Quaintrelle Weekender
The strategy of the Birkenstock plus an excellent fava bean bruschetta and this week's lounge chair read.
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I’m just about enter Phase Two of my Birkenstock break-in routine.
I just got these beauties – Arizona Big Buckle in Zinfandel, if you’re curious – from a fantastic pop-up shop in Bloor West Village that is worth the subway ride to Toronto’s west end – I paid $100 bucks! The same style is $210 on the Birkenstock website, though it looks like the colours that bombed this season are selling for as low as $157 (faded purple or burnt orange anyone?)
The pop-up shop is a true find (get off at Runnymede and walk two blocks west or get off at Jane and walk two blocks east.) They have a good range of styles, though, like, not every style imaginable, but still, for $100, you can find something that will please you well enough.
And before you ask, I’ve already told you the name. It’s literally called the Pop Up Shop.
So back to my Birkenstock Break-in Routine.
It takes me an age and a boat load of blisters to mold these orthopaedic wonders to my tender tootsies. For the last two weeks I’ve been wearing them around my house, but my place is only 700 square feet, it’s not like I’ve got a track in the basement, so walking is minimal. Now that I’ve successfully completed the initial phase, I’m ready to take them out: a walk around the block, 15 minutes and 2,500 steps. This will be done in thick socks to guard against a real ripper of a blister, but also makes me look like my late German grandpa, so it’s a bit nostalgic. I may shed a tear. Both for my Opa and my burgeoning blister.
Of course, I also live in a Polish-heavy area so someone may reward my efforts with a fortifying sausage. Who knows?
After a week or so of socks-and-sandals strolls, I should be close to the finish line. Phase Three will be a longer walk, a route designed with quick short cuts home, possibly a spare pair of shoes in my bag if things get really bad, but after that, my Arizona Big Buckles and I should be ready to footloose.
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This Week’s Big 3
Red Wine Ladies at the Cottage. Hits a bit close to home.
Fava Bean Bruschetta. Nearly no-cook, super simple, incredibly stylish.
Madaq. Maybe I’m on a Moroccan bender right now, well, I’m always on a Morroccan bender, but Nargisse Benkabbou’s latest cookbook is everything I want to eat. Authentic recipes that are translated for home cooks, stuffed with the bright flavours of Arabic cooking, I’m making my way through this book at a steady pace.
Currently Reading
Sister Stardust by Jane Green. I’ve been obsessed with Jane Green since learning about her a few weeks ago. This is the first book of her’s I’ve read, which is about a fictional tale of a lonely British girl and her encounters with hippie icon Talitha Getty in the drug-addled, artist mecca of Marrakesh in the 1960’s. Taylor Jenkins Reid blurbed it “Glamorous, intoxicating, and a tad bit dangerous.”
As for last week’s novel, The Au Pair, I’m giving it a 3.5/5. I liked this thriller about a struggling writer’s affair with his family’s super-hot Norwegian au pair, but I didn’t love it. For a short time, it in the second half it was a real page-turner, and I was dissatisfied with the ending – though I think critics and intellectuals will really like the thought-provoking nature of it. Honestly, I don’t think I’m smart enough for literary fiction. Pass the beach read.
The Weekend Menu
We are out of town this weekend, taking full advantage of sun and water. We’ve got a busy schedule of eating, drinking, and floating. Follow along on my Instagram stories, if you would like.
Tonight’s Dinner: Thomasina Miers’ pork al pastor (exact recipe not online. Here’s a similar one.)
Last Sunday’s Dinner: Beef kabobs (gift link). I was at a friend’s for a barbecue so wasn’t cooking, but he served kabobs, which were delicious, easy, and spot-on for a balmy night in the backyard.
The Weekend Cocktail: Frozen, big batch piña colada
The Weekend Wine: Cave De Lugny Mâcon-Lugny St. Pierre, France $24
On Monday…
I have the final (for now) instalment in the series documenting my, “health journey.” This chapter talks about maintenance, what I do when things don’t go quite the way I hoped, and how I plan on balancing living my life as a food-loving sommelier, with keeping as strong and trim as possible.
That will be for premium subscribers. I hope you’ll consider joining us, if you haven’t already.
Until then –
xo – Erin