Do You Want 5 Gallons Of Sweet Tea With That?

Someone ate a record 21 pounds of grits, winning the first World Grits Eating Championship. I like grits and all, but 21 pounds? That seems both challenging and disgusting at the same time.

I love how the article has to define what grits are. I suppose there are still some uninitiated folk out there. For the record, grits with cheese and bacon is delectable.

Greek Festival = Greek Eats

This weekend was the annual St. Demetrios Greek Festival. The festival is a great chance to get together, learn about Greek culture, see some people dance and play music, and have a good time out of doors.

OK, but the real draw is the Greek food. Roast lamb sandwiches, souvlaki, gyros, and pastries of all sorts.

True to form, we started with the pastries this year as we were waiting for people to arrive. We shared a flaky, moist Kataifi and a nice Galatoboureko. After various savory dishes, we ended with some Loukoumathes and took some Melomakarona for home (so what if it isn't Christmastime?).

Every time I attend a festival, my baking aspirations wake up a bit. Then, I realize it takes a good bit of time to make all of these sweets. OK for a weekend here or there, but those tend to fill up quickly with other activities. What is an aspiring baker to do?

I know. Blog about his delight at eating Greek food yesterday, while stuffing his face with those leftover Melomakarona. Στην υγειά σας!

Wake Me When It's Sunny Again

It's weird - I thought I had tabs on when the summer was over and fall set in around here in Seattle. But it feels like summer ended early this year. Consider:

• It's 6:30 PM and it's cloudy and rather dark outside.
• The temperature is 62 degrees right now, but the overnight low is 53.
• The 10-day forecast has our highs in the 50s.

I could have sworn that in years past, it wasn't until October that we had this sort of weather. Hmm, maybe those are just wishful memories.

OK, at least we have a bounty of fall produce to look forward to, not least of which is no less than a gazillion varieties of apples. And cider. Yum!

Drinking And Dining At Smith

We recently decided to eat and drink at Smith, a relatively recent (but by no means new) addition to the 15th street strip on Capitol Hill. I'd been there once before for a beer, and the menu looked interesting. This time, we were going to sample the kitchen's wares.

Decor
I describe Smith's interior as Tweedy English Hunting Club crossed with hipster. The exterior presents some dark awnings that cover large open windows and doorways. The interior is heavy in wood, and the walls are filled with taxidermied deer and fowl as well as paintings of people in regal poses. There are booths, 4-top tables, and large 14-top tables that can seat large parties or seat smaller groups communally. While the decor may be a throwback to times of old, the music is definitely caught up with the times, thanks to the modern jukebox near the entrance.

Drink
Come for the beer, stay for the liquor. Smith boasts a variety of American, British, Irish, Mexican, and Belgian brews, both on tap and in bottles. And they have a full bar, which is more broad than deep (as in, they don't have 10 single malt Scotches, but they have more than one).

Food
Here's where it gets interesting. The cuisine is full of rich dishes that seem to span the Chunnel between London and Paris. Here's what we had:

• Fried duck leg. As good as it sounds. Super thick, seasoned fried batter covering a large thing and drumstick of delectable, dark duck meat. Very flavorful.
• Devils on horseback. Dates stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in what I believe was pancetta. A wonderful combination of sweet, salty, and tangy.
• Beer potted cheese. A thick, creamy cheese spread accompanied with homemade cracker to spread it on.
• Summer vegetables. Green and white beans, tomatoes, and peppers sauteed in an anise butter sauce.
• For dessert, a very thick, rich chocolate pot du creme.

The good news is that we only sampled about a sixth of the menu. Some dishes are more adventurous (pig's feet, head cheese), while some look more familiar (pasta, pork sandwich). If what we had is any indication, Smith's kitchen is an excellent mix of wonderful flavors with a not-your-usual-pub-fare spin.

You can't ask for more than a nice atmosphere, a good beer, and great food. Add to that friendly, unpretentious, prompt service, and you've got a winner. We plan to return to Smith to enjoy more of their fare, donned in our (virtual) tweed jackets.

Buy Versus Build

The last PC I owned, I built. Meaning, I separately purchases the case/motherboard/CPU, the hard drive, the RAM, the CD-ROM drive, the floppy drive, and peripherals. I got to pick the components I wanted, and I ended up saving a couple of hundred dollars over a comparable pre-built machine from the likes of Dell or HP.

It was time for a new machine. So I had to weigh the options again: buy one outright, or build one like I did before? This time, I went with buy. Frankly, I don't have the time to spend putting everything together and making it work, and there's hardly a price difference these days. If I were building a high-end gaming PC there probably would be a difference, but not so much for a mainstream PC that I'm looking for.

The inner geek in me is crying a little tear for not assembling my own PC this time around. But I'm also secretly looking forward to having a box arrive with a PC that's pretty much ready to go as soon as I pull it out.