basil

It was most excellent to see my old friend Maria today for breakfast at Real Food Nation (pretty well patched together again after the car that was drunkenly driven right into it last weekend), and most excellent to be given a pot of basil by her, a good deal of which found its way into my dinner. I interleaved it with sliced heirloom tomatoes, added just a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of pink Bolivian salt, and a pinch of lime-infused sugar. Sugar is always good with tomatoes, in extreme moderation - since they are, after all, technically a fruit - but these additions are adding a touch of pretentiousness, to be sure. On the other hand, the relatively recent opening of The Spice Station in Silverlake (and now in Santa Monica) make it ridiculously easy and tempting to buy such treats - and I see that one can now buy their wares via Etsy, too ...