Munchie Musings

Frank Fat's Wins James Beard Award

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:37:00 +0000

And all I got was a fabulous lunch! LOL.

It seems that Sacramento goes forever without any real recognition in the food world and then this year we had two, that's TWO, James Beard Award winners. Our friend, Hank Shaw, won for his blog, "Hunter Angler Gardener Cook." Frank Fat's won for America's Classic.

Today I was treated to a press lunch to celebrate their award.The America's Classic is awarded to "beloved regional restaurants". "Distinguished by their timeless appeal, they serve quality food that reflects the character of their communities."

In the case of Frank Fat's, it's been a fixture in Sacramento since 1939 and even has the nickname of the "Third House" of the Legislature. This refers to the fact that over the decades many a political deal has been hammered out within their walls, over a cocktail or a plate of their famous Frank's Style New York Steak. Every governor and scores of politicians has eaten at Frank Fat's over the last six decades.

Frank's Style New York Steak

It was interesting to learn a few things about its history. The New York steak has been on the menu since the very beginning, never changing.

Their famous Banana Cream Pie started in the 1950s. They make 15-25 of them twice a day. They also take requests if you would like to purchase a pie to take home. Please give them a 12 hour notice.

Our meal was an array of dishes that Frank Fat's is presenting to celebrate their James Beard award. The "America's Classics" menu will be featured for May 13-31. You get all the items pictured, plus Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, for a prix fixe price of $29.95.

Honey Walnut Prawns

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

San Gai Shee Chow Mein

Char Siu Slider

If you are one of those who has never tried this famous Sacramento landmark, then here's your chance. With seven dishes for $29.95, you can't find a better deal. And all of the items are ones that Frank Fat's is known for. The time to try them out is this month.

The Green Boheme - Raw is Good

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:38:00 +0000

Whenever I invited one of my omnivore foodie friends to go and try out raw food at The Green Boheme, I'd get a funny face and a "No, thanks." But I have a curiosity to try most food (except insects) and so I had been wanting to try The Green Boheme since it opened a few years ago. Now I don't have a fear of dining alone, but this was going to be a new experience, the kind you want to share with a companion.

Then last month I had been talking with Fox 40's Bethany Crouch. She had been doing Green Boheme's 30 Day Raw Challenge and was loving it. Last month she had set up a vegan/raw meal at The Plum Cafe and this month she set up a raw dinner at Green Boheme. Here was my perfect opportunity.

I knew the place was on Del Paso Boulevard, but had never seen it. No wonder. You can blink and totally miss it. There are no large signs and the neighbors aren't exactly shady, but not something to catch your eye either. The place was filling up and was eventually completely full - sold out.

The server immediately approached me with a shot glass of green juice. Made mostly of leafy greans and packed full of nutrients, the green juice is an essential component of a raw food lifestyle. This one was bright green and quite palatable. Sometimes I have mostly leafy green juices and they are on the bitter side.

In the corner was my friend, Joey, who is the owner of Kombucha Kulture. You'll often see him with his converted horse trailer that now serves as a kombucha bar with about nine varieties on tap. Another part of his business is going around to bars, coffee shops, and eateries and installing them with draft kombucha dispensers, just like beer. I got a glass of my current favorite flavor they are distributing: grapefruit sage.

We sat down for the first two dishes while owner Brooke Preston told her story, a very interesting one. Brooke had been training for body-building and consuming a very high protein diet while doing so. Soon she developed a thyroid condition and other health issues and instead of turning to medications, she went totally into a raw food diet to clean out and restart her body. She went whole hog into it and when I asked her how long it took before the light bulb "I'm never turning back" light went on, she said, "two weeks and I was sold".

Brooke went to the only raw food culinary school in the country in Fort Bragg. Since then she's created most of her own recipes. She was asked about a cookbook, but says she can't think about putting one together because she doesn't really write things down. Each time the recipe is tweaked a little so that it's never the same.

Brooke's enthusiasm and passion is contagious. I could relate to her as I often get that worked up and excited to talk to people about food trucks. Here she was educating and informing us in a fashion that wasn't preachy or dull. Instead you got excited as well, especially as you were tasting this fantastic raw food at the same time.

The basics of vegan raw food diets are that nothing is ever brought up higher than 116 degrees. Cooking destroys vital enzymes and nutrients. But that doesn't mean they can't make "baked" goods. Instead they use dehydrators and other methods to create foods that are similar to cooked versions. After one gets used to the bright flavors of fresh, raw foods, cooked foods will begin to taste flat and "dead" in comparison. Your body adjusts so that it no longer desires non-vegan and processed foods.

Brooke also doesn't include soy, grains, or beans in her diet. Soy is excluded because it is an estrogen producer and sometimes leads to thyroid disfunction. Beans are out because they aren't really digestible in a raw state.

Here you see nuts and seeds being soaked. Brooke explains that they have tannins that naturally protect the seeds so that they will sprout in the right season - spring, after the rains. Water washes the tannins away, allowing the nuts to then sprout. She talks about digestion and how 30% of our energy is used just to consume food. Fat is the slowest thing to digest and so that's why we are often tired and experiencing food comas after large, fat laden meals. You want the nuts and seeds to sprout because sprouting will reduce the fat content in them by half while releasing other nutrients.

The first dish that came out was my favorite of the night - nachos. The chips were made of ground corn and flax seed that had been hardened into chips in the dehydrator. It was served with a Mexican rice made from jicama, sunflower seed "bean" paste, and a nut cheese, drizzled with a sour "creme", salsa verde, and chili sauce. Although the textures are a little different, the flavors were fresher and just as tasty as a 7 layer dip you had at your last potluck.

Next was pesto pizza bites with a gluten-free nut, seed, veggie crust. It was topped with a mac-cashew feta, fresh pizza sauce, seasonal pesto, olives, tomato, and a raw version "parmesan". This was also bright and delicious as you can't miss with a great pesto. The most unusual part was the cold, soft crust. But it held together and, unlike normal crust, didn't just act as serving instrument, but as a flavor component.

Brooke created the coconut dahl because it was a substitution for the cooked version she loved and missed. This dahl is made with peas, fresh coconut, served over a mock "brown rice" with the sour "creme", avocado, spices and green onion.

The most surprising was her "bacon" sliders. The bacon is dried, smoke flavored slices of zucchini. The patty was made from sunflower seeds and veggies. It was topped with sprouts, tomato, crisp onion rings, housemade ketchup, cashew mayo, and mustard. It was eaten with lettuce serving as the bun. The oddest thing here is that it's cold and you are used to a nice, hot burger.

The zucchini pasta marinara was nothing new to me. I've made zucchini pasta myself and marinara is easy enough. The only new thing on this for me was the mac-cashew "parmesan" cheese.

The desserts were both power-punch filled with flavor. The first is the chocolate hazelnut butter cups made with raw cacao, coconut sugar, vanilla bean and housemade hazelnut butter. It was set hard, just like a thick chocolate cup with a small filling of the hazelnut. The cacao flavor was deep and intense. Even more intense, though, was the Lemon Cheezecake Bites. The lemon was so strong and fresh that it was like I was biting into one of the lemons off my backyard tree. The cheezecake was made from cashew, coconut, lemon juice and vanilla on a an almond date crust. The only thing was that it was a loose "cheesecake", not really "set" like normal cheesecake would be. But who cares when the flavor was so powerful?

The Green Boheme offers a lot of raw food trial plans. You can get all the meals you need for a week of raw eating starting at $119 a week. Prices go up for the addition of juices, smoothies, etc. If you do a month's worth, there is a discount. This is what Bethany Crouch had done. She did the whole 30 Day Challenge with everything included. It's changed how she eats and she's feeling healthier. Now when she eats meat she sort of regrets it the next day as her body and digestion has changed.

I'm considering doing a week of meals. If I do, I'll report it. After trying the dinner I think the biggest thing to get used to would be to eating cold food all the time.

Green Boheme is open for weekday lunches and Sunday dinner. Closed Saturdays.

Where are the Ethnic Trucks? In Stockton!

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:31:00 +0000

In May of 2012 I posed the question, "Where are the Ethnic Food Trucks?". Almost a year later, I'm here to tell you they are in Stockton.

Laab from Green Papaya

I still lament on a weekly basis the serious lack of ethnic diversity in the Sacramento food truck scene. We have an abundance of burgers, sandwiches, pizza, and tacos. But where are the Thai, crepes, piroshkis, Filipino, Caribbean, pasta, African, and other ethnically diverse foods?

Food Truck Frenzy in Stockon

Thank goodness Om Karmabile rejoins the streets this week. Their beautiful newly wrapped truck will come out with more Indian fusion. And there is an Asian truck about two months out as well. (I know every detail but am not at liberty to share. Sorry.) Sometime this summer we will hopefully get to see the new Mikuni sushi truck and Rudy's Hideaway's seafood themed truck. But for now, the ethnic trucks are a bit of a drive south to Stockton.

The following four trucks are the newest to hit Stockton and San Joaquin county streets. Let me introduce you to Green Papaya, Spicy Grill, The Mamas and the Tapas, and Wok n Roll.

Green Papaya is actually a trailer, not a truck. This trailer is serving up Lao/Thai food that is freshly made to order. I talked to Mony Vangsoulatda, who said that she's trying to stay away from having things pre-cooked in bulk, even though it would speed up the order-to-serve time. It's a family affair where they had been part owners of a Thai restaurant in Stockton for some years. Mony's experience had also been from managing a Panda Express for several years. After her mother retired from cooking at the restaurant, it was time to think of next steps. She went to a food truck gathering in Elk Grove and saw how social, family oriented, and fun it was. When asked why trailer versus truck, Mony explained that she needed to have open flame burners for all the wok cooking and so buying a food truck would have been too constricting with how they are typically fashioned. The trailer is custom built to the specifications she wanted to make her style of cooking and prep easier.

Another family affair is the mother/daughter team on The Mamas and the Tapas, a Caribbean themed truck based out of Manteca. Christine (mom) and Ashley (daughter) wo-man this truck by themselves most days, but sometimes enlist their cousins as well. The menu includes empanadas, flautas, jerk chicken, bread pudding, and more. Christine said that her background is half Puerto Rican and they decided it would be more fun to include favorites from other Caribbean islands as well. Christine and her husband had many years of experience working for Marie Callendar's and then in the Safeway bakery. Ashley went to culinary school and has several years of management experience via The Cheesecake Factory.

Out of these four Stockton trucks it's Wok n Roll that is the oldest. When Som Phet started his truck in 2011, he was just doing it on a part time basis. This year he decided to go full time. He serves Pan-Asian cuisine with an emphasis on Lao, Thai, and Vietnamese. Som had worked in restaurants before, but the last 12 years he had been slogging the commute to the Bay area. He had enough of that and is now enjoying his self employment. His most popular items are his pad thai, pho, and Asian sandwich, his creative take on a banh mi.

If you are looking for Pakistani/Indian food in San Joaquin county, then you need to search out The Spicy Grill. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to talk to Naveed, the owner. His dishes include samosas, curries, biryani, and more.

You can catch Spicy Grill and Green Papaya at SactoMoFo 6 on Saturday, april 27th.

Panforte Cookies - They're Still Winners

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Well, I didn't win. But I'm still really proud of my effort. Especially when you know that recipe development is not my forte. I had entered Scharffenberger Chocolate's yearly Chocolate Adventure contest. The 2012 theme had been Cookie Sandwiches.

Another fact about me is that I don't care for fruit and chocolate. I'm a nuts and chews girl. So don't give me chocolate covered cherries or a chocolate cake that has raspberry jam in the center. Yuck. Yet last year I learned that having a bit of fruit, chopped up, can really add nice texture to cookies. Thank you, Yigit Pura.

And I do like a good panforte. Panforte means "strong bread" in Italian. But it's more dessert than bread. The best description is that it is an Italian fruit cake, although it is really closer to a candy than a baked good. It's so rich that you only eat a sliver at a time. Like all those jokes about fruit cakes lasting for years, panforte will last a long time. It was because of this that it was often carried by travelers in the Middle Ages. You can store it in a cupboard, no need to refrigerate, for weeks.

Recipes for panforte vary as much as each region of Italy. Every family can have their own closely guarded recipe. The beauty of it is that you can put all sorts of stuff into it depending on what you have or what you like. There will always be nuts, usually almonds and hazelnuts. The nuts are kept whole and not chopped up. The varying ingredients could be: raisins, dried figs and/or apricots, and candied citrus peel. There is also a lot of spice, so this is another area where you can doctor to your tastes. Some even it get to be spicier by adding pepper.

The addition of chocolate didn't apparently start until the 1800s. In Italy you will find versions with and without chocolate. Myself, I've only ever had the chocolate version.

I decided that I wanted the elements of a panforte, the fruit and nuts, in a cookie. Thus, panforte cookies. I had to try several batches, tweaking as I went, to make sure the cookies had the right texture and held together well with all the mix-ins. My coworkers were thrilled and have given their approval of this final version.

NOTE: I have made this recipe gluten-free and vegan as well for my brother's girlfriend. It came out terrific. Just substitute gluten-free flour for the regular and add a 1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum.

For vegan, replace the eggs with a mixture of 2 Tablespoons of ground flax seed that has sat in 6 Tablespoons of water for 5 minutes. Add the goopy mixture in as your egg substitute. Substitute margarine or other vegan shortening for the butter.

Panforte Cookies

Ingredients

1/3 cup dried figs, chopped
1/3 cup raisins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspooon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 ounces Scharffenberger bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs

Cooking Directions

In a small bowl, combine the hazelnuts, almonds, figs, and raisins.
In another small bowl, combine the flour, cocoas, baking soda, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the nut/fruit mixture to help separate the sticky pieces.
In a microwave proof bowl, place the butter and bittersweet chocolate. Microwave a minute on high. Stir to mix. Microwave another 30-60 seconds until the chocolate is melted. Add spices and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar at medium speed until light yellow and satiny, about 3-4 minutes. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Using a spatula, mix in the dry ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While it's heating up, place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from the refrigerator and scoop by small scoopfuls (about 2 Tablespoons each) and place two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating sheets once at 5 minutes. Cookies should be removed when the cookies are set, but soft in the middle. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire cooling racks.

Magnolia Memories of Lolo

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:34:00 +0000

photo via ramarfoods.com

How close were you to your grandparents? There are those that have none (deceased), or don't have good relationships with them, or are too far away. Some are lucky, like my BFF, because they have a very close relationship with a grandparent. And hard as it is to believe, there are actually people my age (late 40s) that are already becoming grandparents themselves!

I only got to know one grandparent from each side of my family. On my dad's side, my grandfather died when I was about five. I saw my grandmother every once in a while til her death at the age of 98. She was trying so hard to make it to 100 because apparently you get a birthday card from the Queen - she was British.

On my mom's side, her mother died when she was a child and so I only knew my grandfather. In the Philippines grandfather is "Lolo" and grandmother would have been "Lola". I infrequently saw Lolo since he was in the Philippines and I only got to see him when we traveled through. That means I have only a handful of Lolo memories.

I have a few key memories, but one that was often repeated was going for ice cream at a Magnolia ice cream store. We would usually get banana splits so that my brother and I could share. My brother would eat the chocolate sauce mound and I would eat the strawberry. Pineapple was where we split the boat.

Back then I wasn't into eating exotic flavors, even though in the Philippines they are popular. Not surprisingly they have mango, coconut, pineapple, lychee, avocado, and ube (taro).

Ube is the same as taro

I happened upon the Magnolia ice cream booth at the Fancy Food Show in January and happily tasted all those wonderful tropical flavors. I was taken aback when I saw that they also had ice cream bars and one was of halo-halo. Halo-halo is usually a parfait like dessert of shaved ice, coconut milk, and then add-ins such as beans, tapioca pearls, fruit, and more. Magnolia has managed to make a frozen treat bar out of it! It's also available as an ice cream pint.

I was thrilled when a few weeks later I found an ice chest on my porch filled with Magnolia products. They gave me one of almost every flavor pint and bar! Jackpot! My freezer was filled with tropical frozen favorites!

I love that the coconut ice cream has real coconut milk and pieces of coconut in it. Avocado ice cream is hard to find, yet Magnolia has it.

Magnolia ice cream is distributed by Ramar Foods. Ramar Foods has been manufacturing Magnolia in California since 1972 and distributes throughout the US and Canada. It's a family business that has grown over three generations to become the brand it is known for today. Magnolia can be found in some Asian grocery stores and Whole Foods Markets. In Sacramento, the biggest Filipino grocery is Seafood City on Mack Road.

Doughbot Dukes It Out On Donut Showdown

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:30:00 +0000

This week I've been thinking a lot about the TV show Seinfeld - the show about nothing. Yes, it became famous for the concept that it was really about...nothing.

The reason it has been in my thoughts is that I'm wondering how one writes a blog post about nothing. Since I found out that Doughbot Donuts was going to be competing on a doughnut cooking show, I was determined to write about the whole thing. The problem is the giant gag order from Food Network Canada. I can't ask questions about the show, post the audition tape, even get pictures from their appearance on the show. And we aren't even able to view the show! It's locked for viewing to Canada only and is not even going to be available for online streaming. Doughbot's Bryan Widener has been very tight-lipped as such competition shows have strict confidentiality agreements. Should any information leak out pre-airing, they would forfeit the $10,000 prize. Part of all the secrecy probably has to do with the possibility that the show will eventually air on the U.S. Food Network. So we will do the best we can today, follow the Twitter feed (#donutshowdown) tonight, and then tomorrow you can catch a follow-up post with more details and whether they won or not on SacPress.com.

For the rest of this post I'll be using "donut" instead of "doughnut" in keeping with the show.

Doughbot Donuts opened in September of 2011 (Doughbot Donuts Debuts). Bryan Widener and Dannah O'Donnell had been making donuts for friends and family for some time before opening the shop at 10th & W. Widener has perfected raised donuts, both vegan and regular, with creative glazes and fillings using seasonal ingredients. You might find blood orange for another week or so, but Meyer lemons are now gone because the season is over. You can enjoy a creme brulee donut filled with custard inside and a bruleed crusty glaze on top. Or how about a S'mores donut with homemade marshmallows that are torched to order?

Last fall the phone rang one morning. It was a production company that had been doing Google searches looking for artisan donut shops. They needed donut shops that made everything from scratch. (Most shops use mixes.) Doughbot was being invited to compete on Donut Showdown, the Canadian version of Cupcake Wars. It would mean flying to Toronto to shoot at the end of November.

Donuts are huge in Canada. The main vendor is Tim Hortons, which is the donut equivalent to Starbucks and the major sponsor for Donut Showdown. Widener said they even saw two Tim Hortons across the street from each other in Toronto. Tim Hortons has been building more stores in the U.S., primarily in the Northeast.

Like our Cupcake Wars (CW), Donut Showdown (DS) is a cooking competition with eliminations. The difference is that CW has three rounds and four teams while DS has two rounds and three teams. CW is an hour show, DS is only a half hour. The prize is $10,000 (Canadian). Luckily the exchange rate is pretty equivalent right now.

The Donut Showdown judges include chefs Zane Caplansky, Maggie McKeown, David Rocco, and Danny Boome. An interesting fact I learned was that Boome never tastes the donuts or any food from any shows he appears on. No reason is given, it's just some personal rule he follows. How you can judge without tasting, I don't know.

Each show has a theme and we do know that the episode that Doughbot competes on is "Camping". The other two competitors are Jacey from Gimme Sugar Catering in Salt Lake City and Mark Klebeck from Top Pot Doughnuts in Seattle. Donuts might be big in Canada, but all three competitors this round were from the U.S. The first round of the competition includes special ingredients. After one competitor is eliminated, the final round includes the theme, presentation, and display.

The week after Thanksgiving Widener and O'Donnell closed up shop to fly to Toronto for filming. Donut Showdown put them up for two nights, but they elected to add on an extra day. Widener and O'Donnell spent the extra day walking around and exploring downtown Toronto. They found Toronto to be really clean and seemingly free of homeless. They were surprised that, in this era of PETA, there were a lot of furrier shops. But it was also cold and Dannah found it an interesting experience to be in a major city when it was snowing. The couple also had time to share notes with the other donut competitors, since made-from-scratch donut shops are a rarity.

If you want to try some donut recipes provided by some of the competitors, there is a Donut Showdown recipe booklet which includes Doughbot's recipes for Pistachio Cake Donuts with Cardamom Saffron Honey Glaze and Donut Bread Pudding.

The Doughbot episode airs tonight, April 9th, at 6 p.m. our time. Catch @doughbotdonuts live tweeting during the show with #donutshowdown.

Read the results on SacPress.com.

Homesteading at Hanks Hens

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:50:00 +0000

Hanks Hens & All Things Good

As a person with a brown thumb and an ignorance of plants in general, the idea of homesteading is something that is way beyond me. Homesteading equals self sufficiency and that means growing and raising most of your own food. I certainly appreciate the premise, but am I built for that kind of life? Not very likely.

Someone who was bred for it is Susan Hanks. She and her husband, Paul, own Hanks Hens & All Things Good, a homesteading operation in Rio Linda. Susan says that she grew up with farming in her blood, which definitely was influenced by the fact that her family owned a feed mill operation near Petaluma.

I met the Hanks when I went to an event at Feeding Crane Farm's Lulu Kitchen. She has developed a relationship with Feeding Crane that has greatly helped her own operation. Feeding Crane has helped connect her to local restaurants, such as Mama Kim's and Masullo Pizza, so that she can sell her eggs and herbs. You will also find Hanks Hens at a couple of farmers markets, including the one on 15th & Q on Tuesdays (starting May 6).

discussing manure

Susan is hosting a "farm tour" for some apprentices from Soil Born Farms' Grow Your Groceries classes. Adults can choose from a selection of classes and farm tours under the categories of either Urban Farmer or Home Gardener. There are about eight who have come to learn about turning smaller properties into homesteads or income producing properties.

Hanks Hens is located on just two acres that the Hanks bought as a foreclosure property. Susan explains that they are lucky to not be on hardpan and are, in fact, blessed with really great soil. As we walk the property our footprints actually sink down with each step, indicating lots of looseness and good drainage. It will be easy for the plant roots to grow.

We start in their west garden where there are plans to prep it for the fall garden and add a few more fruit trees. Susan is filled with tidbits of gardening information that she's gathered over the years through experience and from talking with others. She explains how she is going to plant two long rows of corn to create shade for the plants that can't take direct sun. One of the apprentices asks about corn pollination and Susan explains that she just does it by hand, pulling pollen from the tassels and then touching it to the corn silks.

CW from top: lettuce, west garden, beautiful soil, main garden

We move over to her main garden where she is starting to prep for the summer planting. Susan explains different gardening methods: mounding rows, covering with plastic or straw, etc. It's here that we find a large toad hiding in the compost heap. "That's a good sign," she says. "It means that it is a healthy compost with out any contaminants in it." We discuss the use of manure and I learn that there is toxic manure that will actually sterilize your garden. If a horse is given feed that was treated with an herbicide, it can linger in their tract and into their manure. Then the manure will end up sterilizing your garden. If it's good for humans to know the farmers where our food comes from, then it's good to know where your manure comes from too.

Susan's best money crop, and what she is known for at the farmers market, is her herbs and teas, both fresh and dried. She will put together bundles of things such as Herbs de Provence that she then will cross-sell with nearby meat vendors. Some of her uncommon items she has that you won't find elsewhere are things like feverfew, pineapple sage, eight varieties of basil, and medicinal herbs. Her chamomile is very popular for making tea.

As we walk around we meet a few chickens. Georgia, a Rhode Island Red, is a feisty, large bird, but she doesn't mind being picked up and petted. There are 50 chickens on the property, 8 are free-range and the other 42 are split between two coops. Susan gets about three dozen eggs a day and you might have had one if you went to Mama Kim's for brunch. After their second molt, which happens yearly, they are on the downward slide for egg production. That's when they become someone's meal or backyard pet. Susan will sell her eggs and the chickens, but she does not breed and sell chicks. Susan's daughter, Sydney, explains that the golf ball is put in the nesting bin because chickens like the feel of the fake egg. They think that if there is an egg already there, then it's a safe place to lay their own.

Next we walk over and are greeted by the lambs and their moms. Susan keeps a few ewes to breed so that they can have lamb meat. These lambs are two months old and will go to slaughter in September when they are about six months old. Asked how animal slaughter is handled, she explains that her sheep are very friendly and have no problem being loaded onto a trailer. She takes them down to Dixon to a facility that she feels really comfortable with. Once the lambs go down the ramp, they really are not expecting what's coming and so the procedure is quick and humane. "You learn to detach yourself from the process," she says. "They've had very comfortable, well cared for lives." When I asked how she chooses which to lambs to keep, she explains that it's the well behaved, easier to control ones she keeps an eye out for. The last thing she wants to deal with is chasing them around.

check out her chair/barrel shelves

Hanks Hens & All Things Good is open as a farmstand. Starting this Sunday, April 7th, Susan will be selling her plant starts, including 31 varieties of tomato plants. You can stop by on Sunday, starting at 9 a.m., or any time during the week that you see her farmstand sign out front. She also sells eggs and seasonal produce all year.

Some of the tomato plants she'll be selling: Berkeley Tie Dye, Wapsigpinicon Peach, and Goldman's Italian-America. She also has a large selection of pepper plants.

Hanks Hens & All Things Good is at 340 W U Street in Rio Linda. Note that the signs don't say W U on them and that for my GPS, I had to enter W U versus West U in order to find it.

Chocolate Decadence Tour - Portland

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 03:09:00 +0000

Moonstruck Chocolate's case

I realized that there couldn't possibly be a better day to do a chocolate tour than the day before Easter. OK, well maybe Valentines. But definitely after V Day the next one for chocolate is Easter.

I'm in the Portland area helping my elderly parents move into their new home in Vancouver. After endless boxes and sorting, I need a break and a reason to blog. It was pure coincidence that a week before my trip I received an email for Portland Walking Tours, which include three that are food oriented. I opted for the Chocolate Decadence tour. This tour is $49, but I bought the ticket just the day before and it was slightly discounted to $46.99.

You are given directions to park at the lot at Yamhill and 4th Ave, but this is several blocks away from the start and end points of the tour. My tip would be to look for parking between the two Cacao shops as that is where the tours start and end. You start at the Heathman Hotel and end at the 13th Avenue store.

The Heathman Hotel is one of Portland's premiere hotels. You might recognize the name if you've read Fifty Shades of Grey. The tour meets on the mezzanine level in the Library. This day there were 16 attendees that were broken into two groups of eight, each with a guide. Our guide was Dianne and she started us off with flashcards and the basic information on how cacao is grown and prepped for shipping. We then went down to street level for our first stop.

Cacao - Drink Chocolate is nestled in a small corner shop of the Heathman property. This is their smaller shop in the busier downtown area, not far from Pioneer Square. We are met by Sachiko who explains that their store doesn't focus on the creations of one chocolatier, but on showcasing specialty chocolates from around the world. Their store is known for their drinking chocolates and we are each given a shot of their French style one. Other countries like Italy or Spain might add a thickener to get a really dense, thick drink, but the French like the smooth simplicity of just milk and chocolate. It was indeed smooth and luxurious, served at just the right warmth to slide down your throat.

terrible glare off the spigot containers on top

We moved to a surprising next stop, Benessere Oils. The shop is lined with an assortment of olive oils and balsamic vinegars in steel canisters. The bottles underneath are empty. You fill them from the spigotted containers. The balsamic vinegars sold here are true balsamics - properly aged and imported directly from the Modena region of Italy. We are here to taste three samples. First we taste the dark chocolate balsamic vinegar alone. It is has the tang of balsamic with the richness of cacao. You immediately wish you had a bowl of strawberries to drizzle this over. Next we are given the same balsamic with a bit of blood orange infused olive oil. The blood orange was pronounced and I pictured this over a baby greens salad. The last was the dark chocolate balsamic with a walnut oil. This was more earthy and closer to a liquid candy bar. I'm going to look into buying their Mix Any Six deal so that I can get six small bottles of anything I choose for $40.

Moonstruck Chocolate was a short walk away. Moonstruck came to national attention when they were named as one of Oprah's Favorite Things in 2010. Started in 1993, they have become Portland's best known chocolatier. We are in their tiny store on SW Alder. (Why are all chocolate stores so cramped?) The store is so small, and this the day before Easter, that we are shuffled into the lobby of the building for our tasting. First we are given a sample of their Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almond Bark. But it was the next sample that I enjoyed more. It was their tumbled chocolate covered blueberries. Now I happen to dislike fruit and chocolate, such as chocolate with berries or orange. I'm a nuts and chews girl. This jewel-like blueberry bite was wonderful. It was the dried Oregon blueberry covered in a rich, dark chocolate and it was simple and light, not overly sweet like I often find fruit/chocolate combos. Things only got better when our last tasting was a shot of their Mayan Milkshake, made with their Mayan chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It was served so thick that we had to turn the cups upside down over our mouths to get it to slip out. Note the chocolate ladybugs in the picture. Moonstruck is known for their truffle animals that change seasonally. Each take 36 hours to make. Here I buy a bag of chocolate covered hazelnuts for my dad.

Little did I know that Portland is one of the few cities that have specialty European chocolatier stores from Switzerland and Belgium. I am a chocolate snob and really prefer European chocolates that use more cocoa butter than Americans typically do. I also adore Swiss chocolate shops, especially during the holidays. It's a real treat to walk into one in Geneva or Zurich during one of the holidays. I remember one in Zurich at Christmas time and being taken aback by the decorations of each chocolate, wrapped so pretty, to be used as tree ornaments. Now it was Easter and I was in the Swiss Teuscher Chocolate shop and there are beautiful Easter decorations. Each rabbit you see in the video is actually a gift box for chocolate. We are able to taste their famous champagne truffle and we learn about gianduja, which is a chocolate and fine hazelnuts. Unfortunately, at $88 per pound this store is way beyond my purse strings.

The Belgians are represented too as we next move to the Leonidas Chocolate store. Dianne explains that the Belgians are particularly well known for their white chocolate, which is made using cocoa butter. Most white chocolate is adulterated with a lot of other ingredients and other fats as a way to lower cocoa butter content and cost. Belgians do not skimp on cocoa butter in their white chocolate. In fact, the Leonidas white chocolate bar wrapper even proclaims "100% cocoa butter". We are able to sample a white chocolate truffle and you feel that richness of the cocoa butter. I have fond memories of driving through Europe and our whole family often splitting a large white chocolate bar amongst us. It's for this reason that I make sure to buy a bar to take back to my father.

It's time for a bit of a rest stop as we go to another famous, old Portland hotel, the Benson Hotel. Built in 1912 by lumber baron Simon Baron, it is known for having every US President but Obama stay there. We stop here for a chocolate cocktail at the bar. They do make a chocolate mocktail for those of us not drinking alcohol. Interestingly we learn that Mr. Benson was a noted teetotaler and donated many street-side water fountains throughout the city known as Benson's Bubblers.

Our longest trek is the longest as we walk the several blocks to the larger Cacao as our final stop. It is here that we are treated with chocolate bar tastings ranging from 100% chocolate down to 66%. They go from 100 to 60 as a way to not shock your tongue. To go from sweet to bitter would have more difficult for the tastebuds to discern the flavor notes. We taste bars from different chocolate origins such as Madagascar and the Philippines. Some have floral notes while others have more fruity ones. We end with a white chocolate from the Philippines that uses goat milk instead of cow and thus has a gamey, tangy flavor. I buy this bar too so that my dad can try too white chocolate extremes. For myself I buy an assortment of Mexican drinking chocolate rounds from Taza Chocolates.

At first it had occurred to me that anyone could follow the steps of this post instead of taking the tour. But then I realized that even if you did, you wouldn't get all of the tastings that we had at each stop, let alone the background information and Portland history. One reason I signed up was because the summary had said I would have at least 15 tastings. Very true. And so I must admit, the tour was well worth the price. I certainly won't complain as I had my fill of chocolate the day before Easter!

Quickie Review: Dok Koon Thai in Vancouver, WA

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:52:00 +0000

My senior parents just moved to Vancouver and we were surprised at the low number of Thai restaurants and none in their immediate neighborhood. Luckily this one had good reviews and was the closest. Dok Koon is found in a residential area called Minnehaha and is in a small strip mall. It's definitely isolated from competition of any restaurant sort.


drunken noodles

We entered to a very friendly greeting and were seated at a booth. The place is a medium sized restaurant and had a constant stream of customers. The service was decent, but a bit slow at times, especially with our green curry. The menus were interesting in that they did not even bother with using Thai names for the dishes. The dishes were just named by the main component: Basil, Ginger, Green Curry, etc.

We ordered the drunken noodles, spicy crispy catfish, green curry, and basil chicken - all medium hot. Even so, I found them to be on the lower side of medium hot.

The drunken noodles came out first and the order was very large. We enjoyed them, but I would have liked a bit more chicken.


spicy crispy catfish

The catfish was our least favorite. My dad commented that you could have been eating on bits of leather because you couldn't taste the fish at all. Although, this comment sounds harsh (leather?), I found that the catfish pieces were, indeed, crispy, even though in a sauce. So I found it was cooked well to its name, but didn't care for the sauce as much, which my dad is saying overwhelmed the fish.

They enjoyed the basil chicken the most. This was definitely cooked as mild hot, not medium, and probably was better for them. (Dad has lost some of his spicy hot taste buds over the years it seems.) Basil chicken is how I judge all my Thai restaurants and I was disappointed in the lack of basil. I suppose that could be due to the season (winter) as even I have a hard time finding basil in the stores sometimes. Even so, this dish is supposed to have a lot of basil and it was a bit sparse.

The last dish, and I mean very last, was the green curry. It was very late and if my folks had been by themselves they would have canceled the order because they were now full. Myself, I had ordered a lot since I wanted leftovers for lunch the next day. (New house still not unpacked.) This dish came out a good 20 minutes after all the others. It didn't seem like they had forgotten it as the servers kept mentioning that it was on its way. But come on, green curry is a main Thai restaurant staple and should have been a mere matter of adding the protein of choice, veggies, and sending it out. When it did arrive I commented on how bright green it was, the brightest I've ever seen. The waitress said it was due to the spinach. There were no spinach leaves, and pureed spinach can often turn things muddy brown, so I'm not sure how it was added for color. We ordered ours with prawns and found that there were two per person. A few more would have been nice. Still, a basic green curry.

basil chicken

The check came with a choice of Hershey's Kisses or sticks of mint chewing gum.

As we left a young couple told us that they had been going there for four years and loved it. They warned us that hot was indeed hot.

I think my folks have found a good, basic Thai restaurant that they can rely on. Not outstanding, but pretty average.

Banana Coconut Cream Pie (gluten free)

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 02:16:00 +0000

Most people who like banana cream pie like coconut cream pie and vice versa. They will never argue against putting the two together. Why not just do it that way all the time?

For this version I decided that I would meld the two by making the pie crust with the coconut flakes instead of folding them into the custard. The custard itself has coconut flavoring because it incorporates coconut cream, found in Asian groceries.

Banana Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Pie Crust

Ingredients

2 cups coconut flakes
1/4 cup cup coconut flour
1/3 cup butter, melted

Cooking Directions

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Mix together all ingredients thoroughly. Press into shape in a pie pan. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until shell is nicely toasted.

Filling

Ingredients

3 bananas
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cooking Directions

Place cornstarch in a medium bowl and whisk in 1/2 cup of the milk Add yolks and whisk until incorporated and smooth.
In a large saucepan whisk together coconut milk, sugar, salt, and remaining milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, slowly whisk in yolk mixture and reduce heat to medium low. Using a rubber spatula, constantly stir until mixture thickens to a thick gravy consistency.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Slice a banana into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place about the top of the cooled pie crust.
Pour 1/2 of the hot custard over banana and pie crust. Slice the other two bananas and arrange them over the half filled pie. Pour the rest of the custard into the pie crust, covering bananas. Let cool to room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Topping

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon gelatin powder
1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes

Cooking Directions

In a medium to large bowl with high sides, pour one cup of whipping cream. Beat on medium until cream starts to just thicken. Gradually add powdered sugar and gelatin powder. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Spread on top of chilled pie. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Share Your Bounty with Harvest Sacramento

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:00:00 +0000

pomelos and lemons

Have you ever strolled down the streets of Sacramento and marveled at the number of citrus trees? Perhaps, like me, you've been a bit dismayed when you see a tree laden with fruit and rotted fruit below it because the fruit is unharvested, unreachable, and thus wasted. I used to think it must be because these trees have bad, non-edible fruit for some reason. It seemed inconceivable that it would just go to waste. Yet so much of it does.

That's why I want everyone to know about this great thing called Harvest Sacramento. Started in 2009 by Soil Born Farms, it is a volunteer effort to collect this wayward fruit and donate it to those who could use via the Sacramento Food Bank.

materials are supplied, but bring gloves if you have them

I volunteered this last Saturday and plan to do so again on April 6. (There is one this Saturday, March 30th, as well.) We met at McClatchy Park and after a round of icebreakers and a brief overview of the program, we split into teams of about 6-8 people and took off.

This day there were nine groups heading out throughout town: Land Park, Curtis Park, East Sac, and Lemon Hill. I joined team leader Briana to go toward my neck of the woods, Land Park. Our team consisted of seven members and we piled into our vehicles to head out. It's helpful for a vehicle in each team to be either a pickup or one that can carry a lot of cargo like a minivan or station wagon. That's because it is nice to have a ladder along as well as having to cart back boxes full of the harvested produce.

pomelos have a gourd shape

The homes we visited had all arranged to donate their fruit. Along the way we would see other homes with fruit going to waste and we would leave behind a doortag about Harvest Sacramento. I, myself, have gigantic grapefruit and lemon trees. Although I have been able to unload them on my coworkers and others, there are so many, some very high up, that I'm ready to just get rid of them all. It's easy to sign up your trees, just use the donation form.

dumping the harvest

Our first house had grapefruit, the second had pomelos, and the third had oranges. It was estimated that we collected about 5000 pounds. Overall a very productive day. We returned to McClatchy Park and dumped our cargo into the food bank bins as the other crews arrived with their hauls. The bins are left out for a while so that anyone can come and grab some fruit to take home and then the Sacramento Food Bank comes to cart them back for distribution through their facility.

I talked to Randy Stannard, the project coordinator at Soil Born Farms. I asked him about harvesting other types of trees. He explained that they have big, coordinated harvests for citrus season because there are so many trees and the fruit stays on the trees for a long period. They can spread the gleaning over a few weeks. Stone fruits are not so easy. I have neighbors with large plum trees on either side of me. Stannard explained that there are a lot fewer stone fruit trees in neighborhoods and their peak can last as short as a week. For those they have to schedule individual groups or coordinate with a community volunteer that oversees a neighborhood. So far there are community leaders for Land Park, South Land Park, Curtis Park, Tahoe Park, Midtown, and East Sacramento. More neighborhoods are encouraged to join the effort.

To volunteer to glean over the next two Saturdays, sign up via the Soil Born events page.

Second Saturday Classes with Adam Pechal

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:12:00 +0000

If you are bored with the usual strolling through downtown on Second Saturday yet still want to enjoy it with friends, you might want to consider hanging out with Adam Pechal, chef/owner of Tuli Bistro and Thir13een. You won't find him at either of those two restaurants though. Instead he'll be over at Lulu's Kitchen, formerly known as Steel Magnolia Commercial Kitchen, hanging out, doing a little cooking, and sharing some of his Northern California Favorites.

This past Saturday marked the first edition of what is being called "Adam Pechal's Northern California Favorites" and is described as "a monthly class featuring the best of local beer, wine, produce, and more hosted by Chef Adam Pechal". For March they featured "Beer, Beer, Beer: Tasting and Pairing with Berryessa Brewing Co. and brewmaster, Chris Miller".

Now for those who know that I don't drink, we all wonder why I'd go to a beer focused event. Honestly, I did too, but I was assured there would be food involved. There was, but not as much as I hoped for. More on that later.

Let's back up a minute and review the history of Steel-Magnolia-now-Lulu's-Kitchen. As I reported in my post less than a year ago,Steel Magnolia Keeps Cooking, the commercial kitchen was established in 2009 by Gail von Huene. Here was a place that small entrepreneurs could produce their food goods following the State requirement that food sold be produced in a commercial kitchen. The two kitchens were also rented out for pop-up restaurants, food events, even weddings. But the bad economy was hard on the income and last fall Gail sold the kitchen to Feeding Crane Farms to be used for their food production while still being available for rent.

Shannin Stein, General Manager, is at the kitchen for the event. I asked her about the name Lulu's Kitchen. She explains that it is an homage to owner Brian Shaad's grandmother, the one who gave him his incredible appreciation for food and gardening.

The event starts at 4 p.m. and a small group gathers in the dining room, starting to sip on some of Berryessa Brewing's beer. I've been to a couple of events now with Pechal and so I'm not too surprised to see him rushing in rather harried. He seems to be a last minute type of guy. But that doesn't take away any of his enthusiasm and charisma. He's in a happy mood as he rushes to set up his first item.

Keep in mind this is a "first-time" event and as always, kinks need to be worked out. That said, more clarification on the event descriptions would be my first critique, which is easy to fix. Some of the Facebook and Twitter promos I was seeing implied cooking classes with Pechal. This evening there was one short cooking demo for making the shrimp fritters, but otherwise we kept to the dining room socializing, drinking beer, and waiting for the next pairing.

And that was what this was, a beer pairing with small bites, not a meal. The foodie-non-drinker in me was disappointed that we just had a few nibbles. The beer drinkers, meanwhile, were happy with the ever-flowing beer.

So, how the evening progressed was that Pechal would come out with a bite to go with whatever beer matched it. He would describe why he chose the food and Miller would describe the background of the beer. For instance, the shrimp fritter had the Common Sense beer mixed into the batter to give it some lift and that was the beer was served with it. Later the Cease and Desist was served with the house cured sausage and spicy mustard.

The event was scheduled until 6, but we ended at 7. We were all so busy making friends and chatting away. Pechal spent most of the time chatting with us as the rest of the items were simple or pre-made, like the chocolate covered bacon.

I asked Stein about future Pechal Second Saturday classes and she explained that they will all focus on what of Pechal's favorite products from the region. April will be Sean Minor Wines with cheese and cheese recipes while other months might focus more on a food item. Sometime soon, for instance, they will focus on oysters.

Everyone left having enjoyed a fun evening. I will personally look forward to some of the upcoming classes - the ones with more food.

The Second Saturday classes are not the only ones available at Lulu's Kitchen. There are many classes throughout the month, many of which are hands-on.

For more information about upcoming events at Lulu's Kitchen, be sure to click on their Facebook and Twitter links.

Sacramento - How Do I Love Thee?

noreply@blogger.com (Ms. Munchie) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:15:00 +0000

Repost from 2010. Seemed appropriate due to recent SacMag article.

I am a Sacramento transplant and yet I often feel I love Sacramento more than some Sacramento natives.

I have a multi-cultural background and have lived in many places. Right before Sac I had been in college in Portland. There were plenty of Californians there and many of the Southern Californians would say that Sacramento/Stockton and the central valley were 'the armpit of California'. So I didn't have big expectations when I arrived. The reason I came was because I had a free place to live care-taking a condo for close family friends. Then I got married and ended up staying.

Growing up the longest I stayed anywhere was 16 years in Saudi Arabia. So if you asked me, I would have called Saudi 'home'. Now, since Sac is the longest I've lived anywhere, I am proud to call Sacramento my home.

In the 23 years I've been here I've seen the area grow considerably. What I love the most is that I have all the trappings of a major city and yet at the same time the intimacy of a small town. Sacramento is one of those places were you are probably only three degrees of separation from someone else. I'm always amazed at the people I meet, who they know, who I know, and how we all relate.

I am now the go-to person in my office when it comes to knowing what there is to do around town or where to eat. Isn't it great that we have so many things to offer? Often I have trouble choosing because there are too many cool events scheduled for the same weekend.

Anyway, here is the list of how I love thee, Sacramento:

- LOVE the weather. I like hot, but no humidity, and long, sunny summers!
- We are close to so much! mountains, ocean, rivers, lakes, SF, Napa, Reno, Tahoe, Yosemite, Monterey, Santa Cruz, etc.
- There are all kinds of outdoor activities: biking, hiking, camping, rafting, boating, fishing, skiing, etc.
- There is every type of ethnicity here and they all have restaurants.
- The fine dining here rivals any big city.
- The traffic isn't that bad (compared to SF and LA).
- So much history here! Gold rush, railroads, agriculture, Indians, Crocker, ...
- Cool events like Second Saturdays, Grubcrawls, Jazz Jubilee...
- Fresh produce and farmers markets!
- I feel pretty comfortable about walking around downtown, even at night.

I'll probably add more to the list as I think of them.

Mikuni Fair Oaks Reopens with VIP Event

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:05:00 +0000

Love all the family portraits

As I've commented on a lot lately, I've been in Sacramento 25 years now. I found it interesting, then, that the first Mikuni restaurant, the original one in Fair Oaks, opened the year I arrived - 1987. This came to light as I listened to the patriarch of the family, Koki Arai, give a speech in Japanese, translated by his daughter.

Koki Arai was commenting a little on the history of the location, how they value their customers, have thrived over the years, and that the fire that happened last December was a blessing in disguise. Here was a chance for them to remodel the restaurant, using insurance money to do it. The remodel happened lickety split, in only 45 days time. Impressive.

My history with Mikuni is an odd one to be sure. I only started to eat sushi about eight years ago. My prior experience had been in college with a classmate making California rolls. I just didn't care for the sticky rice with the vinegar and then, of course, the raw fish. I moved to Sacramento and my ex-husband used to go to that first location all the time. It worked for me in that I would allow him to have his boys night out with his buddies because they would usually end up at Mikuni .

It's because of this that I knew of Mikuni's reputation and that of Taro. Anyone who is in the Sacramento food scene knows about Taro and I did too. I just never happened to meet him over these 25 years. Now, with the Sacramento Food Film Festival coming up next week and Mikuni being a major sponsor, I find myself having been introduced to him just last night and then seeing him five times in the span of the next ten days. Crazy.

And so it was that I was invited to the VIP reopening of the Fair Oaks location last night. I arrived late to find the place packed. I jumped into the buffet line to find a very impressive spread laid out all along the sushi bar - everything from edamame and sushi to ribs and lamb chops.

In the corner I caught the end of Koki's speech and then a grateful prayer. Taro was excitedly rushing through the restaurant greeting everyone and having a great time.

Then came the special surprise of a new painting done by David Garibaldi, the Sacramento artist who was a finalist on America's Got Talent. In came a long painting with Elvis and Michael Jackson with Taro in between.

It was a joyful evening for the Arai family, made even better by a jam packed month. Tomorrow (3/7) Taro is guest chef at Plates Cafe, an event that oversold tickets. Then he'll be at our sushi event at the Sacramento Food Film Festival next Friday, March 15th. Come join us for sushi from Mikuni and Kru and then watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi after, sponsored by Mikuni .

Cucumber Lemonade

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:00:00 +0000

If you want something light and refreshing, cucumber flavored water is a good choice. Slice some cucumbers, throw them in a pitcher of water, and let the water become infused with the cucumber flavor.

Another light and refreshing twist? Cucumber lemonade. Now I will tell you that it was from the Papa Dale's Diner truck that I first had it. Keith was serving it last September at Truckin on the River. Meanwhile, I have a Eureka lemon tree with hundreds of lemons on it. My tree is about 25 feet tall, so it's an old one and it is quite fruitful.

Cucumber lemonade

For this version I didn't infuse the water. Instead I pulled out my juicer and juiced half a cucumber. If you don't want the green tinge, then be sure to peel your cucumber first. If you want to infuse the water, then start the day before by thinly slicing a whole cucumber and let it sit in the 4 cups of water in the refrigerator overnight.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 a cucumber juiced or 1 cucumber thinly sliced
4 cups cold water

Make a simple syrup: Combine the cup of sugar and cup of water in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar is well dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large pitcher, mix together the lemon and cucumber juices with the simple syrup. Add the 4 cups of cold water. Mix well and refrigerate for an hour. Serve cold over extra slices of lemon and cucumber.

Surfin Sacramento

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:56:00 +0000

That's me!

It's not uncommon to go to Hawaii and try your hand at surfing. Waikiki is perfect for it because the long shallows allow for rather gentle rolling waves for the beginner surfer. This is where I took a surfing lesson myself about ten years ago. The instructor helped me out, helped me catch the first wave, and easily enough, I got up and surfed slowly into shore. I was thrilled.

The thrill wore off as I paddled out again. For those not used to it, it's murder on your neck and shoulders. You have to lift your upper torso up and paddle out. After only a few minutes my shoulders were screaming. I went one more run and then gave up. To try again in the future would mean doing shoulder exercises before I went. Why can't they just have motorized boards to take you out and then catch the wave for the ride back?

Then surfing pools started showing up, particularly on cruise ships. You see those enticing commercials of folks enjoying their wonderful cruise and there they are surfing, on the top deck of a ship! This was the surfing for me. A safe environment with little water and no paddling involved.

Now we have that same opportunity here in nearby Elk Grove. SurfXtreme has the same indoor surfing facility like the cruise ships and I just had to go and give it a try.

At SurfXtreme you can buy hour long sessions. After watching a brief video, you go in with a group of about ten. As you can see in the video, they can split the wave pool in two. There's only about three inches of water shooting over the surface. Underneath the water it is a stretched rubber sheet that is very bouncy like a trampoline. When you fall, you bounce. It's a little jarring, to be sure, but not too bad.

My friend and I went on Presidents Day. Two 48 year old women and the rest were kids under the age of 15. LOL! You can either do boogie/knee boards or you can do flowboards and try to surf upright. Our first two runs we did the boogie boards to get used to the wave pool. Then we moved up to flowboards.

The instructors are very helpful. They give you tips, position you, and hold the board for a while as you get the feel of it. We got up every time....we just didn't stay up very long.

SurfXtreme is at 3443 Laguna Blvd in the Elk Grove sports complex. They also have trampoline rooms and paintball.

General Surfing Adult Admission

1 hr session (non-member): $19.95

1 hr session (member): $17.95

2nd hour (non-member): $12.95

2nd hour (member): $9.95

Fly Your Carpet Over to Ali Baba's Kabob House.

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:09:00 +0000

Aushak

I am a very unobservant person. Oftentimes it is several months before I notice a new business or a new landmark. Not this time. I saw Afghani food mentioned on a sign and I was suddenly very aware. As in, checking every other day to see if the place had opened yet.

Ali Baba's takes over the small, nondescript place at the corner of 7th & L streets that had formerly been occupied by an Indian restaurant. In its first couple of days I saw it was open and immediately stopped in to try them out.

My first visit was for a quick lunch. I would immediately note that you may want to consider take-out if you are crunched for time. Even though it is counter order service, this is still a seated lunch that includes a small salad before your meal arrives. Said salad is a simple tossed green salad with a yogurt based dressing.

I have a problem with my eyes being bigger than my stomach, especially when I want to try one of everything. I thought I would solve that problem by ordering two appetizers. I ended up with quite a bit of (lovely) food.

My order was for Samosas and for Mantoo. First out was the samosas, meat filled with a side of cilantro chutney. There were three small ones which had a firm, rather than flakey crust. This is the one item that I would like to see improved. I would prefer two larger ones with a different crust. Still, they were a tasty start.

I had ordered the Mantoo which is Afghani style raviolis filled with onion and ground lamb, topped with yogurt. The kitchen got my ordered confused and instead sent out Aushak, same style raviolis, but filled with seasoned leeks. Lucky for me! The chef noticed the order and had them bring out my Mantoo, which I got to take home with me for dinner!

the kabobs on traditional skewers

Both the Mantoo and Aushak use the same delicate wrappers that are pinched closed into little purses (see top picture). They also have the same yogurt and tomato sauces garnished on top. And both are delicious! Not only that, but if this was appetizer size, I'd hate see what entree size is. Actually, though, I think the only difference is that the entree comes with a side of vegetables. Being that I'm a meat eater, I prefer the Mantoo. But put either of those in front of me and I love them both.

The location of Ali Baba is not one that one notice without a wary eye. Don't judge a book by its cover. Although the front is very small with three small window tables, there is a back dining room. What is a bit odd is that the kitchen is separated into two parts, making it a bit of an awkward running back and forth between the two sides. What they need is pass through window.

Khushiwal and Aziz

The restaurant is owned by two cousins. Obaid Khushiwal manages the front of the house while Basir Aziz is the master of the kitchen. Both men are very friendly and were happy to talk about their place and Basir's culinary past.

this bread is about a yard long

I knew that this place was special when I tasted the food, but the thought was cemented when I asked about details of some menu items, such as, he used to bake all his own Afghani bread but now buys it from an Afghani bakery located in West Sacramento. But he still makes his own cheese, more on this later.

Turns out Basir has had several restaurants over the years. Kabul Kabob, on J Street, was his creation before he sold it around 2005. That location serves lunch and dinner and a lunch buffet It sounded like he got tired of cranking out the endless buffet items. He then opened a place in Folsom on East Bidwell, also very popular. He sold that one after an unfortunate slip on a tomato injured his back. Being on your feet all day cooking is not fun with a bad back and as we chatted, Basir is sitting in a chair.

I had come in for lunch earlier in the day. This time I wanted to taste their version of kufta - ground beef mixed with spices and then formed into meatballs or onto skewers. This version was meatballs and was served over a seasoned basmati rice with the flavorful tomato sauce. The two meatballs were hefty but tender and the delicate rice was a nice accompaniment.

I chose the Rasmalayee for dessert. It's described as an Afghani cheesecake served with a cardamom sweetened cream. For those with expectations of New York cheesecake, this is not for you. The cheese is very firm and has a grittier texture. I asked Basir what type of cheese he used and he told me he makes it himself with a mixture of whole, 2%, and half and half. If you can adjust to the texture, than you can enjoy it as the sweetened cream makes it quite refreshing, although a bit rich. An easier dessert for Westerners may be the Firni, which is a rice pudding with the cardamom sweetened cream.

Against a wall I notice an unplugged rotisserie, the vertical type used for mounting the rotating mound of meat used for gyros. In front is this sign explaining the different names for schwarma - gyro, doner, kabob. Basir says that he'll get that going soon. I'll be curious to see how close it comes to the ones I grew up with in Saudi Arabia.

I'm thrilled to see Ali Baba's open and nearby for me to walk to for lunch. I'm sure I'll be visiting Basir and Obaid on a regular basis.

629 L St.
Currently open lunches only

I am so Proud of Sacramento Food Bloggers

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:52:00 +0000

When I started this food blog six years ago there were only about 8 food bloggers in Sacramento. Now there are close to 50. The Sacramento food blogger community is a close-knit one. Many of us know each other, help each other out, and work together on many projects. There's no crazy competitiveness. I love the food blogger community here for that wonderful feeling of cooperation and support.

The most impressive thing is that many of us have turned our passion for food into projects or events that benefit the whole region. I wanted to introduce some of my friends/colleagues and their projects.

Amber Stott and the CA Food Literacy Center

A few weeks ago I told you about my friend Amber Stott. Her blog is Awake at the Whisk and she is an avid gardener and vegetarian. She created the California Food Literacy Center only two years ago. It has grown by leaps, bounds, and influence and last December Amber was even named one of Sacramento's Top 40 Under 40!

The mission of the California Food Literacy Center is "To inspire change today for a healthy, sustainable tomorrow through enduring community food education." They do so by educating children on making proper food choices and helping them to learn about food and where it comes from.

Last summer she was able to get the State of California to declare September as Food Literacy Month. This week she helped coordinate the State of the Regional Food System summit. It was there that she was presented with a CA Assembly Resolution of thanks from Assemblyman Roger Dickinson.

I am happy to be working with Amber for next month's Sacramento Food Film Festival. Some of the proceeds will go toward her California Food Literacy Center.

Ann Martin Rolke and Tasty Books

I met Ann several years ago when we were in a dinner group together. Her background is culinary in nature with stints in restaurants. But since I've known her she has been working as a cookbook editor. You never really think about such things, but when a cookbook gets published, it needs someone to test every recipe, make sure the recipes are written in easy to follow directions, and to look at typical editing things like grammar and formatting. Ann also has her own cookbook, Hands-off Cooking, which has several recipes that I really love and make over and over.

It's no wonder, then, that her newest project revolves around cookbooks. Tasty Books will be a quarterly series of events that pair book signings and lectures with prix fixe dinners. The first one is on February 27th at Mulvaney's B&L and will feature the book Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables with author Cheryl Sternman Rule. (Tickets) Ripe is uniquely divided into sections by color of produce and is meant to “embrace the vegetable, behold the fruit”.

I'm always up for food events, so I look forward to see what is next on the Tasty Books calendar.

burgerjunkies.com

Rodney Blackwell and the Sacramento Burger Battle

Burgers are a thing of beauty for Rodney Blackwell, aka @Burgerjunkies on Twitter and the name of his blog. He's a great photographer and many of the photos of burgers he eats are often used by the restaurants. Usually his first choice when visiting a new restaurant will be to try their burger.

Last year he went to the Denver Burger Battle and decided to create the Sacramento Burger Battle to help his favorite charity, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. One of his daughter's suffers from Crohn's Disease and so it was his way of supporting the organization.

The Sacramento Burger Battle was the best first-time event I have ever been to. Rodney took care of every detail and put on a fabulous, flawless event that raised over $25,000! He even managed to have it become a qualifying event for the World Food Championship in Las Vegas. Winner David Hill of the Chef's Table moved on to compete there in November and represented well, placing 5th out of 22 contestants.

It all occurred on the baseball field at Raley Field last September. It was a wonderful venue and a lot of fun. I actually can't wait for the second one coming up on September 18, 2013.

Garrett McCord (and Stephanie Stiavetti) and Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese

Six years ago Garrett was one of those handful of first Sacramento food bloggers. I remember being thrilled when he and Elise Bauer of SimplyRecipes.com invited me to a local food blogger potluck.

Garrett's blog, Vanilla Garlic, is a must read. His wit and insightful look at the world is so entertaining that every post I read makes me envious of his writing skills. He often teaches writing classes around town and at food blogger conferences.

For him and his co-author, Stephanie Stiavetti, 2012 was a year of endless macaroni and cheese. That's because they are coming out with Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese next October. "A cookbook about making macaroni and cheese using artisan and farmstead cheeses." Currently they are undergoing final proofing with the publisher. Many a bookshelf will be holding that book since Americans have a definite obsession with this particular comfort food. Be sure to click on the link to pre-order and then watch out for his signing events around town. Next month he and Stephanie will be speaking (Saturday, March 23) at the Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma.

Hank Shaw and Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast

Hank Shaw is known throughout the country as one of the top experts on foraging. In 2011 he published Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast and toured the country talking about foraging and living off the bounty of the land. He was able to publish the book after years of success and two James Beard nominations for his blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook.

Hank also gives foraging tours, one of which I took last year. Thanks to Hank, I was able to forage my own elderflowers last year and make syrup from them that I use for my shrubs and kombucha sodas.

Hank will be speaking at Bows & Arrows on March 6th for Words Aloud (tickets). Look next fall for his next book, Duck, the Cookbook.

How fortunate are we to live in the Farm to Fork Capital and have so many passionate, proactive food bloggers? Sacramento is blessed with a fantastic food community and I am so proud to be associated with it.

Sacramento Food Film Festival is a Month Away

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:47:00 +0000

It's almost a year since we held the first Sacramento Food Film Festival. Last year I worked with Slow Food Sacramento and Whole Foods Market to put on a great day of films. Everyone enjoyed it so much that we are ready to do it again - this time over two days!

This year Slow Food Sacramento is presenting the film festival, thus the altered snail logo. We are also partnering with the California Food Literacy Center. Their mission is "To inspire change today for a healthy, sustainable tomorrow through enduring community food education." It's very much in line with Slow Food's.

Our goal this time was to provide more opportunities for discussion/interaction instead of just sitting in a theater watching film after film until your butt is sore. I'm very proud of what we've come up with.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

Friday night is our gala event. It starts off with the film Quest for Local Honey
which was filmed up in Nevada County. The filmmakers will be there for discussion afterwards with some local honeys to taste.

Everyone then moves around the corner to the 40 Acres Gallery for a sushi event. Enjoy sushi from Mikuni and Kru restaurants. Taro will be there to talk about sushi making and Bill Ngo will talk about sustainable fish.

The evening then ends back at the theater for Jiro Dreams of Sushi. We are thrilled that Mikuni stepped up to sponsor this award winning documentary about the most famous sushi chef in Japan. I had tried to get the film for last year's festival, but it was too new. I think we are better off for having waited as we now get to watch sushi and eat it too!

The ticket for Friday is $40. Should there still be space left, individual tickets for films alone are $7 each.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

Once again Whole Foods Market will be supplying healthy movie snacks at the concession stand.

The first film on Saturday starts at 11:30 and is geared to young people interested in where their food comes from. What's On Your Plate? follows two 11-year olds as they discover the complexities of our food system. The California Food Literacy Center will be creating a scavenger hunt that will revolve around this and the other festival films with prizes awarded at the end of the day.

Next up is A Community of Gardeners which is followed by a discussion with Master Gardener Bill Maynard. He will answer questions on community gardens - from how to create a one to how to get seeds started this spring.

Meat Hooked! is being sponsored by our friends at the Selland Family R estaurants (Ella, The Kitchen, Selland Market Cafes). It won Best Feature Film at last October's New York Food Film Festival. Meat Hooked! is a look at the history and evolution of New York butcher shops.

Symphony of the Soil is a brand new documentary that discusses one of our most important but often ignored resources - soil. Without healthy, rich soil we would not be able to grow food which in turn feeds livestock and ourselves.

The final film is American Harvest. It brings up the state of our agricultural system in terms of labor - migrant farmworkers, be they illegal immigrants or citizens. We finish off the evening with a panel discussion about where farm labor stands today, how it influences supply and resources, and what may be changing in the future.

Saturday tickets are $25 or $7 for individual films. You can get a Festival ticket, good for both days, for $55. Ticket sales.

We wish to thank our sponsors for this year, especially Elise at SimplyRecipes.com. Also, Whole Foods Market, Mikuni , Selland Family R estaurants, Kru , Sunh Fish, Passmore Ranch, Attune Foods, and the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op.

What's Happening with the Foodmob?

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:50:00 +0000

For anyone who follows the Foodmob Facebook page, you have seen that there's some changes going on. You probably didn't know exactly what, but you could tell things were happening.

First, for the public, there is a new website. SacFoodMob.com is all new and includes the daily schedule and more. One section that will be growing is the Store which will sell things like apparel and food stuffs from the trucks, like jams, salsas, and BBQ sauce.

But what's more important is what's going on behind the scenes with the truck owners.

In January the leadership team met with all the Foodmob related truck owners and presented them with the new layout for Foodmob. First, it's now a non-profit organization with a tax i.d. number. Money collected via dues and fees will go to things like signs/banners, tables, chairs, awnings, leasing of spaces, website, bookkeeping, etc.

Next, the Code of Conduct was discussed. All member trucks are expected to abide by it. These are always listed on the website and are:

Conduct business in a professional manner at all times.
Ensure Food Safety at all times.
Refraining from negative activity or speech in public or in print. It reflects badly on all members of FOODMOB.
Vendors will always leave a sales area in the same or better condition than when they arrived.
Any problems with a location will be addressed through FOODMOB management.
Must arrive at schedule location ready to serve in scheduled time slot and stay for the duration of assigned time, unless cleared with client or FOODMOB management.
Prep and set-up shall be conducted out side of the scheduled time slot.
Promptly acknowledging and taking appropriate action on all customer concerns.
Refraining from any act intended to restrain trade or suppress competition.
Attaining and retaining insurance as required by state,county and/or local authorities.
Attaining and retaining licensing and/or registration as required by state, county and/or local authorities.

This is important to you, the consumer, especially if you choose to book one or more Foodmob trucks for your event. We want you to know that we are going to strictly enforce our Code of Conduct and our membership criteria to ensure professionalism and quality. Also, by booking via Foodmob, you get one point of contact instead of having to deal with several contacts if you book more than one truck. Finally, Foodmob never asks for a booking fee from the client. It is our privilege to be able to come and bring our food to you.

Being in a group also offers both stability and support for the trucks. Foodmob is meant to supplement the trucks' schedules, not to be their scheduler. All trucks are expected to find their own daily business, but they can count on Foodmob should they need to fill a hole on their schedule. This is done by a set of client based locations that we have formal agreements with. We rotate our trucks at these locations so that all trucks have an equal opportunity and there is a constant diversity of food for the clients so they don't get bored.

This rotation sharing fosters a sense of trust and camaraderie amongst our members. They know they can call another truck to cover a location should they suffer a breakdown or illness. They share new locations with each other and Foodmob. Instead of fighting over spots, there is a coordinated effort where trucks can know where each other is going each day.

Foodmob is also able to negotiate better as a group organization. We've been able to negotiate some contracts with certain groups/locations that proved to be better than what the trucks had been able to negotiate individually.

As I said, the new Foodmob membership agreement was presented to the truck owners late last month. This week they send in their agreements. Some trucks have already declined membership. That's fine and we wish them well. But we also have many trucks that see the benefit of a group like this.

So far they include: OraleMole, Fuzion Eatz, Papa Dale's Diner, Om Karmabile, The Pizza Company, Squeeze Inn Truck, Off the Mapp Espresso , New Bite Catering, All Angle Catering, Cajun Wagon, Miz Shirley's, Bacon Mania, Sun Pizza, Pizza Box, Mama Kim's, OMG Yogurt, Mustache Mike's Italian Ice and even some trucks that are still in the shop being prepped for the streets.

Foodmob looks forward to doing business with you! The Foodmob phone number is 916-394-6567. Email is Info@SacFoodMob.com.

Apple Tortilla Bake

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 01:55:00 +0000

I have way too many tortillas. As a single gal I don't have much need to cook. Too many leftovers and just plain laziness. But I came home one day to find a package full of Mission's new Super Soft Tortillas. Inside were packages of small, medium, and large of these new flour tortillas for me to try.

Mission is asking food bloggers to give the new Super Soft Tortillas a try and to come up with new recipes. I wanted to do something different and decided to adapt an old recipe from my Pampered Chef days and tweak it for use with the tortillas. These tortillas are definitely soft. I figured they would work really well for a sweet, pastry like treatment.

For this recipe I used my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler Corer Slicer and my Mini Stoneware Baker. Feel free to use a pie plate and just peel, core, and slice by hand.

Apple Tortilla Bake

Super Soft Mission Tortillas - small size
2 Granny Smith apples
1 large orange
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel, core, and slice apples. Cut slices in half.
Zest 1 teaspoon orange zest. Mix together sugar, cinnamon, and zest together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Using a pasty brush, brush butter on the bottom of an 8" baker or pie plate. Place one tortilla in the plate. Brush with butter.

Place one layer of apple slices on top of the tortilla. Sprinkle with some of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place another tortilla on top of the apples. Brush with butter and add another of apples and cinnamon sugar.

Place a third tortilla on top. Brush with butter and then sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon sugar.

Juice the orange. Pour the orange juice over and around the sides of the tortilla stack.

Bake 25 minutes. Serve with whipped or ice cream.

All Aboard the Megabus!

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:28:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but whenever I contemplated a trip to the Bay area it involved a Cost Benefit Analysis. Was the reason I was going worth the $10 in tolls, the $30 in gas, and the parking? Going to San Francisco can easily cost $50 just in the transportation! So I'm all for the new Megabus just on principle!

Megabus is a company that runs direct bus routes between major cities for a REALLY cheap fare. As low as $1! The earlier you book your seat, the cheaper it is. Book it the day of (if there are any seats left) and you could be paying a decent, but still cheap, amount.

Megabus has been running this style service mostly on the east coast. But in late December they started two routes for Sacramento. One goes to downtown San Francisco, the other to Reno. Both depart from Old Sacramento. For the first month there were special promotional coupon codes so you could go for free! That's what I used to book my trip last week.

Even though I had a free trip, I had some scheduling dilemmas and it looked like I would need to switch days. I booked another trip on a Tuesday just to cover myself. I made the booking on the Thursday before and it was still only going to be $3 each way!

The Megabus features double-decker buses. There is a restroom in the back on the lower level. I had to use it and it was a much nicer experience than Greyhound's bathrooms!

There is also wi-fi. This I was not too happy with. It would keep kicking me off. After going on and off over and over again a few times you get frustrated and just give up. Hopefully that is not a normal occurrence. There is also supposed to be power outlets, but I couldn't find any.

The upstairs has nice skylighting windows that make it nice to look at scenery going by. The downstairs has a couple of tables should you have a group where your friend doesn't mind facing backwards.

My trip last week had me leaving at 8 a.m. and arriving in SF at about 9:40. I opted for the last bus home, leaving at 7 p.m. and that arrived back at Old Sac at about 8:40.

All in all, Megabus is a GREAT deal. I can see myself going to SF a lot more frequently now. Yay!

Another First for Northern California in Sacramento: Seasons 52

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 05:36:00 +0000

Sacramento is often seen as a great demographic area to try out new things. New movies, new grocery stores, new restaurants. Last year we got the first Fresh Market in Northern California and now we get the first Seasons 52 restaurant in Northern California.

This Seasons 52 is located in Arden Fair Mall where the old Fresh Choice used to be. It opens Monday. The area is beautifully remodeled and looks very high class with a Frank Lloyd Wright Crafsman look to the design - lots of wood with distinct lines. There are two private dining rooms that can be combined and have all the electronics for presentations. The outdoor patio area is attractive with comfortable seating and fire pits. In the bar area there is a entertainment every night of the week with a piano player situated in the center of large surrounding bar. (See slide show below.)

a true Chef's Table located right off the kitchen

Seasons 52 is part of the Darden family of restaurants. More familiar to most Americans are their Red Lobster and Olive Garden chains. Move at least two notches up the dining scale and you get Seasons 52.

As their name implies, Seasons 52 focuses on dishes reflecting seasonal produce from the area for the freshest flavor and nutrition - " seasonally-inspired with the fresh appeal of the farmer’s market." They try to preserve the flavors through the simplest preparations such as grilling and roasting. Interestingly, none of their menu items is over 475 calories and you can see the nutritional breakdown of the menu on their website. Don't expect Olive Garden sized plates of food here. Instead you'll find satisfying but smaller portions of good, healthy food. There are also special gluten-free, vegan, lactose-free, and low sodium menus.

There is quite a large wine cellar in each restaurant, called the "Chateau". They carry 100 selections, 60 of which you can buy by the glass.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a media wine pairing dinner with seven courses. Check out the glass settings at each seat. Each course was introduced by George Miliotes, Master Sommelier and Senior Director of Culinary, Clifford Pleau, who traveled here for the opening.

After appetizers of their signature flatbreads, we sat down to courses that included grilled seafood, fresh salad, a simple but delicious ravioli, and an entree of quail and beef. The beef is a grass fed breed called Piedmontese that is special for being extremely lean and thus low in fat.

Their desserts are all served shot glass style, called Mini Indulgences. A good idea for controlling going overboard with dessert, but a bit difficult to eat from in practice.

As for prices, flatbreads are around $9, entrees range from $15-$30, and those Mini Indulgences are $2.50.

Everything was delicious although I wasn't a fan of the desserts. Keep in mind this was a media dinner and so this is not meant as a review of the food or service.

It will be interesting to see how Seasons 52 does. Is the economy in enough of a recovery for people to start dining up again? Will being in Arden Fair Mall be a benefit or a bad location? Will people embrace the low calorie menu which also means smaller plates? We'll see.

My Spotted Trends at the 2013 Fancy Food Show

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:59:00 +0000

Every December there are the countless articles from publications reviewing the past year’s food trends and trying to predict the food trends for the coming year. They should be waiting until January as this is the month that the food industry descends on San Francisco for the annual Fancy Food Show at Moscone Center.

The Fancy Food Show is put on by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) and is only open to people directly involved with the food industry. The show presents thousands of food and food related items that are often the precursor to what will be seen in supermarkets or at eateries in the near future. The exhibitors are generally food manufacturers or new startup companies that are trying to get the attention of the attendees: retail purchasers, restaurants and caterers, marketers and distributors, and the press.

$30,000 worth of saffron

Often times a good percentage of booths will be manned by new food startups. Food is the number one entrepreneurial area, especially during a bad economy. For many people who can’t find a job or are tired of what they’ve been doing, creating a food brand is an attractive way to a new career. The Fancy Food Show gives these entrepreneurs an opportunity to get their product in front of thousands of potential customers. Retail giants such as WalMart, Whole Foods and even QVC are scouting the aisles for the next big thing.

An example of the road from concept to grocery shelf is a product spotted a few years ago at the show. Many cooks are familiar with old school bouillon cubes used for recipes requiring broth or stock. The next generation came in the form of jars of concentrated stock pastes. The latest incarnation, seen at the Fancy Food Show in 2011, was concentrated stock in small, pre-measured, liquid pouches. Now Campbell Soups has taken the idea and you can find Swanson Flavor Boost pouches on your grocer’s shelves.

edible sprays

One trend that showcased the food entrepreneur was creating new versions of products already commonly found at the store. If a consumer wants to avoid all the chemical ingredients found in many items such as ketchup and frostings, then there were many new brands willing to fill that niche. A Sacramento area example would be The Frosting Queens out of Folsom. They made their first appearance at the 2011 show and this year they were joined by at least four new frosting companies. Annette, one of the sister owners, said that over the last two years they’ve changed their package sizes and flavors to better appeal to the mass market and to attract the major grocery retailers. Ketchup and other condiments were also found at a few booths.

Not all of the items and trends at the show will find their way to the average American home. Some items are geared for the culinary professionals. Such is the case of one trend: packaged molecular gastronomy. (Molecular gastronomy explores the transformation, either physically or chemically, of ingredients.) There were many new products that took ingredient flavors and packaged them into different mediums such as foams, sprays, crystals, and pearls. Now you can sprinkle rose flavored crystals or pearls over a fancy dessert or spray a mist of saffron flavoring as a garnish. These concentrated flavors take the time out of performing the lab techniques used to transform them. After all, they require a lot of equipment and time. It is much easier to buy it pre-packaged in a can or jar.

Halo halo ice cream bars!

Some other trends I noted: the rise of Fillipino food (yay!), lots of salts and salt blocks, an explosion in the non-alcoholic drink area, whether it be healthy, fizzy, or even both.

Each year the Top 5 Trends of the show are selected by a panel of Trendspotters. The 2013 selections were: Botanical Beverages, Oil Nouveau, So Many Seeds, Top Banana, and Blue Cheese Redux. Not all of the predicted trends pan out during the year. Sometimes it will be several years before the average consumer will see them. But for the food industry, the Fancy Food Show is the place to spot and be spotted first.


the proper way to display gelato

flavored syrups

cheese and butter making kits

flavor pearls

Lead the Charge for Food Education

noreply@blogger.com (catherine enfield) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:59:00 +0000

I am very proud of the wonderful assortment of food bloggers in Sacramento. We consist of a group of go-getters. Food bloggers who take their passions and create events or organizations around them. One of these people is Amber Stott, from Awake at the Whisk, who created the California Food Literacy Center only two years ago. It has grown by leaps, bounds and influence and last month Amber was even named one of Sacramento's Top 40 Under 40! Now Amber will be commenting that this post is supposed be about the California Food Literacy Center, and it is. But you can't have it without the creator and so I had to start there.

No, this post is to let you know of a way that you can make a difference in the area of food education for children in a way that won't take too much of your time, but it will make a huge difference in the lives of children and yourself. So let's start with a little background on the organization first.

The mission of the California Food Literacy Center is "To inspire change today for a healthy, sustainable tomorrow through enduring community food education." They do so by educating children on making proper food choices and helping them to learn about food and where it comes from.

In order to do this, they need teachers, or Food Literacy Advocates. But before the teachers can teach, they need to be taught. Thus the start of the Food Literacy Academy, a 10-week course that will teach you everything you need so that you can go to schools and children's groups to teach about food and nutrition. Topics covered include:

key food literacy lessons and activities to take into the classroom or community
classroom management and teaching to audiences of varying ages
nutrition 101
recipe development
cooking in a classroom
food safety & official food handler certificate
our food system

After you have completed the course you will be "certified" and will be expected to provide 100 hours of annual volunteer service in food education
services.

I think this is a noble pursuit for those with children or who love to work with them. It's also a great opportunity for people who are looking for some meaningful and fun ways to volunteer.

The course does cost $250, but there are a couple of scholarships available. The deadline to apply for the first enrollment is January 28th with classes starting on February 6th.

Please consider applying via the application form. This document also has a detailed breakdown of the Food Literacy Academy.

As a final note, I am pleased that my own project, the Sacramento Food Film Festival, will be donating some of its proceeds to the California Food Literacy Center. Film is a great medium for teaching and so it made sense for Slow Food Sacramento and the film festival to team up with them this year.

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