I hardly need to tell you about this one. Look, at lunch everyone is lined up out the door! Fish is no secret to the locals! I last reviewed this Sausalito eatery last in February, when the weather was stormy.

The interior is noisy, but pleasant. Cash only at the counter, and tax is included. Seasonal, fresh items are on the blackboards.

I chose Local Wild Salmon over a Caesar Salad. It was absolutely delicious. The salmon was meaty and flavorful and yes, entirely worth the $28. Pricey for lunch in a noisy and casual setting, but the value was evident in the perfection of the hot tasty salmon atop the crisp and well-dressed Caesar.

Healthy snack. Another tasty thing I picked up at Trader Joe's the other day is Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame (soy beans). These are light, crunchy and full of protein. Highly recommendable.

Thursday night I met an old friend (Paul's sister Deborah) for dinner in the city. We shopped first at the 5th & Mission Mall and I went wild and bought a pair of celery crocs in Mary Jane style. What's more I picked up some of the buttons, purple and pink stars and the like, so now I look like a teeny bopper but in comfortable shoes. Deborah and I had dinner at the King of Thai Noodle House around the corner, and enjoyed every morsel of food as we caught up on a lot of things since it had been at least a couple years since we last met. That's life here for now.

Supper Club - Cuba. The chefs got together again over the theme of Cuban Cuisine. Here's what they cooked!

Appetizer: Escabeche (Marinated Swordfish) by Emil This fish is fried first, then marinated.

Main: Arroz con Pollo, Cuban Style by Tom H. This dish featured chicken thighs (which I usually don't like), and it was an amazing medley of tastes including some surprise jalapeños.

Main: Cuban Beef Hast with Fried Plantains, Rice and Sofrito, by Glenn. This dish was layered with complex flavors. The rice was fluffy underneath, the beef had just the right spicing - it wasn't pure heat, and the plantains with their cinnamon and caramelized flavor were a sensual surprise. Topping it with the sofrito below, added yet another burst of complexity in the flavors which melded well.

Condiment: Sofrito - Herbs and onions made deftly by Glenn for topping the Cuban Beef Hash.

Side: Congri (Cuban Style Beans and Rice) by Bill. Not your usual heavy side of rice and beans. Light with interesting flavors, it was a crowd-pleaser.

Side: Yucca with Lime Garlic Mojo by Caren. Wow. What an great pairing of flavors of lime and garlic with an unusual starch.

Amuse Bouche: Tom H surprised us with a palete refreshing Mojito sorbet with Pink Pearl apple slices. It was as refreshing and surprising as it looks!

Salad: Ensalada de Tomate, Plantano, Aquacate, Aji, y Pepino (Tomato, Banana, Avocado, Green Pepper and Cucumber Salad) by Tom M. Tom is no slouch around the kitchen! He was inspired to make this authentically Cuban and unlikely medley of ingredients which blended amazingly well. The croutons were also homemade with fresh oregano, and it was topped with a sharp white cheddar.

Dessert: Nuevo Cubano (Bread Pudding with Pinapple and Mangoes with Coconut Rum Sauce) by Janis. When Janis described the layers of flavor infused with butter and various forms of sugars, we knew we'd dived into our caloric limit for the entire week. However, it was so very worth it!

Dessert: Dulce Argentino by Karen. Although this has "Argintino" in the name, this light yet creamy sweet cake roll is very Cuban. Emil echoed this from his experience of enjoying this in Cuba after one of his marathons. Karen also makes the most delicious coffee. I'm not a great coffee lover, but I never pass up a cup at her home!

This amazing group of chefs, both professional and not, gather around a theme and a table to share their culinary journey to the point of fork-in-food. There is always time to smell the roses, and share in celebration around the table. We toasted Caren for her birthday last Wednesday, and her husband, Emil for his achievement of running his 50th marathon. Once we set a theme, we have quite a journey to the next food adventure, and we share all, in this case, even dreams of dining with Fidel! Watch for our journey to Sicily in October.

Civilized outdoor eating. A few nights ago Dad and I traveled to Novato to try a new place that I'd been curious about, California Grill & Rotisserie. It is a very casual place, you walk in and order from large white boards, then are given a beeper to notify you when to come pick up your order from the kitchen window. The menu is amazingly extensive, and it takes a few minutes for a first timer to get oriented. Everything we saw looked like good wholesome food in generous portion.

Dad had a hard time reading the menu on the white board as it was a bit shiny, and it was busy, so slightly too noisy for him to hear, so I guessed his preference and ordered for him. I chose the quarter rotisserie chicken, breast and wing. He enjoyed sides of garlic mashed potatoes and garden salad. He said it was good, but too much food.

I tried the tri-tip. It looks a bit overdone in the photo, but I requested it medium-well, and it was about right. I also had the garden salad and instead of potatoes, the grilled vegetables. The grilled onions were soft and sweet and paired well with the meat. The grilled vegetables had a nice grilled flavor and were cooked to the right degree, except for the carrots which were slightly overdone. I couldn't finish my meal either because of the size. The eating area was a section of patio surrounded by built in wooden benches, filled with plastic deck furniture and covered by a tenting material, no roof. This is truly casual dining. If you like a hearty American grill with plenty of quality meat selections, this would be a good bet.

On a personal note, I was worried my zeal in having dim sum might show up in weight gain, but this morning's weigh in revealed more loss -- 10.8 pounds down and counting!

Harmony with friends. Elle and her sweetie, Charlie joined my father, Charles and I at Harmony Restaurant in Mill Valley. Apparently I did a good job describing the food here in February and July as Elle requested we try this place. The chef did not fail us! We had a wonderful evening of chatting and enjoying dishes that were prepared with fresh local ingredients and perfectly executed and flavored. When Elle posts her description, I'll add a link here to her post. Elle writes Feeding My Enthusiasms and is quite a daring baker.

Since Elle will be covering this with a fresh voice, I won't post the meal in detail, but I do want to point out the amazing fried calamari. It uses the 'steak' part of the sea creature rather than just rings and tentacles. On top of it there was an amazing topping of minced and deep fried garlic. This now will be so tempting to pass by when we go!

Unexpected jewel. On the way back from one of Dad's appointments we passed by a strip mall and noticed a Thai restaurant tucked away inside. So we took a chance on Magnolia Thai Cuisine.

Entering the restaurant we were amazed at how much care had been put into beautiful surroundings. There were art pieces tastefully placed throughout the space, and it had an air of a place where there was care put into the surroundings as well as the food.

We ordered from the friendly waiter, and first out was a fresh and petite salad with a smooth dressing.

Dad enjoyed Pad Pak Ruam Mit, fresh mixed vegetables with pork. He said it was light and had a nice flavor. There was a choice of meats, and rice. Dad followed my lead in ordering brown rice (first carb on the diet - allowed).

I enjoyed Kang Tang Thong, a spicy pumpkin curry with coconut milk and red curry sauce. The spicing was very subtle. The waiter mentioned that the owner makes a great deal of effort to get authentic fresh Thai spices and herbs, as well as Thai pumpkin. He assured me that it was not kabucha (Japanese pumpkin) which had a similar taste. He said the brown rice was from California because the supply from Thailand was very intermittent. The rice tasted very nutty and fresh. The restaurant also has a special promotion going with a "Passport" card. After ten meals, one is free! And there are extra things given for bringing guests. If you are on San Rafael's miracle mile, and have a taste for Thai food this is a place that you should not miss.

Joys of old recipes. I happened across the most delightful old cookbook at a library book sale. Charmingly, it has recipes on each contributor's letterhead, with their signature after the recipe, and sometimes a drawing of their stately home on the opposite page. Since it's an Irish cookbook, the 'stately old homes' appear more like castles than anything else.

Although published as late as 1974, I found a number of items that were either not recognizable, or I suspected hard to find. Snipes (for snipe pudding), partridges, and pigeons as well as gulls' eggs were among the more interesting ingredients.


I thought perhaps I stood a fair shot at making Gulls' Eggs, since I have ferreted out sources for quail eggs for Japanese dishes. And how could I mess up such as simple recipe? Boiled gulls' eggs with celery salt? Sounded like a unique and interesting appetizer to get dinner conversation rolling! I've found that Chowhounders have a wealth of information to share about where to find unique ingredients, so I posted a query there. I quickly received the following responses:

"Yes, that would be "sea"gulls (my bird-nerd friends will tell you there's no such thing as a "seagull"). I don't think the eggs are commercially available. Gull eggs were used in the Gold Rush days only because hens' eggs weren't available -- there were more gulls than chickens in the Bay Area. A couple of species of seabirds on the Farallons were virtually wiped out because of the demand for eggs. I think the only way to get gull eggs is to go out and raid the nests yourself, which I don't recommend (gulls being large birds with nasty tempers)."

and

"Given what they eat I would advise using chicken eggs instead."

Thus down went my enthusiasm for obtaining gulls' eggs for an authentic experience. And I don't think providing celery salt for hens eggs as an appetizer would have quite the same effect with my guests.


I then investigated snipes as I had no idea what they were -- birds it seems. Cute ones. Likely unobtainable, as Wikipedia says that these birds have a reputation for being so elusive that the word "sniper" is derived from them. The photo above is from Irish Field Sports, where it states that this bird is the smallest wild game bird in Ireland, and quite plentiful. Even if I could locate six of these for the Snipe Pudding, I just don't think I could eat anything this cute, much less cook it myself.

On to something more common, the hare. Now here's something I know I can get, and I learned from my French host mother for a week in the north of France how to cook these French style, starting with skinning! So I delved further into the recipe for "Glaslough Hare". Hmmm.. choose a 'well hung' hare, and reserve the blood. Oh, the blood gets added to the sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking... well, maybe not this one.

I think I'd better be content with trying "Orange Fool"! Oranges - check, lemons - check, cream - check, sugar - check, sponge cakes - check! Yes, this one is definitely doable in my kitchen!

Nostalgia on Grant. As Dad & I were driving off towards Novato to try a new breakfast place, the Grant Ave. Cafe, I called my friend Daniel to check in on his weekend. By the end of the call, he was speeding towards Novato from Berkeley to meet us. He likes non-corporate unique type places, and this one looked the part.

Stepping into the interior, we noticed it was family-friendly with cute cars lining the window sill and a stack of coloring books and a bowl of crayons on the counter. We also understood that a party of 12, including kids, just left prior to our arrival which is why we navigated around stray pieces of waffles thrown to the floor by the kids. Classic rock and pop was playing in the background, and the walls were covered with movie posters and photos of a bygone era. Angelica, our waitress, was perky and pleasant.

Meanwhile, Daniel had decided upon a steak omelet which had real cut pieces of steak, green peppers, onion and mushrooms in it. Since he's on a special diet too, the chef kindly substituted fruit for the hash browns and English Muffin. He said the omelet was very good, and he's careful about his food.

I couldn't resist ordering something titled "Danny's tantrum scramble". It was eggs with spinach, ground beef, onions and mushrooms sauteed in with it. It was delicious, and the tomato slices that they substituted for the normal carbs were not grocery store type, but nice ripe sweet ones! This was great.

Dad thought that really, 1:30 p.m. was indeed time for lunch, not breakfast, so he ordered the grilled turkey special sandwich. It had fresh, ripe avocado in with the turkey and swiss cheese, and he loved the steak cut fries that came with it as well. He said, "Let's come back!"

As we were leaving Angelica introduced us to the chef, Martin, her father, as well as her mother who was helping out in the back. Although this restaurant has been around Novato for a long time, it's been under new ownership (her family's) for the last couple years. They are doing a great job of a simple, family friendly and delicious breakfast and lunch spot. Grant Ave. Cafe is open every morning from 7 a.m. and closes every day at 2:30 p.m., except for Sunday when it closes at 2:00.

Delicious find. Lunching again at Saylor's South of the Border (first visit September 27, 2006), I happened upon one of the most delicious salads I've ever had. Although not cheap at $18.95, it was generously topped with fresh, succulent dungeness crab.

The salad was described as: Dungeness crab in tostada shell, black beans, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream. The tostada shell was sitting upon more lettuce, tomatoes and condiments as well. The restaurant is on Bridgeway, but north of the touristy section and there is plenty of parking, including a few spaces behind the building. It also has more reasonably priced items on the menu worth trying.

What goes better with textbooks? Long live Trader Joe's where I noticed "Carb Safe" chocolate with 0g of net carbs! The chocolate bar is sitting on a partial stack of the books I completed for the semester -- and yes it is over and all assignments done, including a 20 page term paper. Reason to celebrate - first semester complete of my PhD program. More reason to celebrate - 8.8 lbs. down on the South Beach Diet, and I'm riding my bike between work and home. I also bought another red hybrid -- no it's not a twin to my red Prius, not a car at all... I'll leave you guessing for a bit. So after all this, I'm kicking back and enjoying part of that chocolate bar you see...

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Seeing that crepes were prominently displayed as the specialty for Mary's Place, I was a bit hesitant to go in for dinner, wondering if there would be any low carb items available on the menu. But suspecting that it does not have a website (it doesn't) and I am aiming to republish the breakfast summary again soon (lots of changes!) I decided to go in so it would have a link on my website for the upcoming post.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find an entire section labeled 'low-carb'! I happily ordered the Tex-Mex salad. They grind fresh sirloin at the restaurant to make their burgers, and to use in other menu items, such as this salad (which can also be ordered with chicken breast). Although the lettuce was mostly iceburg, it also had some spring mix tossed in with spinach, radiccio, red cabbage and herbs. It was fresh and crisp, and abundant. This was one good salad!

Dad ordered a grilled ham and cheese (Swiss) which came with fries and fruit. He said it was good, and it looked good too. This place looked like a small town but good kind of place that may actually have a Mary inside. It does. It also has a Link, her husband. This is a good family place and has a variety of home cooked type foods. Definitely recommendable, and I'll have to come back for the breakfast sometime. And that won't be hard to do since breakfast is served all day, every day, from 7 a.m.

Macadamias with punch. Snacmacs by Brookfarm in Australia are quite a cool find. These macadamias have been seasoned just right with bush spices, including lemon Myrtle.

Mauna Loa has been so successful in associating macadamias with Hawaii, that I had no idea that this nut is actually native to Australia and is the only Australian food produced and exported in quantity.

I also had quite a surprise about some other nuts in my pantry. Apparently Brazil nuts have the most natural radioactivity of all foods! Take a look a this site, and scroll down the page to "Food" for comparison with other common foods.

Another surprise breakfast. This weekend I happened to discover a place that serves breakfast during all their open hours. Unfortunately none of their open hours are actually at breakfast time. Fernando's Restaurant in Novato has a section with Mexican breakfast items, and since they are only open for lunch and dinner, it is then necessarily at 'brunch' spot.

Looking up and out the window where we were seated, you would think we were in a densely wooded area.

Perception is everything. Actually the restaurant is located off what is normally a rather busy street.

I also noticed how much my Dad follows my lead. When I don't touch the chips, he hardly does either although he said there was nothing wrong with these. I used the salsa on my egg dish, it tasted freshly made.

Yes, I tried the Machaca scramble. It is usually accompanied by refried beans and rice, but I had some whole pinto beans instead. The cole slaw that came with it was delightfully light and fresh, not anything like the mayonnaised version.

Dad checked out a lunch option, a combination of chicken and fresh avocado tostada and chile relleno. He said it was great, and cleaned his plate! Aside from the fresh salsa and the cole slaw, this is pretty standard Mexican fare, not bad, but nothing to go out of your way for either.

Quick and cheap near the cinema. Dad and I discovered a off the beaten path Chinese restaurant, the Three Dragons Restaurant, within a quick drive to the Regency Cinema, just off Smith Ranch Road in the Terra Linda area of San Rafael.

We ordered Beef and Broccoli and

Chicken with Mixed Vegetables. I was not overly impressed with the food. Both dishes were swimming in too-sweet sauces. Also, I'm not a fan of large leaves of green cabbage in the vegetable mix. Proportionately it was mostly cabbage, bok choy and baby corn. For my tastes, it needed a bit more color and variety. On a positive note, the wait staff were friendly, it was prompt so we could make our desired time to see Evening (a great movie by the way!), it was inexpensive, the meats were tender, and the vegetables fresh. There also was no MSG and only chicken breast meat is used. The interior was a bit divey, but good for a casual setting.