eating.

i couldn't have been more excited for a downtown grocery store to open. and a cossentino's market, nonetheless. i've been known to drive all the way to the brookside one to get a salad at lunchtime. now, i have only a few blocks to drive to get my healthy (okay, let's be honest...) healthy topped with bacon, cheese, fried onions etc...salad.

i went the day it opened. and it was a zoo. seriously, it was like being at disney land. everyone was just wandering around, staring at things, bumping into shelves, fighting for a place in the salad bar line, elbowing others out of the way to get sushi. and a lot of the checkers are brand new. so you can imagine the bottle-necks.

bottle-necks or not, i went back saturday to do some shopping. and here's the part that sucked.
1. everything is a bit over-priced
2. you can't take your cart to your car

i was more upset about number 2. i mean, i had two VERY full, heavy bags plus a 12-pack of le croix. and a purse. and a sore, recently tattooed right arm. and i had to go up the elevator, down a long hall and completely across the parking garage before i got to my car.

that part sucked.

but i'm still glad it's there. i think, though, it's more convenient for small trips. like for a bottle of wine and some butter.

i also ate at extra virgin, michael smith's new restaurant, on friday. and it was good.
we had beef tongue, shrimp gratin and wood-fire grilled oyster mushrooms.

the beef tongue was not my choice. but, i sorta grew up eating it. and this was a more gourmet variation complete with pickled beets.

just one note about that place: after eating there, you WILL smell like wood-fired oven smoke for two days. even after showering.