An Enchanted Evening

A friend and I decided to try an evening at The Tavern at Lark Creek when Chef Bradley Ogden was making a guest appearance.  I'll bottom line it here: Chef Ogden is making a guest appearance one more time this summer, and it's a great opportunity for a delicious evening!  More details on the last opportunity on August 25 at the end of the post.

Years before I moved to Marin, I came to the bay area on frequent business trips.  I remember driving by the grove of Redwoods by the the Lark Creek Inn, and thinking it was the patch that reminded me most of my hometown area north of Seattle.  It was what attracted me to put Marin at the top of my list when I was transferred here and was looking for a home.  And finally I was eating under this very grove!  

It was such a pleasant evening, the weather was just right and the setting was elegant.  My friend chose to go with Chef Ogden's prix fixe $35 menu.  

So she started with the Organic Cucumber and Heirloom Tomato Salad, as did I.  This was exquisite!  So fresh and bursting with flavor!

The next course on the special prix fixe menu was Mom's Meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes and Blue Lake Beans.  My friend raved about this dish.  She reported that the meatloaf seemed to be made out of delicious and tender steak, very meaty.  And the potato flavor of the potatoes actually showed through beautifully.  And the beans had a nice snap.

I diverged to try one of the regular menu items, Idaho Rainbow Trout, brown butter, hazelnuts and  zucchini hazelnut salad with sauce gribiche.  It was delicious, and I especially was interested in the zucchini salad as it was so tender.  I wasn't sure if it were steamed or just lightly marinated.

My menu questions were answered since both Chef Ogden Bradley and Chef Aaron Wright came out and strolled among the tables to introduce themselves and find out how guests were enjoying their meals.  Chef Bradley mentioned that the zucchini were lightly marinated.  Chef Wright and I chatted about Canlis in Seattle where he once was chef, and I knew from growing up in the area.

Instead of the Caramel Swirl Angel Food Cake with plum and blueberry compote that would be the finale of the prix fixe menu, my friend chose the Lemon Cheesecake Brulée, with peach coulis, and strawberries.  I took a taste; it was remarkable.  Creamy with distinct flavors of peach and strawberries with the cooling sensation of lemon.

I chose the Strawberry Shortcake, with vanilla cream biscuit, mascarpone, and fresh berries.  It was a great old fashioned version.  Growing up in what once was the strawberry capital of the world (Marysville, Washington) summer isn't summer unless you've enjoyed one of these.

The Redwood grove was cooling off, and my friend and I had a leisurely and delicious evening.  Our waiter even quoted us a poem in perfect cadence.  What a night!

What I missed was going to the market that morning with the chefs.  August 25th one can start the day by meeting up with the chefs at the Marin Farmers Market at the Star Route Farms booth at 9:30 a.m.  Shop together and get tips on picking the best produce.  In the evening will the final dinner with Chef Ogden, reservations recommended.  The menu for the 25th is:

Corn Chowder with corn and shrimp fritter, parsley pesto

Grilled Albacore Tuna with warm tomato bread salad and tomato basil sauce

Coconut Cake with buttermilk ice cream

Watermelon Margarita (for an additional $9.50)

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 1
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 3/22/2011

Supper Club - Thailand

After a rather long absence from the Supper Club Marin, I was able to join in last night for the Thailand theme.  We are a group of both professional chefs and advance home cooks who love to cook and share.  We meet about every 6 weeks and bring a dish around a theme chosen after the previous dinner.  We particularly enjoy geographic themes and sharing a story or piece of history about the dish or culture.  Naturally I brought my camera for this to capture the beautiful dishes prepared by all.  Wish that I could have also captured the aromas!  Thailand food has some wonderful scents!  Here is a pictorial view of the delicious dinner with the name of the dish and the chef behind it!  I added some notes where the photo isn't self-explanatory.

Appetizers

Meang Khum (betel leaf wraps - Malabar spinach substituted) - Tom H. Tom couldn't find betel leaves, so found this interesting Malabar spinach.  It is a bit misnamed as it is not in the spinach family at all, but a tropical vine.  The taste is mild and spinach-like however.

Khai Luuk Khuey (son-in-law eggs) - Tom M. Tom did not know the origin of the name 'son-in-law eggs', but these deep fried boiled eggs with a pleasant sauce were delicious anyway!  I did a little research this morning and found that "Almost Bourdain" has some interesting possible stories.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce - Victoria.  Victoria elevated this chicken by putting a spice rub on the chicken and making a peanut sauce that balances sweet and salty deliciously. 

Salads

Thai Beef Salad - James.  Not satisfied that any of the recipes he found really captured the best Thai beef salad, James took elements from several that he thought made one that matched his favorite Thai beef salad tastes.

Som Tam (green papaya salad) - Eddie.  Eddie learned that green papaya is not merely an unripe papaya, but actually a type.  He brought in a green papaya and another variety and taught us about the differences.

Side Dishes

Vegetable Curry with Coconut Milk - Janis. This mixture of vegetables was so bright and the taste of fresh spices rang through.

Jasmine Rice - Bill O.  Yes, a bowl of rice doesn't look like much, but if I could put a 'smell' button here people would really get the aromatics of good Jasmine rice which was imported from Thailand.  We learned that a very high percentage of the Thai population is involved in rice making.

Mains

Dry Beef Curry with Peanut and Lime - Gillian/Richie.  This beef was so tender and the mix of peanuts and lamb was far better on the tongue than I imagined.

Basil Eggplant - Anna.  I made this classic Thai basil eggplant diesh.  I used tamari and rice wine instead of fish sauce and granulated sugar to add some complexity and keep it a vegan dish.

Pad See Ew (River Noodles with Beef and Broccoli) - Kim.  Kim found FRESH rice noodles for this dish, and the noodles were so soft and absorbent of the mellow sauce.

Massaman Curry - Bonnie/Barry.  Bonnie hand selected fresh spices to make fresh curry for this chicken based dish.  It also was one of the most fragrant smelling of the dishes and delightfully fresh.

Dessert

Thai Banana with Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream - Stephanie.  Stephanie used both rice and corn starch for the batter base along with some 5-spice.  This was a wonderful dessert to end the meal with.

And a group shot of the table as we were settling in for the first course of Thai appetizers.  Next up is the Eastern Himalayas in July.

Tofu Mozzarella

My friend Sachiko explained how to make this fabulous vegan tofu 'mozzarella' dish over dinner on a recent visit from Japan.

Tofu Mozzarella

1 block silken tofu (must be silken)
salt
Paper towels (4 piece long, unbroken)
Plastic wrap

Sauce
1 heirloom tomato, chopped
handful of fresh basil, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Basalmic vinegar

Directions

1. Start the morning before the day you wish to use it.
2. Carefully rinse and drain the silken tofu, handling carefully as it breaks easily.
3. Put an unbroken strip of about 4 paper towels on a plate.
4. Carefully put the silken tofu on the paper towel strip, towards the beginning end.
5. Lightly salt the tofu on all sides.
6. Carefully wrap the tofu in the paper towel strip by rolling.
7. Carefully wrap the paper towel encased tofu in plastic wrap.
8. Place wrapped tofu on plate.
9. Chill in refrigerator all day and overnight.
10. The next morning, carefully take off the wrapping, and throw away the wet paper towels, reserving the plastic wrap.
11. Carefully rewrap the now shrunken tofu block in another strip of 4 paper towels.
12. Rewrap the paper towel encased tofu, put back on plate and into the refrigerator
13. Just before serving in the evening, take it out, remove all wrapping, place on plate.
14. You can leave it whole and pour on the sauce, or did as above and slice it in thin slices and spread out slightly so more sauce is absorbed.
15. Pour the sauce over the tofu and serve.

Sauce Directions

1. Combine chopped tomato and basil in a plastic bag that zips tight.
2. Pour in EVOO and balsamic vinegar.
3. Let sit 30 minutes.
4. Pour over the sliced tofu.

Alternatively, you can put the freshly chopped tomato and basil over the tofu, then drizzle on the EVOO and balsamic vinegar.  The pictured dish uses the baggie approach as I took the dish to a birthday party to share and the bagged approach made transport and assembly easier.

I also think that this 'cured' tofu would take to other sauces well.  It has the consistency of fresh mozzarella cheese, very tender and mild.  I'm thinking of trying a miso/sesame sauce over it for example.

What I've been up to lately

I had a great evening with my friend who writes Zoomie Station having dinner at Harmony in Mill Valley and attending Michael Pollan's "Sun Food Agenda" at the Marin Civic Center on March 24.  He is entertaining and informative (as expected) and worth the effort to procure tickets and move yourself to where ever he is speaking within a reasonable distance of you.

I take my reporting for food news for Bread and Butter for the Marin IJ seriously but with a light hearted pen, and do a lot of research for each column, which lessens my time to blog all the cool finds I come across.  I feel lucky to live in Marin where there are always new and cool things percolating up to the surface.

I have had numerous computer glitches, failures and other disasters, the most recent being a near loss of the back up and only copy of files on a computer that failed.  So it was no longer the back up, but the primary storage.  It failed, and my friends at Drive Savers recovered 90%, and I picked it up with my $2100 miniature flashlight last Wednesday.  Now I'm making back ups of my back ups as I don't need any  more $2100 recoveries even if they come with a cute flashlight.  Naturally it had my photos, so now I can work on posting some cool finds in between my journalistic research and other life activities.

Napa's Domain Chandon: Snippets of Cook with Books Event

Some beautiful photos and moods from Domain Chandon, and a Book Passage "Cooks with Books" snippet about the new "Domain Chandon Cookbook".

Today's rain is encouraging me to curl up in a blanket and enjoy browsing cookbooks!

Some ideas from our Mill Valley neighbor Tyler Florence

Sweet treat - Happy Valentine's Day

Yes, I'm here.  No swine flu excuse, just general life happenings and working hard at writing a newsworthy column for the Marin Independent Journal once a week.

Happy Valentine's Day to all.  My sweet niece Aurelia made me a birthday cake on Saturday, delicious!  Lemon with lemon sour cream frosting.  And those fresh raspberry decorations were also good.  Our households have had the minor but long lasting 'bugs' going around on alternating weeks so it just took this long for us all to get together.

I have had a few food adventures I've been wanting to share, and I'll be doing a major clean up of the site -- so many restaurant openings and closings!

I hope you all have all the love you want for this special day!

How to Set a Holiday Table

I met Ryan Cole, General Manager of Michael Mina in San Francisco at its opening party.  He was very gracious and in this clip he gives pointers on setting a holiday table.

Live from China: Get your scorpions!

I love Skype.  I chatted with my friend Jonathon this afternoon over the Skype-line about how he's finding being in Bejing after many years.  He's there this week for to speak at an environmental conference.  Naturally China's changed since he was a student, and yet it can still be counted on for some surprising food adventures!  Jonathon described walking along Wang Feng Shi Boulevard in Bejing's commercial district and happening on the scene above.  Yes, these are live scorpions on a stick, squirming and waiting to be fried in the hot oil fryers to the left, and be bought as street food by the crowds passing by.  Jonathon gave me permission to use the photo he snapped and sent me above.

Go Giants!

We are just having serious fun!  My Dad is calling the pitches with the rest looking on and cheering.  Glen, Art, Jonathon, Toran and Aurelia are all here while Jo-Ann is racing to sew up the Halloween costumes for the kids.  My little niece Collette came through surgery for an aneurysm with flying colors today as well.  Much to celebrate.  As I write this we are at the top of the 9th with SF Giants leading 11 to 4.  It doesn't get better!
We're celebrating with hot dogs and SusieCakes Giants cupcakes!

Michael Mina Opens Tonight

Fellow blogging friend Catherine of Albion Cooks and I went to Michael Mina's opening party on Saturday night.  It was a late cocktail party with dancing, nibbles and quaffs.  We arrived early so were there for the beginning and enjoyed speaking with the staff.  It got going in full swing around the time we left at 10:30.  An unnamed drink of kaffir kaffir lime, pineapple gum and Beefeater was the evening's favorite, which our waiter dubbed 'Kaffir Collins' and said it wouldn't stick.

I enjoyed the various nibbles; first being lobster corn dog with mustard aioli and tuna tartar on a crisp toast round which came out on a large white rectangular tray with a stylish waiter who encouraged us to try everything.  I liked the tuna tartar best, it went down smoothly and had a perfect balance of seasonings.

I next tried the crab cake, which was great and had some green color in the interior which I couldn't identify.  It was SO noisy with people enjoying themselves that I couldn't hear what the waiter said the other piece was, a lamb bruchetta? I especially missed the 'lamb' part.  The base was made of lamb and perhaps potato for a soft bed for a little cheese tomato and marinated pepper, I think.  It was an inventive bite.

There was a peanut butter and jelly sweet and crunchy bite too, the flavors were perfectly layered and made a nice finish after multiple savory hors d'oeuvres. Eater also reported on the evening here.  The redone interior with the ironwork and walnut wood was beautiful and I think Michael Mina's will get off to a flying start.

Eric Gower and the Japanese Kitchen: Bacon Recipe

Eric Gower and the Japanese Kitchen: Bacon Recipe

Quick and tasty-looking - pork loin 'bacon' from Marin's own Eric Gower.

Fresh! is playing

Marin's Nicolette Hahn-Niman is giving a post-screening talk at the Rafael tonight.  See last week's Bread and Butter for more details.

Joan Gussow interview

Joan Gussow talks about local and sustainable.

Myths revealed

I had a mega-evening at Tara Firma Farms, so this will be a mega-post! So the flow of the blog on this will be 1) pre-event and previews of coming attractions, 2) reception, 3) farm tour, 4) program - Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth:  Food, Justice and Sustainability spoke, 5) dinner, and 6) Joe's Chicken Shack - the Tara Firma Farms store.  The bottom line is if you are interested in local, sustainable food and great events you'll want to pay the farm a visit! The next opportunity is this very weekend for the Sonoma Farm Trails event, the next is a family friendly Pumpkins on Pikes Halloween event.

Tara Firma Farms is close to Marin in Sonoma county between Petaluma and Novato. It is so close, yet when you leave Hwy 101 on San Antonio road it isn't long until you feel like you are in a different world.  When you see the sign in the photo above, you are ready to turn onto "I" street and nearly to Tara Firma Farms.

When you see this sign, you know you are there!  When I drove in, I was immediately greeted by cheerful farm dogs, and then cheerful farm staff who indicated that I drive through(!) a barn to get to the event parking.

After driving through the barn, the second barn became visible.  There were tables set up for check in out front and the large barn accommodated the reception on one side and the dinner on the other.

And in front of the barn was a peaceful pond.

I went inside the dining tent to see the activity and also get a seat where I could take good photos.  Ah, Straus Family Creamery at the coffee station, good sign!

The table set up was beautiful as well.

I meandered over to a greenhouse next to the barn on the way to the reception in the back of the barn. How lush!

In the back half of the barn there was a band playing in the background and the appetizers and drinks followed.  The Caprese Salad on a Stick, consisting of cherry tomatoes, Mozzarella and basil on skewers was a great first bite.

And these happy servers gave any takers Olive Tapenade Crostini and Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Candied Walnuts.  It was all very tasty of course.  Montemaggiore was there pouring their 2009 Rose’ of Syrah (Estate) for the reception.

Next, those who were new or/or interested in a farm tour left the reception with Tara Smith and walked down a path towards the pigs.  The pigs were awfully cute, even when muddy.

Then there were the chickens. Tara explained the sustainable principles that are actively followed on the farm.  The animals at Tara Firma are all natural pastured animals roaming and eating the abundant grass on the farm.  These animals are happy.  Joel Salatin of Polyface farm visited Tara Firma Farms and gave some advice to make the farmers lives easier too, recommending such things as a gravity fed water supply for the animals.  Now animals and people alike are happier.

The henhouse is mobile and contributes to the enrichment of not only the fowl, but the farm soil as well.

I just couldn't stop taking photos of these cute hens.

There was a diversity of types, ages and stages.  Some were moulting.  That brought me back to my grandfather's farm, the first of several experiences of old familiar sights, sounds and tastes taking me out of the present.  I remember my grandfather patiently explaining that the hens weren't hurt but undergoing a natural process when I came running to him as a young child afraid the hens were dying.  I haven't thought of that since until the evening at Tara Firma Farms. During moulitng the feathers are renewed as well as the hens strength for laying eggs. My eyes were always being opened to new things growing up visiting grandfather's farm.  I thought this is the perfect place to bring kids to have a similar experience.

The farm tour ended, and we went back to the barn for the program.  Some very tasty Veggie Pizza was waiting on the table for us.

Tara Smith started the program off, not only giving us some background of Lierre Keith, the featured speaker, but of how she and her family came to start farming in mid-life.  The kep point was that her son instigated it when he challenged his parents after hearing them express frustration at the food choices they were finding.

Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice and Sustainability was not only thought provoking but indeed she shattered some widely held myths, particularly those among vegetarians. One of the most eye opening parts for me was learning that eating vegetables also causes the death of animals, and not just things like insects.  When we destroy ecosystems in order to plant annuals in a monoculture type way animals perish.  I bought her book on the spot during the after dinner book signing.

Vince Ciolino, the owner and vineyard manager spoke about his Montemaggiore wines.  We also had the 2009 3Divas (White Rhone blend of Marsanne, Roussanne & Viognier) and 2007 Paolo’s Vineyard Syrah (Estate) with dinner.

Laura Howard, the woman behind Laloo's Ice Cream, which topped our dessert spoke about Laloo's unique goat milk ice cream.

And now, the dinner.  I'll let the photos do most of the talking.  This was the first course, Potato Leek Soup and it was thick, smooth and well seasoned.  All of the vegetables and meat were gown on the farm, how more local can it get?

The Mixed Greens with corn, tomatoes, cucumbers in cumin vinaigrette dressing was bursting with fresh flavor.

The Chicken Marbella, Roasted Chicken with green olives, dried plums, capers was absolutely amazing.  Moist and succulent the meal could have stopped here and been something to rave about.

Then came the Beet Carpaccio which had an earthy and satisfying flavor.

The only 'complaint' I can make about this dinner is that the platters were SO heaping that one could barely lift them!  The Braised Short Ribs with carrots, onions, potatoes being no exception.  The dinner was served family-style so we were passing the dishes along both sides of the long tables.

This is a close up of the plated Braised Short Ribs with carrots, onions, potatoes and beautiful bones.  This was fork tender and quite delicious.

The Cucumber and Tomato Salad with balsamic vinaigrette was cooling and refreshing.

Did anyone have room for dessert after this?  Well, we managed having to at least try the Grilled spiced peaches.

The Grilled peaches with walnuts and brown sugar were self topped Laloo's Vanilla Ice Cream out on the front area of the barn where we wandered while the book signing was set up and the band got set up for dancing!

The band was Olive & the Dirty Martini's. The band featured Marin singer Stefanie Coyote, wife of actor Peter Coyote, guitarist James Redford, son of actor Robert Redford; and Steve Riffkin, Eric Lyons and Justin Ganz.

The evening was a lot of fun with plenty of food!  There is some more background information in Bread and Butter column about the event.

I wanted to see the store as well, so I came back to Tara Firma Farms to visit Joe's Chicken Shack.

It's the green building near the entrance and before the 'drive through' barn.

I picked up some pastured eggs.

And then some leeks, rainbow carrots, heirloom tomatoes and yellow summer squash.

And I took a walk through the back where whole chickens and other pastured meats were all prepared and waiting for pick up.  Everything was clean and neat.  After gathering all the vegetables and eggs that I thought I could squeeze into my already laden refrigerator, I took instruction on the self-check out table and settled up. I headed out with my insulated bag full of produce and blue ice to keep the just-picked freshness in.

If you have made it this far, I just want to note that I've just scratched the surface here of what is available from and with Tara Firma Farms, it's a very cool place.  I'll be back again soon.