Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Brassy was pound for pound the greatest hound dog the world has ever seen. He pursued food with ingenuity, stealth and sheer athleticism. Once Marcia and I picked up a Carnegie Deli corned beef sandwich for Vicky, who was convalescing and had expressed that somewhat out-of-character craving. Before I had two feet in the door Brass charged like a wounded tiger and leaped impossibly high, given his short legs and considerable girth. I pulled my arm up in the nick of time, saving Vicky's lunch, but Brass earned my eternal respect that day. RIP, Brassy. We'll miss you.

Brass's story brought bake lovely memories of our wonderful "Puppy" - a mixed breed terrier of dubious parentage and who blessed our lives for 19 years. She, too, was a serious eater, and our favorite Puppy story is the year that she was left in our van with a gift wrapped FIVE POUND box of See's Candy for approximately two minutes, while I stepped out of the van to mail some letters. In that two minutes, Puppy managed to open the box of candy and devour every single piece! Thank God she was not chocolate sensitive. We took her to the vet, who said basically to wait and see what happens. What happened was that Puppy went home and slept for about two days straight and following that short rehab period, was fine. I'd like to say she never tried to eat any more candy, but that would be a lie, since no food was safe from her skinny little terrier self. I still miss her very much twenty-five years later.
Thank you for the lovely story.

Just perfect---the meat to bun ratio is ideal to the last bite. I had the Manly Burger, and the porkbelly was a perfect addition. The ketchup was heavy on the anise, but the burger didn't need it. This is my favorite burger next to the one at Olives in Las Vegas at the Bellagio and the one at the Left Bank at the On The Ave hotel in NYC's Upper West Side. Umami is my new "go to" burger in LA.

@ArlynD; I'm sure he is. I hope to share some of mine with him someday. There may not be a heaven, but dogs need something better anyway. A land of endless squirrels to chase and muddy bogs to run through, and where treats are copious and delicious. And the last bite of hotdog always falls just between their hopeful paws.

Thanks for sharing your memories of Brass--sounds like a wonderful dog who was just right for your home. I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.

As sad as it is to lose a pet, it is wonderful to read a tribute as sweet and funny as your memories of Brass. What a great dog. As I read your post, I couldn't help but remember similar Thanksgivings and missing food mysteries of my own with my old Lab, Checkers.

In memory of Brass, I will let my dogs do the dishes tomorrow...and I will eat pie and make sure there is plenty left on the plates.

Only funny now 3 years later. I had to put my beagle down around the same age. Seeing those pictures reminds me how he once tore a cabinet door of its hinges to get at garbage. He also was able to open an oven door and remove a pizza, eating 8 slices(well, he ate 4 and hid another 4 under various couch cushions), we only knew he ate the pizza because there was sauce all over his fat little face. Good stuff. All that aside, I am so sorry, sir.

"You can get a better egg sandwich at any corner deli."

If you live somewhere that HAS corner delis. Our only breakfast options are a bad McD, Chick Fil A (gag), or Hardees. So we are VERRRRRY happy to have Starbucks' breakfast sandwiches!!!!!!!!!!

Yum. Tonight I made blueberry creme fraiche ice cream. It was amazing.

Some of those bus lines are okay. I use BusJunction to filter out the bad ones and see which ones have bathrooms, wifi, outlets, etc. The Chinatown buses aren't all that bad.

That got a little over ridiculous with the gun shooting part.

It's probably actually a good idea to always know what you want if you are on death row. A slow orderer will have their hide chapped before they figure out their last meal.

@Chanteuse: The zucchini is there simply because whenever I make anything that is purely white (as in carbs and cheese), I convince myself that adding a vegetable will lighten the situation. Misled, I know, but I also just really love zucchini with thyme and cream. But all means, leave it out, or replace it if you like with broccoli florets or cauliflower or even prosciutto. I hope you enjoy it!