…the monthly roundup of orphan pictures, from July.

I think I’ll start with hot wings – these, at home, from the new Atlanta Wing Factory in Palermo. [Closed in early 2016] I’d tried some of their wings at the big Taste! 2012 event recently and thought they were decent. The guys were talking about their new restaurant, all opened and ready to go, so I thought I’d swing by. It’s not a restaurant. It kind of looks like it’s a garage in which they’re cooking up wings, though the sign outside says it’s a sushi delivery service – had I not had the address I wouldn’t have even known they were there. Turns out they’re delivery only right now, through BA Delivery, but, not to my neighborhood. Yet. They let me order some since I’d come all that way and I brought it home to munch on. Around 30 different sauces to choose from – here the green hot chimichurri, their spiciest – decent kick, not killer spicy, but really good; and the “island spice” which was supposed to be a spicy Caribbean style – I didn’t get any heat, nor anything really of that part of the world – tasty, just not what came to mind. The curly fries – strange. Not at all crispy (I realize I’d traveled from Palermo to Recoleta, but they were kind of mush, not just no longer crispy, and, they’re not cut through, so they don’t stand up as nice little spirals, more of wide swaths of potato with some halfway cut through ridges. I’d order the wings again when they start delivering to this zone….

…or, maybe I’ll just stick with making my own. Henry loves these – so do I – multi-chili hot wings served up over warm sesame noodles – a combo that someone ought to market!

Recent experiments with ciabatta bread had a loaf or two sitting around – cutting them in half and loading them up with vegetables, cheese, and just a little prosciutto and sticking the whole thing under the broiler made one hell of an open-faced sandwich.

An experiment in hors d’oeuvres – broccoli balls. Nope, we’re not going to do that again. Besides, it requires making or buying pre-prepared “stuffing”, the latter impossible to do here. Nope, not again. Not ever.

Tasty little falafel at Oasis on Montevideo. I’d wanted a falafel sandwich, but got these and a platter of hummus, tabouleh, and babaganoush – didn’t feel like sending it back to be made into a sandwich, nor of giving up my salads.

Had a recent horrific food experience at a highly touted Italian restaurant near to me. I’m not going to write it up because it was clearly out of the ordinary. The chef, young and not overly experienced would be my guess, recognized me and decided that he was going to impress me. So he started cooking things that weren’t on his menu, throwing in stuff that “he’d never tried before” and trying to make it all fancy by using caviar and truffles and lobster and such – and I ended up with a parade of four bulimia inducing plates that I just couldn’t eat and finally had to ask him to stop. Service and atmosphere were delightful, and the surrounding guests, tucking into the food I’d hoped to try, were having clearly great meals with his normally simple, rustic fare. This risotto, on the other hand, had so much cheese along side the truffle butter that I could have flipped the bowl upside down and left it for an hour without a grain falling to the tablecloth. It was solid enough that it required force to push a spoon through it – I’ve had grilled provoletas that were lighter. Now, though, I don’t feel like I can go back and try regular cooking.

A trial run with a different recipe for semolina gnocchi that someone recommended. Good flavor, but the texture too light and marshmallow-like for me. Topped with salsa verde and some tomatoes, cauliflower and manchego cheese. I’ll go back to my tried and true semolina gnocchi recipe which comes out perfect time after time.

I have this thing about outdoor clocks – back in NYC I used to take series of pictures of them and had many of the photos posted around my apartment. These three clock towers just caught my eye lined up very nicely at the end of Plaza de Mayo. I was there for this year’s Peruvian Gastronomic Street Fair (that wasn’t what it was called, but it’s what it was)…

…oodles of booths offering up a variety of classic Peruvian dishes. Some of it was a bit odd for street food, more like whole dinner plates, but much of it, like some quite good tamales at different stands (and one notably bad tamál) was great, and some rockingly good hot sauces at different spots – the guy who made this one peeking out from behind the sign gave me his contact info so that I can get some from him.

This booth was our favorite – not only were they making great little picarones, the sweet potato doughnuts soaked in honey, but, in the far pot, frying up what were the best papas rellenas I’ve ever had, anywhere. Amazingly light and delicious – I want to learn how to make those!

This woman is enjoying her picarones….

…and I don’t know what this Wilford Brimley look alike is eating here, but he was quite intent on it. Then again, Wilford always looks intent.

And that puts July to bed. On with August!