Hard day at work

As most of you know I work at The Linkery and every so often I get to drive up to the Santa Monica Farmers Market to get some produce. This time around Farra joined in on the trip and we had a blast. We hit up the SMFM and loaded up on a bunch of stone fruit from the Central Coast. The best part of that trip this time was not the SMFM, but the visit we had at the Intelligentsia coffee bar in Venice.

When I had the opportunity to take over the coffee ordering at The Linkery I got exposed to Intelligentsia coffee, which is the best thing to happen to coffee in the last years and in the years to come. We had an amazing visit with one of our friends from Intelligentsia who gave us the tour of it all. Check out the link's blog to read more about it.

After all the coffee drinking we needed some food to stop our shaking. Thankfully, Nick recommended a great restaurant just down the street called GJELINA. This place was full of people just having casual lunch during the middle of the day on a Wednesday, which made me think "do these people work?" Anyways, we scored this petite table on their charmingly rustic looking outside patio. First things first, I ordered Green Flash's West Coast IPA and Farra ordered a glass of Triennes rosé. We had heard that their brick oven pizza's were delicious so we knew that that was one dish we were getting and then we decided on a salad.

Here is the rocket, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, lemon, and shaved pecorino salad. I loved how the spice from the rocket was balanced out by the sweetness of the corn and the cherry tomatoes. And who doesn't love shaved pecorino on their salad?

The house-smoked cheese pizza with roasted tomato, rocket, and sliced jalapeños. We both love spice and this pizza definitely made us take a break every so often. Good thing I had that IPA to wash it all down.

We sat there enjoying our meal and really appreciated the day we had had, a beautiful drive up, a nice sunny day for the SMFM, cruising down the boardwalk from Santa Monica to Venice, the amazing experience at Intelligentsia, and then this al fresco lunch. If you are ever up in this area I highly recommend these 2 places.

j u l y j u l y j u l y - oh my!

4 courses, with beer pairings at 3:00pm on
SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2009

Donation: $45

Tomato Consommé to sip before sitting...

1° Crispy Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Ricotta and Mint served with 16 ANNIVERSARY SAISON ALE from Avery Brewing Company

2° Array of Barbecued Meats with Berry Beer Baked Beans
BEER PAIRING still undecided

3° Grilled Peach Salad with Bresaola and a Creamy Dressing served with STINSON BEACH PEACH ALE from Marin Brewing Company

4° Grilled Strawberries with Pimms, Crushed Shortbread and Vanilla Gelato served with ST. LOUIS FRAMBOISE from St. Louis Brewing Company

Summer will be well underway and we hope to showcase and inspire the best of it!

...complete pairings with courses to post later

Cheese and meat plates to start with and continue onward

Many hand selected beers to session before and after

Some special bottles to tickle your fancy

**Menu items subject to change based on what's available or if we run into something better!

This pairing will be at a special location in North County.

Please RSVP by June 28 via email to: farragood@gmail.com

We will forward directions to location upon confirmation. If you need to cancel for any reason, please try to do so before July 7th so we can accurately plan and account for everyone.

We look forward to another amazing late afternoon!

Viva la Whoopie Pies!

Oh, and the best dessert did, indeed, win! My favorite part about our dining project is the preparation and menu planning, for sure. I'm already a very excitable person and when I find a pairing or menu item that I'm soooo excited about, I can't wait to share it with Juan. Problem with that is that Juan is extremely analytical and methodical. Here's pretty much how it goes...

Farra: "Oh my gosh, guess what we're doing for the dessert?"

Juan: "What?"

Farra: "Ok, are you ready?... Triple Ginger and Lemon Quark Whoopie Pies!" [P.S. I'm beaming from ear to ear and can't sit still]

Juan: "uhhhhh..." [He's not beaming and looks rather confused!]

Farra: "You don't know what Whoopie Pies are, do you?"

Juan: "uh, no, not really..."

Farra: [I'm still not ready to give up, I just need to put my lawyer hat on] "Ok, picture this...triple ginger cookies that are a little chewy, and soft, but firm enough to hold a filling in the center...ok, don't you remember those Little Debbie pies that came individually wrapped? Like that, but waaaay better and a thicker, cakier cookie!" [Still beaming with a huge smile, thinking at least the smile will convince him]

Juan: "uhhhh, I'm not too convinced....it's not a ginger theme, ya know"

Farra: [Ok, completely crushed, the smile didn't work, my descriptive words didn't work...my smile fades, but the lawyer hat stays on!] "Because 2 of our dishes have ginger in them, all of a sudden it's a ginger theme? It's the last course, ginger is so refreshing, so springy, so cleansing...who would not be delighted to finish off with a probiotic cheese and ginger??"

Juan: "I guess, but I'm not convinced and I don't really want that to be the dessert course."

Farra: "Fine, I can stand alone on this one..."

You get the point....Juan was "not too convinced". This went on for days and a couple of weeks, stating cases back-and-forth between the "ginger's not the theme" vs. "who said it was?" We asked friends (who all agreed with me, by the way :)), Juan searched for alternative desserts and it was 3 days before the pairing when I was planning on making the dessert to finalize the beer pairing and Juan one last time made his plea for the NO GINGER. So, I finally agreed that I would try to find another dessert. After searching, rhubarb seemed to be the only thing that was half as exciting as Triple Ginger Whoopie Pies.

We sampled two desserts that night:

Triple Ginger and Lemon Quark Whoopie Pie vs. Rhubarb and Blueberry Crisp

At first bite of the whoopie pie, Juan started laughing and when I asked him why, he said, "You were right."

The Whoopie Pies made the cut and paired beautifully with Bear Republic's Pete Brown Tribute Ale!

Way to show 'em Whoopie Pies!

I wouldn't be challenged to find different seasonal courses if it weren't for Juan and he wouldn't get to say "You were right" if it weren't for me :) All gloating aside, we work very well together and compliment our different styles. I'm up for a dessert dual with you any day, Juanito!

The missing link....

It never fails, there's always one recipe that keeps us up the night before until ridiculous hours. I don't know if I create this myself, I'm just too tired, or what, but I work on the house until the afternoon, I start preparing around 3pm or 4pm and then hours later just when everything else is prepped and ready to go and I think I'm going to bed, the last recipe or prep work somehow is misread, or an ingredient is forgotten and I find myself at 12midnight, tired and dumbfounded at what happened. And then the race begins....the race to find out what I did wrong, how I can fix it and where I can send Juan at 1am or 7am to solve it! And just like clockwork, the missing ingredient is found or the recipe is started over and the end product is just perfect! We, on the other hand, are not so perfect at 3am...but still manage to thoroughly enjoy ourselves the day of!



That recipe this time around was for the triple ginger cookies that sandwiched the lemon quark cheese in the middle. I'm never sure how a recipe will double, but I thought I'd take my chances....until, I double the wet ingredients and then quarupled the dry ingredients. Then, somewhere in my mathematics at 12midnight, I ended up with very sad and gooey dough! Alas, 2 hours later, I figured out I only added half the flour, so I added the rest and the cookies delivered in taste, texture and style with their quark cheese!


Moral of the story: don't multiply a recipe unless 1. you are a mathematician 2. you have no one talking to you while you're doing the math 3. you have countless hours to waste figuring out your mistake!

A bid farewell to peas and blooms and asparagus...see you next time around

Summer's officially around the corner and we just bid farewell to Spring in the most proper fashion of which we know....a pairing with awesome friends, a full house and the freshest ingredients....

This pairing just felt good. We were organized, time lines were executed flawlessly, we had awesome help and the courses were alive. That's not to say we didn't have a lot to think about leading up to the pairing. I dedicated a separate post to prep this time :)

Crispy & Delicious Asparagus & Potato Tart served with Sabzi
Paired with THE LOST ABBEY AVANT GARDE Farmhouse Style Ale
This was a great pairing to start with. The asparagus and the sabzi showcased the grassyness of the Avant Garde, the beautiful floral aroma and the hint of sweetness from this delicate golden ale really went well with the cheddar cheese, while the tart's dough complimented the yeastyness.



Alaskan Amber Salmon served with Spring Ragout
Paired with BALLAST POINT GINGER BIG EYE IPA
I had always wanted to pair this beer with this salmon and my wish was granted when Jeff was on board to brew this special batch. I think it was many guests' favorites and I can't blame them. The salmon marinates for 24 hours in Alaskan Amber beer, cilantro, garlic, soy sauce, and of course ginger. The hoppyness really cut through the salty soy sauce and the ginger brought out all the herbal flavors. The spring ragout's favas and peas brought balance and fresh spring to the entire dish. Absolutely delicious!


Fennel with Tarragon Vinaigrette on a bed of Purslane
Paired with THE BRUERY TRADEWINDS Belgian-Style Ale Brewed with Rice and Thai Basil
You know, come to think of it I almost like this pairing better than the salmon. This beer by The Bruery is phenomenal, comlex, a beautiful bouquet of aromas, light and just a treat to drink. The fennel and tarragon brought out the light herbalness in the beer from the Thai basil. The light creamy dressing complimented the purslane's sticky, crispy yet soggy texture. The beer really has this fruity aroma, which needless to say that the strawberries really finished off the pairing all the way through.

Triple Ginger & Lemon Quark Whoopie Pies
Paired with BEAR REPUBLIC Pete Brown Tribute Ale
I won't talk about my ongoing battle to pick another dessert since I was told by many that I should just listen to Farra. I know! Yes, this was great. The creamy quark cheese from Spring Hill Dairy balanced the hint of spice from the triple ginger cookies, not to mention the lemon which just refreshed your mouth all together, while the brwon ale's molasses complimented the sweetness and offered a smooth finish which left your mouth ready for the next bite.


A definite tradition...a pairing can't end without Krupnik! Thanks, Agnieszka for the introduction...

A huge thanks to Kevin and Jackie for their expert help in the kitchen. We all worked so well together and as a result assembled, delivered and executed dishes that were full of Spring!

Another huge thanks to John for photographing this evening so we can share it with everyone!

Another huge thanks to Jeff for brewing awesome beer just for us!

And another huge thanks to everyone who supports what we create!

Summer, here we come!!