Another Friday afternoon and I’m hammering away at work instead of joining the rest of the kiddos here at the office for the weekly happy hour, drinking beer you can see through and chattering about sports and work and stuff. Wait, did that sound fun? My idea of a happy hour includes a cracked open young coconut. Now that’s the “other white meat”.

The title is inspired by my weeks’ travel (also the reason this blog has been slow lately) in Newark to see friends/mentors who are Jimmy Buffett obsessed. How often do you attend a work event when the opening music is Margaritaville? Exactly.

Thanks to KRQE, with the great mention on their online segment of this here blog.

You might have already noticed, however, that my posts are a wee bit old.  That's because . . .

I've moved! 

You can now find me here:

Duke City Food

Thank you, and have a foodielicious day. 

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The most enveloping little store in all of Santa Fe is, blessedly, a chocolate shop by the name of Todos Santos.

The man behind the day-glo meets day-of-the-dead decor is Hayward Simoneaux.  A transplant with a true knack for the dark and sweet abilities of cacao, he hails from Louisiana well over a decado ago.

I have purchased bars before, a few truffles and caramels (fantastic and not outrageously priced).  On my last visit I went for a newly crafted nougat bar, one in pistachio chile and the other yet to be devined.

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Unlike other chewy and European nougats, Howard's is fluffy like mousse, sugar-sweet with potent honey flavor, and delicate until the chile peeks its head out.

Each iPod-shuffle-sized bar is the perfect amount for a little indulgence on a Sunday afternoon.  Next time, I'll also remember to remove the deceptively thin and clingy pieces of wax paper before I eat half the bar.  Ooops.

…let them know where protein comes from.

Beeffairy

Meat Fairy

Eating meat is not WRONG, but it is to be savored, appreciated, and enjoyed.  Something died to make that steak appear on your plate, so having the grace to educate yourself about the animal itself is a gesture worthy of effort.

I am not advocating dragging your 6-year-old to a slaughterhouse (though YOU might get some value out of that visit, yourself), but seeing a half a carcass at the butcher shop is going to be fascinating for them even if it freaks them out a bit.  But the next time they bite into a roast and say, "mom, this is a good cow leg!", you'll know you've done your part.

**Find a butcher shop near you.  Please.  They are slowly disappearing despite the unique and valuable skillset only they can provide.

Here are some local Albuquerque butchers, to get you started:

Keller's Farm Store

El Mezquite Market (or any place you see with the word "Carniceria" in the name)

Talin World Market

Greenside-cafe

I receive the weekly updates from Jay Wulf, of the Greenside Cafe in Cedar Crest with information about upcoming specials and events.  His restaurant's food is innovative yet comforting and slowly growing in popularity.  I hope it continues, as there are too many now-deceased good eateries up and down North 14.

Greenside Cafe

As an alternative to waiting for the weekly menu, Jay also has an online calendar which contains the same info, so I don't have to poke into my email message to see what is happening in the near future.  Nifty!

Greenside Cafe's Schedule