It felt good to have a more low-key weekend after a holiday weekend of cookouts and a week stuffed with post-work plans. One dinner out, a murder mystery birthday party, one night in to wrap it all up – not bad.
Friday, we went out to Haymaker for the first time since they opened in 2017. Rémy and I just don’t make much of point to go Uptown in Charlotte because neither of us work there, and we generally prefer the vibes and restaurants (and parking situations) of the surrounding neighborhoods. But a writer we’ve previously worked with was on a little food tour of the city – she hails from Charleston but works with Eater Carolinas, a food guide for Carolina cities.
We caught up with her over the menu of farm-fresh ingredients and sustainable meats that Haymaker works to offer. It was a beautiful spread – shrimp croquettes with nduja saffron butter, roasted beet and goat cheese agnolotti, hearth-roasted local vegetables with pistou, some sort of gnocchi mimicking tamales. There was more, but the croquettes were my favorite – crisp with a burst of creaminess.
Saturday involved a food adventure too, but it was more straightforward. Our friend hosted a small group to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday with a murder mystery/pizza dinner combo. While I was a little skeptical about role playing (I’m more of a nice-dinner-and-drinks kind of birthday person), it was actually really fun. And totally ridiculous, which is what made it so fun.
This was also my first night experiencing an Ooni pizza oven, the latest hot topic among home chefs. And it’s literally quite hot – the oven is supposed to reach 950˚F in 15 minutes to crank out Neapolitan-style pizza that cooks in 60 seconds. I watched our friend sling pizzas, and they definitely cooked quickly. The pizzas got a nice leoparding on the crusts, too. Loved them. I know Rémy has his sights set on one of these ovens once our travel-spending season fizzles down, and they generate so much heat I feel like they’d actually be a fun winter-season amenity for the back deck. We shall see.
Sunday was a day of house projects (mostly cleaning and yard work), freelance writing and relaxing. Rémy threw together a salad that was half fridge-cleanout, half Nicoise. So good for a light but satisfying dinner on the couch. We rewatched Inside by Bo Burnham, and I just can’t get over how creative he is. There’s something about being in your thirties and going through a pandemic and just living life in all its confusing and messy glory that makes this comedy special so relatable. We’ll probably watch it a third time at some point, knowing us.
