August 16, 2005
And Another One Down!
And Hershey's eats up Joseph Schmidt, too! Go 3400 Phinney, go... or at least get your website up and running, please?
In the Chron article, Michael Recchiuti, one of the remaining Bay Area indie confectioners, does address some of why buyouts like this are scary. I'm glad he's holding out, even if it does mean he's missing out on the millions.
***
On to Meatier Matters: as part of my investigations for work, I went to go check out the original mobile slaughterhouse, in action, on Lopez Island. Do you know where your t-bone/chop/bacon comes from? I have a much better idea now, and I'm 100% positive that what I saw today was a hell of a lot prettier than what most beasties go through (ie, an assembly line).
Tempted as I am to post the photos in all their gory detail, I'll perpetuate the cleanliness myth and leave it at these two (private screenings of the real deal available by request). You'd never guess what happens inside, especially after it's been scrubbed of all evidence.
As farmer Bruce points out, his pigs have a really good life, and then one bad day. The little ones are adorable, and these are still a few months away from their bad day:
After I had asked 12,042 questions, had the mechanics of the "captive bolt" something-or-other tool (instead of a gun) explained to me...
...and 6 once-were-pigs and 5 once-were-sheep hung from hooks in the refrigerated section of the trailer, I helped Bruce weigh his lambs.
Back on San Juan Island, Adam and I grilled up steaks, and almost finished the chocolates.
Posted by Elizabeth at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2005
Let There Be Chocolate
My Northwest adventure got somewhat hijacked by work, which has turned out to be a good thing (other than the fact that I had to change my whole itinerary) because it got a lot longer, and they're paying for a good chunk of it...
My day in Seattle brings good news! As of October, there will be an amazing and still-indie boutique-y chocolate factory on the same scale as Scharffen Berger, only better, because all their products are either Fair Trade certified, or organic, or both, go team!
I wasn't allowed to take any photos as the new factory is still under construction and they're overly modest, but soon enough 3400 Phinney will be on the radar.
I thought that maybe I was crazy, perhaps their mint truffle couldn't possibly have been as good as I have been remembering all day. But I just fed one to my brother and he agreed that it was the best chocolate he's ever tasted... we're not talking about some too-sweet peppermint patty, the thing is dark chocolate through and through and tastes like there's a fresh mint leaf in it. I don't know how else to explain it.
I have no idea where you can get these except at 3400 Phinney (named after the address of the 100 year-old brick building housing the new factory), though apparently they do ship them... founder Joe tells me I have to eat the box he gave me within a few days, so I can't bring any home to share. Tragic, really.
Posted by Elizabeth at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2005
Another One Bites the Dust
Long time, no post... there will at some point be a Reggae on the River update, but all I can think of at this exact moment is the fact that Hershey's is going to buy Scharffen Berger.
There are all sorts of reasons why this is great for the folks at Scharffen Berger AND the people trying to buy their chocolate. Hooray for them, and buyouts like this still make me sad.
Posted by Elizabeth at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2005
Yes, I Live in San Francisco
Restaurant Recommendation: Osha on Valencia is yummy. While I'm usually a fan of all things fried, the fresh spring rolls (and the sauce under them) were impressive.
The Engineer, who was all pissy because his boyfriend was out with friends, brought along scale diagrams of the new Burning Man commission. Colossus is an apt name, and it's slightly concerning to me that he's not convinced the massive steel-and-boulder-and-antennae sculpture will stay upright. Let that be a warning to all ye Burning Man goers.
My favorite quote of the evening was "Yeah, the new haircut is kind of boring [Call me boring, but mohawks, even short ones, aren't], but at least I got to make out with my hairdresser in the changing room."
And so I learn that the hairdressers that aren't interested will pretend they don't hear you ask, and the ones that are, well, follow you into the changing room I suppose. Ah, the differing views of what it means to be in a committed relationship.
"I'm just not allowed to fall in love with anyone else," he says. OK then.
Posted by Elizabeth at 06:08 PM | Comments (0)
July 05, 2005
All Roads Lead to... Bolinas
I love living in contradictions: in four days, I filled the gas tank three times to drive from SF to Yosemite Valley to Mono Lake to Mammoth to June Lake to Yosemite Valley to Bolinas and back home again... and then this morning I rode my Xtracycle to the worker-owned co-operative Rainbow Grocery to purchase organic products from companies that do things like give their profits to charities (mmm, I'm addicted to Newman's O's). Thank goodness I'm only fractionally sactimonious or I think I'd still have some petroleum-use guilt to work off.
***
Life in the Valley is almost exactly the same as it was when I lived there six (and four) years ago. Even Chongo is back again after a brief fugitive absence, though there is an upcoming court case during which he'll have to explain how he's managed to be in the Valley for eons without ever having legally occupied a campsite or other accommodation...
The notable differences are:
Antigone, by far the cutest thing to frequent the dirt-bag climber table in the Caf (I tried to talk Ben Wah and Danielle out of that name, to no avail):
All the water (never seen the falls still going off like this in July!):
...and insane traffic, now that the Park Circus has eliminated so much of the day-use parking. On Sunday it was so choked with tourons that as much as I love Yosemite, I had to get out of there.
That, and I couldn't resist the pull of July 4th Celebrations, Bolinas style! If this guy had known how much gas I used prior to arriving in Bolinas, he probably would have strangled me with the tug-of-war rope:
Ran into Ole, who was pissed because this was the first year in ages that he couldn't ride in the parade. Alas, the bike was grounded due to mechanical difficulties.
After the parade there was surfing (I'm more partial to knitting on the beach, myself),
...and apple pie with ice cream, a (relatively short, all weekend considered) drive to Stinson, corn-on-the-cob, bbq chicken, blue potato salad (apparently if you use vinegar they keep their color, good trick), a very serious and close badminton match (Lewis finally beat me, but we had to play to 24 so he could win by 2), caviar, small children wielding fireworks, a chocolate cake decorated with a berry flag, salmon, sunset, more food than would have been consumed by three comparable parties (I did my best), and finally, a multi-county fireworks viewing from Four Corners.
The body is saying there will be no more driving for me for some time. Lest you fear I'm not a true American, despite having consumed a week's worth of food yesterday, I still ate plenty today. God Bless.
Posted by Elizabeth at 04:52 PM | Comments (0)
June 30, 2005
Ü Would Love Organic Valley
I have not mentioned recently how much I love Organic Valley. After their presentation at a dinner for high falutin' food funder types in Davis last night, I am compelled to gush about them. Again.
Here's why they are awesome: they're a cooperative completely owned by family farmers, not some ginormous industrial food company. They continually pay their farmers much more than the national average for their organic milk/eggs/whatever. The average age of their farmers is under 40, which is Totally Inspiring (the young folks get it!), considering the national average is over 55.
And their products are actually worth eating. That's not just my bias; their cheese wins awards, here and abroad.
***
In another presentation, there were some wild statistics thrown out about cooperatives. According to someone who apparently knows a lot about these sorts of things, there are more co-op members in the US than there are people who own shares on the stock market. And more people in the US work for co-ops than for companies traded on the stock market. I don't care how many REI members or Good Vibrations employees there are (yes, they're a worker-owned co-op), I'm a bit shocked. Haven't tried to confirm or disprove the statement; I'm just passing it on for interest's sake.
***
The Food. As it should be at any foodie event, the multi-course meal featured all sorts of goodies from local farms that were listed on the menu. Because I am a lightweight and had already had a glass of the Rominger wine, I was unable to partake of more than a taste of the 2003 Bonny Doon Vin de Glacière before driving back to SF, alas! At least I got home in one piece.
Posted by Elizabeth at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2005
Virtual Crushes
The blogosphere heats up! A virtual crush on Mariana went public today, in spite of her boyfriend; meanwhile, when I confessed my soft spot for messieur Raeo a few days ago (to someone who actually sees him in person), I was informed that I'd better take a number.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the proposed visit to New York en masse occurs. Hook-ups, beat-downs, or just plain awkwardness??? I'm sure it will be exciting.
In the meantime, check out Store Wars.
Posted by Elizabeth at 05:30 PM | Comments (1)
May 08, 2005
Fifteen, Four, Three, Two...
Whirlwind, whirlwind! Amazing how much stuff goes down when there things due. Only four papers, three days of actually going to school, two presentations (and a partridge in a pear tree) left; good thing it’s raining now so I can finally hunker down this weekend. I do feel bad for the Wildlife crew though, as they had to call off their party in the park due to the weather...
A few brief reviews/lessons learned over the last few days:
Ebisu Sushi: their specials are a bit too over-the-top for my liking. I prefer No Name, especially the standard rolls in miniature.
Potlucks: it’s never a bad idea to bring something you know you’ll eat... just kidding, I love potlucks. More potlucks!
Beauty Bar: not so much in the music category. Lots of, um, interesting people to watch/keep off your toes. Super-weak drinks always get thumbs up from me, but I realize that’s rare.
Backyard BBQ’s: down jackets are good protection from iffy San Francisco weather. BYO bottle opener to avoid frustration and make friends at the cooler (Evan’s trick).
Presidio “Rager” = oxymoron. To qualify that, we decided that real ragers usually involve some combination of sticky floors, a general feeling of not having enough oxygen or personal space, and things getting broken and/or stolen. On the positive side, comfy couches, fancy cakes, and actually being able to hear the person you’re talking to garner points in my book.
Madrone Lounge: fancy girls (though the ones in the cat outfits were gone by the time we made it in) and good music last night; somehow the 80’s tunes were mixed in much more smoothly than at Beauty Bar. Maybe everything’s cooler when you’re holding a 24 of Budweiser? Ha, as if I could make it to the bottom of a tall can… The photographic rendition of Olympia currently hanging on the wall is somewhat disturbing.
The Pork Store Cafe (Haight): no review yet as cranky people with low blood sugar are allergic to long lines.
Posted by Elizabeth at 04:03 PM | Comments (0)
April 07, 2005
Notes from a Fully-Recovered Vegan
For whatever reason, I’ve been blessed with a lot of good meat lately. A picnic amongst the wildflowers in Point Reyes included soppresatta (pepper flake, check!) and a wonderfully greasy pepperoni. (Dairy relatives sought retribution perhaps? by blocking the vehicle on two occasions.)
Then I was invited to dinner at Chez Spencer, a hidden gem of a restaurant right around the corner from Rainbow Grocery (who knew?). During an exquisite couple of hours, we feasted on African pheasant, a rack of lamb ordered bleu with sabayon and artichoke hearts, flatiron steak... It’s worth noting that several non-meat offerings, which included langoustine gratinée, a lovely seafood bisque incorrecly billed as bouillabaisse (which didn’t matter as we prefer the former), and asparagus with white truffle emulsion, were also quite amazing.
I realize that fowl doesn’t technically qualify as meat; do innards? Not sure… the foie gras served with a Pink Lady apple tart definitely took a few breaths away, though the portion was a bit large for an appetiser so rich. The sweetbreads with crispy bits of parmesan got my vote for best dish of the evening. Desserts too, goodness, warm apple crepes, pear granité, coconut pot de crème, warm chocolate, hazelnut parfait… Gold Stars all around!
Getting back to the meat theme (much more sustainably so), I got to sample a cowboy steak the Niman Ranch staff had cooked up shortly before I arrived at their office the other day. I had my pick of fatty bits; they claim that when you’ve been there long enough, you lose interest?! Ah, the perks of working in the food industry are many. Gone are the days of free Annie’s mac & cheese by the caseload, but I remember them fondly!
Posted by Elizabeth at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2005
The Skinny on the Farmer's Market
I was determined to hit the farmer’s market before school this morning. Fed all my quarters (you can never bring enough) into the meter and braved a downpour to determine that the Knolls have some beautiful pea sprouts, there still aren’t a lot of strawberry options (Swanton had some, said they sold out by 9am last week), and I didn’t have enough time to wait in line for one of Downtown Bakery’s sticky buns. There’s asparagus, and those people are smart: $3 for a bunch, or $3.50 for the super skinny ones (I was cheap).
I miss the Marin Civic Center Farmer’s Market; I haven’t gotten scientific about it, but I’m convinced the same people charge way more at the Ferry Building. And I miss the happy old man at the Twin Girls Farms booth Thursdays and Sundays in Marin who always sings, “one for me, one for you, aloha aloha merci gracias thank you!” I’d always sing back and he’d stuff extra plums (or oranges this time of year) in my bag. Guess he’s off on Saturdays?
Posted by Elizabeth at 09:41 PM
March 18, 2005
Something Fishy in Venture Capital
Just launched Monday, the Sea Change Investment Fund is designed to net a "compelling return" for investors while supporting the market for fish caught or raised in a sustainable manner. Though not accepting new investors at this time, this type of fund expands the range of alternatives to questionably-responsible SRI funds.
Go Team Go! This is exciting to me, as I spend most of my waking hours working with Investors' Circle developing a similar fund. The Slow Money Fund, influenced in part by the Slow Food principles, will capitalize early-stage natural and organic food companies poised to create financial, environmental, and social returns. Stay tuned for more info...
Posted by Elizabeth at 09:31 PM