Appetizers, Cocktails and Roller Derby

We had the opportunity to see the final championship of the Rose City Rollers. We were there support one of Nick’s coworkers. I have to say that I was rather skeptical about this roller derby. In my mind I conjured up something between the state fair and American Gladiator. It turned out to be one of the best evenings out we’ve had in a long time. Good clean fun.
Before we headed off to the roller derby everyone stopped by our house for cocktails and appetizers. We made a couple of “easy but goodies” that we think all of you will like. The spread included Roasted Vegetables with White Bean Humus, Prosciutto Wrapped Gorgonzola with Figs and Roasted Tomato Goat Cheese Crustini.

My Roots

When I was five we moved onto Wind hover Farm. It was a beautiful farm where we raised Black Angus. At the height of our production we had about one hundred head of a cattle roaming around our place. It was idyllic, and it was a lot of hard work. As an eight year old spending my Saturdays knee high in cow muck was never very pleasing idea. But growing up with these animals gave me a deep appreciation of what it takes to bring an incredible piece of meat to the table.

This weekend we were all down at the Metolious River and my dad brought down twelve beautiful choice rib eye steaks. He grilled them on the Webber and I prepared the other dishes. At dinner he gave a little tutorial about how to grill a great Rib eye steak. I love those little moments.

The picture above is my dad on the left with my uncle Jim and steaks in the foreground.

Mt. Hood's fall bounty

You know what they say…Crudités, gone tomorrow.

Ok, I know it’s corny. So this Sunday we got invited to our good friends Tucker and Gerald’s house for dinner. We were supposed to bring some nibbly things for before dinner. We were trying to think up what to make. I thought it would be fun to make a little challenge. I’ve noticed that every time I go to the store I end up spending sixty bucks even when I’m just making a simple meal for myself. So the challenge was to create a snack platter for less than $20. I realize that this sounds stupid because you should be able to cook a whole meal for $20, but here’s what we came up with.
We made Hummus, Baba ghanouj, oven toasted pita bread and crudités, which included Snow Peas, Fennel and Belgiun Endive.

Farmers Market Update Oct. 6th

This week you could really feel fall kick in. This morning was damp and light was cool grey. The feeling at the market today was distinctly different. A couple booths were gone and the crowd was a little thinner. But something there was something new….Squash.

Bar Crudo

I get really excited when I discover a new restaurant that is creating food that’s truly unique. It’s even better when it’s in a charming space with, with great service. Last night we went out to Bar Crudo. The menu features a large variety of seafood prepared in some classic methods and then some incorporating a fusion of styles and flavors.

We started of with a plate of Kushi and Ninigret oysters with a classic mignonette . That was followed with the crudo sampler platter. Crudo is an Italian style sashimi, or as I like to describe it Italian sushi. My favorite was the Artic Char set on a creamy horseradish sauce and topped with wasabi tobiko. The other stand out was sea scallop on corn puree topped with lobster mushroom. With each of the crudo you got to experience a different flavor and texture of seafood. After the crudo we got two amazing dishes. The San Sebastian was my favorite of the night. This dish was sort of like a Spanish reinvention of a nicoise salad. Arranged beautifully on the plate were roasted red peppers, asparagus tossed in a orange vinaigrette or agramato oil, olives, capers, manchego, a slice of grilled bread and soft boiled egg. All of this was the base for an incredibly succulent piece of tuna confit. This dish incited a fork fight for every last morsel. This dish was the perfect example of being sophisticated without being fussy. We finished off the meal with a bowl of seafood chowder. I can only describe the chowder as pure perfection.

Bar Crudo is everything I love in a great restaurant, inventive, sophisticated, unpretentious and charming.

Bar Crudo

603 Bush st.

San Francisco, CA 94018

415 956 0396

That Cowgirl Cheamery is a very fine cheese

This morning I met up with my foodie friend Kent from Portland. He just happened to be in San Francisco on the same weekend. We thought it would be fun to go check out the Ferry building farmers market. It was a great combination of produce stands that set up each morning and permanent food stalls selling cheeses, bread, olive oils and such. One of my favorite cheese producers had a large stall. I love the smell of a cheese shop. They smell kind of gross and seductive all at the same time.

You can order their cheeses online. So next time you're having a party order some up.