Date #26 - Crepes a la Google

For our 26th date, we wanted to take a cooking class. We had many options to choose from, that included everything from soup for beginners, to five course meals with wine pairings, to make-your-own-pasta, to gingerbread cookie house creations. We finally decided on.....(drum roll)....making crepes.

TH and I have always been big crepe fans. Early in our marriage, when eating out was always a treat, one of our favorite restaurants was a creperie in Faneuil Hall called The Magic Pan. We don't have the pleasure of enjoying crepes too often anymore as that restaurant is now long gone, and there aren't any local creperies in our area certainly none close enough to deliver take-out, and we never EVER thought to cook them ourselves. They just appeared too complicated, and we didn't own a crepe-maker.

The scene of our date: Dore Creperie in downtown Boston. This was a new restaurant and, as fast as it appeared, it is already gone. They claim to have been Boston's first pop-up restaurant/creperie. A former lunch spot, Sandwich Press, moved out of this Beacon Street location with five months remaining on their lease. So the investors decided to pop-up a creperie from June to November.

It was basically a one-man show, and Greg was the man. He was our teacher and the head crepe chef. He also had a couple interns working with him. The class was held in the evening after the creperie closed for the day.

There were three other couples and another single woman taking the class with us. We started out seated on the customer side of the counter while Greg and crew showed a powerpoint presentation of the history of the crepe. Then Greg started to demonstrate how early crepes were made with buckwheat. As he was ladling the batter onto the griddle, I happened to ask where he acquired his culinary skills. Without looking up or so much as a pause he answered, "Google."

Google? Did he just say, Google?

We all looked at each other, quite puzzled, not sure we'd hear his answer correctly. Google? Really?

Surely he was going to say, Gotcha!  But he didn't.

Greg readily admitted that he had no culinary background and had never made a crepe before this summer. When the partners decided on a creperie, they bought some crepe griddles, and turned to Google for a batter recipe and crepe-making directions. Kinda funny. Did I mention they are already out of business?

And then it was our turn to come around the glass and learn to make crepes. We started mixing two different types of batter...one sweet and one savory. It was a bit crowded in the mixing corner.

From there, it was time to make the crepes. Interestingly enough, we didn't get to use our freshly made batter to make our crepes. Instead we all ladled from a large vat of batter next to the griddles. I have a sneaky suspicion that the batter we ultimately used is a pre-made commercial concoction, while the batters we had just mixed would probably have tasted like paste.

With very minimal instruction, we each got to work creating one sweet and one savory crepe, using any of the dozens of available fillings. Here's TH working the griddle:

And here's his savory "pizza" crepe under construction.

When all was said and done, there wasn't a whole lot to learn about making crepes. As long as you have the proper griddle and the little wooden spreader...you are all set. The secret is in the filling and the folding. As you can see, we didn't do so well on the folding:

I don't even remember what I made, but I do recall that most of us created more than two different crepes. And once again we ate WAY TOO MUCH. Everyone in the class just kept turning out crepes, and we just kept on tasting. We were supposed to select a winner that would be featured on the next day's menu...but by the time we got around to deciding on a favorite, we were all too full to care.

And remember all that batter we created at the start of the class? Well, as a going away gift, we all received large cardboard soda cups filled with our very own batter ....so that we could go home and continue to make crepes. We also received $10 gift cards, just in case we might want to return for more crepes.

The name for the creperie, Dore, comes from the French word for gold. But I think it's safe to say that this 5-month pop-up venture did not line anyone's pocket with gold. I followed them on Twitter until they closed, and every day there were giving away crepes and offering discounts or free crepes to all the college students. With discount vouchers which everybody had that evening, the class was just $30 per person. I guarantee we all ate and drank more than our money's worth...not to mention the free batter and the gift cards we took home. Did I mention they are no longer in business?

As for those gift cards? Gave them to a former colleague who still works downtown. And the batter? Well I'd love to tell you that TH and I went right out and bought a crepe griddle and put our newly learned skills to work. But that didn't happen. After schlepping the four large cups of batter home on the subway, they sat in our fridge for another week and then they went in to the trash, unopened.

However, I'm sure we'd have no problem replicating that batter if the crepe-making bug every bites again. Because, even though we didn't write down the recipe....I suspect it's readily available on Google.

Date #25 - Howdy, Rex

"Howdy there, Folks, we're glad to see you...in Boom...Boom...Boomtown" 

If you are over 40 and grew up in the greater Boston area, you probably know the rest of the words to this song, and you definitely know exactly what Boomtown is. It was a locally produced kids television show in the 50s and 60s, hosted by a real cowboy named Rex Trailer who became an icon in New England. Everyone has nostalgic memories of Boomtown tucked safely away. And if you were lucky, you actually might have gone on Boomtown.

Neither TH or I ever got to go on Boomtown. Or Bozo, or Major Mudd, or Romper Room, or any of the other great shows created for us Baby Boomers in the early decades of television. But even more than wanting to go on Boomtown, I always wanted to go on the school vacation trips to Sunny California that were heavily promoted by sponsor Crimson Travel. But I had as much chance of going to Disneyland and KnottsBerry Farm with Rex, as I had of blasting off to the moon with Major Mudd. Didn't happen.

I did, however, host a backyard carnival to raise money for MDA with a kit I received from Rex in the mail. He was an Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and in later years we had the opportunity to meet Rex at several MDA events where we introduced him to our sons...but they weren't the least bit impressed. How could you not love a tall, handsome, singing cowboy who could twirl a mean lasso?!

So imagine our surprise when we heard that Rex Trailer was going to appear at our local library on a recent Monday evening.

Rex Trailer?

          Really?

                  Right here in South Boston?

The funny thing is that, everyone we shared the news with asked the same question: "Is he still alive?"

Turns out that Rex is very much alive and kicking at the age of 83. Apparently, this is the 55th anniversary year since the inception of Boomtown. Five years ago, a producer named Michael Bavaro (in conjunction with Rex) created a documentary film with nostalgic footage to commemorate Boomtown's 50th birthday. And now, 5 years later, Rex is on a tour through New England screening the video. TH and I rushed right over and grabbed front row seats to spend an evening with this legend from our past.

It's interesting how an adult perspective differs so greatly than that seen through the eyes of a child. (I am always amazed when I ride by my seemingly mammoth childhood sledding hills and realize they were nothing more than slight inclines.) The child in us yearns for everything to remain exactly as we remember, and it's a shock and disappointment to discover that everything changes and ages along with us.

Such was the experience on this particular evening when Rex finally walked in. Oh he still wore a cowboy hat and bolo tie, but gone was the tall, handsome hero with the booming baritone. In his place stood a wizened old man with a weak little voice, who struggled to keep his dentures suctioned in when he spoke.

But it was still the same Rex we all knew and loved. When he walked in, he said, "Howdy, Boys and Girls" and you can bet that we all shouted out, "Howdy, Rex!"

The documentary was great and brought back a rush of wonderful memories. The video also featured many celebrities, such as Jay Leno and Tom Bergeron, who grew up with Boomtown and shared their fond remembrances.

When the film ended, Rex shared some stories of his own and answered questions. His body might now be a shadow of its former self, but there is nothing wrong with Rex's mind...he's still sharp as a dagger.

Nothing wrong with his penmanship, either. Here's our autographed copy of the DVD, featuring a much younger Rex Trailer on the cover:

This is definitely a keeper. There is some great old footage from two decades of Boomtown with Rex Trailer and all his sidekicks through the years. If you want to feel like you are 9 years old again, check out The Official Rex Trailer Fan Club.

This turned out to be among our favorite dates. Did I mention how much we love and use the library? You never know what you'll find there!

"So dosy-do and swing around, grab your gal and promenade down to Boom,.........BOOM,...............BOOMTOWN!"

Date #24 - Paying it Forward

To any of the readers still following this blog, my apologies for the long breaks between posts. It's just that life keeps getting in the way and, truthfully, after sitting at a computer all day at work, that's usually the last thing I want to do when I'm home. But thanks for hanging in there as we wind our way very rapidly toward our 36th anniversary just three weeks away.

And although I haven't been blogging, we have been dating....but barely. After taking most of the summer off...we went on a 7 date spree in the last two weeks of September. Then we had exactly one date in October, and one more in November....but the month is not over.

Date #24 was a volunteer event. When we started this dating project and began planning what types of dates we would have...volunteering was high on our list. And we kicked it right off with date #2. But now I'm chagrined to say that this is only our second volunteer date and it came almost ten months after the first. However, I will give a shout-out to TH for his volunteer efforts. He has been president of our local youth soccer league since its inception in 1985 and he sets up the fields and nets at daybreak every Saturday and Sunday in the fall....BY HIMSELF.

Now back to our date. And since it was a volunteer effort, this will not be a long post because I believe that charity should be performed as silently as possible without blowing our own horn or patting ourselves on the back.

On September 18th, we were proud to be two of the 900 volunteers at The Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. We were stationed at the finish line in Copley Square on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon where our job was: bus loaders. We were also question answerers...or at least that's what the back of our T-shirts claimed.

TH and I directed the walkers to the yellow school bus shuttles that would take them back to the start line. And since there were 4 starting points, it was our responsibility to ensure that they boarded the correct buses. Not a very big responsibility, but very rewarding; it was great to see the smiles of accomplishment and the gratitude of the tired walkers as they realized they were done walking and were getting to put their feet up for the ride back. It was also very humbling, as many teams of walkers wore customized t-shirts honoring a cancer patient. Most heartbreaking were the T-shirts with so many photos of wonderful children who had not survived. Here's the Manchester Monarchs hockey team; they walked with the picture of a beautiful little girl attached to their game jerseys.

Copley Square was transformed into a giant block party, with a huge performance stage and food booths. Huge props to the vendors that provided refreshments for the 8500 walkers and the volunteers. The Weathervane Restaurant provided hot, fresh clam chowder all day long. Domino's Pizza and Nathan's Hot Dogs served their signature dishes. Belmont Springs gave away gallons of water, Ga-Ga Ice Cream served up great desserts, and Willow Tree had fresh chicken salad. All delicious. We tried them all....several times!

Here we are with our official volunteer T-Shirts and Caps:

It was a long date for us, but it was an even longer day for all the walkers; many that walked the entire 26.5 mile Boston Marathon route. Together they pledged to donate 7.5 million to the Jimmy Fund to assist the Dana Farber Cancer Center in their quest to eradicate cancer.

Two dates ago, we listened to Michael Moore rail against a country where colleges are forced to their knees to beg for funds to help students continue their education. Well, we would prefer to see a future where nobody has to walk or run or hold telethons or wear colored ribbons to raise funds/awareness about cancer or any other deadly disease. Until then, however, we all need to continue to do our part.

And before I end this post, for those who have been counting the days until the next Blue Velour Alert...here it is:
We have been having an unseasonably warm Autumn. Despite a nor'easter that dumped up to two feet of snow in some areas of New England the last weekend of October, we have been enjoying temperatures in the 60's ever since. But that didn't deter TH from digging out the blue velour for a trip to Ikea on November 5th.

And he didn't stop there...the very next day he wore his other blue velour. And he might have worn them again but our washer broke the following day and we weren't able to do laundry until two days ago...and he hasn't learned how to use the new-fangled washer.

So the blue velour stayed in hibernation from May 23rd until November 4th....less than 6 months.
Some habits are just too hard to break... like TH for example. I think I'll have to keep him!