from the new world to the old

a gallon jug of tabasco chipotle, forgotten for three years in the trunk of a new england car. no one could have expected the blasts of summer heat and winter frost, the jostlings and jogglings over hundreds of miles of city and country roads to produce an unambiguously delicious sauce replete with the generosity of age-calmed vinegar. i call it TABASCO BIZARRO. now, it is in london.

serious gelato

gelati of smoked salmon, roasted bell pepper, parmesan, pear and gorgonzola. sorbets of pickles, avocado. these seemingly outlandish flavours were in fact subtle and delicious while perfectly recognisable.

traditional flavours are even better. nut pastes instead of synthetic flavorants for hazelnut, chestnut, and pistachio gelato. the fior di latte is magnificent. the texture is light and rich, but with little overrun; the sweetness is subtle and charming. there are no detectable stabilisers in the base, though the owner (previously a pastry chef at valentino in the venetian) says there is a bit of lecithin in there. they are using a carpigiani 20-quart machine, spinning 4-6 quart batches.

art of flavors is located in the stab-and-rape portion of the strip, between a wedding chapel that has seen better days and a shop selling "turquoise" and bail bonds. viva las arepas, the areparia next door, is also worthwhile.

the summer day is surprised

Yogurt & fresh fruit juice take you to the fine ice cream heaven
Stimulates the frantic desire which is unable to resist and that is the
extreme achievement of elegant tasty ice cream.
The vision needs some colors to make it inviting.
A color party becomes a game that keeps on rolling and rolling.
It is a cool and dazzling taste, making you full of blast.
The taste of yogurt makes the fruit fragrance copious.

bombax ceiba

a sour curry of bombax ceiba inflorescences*, tomatoes, turmeric, cilantro root, cooked pork blood, steamed spare ribs, and dry roasted chilies, with thin vermicelli made from lactofermented rice. even the faint of heart will find this dish comforting and palatable. moreover, the lotus of siam is one of the few places in the country where getting something by the glass isn't always a pyrrhic victory. (j.j. prüm, graacher himmelreich kabinett, 2008.)

* which were not visible. these things—like religion—sometimes must be taken on faith, trusting in the word of the waitstaff. B. ceiba is part of the same genus of plants that we also call kapok.