More Market Action, and Lang Van

The farmers market craze is really heating up in my fare city. Saturday was the grand opening of the Atherton Market in Southend. As the name would imply it is in the Atherton Mills, in the former trolley barn. The market was organized by moving the Tailgate Market from next to Common Market. They are currently open Saturdays and Tuesday evenings with plans to expand hours when demand dictates. We decided to ride our bikes over and see what the hubbub was about. It was buzzing with activity when we arrived. The space is fairly tight if it stays as busy as it was, but it was opening day, so we will see. We did a loop around and then went back around to do our shopping. I find this to be the best method at markets. This way you can prioritize and compare quality before you get caught up in the euphoria of fresh veggies. We did our part to spread the wealth picking up some peppers and peaches, pickles, potatoes, and tomatoes. I got a fresh root beer from Uncle Scott's a local producer in Mooresville. Then we got a round of Gorgonzola bread from Dukes and some sweet potato pasta from the Pasta Wench. As we were leaving a bluegrass band was just starting up. I tore into the bread as soon as we got home and discovered that it, with a thin layer of the Strawberry-Basil Jam The Mrs. made a couple of weeks ago, was my new favorite thing. And, on Sunday I made up a quick pan pasta sauce with the tomatoes, fresh garlic, herbs and some squash we had from last weeks CSA bag. Then threw in the ravioli and let it simmer. Thats good eatin'. Saturday afternoon was spent with friends watching the USA vs England world cup match. That evening was a friends birthday at the Charlotte institution known as Lang Van, a Vietnamese restaurant. I had never been but our friends are regulars, which was very handy, as the waitress would direct your order by making a face when something wasn't good that evening, or as we came to believe they did not have that evening. Either way, not being a great connoisseur of Vietnamese food I have no reference point. I got a beef and noodle dish that was quite good. I liked that it was very light with just a hint of a vinegar sauce. While the beef was a pounded cutlet cooked just right. The rest of the evening involved the "Sport" of UFC. I am not a fan, but what the hell. We were being manly and drinking beer. More often than not it's the company rather than the activity we enjoy.

Until next time,