Some food pictures

[snousle]

These photos were taken using the new lighting setup. This begins the "shortlist" of photos that will be used for the web page. This also represents the limits of my abilities so far, both in presentation and actual photography. Photographic suggestions would be welcome, since I have a sense that these could be further improved, but other than some focus issues I'm not sure exactly what's wrong. (I don't know about the wide-aperture approach, it's starting to annoy me more than please me, but I see it in magazines all the time.)



Uncooked squash agnolotti:



...with some beurre blanc, caramelized shallots, and parsley. This, or something like it, is going to be one of my standards, since it's popular, vegetarian, and not very difficult to make.



I'm unsure whether this faux-grungy-antique plate is going to work. It's from a set my mother gave me a few years back. Would you want to eat off of that?

Another presentation:



Some pork and zucchini with said agnolotti. This particular arrangement is not actually something I would serve, but it illustrates some difficulties I'm having with color. Things in the red range look indistinct and washed out, while the zucchini is so dark as to lose all detail.



A presentation I'm thinking of for a "tapas party" where many small plates are served and shared:

Comments

Re: More on tapas

[ursine1.livejournal.com]

So it seems everyone has an opinion on what "real tapas" is. I have seen just the opposite sentiment from several sources - like here.

Curious, that source says: If you are invited to "go for tapas", you'll be visiting lots of bars and probably only taking a single tapas in each.

I would say that particular tapas bars may be noted for their specialties, like mariscos, and that's all you would try at that bar. But you know, after a couple of drinks people want to stop running around and just hang out at one place for a while.

Tapas is not a collection of small dishes brought out on a platter and eaten as a main course. No, but they often have various types lined up along the counter and you point to the ones you want. I have known a few visitors who kept eating tapas (because there were so many to try) that they were too full for dinner afterwards. And they only wanted to try just one.

Another quote from that source: Tapas is not a starter. If you start eating tapas, you finish eating tapas, and you don't stop until you're full. Well at least for bears it can be a starter. Have a few beers and free tapas at BBB and then head off for real food.

And then there was this: Anything can be tapas - paella... that would be like a bowl of steamed rice at a Dim Sum restaurant. "Ham and cheese on toast" sounds pedestrian as tapas to me.

So most tapas "places" are half bar, half restaurant. Some are more restaurant appearing, but they are more casual than typical "sit-down" restaurants. And some are clearly oriented towards tourists.

In fact, most bars here serve food of some sort. For morning it might be bocadillos or croissants to have with café con leche. Later in the day replaced by tapas and beer or wine.

So when are you going to come here and see for yourself and then draw your own conclusions rather than reading tourist-oriented material?

Chuck