My Mecca

Years ago, I moved to California with a 1975 Chevy Nova, about $3,000 in my bank account, a hefty student loan, and no job or place to stay. (I was in love -- enough said.) After a few months of poking around, I landed a job at a new computer company, writing technical manuals. It was my introduction to Silicon Valley. Now, the company was average at best... but I made some great friends there. My friend Hugh was a native, and one Friday at lunchtime four of us piled into his car and we drove to San Jose (about 20 minutes away) to a place he called "Mecca" -- Falafel's Drive-In.

At first glance, the place looks, well, cheesy -- like an old drive-in from the fifties. But after one meal I was hooked. WOW! Their falafel balls were incredible! Crispy on the outside, yet moist on the inside (so many falafels I've had have been so dry). And their hummus... heaven! It has an incredible texture and mix of flavors, from the pureed garbanzo beans to the tahini sauce to their spicy hot sauce.

My Mecca--a small falafel sandwich and an order of hummus

Anyway, on Saturday I found myself in San Jose, at a conference, and on the lunch break make a dash for Falafel's Drive-in. It has remained everything I thought it had been. I even introduced it to a woman I met there, T, who is both Iranian (from, as my half-Iranian friend Susan would say, "ee-ron", not "I-ran") and vegetarian, and she said that she loved her food too. (By the way, turns out T is an exceptional motivational speaker and author of the parenting book Raising a Superstar. Check it out.)

So the next time you're in/near San Jose, check out Falafel's Drive-in. Or better yet, make a road trip there. Even with the price of gas these days, it'll be worth the drive.

Falafel's Drive-in

2301 Stevens Creek Blvd.,

San Jose, CA 95128

408-294-7886

falafelsdrivein.com

Betty Ford, Here I Come...

As mentioned here previously, on Tuesday I attended the wonderful paella party at the Inn at Occidental. Wednesday night found me at Hurley's Restaurant and Bar for the Nord family's annual client appreciation dinner. Wow, wow, wow! Great food and FANTASTIC wines. Hurley's owner/chef Bob Hurley put together a wonderful dinner, based on our theme of the movie Like Water for Chocolate. We had:

~ Atun asado con salsa mexicana a la antigua

~ Traditional pork mole with Mexican vegetable rice and toasted sesame seeds

~ A cheese course, with three cheeses plus dried fruits, mixed nuts, and honey

~ bittersweet chocolate torte... with brandied cherry sauce, almonds, and creme fraiche

For each course, we had two different wines from wineries who use Nord grapes (see the Nord's in the pic below). Each was wonderful, though to me three really stood out: the Nord's own Nord Estate Wines Petite Sirah (Jonquil Vineyard), the Novy Syrah (Page Nord Vineyards), and Jeff Runquist's Cabernet Sauvignon (Rancho Sarco Vineyard). Spectacular, spectacular, spectacular.

(And YES, I had a TOUCH too much to drink, and was feeling it especially the next morning at my business meeting with a Sonoma County winery... who wanted me to try their wines, of course. Ah, such is life in Every Meal A Feast land....)

Anyway, gotta run, but please, check out Hurley's sometime, and the wines I mentioned too.

Paella Party!

I'll talk more next time about the food and wine fantasy that's been bugging me of late, but for now I wanted to share... paella!

Yesterday evening went to the Inn at Occidental's 20th anniversary celebration. They had a great crowd of guests and local friends, and of course -- of course -- yours truly helped put together (I thought) a fantastic food and wine experience: a paella party from local wonder-chef Gerard Nebesky (that's him with the head band) and wine from Clos de Bois.

The paella was fantastic -- an eclectic mixture of rice, vegetables, and meat. Gerard prepared three specific ones: a chicken, a seafood, and a vegetarian. I tried the chicken and seafood -- wonderful!

Anyway, happy anniversary, Jerry and Tina, and many more!

The Fantasy Rages...

Twelve noon and already customers are pouring in. I get a quick kick in the crotch right away: an order for porc mignon, two boudins, a liver and a pheasant all on one table.

~ Tony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

Saturday was an amazing day. In the morning, I suddenly had a zing! an oh-my-God, that-was-the-ONE-card-in-the-deck-I-needed moment. I was getting ready to go help my friend, Monica (no web site), at her catering gig, and it -- inspiration? a moment of grace? -- struck me. I had been thinking about (and talking about, here at Every Meal A Feast) my fantasy to own and run a restaurant. Now the trouble with a restaurant is that you need a lot of, well, stuff: a building, pots and pans, ovens, plates, dishes, refrigerators, permits, tables, chairs, a wine cellar, and so on, ad finitum (or so it seems). It's a lot of coin, in other words. And then it hit me. My friends at the Wine Country Inn have a full kitchen. They have a gorgeous dining room. Because they make and serve a full gourmet breakfast to their guests each day, they have all the "stuff" you need to cook and serve and clean and store. And here's the zing!: It all sits empty every night. That's right; they only do breakfast and some afternoon appetizers. What if I went in there in the evenings and put together a little prix fixe menu, served in-room or in the dining room? I figure I could run things, be the host. I'd need a chef, and a hostest/waitress, probably one runner/dishwasher/cleaner-upper person. That's all. Maybe some young chef, hungry to make a mark. He/she could work out some kinks, experiment a little, get a little resume time in....

Why not? The Inn has 30 rooms. That's a total of 60 people. Most would venture out, but those who wanted to relax, hang out at the Inn.... Something small, limited menu, a limited wine list... only our friends, wines I'd know inside and out. Maybe a little Ghost Horse cab, some Carter Cellars. Maybe during the week we'd even open it up to non-guests, get some local money, if you know what I mean.

D'Artagan arrives, my specialty purveyor, bearing foie gras, duck legs, and an unexpected treat -- a 200-pound free-range pig, whole, which Jose...has ordered for use in pâtés and tête du porc by the charcutier.

Can someone please tell me, why not?

Donning the Apron

"To want to own a restaurant can be a strange and terrible affliction. What causes such a destructive urge in so many otherwise sensible people?"

~ Tony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

Alas, I must confess: it has been (and growing) a food fantasy of mine to own and run a restaurant. Mentally, I'm playing with concepts, names, locations. Asking little questions here and there; perusing some web sites; jotting a note or two.... Wheels are, as they say, in motion. You will here more about this. When? Well, lets just say the card pulled now is X-The Wheel of Fortune; anything, in other words, is possible.

As part of my make-a-life-in-food-and-wine fantasy, this weekend I'm donning the apron in support of my super-chef friend M., who has a big catering gig and needs my body. (I would give you a link to her web site, or her blog, or her Facebook page or SOMETHING, but she has NONE of these things. I know, I know: It's VERY strange. Maybe one day she'll run into a marketing guy, or something. Anything is possible.) Yes, I'll be serving drinks and passing plates and prepping and clean up and all the 1,001 things that go into making great food and wine look effortless to the people who are supposed to be enjoying themselves. It'll be hot and sweaty and hectic and a bit grueling. And I can't wait.

And oh, yeah: Soon, you'll be hearing about my Every Meal A Feast apron. Here's one I've just developed for my friends at the Wine Country Inn. Cost? Eighteen bucks, plus tax. If you want one, send me an email, and I'll make sure you get one.

Coming Soon...

Oooo, on Sunday I scored ANOTHER great gift certificate: this time to La Gare Restaurant in Santa Rosa's Old Railroad Square. La Gare is known for its authentic French food and romantic atmosphere. Believe it or not (I can't), I haven't eaten here yet, and thus this has definitely been on my restaurant "hit list" for quite some time. I've been perusing the menu, and already have zoomed in on the Filet de Boeuf Wellington Tenderloin and, for dessert, mousee au chocolat. Much more on this -- I'm sure -- soon.

La Gare Restaurant

208 Wilson Street

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

(707) 528-4355

Men in Hats

It was late and every one had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference.

Growing up, one of the earliest influences on my life -- and particularly my reading life -- was Ernest Hemingway. I loved the Nick Adams stories, and Hem's other stories, and of course, reading about the Man himself -- all blood and balls, as they would would say. Many of Hem's stories are what people say about my stories -- they're quiet. Not a lot goes on. No one gets killed. There are no big "things". There are, though, moments... moments etched in time. Such is the case with one of my favorite Hem stories, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. I thought about this story on Friday while I was lunching at Chloé’s French Cafe. It's located in a business complex, and is all neon lights and clean floors and open windows. And yet while the setting is somewhat... new, the owners are from France, and come from a family of bakers, and thus are producing authentic French cuisine. It is the type of place you would expect to see an older gentleman, in a hat, sitting quietly with his wife savoring a dish of salade duck confit or jambon brie while sipping a glass of red wine... and there was, in fact, such a man when I ate there (look closely in the center of the pic).

"Last week he tried to commit suicide," one waiter said.

"Why?"

"He was in despair."

"What about?"

"Nothing."
"How do you know it was nothing?"
"He has plenty of money."

For my lunch, I had the tuna nicoise sandwich, on a baguette. It was an amazing mixture of textures and flavors: sweet (from the vinaigrette), salty (from the tuna) and crunchy (from the baguette). And to splurge, I had a chocolate croissant for desert.

"I am one of those who like to stay late at the cafe," the older waiter said. "With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night."

Anyway, check out Chloé’s sometime -- you will NOT be disappointed. (And check out their web site if you want to learn who Chloé is. Hint: It's NOT a person!)

Chloé’s French Cafe

3883 Airway Drive (in the Landmark Executive Center)

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Mon-Tues 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Fri 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Closed Sat and Sun

Viva Mexico!

Normally I eat light at breakfast—the morning is my heavy work and “thinking” time, and I don’t like to be bogged down after having eaten a heavy meal. That all changes, of course, when I visit The Wine Country Inn!

Chef Guy prepares a great breakfast, the cornerstone of which is one of his great egg casserole dishes. Recently I was there and had the Mexican Quiche. Esta perfecto! Here’s the recipe, should you want to indulge:

Chef Guy’s Mexican Quiche
(serves 6-8)

1 lb chorizo sausage, sans casings
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ diced fresh mild chilies
10 eggs
2 cups milk or half-and-half
1 can (about 2 ¼ oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 can (about 8 ¾ oz) whole kernel corn
3 cups (about 12 oz) shredded Jack cheese
Avocado, tomato slices, and cilantro sprigs for garnish

Crumble chorizo into a wide frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until browned. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft (about four minutes). Discard fat. Stir in salt, pepper, and chilies. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until blended. Stir in the chorizo mixture, olives, corn, and cheese. Spread mixture evenly in a greased 10x15-inch rimmed baking pan.

Bake in a 350F oven until a knife inserted in center comes out clean (about 30 minutes). Let stand for 10 minutes. To serve, cut into squares, and garnish with tomato, avocado, and cilantro sprigs.

Enjoy!

Water, Chocolate, Wine

Just a couple of quick notes today.... I'm still reeling a bit from watching last night Like Water for Chocolate, about a young woman who is forbidden to marry by her mother who (of course) falls in love. The movie is sexy, sensual, and full of food, as the young woman in love is (of course) also in charge of the family's meals. I had seen it before, and it was worth watching again... particularly as it's the theme for this year's Nord Vineyards client dinner later this month.

Speaking of the Nord's, more on this soon, but here is the link to the Crush series "sizzle" reel that will, any day now, be making its way around the offices of various cable big-wigs. The plan is (of course) to have one of the cable networks pick up the show, and produce 6-7 episodes. Much more on this soon, but definitely check out the sizzle reel. And you can view their web site, too. Ciao.

Summer's Here (Well, Beginning Friday)

Just a quick note that this Friday begins the Occidental Bohemian Farmers Market in beautiful downtown Occidental (just a few footsteps away from the Inn at Occidental, should you want to make a day AND night of it). This is a small but fun farmers market with fresh local produce, arts and crafts type things, and food and drink too -- including the awesome paella by one Gerard Nebesky (see pic, and check out his web site: gerardspaella.com). The market runs 4 p.m. till dusk, June through October. Anyway, hope to see you there.

P.S. Insider's tip: If you are interested in the paella, GET THERE EARLY, say, before 5:30 p.m. Why? Cause dem locals is smart folks, dey eat it all up QUICK....

Happy Anniversary

I wax nostalgic, once again. Saturday, you see, was the one-year anniversary of Every Meal A Feast. That's right: it began, very humbly, on May 31, 2007. My inspiration was simple: I wanted to learn about blogging by doing it, so that I could then help my clients. And now, one year, 150+ posts, and more than 7,500 page views later, I guess the question now is: what have I learned?

That writing about great food and wine experiences is fun... but can never replace the experience itself.

That the world of food and wine is immense, and ever-growing. (I know, I know: DUH!)

That somehow, somehow -- by some grace -- the name Every Meal A Feast has turned out to be the right name. What do I mean by that? It makes sense. And it gets to the "something deeper" where I have always tried to go: that treating every meal like a feast means slowing down, savoring life, no matter how 'simple'. My friend Ruth has encouraged me to treat EMAF like a movement. I know, instinctively, she is right. What time is it? Now.

So thanks for reading. And get ready for another exciting -- and in-the-moment-- year of adventures with great food and wine.

P.S. The pic, by the way, is one of my favorites, which I've entitled Working Lunch. And my all-time favorite (as of now) EMAF post? My Cup Runneth Over.