Well, it's been 3 weeks since I first woke-up with half my face paralyzed. Thankfully, I saw a doctor within hours of the first onset of Bell's Palsy and started medication (anti-virals and steroids) immediately. Today, 3 weeks later, I am starting to see some improvement.

In case you didn't know, the other morning I woke-up early, put on some coffee and made breakfast. Kind of like I do every day. But this morning, I couldn't wrap my lips around my coffee mug and immediately, panic set in.

Let's see, I had wine, 2 glasses, red of course, 8 oz each (that a full pint-o-wine) of the Monticello tempranillo. The beau had wanted Sam Adams, but alas there was no more, so Ricard's white for him.

The first thoughts in my mind when I saw the menu was, how the heck am I to choose from all of this! It all looks good (except fried pickles, I am over them). After some back and forth we settled on sharing 2 apps, the Philly cheese steak spring rolls and the Crispy mac and cheese stuffed wontons. I ordered myself the "Fat Cat" burger and the BF ordered the bone-in veal parma. On the advice of our bartender, he suggested that maybe, that might be, just a little too much. 

We dropped the mac and cheese wontons and eagerly awaited our first bites. Looking around, this place could easily be dropped right into the Flamingo in Las Vegas. The dark and pink theme, the retro counters, all of it rings true to that bygone era. I think I would have liked to see the theme brought more into the menu, but that's just fluff.

Once our app arrived, I was worried we'd made a mistake dropping the second app.. I mean, 3 "tacquitos" was hardly going to appease our ferocious appetites and I don't think the bartender could have possibly thought we were lightweight eaters. Then our meals came out, and well, the veal. I could have put my face in there and there would still be breading showing.

My burger wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be a boneless rib on a burger bun. Nope, it was the rib AND a burger. Oh wait, no, a double burger! Much too ginormous for me to eat gracefully, but I have never been very graceful, so why start now? 

The fries were delicious, I usually prefer big fat fries with their crispy skins on each ends, and these were skinny little McD fries. Fearful of a repeat of the "Plaisirs Coupables" fiasco of yesteryear, I stole one fry and all my fears were set aside. The restaurant cheered in triumph  and I reached back for a handful more of the crispy skinny fries. 

I thought everything was pretty good. I liked the service, the food, the drink choices, the atmosphere. Everything. As I spoke with the waitress some more, I learned that the owners here are the same as those at Reuben's and at Anton & James, and just as we were talking, in walked the manager from Reuben's deli. He knows me very well as whenever I am downtown I inevitably stop in to Reuben's to pick up a pound of smoked meat. 

Would I go back to Deville - yes, particularly at slower times of the day, like before 6PM. I am not a fan of waiting for a table. Knowing that they are owned by the same people as Reuben's gives me the confidence that the food will be consistent.

A few months ago a new spot, Mate Latte, opened up across the street from my apartment but I hadn't paid it any mind because the previous cafe was... hmmm, not so good. Even so, a few days after the place opened I decided to pop in and see what was going on. 

I buy a lot of cheese. I am lactose intolerant, but I will never give up my cheesy habits. Never!

Almost every week I pick out 4 to 5 varieties of cheese, doing my best to keep within my budget; under 25$. That does not include what I keep on hand regularly like Parmesan Reggiano and some Neufchatel or Cream Cheese.

I take cheese out for snacking throughout the day and because the temperature is constantly fluctuating, I don't keep them for very long (and most times, they don't last very long). Instead, when I replenish my cheese stock, I remove any inedible skin, wrap each piece up and store it in the freezer for a future use, this stops the aging process and cheese straight from the freezer is so much easier to grate.

Some ways to use these frozen nuggets of flavor?

1. Grated into chili
2. Mixed into a potato salad
3. Added to mashed potatoes
   
4. Crumbled into a salad
5. Add chunks to a creamy soup before blending
6. Melted into a pasta sauce
7. Add extra flavor to a souffle
8. Make a cheesy soup
9. A mish-mash fondue
10. Welsh rarebit
11. Add some grated cheese to biscuit
12. Top garlic bread and bake, making it au gratin tonight!
    

The options are endless; a little research on what certain cheese melt well and such, and a little experimentation will go a long way!

Although I have a dishwasher, I still detest doing dishes. When I make some recipes, there isn't even enough room in the dishwasher for all the dishes that come from just one dessert or main. Crack pie was a nightmare of dishes and dirty, sticky, vessels. But these. This is one metal bowl, a whisk, a sifter, a few measuring tools, a spatula and the baking pan.