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the-coconut-asado · 5 years

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Oh Stumptown my Stumptown!

Portland likes to keep it weird. Officially. You could even buy the tee shirt if tee shirts weren’t so predictable.

From a poster invitation to “Hear my TED Talk about DIY and Impending Doom” to the Big Legrowlski (sic) night club that hangs carpets on the walls - not to balance the sound for the band but because they really bring the room together - the City has an off-beat vibe that feels authentic even while it gets you scratching your head. And where else would you queue round the block for a voodoo-doll shaped doughnut with a pretzel stick through its ‘heart’?

You probably won’t be surprised when I tell you that Portland is the Hipster Capital of the World. You know it’s hipster because it sells more coffee and has more microbreweries per head than anywhere else in the US.

We came for the food because People That Know told us to. It’s not simply that everything is delicious but that chefs, cooks, carts and food enthusiasts are trying to do different. It’s like Masterchef has landed in Twin Peaks. Entrepreneurs are making ice cream out of chickpeas and it works. A pastry chef has re-interpreted her favourite childhood book on a plate and you rejoice in the complex flavours of her tiny reconstructed bunny. So who’s the bunny boiler now?

One thing that puzzled me is why the City changed its name from the original Stumptown (pretty weird) to Portland (the Holiday Inn of city names). Devon, a local lawyer who we chatted to most mornings in Baristas Cafe, explained that Portland was never officially called Stumptown. It became its nickname due to all the trees they had to cut down to build it, leaving the eponymous stumps in their wake. Stumptown is also the name of their iconic coffee brand, which I always assumed was NYC’s greatest invention. This is one of the many ways in which travel expands your mind.

Devon embodied something else about Portland: its friendliness. Even the passport officers are anxious that you have a good time. Full disclosure, it wasn’t just Devon that we sought out each morning - it was Pepper, his cute little dog. I would eat Barista’s fresh, flaky rhubarb hand pie just to drop crumbs that Pepper would breakfast on.

Devon put us onto a couple of great places to eat - one we made it to, one we didn’t. But more of that later.

Where to begin to describe this steel guitar food odyssey? Let me take you through our many highlights from the mountain of food we consumed. Set it to the soundtrack of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Thing.

Our first evening, tired and hungry, we stuck to our guns and found Andina, the City’s Peruvian eatery. When you are both tired and hungry it’s easy to get seduced by posters boasting ‘Meatball Monday’ and forget your mission, but our persistence paid off. That legendary Portlandia hospitality squeezed us into a nook where there really wasn’t a free table, and we dined greedily on humitas, ceviche, lamb shank and seafood, washed down with Oregon’s finest home-grown Pinot Gris. I didn’t quibble that they brought something different from my order. In my fractured Spanish ‘Arroz con Pato’ probably did sound like ‘Seafood Risotto’ - and the risotto was obviously going to be delicious before fork met lip, so I didn’t send it back.

Next day, which coincidentally was Taco Tuesday, we hit the street food.

Portland is big on street food (see: hipster capital of the world). Most food vendors have carts - permanent fixtures where the chef builds enough of a following over months or years to be able to open a small restaurant. Nong’s Khao Man Gai was just one of these. They do one dish - a Vietnamese poached chicken with a secret chilli sauce, accompanied by rice cooked in the chicken broth. You can also have a version with shrimp, pork or Tofu. We bought a bottle of the sauce to bring home. Life’s too short.

It’s not all carts - there are a fair few trucks too.

One which specialised in cheese toasties challenged “ Come and relive the taste of your childhood. But if your childhood sucked, we’ll share the memory of ours”. Have you eaten a cheese toastie recently? I mean really felt the embrace of a sandwich of molten cheese and fried bread? Maybe your childhood did suck after all.

That evening it was the turn of The Hairy Lobster restaurant, and that bunny dessert I mentioned earlier. Little Bunny Foo Foo to give it it’s full name. A delicate carrot cake, covered in cheesecake mousse, accompanied by a ginger crumb, caramel sauce and a marshmallow rabbit.

Despite it’s show-stopping appearance and fusion of flavours, it was their roast squash with curry sauce and pumpkin seed praline that was the stand-out dish for me. The Lobster picnic for our main was pretty damn good too.

Friday brings me to Devon’s first recommendation, Pok Pok, a teeny Thai eatery in the suburbs. Getting there had the added advantage of passing through a neighbourhood full of rambling old houses in the Amityville Horror style. I recalled the first time I had heard of Portland was from a TV thriller full of witches and jabberwocks called Grimm. They had definitely filmed it’s eerily beautiful moments around here.

If I had to single out a food highlight in a week of next-to-no food lows, I would choose Pok Pok. It gave me my first food coma in a long while. Something about it’s smoked aubergine, pork belly curry, marinated chicken with two dips, sublime mango with sticky rice and that rhubarb blush cocktail… I sense I am sharing my food coma with you now. Their signature dish is hot spicy chicken wings. The couple on the table next to us were too full to finish theirs so offered them to us. Maybe it was the wings that tipped me over the edge. I’ll never know.

And so to our last day, and the big daddy of Portland nights out: Jake’s Crawfish. Over 100 years old, walking into Jake’s is like walking into one of Sinatra’s memories. It has a justifiably stellar reputation, and seems to have maintained it for a century. I ate Steel-head trout for the first time, fished on their doorstep from Oregon’s Columbia River, coated with a horseradish crust, and preceded by half a dozen of the plumpest oysters I have ever eaten.

I haven’t yet mentioned Portland’s biggest hipster foodie habit: brunch. No matter what day of the week, the restaurants that brunch are always full. For most of our trip, we were waking up too early to really do brunch justice. Those rhubarb hand pies at Baristas had satisfied our hunger by around 8AM so a mid-morning banquet wasn’t really on. One day, however, we made it to Tasty & Alder in the Pearl DIstrict of the city and managed to sneak in a table for two before the queues built up. Worth it for their Green Frittata with salsa verde (who ever thought of doing that before?) and lightest, fluffiest American biscuits. We never made it to Devon’s second recommendation: Burmasphere, his friend’s Burmese cart on the other side of the river. And now we have an excuse to return.

When it came to rustling up some recipes that take me straight back to Portland weird, I whittled my list down to three: my version of Tasty & Alders’ green frittata with feta and salsa verde; a less labour-intensive version of Andina’s Arroz con Pato, made with chicken or guinea fowl; and in the spirit of weird, though by no means original, a cake inspired by Churros con Chocolate. The best possible end to a Taco Tuesday.

I messaged a friend of mine that had moved to Portland a few years back and asked why she had ever left. “ Too much rain and not enough art.” she said.

You missed the point Sweetie. Great Food IS great art. And if you can’t stand the rain, get into the kitchen.

Green Frittata with Feta and Salsa Verde

A great little brunchy-lunch dish packed with flavour for the carb-conscious. If you want to add some carbs, slices of toasted sourdough will go down a treat. Serves 4

Ingredients

8 large free-range eggs

1tblspn, double cream

100g asparagus spears, chopped into 2 cm chunks

100g shelled garden peas or petit pois

50g feta cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa verde:

Small pack of flat-leaf parsley (around 15-20g)

½ a small pack of mint leaves

3 tbsp. Capers

7 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp dijon mustard

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

How to make:

Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil, then add the peas. After a couple of minutes, add the chopped asparagus and continue simmering for another 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Put to one side.

Next, make the salsa verde. Put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender, season generously with pepper and go easier on the salt (anchovies and capers are already pretty salty). Then, add the olive oil and blend again. Don’t over blend at each step - it's nice to keep the texture a little rough.

Put a skillet on the stove and melt a knob of butter. Beat the eggs, add the cream and season. Lightly saute the green vegetables in the butter for a minute or two.

then pour the eggs over and crumble the feta cheese over the top. Cook for a couple of minutes until the bottom is starting to brown.

pop under the grill to continue cooking, until the top is a light golden colour and the frittata has firmed up with a slight wobble (keep a close eye on this, probably takes 2-3 minutes).

Cut the frittata into 4 wedges and serve with a dollop of salsa verde on top.

Arroz con Gallina Picante

I never did get to eat Arroz con Pato in Andina, but while I adore the rich flavour of duck, devoting two or three days to confitting it before finishing the dish is only for the dedicated dinner party cook. This version with a spicy chicken and a feta-enriched herb sauce (based on a Melissa Clark recipe) goes down just as well - or the richer Guinea Fowl, which I have used here. And Peruvian aji amarillo is now more available by mail order - substitute ordinary chile powder if not. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized chicken or guinea fowl, jointed into 2 breasts, 2 drumsticks and 2 thighs (discard the back or freeze to make stock at a later date)

For the marinade:

6 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp paste made with aji amarillo powder and olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp sriracha sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

½ a large bunch coriander leaves, broken up

2 jalapeno chilies, chopped

75g feta cheese, crumbled

1 garlic clove, crushed

Juice of 1-2 limes

2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

½ tsp dijon mustard

½ tbsp aji amarillo paste (see marinade earlier for method)

1 tsp honey

1 tsp ground cumin

½ cup extra virgin olive oil.

For the Peruvian Rice:

3 tbsp sunflower oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, finely chopped

3 heaped tsp aji amarillo paste (see marinade earlier for method)

½ large bunch fresh coriander, broken up and blended till smooth with a tblspn water

500g fresh chicken stock

300g bottle of beer or lager

2 x small green chillies, chopped finely

500g basmati rice

1 red pepper, chopped into small chunks

100g fresh garden peas or petit pois

How to make

First, make the marinade. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, cover the fowl of your choice in it, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the sauce: put all the ingredients into a blender, and blend till smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate, taking out about 15 minutes ahead of eating to bring to room temperature.

For the rice. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic and saute until starting to turn golden. Add the blended coriander and chili paste and cook for a couple of minutes until the paste has thickened slightly and smells delicious.

Pour the beer into the saucepan, cook for a few minutes then add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, season, then take off the heat, cover and put to one side.

Heat the oven to 200C. Pat the chicken or guinea fowl pieces dry, then pop onto a shallow baking tray, season and drizzle with olive oil. Put the tray into the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes.

While the meat roasts, finish the rice. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium sized saucepan, add the peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the rice and stir into the oil and peppers until it starts to crackle a little at the bottom. Add the peas and chilies and stir again, then add the stock, beer and onion garlic mix. Stir, season if needed, then cover and simmer on a low heat for 25 mins.

Fluff up the rice and spoon onto plates. Top with the chicken or guinea fowl pieces, and crown with a dollop of sauce.

Churros Bundt Cake with Dipping Chocolate Sauce

I love churros, and I love a Bundt cake. If you want all the flavours but none of the faffing or frying, then give this a try. The cake will keep, covered in a tin. Just remember to reheat the chocolate sauce for dipping or pouring each time. Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 ¾ cups plain flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp. Salt

170g unsalted butter

130g caster sugar

50g soft brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 375g punnet of sour cream

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar ‘glaze’

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tsp caster sugar

For the chocolate sauce:

½ cup cocoa powder

Pinch chilli flakes

100g dark chocolate (70%)

1 cup double cream

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

How to make

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and flour a large bundt cake pan (make sure to get into all the nooks and crannies).

Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl (ideally using an electric stand mixer) until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and continue to mix between each addition, finishing with the egg yolk. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat again until just incorporated. Mix all the dry ingredients, add them to the butter and egg mix and fold in until smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the bundt tin and bake for around 50-55 minutes until a skewer inserted near the middle comes out clean (I usually check the cake after 45 mins). Invert the cake onto a rack to cool.

Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and paint all over the surface of the cake. Dust the cinnamon sugar over the buttered cake, making sure you pat it in places to stick.

To make the chocolate sauce. Pop all the ingredients into a saucepan, then cook, stirring constantly, on a low heat until the chocolate has melted, everything is smooth and custardy. Let it bubble slightly then turn off the heat.

Serve slices of the churros cake with warm chocolate sauce poured over. There are some who prefer their chocolate sauce served cold. That’s fine too.

3 notes · View notes

junghelioseok · 6 years

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wine. | 01

↳ he makes staying after-hours absolutely worthwhile.

◇ yoongi x reader ◇ smut | restaurant!au ◇ 9.2k [1/3]

⇢ cara, aka @whimsicalliethereal, made this moodboard because she is talented and wonderful! ♡

notes: fuck, guys, i don’t know how or why this happened i just have a bartender!yoongi kink tbh, so. please. enjoy this self-indulgent piece of filth.

warnings: oral, fingering, sensory deprivation

01 | 02 | 03 | + saccharine. ✓

Some days, you absolutely hate your job.

The lunch rush is always terrible. Two weeks in, and you’re sure that all the local office workers have somehow conspired to show up at the same time. The fact that you’re still learning the ins and outs of Cypher’s menu doesn’t help either—luckily, Seokjin is the most helpful chef you’ve ever worked with, always willing to whip up any last minute substitutions. However, he’s also one of the most whimsical, with a tendency to change the daily specials without telling anyone, including his fellow restaurant owner and co-founder of Cypher, Namjoon.

Kim Namjoon can usually be found in the back office, wading through the tedium of clerical work. A tall, kind man with thick-rimmed glasses and a boyish grin, he cuts a striking figure in the restaurant whenever he emerges from behind the computer and piles of paperwork. But that doesn’t happen very often, head server Hoseok had joked on your first day. The other two servers, Jimin and Taehyung, had nodded their agreement. Then Jungkook, the busboy, had snuck up behind them with a grin, a spray bottle, and mischief on his mind. Suffice it to say that you didn’t learn much else about your bosses that day.

Then there’s Min Yoongi.

The bartender and general manager of Cypher is a constant presence at the front of the house, mixing drinks and polishing glasses behind his bar. You haven’t spoken to him much, finding that your tongue feels unusually dry whenever you meet his intimidating gaze. How someone who looks permanently exhausted can have such sharp eyes, you’ll never understand. He is a mystery—one that you’re hopelessly far from solving—and you’re not sure it’s even possible to crack his hard exterior. Hoseok laughingly mentioned one day that Yoongi was his oldest friend, and even he didn’t know what went on in the man’s mind sometimes. Of course, his words only further piqued your fascination with the elusive bartender. During lulls in your shifts, you often found your mind wandering to those dark, sleepy eyes and whatever secrets may be lurking there.

However, today is not one of those shifts.

This particular afternoon finds you running around like a woman possessed, bringing drinks out to your newest table of four disgruntled office workers while Seokjin calls desperately for hands from the kitchen window.

It doesn’t make sense, really. It’s nearing three o’clock now, and by all means the lunch rush should have been over. Taehyung left for his break nearly an hour ago, leaving you as the only server on the floor, and when an eighth table—six people, really?—sits down, you are about to pass out from exhaustion.

“{Name}, I’ve got shrimp dying over here,” Jin reminds you gently as you dart by, on the way to grab a fresh bottle of water. “I know, Jin, I’ll be right there, I swear—”

Your line of sight is suddenly cut off by a head of fluffy platinum hair. “I got it. Go greet your table.” Min Yoongi gazes down at you impassively before reaching for the plates in the kitchen window. You watch incredulously as he balances one plate on his left arm. Two more are clutched in his left hand, the edges overlapping so that he can keep them in place with his thumb. He picks up a fourth plate with his right hand and walks off, leaving you speechless.

“He can carry four plates? How the hell does he do that?” you mutter, half to yourself.

Jin laughs. “Years of practice. Jungkook is so jealous; you should bring it up to him sometime. But first, you really should go greet that six-top over there.” He nods in the direction of your bustling section, where diners are beginning to give you questioning looks.

Your face flushes. “Right, thanks!” Darting to the back, you quickly grab a bottle of water, determined to finish your shift as best you can.

After another twenty minutes of scurrying around, you finally manage to claw your way out of the weeds. To your surprise, Yoongi had continued helping you after bringing out the first four plates of food. The stoic bartender spent a good ten minutes running food and bussing tables, and every time he brushed past you with empty plates and glasses balanced neatly on a tray, you couldn’t help the fluttering feeling in your stomach.

Eventually, the influx of customers slows and dies down altogether. The last few orders are taken and drinks are brought out, and you heave a relieved sigh as you lean against the window, conversing with Seokjin as he puts the finishing touches on a turkey sandwich. “Hey, I made some pasta if you’re hungry,” he says, handing you the finished plate. Falling back into work mode, he interjects, “That goes to seat twelve at the bar,” before continuing with a casual, “Feel free to have some if you want.”

“Thanks, Jin. I’ll grab some after I bring this out.” Plate in hand, you make your way over to the bar on the other side of the restaurant, where half a dozen people are sitting and sipping on drinks. As you put the food down in front of the customer, Yoongi offers you a brief nod and a mouthed, “thanks” from where he’s standing behind the counter, unloading the dishwasher.

You halt in your tracks, offering him a small smile of acknowledgment. Then you suck in a deep breath and pluck up your courage, stepping around to join him. “Hey, it’s really me who should be thanking you. For earlier, I mean.” Selecting a microfiber cloth from the rack by the sink, you begin to dry off the freshly washed water glasses.

“Don’t worry about it.” He shakes his head slightly as he begins placing pint glasses in the refrigerator. “What are you even doing, anyway?”

The question catches you off guard. “What?”

Yoongi nods at the glass in your hand, platinum hair falling into his eyes. “That. You don’t work tonight, right?”

“Ah,” you say, feeling embarrassment creep up. “No, but I’m not done with my sidework yet. I have to restock the water glasses in the back.”

One of his dark eyebrows disappears behind his hair. “That’s what you’re worried about? Fuck, let Jimin do it later. That kid hasn’t stocked glasses since he was hired.”

You laugh at his flippant response. “Nah, that’s okay. I can do it. Not like I have anywhere else to be.” Pointedly, you glance at the three tables you have left in your section.

“Damn, seven’s really camping out, huh?” Yoongi chuckles humorlessly, grabbing his towel from where it usually sits, folded neatly over his left shoulder. Plucking up a wineglass, he begins to polish it, every movement calculated and efficient. It’s the same way he mixes drinks, and, not for the first time, you find your mind wandering to just what else he can do with those hands. “Looks like you won’t be leaving for quite a while.”

You tear your gaze away from his graceful fingers, swallowing hard. “Mm. Yeah.”

Silence falls. You finish up with the water glasses, placing them carefully on a tray to carry to the back. “Hang on, you missed one,” Yoongi’s low voice calls from behind you. Turning around, you accept the proffered cup. His hand brushes against yours for the briefest of seconds, and the contact sends tingles down your spine.

Inhaling sharply, you turn back to your tray with warm cheeks, busying yourself with reorganizing the glasses so that you can add the new one. You can feel his gaze on your back.

For a moment, you almost think you hear him chuckle darkly, but you’re too afraid to look. And by the time you do work up the courage to sneak a peek, he’s already turned away to greet a new customer.

///

Just before four o’clock, Taehyung and Jimin walk in, ready to prepare for the dinner shift. Your last table from the unexpected rush is just standing up to leave, and you watch as shock overtakes the boys’ expressions—and maybe a little guilt, on Taehyung’s end.

“{Name}? You’re still here?” Jimin asks, eyes wide.

You nod, plastering on a smile as the diners leave. “Have a good night!” you call out, before turning back to your fellow servers. “Yeah, we got a rush at like, three. It was awful.”

“I’m sorry, I wish I’d known…” Taehyung apologizes, eyes downcast.

You smile at him, reaching up to ruffle his brown hair. “It’s fine, Tae, really. You couldn’t have known. Besides, Yoongi was a big help.”

Jimin’s eyes widen even more, if possible. “Yoongi? Are you kidding? That guy loves to watch us suffer; I can’t believe he willingly helped you.”

You try to suppress the flutter of excitement that comes to life at Jimin’s words. “Really? He seemed pretty willing to me.”

“It’s probably because you’re cute,” Taehyung interjects, poking your cheek good-naturedly.

“Or,” a monotone voice speaks up from behind the three of you, “maybe it’s because she’s not slacking off right at the start of her shift.”

Jimin and Taehyung stiffen, eyes darting to the source of the sound. You turn around to meet the dark, unreadable gaze of one Min Yoongi, who is now wearing a pale blue dress shirt instead of the collared black Cypher uniform, a navy blue tie grasped lightly in one hand.

“Well? Don’t you have sidework to do?”

Jimin hurriedly begins to tie his apron around his waist, fiddling with the pen collection in one of his pockets before darting off to the back of the restaurant. Taehyung, on the other hand, raises his hand curiously. “Where’s Namjoon? Isn’t he supposed to work tonight?”

Yoongi slings the tie around his neck and begins knotting it at his throat. “I’m covering. Hoseok’s got the bar tonight. That a problem?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Ah, no!” Taehyung seems to lose all his audacity under the older man’s gaze, and you marvel at just how threatening a raised brow from Yoongi can be. “I think I heard Jimin calling for me; I’m going to go help him…” Trailing off, Taehyung turns and disappears around the corner, leaving you alone with Yoongi.

After a few beats of silence, you find your voice. “Wow. So, um, you’re working tonight, then.”

A flash of amusement crosses his face. “I thought I’d made that much obvious.”

You want to kick yourself. “Right.” Walking over to the coat closet, you take off your apron, folding it up neatly. Retrieving your purse and coat, you tuck the apron into the former and don the latter. “Is Jin in the back?” you ask as you do up the buttons.

“No, he’s taking a break,” Yoongi replies. “You need to cash out, right? Come on, I’ll take care of you.”

Did you imagine the suggestive lilt in his voice? Gulping, you force the thought out of your mind and follow him to the little office tucked away in the back of the restaurant, watching him unlock the safe and pull out the cash drawer. Rifling through a wad of bills, he checks the amount twice before handing it to you.

“Not a bad haul, given the circumstances,” he remarks, the slightest of smirks tugging at his lips.

“Yeah,” you respond, unable to come up with a better response. “Thanks,” you add after a second’s pause.

The office is already a small space, and it feels even smaller with Yoongi sitting there behind the desk, regarding you with those sleepy, sharp eyes. It almost seems as if the walls are closing in on you, trapping you under his indecipherable gaze.

“Um, I really should get home,” you say after what feels like forever. “Bye!”

Yoongi really does chuckle this time—a sinfully resonant sound that makes you shiver. “Sure. See you later, {Name}.”

///

Several weeks pass, and you begin to see and feel yourself improving at your job. By this point, you know the menu like the back of your hand, and rattling off the specials becomes almost second nature. Namjoon and Seokjin are pleased with your progress, and you certainly can’t complain—not with the way your tips have gotten increasingly more generous.

You are closing tonight, which is both a blessing and a curse. Jimin is already beginning to cash out, calculating his tips for the evening, while your section is still full. He sighs heavily as you walk past him with a soda refill, and you glance over curiously. “Bad night?”

“Not great,” he admits, running a hand through his blond hair. “It’s all right, though. Lunch was pretty good.”

You hum sympathetically. “Better luck next time.”

He smiles. “Thanks.”

Dropping off your soda, you give your section a quick once-over. Two tables are on dessert, four have their entrees, and only one is still waiting for an appetizer. Everyone’s glasses are full, and you can see Jungkook at the kitchen window, waiting to run food. You decide to take a quick glance at the server station, mentally tallying what needs to be restocked. “Hey, Jimin? Can you bring me a few bottles of ketchup? These are getting pretty empty.”

“Sure, {Name}.” The blond boy disappears to the back, returning a few minutes later with an armful of red bottles. “That enough?”

“Yeah, perfect. Thanks.” The two of you replace the empty ketchup bottles quickly, stacking them in the cabinet under the computer monitor.

“The other station’s good, by the way,” Jimin says, nodding at the identical cabinet set up on the other end of Cypher. “I checked.”

You smile. “You’re an angel.”

“I am,” he agrees with a wide grin, eyes crinkling with mirth. “Anything else you need from me before I go?”

Your wrack your brain for any other work that needs to be done. “I don’t think so. Just silverware and napkins, but Tae and Hobi can take care of that in the morning.”

Jimin nods. “Fine by me. Sign me out?” He holds out his cash out slip, designed with two signature lines—one for the closing server and one for the manager on duty. Namjoon and Seokjin wanted to ensure fairness and cooperation among his staff, and hated when people skipped out early and left the closing server with all the work. Granted, after a month here, you know that everyone is far too kind to do such a thing. Even so, you appreciate the precaution and level of thought Namjoon and Seokjin put into the everyday operations of Cypher.

Pulling out your pen, you sign off on the slip. “Thanks again, Jimin. Have a good rest of the night, okay?”

The blond boy smiles warmly. “Yeah. You too, {Name}. See you… when? Day after tomorrow?”

You consult your mental calendar for your next shift before responding. “Yep, day after tomorrow. See you then!”

With a final wave, Jimin walks out the back entrance, pulling his scarf tighter around his neck as the cool fall air rushes to greet him. You turn back to your section and begin to make your rounds, clearing empty plates and bringing out checks. Jungkook wanders over to help after a minute, and you flash him a grateful grin.

Another hour passes. Your section has dwindled down to two remaining tables, both happily eating dessert. Glancing over at the bar, you notice that it’s gradually clearing out as well. Only a few regulars remain, sipping quietly on their drinks while watching the TVs hanging on the wall. Yoongi is as diligent as ever, starting the dishwasher before turning to the beer taps, opening up the cabinet underneath and detaching the empty kegs. “Hey, Jungkook,” he calls, raising his voice just slightly to be heard over the sports broadcasts. “Come help me with these.”

The dark-haired boy is already heading his way, wheeling the fresh kegs on a cart. “Way ahead of you,” he says with a teasing grin.

Yoongi rolls his eyes but allows him to pass, helping him unload the new kegs and load the old, empty ones onto the cart. As Jungkook wheels away again, the platinum-haired bartender begins arranging them in the correct spaces, hooking them up to the assigned taps and testing each one. Halfway through, he rolls the sleeves of the black Cypher uniform up to his elbows, and you can only stare at the newly revealed muscles, straining under the weight of a particularly heavy keg.

“{Name},” a soft voice says, pulling you out of your daze.

Namjoon is striding toward you, a small smile on his face. You feel your face heat up, wondering if he knows what—or more accurately, who—had just been distracting you so terribly.

If he does, he gives no indication of it. “{Name},” he repeats gently. “Jin is closing the kitchen in five minutes. If you or your tables want anything else, please put it in now.”

“Both my tables just paid, actually,” you reply with a nod in their direction.

“Ah.” Namjoon adjusts his glasses, following your movement. “Excellent, I’ll go check in and see how everything was. Could you let Yoongi know that the kitchen’s closing?”

You haven’t spoken more than a few passing words to the pale-haired bartender since he helped you during that hectic lunch rush a couple weeks ago. Hesitantly, you make your way over to the now empty bar at the end of the restaurant, watching out of the corner of your eye as Namjoon engages your tables in conversation. You hope they have good things to say about you and your level of service. Leaning against the bar, you think back over the evening, trying to recall if you had done anything that may be cause for complaint.

“All right over there?” Yoongi’s soft drawl pulls you from your thoughts. You jump, startled, eyes flickering up to meet his. He’s standing a few feet away, wiping down bottles, but even with the distance and the bar between you, you feel lightheaded under his scrutiny.

“Oh! Yeah, fine.” Fidgeting with your apron, you quickly add, “Kitchen’s closing soon, by the way. Namjoon said to tell you.”

He hums in acknowledgement before turning away to unload the dishwasher, steam billowing up as he opens the door. Plucking up a wineglass, he begins to polish it, and once again you find yourself mesmerized by the way he handles the delicate stemware. His movements are delicate yet calculated, and you cannot look away.

The scraping of chairs against the wooden floor draws your attention away from Yoongi. Whipping around, you see that your tables are beginning to leave and immediately spring to attention, joining Namjoon as he wishes them a pleasant night. Once the front doors close behind them, Namjoon turns toward you with a grin. You take his happy expression as a good sign that your tables hadn’t had any complaints about you. “Looks like you’re done for the night,” the tall manager says. “Have you done your cashout yet?”

You shake your head. “Not yet. I’ll get started on it now.”

Namjoon nods approvingly and strides away, taking a seat at the bar and engaging Yoongi in conversation. You head in the opposite direction, retrieving a tray and gathering up any remaining silverware and glasses on the tables. Soft footsteps sound behind you, and seconds later, Jungkook is plucking the tray from your hands.

“You know that’s my job, right?” he asks with a grin.

“Just trying to make your life a little easier,” you retort, a smile tugging at your lips.

He laughs. “Why, so you don’t have to tip me as much at the end of the night? No way. I’ve got this covered.” Hefting the full tray, he begins to walk back towards the dishwashing station. “You just go get your money so I can get my share.”

“Yeah, yeah.” You shake your head at his antics, following him to the back. As he begins dividing up the napkins from the silverware and plates, you walk into the office. Seokjin is sitting at the desk, staring at the computer with furrowed brows. Upon your entrance, he relaxes, leaning back and offering you a smile.

“Hey, {Name}. Good night?”

You shrug, taking a seat in the worn leather chair on the other side of the desk. “Haven’t actually looked yet, but it shouldn’t be bad.” Pulling out your notebook, stuffed to the brim with the evening’s receipts, you begin the tedious process of tallying up the various totals.

“Just let me know when you’re done.” Jin returns his attention the screen in front of him. Silence falls over the two of you, broken only by the clattering of dishes outside, where Jungkook is still sorting.

After double-checking your math, you let out a satisfied hum, handing off the papers to Jin. He looks through it, nodding.

“Looks good,” he says, signing his name on the slip with a flourish. Unlocking the safe, he counts out your money and hands it to you with a smile. You thank him, doling out a portion of it to give to Jungkook before pocketing the rest. Like you’d suspected, it had been a pretty decent night. A couple hundred dollars richer, you wander out of the office in search of the dark-haired busboy.

When you find Jungkook, he is putting the vacuum back in the storage closet with the rest of the cleaning supplies. “Thanks for your help tonight, Kookie,” you say, handing him his tip.

He pockets the wad of cash with a grin. “Anytime, {Name}. Thanks.” Casting a final look around the restaurant, he nods in satisfaction before looking at you again. “All right, well I’m done for the night. You heading out?”

You nod, walking with him to the coat closet. “Probably in a few more minutes. I’m just going to check the back one last time.”

Jungkook unties his apron and stuffs it into his jacket pocket. “Have fun with that,” he says sarcastically, flashing you a smile. “See you.”

“Bye, Kookie.”

Untying your own apron, you begin folding it idly as you meander through the back, checking that everything is clean and ready for opening tomorrow. Plucking up a stray straw wrapper from behind the soda machine, you toss it in the trash. Thankfully, everything else seems to be in order. As you head back to the front, you run into Seokjin, who is shrugging on his coat. “Hey, {Name}. Leaving?”

You smile. “Just about.”

He nods. “Good, good. Have a great night.” Jin exits with a wave, shutting off the lights on the way. The only source of illumination is now coming from a few overhead lamps hanging over the bar and the backlit shelves of liquor. You ignore the urge to look over in that direction, instead focusing on putting one foot in front of the other on your way to the coat closet by the front door.

“Heading out so soon?” A low, velvety voice freezes you in your tracks. Almost as if compelled, you turn to face the source, gaze flickering up to meet that of Min Yoongi. The platinum-haired man is standing behind the bar, casually twirling a wineglass. The top two buttons of his black uniform shirt are undone, exposing the pale skin of his throat and the dip in his collarbones. The sight is undeniably enticing, and you wonder if you’re imagining the seductive look in his eyes as your throat bobs, fighting to reply.

“Y-yes, unless there’s something else you need from me…?”

The corner of his mouth quirks up into an amused smirk. “Well, since you mention it…” He trails off, setting the glass on the counter before beckoning you over with a curl of his index finger. “Take a seat,” he orders.

Hesitantly, you make your way to the bar. Then, with a boldness you didn’t know you possessed, you perch on the barstool directly across from him, cheeks flushing as he gives you a satisfied nod. Crouching down, he disappears briefly behind the counter before reappearing with a wooden crate.

“I’ve been meaning to expand Cypher’s wine selection for quite some time now,” Yoongi explains in response to your questioning stare, setting the crate down and beginning to line up the six wine bottles. “My supplier sent me these today. Care to sample them with me?”

You can only muster up one thing to say. “Um, wouldn’t Namjoon or Seokjin be better at this kind of thing?”

Yoongi lets out a low chuckle. “I don’t see either of them around. Do you?” He pushes the wineglass toward you, waiting for your fingers to curl around the stem in acceptance before turning and selecting another glass for himself. “Shall we begin?”

“I’m not really a wine expert or anything,” you murmur as he picks up the first bottle, flicking open his wine key. Digging it into the cork, he pulls it out with a soft pop.

“Don’t worry about that. I’m sure you have good taste.” Deftly, he reaches over and fills both glasses. It’s a white wine, you notice. The bottle’s label reads ‘Lonely Whale’, smaller words underneath proclaiming that it’s a sauvignon blanc. You pick up the glass closest to you, bringing it to your nose and inhaling.

Yoongi watches you intently, his eyebrow rising in a silent question. You flush underneath his gaze. “It smells nice,” you say. “Fruity. Maybe a little floral, too?”

“Can you pick out anything specific?” he queries, raising his own glass. “A particular fruit?”

You take a careful sip, letting the liquid linger on your tongue for a few moments. “I’m not sure…”

His lips tilt up into a smirk. “Let me help you, then.” Stepping around the bar, he slides into the seat beside you, knees brushing up against yours. Plucking the glass out of your hands, he leans in closer, murmuring, “Do you trust me?”

Your heart feels as if it’s going to hammer out of your chest at his sudden proximity. “I-I mean, you haven’t ever given me a reason not to,” you manage to squeak out.

Yoongi stares at you for a long, hard moment, searching your face for any signs of discomfort or uncertainty. When he finds none, a lazy little smile settles on his face. Wordlessly reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a wad of navy blue cloth. As he unfolds it, you recognize it as a tie—one he usually dons whenever he’s working as general manager instead of bartender. “When one sense is taken away, the others become heightened. You’ve heard that, right?”

You nod, unable to avert your eyes as he holds up the thin strip of navy blue material and slides off his stool to stand behind you. His breath tickles the nape of your neck as he leans down.

“May I?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

This time, you give him a definite answer, stuttered and breathy. “Y-Yes.”

“Good.” You can practically hear the smirk in his voice, imagine the lazy, self-assured tilt of his lips. And then everything goes dark, the soft silken material sliding against your flushed cheeks as he pulls it taut around the back of your head, careful to avoid tugging on your hair. His fingers linger for a moment, brushing against your exposed nape and raising gooseflesh on your skin. You can hear your blood rushing, heart pounding so fast that it feels fit to burst right out of your ribcage.

And then suddenly he is gone, the warmth of his body disappearing from behind you. You hear the clinking of glasses, discerning that there are at least three being set on the counter. The soft pops of bottles being uncorked follows—two distinct sounds. Liquid pouring, sloshing against cool glass. Your harried heartbeat. The unhurried, even breathing of your companion.

“Drink.” Yoongi’s voice is low and mellifluous as he presses a wineglass into your hand. You obey, lips searching out the rim before tilting it upward and letting the wine hit your tongue. It tastes vaguely of citrus, and you have to take another sip to make sure your senses aren’t fooling you. Then Yoongi is speaking again, a simple, single utterance. “Thoughts?”

“It’s… nice. I don’t know if I like it better than the first one, though.” A pause, as you take the final sip, allowing it to sit on your tongue for a moment before swallowing. “I’m getting… grapefruit? Pineapple? It tastes almost tropical.”

He replaces your glass with another. “And this one?”

You bring it to your mouth. “Earthier.” Racking your brain, you dredge up one of the terms you hear thrown around frequently regarding wine. “It tastes a little more full-bodied than the last one.”

He hums in approval. “Do you want to taste the first one again?” You nod, fingers reaching out for the glass he proffers. After a sip, you bite your lip, still unsure of what you taste. “Still fruity,” you mumble. “It’s… almost creamy? Like peaches, or something. Maybe nectarines?”

Yoongi chuckles softly. “Is that your favorite of the three?”

“Mm. Yeah.”

You can feel his heavy gaze on you as you finish what’s left in the glass. “I knew you had good taste.” He sounds pleased.

Before you can respond, he is pressing something soft into your hands. Tentatively, you squeeze it, feeling it give underneath your grasp. You can hear flowing liquid and the dull thunk of bottles being placed on the counter, and deduce that he is pouring wine again.

“It’s bread.” Yoongi answers your unasked question. “Eat it. It’ll work as a palate cleanser. Then we can move onto reds.”

Obediently, you do as he says, eating the small chunk of bread. “Is this brioche?”

“Yes.” Amusement colors his tone.

You smile slightly. “Guess I know bread better than I know wine. Sorry.”

Yoongi huffs out a laugh. “Don’t be sorry—you’re much better at this than you think,” he reassures, sounding much closer now. Another glass is handed to you, his fingers brushing against yours as you accept it. “Tell me what you think of this one. Be honest.” His voice pitches lower, deeper. “I want to hear you.”

Unconsciously, your tongue darts out to moisten your lips. You sense that he’s close to you—very close. Your heart picks up speed, thudding erratically against your ribcage as you raise the glass and take a slow sip, savoring the aromatic flavor of the wine. When you drink again, you hear the distinct sound of Yoongi swallowing, and the mental image of his Adam’s apple bobbing against his pale throat sends a shiver from your toes all the way up to your crown.

You don’t know if the warmth pooling in your stomach is from arousal or alcohol, but you suspect it’s a combination of both. The glass meets the counter with a bit more force than necessary, your fists clenching as you resist the urge to reach out, touch him, kiss him—anything. He’s so close that you can feel the warmth radiating off his body, washing over you in waves. Each crest sends tingles down your spine—and the tingles only intensify when he speaks again, his voice husky. “Well?”

The ability to speak coherently evades you. “It, um. It’s… fine. Wine. Fine wine? Yes. Uh—”

Yoongi’s laughter rumbles in his chest, and you’re positive that if you just tilted your head to the left slightly, you would be leaning against him. “Speechless already?” he murmurs into your ear. “That’s a damn shame. I’m nowhere near being done with you.”

Heat blossoms across your cheeks. Your heart—already pounding out a frantic rhythm—feels fit to spontaneously combust. There is only him in this moment; he’s all you can hear and all you can think about, so when you find your voice again, only one word comes to mind, escaping into the open air in a breathy murmur. “Yoongi…”

A sudden, stifling silence falls, and for a moment, you think that you’ve done something wrong. Just as you’re about to apologize, you hear him exhale harshly through his nose. “Fuck,” he rasps, thumb coming up to trail along the bottom edge of the silky tie obscuring your vision. “I could get used to you saying my name like that.”

You can’t breathe. Almost instinctively, you lean into his touch, following the warmth of his hand. When he reaches your temple, he cups your cheek briefly before sliding his hand into your hair, fingers tangling in the soft strands. A soft sigh escapes you at the gentle gesture, turning into a gasp when his mouth finds the crook of your neck, ghosting across your bare skin.

“I wonder,” Yoongi murmurs, hot breath washing across you with every word, “how many ways I can get you to say my name tonight. Moaning, gasping, begging… bet I can have you screaming before the night ends.”

You’re reaching up to unravel the tie before you can even process it, fingers grasping blindly at the knot secured at the back of your head. You need to see him, need to see the terrible, self-assured smirk you’re positive is stretching across his handsome face, but his hand settles over yours and brings you to a heart-stopping halt. “Yoongi,” you try, but he tuts gently, his grip tightening.

“I don’t think so, sweetheart.” His fingertips smooth over the silk, your eyes fluttering shut underneath the fabric and his touch. “Remember what I told you earlier? Losing your sight will make you more sensitive in other ways, and I plan on taking full advantage of that tonight.” He leans back down, lips brushing the cusp of your ear. “That is, if you’re willing to indulge me.”

If your heartbeat quickens anymore, you’re certain you’ll burst. Pure heat is pooling in your core from his words, from his mere proximity—his entire being. Every breath you draw feels like a light year, and you are suddenly very aware of your left elbow.

And then you bob your head once, minutely, sighing out a soft, “Oh god, yes.”

Even though you can’t see him, you’re certain that Yoongi is smirking again. “Excellent,” he purrs, sliding his fingers into your hair and tilting your head so he can press his lips to yours.

The kiss is somehow both incredibly long and much too short, and you sense his reluctance as he pulls away for air. He brushes the pad of his thumb along your bottom lip softly, his breathing labored.

“You really have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

Your voice returns to you at last. “Then why’d you stop?” you ask, reaching out to pull him closer. Your fingers fist in the soft material of his shirt, tugging him insistently against your seated frame so that he’s standing between your parted knees.

Yoongi chuckles and kisses the corner of your mouth briefly before pulling away again. “Because I want to kiss you everywhere,” he replies, hands sliding down to the collar of your black uniform shirt and plucking lightly at the buttons. “Undo these for me, will you, sweetheart?”

You obey, starting from the topmost button and working your way down. After the first two, you feel the soft lace of your bra starting to peek through the gap, the sudden exposure stilling your hands.

He seems to sense your hesitance, voice low and comforting as his larger hands cover yours, gently urging you to continue. “Are you getting shy on me now?” he murmurs, breath tickling your exposed throat as he presses soft kisses along your collarbone. His fingers pluck the last button free, pushing the garment off your shoulders slowly. “We haven’t even begun.”

Your shirt falls away from your body entirely, and you deduce that he’s tossing it away carelessly from the soft whoosh of fabric that follows. Almost instantly, his hands are back on you, smoothing down your bare arms to twine with your fingers before he leans in and kisses you again. His movements are slow at first, but grow hungrier when you kiss him back, leveraging your twined hands to draw him closer. He swipes his tongue along the seam of your lips, dipping inside and exploring thoroughly when you permit him entry, and by the time he draws back his breathing is harsh and heavy.

“I really want to see you,” you admit softly, freeing a hand from his grasp and reaching up to touch his face, stroking the first thing you reach—which just so happens to be his nose. Trying again, you manage to cup his cheek, feeling the way his lips curl up into a smile.

“Soon, dollface,” he promises huskily, lips ghosting across the pulse in your wrist.

Then his hands return to your body, giving your bra-clad breasts a firm squeeze before dipping down, caressing the expanse of your stomach until they reach the waistband of your dark slacks. Yoongi doesn’t waste time in popping the button open and sliding the zipper down, working the pants down your hips and legs. The garment drops to the floor with a soft rustle, and you suppress a shiver at the sudden chill.

“Cold?” He sounds amused again as his hands find your hips, thumbs rubbing circles into them briefly before sliding down to cup the curve of your ass. With a strength that belies his lean frame, he lifts you off the stool, placing you directly on top of the bar counter instead. Your bare thighs smack against the cool wood, the impact sending a jolt of heat straight to your already throbbing core.

When you finally find the words to respond, they seem painfully inadequate. “Not if you keep—well, doing what you’re doing.”

“And do you like what I’m doing?” He fiddles with the waistband of your panties, snapping the elastic against your skin playfully. You inhale sharply, the action effectively distracting you from your efforts to remember which pair you are wearing—hopefully not something frumpy or embarrassing.

All those concerns fly out of your head when he nudges your knees apart, forcing them wider to accommodate his body between them. Reaching around, he unclasps your bra, slipping it down your arms and off entirely, and when he tweaks a hardened nipple, you stutter out a gasp. “Y-Yoongi!”

“Fuck, I really like that,” he purrs, thumbs hooking into your waistband and lingering there as his lips brush against the column of your throat, the movement feather-light and teasing. “You never answered my question, by the way.”

It takes you a moment to remember what question he’s talking about, but when you do, the answer is the most obvious thing in the world. “Yes, Yoongi,” you murmur, tilting your head slightly to give him better access to your neck. “I… I like it a lot.”

He hums, pleased.

And then he’s tugging your panties off, the thin material peeling away from your slick folds. You can feel the dampness sticking to your inner thighs in what you’re sure are glistening trails, and you’re certain that Yoongi sees them too, if his sharp intake of breath is anything to go by.

For a moment, he is absolutely still. His hands leave your body, withdrawing until you can no longer be sure of where exactly he is. Still, you can feel his eyes raking across your body—completely naked save the silk tie obscuring your vision. Your heartbeat quickens at the thought of what you must look like, sprawled atop the bar with your legs parted, chest heaving and thighs sticky with arousal. Uncertainty rises up and mixes with flushed embarrassment, gnawing at your insides along with a growing sense of fear. What if he thinks I’m ugly? What if this is all a cruel prank? What if he just leaves? Do I need to find a new job?

Just as you are beginning to run through a list of local restaurants that might be willing to hire you, the heat of his body returns, forcing your legs even wider. His lips are on yours again, tongue dominating your mouth frantically, as if yearning to swallow you whole. Your fingers fly up to tangle in his soft hair, anchoring him to you as you lose yourself in the urgent kiss. “Fuck. You’re so goddamn gorgeous, you know that?” Yoongi rasps, pulling away just enough to mumble the compliment against your lips.

“You’re really not so bad yourself,” you stammer in response, blushing when he snickers and pulls back to cup your face in his hands.

“Cute,” he says shortly, before stepping away. You whine at the loss of contact, ears perking up when you hear the sound of glass clinking and sliding against the wooden counter you’re currently seated on.

“What are you doing?”

“Cleaning,” is his reply. “I’m planning on spreading you open on my bar, but I don’t need anything getting broken. Shattered glass sucks to deal with.”

He sounds so blasé, and you can only gape, openmouthed. Anticipation, stronger than ever, is coiling in your tummy, settling and spreading to the rest of your body in waves of tingling warmth. Your thighs clench, rubbing together in an attempt to soothe the ache in your thrumming core as your companion continues putting bottles and stemware away, seemingly in no hurry at all. “Yoongi, please,” you whimper, voice thick and head heavy with lust.

“You’re really going to be the death of me, sweetheart.” He’s beside you again, the close proximity pulling an eager shiver from you. Turning toward him, you reach out, fumbling fingers splaying against his chest. Working your way upward, you slowly trace from his clavicle to his Adam’s apple to his face, finally finding your destination when you reach his mouth. Tracing the outline of his lips with your thumb, you slowly lean forward to bring him into a heated kiss. When you break apart, he delicately takes your face in his hands, stroking your cheeks. It’s a soft, sweet gesture—but the underlying heat of his touch only reminds you where else you want him.

“Please,” you try again.

“Tell me what you want,” Yoongi murmurs, still memorizing the ridges of your face with his hands, seemingly in no hurry to acquaint himself with the rest of your body. “Tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”

Warmth floods your face, but it’s nothing compared to the pure heat pooling in your core. “Please…. Touch me.”

His lips find your jaw, curling into a smile against your skin. “Touch you where?”

Your face grows even warmer, if possible. “Everywhere,” you whisper, mirroring his earlier words. “Touch me everywhere.”

His smirk widens. “Gladly.” He taps your knee and you eagerly spread your legs for him to settle between them, shuddering when he slides his hand up your thigh. Your breath hitches in your throat as he gets closer and closer to the place you need him most, only to groan in disappointment when his warm hand suddenly disappears.

“Oh!” The sudden, flaring heat of his mouth tears a gasp from your throat, turning into a moan a moment later when his tongue dips out to lap at you.

“Fuck, you’re soaked,” Yoongi rasps, pulling away slightly. One arm winds around your leg, rubbing circles into your hipbone. “Is this all for me, dollface?”

When you don’t reply, he takes your clit into his mouth, giving it a punishingly hard suck before disappearing again. “Well?”

You groan, head falling back at the sudden spike of pleasure. “Y-Yes, Yoongi.”

He pats your hip, satisfied with your answer. “Good girl,” he praises softly before his mouth returns to your core, laving at your folds in earnest. Flattening his tongue against you, he rocks from side to side gently before licking slow stripes along your entrance. The air fills with the wet, obscene sounds of his mouth, a moan leaving your lips as your fingers tangle into his soft hair.

A dangerous pressure is building inside you, winding tight like a spring just moments away from snapping. Yoongi seems to sense this, flicking at your clit teasingly. You tense around his head, his hair tickling your inner thighs, but he only pushes your legs apart again with a chuckle. The sound sends pleasant vibrations straight through your body, leaving your whimpering for your release.

When Yoongi unknots the makeshift blindfold, you don’t immediately realize what he’s done. Your eyes are screwed shut, mouth parted in a silent groan at the particularly hard suck he just delivered to your throbbing clit. You are so, so close, and only become aware of your restored vision when he reaches behind and kneads the fleshy curve of your ass, your eyes flying open at the jolt of not-quite pain. “Yoon-oh!” Your gaze flits downwards, heart skipping several beats when you finally, finally see him, and you swear you could almost come from just the sight alone.

You see his eyes first—looking up at you from underneath his platinum blond fringe, the soft strands still tickling your parted thighs. His black pupils are wide, blown-out with lust and shimmering with sinful promise, and you nearly groan when he smirks, pink tongue darting out to lick his glistening lips, stained with your juices. Keeping his dark gaze locked with yours, he presses a teasing kiss first to one thigh, then the other. His fingers trail along your bare calves briefly before hooking your legs over his shoulders, his face hovering just above your drenched core.

Shakily, you inhale a deep breath. Now that you can see him again, your embarrassment is beginning to return. This is Min Yoongi, your brain—and your eyes—remind you. Bartender, general manager, and very much your superior. So why the fuck is he here now, looking at you like you’re his next meal?

A languid swipe of Yoongi’s tongue against your clit sends all thought flying out of your head. You stiffen as he dips inside you experimentally, thrusting a few times before laving at your clit, working you right up to the brink of orgasm once again. “Fuck,” he groans appreciatively. “You taste like heaven. I could eat you out for hours.”

You aren’t sure what the proper response is to such a statement, but Yoongi doesn’t seem to need an answer. One finger slips inside you, pumping languidly before a second one joins, stretching you delightfully. His fingers dig deeper, crooking slightly, and you gasp as he hits that one spot inside you, one that you know will send you spiraling off the edge in seconds if he so much as brushes up against it one more time.

Yoongi must know how close you are, for his fingers still inside you. He taps your knee, fixing you with a stern gaze when you look down at him. “Don’t hold back now,” he orders before delving back between your thighs with vigor. His fingers curl inside you as his tongue circles your clit, and when he reaches up with his free hand to palm at a breast, you careen over the edge with a cry of his name, chest heaving as you ride out the waves of white-hot pleasure.

As your orgasm settles into a dull thrum, Yoongi retracts his fingers. His tongue continues lapping at you, though, teasing your clit before his lips envelop the sensitive nub, sucking gently. Already, your body is on edge again.

A whimper escapes you, and you feel Yoongi’s lips curve into a pleased smirk. “Your pussy feels like an absolute dream,” he murmurs hoarsely, finally pulling away and straightening up. For the first time, you can see just how hard he is, the bulge in his pants evident. Reaching out, you palm him, his erection hot and heavy even through the dark material.

“I want your cock.” The sheer honesty of your words shocks you, but it’s true. You’re not sure you’ve ever wanted someone this badly, and you see surprise flicker across Yoongi’s face before a lazy, lopsided smirk curls his lips.

“That so?” He keeps his tone light, but you can see the outline of his erection straining against his tight slacks.

You nod, sliding your hands up to his belt, fumbling with the buckle. He tilts your chin up with a finger, as if to say look at me, so you do. Your gaze remains locked on his even as you pop open the button of his slacks and slide down the zipper, thumbs hooking into the waistband and pushing it down his hips just enough to free his cock. Only then do your eyes flit downward, drinking in the sight of him. He is long and hard, the tip beaded with white, and your tongue darts out to wet your lips instinctively.

Yoongi doesn’t miss the hungry way you’re staring at him. Chuckling, he taps your cheek with his index finger, drawing your gaze back to his own smoldering one. “You can suck me off next time,” he promises. “Tonight, I want to be inside that pretty little pussy of yours. You’re so wet, I bet I’ll slide right in.”

A groan escapes you at his words. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you register that he said next time, as if this tryst might be a recurring thing after all, instead of a simple flight of fancy. But right now, you cannot focus on the uncertain future. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, you yank him forward, lips clashing with his. There’s nothing sweet about this kiss—it’s all teeth and tongue and fire—but you wouldn’t want it any other way. Reaching for the topmost buttons on his uniform, you begin to undo them quickly, and he must be just as desperate as you are, because his fingers fly to the bottom buttons, tugging them free of their holes. Within seconds, your hands meet in the middle, and you’re pushing the shirt off his shoulders. He lets it crumple to the ground, kicking it aside carelessly as he rummages in his back pocket for a condom. Tearing the packet open, he quickly wraps it around his length, giving himself a few strokes to make sure it’s encasing him properly before stepping forward to stand between your parted legs. Cupping your face, he brings you into another kiss, this one a little less frenzied but just as hungry as the previous one. Your hands find his shoulders, admiring their strength before wandering down the toned expanse of his torso. “Yoongi,” you breathe.

He understands. His hand drops down to guide the tip of his erection to your entrance, lingering there just long enough to make you impatient.

“Yoongi,” you insist, wrapping your legs around his waist. “Please.”

He glances at you from underneath his platinum hair, eyes dark with lust. “Of course, sweetheart.” And then he snaps his hips up, bottoming out in a single thrust.

The sudden surge of fullness rips a strangled moan from your throat, your head falling against his bare shoulder as you seize around him. Yoongi can only groan hoarsely in response, his hands gripping your hips with almost bruising force as he gives you time to adjust. When your legs tighten around his waist, he begins a slow rhythm, pulling out only to sink back inside. Your fingers tangle in the silky hair at the nape of his neck, urging him to move faster. He obliges, his breathing growing more labored as his hips snap against yours harshly. You feel so full; the hot, heavy weight of him dragging along inside you sets every nerve in your body alight.

Pressure is beginning to build in the pit of your stomach again, coiling tighter with every push of his hips. You’re certain that you’re gripping his hair too tightly and that the nails of your other hand are digging vicious crescents into his shoulder, but he doesn’t seem to care. One of his hands slips between your bodies, dropping down to rub circles into your clit. The additional sensation sends you hurtling toward your second high, and when he shifts his angle slightly to find that spot, you barrel clean over the edge with a garbled cry that sounds suspiciously like his name. Waves of pleasure overtake you and Yoongi rocks you through every single one, hips stuttering slightly as you spasm around him, but never once faltering.

You can only moan helplessly as he picks up speed. Your high is beginning to ebb away, core oversensitive and throbbing, but Yoongi is still chasing his orgasm and you are determined to help in any way you can. Rolling your hips languorously, you clamp down around him, and the tight draw of your body sends him spiraling, his pace becoming erratic as he comes. He buries his face into the crook of your neck, gritting out your name in a low, husky groan as he slowly goes lax.

For a few, quiet moments, you can only focus on catching your breath. Yoongi’s grip on your hips has loosened, choosing to wrap around your waist lazily instead, so you keep your arms around him too, stroking his nape softly. Your body is slick with sweat and his breath is uncomfortably hot against your shoulder, but you don’t push him away.

And then Yoongi is laughing, swearing under his breath.

You crane your head down to look at him, as much as he will allow considering his face is still buried in your neck. “Yoongi?”

He finally looks at you, straightening to his full height and taking your face in his hands. “You,” he begins slowly, “are so very sweet.” His dark eyes rake across your face, lips still tilted up in a crooked smile. “And I wish I didn’t have to come in first thing tomorrow morning, because you’ve made it very hard for me to look at my bar and not imagine you sitting on top of it like you are now.”

Your face flushes, and he laughs again. His fingers slide into your hair, tugging you into a languid, indolent kiss. You trace the soft curve of his jaw, parting your lips and allowing him to tangle his tongue with yours.

When you draw back, he’s still smiling. Leaning down, he picks up your discarded shirt and hands it to you before reaching down to remove the condom, tying it off and pulling his pants back over his hips. Still shirtless, he walks over to the nearby bin, discarding it and returning to where you are gingerly sliding down and off the counter. Your legs buckle slightly when your feet hit the ground, and he wraps an arm around your waist to steady you. “Thank you,” you murmur.

When you are both dressed again, he takes your hand, much to your surprise. “Let me drive you home,” he offers, something akin to fondness shining in his eyes. You wonder briefly at the expression, but a glance at the clock shows just how late the hour is and reminds you just how exhausted you are.

Smiling, you squeeze his hand. “Thanks, Yoongi.”

He nods, fingers tangling with yours. “Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime.”

#bts scenarios #bts smut #yoongi scenarios #yoongi smut #suga scenarios #suga smut #yoongi fluff #bts fluff #bts fic #bts fanfiction #min yoongi #suga #yoongi x reader #yoongi x you #bts #bangtan boys #restaurant au #lia writes

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your-dietician · 3 years

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Factor_ Is a Meal Subscription Service for All Kinds of Diets (Including Keto)—But Is It Any Good?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/health/keto/factor_-is-a-meal-subscription-service-for-all-kinds-of-diets-including-keto-but-is-it-any-good/

Factor_ Is a Meal Subscription Service for All Kinds of Diets (Including Keto)—But Is It Any Good?

As a food writer and home cook, I’ve always been a bit wary of ready-to-eat meal subscriptions. Most seemed too expensive (convenience is pricy, y’all). And despite the time a heat-and-eat meal saves in the kitchen, I wasn’t convinced that it’d be that much tastier than something I could make myself in 30 minutes or less. But when I got an opportunity to try a week’s worth of meals from Factor_, a dietitian-designed, chef-prepared meal service that boasts fresh (never frozen) dinners, I set out to challenge my own assumptions, one bite at a time.

RELATED: The 16 Best Food Subscription Boxes (So You Can Skip a Grocery Run This Week)

Value: 16/20

Functionality: 18/20

Quality: 18/20

Aesthetics: 19/20

Taste*: 18/20

TOTAL: 89/100

What Is Factor_ and How Does It Work?

Factor_, an offshoot of HelloFresh—one of the leading recipe-driven meal kits on the market—is a ready-to-eat meal subscription service. Every week, subscribers can choose from a new batch of more than 20 dietitian-designed, chef-made dinners made with wholesome ingredients. Once you confirm your menu, based on your current diet and food preferences (there are options for various different lifestyles, including keto, low-carb, plant-based and dairy-free dishes), the fully cooked meals are shipped straight to your door. Once they arrive, all you have to do is store them in the fridge until mealtime, then heat them in the oven or microwave to enjoy. The concept? To make eating nutritiously more attainable by cutting out most of the work.

Starting at about $11 a meal, Factor_’s dinners are free of hormones, antibiotics, gluten, added sugars and GMOs. (There are also a handful of breakfast and dessert options available, like their tasty, protein-rich smoothies and shockingly satisfying keto cheesecake.) Better yet, each subscription includes a 20-minute consultation with a dietician, who can help you choose the best meals for your wellness goals and lifestyle.

Read on to hear about each dinner in my meal plan (and see unedited photos of what the food *really* looks like).

Story continues

Wild-caught shrimp with house-made aji verde sauce; red pepper organic cauliflower grits; roasted broccoli with chili-garlic butter

Nutrition: 560 calories, 48g fat, 14g carbs, 24g protein, 5g sugar

If you couldn’t tell from the stats alone, this dish is keto-friendly, since a bit of fiber brings the carb count down to 10 net carbs. And honestly, it was probably my favorite of the lot in terms of flavor. The cauli grits were tender, decadent and creamy with the slightest bit of heat, thanks to the red pepper sauce. The shrimp were *huge* and just the right texture (not at all rubbery, like you might expect from a ready-to-eat meal). Dunked in the garlicky, citrusy aji verde, they were even tastier. The most underwhelming part was definitely the broccoli; it tasted like plain steamed broccoli rather than roasted. The chili garlic butter helped but could’ve been more flavorful.

Taste: 19/20

Chickpea vegetable curry; forbidden black rice and basmati rice blend

Nutrition: 530 calories, 26g fat, 65g carbs, 14g protein, 8g sugar

This dish is a great example of Factor_’s plant-based, vegetarian offerings, and it was hands-down my favorite meatless meal of the three I sampled. The curry had pleasant, subtle heat and bold, warm-spiced flavor. In addition to the chickpeas, which were tender yet firm, there were also greens, red bell peppers and coconut milk in the mix. While I was happy about the rice’s texture (reheating cooked rice is a tricky feat), its flavor was pretty bland; so, I spooned the curry on top and mixed it all together.

Taste: 17/20

Braised grass-fed beef chuck; creamy celery root purée; roasted Brussels sprouts and pearl onions

Nutrition: 560 calories, 29g fat, 28g carbs, 53g protein, 8g sugar

This comforting dish is neck-and-neck with the Peruvian shrimp bowl in terms of deliciousness. It’s soul-warming and cozy in a rustic, homey way. The mashed celery root purée is super creamy and cheesy, while the beef is impeccably juicy and tender. I did expect it to be a tad spicier or smokier because of the name, though. The Brussels sprouts are solid but nothing exceptional; on the other hand, I’m a sucker for pearl onions, and these offered a nice textural element to the dish.

Taste: 19/20

House-made saffron risotto and roasted carrots; red wine tomato sauce; roasted green beans with hazelnut gremolata

Nutrition: 590 calories, 37g fat, 58g carbs, 13g protein, 17g sugar

The aroma of red wine smacked my senses the moment I took it out of the oven. If you’re wondering where the risotto is, it’s buried under all that tomato sauce. It had a great texture but was sort of one-note in flavor, since the tomato sauce basically dominates the plate. I was impressed at how toothsome and fresh tasting the carrots were, unlike mushy reheated or frozen veggies I’ve had in the past. The green beans were buttery and crisp.

Taste: 17/20

Marinated, antibiotic-free chicken breast; house-made creamy Parmesan sauce; roasted broccoli and tomatoes

Nutrition: 670 calories, 49g fat, 17g carbs, 41g protein, 6g sugar

This keto dish clocks in at 13 net carbs, since it’s essentially all protein and produce. The chicken had a nice char that offered a barbecue-inspired smokiness to it. The sauce was creamy, garlicky and cheesy, but I felt it could have used just a touch more salt. The broccoli was like that of the shrimp bowl, but I was so happy to have the juicy blistered tomatoes there for a burst of sweetness.

Taste: 18/20

Fresh salmon with blackened seasoning; house-made roasted mango salsa; coconut-lime black beans and rice

Nutrition: 500 calories, 18g fat, 46g carbs, 40g protein, 13g sugar

Both seafood dishes whole-heartedly impressed me. The salmon fillet itself was super flaky with a buttery, tender texture. The rub on the fish was slightly spicy, so it was just the match for the sweet, summery salsa made with mangoes, tomatoes and bell peppers. The rice had a really mild coconut flavor and was slightly undercooked for my taste; I also didn’t detect any citrus, despite the name. It would have been nice if there were more beans in the rice, too.

Taste: 18/20

Pasture-raised pork chorizo chili; shredded cheddar cheese; sour cream

Nutrition: 570 calories, 44g fat, 13g carbs, 34g protein, 5g sugar

I honestly can’t complain much about a savory heap of meat, cheese and sour cream. (Though I wouldn’t have minded a vegetable in that spare compartment—the empty section of the tray held the cheese before I sprinkled it on top of the meat.) It’s tomatoey, indulgent and comforting. I didn’t notice too pronounced a difference between the chorizo and ground beef chilis I’ve had in the past, but the chorizo did impart some additional heat to the dish. The chili was made with lots of green bell peppers, and I was happy to find sliced scallions in the sour cream.

Taste: 19/20

Green lentils and spiced brown jasmine rice; house-made zhoug sauce (spicy cilantro sauce); caramelized onions; toasted pine nuts

Nutrition: 610 calories, 41g fat, 55g carbs, 14g protein, 7g sugar

This plant-based pick was my least favorite of them all. To be honest, I felt that it would be pretty flavorless without the zesty, herbaceous chimichurri-like cilantro sauce. The toasted pine nuts added crunch and texture, but they weren’t as crispy as they would’ve been if I’d toasted them in the oven myself (after all, they’d been sitting in the fridge all week with the rest of the meal). Some of the lentils were also a bit undercooked.

Taste: 16/20

Price is a major deciding factor. You can score meals for $11.50 a pop if you subscribe for a dozen. If you opt for eight meals a week, they come to $12.38, and for four meals a week, they’re $16 each. At the very least, that’s $64 for four dinners, while the best bang for your buck gets you 12 meals for $138. Personally, $138 gets me about two weeks’ worth of groceries, so Factor_ is on the pricey side for my budget. But I will say it was so nice not having to think about what I was cooking for dinner (and being left with zero cleanup).

My one general complaint would be that every meal took longer to cook than the package read. While the instructions said it should take about 7 minutes tops, each one took about twice that long to be heated through.

At the end of the day, the convenience and price are only really worth it if the meals are actually tasty. IMO, all of them tasted pretty darn good to me, and it was a bonus that they’re made with nutritious, high-quality ingredients. I loved that I didn’t have to worry about my freezer giving the food a funny texture or taste either, since they’re stored in the fridge. If Factor_ is within your budget, the meals’ flavor definitely won’t disappoint.

I’ll also say that if you’re on a low-fat diet, your menu options may be limited. For instance, I used to be on Weight Watchers (now WW) and decided to track some of the dinners in my app to see how many points they’d clock in at—most were at least 19, about 60 percent of my daily allotted points. Alternatively, if you’re on keto or another high-protein, high-fat diet, Factor_ could save you a ton of grocery planning and cooking time. It all comes down to your budget, wellness goals and dietary preferences.

Buy it ($11+/meal)

*Our final taste score was based on the average of the taste scores of each individual meal.

The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend—and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.

RELATED: The 22 Best Food Delivery Services to Try in 2021

PureWow may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from PureWow’s editorial and sales departments.

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meshugana1 · 6 years

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A friend of mine is getting married, and it's making me crave a story about a bride going nuts on her wedding night. His bride is so tightly wound, super religious, smart, trim, the works, but a total prude. I'd like to see that all implode in a heartbeat. She goes nuts, eating everything in sight, growing to an enormous size, humping anything that moves, and getting dumber with every passing second! Thank you for the great stories so far, your work is amazing! ~Joy

“NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!” Abigail screamed at the wait staff of her wedding reception. She rubbed her temples urging herself to calm down. It might’ve been the happiest day of her life but an outside observer would never know it with her behavior. She was as of three o’clock this afternoon Mrs. Abigail Pressman, however she had no time to enjoy the event as she was determined to make it so perfect that no one could possibly forget her special day. She managed the catering, the photographers, the ushers, the guests. Every cog and pin in the wedding machine was observed and accounted for.

“Abby please, calm down. The chicken is just a little undercooked, it’ll be ok they’ll just pop it back in the oven for a few minutes and it’ll be fine right?” Ryan asked turning to the cook who stood stock still, doing his best not set off the volatile woman.“Don’t try and clam me down honey. These people are trying to ruin my wedding on purpose, they’er jealous.”“Abby, why don’t we go and sit down? We can eat some cake and relax, have a glass of champagne, dance for a minute or two?”“Why are you defending them? They’re ruining everything I worked so hard on! Do you just not care? Did we get married for nothing?”“Of course not, I love you. I just think you’re blowing this out of proportion, just a little bit.”“Ugh!!” Abigail grunts throwing her hands up in the air and running of out of the outdoor reception are and into the church proper.

“Listen Barry, I’m really sorry. She’s just tightly strung today ya know?” Ryan said to the chef and his staff.“It’s all right man, I know how brides can get. But while I got you here I just wanted to say thanks for booking my company for the catering.” Barry said.“It’s nothing Barry, I know you man you were the clear pick. It’s not everyday I can have my best friend cater my wedding and watch my wife bitch him out.”“Har har chuckles. I see she’s already introducing marital bliss into your life, normally it takes a few months for crazy to set in.”“It’s just stress, you’ve known her longer than I have she’s never like that.” What Ryan said was true.

Abigail was typically a very kind, intelligent and driven woman but weddings just had a way of bringing out the worst in some women. Abby started micro managing everything, going over ever single word of every speech and every grain of salt in the food. She wouldn’t leave the tailor alone when he started on her dress. She called the old man everyday and must’ve had him redo the dress a dozen times. She even refused to pay for it because of all the trouble, she came home angry because his wife had cursed her out in some other language but she wrote a nasty review on yelp and she forgot the whole thing.

“Well don’t worry about it man, I’m sure she’ll even out during the honey moon. So, you two…”“Barry you know how devout she is, for christ’s sake we all went to catholic school together.” Ryan said unable to hide all of his frustration.“Ok ok, just asking. I better skedaddle back to the kitchen, Bridezilla is headed this way.” Ryan turned to see his bride walking over to him. He hoped she had a nice cool down and from the look on Abby’s face that seemed likely. She almost floated toward him with her hands clasped in front of her and her chin held high.

“I’m sorry honey. I just really want this day to be perfect, and I know I’m a little high strung but I think I’ll be ok now.” Abigail said full of sincerity.“I know babe, it’s finally time to relax and just enjoy our lives together.” Ryan said. Just then a young usher trotted up to the pair.“I’m sorry Mrs. Pressman but do you know where there are more napkins? We seem to be out.” He said. Abigail turned to him with no change int her face “Out? We are out of Napkins? Did you hear that sweetie? No napkins. Isn’t it grand? Isn’t it amazing? None, zip, zero napkins at all! Isn’t that the greatest mother fucking thing you’ve ever heard!?” Abigail yelled, still with a wide smile on her face.

The entire reception was shocked into silence by her behavior. Abigail then began to spin and dance by herself and humming the wedding march. She twirled over to the food table and bumped into it. “Oh look, all this food it going to go to waste now that we don’t have any napkins better get rid of it!” She finished by grabbing fistfuls of her wedding cake and shoveling it down her throat. It only took her five minutes to devour the towering confection and she moved on the ham and the shrimp and steadily gobbled down as much food as she could, People moved to stop her as she went but halted when they saw what was happening to her.

The ordinarily fit woman seemed to be plumping up a bit. Before Abby’s dress clung to her slim torso and accentuated her full breasts but now it looked like it pinched and bulged everywhere. Her arms thickened with every piece of shrimp and looked more flabby. Her dress fit less and less as she went on, the hips flaring out as her panties and lingerie tore from the added fat. Her bust outright giving up as her fat tits fell out and continued to fatten up. The stitching on her waist snapping one by one as her belly surged out and fell over her hips in front of her.

Finally her mother moved over to her and tried to stop her daughter from becoming a fat pig (a little late by the way). “Abigail! Stop this right now, look at yourself!” She said.“Oh mom, don’t worry I know what to do.” Abigail grabbed her mother by the shoulders and planted a messy kiss on her mouth. “This’ll make up for the napkins” she said and pushed her mother to her knees. She tore the rest of her dress away leaving her totally naked, as pulled her mothers face into her groin and began to vigorously hump her mothers shocked expression. This went on for five minuets before she let her go and moved onto the next nearest person falling down and humping the leg of her best friend Kate.

Abigail went on “making up for the napkins” until she had humped nearly everything in the area including her brothers dogs. Nobody seemed to have the will to make the chubby woman stop. The priest had managed to avoid her by running over the podium, Abigail stopped when she say the microphone stand. She grabbed the micro phone and began speaking, it took her a few more minutes until she realized she was holding the mike upside down. “Hehe sorry everybody, I’m such a total ditz right?” She said between obnoxious snorting laughter. “But now everybody should be happy and all the food is gone so now we don’t need napkins! Everybody’s happy! Now me and the hubbs are gonna contia…conte…concert the marriage! That means we’re gonna fuck and fuck and fuck and fuck!”

Abigail dropped the mike and skipped straight toward her new, confused (and just a little aroused) husband. She excitedly jumped up and down, her belly and tits bouncing up and down and said “Let’s make some babies babe!”

The End. Hope y’all like it!

#weight gain #intelligence loss #request

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skia-oura · 6 years

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Twelve Days (Christmas 2017)

A/N: Based on Na Leo’s version of the 12 days of christmas. Written in a couple hours, not really betaed.

Ao3

Twelve raw opihi-

Every Christmas, growing up, Torako’s family would serve raw opihi. When Bentley heard about this, he just about fell off her bed in awe.

“I mean, I knew it was expensive, but is it really that expensive?” Torako had asked, spinning a pen between her fingers.

“Torako,” Bentley said, clutching one of her pillows for strength. “I have never had opihi. I have only dreamed of sampling one single, delicious, disgustingly expensive shellfish. The closest I’ve gotten to opihi in real life is when I stood on New Sacramento Cliff and weighed the benefits and drawbacks of climbing down myself to get a couple—don’t look at me like that, I know it’s dangerous, but if I got three then my dad could have one, I could have one, and I could sell another to get some extra money.”

Torako stared at him, and for the first time really felt the financial difference between them.

“I mean,” Bentley said, blushing, glancing at thin air to his left and then back at her, “it’s not like we’re unable to survive, and we’re pretty comfortable, but we definitely don’t have enough for more than like, one opihi a year, and that’s not worth it.” Then he changed the subject, but Torako kept that information in the back of her head, waiting for the right time. Then, Freshman year, at Christmas, her family express-sent a dozen raw opihi, and Torako got to see the bliss on Bentley’s face as he experienced one of the most expensive delicacies of the Pacific Ocean.

They had opihi for many, many years after that.

-Eleven mu’umu’u-

The mu’umu’u was a soft shade of pink, and had discrete designs in shimmering silver thread. Bentley lifted it to his chest and watched the fabric fall over his legs, long and ruffled and perfect. In more ways than one, actually, because he couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“Not quite the reaction I was expecting, but I’ll take it, sure,” Torako said, grinning at Bentley even as a dipnipped-out Dipper licked her hair up into spikes. “What’s got you all cackling there?”

Bentley waved at her pile of presents and said, “just open the green mistletoe one, okay?”

Torako rolled her eyes and tugged the right one into her lap. She hefted it once, twice in her hands, then made short work of the wrapping to reveal cloth, dark blue lanced through with patterns dyed cyan.

She looked up from the mu’umu’u in her lap, wide-eyed for a moment with shock, and then laughed. “I guess we’ve got to get one for Dipper now too and make it a family thing, don’t we?”

Bentley thought of the eleven other dresses he’d been looking at online, and figured that one of them would have to suit his brother.

-Ten rainbow shave ice-

“Come on Bentley,” Torako hissed, her lips stained with food coloring and artificial flavor, “ten each, you can do it, it’s only one more and then we win!”

Bentley stared at the last rainbow shave ice on the table before him. His head swam with the merciless cold from the last nine he’d downed. He reached a trembling hand out and pulled the shave ice towards him.

“It’s just ice and syrup,” Dipper hissed, “it’s nothing, come on, we have cash money to get out of this.”

Who needed enemies, he thought, when your friends were willing to abandon you to the frozen claws of too much shave ice, all for the sake of meaningless cash. Methodically, he started to lift spoonful by spoonful of shave ice into his mouth, head wailing the whole while.

“Thirty seconds left, Bentley, oh my god just hurry—Dipper, I’ll give you a bag of gummy worms if you—”

“On it,” Dipper said, and next thing Bentley knew there was ice pouring down his throat, so fast and smooth there wasn’t even time to choke before it was an unsettling sensation in his stomach. Distantly, he heard Dipper and Torako cheering over their hard-won cash as his knees hit the ground a few seconds before his head did, and the last cognizant thought on his mind before they got home was that Dipper and Torako were going to pay for their indescretions.

-Nine pounds of poi-

“Who the fuck,” Bentley wheezed, helping Torako carry the package up the stairs to her apartment, “needs nine pounds of poi?”

“My extended family is large and we all like it very much,” Torako said, not even slightly out of breath. He hated her. He also hated Dipper, invisible and floating behind his friend’s head, making funny (disturbing) faces to try to get a rise out of Bentley. “You don’t have to help, you know.”

“I’m here,” Bentley said, arms trembling, “so I’m going to help, dammit. But I want payback, so much payback, because nine pounds of poi.”

“There’s even more in the truck!” Torako grinned at him, holding her end of the package one handed as she gestured down the stairs, and Bentley could swear he felt his soul leave his body a little.

-Eight ukulele-

Lata started playing instruments when she was seven, and she never quite went back. She started with a little ukulele at Christmas, plucking at the strings at random and with the kind of inattention that would embarrass them when they were older and knew exactly how fast and true their fingers could flyover the strings. They played many instruments—piano, harmonica, violin, drums, jumping from tool to tool until she came right back around to the ukulele, nine years old and still well-tuned. Lata would sit on rainy weekends for hours, humming and absentmindedly pulling music out of her childhood instrument, the tiny berries on her tiny antlers swaying as she did so. She played for her parents, for her Aunt and Uncles, for her classmates, lovers, coworkers. Lata never went pro with the ukulele—they weren’t confident enough, didn’t have the stomach for entertainment—but they played, and they played, and they played. Over their life, they owned eight ukulele, carefully maintained, sparsely decorated. The last was buried with her.

-Seven shrimp a-swimming-

“How many shrimp do you have in your linguini?”

“Ten, you?”

“Seven, so you better hand over two of yours otherwise I’m arresting you for unfair pasta.”

“I know it’s Dipper and all, but I still don’t think that unfair pasta is a reasonable charge, Torako.”

“Oh yeah? How many do you have, Mr. Mom?”

“My plate is empty.”

“Then you better throw it all back up so we can count, you little—no, get back here you heathen, you despicable—I want my shrimp, damn you Bentley!”

-Six hula lessons-

Torako remembers hula lessons in the way that many mainland children remember ballet lessons: fun at first, but progressively more boring the older you got. She got through six years before begging her dads to let her quit and do something actually fun, like hurling, which had a lot more shoving people and ball-chucking and there were sticks you could hit people with. She got hurling lessons for Christmas, and didn’t think of hula again.

When Bentley was five, he wanted to dance with all his heart, watched dancers of a thousand different styles and rhythm move their bodies in ways that made his heart sing with desire. He loved hula the most, the grace and power of it, the sway of heavy skirts and the smell of flowers saturating the air. Philip bought him six lesson’s worth of hula from the local dance center, but that was all he could afford so Bentley moved on to quieter, more realistic dreams with the taste of hula still humming in his bones.

-Five big fat pigs-

“Those are absolutely hideous,” Bentley said of the five pig statuettes that Torako opened, her face lit up with glee.

“They’re perfect,” she said, hefting one with lopsided eyes and a chef’s hat. “This is everything I ever wanted, and Dad knows me so well. It’s going right in the front entryway, where everybody will see it when they come in and it’s going to be the absolute best.”

Bentley eyed the menacing, overweight figurines and wondered how much he’d need to bribe Dipper (or Torako, for that matter) to move them somewhere a little more out of the way.

-Four flower leis-

Bentley doesn’t remember it, but on his third birthday, he and his father went out to the beach with four leis, carefully cradled in florist’s stasis wrap, and stepped ankle-deep into the water. Philip placed one lei around his own neck, one around his son’s, and twisted the other two around a stone the size of two fists put together. He hefted it in his hand, the weight of his son heavy in his other arm, and closed his eyes. “Susan,” he murmured, and a slight chill from the mid-December breeze caught the hair on the back of his neck right before he threw the stone into the ocean, the juice of crushed flowers lingering on the skin of his palm and in the crease of his fingers even as the ocean swallowed the stone, the flowers, with softer embrace than it had his wife.

-Three dried aku-

Torako threw a package of dried aku at Dipper, pouting as she did so. “No fair,” she whined, “Bentley got me those for Christmas, and do you know how hard it is to get actual dried aku on the mainland?” Dipper, mid-bite of skipback tuna, grinned at her with dried fish stuck between his sharkish teeth, and said, “Well, it’s worth the deal then, isn’t it?”

-Two coconuts-

“Hey handsome,” Torako purred, and when Bentley turned despite his better instincts there she was, lounging on the table in nothing more than a santa hat, a coconut bra, and one of those silly plastic wrap skirts cheap tourist places in the Californian Federation liked to sell. Torako opened her mouth, cupped one of the coconuts on her chest; before she could speak, Bentley interrupted with a “No, Torako, I don’t want to buy a coconut or drink any milk, get out of my kitchen before I brain you with the rolling pin.”

-and One myna bird in one papaya tree

Bentley had distinct memories of early December in his childhood, laying under the papaya trees in the park with his father, snacking on sweet lumpia and listening to the endless chatter of the myna birds above, laughing when his father talked to them and the starlings echoed his own words back, no matter how silly or sweet.

fin

#bentley farkas #torako lam #dipper pines #transcendence au #tau #tau fic #tau related #christmas #12 days of christmas

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years

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To Make Better Mexican Food at Home, Get to Know These Chiles

Photo-illustration: Eater

Once you know how to work with chiles, it’s easy to make salsas, marinades, and more

Homemade salsas are unquestionably better than runny store-bought brands. They’re also easy to make. And yet we’ve all attended a party where the cook went all out creating beautiful hors d’oeuvres, and then dropped a jar of Pace Picante right in the middle of their Martha Stewart moment. The only logical answer to this asymmetrical spread is that many non-Mexicans are intimidated by salsa’s chief ingredient: chiles — especially those dried ones.

Mexico counts 64 types of chiles that cooks use fresh, dried, roasted, or smoked. You’re unlikely to find that kind of variety in the U.S., but your local supermarket or Mexican market, depending on where you live, should have at least a few types for you to work with. And with some basic knowledge of the techniques shared by Mexican cooks throughout the country’s 32 culinary regions, using chiles to make salsas, marinades, stews, and more could become your newest kitchen hobby. Here’s how to get started.

Creating a base for salsas

Having access to fresh tomatoes and tomatillos is important for great sauces, whether you’re using fresh or dried chiles. You can make a basic tomato or tomatillo base by roasting, boiling, or blending fresh tomatoes or tomatillos with a little water. There’s no need to add salt, onions, garlic, or other seasonings unless you are sure you want those ingredients in your salsa. You can freeze this mixture or keep it in the fridge for a couple of days.

If you want to make salsa from scratch any time of the year, canning your own tomatoes is a good idea, and when you have tomatoes that are unripe, stiff, and flavorless, lacto-fermentation can bring out some flavor. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials on these techniques, and you can use tomatillos or even a can of El Pato tomato sauce when you can’t find good tomatoes. As chef Marcela Valladolid wrote on a recent Instagram post about her fideos secos: “Used a can of El Pato. If you know you know.”

A primer on fresh chiles

In the Mexican kitchen, simpler is better, because chiles are full of natural flavors. Fresh chiles are best used for stuffing, pickling, fire-roasting, and making salsa verde, which is softened by tomatillos (fresh, roasted, or boiled), and often flavored with garlic and onions. Fresh chiles can be used raw or cooked, and it’s up to you whether to remove the seeds and membranes or to use all of the heat of the pepper. To familiarize yourself with fresh chiles, blend them with water and salt to taste, and add tomatillos for tartness and balance. Experiment with seasonings only after you’ve learned to appreciate the chiles’ flavors without them.

Anaheim and chiles poblanos, which are often mislabeled as chile pasilla in non-Latinx supermarkets, are relatively easy to find and great for stuffing or making roasted chile strips. In cities with large Mexican populations, like Los Angeles, you’ll also find markets that carry chilacas, which are a favorite for their stronger flavor, and chile de agua, the spiciest stuffing pepper used in Oaxacan cuisines.

Chile jalapeno and chile serrano are ubiquitous, and the standard chiles for adding spice to a salsa verde. These two can be roasted, blackened, grilled, boiled, fried, or used raw to attain various levels of heat, flavors, and textures in salsas. But a warning: Be prepared for them to be inconsistent in their heat levels — sometimes they are mild, and other times, they’re fire.

But if it’s fire you’re after, look for fresh chile de árbol, green habaneros, or chile pequin. You can apply the same cooking techniques to habaneros as you would to serranos and jalapenos, but these bright orange peppers can also be blended with carrots to keep their color, added to other salsas to increase the spice level, or sliced and cooked in lime with sliced onions and spices. If you’re lucky enough to find chile manzano, try pickling them in lime or adding them to a pico de gallo.

Fresh chiles are easy to work with: simply pop them in a blender with salt and you have a salsa. Still, the big question is what to do with those dried chiles, the true stars of the Mexican kitchen for their role in the majority of Mexico’s traditional plates.

Getting comfortable with dried chiles

The two most broadly used chiles (and two you should have no trouble obtaining) are chile ancho (dried poblano) and chile guajillo (dried mirasol). Both are mild chiles used in sauces, rubs, pastes, soups, stews — you name it — and form the base of salsas for red chilaquiles, red enchiladas, marinades like al pastor, and so on. But these are by no means the only dried chiles you can find at the grocery store. Chile California and chile Colorado are used for bright red northern Mexican stews. Chipotles add smokiness, while chile de árbol lends a strong spice. Both can be used on their own or added to other dried chiles. Some chiles are there for color, others for flavor, and others for spice — together, the use of various dried chiles can create wonderful complexities in flavor.

However, some chiles aren’t as widely available: You’re more likely to find chile puya, chile morita, chile pasilla, chile japones, chile pequin, and the round chile cascabel at Mexican or Latinx markets in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, or other cities with Mexican enclaves. Any of these are wonderful in salsas, blending with milder dried chiles, or in traditional Mexican recipes.

You can find extensive guides to dried chiles online, like this one from Mely Martinez’s Mexico in My Kitchen or this one from Mas de Mexico, but the best way to get to know their flavors and capabilities is by making basic salsas. Mirta Rodriguez of Tijuana’s Sonoran seafood truck Mariscos Ruben says, “I only use about three different chiles [to make around a dozen salsas], and just use different techniques for each salsa.”

Toasting dried chiles on a comal (flattop), taking care not to burn them, will bring out the flavors of chile ancho, chile guajillo, and other dried chiles used for bases. (Do this before freezing them or keeping them in the fridge for short-term use.) Frying dried chiles in oil, boiling them in water, and, in the case of chile de árbol, blackening them on a dry comal will yield different results.

Once you’ve decided on which chiles and which cooking technique to use, you’ll need to make a chile paste or powder to preserve the dried chiles for incorporating into cooking later. But first, a note on storing dried chiles: Many of the dried chiles you bring home may already have pantry moths, larvae, or other pests, and can be pretty dirty, so if you’re using them right away, clean them with a damp cloth. If saving them for later, place them in freezer bags, removing the air, and store them for up to six months in the freezer, advises Mely Martinez. This will kill any pests and keep your pantry from being overrun by a colony of pantry moths.

How to make chile pastes and powders

Having a chile paste or chile powder handy means all of the time-consuming preparation is done and a great salsa is just minutes away. In Oaxaca, the chile paste is called chintestle, but all Mexican cuisines store chile paste to add later to tomatoes or tomatillos to make salsa.

“My town’s chintestle is just chile de árbol, water, and salt,” says Alfonso “Poncho” Martinez of Poncho’s Tlayudas in LA. Sinaloan home cook Lety Beltran uses chile ancho and chile guajillo with a little water, adding salt later. You can use cleaned chiles or keep the seeds for added spice, but anchos, guajillos, and other mild dried chiles are best cleaned before blending.

The amount of water you add to your paste depends on when you are going to use it — less water is for when you’re storing the chile paste longer. You can refrigerate this paste for a couple of weeks or freeze it. Blend the paste with tomato or tomatillo sauce for a salsa, add it to frijoles de la olla, or use it as a marinade for any kind of protein. “I use my mom’s paste to make pozole rojo, or birria de chivo,” says Beltran.

“My master sauce is chile ancho and guajillo for enchiladas rojas, asado rojo, pozole rojo, and for tamales rojos,” adds Alfonso Martinez. Once you have a paste you like, the sky’s the limit, and you can move one step further in making and freezing a salsa base.

In traditional Sonoran cooking, according to Elsa Olivares Duarte’s El Sabor de Sonora, the recipe chile Colorado en pure is a salsa of chile Colorado with salt, oregano, onion, garlic, and beef stock, which is strained and cooked; it can be refrigerated or frozen for later use. This salsa is used for enchiladas, carne con chile, tamales rojos, and many regional plates, and the base is thickened with flour when the dish calls for a more dense salsa.

Afro-Mexican cook Maria Elena Lorenzo of Tamales Elena makes a paste of chile costeno, chile guajillo, chile puya, and chile California and adds seafood or meat stock, depending on what she’s preparing. “My mom uses this salsa for caldo de camaron con jaiba, picaditas, and pescado a la brasa,” says chef Heidi Irra, Lorenzo’s daughter. Lorenzo and Irra keep various salsas in their freezer ready to go.

Another method of preservation is to make chile powder using a spice grinder. Beltran grinds chile guajillo to add to grilled shrimp and fish as a seasoning. “I like to add chile powder to black beans and chicken soup,” says Alfonso Martinez.

“Adding some ground chile ancho is nice to color masa for tamales and empanadas,” says Mely Martinez. Fresh-ground chile powder can become the base of a salsa, for seasoning, making a hot sauce, or mixed with salt to rim the glass for micheladas, palomas, or margaritas. Stored in a cool, dark place in an airtight container, chile powder can last up to three years, but keep in mind its flavor will diminish over time.

Putting it all together to cook Mexican dishes

You now have powders, pastes, salsa, and flavor bases to cook Mexican cuisine, or Mexican-inspired creations at home. Start with common dishes found in all Mexican restaurants in the United States, like enchiladas rojas, chilaquiles rojos, huevos rancheros or divorciados, red salsa for taco night, stews, soups, and beans. Remember that the 32 provincial styles of Mexican cooking all use different dried chiles, so when using regional recipes, feel free to use the chiles you have available as substitutes for any of them.

Chiles are made for experimentation. Combine tomato or tomatillo sauces with your pastes or powders, or add a complete salsa to a dish, and don’t be afraid to mix pastes and salsas. Make an adobo or al pastor marinade by blending ancho-guajillo paste with vinegar or lime juice, herbs and spices, and other citrus, or incorporate chile powders into a rub for seafood and meats. The more you get to know the dried chiles at your local supermarkets — or Mexican or Latinx markets, if you’re lucky — the more comfortable you’ll be using them for any dish, Mexican or not.

Bill Esparza is a James Beard Award-winning writer and author of LA Mexicano.

Photo credits: Poblano: Stewart Waller/GettyRed, orange, green pepper: Cathy Scola/GettyDried poblano: Carlos Rodriguez/Getty

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2WKS2PJ https://ift.tt/30hT2LW

Photo-illustration: Eater

Once you know how to work with chiles, it’s easy to make salsas, marinades, and more

Creating a base for salsas

A primer on fresh chiles

Getting comfortable with dried chiles

How to make chile pastes and powders

Putting it all together to cook Mexican dishes

Bill Esparza is a James Beard Award-winning writer and author of LA Mexicano.

Photo credits: Poblano: Stewart Waller/GettyRed, orange, green pepper: Cathy Scola/GettyDried poblano: Carlos Rodriguez/Getty

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2WKS2PJ via Blogger https://ift.tt/3fEHVTS

#Blogger #cooking #Eater #food #recipes

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db-best · 5 years

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The Recipes We Can’t Wait to Cook From This Fall’s Best New Cookbooks - Grub Street

The fall cookbook lineup. Photo: Stella Blackmon/New York Magazine Fall is just a few weeks away and with that comes the energy to take on new projects or cook elaborate meals for the hell of it. Nothing goes better with that renewed sense of momentum than a new cookbook, and lucky for us, this is the time of year when great new cookbooks come out on a near-weekly basis. Grub combed through the dozens of cooking guides arriving between now and November and looked for the recipes we’re most excited to cook in our kitchens over the next few months. Here are the 12 cookbooks most worthy of your bookshelf.

A Place at the Table: New American Recipes From the Nation’s Top Foreign-Born Chefs The recipe: Shrimp-and-okra pancakes and charred-scallion dipping sauce Why: Because Korean-Creole crossover cooking is our new fall vibe. The beauty of this book is that whether you cook or not, it’s worth the purchase. First and foremost it’s a book about how some of the country’s best immigrant chefs made it in America, like Café Boulud chef Jae-Eun Jung, who was born in Korea, ended up cooking for Queen of Creole Cuisine Leah Chase, and then landed a coveted position at Le Bernardin. Here, all of those experiences blend into her shrimp-and-okra pancakes and charred-scallion dipping sauce. It’s just one of dozens of recipes, with other contributions coming from chefs Dominique Crenn, Edward Lee, Michael Solomonov, Daniela Soto-Innes, and others. Out September 24

Mixtape Potluck Cookbook: A Dinner Party for Friends, Their Recipes, and the Songs They Inspire The recipe: Vietnamese braised pork belly Why: Because where else will you find Eric Ripert and Q-Tip in the same cookbook? Of all our food-obsessed celebrities, Questlove is definitely the most connected. And that’s on full display in this new compilation of recipes from his friends in both Hollywood (Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, Jessica Biel, Natalie Portman) and the food world ( Eric Ripert, Greg Baxtrom, Kwame Onwuachi). And did we mention Martha Stewart wrote the foreword? The Roots drummer avoids recipes that are overly complicated — like this dead-simple recipe from D.C. chef Kevin Tien — making Mixtape Potluck much more accessible than most chef-y cookbooks, plus there’s a premade party playlist at the very end. Talk about a one-stop potluck shop. Out October 15

South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations The recipe: Crowder pea and hominy succotash Why: Because Sean Brock still has a lot to say about southern cooking. The last two years saw chef Sean Brock leave his Husk restaurant empire, give up alcohol, and welcome his first child. Accordingly, Brock is in the midst of a transition from hellraiser to torchbearer, and in this follow-up to the James Beard Award–winning Heritage, he achieves that with a guide to the foundations of southern cooking, like deviled eggs, smoked pork, and fried green tomatoes. But don’t sleep on the more obscure recipes, like this hominy and succotash dish. This is where Brock shines, bringing the South’s most obscure recipes to national light. Out October 15

The NoMad Cocktail Book The recipe: The Loisaida Avenue Why: Because it’s the ultimate guide to a very special genre of cocktails: hotel lobby drinks. The NoMad Cocktail book has actually been around since 2015, when it came as a part of The NoMad Cookbook, essentially making it the speakeasy of the drink-book world. But come next month, that will change with the official release of this illustrated guide by bartender Leo Robitschek, featuring recipes from the 2015 version as well as 100 new concoctions he’s put together. This sweet-and-smoky cocktail feels the most on trend, featuring jalapeño-infused tequila, mezcal, Angostura bitters, Chartreuse, lemon juice, and simple syrup — and it’s definitely worth making at home. Out October 22

Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks The recipe: Domenica’s Raviole di valle Varaita Why: Because Italy’s best cooks are its grannies. In 2014, Vicky Bennison decided she wanted to learn how to cook at the elbow of an Italian grandmother, a project that became a super-popular YouTube channel and Instagram where she showcases so-called “pasta grannies” with names like Sperandina and Graziella. Next month, Bennison will release a book featuring all the recipes she’s compiled over the years, including this raviole (actually a type of gnocchi) made with old potatoes, light cream, Parmigiano Reggiano, and a boatload of butter. Out October 29

The Saltwater Table: Recipes from the Coastal South The recipe: Cumberland paella Why: Because the real seasons are Oyster, Vegetable, Shrimp, Heat, and Smoke & Cedar. The southern coast is long, stretching from Virginia to Georgia. More specifically, Cumberland Island, Georgia, where chef Whitney Otawka runs the Greyfield Inn (after stints at Hugh Acheson restaurants in Athens, Georgia). Though Otawka grew up in California, she’s spent the last decade learning the language of southern seafood. Accordingly, this book is divided into that region’s seasons, including oyster season (January through March), heat season (June through August), and smoke and cedar season (October through December). Though there are plenty of non-seafood options, the book shines when it digs deep into the region’s briny history and puts a spin on it, like with this paella featuring shrimp, flaky fish, littleneck clams, and Carolina Gold rice. Out October 22

Pastry Love: A Baker's Journal of Favorite Recipes The recipe: Apple-cider sticky buns Why: Because this is the new apple-cider doughnut. For her second book, Boston baker Joanne Chang dives into the recipes she loves personally, like strawberry slab pie, fig danishes, and the butter mochi she first tried in Hawaii. But if there’s one thing Chang is famous for, it’s her sticky buns. So you can bet we’ll be baking her apple cider take, which Chang claims are even better than the original recipe. Out November 5

The Gaijin Cookbook: Japanese Recipes from a Chef, Father, Eater, and Lifelong Outsider The recipe: Bagels with Japanese-ish fixings Why: Because this is how you embrace another culture without completely ripping it off. It takes a lot of chutzpah to write about Japanese cooking as an American, but if anyone’s qualified, it’s Ivan Orkin. In The Gaijin Cookbook, which gets its name from the Japanese equivalent of “gringo,” the chef embraces the fact that despite his incredible love of and appreciation for Japanese culture, he will never truly be Japanese. That being said, he’s learned a few things after running successful restaurants in the notoriously insular country. The book covers a lot of the basics — think tonkatsu, okonomiyaki, and ramen — but where it shines is with recipes like this Japan-inspired take on bagels, including cream cheese with powdered seaweed and shiso gravlax. It’s just simple enough to try out the next time you have the gang over for mimosas and bagels. Out September 24

Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African-American Cooking The recipe: Chicken and dumplings Why: Because this is how you share the history of African-American cooks. Back in 2015, Toni Tipton-Martin — the first black woman to hold a food editor position at a major publication — published The Jemima Code a compendium of two centuries of African-American cookbooks. Now, she’s turned all that information into Jubilee, which adapts many of the recipes she came across in her research for the 21st-century cook. Expect classic recipes like sweet-potato casserole and wilted greens with bacon, as well as this killer recipe, the epitome of comfort food. Out November 5

Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over The recipe: Coconut-braised chicken with chickpeas and lime Why: Because Alison Roman has managed to put together another eminently cookable book. It’s impossible to predict exactly which recipe in Alison Roman’s new cookbook will be the next Instagram superstar. Instead, Grub is excited about recipes like this one, because it exemplifies that classic Roman approach to cooking: well-known ingredients rearranged in interesting and compelling ways for young home cooks who want food that looks (and photographs) as good as it tastes. Out October 22

American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta The recipe: Triangoli with pumpkin, butter, and sage Why: Because here’s your chance to see into the kitchen of L.A.’s pasta king. When Evan Funke materialized in the national food consciousness in 2017, operating out of a bigger-than-it-looks restaurant on Venice’s trendy Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Los Angeles had no choice but to bow to his pasta prowess. Two years later, it’s still basically impossible to get a last-minute reservation at Felix Trattoria, and why not: Funke is producing some of the freshest and most beautiful pasta west of the 405. But the man isn’t stingy with his knowledge. Just as he went to Italy and learned the art of pasta-making, he hopes you’ll learn from him in this book, with step-by-step instructions and detailed photographs of 15 pasta shapes from strichetti to cestini. Braver folks may want to jump right into the caramelle with artichoke, but we say start simple, like with this autumnal pasta recipe. Out September 24

Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen The recipe: Kielbasa and potato scramble Why: Because who can resist a chef-y take on our nation’s greatest cuisine: Tex-Mex. Chef Josef Centeno made his name slinging Spanish-Mediterranean fare at his flagship L.A. restaurant Bäco Mercat, but at one point or another, all chefs return to their roots and the food they grew up eating. Centeno did just that with his Tex-Mex cantina Bar Amá, which the late Jonathan Gold once praised for its puffy tacos and sopa seca with kielbasa and octopus. Now, you can cook your way through the restaurant, including Centeno’s scramble, which is comprised of much more than its name implies (think: yellow onion, serrano chile, avocado, and two kinds of chilis), making it, as the chef points out, the perfect filling for homemade breakfast tacos. Out October 1

Eat like the experts.

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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Where to Chow Down Around Crunchyroll Expo

Cosplay, anime, and Hime. Oh my! It's almost time for the Crunchyroll Expo! And while there will be lots to do at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, you're bound to want to get out and see more of the city, and of course, taste some of the delicious dishes San Jose has to offer!

Are you a pizza fan? A steak and potatoes kind of eater? Are you ready for some Asian cuisine or a rustic Italian dish? Whatever you're in the mood for, there's something on this list for everyone, including those who have specific dietary restrictions. Below you'll find a list of ten restaurants near the convention center, each of which can be found on this handy map. We have chosen specialty places, though if you've got the urge for some fast food, we've also got you covered. Estimated price ranges are listed whenever available, along with a quick overview of the main types of food available at each location. The most and least expensive main dishes are listed for each location, along with specialty menus, serving times, and dietary options (like vegetarian, gluten-free, and soy sensitive menus).

China Chen

China Chen serves Asian food all day, making this establishment an option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The restaurant advertises their Shrimp Wonton Egg Noodle Soup as a "fan favorite" and the best in the universe! They're also quite proud of their flour cakes, which they promise will be made fresh on a daily basis.

Highlights:

Combination Chow Fun $12.50 Pan-fried rice noodles with a medley of meats and vegetables.

Fried Flour Cake Delight $8.50 Flour cake with eggs, onions, pickles, and dipping sauce.

Options include soups, noodles, and rice dishes.

Dakao

Dakao is a great option for anyone needing a quick bite on the go. The restaurant offers sandwiches and fast food that you can nosh while you're out and about. Those who want a traditional dining experience can still take advantage of this establishment's fare, too. Desserts and catering options make this a great choice for parties and celebrations.

Highlights:

Sandwiches $3.50

Croissant sandwich $4.50

Noodles, rice, soup, pho, fish, rolls, and more are available.

Pork, chicken, fish, vegetarian options, and more!

Iguanas

Obviously, a place advertising something called the "Burritozilla" dabbles in burritos. But Iguanas goes a bit further than that. The restaurant serves an enormous monster of a burrito dubbed, you guessed it, the Burritozilla! Fans of Mexican food will also be happy with the wide variety of dishes available.

Highlights:

5-pound 18-inch Burritozilla $32.50

Mini burrito $7.50

Happy Hour: Monday-Friday from 2-4 PM, offering a $9 meal with a medium soft drink.

Chicken, beef, carne asada, and more options available to choose from.

Lard-free beans.

Flour, wheat, or spinach tortillas are available.

Tacos, bowls, salads, nachos, and vegetable options are served, including veggie tacos and burritos.

La Victoria Taqueria

La Victoria, or LaVic's, as they are called in the area, advertises their popular tacos, breakfast burritos, and carne asada. But where they really shine is with their much-loved orange sauce. The orange sauce recipe is a secret, but LaVic's promises the concoction is safe for vegans and vegetarians.

Highlights:

Burritos, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and more!

They also offer meat and veggie options for most types of meals.

Breakfast served between 7-11 AM.

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks

McCormick & Schmick's is proud of their popular bar area known for its award-winning foods. Perhaps an even bigger draw for convention-goers is the convenience factor. M&S is a short walk from the convention center and allows easy sight-seeing access to anyone looking to check out the nearby Museum of Art and Civic Auditorium. Burgers and steaks are available, but the seafood is the big draw. Chef Flores recommends the Hawaiian Bigeye Ahi Tuna, which should pair quite nicely with the establishment's oyster bar.

Highlights

Lunch Offerings:

Pan-Seared Alaska Halibut $40

Bangkok Pan Noodles $12.50

Dinner Offerings:

Twin North Atlantic Lobster Tails $46

American Kobe Style Burger $19

Happy Hour: Monday-Friday from 4-6:30 PM; meal options can range between $3.50-$9.50 with other side items available.

Soups, salads, and oyster bar also available. McCormick & Schmick's supports local and sustainable institutions such as ranches, fisheries, farms, and breweries.

Morton's The Steakhouse

Morton's The Steakhouse also boasts a convenient walking distance from many nearby attractions. The steakhouse offers a variety of ways to enjoy its popular meat dishes, including a bar, patio, and private dining areas. Morton's offers a three-course lunch selection allowing diners to choose a soup or salad, a main dish, and a dessert. Dinner options include a mixed grill allowing for a variety of meats and seafoods in a single dish.

Highlights:

Morton's Prime Burger

Shrimp Scampi Capellini

Porterhouse Steak

Steak, soups, salads, steaks, chicken, and various seafood options to choose from.

Offers gluten and soy sensitive lunch and dinner menus.

Original Joe's

Original Joe's is proud to have been one of the first restaurants based in San Francisco to branch out into San Jose. They boast worldwide recognition, and with multiple travelers' awards and recognition from the Zagat guide, it's not hard to see why. Original Joe's promises an Italian twist on most available dishes. The restaurant offers a different dinner special each night of the week, along with a Joe's Special as part of the breakfast menu.

Highlights:

Steak sandwich $25.95

Turkey burger $14.95

Breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and more, all with an Italian spin like ciabatta bread or Italian spices and sauces!

Pizza My Heart

Another Zagat guide recommendation, Pizza My Heart is perfect for travelers looking for both a great meal and a souvenir. This establishment offers a wide variety of pizza options, including vegetarian varieties, along with exclusive collectible T-shirts that change each year!

Highlights:

12", 14", 18" pizzas. Prices vary by size and topping options, pizza prices range between $13-$34.75.

Create your own pizza with cheese, 1-4 toppings.

Specialty, award-winning pizzas are also offered.

Vegetarian pizza options.

Appetizers, salads, and pizza by the slice available.

Scott's Seafood

Scott's Seafood offers brunch, lunch, and dinner with a wonderful view. Patrons can take advantage of unique dining experiences like the private banquet area complete with a cozy fireplace and the rooftop patio boasting another fireplace and an LED-lit bar. Scott's is a surf and turf inspired restaurant offering a wide variety of seafood featuring everything from shrimp to crab-stuffed sustainable salmon along with various cuts of meats like filet mignon and rib-eye. Omelets, crepes, and a chilled shellfish bar are available on the brunch menu.

Highlights:

Brunch: Served on Sundays between 10:30 AM - 2:00 PM.

Lunch:

Filet Mignon $38

Grilled Chicken Club $14

Dinner:

USDA Prime 18oz Bone-In Rib Eye $49

Chicken Marsala $27

Happy Hour: Monday-Friday from 3:30-6:30 PM. Happy Hour prices top out at $11.

Taurinus Brazilian Steak House

Taurinus is not your average steak house. The restaurant offers what they call a Rodizio style of serving, meaning the customer pays one price for their meal and are brought a variety of options throughout their experience. Taurinus offers over a dozen different kinds of meats for diners to try and employs a "traditional gaucho" cooking method involving an open fire pit.

Highlights:

Buffet style eating, until full, one price for the entire meal. Prices vary from weekdays to weekends and from lunch to dinner.

Kids 5 and under eat free. Child prices range from $18.95-$25.95.

Adult prices range from $29.95-$55.95.

Salad bar prices range from $21.95-$$39.95.

If you find yourself in need of refueling while exploring the Crunchyroll Expo, you'll have a hard time deciding what type of fare to chow down on; so many options are convenient and offer amazing new dining experiences! Seafood, steakhouses, pizza, and foreign cuisine... okay, now we're hungry and willing to bet you are too! So get out there and nosh to your heart's content! Nom nom nom.

Jonesing to check out one of these restaurants? Tell us which one in the comments!

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Carolyn Burke also writes for Bunny Ears and Cracked. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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instantdeerlover · 4 years

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To Make Better Mexican Food at Home, Get to Know These Chiles added to Google Docs

To Make Better Mexican Food at Home, Get to Know These Chiles

Photo-illustration: Eater

Once you know how to work with chiles, it’s easy to make salsas, marinades, and more

Creating a base for salsas

A primer on fresh chiles

Getting comfortable with dried chiles

How to make chile pastes and powders

Putting it all together to cook Mexican dishes

Bill Esparza is a James Beard Award-winning writer and author of LA Mexicano.

Photo credits: Poblano: Stewart Waller/GettyRed, orange, green pepper: Cathy Scola/GettyDried poblano: Carlos Rodriguez/Getty

via Eater - All https://www.eater.com/21324179/how-to-cook-with-chiles-homemade-salsa-mexican-dishes

Created July 17, 2020 at 08:26PM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

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naturescart · 4 years

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Best Vegetarian and Vegan Meat Substitutes

If you're a new vegetarian (or vegan!), you may need to attempt experimenting with vegetarian meat replacements, also called mock meats or sometimes just "vegetarian meat" or "vegan meat". Vegetarian meat is normally a store-bought frozen or refrigerated food made from soy, wheat gluten, vegetables, or a mixture of those three principal ingredients. These meat substitutes are regularly shaped, prepared, spiced, and colored to match real meat, such as turkey, veggie burgers, or chicken subs. Although many vegetarian slices of meat are vegan, some do include egg and traces of dairy, so check the label if required.

Vegetarian meats (also called meat substitutes or mock meats) come in just regarding every type possible - from the everyday veggie burger to the exotic haggis and jumbo shrimp. Some vegetarians and vegans prefer not to eat vegetarian meats for several purposes. Up to you. Here are our favorite picks for the best and tastiest vegetarian meat replacements.

Tofurky Vegetarian Deli Slices

If you desire cold cuts or hot deli sandwiches as a vegetarian, make the freezer section of your fitness food store your first pause in your quest for vegetarian meat substitutes. Tofurky vegetarian deli slices are produced from smoked wheat gluten and come in many varieties. Even our meat-eating friends love Tofurky vegetarian deli slices. Our preference is the Philly cheesesteak flavor, but they're all great. For Thanksgiving, try the cranberry flavored Tofurky deli slices, smothered in sauce, and plated with filling and mashed potatoes.

Morningstar Farms Brand Sausage Patties With Maple Syrup

Assured the fresh flavor of Morningstar brand's sausage patties is pretty delicious too, but the joining of maple syrup adds that certain "je ne sais quoi" of flavor to these chewy vegetarian sausage patties. You can discover these Morningstar Farms Brand Sausage Patties With Maple Syrup just around everywhere, from Target to Walmart to Whole Foods. Excellent as a side tofu scramble, or just eaten plain for a quick high protein breakfast.

Gardein

A relative newcomer to the vegetarian meat alternate competition, Gardein has become hugely famous fairly quickly, gratitude in part to backing by celebrity vegan chef Tal Ronnen (also recognized as the guy that prepared for Oprah when she went vegan), who applies this meat replacement completely. If you're blessed to live near to a Whole Foods that has a hot food bar, this is the material that they utilize in their several cooked vegetarian meals.

Quorn Brand Chicken Nuggets

Yum, yum yum. There's not too much else that wants to be said concerning these vegetarian chicken patties. Quorn brand vegetarian meats have a hidden ingredient (ok, it's a fermented mushroom, and it's not all that mystery) that gives them a super chewy feel that nearly matches chicken meat in particular. These Quorn Brand Chicken Nuggets contain eggs, so though they aren't fitting for vegans, they are a super delicious vegetarian meat. Utilize them as patties in veggie burgers, in a breakfast sandwich, or dipped in ketchup or spicy sauce for dinner on with a side of crushed potatoes and veggies for an all-American meal.

Homemade Mock Meat Substitutes (Seitan)

If you desire to explore with producing your own vegetarian mock meat alternates (seitan) at home, this is the area to begin. It can be cooked or simmered, and you can attach just on any spices you prefer.

Add poultry seasoning for a chicken-y meat alternate, a bit of seaweed and lemon for a fishy taste - get inventive! The rule is easy, but it may need a couple of tries to achieve the technique. Once you've fulfilled your homemade seitan way (or even if you haven't, store-bought seitan is pretty delicious too) try tossing your seitan in little pieces or thin layers on the grill swept with a nice sweet barbecue sauce. You can thank us later.

Tofu

If you're seeing for easy and cheap vegetarian meat alternates, tofu is continuing to be at the head of your schedule. You'll need to make assured it's well-pressed and may need to refrigerate it and thaw it prime before marinating it in lots of flavors. Try roasting your tofu for the usual great flavors.

May Wah "Chicken Leg" Drumsticks

Numerous Chinese restaurants and vegetarian restaurants already understand one of the best mysteries to the complete vegetarian drumstick: It's May Wah brand vegetarian chicken meat. These tiny drumsticks come on a frame dowel and can be cooked or fried just like routine chicken. Check out online stock of dozens of vegetarian meats and order online.

We don't identify why these May Wah "Chicken Legs" Drumsticks aren't more broadly accessible - they are so marvelous they really should be racing off the shelves. At least they do when we're around! This would be our number one popular vegan meat alternate, if only we could have it extra often!

Related Content: List of Vegan Meal Delivery Services in Australia 2020

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charllieeldridge · 4 years

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Food in Copenhagen: 10 Must-Try Danish Dishes

“Let’s go out for Danish food” isn’t something you often hear, but Denmark is actually a foodie destination. The food in Copenhagen is steeped in tradition and history, but for the last decade, it’s been undergoing a revolution.

Innovative chefs create modern dishes with ancient ingredients and fuse cuisines across cultures while embracing sustainability.

We’ve lived in Denmark since 2017 and although we aren’t Danish, we’ve learned a lot about the food in Copenhagen.

Danes only dine out for special occasions or to meet treasured friends, so the restaurant experience is professional and memorable.

Copenhagen has the most Michelin Stars of any city in Scandinavia but maintains a vibrant street food scene. Even some top restaurateurs have opened food trucks.

In Denmark, you will see how tradition and innovation come together to create an amazing culinary adventure. Enjoy our recommendations on things to eat in Copenhagen!

Denmark Food Culture and History

Geography is destiny, and the food in Copenhagen truly reflects this.

Denmark is a small, flat country in Northern Europe with no point more than 50 km from the sea. The Danish realm, now and historically, stretches north to the Arctic — further shaping its food.

Denmark is a country of fascinating contradictions. It’s a progressive country with deep traditions.

It’s is a collectivist society, but people maintain few, yet deep relationships. It’s a homogeneous culture comprised of people who are natural explorers.

All of which is reflected in the food.

Traditional Danish Cuisine

Historically, Denmark was a country of small farms and fishing villages. Danes salted and cured food to survive the long winters. Fish was the main protein, especially from the Baltic or North seas.

Dietary staples included root vegetables and hearty grains that can thrive in a short growing season. Today, traditional Danish foods like pickled herring, cured beetroot, and rye bread come from the climate and geography of Denmark.

In the 19th century, three major changes came that had major impacts on the food of Denmark.

First, population growth required more food and additional farms. Farmers reclaimed hilly land that could not support grains and now planted potatoes, which thrived in the rocky soil.

Second, increases in global grain production made small Danish farms unable to compete. Because of this, farmers shifted to raising livestock like dairy cows and pigs.

Third, the industrialization of agriculture forced small farms to develop cooperatives, leading to the construction of dairies and slaughterhouses.

The Danish national dish of stegt flæsk, fried pork belly, represents all three elements of these changes.

Modern brands like Arla Foods, Lurpak butter, and Danish Crown bacon all have their origins in this period. In Copenhagen, many of the former slaughterhouses are now high-end restaurants in the city’s popular Meat Packing neighborhood.

The food in Copenhagen brilliantly reflects Denmark’s geography and its history with an eye on innovation and the future.

Modern Danish Food in Copenhagen

In 2004, Danish chefs led a movement to fuse the historic and traditional foods with modern culinary techniques. They developed the New Nordic Cuisine.

New Nordic focuses on local and seasonal foods from natural and sustainable agriculture. The defining experience of a New Nordic meal is the flavour of core ingredients with a simple, yet beautiful presentation.

The most famous example of this movement is the restaurant Noma, four times named the “best restaurant in the world”. Many consider Noma as the vanguard of the New Nordic movement.

Noma is priced out of reach for most visitors to Copenhagen, but there are dozens of Michelin star and rated New Nordic restaurants in Copenhagen.

Each one offers incredible examples of this modern Danish cuisine.

10 Tasty Foods to Eat in Copenhagen

While there are many amazing meals to try on your trip to Copenhagen, these are the 10 best!

1. Experience an Affordable New Nordic Meal

Out of all the things to eat in Copenhagen, you absolutely need the experience of a New Nordic meal.

The cuisine originated at Noma, but they are booked months in advance and the meal can cost over $1,000 per couple. Luckily, there are budget-friendly alternatives for a New Nordic dinner.

New Nordic restaurants will have a fixed or set menu, and you cannot customize or alter the dishes.

Your only real choice is if you would like an appetizer, usually called chef’s snacks, and what to drink. It’s common for each course to have an accompanying wine selection.

Many of the dishes will contain unfamiliar herbs, vegetables, and seeds. You may have dishes with celeriac juice, dill, smoked cream cheese, ramsons, or lingonberry — just go with it.

These local ingredients create the flavours that define New Nordic cuisine, even if they stretch your pallet.

To sample New Nordic food in Copenhagen, try Restaurant Meille. They have a phenomenal operation headed by former Noma chef, Mads Magnusson.

Restaurant Meille serves affordable luxury — you can have a 5-course meal at $60, and you won’t forget the experience.

2. Julefrokost, The Danish Christmas Meal

Autumn in Europe means changing leaves but also changes in the menu items. Starting in the fall, Restaurant Puk serves Julefrokost, the traditional Danish Christmas meal.

Come hungry!

The Julefrokost consists of a curried herring with egg, onion and capers, or pickled herring with dill sour cream. Next you try smoked salmon with apple and horseradish, shrimp with egg, and deep-fried plaice with remoulade.

Then you’ll dine on a Danish pate, roasted duck with gravy, roasted pork with red cabbage and the Christmas sausage.

Dessert is a Danish rice pudding with cherry sauce and a shot of Akvavit, a traditional Danish liqueur.

A great midrange place to try this meal is Restaurant Puk.

It’s housed in a historic building, the former Royal Brewhouse, which dates back to 1539. Several Danish kings have been regulars at the site and you can be too.

Restaurant Puk has an a la carte menu and a fixed menu for lunch and dinner. Click here to find it on the map.

Copenhagen has a wide selection of restaurants claiming to be traditional Danish cuisine, but many are tourist traps. A red and white checkered table cloth with an antique candle holder does not mean it’s authentic.

3. Danish-Fusion Food in Copenhagen

The Danish food scene is all about freshness and the quality of local ingredients.

This poses a problem if you prepare cuisine using ingredients that originate in other parts of the world. Freshness is paramount, so recipes in Copenhagen are duplicated using local Danish ingredients and New Nordic cooking techniques.

One example of this hybrid or fusion concept is BÆST, an organic Italian inspired pizzeria.

They serve pizza with a Danish-style sourdough crust and locally sourced cheese, tomatoes, herbs, and other ingredients. By using the herb ramson instead of garlic, you get a familiar dish with Scandinavian flavour.

Another place to test this concept is Kiin Kiin, a Michelin star Thai fusion restaurant.

They serve a New Nordic take on Thai cuisine, so Denmark meets Thailand in the kitchen. The result is culinary fusion like a green curry dish with cod and a spicy Asian salad with flounder.

At both BÆST and Kiin Kiin, you’ll taste foreign cuisine with a Danish influence and New Nordic presentation. If you keep an open mind, you will love the result of these food cultures mixing.

4. Try Danish Picnic Food in Copenhagen

You may think a picnic is the same in any city, but Copenhagen takes them to the next level.

Picnics are ingrained in the food culture of Denmark, because people love being outside and need the extra space.

Public spaces are sometimes the only option for gathering a group of friends larger than 3 people. Copenhagen apartments don’t leave much room for entertaining so people picnic most of the year.

You can expect people to dine outside in parks, gardens, and along the waterfronts of the harbour and canal system.

Picnics are such an important part of Danish culture that some Copenhagen food spots only offer takeaway meals.

Even high-end eateries, like Garden Restaurant, offer gourmet picnic baskets for $50-60. They’re located across from The King’s Garden and they pack tapas, charcuterie, and even wine to enjoy your own picnic.

In summer, sunset is well past 9:00pm, so a picnic dinner is the perfect way to enjoy the extra daylight.

5. Visit a Pølsevogn, The Danish Hot Dog Stand

It may surprise you, but the humble hot dog is one of the most traditional Danish street foods in Copenhagen. Crowds around the pølsevogen, or hot dog wagon, are a common sight in the city.

The classic Danish hot dog is called røde pølser or red sausage, but there are several varieties to try.

They originated in the early 1900s as meat vendors discovered they could salvage old sausages with red dye. Today the meat is fresh (don’t worry!) and makes a perfect snack or late-night bite.

The best place to try this perfect street food in Copenhagen is the DØP wagon. They sell organic røde pølser for $5-6 with all the toppings: remoulade, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and fried onions.

You can find their wagon just outside of Copenhagen’s Round Tower every day. Click here for directions.

6. Flæskesteg: Denmark’s National Dish

Flæskesteg is the national dish of Denmark, and something you must try when you visit Copenhagen. The meal is roasted pork, prepared using traditional Danish culinary methods.

Flæskesteg is a cut of pork broiled with the skin. While preparing the pork, cuts made in the skin are filled with a dry rub of salt, pepper, and sometimes cloves.

The skin cooks along with meat resulting in a tasty crackling crust around each slice of pork. To complete the meal, it’s served with boiled or butter-sauteed potatoes and a white sauce.

Once again, traditional food in Copenhagen is simple and delicious.

Find out for yourself at one of the best authentic Danish kitchens, Frk. Barnes Kælder, in the Vesterbro neighbourhood. Most main dishes, like flæskesteg, will cost $10-12 but it’s difficult to get a table without a reservation. Click here for directions to Frk. Barnes Kælder.

7. Street Food in Copenhagen

Like any food city, the Danish capital has developed a vibrant food truck and street kitchen culture. It just wouldn’t be right to visit the city and not try the street food in Copenhagen.

The best place to try street food in Copenhagen varies based on the seasons.

From April through October, the best place is Reffen. It’s a Copenhagen institution of organic street food vendors located on scenic Copenhagen Harbour. Reffen has seating for 2,500 visitors and hosts over 40 food stalls and bars.

In the winter months, the street food moves indoors to food halls.

One of the best in the city is Torvehallerne, two buildings of food stands and shops with an organic farmers market in between. It’s an excellent stop for a cup of coffee, a pint of Danish beer, or a full meal.

8. Flæskesvær, a Tasty Appetizer

If you see flæskesvær on a menu, order it! It’s served as an appetizer and is a delicious, unique, and truly Danish food.

Flæskesvær originated in the 19th century when Danes were looking for a way to preserve and eat every part of the pork in their diet.

They devised a way for the inedible skin to be cooked down, fried, and consumed as a snack. The flæskesvær recipe hasn’t changed since.

The best place to try flæskesvær is at Nose2Tail, a Danish steakhouse located in the hip and historic Meat Packing District, Kødbyen.

The restaurant derives its name from the method of using every part of the animals it serves. This is just the philosophy that gave the Danes flæskesvær years ago.

At Nose2Tail you can try delicious flæskesvær on both their a la carte and set menus which start around $50. Click here to find the restaurant on the map.

9. Danish Pastries & Bakery Food in Copenhagen

Nothing beats a Danish bakery.

Even simple items, like bread and rolls, are re-imagined and served in a way you have never experienced. Each item has a time and occasion in Danish life and bakeries are a cornerstone of Danish food culture.

For Danes, rye bread or rugbrød is king. Expect dense loaves of rye bread that are sometimes baked with malt syrup, pumpkin seeds, or whole rye berries.

Sourdough breads are also popular and sourdough rolls with cheese are popular for breakfast. Sourdough loaves for dinner are usually prepared with herbs like rosemary, dill, or thyme.

Danish sweet breads and pastries are loved around the world, but did you know they actually come from Austria?

Danes even call them wienerbrød, or Vienna bread.

In 1850, there was a labor strike among the bakery workers of Denmark. This caused the bakery owners to hire foreign labor, including Austrian bakers who had new recipes and techniques.

The new pastries remained and are permanently woven into Danish bakery culture.

Whether you want to try the sweet or the savoury side of Danish baked goods, try Skt. Peders Bageri. For a full sit-down experience, you can try the cakes and pastries of La Glace.

Both establishments have been baking in Copenhagen for generations.

10. Get a Smørrebrød

Denmark has a traditional open-faced sandwich and it’s called smørrebrød.

It’s one slice of buttered rye bread topped with meats, fish, hard-boiled egg, or other toppings. Additional toppings, like lettuce, raw onions, and remoulade sauce are added to taste.

Smørrebrød is served cold and eaten with a knife and fork. A good smørrebrød restaurant will have a full menu of different varieties and knowledgeable staff to help you choose.

Among the best places to try smørrebrød is Restaurant Palægade in the Kongens Nytorv area of Copenhagen. They have a menu of over 40 types of smørrebrød that range from traditional herring to tenderloin and mushroom.

Best Food Tours in Copenhagen

One of the best ways to learn about the cuisine of Denmark is to join a food tour when you’re in the capital.

4-Hour Evening Tour With Wine Tastings and Snacks

Copenhagen in the evening is a wonderful experience. The old buildings and winding streets seem to glow in the twilight, and the harbor is alive as people race to catch the final sunlight of the day.

This 4-hour tour costs about $130 per person and includes several drinks and snacks. You will go through the heart of the city center, including iconic Nyhavn and the waterfront along the harbor.

The highlight is enjoying a drink from the tower above Copenhagen’s oldest harbour bridge. This is something even locals rarely get to do, and it’s an incredible vantage point to soak in the views and vibes of Copenhagen.

Click Here to Learn More About the Evening Tour

Copenhagen Culinary Bike Tour

There is no better way to see Copenhagen than by bike. First, it allows you to mingle with locals on the massive network of bike lanes around the city. Additionally, it maximizes your time, letting you quickly move between neighborhoods.

The 3-hour tour costs about $92 per person. It includes a number of different foods to sample, including smørrebrød, hot dogs, fish meatballs, and sample beer from Mikkeller.

The tour travels from the city center, along the waterfront, and into the trendy Meatpacking area in Vesterbro. It’s a great way to see much of the city and sample many of our recommended foods.

Click Here to Learn More About the Food and Bike Tour

Vesterbro Walking Food Tour

For food and fun, the most interesting neighborhood in Copenhagen is Vesterbro.

This was the old red-light district but has undergone a renaissance in the last 20 years. It still has some dodgy local dives, and is also home to trendy restaurants and cocktail bars.

This 3-hour tour costs $78 per person, and includes stops in several bars around the neighborhood. You will also learn the history of the neighbourhood, as it moved from working-class to red-light to hip in the span of 50 years.

The tour is perfect for people who want a deeper experience in a real neighbourhood. It’s also a chance to learn about other great bars and restaurants to try in Copenhagen.

Click here to learn more about this Walking food tour

Drinks in Copenhagen

You’ll need something to wash down all of the tasty food. Here are some of the drinks to try in Copenhagen you won’t want to miss.

1. The Quintessential Danish Beer: Carlsberg

In general, Denmark is a beer and shot drinking culture. The Danish beer brand Carlsberg is on tap at every bar and restaurant in Copenhagen. The history of Copenhagen is intertwined with the history of the Jacobsen family, the founders of Carlsberg.

The family were patrons of the arts, founded the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum, and funded renovations of Frederiksberg Castle. In Copenhagen, you can tour the former brewery with a tasting.

You’ll also learn how the founder developed brewers yeast and shared it with the world instead of seeking a patent.

Anywhere in Copenhagen you can pay them homage by enjoying a cold Carlsberg Pilsner or Jacobsen Lager.

2. World-Class Craft Beer: Mikkeller

While Carlsberg was a patron of the arts and sciences, Denmark’s (and maybe the world’s) best craft beer came from a high school physics teacher.

Mikkeller is a Danish brewer that actually has no brewery!

Mikkeller brews a wide range of craft beers, from sours to stouts, often partnering with existing breweries all over the world. In just 15 years of operation, they developed over 1000 recipes.

You can find Mikkeller beers all over town, including dedicated bars in Vesterbro and their Baghaven location on the harbour near Reffen. They are also available in bottle shops and grocery stores around town.

The best way to enjoy Mikkeller is at two of their partnerships. Warpigs in Meatpacking offers American-style barbecue, while Ramen to Biiru has four locations around the city serving delicious ramen.

Snaps, Snaps, Snaps!

Knowing that Denmark is a beer and shot culture, you need some liquor as well!

Snaps is a strong liquor distilled from grain or potatoes and flavored with native herbs like dill and anise.

Snaps is served ice-cold and always with food. It is sipped and is always present at major holidays like Easter and Christmas. You can try snaps as part of a traditional Danish lunch, as it pairs very nicely with pickled herring smørrebrød.

Our favorite brand of snaps is from Snaps Bornholm.

It’s a little less traditional, as they mix flavors like chili and honey or fig to make delicious snaps with a little less edge for us foreigners. You can find Snaps Bornholm in liquor stores or nicer restaurants around Copenhagen.

Now You Know What To Eat in Copenhagen

Danish culture truly resonates through its cuisine. The foods retell the story of a people who adapted to thrive in a difficult climate. It’s the result of a nation that depends on innovation and creativity to stand out in the modern world.

Copenhagen is best experienced by tapping into the local culture, like its food. There is no better way to do that than through its restaurants, bars, and grocers.

From a simple hot dog wagon to an exquisite multi-course New Nordic menu, the food in Copenhagen will satisfy your hunger for excitement!

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