A Decatur Pop Up Revisited

Whether dressing or cooking, success lies in combinations offering contrast, balance and harmony. Timing helps, too, so when Jarrett Stieber found himself between gigs at Empire State South and a soon to be open Asheville restaurant, he alighted in the kitchen of Desayuno, the weekday pop-up inside Decatur's Iberian Pig. His Old World tortillas are small frittatas incorporating barbeque the day I visited. Translucent radish slices bring peppery warmth to fiddle head fern in a gorgeous mound of coils and circles. Baby carrots in pork fat vinaigrette play with a pork belly at turns unctious and crisp in its salinity. The fleeting nature of this scheme leaves tomorrow, then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week as our last chances to try these tapas. However, all is not lost to North Carolina: Stieber will continue to consult with Steady Hand Pour House as their future unfolds. They are lucky to have him and I cannot wait to see where these energies take them.
disclaimer: This time I did sing for my supper. It was so good that I added words to the images in hope that more people may enjoy Desayuno.

Street Scene: A Decatur Pop Up

When one door closes, another opens. So it was for long time friends of this blog, the amazing staff, owners and clientele of Steady Hand Pour House. While the search for a new premises continues, they may be found weekdays inside The Iberian Pig on the Decatur Square. The restaurant serves dinners so the coffee must stop flowing at 3 pm; however, as the pitchmen like to say, There's more! The lads are cooking tapas and making sammies. Good ones. Such resilience in the face of adversity is an inspiration and may well portend the future of their enterprise.
Disclaimer: This blog is a labor of love for our mutual delight and I am grateful for its hundreds of daily page views. While sponsorships are welcome, these postings are editorial.

A Steady Hand and Philip Marlowe

"I turned the hot water on and got the coffee-maker down off the shelf. I wet the rod and measured the stuff into the top and by that time the water was steaming. I filled the lower half of the dingus and set it on the flame. I set the upper part on top and gave it a twist so it would bind. The coffee maker was almost ready to bubble. I turned the flame low and watched the water rise. It hung a little at the bottom of the glass tube. I turned the flame up just enough to get it over the hump and then turned it low again quickly. I stirred the coffee and covered it. I set my timer for three minutes. Very methodical guy, Marlowe. Nothing must interfere with his coffee technique. Not even a gun in the hand of a desperate character. The coffee was all down and the air rushed in with its usual fuss and the coffee bubbled and then became quiet. I removed the top of the maker and set it on the drainboard in the socket of the cover. I poured two cups and added a slug to his."

Raymond Chandler
The Long Goodbye


"Dingus" is what tough guys say instead of "thingey". Properly called a coffee syphon, its use draws plenty of notice at Steady Hand Pour House in the Emory Village. Dale Brett Donchey brewed this measure of Bolivian anjilanaka. The resulting intensity and depth of flavors are worth all the theatricality.

From distant origins to the cup, art and science conspire at every stage: growing, selecting, roasting and brewing to give full expression to the beans. More than an indulgence, drinking it was an exploration and a celebration.