#takes me back to our house in boqueron

[pigdemonart]

Concepts for Los Brujos

El Santuario

In my comic the brothers live with their Abuela in her home. From the outside and to untrained eyes it appears like a regular wooden house, but it’s actually a huge sanctuary for troubled spirits. The design is based on typical houses from Puerto Rico, and the concept is loosely inspired by the Winchester house — this sort of haunted house that the owner just kept expanding. I also took inspiration from the bath house in Spirted Away, and Santuario (literally “sanctuary”) is a place where spirits can rest and be in good company.

These kinds of little houses aren’t super commonplace in Puerto Rico anymore — concrete houses are more of the norm, and is the kind of house I lived in as a kid. But I wanted Abuela to seem very old fashioned, plus the family as a whole is not well off financially. Also it only made sense that their haunted house would be a product of the past.

Its definitely not a final design, but closer than I think.

Heres the OG sketch.

[wherespaulo]

Hiking and Exploring in Puerto Rico

March 17 – April 14, 2021

I’d visited Puerto Rico many times between 2006 and 2014 but mainly on work related business -- this time it’d be four weeks of exploring and hiking. I’d get the best of both worlds by staying next to the beach and driving to the trail heads. My ties to Puerto Rico became much more than just a business destination over the years though since one of my work colleagues in New York City, Ruben, was from Puerto Rico and became one of my best mates -- so I got to know much of his Puerto Rican family.

Puerto Rico has such a varied and interesting mix of terrain, microclimates, and fauna for an island of only 3,500 square miles – about the same as Rhode Island – with little pockets of forest everywhere. I intended to hike in as many of those areas as I could.  

HIKING

Bosque Estatal de Boqueron

A coastal path stroll of around 4 miles in the blazing sun with stunning views -- I combined the Lighthouse Trail, Playa Sucia and the peninsula around Piscina Natural, all part of Rojo Cabo in the south west corner of the island. Sparse vegetation and cacti were a testament to the dry microclimate in this area.

Monte Pirata MTB

This is a purpose built 8.3 mile convoluted trail for hiking and mountain biking through a small coastal forest in the west. A challenging mountain biking trail rather than an inspirational hiking trail, it was worth it though for the magical moment that I will always remember, when time seemed to stand still and thoughts of the past and future became irrelevant. The sound of an electric strimmer buzzed through the trees and perched about three feet above my head for a full five minutes. It was about ¾ the size of my little finger at about two inches long. Was it a dragonfly? No, it was a vervain hummingbird, the second smallest bird in the world after the bee hummingbird, and a rare visitor to the west coast of Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic.  Life can be full of magical moments like this if only you take the time to look. I cut the hike short after 2.5 miles when it started to pour, but it had all been worthwhile.

Bosque Estatal de Maricao – beautiful mountain rainforest but not as exuberant as El Yunque.

·       Charco El Pilon trail - I lost the All-Trails electronic map on my iPhone as my signal disappeared, so I struggled to find the start of the San German trail. Instead, I met Saul (who told me his brother was also a Paul), a young Puerto Rican-American on vacation from Florida, and wandered along the river towards the El Pilon waterfall with him (2.5 miles out-and-back) where all his mates were splashing around and having a few beers. Although I’m generally well organized and can navigate the most difficult of terrain when I have a mind for it, I also enjoy meeting new people and getting slightly lost. So it was with some reluctance that a day later I would shell out the $30 annual subscription to All-Trails, allowing me to download maps and unfortunately making it almost impossible to get lost – feck!

·       San German to Maricao - I did eventually find the start of the San German trail. More like a 4-wheel-drive stony track than a footpath, it did provide some badly needed brisk exercise to the top of a hill and back, overall 6.8 miles. And of course, the sound of another electric strimmer stopped me in my tracks and made my day – this time it was the larger and more common Puerto Rican emerald hummingbird in its brilliant iridescent green plumage.

Paseo Lineal – better described as a tarmacked 8.9 mile out-and-back bike path that runs in-between the beach and a quiet coastal road on the north west of the island from Isabela. Great for getting some exercise in with a long, fast walk, but not the most inspirational.

El Yunque National Rainforest

The El Yunque Rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the US, was one of the main reasons for heading to Puerto Rico, and I wasn’t disappointed. A dense green jungle of majestic tabanuco trees, mahogany, teak and rosewood, surrounded by giant ferns, palms and bamboos, all cloaked in coats of vines, mosses, epiphytes and orchids. Like something out of a lost world, the incessant cacophony of the tree frogs echoed out of the ever-present fine mist.

Although it didn’t dampen my spirits, I did quickly discover there was a reason it was a rainforest – RAIN!

·       Rio Sabana Trail – a 5.6 mile out-and-back trail starting in the south of the rainforest. Unfortunately I was forced to turn back at the halfway point as the river crossing was completely submerged under the deep, 40 feet wide and fast flowing Rio Sabana – the rivers can rise very quickly here after rain, becoming dangerous. I was not done yet so I wandered further along a one mile stretch of route 191 from where it had been blocked off from cars to the start of the Rio Sabana Trail. It pretty much disappeared under a thick, green carpet of growth, leaving only a narrow footpath through the dense forest – occasionally a tiny, incongruous patch of tarmac would show through the undergrowth, as though a partially forgotten memory of another world had risen to the surface in a moment of stillness or a dream.

·       El Toro Trail – a 4.9 mile out-and-back trail starting in the west of the rainforest. This time I slid my way to the halfway point along the extremely wet and muddy trail before the requirements changed from just a pair of waders to a full scuba kit!

·       El Yunque Trail - a 5.4 mile out-and-back trail starting in the north/center of the rainforest and requiring a reservation with the park authorities. This time I waited in the car for the rain to stop pouring – two hours later I decided it wouldn’t and left. As I drove out of the forest the sun came out and I looked back – I could see the El Yunque forest lost under its very own dark cloud while the rest of Puerto Rico bathed in bright sunshine. The Elkie Brooks version of Sunshine After The Rain  came to mind, and how without dark clouds in our life we would have no light.

Bosque Estatal de Guanica

I headed to this unique subtropical dry forest on the south west coast to hike 9 miles as a combination of the Fuerte Trail and part of the Lluveras Trail. The scrub forest with its small trees offered little shade on a blazing hot day but a thoroughly enjoyable hike nonetheless. The only other people I met that day were a couple of forest rangers in a jeep – they stopped, looking concerned, and asked “you ok?” while offering water. I looked back at them, puzzled -- I guess they couldn’t understand why anyone in their right mind would want to wander around this shade-less forest in the blazing afternoon sun. When they heard my British accent I suppose everything made sense and they moved on.

ACCOMMODATION

Although I didn’t have any fixed accommodation plans initially, my itinerary did evolve as follows:

·       Two nights at the Tryst Hotel in Condado, San Juan (north east PR) – great spot on the beach with a great restaurant, the Wicked Lily. Condado does seem to have got a tad too touristy in recent years though!

·       Two nights at Ruben’s sisters-in-laws place in Boquerón (south west PR) – nice detached house with a pool and separate apartment where I stayed. I did get eaten by mosquitos though!

·       Seven nights at the Tamboo Hotel near Rincon (west PR) – great beachfront hotel in the Sandy Beach area, just north of Rincon, with a top-notch restaurant. I loved it here so much I decided to come back for my final week.

·       Two nights at the Yunque Mar Hotel just north of the El Yunque rainforest (north east PR) – nice, small beachfront hotel but a bit out-of-the-way. The positives though, other than the proximity to the rain forest, were the beautiful stretch of quiet beach heading east towards Liquillo, and the Liquillo kiosks – a 1km long row of traditional and inexpensive Puerto Rican restaurants and bars.

·       Three nights at Ruben’s new apartment in Miramar, San Juan – an upcoming, tourist-free area with plenty of top quality restaurants.

·       Five nights back at the Yunque Mar Hotel

·       Seven nights back at the Tamboo Hotel.

Although I’ve always struggled to lay on a beach for more than 30 minutes (and that’s in the shade), I did discover the calming effect of strolling for miles along an empty beach to the sound of crashing waves -- thanks to the beautiful, empty stretches heading north from Tamboo  and east from Yunque Mar to Liquillo. And since the beaches were so empty, I do confess to getting stark bollock naked on a couple of occasions – after all, everyone should have the chance to streak along the beach at least once in their adult life!

It had been both relaxing and an adventure over my four weeks in Puerto Rico but there were many reasons why I’d be back very soon -- the Sandy Beach area of the west coast was now on my list of potential places to buy a property (a base within the US and low taxes to boot), one of my best mates was moving back to San Juan very soon, and I needed to re-visit the trails of El Yunque in the dryer months of Dec-Feb as well as the trails through the  middle of the island in the Bosque Estatals Toro Negro and Cante Tourist.

[twopedalpushers]

Travel update #3

Cartagena to Medellín

We have made it to Medellín! When I first got off the boat and took my first (wobbly) steps on Colombian soil I had no idea how incredibly vibrant, beautiful and challenging the road ahead would be... after 36 hours of non-stop travelling at sea, Cartagena was an overload to our senses.

Cartagena is an old Spanish colonial city full of cobbled streets, balconies decorated with huge bougainvilleas, graffiti, brightly coloured buildings and lots and lots of street performers (with varying degrees of talent). After the soulless, American style cities in Panama, Cartagena felt like a breath of fresh air. We ended up spending a week in Cartagena, exploring the city and getting some of the components swapped on our bikes to make the road ahead easier.

After the longest break from the saddle so far, we finally continued our journey. We cycled a few hundred kilometres from Cartagena to a town called Coveñas where Max convinced me to get my PADI scuba diving license. I had only done snorkeling before so the sensation of breathing underwater was peculiar. Diving in the Caribbean Sea was blissful, there was no need for a wetsuit as the ocean temperature averaged 30°C. The corals were still vibrant and full of tropical fish despite rising sea temperatures. We went out to some islands off the coast of Colombia to dive and got to visit the most populated island on Earth - Santa Cruz del Islote. Unfortunately the majority of the island is in poverty and the foundations are literally built from rubbish.

After I got my diving license we decided to cycle everyday in order to get to Medellín - the half way point in our journey through Colombia. Cycling in Colombia is divine. There is music everywhere, blasting out from little tiendas (shops) on the side of the road or from peoples houses. One sound system merges into another while we cycle along; in Colombia it’s a constant party. Out of Coveñas, roads around the coast were fairly flat enabling us to do 100km a day. We were fuelled by incredible Tinto’s (espresso’s) from little old ladies at fruit stands along the road - it’s the best coffee you will ever have for only 10p!

Anything goes in Colombia. On the road, you frequently see 4 or more people travelling on one motorbike and people transporting long metal wire by dragging it along the floor off the back of their bikes. On one occasion we saw a guy transporting a dead pig on the back of his motorbike.

It’s fun travelling through a country where cycling is a national sport. On the weekends the roads are full of other cyclists and some sections of roads are closed and turned into huge cycle lanes. We spent a morning cycling with around 30 other cyclists, all cheering each other on.

This section of the journey saw us stray off paved roads more than usual. We took a road between Moñitos and Arboletes that we thought would be a shortcut. The road happened to be a dirt track, which we happily bumped along until it started to torrentially rain. We quickly found shelter and watched the once dirt road turn into sloshy mud. Of course when we set back off on our bikes once the rain had stopped, cycling was impossible - our wheels got clogged with thick mud until they would no longer turn. Some locals helped us carry our muddy bikes to the side of the road and we sat outside a tienda and weighed up our options. The shop-owner told us that there was a bus that went down this road that could take us to Montería, leaving in an hour. As we were stuck and losing daylight quickly we decided to wait for the bus and get back to a paved road before it started raining again. After an hour, the bus splashed down the road. The bus driver took one look at us (covered in mud) and our bikes (covered in mud) and refused to let us on. It was now late in the day and we were quite literally stuck in the middle of nowhere.

There were private farmyards on either side of the road for the entire stretch, making wild camping risky. We asked a few locals if we could camp in their garden and eventually a little old lady agreed and we spent the night in a tent next to her pig sty. In the morning she brought us coffee and wished us well on our travels as we set off on the now dry road. The moment that the dirt road turned back into tarmac was as joyous as a border crossing.

Writing this down, it sounds like a crazy ordeal but in hindsight I find it funny. The moment the bus drove past, both of us completely covered in mud will be forever ingrained in my memory.

Peoples lives outside of cities in Colombia are tough. The old lady who’s garden we stayed in had very very little, which seems the case for the majority of rural Colombia. Most people live in self built wooden huts with a dirt floor, no electricity and no plumbing. They share their space with farmyard animals that they keep for food. At first I found this pretty shocking because this was not the image I had in my head when I thought about Colombia before the trip. You would never see this side of Colombia travelling by bus from city to city. I feel really grateful for the real version of each country that I am experiencing by travelling by bike.

After our mishaps in the mud cycling to Arboletes, we had a day off to clean our bikes before hitting the road again - this time travelling every day in order to get to Medellín. We left the coast and pedalled into the mountains for the first time on this trip. Being off grid in the mountains with epic views, waterfalls and rivers felt really special. It wasn’t until the final ascent into Medellín that we started to realise just how challenging the cycling had become.

Medellín lies inside a crater, so for 3 days you climb around 2600m day after day before losing all of your ascent 75km away from Medellín. The final day entails climbing from 0 back up to 2800m and descending for 18 Km into Medellín.

On the final day, a road had been washed out by a river, which meant that we had to take a detour along a dirt track with a ridiculous level of gradient that was impossible to cycle. Max could push his bike up the mountain, but my bike was too heavy for me, so I had to take my luggage off my bike, push my bike up the mountain and then go back down and carry the luggage up. It took 2 hours to travel 2km of the 75km overall journey! The road after this was much easier at a lower gradient, enabling us to cycle.

However by 4pm we were wondering when the mountain would drop off - we had counted on the downhill in order for us to get to Medellín in one day rather than two. By 5pm and 6pm we were still crawling up hill, losing morale and starting to feel that we wouldn’t get there in one day. It didn’t help that every 800m or so there would be a bunch of dogs that would bark and try and chase us, meaning that we would have to get off our bikes and scare them away before walking past them.

We were now cycling in the dark, out of energy and still waiting for the downhill to appear when we stumbled upon a little village called Boqueron where we got hot chocolates and put on warm clothes (it’s cold at 2800m!) Finally as we turned the corner out of Boqueron the hill dropped off and there was the downhill! We whizzed down, in complete darkness and got epic views of the cityscape from above which was beautifully lit up at night.

We spent the next two hours going downhill into the city - that’s how high up we were! At points it was too steep to go downhill and we had to walk down. By 9:30pm (16 hours on the saddle!) we finally made it to our hostel where we would chill out for the next week.

The challenging cycle into Medellín made us appreciate our time in the city much more.

Medellín is an interesting city with a dark recent past - only 20 years ago it was the murder capital of the world and now it is much safer than a lot of cities in the United States. The city has a friendly vibe with lots of street art and performers. Everyone seems keen to put the past behind them and move on to happier times.

We are leaving Medellín now and travelling to Salento, where we will be spending Christmas.

As usual, here is the link to track our progress http://share.garmin.com/DMB7R

Remember to hit “view all” and zoom out to see the whole journey. We are halfway through Colombia now!

I plan on making the Colombia video in two parts, so I will post it to here shortly - when I have finished editing it.

[lovemenowmr]

Chapter thirty four

Our boat took us to Puerto Real, a town north from Boqueron. It was also beautiful, it was smaller than the previous one but it had the same character. The houses were full of colour and the streets were filled with life and joy, there wasn’t a market in there but there was a few stands over the streets.

“Liebe” Marco suddenly said as we were walking down the streets ”Look at that”

I looked at where he was motioning to and I saw a white-haired man with slightly dark skin and glasses was standing in the street with an easel and huge pieces of paper, drawing and painting tourist who paid them.

“You want him to make a drawing of us?” I asked him.

“Yes” he said “I could hang it up on my walls”

“OK” I said smiling at the fact that he wanted to put a drawing of us up on his house.

We waited until the queue was gone and then I approached the man.

“Hola” I said motioning me and Marco “¿Podria pintarnos, por favor?”

(Hi, Could you do please make a drawing of us?)

“Por supuesto” the man answered me with a deep voice “Colocaros en el círculo blanco que hay en el suelo, por favor”

(Of course, I can. Coud you place yourselves onto the white circle on the floor, please)

We placed ourselves in said circle and posed next to each other, Marco’s arm around my waist as I leaned a bit against him. It wouldn't have been difficult to stay put for a while if it wasn’t for Marco continuously tickling my side and making me giggle and skim away from him. I kept apologizing to the poor man, who was laughing behind his easel, I was sure he would make an awful painting just to get back at us.

“Marco” I said annoyed “Stop it.”

“Why?” he asked “You’re going to be smiling after all”

“Marco, stop being childish please, let the poor man work”

“I’m not being childish” he said “I just like to hear your laugh”

“You’re not getting out of this by being charming” I stated crossing my arms.

“But it’s true” he said pouting and making the worst “sad puppy” face I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Did that ever work on someone?” I asked laughing.

“What do you mean?” he asked surprised.

“You can’t puppy face” I informed him still laughing.

“That’s not what I was trying to do?” he mocked me.

“What was it then?” I retorted crossing my arms.

“Nothing” he said “I was doing nothing”

“Sure” I said smirking “Let’s get back to posing”

Me and Marco placed ourselves again where we previously were and I apologize once more to the white-haired man, this time being my fault as well and not just Marco’s.

“Ya está listo señorita” the guy said after a long while.

(It’s done, young lady)

I told Marco that our drawing was ready and he let go the longest sigh I’ve ever heard as he was starting to get impatient again, not being used to stay put for a long while, always being active. I laugh at him and the man motioned us to go and see.

My jawline went to the floor as I saw the picture, in the little time we had been there he had managed to create a beautiful piece of art, full of colour and emotion. Marco and I were the focus but behind us there was a beautiful world of colour and life, that seemed to be moving on the canvas.

On top of that the people he had drown looked exactly just like us, and he had even draw the way my motions changed the fabric of my jumpsuit and the way my feet were slightly on tip toes so I didn’t look so small next to Marco. He had draw me with a huge smile and looking up at Marco, slightly turned to the side, Marco’s arm around my waist as mine was resting on his chest, right next to his sunglasses. My right leg was bent and lifted a little as I laughed, my hair falling down my back and hiding part of my face, which you could only see half of it.

On the other hand Marco’s body was facing the canvas but his head was slightly aside and looking down at me with adoringly eyes, which I was so fascinated to really comprehend and feel even though it was a painting. The arm that wasn’t on my waist was hanging at his side, with his hand hid into the pocket of his jeans. His hair was puffy and it looked so nice that you wanted to roam your hands over it like it was the real Marco, the different endings were pointing into different directions, hair slightly wavy because of the sea salt.

“Es impresionante” I told the men “Me encanta”

(It’s impressive. I love it)

“Gracias, jovencita” the white-haired painter answered me with king eyes.

(Thank you, young lady)

“Tell him I love it” Marco said from behind me.

“Te dice que a el también le gustó mucho la pintura”

(He’s saying he also loves the painting)

“Son muy amables” the painter said with modesty.

(You’re way to kind)

“Y usted es un artista” I told him sincerely.

(And you truly are an artist)

We said our goodbyes after we had paid him extra for the job because we both have loved the painting so much. We were almost running out of time so, Marco grabbed the canvas and place it under his arm while he grabbed my hand with his other hand and we headed back to the pier as it was getting late and we had to leave soon in order to get in time for dinner.

The ride back to the resort was as peaceful as it had been our departure sooner that day. The water was extremely calm and our presents were placed at our feet. I was throwing my legs on Marco’s as I was letting my right arm touch the water, the waves from the boat crashing against my hand, refreshing my skin and splashing all over my arm. Marco was taking several pictures of our ride, careful not to show our presents so he could send them to his family.

“Hiii” we heard Manuela on the other side. “How’s your trip going?”

Marco and I had just had breakfast and we were laying outside, on the deck’s armchairs, with the iPod on the table while we skyped Marco’s parents. Since it was Sunday Marco’s parents were not alone but Yvonne and Nico were also there, they were all sitting in their living room’s biggest couch, Nico on his grandfather’s lap.

“We’re perfect” Marco said smiling “Do you want to see our room?”

“Yeahhhhh” Nico said clapping into the little screen.

Marco got up and showed them our room, going into every little detail there was while I stayed sat on the armchair for a while since he was being so meticulous.

“She’s there” I heard him say after a while.

I turned my head to my side and I saw him coming back to the terrace with the tablet on his hands, motioning the camera towards me. I waved my hand and smiled even though I didn’t exactly knew who wanted to talk with me, but knowing at the same time that I would be delighted to talk with anyone of them.

“Mum asked for you” Marco said giving me a peck on my temple as he sat down on the chair next to mine.

“Hi Manuela!” I said as I saw her on the screen, the living room empty now “Have they go away? Was Marco that boring?”

“Oh Darling” she laughed “You know he is”

“I’m right here” Marco said pretending to be offended.

“We know” I said kissing his cheek.

“Adi, are you having a good time?” Manuela asked.

“I am” I said “I’m in love with the pool actually, I could spend there all day”

“I have to force her out when she starts to shrinkle” Marco remarked.

“That was one time” I said tearing my eyes from the screen and throwing him a glare.

“Let the poor girl alone, Marco” Manuela scolded his son.

“Thanks” I said blowing her a kiss while Marco rolled his eyes.

“I’ll leave you too” she said “We’re going to eat”.

“OK. Bye Manuela” I said as I bid her goodbye with my hand.

“Bye Mum” Marco said as well.

He closed the screens and put the tablet aside. “What do we do now?” he asked.

“I’m going to the pool” I said as he barked a laugh.

[easyfoodnetwork]

Texas Reopens as New York Takes a Step Back

A dining dome at East Eats, a new restaurant in Detroit | East Eats [Courtesy photo]

From the Editor: Everything you missed in food news last week

This post originally appeared on October 10, 2020 in Amanda Kludt’s newsletter “From the Editor,” a roundup of the most vital news and stories in the food world each week. Read the archives and subscribe now.

I jam-packed this newsletter with stories from our sites this week, about, among other things, new reopenings and closings, BLTs as breakfast food, and the challenge of winterizing restaurants, so let’s jump right in:

News

The hammer and the dance: Texas bars are allowed to reopen, pending approval from local judges (so Dallas drinkers are still out of luck, but bars outside Austin are back in action). New York’s indoor dining continues, but large swaths of Brooklyn and Queens are facing new restrictions. And LA could reopen for indoor dining by the end of the month.

If you thought other countries had this under control, take note: Montreal restaurants remain closed for the month and various European capitals are experimenting with curfews and full closures.

The coming winter: Chicago announced the winners of its competition to rethink outdoor dining, tiny plastic homes for dining arrived in New York, Boston restaurants are selling branded sweatshirts and blankets, and a new Detroit restaurant serving guests in canvas-backed geodesic domes looks pretty appealing right now.

More news of note: Developers in Boston are proposing bringing back a zombified version of a 137-year-old bar that closed last year to make way for their large mixed-use development; Seattle’s version of SF’s Chinese food hall and market China Live has been delayed another year; the Glass Incident Fire continues to destroy wineries and resorts in the Napa region, and it won’t be fully contained for another two weeks; Mitchell Davis stepped down from his role at the James Beard Foundation after a 25-year run and a controversial summer; Yelp now alerts diners when businesses are associated with racist conduct; and Dave Chang is having another go at a ghost-kitchen Fuku.

And over at Vox, my colleague Matty Yglesias has a great explainer on why it’s been such an uphill battle for the HEROES act (which includes billions for restaurants) and what it will take to get actual traction on this issue. The UK, with all its problems, is at least well ahead of us on this front.

Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Pakhlava at new D.C. bakery Sharbat

Appreciations, Head-scratchers, and Miscellany

— A big public thank you to Elazar for introducing me to Japanese sweet potato instagram.

— Wow, BLTs should be a breakfast food.

— A collection of Seattle’s iconic food and restaurant signs.

— Love the story of the 75-year-old lady who used to cater church events and then pivoted, mid-pandemic, to opening her own Indonesian restaurant and takeout operation.

— You need something more powerful than a pandemic to kill pop-up holiday bars.

— Damn, these desserts from a new Azerbaijani bakery in D.C. look incredible.

— It’s unfortunate that a hotel with a female empowerment theme employs a man as the head chef. It’s perhaps more unfortunate that it sells cocktails named, literally, Empowerment and Shoulder to Shoulder, and will feature a mural of RGB made out of tampons.

Patricia Chang

SF Bay “boquerones” on avocado-tomato toasts at Anchovy Bar

Notable Openings/Closings

Closures: Celeb chef Eddie Huang’s Baohaus and Chinatown dumpling legend Lan Zhou 88 in New York; longstanding gay club CC Slaughters and fine dining standout Holdfast Dining in Portland; nightlife stalwart Beauty Bar and 40-year-old hibachi grill Kobe Steaks in Dallas; Wolfgang Puck Steak in Detroit; Estiatorios Milos in Las Vegas; and Nak Won House, a Koreatown icon, in Los Angeles.

Openings: Anchovy Bar, the newest restaurant from the Statebird Provisions crew, in San Francisco; Seattle’s eagerly and long-anticipated location of Chengdu Taste; Encina, a hotly anticipated Southern restaurant, in Dallas; Hanchic, an exciting new, fusion-y Korean restaurant, in LA; and East End Backyard, a sports bar (and dog park!) owned by a soccer star in Houston.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2SN5XlM https://ift.tt/3nJA1Ni

A dining dome at East Eats, a new restaurant in Detroit | East Eats [Courtesy photo]

From the Editor: Everything you missed in food news last week

This post originally appeared on October 10, 2020 in Amanda Kludt’s newsletter “From the Editor,” a roundup of the most vital news and stories in the food world each week. Read the archives and subscribe now.

I jam-packed this newsletter with stories from our sites this week, about, among other things, new reopenings and closings, BLTs as breakfast food, and the challenge of winterizing restaurants, so let’s jump right in:

News

The hammer and the dance: Texas bars are allowed to reopen, pending approval from local judges (so Dallas drinkers are still out of luck, but bars outside Austin are back in action). New York’s indoor dining continues, but large swaths of Brooklyn and Queens are facing new restrictions. And LA could reopen for indoor dining by the end of the month.

If you thought other countries had this under control, take note: Montreal restaurants remain closed for the month and various European capitals are experimenting with curfews and full closures.

The coming winter: Chicago announced the winners of its competition to rethink outdoor dining, tiny plastic homes for dining arrived in New York, Boston restaurants are selling branded sweatshirts and blankets, and a new Detroit restaurant serving guests in canvas-backed geodesic domes looks pretty appealing right now.

More news of note: Developers in Boston are proposing bringing back a zombified version of a 137-year-old bar that closed last year to make way for their large mixed-use development; Seattle’s version of SF’s Chinese food hall and market China Live has been delayed another year; the Glass Incident Fire continues to destroy wineries and resorts in the Napa region, and it won’t be fully contained for another two weeks; Mitchell Davis stepped down from his role at the James Beard Foundation after a 25-year run and a controversial summer; Yelp now alerts diners when businesses are associated with racist conduct; and Dave Chang is having another go at a ghost-kitchen Fuku.

And over at Vox, my colleague Matty Yglesias has a great explainer on why it’s been such an uphill battle for the HEROES act (which includes billions for restaurants) and what it will take to get actual traction on this issue. The UK, with all its problems, is at least well ahead of us on this front.

Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Pakhlava at new D.C. bakery Sharbat

Appreciations, Head-scratchers, and Miscellany

— A big public thank you to Elazar for introducing me to Japanese sweet potato instagram.

— Wow, BLTs should be a breakfast food.

— A collection of Seattle’s iconic food and restaurant signs.

— Love the story of the 75-year-old lady who used to cater church events and then pivoted, mid-pandemic, to opening her own Indonesian restaurant and takeout operation.

— You need something more powerful than a pandemic to kill pop-up holiday bars.

— Damn, these desserts from a new Azerbaijani bakery in D.C. look incredible.

— It’s unfortunate that a hotel with a female empowerment theme employs a man as the head chef. It’s perhaps more unfortunate that it sells cocktails named, literally, Empowerment and Shoulder to Shoulder, and will feature a mural of RGB made out of tampons.

Patricia Chang

SF Bay “boquerones” on avocado-tomato toasts at Anchovy Bar

Notable Openings/Closings

Closures: Celeb chef Eddie Huang’s Baohaus and Chinatown dumpling legend Lan Zhou 88 in New York; longstanding gay club CC Slaughters and fine dining standout Holdfast Dining in Portland; nightlife stalwart Beauty Bar and 40-year-old hibachi grill Kobe Steaks in Dallas; Wolfgang Puck Steak in Detroit; Estiatorios Milos in Las Vegas; and Nak Won House, a Koreatown icon, in Los Angeles.

Openings: Anchovy Bar, the newest restaurant from the Statebird Provisions crew, in San Francisco; Seattle’s eagerly and long-anticipated location of Chengdu Taste; Encina, a hotly anticipated Southern restaurant, in Dallas; Hanchic, an exciting new, fusion-y Korean restaurant, in LA; and East End Backyard, a sports bar (and dog park!) owned by a soccer star in Houston.

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