Gastronomie

Deliciousness

Before I go much further, I want to thank all of you wonderful, beautiful, loverly people who have reached out to me in the past couple of weeks with words of encouragement and solace. If you had told me when I started Gastronomie that it would lead to such amazing things, I probably (no, definitely) wouldn't have believed you. So thank you for that.

All that said, I'm doing REALLY great. I've settled into my new place, and am furnishing it carefully, lovingly, and at my own pace with stuff that only I have to like. Bo seems smitten with -- of all things -- carpeting; he hurtles down the long hallway as we head out for our daily walks.

In honor of feeling great, I thought I'd make a list of the delicious things that have passed my lips these past few weeks.

1. A luscious bottle of Amarone, a splurge, all tobacco-ey and brooding, like a port before dessert.
2. The essence of 20 pounds of the almost-last of the season's Early Girls. Cooked for hours and hours, strained, food-milled, and frozen for use in the winter, when tomato season is a distant memory (or a long-awaited event).
3. Heavily buttered movie theatre popcorn, eaten two kernels at a time with a single Raisinette while watching Casino Royale (Daniel Craig is perhaps the best 007 since Mr. Connery).
4. A hamburger and shoestring potatoes at Zuni, after my beloved's show. Alas, no pot de creme.
5. A hamburger and frites at Luka's, with a friend who recently grew mutton chops!
6. The best (seriously) sour cherry preserves in the world, delivered by an angel from London, stirred into a bit of lebneh for breakfast.
7. One of the best appetizers in this city, namely the Ham & Cheese Terrine at Piperade. And I hardly shared. Hell yea!
8. And finally, Trader Joe's new Pretzel Thins -- awesome, flat pretzel "crackers". All the best parts, none of that annoying middle. Now, why didn't anyone think of this before?!?

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Bond, 007, Casino Royale, Trader Joe's, Amarone, San Francisco, Oakland

Tunnels

There are times in life that one can only describe as a series of tunnels, as in "the light at the end of the tunnel".

In the upcoming days-weeks-months, there are some extraordinarily simple and wonderful things that I'm holding on to; things which remind me that, despite the current state of affairs, life DOES go on, and spirit does persevere. I hope you don't mind while I share a few with you.

1. Drinking afternoon tea, begloved and behatted, with a beautiful group of women I admire and adore.
2. Spending the hours before my mother's arrival on Thanksgiving making batches and batches of perfect tomato sauce from Joe's Early Girls, which I will share with exactly one other very special human being.
3. Daily walks with the most perfect dog in the world.
4. A spectacular hamburger (and maybe a beer) with a friend and his wife, who have known me and loved me since v2.6 through v3.2 (current release, in beta).
5. Introducing my pseudo-god-daughter to the aforementioned mother. (K, she's likely to come bearing gifts; be forewarned!). Gigi's picture was the first one up in my new apartment. She makes me smile.
6. Introducing that mother, yet again, to the friends who have kept me sane in the past weeks. Hopefully setting HER mind at ease that I am well-taken-care-of. Perhaps the brightest light in the lot.
7. An annual Silent Auction (this year benefiting Big Brothers/Big Sisters Club of the Bay Area) which I organize for a professional organization whose board I sit on. For an evening, I get to be the doyenne, l'hostesse. I adore the role, and I adore what we do. Want to make a donation? Let me know by clicking here.
8. A big, fat, beautiful New Year's Eve Party... masks required, "dress" required, Croquembouches and champagne cocktails all around.
9. A Persian New Year Feast attended by all of my best friends, including C and HIS best friends. I can think of no more beautiful expression of the love that has always meant to be between us.
10. And finally, shallowly, and ode to Ambien. My faithful friend in times of sleeplessness, who restores order to the world, who brings me the gift of sleep. (Even if she does make me have to look out one eye to finish this post because she is JUST that efficient).

Tags: Divorce, Marriage, San Francisco, Food, Food & Wine, Ambien, Depression

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It's a New Day at Gastronomie

This blog is my own personal sandbox... not in the Chowhound sense, of course, what with all that censorship crap.

It's just that for the past couple of years, you guys have seen my joys and sorrows, my triumphs and my (sometimes embarrassing) failures.  You've also met the mysterious and talented "C", through his photography and as my partner-in-crime. Really, you've had an inside view to my life that I never thought I'd share the way I do.

Really, blogging has opened up my world in ways I never thought possible.  Most importantly, though, it has brought me some of the dearest friends I've ever known -- friendships forged from commonalities that are hard to find in adult life. Friends who, without a second thought, will go shopping for each other in times of need, who'll help you move when that day comes, and who intuitively seem to know whether to bring a box of tissues or a bottle of booze.

Like so many other food bloggers this year, we're going through some changes in the Gastronomie household. You won't be seeing much in the way of photography, as C was always the more creative partner in this team. And, short of Persian food, I won't be posting many recipes, since cooking for one isn't much fun.

Suffice it to say, I'm ready to bid 2006 a not-so-fond adieu. It's been a pretty cruddy year for some people who are more dear to me than I can express in words, and hasn't been so kind to me, either.

Hangar One's Mad Scientist Strikes Again

Last Sunday, Hangar One/St. George Spirits (aka The Best Damn Booze Company Ever) held their annual Holiday Open House. My friend E and I headed over after an alcohol-absorbing brunch at Luka's, and as usual, I was floored by the generosity of this amazing group of artisans, and their partners in culinary crime.

A $25 ticket bought you a full tasting of all their assorted spirits, three drink tickets for highly inventive cocktails, PLUS all manner of delicious nibblings from local artisans.

Michael Recchiuti was there, sampling his Qi and St. George Whiskey chocolates. I adored the former, but really couldn't taste the whiskey in the latter. He was also doling out cups of hot chocolate spiked (if one chose) with either of the aforementioned spirits. I couldn't escape, of course, without a box of Fleur de Sel Caramels, which I proceeded to share with everyone I knew (and many I didn't).

Living Room Events supplied tasty tidbits, including charcuterie from Fatted Calf, prosciutto-wrapped arugula and itty-bitty "slider sandwiches" of roasted duck. And just in case Mr. Recchiutti's confections weren't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, the good folks from Whiskie Bits Bakeshop were on hand to sample their fall flavors, including a few that were infused with the distillery's own goodness.

Soon after we arrived, we caught sight of the Mad Scientist, and headed on over to say hello. Who IS the Mad Scientist, you ask? His name is Lance Winters, and he's a former nuclear engineer. Now, he makes Really Good Vodka and other stuff.

From the last tasting I'd attended, I knew that he'd been working on a lighter version of the wildly successful Qi Liqueur. Back then, the idea was to infuse green tea and mint into a refreshing and crisp counterpoint to the original Qi. As nuclear-engineers-turned-craft-distillers are wont to do, that first batch was deemed "just not right", and has since morphed into something altogether more sensuous and spicy. I won't spill the beans here, but be on the lookout for this heady but easily sippable (and much more approachable) distillation from Qi Spirits.

Then, just before we left, he snuck out a glass of something crystal clear, something that smelled like... what IS that? Swirl, sniff, swirl, sniff...

"It's herbaceous... very clean. But seriously, man, what IS this??," I asked. He replied, "It's Christmas in a glass."

Turns out, Lance's neighbor brought him a bag full of fresh Douglas Fir pine needles. And Lance decided to distill them in Hangar One Straight. Like so many things, the moment he tells you what it is, you can smell it immediately. Seriously, who thinks to do stuff like this?

If he ever releases it (under the Alchemist Series -- he's still fine-tuning it), this Christmas vodka will attain cult status much like the Batch 1 bottling of Wasabi vodka did earlier this year. You've been warned.

Tags: Hangar One, St. George Spirits, Qi, Vodka, Liquor, Whiskey, Lance Winters, San Francisco, Alameda, Oakland, Food & Drink