Posted in cali_lovin on 01/23/2010 02:32 pm by Queenkv
(Side note: The job hunt, social media video projects and Google Reader distractions have pushed me behind on this blog and my little videos. I’m playing catch-up. I’m also grateful for everything that’s keeping me busy while I live a life of leisure in Cow Town)
Good times in Vacaville: We rang in the New Year at home with our friends. Our last meal of 2009: Beer-can chicken, salad, garlic bread, lasagna and plenty of sparkling wine & beer.
When we hook up – that usually means plenty of good eating and drinking. Someone said we should spend the New Years weekend eating every three hours.
Mission Accomplished.
On the first day of 2010 – we had something to satisfy meat lovers, savory cravings and sweet teeth. I loved the scent of bacon grease and sourdough pancake batter taking over my kitchen. My Daisy enjoyed watching Mark and Andrei work off the cork on the bottle of Barefoot Brut Sparkling Wine. We had to have our mimosas with the first meal of the New Year.
After breakfast – we selecting some crazy furry characters and competed in Rayman Raving Rabbids for WII (“How do you make it move?”). We went old school with Dr. Mario (“I can’t believe you did that!”) and took a break from the electronics with Chinese Checkers (“Thanks. You screwed me there.”).
In between games – some folks did a food/drink run and we took care of the leftovers. For dinner – cheese & onion pierogies with sauteed mushrooms and onions. I also had one of the best Gin Martinis in my life. Viva la Bombay!
This weekend, Susan introduced me to Guanciale.
Love at first whiff.
In San Francisco, we fried up 2 pounds of porky goodness last night. The fatty smoke warmed up the kitchen and left our clothes smelling yummy.
After saving all the juicy guanciale and bacon fat, Susan showed me how she did Pasta all Carbonara: raw eggs, Parmesan cheese, fried bacon bits and of course – all that rendered fat. We also baked garlic bread and sauteed some mushrooms and onions with garlic salt, thyme and butter.
It all added up to a delicious, hearty, gourmet dinner in the Mission.
Posted in BonVivant on 12/02/2009 04:30 am by Queenkv
Finally. December.
I’m trying to keep track of all the amazing food we sampled over the past few months. So far, I have tweeted several gourmet experiences. Now – I’ll try to sum up some of those dining adventures, beyond 140 characters.
We did a Thanksgiving Lunch at the Bistro in downtown Sonoma. I needed a relaxing afternoon after spending 10-plus hours in the newsroom. This Charcuterie plate had a lovely mix of foie gras, pork tartine and sausage. I loved spreading the rich foie on white bread.
We continue to head east for comfort food in Davis. I enjoy the handmade noodles from the Noodle House. I always order these dim sum plates as appetizers: pork BBQ buns and onion pancakes. These hearty flavors fill me up on a chilly autumn day or soothe my stomach after a night of drinking.
In Berkeley, we celebrated Scott’s birthday at T-Rex BBQ. I had to try the chicken-fried bacon. Crazy! A bit chewy and I managed to sample some hints of bacon goodness in this hor d’oeuvre.
I enjoyed introducing our Bay Area Buddies to the sights, sounds and flavors of Second Saturday in Sacramento. Everyone was quite pleased with this plate of Spanish Tri-tip and garlic mashed potatoes from Tapa The World.
Earlier this month, Susan and Tom introduced us to an amazing spot for sushi in the Mission: The Sushi Bistro. The bistro has a huge selection of sushi – from butterfish sashimi to some more playful sushi rolls with unagi. This monkfish pate melted in my mouth.
Also in the Mission, Susan also hosted a Halloween Feast. We had fun shaping the meatloaf into a scary hand and shaping the fingernails from onion slices. I also loved Mark’s Halloween costume. Brilliant – from the badge to the sunglasses. Next year, I hope I have some flash of inspiration for a costume. Maybe.
(If you’re reading this in the RSS Reader or on Facebook – click on the blog link to see Mark’s costume and a slideshow of our Halloween Feast!)
I have a lovely three-day weekend ahead of me. I’m helping my best friend tie the knot in San Francisco.
So…I have some time to show some lovin’ for Photo Friday.
The topic: “Fast Food.”
I have a healthy/gourmet twist to that theme with this BBQ Buffalo Burger. It’s from Burger Me in Truckee. It has this amazing hearty flavor and it’s all lean meat. The tangy BBQ sauce also hit all the right spots for me.
Posted in BonVivant on 05/31/2009 07:11 am by Queenkv
What happens when you combine 2-pounds of bacon, chorizo sausage, spicy Italian sausage and a new grill? A Bacon Explosion! I found out about this amazing culinary invention from an anchor I worked with in Topeka. She’s now reporting at one of the best stations in Kansas City. I’m also amazed people were willing to grill in the middle of a Midwest winter. Brr…
“It makes you feel a little dirty…but it’s good,” from a KC bacon fan.
After Zinfest, we fired up our new grill for the first time. I guess we skipped the birthday cake for my hubby and went with an epic bacon entree. (Mark turned 33!!!!! Happy B-day to my hubby!!!!). Scott and Tom helped us figure out the grill. We also fired up some hot dogs and buns. We had a fab feast on the patio.
We did the Wine and Chocolate Festival last month in Lodi. This is becoming a tasty Valentine’s Day tradition!
We stumbled on some new wines, art and of course, yummy bites of food. At the Vino Piazza, the wine server let me go behind the wine bar to get a closer look at these sketches from Dumbo. He said the animator was a big fan of Lodi wines.
This is a look at the drive into Lodi’s Wine Country on Highway 12.
Everyone looked like they were having a good time at the different wineries.
Still, the national recession was also on the minds of winemakers in the area. They say the economic slowdown was hitting Lodi’s wine industry. Some winemakers talked about consolidating operations in order to stay in the black. Others talked about trying to raise the profile of their wines without cutting into their bottom lines. That makes this Wine and Chocolate Festival critical for wine businesses in the region. Sure, they’re giving away free tastings. However, it’s a chance to make a great impression on new and old vino fans. It prompts them to buy local bottles and to spread the word about their favorite wineries.
We managed to fit in another wine country visit on Valentine’s Day. We did the St. Valentine’s Prix Fixe Dinner at the Girl & Fig in downtown Sonoma. It’s a cozy spot for French food. I loved the fresh flavors and the wine pairings with each entrée.
Posted in BonVivant on 02/24/2009 12:49 am by Queenkv
I’m excited about Bourdain’s “Disappearing Manhattan” show. New York’s a fantastic place to eat and Bourdain knows where to go for good food, beyond the tourists’ traps.
Since it’s on during my sleepy time, I’ll probably watch the rest of it after my morning show.
On my trips to So Cal, I end up musing about changes in my home town of Diamond Bar and the rest of the San Gabriel Valley and Orange County. Thanks to Yelp, we learned about a new wine bar in downtown Pomona. It looks like a classy, arty space and I’d like to check it out on my next visit. When I was growing up, I can’t remember any classy, foodie spaces in downtown Pomona.
My childhood version of Diamond Bar’s disappearing as well. My favorite pizza joint is gone. Rudy’s Pizza is now a sushi restaurant. The pizza was big and cheap. After skating, my parents picked up dinner from here. The pepperoni pizza tasted awesome after a day of falling on the ice. Video games and big screen TV’s made it a cool place to hang out with my high school friends. I remember working out the details of a Mars colony project with my science group here. A pile of breadsticks and soda helped us finish our assignment.
Can anyone ever go home?
Now looking back at another milestone from high school – the last episode of Star Trek: Next Generation:
“Goodbye, Jean-Luc, I’m going to miss you. You had such potential. But then again, all good things must come to an end.” – Q
We ate too much food, toasted the good times in our family with plenty of wine (congrats to Scott on his new job!) and enjoyed everything LA and the OC had to offer.
Posted in BonVivant on 09/19/2008 07:32 am by Queenkv
We had the Alanis Crow Project on our morning show this week. They added a sophisticated, peppy vibe to their cover songs of Alanis Morissette & Sheryl Crow. Get it now? Alanis + Crow??? Obvious, I know.
They’re performing at this weekend’s Rhythm and Ribs at Raley Field. We also sampled some of the ribs on our morning show. I love doing BBQ for breakfast.
Turning back to the music vibe…I finished episode 25 of my podcast. It’s a quirky mix of music by Deerhoof, the Killers, Flight of the Conchords and more.
Click on the “Listen Now” link and let me know what you think!
