“Suadero Tacos – Wow!”
There was a Food and Wine magazine in the doctor’s waiting room a few weeks ago when I went for a regular check up. I flipped to the “Best new restaurants of 2019” section and found an Austin place, Suerte, listed in the number 2 position. Disappointed with myself for being unfamiliar with this place, I made a note to try it out soon.
Suerte was our Labor Day dinner destination. 
Here’s a review by the local newspaper that we read and it built our anticipation of a great meal. “You may be able to replicate the black magic oil if you find the right balance of black sesame oil, garlic and morita chile, but I doubt you can make small, supple red corn tortillas like those at Suerte, or summon the alchemical powers to abracadabra tender confit brisket elevated gently with the citrus kiss of avocado. Delivered four to a plate, the brisket tacos with the toasty sauce are some of the best I’ve ever eaten in Austin. The way the chefs synthesize Texan and Mexican traditions into something wholly unique but familiar reminds me of what Lawrence Wright refers to as the third (and highest) level of cultural evolution in his recent book, “God Save Texas.””
We started with excellent cocktails and a very good ceviche, noting the excellent service. Then the famous suadero tacos with a side of Mexican street corn. Wow! Amazing combination of flavors and beautifully cooked. My only mistake was not accepting McD’s suggestion to get an extra order to go – big lesson learned. I can hear Alicia’s voice in my head: “Epic Fail”. Not a mistake – resisting the pull of the amazing Old Fashioned at Whisler’s right next door to Suerte.
We were back at the One to One bar on Wednesday night for the early show – an Allman Brothers tribute band. Damon and I had seen them a few months ago and loved the musicianship. I’m not sure Diana enjoyed it as much as Damon, but I thought it was excellent. The dual drummers and guitars, perfectly in time in the harmony parts, had me back at the several Allmans shows that I’ve enjoyed over the years.
Here’s the band doing “One Way Out” towards the end of their set. By this time they had played “Soulshine”, right up there behind True Companion for Diana and me, and she was enjoying the show a bit more. A couple of songs without words, otherwise known as instrumentals, had snubbed her enthusiasm for the show earlier. She took advantage of the noodling to nip next door to Chi’Lantro for a salad to accompany the rest of the show.
“Whipping Post” was the closer, reminding me of the excellent Bonerama five trombone cover of this excellent song.
Ok, you asked for it, here’s the trombone version:
We drove up to McKinney on Thursday morning, pausing for a quick brunch at Harvest in Waco. Diana had a work meeting and dinner and I relaxed at home. There’s a new series of “Travels with my father” on Netflix that I enjoyed. This is a hilarious travelogue of English comedian Jack Whitehall enjoying adventures with his father. This season they are in the United States – starting out in Los Angeles with yoga and healthy food.
I enjoyed the US Open tennis over the last couple of weeks. I was very impressed with Bianca Andreescu’s victory over Serena Williams. A 19 year old and the first Canadian to win a major tennis championship. She survived the highly partisan crowed and pressure to win a tournament that she didn’t even qualify for last year. It was fun to watch the pride from her parents as the match progressed – they emigrated from Romania to Canada in the nineties with just two suitcases.
I think Berrettini will be a star on the Men’s tennis stage very soon. He lost to Nadal in the semis but I think has a great all around game.
Sunday started as usual – swim, sauna, coffee and crossword – and then the joy…Football’s back! The season started with the classic Cowboys vs Giants 
rivalry. I wasn’t sure what to expect from our running back, Zeke, after he held out the entire pre-season for a better contract. He did ok in the first half – nothing amazing. The rest of the team looked great – with Jason Witten back from a year off commentating – and straight out of the booth into the end zone with an excellent touchdown. The score is Cowboys 21 Giants 7 at half time – a very pleasant start to the season. Hope it stays that way for the rest of the game.
The US Open Men’s Final is conflicting with the football – have only seen small portions of it during the commercial breaks – looks like Nadal has it in hand against the preying mantis Medvedev.
My oldest baby, Will, survived the week in the desert at Burning Man. This is their vehicle, Stuart, out in the middle of nowhere, and their main transportation for the week.
Will’s contribution to the event was the ear splitting bass from his Durango, “Basswlf”. Checkout the message on the bottom of his wooden license plate. I’m not sure I would do well on this hanging stone walk.
I don’t think my baby got much sleep during the week. Christine, on the other hand, looks well rested and ready to go at this sunrise party. I know – what’s with her hair – suspect it was a good approach given no water and showers for a week.
“City of Thieves” by David Benioff was a thoroughly engrossing read this week. I’m a big fan of “25th Hour”, a Spike Lee directed movie from Benioff’s first book – he also wrote the screenplay, and was hoping this second novel would be enjoyable. It was hard to put down after the first 50 pages or so.
This book was selected by the “Man’s Book Club” that I’ve been invited to join in Austin. I haven’t made any meetings yet due to travel conflicts. I hope to soon – all their choices so far have been good reads.
Back to the story. During the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.
The premise sounds far fetched and contrived, but Benioff makes the horror of the siege and the terror of the times come alive in very real terms. The two leading characters, Lev and Kolya, almost direct opposites, are very well realized. The story of their evolving friendship is at the heart of the novel. The horror of the times and the story make this a book that is at times very brutal and gruesome – not for everyone.
I did some reading on the siege of Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg again. Pinned in by the German Army from the south, assisted by the Finnish Army from the North (until they reclaimed land seized by Russia previously), this event lasted almost 900 days – September 8, 1941 through January 27, 1944. Very little food made its way from the surrounding countryside into the city, resulting in the siege being declared an act of genocide.
Do you remember the movie and then TV Show “Fame”. Good – you’re probably close to my age at least. I don’t remember why this song from the movie popped into my head this week – hadn’t thought about it in decades – weird synapses firing, while the ones I need to fire resist.
I read that Pat Metheney, jazz guitarist extraordinaire, was having some concerts in New York this week. I smiled to see James Francies in the band with him – this guy blew me away on piano when I saw him at the Jazz Standard a year or so ago.
We should include a song from the incomparable Ry Cooder, whose album cover headlines the music section this week. I love everything about Cooder’s music and suspect that his “Paradise and Lunch” may be the record that I have played most over the years:
This tune was playing as we waited for the band to start at One to One this week. Took the synapses a few seconds to recognize it as Jeff Beck – another incomparable, and quite different, guitar player: