At Le Normandie in Pacific Grove for a quick weekend getaway. Jan made a reservation after doing some online research, and the dinner did not disappoint. I could have eaten only the amazing lobster bisque that started the meal, but luckily I saved room for wild sea bass and a bit of Jan’s filet mignon, plus the most delicious pear tart with almond paste. The daily handwritten menus are the norm, and we will most definitely be going back.
At Biergarten in San Francisco. This was round two on a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon, following a first course of sauerkraut, sausage, and a grilled-cheese-type sandwich on pretzel. I will now be making hot pink deviled eggs.
I have Switzerland to thank for some amazing memories, beautiful scenery, and our latest kitchen gadget. (“Kitchen gadget” said with my fist raised, a silent “arrgh,” and scowly look to Jan. My ongoing battles with kitchen gadgets are cataloged here (dehydrator), here (pasta machine), here (ice cream maker), and here (sous vide water bath)).
It’s a Raclette machine.
Much as I wanted to hate it (and did, when it arrived from Amazon.com), I think it’s pretty cool.
To Americans, Raclette is the lesser-known cousin to Fondue, though both are dishes based on combining an assortment ingredients with melty Swiss cheeses. To make fondue, cheese like Swiss cheese and Gruyere cheese are melted together with garlic, white wine, cherry brandy, and spices in a large, heated pot. Chunks of bread and cooked vegetables are dipped in the cheese with skewers or forks once the cheese is melted and smooth. Continue reading
I feel duped by the following marketing campaign: Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California.
Go to Switzerland and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Continue reading
Traveling in our rental car from Switzerland into France, Jan and I spent our first night in France in the tiny village Gevrey-Chambertin in the Burgundy region outside of Beaune. Our room at Hôtel les Grands Crus overlooked a beautiful vineyard, and in the early evening, we walked into “town” to tour the cellars at winemaker Phillippe Leclerc. Sampling several wines (and buying a few to take home) and touring the extensive cellars brought us right up to our 8:30 dinner reservation at Chez Guy, a restaurant that came highly recommended by both our B&B host and Rick Steve’s guide book (and it also happened to be the only restaurant in town open for dinner).
While Jan and I didn’t understand much on the menu, we could pick out “foie gras,” and I did my best with some words I could make out from my knowledge of Spanish. We ordered wine and picked a few other items in addition to the foie gras, figuring that we would just be surprised with whatever came out (though we realize this attitude only works with an open mind—and without a pre-set list of dietary and/or meat restrictions). Continue reading
I’ve been away for a bit, and my excuse is that we’ve been on a whirlwind trip to Europe, and before that, in a whirlwind of preparations for the trip! I’ve eaten my way through Switzerland and France (with a day in Germany and one in England) in a matter of two weeks, and that’s enough bread, wine, cheese, and chocolate to give me plenty to think and write about. I’ll post more in depth reports in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, here’s a quick preview of the adventures: Continue reading
Over the holidays, with a rare bit of time off, I was dying to go somewhere, so I told Jan we had to do something (like that for a specific wish list?). He suggested Sun Valley, Idaho—a place neither of us had ever visited, and not too far for us to drive with all our ski gear. Besides, Jan had a coworker who lived nearby who once suggested we visit if we were ever in the vicinity.
It had been a strange weather year with our nearby Sierras still lacking snow, so a good ski vacation seemed perfect for us to finally realize that the season was, in fact, winter.
In typical fashion for us, we embarked without much of a plan. Continue reading
I’ve written about s’mores before (Girls gone camping, Getting scientific about s’mores, One year ago: reminiscing on the Vantastic Voyage), and thought I’d said just about everything that could be said about them. But, when it comes to the things you love, maybe that isn’t true—there’s always more to be said. So here goes.
Jan and I spent last weekend camping with a group of friends at Huntington Lake, which meant in addition to the “regular” food we were bringing, we also brought plenty of s’mores supplies to go around. Jan did our shopping and bought the ingredients for the classic American s’mores: Honey-Maid graham crackers, Jet-Puffed marshmallows, and Hershey’s milk chocolate and Special Dark bars.
When we got to camp, we learned that we weren’t the only ones thinking about making s’mores. Continue reading
Roughly one year ago, in my inaugural post for Our Life in Meals, I wrote about visiting a Tomales Bay oyster farm for do-it-yourself oyster shucking and barbecuing (An open mind, and mouth, for oysters). Despite my reticence then to eat raw oysters, I embraced what I saw as a challenge and enjoyed myself thoroughly, vowing to return. A year later, I found myself back in the same place, with the same group (plus one), and with a whole lot of food experiences and adventures under my belt.
This time, I didn’t fear the raw oyster. Continue reading
The French dip sandwich is said to have originated at Philippe, the Original, a 100+ year old deli in downtown Los Angeles. So when Jan and I found ourselves even in the remote vicinity of the place on a recent trip to Southern California, we had a pretty big item on our to-do list: eat a French dip sandwich at Philippe’s. We had seen the restaurant featured on both the Food Network and the Travel Channel, and since both Jan and I are fans of the classic roast beef sandwich dipped in au jus, we were excited. Our friend David, who we were visiting while we were in L.A., had only sampled (and loved) the spicy mustard from Philippe’s, but had never been to the restaurant, so with three people hungry for roast beef, we hopped in the car and made our way. Continue reading
Our Life in Meals 
