Cocaine Bagna

Today I made bagna cauda today. I think I'm only aware of it because of Seago and the Italian population in and around Gillespie, Illinois, but apparently it is especially popular in the northern Italian region of Piedmont.

It is sort of a keto dream so I will have to keep this in mind next time I'm trying to drop a few pounds. The ingredients are anchovies, olive oil, garlic, and butter. 

It's sort of an oily fondue situation that you then dip bread and vegetables into.

We ran out of bread and vegetables so we poured the rest onto pasta as a sauce. It was a win.

We went to see Cocaine Bear at the theatre.  I was super excited about this very stupid movie and it did not disappoint. It had a fantastic star studded cast which was even more suprising considering that it was, again, a very stupid movie about a bear that ate a cocaine shipment and then went on a murderous rampage. It is based on a true story which is just the icing on the cake. I believe that the real bear also in fact act a brick of cocaine but then died, which is much more sensible.

I scream.

Food From Down South

A big gap in the Seattle culinary scene is the lack of southern food. Luckily Communion, one of the few options in this regard, is great.

The restaurant is located in the Central District, "and was once the center of Seattle's black community and a major hub of African-American businesses."

I was really feeling this place so I even ordered something fancy off of the cocktail menu.

"Cherie Amour

a smokey play on a Hemingway daiquiri this cocktail features mezcal and a house-made grapefruit shrub w/ maraschino liquor, a Mexican pomegranate and a herbsaint rinse "

"Bayou Teche (Limited Quantity)

Deep fried breaded eggplant, a luxurious Dungeness crab gravy, topped with buttered poached prawns, sauteed Swiss chard. Inspiration: Chef Paul Prudhomme! This is a true Cajun dish"

"Classic buttery cornbread served in a mini cast iron."

"Bread Pudding

Warm spiced bread pudding with a house caramel sauce topped with Chantilly"

We had our eye on some banana pudding being carried around in big mason jars but they were sold out by the time we got to dessert. Sad but that just means we'll have to come back!

Nothing helps with digestion like some mini golf.

A Strong Moral Compass

I was feeling a bit nervous about what life would be like once the baby arrived, and so I continued my quest to attend any live show or event that looked remotely interesting.

I had Lydia watch a Sarah Silverman special on Netflix and she was entertained, so I pulled the trigger on tickets to see her live.

It has been really cute seeing Lydia prepare for baby Ernie.

Sarah was performing at the Paramount. Sarah had a lot of classy material, at one point reminding the crowd that you can't say "moral compass" without "come" and "piss".

The Battlehawks Come to Seattle

The XFL took a few year hiatus after covid hit and it was unclear if it would ever return. We had a good time going to games in St. Louis so of course we had to cheer on the St. Louis Battlehawks when the came to town to face the Seattle Sea Dragons.

The game was at Lumen Field which made it seem almost like a real professional football match.

There were a lot of dragon costumes to go around.

Lydia was proudly sporting her Battlehawks gear.

Gabby and Derek made an appearance.

The good guys came through with a last minute game winning field goal and the day was saved. We had a very vocal St. Louis fan sitting in front of us who provided a lot of amusement.

Pizza, Liberace, then Home

My favorite Las Vegas casinos have always been the ones with the fun themes, like Luxor or Venetian. Hank's favorite, the Cosmopolitan, I did not initially maybe even know existed but it's definitely growing on me. We keep coming back for more.

Their check in area is pretty cool. 

Secret Pizza has a fun gimmick: it's friggin secret. You won't find it on any of the casino's maps.

Lydia was very excited to get soft serve from Milk Bar.

The good book had an entry about a Liberace museum that I'd never gotten around to visiting. Sadly that has closed since that book was published. BUT the good news was that a lot of the artifacts are now featured at the Hollywood Cars Museum & Liberace Garage. It was a fun and silly little stop definitely not on the Vegas strip. I'm out here supporting small businesses like a hero. Out front the have the taxi from Scrooged.

I don't think I know much about his music but Liberace definitely had a style. Who else would have considered making a piano car complete with candelabra on the hood?

Lydia is a big Flintstones fan and so was excited by the more than one prehistoric vehicle on display.

Yabba Dabba

We hit the airport lounge and then bounced right out of town.

I love me some Anthony Bourdain. On his show No Reservations he travels around and samples cuisine from exotic places such as Haiti, Kurdistan, the Amazon, and

Missouri, where Lydia was born and raised. There they eat local delicacies such as raccoon and squirrel.