What's up

photo credit: iStockphoto.com

The weeks are flying by and Bread and Butter has popped up for May 5, 2010, and May 12, 2010. Now writing for a newspaper, I am full of appreciation of how much care and effort goes into bringing you the most accurate and relevant news. I am also appreciating now many interesting things are happening and available for us here in Marin. Take a look at the Marin IJ's Food Calendar just as a start. And I am loving the interest that people are taking in keeping an eye out and letting me know new things to check out. Thank you all!

What's new

photo credit: iStockphoto.com

I saw my host family off yesterday afternoon after a lot of fun and travel. We spent a couple days in Mendocino - that was gorgeous. We caught the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden at just the right time for rhododendron blooms. I'll post some up another day. Another Bread and Butter column published while I was out and about last week.

Bread and Butter
April 28, 2010

And in just a couple days the next one is publishing already!

You know how it goes when one thing that is a major pin supporting your work has trouble (computer), it's been really slow going and I'm still not back to normal. Look for more posts this week however.

I hope those of you in Marin are able to stop and enjoy this lovely weather. I've been keeping my windows open now 24/7 (at least for the last couple days). Dare we believe that the good weather is here to stay?

Practicing

My Dad is such a good sport. He'll let me get away with anything for breakfast, as long as it is accompanied by a slice of hot buttered toast. That's what defines breakfast for him. I learned the "anything goes" for breakfast in Japan, and since my host sister Mika, husband Satoshi and quickly growing son, Shohei are arriving from Hokkaido tomorrow, I thought I'd best get my Japanese breakfast skills up to snuff.

So we had a very crisp and cool Persian cucumber salad (dressed with E.V.O.O., rice vinegar and a sprinkle of red Hawaiian salt), and Pears and Plums dressed in Greek strained yogurt, freshly squeezed Myer lemon juice, some raw agave nectar and a garnish of a Capay Farms organic strawberry. My father's requisite sourdough wheat toast is not pictured.

I've been thinking about my now dual roles in writing Anna's Cool Finds, and now for the Marin IJ, Bread and Butter on Wednesdays. I thought I'd try this - since Bread and Butter is primarily about food news in Marin, I'll concentrate my writing about openings, closings and such in Bread and Butter, and provide a link here each week so if you are interested, you can check out those happenings. There is a lot going on in Marin! At Anna's Cool Finds I will continue posting the photos and descriptions of meanderings through the restaurants of Marin and sometimes beyond, and personal notes. We'll see how it goes.

Bread and Butter
April 21, 2010 (I got the scoop on Pandoro!)
April 14, 2010 (The first)

You are always welcome to post comments on the various restaurants reviewed at Anna's Cool Finds. If you know of some hot news about opening, closings and what our chefs are up to, you are welcome to email me at annahaight AT gmail DOT com. (Or if you just want to drop me a personal note). Twitterings are at annahaight.