Un mezcal por favor

Growing up I had heard of Mezcal, but for some reason I had always seen it as a the lesser liquor from the agave plant. Tequila has such a strong presence all over Mexico that I never thought of drinking Mezcal. The assumption growing up was that Mezcal was drunk by the rural people of Oaxaca or other small villages that couldn't afford tequila, but I am so glad that I was wrong with this assumption. The New York Times just ran an article on the rise of Mezcal, the process, the tradition, and the importance of drinking the small batch high quality mezcal.

Over the past couple of years  as I have became more interested in finer cocktails and liquors.  I began hearing mezcal making its way onto cocktail menus at places like PDT in NYC and the Alembic in SF. Last summer during our wedding my friends Brandon & Lucera had traveled to Oaxaca and met up with us at the wedding. He had purchased a bottle of El Señorio and was extremely excited to share it with me. I remember we were sitting in his room staring out at the ocean as he told me how he had fallen in love with it in Oaxaca. He poured us two shots, I grabbed it and smelled it. The aroma reminded me of the smoky and earthy characteristics that you get from a 18 year old scotch or a tequila reposado. I gotta say that a good mezcal is a perfect way to end a dinner. You dont have to go to Oaxaca to enjoy this gorgeous and seductive liquid. If you are in the mood hop on over to Cantina Mayahuel on 30th and Adams where you will find an array of tequilas and meszcales that you wont find at any other place except back in Mexico.

Bringing Refrigerators Together

Usually, our dinners are planned out with details always taken into consideration and calendars always consulted.  My mom always reinforced proper etiquette, which leaves me frantic at the last minute polishing silver or dusting plant leaves in case someone noticed the mild build up of dust that had accumulated.  But I have to say, there's something about throwing together an impromptu dinner and just working with whatchu've got!  

Bradlee and Jen came over last night and...wait for it...it was not planned, nor was it in either of our calendars!  Point being, we had an amazing evening and cooked an amazing asparagus stir-fry with ingredients already in our kitchen, lined up and ready to be quickly cooked and enjoyed with great company.  

So, in honor of this evening, I'm vowing to be more spontaneous with our meals and evenings with friends and not to pay attention to calendars and silly details.  What matters is the company and the meals created together.  It's bringing ingredients together from different kitchens and creating an evening that feeds your soul.  Cheers to spontaneous gatherings and bridging kitchens!  

P.S. Passover inspired haroset was an awesome dessert experiment!  Try chopping walnuts, pecans and almonds in a food processor, then add sliced apples and chop in the processor until finely chopped, stir in juice of a 1/2 lemon, a few shakes of cinnamon, shake of nutmeg and a couple T honey.  Top with freshly whipped cream and dust with cinnamon.  Simple, nutritious and mmmmm delicious.

Palm Springs

The lawn chair, literally.

We just got back from Palm Springs a few days ago. We were out there for several days for a family (Farra's moms side) retreat and it is gorgeous, thats if you like hot sunny days, lounging by the pool, micheladas, grilling, and nice evening cocktails. Farra's aunt rented an awesome house for a week and we definitely enjoyed it, thank you! We mostly ate at the house, but then after dinner Farra and I would escape for some venturing and checked out some cool restaurants and bars.

Poolside at the Ace Hotel. Classy Palm Springs. For a second we felt like we were in the 50's.

This is the Amigo Bar inside the new Ace Hotel. These hotels are amazing. There are some in Portland, Seattle, New York, and now Palm Springs. The hotel does a great job of involving you as part of the experience. They have such great amenities, DIY BBQ with a personal weber for you to grill on your patio, a dog park, saline pool, gym, and a cool & hip staff. They did an amazing job in keeping the old with the new. It used to be an old Howard Johnson and the diner was an old Denny's.

The inside of the Amigo Room is cozy and vintage Mexican and Southwest twists to it. When you go there this summer you gotta order their Figa cocktail. Its fig infused vodka, chilled earl grey tea, honey and tangerine juice. 

Our friend that greeted us at the entrance to the restroom of the Parker Hotel. This hotel is an amazing  place to indulge, relax, and splurge. The hotel used to be Merv Griffin's old house and at one point it was also the Givenchy resort and spa.

Breakfast at Norma's inside the Parker. The restaurant has a nice intimate vibe, and a bright open space with great views of their gardens and overall property.

Of course I had to try their take on huevos rancheros. They were good, but I hate when places use flour tortillas when its not traditional. Nice presentation, but the chilaquiles at the Kings Highway Diner inside the Amigo Hotel are just as great and a third of the price.

We're back

Sorry everyone for the lack of posts lately. We lost all of our pics amongst other items and had a tough week. We are back though! Recently we have been getting some great feedback on things we could include on the blog. One of those requests are recipes for the dishes from the beer dinner.

Here is a pic of the veggie nut loaf that we offered to the vegetarians instead of the ribs. Kevin this is for you let me know how it turns out. The recipe is as follows:

• 1-1/2 cups walnuts
  1/2 cup cashews
  1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
  2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
  1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
  1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, then drained and chopped
  2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
  2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  1 Tablespoon fresh marjoram, or 1 teaspoon dried (I was out of this and it tasted great without it)
  1 teaspoon fresh chopped sage, or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  2 large cloves of garlic, minced very fine
  4 large eggs, beaten
  9-12 ounces of grated cheese -- Use odds and ends of different cheese that go together. I used cheddar and jack cheese, but swiss or fontina are good too
  1 cup (8 oz) cottage cheese
  1 teaspoon salt
  freshly ground black pepper

  Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter a loaf pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then butter it again.

  Toast walnuts and cashews on a baking sheet (or you could use a hot, dry skillet set on medium and stir constantly) until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Chop fine with knife, (I used the food processor).

  Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until they're browned and any liquid from the mushrooms has reduced by half. Stir in the cooked rice, the nuts, chopped herbs, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

  Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth it down until it's level. Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. It should be firm when you shake the pan. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert onto a serving plate. Serve with Herb Bechamel sauce or a mushroom sauce.

  Herb Bechamel Sauce

  2-1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
  1 Tablespoon finely chopped onion
  1 bay leaf
  pinch ground pepper
  4 branches fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme
  2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsely
  2 Tablespoons butter
  2 Tablespoons flour
  1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

  Combine the milk, onion and herbs in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to lowest point and cook for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it set until you need it. Then strain it--or not, if you prefer. There should be about 2 cups.

  Melt the butter and stir in the flour and cook over medium low heat about 1 minute. Whisk in the warm milk all at once and stir in cream, if you're using it. Season with salt and cook over lowest heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often.

Wynola field trip

One of the many cool things about working at The Linkery are the fun projects and activities of which we get to be a part. On Tuesday we went out to Wynola, 3 miles right before Julian, and we checked out a couple of farms, Albert's Organics and Womack Ranch. Albert, his wife Lydia, and their son Jehtro (seen here), raise these goats the natural way. Curtis from Womack ranch raises natural chickens and his land is right next to Alberts. It was so nice to be out there in the spring and connecting with them. They are so passionate about what they do and are the nicest.



Here is a little buddy posing for the camera. He was like "oh you want a picture, here you go then"


Farmer Juan feeding the goats. They were so friendly and just loving the fact that we were feeding them. After that we moved them to a new area with fresh pasture for them and they soon forgot about us.



Right before we left we had lunch out on Albert's table and chair, Max had packed us a lunch with North Park Meat Co beef pepperoni, cheddar cheese, and The Linkery's house made semolina roll. Then Albert brought out a bottle of red wine from a local winery, Orfila, and we just sat there enjoying that moment. Its interesting how those simple things can just make your day. We all left pretty happy, especially Ethan and I which we made a stop at Holiday Wine Cellars and Lost Abbey. Good day all in all!

Tijuana visit to see Mom and eat!

About every 2 weeks my brother and I go to Tijuana to visit our mom. We drive down there, pick her up and she takes us to the best street style food. She always has a new place for us to check out, but for some reason when it comes to eating birria, Angel and I usually stick to the same place. It's also 2 blocks from Moms house so it is pretty convenient. This time we went with Ethan whom got tired of me teasing him about how good it is everytime I came back.



The birria they make is Guadalajara style but is it from beef instead of the popular goat, which is equally as good. They also have carnitas, potato tacos, a cup fo the birria broth, tortas ahogadas (drunken tortas), and a plethora of sides to put onto your taco, they can make micheladas with clamato, and put a smile on your face. In case you ever find yourself in the Gabilondo area of TJ, the neigborhood behind the old bullring, you need to go to these tacos and then thank me afterwards. Here are some pics to tease you a bit more:



The broth you are looking at is delicious. Add some cilantro, cebolla, limes, habanero hot sauce and slurp away like tasting a fine wine, just a bit different of a flavor profile!



The taco you see above is a new finding for us. The place is called Tacos Memo's. The taquero is hilariously cool, he wears sunglasses, asks you if you want the combo, which you say Hell yes! They make these tacos with handmade flour tortillas, followed by a proper smearing of refried beans, some carne asada, grilled chorizo, guacamole, salsa, cilantro, cebolla, and followed by some chicharron cracked right on top. Pair with a grilled jalapeno and a Mexican coke, eat it all, then repeat until you are satisfied.



This is Cecilia, our mom and the reason why we go down to Tijuana. This is one of my favorite pics of her at our wedding on 8-8-8 at Hotelito Desconocido and I'm sorry Disney, but this is the happiest place on earth check out the link and you'll see why. Look at her all serious waiting for Juan and Farra to make it official. She would kill me if she knew her pics are on the net, but she wont find out. In case anyone ever wants to go down to TJ let me know and we can plan something. Cecilia will be our guide and you will return very happy!

Beer Pairing 2009 / "La Mesita" Project Kickoff

Every year we wait for this dinner to come and it finally happened. This one was such an exciting event and we were lucky to have some new faces at the tables. It was our kickoff dinner for the dining project "la mesita sin nombre". Tons of preparation went into it again and special thanks to all of those who helped making the mole, shucking oysters, dishes, serving, etc. Also, thanks to Jeff from Ballast Point for providing some great Calico amber ale.

The day started off with early prepping of the dishes, last minute runs to the store, and turning our home into an intimate dining experience. Luckily, Farra creates the action plan that brings it all together.

When the guests arrived they were greeted with a pint of Ballast Point's Calico amber ale and an assortment of cheeses. From Venissimo in Mission Hills we had the Cahill Porter, a unique mosaic looking cheesed pressed in port beer, the Tipperary Irish Cheddar aged 12 months that give it a sharp and creamy texture, Cotswold, a super yummy creamy double gloucester with onions and chives, Chimay made by monks and bathed in beer, and last but not least Humboldt Fog with its signature creamy, pungent ashynees. From the North Park Meat Co. we had Point Reyes blue cheese and the Sweet Grass Dairy's aged cow cheddar as well as the smoked local spotted bass, which was left with only bones.

Just before dinner we served baked oysters filled with pickled jalapeños, a splash of calico amber and some colby jack cheese. Thanks for your help shucking, Ethan!!!

Every year there's always one dish that catches us by surprise and this year it was the gnocchi! We thought about buying the gnocchi fresh from an Italian market, but we just couldn't do it after putting so much thought and time into the handmade menu. So began the adventure.... 3 variations, 5 hours and over 300 gnocchi later...we served our first course: sauteed gnocchi with snap peas, pea tendrils, chanterelle mushrooms, and shallots paired with one of my favorite American Breweries, North Coast Brewing Co's Pranqster, a Belgian Golden Style Ale. The floral notes brought out the earthiness in the potatoes and chanterelles and the beer's crispness paired well with the freshness of the snap peas.

2nd course: beef short ribs braised in coffee and chile ancho sauce topped with mole poblano and served with a yam puree The mole was prepared by friends and family the previous weekend. This was the hardest pairing for me to find a beer that went well with such complex flavors. I purposely did not do a porter because of the one we had in the lineup for dessert. After trying different pairings for dinner almost every night that week, I finally found Bison Brewing Co's Organic Chocolate stout. The hints of chocolate brought out the mole's ch0colate notes and the stout's sweetness also balanced out the spicyness.

After the rich and heavy mole dish we thought that a nice salad would balance the whole meal out right before moving onto the decadent dessert. 3rd course: Butter leaf lettuce, red spinach, and a citrus avocado dressing. Paired with Alpine Beer Co's Mandarin Nectar Ale. The beer's mandarin honey like flavor really brought out the citrus in the salad and the crisp fresh leaves kept the dish very fresh and clean. This was a favorite of many!

And the moment that everyone waits for....dessert. Dessert is always a fun course to play around with to try and pair every single flavor in the sweet with a matching beer. There are so many great dessert beers out there, but I was biased because earlier in the week I visited Ballast Point's brewing facility and had the opportunity to sample their newly released, "Victory at Sea". I think I was secretly looking for a dessert to pair with the beer! Luckily, Farra and I were on the same page because she had been wanting to make these itsy bitsy chocolate chip cookies! Handmade Vanilla Bean ice cream was a no brainer at this point. 4th course: Home made vanilla bean ice cream with itsy bitsy chocolate chip cookies. Paired with Ballast Point's "Victory at Sea" Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter. This was heaven in your mouth, easily enjoyed, and a great way to finish the dinner.

After dinner there is nothing better than a little shot of after dinner delight: Polish honey vodka: Krupnik to warm your belly. Here is Farra happily passing out shot after shot. The shots were a hit and needless to say, the Polish bottle was Polished off (yes, pun intended).

The night was such a success and truly filled with a richness and soul that you just couldn't have found in any restaurant. I guess that's exactly what inspires us to create these gatherings with our community and friends.

The next project is set to be at the end of May, so please join us. We'll post the invitation on the blog and most likely send out an email with the updated blog. We absolutely look forward to sharing our tables with you and thank everyone for their support and love for an unparalleled combination of food, friends, libations and community.

THANKS AGAIN AND STAY TUNED...