Girls Day in Chinatown

Prior to the move, Munch and I would typically stick to the East Bay when exploring. But now that we're closer to San Francisco, we have a whole new area to discover. In the middle of two days of forecasted rain and showers during Spring Break, we pulled on our rainboots and grabbed our umbrellas and headed to SF Chinatown, figuring that the rain would keep most tourists people away. A trip into the city meant we could also visit my aunt and uncle before they left for Wisconsin, so on the way we stopped in the Richmond district to bring them some char siu bao, baked bbq pork buns. Lung Fung makes our family's favorite. As they are "Lolo Owl's" favorite, we also grabbed a few cocktail buns and a small chicken hand pie that Munch wanted to taste.

At my aunt and uncle's house, Munch attempted to capture her favorite cat, Annie, and have a mini fashion show. My aunt had made Munch the most darling crocheted hats-

Other than a lot of roadwork, Munch and I had a fairly easy drive to Chinatown. I realized that other than driving past the dragon gates, I had never been for a visit either.

We walked uphill several blocks to find our first stop-a bakery to pick up some dumplings- Munch's favorite har gow, of course- and what I had read on yelp were really delicious gai bao- buns filled with chicken, boiled egg, a bit of chinese sausage, and a whole shiitake mushroom-

Just up the street I saw the sign for Golden Gate Bakery. Chowhound discussion boards have been buzzing about this place for years- are they open or closed, their frequent vacations, the passing of their pastry maker, the long lines, and their AMAZING dan tat. Walking closer, I saw that the bakery was open (hooray!) and the line was just a couple of people out the door (even better!). Munch and I quickly joined the queue for our custard tarts, making sure to get a few extra for Grandpa-

Their moon cakes looked beautiful too, but I had no idea what the differences were, so Munch and I quickly chose one filled with lotus seed paste and an egg yolk-

By now Munch and I were carrying two pink bakery boxes and were hungry, so I asked a young couple behind me where their favorite bubble tea place was. They directed me to the Sweetheart Cafe a couple of blocks away, where Munch ordered a soy mango smoothie and I had a fresh taro smoothie with coconut milk. Service was strangely slow, but the drinks eventually came out and Munch and I enjoyed them with a variety of the treats we had gathered.

Bellies full, Munch and I were ready to shop. She picked out a bright pink parasol from one store, we wandered a few alleyways before stumbling upon the fortune cookie factory, then we stopped in a market to pick up some snacks to take home where Munch found the most adorable panda cookies-

On our way back to the car, we came to the shop behind St. Mary's Cathedral where I found a children's prayer book for Munch. We ducked into the church for a few minutes to rest and admire the stained glass windows while Munch read her new book and practiced the "Our Father". I was surprised that Munch mentioned not seeing the holy water as we came in, but she found a bubbling fountain in the foyer and made the sign of the cross as we exited the church.

Nibbling through Napa

AudioDad's sisters are celebrating birthdays this week, so we thought it might be fun to have a family day with them in Napa. We decided to meet up at Oxbow Public Market and I was glad to see how popular it has become. I remember taking Munch there when it first opened and was so concerned that it would quickly close due to lack of foot traffic. My last couple of visits though, Oxbow has been as crowded as the SF Ferry Building Marketplace, and it looks like a sit-down restaurant is now in the works where the Wine and Cheese Merchant used to be. Now all it needs is a great kitchenware store!
First stop was a peek into the pastry case at Ca' Momi Winery and Enoteca-
we haven't eaten there yet, as it is a fairly recent addition, but the aroma of their wood fired pizzas puts them as a must-try on my next visit. Another merchant I haven't yet purchased from is Five Dot Ranch, but I imagine we'll also bring something home from there soon-
Next, Munch made a beeline for her Dungeness crab friends in the tanks at Kanaloa Seafood Market-
She loves to talk to them and I'm not quite sure she has realized yet their fate as someone's dinner!
Having arrived before the rest of the family, we had a little time to kill so the next stop was Oxbow Cheese Merchant-
As always, we found plenty to taste and buy!
Everyone arrived soon after that-
so it was time for lunch- Gott's Roadside for them, and a pabellon cachapa (shredded steak, black beans, and plantain on a corn pancake) with yucca fries from Pica Pica Maize Kitchen for me- After lunch, we wandered through the market, tasting chocolate sauces at Anette's Chocolates and olive oils from The Olive Press, where I bought a jar of olive oil salve- just right for my winter-dried hands, before buying ice cream for the kids at Three Twins and some cold cuts from Fatted Calf Charcuterie (MUST go back for more bierwurst!)-
Next we crossed the Napa Valley Wine Train railroad tracks and the First Street bridge over the Napa River to get to the downtown area.
We passed a dirt lot with Dim Sum Charlie's food truck,
which is also the location of Napa's Food Truck Fridays (I hear that Spencer On the Go, from Food Network's Great Food Truck Race, can be found here occasionally- my to-visit list is quickly getting longer!)
At the Napa Riverfront
we peeked into kitchen window at Rotisserie and Wine hoping for a Tyler Florence sighting, but it was too early for dinner serviceso we took a few more pictures and wandered up and down Main Street, popping into a few boutiques,
but not finding Sift Cupcakery which seems to have recently moved to another shopping area a few miles away, so we hopped into our cars for a quick stop-
and left with a half dozen cupcakes

Raising une gourmet petite

I'm fortunate to live in an area where good food is accessible and appreciated. There's nothing I enjoy more than a great dining experience and it's always been my goal to make sure Munch knows the good from the bad.
Step one was exposing her to a variety of cuisines and flavor profiles. When she was barely a year old, I was delighted to discover Munch's favorite food from my aunt and uncle's house was sinigang- Filipino "sour soup." When I went back to work, I was glad to know Munch was eating hearty soups and stews made from scratch by her home daycare provider, whose family was from South America.
Step two was to not feed Munch "kid food". I started her on homemade pureed food from the beginning (and it killed me to see the later proliferation of steaming/storage baby food "kits" that popped up in cooking catalogues- that's MY method!) We've always sat down for family dinner time and I never made a separate meal for Munch, nor did I "dumb down" our own food. We've gotten "dinner conversation" pretty much down, but we're still working on the length of the meal (she IS, after all, a distractible 4-year old!) We also had pretty much stopped eating "chain" fast food a couple of years before Munch's birth, except for the occasional quick bite when traveling. As a result, when she was served plain buttered noodles, a staple of children across the country, Munch would wonder where the red sauce was. I also had to explain the nugget to her, as it looked like no chicken that had ever been on her plate before- she skipped it and ate the apple wedges instead.
Step three- exposing Munch to the adventures of dining out. When she was a toddler, I frequently let her join me when dining out with friends (as long as it was okay with them!)- in the process, Munch learned appropriate public behavior and began to understand that it would result in her being invited out again. We also started out in fairly informal places, like the local family-run Mexican restaurant or kid-friendly places like The Cheesecake Factory. I'd take Munch along on summer vacation "dumpling outings", when we'd pick up dim sum from the Asian market and check out the smelly, I mean, "sensory-rich" seafood section while we were there so she could see the unbutchered products piled high, unwrapped, and hopefully, she'd begin to understand that "food" was once a living animal, fish, or bird.
Now, we're in "food appreciation"- Munch is helping me prepare more meals than not. I always invite her to help, but don't force her. Just this morning, Munch declined to help make breakfast as she was still reading in bed, but sure enough, she was by my side within minutes (couldn't stay away- someone needed to taste all those ingredients!) On our summer trip to Wisconsin, we visited dairy farms and read about cows providing us with milk and meat. Munch knows that a farmer AND an animal are behind that meal on her plate. And tonight, a special treat that I've been leading up to for a long time- a "fancy" dinner out, meaning the beginning of restaurants with ambiance, tasting courses, a really good wine list, a cheese course- hooray! I'll post more "restaurant specifics" soon, but here's a sneak peek:

Munch with Tyler Florence- If we're doing "fine dining", we may as well throw a celeb chef in there!

Cherry Picking- June 2010

Happy Anniversary!

Our wedding, July 12, 1997- Meadowood Resort, St. Helena CA
Because our anniversary fell on a Monday this year, I suggested to AudioDad that we celebrate with a family day trip over the weekend. I wanted to be sure to include Munch so that she could understand the idea of our anniversary as a celebration of the beginning of our family. AudioDad decided we'd head to Point Reyes to see the lighthouse. I liked the idea because there would be good places for food and Munch wanted to go to the beach. We started out in the town of Point Reyes Station, where we stopped in to Cowgirl Creamery for some of their delicious Red Hawk cheese.I was disappointed to have misread their website, as I was hoping to watch the cheese making process through the viewing window in the creamery. Munch was thrilled to sample all sorts of cheese at the cheese counter and we left with half a round of Red Hawk, a thick slice of goat's milk cheddar, and a wedge of a delicious sheep's milk cheese called Abbaye de Belloc.After our creamery stop, we made our way the Marin Sun Farms butcher shop around the corner where we picked up some ground beef and a roasting chicken to add to the rapidly filling cooler in the trunk.Munch had fun stomping over and around the hay bales in their picnic area while stealing slurps of my iced Blue Bottle coffee.We made it to the funky Pine Cone Diner just before the lunch rush.After a quick peek at the restaurant menu, the fried oyster po'boy was an easy choice.After lunch, we headed out to North Beach along the Pt. Reyes Seashore. Unfortunately, any ideas Munch and I had about dipping our toes in the waves were rejected after seeing the posted signs warning visitors of dangerous waves and the presence of sharks.Instead, Munch set to work digging the "deepest hole ever".After dusting the sand off, we headed out the curving roads to the lighthouse. We passed by several historic ranches and dairies and saw cows grazing on hilltops overlooking the ocean.The walk out to the lighthouse visitor's center provided us with some amazing views-and a memorable climb to and from the lighthouse-Good thing I planned for a little treat when we arrived- Munch had an incredible view of the ocean as she nibbled on her chocolate cupcakebefore we began the steep trek back up the stairs!

Weekend Wanderings in the Valley (With Lots of Good Food!)

I love summer- especially when it comes to putting meals on the table. It's been so easy now that I have time to shop for delicious food at the Farmer's Markets and everything is just so wonderful! Those stuffed squash blossoms are making weekly appearances on our dinner plates-I made this batch after picking up a few from the Culinary Institute's gardens at the St. Helena Farmers Market.
Munch and her cousin picking out honey sticks,enjoying the iced tea,and playing in the park next to the marketWhile there, I also got some treats for dessert-the cookies are my new favorite find- peanut butter with peanut butter cups and toffee milk chocolate chunk- both from Annie the Baker. I'm going to be hunting these down again really soon! The chocolate chunk bar cookie is made by Sweetie Pies. The flavor was really good- a graham cracker base, fudgy chocolate with macadamia nuts, marshmallows, and cereal mixed in. Unfortunately the texture wasn't quite right- the cereal, rather than staying crisp, got chewy- but not in a pleasant way and the graham cracker base was so dry it just crumbled- it really didn't have enough butter to hold together. It might be interesting to recreate this one at home and play with the mix-ins a bit.
On the way home, I swung by Sunshine Market after my sister told me about their amazing fresh pasta. I picked up a package of tagliatelle, made in-house, found a great lemon cream sauce recipe, and served this for dinner-
I thought the beef broth was a strange addition, but it really gave the sauce a nice meaty/mushroomy flavor that complemented the lemon well.
The next morning was another treat- spa treatments at the Bardessono Resort in Yountville.I especially loved the elevated pool area with its cool cabanas-Afterwards, it was off to Redd for a late lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed my duck confit entree as I settled into my corner banquette seat (I was feeling like a noodle after my wonderful massage), but it was the peanut butter-milk chocolate gianduja dessert that made me sit up and pay attention- this was definitely one of my favorite desserts I've EVER had (I've been on a peanut butter kick lately). The sweet frothiness of the peanut honeycomb parfait that accompanied it was entirely unexpected. I need to make a return trip to dine there again soon!