Down in Birdland

Tonight, a friend and I went to Birdland to see Tierney Sutton (if you've never seen her and even remotely like jazz, go! She's an absolute delight, especially live, as is each of her band members). As is our tradition when hitting Birdland, we went to dinner beforehand (and often round it out with dessert at the club, though we skipped that part tonight). We made a visit to one of our favorite Ethiopian restaurants in the neighborhood. I love Ethiopian, not only for its delicious flavors, but also the communal and almost primal aspect. I enjoy eating with my hands and sharing food with friends (I realize that both of those things aren't for everyone). We generally order an appetizer (their Sambosas are very nice) and one meat and one vegetable dish. Of course, along with those, there is a standard accompaniment of plenty of injera (the spongy sourdough flat bread with which you eat), spiced lentils and soft, yellow split peas. Tonight we did a spicy lamb dish (the name always escapes me when not looking at the menu). Its rich and sultry spicy notes just scream "comfort food". We tried a little something new for the veggie entree. It was white beans with tomato, seasoned perfectly in the style of the cuisine. Healthy, tasty, comforting... what else can you ask for in a meal on a cold, east coast winter night? While we skipped dessert (I do like their poached pears), I did allow myself one small Cosmopolitan while watching the show.

The rest of my eating today was also somewhat light. Breakfast was a PB & J on whole wheat, lunch was cheese and crackers with carrots and an apple. For a snack, I had a handful of raisins and peanuts (yes, GORP).

One of these days soon I'm gonna cave and have something I shouldn't have (Saturday is a friend's birthday celebration, so dessert may happen then), but I've been enjoying getting back to my regular more clean-living habits. I've already shed 3 of the few pounds I gained back over the holidays and I can feel certain clothes feeling more loose again. Go me.