When I think about what kind of eater I’d like to be, I picture A.J. Liebling seated at a tiny cafe in Paris, working off his tenth plate of mussels and washing it down with a bottle of table wine.
While the passion certainly lives in me, the fact that I weigh as much as a large mastiff means my lofty food goals of taking on an entire larder in one meal will most likely never come to fruition.
Nevertheless, I like to imitate the behavior of a consummate foodie with more manageable methods–ones that work within the realm of the possible. As such, my favorite thing to do when I find myself with free time is to take myself out for a meal alone.
Eating by oneself is an indulgence if you love to analyze food. There’s no wrangling with a dinner companion–the menu belongs to you and you alone get to choose if you want a $15 plate of mushrooms. Even better–hosts are often reticent to give a table for two away to one measly person, so you can pretty much bet on sitting at the bar or in front of the cooks’ station. In my opinion, these are the two best seats in the house, providing an an intimate glimpse into the workings of the restaurant.
Yesterday, I trekked to Amada solo for lunch. As expected, I was seated near the open kitchen where I had a veritable live cooking show to entertain me until my drink arrived. The chipirones a la plancha (grilled squid) and tortilla española were the perfect summertime comfort food with a crisp glass of ginger and mint sangria rounding out the meal. It wasn’t a very Liebling-esque meal, but I think he would have approved of my order.
