Almost immediately upon landing I found myself in Spice Market with my uncles Gene and Roger. None of us had been there. I’d only read about it online. From Ogden, it seemed like it would be my kind of restaurant. These 2 live in NYC, but had never gone to eat at that place and it’s a kind of party scene so they really needed an excuse to go. This really isn’t where most 65 year olds go. Then again, my uncles are way beyond cool.
The menu was amazing. We ordered a prix fixe dinner, which included ‘5 courses with 10 tastes each’ in the words of our stunning waitress, who I later found out was studying to be an actress. The food was intoxicating. And there was so much food with so many spicy flavors. An abundance of decadence. I was lavished with essences, soups, salads, slaws and ingredients, components, hints, scents, suggestions, forks and knives. Lime leaves, galangal, taro,sumac, Thai basil, saffron,  lemongrass, ramps, papaya, eel, douchi, halo halo, the kitchen sink!…they had stuff coming out of all over Asia. It was amazing. Someone had told the maitre d’ I was the Executive Chef of the Sonora Grill, the Best Mexican Restaurant in Utah, USA, I think it was Gene, because the next thing you know, here comes the maitre d’, with another course of food, and followed by a young man, Felix, with more food, and then more food and more food. O this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been here before…Felix and the maitre d’…and they were really chatting me up too. I would have said something but my mouth was full of food! They were peeling grapes and stuffing em in my mouth!As it turns out, by the time several courses had passed, I found out that those two were studying to be actors too! I half expected Chef Vongerichten himself, you know, he could be an actor. He always reminded me of Martin Scorsese anyway, but then I came to my senses. I was suffering from sensory overload. I got a hold of myself. I saved room for dessert. I got a quick cab ride down to Union Square Park and went out for late night espressos with an old friend!… Sleep?… Sleep Shmeep bleeped the sheep. I’ll sleep when I’m dead!