Here I am

Just a little note while I'm cleaning up & getting ready for the new menu tomorrow--
THANK YOU
for singing along tonight--
For real,
For those who heard, enjoyed & sang along
To the station (that Nicole picked) ;
you guys rocked &
Totally made my night


Staying late in the kitchen -
Scared of the freezing temperatures outside I guess...
Getting a few new recipes ready for the weekend-
Polpette,
Onion & bourbon jam,
Cranberry frappato -
You know...
And all the while,
Thinking of you -
The heat of the wood fire&
& the knowing that the days are getting longer.

I'll be in the kitchen tomorrow if you need me..
xoxo

Some things are worth waiting for

For the first time in 7 years, kismet will be silent & empty on New Year's Eve & New Year's Day. In the past, the girls and I have spent the New Year's Eve prepping for New Year's Day brunch until the wee hours of the morning- & for the last 7 years, that felt like exactly the right thing to do. 7 years ago tonight, I fell asleep on a concrete floor- so exhausted- and preparing for our GRAND OPENING & first New Year's Day brunch on barre street.  I dreamt of hot chocolate, and prayed- even in my dreams- that the next day would be a success.
Tonight, we have other people to cook for us- gliter & sparkles, our own glasses of champagne to drink, resolutions to make, & tomorrow we will (try to) sleep in.

& after tonight, it will be another 7 years until we have the night off again--
But some things are worth waiting for--


May yours be a seriously delicious end met with an equally delectable beginning..
Come celebrate with us later this week!!
Xo

Alone in the kitchen

14 years ago, I spent Christmas in Byron Bay Australia.  I lived on a nude beach dotted with tea tree pools & coconut trees and passion fruit vines.  Pregnant, with my New Zealand husband, I spent my days on the beach, while the husband went looking for jobs, or went surfing.  I had no idea how much those days would stay with me.  It was there that I tasted ripe tropical fruit for the first time, had my first dandelion root latte, and discovered South Indian food.  I would save every bit of extra coins we had, so that I could walk into town for a dandelion latte, and on big occasions- an Indian curry.  On this day, 14 years ago, with a seed of a child within me, I sat beneath a mangrove tree and ate butter shrimp and saag with stuffed paratha.  I remember it so clearly, as it if we're just yesterday; I remember eating so slowly out of the take-out container, not wanting to waste a single morsel of the savory ginger and tomato sauce, or delicate spinach that hung loosely on the most tender pieces of cumin toasted potatoes.  I remember giving myself completely to the pleasure of that food, not knowing what would happen next, or worrying about anything ever being familiar again.

14 years have passed, and after spending many christmas's in the South Pacific, eating many curries, stir fries, and other people's left overs for christmas, I have yet to fully embrace the winter Christmas I knew as a child.  For the last 7 winters, I have shared my Christmas holiday with my staff as a gentle day off before the New Year's Day brunch service that loomed ahead.  Last year, was my first Christmas celebrated in the traditional fashion; but one that could not be repeated.

This year, my gift to myself, and to kismet, is to spend the day alone in the restaurant kitchen making stuffed parathas, butter sauce, and saag, while also cooking unfamiliar recipes from the pages of a brand new book of  Syrian recipes..  The whole empty restaurant smells of ginger, toasted cumin, and sweet onion.  My heart is warm, my children are celebrating happily with their fathers, and I am here in an apron to honor the journey that continues to flavor my life.

May all of your Christmas wishes come true,
xo

In my heart

like any parent, I think about my children all day.  I lay in bed at night thinking of their future, their lives, giving thanks for their health, and in awe of their birth and the shear magic that brought us together.  Like most of the world, I worry about there being enough, about doing the right thing, and constantly balancing myself between wants, needs, fears, and just trying to be on time- 

During simple tasks, I think of my own parents, my own ancestry, and I am so often humbled by the utter HUGENESS of being human. 

today was a very quiet day. 

quiet when we spoke of "samo", 

& of mazy, 

and even between friends, there wasnt much to say.  

just prayers & love to these children, parents of children, & to their friends who will miss them so much. 

WINTER 

is about 

having to make light

while in darkness

so i will light the fires

& roast the seeds

and we will meet

our eyes 

in the warmth of a good meal

full moon 

cheeks glowing
with wine & whiskey
your woolen bits

kiss heaven gently

on snowy quiet & frozen brows

xxoo

new hours:

wednesday through saturday 8 am-9pm

sunday 9-2

counter service

espresso

dandelion latte

crazy awesome hot chocolate

benedicts
bisquits & gravy
& other stuff!

xo

roasted roots

ITS TRUE,
its nearly winter-
we expect it,  but we are weary too.


dandelion latte..
seriously-
how long has it been?

bonnie told me tonight (nearly 65)= she say's: "best thing i've ever tasted".  i am so honored= and also doing a little jig myself- cause this is my ALL TIME favorite..
thanks for sharing with me
xxoo

we are under construction

&

will be re-open

friday, october 26, 2012

xoxo