In Defence of the Lava Cake

A Steakhouse Dinner, Cicely Tyson, and Silken Spicy Tofu

Recently, my dad returned from a trip to Toronto, and brought me back two very kind gifts. In the Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley, and Sunday Suppers at Lucques, by Suzanne Goin and Teri Gelber, cookbooks passed on to me from a family friend. Sending out a thank-you e-mail, I asked what recipes he recommend I try. One line from his response made me laugh:

 “I made the molten chocolate cake one [from In the Sweet Kitchen] a lot--which was very late 1990s, early 2000s. Not sure if it ever came back in style.”

Molten chocolate lava cakes remind me of two things. First - high school outings to chain restaurants like Joey’s or Cactus Club, where the MO was to spend my Lee’s Donuts (a Vancouver classique) pay cheque on dessert with the girlies. Second, is of course, Valentine’s Day. 

Lava cakes ARE of a past era. They exude Sex and the City: bright pink cosmos, splitting a dessert with your BFFs, red bras and lacy underwear. And it’s this kitschy, nostalgic, cheesy vibe that I yearn for on Valentine’s Day. 

Every year, this lovey dovey Hallmark holiday conjures up food trends of decades past. French bistros with duck a l’orange and profiteroles, Italian joints with red checkered table cloths and piled-high plates of spaghetti, or steakhouses with wedge salads and martinis. Spots like these (think Vesuvio in The Sopranos) are classy, but perhaps a little behind the times, and, up until recently, typically seen as passé. Large murals of Italian coastlines, huge candelabras, baby grand pianos, red velvet curtains; once staples of ‘fine-dining’ décor, these design choices have seemingly left the chat. Out with the old, and in with the new: sleek, modern, minimalist restaurant and food aesthetics that are both 'Instagrammable,’ and soooooo soullessly boring.

One year ago, Blackbird Spyplane coined the term “Un-Grammable Hang Zone,” (U.G.H.Z) and it’s principles have only become more relevant. To quote the original newsletter:

“We are clearly not the only people feeling FATIGUED and PANDERED TO by spaces that look [Instagrammable]…which I think is ALSO how you can account for the spike in love for classically charming and beautiful cliché-free pre-internet hang zones.”

These sorts of hang zones, classic institutions where a chocolate lava cake is probs on the menu, are exactly where I want to be for V-Day. Or, scratch that - ANY day. And even if some classic institutions may be a liiiiiiittle cliché around the edges, a resurgence of these older restaurant aesthetics, and food trends, is definitely upon us. Even in the past year, nostalgic cocktails like the Dirty Shirley and Martinis have made a major comeback.

In this, the year of our Lord, 2023, tacky is IN, and so is the Un-Grammable Hang Zone, and SO is the cliché-free hang zone, and even more so is the CLICHÉD hang zone! For Valentine’s Day this year, we took the cliché to-go and had a full on steakhouse supper at home.

A big ass ribeye steak, a loaded-to-the-maxxxxxxx wedge salad, baked frickin potatoes and a chocolate cherry banana split for dessert, all washed down with an ice cold martini….Who’s better then us, huh??? 

Valentine’s is a time to lean in to the kitsch, to check off all the clichés you can. Whether you are with your besties, eating molten chocolate lava cakes, giving out lipstick-kiss sealed cards, wearing your best leopard print dress, or with your partner, slurping up spaghetti à la Lady and the Tramp, I wanna give past fads their moment in the sun. After all, whats more cliché than loving your life, and the people in it, Carrie Bradshaw style? I plead guilty your honour, at being an mf cornball, but I’m grateful to have so much love to celebrate in my life. Who wants to split a lava cake??

Popcorn

In February I read Cicely Tyson’s memoir Just as I Am, after seeing her incredible performance as Rebecca in Sounder a few months ago. She is a true icon, and her life was endlessly fascinating, but perhaps the MOST fascinating moment for me in the entire book was the description of her favourite school lunch:

“On weekdays [my mother would] prepare our lunch before she went to work, stirring up a soufflé of creamy mashed potatoes, made all the more fluffy because she whipped in a soft-boiled egg. She’d slide a mound of those potatoes on a plate, put three pats of butter on top, wrap it up tight, and set it on our radiator to keep warm. School was close by, so we had time to race home and eat at noon.

By 10 a.m. during math class, I’d already be dreaming of those potatoes. When I charged through our apartment door, they’d be there waiting for me on the radiator, the butter cascading down into a golden pool on the plate’s outer rim. Lord have mercy, I can almost taste them.”

I mean…Wow…

Sexy Little Snack

I love this Hetty McKinnon recipe, perfect for a solo meal or a refreshing appetizer. I made it with a side of soba for a chill n’ easy night-in dinner alone.

If I need a pick-me-up after work, my current go-to is this bergamot lemon soda from the Italian grocery store nearby. Bergamot is underrated and underused, IMO!!!!

Dessert

I submitted a comic titled Miss Rat’s Ice Ring to I Don’t Do Comics and it was published :) ! Read it here.

Ciao for now! XOXO!!