I love a mix of tastes, things you might not think would go together. Friday, I had coffee with a friend at a local place in Westwood and had a rosemary and salted caramel cappuccino. Holy cats, y’all, it was fantastic! The rosemary was very present but not overwhelming, the salt balanced but not shy, and the caramel just sweet enough to tie it together—I’m still thinking about it today. Back in the day, my mom ate peanut butter and pickle sandwiches—it’s a wild combination, but it’s actually good! And things like honey and spice, or sweet and sour classically go so well together—sweet and sour chicken, whiskey sour, sour patch kids.

I know it’s a stretch, but flavors like that together feel like the complexity of our lives to me. Things are fearful and things are joyful at the same time, you can lose a game and have the time of your life, we are a business and we care about you and the world—two (or more) things can be true simultaneously. What’s complex in your life right now? How are you engaging with community so you’re not alone? How are you taking time for joy right now?

Also, should we put a rosemary and salted caramel cocktail on the menu?

Friends, keep warm, keep heart, and keep playing.

Alice C., board game librarian

Play In a Pickle!

In a Pickle was first used in print by William Shakespeare in The Tempest, and meant being wildly drunk, but soon came to mean being in a tricky or difficult situation.

Players play cards into piles, either smaller than the smallest card or larger than the largest. It’s tricky, because often you’ve got to argue your case for why something fits inside something else so that you can score. “Can a giraffe fit in a phone booth?” is one of the taglines. What do different words really mean? Can you convince your friends to see it your way?

Try our Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites!

Whether it’s a sweet ending to dinner or a warm snack on a cold day, these are delicious! Our Bavarian pretzels (of pretzels-and-beer-cheese fame) are chopped into chunks, generously coated in cinnamon sugar, and served with caramel sauce for dipping. When these came out of the kitchen for photographing, you guys, they smelled so heavenly! They’re chewy and satisfying, especially with friends and a game of In a Pickle.