Wild And Free
This week found me in Fort Worth, Texas, for the quarterly gathering of my entrepreneurial peer group. We each laid out our goals for the year ahead and talked through whatever obstacles we see on the horizon. We also ate some amazing food. The chicken enchiladas at Paloma Suerte were ridiculous. The sauce was so delicious, I was looking for extra rice to soak it all up after the enchilada was long gone. Lonesome Dove was even better. The Elk-Foie Gras Sliders, Hamachi Tostadas and Blue Corn-Lobster Hushpuppies were all outstanding starters, followed by a shared bowl of Texas Red and then the Butter Lettuce salad. I ordered the Berkshire Pork Chop, with the express understanding that I would share it with my friend, in exchange for some of their Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin. It was all just so great. I learned later that the same restaurateur owns both establishments (Tim Love). Well done, chef! This was a truly impressive one-two culinary punch to experience on back-to back evenings. I highly recommend visiting Fort Worth. Hotel Drover makes you feel like a Dutton. We even visited the World’s Smallest Honky Tonk (it was really more of a hinky tink).
On Friday Lori and I had the good fortune to see Nate Bargatze perform his deadpan absurdist style of comedy at Nationwide Arena. It was truly special. Seeing him on stage, performing in the round, reminded me of how Mark Twain used to travel the country, speaking to large groups, making them think and laugh. I sometimes think of comedy metaphorically in terms of the martial art of judo - once a comedian gets you off-balance, they can just keep you laughing and laughing. Bargatze had us laughing throughout his set, but it was different than when we saw Dave Chapelle perform five years ago. Chapelle bowled us over, held us down and barely let us breathe. Equally talented, just different styles. In my opinion, Bargatze is at the pinnacle of the craft right now.
Then last night, we had the privilege of seeing the great American troubadour Martin Sexton perform at Union Square Music Hall (formerly 31 West). We have seen Sexton perform many times, and keep coming back for more. His shows often feel like gathering around a campfire for a communal, hootenanny-style singalong, with a little bit of church choir thrown in.
Being surrounded by my amazing friends, and able to witness the greatness of artists like Bargatze and Sexton all in one week…it really charges up my batteries in a profound way.
These lyrics from Martin’s song Wild Angels captures how it all makes me feel:
We are born with all this music in our heart
We tend forget a little each day right from the start
In a dream I rolled on back the clock and found another way
To remember the words
That we are wild angels
Believing in our childhood dreams
We’re just trying to find our way back to
The source of the stream
We are wild and free
Sunday Supper
On this cold, blustery January day I see no reason to not lean into the flavors of the week and offer this recipe for Texas Red Chili for my Sunday Supper recommendation. This Butter Lettuce Salad w/ Avocado Buttermilk Dressing would be a great complement.
Sunday Music
Before I get to the music, I feel compelled to share this recent skit from Saturday Night Live, when Nate Bargatze hosted the show. It is the perfect melding of Bargatze’s style into the SNL sketch format. As for the music, this performance by Martin Sexton from last May will let you see what you missed yesterday in Newark. Enjoy!
Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others. Make good use of this day. And let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,