In the Garden Again
It’s Fathers Day, and that means it’s time for the annual Ruth Bancroft Garden sculpture show. Once again the best succulent garden in the country is filled with sculpture from well known Northern California artists.
Friday night was the opening party. We walked through, enjoying the overcast yet warm evening. The pictures I took are not at all comprehensive, just the items that grabbed my interest.
Dire Wolf, for Game of Thrones fans. By Melissa Mork
Amphora, by Gare Ugarde
A garden of glass works
Some of the work is more conceptual in nature:
IIHI, by Christopher Kanyusik
Some is not only representational by perfectly suited to a succulent garden:
Cactus, by Peter Keresztury
We have to remember that the original art is nature itself. Here is the artist Tuppy Lawson enjoying the trees in the garden.
Some of the art incorporates nature:
Green Hair, by Jiajun Lu
Some is whimsical:
Kevin Bacon, by Karen van Galder
Blue Cap English Bulldog by Xuan My Ho
String Quartet (Please be seated) by Hugh Livingstone
There are many more pieces than I have shown. The Garden is open every day 10 to 4 at 1552 Bancroft Avenue in Walnut Creek. The sculpture is in place for a month. It’s a great place to walk through, calm your soul and enjoy.
I’ll leave you with this plant, which is constantly regenerating itself with new flowers at the end of a very long stalk. Seems like a great metaphor for a good life.
In my own backyard
Coming home from Carmel, we decided to have dinner at Amber, in Danville. We’ve always liked the place.
And they were closed. Not for the evening, for forever. The restaurant business is tough, and they come and go without warning. Lovely little Amber is no more: there is already construction happening to remodel for whatever is replacing it.
Looking around at the alternatives, we decided on Faz, which has been a fixture in Danville for years, and yet we tend to overlook it. That seems to have been a mistake.
Arriving at the facility, we had our choice of indoor or outdoor seating. Since it was a beautiful, warm evening we chose outdoor, and were shown to a large deck area ringed with redwood trees, framed on 3 sides by the building and a large water feature on the fourth. The chairs were of the plastic garden variety and the red table cloths were jarring in the natural setting, but we were happy to be there.
The rear deck area at Faz
Faz is Persian/middle Eastern, and we were served with a plate of wonderful flat bread, fresh out of the oven. I think humans are innately programmed to respond to warm bread, and it’s easy to kill your appetite when they give you a plate of it.
Oven warm flatbread with a dressing of fresh herbs in oil.
Gail and I decided to split a wedge salad, that retro throwback to the 50’s. It’s a sign of a good chef when the kitchen splits the salad for you; I was pleased to see two identical plates come to the table.
A slab of iceberg lettuce, bacon, cherry tomatoes, hard cooked egg and blue cheese dressing. Harry Truman would recognize this dish immediately.
The blue cheese dressing on the salad struck me as odd–kind of sweet. I wasn’t crazy about it, but I didn’t hate it, either.
There was a special that called to me: bay scallops on capellini with a pesto sauce. Not something I could ever pass up. The kitchen did a great job of honoring my request for more pasta and less sauce–as the great chef Mario Battali says, the sauce is a condiment not the main event.
A perfect ratio of sauce to pasta, with bay scallops, sun dried tomatoes and fresh spinach.
Gail opted for the rack of lamb.
Expertly crusted rack of lamb
An entire rack is quite a bit of meat–we have lamb chops in the refrigerator now. The dish comes with a fancy rice concoction, but Gail opted for simple basmati rice along with the broccolini. The lamb was cooked to medium rare perfection and all was right with the world.
Service was first rate–the owner himself was working, running dishes and making sure everyone was happy. That keeps the rest of the staff on its toes.
All in all, we thought we had an excellent dinner for a reasonable price. It’s easy to overlook the old local standbys, and I’m glad we stopped in here.
Beware the $15 abalone
“Well, I thought lunch sucked.”
That completely wraps up Gail’s review of Basil Seasonal Dining, a chic place in Carmel that bills itself as providing “Area-sourced seasonal Californian dishes are served in a casual setting with a dog-friendly patio.”
We chose the place because there was abalone on the menu, an appetizer portion for only $15. That should have been a warning–abalone is never that cheap. You gets what you pays for.
Farmed abalone/vermouth/parsnip puree/English peas/asparagus-potato hash
An abalone shell filled with a lot of vegetables and darned little overcooked abalone just didn’t cut it.
Worse, in Gail’s opinion, was the Castroville Artichoke Salad, a depressing mishmosh of “wild arugula/ East of Edom Schoch Farm cheese/Quail & Olive Ambrosia vinaigrette”. Menus use brand names to make things sound more important, but who really knows one brand of vinaigrette from another? Is “Quail & Olive Ambrosia” one of the big names in gourmet salad dressings? I’ve never heard of them, have you?
If I gave you a slice of raw artichoke, you wouldn’t know what it was and you wouldn’t like it. It is a hard, fibrous, tasteless little wood chip; you need to steam it with garlic to make it palatable. The raw artichoke in Gail’s salad were not improved by the fancy vinaigrette, or the improbably named cheese.
To be fair, I had the English Pea Ravioli, and enjoyed it.
Spinach pasta filled with Peas, surrounded by peas, asparagus and shallots.
My meal was fine, I enjoyed all of it.
Cousin Mary was with us, and she had the English Pea risotto–all the same things as the ravioli, but in a risotto. Her portion was huge; she tried hard but couldn’t finish it.
My glass of iced tea was garnished with a basil leaf, which was interesting and creative. They don’t offer any sweetener other than Stevia, because they believe that they know best and want to protect me from myself. Gee thanks, mom.
The location is beautiful, the service was decent, but all was lost with the abalone and then dragged out to sea and drowned by the artichoke salad. There are lots of interesting places to eat in Carmel, we’ll find a different one next time.
Making my bones
High class scrambled eggs
I like to cook, and try to get better at it. Anyone can bake a cake from a mix or broil a steak, but there are definitely some things that can be quite a challenge to create. And the height of the chef’s art seems to be the soufflé, that heavenly concoction of eggs, cream and sugar that’s as light as air and bursts with flavor. Tonight, I made one.
Not, perhaps, the greatest of performances, but a decent first effort. The color was great, the flavor and texture were on target, but the soufflé didn’t rise the way one would want.
We had friends over for dinner, and enjoyed an interesting dinner while compulsively checking the basketball score. (Go Dubs!) A first course of shrimp sauteéd in oil and ancho chilies led to the main course of baked salmon, polenta and roasted veggies.
There were a few minutes of conversation, because it takes about 40 minutes to bake the dessert. There is a lot of old mythology about not walking heavily or making loud noises lest the soufflé falls, but in truth you just have to avoid opening the oven door to peek–the drop in oven temperature will cause a fall faster than anything else.
Bringing a special dessert to the table will excite a round of appreciation from your guests, even if it hasn’t risen as far as you would like. That’s the best part.
This was fun, and at least a partial success. Can’t wait to try another one.
Opening day at CCBC
We have a first class parking attendant
The new club is open!
I actually got there early, to watch it all come together.
Over the weekend, Bruce Johnsonbaugh and a team of volunteers broke down the old club and moved everything over to the new, at the First Christian Church, 3309 Willow Pass Road in Concord.(The phone number is the same, but the phone hasn’t been installed yet.) We have an excellent room, with all the amenities for 21 tables of card players.
There was Bruce, still working. The new club would never have happened without him.
Today’s inaugural game was 13 tables. Here’s a look at the club and the players:
I love the fact that the site has a full kitchen. The stove is beautiful:
I can sense a huge pot of stone soup is going to be bubbling away soon.
Bridge is social but competitive. It seems only right to finish this with the winners of the first game in what I hope will be our home for years to come.
Max and Gerry were the big winners. Congratulations.
Thanks again to Bruce Johnsonbaugh, Mark Humphrey and Mike Bandler for making this all happen.
High above the valley
The view to the west from the terrace of the Auberge du Soleil
Dinner last night at Auberge du Soleil, one of the finest establishments in the Napa Valley, high on a hill in Rutherford overlooking the vineyards that produce some of the best wines in the world.
My brother David is in town, so we decided to go someplace special. The Auberge is as special as it gets. A restaurant, a hotel, an escape, an art gallery, the Auberge is all of that. This is a top of the line place worthy of any special occasion, whether you want a weekend getaway or an afternoon snack and a stroll through the sculpture walking down the hill.
If you call far enough in advance you get a table on the terrace, looking out on the valley and vineyards. Call too late and you have to sit in air conditioned splendor, taking in the same view through tall windows while dining in plush splendor.
The menu offers three or four course pirx fixe meals, allowing you to choose from a considerable variety of innovative variations of the standard restaurant fare, all created with the finest of local ingredients.
First, of course, is the amuse bouche, the gift of the chef to “amuse the mouth”.
A tiny bite of smoked salmon, onion and creme fraiche
There was a second amuse, a shooter of wild mushroom soup. My brother enjoyed both his and mine.
Fortunately for fine diners, the courts have overturned at least one stupid law, and Californians can now enjoy their foie gras once again.
This perfectly seared piece of foie gras was situated on a piece of bread studded with valhrona chocolate, napped with a cherry coulis, accompanied by more cherries and crisped onion. I have never had better.
David’s first course was the hamachi crudo, thin buttery strips of raw yellowfin tuna wrapped around watermelon radish, topped with a citrus dressing and black sesame seeds. He pronounced it “awsome”.
Gail had the white corn crab soup. I tried it and loved it. Not as good as the foie gras, but there can only be one best.
My second course was the seared ahi, presented with a Thai curry sauce.
What makes a restaurant great is the constant attention to detail. The main part of this dish, the ahi, you expect to be perfect, and it was. But all the tiny components that make of the plate have to perfect as well, and here Auberge never fails. The tiny, very crisp slice of onion, the itty-bitty portion of black imperial rice, the tempura vegetables, every single thing, no matter how small, is carefully and perfectly prepared to combine into a magnificent whole.
This was my lamb loin. I have nothing to say beyond the fact that it was perfect.
David’s Sonoma duck breast. Another dish prepared simply and without flaw. The spice crust on the this bird was unlike anything I have had before.
Gail had the lobster risotto, and thought it had too much lemon. So I traded her the last of my lamb and finished it. Yes, it was lemony, and we all have different tastes.
There was no room left for us to enjoy anything from the dessert menu.
The service at Auberge deserves a special mention, because they are spectacular. Every single member of the staff is well trained and motivated to provide service above and beyond your expectations. Gail noticed our waiter looking at our table as he passed carrying a plate for another table–he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to check that everything was fine.
I made a comment about the butter on the table:
and the young lady refilling the water glasses was able to discourse on where it was from (Strauss Dairy) and how it was unsalted but topped with crystals of sea salt. A different woman, re-setting the silver between courses, spoke with us about the difference between the sauce spoons David and I had and the soup spoon Gail had. The level of training and attention is stunning.
Dinner at Auberge du Soleil is a treat, a rare occasion to enjoy the absolute finest the Bay Area has to offer in a complete dining experience. Plan to be there for sunset over the valley and call early to get a terrace table.
It’s a small world after all
If there is a baby nearby, I’ll stop and flirt. Always. Boy or girl, I don’t care. I just like babies.
So naturally when I saw a little fellow having breakfast with his dad on Monday I went over for a chat. Dad had torn up a pancake and put the pieces where junior could get his tiny hands on them. Junior, of course, was busily dropping them on the floor to watch the birdies come eat them.
That was cute enough to entertain me for a minute, then I stopped bothering them and went on my way.
Later in the day, I get a text from my brother, noting that upon reading my blog he realized that one of his clients was staying at the St. Regis, too. With his one year old son.
“Is the kid’s name Holden?” I texted back.
And I could hear David’s jaw hitting the floor from 2621 miles away.
My friend Holden with his nanny, Christy
None of this has significance, it’s just a fun coincidence. And more reason to stop and talk to babies.
Ups and Downs in Kauai
I wish I could resist bad puns, but it just isn’t in my nature. This is a post about taking a helicopter tour on the island, but the ups and downs were in the service from Sunshine Helicopters, not the flight.
We had mostly rainy weather this trip, and today was no exception. That didn’t bother anyone, the choppers fly close to the hills, close to the clouds, it was all beautiful. The flatter, rounder light was better for photos, too.
They asked me to check in at 8:30 for my 9 am flight. As I was parking the car, at 8:30.05, my phone rang making sure I was coming. That seemed a bit unnecessary.
After signing releases and paying the $239 fare, it was time for the safety briefing, which is sort of important, except for when they had to tell us that the pilot appreciated gratuities. We were also informed about all the souvenirs we could buy, and how we would be posed for photos before the flight that we could buy on the way out. I hate it when they turn everything into a sales opportunity, all the while pretending it is very important and vital.
One vital part of the briefing was about the “aloha bag”, to be used in case of air sickness. We were informed that it would be in the pouch attached to the front seats. I wanted to get a photo of it just because I liked the euphemism “aloha bag”. Alas, Sunshine Helicopters remembers all the sales pitches but doesn’t bother to actually check the aircraft for the sometimes needed bags.
The chopper arrived, the last group got out and we were loaded up. There are 4 seats across the back, and I got one of the middle ones. I think the big boys get the center seats to keep the aircraft balanced.
Five minutes early we took off–I was impressed, because nothing ever starts on time, much less early.
Our pilot was Bogart, an obvious veteran pilot sporting a long white ponytail. That gave me confidence in his flying, but led to the major problem I had with the experience.
Bogart is burned out, I think. He’s been doing this so long he doesn’t give a damn. The flying was fine, the narration was an unintelligible mumble. Helicopters are very loud–everyone has to wear earmuffs, and the sound is piped right in to your ears. I could hear the faint strains of Chariots of Fire as a sound track, but had very little grasp of what Bogart was murmuring about the scenery. I was not amused.
The advertised 48 minutes later, we touched back down. It may not surprise you that I failed to leave a tip.
The flight was a joy; Kauai is beautiful and mostly inaccessible except by air. I’m glad I went. I wish Sunshine Helicopters cared as much about the quality of the product they provide as they do about getting everyone there on time.
Lo! How the mighty have fallen.
Jerry Weitzner asked me to look up the Coco Palms Resort here on Kauai. He stayed here with his wife and kids ages ago, and he wondered about the current state of the place.
In its day, which was the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s, the Coco Palms was the hot spot of the island. Movies were shot here, from Pagan Love Song, with Esther Williams and Howard Keel, through Miss Sadie Thompson and including the most noted of them all, Blue Hawaii starring Elvis. And then, of course, Jerry stayed there.
Changes in ownership, decline in the economy and the growth of other luxury properties on the island led to diminishing fortunes for the Coco Palms, and then Hurricane Iniki struck the island in 1995. The facility was uninhabitable, and closed.
The ensuing 20 years have given rise to many different plans to rebuild, re-establish and reopen the property, but nothing has eventuated. Demolition permits were issued just last month, but even that seems to be in limbo.
There is a website with the history of the property and many old photos here
Gail and I drove down to see what there was to see, and I managed to step around an unsecured piece of fence and get some photos of the buildings which have been going to seed for 2 decades. This is my first attempt at urban exploring, and it was kind of fun:
Presumably, the building will be coming down in the near future and will be replaced by soul-less condos and time shares (shudder!). I’m glad Jerry told me about the Palms and I got the chance to explore a bit.
Just having fun
Today I did exactly what you are supposed to do here on the garden isle. Not a damned thing.
You are required to take photos of the stunning ocean sunsets. I think it’s a state law.
They get one of these every day.
Gail’s son Ross arrived last night with wife Julie and grandsons Beaux and Blake. The 11 of us had dinner on the terrace, and I continued to have fun taking pictures with the new camera, which continues to amaze.
The lighting is dark and intimate, and the camera just keeps taking great shots.
Chloe and Demi
Blake growing into manhood.
A sushi platter by candlelight
Julie paying attention to the conversation
After dinner we wandered up to the bar to listen to the local music and have a nightcap. Julie surprised me by ordering a grasshopper, a drink I haven’t seen in 30 years or more. Creme de menthe, creme de cacao and cream make a grown up milkshake. The really cool guys use ice cream instead of heavy cream.
A rarity in the modern bar–a grasshopper
The next day we hung out at the pool, where Chloe and Brien checked out paddles and played water ping-pong or pickleball or something. It was fun to watch the young lovers just having fun.
And that’s all the photos from that day. Nothing dramatic, just a great way to enjoy life and family.
Totally Unauthorized 