Over a plate of short ribs Saturday night, a recurring question popped into my head. I was smiling through my short ribs, but they weren’t plated fancifully, there were no hip veggies, and nothing to distinguish them from a plate your mom might have presented, except for cheese grits.
The short ribs sat on top of the cheese grits, which sat on top of a demi puddle, (some of the sauce on the meat dripped over the grits) and green beans were scattered about. The whole thing was topped with fried onion strings. (These were too dark for my taste.) None of this was brilliant, or innovative. But it tasted good enough to make me happy, from my heart to my soul.
Not long before Tom died, I made some eggplant “lasagna” with no noodles. I served a brick of it over spaghetti aglio e olio. The eggplant was grilled with olive oil and herbs, and the sauce was Rao’s from the jar. There was crumbled spicy Italian sausage throughout, and generous amounts of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses. Only the Parm was the good stuff.
Tom took a bite of this and exclaimed out loud. He ate it with glee. I have rarely seen him do that, even with the fanciest of gourmet food in front of him. The point is that simple but delicious food makes you happy.
I have been outspoken about my self-characterization as not a gourmet, but I do enjoy the fancy stuff. I appreciate its artistry, its cleverness, and its fancy ingredients, But gourmet food never elicits a primal response like the one Tom had, or the simple smile on my face as I savored these short ribs.
The short ribs were the entree of an evening meal I had over the weekend at Aperitif on the Mandeville lakefront. Aperitif is the latest dining establishment from Cayman Sinclair, a longtime North shore restaurateur and movie caterer. Cayman has lost two very popular restaurants to hurricanes, the L.A. Grill to Katrina, and The Lakehouse to Ida.
Tom always said about Cayman that he knew his customers, and knew how to give them what they wanted. On the North shore, people are more price conscious. They want low prices. The short rib entree was $30. The night before I paid $36 for a piece of fried flounder on the South shore that didn’t give me nearly the thrill.
With this short rib dish I sat in a happening place, in glamorous surroundings, looking out the window at a stormy lake. I was happy. I didn’t need to think about this food, (though I clearly did.) I could just enjoy it.
The short ribs were preceded by a half dozen enormous oysters fried and placed over spinach with a dollop of Hollandaise sauce and a bit of crumbled bacon. This was fine but nothing more, and I had the same reaction to fried oysters that I’ve had a few times in the last few weeks. I think immediately of Tom, because they were his favorite food. That leaves me with a wistful sadness, thinking of how much he would love them. No more of that. I like them well enough but they are not a favorite, so they are expendable in any future orders of food.
Cayman sent out a slice of lobster cheesecake with crostini. There were beads of caviar scattered about, a gastrique, bits of lobster, some berries, and pea shoots. A busy but colorful plate. I like the regular kind of dessert cheesecake well enough, but this seafood savory cheesecake business gets me every time. The gold standard is at Palace Cafe, which was clearly eons above this one in style and quality, but I loved this one too, and sat smiling as I devoured every bit of everything, including the peas tendril. (Not for anyone but the veggie fanatic. These taste like nutrients.)
I also got a side which spoke to me from the Sides menu. There was Spinach and Artichoke Madeline. I wondered how this two disparate dishes would fuse. They did not. Spinach Madeline is a local dish that is unique. There is no artichoke in it and its distinctive quality comes from an obscure garlic cheese in a tube. It has a kick to it.
This was a creamy and cheesy gratin of spinach and artichokes that I couldn’t stop eating. It was too loose for my taste, but I loved it.
The bill for the short ribs and oysters and the gratin was $60. There is a lot more on the menu that I want to try, and I look forward to enjoying it in these glamorous surroundings. Cocktail drinkers will be thrilled with the place, and I thank them for their service in keeping my food bill down.
