Restaurant Weeks Post(?)-Pandemic!

 Restaurant Week rolled around again, and the pandemic is ... over? Let's go with that. So it was time to get out and eat our way through our new neighborhood. While Emeryville itself doesn't participate in the festivities, it's only a few minutes to the borders of Berkeley and Oakland, which happen to host overlapping restaurant weeks in late March and early April.

First stop, A Côté in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood, which offered a three-course tasting menu that kicked off with a burrata with toast and veggies, came in cozy with a ricotta sformato that was all comfort food, and finished sweet with a strawberry-elderflower parfait. Don't mind if I do.

A Côté's Tasting Menu

Next stop, Agave Uptown back in our old neighborhood, an Oaxacan-Californian restaurant which somehow seemed to have missed the point of Restaurant Week since its menu didn't actually offer discounts compared to the standard fare. Not bad but not a must-taste.

Agave Uptown, where we wound up just ordering off the standard menu. The flan was probably the highlight.

We rounded things off with my first experience of truly upscale Vietnamese food with fabulously creative cocktails paired with each course at Co Nam in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood.

Co Nam, where Nicolas even tried the shrimp ceviche (and lived for me to tell the tale!) and whose spicy cocktail recipes I've got to revisit.

Not to be outdone, Berkeley had already kicked off its own Restaurant Week by the time we settled into our reservation at Co Nam. After missing out on the first weekend of Berkeley's rendition, we squeezed in a Berkeley venue just under the wire on the final Sunday evening of their Restaurant Week. Despite an initial mishap, we landed at Passione Emporio, an Italian hole-in-the-wall about 20 minutes' walk from our new home. Their focaccia has got me dying to return to taste their pizza crust, and their cacio e pepe pasta (part of the pasta tasting board) still makes my mouth water.

This won't be the last time that we spend an evening with Passione Emporio's cacio et pepe and an affogatto (Nicolas's first!)

All-in-all, a successful Restaurant Week(s) 2022, especially for a couple of people who purchased a home less than a half year ago and still aren't especially liquid. It was made all the sweeter for the friends we shared each of these restaurants with. It's been taking a while to build a community here in California, but things are looking a bit more hopeful for 2022. Looking forward return trips to Passione Emporio and Co Nam and the company of the friends with whom we'll share those meals.

A big group for Big Sur

What started out with the question of how to burn through some frequent flyer miles that were about to expire but weren't enough to buy a flight (answer: rent a car for the weekend) quickly turned into our very first group trip this side of the Atlantic (sans the rental car, in the end). It was really gratifying to realize, even if the journey's taken a lot longer than we'd expected (and was awkwardly interrupted by a global pandemic that wasn't exactly the best formula for socializing), that we've finally got enough of a social circle in California that we can pull off something like this.

Hiking around the Pacific Valley Bluff just south of Big Sur

Dinner and drinks (not our most photogenic moment) at the Big Sur Taphouse

Obscenely portioned American style breakfast at From Scratch Restaurant

Sunday afternoon at the beach

Just like that, we've checked off Big Sur and I've checked off the first half of my thirties. 

A scenic ride at a slower pace

 After two years of pandemic and a work shuttle, those commuter benefits have been building up in my account. Turns out Amtrak accepts commuter benefits. Put two and two together, and we got ourselves quite the scenic free ride down to Los Angeles for Presidents' Day weekend. The Coast Starlight Train isn't for anyone in a hurry, but it's fantastic if you enjoy a day disconnecting with a good book and some scenic views. To top it off, if you've nabbed yourself a seat in the business or sleeper cars, you can even enjoy some literal fine dining - fresh cut flowers, real fabric table cloths, and a proper three-course meal, all enjoyed in a booth gently rocking to the rhythm of some very slow train tracks. It definitely felt as though we'd stepped back in time to an era when no one had to worry about rushing or maximizing productivity. Honestly, that dining car meal my very well have been my highlight of the trip, other than of course meeting the woman who's about to become my cousin-in-law and her very hungry cat. Unfortunately there's no photographic evidence of the latter highlights, so here ya go, proof of a lovely long "commuter" weekend.

While our co-workers toiled away on the Friday leading up to the long weekend, we took in the views between the naps and books.

While Meghan squeezed in some grading and Ryan enjoyed a Sunday afternoon off, Nicolas and I hit up downtown LA, a major highlight being The Lost Bookstore - no end of photo-worthy hidey holes.

An extra slow ride home when the cops blocked the tracks just outside LA for over 3 hours. We slowly realized we'd definitely need to find on-train dinner options, which turned out to be quite the unexpectedly pleasant surprise.

A tasty, rainy, West Coast Christmas

Despite our best efforts to the contrary, coronavirus trapped us on the West Coast for a second year in a row. We made the most of it with a very last minute celebration with a few Argentinian friends who were also stuck in this corner of the planet. Though family was only with us on zoom, family tradition was very present as we baked the most prized of family heirlooms, my great-great-grandma Aloia's manicotti recipe. While various renditions of the family not-so-secret tradition in numerous matriarchs' handwriting circulate through the generations, now seems as good a time as ever to ensure that I've got an electronic back-up. So, though the writing of this blogpost may be anything but inspired, its contents most certainly are. Here for posterity is the Aloia Family Manicotti Recipe!

We couldn't enjoy the holiday with family but we did enjoy it with a family tradition: manicotti. Yum!

Ingredients

• 8 eggs (6 for pasta, 2 for filling)
• 1.25 cups flour
• 1.5 cups water
• 3 pounds ricotta
• handful of grated Parmesan cheese
• salt (0.5 tsp & a pinch)
• pepper (0.25 tsp)
• grapeseed oil
• 50-60 ounces of tomato sauce

Instructions

1. Whisk 6 eggs and water together.
2. Sift the flour into the mixture, continually whisking.
3. Add a pinch of salt.
4. Heat a 6.5" cast iron fry pan over medium-low heat. Use a pastry brush to coat pan with a thin coat of grapeseed oil.
5. Pour less than a quarter cup of batter into the pan, tilting to cover the bottom.
6. When the edges of the crepe begin to curl and the crepe looks solid, flip it onto the other side to cook. Do not brown the crepe.
7. Move the cooked crepe from the pan to a paper towel.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 until batter is used up. Between crepes, as needed, re-apply a light coat of grapeseed oil using the pastry brush. In all, at least 24-30 crepes should be made.
9. Mix together the ricotta, salt, pepper, 2 eggs, and Parmesan.
10. Pour a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking pan to coat.
11. Fill each crepe with approximately 1 tablespoon of the ricotta cheese mixture. Fold over the sides of the crepe. Lay the crepes side-by-side in the pan.
12. Add a layer of sauce between each layer of cheese-filled crepes.
13. Pour a final layer of sauce atop the crepes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
14. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour or until hot in the center. Cover with foil to avoid drying out while baking.
15. Enjoy! :)

I hope your holidays have been equally delicious and filled with loved ones, be them acquaintances of the old & dear or more recent variety. Cheers to saying F-off to 2021!

Twas the Night Before Christmas, 2021

 Twas the night before Christmas and all through the flat,

Not a creature was sober except maybe a cat.

Flamingo stockings hung by the bookshelf with care,

In hopes that Nico would enjoy the Christmas flare.

The kitties were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of tuna fish swum through their heads.

And I with my shaker and Nico prepping the rest,

Had settled our brains for a winter taste test.

We started with raspberry, creamy and light,

Then onto the yuletide spice for the night.

It flowed from my glass, such a wonderful flavor,

A taste that our holiday guests could all savor.

And so with our mixing skills all in full gear,

We perfected our Christmas cocktail for the year.

Raspberry cream mimosas

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 cups of frozen raspberries
• 1/6 cup (or 2 2/3 tablespoons) white sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 bottle sparkling wine
• a few fresh raspberries for garnish

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, thaw the frozen raspberries on medium heat until they've broken down and become soup-like. Add sugar to the sauce, stirring until it dissolves. Remove from heat.
2. Filter the raspberry sauce to remove raspberry seeds and fruit guts.
3. Add heavy cream to the filtered raspberry sauce. Chill. (We tried freezing it in the photos above but ultimately think it's better with just some fridge time.)
4. Mix equal parts raspberry cream and sparkling wine.
5. Top with fresh raspberries.

The Harvest Sparkle

What it lacked in photogenicity it made up for in flavor. This wintery bourbon-prosecco drink may just become our new Christmas classic.

Cider syrup ingredients

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Cocktail ingredients (1 serving)

• 1 ounce bourbon (or whiskey)
• 1 ounce prosecco
• 0.7 ounce cider syrup
• 1/2 sprig rosemary
• ice

Instructions

1. Make the syrup: mix the honey, orange juice, and spices in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until it starts to bubble, then remove from heat for 5 minutes.
2. Mix the bourbon and syrup over ice in a cocktail shaker.
3. Add prosecco and garnish.

Home sweet home

One month ago today we spent our first night in the new place, and it's been a little over a week since we hosted our first bash. With cat-flap glass panel installed into our patio's sliding glass door, both we and the cats have been making the condo and the entire complex home - Mars even swung by the pool area while we were enjoying the hot tub earlier this evening and escorted us back into our unit. So it seems about time to share the before-and-after collages that show how we've started making our first condo into a proper home. It's modest (at an obscene Bay Area price tag) but it fits us very well. Come take the tour!

Step into our new home.

As you walk in you'll see the kitchen to your left.

Before you you'll see the open plan dining and living spaces.

From your seat at the dining table, you can look back to see the kitchen and, beyond that, our second bedroom and bathroom which were currently renting out to the roommate we took with us from our last home.

Come check out the living room, pictured here from several different angles - top is what you see as you first approach it from the dining area. Below, to the left is what you see while standing by the bookshelf shown at the very right in the previous image, and to the right is the view from the back corner where the table lamp stands.

From the dining room, you can also walk out the sliding glass door onto our spacious patio, now furnished with a six-seater table and a small light-up electric heating bistro table with chairs. It's illuminated by some surprisingly convincing solar-powered faux candle lanterns.

When you walk into our home, rather than veer left after the kitchen, you can also take a hard right and peer into the master bedroom where, after nearly five years of marriage, we've finally gotten around to framing and hanging a few wedding photos, shown above.

When you walk into the master suite, you'll find the bathroom to the right.

If you make a left instead, you'll soon notice our charming modestly-sized walk-in closet, which is forcing me to keep my dress and shoe collection strictly under control.

And finally our lair, where sleeping into a king-size loft bed is totally a legit thing that grown-up married adults do.

We've each slotted our desks into opposite corners of the window wall, with me tucked neatly behind our staircase to the bed.

Something savory, something sweet, and something to wet your whistle

Excess is a word that captures this Thanksgiving pretty well. We had such an excessive amount of food that we've got meals covered for the rest of the long weekend and the next week, easily. But we also found ourselves surrounded with an excess of good company and laughter, something it's been harder for us to find since landing in the US a few years ago. Sure, a pandemic hitting just after Nicolas hit his one-year in the US didn't help, but overall this country has been the loneliest place that we've made home as a couple, so yesterday was a beautiful change in pace, with over twenty guests joining us for our very first party in our new home - pix on that to come soon!

A sneak peek at our Thanksgiving tables at our new home and some portion of the meal as we all dove in.

We prepared the turkey, as usual, but among the other dishes we prepared were a few delicious and definitely blog-worthy specials. I won't bore you with a typical recipe-blog-post style multi-paragraph story about how this food and drink transformed their lives or some other nonsense I always have to scroll through to get the good stuff. With no further ado, some classics - one that first made our Thanksgiving repertoire in 2020, and two new ones that made their debut yesterday: Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries & a Cranberry Gin Fizz

Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Pre-mashing: get a load of all that cream cheese!

Ingredients (10 servings):

• 5 Pounds Russet Potatoes
• 8 Ounces Cream Cheese
• 1 Stick Butter
• ½ - 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 8 cloves of minced garlic
• ½ Teaspoon Pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large pot, covering them completely with water. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and return to pot.
2. Add cream cheese, butter, milk*, and seasoning. *Start with just a half cup of milk. After mashing, add more milk as needed to achieve desired potato consistency.

Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries

Ingredients (12 servings):

• 3 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier
• 12 ounces fresh cranberries

Instructions:

1. In a sauce pan, mix 2 ½ cups of sugar and all the vanilla, Grand Marnier, and water. Heat over medium until all the sugar has dissolved into a simple syrup without allowing it to boil.
2. Remove from heat and mix in the cranberries, ensuring they are all submerged in the simple syrup by placing a plate atop the sauce pan.
3. Leave the sauce pan in the refrigerator overnight.
4. Strain the cranberries, saving the vanilla-orange-cranberry simple syrup for cocktails!
5. Place the remaining sugar in a rimmed dish. Roll them in the sugar until they are coated, transfer to a baking sheet, and let dry for one hour.
6. Once the sugar has hardened, store in an air tight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
   

Cranberry Gin Fizz

Ingredients (8 servings):

• 2 lemons
• 1 orange
• 3 cups dry gin
• 2 cups ginger beer
• 2 cups vanilla-orange-cranberry simple syrup
• handful of candied cranberries (garnish)
• mint (optional garnish)

Instructions:

1. Squeeze the lemons.
2. Mix the lemon juice, vanilla-orange-cranberry simple syrup, and gin.
3. Slice the orange, add to the pitcher, and muddle with a wooden spoon.
4. Mix.
5. Top with candied cranberries, ginger beer, and mint (optional).
6. Enjoy!

Those three recipes are just a small sampling of the multitude of flavors that filled our day. Hope that you were lucky enough to have an equally warm and yummy Thanksgiving surrounded by wonderful people.