The Girl & The Fig does many many things well. Besides charcuterie platters, cheese plates and even pumpkin cheesecake, this delightful dish is their signature salad. The photo depicts a sweet pile of arugula, pecans, goat cheese and figs mid-course. The husband and I had already devoured half of it, but it still looked so desirous and full. Arugula is my favorite green and this batch was perfectly peppery. The pecans were toasted and the chevre was creamy and tangy. I adore pancetta, and this bit was crunchy and smokey. (Note to self: Try this pancetta recipe next week.) The figs were grilled but so concentrated, almost as if they were dried but still juicy. I loved the port vinaigrette and plan to experiment with port-based salad dressings when I get back into my own kitchen next week. As a side note, all this wine tasting and food exploration is making me crave my own kitchen again. California has been awesome and I adore this mild, perfect weather. But I miss my kitchen and look forward to months of Fall weather food experimentation. Who's game to be my guinea pig? Related posts:Orange Fennel Arugula SaladPumpkin Cheesecake at The Girl & The FigFrisee, Radicchio ...

Despite the warm temperatures and bright sun out here in California, the red-colored grapevine leaves and strong breezes suggest Fall is here. And so does this luscious pumpkin cheesecake we indulged in at The Girl & The Fig a couple nights ago. Since I don't have the recipe, I'll try to describe everything happening on this plate. This dish was so much more than pumpkin and cheese. The graham cracker crust was deep and smoky with faint touches of burnt caramel. The chartreuse swirl on the plate was a delicious curry coulis, not hot but complex with suggestions of coconut and spice. And the toasted pumpkin seeds provided a lovely nutty crunch that complimented the light airy cheese pie. The only other flavor you don't see on this plate is the gorgeous Late Harvest Viognier that was sipped between each bite. It was full of honey and apricot, and made me ecstatic about sweet Viognier. On the rest of this trip, I'm scouting out a few to ship home, to serve alongside my own pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving. Related posts:Grilled Fig & Arugula Salad at The Girl & The FigValentine’s Day Bouquet, or Lovely Table Centerpiece, or Baby Girl BouquetThanksgiving Menu Ideas, part 1 ...

Last week, my pal Dan and I were debating the merits of truffle oil. Truffle oil, a substance that has very little actual truffle in it, has popped up on menus all over the taste spectrum, whether fancy fine dining or, as in this case, every day bar and grill food. We both agreed that we were so over truffle oil, and we wished chefs would get over it too. A few days ago, I visited the Healdsburg Bar and Grill in Northern California for a quick burger, as we heard they made the best in the county. The locals didn't lie; the burger was delicious. The husband and I also shared a basket full of fries that had been covered in parmasan cheese and truffle oil, actually dipped in loads of truffle oil. And, despite my complaints last week, I kept stuffing these shiny, oily potato sticks in my mouth, aching for the faux truffle flavor. So Dan, I have to adjust my opinion. Sure, chefs over do it and toss truffle oil on just about anything these days, but it's the consumer that's too blame. If we want chefs to move on to the next flavor of the month, we'll ...

Raw tuna, jalapenos, cashews, ginger, coconut milk and yucca chips. Add a pile of sweet micro-greens and you have a popular dish at a Healdsburg spot called Willie's Seafood and Raw Bar. I was skeptical on two fronts. First, I live in New England where I have daily access to the freshest fish in the world. I wondered whether this little town in northern California could meet my fresh fish requirements. Second, tuna and coconut milk? Coconut milk? It seems like such a natural to some but I'm so familiar with lime-wasabi-touched raw tuna that coconut milk took me by surprise. The husband hates coconut milk and really wanted to skip it, but we took a chance. I'm going to struggle to find the words to describe the deliciousness that is this appetizer. It was sweet, crunchy, mellow and almost dessert-like. I had to hold myself back from ordering a bowl like I'd order a tub of rice pudding at the end of a meal. Just as I was scared of this dish, I was hesitant to try Willie's. Jen, our lovely tasting room assistant at Selby Winery, gushed about Willie's raw bar an hour earlier. We debated the persona of the restaurant. Between ...

We made very few food plans for wine country USA this time around. On our honeymoon three years ago, we hit all the fancy spots like Terra and The French Laundry. On this trip, we wanted to let locals guide us. Sure, we booked tables at a few prime spots in up and down the area, but our aim is to keep our plans open, our wallets fairly tight and are taste buds ready for anything. After a brief walk around Healdsburgh Square yesterday, we stumbled upon Bistro Ralph just before closing time. The staff seemed reluctant to give us a table, but acquiesced when we almost moved on. I remain so glad that we stuck to our guns and forced the staff to let us give Ralph's a try. Bistro Ralph's appears fancy from the outside but is really just a funky family who loves food but is really just looking to get through their shifts. The service was adequate, to say the most. A lone bus boy was quite aware of the less than stellar service we received and tried to impress by refilling our glasses, offering to take our photo and even giving us a pile of rolls to ...