We did the typical mouths agape gazing up at the menu for way too long and ordered a pile of food. Only afterwards I asked them what were the most popular items from the Ventura location and one guys said we’d covered it pretty well, so yay on that count. And the guys behind the counter were really friendly, even though we were pretty clueless and holding up the queue.

Al pastor, as nearly everyone has said, is one of Cuernavaca’s specialties, in the below photo in front. The pork is not only marinated with pineapple, but served with a fresh chunk of pineapple on top of the taco. Sweet and spicy all in one. It’s ridiculously good and just $1.60 each, so order two of them because someone in your group is gonna want a bite of it and you’ll be all, “nuh-uh.”

Tacos al pastor, and veggie taco with mushrooms, rajas, cheese.

I also really liked the veggie taco #2, which is mushrooms, rajas and cheese, in photo above, on right. Others at the table ordered the potato, rajas and cheese and it looked delicious, but I did not try (photo below). The more simple rajas and cheese was okay, a bit too soft and mushy for my tastes.

Veggie tacos with potatoes, rajas, cheese.

Onto the gorditas, we got one of the specials, which was a crispy fried pork, like the “fond” of carnitas, I really liked that. We also got the chicharron gordita, and their style is soft cooked in green sauce. I like my pork more on the crispy side, so I preferred the special gordita over the chicharron.

Gorditas, about $3.50 each.

The folks working there said all the Mexican drinks are made from scratch. We got horchata, which was spiced in a way I’d never had before. Perhaps a bit on the sweet side, but overall very nice. I don’t know how else to describe it other than a horchata reminiscent of bubble gum…?

The menu isn’t enormous, but there’s still a lot more I need to get to and I’m very excited to do so. The items I’ve had were mouth-wateringly delicious. No wonder the original location has such rabid fans.

A few logistical notes:

$10 minimum for credit cards. No worries, pair up with a friend and get a pile of tacos.

It closes at 8:30 pm. This is not meant for the late night drunk crowd. Think more for lunches and family dinners. This is not a complaint on my part. Just in note in case you’re browsing this review at 2 am, eyes unfocused, in a perceived state of dire starvation.

Parking is very tight. About 8 spaces, shared with Mel’s and the Grapeseed company. You will likely have to park on the street and walk the extra 50 feet, if you can bear it.

The interior, although nice for hole-in-the-wall style taqueria, is very small. There’s seating for maybe 12-15 people. The time I was there, it was packed, mostly with families. I think this is a very good sign for the restaurant, but be prepared to rub elbows with other folks, or get your food to go.

You know what? Those last two bits shouldn’t even be an issue, if you live downtown. Y’all should be walking more anyway.

Cuernavaca
201 W Carrillo St (corner of Carrillo and Bath)
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

* I now understand the evolutionary process that created the tuna noodle casserole. Guess what I made for dinner? I’ll give you a hint: I had cans of tuna, half a pound of noodles, a can of cream of mushroom soup, half a bag of panko and some linger pieces of cheese in the fridge. It totally worked.

* It was clear that I had, at one time, planned on subsisting on Moroccan tajines. Ras al hanout, harissa, and multiple jars of olives.

* There was a time that Trader Joe’s stopped stocking cornichons. So the day it appeared back on the shelves, I bought two of them. And everytime I walk into TJ’s I think back to the panic I felt when they pulled the cornichons and instinctively reach for another jar. The cupboard revealed five jars of cornichons. Note to self: eat more cornichons. Note to self: watch Hoarders again.

* There is not enough bread in my life to balance the plethora of jams and spreads laying in wait.

* When the zombie apocalypse occurs, I am ready to greet them with steaming mugs of hot chocolate (3 jars).

* If peppercorns could be paid as wages again, I could leverage a significant labor force.

* Oh, the places I’ve been!…and brought home a jar of that region’s honey. Colorado honey, Kew honey, Australian honey. Honey is like my travel scrapbook.

Westin of Spare Parts, and Al from Events Untitled (Red Star?) paired up at the Creek Side to roast a whole pig. Check out the cool old grill of Creek Side’s, which they rolled out into the parking lot for the roast. There were plenty of hungry diners inside the bar, who were having a fundraiser, and $10 bought a plate of roasted pork with some yummy crispy skin, coleslaw, and some mashed potatoes with gravy. I saw one happy diner down his food and whip out another food ticket for a second serving.

My impression is that Westin and Al want to do a pig roast more often, but who knows how often. They need to put me on the red commissioner’s phone to hotdial me in when it happens.

As with nearly anything involving the Creek Side, parking gets very tight. This afternoon was no exception. Some of us snuck into a lot across the street and skulked across the street. This is what we do for the pig.

Creekside
4444 Hollister Ave. (laughably in an area some call “hope ranch annex”)
Santa Barbara

This is a new experience for Perry, who usually dines here with her husband and they often order the same thing. You know what this means – someone’s going to have a new experience and it will *definitely* include shiitake nigiri! Boom!
And nasu dengaku. Boom!
And a Haskell’s roll. Which I helped name. Boom!

Also a new item for Perry: the braised pork belly and vegetables. So glad this item migrated over from Kobachi. It’s ridiculously good.
From the bar was albacore nigiri, and tuna sashimi. I just love how each nigiri has a unique seasoning. No soy sauce needed. Seriously, don’t do it. It’s so good as it is.

There were two vegetarians in the group, both eat fish, but only one eats raw fish. Ahi had enough options that kept the most picky eater happy. She got the tempura shrimp roll, and a California roll (not pictured), among other things. Meanwhile, my side of the table had one omakase item that was sashimi with spicy yuzu sauce. Mmm.

Most of us had green tea to drink, but we were all curious about Ahi’s infused shochu cocktail blends, so we ordered the Hello Kitty, which has muddled fresh lychee. It was very good! Light and fruity without being overly sweet. The token male at the table seemed to enjoy the drink the most, so there you go.

For dessert, Ahi’s menu was quite simple: green tea ice cream, that is all. We ordered a couple, and our green tea ice cream came with strawberries, and all drizzled in honey.

I was meant to move on to another event after dinner. My friends were supposed to go downtown for a music show. We all enjoyed ourselves so much at Ahi, we simply lingered on, and on, until near closing time. Then walked out into the springtime rain to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Ahi
3631 State St – Upper State area

Ahi customers can also park at the Motel next door, if parking at its own lot is tight.

My friend and I were hungry, but not famished, we just wanted something simple, and ordered one dish each.

My friend had a beer and the penang chicken curry, with rice. There was enough leftover she got an additional side of rice to take home, and have for a lunch the next day. Their penang is tangy and mildy spicy, which slowly creeps up on you.

I had the Thai iced tea with lime, which I LOVE at TAP, more than the creamy Thai iced tea. So refreshing. And for food, I had the green papaya salad which comes with shredded carrot, peanuts, green beans, and there’s also a side of coconut rice. The papaya salad is light and crunchy and flavorful, but let me tell you, some of those green beans in the dish are not green beans, they are Thai chiles. Oh man. I mistook one of the chiles to be a green bean and it was woe to me for the rest of the meal. I cried, it was that hot. And it never let up. I couldn’t even finish my food. But I did get it wrapped up to go, where I was able to eat it for lunch the following day. But only after pulling out every damn green bean in case one happened to be another chile. I’m a wimp.

Past words.

TAP Thai
2611 De La Vina
Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Just kidding. There’s been no cold dreary rainy evenings in Santa Barbara. It’s all SUN and WARM, and the council took a vote and it was unanimous, there would be no rain whatsoever this winter.

In reality, I was having one of those moments where I fret about having too much stuff in my fridge, freezer and cupboards, and I Did Something About It.

So, baguette came out of the freezer, cheeses came out of the fridge, some magical ham given to me by parents just returned from San Francisco’s Ferry Building was sliced thin, and grilled cheese sandwiches with lots of butter were assembled for dinner.

Plus, a pot of floral tea, since I have more tea than you could ever imagine.

My homage to the midnight snack and pork belly boy. The End.

Ok, I spend a lot of time there, so I could tell the difference. But most could not, and I totally understand why. So, the boys running the spot decided to make the experience a little more seamless. The separate tabs are gone. It’s one bill. And something else that’s changed? Classic cocktails are now a focus on the bar.

You see, one of them went away to France for a while and spent time immersed in old world elegance. Drinking amazing wines, eating amazing, yet simple, food. I think we’ll start seeing some of that influence the space.

Here’s a draft of some of the “new” cocktails. New in the sense that they’re new to the menu. Old in the sense that they are some of the classics.

Cocktails at The Pub/La Tour. Note this is written on paper, not on stone.

I had the Mint Julep, which was perfect for the warm sunny weather that day. The sweetness cut the fire of the bourbon just right. It was, however, a wee bit too potent for me, and I needed to line my stomach very quickly with some food. One of The Pub’s grilled cheese sandwiches came out of the kitchen quickly. At $6.50, including a wee bit of salad, this is more a cheese panino than American grilled cheese. This uses a chewy bread, gouda cheese, and is grilled in a sandwich press. I’ve ordered it many times as both a quick snack to share with a friend, and as a simple meal for myself.

And since I was on La Tour’s side, and there are always interesting bottles open, I tried a splash of Santa Duc Les Garancieres Gigondas. Um, I cannot remember what it was like, but I did like it. Perhaps I need to start keeping a notebook there.

La Tour at The Pub – or was this visit more The Pub?
224 Helena Street (Funkzone)
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

First, I remembered that Greg and Rob in the past had flown into town in Greg’s plane to have lunch. On Saturday I whimsically sent Rob a message, “Ya wanna?” and they’re all like, “Dude! Hells yeah.” Meanwhile, a third friend Mike who caught wind of the action going down is all, “Psst, I want in, but keep it on the DL.” **

What resulted was Greg and Rob flying into town at noon on a private freaking plane, I collect them at the Atlantic airport for private planes (they get free coffee and fresh baked cookies there, did you know that??)  and we go to Via Maestra 42 for lunch, where Mike’s already waiting at a table for us. Surprise!

And what a fabulous lunch we had. How quickly we forget that Santa Barbara has some nice Italian food outside of the popular spots downtown. Via Maestra is a small gleaming gem in the mid-late century of uptown suburbia. It’s tiny inside, reminiscent of European bistros, waitstaff that are proud of their product and their positions, and quick to give great recommendations. Our guy pimped his caffe lattes very well.

The boys went the more traditional route of ordering main dishes. But I started with San Pellegrino bitters, as Via Maestra is one of the few places I know that serves it. So nice of them to put it in a fluted glass with a slice of lemon.

And while they feasted on the house salads their main dishes come with, I have a more substantial dish called the Tricolor Salad (but spelled in Italian). It was a baby green salad with candied walnuts, dried fruit, prosciutto and blue cheese. Beautifully presented and substantial, a meal in itself, especially if you’re ordering dessert (hint of things to come).

Food came generally at once, so while I was digging into my lovely salad, the main dishes came out for the manfolk. Mike is fond of pesto, so he ordered bowtie pasta with pesto sauce. Greg succumbed to my recommendations and ordered the pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sage sauce.

Rob, the hungriest of the bunch and also the primary moneybags of the meal, got one of the specials: grilled salmon and crisp tender greens. Oh, it looked really great!

For dessert, I opted for a small selection of sorbets, and Greg and Rob shared the profiteroles. All of Via Maestra’s gelato and sorbet are imported from Milan. We also bowed to the pleasant pressure of our waiter and ordered his special caffe lattes. Yes, they were beautiful and delicious. Thank you.

Then Mike drove home to LA, and Rob and Greg piled back into Greg’s Cessna and flew home! And I ate some of the chocolate chip cookies at the airport. Then, because I’m officially old and crotchety, I went to bed at 8 pm.

Earlier entries:
28 Sept 2009
17 July 2008
5 May 2007

Via Maestra 42
3343 State St (uptown)
Santa Barbara, CA 93105

** conversation not verbatim

This was one of those meals where you initially think, “$100? I don’t know…” but afterwards you’re saying, “$100?!  I can’t believe how reasonable that was!” and your friends are pissed that you didn’t tell them about it, although you *tried to* but they weren’t listening. It’s good to be the early adopter.

I almost didn’t make it to this dinner, what with the film festival going on and worrying I’d need to rush downtown at a moment’s notice. And taking photos was a huge distraction to the meal, because it was near impossible to get photos at the table, and instead I had to walk inside the house before every course and that wasn’t so polite to my dining companion. So, going forward, if the photo can’t be taking in-situ, that is too bad. I would like to dine, thankyouverymuch.

But this time, you get photos. Let the Surf and Turf begin!

There was supposedly six courses to this dinner. Math: $16.66 per course, including the beer pairing, tax and tip. Which is really more like $12 if you look at it like ordering off a menu pre-tax and tip. That’s not bad, right? But wait! Some courses really had two courses within them. Which brought the price down per effective course. And it was a downright steal. And you know the drill – everything as locally sourced, organic, free-range, that’s how Pink rolls.

First: Irish soda bread – jameson apricot jam / pretzel knot

Both these  items were prepared by Eileen Foster Randall Cook, the gal behind Bella Dolce Bakery. The soda bread was softer and sweeter than the soda bread I’ve had in the past, which was fine, because the bread I’ve had was pretty rustic and crumbly, sometimes a bit too firm without some good soup or stew to soften it with.  The Jameson Whiskey apricot jam was just the right consistency, and went well with both the soda bread and the pretzel knot.

This was paired with the Santa Barbara Brewing Company’s Blonde.  Great pairing. Note: I’m not a big beer person.

Second: Filet mignon – truffle – asian pear / Ridgeback shrimp – yuzu – radish

I started out at the table, taking photos, but gave up here and was resigned to go into the house for each new course. It was just too dark outside and I was spending way too much time moving candles around, poking people with elbows, and still not getting enough light. The filet was served like carpaccio, raw, rolled up with the asian pear and peppery greens, and truffle. The shrimp has more asian flavor with the yuzu and spicy radish. Both were just a couple mouthfuls of yumminess.

The beer pairing was Saison Dupont, from Belgium. The citrusy notes to this went well with the sharp pepper tang of the food.

Third:  Oysters – cucumber carrot kimchi  / Pork belly – bacon dashi – daikon

This is the round where we began to suspect we were bring treated to more than 6 true courses. The dishes came out separately. First, the oyster with cucumber carrot kimchi. Fresh, briny, tangy, sweet, spicy all in one. But then! A generous piece of pork belly, subtle smokey bacon dashi, and the pickle I liked most: a sweet tangy slice of daikon. The pork belly was my favorite dish of the night. I couldn’t finish all the pork belly and was able to take some of it home.

These was supposed to be paired with Oaked Arrogant Bastard, but the brew host accidentally counted the food as two courses and we got an additi0nal ale. That is okay! It all went remarkably well.

Fourth: Spiny lobster – 5 spice butter – potato / Rabbit – japanese dried persimmon – potato

This was one of those, “uh, are you kidding me,” courses that was  ridiculous servings of food, and we’re only halfway through the meal. You really can’t go wrong with lobster and butter, but then to add the Chinese 5 Spice to the butter? Damn. Someone further down the table had a spontaneous orgasm, I swear.  The rabbit that followed people enjoyed, but unfortunately it followed the lobster, and people were getting full. So most of us managed some bites and had to set the rabbit aside to ration their stomach space. I was one of them. It hurt to do that! But it also hurt to keep trying to eat and the portion was rather big.

Paired with SB Brew Co.’s India Pale Ale, and LA fin du monde, but I think the Pale Ale got moved to the pork belly dish, and we really got LA fin du monde and Criminally Bad Elf.

Fifth:  Beef shortribs – rootbeer / Black cod – vanilla bean – tapioca

This was the most innovative part of the meal, imho. The beef shortribs were braised in rootbeer, that’s not too unexpected. But the tapioca with the black cod on the menu had people confused. It turned out great. I watched the course being assembled, with tapioca, then the beef, then the black cod which was breaded with something I never figured out, it was puffy outside, textured inside from the cod flaking lightly. Finally, a small handful of crisp potato chips garnished the plate. Pink said, pointing, “Fish…and chips.” By golly, you’re right.

Paired with Criminally Bad Elf and Monk’s Cafe Flonders Red, but I think we got the Flonders Red here. One dish = one beverage.

Sixth:  Uni – caramel / chocolate – barley

I had to jet off to some film festival event, and took my dessert solo in the house, before everyone else.  This was another course where Eileen Randall Foster Cook contributed her skills. She made the flourless chocolate torte with Japanese barley, which was a dense chocolate cake, almost brownie-like.  Then drizzled with chocolate stout caramel. She also made the barley sugar crackle that topped Pink’s ice cream. Gulp. I had to go!

It was paired with SB Brew Co.’s Old Recollection and a Bourbon oaked barley wine. I had to skip the beverages for this course entirely due to me leaving early.

I attended this with my friend Jim, who was initially concerned that beer pairing rather than wine wouldn’t give him as much value as he wanted. As someone who can’t drink much alcohol, I went into this already assuming there would be a great focus on the food and I’d get my value from that, which suits me perfectly. And I sure did. Jim was also very very pleased, not only for the quality of the food, but the beer pairings were excellent, and it exposed us to some options we hadn’t previously experienced. All in all, a fantastic meal. Everyone came away happy. And it was such a beautiful night to be eating under the stars and fragrance orange trees. So Santa Barbara.

If you want to stay abreast of future supper clubs by Chef Pink, friend her on Facebook.

I also post updates as they come in, on my own FB page. Ms. Lemonjelly. That’s me!

First meal back at Full of Life: avocado pot de crème with egg, eaten with Tracey and company.
Going to Full of Life in Los Alamos has always been a daunting task. It’s a 45-50 minute drive, they’re only open on weekend nights, and the drive through windy San Marcos Pass is little incentive to go. I know their food is good, I know this! But it’d been several years since I went. Here comes Tracey, who’d taken the week off for a staycation and one of her local activities is spending an afternoon wine tasting in Los Olivos, then having dinner at Full of Life. I was in.
The meal was the perfect way to wrap up the day with my friend, and some of her friends, who are now my friends. And also Francesca joining, making for a big party of food-crazy women, each loving food in their own special ways.
On this night, I had an avocado pot de crème, with a wobbly soft-cooked egg in it, provided by the chickens of chef/owner, Clark Staub. More accurately, it was wild caught Morro Bay King Salmon tartare, with the avocado and farm egg pot o’ cream, red onion, caper, tarragon, and Dylan’s crackers. It was two appetizers in one, making it seem like a full meal, and it rekindled my love of the restaurant and the ethos of local, seasonal fresh food that Staub has been striving for years. It resulted in me going back several more times with friends throughout the summer. Of course, not as many times as I would have liked.

Salmon tartare and avocado pot de creme

Uni and ikura rice porridge, Izakaya Sakura with Rob and Valerie.
On a visit to my friends in San Diego, they’d heard so much about my favorite izakaya in Santa Barbara, they wanted me to try their izakaya. It was a lovely meal. One of the joys of bringing new people to a favored place is that it brings fresh eyes to the menu and we may pick things outside of the routine of the usual favorites. I was the lucky newbie for this meal and I selected a rice porridge of uni and ikura. God! So good! Rice porridge has always been a comfort food of childhood, but this was elevated beyond a simple porridge of rice and ginger. It was thick and decadent, filled with urchin and salmon roe. We all loved it, and I hear that my friends have ordered it numerous times since then.

Izakaya Sakura: uni and ikura rice porridge

Seagrass – the night of the amazing pork belly.
2011 was a whole new discovery of food in Santa Barbara. I stopped feeling obligated to produce food content for sake of generating something new. I started going exactly where I wanted to go, over and over. Seagrass was a place that I gravitated to often.
The night Seagrass imprinted on me came from an evening of adventure eating with Tracey. This is how I love exploring food best: taking the whole evening to get a small plate of something at numerous restaurants. It started at La Tour for a sip of wine, it progressed to Cadiz for tapas, and this was where I first saw Joshua. He stood out because he sat at the bar, alone and satisfied to be in his own company and enjoying his food. He also had a mohawk.
We ran into him again at Café Luck and this time started conversation and shared dessert. More precisely, I forced my dessert on him. I learned he was the sous chef at Seagrass. From that point on, it became a pleasant game to figure out what dishes he made for me when I ate there. One night I had the most amazing pork belly, beautifully prepared and presented with green beans, beluga lentils, ramps, and duck jus.  I found out later he’d made it, garnering him the nickname of Pork Belly Boy.
Even after he’d left town, I still went to Seagrass. The restaurant has a legacy of being high-end, but I’ve found it to be comfortable and approachable. Go during the off-peak days of the week and the prix fixe menu is a treat, and affordable at $35 for a starter, main, and dessert. Sometimes I go just for a bowl of soup, or I’ll go for a crazy food feast, but that pork belly with ramps was a pinnacle of perfection, eaten in the company of a local chef I highly respect who also loved the meal.

Seagrass: pork belly with lentils, green beans, ramps.

Snails at La Tour Wine Merchants.

This was one of those synergy moments, where the outcome became more than the sum of its parts. When La Tour first started, it was a charming and very tiny space tucked away downtown a block off State Street. Those lucky enough to find it could sit for hours with the owner and his fiancee, sip wine, listen to vinyl, and make new friends with the few others clustered around the tiny bar. I joked that I felt out of place, because I had no tattoos or piercings, but damn it, I was going to hang out there, hide there, and enjoy a few sips whenever there was an open chair. Graham opened my eyes to the dynamic world of European wine, and also to a fact I’m still struggling to accept: I am perhaps not that apeshit crazy about California wine. I know, it’s embarrassing! But my low alcohol tolerance is a problem, the popular flavors are too robust, and I’ve never ever liked that “buttery” taste of California chardonnay.

Over time, Graham has picked up on my tastes and tolerance and for the first time ever, I’ve been completely comfortable with my (small) glass of wine. I’m not a wine snob, never was, and I’d liken my expertise more along the lines of benign ignorance, and the good people of La Tour have taken my hand and led me quietly but enthusiastically down the path of wine happiness.
Aside from petite La Tour being seriously tiny, its alcohol permit did not require food to be served, and how could it in that small space. But I need food to help absorb the alcohol. The day I felt the owners had accepted that I was going to be one of their loyal customers was a day I fretted about being hungry and Graham went over to Pacific Crepes to get me some bread and butter, and snails for himself, and then let me eat the snails too. The snails were delicious, served in shells with a hot garlic and parsley butter. They were tender and juicy and perfect for that moment when people realize they are comfortable sharing their food with someone else.

Snails at La Tour Wine Merchants

Figs and prosciutto, Ca’Dario with Matchoo

Roasted figs from Ca'Dario

In October 2010 I had the time to attend a number of epicure.sb events. Not so for 2011, and I’m sorry for that. But near the end of the month, Matchoo and I determinedly set aside the time for the prix fixe lunch from Ca’Dario. It was so good last year, with specialty house-made pastas and salads. This year, we were riding the bliss of attending the wedding of two close friends, the good weather, each others company, the list goes on. We met on a Saturday afternoon and shared a beautiful meal. I had the best prosciutto wrapped figs I’d ever had in my life. Heated until molten and melted together, but cooled to a comfortable eating temperature, all the flavors of the cheese, fig and cured meat had merged into a succulent mass, a sweet and savory ambrosia. The whole meal was great, but this was the unexpected treat. An old friend I hadn’t seen in years walked in during our lunch, she was there for the epicure lunch as well. Afterwards we both agreed the figs had been extraordinary.

Polenta from the Spare Parts Bistro

Garlic sausage, mushrooms and polenta from Spare Parts.

I was lucky enough to be an early adopter of the whole La Tour concept, when it was in that little supply closet downtown, and attended the inaugural supper club that combined the wine and new space of La Tour, and the food of Spare Parts. On this night, a group of us had no idea what to expect and were treated to a night of simple perfect food, the meal went on for hours. Tonight, I had the best polenta ever in my life. It was creamy, but firm, nutty and flavorful. It was the fourth course of the night. It had been served with house-made garlic fennel sausage, wild mushrooms and madeira. Then paired with 2008 Confuron-Cotetidot Bourgogne-Rouge. The whole meal was delicious, but the polenta in its simplicity stood out for me.

Banh mi with my mother and Matchoo

I took my parents to a food truck that served banh mi. While we all agreed it was tasty, my mother confidently declared that it was not proper banh mi, and set about making her own at home. At the beginning of the year, I received the Momofuku cookbook as a gift from her, and a year later it has yet to make it to my house – the book has been commandeered by my mother and I fully admit: she has made much better use of it than I could have. It helps to be retired and have a culinarily adventurous spouse, no? Her food truck “banh mi” experience sent her straight to the Momofuku tome and by next weekend I was invited over for a session of preparing and eating her version of banh mi. Matchoo joined in the fun, and we chopped vegetables and sliced SPAM while my mother grilled pork and toasted the bread rolls. The result was a pile of magnificent Vietnamese sandwiches, filled bursting with grilled meat, marinated crunchy goodies, nuts, and that heavenly nuoc cham that makes me salivate at the memory of it all. Then we had sticky rice and mango for dessert! There was a time I had some cooking skills that was on pace to match my mother’s skills, but man, I just don’t have the time for it anymore. I defer to the awesomeness that is my mother’s kitchen powers.

Grilled pork banh mi.

Sashimi with Gordon at Kobachi
Gordon flew in for the weekend on a whim, just before the summer solstice (again, one of my best ever). It had been too long since we’d seen each other in the Bay Area. The goal was to have a massive food feast, where I’d take him to all my favorite places, then rush down to Hollywood for a show and more good food. Upon picking him up at the airport, the first stop naturally was Kobachi izakaya, and naturally omakase with a focus on sashimi. Gordon, a British Columbia native and SF bay area local, has prided himself on understanding and appreciating very fresh, very good seafood. He was stunned by Kobachi’s quality and attention to detail. We feasted on an assortment of sashimi, and each was a delectable bite of the best Ken-san and the ocean could offer. Like Santa Barbara uni, and premium hamachi. To see Gordon this surprisingly pleased with my favorite Japanese restaurant pleased me as well, and it was the start to a lovely weekend with a good friend.

Sashimi from Kobachi Izakaya.

We went all over town to events, running into friends, sharing the best cocktails here, and the best dive bar there, then lounging at an adorable bungalow in Hollywood, wandering Koreatown, getting Shpongled, then lingering over the raw bar for oysters and a bloody mary at the Hungry Cat. It all ended with an excellent meal at Seagrass, but the highlight was starting the weekend on such a positive note with Chef Ken’s exquisite sushi.

Sushi Tsune –tuna nigiri

Tuna nigiri from Sushi Tsune.

Mai Tai Guy and I kicked off a whirlwind roadtrip to LA by pulling over in nowheresville in north Los Angeles county to a hidden gem in a nondescript strip mall. I was able to defer to Mai Tai Guy’s experience with the sushi chef and received an outstanding lunch of Japanese nibbles. It was my first time having orange clams, served first as nigiri, and a second course sauteed with sesame seeds and vegetables. The star of the meal was fatty blue fin tuna belly, and it was unlike any tuna I’d had before. I’m sounding like a broken record, but this marks yet another morsel that’s been the best I’ve had so far in my life. The chef was nervous when he saw my camera, and I think that this restaurant’s most loyal fans want this spot kept a secret, so I don’t talk about it much. But it deserves some year-end attention.

Many Meals with Nicky
My friendship with Nicky blossomed this year, and I’m grateful for this. It started out as a weekly rendezvous at the Saturday morning farmers market, and evolved into weekend afternoons and weekday evenings lounging and eating together. Her style of cooking tends towards very fresh, very local ingredients, mostly vegetarian, sometimes vegan, sometimes raw. It’s a wonderful balance to the rich foods I often eat at restaurants, and very wholesome. She’s a great cook and it’s been an honor to be her guest at the dinner table. One night, a few of us sat around the kitchen counter while she developed inspiration for a dessert and then spontaneously put together a raw vegan dish using fresh market dates, pistachios, sesame seeds, and sweet little strawberries from Shephard’s Farms. She worked the pistachios, sesame seeds and dates together into little cakes, and topped it with strawberries and basil. Delicious. It was a beautiful night.

Oysters – San Francisco, with Andy, Lisa.
2011 was the year of the oyster, and I ate more this year than all other years combined. In fact, there were months or even weeks when I ate more than all other years combined. I loved oysters and so many places had good ones. I have to give a special shout out to the oysters I ate in the last week of October, when I was San Francisco. I let my old college friend Andy take the lead on lunch, and we dined at Zuni Cafe. It was a fabulous meal, and it started with half a dozen kusshi oysters. I have to give credit to Pork Belly Boy for mentioning kusshis to me enough times that I immediately ordered them when I saw the menu. It even got the smug nod of approval from the waiter. These were like glittering gems, sweet and crisp, with the tart mignonette spooned over.
Later in the week, after tootling around town with David on his motorcycle (another first, and I loved it!), he dropped me off at Lisa’s office, and we walked down to one of her favored spots, Bar Crudo. Unsurprisingly, this little restaurant specializes in crudo, or raw seafood small plates. It was crowded, and we ate standing by a little perch on a wall, and started with a platter of oysters. It was a combination of the rush of busy-ness inside, the rush of the end of the week, and looking forward to a fun evening of scotch tasting with friends that we didn’t care about eating up against a wall. The oysters were good, the crudo was good, and it was nice to spend some girlie time with Lisa. So many meals this week in San Francisco were great, but this one-on-one time felt special, and I walked out in such a stupor that I left my phone behind and didn’t even realize it until we were nearly in Noe Valley. Bless Billy’s heart that he was willing to drive us all the way back to the bar to pick up my phone, which had been found and held by the front desk. Serendipity!

Oysters from Bar Crudo.

Thank you, everyone, for listening to me, putting up with me swatting your hand away from the food so I can get my photo, letting me pressure you into checking out some new place or odd menu item. Thank you for playing with steamed buns, picking fruit together, dragging you up to some food or wine event in north county, or dividing up the entire dessert menu with me. It’s been great. Happy new year!