Leftovers are the best vacation souvenir
Indignity Vol. 5, No. 168
FOOD FRIDAY DEP'T.
My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Stomach but My Luggage Was Bigger Than My Eyes
ONE OF THE great things about vacationing is going places to eat things. I just returned from a long weekend in Las Vegas, NV, and I ate for three: two of me and then one more me, whose portions I got carryout boxes for and brought back to the hotel. I wasn't going to heat up leftovers in my room, though, I knew I was going to bring some of my vacation home for later. If the flight is short enough and the leftovers are well containerized, consider taking those vacation leftovers home!
It was my birthday, and we went to NoMad Library Restaurant, where the thing they do for you on your birthday is a blob of "spun sugar" (cotton candy, c'mon) on a stick on a block which I stuck in my face. No leftover.
A real appeti-puzzler at the NoMad Library (real books on the shelves, dunno if you can check 'em out) was a caviar and crab leg mouth amusement, billed as "smoked," and I guess it's one of those "wow factor" gimmicks for a restaurant, it comes out on a board with a glass dome, and there's smoke inside. They lift the dome and voila! Smells like smoke, pleasantly. However, the caviar is in the tin, so I don't get it. It did seem to affect the crab leg, but no big deal. Kind of a small portion, seafood always problematic as a leftover, and caviar is never left on the table by anyone I know, so no leftovers! Would not order again.
Off-topic: We had a nice bottle of wine called Caymus vineyards 2022 cabernet sauvignon. I am a drinker of beer and cocktails, so take my recommendation with a grain of margarita salt, but this shit was fuckin' delicious. No leftovers!
We had brunch at La Mona Rosa, off Fremont St. in the old part of the gambling-industrial complex, and everything was amazeballs. Great menu. The drinks, the food, and the dessert was all nuts, look at this flan:
On the menu it says "Mexican custard, caramel piloncillo, extra virgin olive oil soil, and freeze-dried mandarin," and I don't know if "soil" is a typo or some sorta deep-food term, but this was wild, incredibly sweet on top and creamy-creamy custard at the bottom. Perfect with some nice cinnamon-tinged coffee. No leftover! We got chips and guacamole, perfect, and some chicken flautas, and a buncha other stuff, so there was no way I could polish off my enchiladas and bean & rice. Leftovers packed up in a tight plastic to-go container, a night in the hotel fridge, five hours on the plane, and home. Perfect luncheon the next day.
I guess this turned out to be mostly about non-leftovers, but we only got slices at the Evel Knievel-themed pizza place, they were reasonably New York-ish, and the toppings were perfecto, one was vegetables, including artichoke, classy, and the other one spicy pepperoni, again, didn't order whole pies, shoulda, because these would have been great on the plane home.
WEATHER REVIEWS
New York City, September 18, 2025
★★★★ A few little clouds peeked between buildings, down low in an otherwise pure blue sky. Plane tree limbs cast tight-bunched diagonal stripes of shadow over the strangely off-grid side wall of an apartment building. A vintage Mazda, the kind with retractable headlights, rolled up Amsterdam with its hatch popped open, pumping out Wu-Tang in the late morning. From the sunny sides of the streets, the people and the signs in the shade were almost impossible to make out. Three different basketballs popped into view above the sunken playground, moving in approximate synchrony.
EASY LISTENING DEP'T.
HERE IS TODAY'S Indignity Morning Podcast!
Tom Scocca
Here is the Indignity Morning Podcast archive!
TOM SCOCCA
ADVICE DEP'T.
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SANDWICH RECIPES DEP'T.
WE PRESENT INSTRUCTIONS in aid of the assembly of sandwiches selected from British Everyday Cookery, published by Whitcombe and Tombs in 1910 and available at archive.org for the delectation of all.
TOMATO AND SARDINE SANDWICHES.
One box sardines, 1 lb. tomatoes, 1 oz. butter, 1/2 lemon.
Skin, bone, and pound the sardines with butter, pepper, and salt. Skin and slice the tomatoes thin. Spread a layer of the sardine paste on a slice of thin buttered bread. Cover with sliced tomato. Squeeze a little lemon juice over and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place another slice of bread and butter on top. Press down firmly. Cut into neat shapes. Serve on a napkin, and garnish with parsley.
If you decide to prepare and attempt to enjoy a sandwich inspired by this offering, be sure to send a picture to indignity@indignity.net .
SELF-SERVING SELF-PROMOTION DEP'T.
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