Delivering Deliciousness During Times of Social Distancing
What day is it even today? Friday? Sure, that tracks… I mean I put out the garbage yesterday, so… I dunno. Good God, Lemon, this whole social distancing, while nice and relaxing, is really starting to get to me. I’m starting to crave normalcy. I miss going to the gym. I miss going out for coffee or lunch. I miss taking Liz out to dinner. I almost am starting to possibly consider thinking about missing work. This situation has been a big change for everybody, so a little taste of normal is just what we need.
Thankfully, a bunch of local restaurants are doing some great work offering take-out options for pick-up and delivery, seeing as their dining rooms must remain empty and I think it’s great. Off the top of my head, here in Ottawa there’s North and Navy, Two Six Ate, Gray Jay and Absinthe, great local chef-run restaurants, serving wonderful food, that they’re boxing up for you to eat in the comfort of you own bunker home.
Services like this are so very appreciated in this current crisis climate. It was nice to eat a great meal in our house with minimal cleanup. We’ve both been cooking up a storm, Liz and I, but let’s be honest, as much fun as I’m having cooking for the two of us, I still don’t want to do it breakfast, lunch and dinner for as long as we’re stuck indoors. And even though we’re splitting the cooking fairly evenly, we both deserve a treat sometimes, right? Damn right we do. And it was that line of reasoning that led us to order dinner from North and Navy last night.
Is anybody reviewing take-out from their favorite restos? Well, I guess it’s high time somebody started. So, let me set the scene: Liz phoned NONA in the late afternoon, placed our order and said we’d like to eat dinner around 6:30. Arrangements were made for delivery and that the order was to be left on the porch. They’d ring the doorbell and send a message when it was dropped off. Kind of like playing “nicky-nicky-ninedoor” when you were a kid, except now we’re the ones inside and instead of some punk kids laughing at us from across the street, there was a delicious care package on our stoop when we answered the door.
And it certainly was delicious. Even though the ambiance of our living room coffee table can’t match the warmth and charm of NONA’s service and dining room, there was something nice about eating food from one of our favorite places on our couch. This wasn’t the same as a takeaway pizza or Chinese delivery. This still had all the hallmarks of painstakingly precisely executed high-end restaurant food, that just happened to arrive in take-out containers.
Our appetizer selections were a delightful focaccia and prosciutto sandwich, the meat generously sandwiched between the fresh bread which still had the scent of olive oil, enhanced by just the right amount of mustard and an endive Caesar salad, its ratios perfectly judged, the bitterness of the endives tempered by the richness of the vinaigrette, the crunch of the croutons and the satisfying light smokiness of the lardons.
Main courses were chosen for maximum comfort. Two pastas, one a spaghetti Bolognese was a perfect interpretation of a classic, the ragu rich and hearty, without the overabundance of tomato that so many others crutch upon. The other, a gemelli with an assortment of mushrooms from Le Coprin, was equally rich and earthy and was devoured with much gusto.
And of course, since it was meant to be a treat, we treated ourselves to dessert, sharing a lovely slice of cheesecake that was light and airy, yet decadent and satisfying, with a hint of lemon balancing out all the cheesy richness and sweetness of the graham crumb.
It was the perfect meal to re-steel us for the days ahead of social distancing, and to give us a feeling of engagement with a community that was so suddenly taken from us. I encourage you all to seek out the places in your neighborhoods that are offering take-home and delivery options and make use of them, if you’re financially able. You’ll be helping out hard-working members of your community that are having a difficult time during this crisis and the rewards are delicious. Please check out the provided links and feel free to send me any others you’ve tried.
Stay distant, but not TOO distant.
