BRAVA: An Ovation For An Oven

STORIES FOR THE TIMES:

I have been cooking on a Brava Smart Oven since July 2019. To see what it is all about I direct you to their web site: www.brava.com

The Brava lives on my cooktop which I have not used for months. The extra trays and pans live in the oven. Sometimes I use the microwave in conjunction with the Brava meals.

Here is a compilation of what I have been cooking for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as a few baked goods. Done with easy management and easy cleanup. A standing ovation to my Brava for keeping me happy and healthy and well-fed.

A Dream for All Dreams

This morning I woke up a little early, lie in bed contemplating life, and decided to turn over and go back to sleep for a little while. No, not a comment on my life contemplations but rather it felt good to be in bed with the sun beginning to peek in and with no obligations at all for the day.

My decision was rewarded with one of my wonderful, full color, exquisite detail, full sound and music, beautiful lighting, dreams. I think that while I have had many such dreams, this one would have to be placed towards the top of my list.

Have a peaked your interest? I hope I can describe the experience as well as I experienced it!

The dream takes place in a restaurant, bar, nightclub. Gay or gay friendly. Darkly lit. A little smoky,  not from cigarettes but rather so darkly lighted and decorated that the impression you get is one of being in a special, secluded, exclusive, expensive place.

I am sitting at the bar having a glass of wine. I had asked the older bartender woman about their whites and she ran the list from memory. I asked for a "taste" of the Pino Grigio.

She brought me a full glass (bistro glass vs stemmed one,) popped it down on the bar in front of me, and said good naturedly and smiling, "Taste all you want, you still have to pay for it!"

A man sitting next to me, good looking and somewhere in his twenties to forties, and I spoke for a while and he flirted with me. I enjoyed the flirtation and the possibility of a hook up later, which he implied as he left to visit with some other friends who had just arrived.

Suddenly a group of at least six drag queens; all in different style but matching pattern, color and material dresses; swoop into the room accompanied by loud Abba type music, with bright lights and mirrorballs causing the room to become a rainbow of color and excitement.

The performers are staged all around the room interacting with the various seated groups but presenting a unified, choreographed, musical, piece which holds together quite well. Apparently the evening's show had begun. 

Next my attention is back at the bar where I am eating my dinner:  T-Bone steak grilled medium-well; baked potato with sour cream, chives, and butter; and lettuce wedge with blue cheese, red onion, and crumbled bacon waiting to be eaten at the end of my meal. Need I say, DELICIOUS!

The next part of the dream is a little confusing as to why it even takes place in this setting but bring on the best part!

The entertainment is over and the room is once again dark, dimly lit, and feeling a little smoky. I notice that over in a far corner there are several men with two or three tigers, a black bear, and a brown bear cub. 

The animals are apparently trained and under control and present no threat. I decide to be brave and approach them, asking if I may pet the tigers. I receive the go ahead.

Before long the three tigers and I have bonded and we are "playing." It begins with simple petting and then elevates.

I feel their warm fir and the pressure of their bodies against mine as we tumble on the floor. I can feel the rough lick of their tongues on my face and the strength of their teeth as they nip but do not hurt. I can feel them head butting and rubbing their snouts against mine.

I ask the wait person (female) to please take some photographs of the cats and me with her phone as I had forgotten mine at home (actually I did forget my cell phone earlier when I went out for dinner.) Would she please e-mail the photographs to me.

I remember thinking that I'll probably get cat hair all over the navy blue blazer which I was wearing but discount the thought as, "Who cares!"

Suddenly the two bears join the party. The black one is not huge but none-the-less large. The brown one is a pup. For a while the event has turned into a "Michael Sandwich" and I am luxuriating in the experience: its feel, its smell, and just the possibility and joy of it happening. 

With that I wake up and out loud comment, "Wow!" Briefly I wonder if I ever hooked up with the good looking kid. Briefly I think that maybe some day I will get to pet a fully grown tiger. Wouldn't that be wonderful? It was always a wish of Gregory's and maybe someday I was have the experience for real for both of us.

 

Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston, S.C.

First you stand in line outside along the side window watching the people inside enjoy their dinner, for as long as the time you need to wait for your turn to get a table. Luckily the temperature in Charleston is moderate and my light jacket is keeping me comfortably warm.

You notice that there are a number of empty tables and wonder why you still have to wait. Once seated, you come to find out that they are slowing down the seating because the kitchen is behind with only one chef and his sous-chef.

Finally you are next in line and as your stomach growls its excitement, a nondescript, casually dressed woman comes to the door and says, "Sir Michael, I have a table for you." The restaurant is a balance of nondescript and quaint and vintage and mix and match.

This "non-descript" woman quickly and easily becomes identified as the pleasant, friendly, welcoming owner of the place. Your first impression was only due to your hunger. You address her as "Mademoiselle Dana" since she called you "Sir Michael" but she corrects you saying, "Call me JUST Dana." So I call her, "Dana" and she corrects me, "No, JUST DANA.

JUST DANA hands me the local newspaper saying, "I never get a chance to read the thing so tell me if there if there is anything important in the news today." Instantly you feel at home and at ease with siting alone, table for two, having dinner by yourself. 

I look over the menu with its wonderfully southern fare and decide on Fried Chicken Livers with Onions. I chose, as my "2 veggies," Okra Gumbo and Coleslaw. Chad, my-wait person, first brings my SWEET Ice Tea and a complimentary dish of homemade, bread and butter chips. 

When the meal arrives, from its looks and its aroma, I knew that I made the right decision. The livers are fried but slightly pink inside, the coleslaw is tangy and fresh, the okra gumbo is steaming with the tomatoes just tart enough and the okra a touch slimy (which is what okra is all about!) The brown gravy adds to the overall delicious of the meal. It was definitely, as I knew it would be, worth the wait!

Dana drops by to see how I am doing and besides showering her with compliments, which I meant sincerely and can tell she enjoys greatly, I asked about the photograph on the wall next to my table. "Oh haven't I told you the story of Jestine's Kitchen?" ... and Dana begins ...

"My grandfather, Aleck Ellison, hired Jestine as a housekeeper/ nanny when my mother was about to be born telling Jestine that he would be grateful for her help and promised to support her for the rest of her life. The joke was on my grandfather because Jestine lived to be 112 years old. She was not only part of the family for my mom, who was an only child,  but also was there for me!

Justine Matthews, that was her name, was born in Low country in 1885, her mother was a Native American and her father was the son of a freed slave. You can imagine not only how important she was to the family but also the wonderful things that came out of her kitchen as I was growing up. Not only traditional veggies, seafood and fried chicken but also homemade table wine, sweet tea, peach cobbler, and pecan pie.

 Justine at 105 years old

When Jestine turned 110 she became ill and it saddened me to think that eventually she would leave us and over time no one would remember her or her wonderful style of home cooking and the warm atmosphere in her kitchen that she provided for generations of friends and family. I decided to create this restaurant so you could share a meal that could have come from her kitchen. 

Justine died when she was 112 on December 18, 1997 but her spirit lives on, here at Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston, South Carolina.

P.S. The food was so good, that I returned on my last night in Charleston for a second chance. JUST DANA welcomed me again by name and I felt at home. This time I ordered the meatloaf, red rice, and collard greens. Need I say yummmmm?