Spoon #45: Sullivan Bistro

Swap number 45 went down at the Sullivan Bistro, just north of Houston:

Ever since REI moved into the neighborhood, Ms. Dish and I find ourselves swapping in this area more and more often.  The Sullivan Bistro was the perfect place to relax after purchasing recreational equipment from our fellow cooperative members.

Marked, "Winco Stainless 18-0", spoon number 45 looks like it's from Winco's "Dots" collection.  Another interesting note, spoon 45 is also missing the "8 in circle" just like we saw with Spoon 38!

Spoon #44: Gentleman Farmer

Ms. Dish and I recently went on another road trip up to the vicinity of Providence, Rhode Island.  On our return back home we were famished for some breakfast and found just what we were looking for at the Gentleman Farmer:

This was a great breakfast joint that allowed us the good fortune of swapping Spoon #44:

Number 44 is marked "Qualite Windsor".  Although the Qualite brand is still a mystery to us, it does seem to display quite similar styling to the Sysco Windsor that we swapped as Spoon 42.  This continues what I see as a very perplexing phenomenon of multiple companies producing similar spoons with the same name.  Remember the "Dominion" line?  What exactly is going on here?  Are these knockoff spoons?  Where do these styles and trends originate?  To track these cases, I have added a "Loeffelganger" category until we get to the bottom of things.  Much credit to Ursa Minor for coining this term, a combination of the German words Loeffel, for spoon, and Doppelganger, meaning "double goer".  "Spoon-goer" doesn't make much sense, but you get the point!

Goldilocks'd in Spain

Next and final stop on our 'round the world voyage was Spain, Europe!  Ms. Dish and I attempted two swaps while in Spain, both in the beautiful town of Tarifa.  Tarifa is small town on the very southernmost tip of Spain.  Recently Tarifa's pristine beaches have become a mecca for kite-boarders!

They were everywhere, and it definitely changed my impression of kiteboarding from "kind of dorky" to "kind of cool". 

Attempted Swap Number One took place at La Trattoria:

We quickly found that Coffee in Spain is usually served in a small cup accompanied by a tiny coffee spoon.  Unfortunately, we were still packing a large Chicago-style soup spoon, so we found ourselves Goldilocks'd.  Fortunately the food at La Trattoria was very good!

Attempted Swap Number Two was down the street at Cafe Babel:

Here we sampled a number of delicious 'tapas', though again we were Goldilocks'd by the tiny coffee spoon!  I suppose we were simply not meant to swap spoons in Spain...

Spoon #43: The Berghoff

The second stop on world tour was another Chicago landmark: The Berghoff:

I will admit that Ms. Dish did not do our homework, and we knew very little about the Berghoff when we stepped inside.  We were merely enchanted by the glow of their giant neon sign.  Quickly we learned what a special place this is.  The Berghoff was opened in 1898 by Herman Berghoff as a cafe to showcase the beer that he and his brothers brewed.  The cafe survived Prohibition serving what is now sold as their "root beer".  Following the repeal of prohibition, ther Berghoff was issued prestigious Liquor License #1!  Despite this long history, the Berghoff did breifly close its doors in 2005, however it has recently been reopned by Carlyn Berghoff, representing the fourth generation of Berghoffs to operate the restaurant. 

As we often declare, history is great... but how's the food?  Ms. Dish and I are pleased to announce that it is fantastic!  Spoon 43 accompanied a bowl of "Alsatian Onion and Apple Soup" which was the perfect sustenance for trudging the streets of Chicago.
 

Spoon 43 is another distinctly soupish spoon, marked only "!8/8 Stainless China".  Not a lot to go on, so we will have to consider it "unidentified"

Spoon #42: Lou Malnati's

Recently Ms. Dish and I headed out on the road again, for a 'round the world journey!  First stop: Chicago:

And when in Chicago, you have to get the deep dish!  So off we went to Chicago's famous Lou Malnati's:

(Street View)

Let me tell you, this place was packed!  Yes it was no secret that Lou's is a "go to" for Chicago style deep dish.  And of course with a swap on our minds, Ms. dish and I had to be resourceful.  Obviously we would have looked out of place asking for a spoon to eat our pizza with, and with no soup on the menu, we resorted to coffee.  Our surly yet honest waiter advised it was pretty terrible, but we were desperate!  The first sip confirmed the warnings, but we were rewarded with Spoon 42:

Again we were in a tricky spot as Spoon 42 is very "soup spoon" in appearance.  However, rather than get Goldilocks'd out of Lou Malnati's we took a chance and made the swap.  Number 42 is marked "258 5619358 SYSCO".  That's a lot of information!  

Not having swapped A Sysco spoon before, let's do a little research.  Sysco, or Systems and Services Company is a huge multi-national Fortune 500 company doing about 44 Billion Dollars in annual sales.  And according to their website it all started in 1970 with a promise:  "to assist foodservice operators in providing consumers with solutions for meals consumed away from home".  I'm sure spoon sales are just a drop in the bucket for Sysco, but you can tell they are a very businesslike enterprise.  Why just type in "5619358" in their catalog and out pops all the information you need on Spoon 42: 

Ah the Sysco Windsor:  A perfect solution for high-volume, fast-paced dining.  The perfect fit for Lou Malnati's! 

Stay tuned as we hit one more Chicago landmark before continuing this 'round the world journey!

Spoon #41: Taby's

A little while back Ms. Dish and I, along with Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Ursa Minor all ventured out to Oyster Bay, Long Island.  Our objective was to meet up with the legendary Captain Pete and go for a pleasuresail on famed oyster sloop, The Christeen:

After a full day of tacking, reaching, luffing, and heeling, the whole crew was famished so we headed on over to Oyster Bay institution, Taby's Burger House:

Taby's is famous for their burgers, but take a tip from me - try the milkshakes!  Delicious!

We walked out with new Spoon 41:

Number 41 is marked "WALCO STAINLESS CHINA 18-0", and appears to be from the Walco Barclay collection:

It's been a little while since we swapped a Walco spoon, so let's see what they're up to... Holy Cow, look at this!

The new Royal Bristol Cheese Knife!  According to Walco this knife features "the perfect serration for any cheese. It also has the traditional fork tip for serving the piece after cut".  Imagine one of those in the hands of Captain Pete!  Oysters beware!

Things to Do with a Spoon: Play It!

A single spoon doesn't make too much noise, but if you have a buddy spoon-swapper you can take turns playing them!  David Holt makes it look easy: