Cubanos and a trip to Star

When Kool Korners closed, we were very sad. The Crazy Cuban, which is just down the street from the old Kool Korners location says they make the same recipe. We have been skeptical, but we tried it today. We both got the Classic Cuban, Josh's with jalapenos and mine without.

Honesty, I was disappointed. When I went to Kool Korners, it was YUM! every time. The meat, the crispness of the bread... Hell, I ate one and a half to two every time. This sandwich was not as well pressed, the bread a little thicker. The roast pork was not as thickly sliced. The lettuce, was shredded messily, the tomato just a thick slice. The jalapenos were chunky. The Kool Korners cubano was a more refined, more careful sandwich. This one... it's just a sandwich. Not one I would crave. Not necessarily even one I want to eat again.

We did notice that a lot of "regulars" who came in after us ordered the Media Noche. It sounds just like the Classic except on Media Noche bread. Wikipedia tells me that medianoche is just like a cubano except the bread is a little sweeter. I am not sure that this one thing could have saved my cubano. Well, we might need to start trying some of the other cubano places around. Or we can go to Birmingham.

My second Aerogarden was planted on 12/12. The salad greens (foreground) started coming up pretty early. The basil, back left, has also sprouted. I bet if I harvested the chives, they would come back bushier.

I haven't planted the tomato Aerogarden yet. Over the holiday for sure!

It was time for a holiday trip to Star. I anticipated a good piece of meat and some cheese. It looks less exciting all wrapped up, so maybe I will take pictures of the beautiful foods when they are opened. We got a single bone 28-day aged prime bone-in ribeye and a two-bone rack of Berkshire pork. I still haven't found a local pork to rival what they have at Star. I'm sure it's out there; I just don't have access to it yet.

For cheeses, we got half of a Pierre Robert (in the plastic home), some Brillat-Savarin, a small nub of Fromage de Meaux (the last they had), and some Robiola. I also got some foie gras terrine (naturally) and some marcona almonds. We also picked up a bottle of banyuls vinegar which is supposed to be totally awesome with arugula, and a refill of olive oil. They didn't have the Chilean that we prefer, but we got some of this Californian which is pretty green and tasty, despite the fact that we just bought a new bottle of Colavita. They are different green-tasting.

Shopping at Star makes me feel like celebrating. Perhaps that is why I started singing Christmas carols. It's nice to get into the holiday spirit at last.

I may not have mentioned that we have a new kitten, Leo. While it's certainly not sanctioned, it was cute when he was very interested in a video game we were playing. I snapped a couple shots of this non-repeatable investigation of the tv. All the cats like the nature shows, too. That's always interesting to watch.