Mmmm...quark...

Pronounced 'qvark', Wikipedia defines quark as:

"...a type of fresh cheese of Central European origin. Dictionaries usually translate it as curd cheese. It is soft, white and un-aged, similar to fromage frais. It is not the same thing as cream cheese or cottage cheese. It is distinctly different from ricotta because ricotta (Italian: recooked) is made from scalded whey. It also differs from the other cream cheeses in its usually much lower fat content (about the same as yogurt), and it is completely salt free." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(cheese)

I really think quark is more like clotted cream. Clotted cream is common in the U.K., and is often served with scones, fresh preserves and a fresh pot of hot tea. Oh my is this good!! Clotted cream is very similar to quark in texture and flavor. Clotted cream: a little thicker, slightly sweet; quark: very smooth, not sweet at all - in fact, very slightly tart.

Quark is not a common grocery item, but it is a regular item at Central Market near the cheese section. It tends to be hidden and doesn't live with the cream cheese spreads, yogurts and other dairy cheese items (like you think it would). And it does move from time to time, so best to just ask someone where it is.

So...my suggestion for this weekend? Go buy some quark, scone mix and your favorite preserve (best to splurge here on the preserve for top of the line stuff). Saturday or Sunday morning, make a fresh pot of English Breakfast tea and bake those yummy scones. Serve your freshly baked, hot scones sliced in half with a dollop of cold quark and room-temperature preserves on top of each slice... You will NOT forget this treat.

And best of all: we'll be offering fresh scones, quark and preserves at WickeDeli...so you won't have to go through all the trouble. We'll do it for you. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Magnolia Avenue

As we continue to look at locations around Fort Worth and determine which neighborhood is the best fit for WickeDeli, we continually come back to Near Southside - Magnolia Avenue in particular.

This old neighborhood has come a long way in the past few years, and each year brings more positive attention - from city officials, residents, investors and small business owners (as well as those who travel into the city to work 5 days a week!). As residents of Fort Worth, we enjoy exploring our little city and finding 'new' things to do, and we find ourselves returning to Magnolia time and time again. With all the options Fort Worth has to offer, what is it about this little street that captures attention?

It's got to be the nostalgic feeling you get when you first turn onto Magnolia from 8th - a bit of what Magnolia felt like back in the 40's and 50's. Or maybe it's the vibrancy of the people eating on the outside tables of Magnolia staples like Spiral Diner, Lili's Bistro or Scampi's. Or maybe it's the new construction you pass that makes you think, "Cool. I wonder what is going in there!?".

But really it isn't just one of these things that makes Magnolia unique - it's all of them combined; that make one entity. It's a gut feeling that says 'community' and a basic simplicity that doesn't exist anywhere else in the city.

(Deep heartfelt sigh) That's just as well. We like you just the way you are...