My Dinner With Andre (Andrew)

[dales]

Loca and I were treated to a very nice repaste at Andrew's home. Andrew and his wife were gracious hosts and the food was superb.

I have never participated in an fTf before and was delighted to meet Andrew and Loca "in the flesh" so to speak. No, it was not a "clothing is optional event". However, there is a pool in back for those so inclined to skinny dip.

Alas, I had to leave early to get to work so I have no idea what transpired after I left.

[Joe Guy]

Did Andrew play the piano for you?

[dales]

Yes.

[Joe Guy]

Did LoCA do the Macarena?

[Rick]

Glad ya'll had a good time

[loCAtek]

A good time was had by all ...regardless, that I couldn't be on time to save my life.....

Andre' tickled the ivorys, like one who has a piano in every room; which he does.

[loCAtek]

The above description was so short, because I've been wrestling with trying to post some [fuzzy] cell phone pics...

Success! Here is Andrew at the piano, expertly playing a number of different compositions, some of them his own!


Also, on and around, and above and below the piano, you will find: lots and lots of books! Books of all shapes and sizes; books on the tables, books on the chairs, Books on the counters, and books on the stairs...

I do believe there was a television in the corner, but it was being used to play some delightful classical music ...and hold more books!

I, la Loca, didn't do any dancing, as Andrew's kind and graceful wife would have put me to shame; just what she called her 'exercises', looked like ballet moves to me.
Did I mention, she is also musically talented?
What dales missed, was the duet of piano and guitar, of a highly in tune couple. The pleasure they took in making merry music together was absolutely delightful!
I guess, I only got lucky once with being able to post Andrew's photo, because her's just isn't coming up... oh well.
When he wasn't making merry, Andrew was singing the blues (sorry, you missed that too, dales) ...all this and he can cook, too!

dales and I did get to enjoy their fine art and antiques, some of which was created by the artistic Mrs. D; so at last I know how to stain glass a window. I must get started on my cathedral immediately....


This simple blue-collar chica was hugely humbled and honored to have been invited to such a classy, personal experience. ...I'm told it gets better in the Spring, when they give tours of the garden! Can not wait!

[Andrew D]

It was delightful having loCAtek and dales over. Hopefully (accepted as a situation adverb since, I am told, 1964), they will come again. And, of course, others are also welcome.

April is the best time for the gardens. The gardens are my wife's babies. I contribute almost nothing to them, so I can brag about them with utter shamelessness. But words do them little justice. If I happen to wake up or be up early in the morning, I step out to the back patio, and it's like stepping into a Monet painting.

And on the subject of shameless bragging, yes, my wife is an expert belly dancer (part of Masha Archer's troupe back in the day). And, yes, she has made many stained glass pieces, at least one of which can (or could; I haven't been there in ages) be seen at the Musee Mecanique in San Francisco.

And, yes, she is quite the guitarist. The duet to which loCAtek refers is our doing riffs on Donovan's "Fairy Story of the Tangerine Puppet" (or maybe it's just "Tangerine Puppet").

And there are the leftovers. God, I love leftovers ....

[loCAtek]

Yes, please, others come, since, they are all welcome. ...and reduce the loved leftovers.

[Andrew D]

Alas, the leftovers are almost all gone. The salad, of course, disappeared almost instantly. The pork loin in sour cream is gone. The chicken-broccoli-artichoke casserole is gone. There were no leftovers of the appetizer (goat and feta cheeses, roasted red peppers, and kalamata olives on sourdough). The only remaining leftover is the lamb-cauliflower curry, but we never got to that, because everyone was already stuffed.

Ah, well ....

It makes room for more stuff! This morning, a couple of pizzas, and maybe the onion-apple-bacon casserole I had planned for when dales and loCAtek were here but which didn't actually happen. And I still have half of the boneless pork loin roast. And there's the artichoke-pine-nut-gouda over red potatoes, in the fridge from the other day, which might work well into something with prawn-cuttlefish balls ....

Food! Glorious food!

[loCAtek]

He's dead serious, folks! Andrew is a composer of flavors, as well of music. The chicken-broccoli-artichoke casserole has no name because it had never existed before he invented it. What-ever-it-was was absolutely delicious... I was fortunate enough to take some of that home for MY left-overs. <yum>

...In return, I'm supposed to bring back a rare, unusal Mexican dish, that he may have never tried before. SO, I've been meaning to ask you Andrew; have you tried Nopales, Mexican cactus? This is the variety most often found in the markets;



It's usually made into spicy salads;


...or to added to other dishes to make them more unique.

[dales]

Bring over some peyote.

[Rick]

Bring over some peyote.

You would never find yer way to the table...

[loCAtek]

Bring over some peyote.

Have you ever eaten peyote? ~bleh~ ...not a fine dining experience.

[Andrew D]

I am familiar with nopalitos; I have used them in dishes many times.

I was thinking more along the lines of desert salamanders or the buds of plants I've never heard of or ....

Maybe something that your grandmother made that has no name in English?

Or maybe ...

Just think of the strangest thing you can come up with. (Are tarantulas good breaded and fried? I've been hoping for years to try grubs.) Think of me as Andrew Zimmern's alter ego.

On the other hand, I don't recall ever having had whole nopales. That might be different from nopalitos as an ingredient. And who knows -- maybe nopales stuffed (are they stuffable?) with kelp and ant larvae?

Or maybe ordinary ingredients combined in unusual ways. I just love unusual.

And, of course, you are welcome back any time, with or without exotic foodstuffs. Maybe next time you're here, we'll have baloney sandwiches.

Hmmm ... What can I do to baloney sandwiches to make them remarkable?

[Liberty1]

Ever tried menudo? It's pretty good, a little different.

[loCAtek]

Well, the Aztecs used to eat human hearts and drink fresh blood ...oh, is that too far back in my family?

Shoot, we'd have a heck of time, picking a wine for that anywayZ.

[loCAtek]

Whole nopales are stuffable ... maybe with sweet mesquite meal, red rice and corn? Or; they say you can slice them and put thin layers jalapeno pepper cheese between them for grilling.

Me familia didn't eat ants or tarántulas; we had chickens and goats, or sometimes maybe the odd rattlesnake.

[Sean]

The chicken-broccoli-artichoke casserole has no name because it had never existed before he invented it.

Unless of course it was one of these...

[dales]

Well, the Aztecs used to eat human hearts and drink fresh blood ...oh, is that too far back in my family?

Shoot, we'd have a heck of time, picking a wine for that anywayZ.

Might I suggest a fine Chianti?