Monday, April 29, 2013

Sur La Table


On a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon I decided to make a trip to a local gourmet cooking store, Sur La Table. The name of the store, which in French means “on the table” accurately describes what you will find inside, everything related to food on the table. On this particular day I was hoping to get some ideas for a brunch I was planning to make that weekend, and for me Sur La Table was the perfect place to get my creative cooking juices flowing.  I came prepared with the basic knowledge of what I felt a good brunch should have, good coffee, a heavier egg dish, something sweet and something fresh and light but I also tried my best to keep my mind open to anything I’ve already attempted was afraid to try before. My plan (in my head at least) was to try to recreate a brunch experience similar to my favorite brunch spots around town. 

For me browsing Sur La Table always brings out the creative side in me. It’s amazing how, armed with the right gadgets, the right recipes and a little practice a home chef can make meals worthy of five-star restaurants! My first instinct was to make a bee line to the table featuring all the different coffee and espresso makers. I soon realized that whatever it is that you fancy to drink that involves coffee, there’s defiantly a machine for that, provided of course that you are both willing and able to fork over the money. “Dana”, the saleswoman working the floor greeted me cheerfully and offered to make me a coffee drink to sip on while I shop. She asked me what I preferred and after consulting the poster display offering the many different drinks, I settled on a classic cappuccino. Dana happily showed me what she was doing (after all they were trying to sell the machines) and warned me that I might jump at the loud sound. The display proudly stated, “The Impressa Z7 grinds, tamps, brews and cleans in less than 60 seconds.” The machine then spluttered and steamed and a few minutes later out came a beautiful cup of cappuccino which I happily sipped away. Ahhh! 




What a great way to start the day! In the corner, I spotted a box of Italian almond biscotti. How smart and cruel at the same time! Sur la Table, if you’re reading this I really think you should offer biscotti with your cappuccino demos, it just might help seal the deal for some (who can afford it but for me, it will just make my day!). In the meantime I made a mental note to find a recipe to make a good batch before peeking at the price tag of the machine and was shocked, $3199.95! (on sale from the original price of $4,400) Yikes! I guess good coffee does come with a price tag and sadly this machine will not be gracing the counter tops of my kitchen anytime soon. Dana laughed when she saw how distraught I looked, “Yeah,” she said “I get that a lot, it really is expensive but I’ve heard from (the few) people who have bought it that it’s the best investment they’ve ever made.” We both looked at each other and smiled because we know we won’t be those few people who are ecstatic with their new gadget anytime soon. “I’m not really a coffee drinker anyways…” She shrugged. For me, I guess I’ll just have to resort to making some cappuccino biscotti courtesy of Isabelle Boucher from Crumb. Poor me *smile*.


Eat, drink and live well!
-Missy Sunshine

1 comment:

  1. Very well written description of your day out! This was a great idea for an Independent Field Trip. I love how you described the conversation with the saleswoman. Great use of pictures, too!

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