NKC_Tribune_Red_BirdOkay, time to put my detective training to use. “Let’s start with the easiest part – eating! Tallymaker, take a quick street poll asking locals what foods they think of when they think of the Upper County,” I commanded. He came back with a relatively long list. Turns out that all the ethnicities and cultures that formed the foundation of this place brought a score of signature dishes with them. So now we needed to narrow it down based on the other clues in the riddle. “Follow your nose,” must be something strongly aromatic. Tallymaker crossed off quite a few listings. Okay, we’re down to something called Sarma which is made with cabbage, and this garlic-based bagna cauda. A quick search on GIGGLE revealed that one of the literal interpretations of the garlicky candidate is “hot bath.” So our path needed to lead to bagna cauda. Looking around, it finally hit me like a load of Lego® bricks. Right next to the candy store was a sign with a red bird – Cardinals are red birds, often associated with Christmas – on it, the Red Bird Café. When we went in, sure enough the unmistakable aroma of garlic mingled with other tempting scents. Scanning the menu filled with “early bird” breakfasts, sandwiches and salads, I quickly found a Bagna Beef hoagie sandwich made with prime rib and mixed veggies slow cooked in a bath (the hot bath) of butter, oil, anchovies, and a “mother load of garlic.” That certainly seemed to fit the bill. But what now? I didn’t have a clue, but the sandwich sure did smell good. “How about we think over lunch?” Santa suggested, echoing my thoughts. Amanda Heins brought out the sandwiches and when I lifted mine, I noticed my plate’s design formed letters, “This is where I go to take my own hot bath when I’m done serving you.” Where who goes?

“This one’s easy!” Pippy exclaimed, wiggling like an excited sled dog puppy. “It’s the plate talking! And I know where a plate takes a hot bath!”

But of course! I had seen a sign for a place called KitchenSink, a shop in an old bank building in Roslyn with wonderful things for cooking and entertaining. That had to be it! Kevi Sutter seemed to be expecting us, or maybe she just treats everyone like welcome guests. I showed her one of the missing person flyers and asked if she had ever seen Mintycane. Kevi’s eyes opened wide and she exclaimed, “Oh this girl must be part Christmas mouse, she got so excited about our ‘Cheese Vault’ selections! The one time bank vault now holds gold of a different kind. She especially liked our Big John’s Cajun, handcrafted by the Beehive Cheese Co.” She led us past the displays of jar openers and other kitchen gadgets, dish towels and wine to where the cheeses were displayed. By now we were expecting to find some kind of message so we examined each package carefully, starting with Mindy’s fave. I noticed Tallymaker setting a few choice selections aside. Looks like Mindy isn’t the only one with a fondness for cheese! Wait! Let’s look through the Glass of Seeing. Sure enough, the entire vault took on a frosty glow, and like invisible ink can be read in the right light, a message fingerpainted with Magic No. 9 Coal Dust appeared on the walls of the vault. “Seek the Christmas red gemstone to follow a yarn about treasure.”