wish i were there

Heidi's Big Sur Recommendations

Heidi of 101 Cookbooks has a yummy-looking recipe for homemade power bars, accompanied by a bit of how-to video and some footage of her trip to Big Sur where she ate them.  She also recommends a few variations on the recipe, as well as where to stay (Treebones, a coastal "yurt hotel" I've mentioned before - she recommends #8 or #15) and where to hike (Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP, on the Ewoldsen Loop).

The Ewoldsen Loop is indeed a beautiful hike, and is just nearby of the best spots to get a look at McWay falls, a beautiful little waterfall that ends in the bright blue-green cove - the water is so clear, it feels like Hawaii or something.  There's a quick but crowded spot to check it out, starting at the east end of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP parking lot.

I also recommend taking Partington Cove trail, which is also in the JPB state park but has a trailhead about 2 miles north, just off of Highway 1.  It really looks like nothing - you park on a turnout just off of Partington Creek Bridge, and head through a cattle gate down a steep fire road.  It gets brushy after a bit, and the terrain keeps changing - next it's redwoods - until you pass through a  little tunnel and suddenly, you're on a rocky little landing.  When we were there, the only other poeple we saw during the entire beautiful hike were a group of local teenagers picnicing - fishing, playing the guitar, and completely ignoring our existence, even when (especially when?) we started freaking out because we saw a whale.  There's also another fork along the trail that leads to a spectacularly private cove - tons of rocks to scuttle and scramble over to get to the rocky beach with huge crashing waves.  Stunning.

check out this useful and well-photographed site, hikinginbigsur.com, for more ideas, and these previous posts from yours truly for more Big Sur planning.

Lo-fi Portland guide.

Notes by Naive posted another fantastic guide, this time to Portland, OR - really lovely pictures, great recommendations.  Will possibly be up there in the spring/summer 2008 - if not Portland, then at least Seattle, to visit family - so I'm hanging on to this.

She mentions staying at the ACE in Portland, which seems to be a bit of an upgrade from the ACE Seattle.  I've stayed at ACE Seattle twice now - the first time was okay, the second not so hot.  Or rather, very hot, as the city was experiencing a summertime heat wave and the rooms aren't air conditioned.  Whatever, not a huge deal since it's so cheap, right?   Except that they don't have screens on their windows - which I can appreciate aesthetically, I suppose - but we were literally swarmed by huge flies the entire time.   I can handle flies in the tropics, or in rural settings, but big ol' city flies in a supposedly hip and modern atmosphere?  Big ol' city flies at $189 a night?  No.  And the sheets on the bed were a gross 50/50 blend - pilled and scratchy.  Boo... It's not that cheap!  Maybe now that the Portland location is up and running, they will revisit the Seattle for a refresh.  It's high time...

a girl after my own heart...

since we're on the subject, here's a perfect london guide, written by blogger naive.
this is exactly the kind of list i love: written by a local, not just for tourists, full of favorite idiosycratic places, shops and places to grab a bite, and illustrated with creative photography (see above, one of her images).  the list is too long to recap, but check it out - it's perfect.  and while you're at it, the rest of her blog is great, too.

roughing it in the hamptons?

i know, it sounds like a contradiction.  but according to this recent nyt article, there are two campsites worth a look.  the first, hither hills, situated between montauk and east hampton, seems preferred, with a "more genteel" crowd (at least when the author was visiting) and a lovely location by the beach.  cedar point, located at the northern point of east hampton, is more wooded in atmosphere, and less crowded.  either one is close enough to enable visits to the shops and restaurants that make the hamptons glamorous, so you can get a taste of what the high life is like, and then head back to the campsite for some miller highlife, if you are so budgeted.  check out the article for more details.

gateau basque museum

dorie greenspan, the famed pastry lover/cookbook co-author, has a blog where she recently detailed a trip she took to the gateau basque museum in the french basque countryside.  if you don't know what a gateau basque is, i'll let her explain:

Time out to describe a Gateau Basque: It's a double layer of dough, more like a thick tart crust than the word "gateau" would lead you to believe, encasing a layer of either vanilla pastry cream or dark cherry jam, a local specialty.

um, consider me interested in eating many of those, in every variety.  the woman practically planned her trip around visiting this small museum, and it definitely sounds like it was worth it.  so sign me up!

update - came across this tiny inn - you can rent a room in a farmhouse in the town of sare, nearby the museum, if you so desire.  beautiful views, and a great price! (starting at 280 euros/week!)  and the guggenheim bilabo is only an hour and a half away....

NYC greenmarket

even if you come to new york from a haven of farmer's markets - like me, in southern california - where i think it is possible to go to several farmer's markets daily in lieu of ralph's if you were so inclined - you really should still go check out the legendary greenmarket in nyc's union square.  it is a special experience in such an urban setting - this is not only a destination, but a place that many people simply must pass through in their efforts to get elsewhere, so it provides for wonderful people watching and a truly new york experience.  clearly, things must keep moving in nyc at all times, as you can see from this video of alice waters explaining how she shops the greenmarket.  that other customer just cannot wait for her fruit, she must get in there! she must get her berries as quickly as possible, cameras be damned!  hustle bustle, hustle bustle.  don't be confused by the lush array of vegetable and plants -it sure is new york city, after all.

here's the print article (with recipes) in case you can't get the video to load.

big sur bakery

a couple of popular places that we want to check out when we get to big sur....

• big sur bakery - when we get sick of camp cooking! looks like they have some great treats...
• henry miller library - to check in with the parton saint of big sur
• a hike into the julia pfeiffer burns SP - to see the only waterfall that runs into the pacific over 80 ft. granite cliffs!
• deetjen's - possibly for a meal, or at least to check out this historical little haunt.  would love to stay here on a non-camping trip sometime!
• nepenthe - for a drink on the terrace to take in the can't miss view (i hear the food, however, is definitely missable - mediocre and overpriced)
• monterey bay aquarium - maybe a side trip before we head home?  only if we've had enough of the wilderness...

el dorado hotel, sonoma

i'm in love with this place - the el dorado hotel in sonoma, california.  so many wine country inns and hotels have that "quaint" grandma's house feeling - maybe i am particularly averse since my grandma's house never  felt like that, and thank goodness.  anyway, i don't like victoriana in my everyday life - why would i want to vacation in it? 

the el dorado hotel thankfully gets it right, from the looks of their website.  clean vintage-inspired lines with a touch of nor cal character, and a fabulous looking restaurant to boot.  It's located on the sonoma plaza, which is a charming little downtown-ish square.  prices are decent - ranging from $155 to $225, depending on the room and season.  i have some family (not grandma!) in sonoma, so when i make it up there - maybe this winter - i'll be sure to post a review.  have you been there?  post a comment and let me know how it was!

pim's paris

one of my favorite food bloggers, pim of chez pim, always seems to be raving about some amazing little food mecca in some fabulous corner of the world that i am dying to try.  here are some of her more recent recommendations that i don't want to forget...

in paris:

• café de la Nouvelle Mairie, 19 rue des Fossés-St-Jacques, in the 5th.  "...a little aperitif before dinner at one of the cutest bistro rooms in paris, hidden somewhere behind the pantheon."
• l'ourcine.  "...an old favorite."
• l'astrance "is it even possible for a restaurant to get better every time you go there?  l'astrance may have just proven that it certainly is. "

in and around san sebastian, en españa:

• mugaritz  aldura aldea 20 zk. - errenteria 20100. gipuzkoa (tel. +943 522 455).
• for breakfast - "a cafe cortado and a rosquilla."

NYT frugal traveler

i love this - the NYtimes' frugal traveler is making a round-the-world trip this summer, and writing a column about his adventures every wednesday.  it's practically a blog.... um, except that it's affiliated with the most famous newspaper in the world.  anyway, you can see what he is up to this week (venice!) and post comments and suggestions on his travels here.  bon voyage!

more seattle finds...

in anticipation of my upcoming trip to seattle, i checked in at not martha, one of my favorite seattle-based craft blogs.  a few trip ideas i gleaned from her site:

• mora ice cream on bainbridge island (139 madrone lane; tel. +206.855.1112) seems to be a destination unto itself, but it doesn't hurt that getting there involves a fun ferry ride to a charming island full of fun shops and sights to see.  and there's even a vineyard on the island!  check out mora's website for why it seems so awesome - they don't mess around with their ice cream, no siree.  here's a ferry schedule - the ride should take about 35 minutes, one way, and costs $6.50 per person. $1 extra for your bicycle... now there's a fun idea!  also, you know i'm not big on b&b's (too much chintz!  too many ruffles!  too much closeness with strangers!), but here's a site dedicated to bainbridge island lodging, most of which (for better or worse) falls into the bed & breakfast category. 
• okay, i live in los angeles, so i need a taco truck like a hole in the head.  regardless, here's a blog dedicated to the taco truck wonders of seattle, should i feel homesick or something.  (sidenote:  we have a taco blogger here in LA as well, who can be a great resource when seeking out new trucks to try.... but none of the taco trucks in the world can compare to our strip of tamale carts in downtown LA, led by mama's hot tamales café, which has given the area a chance to revamp it's image.)
• daiso is one of japan's biggest 100-yen stores - the japanese equivalent to our ever popular $1 store.  i love all things japanese - and i am lucky enough to live near some great dollar stores that sell mostly japanese items.  however, the prospect of a dollar store that is actually HQ'ed in japan is too good to resist - and daiso has opened their first US location in lynwood, washington, a short 15 minutes north of seattle.  here's an article about the daiso phenomenon, and here's another and another.  they even have a wikipedia entry, check it out.  so, if the husband is willing to let me drag him to yet another japanese dollar store - while on vacation, no less - he wins the big prize of my undying love and affection.

paris restaurants

here's a blog entry by a favorite food blogger, david lebovitz, on some favorite restaurants in paris, including some tips for visitors on dining out in paris... he's a former chef from the famous chez panisse in berkley, now living in paris, so i definitely trust his recommendations.  i had trouble finding really great restaurants while we were in paris - we didn't do enough research, and didn't know whose recommendations to trust when we were there.  we had a few good meals, but i am keeping my ear to the ground from now on for our next trip someday.  i've quoted his post below, for future reference in case the post were to disappear...  i hope he doesn't mind.  also, check out his site for more restaurant recommendations, and his personal tours of paris with chocolate and markets in mind.  what could be better than having an expert guide by your side, leading you to all the best chocolate in paris?  that's right up my alley!
(by the way, his cookbooks are amazing... especially room for dessert.  yum!)

Several of these are also not fancy places. Sure, many people come to Paris for fine-dining, and you can find many of those addresses floating around guidebooks and online. But sometimes you just want a big plate of vegetable salads instead of half a carrot garnished by a shredded basil leaf with a dot of saffron sauce. I've included a few stand-by, reliably decent restaurants in case you happen to be in Paris on a Sunday, when many places are closed.

Before you start, here's a few tips when dining in Paris:

• It's always a good idea to reserve a table. Even if you arrive and the place is virtually empty, they like to know you're coming and you'll get a warmer welcome. Unlike the US, often you can call most restaurants that afternoon and get in easily. Hot restaurants, or ones that are fancier, you should call about a week in advance, or longer. Don't bother using email links on most restaurant's websites here since you're unlikely to get a response.
• Don't be embarrased to order wine or water by the carafe. You probably think you'll feel like a cheapskate...but get over it. If you look around, most of the Parisians are doing the same thing. And yes, the water is safe to drink in Paris. Why do people keep asking that?
• Adding a tip is not required, but in spite of what you hear, most people leave a little extra for good service. If the check is 28€, you could leave 30€ if you were pleased. Or if your meal is 95€, you could leave 100€. But remember that it's not required and if they don't bring you back your change, request it. I've had a few places pull that one (in Paris and in the US.) It's rude and presumptuous.
• LIke anywhere in France, always say Bonjour or Bonsoir when entering a restaurant, and when you leave, say Merci. Preferably add a Monseiur or Madame along with it.
• Many restaurants have 'deals' at lunch, or fix-price menus that are often a bargain. Some have them at dinner as well, and they're generally a good value.
• Please, do not bring out your hand sanitizer at the table. Do your grooming in the bathroom.
• No one has doggie bags, so don't even ask. (Although a friend of mine showed some cleavage and got one. Once.)
• No one has ice, so don't even ask. (Ok, well, you might get one or two. Wear something low-cut if you plan to ask.)

Rôtisserie Beaujolais 19 quai des Tournelles, tel 01 43 54 17 47. Grilled and spit roasted meats, and typical French fare. In the 5th. Avoid seats just next to the opening to the oven...it's très hot and they like to stick out-of-towners there, who they think won't complain. But I do since they invariably lead me to it. Open Sunday night.

Chez René 14, blvd St. Germain. Tel 01 43 54 30 23. Great French classics. The best Coq au Vin in town, with a sauce as smooth as velvet. If you don't order the fix-priced menu, be prepared for a lot of food. It's quite an experience and the cheese plate(s) is/are insane. Dinner menu, approximately 40€. In the 5th. You didn't hear it from me, but there's a clear brandy digestive hidden behind the bar...with a snake in it!

Cuisine de Bar  8, rue Cherche-Midi (M: Sevres-Babylon), tel 01 45 48 45 69, in the 6th. Open-faced tartines, or sandwiches, served on pain Poilâne, the famed bakery next door. Order the 12€ formule with a salad, tartine (I like the one with sardines and flakes of sea salt, or poulet with anchovies), a glass of wine or bottle of water, café and a spiced cookie. Very casual yet chic. And friendly. No reservations...lunch only. If the wait it long, they'll often pour you a welcome glass of wine.

L'As du Falafel On 34, rue des Rosiers in the Marais (M: St. Paul), closed Friday night and Saturday for the Jewish holidays. The best falafel anywhere! Join the crowd clamoring at the window. A dive & definitely a must...decent frites as well. One dining room is non-smoking. No reservations.

For something vegetable-oriented, Chez Marianne in the Marais at 2, rue des Hospitalieres St. Gervais, tel 01 42 72 18 86. Come here for decent Mediterranean salads. You choose a combination plate of 4, 5, or 6 salads. This is a good address to know about if you're craving something without a lot of meat. Perfect with a bottle of house rosé. Approximately 20€. Reserve, or wait for eternity. Can be a bit smoky, but open every day and night.

Chez Omar is one of my favorite restaurants in town. Specialties are couscous and they have excellent steak and French fries as well, but I always have the roasted lamb, or méchoui d'agneau. Very lively, no reservations. Open daily for lunch and dinner, as well as Sundays. If you go for dinner, be prepared for a wait after 8:30pm. Don't let any Parisians cut in front of you! A simple shove with your shoulder, followed by a very apologetic "Oops! Pardon" is usually all it take to get them to recede. Do it firm enough and you'll only need to do it once. Trust me. Moderate prices, which do seem to keep climbing each time I go. In the 3rd, at 47 rue de Bretagne. (M: Temple or Arts and Metiers)

Another great couscous place that's less-hectic is L'Atlas, with fine Moroccan food. Feathery light couscous and savory tagines. Skip the first courses. Not fancy nor too pricey considering the fine food and gracious service. DIne in the lovely tiled dining room, or outside in fine weather. Located at 12, St. Germaine des Pres. Vegetarians will love the large selection of seafood tagines. Tel 01 44 07 23 66 (M: Maubert-Mutualité), in the 5th.

Bistrot Paul Bert 18, rue Paul Bert, tel 01 43 72 24 01 (M: Faidherbe-Chaligny) Out of the way, but definately worth going to. I love this restaurant. Some of the best desserts in Paris too. Offers a 3-course fixed menu for 32€. In the 12th.

Les Papilles 30 rue Gay-Lussac, tel 01 43 25 20 79. Wine bar and light, 'market-fresh' food. Menu approximately 30€. In the 5th. Small portions, but cheerful staff.

santa barbara wine tours

the husband and i had an excellent time in santa barbara on our pseudo-camping trip (i know, i know - i will eventually get to reviewing it!) - and we managed to squeeze in some visits to a few wineries while we were there.  we wished we had done a few things differently with regards to the tastings, however.  first of all, we would not go on a weekend again - the tasting rooms were very crowded with just enough obnoxious people that put a bit of a damper on the relaxing, lovely experience.  secondly, we wished we had someone to escort us, because we couldn't visit as many as we would have liked since we didn't want to drink while intoxicated.  we saw some people being driven around by limo - and it just felt a little trashy to me, i have to say.  there's a relaxed elegance to most of the vineyards, but the experience shouldn't be about trying to impress anyone - the whole scene is far more down to earth than that.  when we got back, i was telling a friend of mine (the same gal who recommended some excellent places to go) about our experience, and she wholeheartedly recommended a tour company called cloud climber that offers jeep tours around the santa barbara/santa ynez wine country.  she said that her guide was super knowledgable, and led them to some really great places.  for $100, they will guide you around the beautiful countryside to four different wineries, with a stop to pick up some great sandwiches for lunch  somewhere in the middle.  the $100 also covers all the tasting fees.  that sounds worth it to me - we will definitely try it next time.

seattle, like a local

in this interview with alex calderwood, partner in ventures like rudy's barbershop and the ace hotel (which, incidentally, will be opening a 2nd location in portland this august - good for them!) gives the rundown of some of alex's seattle faves.  for doing seattle like a local, check out:

• the cha cha lounge  (506 east pine street, capitol hill, tel +206.329.1101) a divey / punk rock mexican restaurant and bar
• lowell's (in pike place market - 1519 pike place, seattle, tel. +206.622.2036) go for breakfast (only); right on the water
• dick's drive-in (five locations: 500 queen anne avenue north, queen anne, tel. +206.285.5155; 115 broadway avenue east, capitol hill, tel. +206.323.1300)  great burgers, around since the 50's
• maximilien (81A pike street, pike place market, tel. +206.682.7270) a bohemian french bistro with a view of the waterfront
• goods (1112 pike street, seattle, tel. +206.622.0459)  sells a.p.c. and hard to find kicks for sneakerheads
• golden oldies (201 NE 45th street, tel. +206.547.2260)  a collectible record shop with knowledgable staff - the perfect fix for vinyl collectors
• james turrell skyspace at the henry art gallery (at the western edge of the university of washington campus at 15th avenue NE and NE 41st street) a permanent installation by james turrell and plenty of rotating exhibitions
  
• seattle art museum (SAM) sculpture park (8.5 acres downtown near seattle center, bordered by western avenue, broad street, and the waterfront) to be complete in fall 2006, featuring works by richard serra and louise bourgeois

the best pie in arizona

if you know me, you know i like pie.  i am not quite as crazy about it as these folks (barbara and bill windsor), but bless them for taking a trip all around america - no, not in an rv, but in a porsche convertible - to just eat pie and write about it!  those are my people!  yes!  i can't wait to be retired...  anyhoo, for someone like me, their site is a great resource - yup, i like road food as much as i like fancy food.  click for lists of the best pie in america, the worst pie in america, unusual pies (no thanks to that cheddar cheese fudge!), and the complete list of pies - all ranked.  love it.

...but somehow they missed my favorite pie in arizona, at the rock springs cafe and general store (tel. +623.374.5794) in black canyon city.  it's a 30 - 45 minute drive from downtown scottsdale, at exit 242 off the I-17.  it began as one of arizona's first 100 general stores, and they built some of the still standing brick buildings in the early 1920's.  it's definitely a roadside stop - there's a gas station, and a saloon (um, for your non-designated drivers, i guess), and a bit of a general store selling arizona kitsch and tourist trinkets. the real draw, though, is the pie... the coconut cream pie, my favorite kind, is amazing, but they have plenty of other varieties to satisfy your pie lust - crumb fruit pies, cream pies, and their famous jack daniels pecan pie.  it's a popular spot, though, so if you're worried about them being out of your pie, you can always call ahead and reserve one.  if you are on your way to flagstaff, or up for a bit of a drive, this is a required stop.  no, i mean it.  you will thank me.

bill and barbara also missed the pie 'n burger (913 e. california blvd., pasadena, tel. +626.795.1123 ; picture via potatotomato) and apple pan (10801 w. pico, los angeles, tel.+310.475.3585; picture via sundown), two of los angeles' pie institutions.  i'll let it slide for them, since california is such a big state and they had a lot of ground to cover.  but that's no excuse for you!  you're not on a round-the-country road trip!  these are landmarks, people!  so go!

and if you are planning a pie trip of your own, and bill and barbara's lead is not enough, consult american pie: slices of life (and pie) from america's back roads by pascale le draoulec for some extra insight.  i haven't read the book yet, but i did hear this chat with her on the now-defunct npr show savvy traveler.  she describes her own journey across america in search of great pie, and all of the characters she meets along the way.

looking for other good road food books?  amazon also has the bible of diner dining, roadfood by jane and michael stern, as well as their new title, two for the road.

eatin' and sleepin' in scottsdale

my parents just went to one of my old favorite places in arizona (where they live, and where i lived for 10+ years) for brunch the other day... which reminds me that i want to go there again next time i am in the phoenix/scottsdale area.  the el chorro lodge (5550 e. lincoln dr., paradise valley, tel +480.948.5170 )has been around for ages (since 1934, if you wanna be specific) and is so charming.  it's one of the few not-new treasures that the phoenix area still has around.  it seems like everything old there gets torn down and erased from memory - it's nice to know that some places are still hanging in there.  make sure you have some of their famous sticky buns, and hopefully you'll be there when the weather is not oh, say, 100 degrees so you can sit on the patio.  don't hold their kinda cheezy website against them - they must just not know any better. oh, and here's a review.

since you won't be staying with my parents (and i hope i won't be every time, either!), try checking in to the royal palms hotel(5200 east camelback road, phoenix, tel +602.840.3610).  this hotel has also been around for a while, as well... it was built as a private home in the 1920's for a wealthy new yorker who wanted a desert getaway.  it has been a hotel since 1948, and is one of the best hotels in the phoenix area.  it is much more intimate and special feeling than most of those big resorts that abound in the area - and it definitely feels like a luxury escape, despite being more affordable than the phoenician and the like.

if you want a different scottsdale experience, a more trying-to-be-hip-but-possibly-not-succeeding getaway, you could stay at the james hotel ( 7353 east indian school road, scottsdale, tel +888.500.8080) in old town scottsdale.  it seems like the run-of-the-mill boutique hotel, but there is not much like that in the phoenix area, so it is big news to everyone there.  i am personally not sold on their decor from what i've seen on their site, so good luck.  tripadvisor reviews echo my negative gut feeling overwhelmingly.

not to be a snob or anything, but i am also not quite sold on the redo of the old hotel valley ho, which was a rather run down yet somehow charming mid-century motel for most of the time i lived in arizona.  it was recently revamped and um, hipped up, in a eames meets starbucks-school-of-interior-design sort of way.  i'm not sure i can support that!  and i am definitely sure that i want walls around my bathroom; watching tv while i soak in the tub doesn't sound that appealing to me.  gotta love the red flower toiletries (they're from my old nolita neighborhood!), and the pool looks like fun - not quite the raleigh, but i like it!  i do applaud them for not just tearing the whole place down.  as you can see, i'm conflicted.  the tripadvisors sure do like it.  maybe it's better in person.  anyone seen it?  let me know, and i'll be sure to post about it next time i go out there if i have time to check it out.

missing new york...

although i love, love, love los angeles, i do have the occasional pang of longing for some of my old haunts in new york city.  i haven't been back since we moved last may, and i am constantly remembering places i want to revisit for old time's sake when i finally do make it out there again.  my list is weighted towards lower manhattan, for sure, thanks to living and working in the same neighborhood for a few years.  new york is an ever changing city, though, so i will have to make a list of new places to go to that have sprung up since we left.  here are the oldies, for now, so i don't forget!

i want to eat...

• burgers at burger joint, hidden inside le parker meridien hotel in midtown (
• the chicken sandwich with chipotle mayo at tiny cafe gitane (mott and prince), or a quick sandwich at ruby's (mulberry at spring)
  
• a piece of cheese-dusted corn from cafe habana
• a slice at ray's on prince street at mott
• breakfast at balthazar, (spring at crosby)
• pain au chocolat from ceci cela, (spring at mulberry)
• a big ol' steak at keen's (36th street at 6th avenue)
• dinner at gramercy tavern (20th street between park and madison) or craftbar
• dinner at freeman's (at the end of freeman alley, off rivington near bowery)
• a slice of the cold pizza at sullivan street bakery in soho (sullivan near broome)
• cupcakes at billy's bakery (9th avenue near 23rd street) after hitting the galleries in chelsea (better than magnolia, and not such a line!)
• burger and shake at shake shack (in madison square park, madison and 23rd street)
• chocolate everything at jacques torres, on hudson near houston
• a spot of tea at wild lily tea room in chelsea, to recover from all that art, or at thé adore (on 13th street near university place), near union square
• a cowboy cookie at olive's (prince at greene) in soho, and here's the recipe
• an apple turnover at la table o& co., the random little cafe inside the l'occitane store in soho (i swear, it's an amazing pastry)
• chicken coconut curry over thai black at rice (mott between prince and spring)
• blackjack burgers and beers at pianos (ludlow at stanton)
• brunch at the new location of paris commune in west village (bank street at greenwich) or prune in east village (1st street between 1st and 2nd aves)
• a big bowl o' rigatoni at bar pitti, hoping for a wes anderson/noah baumbach sighting
• a warm egg bagel at david's bagels, on 1st avenue around 14th street
• the best chocolate ship cookie ever, at city bakery (18th street near 5th ave.) (even though we have one in l.a. now, too)
• scallion pancakes and dumplings at one of our no-name holes in chinatown
• dessert at chikalicious, east village
• some red sauce at gino (780 lexington) on the upper east side... and some zebra wallpaper while we're at it
• a cone at ciao bella (mott near houston), nolita
• pizza at otto (8th street at 5th avenue) or grimaldi's (in brooklyn heights, on fulton by the waterfront and the brooklyn bridge)
• dosas at hampton chutney co. (prince street at crosby)
• some fancy chocolate at dean and deluca (prince and broadway)
• my favorite mints from gourmet garage (broome and mercer)

i want to sip....

• a late-night kir royale at restaurant florent (on gansevoort near washington) in the meatpacking district
• an expensive cocktail at public (elizabeth between spring and prince) in nolita
• a glass of wine in near darkness at the other room, on perry street in west west village
• cocktails at bemelman's bar in the carlyle hotel (76th street and madison)
• a beer at good world (on orchard near canal) in chinatown/LES

i want to shop at...

• a few of my favorite garment district faves - tinsel trading company, for some cool notions; hyman hendler and sons for the most amazing ribbon; school products for discount cones of yarn; mood for designer fabric remnants
• jack spade - to check out the remodeled store and say hi to my old friends there
• my old nolita favorites - erica tanov, hable construction, lyell, á detacher, mayle, marchand et legumes, seize sur vingt, and the calypso outlet store (on broome street)
• makie in soho - the most charming, understated baby store on the planet (109 thompson street)
• purl and downtown yarns, my favorite knitting stores in the city (and i have to check out the new purl patchwork quilting store, also on sullivan street!)
• abc carpet and home, to look at their always impressive windows and displays (and maybe the one in dumbo for a deal)
• the big, glamorous department stores: barneys and bergdorf's, definitely takashimaya, and maybe henri bendel and saks
• the bleecker street marc jacobs, and see what else has opened up on that rapidly morphing street
• three lives and co., for a book to read on the plane ride home, and to wander around and get lost in the west village... c.o. bigelow on the way?
• pearl river mart for my favorite cheap dishtowels
• bddw (perfect handcrafted furniture), ted muehling (delicate jewelry), and opening ceremony (conceptual clothing) in soho
• find outlet in chelsea, for a deal on some cute indie designer's leftovers
• printed matter and balenciaga in chelsea
• jeffrey, bodum, auto, move lab, and breukelen (closed) in meatpacking
• steven alan and olatz in tribeca
• moss, the post-fire prada, kirna zabete, jill stuart, pastec (459 broome street), matta (115 grand street) and apc in soho
• century 21 - need i say more?
• spoonbill and sugartown, spacial (bedford and n. 6th), fabiane's and future perfect in williamsburg, bark (brooklyn's moss) and butter in boerum hill, and castor and pollux, bird and nest in park slope
• the dueling japanese dollar stores on grand street, between mott and mulberry - neither of which are as good as my california faves, but for old times' sake, you know?

i want to go to...

• the new new museum (wish i could see that andrea zittel show up right now...)
• the dia
• central park for a stroll, to camp out with the sunday times in the sunshine, and to check out the sunday afternoon rollerskaters (click for a picture on someone's flicker account of the most fabulous skater of all, my old-lady favorite... that woman knows how to skate!)
• williamsburg, to see what's new out there
• dumbo
• the galleries in chelsea, especially 303, henry urbach, max protech, and all the others that i can't remember the names of
  
• the whitney, moma, the met, cooper-hewitt design museum, american folk art museum and the swiss institute
• for a stroll among the fancy shops on madison avenue
• PS 1
• the statue of liberty and ellis island... because believe it or not, i never went to either in all the time i lived in new york.  whoops!

santa barbara wineries

so, i am heading to santa barbara for a long weekend!  hooray!  we are fancy-camping at el capitan canyon, so i will be sure to post a review when i return.  you might recall that i am a bit of an indoor girl, so in case we need a diversion from all the wilderness stuff, i asked a friend who knows about wine to offer up her recommendations for some vineyards to visit.  she notes that there are so many more to choose from, but that these are her favorites on both counts of wine and atmosphere.  here we come, sideways style!  (minus miles' depression, loneliness,and anxiety, i hope!)

• sunstone  - open daily 10am - 4pm, $7 tasting fee (125 refugio road,  santa ynez  +805.688.9463) directions? coming from the south, take highway 101 north.  exit highway 246 buellton, and turn right.  follow highway 246 all the way through solvang and into santa ynez.  turn right on refugio road.  sunstone is located down by the santa ynez river, just before, on the right.
• sanford - open daily 11am - 5pm, $5 tasting fee (7250 santa rosa road, buellton +805.688.3300)  directions?  sanford winery is located just outside of buellton, five miles west of highway 101 on santa rosa road. it is a one-hour drive north of santa barbara, 150 miles north of los angeles and 300 miles south of san francisco.  driving from santa barbara, take the santa rosa road off ramp (it is before the main exit to buellton and solvang). at the stop sign, turn left over the freeway to another stop sign, and left again, then you will be on santa rosa road. proceed west 4.8 miles to 7250 santa rosa road. the entrance way is on the left and a small sign says "sanford winery tasting room" is at the entrance. proceed up the gravel drive through the vineyards, to the left across a creek built of stone, to the tasting room and office.
• blackjack - open thursday through monday 11am to 5pm. (2205 alamo pintado road, solvang +805.686.9922 ) directions? from the intersection of highway 101 and 246 in buellton, go east toward solvang. proceed through solvang to the stoplight intersection of 246 and alamo pintado road. go left (north) proceed four miles and blackjack ranch winery will be on your left at 2205 alamo pintado road.
• melville - open 11am to 4pm daily. (5185 east highway 246, lompoc +805.735.7030) directions? from the 101, exit for highway 246 towards lompoc/solvang.  turn left at highway 246, and drive approximately 9 miles until you see melville.
• the hitching post - bar opens at 4pm, dinner available from 5pm to 930pm. (406 east highway 246, buellton +805.688.0676)  directions?  take highway 101 to the lompoc/solvang exit.  travel east towards solvang for 1 1/2 miles. the hitching post is on the right side of highway 246.
• kalyra - open m-f 11am to 4:45 pm, saturday and sunday 10am to 4:45pm.  (343 north refugio rd. santa ynez  +805.693.8864)  directions?  from highway 101, exit highway 246 buellton, and turn right.  follow highway 246 all the way through solvang and into santa ynez.  turn right on refugio road.

it is duly noted that there is a tasting room right next door to the santa ynez inn that has great wines from santa barbara wineries that don't have tasting rooms...  also noted is the not-my-style decor of the santa ynez inn.

this article from santabarbaraca.com is really informative... it gives a full rundown of the wine regions in the santa barbara area, and mentions wineries to visit and places to stay.

also check out the website for the santa barbara vintner's association for events and tastings... they have some printable maps of the area that are really useful - all the vineyards are marked with a picture of their respective labels, in case you drink enough to recognize by label (i wish i did!)

i love a good farmer's market, and santa barbara plays host to my favorite ever, downtown every saturday from 8:30 to 12:30, on the corner of santa barbara and cota streets.

and if you want to pretend you are not only camping, but also in provence (yay!), you could go to clairmont farms, a lovely, family-owned lavender farm.  i may have to save that for my next trip - don't want to mix my metaphors, shall we say.

why not kentucky?

well, should i ever find myself in louisville, kentucky for some reason (mint juleps at the derby, anyone?) i have two items on my itinerary: 

first, i need to check out the new boutique hotel (opening in april) called 21C, which is filled with amazing contemporary art from the $10 million collection of it's owner, steve wilson.  almost as cool may be the building itself that houses it; taking up four warehouses and a former bank, it cost $26 million to refurbish and 6 years to finish.  not much content on their site yet, but there are some details about it in this article from the NY Times T magazine... this weekend's issue was all about travel, and chock-filled with great info i want to take note of.

secondly, while i'm in good ol' louisville, i must have what may be the most amazing (and heart-attack-inducing) sandwich on this very planet:  the hot brown.  so, imagine an open-faced turkey sandwich on toast, with a sort of gravy and topped with bacon and parmesan cheese....  scandalous, right???  sign me up!  i think i first saw this described on some PBS show about road food, and i have been dreaming about it ever since.  and here's a complete review on the fabulous roadfood.com, an essential point of reference for any upcoming road trips.  i hear the sandwich is available all throughout louisville, but i think i'd like to go to the original source to have one - the brown hotel, a louisville institution since the 1920's.  until you get to kentucky, here are some recipes to try.... and while you're cooking and frying and toasting and eating, be sure to get in the kentucky mood by listening to my favorite album, the tennessee fire, by my favorite louisville boys, my morning jacket.  good stuff!

and the best bagels are in... montreal?

oh, the bagel debate.  every now and again there is an article in a NYC publication bemoaning the demise of the old-school bagels that gave new york city it's reputation for legendary, amazing bagels, and then lists a few places to try that are still keeping the dream alive.  the difference between the old and new generally resides within a debate over density and size - a big, fluffy, bready bagel is easy to come by these days, but the appeal of a smaller, chewier, denser bagel is what  most foodies seek.  this quality only comes from boiling the dough before baking it, which is the slightly more elaborate original process than the steaming technique mr. lender invented to  speed up the process for grocery-store mass production.  while i was satisfied with most bagels in new york city (even the bigger, easier-to-come-by versions), since moving to LA it has been tough to find a bagel that has adequate character.  the husband and i drove almost downtown today to try out the brooklyn bagel bakery... and we have a winner!  yes, we even commute on behalf of bagels here in LA.  on the flipside, though, doughnut shops are far more plentiful and amazing out here, but that makes for another post.
anyhoo...supposedly, montreal has a bagel-making technique that surpasses even that of new york.  they boil their bagels in not just water, but water sweetened with honey.  then the dough is lovingly baked in a wood-fired brick oven, which imparts a subtly unique flavor that makes them a top bagel contender among the kind of foodies who obsess over such things.  oh, and to be montreal-traditional, order a sesame or poppyseed.  and that's why bagel eating is pretty high on my list of things to do when i go to montreal someday!   here's a little list of  the top bagel places to hit in montreal:

most legendary:

• st.-viateur bagel - 1127 av. mont-royal est, near rue la roche in the  plateau mont-royal area
• fairmount bagels - 74 fairmount ouest

also popular:

• real bagel - 4940 Queen Mary; 6160 Côte St-Luc
• dad's bagels - 5732 Sherbrooke W.
• yagel bagel - Décarie Square; 2075 St-Louis; 6579 Somerled

let the tasting begin!

san francisco pizza

what's with the dearth of amazing, traditional, italian-style pizza in my current home of los angeles?  could it be that angelenos are just too sacred of the carbs and cheese?  admittedly, i have not yet been to casa bianca out in eagle rock (it's so far awwaay!), but that is my last hope for anything as good as phoenix's pizzeria bianco, my standard by which all are measured.  i have found my one and only acceptable new york-style stand-in (mulberry street in beverly hills, of all places), but it's no ray's (the real original, but not called original or famous, or famous original, just ray's, on prince street).  anyhoo, enough NY pizza snobbery...  101 cookbooks got me thinking about san francisco as a pizza destination, so a bit of research later and... now next time i'm in SF, here are the options tucked in my back pocket to get a good fix:

• pizzeria delfina - nice review at vinography on aug 4, 2005, who has oodles of great SF restaurant reviews on his blog.  the owners also have a well-regarded italian restarant just down the block called, uh, delfina.
• pizzetta 211 - another vinography review, and one at chez pim, another favorite SF foodie.  out in richmond, wherever that may be, and so many negative comments about their service....
• a16 - in the marina (hmmm...), but the website looks promising!  reviewed here, here and here.

also, a potentially interesting resource for SF travel that i just ran across: love to know san francisco. haven't spent much time here, but could be worth investigating further.