The American Seafood folks are back in the Union Square Greenmarket, and inside their stall on Wednesday Warren seemed to know exactly what I wanted, pointing to 2 perfectly-sized and shaped, very fresh looking swordfish, showing only the tiniest bit of a bloodline.

• * two 6-ounce swordfish steaks off of Scott Rucky’s fishing vessel, ‘Dakota’, from American Seafood Company in the Union Square Greenmarket, marinated for half an hour in a mixture of olive oil, chopped winter savory from Stokes Farm, a very small amount of crushed dried peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, and a tiny amount of chopped red shallot from Norwich Meadows Farm, drained well, covered on both sides with a coating of homemade dried breadcrumbs, pan-grilled over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, removed, seasoned with a little sea salt, a little juice from a Whole Foods Market organic lemon squeezed on top, sprinkled with micro scallion from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and drizzled with a little olive oil

• Brussels sprouts from John D. Madura Farms, snapped directly off their 2-foot stalk, washed and dried, then tossed with olive oil, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, roasted in a 400º oven until browned and crisp on the outside (when they will taste surprisingly sweet and rather nutty)
• slices of a whole wheat sourdough Miche from Bread Alone, with the further addition of a few drops of olive oil [not pictured]
• the wine was an Italian (Sicily) white, Corvo Bianco 2015, from Philippe Liquors and Wines

• the music was Handel’s 1723 opera, ‘Ottone, re di Germania‘ [Otto, King of Germany], George Petrou conducting Il Pomo d’Oro, with Anna Starushkevych (Mezzo Soprano) as Matilde; Ann Hallenberg (Mezzo Soprano) as Gismonda; the album’s hot cover boy, Max Emanuel Cenčić (countertenor), as the eponymous 10th-century Ottonian Holy Roman Emperor; Xavier Sabata (a second countertenor), as Adalberto; Lauren Snouffer (Soprano) as Teofane; and Pavel Kudinov (Bass) as Emireno