Events!

Okay, here are some happenings that are on the Blog Tartare radar. They are also now on the Blog Tartare Google Calendar. If you have any hot tips, let me know!

Organic Wine Tasting at Gemelli
Feb 19 & 21, 6:30 pm
This month the tasting series will explore organic wine, and winemaking. Two classes are available: Tuesday, February 19th, and Thursday February 21st. Each class is from 6:30-7:30pm. $15 per person. Class is limited to 16 people, reservations required.

Gemelli Wine & Spirits
3626 Brownsboro Rd
502 895.1400

Huber Winery Wine Tasting at RockWall Bistro
Feb 20, 6:30 pm
Ted Huber from Huber Winery will be at the Rockwall on Wednesday February 20th for a wine tasting. Chef Alex Bomba will create appetizers to accompany the wines. $25. Call for reservations.

RockWall Bistro
3426 Paoli Pike
New Albany IN
812 948-1705

Sushi in the City
March 4, 5:30 pm
This is the event that I'm super excited about, but I might be out of town for it! If I am, I think I will cry. My two favorite sushi places, Sakura Blue and Maido, are participating. From the release:

Louisville’s top sushi chefs are sharpening their knives for a "roll off," a fund-raising competition in which one chef will reign supreme, at Sushi in the City, set for Tuesday, March 4, from 5:30-9 p.m. at The Henry Clay, Third and Chestnut streets. Participants will taste and vote for their favorites to select the Best Sushi in the City for 2008. There'll also be desserts, a silent auction and entertainment. Admission is $60 a person, with a $10 discount for members of young professionals’ organizations. Proceeds will benefit Louisville’s Project Women, a nonprofit agency that provides housing and educational assistance to help homeless single mothers and their families break the cycle of poverty. For information, visit the Project Women website. For details on Sushi in the City, click here.

Belgian Beer Dinner at Corbett's "An American Place"
March 4, 7:00 pm

Corbett's "An American Place" invites you to an evening of Belgian Ales and lambics paired with Chef Chris Howerton’s cuisine. Hosted by Pete Larson of Wetten Imports. Call for reservations.

Corbett's "An American Place"
5050 Norton Healthcare Blvd
502 327-5058

Returning

Oh, Blog Tartare. How I've neglected you. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but there are, indeed, only so many hours in a day. I started this blog during a lull in my employment, but now that I'm working again (temping, and starting a new and exciting Real Job in the next few weeks), I haven't made as much time for blogging as I would have liked. I especially dropped the ball on the Valentine's Day events. Oops.

Also - and I'm hesitant to say this because it seems anathema to a food blog - I went back to Weight Watchers about a week and a half ago. It's going really well and hasn't put much of a damper on my food life. But as I've said before, this is not going to turn into a diet blog. I feel quite confident that I can continue to write about food without letting on that I'm watching my girlish figure.

I really want to update the events calendar, so stay tuned for some posts about local food goings-on (including one event that I'm crazy excited about). In the meantime, in the spirit of busy-ness, I will share this super quick and easy recipe for black bean soup (which I recommend you eat with a grilled pepperjack sandwich). This soup is pretty much everything you could want in a food: it's fast, it's easy, it's cheap, and yes, it's low-fat and otherwise good for you. Most importantly, it's super tasty!

Black Bean Soup in a Hurry
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chunky salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion (optional)

1. Dump everything but the sour cream and green onion into the blender. Blend it.
2. Pour it into a sauce pan and heat it up.
3. Put it in some bowls. Garnish with sour cream and green onion if you feel like messing with it. Serves four.

Holy Crap

We went to my parents' house for dinner tonight and my mom made bread pudding.

Out of croissants.

I just Googled this and it turns out to be not quite as radical as I had thought. Still, I had never heard of such a thing, and my mom said she just made the recipe up. It blew my mind and was by far the best bread pudding I've ever eaten. She said she'd write down the recipe for me, and when she does I'll post it. Yowza!

Lunch Today

Up until August of last year I worked downtown, and Neil works in Clarksville. We'd frequently meet for lunch, usually with one of us driving to the other's place of employment and going to a restaurant from there. But then we found out about Lunch Today, and we only rarely went anywhere else for lunch after that. Not only was it located right in the middle between our two workplaces, it features all kinds of delicious sandwiches, salads, and soups. They have a nice patio and incredibly friendly counter service.

After I quit my downtown job we ate there less often. I'm in the process of finding a job that has something to do with my master's degree, and for now I'm temping. As fate would have it, this week I started a job in Jeffersonville that is within walking distance of Lunch Today (though I haven't actually been walking, because it's cold and gross outside). I've eaten there every day since Tuesday, and yesterday the women that work there said something about it. But what can I say? It's addictive! This week's special is one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten: a panini with ham, cheddar cheese, onions, mustard, and apple butter. I wasn't sure how well the mustard and apple butter were going to work together, but it turns out that it's a pretty amazing combination. The sandwich specials are frequently delicious and interesting, but the regular menu is wonderful too.

Sadly, Lunch Today is only open during the week, so if you don't work in the area you may never get to experience it. But if you work downtown you should definitely try it; it's just over the Second Street Bridge.

Lunch Today
590 Missouri Avenue Suite 100
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
812-282-1005