Peter Chang///"Disappearing Chef" Found

hot and sour soup

We haven't wasted any time since returning to Atlanta.  Last week we made the trek to Sandy Springs to eat at Tasty China.  Tasty China is the temporary posting of Peter Chang, famously dubbed "the Disappearing Chef" by the New Yorker.  Cheng used to cook at the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. but for whatever reason decided to leave this prestigious position to roam the greater U.S., stopping and cooking in his distinctive Szechuan style along the way.  And now, lucky for us, he's in Atlanta!

egg drop soup

fish and coriander rolls

extra spicy duck soup in a hot stone bowl

This was by far the best Chinese food I've had outside of Asia.  Nothing else even comes close.  Not only is the food incredibly delicious, its a rare piece of excellence in a severely under-served category in American dining.  Peter Chang's Tasty China is a must-eat for anyone in the area, and well worth the trip.

A day at the races

While we were in Minnesota, Alex's dad took us and Bubby, Alex's grandmother, to the newly-reopened Canterbury Park in Shakopee, MN to try our luck at the races.

It ended up being Alex and my lucky day!  We won $11 dollars on the quarter horses, giving us a net profit of $1 for the day when you subtract the $5 per person entry fee.

Although no one was a big winner that day, we had a really nice time.  Thanks Gary!

Northfield Reception, August 6 2011

kokechi

flower arrangements & kokechi

 

The legendary Iris at work

before

after

The Krunsekake

Photo credit Laura Emiko Soltis

We're finally back in Atlanta!  After our 3 weeks in Turkey we flew to Minnesota to celebrate our marriage with Alex's family and their friends.  We had an amazing time with everyone.  It was great to finally meet a lot of the people I'd only heard about.  Everyone really chipped in for the event.  Alex's mom organized the whole thing and her good friend Iris catered.  Iris is an incredibly accomplished woman.  On top of her illustrious credentials, she is a kick-ass chef.  She made what must have been a dozen tarts, hundreds of cookies and scones, several salmon and shrimp loaf cakes (an incredibly tasty Icelandic specialty) and a krunsekaka, aka Norwegian wedding cake.  Needless to say, no one went home hungry and we enjoyed the leftovers for days!  

A big thank-you to everyone who contributed, stopped-by, and helped us close-out our month-long celebration of marriage!  

4UNFLD

Everyman tag in Northfield, MN.

Changes

The middle school I attended has been purchased by Carleton and is being converted into an arts center. This all seems like a good idea but it still Ida strange to see childhood haunts disappear.



Similarly the crabapple tree in my parent's front yard died and has been replaced with a small breakfast patio area.



Sunrise. Sunset.

Another Northfield evening

Watching windmills

Minnesota for the week

Spending a week with Alexs family in Minnesota. @goodbye blue mondays "getting work done"