Et Tu Desserte?

I am a dessert-a-holic.  For a long time I was in denial.  I would tell myself it was rude not to have a slice of cake during a co-worker's birthday celebration - even on days when multiple celebrations were being held because even though I had a slice of cake at the first one, the second one featured homemade cupcakes and I wouldn't want to offend the host by not taking one.  Not to have dessert at someone's wedding shower was almost equal to cursing the marriage and don't even get me started on the bad karma associated with skipping the baby shower dessert table - the evil eye stares from the soon to be Grandmothers would be enough to send even the healthiest of eaters running for the baby carriage shaped cake.  I suppose if my obsession was limited to special celebration-related desserts I would only have diagnosed myself as having a mild preoccupation with sugary confections.  Sadly my addiction progressed to having secret cookie stashes in my desk drawers (darn you Girl Scouts and your delicious Tag-Along cookie goodness) and an unhealthy draw to anything labeled red velvet.  I knew I had to take control or forever be at the mercy of the Pillsbury Fiesta Cupcake and so I devised a plan to help me not so much stay on the dessert wagon, (because lets face it giving up desserts totally was not going to happen for me) but prevent me from getting run over by it.

Looking back, I am not sure when exactly the addiction began.  As a child I don't recall being occupied with sweets but maybe that is because as a kid you really don't pay too much attention to what you are eating.  Food either tasted good or it didn't.  The stuff that tasted good you ate, the stuff that tasted like a foot you pretended to eat but actually gave to the dog.  Or in my case stared at it on my plate until it became a cold, congealed mush and my mother caved in and made me chicken nuggets.  Either way, I never recalled my consumption of desserts or the lack there of as being an issue until I actually started paying attention to what I was eating.  Suddenly, the knowledge that I shouldn't be mainlining Oreos into my system made them all the more attractive.  I began feeling an irresistible draw toward all things sweet.   And that is when the justifications started.

If you try hard enough you can justify pretty much any action.  "It was my birthday party and they went to all the trouble of buying donuts, I have to have at least one."  "Red Velvet is my absolute favorite, how can I pass that up?"  "It is the last cupcake and it looks sad - I feel bad for it so I will just eat it to make it feel better."  Somewhere in Italian lore I believe it is considered bad luck to leave one cannoli uneaten - who wants Italian bad luck - not I that is for sure.  As time marched on I did manage to wean myself off some childhood favorites - the Cinnabon cinnamon roll and Breyers Strawberry ice cream (every night) are two notables.  But those were fairly easy because Cinnabon is not all that accessible these days and buying a whole carton of ice cream for ones self is a pretty drastic and deliberate move that I have thus far been able to avoid.  My major downfall is the drive by dessertings. 

There are two types of drive by dessertings, the first type, involves peer pressure related dessertings.  There you are, sitting at your desk, innocently working on your latest assignment when the bing of a new email alerts you to the fact that the whole office will be celebrating person x's birthday at 2pm.  At this point you have a few options - skipping the whole thing would probably be the most prudent - avoid temptation entirely but in the process become the office pariah because what grouch skips a birthday party?  You can go armed with an excuse about having to leave immediately after the Happy Birthday song so as to avoid the cake passing awkwardness.  Or you can man up, go and refuse a slice and then suffer the barrage of questions as to why you don't want cake (are you watching your weight? -depending on your size this is either delivered with some sympathy or a bit of hatred because they believe you are too thin as it is; do you not like this type of cake? are you not hungry? do you not like person x?)  If you are one of those strong-willed people who can make it through the office party gauntlet undesserted then I am in awe of you.  It is a rare occasion when I can attend an office celebration and not come away with frosting on my face and a slice of regret for not having been able to stand up to dessert related peer pressure. 

The second type is worse; it is self-inflicted drive by desserting.  Here is a situation I recently faced.  I have been attending some work related training sessions - on leadership and self-discovery no less.  During these trainings we are provided with a wide variety of food types, all laid out buffet style in the back of the room.  There are scheduled breaks throughout the day during which participants are encouraged to get up, walk around, network and if you like, grab a snack.  Since we are all adults, if we are starving during a presentation we can also feel free to get up and grab a munchie.  This is where the self-inflicted desserting comes in.  In the afternoons the desserts arrive.  The catering company artfully arranges them in the back of the room - their lovely sweet aroma wafting over us as we are educated by one of the many charismatic presenters lined up for that day's training.  As soon as break is called all the women, myself included, run for the restroom.  Upon my return I make my fateful mistake.  I heard a rumor of brownies at the back of the room - brownies, much like red velvet, are a huge problem for me, I find them almost impossible to turn down.  On this day I tell myself, I am just going to take a look, I don't even want one, I am not even hungry.  And then I see them - chocolate brownies with chocolate frosting all lined up in perfect symmetrical rows.  I unconsciously grab a fork to cut one in half (see showing restraint) and I realize they do not cut in half as easily as one would think (crunchy edges - which I love even more then non-crunchy edges).  I could have walked away; I should have and would have were it not for one of my cohort members chivalrously offering a knife to aid me in the cutting process.  Clearly I was now committed.  I hack sawed my way to half a brownie and triumphantly took it back to my seat.  I am not going to lie, this was the HARDEST brownie edge I have ever chewed through (but you will notice I did chew through it) and when I was done, I sat back and took stock of what I had eaten that day.  I will not bore you with the details but I will tell you that it was not good.   It was after that brownie that I knew - I was a dessert-aholic and I needed to take control.

The first step to gaining control is acknowledging the problem.  The next step is coming up with a workable solution.  As I previously mentioned, I have no intention of giving up desserts completely.  But I would like to control them as opposed to them controlling me.  A big part of gaining that control is establishing ground rules and a reward system (a non-dessert related reward system).  Below is my dessert manifesto:

• Desserts will only be consumed during the celebration of a close friend or family member milestone (i.e. while I like my co-workers there are too many of them and they have too many birthdays so those are all out)
• Consuming desserts by ones self is strictly prohibited (it is just sad to stuff cookies into ones mouth while huddling in a dark corner of the office break room)
• Consuming desserts while in the company of ones spouse is allowed as long as the dessert is split equally

As with all new programs, a rewards system is typically useful in promoting the upholding of the ground rules.  I developed the following reward system for myself:

•  Every dessert avoided is worth one point (these would be the self inflicted drive by dessertings where you have to walk up to get one)
• Every dessert declined is worth two points (these would be the office/social drive by dessertings where the dessert is put under your nose and you decline)
• For every 5 point accumulated a small gift (i.e. nail polish, inexpensive earrings, etc.) can be purchased as a symbol of your triumph
• If I choose to, I can save up my points and for every 10 I get a slightly larger reward (manicure/ pedicure, etc.)

At this point you are probably thinking one of two things - she is brilliant and I am totally adopting this system for myself or she is a lunatic who spent way too much time trying to figure out a way to reward herself for basically not being a glutton.  Think what you want but so far I have passed on the brownies yesterday and a red velvet cupcake today - take that skeptics! 

I am not perfect and I am sure that I will have my moments where I say to heck with this I want a darn chocolate cupcake.  And I will eat it but not with the same abandon as before.  I will think long and hard about eating that cupcake before I do because I will have gained enough self-control to truly decide whether or not I want to eat it.  Desserts are not the enemy, but they are also not our friends.  We need to develop a respect for them and only then will we truly be able to enjoy them.

"A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience."

-Oliver Wendell Holmes 

I'll Show You Mine, If You Show Me Yours - Cooking With Friends

When a meal is on the line, everyone has at least one go-to recipe.  It is similar to your go to drink at your favorite bar; it is familiar and comforting and never fails to bring joy to your taste buds.  If the meal was a rousing success you will most likely be asked for the recipe.  So you painstakingly write down each ingredient, trying to translate into actual quantitative values - a pinch and a dash.  Your friend will grasp this holy grail of recipes to their heart, triumphant in the thought that they will soon be serving up your delicious dish as their own to some outer circle of friends who won’t know any better.  In reality, their meal will turn out just okay and your friend will be left with thoughts of revenge; insisting you left out the one key ingredient that pushes the dish over the top.  Cooking With Friends was created to avoid just such a situation, as well as give friends a chance to come together over good food and drink to learn, from the master chef, how to make that magical dish.

The concept behind Cooking With Friends is simple, take one group of friends, select one individual to host.  The host is in charge of teaching their guests how to create one dish.  The dish can be anything, from breakfast to dessert.  The guests are responsible for providing the sides and the beverages.  These items can be made at the host's house or in advance.  Once the whole group is assembled, the eating commences, as does the cooking.  As the first host of our Cooking With Friends group once said - this is Cooking With Friends, not cooking for friends - so everyone is expected to participate in the preparation of the dish being taught.  That includes, prepping the ingredients or stirring while the host moves onto other dishes.  At the end of the evening, everyone leaves, belly full, and with a copy of the recipe they just witnessed the creation of.  Cooking With Friends is the live cooking demonstration you always wished you could have – good friends, good snacks, and tasty beverages all while learning something new.

A friend of mine invited me to my first Cooking With Friends shortly after I moved to San Diego.  Being new to the area I was excited to meet some new people and try out some delicious food.  Our host was cooking a Peruvian dish called Peruvian Spicy Creamed Chicken (Aji De Gallina).  When we arrived her house was already filled with delicious food smells.  My contribution was my famous Grape Nut cookies.  Others brought veggies, crackers, and wine.  Another guest passed around a Peruvian blended beverage.  After allowing us to chat and munch a bit, our host called us all to order and commenced putting us all to work - scrubbing veggies, shredding chicken and peeling potatoes.  Once the prep was done she was ready to show us how to make a proper Peruvian meal.  It was no small task reining all of us ladies in, especially after the Peruvian drink and some wine.  Nonetheless, our host was a pro, seamlessly moving between the stove and blender, all the while explaining exactly what she was doing.  She then showed us how to plate the meal properly and once that was done, turned us loose to serve ourselves.  The end result was delicious.  The chicken was moist and incredibly flavorful, with some spice to it.  The white rice helped to balance the heat and the boiled egg was a cool respite from the hot meal.  It was everything you would want a dish to be.  If we didn't need to share with others, I probably would have gone back for thirds.  My first Cooking With Friends experience was everything I hoped it would be plus more; I met excellent people and sampled foods I might not otherwise have tried.

I’ve been to two more Cooking With Friends sessions since my Peruvian experience.  The next edition was “build your own pizza with friends.”  This time the host provided the dough and some toppings, guests were tasked with bringing some toppings of their own as well as creating their own pizzas.  The results were stomach stuffing good and I learned how to stretch out pizza dough without tearing holes in it- a very important skill.  My pizza was a half and half - garlic spread with spinach and tomatoes on one side and spinach with fig spread on the other.  Additional pizza creations included a pesto, avocado, corn, and mozzarella cheese with tomatoes, and a mashed potato with bacon and cheese that brought most guests to their knees.  The delicious pizzas kept rolling out with the piece de resistance being the dessert pizza - nutella, powdered sugar, nuts and some caramel sauce.  If your mouth isn't watering by now your imagination taste buds must be broken.

I was the host for the following installment of Cooking With Friends.  Never one to shy away from a challenge, I chose a dish that I had never made before - chicken and vegetable tamales.  As I will freely tell you, I am a lover of the tamale and the decision to cook this traditional Mexican dish may have been a result of our recent trip to Cabo.  Because of the time consuming nature of creating a tamale, I chose to do my prep in advance, enlisting the help of Mike - the chief cook in our household.  We went to a Mexican food store and got all of our ingredients, including the dried corn husks, chicken, various peppers and vegetables for those who wanted a meatless tamale.  Once the guests arrived all the ingredients were ready to stuff into the tamales.  Everyone got to make their own tamale - I won't pretend that this went perfectly, it took a while to get the dough spreading process down and most of the time tying the tamales shut was a two person job - but this was Cooking With Friends, so everyone joined in.  I am happy to say that the tamales turned out pretty darned good.  The chicken took in all the flavors of the spices and peppers that they were slow cooked with and the tomatillo salsa gave the whole dish a nice kick.  Since everyone made their own, each tamale was unique.  Our guests made Mexican themed appetizers including chips with cheese and salsa and Mexican cookies.  There was also some sipping tequila that was enjoyed by all.  Even though it might not have completely gone according to plan, that is another important ingredient of Cooking With Friends - working together to make a great meal.

The November Cooking With Friends was a Thanksgiving edition; our hosts provided the 18 pound turkey and the guests brought the sides.  It was quite the feast.  My contribution was a vegetable and mushroom stuffing that turned out moist and flavorful and guests felt free to go for a second helping since it was "healthy".  I also brought a sweet potato and apple dish created from a recipe I discovered while looking through my grandmother's old handwritten cookbooks.  A few ingredients were substituted as using massive amounts of butter and salt did not seem like a good way to start off the holiday eating season - we need to pace ourselves people.  Every dish was unique and delicious, from the figs stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped with bacon, speared with rosemary, to the more traditional sweet potato puff and green bean casserole.  Some of us would go on to have family Thanksgivings later that week and others would escape to the desert of Palm Springs, but that Cooking With Friends was truly a joint effort and a Thanksgiving blessing that no one will ever forget.

Our final Cooking with Friends of 2012 was the merriest of them all - Christmas Cookies Cooking With Friends. Everyone brought one or two of their favorite cookie recipes and we all settled into the process of bringing our confectionary creations to life while listening to the festive sounds of Elvis singing Christmas classics. My first batch was my now famous Grape Nut cookies - which I managed not to burn this time (see my mini-blog on when good cookies go bad). As is my Christmas tradition I also made sugar cookies and cut them out in traditional holiday shapes - Santas, reindeer, and stockings did abound. After baking, we commenced with the decorating. This is where the true Martha Stewarts of our crowd emerged - those who can decorate and those who try. My skill set focuses on sprinkle usage and bringing simple designs to life - such as Christmas stockings (white frosting for the fuzzy top and red icing for the foot part) and Christmas trees (multi-colored icing for the Christmas balls and green icing for the tree outline). I left the more complicated designs to those with a steadier, more artistic hand. Soon enough jubilant reindeer were a leaping across the table while serene angels looked on. Additional cookie varieties included gingerbread, pumpkin spice, brownies with mint green frosting, Rice Krispie treats, and Italian wedding cookies. By the end of the day everyone left with a sugar hangover and bags of cookies. It was a wonderful way to bring this year of Cooking With Friends to a close and left us all looking forward to a 2013 filled with more food, friends, and fun.

Every Cooking With Friends has been a bit different, and not just because the meals varied so widely.  Everyone had their own teaching technique, some went step by step, others just let us use our imaginations and others tried to provide some guidance while still allowing for culinary creativity.  No matter what the process, the food was always delicious and the company joyful.  After all, what more do you need then good friends and some reindeer shaped cookies?


"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness."
Elsa Schiaparelli

Culinary Adventure: Tommy DiNic's

--> Entering Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market is akin to entering a giant Middle Eastern bazaar - food stalls of varied cultural identity intermix with handmade goods such as soaps and apparel.  The phrase, "If you can't find it here, you can't find it anywhere" springs to mind.  In the center of this food and merchandise mecca sits Tommy DiNic's.  If you didn't know any better you would think that it was just any old sub joint, serving up the usual Philly cheese steak and pork sandwich.  The line wrapped around this open air "restaurant" is the first indicator that this place is special.  The large trophy sitting in the center - Best Sandwich in America, as awarded by the Travel Channel Show Best Sandwich in America, hosted by Adam Richman - is your second clue.  The silence from the patrons perched on the bar stools that line the perimeter of DiNic's proves that these people are enjoying their sandwiches way too much to take a conversation break.  From the moment I entered Reading Terminal Market, I had one mission, to try one of DiNic's famous pulled pork sandwiches, complete with broccoli rabe and provolone cheese.  And so, with parents in tow, I got in line to try what many others knew to be the best sandwich in America.

--> Tommy DiNic's is a Philadelphia institution.  The Nicolosi family has been feeding hungry Philadelphians for the last 100 years, since 1918 when Gaetano Nicolosi opened a butcher shop and called it Nicolosi's.  In the 1970's DiNic's was born - the brain child of cousins Tommy Nicolosi and Franky DiClaudio.  By combining their names they came up with DiNic's.  The original DiNic's was located at 10th and Oregan.  In the 1980s, the cousins decided to split up the business; Franky taking his half to 10th and Reed and Tommy making Reading Terminal Market his home.  The Reading Terminal Market location of DiNic's is now run by Tommy and his son Joey.  It is their commitment to the made-from-scratch process that keeps people coming back for more.   

--> This being my first visit to the Reading Terminal Market I was initially overwhelmed, both visually and aromatically.  After a slight detour to a stand that boasted homemade honey and candles made from beeswax, I got back on track and made my way down the center aisle toward DiNic's.  Located roughly in the center of Reading Terminal Market, DiNic's is hard to miss, both because of its signage but also because of the large crowd surrounding it.  We got in the line, which wrapped 3/4 of the way around the restaurant.  The menu is short and to the point: roast pork, roast beef, Italian sausage, and homemade meatballs.  You can also get hand carved roast pork or beef brisket.  As for toppings, you have your choice of broccoli rabe, provolone, sauteed spinach, or roasted peppers.  As I had been planning this visit to DiNic's for months, I knew what I was going to order and did not need to consult the menu board.  As luck would have it, three stools opened up as we were waiting in line to order our sandwiches.  We quickly claimed them and I commenced my surveillance of the other diners.  All were elbow deep into their sandwiches and all had the same blissful expression on their faces - like there was nowhere else they would rather be at this moment.  I could not wait to experience my own food nirvana.  A server quickly took our order and while we waited I checked out the food prep process.

--> Because of its location the whole place is open for viewing.  The dining counter surrounds the kitchen area.  There are soda fountains in one area and the sandwiches are built on the other side.  Our sandwiches were created right before our eyes - first the bread was sliced up the middle, next came a few slices of provolone, sliced fresh off the cheese block, then a heavy helping of pulled pork, extracted dripping with goodness from the slow cooker, and finally, the broccoli rabe, piled high on top.  The sandwich is cut almost in half and wrapped up in wax paper before being placed in a red basket.  As business was booming, this whole process was done quickly, but with practiced precision.  My first bite was one of shock - I was not expecting the bitterness of the broccoli rabe having never tasted it before.  On its own, probably not my favorite green, but when combined with the pork, cheese and bread, was a fascinating taste bud experience.  The broccoli rabe is slow cooked with garlic and other spices.  The pork was juicy and tender, each bite an explosion of flavorful juices.  The provolone cheese was delicious and gave a salty zing to the pork and rabe combination.  The roll was fresh baked and fluffy - the stuff bread-lovers dream about.  While consuming my sandwich bits and pieces of other people's conversations floated into my ears.  Many of those in the line had not been here before, their visit prompted by the Travel Channel show, Man vs Food.  Almost all were planning to order the sandwich that I was quickly consuming.  Before I knew it, I had finished the first half of my sandwich.  I had the second half packed up for a future lunch.  We left DiNic's with happy, full stomachs and thoughts of return visits.

--> When I was a kid, food held no special significance for me.  I knew what I liked and what I didn't like - at least I thought I did.  This would explain why it took me so long to explore Reading Terminal Market and Tommy DiNic's.  What I couldn't appreciate as a kid, I am making up for as an adult.  My visit to DiNic's was everything I expected it to be, delicious, slightly hectic, and a family affair.  It was only fitting that my first DiNic's sandwich was experienced with my parents on either side of me - one family enjoying another's culinary heritage. 

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."
-Andre Gide

The Jersey Experience

When I first arrived in New Jersey, I knew that there was a distinct possibility my short visit with my parents would be extended due to a little storm called Hurricane Sandy.  What I did not realize was that Hurricane Sandy would end up changing the face of "the shore" - home to many of my happiest childhood memories.  While I haven't lived in NJ for over 13 years, the Jersey shore - specifically Ocean City - always remained my favorite beach town.  Given that I have lived within an hour’s drive of some of the most beautiful beaches in the US that is not a small proclamation.  Whenever I am home, a trip to Ocean City is always on the schedule and this visit was no different.  Had I known the extent of the devastation that was coming I might have taken more time to truly soak up the atmosphere that makes up a true Jersey shore experience.  The shore will be rebuilt and new memories will be created but nothing can replace what was lost.  Thankfully it appears that the Ocean City boardwalk escaped relatively unscathed but it will still take weeks and maybe even months for those directly impacted to piece together the broken remnants of their homes, businesses and lives.  Now is the time to look forward to the future but we must not forget the past and the happy memories that live there.

Any day trip to Ocean City typically begins with the battle for parking.  Our usual spot was roughly in the middle of the boardwalk, right behind Shrivers Salt Water Taffy store.  The iconic storefront features two children swinging and flipping happily since 1898.  While you can buy taffy from many different stores on the boardwalk, the white and green Shrivers box is probably the most recognized and no trip to the shore is complete without a visit to this store and the experience of gnawing on a piece of taffy so chewy that you feel as though your teeth might be yanked right out of your jaw (in a good way).

If it was summer time I would hang a left at Shrivers and go tearing up the boardwalk toward the water park (let's face it, I would still be tearing up the boardwalk to the water park if it was socially acceptable and if it wasn't so darn cold up on the top decks).  Gillian's Water park isn't huge, especially not by today's water park standards but it was the best place in the world for me when I was a kid.  We would all hit the slides - Mom and Dad included - flying down the twisting and turning shoots, pinching your nose at the last minute to avoid a flood of water up the nose.  After a few hair raising trips we would relax, floating languidly down the lazy river until our color was called signaling that our time was up.

All that water sliding really works up an appetite and the boardwalk is the perfect place to solve that issue.  When I was a kid, chicken fingers were my meal of choice, followed up by some caramel corn or perhaps some funnel cake.  On my most recent trip to the shore we visited Manco & Manco pizza.  They have 3 shops on the boardwalk, but given that it was October and the shore was bracing for Sandy, only the location closest to Shrivers was open and it was packed.  Our first pass by showed a line out the door.  We continued our walk down the boardwalk and upon our return trip found the line had dissipated and we were able to get a table - albeit one that we had to share with some friendly strangers.  For me, Manco & Manco white pizza is the best on the boards.  I don't know if it is the saltwater in the air or the ocean waves crashing on the shore but Manco & Manco pizza never ceases to amaze my taste buds.  The crust is the thinnest I have ever seen and the aroma emanating from my slice was mouthwateringly cheesy.  While not stiff like a typical thin crust, this one still had a nice crunch.  Adding some red pepper flakes amped up the flavor a bit and gave my slice a nice, eye-opening bite.  After a nice slice of cheesy pizza dessert would typically be in order.

Looking back, when I was kid I was stuck in a food rut.  I ate what was familiar and therefore safe.  Unfortunately, that meant that I had to wait 30 years to experience Manco & Manco pizza.  It also meant that it took about 30 years for me to try out Kohr Bros Frozen Custard.  I was an ice cream kid, and custard held little interest for me.  Flash forward 30 years and we are all on the boardwalk celebrating Mom's birthday.  After some Manco & Manco we walked the boards and then stopped at one of Kohr Bros Frozen Yogurt stands.  We each ordered a cone, dipped in chocolate which immediately hardened once it hit the frozen custard.  The first bite is like breaking a flavor seal - you get the chocolate shell, then you hit the custard - vanilla, chocolate, or swirl.  After that first bite, you are done for.  If you aren't a quick eater, I would recommend getting your cone in a cup, so you don't lose any of that precious chocolate shell.  Unfortunately, given the chilly temperatures and the wind kicking up off the ocean, I didn't get a Kohr Bros custard this visit but I am hopeful that they will be around for my next trip down the shore.

During this most recent boardwalk visit, I popped into the Ocean City Coffee Co. - a new stop for me.  Normally I am not in need of coffee on the boards and if I did, my place was Shriver's Gelato.  But due to the storm, I was forced to patronize a new establishment - Ocean City Coffee Co.  I must confess, I might be a convert.  Piled out front are sacks of coffee beans.  The interior of the small shop is homey and coffee themed - there are coffee bags on the walls, and an old fashioned coffee bean grinder greets customers as they walk through the aromatic front door.  I ordered a Hazelnut Latte (non-fat, decaf in case you are interested).  While I was waiting for my order, I took a quick tour of the store (as I said it was a small shop).  Along the walls hungbags of tea leaves as well as different blends of coffee and hand thrown souvenir mugs.  My order came up quickly and I eagerly took my first sip.  A lovely blend of espresso and hazelnut - both flavors playing nicely together.  There was no overwhelming sweetness in this coffee, just a hint from the hazelnut -the perfect treat to warm someone up during a pre-hurricane walk on the boards.

There are countless things I love about visiting the Jersey shore - riding a surrey or bike up and down the boardwalk (until the designated time that they kick you off so you don't mow down unsuspecting boardwalk pedestrians); the smell of saltwater, caramel corn and pizza; the King Kong gorilla and the spray of the water that comes as he roars by at the Congo Falls Adventure Golf mini golf course; and who can forget my favorite - The Surf Mall - home to everything and anything beach related.  I do not believe that I have ever made a trip to the Ocean City boardwalk without visiting The Surf Mall - until this most recent visit when it was closed because of the impending storm - a sign of things to come.  There will be many more trips to the shore in my future, but after Sandy there will be differences, both subtle and obvious.  These changes afford us the opportunity to make new memories at the newly defined Jersey shore.  Who's up for a trip "down the shore?"

"Learn from yesterday, Live for today, Hope for tomorrow."
-William James

 

Leavin on a midnight train to Santa Barbara

Hopping in a car for a road trip is fun; the path to your ultimate destination is yours for the choosing.  Flying is the most expedient form of transportation, allowing you to start your vacation ASAP.  For me, taking the train is a compromise between the two; while not quite as fast as a plane nor as meandering as a road trip; train travel allows you to see the beauty of the countryside from the comfort of your reclined seat without the stress of highway traffic or the frustration of airport security.  I have always liked traveling by train; for me, a comfortable seat along with food and bathrooms at your fingertips is the only way to go.  Train travel on the west coast is not quite the same as on the east; high-speed trains have not made it out here yet and the train depots leave a bit to be desired (where is my Starbucks?  I need my latte and oatmeal for proper travel).  But on the upside, trains on the west coast are double-deckers - something that has always fascinated me.  So, despite the lack of caffeinated goodness, I was very excited to board our Pacific Surfliner train for our Labor Day trip to Santa Barbara.  Did I mention that this train hugs the California coastline?  Picture staring out of your train window and seeing nothing but sparkling turquoises water.  Yes, you can take the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and get roughly the same view, but it is infinitely safer to stare out at the waters from the train then from your driver's side window.  One additional perk of train travel is you can bring food on board.  For this trip I packed fluffernutters(for those west coasters out there, a fluffernutter is peanut butter with marshmallow fluff sandwich), which are the perfect travel food.  Our five hour train ride flew by and before we knew it we had pulled into the Santa Barbara train station ready to start our Labor Day adventure.

After checking into our hotel we immediately set out to explore the area that would be our stomping grounds for the next 3 days.  Santa Barbara is the quintessential California coastal city - beautiful beaches with mountains as the backdrop, a myriad of outdoor activities and a plethora of dining options.  The city of Santa Barbara is located on an east-west section of coastline; it is the longest coastline of this type on the west coast.  What this means is, when you look out at those crystal clear waters, you are actually looking south and not west.  Our hotel was situated roughly 2 blocks from the Stearns Wharf.  Stearns Wharf is the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco and is Santa Barbara's most visited landmark.  It is home to several restaurants and small souvenir shops.  One of the most notable things for me about the pier was the lack of railings.  If you aren't careful you could take an unexpected dip into the harbor.  After orienting ourselves (with the help of the large, painted compass at the end of the pier), and grabbing some homemade ice cream from the Great Pacific Ice Cream Co.(absolutely delicious, and a definite must stop for visitors), we headed over to Old Town Santa Barbara, the heart of the city.

The walk to Old Town Santa Barbara is about a 12 minute walk (roughly 5 city blocks) so wear comfy shoes.  Once you arrive, you will be greeted by a wide variety of mouthwatering culinary treats.  For our first meal in Santa Barbara, we chose Arigato Sushi.  Located on the outer edges of Old Town, Arigato Sushi is ranked as one of the top sushi restaurants in Santa Babara.  As we approached the restaurant, there was already a line forming, full of diners eager to experience some of Arigato's tasty rolls.  We took a seat at the sushi bar and commenced with the ordering.  My first selection was the Arigao Roll, fresh crab, smoked salmon with avocado and smelt roe.  In my opinion there is nothing better than fresh crab in sushi.  The smoked salmon was delicious and contrasted nicely with the slight sweetness of the crab and the avocado held it all together with its smooth, creamy texture.  The size of the sushi roll has become increasingly important to me; bigger rolls are harder to enjoy for me, as I am concentrating more on chewing them up and not choking than I am on actual taste.  The sushi rolls at Arigato Sushi were bite-sized, allowing me to savor all the wonderful tastes of the ingredients.   Our second selection was the Su-Miso Albacore nigiri sushi.  The albacore melted in your mouth.  On the first bite, the wasabi appears to overwhelm the whole piece, but once allowed to settle is very complimentary to the fish as well as the Su-Miso Mustard.  Overall, this dish was an eye-opener, both in taste combination and ingredients as it was the first time I truly appreciated how wasabi can work to enhance a roll and not just burn my tongue.  My final order was the Seared Yellowtail with Black Sesame Sauce and Chervil.  Even though I knew it would be seared, the taste of cooked fish sushi is always a pleasant surprise to me because it is so different from regular cooked fish.  Wasabi was also used here but it was a bit more subtle and it played nicely with the black sesame sauce, both of which complimented the slightly smoky taste of the seared yellowtail.  If our meal at Arigato was any indication, our time spent in Santa Barbara was going to be one tasty time.

The next morning we awoke refreshed from an excellent night's sleep, ready to tear into breakfast.  Luckily Sambo's, a traditional beachfront diner, was only a block away.  It was easy to see that Sambo's was a popular breakfast spot for both local and tourist - the wait time for a table was about 30 minutes when we arrived around 9am.  Never ones to delay gratification, we looked for seats at the counter and were rewarded for our resourcefulness almost immediately.  Happily settled into our ringside seats we opened the enormous menu and began the tedious process of choosing our first meal of the day.  For me, the choice was easy - two egg whites scrambled with hash-browns, wheat toast, and a side of avocado.  For my beverage I chose an eye-opening Bloody Mary.  My Bloody Mary was quickly delivered in a hurricane glass with a large stalk of celery sticking out the top.  It was the perfect the amount of spicy - it woke up my taste buds without fully engulfing them in flames.  Along with my drink came a basket of freshly baked blueberry mini-muffins.  Warm on the inside, crunchy on top - the perfect starter for our meal.  Breakfast arrived shortly thereafter; eggs scrambled to fluffy white perfect and the hash-browns crispy, potatoey goodness.  As always, avocado completes any meal for me.  A bit of hot sauce completed this happy food family portrait.  Ever the believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I ate every bite and finished my Bloody Mary with flourish.  Pleasantly full we left Sambo's and headed for a nice morning walk on the beach.

There was a respectful silence over the beach that Labor Day morning.  Overnight someone had set up a display of crosses honoring fallen service men and women.  In front of the crosses stood two men, one reading the names of the fallen and another seated in a folding chair ringing a triangle each time a name was spoken.  A crowd had formed in front of the display listing the names being read aloud, passersby pausing to take in the scene.  It was a poignant reminder of the day and what others have sacrificed so that we can enjoy the freedom that many of us take for granted.  Adjacent to the speaker were placards pleading for an end to war and a peaceful world.  We continued our walk up the pier and then onto Old Town for a bit of window shopping and site seeing.  After having a healthful lunch Silver Greens we headed back to our hotel room for some R & R before dinner.

Our dinner destination for our last night in Santa Barbara was The Hungry Cat, a small cafe sized restaurant located on an unassuming side street in Old Town San Barbara.  We were seated right in the middle of the action with a nice view of the bar and the open kitchen.  Those seated at the bar could watch the chef preparing their meals.  We got the evening off to a good start by ordering some tasty beverages - for Mike a Bella Rosa (muddled peach and rum cocktail) and a glass of cool white wine for me.  To go with our drinks we ordered a half pound of rock crab claws.  In no time a plate arrived with two large crab claws arranged hugging the cocktail dipping sauces.  If you have never done so, cracking crab claws is an adventure.  If you ever see me in a restaurant and I have ordered these you would be well advised not to sit anywhere near now.  I think I might have speared a nearby diner with a piece of flying crab shell.  Once we wrestled the delicious crab from its shell captor we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labors.  The crab was light and sweet and juicy and went nicely with the slightly spicy cocktail sauces.  All too soon there were nothing left but empty crab claws and relieved fellow diners.  Our main dish was the pan seared wild striped bass with corn puree, roasted squash, chanterelles, spring onion, and peach salsa.  This was a dish with multiple layers of flavor.   The Wild striped bass a light, white fish was prepared with a light seasoning of garlic and cayenne pepper as a base.  The squash retained its own essence and contributed a sweetness that was different from that of the corn puree and peach salsa.  The mushrooms pulled in the flavor of the corn puree giving them a lushness not typically found in mushrooms.  The whole dish was fabulous and perfect for 2 people to share.  The Hungry Cat was definitely worth the hike from our hotel and worth searching out if you are ever in Santa Barbara.

For our final evening out we went in search of a nightcap.  After a few false starts we ended up at Blush, a wine bar restaurant with a lovely back patio.  It was hear here that I would make my greatest drink discovery to date - the Pineapple Smash - pineapple infused with sky vodka, agave nectar,  and lime juice.  It is muddled with jalapeno.  You can order this drink mild or spicy.  I chose the mild and that was perfect for me.  The spiciness of the jalapeno went wonderfully with the sweetness of the pineapple.  On your first sip you don't notice the jalapeno's bite - it is only when you swallow that you feel the burn.  It lasts for only a moment but that combination of sweetness (pineapple and agave nectar), tartness (lime) and hotness (jalapeno) is unlike any cocktail I have ever tried.  The atmosphere of Blush's outdoor patio lent itself nicely to savoring a delicious drink on a slightly warm night with wonderful company.  I will definitely be returning for another Pineapple Smash - and the sooner the better.

Our visit to Santa Barbara proved full of surprises.  We ate delicious food in off the beaten path locations, enjoyed iconic views from a historic pier and were reminded that Labor Day was more than just a day off of work.  Even as we crossed the one-year mark of our arrival in California I am still constantly amazed at how different each "beach town" we visit is.  The saying - You've Seen One Beach You've Seen Them All" has never been less true when it comes to the Californian coastline.  So get out your map and your train schedule - an Amtrak adventure awaits you.  All Aboard for a Foodie Adventure! 


“I am not a glutton—I am an explorer of food.”
― Erma Bombeck