Ode to Our State Bird

Crispy fried lemongrass quail with heirloom tomatoes, silken tofu and young black pepper, courtesy of chef Mark Malicki.

It's okay to be jealous.

End of Summer Treats

Behold a sassy jalapeño margarita, padrone peppers with pancetta, and an heirloom tomato salad with figs, arugula and feta. Thanks, Healdsburg Bar and Grill!

What are your favorite foods to eat during Indian summer?

One Pig Dinner

Last week, I found myself in Healdsburg, at a Montessori school getting CPR and first-aid certified to be exact. "When in Rome," I thought afterwards, and went to Zin Restaurant, as the locals do. Having worked here just after college and again last year, this is like a second family. So yes, I'm biased.

Wednesday is One Pig Dinner Night featuring one of Tony's Local "Old Spot and Berkshire" Cross Hogs. And here I thought I was just getting an appetizer. But wait, the bread! I forgot how tangy their homemade super sourdough is. Don't mind if I do.

I went for the wine pairings, the lovely and local Sanglier Rose and Quivera Zin, both of Sonoma County. And then ate more bread.

The first course came and went- Hard Cider Braised Pork Cheek and Shank on Falls Mill Grits. It was so amazingly delicious that I couldn't bear to put my fork down to take a picture. But gee whiz, was it something else.

Second course was Smoked Shoulder and Spicy Grilled Loin, with white beans and Eastside Farm swiss chard. I cleaned my plate. 

The grand finale was maple pecan bread pudding with candied bacon. I am loving all the bacon in desserts these days! I had it stretched onto long skewers and dipped in chocolate, and then recently as a bacon cupcake. The fatty, salty, smokey flavors just beg for sugar to round them out.

Thanks for a terrific night, Zin!

Props to Santos Anne

During my trip to New York last month, I had a spontaneous lunch with a friend in Williamsburg. We walked into Santos Anne, a new place on Union that popped up in the time I've been away. One of my favorite things about New York is that it's always changing and you can count on new things with each visit.

I was inspired by the Dia de los Muertos decor and their edgy lithograph logo. And in addition to fantastic sandwiches, cool music and friendly servers, my friend and I lingered for over two hours chatting without any hassle or hovering waitstaff. This may have been the best service I had in all my years in New York!

Little touches like chalkboard walls in the restrooms and fresh fries served in metal pails made everything about this place utterly charming. Can't wait to go back my next trip!

Jucy Lucys

And what exactly is a Jucy Lucy? I'm glad you asked.

It's probably one of the most genius burgers I've encountered in a long time, a specialty of the Twin Cities.

 At Matt's Bar in Minneapolis, hundreds if not thousands of these juicy gems get churned out from a griddle the width of a kitchen sink. Two patties are sealed together around some kind of amazing cheese mixture that melts into a glorious liquid once it's grilled. (The "i" is deliberately omitted, since the veteran employee who posted the sign back in 1950 wasn't the greatest speller, if not in a huge hurry to get back to the griddle.

 Here, my friend's husband dresses his Lucy with the biggest helping of ketchup I've ever seen.

 Mitch enjoys her first, if not slightly painful bite. By the way, we were amazed to immediately get a table, since there's usually a line out the door for these babies.

 I approach mine gingerly so I don't destroy the roof of my mouth. The element of surprise is akin to Chicken Kiev, but it's best to anticipate it so no one gets hurt.

 An interior view of the splendor, adorned with pickles and grilled onions.

 Matt's has a friendly feud with another joint who also claims to have the best Lucy. Mitch is confident that Matt's is the champion.

 I found a recipe for it here, and will definitely be trying to recreate this Midwestern masterpiece when I return home.

Happiest gals in the Midwest? You betcha.

Cafe in Bushwick

Fish tacos at Haab was one of the best treats while I was in Brooklyn.

Loved the decor, and even though I had a lengthy one-dish meal on my own, no one was rushing me.  Quite the opposite! They went out of their way to get me the internet password and rehydrate me with millions of water refills.

Look forward to going back next trip!

A Friend Surprise

This week has been a whirlwind of celebrating birthdays, love, new projects and inspiration. Yesterday, I had my first session of physical therapy. Success! In one five minute exercise of resistance and deep tissue massage, I recovered 10% of lost range of motion in my arm. It was exhausting, but very encouraging- it means I only have 10% to go! My stiff broken wing is on its way to healing and with a little patience, it will get there.

One does get a little blue with injury or sickness. As minor an injury as it may be, being limited can get ya down in the dumps at times no matter how positive you keep your outlook. The good news is that returning to yoga can come before climbing, and with the okay from my doctor, I can return to one of my other "physical therapies" and get back into my regular routine. Just a couple more weeks if all goes well!

As I drove home, I got a text from long-time friend Amber, asking if I was around. I wrote back, half-thinking she had sent it to my by accident, since she lives an hour away and was unlikely to have business at the coast. I turned onto my road, just as she was turning around to find me in town. Surprise!

It had been close to 5 or 6 months since I'd last seen her, but we picked up like it had only been days. We sorted through months of relationship, professional and emotional clutter. We swapped books and laughed. We went to a dive bar and drank beers out of cans while discussing exercise routines and quotes from Portlandia. We filled up on friendship.

Amber is the no-nonsense best friend who calls it like she sees it and respects people enough to give them all honesty, all the time. She will let you know when you have something stuck in your teeth or when you need to be told something you don't want to hear. She gives the best hugs that only a big sister knows how to give. Everyone deserves an Amber in their life.

I'm so lucky I've already got one.

Make Your Own Burger Tuesday

Life can throw you a few curveballs, but if you're lucky you can knock 'em out of the park.  When I ran out of food, the best was meeting up with friends at Stumptown Brewery.  The kitchen is closed on Tuesdays.  No!  You can grill your own burger instead.  Yes!

So that's what we did.  We also met some terrific people visiting from San Francisco.  Meeting energetic people at a bar is also nice because they usually have the most enthusiasm to do things.  We teamed up on the burgers and got our new friends to cook them all for us (actually, our new friend's boyfriend did most of the work).

Not bad for 2 bucks.

Has anyone come up with a restaurant concept to have customers do all the cooking?  Brilliant!  I think it could work.

Cleaving

What amazes me about reading is when you find that perfect book for that perfect time in your life.  Since I've been slowly trudging through books ever since I moved here from New York (where commuting gave me over 2 hours a day for reading), it is always incredible to find a book I don't want to put down and can get through in less than a few weeks.

For me, that book was Cleaving, by Julie Powell.  You may remember Powell from the heartwarming Julie and Julia.  Well, forget her.  Cleaving is the evil twin, the story of a dark time when Powell worked in a butcher shop while she was in a wrenching affair.  The parallels she draws between breaking down meat and tumultuous relationships are poetic and relevant.  Though dark and ugly, the writing is brutally honest and vulnerable, which takes a lot of guts (did I mention the parallels?).  At a time when I couldn't be more disenchanted by food and love, this was the absolute perfect read.  This takes something as rudimentary as butchery or love, and shows the multi-layered complexity through beauty and ugliness.

At last, the part of me that always found butchery to be intriguing is finally understood by another.  I am this close to walking into Willowside Meats and asking for a job.

Broin' Down

It's time I introduce you to some of my family.

I have never been more of a family gal than now. I lived on my own on the other side of the country for five years and since returning to California, have an entirely new appreciation of having relatives close by.

Last night I got four of my closest right in my own cozy cabin. Here is my godmother, father, brother and his beautiful wife. I don't get many opportunities to see my bro in my own digs, so the past day with him was euphoric.

We had a gorgeous dinner at Underwood in Graton. I wanted to show my fam where the locals go. The entrees were the only thing that finally quieted our rowdy bunch.

This included roasted beet salad and flatbread ...

... while I quickly devoured my Catalan fish stew.

On our way out, we met the world's tiniest dog.

And now I'm dreaming of barbie doll-sized sweater patterns I want to knit her.

To all the little sisters out there with a pesky big brother or two: one day you'll realize how lucky you are to have them.