This Week at the Herdic House
As we mentioned last week, we need to once again postpone our Blue Plate from today (Wednesday) to tomorrow (Thursday). But we’re looking forward to it when we get there: it’s our last chile relleno for the season, prepared this time for folks who aren’t fans of heat, or meat for that matter—with sweet Carmen peppers, three cheeses, and savory vegetables, and served over black beans and rice. It’s $18 at our House, and $20 to go, like always—but, per usual, our number of to-go orders will be very limited.
Oh, what Dionysian revels our little band of Herdic travelers attended yesterday evening! What drew us all to Italy in the first place was the matrimony of our close cousin Ben with his new wife Dana—and they definitely made it worth the trip. An afternoon boat trip to Lake Garda on Monday was followed by evening nuptials yesterday at the Villa Arvedi, which required all of us low-key American dressers to don tuxes and gowns for a celebration that included a seventeenth century Villa with sculpted grounds, a be-ruffled and be-jeweled string quartet, fireworks, and a never-ending parade of food and drink that was a true delight to the palate and fizz to the senses. Check out Hannah, Dante and Liz above in their finery, teetering on heels, sweating in suit coats, and feeling positively elegant. Cue the paparazzi…
But soon, the first of our wandering Herdic family returns when Liz flies in this very evening, and makes an appearance at the Herd tomorrow night. Hannah and Dante will be back next week, and Gloria, Jim and Bob the week after, unless, of course, they have unknown plans to emigrate.
And who could blame them? Seduced by an endless flow of wine, and a veritable promenade of pasta, not to mention the remarkable Italian capacity to eat, drink and chiacchierare (a perfectly onomatopoetic word that means “chat”) well past the usual American bedtime, they could easily trip and fall into a lifetime of brisk morning espresso, relaxed afternoon riposi and long evening meals full of intellectual debate and staggering quantities of vino rosso.
Yet we believe they’ll return…if for no other reason than to see what lovely meals we can build together at the Herdic House upon re-entry. Liz is going to start slow this weekend, while she awaits the others, with a simple menu derived from a few delicious things she tasted while overseas. And she’s hoping to gain yet more valuable experience before her flight touches down in Baltimore—she’s using her layover in Heathrow to sample a classic British afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason. Who knows what tea sandwiches lie in our future for November’s Victorian tea? But to return briefly to Friday evening’s menu, you’ll find it listed just here…and we’ll hope to see you out, of course, whether this weekend or sometime in the near future!
- White peach and blackberry bellini
- Slightly spicy tomato soup with crispy soppressata and polenta “crackers”
- Beet carpaccio with fresh arugula, shaved parmesan and extra virgin olive oil
- Poached halibut over crispy au rosa potatoes and olive tapenade in a caper and roasted tomato broth, finished with basil oil
- Pistachio panna cotta with fresh peaches
P.S. One last outtake from last night’s revels, in all their over-the-top wonder. Congratulations, Ben and Dana!