Books, Books, And More....

Happy Ides of March!  Beware, beware…

Pop Question/Quiz:  Who wrote “The Three Musketeers”?   Correct.  Next question: Who created “From Absinthe to Zest”?  Get that one?  Answer: it’s the same person!  Alexandre Dumas.  Apparently Alex was quite the gastronome (at least in his own mind) and he wrote “Le Grande Dictionnaire de Cuisine” which was published posthumously in 1873, three years following his death.  He wrote the dictionary “to be read by the sophisticated and practitioners of the art”.  The good folks at Penguin books extracted this portion and published "From Absinthe…"  It’s one of those books that you lose and then find and start reading.  This little 100 pager was a Christmas gift from a cherished friend, and I picked it up a bit ago.

 Anyway I have really enjoyed reading it.  It does in fact have entries for each letter of the alphabet (except x) sometimes more than one.  It contains recipes, backgrounds, anecdotes and so forth for a variety of foodstuffs.  He is well, quite conceited, and doesn’t mind tooting his own horn about his cooking prowess and knowledge of food, and is extremely jingoistic about French Cuisine.  “France, as I have already said, is the only country that knows how to make a pot au feu”.   In the section on Homard he relates a story about a meal he decided to prepare for his friends.  “his (friends) cook, even though he claimed her to be a cordon bleu was unanimously demoted and I was elected to in her place.  She was free to keep the title of vice-cook, but only on the condition that she would not oppose the chief cook (Alex) in any way”.  He goes on to relate his preparation of the dinner, which consisted of (a linguistic mix) :  Tomato and Shrimp Bisque; Lobster á l’amáricaine; Plaice with sauce normande; Mackerel a la maître d’hôtel; Poulet a la Ficelle; Pulpe Frite (fried octopus); Tomates a la Provençale; Scrambled Eggs with Kidney Gravy; Points de Asperges; Coeurs de laitue a l’espagnole; and finally Dessert de Fruits.  Wines were listed as: Corton; Pommard; Ch. Latour, and Ch. d’Yquem..  Preparation of each dish is described in detail, all starting from scratch and each one has several steps.  He prefaces the preparation of the lobster with this admonition: “We beseech our readers, and above all the ladies, to pay great attention as the dish is very complicated”.  It is left to the reader to speculate on his meaning.  The words conceit and arrogance might come to mind. Then he goes into the five step process which he closes out with the following: “As this dish is somewhat complicated, it should not be attempted by novices; one must be a real cook, equipped with a certain skill, in order to attack it.”  Finally he admits at the end of an hour and a half, the meal was on the table.  Hmmm…. pretty darn fast there, Alex..

Despite all this, it is a very pleasurable book to read, and I recommend it highly to anybody with an interest in reading about classic late 19^th century French cuisine.  There is quite a bit of interesting facts and notes.

Another book I have enjoyed is called “Love in a Dish” a collection of essays and articles (most from the now defunct Gourmet magazine) by M.F.K. Fisher (1998 – 2002).  Any foodie worth salt will know she was a legendary food writer.  I very much enjoy her style, full of sensuous descriptions of life and food.  I especially enjoyed the article called “I was really very hungry” in which she recounts a lunch she had in France which turned into a almost spiritual experience.  Another entitled “Love letter to an empty shell” which is all about oysters.  She expresses an exuberance to food that will inspire you.  There are lots of sources for her work, so pick one up and read it (and then don’t read the bottom feeder for a while!).

And just to show you I am not a one trick pony, I read about things other than food.  I have been reading a lot lately about Irish History (unbelievably confusing), and 17^th century English and  (what turned into) American history, sort of around the time of Historic St. Mary’s City’s rise and fall.  I’ve pretty much read all the local books, and am now branching earlier and later.  Anyway at the book sale yesterday as I was sorting I came across a book called “The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastry” and picked it up.  It is 350 pages of small print, so I am not sure I will get through it.  But what really bothers me about this book is a shared trait of a lot of academic books.  I’ve noticed this before in “scholarly” books authored by professors and university people.   In this case, okay, I would like to know about the Rise and Fall.  So we open the cover and begin. The first section is called “Introduction to the Paperback Edition” in which the author “updates” some information from the original hardback edition.  It goes on for thirteen pages of small print with small margins during which he rambles about the Falkland Island war and other sort of side line subjects.  Okay, whew, I slogged through that.  Let’s get on with the Rise!.  Nope, we now get to the Preface of five more pages.  Then we get the Introduction!!  Nine more pages!!  So after about thirty pages you finally get to the subject.  I’m worn out.  I guess it’s common practice, but get on with it!

And lastly since we’re going on about books, MFO would club me if i didn't include a reminder that tomorrow (Friday, 16 March) is the first day of the annual Friends of the (St. Mary’s County) Library book sale.  I remind you every year and hope you are able to come and avail yourself of the opportunity to get some very good books at incredibly low prices, and support our local libraries at the same time.  There are thousands of books on all subjects and they pretty much fill up three buildings at our fairgrounds, one each for Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children’s literature.  Tomorrow is “members only” day, open to current and new members of the Friends (you can join on the spot for $15).  It opens at one and stays open until 8pm.  Saturday (open to all) hours are 10 to 5, and Sunday is noon to three.  All left over books get recycled and given to charities, so they start from scratch each year.  It is fun to come and browse.  You never know what you might find tucked away someplace.  All the books are grouped into fairly narrow categories so you can pursue your interest fairly easily.  Cook books?  You betcha..

I will most likely be in the Non Fiction building taking money.  Stop by and say hello!  And buy some books!  (2 bucks hardcover; 1 for “trade” paperback; and 50 cent “regular” paperbacks).  There are also some videos, books on tape, and usually some of those old things called records..

Pretty fun event. And you can be

DF whatever you want to!!

Great Restaurant (??)

With San Diego in the Memory banks, I was going to do a report today about some books  that I have read lately (part of my relaxed lifestyle), which deserve talking about.. But another subject has pushed it off the front page.

Last night, an alert and discerning reader forwarded me the following link to a restaurant review by Marilyn Haggarty from Grand Forks, North Dakota.

How he came across it was not divulged, but as I read it (you should, please) I couldn’t believe what I was reading.  It was a review of their newly opened Olive Garden.

“After a lengthy wait for Olive Garden to open in Grand Forks, the lines were long in February. The novelty is slowly wearing off, but the steady following attests the warm welcome”

She went on describing her experience and what a wonderful meal it was.

“The chicken Alfredo ($10.95) was warm and comforting on a cold day. The portion was generous. My server was ready with Parmesan cheese.”

“All in all, it is the largest and most beautiful restaurant now operating in Grand Forks. It attracts visitors from out of town as well as people who live here”

My first reaction was that it was tongue in cheek, a masterful piece of sarcasm, and a parody on chain restaurants.  But the more I read it, the less convinced I became of that opinion .  I don’t mean to denigrate her, but she turns out to be 85 years old, and has lived there for most of her life.  I was so fired up I sent her an email, not necessarily criticizing her for reviewing a “chain” but pointing out what a disservice to her community it was to drive people to a chain.

So this morning I woke up, and as usual we tuned in to the Weather Channel (old people watch the Weather Channel), and they cut to somebody (Mike Sidell?) in (get this) Grand Forks, North Dakota!  His lead in was that “I’m usually here to describe the winter weather, but this time I’m outside the Olive Garden”.  Holy crap!  He further reported that Maryiyn’s “review” had gone (I hate this word) viral on the internet.  So I googled it and there were a plethora of foodie posts slamming her.  There was also an article by the newspaper defending her, saying that foodie people are snobs, only respecting high end restaurants and on and on.

A recent google research reveals she is now headed to New York to be a guest at Le Bernadin, and other upscale places.  Is she savvy enough to launch her review with that in mind?

I am not sure what to think, but I will relate that by pushing some chain in Grand Forks, she is taking revenue away from (hopefully there are) local places.  When you support a chain, you eat food developed in a corporate kitchen; marketed research to give you dishes what they think most people want (Chicken Alfredo) prepared off site, shipped in and finished for your dining pleasure.  But you know what? Your check puts money in the corporate till, it leaves the area to join a regional pot.  Your local restaurants that can prepare unique dishes with locally sourced ingredients, displaying talents of a chef able to innovate and express his/her individuality lose their chance.

Thanks, Marilyn.. I hope your local restaurants appreciate your power play.  And when you are at Le Bernadin will you be

DFD?

Dining In....and done..

Besides all the “dining out” adventures, we also dined “in” a fair amount, meaning we just stayed home with our friends and enjoyed their home cooking (which was very good thanks to her being a great cook) so we ate (and still DFD'd) very well.  And by staying in a lot we also had plenty of time to talk, listen to nice music, actually read a book, and take a guilt free nap(s).  Although “big deal” meals are fun, it is also quite satisfying to have a good meal without having to make reservations, get in the car, drive, make menu choices, drive home, and so forth.

One of the meals "in" was a “Costa Rica night” (they had traveled there) dupulicating a meal of beans and rice and fried plantains.

Along the way, we had things like a lovely sausage and mushroom pasta dish (for which I now have the recipe!), some tasty sandwiches for lunches, homemade pizza, homemade caramel for treats, and of course homemade DMOTRWAT’s, good wine, and good desserts.

 When making lunch one day, we had some jicama and carrots  out for crudités, and the conversation sort of drifted to food photography.  I mentioned that there was a growing profession of “food stylists” who prepare the plate for the shot, putting bits of parsley just so here and there, put a casual crumb on the plate, place the fork, and so on.  So my friend and I got busy and created a food stylist picture of our own… the Jicama Crab Plate...or is it a spider... no, crab sounds better..

Which presided over our table of fresh fruit and tuna salad sandwiches.

One of the days it was chilly enough to have a pleasant fire

A few of the evenings we were treated to a video show of the birding trips they went on, and we also kind of fell into watching a couple of (Netflix) episodes of Doc Martin, a great show if you have not seen it.  There’s a lot to recommend just staying home.

One of the days when we didn’t stay home we visited the (famous) San Diego Zoo.  Besides the critters of four feet they have several aviaries which house exotic and tropical birds (thank you San Diego Weather) in huge enclosures.  We spent a lot of time getting shots.

Gorgeous creatures.

 We also took the “bus tour” around the rest of the park after our feet grew tired where we saw a lot of other animals..

One of the things they do at the zoo (hey!...) is to release the macaws near the entrance gate and they all take off much to the delight of the visitors

Anyway it is a nice place to visit, but a word of caution, to get a regular day pass it costs you a healthy $42 bucks!  It does include the sky tram and the bus tour, but still, think about taking a family!  Investment touring.  We didn’t check out the food or souvenir prices, but I suppose they are commensurate.  In all fairness the zoo has many worldwide programs for specie preservation and research, so it goes to a good cause.  Still pokes a hole in your wallet..

Which finally brings us to the end of a wonderful week in SOCAL.   We saw what we wanted to see, ate what and where we wanted to, and saw the ocean. 

But what will linger are the memories of relaxing (not easy, but you CAN do it) and enjoying the company of good friends and their hospitality.

So after some delays, finally we were on the great silver bird headed east.  With amenities..

DFT(raveling)

Like No Other...

Tradition:

The first definition according to Merriam Webster: “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action or behavior “.   In our case there are a couple of things that we have fallen into the habit of doing on any trip to San Diego.  According to Merriam, I guess that puts us close to making them a tradition.  One has to be careful of turning tradition into tyranny, as in “damn it, here we are so we have to……”; so far we have avoided that…

Anyway we seem to always find time to visit the timeless Grand Dame of Coronado Island

Which you should know is the Hotel Del Coronado.  It holds sort of a magic draw on us, to the point where a visit to San Diego without touching base leaves kind of a hole in the experience.  I think it has changed ownership a few times since we began visiting years ago, but it remains stately and grandiose.  It just has a majestic feel about it. And part of the tradition is to have a bite and sip on the Ocean Terrace which is now called Sheerwater (why, I don't understand), a restaurant with open air seating completely outside, or on the porch, or altogether inside.  The weather while not balmy, was warm enough to stay outside.

 It is a lovely setting offering views of the ocean and a parade of passerby’s which is always rewarding.  Before I go on, you might notice the ball cap on the gentleman in the above picture.  I will not fault him for this in this instance, because the place is popular for dining to all sorts of creatures.

The avian customers have been a fixture since we first experienced the Del, but by and large the staff and customers shooosh them enough that they are not a huge problem.  We were seated at a table, the water glass immediately filled and presented with menus.  It is a one sheet affair with drinks on one side and food on the other.   Guess which side we looked at first!

It is left as an exercise for the reader to decide who had what drink..  And I guess this is as good as time as any to mention the service there.  Again harking back years and years, the service has always been gracious.  The food may take a while, but the table service is always timely and attentive.  When one thinks of the hordes of tourists and characters that come through the place day after day, it is amazing to me how they maintain the level of friendly servers.   You don’t see inside their minds of course, but outwardly they make you glad you came.

So fortified with liquids we turned the menu over to the food side of things (and I apologize to my support team for the stupid shadow in the picture)

It is a pretty good menu because you can find most anything to suit your appetite and mood.  After waffling back and forth a few times I settled on the penne pasta, and MFO chose a lamb burger (not pictured on the menu) and a side salad.  Somewhere a second glass of the Pinot appeared and we enjoyed the passing scene and reflected on our trip  (living well is still.....).  In the morning we “did” the San Diego Zoo with our friends (more to come on that) so just sitting and sipping was very welcome.  Water was kept filled (with lots of ice, thank you) and pretty soon the food was there.   What’s not to like about pasta…

The rock shrimp were good, there were several kinds of mushrooms not just crimini, and the brandy lobster sauce was true to its description.  The pasta was just nicely cooked, not at all mushy.  I couldn’t finish it all…. because, you have to save room for dessert!  After more waffling (that second glass of wine) we decided on a lemon curd and two spoons.  How’s this for a presentation?

The lemon curd was tart and creamy, berries fresh, and the pistachio merangues were a welcome foil. A cappuccino finished off the meal. I suppose it shouldn’t be a shock, but all the food was very good, nicely served and presented.  In a “crank ‘em out” setting, wandering tourists, some regulars.  Nice job.  The tradition continues..

Speaking of which, another visit that is becoming on the verge of a tradition is a "big deal dinner" in La Jolla at Tapenade.  We have always enjoyed meals there and our hosts suggested we do it again.  No Brainer.  Long time readers will recall I have reported on it before in glowing terms.  This visit gave me no reason to revise my opinion.   I believe the chef may have changed but the food and service have not.  Exquisite in both departments, servers in crisp white shirts, bow ties and black vests, muted tones on the wall, tables set far enough apart to allow some sense of privacy, gleaming crystal, the whole package of what a great restaurant should be.

Our server inquired about drinks and she soon delivered three glasses of Sancerre and a perfectly made DMOTRWAT.  The menu is divided between “Les Classiques” and “Seasonal Flavors” for both appetizers and entrees.  Sort of an imaginative way to give the kitchen some latitude while retaining classic French dishes (Escargots de Bourgogne au beurre d’ail; Bisque de Homard) as well as some seasonal dishes (Celeriac "remoulade", poireaux vinaigrette, truffe; Civet de Sanglier à l'Ancienne).  After enjoying our drinks we got down to food.  

There were tough choices all around.. appetizers were the snails (MFO); Assiette de Charcuterie Maison; Lobster Bisque and Salade de mesclun, croustillant de chevre, chutney de poire.  My plate/assiette contained paté, salami, and prosciutto along with the requisite Cornichons and crusty bread.  For entrees we had a classic coq au vin, MFO also stayed on the classiques side and followed her escargot with Homard au maïs blanc, cèpes et vanille Tahitienne .  I had a lovely plate of roasted loin of venison presented with slices and bacon wrapped noisettes, and the fourth was a ravioli dish.  At this point I have to admit I stopped taking notes as the bottle of Latour 2005 Cote du Beaunes gradually filled our glasses.  At some point you just have to enjoy the food and the hell with the little notebook.  Consequently some of the details have escaped me.   What hasn’t escaped me was the enjoyment of the company of our good friends enhanced by food and service.  When it’s done right, you just flow.   Wonderful..And in deference to the establishment the Canon stayed in the pocket except for a parting shot of a lovely chocolate dessert.. beautiful.

So the tradition continues and grows.  It is nice to know they’ll be there the next time we visit.. and you betcha we were

DFD

Concert Alert

Know this may be a bit tardy, but would feel guilty if you didn't see it and would have liked to attend.  I will be in the audience.  I pass this along from a friend:


I want to invite you to a very special recital this Thursday evening, March 8, at 8pm in St. Mary's Hall (Auerbach Auditorium) on the campus of St. Mary's College. Jonah Yeh, student of Brian Ganz, will give a piano recital, performing the music of Mozart, Chopin & Beethoven.  Brian will join Jonah to perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major.  

San Diego wrap up in work.. well, maybe next to last san diego...

if i see you tonight, you better be

DFM

and if anybody in the SMC music fraternity (is there a music sorority?) see's this I would very much like to lobby for starting these things at 7.. just a thought