Saffron Tagliatelle with Ratatouille Reprise

I'm the sort of weird individual who has fun making something like noodles.  Truthfully, I found myself humming a tune and saying under my breath, this is FUN!  Really.  And it was. Especially hanging them up on coat-hangers from a cupboard hinge.

Again with a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi, from Plenty.  My choice for this week's potluck chef theme at IHCC, but of course.  Have I mentioned already how absolutely inspiring that man is? He served it up (in the book) with spiced butter, however having stated earlier that Ratatouille is lovely the next day, I thought, how perfect to toss with the tagliatelle.  I was going to call this post "Pricey Pasta" as the recipe calls for an entire  2 teaspoons of saffron, though I did cut the whole thing in half for the two of us.  Less to roll out, even more enjoyable.  You can find the recipe here also.

Crepes and Grapes

A few days ago a friend and I went to try the new Crepes place in town. I was going to compare it with another new venue, one sporting a sign in front that read "Crapes". This had the makings of a really hilarious post, or so I thought.

Things are not always what you expect. Which is what comes of making judgments based upon appearances. Or, what appears while driving past and trying to check out a new restaurant, without getting into an accident in the process.

The above pictured cafe served us a lovely salad and our selection of some tasty Greek crepes, an hour after we ordered. Yes, one HOUR. There was a charming musician in a very short, flouncy skirt who donned an apron and assisted in waiting tables. Still, we waited. Everyone was mostly waiting, and waiting and waiting. A few drinks might have helped. I believe the chef was missing her sous chef. Still.

Nancy and everyone waiting

Then, when my daughter and I went to the other "Crapes" place, we discovered it was supposed to be read "Grapes". Hey, a wine shop. Nothing to do with dice. The proprietor stocks what seems to be an eclectic selection of his personal favorites. I bought a bottle of an excellent Washington State Chardonnay and one Spanish red, which I haven't tried yet. No crepes. Maybe the "G" should be made clearer on the sign. Or my contact prescription checked. I neglected to get a picture, which fault will be remedied tomorrow. Then you can judge.

Here it is. I guess if you're not whizzing by, thinking of crepes, it could look like Grapes.