Jamie Oliver

You want to get a quick laugh? Check out Jamie Oliver's web site. He is promoting his new book Jamie's Italy. In a post dated September 28 there is a promotional film clip from the Guardian Newspaper. Jamie is seen stopped at airport security. A close inspection reveals a bevy of food products. I think any addicted foodie would do the same thing.

I've been a fan of Oliver for some time and was lucky enough to meet him on two occasions when he was touring the Bay Area. Unfortunately the book is not available in the U.S. yet. I need to find an English connection to smuggle me one. I'll probably get soaked on the exchange rate but it would be worth it.

Cruising The Bay

The other day a woman who used to work in my building returned to visit. Some time ago she had quit work and embarked on a journey to explore Europe. No itinerary, no travel companion and no preconceptions. I asked about her travels and she told me about Paris, Spain, and Corsica. She had saved money to finance the journey and was traveling as free as a bird. Just in town for a visit and back to Europe. Jealous much? Oh yeah!

The time and money syndrome had me singing the blues. Got no money, got no time, man I’m blue. Hey wait a minute! I live thirty minutes from San Francisco. Tourists flock here from all over the world. It was time for a cruise. A bay cruise to the Ferry Plaza Marketplace.


The first Golden Gate Ferry leaves Larkspur at 940 on weekends. It has been a while since I had been on the boat. I had forgotten how majestic Mt. Tamalpais appears watching over the valley. As the boat entered the channel several crewing teams were practicing. They remind me of water bugs slipping across the calm water. We pass San Quentin Prison and it looks almost beautiful for a place that holds so much sadness. On the bay birds dive and sea lions pop up on buoys. We pass Angel Island, The Golden Gate Bridge, and Alacatraz. They say it’s the journey and not the destination. In this case the destination shines.


This being a Sunday, the Ferry Building is not quite as hectic as Saturday. We arrive about 1030 and begin to explore. A number of the shops had not opened so we decided to cross the street to the Hyatt Regency for an adult beverage. This hotel has great holiday decorations at Christmas. Even when it’s not a holiday the lobby is beautiful and they serve a great bloody mary. It helps to take the sting off the fact that the Niners are being pummeled by the Redskins.

Hyatt Regency


Back to the Ferry Building we cruise the aisles of Sur La Table. I thought we had every piece of culinary equipment known to mankind. I was wrong. We purchase some silicone cupcake molds and our collection is complete until our next visit.

We lunch at the Delica rf1, a Japanese Deli. It was a delicious repast. A stop at Acme Bread and our trip is complete. Paris eat your heart out.

crabcakes

spicy chicken salad

Autumn Bento Box

Acme Bread

Mini Picnic

This week seemed like it lasted forever. The day job just took over and grabbed all my time. The highlight of my week was the article about Rachel Ray in the NYTimes. I swore I wouldn't get involved in the fray, but I gotta like the girl for her determination.

Anyhow, Saturday was evaporating with nary a blog in site when we decided to take a mini picnic. An abbreviated, spontaneous event. We threw the picnic basket and the cooler in the trunk and headed west. Fortunately a great picnic site is close. The Marin French Cheese Factory is about ten minutes from our humble abode. It is so nearby that we forget how lovely the place really is.

A pond of geese and a large tree shaded picnic area are normally alive with travelers headed to the Point Reyes area. Today was not busy, considering it was a magnificent, warm October Saturday. There was a few couples romancing and a number of kids throwing hunks of bread at the geese.

We stopped at retail store and purchased a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine and of course cheese. Today we sampled the Pesto Brie and Le Petite Bleu. My favorite was the bleu. After the requisite photos, we sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the ambiance. Sometimes life is a picnic.

Ricky's Barbecue / Adobe Pumpkin Farm

I must admit, at last, my beloved summer is over. I know we're spoiled here in California because the weather is still great, but I'm gonna miss summer. So as a celebration of fall we decided on an day trip to a farm. Adobe Pumpkin Farm is located at the end of East Washington (at Adobe) in Petaluma. Just when the housing tracts end it gets rural, like I remember from moons ago. Seems like the Neve family still believes that farms belong in the country and not houses.

This is a great place for little kids. If you don't have littles kids, borrow one. The look on their eyes when they spot all the goodies here is intense. Nothing like a little sensory overload for the kindergarten set.

Now you ask"where's the food big guy?"...don't fret my friends! Ricky's Barbecue is on property. Ricky serves the usual burger/hotdog fare for the kiddies, but for us Q addicts he has kickin trip- tip and marinated chicken breast. He has this big towable pit and the smoke rises all day while he tries to keep up with the demand. Only a couple of weeks left until Halloween, try this place out. If you miss the Q, Ricky will also do some catering. I hear he makes some mean Italian food, him being Italian I can understand that.

Rather than bore you with a thousand words more, I'll bore you with a thousand pictures or so.

lots of pumpkins

flowers

squashes of all kinds

farm animals

haunted house

gifts

mini pumpkins

tri tip with sauted red onions and garlic

Grillin and chillin

Marinated Chicken with more onion and garlic

I'm making myself hungry all over again.

Chicken Little/ little chicken stock

"The sky is falling, the sky is falling," says Chicken Little. Depending on who you listen to or what articles you read, Chicken may be right. The Chronicle article Making Ends Meet (September 28) calculates how much it costs to live in The Bay Area. Add the astronomical increase in the cost of gas, it's no wonder I don't have money left at the end of the month.

In the food section of the Chron. GraceAnne Walden mentions the shortage of workers and addition of new S.F. restaurants ala the dot-com boom. In the L.A. Times Corie Brown laments about the Incredible shrinking restaurant scene. Which spin doctor do you believe? Restaurants like everybody else are in for rough times. There are not enough diners able to pay the high prices restaurants are charging. What's a foodie to do?

I think most smart restaurant owners will see the trend, and bargains will be the order of the day. A step back from labor intensive plates and expensive product. A return to simple, wholesome, inexpensive foods. Fixed price dinners with real value. Drinkable wine at reasonable prices. Come on gang, $10 a glass for wine I can buy a bottle of for $8! Too much to hope for maybe?

In the mean time I'll cut back on restaurant dining and eat more meals at home. Food cost at restaurants should run about 20 percent. If I dine at home I can eat for one fifth of the cost of a restaurant. No tip, no tax gotta like that.

If you gotta feed a crowd for breakfast here's a great low budget recipe. Congee, jook, rice porridge are a few of the names for this recipe. You can get it in Chinatown for a pittance, or make it at home for even less. The basic ingredients are rice and stock. I use a ratio of one cup rice to 3 quarts chicken stock. Simmer slow, as in a crock pot, for a couple hours till it gets to a thin porridge consistency. It is a great base to add what's leftover in the frig. I put crumbled bacon and green onion on top. Veggies, chopped chicken, and Chinese sausage are good toppers as well.

Nice Buns - Skully's Novato

When ever I want to jump start my day it's a quick run to Skully's Bakery in Novato. Today we had a long to do list and needed a little energy to motivate. The Oldtown area has been a disaster area during the revitalization project. Now it's beautiful, open and ready for business. Lots of new shops and restaurants here. Skully's has been around for a while and I'm glad they survived the chaos

No words are spoken between me and my wife. I know what to order here, like a comfortable old habit. I get the blueberry morning bun and she has the bear claw. Both are rich, buttery and delicious. There are lots of other choices. Muffins, breads, and savory items too. Tom and Dave's Coffee is served, hot and strong. A good day has begun.

Bearclaw

Morning bun

Skully's Bakery

1407 Grant Ave.

Novato, Ca.