade from its pungency of the garlic and parmigiano.
The gazpacho (a HRW item) was reminiscent of tomato basil but was executed exquisitely. A silken roasted bell pepper taste in the creamy soup was rich and balanced. I tend to fear the saltiness of cold soups but this one refrained from overdosing on the seasoning, thereby highlighting its main ingredients justly.
My half-order of tortelli di bietola. It is ravioli with ricotta, goat cheese, and swiss chard. The buttery sauce and flavorful morsels were wonderful. Although the skin did not seem as chewy as the homemade ones I had in Boston, they didn't take away from the flavor profile. This was also a HRW item.
We also ordered a side dish, but next time I come here I will likely use this as my main entree. The cavoletti con pancetta, or brussel sprouts sauteed with garlic and pancetta, was hearty. Perhaps I'm biased with foods unadulterated with processors but there's something about eating foods as close to their original form as possible. Or perhaps I'm just Asian loving what Asians love best: stir fry in garlic.
Chad and Dsing had ordered the porchetta e fagioli, a pork dish that was super tender (they didn't provide knives, with confidence) and "aggressively seasoned" with many italian spices. I thought they did were well justified in using "aggressively" to describe their process. It was a bit abrasive to my palate.
For dessert, I had affrogato: espresso + hazelnut gelato. A great finish to a great meal, I savored each bite of the bitter and the sweet. Dsing had a strawberry sorbet topped with homemade whip cream. At the end of the night, our bill didn't surprise our wallets too much either. Ordering from the menu was cheaper than the HRW 4-course menu. With 2 appetizers, 1.5 entrees, 1 side, and 1 dessert, it came out to be a little over $60 with tax and gratuity for the two of us.
It was great catching up with you, Dsing! I hope California continues to treat you well.
No comments:
Post a Comment