D and I are heading down to one of my favorite places in the world this weekend… Paso Robles.
This will be our fourth trip down there… D is the one who introduced Paso Robles to me and let me tell you it is well worth the quick three hour drive south of San Francisco. As it is less well known than Napa or Sonoma the tastings are more reasonably priced (usually $10 per person and a lot of time they’ll waive the tasting if you buy wine) and most of the wineries are small and family owned so you’ll have an opportunity to talk to the actual wine makers. Plus the scenery is drop dead gorgeous… rolling hills that eventually dive into the ocean. I just love it.
Last time in Paso we started off at Justin Vineyards… it gets a lot of hype and the wine is really good, but it is not one I’ll be quick to return to. I think they’re a little pretentious, and with so many other amazing options down there I’d rather try somewhere new before heading back. You can buy cheese and salumi though, so it does make for an ideal picnic spot.
We then headed over to Tablas Creek. This is definitely a must-see on your winery tour. They actually imported the original vines from France, and then after a three year quarantine started multiplying the vines so they would be ready for planting on their organic vineyard. Their reds are insanely good, and according to their website it’s because of an old-school French method they follow where they blend multiple varietals to create a more complex blend than they could have achieved with a single varietal. I’m really excited to return. They don’t sell any food, but you can bring your own picnic and sit in their shaded patio area. Oh, and if you call ahead you can go on a tour of their vineyard and nursery, they have two per day at 10:30am and 2:00pm. I hope we have enough time for a tour as well… their history is so interesting I’d like to learn more.
Linne Calodo is another fabulous winery. They aren’t always open for tastings as they are a very small producer and their quantities are limited, but if you can catch them when they are open you won’t be disappointed.
We always finish with Turley, one of our absolute favorites. Their reds are top notch and we love to stock up each time we visit. They also sell their own olive oil which is pretty amazing and makes for great presents, if you can bare to part with it!
We’ll only have time for one day in Paso as we will be continuing on to San Luis Obispo for the Savor the Central Coast food and wine festival with our friends Autumn, Matt, and Jimmy. Our plan is to return to Tablas Creek and Turley, and also hit up L’Aventure, Tolo, Thatcher, and Dunning. Pretty ambitious I know! I’m doubtful we’ll make it to all of these, and that’s okay. We’ll just have to start planning our next trip!
I’d like to start a new feature on salt & pepper where I share with you what I’ve been reading online… little snippets of information for you to enjoy with your coffee or tea on a Sunday morning…
I’m curious about the new show to air on ABC, The Chew… an hour long daily talk show that focuses entirely on food. Here’s what the NY Times has to say.
Just when you thought whipped cream couldn’t get any better, think again.
I love goals. And lists. The Violet combines both with their weekly goal setting exercise… every Monday they’ll post a list of 5 “healthy, happy goals for the week” and then on Friday check in to see how it all went. Love.
Park Tavern opened in Washington Square Park earlier this month. Have you been yet? It’s owned by the same people as Marlowe and the menu looks awesome.
Speaking of burgers, Umami Burger is supposedly opening on Union the first week in October and their menu looks pretty darn good as well. And I like anywhere that thinks sparkling is “always a good option”. I couldn’t agree more.
Avocados browning? Here’s a new trick (at least to me) to help keep that bright green interior.
Is it too early for Halloween party ideas? I think not. It’s one of my favorite holidays, and if you’re like me you’re probably already planning for it. Even though I’m not actually throwing a party. Yet for whatever reason I started a Pinterest board dedicated to Halloween yesterday. For research purposes of course. I know, it’s a bit odd.
We are going to be in Paso Robles next weekend for the Savor the Central Coast festival and want to get a little wine tasting in beforehand… D sent me this article by Robert Parker on some of his favorites. Tablas Creek is one of our favorites too, I’m glad he approves!
My mum and I are going back to Ireland in November to visit our family, and on our way back to California we are stopping in Paris for three days with my aunt and cousin. I am so so excited and have started to create a list of everything fun & foodie that we need to fit in while there. Here’s what I have so far…
E.Dehillerin – the French cookware store that Ina Garten raves about in her Barefoot in Paris cookbook. I think she also features it on her show on one of her Paris specials. Potentially touristy, but it looks pretty fabulous.
Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Carlton – it is run by Colin Field, twice voted as the world’s best bartender, and was recently nominated as one of the top 10 hotel bars in the world by Bon Appetit. Supposedly the drinks are also considered the world’s most expensive cocktail as well… the Ritz Side Car costs €1,250. Wow. It was around €700 in 2008… the price keeps going up because the magic ingredient, a champagne cognac bottled between 1830 and 1870, is in limited supply. I keep trying to find what the current menu to see if the prices have gone up since then, but the link is down on the Ritz’s website, drat.
I love how this guide is broken out into restaurants, wine bars, bakeries, pastry shops, and ice cream shops.
Itinerary “stuffers” - fun activities to add to whatever plans you already have planned… omg, I want to do each and every one of these!
I have a thing for graveyards. Nothing spooky or weird… I just find it cool when I stumble upon an old cemetery, the smaller and more randomly placed the better. Here’s a link to all the different graveyards in Paris. Pere-Lachaise seems to be the most intriguing… winding paths, rolling hills… you can take a virtual tour here if you want.
For the time being I’ll just have to make do with some Paris reading, and maybe I’ll be tempted to try my hand at a French pastry that’s easy enough for a home baker. Stay tuned for some more Paris lists!
Since my brother and I both went to Cal, there’s no way he could come up without a day-trip to Bezerkeley. After a quick Bart trip to the Downtown Berkeley stop, we walked up Shattuck towards North Berkeley, stopping in at Guerilla Cafe for a couple of lattes.
it’s a fun spot, with an artsy feel & an eclectic clientele
they use Blue Bottle coffee too, which is my favorite
sign for the bathroom… cute
two nonfat lattes
Chez Panisse is across the road where you see all those trees. How lucky were we that we had Alice Water’s world renowned restaurant at our doorstep during college? I’ve only eaten at the Restaurant once, but have been to the Cafe loads of times… I actually prefer the cafe as the menu is not set like the restaurant downstairs so you can order what you want, plus it changes daily so you’ll be surprised every time you go.
Our main reason for being on the north side of campus was so we could go to The Cheeseboard for some pizza. I haven’t been since I was in college, so let me tell you quite a few years have passed since I last tasted this amazing pizza!
Their menu changes daily and the pizza and salad are always vegetarian. In true Bay Area foodie fashion the ingredients are locally grown and seasonal, and most likely you’ll never get the same pizza topping combination twice!
They’ve expanded the restaurant and they now have tables inside and out, with a live jazz band playing music in the corner… it used to have just a tiny counter and a couple of wooden chairs out front.
The pizza was just as good as we remembered… ours had caramelized onions, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella, sharp cheddar & loads of fresh herbs on top. Those mini slices are leftovers from previous pizzas… they want every slice served to be as fresh as possible and therefore they’ll slice up any remaining slices and give them to you as extras, so the next person’s pizza will be straight out of the oven. Love.
Next door is their cheese shop. This is how they began… back in 1967 they opened a small store around the corner from where the shop is now, and then they started experimenting with bread some time in the 70′s. It was also in the early 70′s that they switched from being privately owned and became a collective… 100% worker owned where each employee has a voice in how the business will be run. I imagine this was quite a novel concept back then and it obviously worked out well for them in the long run… the pizzeria and cheese shop are really well run.
look at how many cheeses they sell!
as well as a full selection of freshly baked breads and pastries
After our delicious lunch we started walking through the North Berkeley neighborhood towards campus. I always get so happy when I walk through campus… our buildings don’t match, and you’ll encounter a fair number of questionable characters but that’s what makes it so unique and special… plus it’s really beautiful with all the grassy areas and old trees.
My brother always liked this bench outside the Campanile which serves as a memorial to the soldiers who served in World War One. The bears are sad.
Yup, we’re going to the top!
That’s our future football stadium. All our games this year are at Pac Bell Park in SF since they were finally able to get the tree-sitters out of the trees (after a 649 day standoff, wahoo hippies) and start the renovation.
So, here’s a cool Berkeley fact that I did not know until my brother informed me… supposedly they used the roof of South Hall as inspiration for the rooftop scene in Mary Poppins!! Plus, it’s the oldest building on campus. Neat-o!
My friends, Ayesha & Matt, were married over there underneath the big Oak tree.
my mum would describe this as a fairy tree
That’s the I-House at the top of the street… the main place of residence for any of our international students, plus it had a small cafe which was my favorite study spot during college.
Here’s Sather Gate which separates Sproul Plaza from the Strawberry Creek bridge. It originally was the South Gate to campus before the University expanded further. Sproul is where most of the student protests are held, starting in the 60′s with the Free Speech Movement.
Our last stop before heading back to the City was Telegraph Avenue. Lots of street vendors. Lots of tie dye. Lots of obnoxious homeless teenagers who should just go home to their parents.
an old newspaper blown up in the window at Rasputin Music
crazy street vendor selling patches
Despite all the crazy, Telegraph actually has a lot to offer, especially when it comes to the food. My favorite spot is Cafe Intermezzo which serves massive salads, soups, and sandwiches.
I always go with a chef’s salad, served with a huge hunk of homemade whole wheat bread.
Lot’s of salad fixings… the chef’s salad comes with your choice of meat, kidney & garbanzo beans, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, avocado, egg, crouton, & sprouts. The poppyseed dressing is the only way to go in my opinion, it makes the salad. I’ve tried making it at home but it’s never as good as the real deal. I ended up grabbing a salad to-go so I could eat it later that weekend.
Once back in SF look what we saw outside the apartment… the Cal Car! This Car is always parked somewhere in my neighborhood, but how fitting that it was right outside when we returned from our Berkeley adventure!
Originally we had planned on heading to Magnolia Pub for a burger but we were tired and didn’t want to venture too far for dinner that night so we decided on Roam instead. I actually prefer Roam to Magnolia’s… it feels a bit healthier (if a burger can be described as that!) and I love how many options you have in creating your burger. I always go for a bison burger with white cheddar cheese, D did the classic beef with cheddar, and MJ was the most adventurous of the three of us ordering the Sunny Side with an organic free-range egg, white cheddar, caramelized onions & a sweet chili sauce. He said it was amazing. Actually, I think “awesome” was the word of choice.
the haystack… a delicious heap of shredded onion & zucchini
classic russet fries
perfecto
They also have amazing milkshakes made with organic Straus Family ice cream.
we tried the chocolate & salted caramel
You can get the shake topped with a toasted marshmallow. But not just any marshmallow… a homemade marshmallow placed on top of a homemade graham cracker. Yum.
On Saturday we headed down to the Ferry Building to walk around the Farmer’s Market.
Sadly Primavera’s menu selection wasn’t that great, so we ended up back at Sidekick for a sandwich. D ordered the salami & mozzarella served on an ACME twinkle loaf, and I couldn’t decide so MJ and I ended up sharing a salami sandi as well as the roast turkey & fromage blanc served on the ACME herb slab. Good decision, both were really tasty.
I’m still not sure which one I liked best…
the salami was savory & salty with the yummy chewy bread,
and then the turkey was light and fresh tasting,
with the herbs from the bread coming through in each bite.
It was MJ’s last night and our plan was to order some our favorites from Delfina Pizza, so we stopped by the Miette counter to pick up a couple of sweets for afterwards.
They have the cutest store. I love the pink & green color combo.
We ordered all of our favorites… fresh stretched mozzarella, the insalata tricolore, arancini (they don’t always have these since they change the fried items daily), neopolitan meatballs in sugo, a margherita pizza & a salsiccia pizza. Ordering Delfina Pizza for takeout is a good way to go, especially on a weekend night when the crowds there are insane and you know you at least an hour to wait for dinner.
yum, yum, yum & yum
It’s my favorite pizza in the city… for my 30th birthday D threw a party for me and ordered 15 pizzas from here! 5 margheritas, 5 salsiccias, and 5 broccoli raabs. My mum ordered a Miette Scharffen Berger cake & a Lime Meringue Tart, plus a selection of other sweets. So cool. Delfina & Miette are the perfect way to celebrate any occasion!
Our Miette selection… lime meringue tart, raspberry mousse cake, the chocolate layer cake, and a spoonful of pot de creme each!
On MJ’s last morning sniffle we ended the trip where it all began… Rose’s Cafe.
