1901 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704 | 510.843.6600 | website |
Monday – Sunday 11:30 am – 10 pm

Are you familiar with the paper thin, and deliciously crispy Indian crepe known as the Dosa?  I was introduced to these several years ago (yikes that was actually 5 years ago) which you can read about here.  Not long ago, I saw an east bay restaurant called Udupi Palace, a small Bay Area chain that specializes in South Indian vegetarian cuisine, featured on Check Please! Bay Area.  It is known for serving a variety of lacy dosas filled with vegetables, idlys (steamed patties made from rice and black lentil) served with spicy sambar, uttapams (rice-flour frittatas), and a fantastic thali platter, where you can try a sampler of 10 items for under $10.

I felt compelled to make reservations, which as you can see were not really necessary.  The ambience is drab and institutional, but we were well attended and were able to use the next table as overflow when our food began to arrive and we couldn’t fit it all on our table.  I liked these bright red alcoves displaying colorful artwork.

We began by splitting a Ghee Sambhar Idly which are steamed patties made from rice and lentils that have ghee poured over them and are immersed in a bowl of spicy Sambhar.  This dish was like a south indian vegetarian version of chicken and dumplings and  vaguely reminiscent of matzo ball soup.  We scooped up some of the dumplings and dunked them in the accompanying chutneys, one was made with coconut and the other was a spicy creamy tomatoey mixture.  These two chutneys were served with several other dishes so we didn’t have to ask for refills.

My dad asked for bread, as he wanted something to dunk into the delicious sauces.  Our server brought a plate piled with crunchy, savory poppadums, which are wafer thin delicate lentil cakes fried to a savory crisp.  These disappeared in the blink of an eye…

I highly recommend that you order the South Indian Thali, a veritable tower of stainless platters because you can try a sampling of spicy vegetables, Daal (spicy lentils), a Biryani rice dish, Sambar, Rasam (spicy soup), yogurt raita, and a refreshing coconut rice dessert.  It was topped with a bowl of steamed rice, a puff of fried bread and another delectable crispy poppadum.

Once the plate of bread is removed, more dishes are revealed.  There are spicy potatoes with peas, chickpeas in a spicy sauce, an incendiary chutney, along with some delicious battered and fried things.

The big puffy bread balloon is called a Bhatura and was filled with air.  It deflated when we ripped into it, but the bread was excellent to scoop up and dunk into the spicy array of delicious fare.

We shared the Udupi Special Spring Dosa, which is a Mysore Masala Dosa smeared with spicy chutney and filled with lightly cooked vegetables, which were crunchy and fresh tasting.  This was particularly good, and so different from what comes to mind when someone says let’s go for Indian food.  It also came with the two chutneys and a bowl of Rasam the excellent spicy soup made from tamarind, tomato, ginger, and coriander.

We shared the Special Rava Masala Dosa, filled with Potatoes & Onions.  This dosa is a lacy crepe that the menu says is made from cream of wheat with onions.

I loved the Malabar Paratha, a platter of two pieces of paratha which is a flaky flatbread served with Vegetable Korma (mixed vegetables cooked with spices in a creamy coconut gravy) and Channa Masala (Northern Indian chickpea stew delicately spiced and very fragrant).  The rustic bread is cooked on the griddle until crisp on the outside and flaky and tender inside.  They can be pulled apart in layers, like pastry and are a heavenly indulgence topped with either of the aromatic spicy stews and drizzled with the tart yogurt raita.

The bill was $47 for four people, including sodas and beer.  The prices are very reasonable, the entire bill is less than what you would pay for dinner for one at Dosa in the City…  On the way out, my father found this little bowl filled with toasted fennel seeds and dried shredded stuff that seemed like coconut but was fluorescent orange.  It was dry and chewy and served to cleanse our palates in an astringent licorice-y way.

1511 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Walnut Creek, Ca 94596 | 925.979.0100 | reservations | website |Previous visit: May 2008 

I recently enjoyed lunch here during Walnut Creek Restaurant week, where over 2 dozen of Walnut Creek’s finest restaurants offer 3 course prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner menus at prices ranging from $10-$40.  Va De Vi is the Creek’s only listing on the SF Chronicle’s list of the Bay Area’s Top 100 Restaurant list for 2012 and is a bit spendy for my regular lunch rotation.  Anyways,  I was interested to check it out since Shane McAnelly took over the kitchen last year. He was most recently executive sous chef at Zero Zero, and before that was chef de cuisine at the now-closed Garibaldis in Oakland.  The menu of international small plates now reflects a mediterranean flourish.  My friend Chris came out to meet me for lunch and we opted to sit out on the patio to enjoy the sun, which was kept cozy by overhead heaters.  There are lovely fountains lining the walkway which lead to a pond in the back courtyard that is filled with carp.

Chris opted to order from the menu and began with a Shot Glass of Soup ($3), a cream of asparagus & leek soup topped with lemon oil. It was a small portion (not much bigger than most amuse bouche) but was very toothsome and we loved the slightly crunchy slices of asparagus contained within.

She had the Rock Shrimp Avocado Lumpia served over wasabi-orange aioli, ponzu sauce.  ($10 yes that’s for one lumpia…), which is a signature dish that has been on the menu from the beginning of time.

The lumpia was filled with large chunks of rock shrimp, avocado and pungent bits of fresh chive.  It was savory and delicious and even better than I remembered from my last visit; it was less creamy and the wrapper had a different texture that was both flaky and crisp.  Yum!  This time, I had all of the pickled ginger to myself.

I had the 3 course prix-fixe and began with Iceberg Salad, a generous mound of said lettuce, mixed in with slices of watermelon radish, chewy house cured pancetta, hard cooked egg, red onion, blue cheese dressing ($8).

Wild Nettle & Ricotta Gnudi ($11), a type of gnocchi.  They are basically the filling of a ravioli, sans pasta and thus considered to be a nude ravioli.

The light ricotta dumplings are tender puffs infused with the umami of mushrooms and fresh herbaceous nettles, drizzled with black truffle butter, meyer lemon.  Very intriguing and delicious.

The meal ended with a Meyer Lemon Tart topped with toasted meringue and passion fruit sauce ($8). We were full and only had a bite each.  I took it back to the office and gave it to my co-worker (coincidentally also named Chris), who loves lemony things.  He later told me that he didn’t like it because the crust tasted like old oil…

Dining at Va De Vi is a leisurely and somewhat pricey affair, things that normally don’t mesh well with the worker bee crew.  I loved the soup and the pasta and plan to go back, although probably not for lunch during the work week; then perhaps I can spend some time exploring the wine bar menu and flights too…

2823 Mission (at 24th Street), SF, CA| 415.375.1185 | website | cash only
Lunch: 11:30-2:30 | Dinner: 6 – 11 | Closed Sundays

It’s been about a year and a half since we first visited this tiny gem in the mission (you can read about that visit here).  The original sign in front blends in with the rest of the block, making it easy to miss, which we like because: 1) it really is tiny (seats 15 maximum inside plus a couple of tables squished onto the sidewalk out front), 2) $20 for a 4 course tasting menu prepared by a chef who cooked for 12 years in high-end restaurants including Coi, A16, and Quince, 3) it was introduced to the world by local chef Chris Cosentino on the Food Network’s show the Best Thing I Ever Ate. Mr. K and I met my friend DebbieG for lunch, arriving 30 minutes before they opened as we were determined to be in the first seating at the tiny restaurant.  We were dismayed to find a large group gathered in front of the restaurant.  It turned out to be a culinary tour group which swarmed the restaurant, but then left.

Aside from the tour group, we were the only ones there, it seems that lunch would be the way to go here as people in the Mission are not early risers.  Here’s a Lytro photo which captures chef Shaun Naputi, formerly from Incanto, in the background, or you can click on the glasses on our table.  We ordered the tasting menu, and he asked us if we wanted some cheese Arepas to go along with our meal.

We eagerly agreed.  He tossed them onto the griddle along with lamb burgers, cauliflower and asparagus.

The Cheese Arepa ($3) arrived, they were cheesey and dense, of the traditional Colombian variety that Mr. Pollo has long been known for, not the airy fairy Venezuelan style we enjoyed the last time…  Toasty and melted, it was a bit bland.  It needed something exciting like a piquant spicy sauce or pickled vegetables.  I ventured over to the chef to inquire whether he had hot sauce or something but alas, there was none.  He advised us to enjoy the simplicity and purity of the dish…

I had to take a picture of the cheese because it just kept stretching…

The tasting menu changes daily and you are under the chef’s control with his four small courses made from the freshest ingredients possible.   We began with Spring Asparagus with mushrooms served over a delectably silky pureed vegetable with drops of Annato oil.

Next we had a brilliantly colorful dish with Pan Roasted Cauliflower and fava beans topped with Foie Gras Torchon.  Seriously, foie gras in a $20 tasting menu?  Yum…  and it seems like we have been eating more foie gras as we look the dreaded ban straight in the eye…

Chef Shaun artistically prepares the dishes.  He was a one man show, which was awesome to watch, but I must admit that I wasn’t able to get the provenance of each dish as it wasn’t printed on a menu and I couldn’t bother him for all of the details as more patrons came in and he was quite busy waiting tables, cooking and tending the shop.  We briefly saw Chef/Owner Manny Torres Giminez come in, but he took off after a few minutes.

Lamb burger with Grilled Romaine sprinkled with tendrils of shaved parmesan, roasted potatoes served over roquefort fonduta

The final course was tender slow cooked Pork Shoulder in sauce served over fluffy white rice with buttery chunks of avocado.

I quite liked it, although Debbie said it was her least favorite dish of the meal.

We opted to skip dessert and to continue onwards for ice cream at Humphry Slocombe down the street and walked past many colorful murals.

I got a scoop of Black Sesame Ice Cream on a sugar cone which was a lovely combination of sweet and salty, toasted nutty, rich and creamy flavors and textures.  The perfect thing to finish off an excellent meal.

5th Ave & Mission, Carmel CA 93921 | 831-625-0501 | website |

Once again I hit up my co-worker Vance for restaurant recommendations in Pacific Grove since she lives in the area.  Last year she pointed me towards the couscous at Fandango which I loved and you can read about here.  This time she recommended this cozy bistro in Carmel for lunch.  Where do they come up with these names?  I would not have selected either one because they sound so stuffy and contrived… in fact, Mr. K and I  have avoided Carmel for many years, as it always seemed to be full of uptight old rich people, but either times have changed or we have because we had an absolutely delightful time (and I know it’s not because we are uptight old rich people…)  Casanova’s is a converted cottage with a rambling layout that offers cozy dining indoors or outdoors. Although it was chilly the outside patio was packed because the overhead heaters kept the temperature cozy and I believe it offers a superior dining experience.  I mean just look at this patio!  There’s a burbling fountain, lots of greenery and beautiful hand painted plates and tiles adorn the walls.

The bar looked so inviting that I felt like bellying up to see if they were offering wine tasting.

Along with our beverages, our server dropped off a little bowl filled with tiny cubes of soft cheese that had been sprinkled with freshly grated black pepper.  Nice touch…

Then he arrived with a cup filled with addictively crunchy breadsticks along with a delectable romesco sauce that makes my mouth water when I think about it.  I posted this picture in a previous post, but if you missed it, this was taken with my new Lytro camera.  You can click anywhere on the picture to focus on different things in the photo.

We shared a Grilled Castroville Artichoke served with garlic-smoked paprika aioli.  It was good but dry and a bit tough, but delicious slathered with the rich garlicky dip.

We split a big pot of Mussels, you have to order the large which comes with frites, swimming in a rich broth.  I wished I had kept the garlic aioli from the artichoke, as strangely, these frites did not come with the classic dressing on the side… and bread to dunk into that broth too please.

We gobbled up the Spaghettini “Mimmo di Capri” a tangle of delectable fresh pasta topped with sautéed beef filet tips, mushrooms, fresh tomato sauce, and extra virgin olive oil

The fresh pasta is perfectly cooked and the parmesan melted into the rich tomato sauce, lightly coating each strand.  It was surprisingly subtle and an utterly beguiling combination with the fresh herbs.

We were instant fans from the outside patio, attention to detail, excellent food and the low key but attentive service.  We’ll definitely go back to explore the menu further, even if we aren’t part of the Ferragamo shoe set…

500 Hartnell Street, Monterey, CA 93940 | 831.643.1833 | online reservations | website

Restaurant 1833 is a beautiful restaurant in the historic Stokes Adobe house which was built in 1833 (and thus the name).  Stokes is one of the oldest adobes in California and has an interesting history that you can read about on the Tourist Trap site here.  It opened last year after extensive renovations by by the founders of Pebble Beach Food & Wine to great acclaim.  The restaurant was nominated this year as a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation. Ted Glennon, the Beverage Director has been named a “Top Sommelier of 2012” by Food & Wine magazine, and SF Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer gave a 3 star rating.  It reminded me a bit of the haunted mansion in Disneyland and even has a ghost on the premises.  The gnarled old tree overhead and rustic entryway add to its gothic charms. The patio out front with firepits and chairs looked very inviting, but were empty since it was quite chilly that day, adding to the air of ghostly abandonment.

Inside was a different story, the darkly mysterious bar was bustling with activity, the bottles backlit and the counter translucent and glowing from within.  The bar is well stocked, they offer many interesting cocktails and also have an absinthe cart that goes around providing tableside service.

The interior has a rambling layout with seven rooms, each with distinctive decor (I plan to return soon to sample more dishes and to get more pictures), that pays homage to the history and characters that shaped the house.  We were led to the Sunroom, which is brightly lit from the paned windows that overlook the garden, and filled with overstuffed comfortable chairs & rich wood tables.

The chef  Levi Mezick worked in New York as  sous chef at Daniel and executive sous chef at Cafe Boulud. He also worked at  Oceana Restaurant and Per Se.  The menu of stylish American cuisine features locally-sourced products that showcase the authentic flavors of Central Californian cuisine.   We began with an Amuse of Cream of Edamame Soup topped with meyer lemon oil.

We loved the Hamachi Crudo ($6) topped with slices of pickled jalapeno, avocado and orange so much that we ordered another plate…  The combination of taste and textures and aroma was fresh and delicious.  Lytro alert!  Click anywhere on the picture to change the focus…

Crispy Pork ($5), served with caper aioli, pickled garlic and frisee.

The crispy tots are made from melt-in-your mouth tender flesh from a slow roasted pig, minced into tiny pieces of gelatinous cartilage and tendon and rich pieces of meat, dipped in panko batter and deep fried to an exhilaratingly crisp texture.

We enjoyed the soon to be banned Seared Foie Gras ($25), which was magnificent and decadently rich.  It was served with mandarin oranges, arugula and candied ginger along with a smear of pureed mango.  A strange sounding combination that was absolutely brilliant!  The foie gras wilted the arugula which was transformed by the heat and drenched with flavorful juices.  There is something magical about pan seared foie gras, the rich flavors coat your lips and the textures are so very luscious.

The juicy mandarin orange segments were drizzled with a wonderful ginger syrup that really kicked off its bright citrus flavors

We continued on the rich and decadent theme with a plate of Bone Marrow ($16), which was split down the middle and topped with a horseradish crust, served with slices of grilled sour dough bruschetta and roasted garlic.

I kept seeing people enjoying the Beef and Cheddar biscuits and asked for an order, they were flaky and fabulous, but really filling.  We wondered why they made them so big, because they are so delicious you can’t stop eating them and they take up a lot of stomach real estate.

Crispy Hen Egg ($13) is one of their signature dishes, slow cooked egg wrapped with prosciutto then panko breadcrumbs and deep fried, served over thick spears of fresh asparagus topped with an outrageously delicious cornichon hollandaise sauce and some lovely dressed frisee.

When you cut into the egg the yolk dribbles out, adding a rich golden sheen to the sauce

We could barely finish the Beef Carpaccio ($6.5), dotted with Sriracha foam, cilantro, mango cubes and interesting little crunchy puffed bits of toasted rice.

The Charred Octopus ($14), was very tender, served with marcona almonds, briny castleventrano olives, a spicy romesco sauce, all served over arugula.  The perfect size at this point in the meal…

Vintage chandeliers sport Edison bulbs from early 1900′s creating a warm and inviting glow.

We really enjoyed the meal, our server was attentive and there whenever we needed anything.  She was always ready to answer our questions or provide suggestions, and we already have plans to return to sample more of the menu.

Read about our visit to the now closed Stokes Restaurant in 2009 here.

I was unable to resist ordering one of these new fangled cameras called the Lytro.  It has a completely new type of light sensor which uses sophisticated algorithms that use the full light field to unleash new ways to make and view pictures.  What’s that mean?  You can refocus a picture after it’s taken.

It’s a weird looking thing, most people do a double take when they see me using it.  A few thought it was a kaleidoscope, someone asked if it was a telescope.  It’s really hard to get used to, and the viewfinder is only an inch square, which is just wrong in this day and age of camera phones and LCD viewers that are at least 3 inches wide.

Light field cameras offer astonishing capabilities. They allow both the picture taker and the viewer to focus pictures after they’re snapped, shift their perspective of the scene, and even switch seamlessly between 2D and 3D views. With these amazing capabilities, pictures become interactive visual stories as never before seen – Lytro calls them living pictures.

This is the ocean in Pacific Grove where Mr. K and I went last weekend.  You can click anywhere in the picture and it will refocus on the point that you click.  Pretty slick, isn’t it?

We checked out the Jellies Experience at the Monterey Bay Aquarium while we were there.  It was really cool, although the aquarium was jam packed with people on the holiday weekend.

Sometimes nothing happens when you click on the picture, I think the servers at Lytro are still being ramped up.  You can tell the software is processing correctly if you see a series of concentric squares where you click on the picture and it will refocus.

It’s very cool in regards to photos of food.  Consider this closeup of a delicious breadstick with a dollop of romesco sauce that we devoured at Casanova’s in Carmel.  You can click on the breadstick in front with the dip, or on the cup of breadsticks, or the little bowl of sauce and you get surprisingly well rounded perspective on that dish.

This is a very delicious scoop of Black Sesame ice cream that I enjoyed today at Humphrey Slocumbe in SF.  Click on the ice cream, then click on the ice cream sign in the background.

you can focus on the krispy kreme donut in the foreground or the background.

or you can focus anywhere on the garlic parmesan cheesy topping on the fries at the Counter Burger in Walnut Creek that I enjoyed this week.

You can do the same with this photo of sushi we enjoyed at Roys Restaurant at the Inn at Spanish Bay last week.  Fabulous salmon in the back, ahi in the middle, hamachi in the front.  That was some amazingly fresh fish….

Anyways, I just wanted to introduce you to the new camera and features it offers.  In the future any photos that have the Lytro logo on them are living photos that you can click on to change the focus.  In the bottom right corner of the photo you can click to view an enlarged view of the photo that will open up a new browser window.

815 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607 | 1 510.451.2662 | website
hours: Mon – Fri: 9 am – 5 pm; Sat: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Yes, that’s right, they cook everything to order.  I have never before been treated to such a freshly made Vietnamese sandwich!  Sliced mushrooms, ham and cha (vietnamese sausage) cooking on the griddle.

We had to try the Coma sandwich ($7ish) – which is served only on Saturdays.  It is made with slices of grilled mushrooms, cha (a beige-colored, bologna-like pork sausage) and Vietnamese bacon, in a hollowed out baguette that is smeared with pâté, and stuffed with slices of red onions & cilantro.

The bread was tender and warm with a delicate crackly crust which was  fantastic.  They said this was the sixth time they had changed bakeries – very particular about the details, which benefits us all!  It was perfection, the light ethereal baguette surrounding sublimely prepared ingredients; the slices of freshly cooked mushroom intensified the fragrance of the cilantro and sliced onion.  I wanted to follow the mantra of the logo: eat. drink. eat. pass out. repeat.

This is the fabulous Rotisserie Chicken ($6.95), which was full of tender roasted chicken, pickled carrots and daikon, fragrant cilantro, cool cucumber,  jalapeno and onion slices and smeared with pâté and mayonnaise.   The chicken was juicy and warm, it became infused with the flavors of the pâté and mayonnaise which melted together in a most enjoyable fashion, boldly flavorful and full of delectable textures.

This is the Vietnamese Special Combination ($6.95), which was filled with slices of cha, headcheese, and ham along with the pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro and onion slices.  The meat was not heated for this sandwich, which seemed less magical, more like the other bánh mì that we’ve had previously.

Closeup of the headcheese, which offered a medley of crunchy textures.  Mr. K was a bit apprehensive about the textures…

The sandwiches all come with a salad made from impeccably fresh spring mix, along with a container of salad dressing.  Our favorite was a bright and zesty Asian vinaigrette.

I enjoyed the Sweet Milk Tea ($3.35) which was topped with a frilly mound of whipped cream.  The smoky flavor of the tea was enveloped in rich sweetened condensed milk, so delicious and rich it was the perfect end to my meal.

There are framed pictures on the wall, that were taken by the young woman in the photo above.  I hope that these funny squeeze bottles with the tilting lashed dolls eyes show up on the counter one day!

Outside on the sidewalk are tables which would be lovely on a sunny day.  I can’t stop thinking about that Coma sandwich and need to go back to check out the crepes.

Yes really, and it can be made at home, using some items from a can, but thankfully not just the red and white one with bold cursive letters…  Mr. K and I grew up on Campbell’s Tomato Soup, an item which can even now be found in our pantry, although this recipe is such a stunner that we may never go back.

Despite the fact that it's the first day of spring, there's quite a chill in the air.

It is so good with a crunchy piece of bruschetta or grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day.  He forwarded me this recipe that he found on the fabulous Once Upon a Chef blog, and then a reminder, and then a nudge that it would probably be really good.  It was. I made it over the weekend and wouldn’t change a thing.  You can get the recipe here.

It’s been years since I’ve visited wine country and I had forgotten how lovely it is on a fine spring day.  It’s about an hour and a half from the east bay, two from the city.  I met up with some friends at V. Sattui winery in St. Helena for a picnic lunch before embarking on a Napa Valley Tasting Adventure that we signed up for via Daily Candy, a webservice that offers a handpicked selection of all that’s fun, fashionable, food related, and culturally stimulating in the city you’re fixated on. We began with a picnic, then wine tasting, a tour  of the Culinary Institute at Greystone where we learned about chocolates, then ended with a stop at Gott’s Roadside Diner.  Once in Napa, it’s a longish drive on a two lane road through town and you pass by many familiar names like Beringer, Mondavi, Merryvale, Louis Martini, Franciscan, and BV…

The V. Sattui grounds are huge and the tasting room and winery seems capable of handling extremely large crowds.  They have an impressive Italian Marketplace to tempt you with with over 200 artisan cheeses, hand carved meats and locally baked breads.  At the back is a deli serving panini sandwiches, pastas, salads even meatballs and truffled mac and cheese.

Outside are expansive picnic grounds where you can sit and eat, we noticed a line for their weekend barbecue which smelled delicious.  You have many options, although there are signs that the picnic grounds are for customer use only.  Too bad, we could see Dean and Deluca across the road!

We shared a variety of salads, here is one made with tender pieces of beet and onion slices in a tart dressing.  Simple but a delicious side to go along with a rich panini sandwich filled with melted gooey cheese.

Do you know about my salami fixation?  I am unable to resist when I see it on the menu.  Thin slices of dry salami with provolone, drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette and then heated up in a panini press ($8).

Daisy who was fresh off a juice diet, got back on solid foods with an Edamame salad,

A fruit salad

and a roasted vegetable salad

This is Kathleen’s Prosciutto and Mozzarella Panini with fresh basil leaves and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.

Sarah decided that we needed to begin our adventure off properly with a bottle of Gamay Rouge, a rosé wine that V. Sattui is known for.  It is on the sweet side and pairs well with Asian cuisine.  It was beautiful, ruby-colored wine with bright fruit flavors and a slight tart-cherry finish, and we swigged our glasses in our haste to make it to our next destination on time.

Next we drove along a winding road up the mountain to Charbay Winery and Distillery | 4001 Spring Mountain Rd., St. Helena  | 707.963.9327 | website | Open Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  Outside are several alambic stills that resemble gigantic gourds

We were greeted by Sniffy, he is a Jack Russell Terrier who presides over the tasting room and loves the attention.  He is even featured in the book Wine Dogs.

The tasting room is small and by appointment only.  We sampled a chardonnay, then a cabernet sauvignon, an invigorating green tea aperitif, a pomegranate dessert wine and a kick ass port.  They also produce small lots of artisanal spirits: vodka, brandy, whiskey and tequila which strangely enough, you can’t sample in the tasting room due to a State law which does not permit them to sell/ship most of their spirits directly to CA residents.  I left with a bottle of the Green Tea Aperitif and Pomegranate Dessert Wine both of which made my mouth water…

We had a schedule to keep to and headed over to The Culinary Institute of America, 2555 Main St., St. Helena | website | 888.424.2433

We toured the historic facility and learned that they don’t have A/C in the marvelous kitchen so students can learn if they can take the heat and that there are little elements of feng shui on top of each gable, which were placed there by chinese immigrant workers back in 1889.

Then ended up at the Flavor Bar where we enjoyed a short video-guided presentation about chocolate.

We tasted cocoa beans, cocoa nibs, unsweetened cocoa powder, rubbed cocoa butter on our hands, nibbled unsweetened chocolate, first plain and then with sugar, tasted different percentages of dark chocolates, then sampled varieties of chocolates to learn about terroir.  The Flavor Bar has a few different tasting experiences that all sounded fun – olive oils, wine and cheese pairings, even one to calibrate your palate.

After the chocolates we all felt a little peckish and decided to stop off at Gott’s Roadside, before heading home. 933 Main St, St Helena, CA | 707.963.3486 | website.  They used to be called Taylor’s Refresher, but due to a complicated legal matter that you can read about here, they changed the name to Gott’s Roadside.  There are a few locations, I’ve posted about the one at the Ferry Building in SF here and here.  This is the original diner which only has outside seating, and since there was a definite chill in the air, everyone was crowded in near the overhead heat lamps.

I enjoyed the Cheeseburger, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, secret sauce on a toasted egg bun ($7.99)

The Onion Rings were thick and beer battered, lightly salted ($3.99) and served with housemade ranch dressing that was good on everything. The batter on the rings was not robustly crunchy enough to make me swoon, but I still gobbled them down.

I obsessed over Kathy’s Garlic Fries, which were first fried and then tossed in garlic butter and parsley ($3.99).

Daisy had the Ahi Poke Crispy Tacos, hawaiian style raw, marinated Ahi tuna, with avocado, green cabbage, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and spicy mayo but without the crispy taco shells ($13.99/3 per order).  This was surprisingly good, even if she did order it without the taco shell…

The original sign for Taylor’s Refresher remains on the original site, a reminder of the passing of an era.  Gott’s serves a very fine burger and accoutrements, but they have other delicious sounding items on menu like grilled fish tacos or the above Poke.  The Artichoke Mushroom Bisque on the specials menu that caught my eye too, along with those Mini Corndogs… and I saw quite a few people enjoying the Fresh Mint Shake.

A word of warning, the ride home along the 2-lane highway takes a lot longer with the crowds returning home…  the wineries all close around 5 pm, prompting a mass exodus.  Might be a good idea to stop off for dinner along the way as there are so many options!

1700 Mission Street (@Duboce), SF, CA 94103 | 415.621.712 | reservations | website
Open for dinner at 6 p.m., with last seating at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

There’s something magical about Woodward’s Garden.  The tiny restaurant is tucked underneath the freeway on an out of the way corner that seems slightly dark and sinister, but you are drawn to the red and glass entrance which merrily glows from the brightly lit and bustling kitchen just within the door.  It is named after and located on the site of Woodward’s Amusement Park which was open during the period of 1865-1891 by wealthy hotel proprietor Robert B. Woodward on his four-acre country estate. It is hard to imagine this rather gritty urban spot was once filled with exotic animals, ornate fountains, lakes, and manicured gardens, along with an amusement park, museum, and outdoor theater.  You can read more about it here.

Chef/owner Dana Tommasino earned a masters degree in literature from Mill’s college (aha that explains the literary bent of the chef’s blog) and is a graduate from the California Culinary Academy.  I was greeted by the other owner Margie Conard as I walked into the front room which was filled with wondrous smells wafting from the kitchen, which takes up most of the front area.  There is something almost steam punkish about the kitchen which is aglow with mysterious faerie lights.  She led me down down a short hallway which included a couple of small tables tucked against the glass windows covered with sheer gauzy panels through which the lights from the traffic signals and freeway can be seen but not really noticed.

The main dining room is small with high ceilings and illuminated by a sparkling chandelier overhead and romantic sconces brighten the walls.  There’s even a grand piano which adds to the charm, which is unabashedly retro shabby chic.  I last dined here ten or fifteen years ago when the dining room was crammed into the front area with the kitchen, and found this to be a great improvement – spacious and comfortable.

I met my friend TK whom I’ve known since high school, college and beyond for dinner which we enjoyed with a 30% discount from the trusty Blackboard Eats service that I subscribe to.  We shared a basket of warm bread, the slices were tender and light and excellent slathered with the soft creamy butter which melted into its yeasty pockets.  The bread was unlike the thick crusty bread that is prevalent these days and addictive as all get out.

While the mood lighting creates a lovely atmosphere, it really undermined my effort to photograph the dishes we enjoyed.  I couldn’t find a photo of my first course, which was Calamari braised with red wine, orange, leek and chick peas on bruschetta with a rich rouille ($13).  What, no photo?  I took lots of pictures, but admit that I was busy catching up with my friend who I hadn’t seen in over a year, and then deleted all of the dark, fuzzy and out of focus shots on the BART ride home.  The appetizer was a rich earthy dish that was a bit heavy as a starter for my meal, but I just loved the crunch of the bruschetta.

TK had the Grilled Radicchio wrapped in a La Quercia Prosciutto with Watercress and Aïoli ($11), which she thought was heavy as well.  Indeed, what do you expect when your item is covered with aioli or rouille…

I really enjoyed my entree of Grilled grass-fed Hanger Steak with a root vegetable gratin, rabe with garlic, and green peppercorn sauce ($26).  I tried using the torch on my phone to illuminate my plate, but felt way too conspicuous. Sometimes it’s okay, but in this cozy magical cocoon, not so much.  The steak was succulently meaty and tender, magnificent when dragged through the pungent green peppercorn sauce and I chomped my way through the rabe and delectable gratin.

TK had the Grilled Marin Sun Farms Pork Chop with caramelized apples and sautéed savoy cabbage with smoked bacon, cipollinis and fingerling potatoes ($26), which is one of their signature dishes.  This sounded like a winning combination and smelled delightful, but unfortunately, the chop was a bit dry and tough.

We split dessert, a Butterscotch Pudding with Caramel Sauce and Creme Fraîche with hazelnut biscotti ($8.5). The caramel sauce added just the right salty bite to the decadently rich and creamy pudding.  It satisfied us to our toes and reaffirmed why I love this restaurant.

Woodward’s Garden has a timeless quality and has become even better over the years.  I enjoyed my meal and catching up with my friend TK and can’t wait to go back with Mr. K to try their smoked trout bruschetta.