it's kinetic!

i was at tosci's for brunch today, and we got treated to a few great samples-for-eater-feedback. one was a "kinetic" tea ball (described as such by not one, but two people) - basically, some sort of longish tea leaf that's bound around a core of chrysanthemum flower. so when you drop the ball into hot water, it slowly unfolds - the guy at the counter described it as turning into a plant to an animal to a plant. pretty cool looking, and it was great chrysanthemum tea. the tea ball stays bound together, so it ends up looking like an exotic water lily like flower - this is the tea version of botticelli's venus. in all reality, it looks most like a medicine ball from spirited away - miyazaki could animate that thing and it wouldn't be out of place at all.

this other sample-for-feedback was even better, such that it deserves its own paragraph: a BAT. specifically, a bacon-arugula-tomato sandwich. tosci's has been using a ciabatta bread for their sandwiches that's really delectable - slightly glossy crust that's pretty thin, masking a slightly chewy interior that's like foccacia with more air pockets. it's easy to bite into, but doesn't totally compact when you eat it. ok, moving on. normally i don't really like arugula because it's so ubiquitous, but it was really good in this sandwich, providing a bit of flavor and a bit of crunch to offset the chewy bacon and the soft tomato. one side of the sandwich is spread with homemade mayonnaise that has lemon zest in it, and the other side is spread with a scallion oil - olive oil with bits of scallion in it. it's somewhere between a pesto and olive oil with some scallion mixed in it. it's also delicious, giving a softer, more muted oniony flavor to the sandwich. all in all, this sandwich is a winner - the best blt i've ever had, for sure. i found it a tad too salty, but i think a bit more lemon zest would do the trick - the lemon zest is key, because it balances the whole sandwich. god, that was good.