Steamed

different and far more grand name. The rolls were about five inches across and had been sliced in half at an angle and placed artistically on the brilliantly white plate. Brightly colored shredded vegetables were wrapped tightly in the golden brown wrapper, and two sauces had been poured on either side of the roll.
    “Whoa, these look awesome,” Owen said.
    We started eating, and I started smiling again. Truly, they were fabulous. The vegetables were crisp and flavorful. And the sauces?
    “Oh my God,” Adrianna murmured with her mouth full. “Unbelievable.”
    Josh shouted over to us from the grill. “Happy?”
    We all nodded enthusiastically. “Dude,” Owen started, chewing a huge bite,..... what is in these?”
    “I’m glad you like it. Um, let’s see... onions, zucchini, squash, cabbage, peppers, carrots, roasted garlic, cumin, and coriander. And the sauces are a sesame-mango sauce and a port wine syrup,” he said proudly.
    Josh looked to me, and I could tell he wanted to know what I thought. But I didn’t need to say anything: he saw my happy expression and nodded. “All right, all right,” he said softly.
    We polished off every bit of our spring rolls and ordered another bottle of wine while we quietly discussed what a catch Josh was. The meal only continued to get better when our waitress brought our entrees. Josh had done a lavender-glazed duck for Owen with, our waitress told us, a sweet soy sauce and aromatic spices, jasmine rice, and Chinese long beans. Adrianna and I were presented with soft shell crabs fried in cornmeal on a vegetable “hash” made with finely diced onions, red peppers, carrots, potatoes, and fresh thyme, all served in an orange-scented fish fume with truffled pea tendrils.
    “Man, if you don’t marry him, I might,” Owen said as he admired his duck.
    I smiled. “Hey, back off. Besides, I think you’re taken already.”
    “He certainly is,” Adrianna said. “But I wouldn’t mind if you could cook like this, Owen.” Owen was famous for his ability to make noodles and sauce a la Lipton and not much else. He and Ade ate out all the time. They knew good food but couldn’t cook it.
    The three of us worked our way through the delicious plates Josh had prepared for us, and Owen even asked for a bite of the crab dish. “I never thought I’d see the day when you ate seafood,” Adrianna said in disbelief as Owen plunged a fork into a juicy bite.
    “Me neither,” Owen agreed. “But I can’t help myself, that looks so good.” He practically moaned as he bit into the crab.
    “Guess I know how to get you in the mood now,” Adrianna teased her boyfriend. “We’re coming here every night, I think.”
    The restaurant was still full when we’d finished our meals, and Josh had been busy cooking and plating food. Besides Josh and Brian, two other people were in the kitchen helping prep ingredients and dunking more spring rolls into a deep fryer. Things had just started to calm down by the time our plates were cleared when suddenly we heard a loud bang from the back of the kitchen.
    “I dropped the tray of guinea fowl!” Brian growled. “What’s wrong with me!”
    “Brian, take it easy,” Josh called back. He headed toward the scene of the mess.
    He returned a moment later, looked at me, and shrugged. “I love Brian, but he’s so clumsy,” he said with real affection. “Let’s hope no one orders the guinea fowl tonight.”
    “Could he get fired for that?” I asked Josh, knowing what high hopes he had for his protégé.
    “He could probably set the whole kitchen on fire and Maddie wouldn’t let him go. She knows a few lost birds here and there aren’t worth getting rid of him. Oh, hey, Maddie,” Josh called as the owner crossed into the kitchen. “Our boy just dumped the guinea fowl on the floor. You’d better go check on him. He feels pretty bad about it.”
    “Oh, that Brian,” she shook her head. “I’m going to sign him up for ballet lessons and try to teach him some grace.”
    While Josh chatted with Ade and Owen, I watched Madeline head to the back of the kitchen. I saw her bend down and talk to Brian, and had the impression that she was trying to calm down the upset sous chef. She tousled his hair before standing up and calling another worker for a mop.
    I elbowed Adrianna, and she looked up in time to see Brian looking desperately after Madeline. Poor Brian. I knew how much Josh wanted him to do well and wondered whether the clumsy sous