Tonight is the best chance for finding sought-after vintage gifts for you and your troup. Come to Drift Denim Essentials at 7p for major sales, loads of vinyl - yes I mean real, live, records - and jewelry by yours truly.
It’ll be a blast, and a great time to get some shopping done without Big Box stores getting in the way. Sales, style and a great mix of people - what more could you ask for?
Ah Oakland! There’s still enough sun and warm breeze to keep the garden growing. Last weekend I canned the last of the tomatoes, except a few rougues like this one, I added a squeeze of lemon, a few basil leaves and some salt to each jar.
Fava beans are happy, adding nitrogen to the beds where I had the Early Girl tomatoes so the soil will be perfect for the spring.
The beets are still too small to harvest, I am glad I moved them into raised beds, the soil is lighter and they have more ease growing. I think I’ll pickle at least half of them with fennel seeds and peppercorns and maybe a little dill, although I have no dill left in the garden. Boo Hoo!
It is so much fun to continue planting throughout the year - I feel as though if I wanted to I could eat only from my garden, maybe I’ll double the beds net year so I can do more canning and more of my own eating.
If you don’t have a garden, there are plots available at many of the Oakland public gardens, like Bushrod Community Garden, and even though you’ll have to wait until warmer weather in the northern cities of Portland and Seattle, there are oodles of public garden patches waiting to be planted by you. Find more info here for Portland and here for Seattle.
Happy gardening!
I hope everyone had a wonderful turkey or tofurkey day, and that all your black Friday shopping was local and fabulous.
Tonight there is a perfect way to keep the festivities going without feeling like Christmas is being pushed upon you - go to Cafe Flora’s new cocktail menu bash! My favorite vegetarian restaurant in Seattle is now ushering out some fancy mixed bevvies made with the same organic, sustainable ingredients you’d expect from their food menu.
The Lady Flora is made with gluten-free Monopolowa potato vodka, fresh squeezed lime, orange liquor with a float of house-made cranberry ginger cider, the Blueberry Rickey is gine dazzled with blueberry puree and seltzer, with cucmber essence, the Red Sky at Night is an amazing blend of prickly pear and fennel infused rum, sudsed with Flora’s own ginger beer - delish!
(photo: Jerome Healy for Cafe Flora)
Make your way to the Madison main drag this evening, from 5p to be the first to try these new and tasty drinks!
Where to go: Flora, 2901 East Madison, Seattle, 206.325.9100, www.cafeflora.com
If you want to make your own ginger beer at home after the inspiring tastes at Flora, I found a great recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Down to Earth, read it here.
(photo courtesy Food Hoe)
Typical of many new-ish eateries around town, Namu has a cool sign, cool oil paintings of natural-meets-industrial themes and cool waitresses – but it isn’t all about appearances at this Balboa Street favorite. When you think Namu don’t bring up memories of the mid-60’s B movie Namu the Killer Whale, or of the tiny atoll where endangered monk seals breed, rather, conjure up images of a healthy nightlife, comfort food in a sophisticated atmosphere, and neighborhood charm with big-city vibes. And don’t roll your eyes when you discover the menu is fusion, this is fusion at its best; Namu serves everything from burgers that nod to Asia with pickled diakon, to cold soba noodle salad, complete with both kimchee and pine nuts.
I ordered ocean salad of bright red and deep green sea fronds, the likes of which you’d find at any Japanese table, and was impressed with the complexity of textures and sweetness of flavor – both well beyond what you’d expect from your local sushi joint.
(photo courtesy Namu website)
The banchan, a complementary trio at Namu, are the traditional dishes of kimchee and other marinated vegetables served at Korean tables. Together with kimchee the ume dressing-coated wakame tendrils in my salad were even more exciting – that bite of sour and spicy made each mouthful pop. From the raw menu, and there are six-such sections of the tapas-centric list, my honey chose the hamachi, an almost exclusively farm-raised member of the Amberjack family. Yellowtail Amberjack has much healthier representation in the wild than tuna, mostly too small to make worthwhile for fishers, so I agreed and put my politics to the side and enjoy some of the best sashimi I’ve had in a long time. Slivered, but not too sparce, each slice of the buttery fish was crested with little twirls of sake-soaked konbu, dripped with house-infused chili oil and escorted over a fine half-moon of lemon, the flavor of which tingled the bottom of each piece of fish. I savored each bite, wishing for more.
One of the biggest surprises was the aptness with which the fried calamari was prepared. Here its called ika fry, to overcome the connection most dinners have with classic fritti di mare (actually made of thirteen individual fish types, not just calamari, but anyway…) One of the indicators of handy Japanese cooking is tempora, or some other fried item, and if the batter or oil temperature aren’t planned just right I’ll know before even taking a bite. The ika at Namu was a clear favorite, overshadowing the grilled and dashi items, with its near perfect tenderness – I barely had to chew it – and its light, non-oily coating must have been fried at the perfect temperature. Together with the thick kimchee tartar sauce, this was the dish that made Namu stand out for me as a competent kitchen and place to come for well-thought-out meals. Special Jongul Korean hot pot and standard yakitori were underwhelming.
The freedom of the menu is fun – bring a group and order several plates (they’ll do double orders of the ika fry) and chat until 1a if you so desire Thursday through Saturday nights. It is a great menu for talkers like me; you can pick at your food, enjoy each bite, and continue on in conversation over a pot of puer tea or a flight of specialty sakes. Stay for dessert and you’ll be smitten with the fusion cupcake – a chocolate and azuke bean creation covered with chocolate drizzle and surprisingly bright yuzu crème anglais.
Info: 439 Balboa Street, 386.8332, www.namubar.com
Nothing about my new favorite boutique hotel is over-looked. And when I’m aiming to stay in style, I expect that my wishes will be their commands. Just sitting in the orange-dabbed lobby makes my writing machine turn on – I am inspired by the cool candleholders, the lux seating by the mod fireplace and the colorful crowd pouring in and out of the big glass doors.
(photo courtesy Small Luxury Hotels)
On a recent trip to the Emerald City I was saved by Andra’s hospitality, saved from the rain, from my granola craving and my need for a big cozy bed to rest my over-traveled body.
The bride-to-be down the hall, flanked by her giggling bridesmaids, told me about the great breakfasts at the Tom Douglas restaurant downstairs, Lola, and I quickly ordered some – the staff accommodating my request even though it was midday.
Andra is a swank place, comfortable for the choosiest guest, but not so highly-priced as to be exclusive of lower-budget travelers. If I had it my way I’d come back with a gaggle of girlfriends to stay in the suite, eat Lola’s handy room service and stay up all night swapping stories on the soft comforters.
Info: Andra Hotel, 2000 4th Avenue, 448.8600, www.hotelandra.com
We don’t give the island town of Alameda nearly enough love. Aside from a few prideful residents who pipe up about the wonders of their old school home town, there just isn’t enough love for this picturesque island in the bay. I drive up Broadway all the way to where it turns around the corner, onto Shoreline Way. Parking in front of the Tropical Sands apartment building, which looks more like a transplant from north Jersey than a California beachside residence, and walk the doggies on the path by the beach. Passing by Elsie Roemer Bird Preserve, where endangered birds find a cozy winter home, I am smitten. Smitten with Alameda. I looked out into the re-created wetland at the edge of the reserve and saw a few scrawny-legged blue herons and a lone California clapper rail picking through the marsh grasses for a meal of mussels. Further along there is a long, low storm wall, where birds of a feather truly flocked together. There were a couple dozen cormorants, wings spread, drying their feathers at the far end, then next in line was a set of grumpy pelicans, heads tucked in their huge wing feathers to drown out the noisy seagulls, singing to their left. Further yet along was a neat row of snowy egrets, equally as bored with the seagull sounds. I lept, with my dogs, along the path, catching glimpses of wild argula tangled with ice plants, and tangled sage brush growing next to sea grasses and wild roses.
In this pocket of Bay territory, where some of the crucial tidal zones have been recreated and maintained, there is a wealth of wildlife to behold, especially as the nights grow longer. Flocks of birds find this park the perfect stop over for a winter away from their summer breading zones, and give me even more reasons to love Alameda. After a nice long walk by the beach (no dogs or joggers allowed on the beach so as not to disturb the birds), I head down Park Avenue to Julie’s Tea to warm up.
Park info: Shoreline Drive and Broadway Street, Alameda, more info click here
Here’s more on Julie’s:
1223 Park Street, Alameda, 510.865.2385, www.juliestea.com
Open: Mon-Fri 7a-9p, Sat-Sun 8a-7p
If I had a café I would want it to be just like Julie’s. Fair trade teas and coffees are lined in neat jars along one wall. Across the room local artists and select jewelry makers showcase their work in a quirky, comfortable and desirously British manner. Take your tea with double Devon cream, and try lavender jam with your scone. The best part is the backyard garden, with two sections of shaded benches and tables surrounded by lush flowering plants and vines. This is my secret garden, incidentally, a great place to get writing done. Upstairs entrepreneurship classes are held regularly, including business consultant Merideth Melberg’s business-plan class, a great place to start forming ideas for your own enterprise.
(Photo’s thanks to Alameda Sun.)
I spend my waking hours with untold number of causes and conundrums in my head - its one of my obsessions to crunch solutions for dilemmas ranging from harvesting energy from magma and waves to teaching people to be both more self-reliant and community oriented. I try to keep most of my meanderings to myself, and not dump all my wild ideas over this fun-loving blog, but I can’t resist this time. I promise - it is easy what I’m asking for.
During this economic crunch, there are more and more people who aren’t able to go grocery shopping. Even though times are tight in many sectors, many of us have an extra $5-10 to spend on non-perishables. The food banks around the Bay Area are all maxed out, and adding a few cans to their stores will have a huge benefit - going directly to the people who need food most. Skip one of your planned turkey day dishes and get the ingredients for someone who can’t afford it. I’m off to Alameda County Food Bank to drop off a few bags today, and if just a few people reading this go and do the same, there will be that many more people with a feast before them on this ultimately-American holiday and beyond.
Here’s some more info to make it easy for you to donate today:
San Francisco Food Bank - 415.282.1900
Alameda County Food Bank - 510.635.3663
Napa Valley Food Bank - 707.253.6100
Redwood Empire Food Bank - 707.523.7900
Second Harvest, Santa Clara - 866.234.3663
Fill up these shelves!
Skipping out on the hydrogenated cakes and cookies, the insecure utterances - hushed in case Christianity isn’t your thing, and the mall madness may be harder for some than it is for me, but there’s no need to halt your celebrations of the new season and pick up on the cheer that is somehow tangible for all of us, no matter what our creed or faith. I’ve recently been introduced to a burgeoning new American tradition - that of the Revels - since reading the heart-warming collection of essays, “About Revels,” ed. Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer. Chronicled are the collective will of various groups of people, in a dozen or more cities, who are bringing back the merriment of honest-to-goodness entertainment when it comes to the overly-materialized holidays.
What are the Revels? A show with costumes and song, audience participation and genuine delight, a smorgasbord of performances from young jesters and old wise men. This is no nativity scene, but a play that combines various characters, strung together by a joking host, in Oakland this year that host is well-loved Geoff Hoyle. If you want to laugh with glee, make true merriment and get back to a once-tradition raising its head once more, then come be a part of this Revel. Let’s get Medieval!
Oakland’s Scotish Rite Temple is hosting the show starting December 12, tickets are as low as $15. More info, click here.
Puget Sound Revels start December 13 at Tacoma’s Broadway Center, more info here.
Portland Revel’s are at the Scottish Rite Temple in that city, more details here.
David Lee Baughan’s Lessons of Love
From 6-9 tonight, Thursday, November 20, there’s a great opening, accompanied by all the art-focused conversation you could cram into one evening, at Paul Madher Gallery in San Francisco. This special holiday reception features new sculptures by David Lee Baughan, whom I first came into contact with last year when he covered Grace Cathedral’s courtyard with his ethereal sculptures. Turns out Paul Madher, the force behind this gallery, was there too, and I’m glad he’s managed to organize the new show, Chrysalis, by this talented artist. I was living a few blocks away from the cathedral at the time, and had made somewhat of a regime to walk over to the labyrinth in front at dusk after the last service let out and before the street lights became the only glow to shine on the sidewalk. The addition of the sculptures was a perfect surprise, and one that sent my mind towards even higher thoughts. The stone he touched seemed alive. It reminded me of some of Brancusi’s plusher statues… ah…
Baughan himself explains his newer work:
“Chrysalis is recognition of process, a birth into a world filled with thousands of transformations as we live through and are seasoned by life. Perhaps on a deeper level, an awareness of the naturalness of soul and how it yearns to participate in process.”
He’s joined by a few other artists: Kotomi Lemi Yoda with precious metal works like hammered metal sake glasses; Jaqueline McKinny and her glass works, and Lynne August’s oil paintings.
Call ahead: 415-474-7707
It all goes down starting at 6p tonight:
Paul Mahder Gallery
3378 Sacramento Street
Lynn August’s Rainy Day
Seattle’s vibrant arts scene depends on places like the Fremont Abbey, where multi-medium creative expression is the m.o. for people of all ages. Keep the shows (like the perennial favorite The Round), epic theater performances, and all the programming and classes going and going and going like the energizer bunny.
Round up your pennies and your buddies and head over to Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood for dinner, live entertainment and a silent auction that will guarantee there is more art to give. It all goes down November 21st, this Friday, email for more information: arts@fremontabbey.org
