Sunday, January 20, 2013.
Big Breakfasts Defeat Other Meals.
I discovered a long time ago that an effective way to eat less in a day is to have a pretty good breakfast. It's the nature of breakfast to be a lighter meal than most. This is not true if you pile a plate high at a buffet, but I literally won't go there. Nor is it so effective that you'll lose a lot of weight quickly on The Breakfast Diet (should I trademark that, or has someone beat me to it?).
It worked for me today. The Marys and The Boy (who somehow appeared at the ranch this morning) joined me for breakfast at Mattina Bella. Where, I was told, it's my own fault that they had to make us wait almost a half-hour for a table. "You keep saying nice things about us, and people keep coming!" In fact, we just barely made the pancake deadline of eleven o'clock, after which they have to clear the flattop griddle for burgers and the like.
I was in the mood for the dish I asked them to make a couple of years ago. It became one of their most popular menu items: crabmeat and mushrooms in a light brown butter sauce under poached eggs topped with hollandaise. This is wonderful not just because of the combination, but because the eggs and sauce are perfect. And the crabmeat is jumbo lump.
That satisfied me body and soul for the rest of the day. The afternoon went toward my annual winter pruning, an effort that took more time than usual because I had to trim a few big bushes back. I was out there for about three hours, and still have a lot to do. The wisteria, to name one example.
Mattina Bella. Covington: 421 E Gibson. 985-892-0708.
