The Glass is Cold: On Life, Movement, and Limbo

(top, left to right) Diane and Todd of White on Rice Couple with Joy of Joy the Baker; Dianne Jacob; Khao man gai from Nong's in Portland, OR; (middle, left to right) Coava Coffee Roasters in Portland, OR; pomegranate seeds at Mercado Hidalgo in Tijuana, Mexico; lengua (tongue) and tripe tacos from Tacos El Guero in Tijuana, Mexico; (bottom, left to right) Minassian-Young Vineyards, Paso Robles, CA; Jenks Lake, near Angelus Oaks, CA, site of Camp Blogaway; Fentons Creamery, Vacaville, CA branch

Imagine me with my face pressed against a frosted glass window, trying my damnedest to see what's on the other side. That's what life has felt like in the past couple of months. 6 trips in 9 weeks, with all of them fun and enlightening. Exhausting, too, especially for an introvert who loves people, loves to travel, but really needs time to dial down and recharge.

My last post was written on a lazy Sunday afternoon and it feels like I haven't had a chance to sit down since. The following week, I drove up to visit Todd and Diane at a lovely event featuring Joy the Baker, Cristina Ferrare, and lots of Kitchen Aid products, I had a fantastic time hanging out with everyone. While I was there, a rejection letter popped up on my email. Damn smartphones.

The weighty thought hit me... maybe I have a snowball's chance in hell of getting into medical school.

Read more...

Seattle So Far...

Not a lot to say, but a ton of pictures from Seattle. It's a bit of a working vacation. D. has a conference and I'm working on secondary applications. Our friend APH has been very kind to take us around town when it's a hojillion degrees outside.

From the ferry to Bainbridge Island:

Read more...

Paso Wines at Urban Solace: Living Vicariously

This MCAT class is consuming my existence. 2 1/2 hours every night for five nights a week, not to mention the loads of homework (multiple choice homework still takes a long time) and practice tests. I received an email about Urban Solace having a Paso Robles wine pairing dinner, featuring five Paso winemakers. Of course, my favorite Adelaida Cellars is one of the winemakers. Oh, I thought, this would be a nice break from studying.

Except that it's on a Wednesday night and yours truly will be in class.

If they're not already booked up, I highly recommend making a reservation. If there are any aspiring bloggers out there who'd like to write it up, I'd be happy to post it on AoaAF. Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?

Menu from the website:

Passed Hors d' Oeuvres: Paired with House Bubbles!
- Baked Malpeque Oyster, Caramelized Fennel and Artisan Bacon
- Aged Cheddar Gougères

First Station: Paired with 2008 Vina Robles Verdelho, Huerhuero Vineyard, Paso Robles
Jidori Chicken Liver Paté, Grilled Asian Pear, Toasted Brioche, Spiced Honey

Second Station:  Paired with 2008 Still Water Vineyards Estate Viognier, Paso Robles
Braised Niman Ranch Pork Belly, Dried Apricot Chutney, Pomegranate Reduction

Third Station: Paired with 2007 Adelaida Cellars "Version Red", Glenrose Vineyard, Paso Robles (GSM blend)
Duck Three Way: Maple-Bourbon Cured Breast, Smoked Duck Prosciutto wrapped around Duck Confit and Housemade Ricotta

Fourth Station: Paired with 2005 Niner Wine Estates, "Fog Catcher", Bootjack Ranch, Paso Robles (Bordeaux Blend)
Spice Crusted Piedmontese NY Strip Loin, Shaved Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, Bordelaise

Passed Finale:  Paired with 2007 Adelaida Cellars Ice Wine, Muscat / Viognier, Central Coast
Blood Orange Glazed Apple Tartlette

(old photo of the tasting room with their previous logo)

I was at Adelaida this past weekend and their ice wine is currently on the tasting list. It's fabulous... sweet, but not syrupy as many dessert wines can be. The Version Reds are always great blends and I think it's a shame they're not showcasing their fabulous Syrah. It's being served with duck (three ways?!), which only increases my bitterness that I'll be stuck in a classroom at UCSD's med school campus. I know from past experience that Matt Gordon and his staff will serve a meal as good as it looks in writing, so the food will also be fabulous.

(Adelaida's walnut grove)

If anyone is interested in writing it up, leave a comment or email me at moowiesqrd [at] adventuresofanamateurfoodie [dot] com and we'll iron out the details. If leaving a comment, please leave your contact info.

Central Coast: More Wineries, Robin's, Piedras Blancas Rookery

On June 17-19, we spent a lovely weekend in the Central Coast with M.T. and M.S. It was, like my previous trip up, the epitome of the lazy weekend. We revisited many locations from the previous trip, because I wanted D. to try them. There was another Carlock's run, dinner at Thai Boat (where service was much faster), and revisits to Justin, Adelaida, and Pasolivo. Check out Adelaida's walnut grove. In March, I took a picture of the same spot:

The trees are full of leaves, but the grass is gone. Ah, how I miss spring. We visited two new-to-me wineries: Eberle and J. Lohr. I didn't taste at J. Lohr because my stomach was upset (wine + large milkshake at lunch = angry belly), but the wines at Eberle were nice. D. bought two bottles of the Sangiovese. I was still a little off-kilter, but I liked it best. We also had the opportunity to tour the wine caves, which were interesting.

We also headed to Cambria for lunch at Robin's. I've been to Robin's several times and I really enjoy two things: the fish tacos and the lemon cheesecake. This time, however, I chose one of their specials, angel hair pasta with smoked salmon and a tomato cream sauce.

It was a fine dish, but there were two things... this was clearly not angel hair and there was about 1 cup of cooked pasta, making it an absurdly tiny serving for $13. I know, it doesn't look that small, but there's no depth to the plate. The huge wedge of yummy garlic bread was some consolation, though. Not that I expect three meals out of one serving, but I should be able to feel full afterwards.

Service was very pleasant, but very slow and absentminded. Lunch took over 2 hours, which would have been annoying had we not been on vacation. After lunch, the elephant seal rookery at Piedras Blancas, north of San Simeon (aka home of Hearst Castle).

Fabulous stop. Turns out I have a 13x optical zoom that focuses really well, hence the close-ups. They're inviting you to the molting party. A shockingly low 16-ish% of these guys reach adulthood, so protecting them is something to think about. Always visit one of the knowledgeable volunteer docents for a quick update on how the population is doing.

Adelaida Cellars
5805 Adelaida Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446

J. Lohr Winery and Tasting Room
6169 Airport Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Robin's Restaurant
4095 Burton Drive
Cambria, CA 93428

Piedras Blancas Rookery
Highway 1
14 miles north of Cambria

Central Coast: Wineries

I've just returned from a fabulous trip to Cayucos, a small beachside town on the central California coast. Indira and Kirkleton joined me for a long weekend of doing... nothing. That's the beauty of it all. D.'s folks were very kind to let us use their vacation house and the view from the deck was incredibly seductive. That is, it seduced us into sitting around and gazing at it all day long.

After a brutal drive on Wednesday afternoon (Los Angeles traffic can kiss my ass), we spent Thursday roaming around the area and filling up the fridge for cooking at home. First, we visited a couple of wineries out in the hills of Paso Robles.

Justin was our first stop. I had been to Justin before and it was a good visit. This time, it wasn't that great. Service was excellent and we were greeted by two adorable pooches, a Lab and a basset hound. However, the wines were very meh. I loved their '05 Tempranillo, though. Enough to shell out 45 clams for a bottle.

We ended up at Adelaida next, because our other choice, Tablas Creek, had a $10 tasting with mostly reds. Adelaida is a great winery. Beautiful location and fabulous service.


Sally, who was manning the tasting room, let us taste an additional four wines on top of the tasting menu. As she put it, the wines were "nicely balanced". Even the vignoier, which I typically don't like, was very good. I loved their '05 Rhone-style red. Indira bought the '06 Rhone-style white and Kirkleton invested in the '05 Cabernet Sauvignon.

And here's a shot of their orchard. Beautiful! Two days later, I found myself heading back to Adelaida after running errands in Paso. The whole drive from along Adelaida Rd. to Paso Robles is totally worth it. 5 miles of lush valleys and distant vineyards.

Last stop was at Pasolivo for olive oil tasting. Yum. D.'s parents had given me a bottle of their Meyer lemon olive oil for Christmas and I was excited to try the rest of their offerings. This is a great place to finish off a day of wine tasting. Kirkleton bought their California varietals oil and I bought their dukkah seasoning and black button sage honey (produced by Katz & Company) to go with my lemon oil.

More trip reports to come! Also, there will be a couple of posts from the culinary delights of D. and J.