Foo Fighters / LA story

I didn't meet them or anything. Someone, I'm not sure how to get a hold of, made a couple copies for me and I can't stop listening to them.
Thank You.
So, we traveled up the 101 (well, eventually) through Santa Barbara, Los Olivos, Solvang and then on to Lompoc. This is what makes up most of the third and forth days. We ended up on the "Sideways" tour at times and a little lost at times. I slept in the car for the most part.

At one point we went out to eat and I had an Epiphany...the food sucked!
"Does my food suck?" I asked myself.
After all, we were enjoying foods I've made before in professional career. You know: Chicken, Filet, Lamb Chops, salmon maybe? this wonderful plate of calamari.....this shitty plate of calamari. No flavor, no love, no respect for what it is what sauces go with it (a freaking lemon wedge?! Come on! My Lamb was plated in the modern day approach of linking all the bones together in the center over a slob of roasted garlic mashed potatoes with a sprig of Rosemary sticking out of it....oh wait....that's how it's been done for the past 70(?) years minus the mint jelly.
As much as I try, I know I don't hit it on the nose every time and I always always wish I could do better, but I feel a little better at night knowing I tried. I don't ever want to rest on my laurels, or laurels from years past. Food can't progress as long as millions of customers are willing to pay too much for mediocre food. It bothers me when time is running out and I end up serving something I'm not completely satisfied with, yet the customer loved it. It doesn't make me feel any better.


We did make it to the Pacific Ocean, and drove on the beach (you can do that on Pismo Beach), it was pretty damn cold but awesome to see the hillsides so close to the shore.

I also ran into a little Agar Agar in it's natural state.
Very cool.

Back from LA

Pardon my lack of enthusiasm, the trip to LA was really a great experience, but riddled with bad turns. I will not and do not want to go into detail, but it started as soon as I landed. A phone call that caused excruciating worry that led to hope that, three days later led to an end. And with all that worry and stress came sickness and other feelings.

Still, as I write, I'm running a fever and this is the most I've done all day.

The only other thing I want to say on the matter is that, I hope guilt doesn't make life long decisions.


On to the trip.


So, after getting some Thai food the first night and drinking my stomach into a state of settled-ness, we went for burgers.
That's right, burgers. Many of you have probably heard of the In and Out Burgers like I have but never had a chance to try one do to the fact that they just don't come out this way.
I used to work with this guy from California, Sam Perry, he said the In and Out Burgers were worth being flown out to SC when he needed a fix.
I gotta say, they are damn tasty. Freshly made, fresh cut fries, a super-burger staff that is more professional than most "High End" places. All they did was focus on the product. Which there are three. A hamburger, a cheeseburger or a double double. Unless you know the secret menu.

I got a double double animal style.....filthy.


Then we headed up the coast.....on the wrong highway for several hours. It's OK, saw a lot of great scenery, gives the mind time to wonder.
We ended up in Solvang , a Danish town close to several wineries.

Leaving for LA

This was going to be a post about the final product of Grape Soda Meringue, but Blogger is having some more problems and won't let me upload pictures right now.
I may have to redirect this site in the near future.
I need to figure out how first.

Aside from that, I will be on the left coast for a little over a week, eating and visiting more wineries. I will bring back many pictures and stories.
See you soon S&S.

Grape Soda

Faygo anyone?
Foodland circa 1988, you pick up an empty bottom of a box that probably held a case of 12 to 16 oz. bottles of soda at some point(pop. The south has had an effect on me, I actually gave up the term "pop", I didn't think I would.....but here we are.). You fill it back up with whatever mixture of flavors you desire, then spend the next couple days with a purple-ish blue stain on your lips and tongue. Grape was a very popular flavor. For $.25 you could get a Grape soda out of the machine in front of Jets grocery.
Grape soda, grape soda, grape soda. Throw in Cream Soda (serious favorite), some Cherokee Red and Dr. Pepper....RC cause it's local, you've got a young boys carbonated sugar future sealed in cola trademarks.
I'm always looking for ways to incoporate favorite flavors from childhood, mine or anyone elses.






A recent purchase of Methocel f5o, has led to Grape Soda Meringue.
So many other possibilities.
Desserts mainly, but Mikey did mention vinegars....croutons maybe flavored with white balsamic and garlic?
Anything.

Fun with Consomme and gelatin

Just a couple flavors I've been playing around with. Anything is possible really.

About 3grams of powdered Gelatin to 1 Qt. "stock", freeze then let thaw over coffee filter in walk-in over night.

The amazing thing, is the mouth feel the small amount of gelatin leaves in the final product.

Matt Baer

Some additional pictures from

Matt Baer.

Sake dinner, last course

Yuzi-Lime pie on Oreo cracker (still trying to refine), Meringue square and ginger syrup soaked asian pear.

Served with: Moonstone “Asian Pear” Ginjo SakeRita

Sake dinner, course five

Juiced, simmered, gelatonised, frozen and slowly strained watermelon. Then gelled again into cubes (too hard), with more cubes of tuna tar tar and compressed water melon. With Wasabi Ice Cream, ginger-soy sauce, Tobikko vinaigrette and

a little fun with poprock powder.

Served with: Yuki No Bosha “Limited Release” Junmai Ginjo Sake

Sake Dinner, third and forth course.

"Scallop Sashimi, Spicy Saffron Tomato Broth, Lemongrass Gelee, Hoisin mint and basil Gallette".

Ever since I first tasted a sous-vide scallop, I thought "how perfect for a safer version of sashimi", the texture is raw, but techniquely it's not. I slow poached these huge scallops in some saffron butter for about twenty minutes, chilled and sliced. The gallette is played off what you would usually see in a thai place, rice paper wrapped around noodles with mint, basil and hoisin minus the shrimp. The sauce is of roasted tomatoes, lemongrass, and some dried jalapenos, to work like the flavors
of a traditional civiche.

Served with: Hou Hou Shu Sparkling SakeTini

Forth Course: "Lobster, Foie and Bananas" I had one of those "best dishes I've ever eaten" moments about 7 years ago while out to eat with My Brother, Mr. Wilson and our current female companions...well, my current femal companion. It was at The Woodlands outside of Charleston. It was "Butter Poached Lobster, Egg Foo Yung" and I don't even really like Lobster,

there were just so many flavors happening in that dish that I've emulated it ever since. So, one of the many versions of that dish came forth tonight with Pancakes (more like a Panada) flavored with rendered and pureed Foie gras with bits of raw foie and diced banana and slice scallions. A sauce of Curried Banana soup touched with rum and finished with cilantro. A nice slab of seared Foie and tempura Lobster to top it off.

Served with: Rihaku “Dreamy Clouds” Nigori Sake

Sake dinner, course two

"Black and Blue beef with Wasabi mashed Potatoes". Matt Baer said tonight that this was his favorite dinner we've done, "the food looks fresh and bright, the colors are there." He's right, I didn't plan out for all these bright "spring" colors to take the forefront, maybe I miss the parts of the country that these colors appear daily and not against an external backdrop of gey and slush.
This dinner maybe should have been in June, but there wouldn't have been enough love to give to it at that point.
This dish came about for color. The term "black and blue" can conjuor up many different thougts and images, I just wanted the colors and stuck with a little food tradition and actually blackend some fillet mignon. Served with Purple Potatoes to hit on color.
A fried Slow poached egg, which, If I had a syringe, would be filled with Tarragon Reduction to give the feel and flavor of contained Bearnaise.
The purple potatoes where accented with wasabi, I shaved radish over the dish as if they were truffles, just to add to the color aspects and to play off the horseradish like heat that is strewn accros the dish.


Served with: Ben’s Bloody Sake Mary

Sake Dinner, coursed out by posts.

I honestly can't remember whose idea this was. At some point someone said "why not do a Sake Dinner?"

"Hell yeah!, I love Sake." Was probably my response, unless I had the idea part of course, in which case I was thinking..."I love Sake, that should be one of our dinner focus points".

Into the dinner, First course

Truffled Crab and Avocado Roll, with Pickled cucumber, Cucumber Pickle, Soy syrup, Avocado puree.

Served with: Heated Shirayuki Sake

Duck and Beets again.

Something about pairing saltiness with sweetness.

Fatty richness with creamy pungency.

Pan seared breats with leg confit, red wine braised cabbage, red and golden beets, green peppercorn brandy cream, roasted parsnip puree.

Going back to Cali

Our last day in Amador county was a little rough for me. Several days of wine tasting, eating out, rich foods, the occasional bar....It was hard work. Actually, my body hated me by the last day and night there. I struggled through a couple tasting rooms here and there, hitting pretty much every other one. Several I had to step outside for some fresh air at. I think it may have been lunch that kicked my ass to start off.

This was my Appitizer. A full plate of everything Smoked.

We then saw some 130year old vines at Story Winery, the vines looked like they were going to come alive, something out of a horror movie or Harry Potter.

We stopped at Dobra and met a really nice husband and wife team that worked for an "obsessed Croatian".

And stopped somewhere (really can't remember, someone will see this dog and remind me), the owners of this winery went to a fundraiser auction and just wrote down bids on everything, well, no one else bid on this dog (from a local California fast food chain), so, they now own a $300 dog head. They moved it onto the winery to give the kids something to do. (You should see some of the signs posted in wineries concerning what will be given to unattended children, pretty twisted stuff. Funny, but twisted).

A month later, one of these doggie heads sold for 3grand a couple counties away and someone tried to get an additional $2700 from the winery.

When leaving, I went to bed around midnight, still messed up as far as sleep schedule goes, maybe fell asleep around one with alarm set for five. Woke up at four (am), had to be at airport by eight, caught a flight around nine. But, as I walked out into the garage area to load up the back of the rental I saw this

Now, I know this was put on the floor while I was asleep to inspire some sort of imbarrasing feeling, worried about whom may look at it after we leave and giggle. But, that was someones drunken idea. Personally, I think it might mean a lot more to someone looking at it right now.

Shots from the vineyard

This was a pretty casual day. Most of group went up to........
Somewhere to ski.


The forcast on this day called for "Sunny, 58degress, Flooding, Snow showers, and Wind advisory" Pretty much all in the same sentence.