A Saturday off - A Saturday off!! As I mentioned in the Market Report, my eyes were open at 6am. I had a full day. Get up, go to markets. Stop by Pistachio, pick up cookies and 4 caneles for Husband. Get some yummy paneforte thrown in for good measure! (It's a winner!) Go home and chop a few things. Go back to market. Try to find some coffee. Go home and cook, cook, cook. Talk about eating locally. Ponder my hypocrisy that I happily shop at Target but never at WalMart. Leave messy kitchen whilst taking catnap. Can hardly sleep because I have a Saturday off!! I really think the last time I had a Saturday off was last June, when I was in North Carolina for a family reunion.
All of this to say, this weekend I finally got to attend an entire North Market Apron Gala (last year, I managed to join someone there for a drink, after I got off work, just in time for dessert), with a press pass. That's right, folks: I'm official. Some might even say a "person of consequence," although other might say not (same podcast, minute 17). I actually requested, and received, a Saturday night off work. I carefully selected an outfit (later I saw a regular from the Restaurant who marveled to see me with my hair down, out of uniform, in an actually cute outfit). I ironed. I put on a flowery pink skirt. I dug out my favorite clutch with the cheesy sequined parrot on. I called a cab.
I started right off with some Firelands Pinot Grigio, quickly followed by some Firelands Brut "Champagne," which was actually pretty nice. Firelands is a Sandusky winery who makes pretty decent icewine and also a perplexing raspberry Riesling champagne - they were one of the sponsors.
I got to mingle - I got to see a reader and former schoolmate John, after years and years, who planted the seed of my next obsession: cooking school in Bangkok. I got to chat with Columbus Foodie, who was much more prolific in her picture-taking than I was - of course, she was ably assisted. I was nominated for best apron by a black-winged fairy, I completely forgot to eat until the last possible minute, then was too full to eat even one tiny Jeni's Ice Cream Sandwich:
I slurped down a really delicious oyster, freshly shucked just for me at Those Fish Guys:
I sucked up some fabulous pho, which I doused heavily with Srircaha, at Lac Viet:
I got to see the new Dispatch Kitchen up close and personal (Chef John Skaggs is cooking):
and confided in a friend than I actually do try to watch Robin Davis at 12:25 every Wednesday. I didn't get to meet the 2 people I meant to meet the whole evening ("Vespa" Mary Martineau, director of marketing, David Wible, Executive Director) (thanks guys!).
It was fun. Really fun. The only thing missing was Husband, who was playing bartender at work for the evening, and couldn't get away.
It was time to leave, and my friends and I walked out onto Spruce Street, right into the view of the patio at Bar Louie. Where there were hundreds of people. Even on the street, the cacophony of the people was deafening. Wow. So, this is what people do on Saturday nights, eh? Who knew?
You should definitely go to next year's Apron Gala. Anyone who has even a passing interest in good food, and local food, should give the North Market their money whenever possible. We are lucky to have such a place in Columbus - even venerable foodie Jeffrey Steingarten
