Like I said . . .

Last night my girlfriends and I set out on our annual holiday trek to the Lori Bonn friend and family sale followed by dinner. 

As in previous years, I tagged along mostly for the fun, company, and food, claiming to be "not much of a jewelry person." (I'm also not much of a make-up, hair style, or clothing person either, which goes a long ways to explain the mess I usually am.)

I saw and tried on lots of pretty things and admired the pieces the girls picked out, but I just did not see anything that I felt would significantly improve my life. It was a lovely event though, and if I ever need jewelry I will buy it from Lori Bonn. They are the nicest people ever. When I arrived, one of the Lovely Lori Bonn Ladies greeted me, remembering my blog posts about them from past years and immediately pouring me a glass of prosecco.  When I left empty handed, she graciously noted that they consider it a compliment that I wear a single piece of Lori Bonn jewelry since I am "not much of a jewelry person." Nice that she remembers that. And even nicer that she seemed to think that was ok. 

For dinner, we too advantage of the fact that Oakland is becoming quite the mecca for dining (a recent local magazine declared Berkeley and San Francisco "done") and repaired to a new place at Jack London Square.

Bocanova is billed as pan-American grill, and like other restaurants in the area has retooled an old industrial space. This building used to be an ice house. 

I love that they've taken a complete U-turn from the ice idea and decorated in warm tones with soft lighting.

Liked: The food.

The menu is all small plates—perfect for the indecisive. The halibut ceviche was particularly good. I'm fussy about fish or meat I perceive to be raw or rare, and even I liked it. I'm also fussy about scallops if they're the least bit chewy or gritty, and I thought these were perfect. The curry sauce was nicely balanced, not overpowering the way curries can be.

Endive, hearts of palm, avocado with a sherry vinaigrette

Dungeness crab deviled eggs with chipotle aioli

Sea of Cortez scallops with Brazilian curry sauce

Tasty, generous portions for a small-plates menu. We liked.

Not so much: The service.

Since the wine list is composed of mostly obscure Spanish and Portuguese wines, they thoughtfully sent over a man who identified himself as "the wine buyer" and then proceeded to interview us on our wine tastes. I refrained from explaining I like almost anything that is not really awful. But seriously, we had not even looked at the menu, so what we more or less told him was that we needed a wine that would go with anything and wasn't too anything (fruity, large, etc.). So much for pairing. I can't remember what we allowed him to bring us, but it was fine. 

Things went downhill in my mind with the waitress, who introduced herself as being there to "take care of us." God, I hate this. She is there to take our order and bring us our food. If she wants to take care of me, she can start with figuring out how to pay for my kid's braces, how to work in three physical therapy appointments a week and still get to the gym, and how to deal with my mother and the Christmas holidays. She claimed to be there to help us. I do not need help ordering food from a menu. After we insisted on being allowed to look at the menu for a few minutes by ourselves, she popped back asking if we had any ideas and reported that she yet put in an order. Of course not given that we had not yet ordered anything.  It was also annoying that she thought it necessary to explain the small-plates concept as if we had not eaten out in the past five years. Small plates are different but hardly unique, and we are not stupid.

But as much as we enjoyed the ambiance and food, I was particularly thrilled with the high-velocity hand dryer in the restroom. It blew air so hard that it rippled your skin so it looked like melting plastic. Cool! If I had had a video camera, you would be watching a YouTube video of this. My girlfriend Janine tells me there is one at Brower Center in Berkeley where you put your hand between rays of light. I've got to check that out. Call me easily amused. 

Sophie and I out and about

As I said, it's so hard to stay on message these days with positive and lovely. But Sophie helped me out over the weekend by accompanying me on an outing to San Francisco's Chinatown.


We zipped over on BART, walked several blocks, only to find ourselves inadvertently in the middle of the Autumn Moon Festival. Add about 500 hundred people to this picture, and you've got the idea. There were some booths selling food and merchandise, but many more were selling things like car insurance, cell phone service, and checking accounts to neighborhood people.
But Sophie's great about hanging on to me, and we weaved our way through crowds as I explained to her that China is a very crowded place, and many cities streets are just like this!

We window shopped a bit and then—following the excellent advice of friend, which was confirmed by the street crossing guide— popped in here for dim sum.

Sophie and I both enjoyed the menu


and ordered four different dishes, among which these steamed shrimp dumplings were the best. I could have eaten an entire plate of them.


Having completely pigged out for just over $15 (when was the last time you did that in San Francisco??), we headed off to work on Sophie's shopping list.

We did lots of browsing, looking, and chatting but managed to come home with everything we set out to find, and then some.

Sophie's list included a Chinese dress and a parasol:

She also took a fancy to this lamp, which will look nice in her room.

We're pretty into green these days.

In the "and then some" category, we also saw these "dresses" that are intended to cover a wine bottle.
Deciding that was just plain silly, we thought one of them would make a lovely dress for someone waiting at home for us. (No, not Husband! He's too big!)


Suzie the Doll says it is what she has always dreamed of. My daughter is what I have always dreamed of: Sort of a little on-tap girlfriend, ready for any adventure, who will take me wherever we go focusing through the unhurried, curious eyes of a child. And will eat almost anything. 

Let's have lunch!

So the other day, look what showed up in me old mailbox:

A present from one of my favorite blog pals, the awesome Jen of use real butter. I already knew what was inside, but that didn't make it any less fun to open.


Look! I had to unwrap them. Can you smell?? I have all sorts of plans for them: First, I'll make some homemade vanilla extract (good timing: I just finished a bottle I started over a year ago, the beans finally having pooped out), then there's always ice cream, custards, creme brulee, and one of my favorite uses in the winter: in poaching liquid (like Madeira or Riesling) for pears. I'll toss one in my baking sugar too. And most of my infused wines have a bean in them as well. Whoohee!

My only disappointment is that when Jen visits California soon, she will not make it up to the bay area. She said if she were able to, she would say "Take me to your favorite taqueria!" Which I would be happy to do. Instead I'll have to thank her by taking her on a little virtual lunch expedition. Want to join us?

Cancun Taqueria is located in downtown Berkeley, conveniently between my office and my gym. I stop by to pick up my lunch every day I work out (most weekdays) and take it back to eat at my desk.

You can probably get more authentic Mexican food in San Francisco's Mission district, but I'm happy with the lard-free organic Mex Cancun serves up.

Friends of mine remember when this business was a little take-out window across the street.I remember when salsa came in two squeeze bottles on the table: red and green. Over the years, it's grown and is now one of the most successful businesses in Berkeley. It couldn't have happened to a nicer group of people.

These lovely men make my lunch, which is the same thing every time: a soft veggie taco, no chips. (In proof that the acorn doesn't fall too fall from the tree, my father used to order the same thing every day at his work cafeteria, no fries. When Jen comes someday, I will have chips.) Surely because I am so pleasant and friendly, my order is usually sitting at the end of the counter by the time I pay and walk down there. Or maybe they just want to get me out of there sooner. Regardless, it's nice to bypass the line of people waiting for their food and be on my way.

And please notice the THREE salsa containers. Everyone else gets one, but I get three. Because I'm special. This is a really good thing because one of the main attractions of Cancun is this:

The salsa bar!! With FOURTEEN (go ahead, count 'em) kinds of salsa!!! My favorites are the tomatillo, the strawberry, and the mango.

When I'm having dinner there (it's a great place to grab a quick bite before a movie), I have something different, like a prawn burrito. Husband often has the special, which is displayed when you walk in the door.

We also get our Christmas tamales here. During the holiday season, they sell them by the dozen, and we've found that people are happier to see us over the holidays if we show up with tamales.

Thanks for the beans, Jen! Now, when are you coming???

My birthday: What I had to eat

It's sort of an obsession of mine: Whenever someone has an event or occasion, I want to know "What did you have to eat?" I worry about this a little and wonder in amazement that I'm not the size of a house, so I was glad that a friend who sent birthday wishes asked "What did you have to eat?" It's good to know I'm not alone.

Here's the Peking duck I had at my birthday dinner Friday night hosted by the MIL at Great China. Determined not suffer another meal at a restaurant the MIL thought was "nice," I stamped my foot a little to insist on being taken here. She agreed the food was excellent. In my book, that's all that really matters.

Hiding beneath that perfectly crisped duck skin is an enormous pile of tender, lean duck meat. Sophie gave everyone at the table a demonstration of how to assemble and eat this dish.

Last night at home, I celebrated my actual birthday by doing what I like most: messing around in the kitchen. Several months ago I had taken a run at petit fours, or fairy cakes, as Sophie likes to call them. I had actually taken a class on petit fours, but in the class we made only a chocolate poured coating. We were sent home with a recipe for a poured fondant coating that the teacher assured us would work just as well. NOT. Something went dreadfully wrong, and I ended up with a big gloppy mess that tasted like crap. I was so discouraged, I wrapped up the rest of my cake (delicious: layered with marzipan, buttercream, and raspberry preserves) and threw it in the freezer. I decided to take it out last night and try again but this time with the help of blog pal Jen over at use real butter. She made a poured fondant that was just the look I wanted, and I trusted her not to lead me astray.

I followed instructions carefully. So far, so good.

The addition of both vanilla and almond extracts improves the flavor, but Jen's right that the vanilla gives it a grey tint. A drop of red food coloring turns it a lovely pink and solves the problem.

I messed with the consistency by adding a little more water and fussed with the temperature until I got something that was smooth and pourable. No glops! But I still wasn't getting quite the coverage I wanted. Next time I'll make my cake not quite as tall, which will help, but in the meantime, loading the fondant into a squeeze bottle helped.


OK, so they don't look nearly as lovely as Jen's, but I'm on a roll. Sophie and even Husband were delighted with them, and Sophie and I are pretty sure she'll be the only child at summer camp today with a petit four in her lunch.


For dinner I made a lemon pizza, modified from a recipe my friend Matt snagged off the Food Network website. Matt makes his on a grill, but since I didn't have any of the nonstick foil he recommended and it wasn't too hot, so I made mine in the oven. I started with Matt's excellent dough and slightly modified the Food Network's recipe for toppings.

LEMON PROSCIUTTO PIZZA

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup corn meal
2 teaspoons salt
1 packet dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup warm water
pinch of sugar or honey to activate yeast

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with a fork. Turn out on floured board and knead briefly. Place in bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until nearly doubled. I can never get dough to rise in my kitchen without putting it in the oven. My gas pilot light gives just the right temperature.

When dough is finished rising, roll out very thin. Place on pizza pan or baking sheet that has been coated with a thin layer of olive oil and corn meal.

Toppings

2 tablespoon of heavy cream (I used half and half)
fresh mozzarella
prosciutto
sweet onion, thinly sliced
lemon, half juiced, half sliced
parmesan, shredded or grated
fresh mint, chopped

Brush crust with cream and then layer mozzarella, prosciutto, onion, lemon slices, and parmesan. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Bake at 500 degree for about 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped mint.

This went nicely with a green salad. And did I mention I started off with a glass of Prosecco? It was nice on its own, but I'm looking forward to pairing it up with the white peaches that are just hitting the market for one of my favorite summertime bevs., the Bellini. Stay tuned. 

Out with the girls: The Lori Bonn trunk sale, a drink, and dinner

But not in that order. Here's how it went down:

J., D., S., and I (we were seriously missing P.!) met at Heinhold's First and Last Chance Saloon in Jack London Square. From a website documenting dive bars, I gleaned the following:

The building was made out of timbers from an old whaling ship in 1880, used as a bunk house by men tending the nearby oyster beds, and was converted in 1883 into a saloon by Johnny Heinhold. The name, First and Last Chance was added in the 1920s when the Oakland Alameda ferry launched and departed next to the saloon. Alameda was a dry city at the time, so commuters had either their first or last drink at Heinhold's. Additionally, military personnel from both Oakland and Alameda often shipped-out after having their last drink at Heinhold's.

The floor of the bar lists downward as you walk in. The pilings underneath the saloon gave way in the 1906 earthquake leaving half of the floor space at a sharp angle.

Jack London, a notorious drinker, probably spent way too much time here, but during that time he did study and make notes for books he would later write. The bar was designated a National Literary Landmark in 1998.

Here's D. standing in front. Does she look impressed? Not one bit.

On the way out, we marveled at the squalor of the cabin London stayed in while living in the Yukon. Very thoughtful of the Port of Oakland to haul it down here.









On to the main event of the evening: the Lori Bonn trunk sale!

Although I've long admired Lori's pieces that my friends have, I'm really not much of a jewelry person, so I was really just along for the opportunity to get together with my girlfriends for drinks and dinner. But I sensed danger the minute shopping began. Upon entry, you are handed a glass of champagne and a little black velvet-lined tray (your shopping cart).

D., a serious power shopper, got right to business.
And J. was doing just fine too.
I, however, was not doing as well.

I could tell D. was disappointed in me. "I already have jewelry," I explained. I'm a total loser when it comes to accessorizing. I wear exactly the same jewelry all the time: a Swiss Army watch, my stacked wedding (plain platinum) and engagement (platinum, channel-set diamonds) bands, diamond stud earrings that Big S. bought me for our fifth wedding anniversary, and silver pendant with my daughter's picture. Sounds like plenty to me, and all except the watch have sentinental value. Again, D. was not impressed but rather than engage me in debate merely started piling items in my tray that she said I "needed."

There was lots that I truly did like here, but then I found (on my own!) something I really loved. A ring with a square cushion-cut smoky quartz stone surrounded by teensy champagne diamonds on a white gold band with white diamonds along the side. If I can figure out how to take a reasonable close-up on my digital camera, I'll show a picture soon.

But J. said "You can't buy that. It's too expensive." So I just wore it around the sale for the next hour, while I carried my tray of things I liked but did not feel compelled to buy (remember, I'm not really a jewelry person). Until. I decided that I really wanted that ring. Really. So I bought it. And yes, even though at 50% off (whoohooo—thank you, Lori!) it was expensive according to a thrifty person like myself, I spend less than any of the girls. Although they all got a whole bunch of stuff and I only got one thing. But I'm as happy as if I had a whole bunch of stuff because I really like the one thing I got. Which is shown here on me, the happy shopper.



And did I mention that Lori herself was there? And she is as lovely as the jewelry she designs.


I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to her next trunk sale, when I might buy one more thing. :)

We wrapped up the evening with dinner at Flora, a new restaurant in Oakland by Thomas Schnetz and Dona Savitsky of Dona Tomas and Tacubaya fame. They've departed here upscale Mexican to upscale comfort food. The building was originally a flower outlet but rumor has it was more recently a medical marijuana dispensary.

The inside is very sleek and modern yet entirely comfortable.

S., J., and I all had prosciutto wrapped swordfish, green risotto, citrus soup, and olive oil (the last two in a puddle around the risotto and fish) and D. had pasta norma, which was bucatini, eggplant, olives, marinara, ricotta salata, and olive oil. The swordfish was a little overdone but good (they were probably cooking to where the prosciutto was crisp, which was good for the prosciutto but not so good for the fish) and the risotto was a little too chewy but a lovely vibrant green (we think the herb was chervil but became too engrossed in conversation to remember to ask our waiter). D.'s dish was truly the standout.

We finished with two desserts: warm apple galette with butterscotch ice cream and acacia honey and buttermilk panna cotta with muddled huckleberries and a shortbread cookie—both excellent, although I doubt the huckleberries were fresh, and they would have been better if they were.

That's all for now. Have a good weekend!

Around the Table with Santa

Big S's Cousin L works at a wonderful restaurant in Camas, WA (right next to Vancouver) called Around the Table. It's much more than a restaurant though and covers just about everything I love about food. The subtitle of their logo reads, "Celebrating Food and Community" and captures the spirit behind all that they do, which includes a lunch cafe, Friday and Saturday gatherings where a fixed price meal is served family-style at communal tables, catering, cooking classes for children and adults, take-home meals, holiday appetizers to take home and freeze, and renting their kitchen to local culinary entrepenuers.

We were there Saturday morning for their Breakfast with Santa. In addition to a delicious breakfast buffet, kids got to have a nice chat with Santa—not just the 30 second version they get at the mall.

And the man in this picture may or may not be my husband. Don't tell him, ok?