sugar snap peas and grapefruit at baco mercat.

California is spoiled by it's abundance of citrus.  It amazes me that you can walk down a street here and see lemon trees and orange trees on just about every block (I've refrained from picking any fruit mostly because I fear some man will jump out of the bushes and arrest me for stealing.  This isn't to say that I am not really tempted.)  This plethora of citrus seems to find it's way into almost every dish we've eaten here.  It shows up in avocado salads and as a sauce for sashimi (the boy is now a huge proponent of raw fish and citrus) and it showed up in this dish you can see at left that we ate on our first night in Los Angeles at Baco Mercat (which is an absurdly amazing restaurant that focuses on vegetables and small plates like the mercat sandwich that they created which I love).  This is one of those dishes that after I ate it I kept thinking about it and thinking about it and thinking about it.  The variety of flavors and textures is spectacular - crispy sugar snap peas, creamy burrata, crunchy croutons, sweet pear, and tart grapefruit.  You imagine it will be overwhelming, that everything will overwhelm everything else.  You imagine this will be an epic fail but then you have one bite and you swoon.  Everything works perfectly especially when covered in a dusting of chives and a sharp vinaigrette   This is the dish I plan on eating all summer.  The dish I plan on making the second sugar snap peas show up at the east coast farmer's markets because if I learned anything in California it's that citrus makes everything better.  

(Sorry about the sub-par photo which doesn't do the dish the justice it deserves.  All of the restaurants love dim lighting and using a flash is not something I will ever do when out to eat!)  

tartine walnut bread.

There is bread in this world.  Bread that can be bought at supermarkets and bodegas and pharmacies and this  loaf serves no purpose except as a vehicle to deliver some form of protein into your mouth.  It's starchy and the furthest thing from special and after you finish your sandwich you can't really recall what it even tasted like.  Then there is bread.  The transcendent variety that tastes like fresh milled flour and salt and sourdough starter.  The crust is thick and crunchy.  The inside is chewy and dense and rich.  These are the types of loaves that with one bite it tastes as if you are eating bread for the first time.  The flavor is pronounced and the bread can be enjoyed plain (although a spread of homemade jam or creamy cheese often elevates things).  These are the kind of loaves you devour whole, warm from the oven, and you wonder after how you will ever eat any other bread again.  This is how I felt after I ate my first bite of Tartine Walnut Bread while standing on the corner of 18th and Guerreo Street in San Francisco.  I wont say I made us go to San Francisco solely for this bread (I made us go for this bread and for the burritos and for dinner at State Bird Provisions) but this bread is magical and it's worth the journey because eating bread warm from the oven while on vacation with the guy you love is one of those unbelievable experiences.  It reminds you that purity and craftsmanship still exist in this world.  It reminds you that people want to put put a product that defies expectations. It reminds you that things can be made the old fashioned way and that in this world of modern technologies we should embrace the past to try and figure out how to improve the future.

All of these thoughts came from one bite of bread.  And yes I am a bit crazy about food but this is something that is worth getting crazy over.  When in San Francisco stop at Tartine after 4:30 to buy a loaf and then share with me your thoughts.  

shattered glass.

The shattered glass seen below was discovered in one of the old war rooms at Alcatraz.  I spent a solid 20 minutes photographing it from all sorts of angles - I just couldn't get over it's breathtaking beauty.  I never imagined myself saying a I found a prison beautiful but Alcatraz isn't like most prisons - it's hauntingly stunning.  A reminder of a lost era.  And a reminder that stunning can be found in the everyday.  

california eats.

California has stolen my heart or at least stolen my stomach. 

From top left to right. 

Picture 1 and 2 - Roasted tomato salsa and a chile verde burrito from Papalote.  The roasted tomato salsa is absurdly amazing.  I mean I could and would eat it by the bucketful (it would be unbelieveable on an egg scramble which is why I bought a jar to go and carried it around in my purse for the remainder of the day.  Hiking San Francisco hills while carrying a jar of salsa is not recommended .  The burrito was voted best in San Fran and the boy and I were on starvation mode so we got one to share as well.  This thing is the size of your head and has a lot going on.  I personally found it a little overwhelming (maybe that was because I agreed to add avocado, beans and a whole bunch of other things).  I don't think I could ever eat an entire one which says a lot.  

Picture 3 and 4 - La Taqueria.  This is one of those old school, been around forever kind of places (aka the kind of places I love).  The line is long but moves quickly.  The difference between this burrito and the one at Papalote is the fact that they don't use rice.  Just meat and salsa and whatever over add ons you choose.  We had the carnitas burrito as was suggested to me and it was absurdly good.  There was a level of purity to this burrito that was kind of lost on the other one.  The flavor of the meat really came through and you could eat a whole one and not feel like you wanted to die after.  I already informed Tyler we are coming here once more before we leave because I keep thinking about the quesadilla I saw some people eating and now I want one.  

Picture 5 - Kings Bakery was an old school Mexican style bakery, the kind of thing I haven't seen since I was in Mexico City.  In the inside the wall is covered with an array of different breads and pastries.  You pick a plastic tray and a set of tongs and basically load up on whatever you choose.  Nothing is more then 2 bucks and most of the stuff averages out at about 70 cents.  We got the fluffiest sweet bread ever.  The top of the bread was dusted with a nice layer of sugar giving in a nice crunchy bite.

Picture 6 and 7 - Passionfruit croissant and Thai ginger scone from Craftsman and Wolves.  I had read about this place from a post Desserts for Breakfast did a couple months back and then a friend from San Fran also mentioned it and once I hear more then one person tell me about it then I know I have to go.  The inside of this place is basically how I wish my future home would look like (all wood beams, high ceilings, and rustic tables).  The food is incredible.  I have a weakness for any and all things passionfuit so this croissant is pretty much the epitome of everything I love in this world.  It's tender and flaky, sweet and tart.  It's the kind of thing that makes you want to wake up each morning and eat.  The scone bridges the line between savory and sweet in a way that's absolutely perfect.  The green curry balances out the ginger and coconut in the most unusual of ways.  Not everyone would love this (I know Tyler wasn't a huge fan) but it makes you think about how different sweets can be in different cultures.   

warm glass noodles with edamame.

We are at t-minus 36 hours until we arrive on the west coast which means we are at my least favorite part of getting ready for vacation which is the "I can't buy anything new at the supermarket and can only make dinner using things I have in the fridge and freezer".  I somehow always end up with bits of things in the fridge  as a result of week long random cooking adventures and somehow this problem always exacerbates itself right before we leave on any trip.  My way of dealing with this issue is to make pasta.  I have yet to find a food that you can't combine with pasta. (Pasta is kind of like eggs.  You can eat any food with eggs, that's why they are so perfect.)  This particular pasta dish is a favorite because of it's Asian influence.  There is something about an Asian sauce and the combination of sweet, tangy, salty, and spicy.  The melding of different flavors excites your taste buds  This noodle and edamame dish is unexpected and light and uses basic pantry items which makes it perfect for those nights when you don't know what to make for dinner.  

Warm Glass Noodles and Edamame
Recipe adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

This is one of those dishes that really should just be used as a starting point.  I added in some leftover diced chicken and avocado to this dish as that's what we had in the fridge, but it would also be wonderful with diced carrots and pepper or leftover steak.  Really you can throw anything in.  (But I highly recomend avocado, it's wonderful here.)  

Serves 4

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons hot sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
Juice of 1 - 2 limes
2 tablespoons pure rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 - 2 teaspoons Sriracha 

For the Pasta

7 ounce glass (cellophane) noodles
2 cups shelled cooked edamame
1 fresh chile, finely chopped
1 cup leftover protein or vegetables (if none replace with an extra 1/2 cup of edamame)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons shredded fresh mint

Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes, or until soft (don't leave them in the water too long or they will get soggy).  Drain and leave to dry.

To make the sauce, in a small bowl whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.  

In a large bowl, add the noodles, edamame, leftover protein, vegetables, mint, and cilantro.  Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to combine ensuring all the noddles are sufficiently coated.  Serve garnished with more herbs.          

white on white.

Looking for something clean and pure.  

Nothing more pure then white.

Image via Pinterest.