Celebration and Indulgence

The title pretty much says it all. I went to see Em for a quick weekend because we had a lot to celebrate: I just finished my Masters (thank you, God) and she just got accepted into a renowned MA program at UC Davis (Lord, help her).

So, of course, Napa Valley was involved. She arranged a tour of 3 wineries for us, scheduled around lunch, and basically I still haven't fully recovered.

I've only been to Napa Valley once before, and I love how each winery handles tastings differently. The Cakebread Winery gave us a (really fun) educational talk about the geography of California and how that affects the grapes grown in each area. They also let us walk around their beautiful garden.

Take a look at this artichoke in bloom. Isn't it crazy beautiful?

We started our day with a sparkling wine tasting at Mumm Winery, which was my favorite. Not that the tasting process was better than other places, per se, but because I really love the bubbly. And the view. :)

We finished the day at Paraduxx Winery, which had beautiful grounds to lounge around in. Also, here's a worthy side note: they served us a cheese called "buzzed" that was rolled in espresso grounds and a bit of black pepper. I know it sounds weird, but it was so good! Our hostess said they got it from Whole Foods.

And speaking of tasty, we stopped by Bouchon bakery before heading home and stocked up on goodies for the weekend. O. M. G. I think I gained 5 pounds and I don't think I care.

Not ready for summer school to start. Not ready to teach again. Need to go back to drinking wine.

Where the Trees Eat the Fish

On the whale tour yesterday, we talked about seafood, appropriately. Killer whales are meat eaters, as are eagles along the shore line. But did you know that the fish even feed the trees? When birds and bears leave fish parts on the ground, the trees absorb their remains along with other minerals from the shore. It is very common here for scientists to study trees to calculate their age, and to find fish remains within the rings. Usually salmon. Isn't that wild?

Since so many people come here for the seafood, especially the salmon, Canada is making huge efforts to fish sustainably and we were told what signs to look for when picking restaurants. Like, literal signs. We have done that and the food has been amazing. There's just no other word for it.

Above is a Beet and Burrata Salad. Seafood aside, it is my favorite dish in Vancouver so far. The flavor combination was perfect: fresh, tangy, robust, and topped with just a bit of crunch. There were dollops of Balsamic on the side which provided a zing every now and then.

Sashimi, of course. The best I've had since Hawaii, oh, and Japan. Sushi Den (in Denver) comes close. But really, there's no comparison; it's so, so good here.

One of our desserts was a big macaron. Two almond-flavored cookies sandwiched a dark chocolate and mint cream, topped with fresh cream and fruit. We savored every bite (not kidding).

Today I outdid myself with seafood. I had a tuna stack, which was tuna poke (ahi, avocado, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, cilantro, and sauces, topped with panko breadcrumbs and served atop won ton strips). 

I also had a tuna sushi cone (ahi, avocado, fresh ginger, rice, spices, and cucumber, in a soy cone wrap).

Here's a special shout-out to G, who found all of these excellent - truly superb - restaurants, and he's not even the foodie!

Cheers!

We've also had some killer drinks, in addition to what is pictured above, some amazing Italian food, and great coffee roasts. More to come! One more day before we drag ourselves back to Denver.

Lately

My friend, Em, was here this past week and, well, there was a lot of food. We tried a new (to me) brunch spot called Sassafras and OMG. I will be going back there again, and again.

You guys. This is a buttermilk biscuit topped with a homemade Pimento spread and pickles, fried chicken, eggs, and duck fat gravy.

Duck fat gravy.

I'm gonna just give you a minute.

In other news, we got Roo Roo this cat tunnel and she mostly just gets stuck in it and lays down for a while. It kills me.

She was mama's lil Valentine.

It has been beyond cold in Denver. I haven't ridden my bike in weeks because of snow and ice on the trail. My legs are like, "This is fabulous, and also, pass the pizza."

A friend gave me this plant clipping and I'm just waiting for it to sprout some new roots so I can plant it in a pot. I'm upping the ante in the ol' bay window. Slow and steady wins the race against G and his green prejudices. (He says he can see bugs around the house. There are no bugs around the house.)

Roo Roo claimed the tree skirt at Christmas and it has become her magic carpet. Our morning ritual is, she lays on it and plays in the library while I drink coffee and work on my thesis (i.e., stare out the front window).

I've had a couple of nervous breakdowns lately about the thesis. I got overwhelmed with the theory portion and my advisor had to talk some sense into me. All is well now and I'm plugging along on it. I'm sure I'll only have to rewrite it about 14 more times before I graduate.

I've also tentatively started sending my CV out and looking for teaching jobs. (When I graduate, I'll have to teach at other colleges in order to remain a writing consultant at this one.) I've received some enthusiastic responses, which is a good sign, and I'm hoping fall enrollment is good and strong everywhere so I'll get a few more classes under my belt.

With our crazy schedules and visitors, G and I are two ships passing in the night. He brought home these flowers the other day and this has become my favorite view.

I've been able to read for fun, though! Life is starting to shift in that way.

Not only that. I've been watching TV, too! Top Chef Denver is almost done but that's OK because the latest season of Homeland just started up again and next month the season finale of The Americans comes on.

Yesterday I helped a friend move out of her apartment and clean it, which brought back all kinds of PTSD from that phase of life. (BFJ, if you are reading this, I kept thinking about that Hawaii apartment you helped me clean. Me: "Thanks for helping and everything, but I mean, I AM giving you this dish drainer so..." You: "Yes, I'm the one with the better end of this deal.") So, so glad to be settled in a house.

Well, loves, this thesis ain't gonna write itself. Not sure how much my involvement is adding to it, but hey, I gotta graduate.

The Best Kind of Saturday

You guys.

I slept in til after 7:00 this morning and woke up with the biggest Snooze craving ever. My body was like, wait, we don't have to bike anywhere? Then give us real food, woman!

Twist my arm.

Turns out if you get there before 8:00, you don't have to wait (<---that rhymes). Well, we had to wait for almost 5 whole minutes, but that doesn't count at Snooze and in fact totally isn't even worth mentioning when the usual wait is upwards of 45 minutes.

G and I have very different reactions to the glorious and delicious and trendy breakfast joint:

Coffee AND a mimosa.

Pretending not to enjoy this spectacular culinary experience.

 We started with the required pancake appetizer: Pineapple Upside Down Pancake.

And I ordered my usual: Spuds Deluxe. A plateful of seasoned-to-perfection hash browns, topped with pulled pork, cheeses, tomatoes, avocados, eggs, and half a bottle of roasted hot sauce. Half for breakfast, half for dinner, Saturday is covered. Check.

After breakfast, I dragged G kicking and screaming into Trader Joe's next door because I wanted to load up on their dark chocolate covered marshmallows. As I was perusing their candy and cookie supply, he wandered off with my phone. He took a picture that he thinks represents Trader Joe's:

Gluten free cheese pizza with a cauliflower crust

I would eat that with no issue or problem. Readily, even. But G rolled his eyes so much that I grabbed an additional box of shortbread cookies and high-tailed it out of there, completely forgetting to buy more roasted plantain chips. Sigh.

But all in all it was such a nice Saturday morning! And then I read all day for my History of the

Novel class, and vacuumed, and did laundry. And took a nap. And slept so hard that I woke up and didn't know where I was. It's gettin' cray cray up in here, peeps. 

I'll have you know it's the second day of September and I haven't decorated for fall yet. 

That is all.

The Introverts Have Died a Little

So, as fun as this summer is, the introvert in me (which, let's be honest, is a big part of me) is dying a little.

Em has been here for a couple of weeks, and G's brother and his gf have been staying with us for the last few days. When I'm not in the office, I have taken to doing my work in small 10-minute segments between activities and thus don't feel like I'm on top of anything, ever, and thus feel like I'm about to lose all of my jobs.

Plus, last night we had a few friends over. It was so fun. It was so...social. So social, says the introvert.

Between organizing meals and activities and texts and work and emails and deadlines and Africa prep and more meals and activities, I, well, I die a little.

Social death is the theme. Internal death is the theme.

But we're seeing a lot of people! Life is messy and chaotic and fun and flavorful and...really full in a way that it hasn't been in I don't know how long. In the wake of losing Lucy, this has been good for us.

So I guess internal life is a theme, too.

G took his bro and gf to Pike's Peak yesterday. A storm rolled in while they were on the peak, and they had to shelter down until it passed.

If you're wondering how Roo is adjusting, take a look. She's clearly at home and is ruling the roost (<<< the ROOst, get it?). Unlike Loo Loo Bean, Roo hops all over the house and much prefers the dining room to the hearth. She spends most of her time laying on the cool wood floor or exploring under the table. It's all very fun and exciting.

There was a delightful sushi dinner the other night with peeps. Nat King Cole recommended the white rolls below and dang. I'm sold. They are called Crispy Bincho and are filled with crab meat, asparagus, avocado, and I can't remember what else. They are to die for. I never need to visit Japan again; I can just go to Sushi Den.

Roo Roo fits in very well to our newly-extroverted lifestyle. She's all up in everyone's business. All the time.

Well, time for the next 10 minutes of work and then we're going to RMNP for some American safari. Tomorrow is a long work day for me, so I'll get to, you know, relax a little. :)

A Taste of America

You guys.

When we were in Santa Fe, the Drury Hotel in the downtown plaza was offering a special Georgia O Keeffe tasting menu. We heard about it from Em's aunt who has done everything in the world at least once and whom I idolize to an unhealthy extent. We had to do it. So on Saturday night while Em's aunt was at the opening night of the opera, Em and I were seated outside in front of a lovely fireplace, toasting cocktails and awaiting quite the culinary experience.

Chocolate-infused tequila cocktail served with orange.

The first course was aromatic. The server brought out large, hardback photo books for each of us and told us the story of Georgia O Keeffe's relationship with the American southwest, particularly New Mexico. She had a ranch (Ghost Ranch) in the next town over and was known for her interest in local spices, herbs, flowers, and seasonal foods/flavor combinations. The chef at Drury Hotel was inspired to create this menu because his grandmother, Eloise, cooked for Ms. O Keeffe for many, many years.

The server walked us through beautiful paintings and also photographs of the land while we sniffed lavender, sage, jalapenos, dried red chili pepper, apricots, and strawberries. We didn't eat a thing and it was by far my favorite course of the night. Looking at the pictures, hearing the stories, and smelling the bright, wonderful aromas was an experience all its own.

But then. The food!

The second course was a New Mexican purple potato chip topped with chipotle aoli, sliced red onions, and local trout caviar. It's meant to be eaten as an amuse bouche, all in one bite so that you can appreciate the flavors. It was crisp, spicy, and just wonderful.

Look how it was served! Ms. O Keeffe's art often featured white-washed skulls.

The third course was a salad of bitter greens, local beets (fresh and pickled), and green beans in a light herb dressing. The beets were so good that I bought two jars of them. Notice that the courses were either served with table props that highlight the region and the artist, or atop plates that included photographs of her. The whole meal was a multi-layered artistic experience.

The fish course was salmon and a purple potato cake served on tomatillo sauce. We might have deliberated actually licking this plate. The sauce was spicy and added a southwest zing to the fish, which was lightly grilled to perfection. I kid you not; this was one of the best meals, and meal experiences, that I've ever had.

The meat course was grilled lamb. It was served with a southwest vegetable ratatouille and was so good that we - I kid you not - picked up the bones at the end of the course and ate every last morsel.
#yolo
#notashamed

The dessert course was apricot sorbet made with apricots picked off of a tree right next to our table. The course also included a caramelized brioche cake atop apricot sauce. This was Em's favorite course of the night.

Each course was served alongside wine pairings (which were international and included wines from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Belgium) and the dinner in its entirety took about 2.5 to 3 hours. It was the perfect way to recoup from our 7-mile-straight-up-a-mountain hike earlier in the day. The night air was cool and refreshing; and two friends who are apart most of the year got to catch up and just relax.

It was such a taste of America.

When you're in Santa Fe, I highly recommend this restaurant (Eloise) at the Drury Hotel.