The Farm, Hog Island Oyster Company

Friends invited us to go north to eat oysters near Bodega Bay. They were aiming for the Hog Island Oyster Company 'The Farm' on the Tamales Bay, CA (just northeast of Point Reyes N.S.) at 20215 Highway 1, Marshall, CA.

We met up at their place in San Francisco and drove the Golden Gate Bridge north, then traveled over toward the coast. They came prepared with ingredients to prepare sauce for oysters, beer, fruit, cheese and pita crackers. We brought wine, as we didn't know what else to expect.

Upon arriving along the crowded coast (an unusually warm and sunny day for this time of the year), we took advantage of the free valet parking. There is substantial remodeling happening on the property, so fencing barricades lead us north, then west around a building. Our immediate view was of a crowded group of warm (nearly 70 degrees), and sunny revelers. We hunted for an available picnic table.

Note: ~6 picnic tables along the outside (by the fence) are by reservation only (call ahead); ~6 picnic tables + 1 stand-up table 'inside' the semi-circle of outer tables are first-come-first-served (and sharing is encouraged--if not necessary!) The other difference between the outer and inner tables (all outdoor) is that the outer tables require self-shucking of the oysters and have ~89 cent oysters available, and the inner tables have house-shucked oysters for ~$2 each. Obviously each has it's advantage, plan ahead.

Atlantic Oysters

Our host ordered one-dozen barbecued oysters and two-dozen raw small-sized "Sweetwater" oysters. When those were done we had two-dozen raw "Atlantic" (type, not raised there) oysters. 

Small Sweetwater Oysters

Temporary storage for harvested oysters, Hog Island Oyster, Co.

All the oysters were fabulous as they're all farm-raised a 100 yards away by 'mud flats'/on oyster beds, then stored a short time in containers where fresh bay water flows in and out (so the water doesn't become toxic).

It was fun to go to the source and drink all the bring-your-own-beverages, and accompaniment food in a relaxed setting. The Bay Area's weekend-idle riche (guy sporting a "Facebook developer" t-shirt, former 'Lehman wife'-turned-'Google wife' with a large ring some would inadvertently assume costume, etc.) unintentionally congregated to this local like Surat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." A french bulldog was our table-mate for the glorious foodie afternoon.

Opening REDD WOOD

When one has the town with the highest per capita Michelin Stars (due to one demi-god-like chef), there's bound to be competition. Some of said chef's employees were hired to give the north-end of Yountville, CA a young, hip vibe. Was invited to the second night of pre-opening (friends and family) of a casual eatery REDD WOOD at 6755 Washington Street, Yountville.

We woke before the crack of dawn to put in a full day's work, then made the two hour trek north to our 'home away from home.'  After more than four days of rain, it finally cleared in time for our drive through San Francisco.

REDD WOOD has a sleek, spare 'clean subway' meets 'rustic elegance' decor within the charming and tiny Hotel Luca complex. We sat at the bar.

Hubby began with a gin drink ('209' gin made by a winery owner nearby--Leslie Rudd) and shared meatballs.  These had a texture I admire--meaty, not mushy, and definitely included pork in the ingredient mix.

We sat by the 'meat locker' or curing room.

A shared 5 piece charcuterie featured the house-created cured meats. The restaurant also makes all their bread and the extra-long grissini.

I had the winter vegetable salad with green goddess dressing.

Hubby ordered the lamb bolognese with risotto balls (arancini). The sauce was what one would expect from a nicely textured and meaty-tasting bolognese.

The roasted potatoes were good cold the next day, the fried brussels and cauliflower were excellent and memorable.

For dessert we shared a chocolate caramel tart with hazelnuts and toffee cannoli.  The desserts were perfection.  It was the best cannoli I've had.  The chocolate caramel tart was rich and smoothly textured with the nut and crisp crunchy crust.

Note that the menu will change from day-to-day.  Open for dinner to late night.  Do serve wood-fire pizzas.

Our evening was so lovely that we were most pleasant to one another afterward.  So, I suppose that says something about a meal:  one that's better than years of couples therapy (not that we've had any).

In the end, if I had to make a judgment, would say it's a great place to hang out with friends and have a snack.  Unable to wrap my brain fully around choosing to dine at REDD WOOD over my favorite restaurant.  (note that Bouchon Bakery and Ad Hoc restaurant are both undergoing several months of renovations)  Do believe that REDD WOOD restaurant is a fun, comfortable place to enjoy friends and food (+ it has a full bar).

Thanksgiving at Ad Hoc Restaurant

I am attempting to eat at Ad Hoc Restaurant 366 times within mine or the restaurant's life. Each time represents a day during a calendar year. This is a tricky proposition because Ad Hoc isn't open every day (they're normally closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays), and closed on major holidays. For instance, 2012 is a Leap Year, however February 29th will fall on a regular Ad Hoc day off, so I'll have to wait until 2016 to eat there on a February 29th.

When I heard this past Spring that the restaurant (my favorite) would be open (as a one-off) this Thanksgiving I asked early and often for a seat. We've dined often enough to become pretty good friends with a number of the employees. It feels like family.

Prior to Thanksgiving dinner there were murmured rumors . . . "a whole turkey per table," "Chef wants one of each pie made per table," etc.

Pastry Chef Sarah Z. at 2 am finishing her Thanksgiving pies

Finally, the big day arrived. I ate a persimmon for breakfast and tried not to eat anything else before our 3:30 pm reservation. We drove past our friends' San Francisco apartment and picked up pineapple treats they'd brought back from Taiwan. We each ate one, which saved our grumbling tummies.

Once we arrived, we didn't have to wait long for the great appetizers. Every bit was housemade, down to the crackers. Hor d'oeurves featured olive and eggplant spreads, wrapped bread sticks, stuffed mushrooms and smoked salmon.

White bean soup

The turkey roasted for our table.

Turkey with all the fixings: onions, Brussels sprouts, yams, green beans, bacon celery stuffing, whipped potatoes, cranberry sauce, and little drop biscuits. The mushroom soup on the green beans was out of this world.

Our table of two was served half of each pie--pumpkin, apple and pecan with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and whipped cream. (Tables of four were given three full pies!)

This was my second time eating in a restaurant on Thanksgiving day. The first time didn't feel like Thanksgiving, this time definitely did. The entire staff went out of their way to devise a plan to make their friends and family feel really, really special. Everything about the meal was planned to create a feeling of home, comfort, memory, etc. We brought home a file box full of leftovers, just like the leftovers of our past Thanksgivings.

Ad Hoc's careful planning succeeded.  I felt extraordinarily lucky to have such a love-lavished meal.

Honey Caramel Almond Bars

As they say, the fifth time's the charm, and here is the final product:

Gourmet Girlfriend's Honey Caramel Almond Bars

Time 1 hour, 30 minutes; Serves 24

 Crust:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300° F.  Grease bottom and sides of a 9” X 13” baking pan very well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, salt, and sugar at medium speed until combined.  Beat in the vanilla extract.  At low speed, add the flour and cornstarch, mix until just incorporated.

Pat the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Prick the dough well with a fork.  Bake for 20 minutes, until pale-golden brown around the edges.  Cool slightly as you prepare the topping.

Caramel Almond Topping:

4 cups sliced almonds (optional: use less)

2 ½ cups light corn syrup
1 cup honey

4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons butter, unsalted

½ teaspoon salt

4 cups heavy cream, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla

Place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake at 350° F for 10 minutes until lightly golden.

In a very large sauce pan heat the sugar, honey, corn syrup, 2 cups cream, butter and salt on medium heat, stirring, until it reaches bubbling, cover and cook for 3 minutes.  Without stirring, when bubbles subside, wash down the sides with cold water.  Let boil until the caramel comes to 240 degrees, soft ball stage.  Slowly add the last 2 cups of cream, without breaking the boil.  Continue to boil until caramel reaches the medium/firm ball stage 244 degrees.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and almonds.  Toss until they are completely coated.

Pour the caramel over the pre-baked pastry base.  Cool the bars completely, then cut into 24 triangle bars 

(OPTIONAL:  let cool 5 minutes to 200°F and use to cover caramel apples).

CSA & Pig Pick Up

Thursday picked up our CSA.  We're contemplating whether or not to get the Winter Share this year, but will definitely get the Regular Season Share next year (beginning in April 2012).

Up at Summit Lake Vineyards the younger Griffin daughter raises pigs for 4-H.  The eldest daughter used to raise 4-H pigs, but doesn't any more.  Now her pigs are raised for college money.  We purchased half a 300 pound pig to supply us with protein for the next year.  Not only did we see the pigs when they were young arrive at the farm, we saw them grow up.

Some may have great issue with knowing that one of these sweet pigs ended up filling our freezer.  I've said many prayers and given much thanks for the pig.  I know they were not overcrowded, that they were fed well, treated well, cared for; will help a talented young, hardworking lady go to college; and I know when, where (at home), and how the animals were shot and butchered.  All of it done with much respect for the animals.

On Saturday we picked up our pig from the butcher at Willowside Meats, Inc. in Santa Rosa, CA.  One can see the quality of their meats.  Having not personally bought a half an animal before, I was surprised to learn we had 19 pounds of sausage (made into breakfast links).

Sunday morning we had sausage pita for breakfast; and a bacon, lettuce and tomato salad for dinner.  The sausage was relatively lean, the bacon very lean and meaty, both had excellent flavor.  We requested the butcher put the pork into small packages as there are only two of us.  I'm sure you'll hear more about the pig in the future.

For the dear pig who gave up it's life

for us to eat and be nourished well.

Dominion & Dinner with Friends

Last weekend while dining with friends, we invited them over for dinner tonight.  After watching Barefoot Contessa, shopped for a few items for the menu I'd created earlier in the morning.  Lately, I've spent hours looking on eBay at beautiful antique china/porcelain.  It's been a very long time since the china in our collection was used, so I thought we'd go a little fancier tonight and see some of the pretty plates that usually sit in the cabinet.

Dishes sitting out awaiting their respective course.

Amuse Bouche of mushroom, yogurt and carrot parfait with a squash blossom bought at the farmers market by our friends.  This was served with a 2010 Monte Volpe Pinot Grigio from Mendocino (purchased on my parents' 45 Anniversary at Graziano).

Earlier I'd prepared items from the CSA: green beans, eggs, potatoes and lettuce for the Salad Nicoise.  In the pantry I didn't find the black (nicoise) olives that I'd hoped, and only found the pimento stuffed green olives, oh well!  The tuna was from our local market, and seared briefly on each side.

Tuna salad nicoise served with 2009 Eric Kent Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Scallop with prawn under mashed sweet potatoes, served with a "Root of All Evil," absinthe mixed with root beer.

Preparation of the scallop with prawns.

Braised lamb with roasted sweet and yellow potatoes served with 2006 Retro Petite Sirah Howell Mountain

Cheese course, petite creme with applesauce made by a coworker and toasted Companion Bakers bread, served with Spiced Pear Vodka mixed with gingerale

After the main course, we took a break to play the card game "Dominion," which is a little like Settlers of Catan--without a game board.  It's an enjoyable game to play with 2-4 people.

The evening ended with strawberries stewed in a peppered wine sauce with whipped cream and Pocky sticks.  A 2002 Summit Lake Clair Riley Zinfandel Port from Howell Mountain was served, though I think it would have gone better with the cheese course.


Surprisingly clean up was much easier than I would have thought, as serving and removing plates was done in an organized manner.  Also, it probably helped that there were only four of us.


For an evening that was planned on the fly, seven hours from conception to delivery, it turned out well.  Life is what one makes of it.

Camping Lake Almanor

From our home in the San Francisco/Santa Cruz Bay Areas of California, Lake Almanor and Lassen Volcanic National Park are about a 6 hour drive.  We took Interstate 80 North out of the Bay Area and over toward the State Capital of Sacramento, eventually we ended up on 70 North and then took 32 East from Chico, CA.  Leaving just after 6 am, we arrived at our Lake Almanor Campground South at noon.  Stepping out of the car, we were instantly relaxed.  Fresh cool, clean, air; blue sky; tall, happy trees made us want to set up our new hammocks and take in our temporary home.  The Lake Almanor area is like a blissful, calm, quiet, uncrowded, low-key version of Lake Tahoe.

We took a ride around the lake after settling in and setting up our tent.  The photo above was taken on the southwestern corner of the PG&E-created lake, looking north toward Lassen Peak.

The remainder of our camping party had joined us by the second night, the night before the full moon.  We hoped in the car to obtain a great sunset shot, and this moon rising photo as well.  This southeast-facing photo was taken after the adventure of crawling down a couple of embankments to the lakeside.  Rocky Point PG&E Campground affords visitors tent sites right on the lake shore, we discovered.

Every morning while camping, the mother ground squirrel (ground squirrels don't have stripes that go all the way down their noses, unlike chipmunks) scurried around for food.  Meanwhile, her three babies, one of which is pictured above, would come out for some sun.  What a cute family with whom to share our campsite.

While waiting patiently for the Lassen Volcanic National Park road to open, we rented a boat.  The boat was equipped with a "fish finder," so we could see the best fishing was on the least populated side of the lake, about 300' off shore.  Lake Almanor is a wonderfully relaxing lake.  My husband I both commented on the cloud formations:  reminded me of Georgia O'Keefe's paintings, and my husband of "The Simpsons" clouds.

One night we ate at the Pines Resort on the lake shore.  The restaurant was memorable only for it's Friday and Saturday night live bands.  When I saw the sun setting, I ran out onto the dock and photographed the colors.  Loved that people just boated across the lake to eat dinner, then cruised back to their country club homes.

The night after the full moon, this amazing moon came up behind us: a huge orange moon sitting in a dark blue sky, reflecting a deep orange off the turquoise lake water.  The colors reminded me of something tropical like southern Florida.

Listening to me, my husband drove Highway 89 South to go home.  We took the scenic route, which surprised us with it's wonderfulness.  Passing many quaint towns; Quincy, CA being my favorite; Lure Resort on the river in Downieville, CA looked sweet as well.  Highway 49 South followed 89, where we stopped to take the photo above.  Our friend, who drove this route the previous night, said that he saw two giant mountain lions sitting on a boulder looking for food in the river.  What an exciting trip!