We're so restless for Sons and Daughters to open! Every day I walk past their door, watching the progress and wondering how it's going. A couple of weeks ago, flowers went into the planters. One night, walking home in the dark, we got a little sneak peak of the interior when the windows were uncovered (since then the plastic stuff was replaced with new roller shades and a new sign) and it looks great. Warm light, clean lines, hardwood floors and little tiny table tops. I can't wait to see the menu. Now the website has a new photo...folks are working in the evening...it's all coming together. Bush at Powell.

I like Monday night because Jesse cooks dinner on Mondays. To be honest, J makes dinner every night, but it's particularly nice to come home to on Monday, so I think it rates special mention.  The evening started out with a blind tasting of Alianca Vino Verde (Fail for me. I thought it was Trebbiano or at the very least, Italian. Meh.) I've had this producer before and it's very lightly and naturally effervescent, with a hint of RS--if you are used to Gazela, which has an assertive spritz, this is a different style, more old-fashioned. The meal tonight was Zarzuela, with a generous side of grilled bread for each of us. Oh deliciousness, you are tomatoes, shellfish and breadcrumbs. What a bright, savory meal for a rainy evening. Just as with risotto, it seems like too much food for two people, but then thirty minutes later, we're sopping up the juices and wishing for more. I also blind tasted for tonight's wine pairing, 2008 Bodegas Palacio de Fefinanes Rias Baixas. This is a nicely balanced Albarino with lots of trademark peach, saline and lemon-lime citrus. It was a great match for the tomato in the Zarzuela and paired well with the cheese, Idiazabal.  We pulled out two books during dinner: The Wine and Food of Spain which is 20 years old but our in-house reference book for Spanish cuisine as well as the ubiqutous Stephen Jenkin's Cheese Primer.