Food Adventures
Posted 12/11/11
We've had such an overwhelming year, we didn't get out to any new restaurants after May. Instead, I've continued my exploration of alternative flours and learned a ton about using legumes. Besides my almond cakes, I've also found an almond flour bread recipe that is delicious and also a No-Knead whole wheat bread recipe that tastes like sourdough, but takes only six hours total (most of that rise/rest). I've also started finding and creating recipes for legumes. I've used small white beans (haricot beans) in the past for my 6 hour boston baked beans, but have started exploring with them. They're very buttery and rich and go so well with greens. Tonight they're going to be baked in mushroom sauce with some leftover pork. Lentils are terrific in soups and also with green beans in stew. Adzuki beans make a wonderful curry to serve over rice, and there is something outrageously comforting in combining chickpeas with leftover carnitas for stew. I also created a cinnamon cake recipe a day or two after Foxy passed away. We needed something warm and comforting.
Posted 5/31/11
In an unusual twist, Frank and I had two 'dates' this past weekend; in fact spent the entire weekend together. For the past year or more, we generally have separate social adventures on weekends, so this was exceptional. In this case, we did do some dining out, which is why I'm writing about the experience. We're always checking out nearby restaurants in order to make recommendations to guests, so we started off the weekend with dinner out on Friday night at one of the places on our list.
Blue Label at Belvedere is a tiny little restaurant in our neighborhood with a small waiting area and perhaps 6 to 8 tables in the main dining room. I'll start off by saying that our dinner choices were delicious if a little bit on the salty side. Unfortunately, the overall experience was not consistent. The wine list is very small, and I can't say either of my choices were especially good. While we were waiting for a table, we decided to order an appetizer at which point they mentioned they were out of crab (which was I believe an ingredient in both an appetizer and one of the main dishes on the menu). We proceeded to make an appetizer selection and after a few minutes the server informed us they were out of that item. We made an alternative selection at which point the hostess came to let us know there was a table ready for us. The same server came to our table to take our order and we reminded her of the appetizer. Our dinners arrived shortly thereafter...still no appetizer. Partway through our meal, the appetizer arrived. It didn't pair at all well with the richness of my meal. After dinner, I wanted to try their touted dessert...but they were out of that too! The idea that a small restaurant with a tiny menu was out of primary ingredients on a friday night harkens back to the days of 505 Mendocino where it was standard for them to run short of menu items.
Positives for Blue Label: the pork chop, although cooked to well-done, had been brined and was therefore moist inside and they hadn't run out of the two main dishes we ordered
Negatives for Blue Label: they serve potatoes as a side with everything with no alternatives available and they were out of too many important things on their very short menu
On Sunday, we went to the Antique Fair in Healdsburg and after strolling around the event, walked off the square. It's always startling how quickly things change. We were about an hour ahead of dinner opening for many of the restaurants (strange considering the location) but decided to stay around and have an early dinner somewhere. We went into the Topel tasting room to have a glass of wine and debate what we wanted to eat. It's a sociable place with good wines. You can taste a variety and/or order a glass of your favorite. We decided to dine at Zin which we haven't been to for several years. At opening (5:30pm) they had only one free table and bar seating available. We took the bar seats and shared a bottle of Liar's Dice. The food was delicious as in the past. We started with some duck tamale which were terrific. Dinner was smoked pork chop for Frank over cornbread stuffing and pasta with asparagus and peas for me. The pork chop was terrific, the pasta slightly under-seasoned, but with the application of a little salt, worked beautifully. Zin still has what it takes.
Posted 5/27/11
I've fallen behind on this recently. Probably because I've spent the past couple of months getting the garden and raised beds prepared for the summer vegetables and herbs. It's been so nice to get out early. It looks wonderful. Not enough heat again this year, but at least it's a bit more temperate than last year. Hopefully by the time the first day of summer rolls around, we'll start to have those 'tomato weather' days again. In the meantime, I decided to focus on barbeque again this year. I do the genuine, slow smoked cooking known as barbeque in a wonderful item called the Big Green Egg. It works beautifully. It is an all-day process for most things. So fat this year I've done Carolina style pulled pork, my secret smokey BBQ sauce, beef brisket and pork ribs. It is such a treat to indulge this way! The brisket although sliced (barely), actually required a spoon to serve :) I will be doing another pulled pork this weekend and really can hardly wait.
Posted 2/19/11
We had the most delightful experience last Saturday at Spoonbar in the H2Hotel in Healdsburg. I love mediterranean food and was very anxious to try this place. Despite 'all over the place' reviews, what I read still made me want to have the experience. We ordered way more than if it weren't a new place for us, but it was so worth the adventure! We ordered a bottle of Italian wine, 3 starters, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. We have no regrets. Let me start with the nit-picky list. It was a busy night being V-Day weekend and we were seated by the side door to the restaurant/bar. We entered through this door, walked up to the obvious counter where two men were working and said we had a reservation. They didn't know what to do, as this is not the host desk for the restaurant. That seemed really weird and unprofessional. I finally asked where we should go to get our table, and they directed us, seeming very relieved. Next, although there was at least one other table for 2 in the center of the room, they put us next to the door on the apparent division between the bar and the restaurant. Unfortunately, there is no barrier from the chilling air that pours in each time someone enters or exits through that door. On to the fun; the wine was very well priced and delicious along with being ouly 13% alcohol. Yeah! The food was a pleasant distraction from the draft ;) Our three starters were romaine salad, celery root soup and fois gras and short rib terrine. The romaine salad was nicely done, but we were hoping for something more like a traditional caesar; more acidity from lemon and not so creamy but more clean. The celery root soup didn't really have any true celery root flavor, but was delightfully filled with sliced scallops and a crab cake. Good, but seemed a bit misleading. The fois gras & short rib terrine was excellent served with brioche toast and a huckleberry sauce. Next we had loin of lamb dinner and pasta with lamb ragu. The lamb loin dinner was excellent with very thoughtful side dishes, and the pasta was perfectly cooked and lightly dressed with lamb ragu, but was overwhelmed with the cheese - I believe it was asiago and much too strong for the dish. I would have loved the pasta without cheese, but it wasn't offered that way. I'd happily order it that way in the future or perhaps ask for the cheese on the side. Desserts were a banana split concoction and meyer lemon tart. The last lemon tart I had a a local restaurant was horrid! This was heaven. The banana split dessert was delicious as well. Overall, we loved the experience and had a terrific meal.
Posted 1/12/11
Recently we went back to Bistro 29 for dinner which was tasty. I really want to go for the crepes, but I was hungry and felt a more substantial meal would leave me satisfied. It was a pretty cold night and we walked a few blocks, so it was nice to get inside to our reserved table. We'd phoned about a Saturday night reservation only shortly before 6:00pm. They only had one left for the entire night, so we snapped it up. I had been once before and had a gnocchi dish which was nice. The most outstanding thing about the previous meal was the wine; Chateau Bolaire 2004 Cabernet Superieur. It was really delicious. On this occasion, I ordered a type of seafood stew which was billed as lobster, shrimp, scallops and cod, but (and it was explained when I inquired about the dish), the lobster is used to make the base, but there is no lobster meat in the stew. It was very tasty, but really costly for the result. I've noticed this elsewhere in the area recently. I was at a local place around the holidays and ordered a truffled mac & cheese. Well, the flavor of truffle, being quite distinctive, was entirely absent. The mac & cheese was delightful, but the price was out of proportion to a non-truffled mac & cheese. I hope this over-selling, and under-delivering isn't a trend. It doesn't make loyal customers.
Posted 11/15/10
Keeping current on local information for guests who come to wine country allows an opportunity to try more new restaurants than I might otherwise. I had dinner with a friend Saturday night so decided to try a newish place in the neighborhood so I could decide if it's something I'd recommend to visitors. Since it's within easy walking distance, it's a good choice if it's at all decent. I was very pleasantly surprised.
I seldom enjoy asian foods for a large variety of reasons, but because it's so close to the house, it's one I needed to try. This place is a combination of vietnamese and chinese. It's also in a strip mall, so expectations are low to begin with. The name is Goji Kitchen and a diner at the next table told me the owners are also the owners of China Room. The decor is very upscale and once inside, you certainly feel like you're in a fine dining establishment. It wasn't very busy on a Saturday night at 8:00pm-ish, but I suspect it's a busy lunch place. The menu is too long for me, but we did ask for recommendations which were happily provided. The food is fresh local to an undisclosed degree. The flavors of the dishes were very fresh and crisp. Service was exceptional. Although it didn't convert me to an asian food fan, it's definitely something I'll recommend to visitors if they like asian food.
Posted 11/10/10
I confess, I haven't been to any restaurants very recently, since we've been having open house wine time and it results in dinner guests and simply being around here. However, I am meeting a friend on Saturday night for dinner, so may have something new after that. In the meantime other than my own meals (last night was lamb braised in smoked chiles) I think I'll 'chatter' about one of my local favorite places.
I love the adventure of dining with a friend and order a number of smaller dishes we can share. There is something even more engaging; a connected-ness when you actually taste the same flavors. One of my favorites is Willi's Seafood and Raw Bar in Healdsburg. In the first place, it's the only local place I know that has my favorite oysters; Beau Soleil. They are superb! There are some things I'm not wild about - too much asian influence for my preference. I'm not fond of sweet, so that's really my only objection. On the other hand, they have so many fun things to try including Lamb skewers, bacon wrapped scallops, lobster roll... you get the idea. Seriously lots of choices and I haven't tried nearly all of them so far. Plenty of room for future exploration. This is a wine bar too, so I recommend some wine tasting/wines by the glass options rather than cocktails, but that's me.
Posted 10/6/10
Absolute best pizza in Sonoma County??? Rosso Pizzeria across from Memorial Hospital. I can't tell you how often people recommend pizza to me. Here are the recommendations I get routinely; New York Pie, Mombos, Russian River Brewing, Scopa. Hands down, none compare to Rosso! (and Rosso has an outstanding wine list -- what's great pizza without great wine!) Honestly, New York and Mombos simply don't qualify in the class of 'great pizza'. RR Brewing doesn't cut it...good, but definitely not great. I make much better pizza here at home. Scopa makes great pizza, but it's not a pizza restaurant. Honorable mentions; Scopa and Starlight Wine Bar.
Posted 9/30/10
It's taken me all these last four years to get around to starting this page! Well, here we go...a little bit at a time.
Most fun recent dining experience...
I really enjoy finding those amazing little gem dining experiences. Recently, I discovered an enchanting local spot I've been meaning to try for a very long time. I just kept putting it off, not having the right dinner companion. So, let me describe the experience briefly...Imagine a tiny town (Sebastopol) outside Santa Rosa. Just as you enter from the highway running into town from the East, you see a large old barn-like building on the left. You notice a train car pulled inside the building. As you walk in the front doors, there's a rustic stairway up to the train car and you enter through the side doors. You find yourself inside a darkly romantic dining car that takes you away. There are small tables along the walls with old photographs and charming little lamps. The owners, Heather and Ted are delightful and friendly, working hard while socializing with customers. The place is Starlight Wine Bar. The food is outstanding. A tremendous Roasted Tomato Seafood Bisque kept me sipping delicately till the very last drop. Imagine also a Roasted Tomato, Fresh Mozzarela and Balsamic reduction salad. Yumm! Creole Shrimp and Pizza were perfectly executed. And the dessert!! Heather recommended the Nut Tart with a pecans and walnuts in the crispiest, most flaky crust I can remember ever eating. I enjoyed a wonderful Rosé of Mourvèdre with my incredible meal.
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