Very sweet

I enjoy trying new drinks so couldn't resist this new product "First Blush" which was offered as a BOGO (buy one get one) at Safeway. There are several varieties of wine grapes represented in the product line up, and this one is from Cabernet grapes. How thick and luxe! It reminded me of homemade grape juice from my Aunt Dorothy & Uncle Jim's ranch. There are also 1.4 servings in this plastic bottle (it easily turns over so be careful with this bright red juice!), and 154 calories per serving... oooh, I consumed over 200 calories by drinking this? Grapes are definitely sweet! There is no added sugar, and with this calorie load, antioxidants or not, this has to be an occasional treat I'm afraid.

Speaking of Aunt Dorothy, there have been a few things keeping me away from blogging, as much as I enjoy it. I got one of those calls you never want to get, and found that after a full and happy life, Aunt Dorothy passed at age 94. So I've been trying to put things in order and make travel arrangements to attend her funeral in Yakima, WA this Friday. Unfortunately, the care of my father has become much more involved recently as well. I am too tired to write coherently these days after getting him tucked in, so Anna's Cool Finds has not been having those daily posts that I so enjoy writing. I'm not giving up on this, however, I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to post for a while.

Wowed in Petaluma

Linda and I went to see The Young Victoria in Petaluma this evening. I don't like period pieces generally, however, this one was really good. What a love story! Afterwards little Olivia joined us and we went to Hiro's Japanese Restaurant just a couple blocks away. What a gem! It is so beautifully appointed and has such attention to detail. The sushi plates that floated past looked like they were stills in a museum.

My photos do not do the food justice, and give a pale echo of each dish. The miso soup was piping hot and tasted just right!

Linda chose the Tempura Dinner and Olivia dittoed the choice except in appetizer portion, fitting for an 8 year old. They both reported that it was delicious, and I tried a couple pieces at the end of this generous portion, and would have to agree. Linda remembered the amazing tempura we had with my host family about three years ago in Tokyo. In Japan the best restaurants use fresh oil each day, and the old oil gets sent down the line to a second tier tempura restaurant. Fresh oil really makes a difference. Hiro's oil tasted quite fresh, and it was all exquisite!

Hiro's has two choice of chirashi on their menu. Hiro's Special Chirashi sounded quite inventive, but I decided to stick with the Traditional Japanese Chirashi Zushi. I was so excited to see this glistening, fresh and artistic bowl be put in front of me. Again, the photo just doesn't do it justice. I very much enjoyed the choices and variety in this pretty lacquer bowl.

The staff and owners were so friendly and welcoming too. Our waiter struck the perfect balance of attention and sharing of knowledge of the menu. I would definitely come here again in a heartbeat!

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last Inspected: January 28, 2010

No more moussaka

My friend Andi Bird came visiting from Vancouver, BC and I thought it would be fun to let her know when Rain Tree Cafe would be having their fabulous moussaka as a daily special this week. I was so shocked to find that it had slipped away...no signage, no tables and chair, just one of the cleanest spaces I've ever seen for a move-out. I didn't let it spoil my fun with Andi today however, we had a great time talking at Taste of Rome this morning!

Weekend Herb Blogging #217 Recap

And here we are at the end of the week (already!), and time to round up the creative herb blogging done for the Weekend Herb Blogging event hosted here today. Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly event, so if you enjoy this post, consider entering yourself! Haalo at Cook Almost Anything keeps it running in an organized fashion - the host list is here, and rules here. I'm going to organize this time by type of dish, and I say desserts first!

Desserts

Haalo of Cook Almost Anything features dessicated coconut in this dreamy Coconut and Pineapple Steamed Pudding. Haalo cooks and writes from Australia.

Katie in cold Haslett, MI writes Eat This announced in her post about these luscious Dried Fruit, Nut and Coconut Truffles that she's moving to Georgia. She also has a hint on how to more effectively chop dates.

Brii living in Valsorda, Italy is so tenacious as to not give up on finding the meaning of the main ingredient in this cookie. She writes Briiblog in English, and shares her tale of Norwegian interpretation and recipe for Hulled Oats Cookies. She also leaves me curious as to where I would find something called "Horn Salt"! in the U.S.

Soups & Stews

Cinzia has taught me new things about cabbage in her post about Neapolitan Vegetable Soup. Cinza lives in Lake Guarda, Italy and writes Cindystar. Don't miss the cabbage story as it is sure to hold new information on this ancient powerhouse vegetable.

Appetizers

The Cooking Ninja is Pamela of Clermont-Ferrand, France who brings us a unique recipe for Crispy Bacon Wrapped Prunes. Read the post for her prescription for improving service people's dispositions!

Fruits & Jams

Anna of Morsels & Musings, writes from Australia about Passionfruit Curd this week. Listen to her explain about tackling what was in the 'too hard' basket successfully!

Nate of House of Annie brings us a post about a truly unusual fruit in a large part of the world, a Buah Tarap. Nate writes us from Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Mains

Hailing from Salt Lake City, Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen brings us a healthy breakfast recipe for Eggs Fried in Olive Oil with Wilted Greens and Sumac. Now that's a way to get a head start on the day! Thanks to Kalyn for starting this Weekend Herb Blogging tradition which has been a rich source of information on unique herbs!

Mangocheeks writes Allotment 2 Kitchen from West of Scotland and brings us a dish so luscious looking I can almost smell it from the photo. Her post features leeks in a Winter Vegetable Cobbler.

Kalai out of Houston, TX writes My Recipes Diary, and brings us an interesting post about gourds and recipe for Bottle Gourd Curry.

Christine from Vancouver, Canada write Kit's Chow, and submitted an awesome post about making Beef and Onions with Thai Basil. Thai basil is unlike ordinary basil, and you'll want to find out how by reading Christine's post.

This is Yakisoba I made this week featuring nutrition-packed portabello mushrooms. The recipe is simple, and the cold-flu and cancer fighting properties are in abundance in this dish.

Sides

Wizzy of Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Punch spins a tale of adventure in pursuit of the everywhere and nowhere purslane from the Caribbean. Don't miss this tale of winks and extraordinary research efforts.

Yeoh Cheng Huann of Singapore writing Eat.Live.Recipes brings us a post about the great qualities of carrots, and a recipe for Raw Fish Salad!

Oh did my eyes bug out when I read Winnie's unusual use of Aduki beans in her Simple Seasoned Aduki Beans recipe. I'm used to adzuki beans being sugared up and paired with starch in Japanese-style desserts so was surprised by this savory dish. Winne writes Healthy Green Kitchen from New Paltz, NY and gives us no excuse for not using dried beans.

Well that's it for this week in herbs. Enjoy!

Simple and Healthy

Casting my eyes about for lunch earlier this week, I noted that I had some leftover cooked soba noodles. Ah ha! Yakisoba time! I also had a beautiful organic shallot, and organic broccoli from Capay Farms. Oh, and a fresh Portabello mushroom of medium size. A meal packed with protein, antioxidants and Vitamin D. With all this rain, a good shot of Vitamin D would be helpful.

And yes, this is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, organized by Haalo at Cook Almost Anything (with a new look on its 4th birthday too!). Historical recaps of this event can be found on this page of her site. Weekend Herb Blogging is being hosted here at Anna's Cool Finds this week, and it's not too late to enter!

So back to the Yakisoba. The protein in buckwheat, the main ingredient in soba, is nearly equivalent to egg protein, the standard for a complete protein. I use Eden's organic soba bought in 10lb boxes for a healthy buckwheat base. The friends who are around me most frequently know I'm a Dr. Oz fan, DVRing his shows so I don't miss a one. Last fall he emphasized the role of Vitamin D in preventing infections and overall good health. The Mushroom Lady has posted some more technical aspects of Vitamin D in mushrooms and some of the light enhanced versions in stores. Portabello mushrooms are also one of the best sources for L-ergothioneine, a powerful antioxidant. Crimini mushrooms are baby portabellos, so this nutrititional information also applies.

Yakisoba is very easy to make. For the one featured here, I sliced one large shallot, one medium portabello mushrooms and a cut up 3-4 broccoli buds into small pieces and sauteed in a bit of toasted sesame oil. When the vegetables were a bit softened I added cooked soba noodles and tossed.

When almost done, I added the special ingredient - Bulldog Tonkatsu sauce. I just striped the pan full of the noodles and vegetables with it, tossed and heated through, then plated it for a lovely hot lunch on a cold rainy day in Northern California. Don't forget to visit again tomorrow, when there will be a round up of Weekend Herb Blogging with others magical ways with herbs!

So cheerful!

Cafe Z in Greenbrae was just as bright and cheerful as my last visit. I was just in the mood for something simple. I toyed with the idea of crepes once I'd spotted them on the menu, and then I saw some other simple things.

So I ordered a cup of French Onion Soup. It was warm and I loved that there were plenty of onions, however the stock was just a little thin for my taste, and compared to my memories of other French Onion Soups. The accompanying roll had a crust that was more chewy than crunchy.

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich wasn't completely described on the menu, so I was surprised to see that it was panini style. I was delighted to see that it had sliced tomatoes in it. It also has fontina, bleu, mozzarella and Gruyere cheeses in generous portion. If you are a cheese lover, you'll be in heaven with this one. It was a little rich for me, but I can still be appreciative.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 1
Noncritical: 6
Last inspected: 12/9/2009

Previously reviewed:
December 18, 2006

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

What are you cooking up?

Weekend Herb Blogging is hosted here this week, and I'm starting to get some fun entries in the email box.... Although I've cooked a couple things, I haven't quite decided what to post forthe event yet. I was hoping to be inspired by my Capay Farms box, but although it held some great things like this broccoli (last week), nothing GRABBED me.... stay tuned, and if you want to participate, take a look at the rules.