November 17, 2021 Lunch - Olympia Cafe. Dinner - PPI Grilled lamb riblets with PPI potato and leek soup and sautéed green beans with slivered almonds

 November 17, 2021 Lunch - Olympia Cafe. Dinner - PPI Grilled lamb riblets with PPI potato and leek soup and sautéed green beans with slivered almonds

I did not sleep well last night because I had scheduled an ultrasound exam this morning.

I awakened at 6:30 but lay in bed until 6:45. I dressed and arrived early for my appointment at the massive radiology facility at Singer and Jefferson.

I had no idea radiology was such a big business.  I think they even use it in surgery.

I had stayed up last night until 11:30 finishing the reading of Hell and Good Company by Richard Rhodes that described the Spanish Civil War from several aspects, mainly, medical, artistic, and literary.

I did not find the book engaging in the way many history books engage me.  I think mainly because it was not broad enough in its scope to give me a broad enough picture of the entire scope of historic events.

After the procedure at 9:00 I drove home and ate a bowl of granola with tropical fruit salad, milk, and yogurt.  Suzette was in Albuquerque today. We had planned to go to lunch and then see the Raymond Jonson Triptych exhibit at the UNM Art Museum.

So when she returned I chose Olympia Cafe since Suzette said she wanted a gyros sandwich and because it is across the street from the Museum.   I probably have not been to the Olympia Cafe in fifteen years, but its decor is essentially unchanged. The owner still seems to be the same and, more importantly, the food is unchanged.  I got my usual, Greek roasted chicken served with a small Greek salad and choice of fried or Greek potatoes.  

“Do you want fries or potatoes?”  

The only answer I could think of was,”Potatoes”. 

I was glad I opted for potatoes because I was served a small oblong bowl with several potato wedges that lay in a buttery oregano and lemon sauce.  Besides the roasted lemon flavored chicken, potatoes, and salad the Greek chicken dinner was served with a round pita bread that I tore into pieces and dipped them into the lemon sauce in the bowl of potatoes.

I loved my lunch.  We had ordered gelaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie with syrup) but did not receive it so after the meal Suzette went back to the owner to get a dish of it.  The owner told Suzette they were out of it and gave her a $5.00 bill and a piece of baklava. We enjoyed the crisp baked phyllo crust and I loved the walnut filling saturated with syrup. How could you not feel good about a restaurant that gave you back an extra $1.00 and a free piece of baklava?

After lunch we walked two blocks to the art museum and saw the best Raymond Jonson exhibit I have ever seen. Jonson thought his triptychs/trilogy’s summarized his work and he did at least one every ten years. So these were the best of the best.  Also, he treated them as a group to express a collective theme, so they are inter-related also.  The first one was three different views of the Grand Canyon on shaped canvases done in the late 1920’s.  Other themes included morning, noon and night and Spring, Summer, and Winter and the birth to death cycle.

Some were oil on canvas while others were blown watercolor.

All in all it was the most impressive exhibit of Jonson’s work I have ever seen.

After the museum we went home and Suzette went on her errands including a visit to her chiropractor who confirmed that the combination of collagen and turmeric is the best treatment for moderate arthritis.

I checked my portfolio and it had been an exceedingly choppy day as the market often is when it approaches a new high. For example Apple was up $3.00 per share but my portfolio was down about .4%.

The lack of sleep caught up with me while I did a deed around 3:00, so I took a collagen and a turmeric pill and lay down for a nap and slept until 5:30.

When I awakened Suzette was working in her office.

She soon fetched the Potato and leek soup and went to the kitchen and whipped together our dinner.  It was nearly an instant dinner.  She heated the PPI grilled lamb riblets in a skillet and sautéed the already snapped green beans in a skillet with slivered almonds in butter and olive oil and heated the potato soup for a couple of minutes.

Soon she called me and I poured the remaining 1/2 bottle of 2011 Origon Gran Reserva left from Sunday night’s meal.

After dinner we each ate a chocolate chip cookie.  I made the cookies a little bit bigger this time so they resemble a small mounded cake.  One can satisfy one’s appetite for a treat with one cookie.

We went to bed after the cable connection failed a second time at 9:35.

Bon Appetit