to everything, there is a season

Many thanks to each of you who have stayed in touch with me through the SaltSpoon blog. I enjoyed it, even though I wasn't exactly very prolific...

I'm now blogging with my sister over at www.bricolageandbutter.com.

Hope you enjoy it!

Lovin' that it's Wednesday

Every Wednesday, I wake up and think the same three things, in the same order...meeting day, hump day and, of course, New York Times food section day! Valentine's day made an obvious fourth, and thanks to the holiday an especially interesting article was published in today's newspaper. I fully recommend at least a good skim of "He Cooks, She Stews, It's Love." Other noteworthy discoveries today include the album, Bajofondo Tango Club (new-age Cuban tango available on iTunes) and crazy plastic flatware from www.mossonline.com. Happy V-Day! xo.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/dining/14beta.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Village Bakery

It’s not exactly private knowledge that I’ve been spending much of my time in Orange County lately. With a relocation to “the O.C.” on the horizon, exploring the local food outlets has been an activity of particular interest, and I’m relieved to report that we’ve found some great spots already.

In general, Southern California is not known for amazing food—something I find really surprising considering that Southern Californians are known for eating out frequently. As the new Wallpaper* City Guide Los Angeles quotes (one of many in a design-conscious series of guide books available through most major booksellers), “LA restaurant culture is not really about the food. With a few noble exceptions, the food will be decent, but it won’t be challenging. Hollywood socialites go for salads, tuna tartare, New York strip steak, sushi, French-Asian fusion – in short, food that won’t take any of the attention away from them.”

Thankfully, there are flaws in every stereotype, and my mission is to uncover the markets, bakeries, cafés and other small restaurants that defy this statement.

“The Camp” is Costa Mesa’s nod to the San Francisco North Bay in architecture, landscape design, vendors and overall spirit. Parking spaces are “quoted” rather than numbered, and most other details within the facility are also purposely extraordinary.

Within the shopping center is the Village Bakery, an ambient retail store that offers great breads, a good cup of tea and fabulous cookies for less than half the price we pay in NorCal.

Both websites are also great: http://www.thecampsite.com/ & http://www.villagebakerycostamesa.com/

San Francisco

One area of serious deficiency in Yountville is variety…its proximity to the city is sometimes the only thing that makes the Valley bearable. It may be only 7x7 miles, but San Francisco has everything I need to refresh my mind, intellect…and palate. This morning my roommates and I set off through Sonoma Valley for the Golden Gate. We stopped at Corner Stone, www.cornerstonegardens.com —the best breakfast choice was Heidi’s season-inspired fruit cup with cinnamon granola. Our next stop was the de Young museum to see the Gee’s Bend Quilts exhibit. We felt incredibly lucky to learn that the quilters were present to promote the show, and the highlight of our visit was meeting them and having them sign our posters. Heidi mentioned that the de Young café was owned by the Bon Appétit Management Co. so we walked through to check out the menu before leaving…a good one for museum food—very reflective of North Bay cuisine—organic produce, Niman Ranch proteins (www.nimanranch.com), etc. Afterwards we headed next door to have tea at the Japanese Tea Garden. I decided that the experience is much more magical when you’re eleven years of age, but still it was fun to sit down for a while and enjoy each other’s company over carelessly-prepared Jasmine tea and Chinese fortune cookies. Our next stop was the Mission District, where we checked out the produce at La Loma Mexican Market and then walked across the street to La Taqueria. I was successful at getting Summer to try my burrito de lengua, but unsuccessful at persuading her to enjoy it. La Taqueria is on 24th & Mission and must make your hit list for the next time you pass through the area…their food is delicioso, not to mention barato. We walked up Mission to Old Jerusalem (Heidi’s favorite Isralean food) for some falafel and hummus—the best I’ve ever had—and then decided that we still had room for dessert... www.tartinebakery.com is my favorite bakery on earth. The three of us shared a chocolate éclair, coconut tart and latté. On our way back to the car we stopped at www.biritemarket.com for samples of blood oranges and pink lady apples…another amazing day in the city!

Runcible Spoon

This evening I had a moment of curiosity come over me about something that I haven’t thought about in at least two decades—what is a runcible spoon? The infamous spoon is featured in what was my favorite book as a child, The Owl and the Pussycat (there are many versions, but the one you must borrow during your next Library visit is the version illustrated by Hilary Knight.) Originally a poem published in the 1800’s, the story is about an owl and a cat who fall in love and sail off to the land where the bong tree grows to wed. The best part of the story is when “they dine on mince and slices of quince” which they eat with a “runcible spoon.” Some quick internet research determined that such a spoon is nothing more than a “fictitious utensil that appears in the nonsense poetry of Edward Lear.” Unwilling to be left disappointed, I further searched to uncover that a runcible spoon is generally defined as a fork with three prongs (similar to a pickle fork), is curved like a spoon and also has a cutting edge. So my question is…has anyone seen such a thing? And if you’ve been so fortunate to have used one, I’ll exchange you a dramatic citation of said poem to hear your story!

Diet Coke

As someone who rarely partakes of soft drinks, it's difficult to pen this title and not follow it with a lengthy spout-off about the political and nutritional evilness of the above-named delicacy. Having said that, I promise to keep it short...

What do Diet Coke + Mentos have in common with the Bellagio Hotel & Casino? Turn up your volume and click below to find out:

http://www.eepybird.com/dcm1.html

What I’ve ate since March…

8 places I’ve been…
· Santa Monica
· Carmel
· New York City
· Mountain Ranch
· La Quinta
· Bakersfield
· Laguna Beach
· San Diego


8 places I’ve dined…
· The Lodge at Pebble Beach
· Boulette’s Larder, SF Ferry Market
· Jean-George’s Spice Market
· Café Gray
· Andrew Carmellini’s A Voce
· Quince
· Redd
· Bluehill (Greenwich Village)

8 things I’ve done…
· Body surfed at PB in San Diego
· Started making red wine vinegar in a barrel in my garage
· Attended my great-grandmother’s 90th birthday
· Hired a culinary assistant for the restaurant—he is awesome
· Killed the dwarf bay leaf tree that used to reside on my porch
· Co-hosted a bridal shower for my sister, complete with a "what not to wear on your wedding night" fashion show
· Started a subscription to Blueprint magazine
· Took a semester of Tuesday night drawing classes

8 websites I’ve found…
· www.jasperconran.com
· www.seejanework.com
· www.goldenbleu.com
· www.stonebarnscenter.org
· www.aubergade.com
· www.basicfrenchonline.com
· www.ozocar.com
· www.yurdan.com