Category: Food and drink

Woodland, CA, Maria’s Cantina, and Lu Bell

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, RestaurantsLeave a comment

IMG_1920A stereotype set right, an expectation exceeded, and a wagging tail all made for a nice end to a day.

My flight out of Sacramento was at 6.40am so I booked a hotel as close as I could find to the airport, a Quality Inn in Woodland, about 10 minutes away. Coming in from Redding I figured I would grab a bite to eat, sleep, get up at 3.30am to head for the airport.

My stereotype was that Woodland was a run-down farming town, a bit like Yakima in Washington. I was wrong. Yes, there is plenty of farm and orchard related businesses on the outskirts of town, but driving through “Historic Woodland” (a label that I always embrace with suspicion), I was surprised at the actual historic charm of the place, and the number of inviting restaurants. Stereotype corrected.

Google Maps and Yelp both listed Maria’s Cantina with good reviews, and since when you are in the agriculture areas of California you can rightly expect quality Mexican food, off I went. The short version is that my expectations were exceeded.

The decor was out of a Clint Eastwood movie, I learned that was intentional. The bar was concrete, with  wood and wrought-iron shelving. The absence of tacky faux-Mexican decorations was a relief.

Haley, the bartender brought me Tecate and a lime in a frosted glass. She has worked there only a few months, but fits the place. Breaking with my norm of taking advantage of happy-hour, I read the menu, too many good choices, and prices that are really fair. I learned long ago that the best course of action in this situation is to let the server pick. I told Haley there were two rules, “Bring me anything you want, but don’t tell me before you bring it, and I will eat whatever you bring.“ Was I in for a treat. Expecting good Mexican, I got exceptional.

IMG_1921The first tip that this was a different presentation of Mexican food was that I was not warned that the plate was hot as she set it down, next it was a square white plate, not the oval brightly colored plates that clash with the color of the food, AND the food was not drowning in sauces of various descriptions; Mexican food does not have to be buried under melted cheese and salsa.

She brought me a Grilled Shrimp Diablo Taco, done in street style, Mexican rice, a Chili Verde Suisse Enchilada, and Charro Beans with bacon.

I tend to go for finger foods first, so started with the taco. It lived up to its Diablo moniker, but these folks know how to do picante, the heat did not overpower the multi-layers of flavor. Every bite was a pleasure.

The enchilada had just a hint of lime complimenting the Suisse cheese, the real bonus was that it was not swimming in Verde sauce, the sauce was a component not a masking agent. The meat was moist, another surprise. Too often enchiladas are filled with overcooked dry meat, then drowned in sauce.

Most of the time I view the beans and rice as plate fillers in Mexican restaurants, with the rice being my least favorite. I actually ate this rice. But the star of the meal was the beans, oh those beans; a plate of these Charro beans and a cervesa would make me a happy man. Beans are easy to ruin by over cooking or over seasoning, Maria’s gets it right. Some smoked chili and just a hint of bacon in the background. I must go back one day.

I was sitting at the corner of the bar, in the shadowed corner of the room, just to my right (think Clint Eastwood), at a tall table two ladies sat talking, Lu Bell was on the floor – a yellow lab wearing a bandanna around her neck. Ever since our Golden Retriever Boggy went to doggy heaven I am compelled to say hello to the retrievers that I meet. Like most retrievers Lulu figured that the whole reason I stopped by was just to see her. I discovered that Lu is the owner of Maria’s, she just lets her mom, Kellie, one of the ladies at the table, and Jeff who I met later, run the place for her.

Jeff and Kelly own a drilling company, but when they ended up owning this building they decided to open a Mexican restaurant, I am grateful that they did. Kellie told me that it was their staff, it is a wise owner that hires good people and then frees them to do what they do best. They also just opened another place called Morgan’s, a steakhouse. I must visit that on a future trip.

I really don’t remember ever having better Mexican food, and did I mention the beans?

 

 

I need comfort food

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drinkLeave a comment

IMG_1826What a six-week stretch, I have certainly been places and eaten plenty, but on December 6 our basement flooded, and it has dominated the last 6 weeks. December was more Waterworld than Christmas, now it is HGTV (Home & Garden TV for those not into home remodeling). I have been to Boston, Eastern Washington, Oregon a couple of times, and California multiple times.

In chaotic times my psyche longs for “normal” which I find most often in food. Make all the comments you want about the evils of using food as an escape, but food brings normal to me. There are two places that I find solace in life, one is in the morning when I have Tea With God, and the other is when I spend time with Tricia cooking, talking, and eating.

When your basement, once nicely finished, is decimated by carpets torn up, sheetrock removed, jackhammers installing a drain, and dust on everything there is something comforting about cooking a good meal.

We have had many good meals lately, just last weekend we had crab and shrimp cakes on Friday, and Parmesan Crusted halibut on Sunday. Yesterday a simple butternut squash soup with Gruyere toasts was perfect. We had seafood and oysters with Prosecco a few weeks ago, perfect. On Christmas Eve Alexis and Joe cooked an amazing mushroom soup.

Teaching time and project management as I do, I meet so many folks that are overwhelmed by life, they are so busy, so they do the worst thing they can do, they work through lunch, and grab fast food for dinner so they can get back to work. We should learn from the French, even farm workers sit down to kitchen prepared meals complete with wine. They laugh and talk, and I am convinced they are more productive.

Comfort food is not a bad thing when it is good food, and when it is shared with loved ones it can be an oasis in a storm, it can recharge your energy, and make the tough days just a bit more normal.

Mac and Cheese

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Food and drinkLeave a comment

My never ending quest for Mac and cheese just found an addition to the really good category. At Moonshine BBQ in Lynnwood. 

 

You are what you eat. So what are we eating?

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Food and drink2 Comments

the-omnivores-dilemma-091700178I challenge you to read Omnivores Dilemma, Fast Food Nation, and Pandora’s Lunchbox and not change how you eat and view the food industry. I read all three this year and I cannot eat like I once did.

Omnivores Dilemma

Omnivores Dilemma reveals the pervasive intrusion of corn into our food. This is not the wonderful sweet corn that I grill in the husks with butter and chili powder, accompanied by a summer lager, a treat to be savored. No this is the Monsanto/Cargill, GMO modified, non-food, that is called corn, but other than appearance has little in common with my grilled treat.

This corn is bred to be resistant to Roundup, the weed killer that just coincidently is manufactured by Monsanto. This stuff is inedible as it comes from the plan, it is industrial and represents the majority of the corn grown in this country. If you plant kernels of the sweet corn, you can grow more sweet corn, but not this Monsanto aberration, it is designed to not reproduce. Yet Monsanto will graciously sell you more corn seed next year, along with their Roundup, lining their coffers with profits which increase thanks to government subsidies.

This corn is fed to over 80% of beef cattle to quickly fatten them, but of course cattle can not digest corn, they resist it to the point of getting sick which requires antibiotics just to keep them alive, but get fat they do, and in record time. This corn is turned into corn syrup, of little to no nutritional value, yet it is a component of most of the processed food we eat.

The alternative – eat local, eat organic, eat healthy.

Fast Food NationFast_food_nation_ver2

Drive down any main street in most any city, chain restaurants abound – burgers, Mexican, Italian, Seafood. The convenience is attractive, the signs and decor are enticing. But, behind the signs and the convenience is an industry that has changed our world and not for the better.

The beef comes from an industry dominated by, what a surprise, Monsanto and Cargill. Cattle that are mistreated and almost force fed, employees that are treated as inhumanely as slaves. Employees are paid the bare minimum while the companies receive government grants which enables them to pay low wages and offer few benefits. The whole operation makes the “Iowa corn fed beef” slogan sickening.

Our desire for cheap fast-food has created a food industry that mistreats animals and people, promotes e-coli, while delivering a product that has increased obesity at epidemic rates.

The response is simple, “Friends don’t let friends eat fast food or at big chains.”

82494_768Pandora’s Lunchbox

This book explores the chemistry and processes of the additives and ingredients in processed food. Things that sound healthy may come from questionable sources.

Vitamin C sounds good, it is actually ascorbic acid, natural in chilis and citrus to name just two Yet most of the Vitamin C added to our food comes from China. They buy the majority of the wool that is sheared from Australian sheep. It is the lanolin in the wool that is converted into ascorbic acid through a process using some pretty nasty chemicals, then added to our food.

The author of Pandora’s Lunchbox has kept quite an inventory of processed foods, some for many years, it does not spoil. Bread and cheese that does not mold, it is like plastic, and sadly edible. The choice is eating a mouth full of manufactured chemicals that have little to do with actual food, or eat real food.

There is only one conclusion, food was meant to be grown, harvested, and consumed locally. Sadly, we have sacrificed convenience and cheap, for health, humane, and sustainable.

There are some glimmers of hope. That bastion of fast food, the original franchise, McDonald’s is actually changing ever so slightly. WalMart, known for how poorly they treat their employees in the pursuit of profits, is actually selling organic and local in its stores. Even Tyson, the embodiment of cruel treatment of birds, is making some subtle changes in caging. These are not big, and not near enough, but could it be that consumer demand will one day change the food industry?

In the meantime, eat local, eat organic, eat humanly-treated, and for the health of you and your family stop eating processed, big food industry products. Tell others, and send a message to big food by not spending your money.  You are what you eat, really.

Polcari’s Italian, Woburn, MA

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Trips and travel, WineLeave a comment

This is an old Italian American place, we don’t have these in Seattle. Good house Chiante, and Spicy Diavolo flatbread.

IMG_1812

Share a meal with a friend

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Wine2 Comments

IMG_1576Over the last twenty years or so I discovered genuine cooking. Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s I experienced, unknowingly, a transformation that made the task of family food preparation easier and less expensive, while sacrificing quality and health in the process. Processed food must have seemed like manna from Heaven, it was cheap and easy to a generation that was still reeling from the shortages and rationing of the depression and a war.

My cooking ancestry comes from a family of migrant farm workers, and immigrant homesteaders that moved to the big city of Portland, Oregon. My perception, some six decades after the fact, is that the Portland branch, my fathers side, approached food from a utilitarian perspective, they ate to live, food was a necessity, and simplicity with economy was the objective.

The first great cook I remember was my Grandma, my mother’s mother. Two foods stand out, her homemade bread, and her turkey with egg noodles. Grandma grew up in Nebraska, she lived through the dust bowl; she learned how to cook when ingredients were scarce and limited. Like centuries of cooks before her, the most amazing meals were born from poverty.

The smell of her fresh baked bread is as vivid today as it was all those years ago, a thick slice while still warm, loaded with butter; thankfully we were not concerned in those days with fat and cholesterol. She made “egg noodles” – any chef would be impressed – eggs and flour, a bit of salt, rolled by hand, no pasta machine for her. Boiled quickly, then served with a wonderful sauce of leftover turkey and gravy, a comfort food I have not had in at least 40 years.

My mother tells people that I liked to cook when I was 12, I do remember it vaguely but until I was in my late thirties I must confess Hamburger Helper and instant Kraft Au-gratin Potatoes were common, even Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Such is life, economics, and reality.

Then Tricia came into my life. She has been fascinated with food her whole life, has a degree in food science from Central Washington University, and is so realistic about food, it must be good, and in moderation. Our early meals were eclectic, a mix of creative cooking, and sadly more processed than we would ever do today. But someplace along the line we became foodies.

I started traveling, eating at better restaurants, we ate out a lot and traveled, we watched cooking shows on PBS, trying out new recipes; we were transformed. Today food and wine are our hobbies, and what a wonderful hobby it is.

Our best times are cooking together, eating together, and talking. We are devoted to local, organic, humane, and sustainable food. When we travel we shop at local markets, look for restaurants that don’t have the menu in English. Food brings us together, it is what calms when there is stress, encourages conversation, makes us laugh, and how we show we care.

My advice to couples is learn to cook, it’s not that hard. Pour a glass of wine, put on some music, cook together and talk. Set aside the worries and frustrations of the day, even those issues that all couples deal with, and cook, and eat, and talk. From the beginning of time meals have brought people together, it still works. We need our relationships in these stressful times, so share a meal with someone you care about, in a small way it adds to the peace we so need.

A lesson in customer service, I hope they learn it

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Food and drinkLeave a comment

IMG_1332Now it is important to know that I was charming and pleasant, I guarantee that. And I must emphasize that the staff at the Farmer’s Market by Laguna Culinary Arts  (link to Yelp) were fine, and as helpful as they could be.

I was on the 5.30pm flight from John Wayne Airport headed back to Seattle, the plethora of Micky-mouse-eared kids made it clear that I was near Disneyland and that it was Spring break. After stopping at Vino Volo for a glass of Oregon Chardonnay I was hungry. Defying logic I thought I would head to Ruby Tuesdays, my first mistake because Vino Volo has good food, what was I thinking. Then I spotted the Farmer’s Market, it was run by a culinary arts school, looked promising. The display was stacked with sandwiches and panini much like you would find in Paris, even Croque-monsieur sandwiches loaded with cheese. They had splits of wine and wine glasses, I was sold.

IMG_1331Careful analysis, including price to value ratios, led me to order the ham and cheese, which he assured me could be heated like a panini. As I moved to the check-out to order a wine to go with it I noticed that he was placing my sandwich in an oven not a panini press, hmmm. It was my first alert that things were not working as they should. When I asked the nice lady if it could be heated in a panini press she said it was not working. I hesitated, and almost said I did not want the sandwich as I was anticipating hot squished bread, but decided to let it go.

I asked about the chardonnay, only to find that they sell small bottles of the wine, but they have no glasses for the wine. Not that they were out of glasses, they don’t ever have glasses. I asked how people drink it, she said “out of the bottle.” Yes, I did express my surprise, but like I said, I remained charming and pleasant as I made some comment about a brown paper bag, but with a smile on my face, she even smiled. I passed on the wine.

The sandwich came in a clear plastic take-away container, the ambience of enjoying a good sandwich with a glass of wine vaporized. I walked out to the main area of the terminal, found a chair and sat down to eat the lukewarm meal, the cheese was not even melted.

VIN_OrangeC_SNA_1Finishing that I went back to Vino Volo and admitted that I should have stayed there and had their basil chicken sandwich. I ended up talking with a guy from England, and to a lady who did quality control for a  cryogenic freight company, both delightful.

As I write this I am seated in an exit row on an Alaska Airlines flight, the flight attendants are wonderful as they usually are, the flight is on time, what a contrast to Farmer’s Market. Lots of airlines fly planes, and offer food beverage, yet Alaska still tries to do some of the little things. Their food is a notch above what the others offer, (their hot sandwiches are actually hot) and us MVP Gold’s get special treatment. They attempt to offer as much as possible within the constraints of a competitive airline market.

The best employee, inhibited by poor products or service offerings, struggles to maintain customer satisfaction. Farmers Market needs to learn this, after all it appears that they are training the next round of chefs; ambience and attention to detail are as important as making the perfect sauce, I hope they learn that along the way. As for me, next time  I am in John Wayne airport I will stick with Vino Volo.

Goat Song, a delightful memoir stirring my pastoral urges

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Books to read, Food and drinkLeave a comment

66026854fad5011318f9646d5aa26366Goats are cute, add in a bit of attitude and that they are the source of chèvre, and they are wonderful. I had a milk goat once, my boys drank goats milk for a couple of years. Brad Kessler’s Goat Song: Seasonal Life, A Short History of Herding, and the Art of Cheese Making  triggered warm memories of morning and evening milking chores from all those years past.

Goats have assumed various roles throughout history, Kessler’s novelist writing skills makes these stories come alive. Goats have been connected with poverty, with Satan, and a myriad of other odd ideas. BUT goats have been the means of existence for many peoples in many lands, and like I said goats are cute.

Brad and Dona Kessler bought a run-down farm/orchard in Virginia. They wanted goats. Hannah the queen of the herd, and Lizzie were their first two goats. For them to have milk and cheese they first needed kids. His account of breeding and birth is poignant and sensitive, yet it will be foreign, even challenging, to those who have lived only an urban life.

Hannah and Lizzie provided them with their milk, goats milk is responsible for so much of the good cheese in the world. Kessler writes of the wonderful first batch of creamy cheese and the evening they spent eating it. TheWinsketcher could only think of which wines would have fit.

This is a good read, a pleasant diversion. Like a walk through pastoral fields in the midst of this crazy world. A reminder that food is not from a factory but from the earth and the herds, try as we might we are in the end connected to both.

Memorable Winery Visits of 2014

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Food and drink, Happy Hour, thewinesketcher, WineLeave a comment

A warm summer evening, a serendipitous encounter, a surprise birthday party, a missed release event, and some much needed winding down, each produced one of five memorable winery visits in 2014. One was in Woodinville in early summer, three were in Eastern Washington in August, and the last was Oregon in December.

Torii Mor Winery, from the Dundee Hills of Oregon, opened a tasting room in Woodinville, Washington in 2014; one of  the first Oregon producers with a tasting room in Washington. They bring excellent offerings of the Pinot Noirs that have made the Yamhill wine area famous to Washington, a bold move for sure.

A few weeks after opening they held a party, Washington club members, of which there are many, brought friends, and other folks to whom Torii Mor was unknown joined them. It was a simple affair that showcased why I am enamored with wineries – great wine and interesting people. We met new friends, even discovered that some old acquaintances were Torii Mor fans. The party was a success, and the evening memorable.

Visiting wineries while on business trips is one of the advantages of being theWinesketcher. August 2014 took me to Toppenish, Washington to teach communication and time management, the schedule was such that I had two half-days to explore the Rattlesnake Hills Wine region east of Yakima. My objective this day was Dineen Wines, I had met one of the owners while sketching at Bonair the day before and she invited me to stop by the tasting room. When I got there it was closed, but being in the mood for a glass of wine and my paints I set off exploring.

2014-09-14 16.47.23A mile or so down the road I spotted an easel-sign pointing up a gravel road through an apple orchard, Reflection Vineyards, and the tasting room was open. I spent an hour or so sketching while sipping their Viognier. I wrote a blog, you can read it here. Reflection Vineyards is one of our favorites these days.

Just days later my wife and I were on a trip to the Prosser area for my birthday. We planned to stop at Kestrel’s Prosser Tasting room to pick up a club shipment, and to have a picnic on their patio. We were just settling in by the fountain when our simple picnic turned into a surprise birthday party with the arrival of Brian and Anita, they made a special trip just to join us, they are great friends.

imageWhile I was traveling that month, Tricia attended a release event at Bunnell in Woodinville. She was so impressed that she took me back the next Friday. We had what amounted to a private tasting, in part because they forgot to turn the sign from closed to open until we were about done. The wine was amazing, the cheese and olives fit, and the conversation entertaining. The best part, they decided to show some of my artwork.

By the time Christmas is over each year I am tired and ready for quiet, and intimacy. Catching up with family and friends is fun, but draining, always lots of energy and emotion. We drove to Canby, Oregon to see my granddaughter and her new husband, exchanged presents, and had a spirited Nerf gun battle. Then Tricia and I headed for Ponzi. We had a club shipment to pick up, which was actually just a good excuse to have some Chardonnay and cheese. Their new tasting room is comfortable, with an amazing view; it was just what theWinesketcher needed to close out the year.

I am sure I have quoted my uncle Farquhar before, and probably will again but it fits this year. His opinion on pie was that, “It’s all good, but some’s just better than others.” Well most wines and wineries are good, but some’s just better than others.” For me in 2014 these are a few that stood out.

Four wineries, four different experiences

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, thewinesketcher, WineLeave a comment

With our niece from San Diego in town for Christmas it only made sense to hit a couple wineries in Woodenville last Friday. A great time, along with varied experiences.

the-library-woodinvilleFirst stop, Long Shadows, our daughter is a club member, and I think this was her first membership. Their concept is a bit different. They are a winery with a number of different wine makers. The founder, Allan Shoup, an icon in Washington wine and former CEO of the Chateau St. Michelle conglomerate, invited seven winemakers from around the world to contribute one label of wine using grapes from Washington. The results are wonderful, and tasting them is a showcase in winemaking.

But this article is about the wine room experience, and Jordan made it relaxing and personal. Alexis called in advance, as is common courtesy when you have a larger group tasting, we had six. When we arrived she started to introduce herself to Jordan, as soon as she told him that she worked at Torii Mor Winery, he immediately called her by name, turned and greeted all of us. Then he directed us to an area of overstuffed chairs and a couch. He knew we were coming from the voice mail Alexis had left and made us feel welcome. We sipped and chatted, and bought a few bottles.

Next stop, Goose Ridge, and though I have written here that Torii Mor was our first club, I now think it was Good Ridge. We ended the membership a few years ago because they did not have any club options with whites included, and they make some great whites. They too were warned in advance that our group was coming, yet what a difference. There was little or no greeting, they seemed surprised to see us. We found a place to sit, then waited. After some time one of us went to the counter and asked what we needed to do. The response was a confused, “We didn’t know what you wanted.” It really seemed like we were a bother. We did get one glass, but with little or no explanation of what we were drinking, and none of the enthusiasm for the wine that Jordan had shown. We did not complete the tasting, I offered to pay for them all, no complaining, just that it wasn’t working. Thankfully they did not charge anything, and we left; no inquiry as to why, no apology etc. I am disappointed that what was a positive memory from the past was tarnished; I trust it is not the norm and optimistically hope the next visit will be improved.

Airfield is next to Goose Ridge and always a fun place to visit. We had not planned on stopping there so they had no advance notice that we were coming. We went in and as usual it was a more lively atmosphere, a trademark of Airfield. Jim and Jim manage the room, they have for years, I asked them if we were okay coming with six, as I expected it was not a problem. We met Dave, not sure how long he has worked there, but new to us, he showed us a great time. We all bought wine and ended the tasting day on a high note.

The fourth tasting was on Sunday the 28th in Oregon. Tricia and I were there to visit some family missed at Christmas. We stopped at Ponzi, a long time favorite of ours, we sat in their beautiful tasting room, sipped Chardonnay with a plate of cheese and olives, watched people and savored the view. It was nice to wind-down after the hectic holidays, Katie was a pleasant server, the sun was out; this is what wine is all about.

Wine is more than a beverage, definitely not for getting high, it is an experience of the senses, and people. The tasting room experience is so important, thus I blog more on the whole event than just the liquid in the glass.

January is a slow time in the wine world, many tasting rooms limit hours. But this means less crowds, more personal attention for those who do venture out. So theWinesketcher’s advice is venture out in January, you will find it pushes the gloom of winter away, and the wineries will appreciate your visit and business.