March 2, 2010
Yesterday was our 33rd anniversary. Who knew that this adventure would last this long? I hope for another 33 years if it brings as much pleasure and adventure as the last.
Meanwhile, Angela and I spent 10 days in California. First we had a successful trunk show in San Francisco. We breakfasted daily at the big table in the kitchen at Boulette’s Larder on the bay side of the Ferry Building. A big plate of delicious toasts with butter and fresh jam, poached eggs on sauteed greens, thick yogurt with stewed dried fruits, hot cereal with brown sugar and milk and fried rice with vegetables and shrimp were only a few of the delights we consumed along with good coffee, tea and hot chocolate. A view of the bridge, a gorgeous bouquet on the table every morning and a Puli named Boulette under the table.
Dungeness crabs are in season and I had crab 3 times: once in a salad at Chez Panisse upstairs; once, roasted in the wood oven at Camino in Oakland
and once at Niloufer’s house, whole, steamed live with avocado puree and big sections of pomelo on the side. The last was the best and the messiest. Buy your crabs alive in Chinatown for the best and cheapest; but you need a place to cook them.
We drove down Highway 5 to Los Angeles stopping at the fantastic Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture outside Hanford. Our friend Bill Clark has been collecting Japanese art — screens, scrolls, ceramics, baskets — and has a fabulous small museum on the grounds of his beautiful house. It isvery worthwhile to stop there. Besides, it is great to grasp the vastness of the valley and enjoy all those blooming almond trees and beautiful fertile fields and green hills. (We even found an Indian restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Not very good though).
Los Angeles, a culture within itself, was sunnier and lovely. Breakfast daily at Joan’s on Third a refreshingly designed grocery, take-out, eat-in place. Three dinners: the first at Guelaguetza on Olympic, a Oaxacan restaurant with delicious dark mole and a huitlacoche empanada. The best was the mariachi band playing our requests in front of a TV mounted just above their heads playing with subtitles. The second dinner was at Ganda, real Thai food, very hot — real pad thai, a bamboo salad with an unidetified taste, green curry pork. The third night we ate at Osteria Mozza.So very delicious and stylish that I cannot pass up at least one meal there every time.
It is great to eat real ethnic food, but an experienced guide through the menu would be very helpful. It will take several visits to sort through each menu without help.























