Bloody Mary, made completely from scratch, with a lil’ dill pickle floating in the middle.

Last weekend, I really consumed some comestibles.  Allow me to share:

On Friday night, I organized a “Safari Party,” or as it’s known in America, a “Progressive Dinner.”  A Progressive is a meal where each course is eaten at a different house; our five courses led us on a pathway all through Astoria, Queens.  When I organized the party, I had no idea there was an historic precedent.  Then I came across a Betty Crocker WWII-era pamphlet entitled  “Hospitality in War-Time”

We didn’t make any of the dishes that Ms. Crocker suggested.  I’m not sure if  “Avacado Halves with Lemon Sherbert and Lemon Mayonaise” would be as horrfying as it sounds, or a revelation in flavor.  We did have dishes that celebrated Astoria’s ethnic diversity, like fried haloumi cheese; corned beef and cabbage; and tres-leches cake.  We also included a cocktail with each course, like the “acropolis,” a drink made with Sprite, Rose’s Grenadine, and Ouzo; and bloody marys, with home-made bloody mary mix.

It was an amazing evening–not only was the food great, but the spectacular weather made traveling around Queens an unrivaled pleasure.  We really don’t give our home burrough enough props.

Left: Sunday Brunch; savory crepe fillings

On Sunday morning, I was invited over to my friend Cecile’s apartment for brunch.  While not historic, it was delicious.  A vegetarian-crepe-feast, it was a good balance for our dinner plans later that evening: the Brooklyn Beefsteak. The Beefsteak is a revival of a 19th century event that a requires copious amount of beer drinking, and a constant consumption of perfectly grilled, butter-drizzled slices of beef tenderloin.  Done and done.

You can view more photos from my weekend of eating here.