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california

Fig and Blue Cheese Tart

by Denise Woodward & Laudalino Ferreira
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It’s officially Fall and we’re all back in the kitchen. After a New York City visit to make new food friends and attend some Wine and Food Festival events, I’m roasting the Brussels sprouts from ripe stalks in my garden. Jill is doing beautiful things with beets and apples and Shelby is making some local

Homemade Lobster Roll

by Denise Woodward & Laudalino Ferreira
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The first time I was introduced to a live lobster, I was about 10 years old and was having a “fancy” dinner with my family at the Whaling Station in Monterey, California.  Our waiter brought my sisters and me, over to the lobster tank, and let each of us pick out our favorite.  Of course,

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

by Maggie Battista
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I believe we’ve gone a little overboard in the Meyer lemon category as of late. Perhaps it hasn’t phased you, but it certainly has me. Still, I can’t get enough of these darling little suckers, sweet and tart at the same time, kind of like the best people I know. And I just keep ordering

Berkeley Farmer’s Market, SF

by Denise Woodward & Laudalino Ferreira
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Spring has sprung.  It was a glorious morning as I set out for the east bay to check out the Berkeley Farmer’s Market. The air was crisp and heavily scented with jasmine and cherry blossoms.  *sigh*  I love spring mornings… I decided to head across the bridge to the other side of the bay to

Alemany Farmer’s Market

by Denise Woodward & Laudalino Ferreira
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While I make coffee in the morning, I like to open our kitchen door to let in the warmth of the sun or the coolness of the winter rain. Today, I could smell the remaining footprints of our last winter rains mixed with the scent of springtime jasmine. After two days of icy cold rains,

San Francisco Farmer’s Market

by Denise Woodward & Laudalino Ferreira
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One of our foodie goals for 2010 is to have a better idea of where our food originates. We are about 85% there. In the same breathe, we’d like to make sure that we’re eating as local as possible, plus or minus those guilty pleasures (French wine and cheese, of course). In order to make

Grilled Fig & Arugula Salad at The Girl & The Fig

by Maggie Battista

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

Pumpkin Cheesecake at The Girl & The Fig

by Maggie Battista

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

Parmasan Truffle Oil Fries at Healdsburg Bar and Grill

by Maggie Battista

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

Tuna Tartare at Willie’s Seafood and Raw Bar

by Maggie Battista

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

Chicken Paillard at Bistro Ralph

by Maggie Battista

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

Summer Tomatoes in Wine Country

by Maggie Battista

When we left New England yesterday, the chill in the air suggested Fall had settled in and soon apples, pumpkins and gourds would flood local markets and tabletops, begging to be thrown into stews, casseroles and pies, anything to comfort us as the temperatures drop. We decided to wise up this year and extend the