NASA rewards us

They changed the colors, for some reason, but please now look at Planet Venus (upper left) floating between me and Sun yesterday.

Cool.

Or, to be literal about it, "Hot!"

Somestimes. . .

. . . I'm just feeling bad.



:-)

Northern California Food

Our local restaurant fare has driven at least one New York writer over the edge. From Saturday's WSJ, consider:
"The following year, Patterson opened Coi, his intimate San Francisco oasis. There, he delights in poking fun at endemic gastronomic stereotypes, but instead of rejecting that legacy wholesale, Patterson elevates it. His California Bowl takes on brown rice and avocado in the form of paper-thin, crispy-does-it "chips" (think papadum) and a creamy-smooth dip."
And it continues on, and on, and on in that vein.
It should be actionable, "maltreatment and disrespect of the language." At least.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303610504577418871114965262.html?mod=WSJ_Magazine_LEFTTopStories

Golden Gate's 75th Birthday Celebration

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=8679035&pid=null

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=8679035#&cmp=twi-kgo-video-8679035

bit.ly/Kd4UM1

(One of the above should work)

Happy Birthday!

Ridge Vineyards

A bit above my price point, but we're enjoying a Zinfandel from Ridge's Pagani Ranch. I was interested in the 5% Alicante Bouschet grape that is blended. So far, so very good. Very fruity and tangy. No tannin that I can detect. Highly recommended for an aggresive meat dish.

Try it. Let me know what you think.

Typical Friday in the Napa Valley

So, it's trite and touristy, but if you know good folks (like us!) you can make a memorable tour out of an afternoon in Napa. How about a visit to the Hess Collection on Mt. Veeder?

Up 29, West side of the Valley, typical stuff. We sidetracked off to Redwood Road, West of Napa, through a typical subdivision, past a few road splits, looking (and praying?) for the first of only the two signs, through forest, tight turns, redwood trees, narrow mountain roads, and then...

The tasting room is on the left, but there are two floors of absolutely wonderful art pieces collected by Donald Hess. Stunning stuff, mostly over sized, and superbly done.

All this on the side of a mountain on the West side of Napa Valley. You don't get here by mistake, believe me; you have to know what you want.

And yes, there's wine. Good stuff. Just look for "Hess Collection" at your local wine shop. And, next time you're in the neighborhood, please visit. You'll have a memory for life.

www.kamakurarestaurant.com/

So our out-of-town visitors tipped us to a sushi bar in Alameda ("The Town That Hasn't Changed Since 1950".) Kamakura, at the out-of-the-way corner of Santa Clara and Broadway.

Fascinating place, in a very friendly sort of way. Faith is the proprietress, and she keeps an eye on everything.
Prices are more than reasonable. Quality is close to the best California sushi that we've had. Beer is available; wine is from a large Franzia box from Safeway. Parking is on the street and easy.

This is very much a neighborhood place, with no reservations, and Faith welcoming many of the guests as old friends.

I was surprised to see the entire wait staff flock outside and bow and say "thank you" when the diners left, just like at a Japanese ryokan after a guest's stay. 

The sushi is very fresh and very well prepared and presented. The larger plates are interesting and very tasty.
And the prices! Four of us got out for less than $100, including tax, tip, beer, and wine. You cannot beat that anywhere!
Someone that we know, who lives at the foot of the mountain, should take his entire family. Soon!

Yosemite

This is fun and, sometimes, inspiring:


http://vimeo.com/40802206

Cavallo Point, Marin County

Cavallo Point is located on the grounds of Ft. Baker, on San Francisco Bay at the North end of the Golden Gate bridge, and just South of Sausalito. The Army left in 1970 and only the Coast Guard remains. The former military buildings have been rejuvenated and are in fine shape. Murray Circle was officer housing encircling the parade ground with powerful views out across San Francisco Bay to San Francisco itself. The housing is now hotel rooms, and the officers' mess is now the restaurant. All this is mere minutes from the North anchorage of the bridge.

Murray Circle, the name of the restaurant, is upscale with excellent service. The food offerings are a bit undecipherable, but tasty. DW#1 had a  pastrami sandwich, and I an Ahi Tuna salad; both were excellent.

Wines were from California, France, and Italy. Prices are a bit high.

Oysters cost $3/each!

And yes, the overall bill was about 25% above my normal, at $60 with wine and tip. Complementary valet parking (tips accepted) is next door at the hotel entrance building.

Experienced diners will ask "What about the fog?" Well, there was absolutely no fog today, temps were in the 70's, and breezes were refreshing. The outdoor dining deck was full. On a more-typical foggy day, I would expect no one on the dining deck, fireplaces flaming, and sweaters abounding.

But, hey! We were lucky. That green lawn below is Murray Circle.

If you wish to try it, I'm game. We'll do Dutch. :)

Mother's Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmgPODFXAQk

( How I wish I knew how to highlight a link. Oh well, cut and paste. It's worth it)

Corners Tavern, Walnut Creek

Bing Crosby's used to be here. Another time, another economy. Corners is much less fussy, quite a lot more interesting and fun.
Unusual menu (check it on the internet.) Lots of things I have never seen in a restaurant before. Crispy peppers are very crispy, and very hot; pretzel is okay, and tasty; charcuterie is sublime; smoked salmon is super; ahi tuna is great. Then, after super fries, we stopped.
Wines are good, and not too overpriced.
Next time you're in town, I shall host you! Let's do it.

The British Landed...

And now they've gone.
:(

Dow Solutions

 

Sure, I'll give DOW a boost. But, only because I love the commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-ovq79_VEc


(Or, go to YouTube and search for "Dow "Quiet Train" commercial.")

Three Corners

We've all heard of Four Corners, right? But that's in the West. Back East we have three corners: West Viginia, Ohio, & Pennsylvania! Only problem: you can't place two feet and one hand in separate States!

http://g.co/maps/bkchr

The Brits Are So Inventive (and Fun!)

http://youtu.be/J1KuYXafOAw

Nighttime Friend To All

Once again, cut and paste, or click:

http://youtu.be/CZOeWFBy75A

Sushi lovers, listen up!

You're going to love the scenes of Tokyo, and of the food. So, cut & paste already:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbV6knbeUFE 

(Or, you could just knit them:

Click to enlarge. :)

Special Relationship

Someone's going to have to tell PM David Cameron that a hot dog is eaten with one hand.

(Maybe he was hoping for a knife and fork?)

Desiderata

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

You know who you are. :)

Top of the Sonoma Valley

So, @miekow and I finally got the Healdsburg on Thursday. It's not really easy from Walnut Creek, the way Napa Valley is. Two hours vs. one hour. But, hey; we don't do this every week/month, and I hadn't been to Santa Rosa/Windsor/Healdsburg for about 10 years.

Healdsburg has a plaza downtown. Everything seems to revolve around the plaza. Restaurants, bookstores, knick-knacks, antiques, art galleries, wine tasting rooms, they're all there in abundance. We called it "Carmel without the Sea." It's in-your-face organic, sustainable, ecological, with respectful dog bowls outside the stores.

But that's okay; I'll return for more. It's fun.

Tried Bistro Ralph (see above) for lunch. Nice setting. Brick walls, stamped-tin ceiling, big peace signs in the windows, and the waitress spoke fluent French, as well as English. 

We shared a glass of local Zin (Kokomo) and tried chicken livers, calamari sandwich, and grilled brussel sprouts. All good, with hearty sauces (except for the wine) and thoughtful sides. Very rich, and very good.

Ralph suggested that we visit the Kokomo tasting room on Dry Creek Road after lunch.

About 15 minutes out of town we found the place, one of about a half-dozen tasting rooms in one location. Kokomo makes four Zinfandels, and we selected the one we had at Bistro Ralph.
A few miles further on Dry Creek Road and we were at Ferrari Carano

And yes, the gates were open onto the lush grounds, the manicured flower beds, the secluded gardens, whew! This is an impressive layout. Well worth the visit, so do it. We purchased a few bottles of a Zinfandel sold only at the winery (low production volume.)

Healdsburg is fun, and almost worth the drive. We'll do it again sometime soon. :)

Wonderfully British

http://youtu.be/FrHkKXFRbCI



Meals at Home

Sometimes, in the morning, DW#1 fries just one egg.

But in the evening, especially on Girls Day, we celebrate the food:

and I may just take a nap. :)



Creative Friday Dinner for Two

First, with a hearty salad. In this case, a soft-boiled egg, bacon, sauteed French bread chunks, bell pepper and rabbit greens, dressed with sweet vinegar and olive oil.

Followed by a generous service of Costco's finest spinach-filled ravioli rounds.





 An accompanying glass of red wine, and voila!

Yountville, oh Yountville

You may remember a recent, or not so recent trip to Yountville CA, home of the French Laundry and a few French soup places.
American Express wants you to use their card on your next visit.


http://youtu.be/S6qVPg56z9w


Enjoy :)

It's 76*F and the Cherry Tree Knows It!

On Monday, 20 Feb, we were greeted by this:

By this morning, we had this:

Not too shabby.







Our First General

Wednesday, 22 February, is the Birthday anniversary of our first President. He was also our first General.
Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

For a bit more serious review, please consider:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/02/remembering-the-indispensable-man.php

Well worth the time.

Aaand, it's back!

33 hours ahead of schedule, CalTrans and the CHP started picking up the cones so by 8:00 p.m. Sunday, the Bay Bridge was open again!

Traffic on the Golden Gate and Hayward/San Mateo quickly returned to normal.

It's nice when things go much better than expected.

It's unusual, too, more's the pity.

We had a bit of rain today

and it was refreshing

but, we need a lot more.



Lunch in St. Helena

So, I found myself on California 29 with three delightful Japanese ladies today, and we stopped for a bite of lunch in St. Helena, at the Northern end of the Napa Valley.

The lunch was delicious, the setting divine. :)
 http://travignerestaurant.com/

Two Gentlemen, Two Guns

First, a marshmallow cannon:

 

Second, a 30 calibre rifle (with a Pontiac Gran Torino) :

You don't have to choose, of course, but if you did . . . ?

Restaurant Scene, Murphys California

So, we did a bit of winery investigation in the Shenandoah area around Plymouth this weekend.
(Aside, I start my sentences with "So" because I've been watching @dickc, CEO of @Twitter, and he starts all his sentences with "So.")
There have been a large number of new vineyards started since we were last on Shenandoah and Shenandoah Schoolhouse Roads. Perhaps a dozen or more, replete with tasting rooms and museums.
On the way back to Saddle Creek we detoured to Murphys for lunch. DW#1 has always wanted to try Mineral Restaurant on Main Street, so we did.
Little did I know, it's a vegetarian place. Looks like a husband and wife team, he doing the cooking, and she doing the dining room. We quickly noticed that she did it all, ordering, serving, bussing, setting with her infant on her back. The kid never woke up.
DW#1 had a veggie burger, and I a three-cheese and spinach grilled sandwich. You see it above, with pickled cauliflower and homemade garlic potato chips. The chips were magnificent, the cauliflower much less so. The sandwich was pretty good, better than okay. Prices (about $25/per) were about average for a tourist place.
So, if you're in the neighborhood, and if you're looking for vegetarian, this is a good place to check out.