Blissful Bounty

Photo: Andrea Wyner

It's the first day of spring with all its bloom and burble. The sky is clear and full of more hope than the world has a right to these days. But why not? If watching a grey skeleton of a tree transform into a cotton candy mass of delicate white blossoms isn't a miracle, I don't know what is.

In honor of the new season, the team responsible for one of the most intriguing dining experiences out there is announcing its 2009 schedule. Outstanding In The Field is an al fresco, farm to table, traveling culinary adventure that involves sitting down elbow to elbow with a hundred or so other spirited diners at one extremely long table in some fantastic, natural setting and enjoying a meal prepared by a top local chef. It couldn't be fresher with produce traveling generally not much farther than the field you're sitting in. It's like a five-star picnic where you don't have to sit on the ground or lug a brimming basket into the wild.

The outdoor, roving restaurant was begun by Santa Cruz, CA chef and artist Jim Denevan, who has cooked in some of Santa Cruz's finest restaurants, and whose large-scale, art pieces have been installed at farms and on beaches throughout California. He is joined by food artisans, local farmers, chefs and winemakers as they take their culinary show on the road to natural venues across the country.

I have not attended one of these events, but am hoping to do so this season. They apparently book up quickly, and it's not cheap. The dinner runs from $180 to $200 a person. Think of it as a complete experience, not just a meal. It's about the people, the setting, the food, the philosophy.

Their website states their mission as re-connecting diners to the land and the origins of their food, and honoring the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. That seems like a worthy endeavor and a highly enjoyable one at that.

The opportunity is brief, coinciding with the peak of the growing season and the weather, mid-May to mid-October (with one additional event in December that will be held inside a barn in Pescadero, CA).

You only get eighty or so summers on the planet and, if you're like me, half of those are already behind you. Make your plans now to get out there and celebrate the season.

Greig Farm, Red Hook, NY - Sept 2008

Jolie Vue Farm, Brenham, TX - Oct 2008

George Washington Birthplace Memorial on the Potomac River, VA - Sept 2008

EECO Farm, Easthampton, NY - Sept 2008

City Farm, Chicago, IL - August 2008

Photos from the Outstanding In The Field website.

Viva La Vintage

It’s not fat. It’s husky. It’s not midget. It’s little person. It’s not old. It’s vintage. It’s not a big warehouse full of stuff that belonged to somebody’s dead grandma. It’s a Fashion Expo.

And you’re not cheap if you shop there. You’re cutting edge.



If you’re in the San Francisco bay area Saturday or Sunday, head up to the Concourse Exposition Center (8th at Brannon) and spend the day sifting through the fabulousness that is the Original Vintage Fashion Expo. Eighty-five dealers of vintage clothing, textiles and accessories from the 1850s to the 1980s will have their wares on display. Whether you’re a Hollywood stylist, fashionista, or just a fierce individual, this is the hot shopping ticket this weekend.



Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22
10:30 to 6:00 Sat. & 11:00 to 5:00 Sun.
Tickets $10
Early Buying Saturday 9:00 to 10:30, tickets $20
Students with ID are free on Sunday
Concourse Exhibition Center
635 8th St., San Francisco

Yes We LepreCAN

The great potato famine, the IRA, Catholic guilt. The Irish know suffering. They also know celebrating. No need for a holiday, but they’ve thrown a few extra ones on the calendar just to be sure there’s sufficient time for all the pint raising.

In addition to the ones we're all familiar with, they take a smattering of bank holidays, six Mondays throughout the year. You can’t have too many three-day weekends. And, of course, there’s St. Patrick’s Day, in honor of Ireland's vanquisher of Pagans and snakes.

There were plenty of Pagans in Ireland pre-Patrick, but there were never any snakes. Nevermind. The Irish use embellishment like Americans use ketchup. Pour it on. Don’t be surprised when you hear that every person of any prominence in all of recorded history has at least some Irish heritage. Obama? Sure, his roots are Kenyan, but go back a little further and you find it’s the Irish that put the O in Obama.

Tuesday is St. Patrick's Day. We can look forward to a day of good beer, good tales, good fortune, good friends, perhaps even some good luck. And just in time because the world is seriously in need of a reason to celebrate. So thank you, Ireland. (Note to China, you are totally bumming our high right now.)

There’s still time to order up some holiday festive wear. Here are a few of my favorite choices available at bustedtees.com and zazzle.com. Enjoy.

Griddle Crack

I don't usually have such a Pavlovian response to an email solicitation, but the folks at Williams Sonoma reeled me in like a hungry trout with a simple promise of waffles on the stove top and these photos showing just how easy it is, and how delicious the results.

I literally went right over to WS and bought this pan. Actually, no, first I did a bit of research because I am a careful consumer and I have serious trepidation about carcinogens in non-stick surfaces. PFOA's (Perfluorooctanoic Acid), the stuff that makes Teflon Teflon
has been at the center of controversy for years in the non-stick industry. It's either a miracle chemical that makes clean up in the kitchen a breeze, or a contributor to a slow, painful cancer death, depending on whether you believe scientists or Dupont's lobbyists. The EPA seems to take both sides of the issue conceding that PFOA's are likely carcinogens but, in typical government fashion, claiming more research is needed.

Maybe it's just me, but I like to err on the side of caution and avoid cooking products that use the stuff. So imagine how thrilled I was when I went to the Nordic Ware (maker of this fine waffle pan) website and discovered their commitment to green production. Based in Minnesota, the company not only produces non-stick cookware without the use of PFOA's, they have been awarded a Green Recognition Award from both their city and state.

Armed with that knowledge, I went straight to Williams-Sonoma in Los Gatos and bought the pan. Next morning I fired up the stove and made a batch of whole grain panaffles, as I like to call them since they are really a pancake waffle hybrid. I also like to call them griddle crack. They are that addictive.

On the first attempt, I used a whole grain pancake mix. They were great, but didn't have the lightness of a waffle, so I went back to WS and bought their Belgian Waffle mix. These were more like the traditional waffle. Light, fluffy and sweet. A definite improvement. A couple days later I made my own batter and whipped up savory sweet potato waffles that I served with barbecue pulled chicken (like pulled pork, but less artery clogging). Again, they were fantastic and amazingly easy. In all cases, clean up is a joyous, magical experience. The pan looks as though it hasn't even been used when you're finished. I brush the surface with a little melted butter before pouring the batter in, but I'm not sure it's even necessary.

At $39.95, the pan is cheaper than a waffle iron and takes all the guess work out of knowing when they're done. Just a note, when you flip the waffles (and flip you must, but it is remarkably easy and mistake free), you will not get the same waffle wells on the second side. You'll only get the waffle pattern marks. Hence the panaffle name. Technically, they are not waffles, but your tastebuds won't know it. And neither will those you serve them to as long as you serve them waffle side up.

I have definitely cut back on unnecessary purchases in these recessionary times, but on Sunday morning, while enjoying these little beauties with a nice, frothy latte, the definition of necessity becomes a little broader.

(The two photos above come from the Williams Sonoma site. This last one is Sunday brunch at my house. And just for the record, no, I'm not getting paid by WS or Nordic Ware. I'm just waffle lover spreading some joy.)