Road Food or Why My Pants Don't Fit Anymore

About five weeks ago my sister and I trekked from CA to MN to move me.  In the last week we drove from NY to WI to officially move her. 

On the first portion of our country crossing adventure, we were methodical.  We bought snacks from the bulk bins at the natural foods store, we had fresh bread from the bakery and leftovers from the fridge.  We had wine easily accessible for the motel stays.  When we stopped to eat, we sat, were served, had some balance on a plate.  We only had fast food once, and it was Subway.  (That was only after we drove around the town of Hutchinson, Kansas for almost 45 minutes looking for what I thought might be a local deli/diner and all we could find were KFC's, Subways, and the state fair.  In hindsight, we should have hopped in there and had some food on sticks - less healthy but better for the soul than any Subway.  The Subway stop was especially disappointing because mere hours before we were in a gas station in Dodge City, KS that had pork ribs on a rotisserie, and a whole spread of accompaniments that looked amazing, but we moved on after mere snacks because we were holding out for a sit down further on up the road.  Bad choice.)

The second portion was much shorter, which is probably one of the reasons why we ate like a couple of truckers.  Pastries and bagels before we hit the road, snacks every time we stopped, and the closest to real meals we had were Dairy Queen (chicken strips, fries, burger, blizzard...  a balanced meal as far as Dairy Queen goes) and cheap Chinese take out in our motel in Ohio.  The final rest stop on the border of Illinois and Wisconsin I was even compelled to soft pretzel sticks with cheese dip...  that just made my stomach turn as I wrote that.

So what's the lesson in all this?  Better planning makes for better eating?  That I'm privileged to live in a place with easy access to fresh real food?  That if you're going to get a DQ kids meal you might as well have a full one so you don't have to eat four servings of General Tso's Chicken later?  Probably all of that.  All I know right now is that I want some kale, a banana, maybe some yogurt.
My big take-away is that if you're going to eat like hell, make it worth it.  BBQ in KC?  Yes.  Fake cheese on soft pretzels at rest stop?  No. 

CA to MN:
sesame sticks
trail mix
bananas
bakery bread
leftover grilled tri-tip
red licorice
banana chips
almonds
fruit &waffles for motel breakfasts
mexican food in AZ
Greek food in NM
fried okra/corndog then Subway in KS
BBQ in KC, KS
brunch of pancakes and benedicts in KC, KS


BK - WI:
bagel and ham&cheese croissant
peanut butter crackers
DQ burger, chicken strips, fries, blizzard, soda
cheap Chinese food (why bother with the details)
doughnuts and worst apple i've ever eaten for breakfast
pb&grape jelly sandwhich
mini peanut butter crackers
rice krispie treat
trail mix
banana
white rice
hard boiled egg
pretzel sticks with fake cheese

Truffle Me Gently

I'm a little in love with the cafe down the street.  Cafe by day, restaurant by night.  I've spent a fair amount of time there in the last few weeks as that's where I go when I need a change of scenery from my dining room table.  Common Roots Cafe has good coffee, good cream cheese, and good cookies (that's all I've actually eaten so far, but have a list of menu items that I'll get around to.)

The moment the infatuation began happened one day last week.  I spent a few hours working there next to Fuzz, started with a cup of coffee, then got a little hungry.  I wanted something more snack then entree size, and saw the Truffle Mac and Cheese on the menu.   
Now, here's the thing - seeing truffle anything on a menu item makes me thing "cop out".  I know truffles and their oil is earthy and perfumy and unctuous and wonderful, BUT, it can be just too much.  Want to make french fries gourmet?  Throw some truffle oil on those bad boys, charge at least twice as much, and boom, you've got got gourmet.  I'm just saying - use it well, use it sparingly - don't wear out the truffle.  I digress. 

If any dining establishment is going to make it onto my favorites list, and they offer a mac&cheese, it has to be good.  While the truffle aspect made me a skeptic, the Brie listed as the ingredient made me order it.
Ohhh it was so good.  The truffle was present but subtle (as it should be!), the cheddar and brie cheeses were balanced and melty but not too gooey or liquidy, the mushrooms added a nice texture and earthy aspect, and there were just enough panko breadcrumbs to add a little bite.
  

(Not the best picture, but you get the idea.)
 
With that goodness in my belly, we powered through another hour or so, before Fuzz said, "Should we have a glass of wine?"  We should have.  We did.  (A cabernet, Chilean I think, which was pretty light for a cab but lovely during a weekday happy hour.)
  

Worked through that, then began a weekend of friends visiting, crapples to crapples, brunches, thai food, walking in heels, music, funny one-upmanship, and lots and lots and lots of drinking.  It was the perfect way to start.

Getting Modern in Minneapolis

Last week I got to enjoy my first official dinner out as a resident of Minneapolis.  My sister and I were invited to The Modern Cafe by Auntie Jane, who I trust implicitly when it comes to anything having to do with dinner, parties, dinner parties, talking, drinking, talking and drinking… you get the idea.   

The dinner had a sweet and calm feel to it.  Megan and I got to the restaurant on time, picked a cozy but comfortable booth with just enough room for four moderately sized people that like each other.  We ordered some glasses of wine (her the Rose special that was cheap and fine for the price, me the French Pinot Noir* that was more fruity than earthy but red and pleasant just the same) and waited for the others who arrived shortly.

The server explained that they had just switched to the fall menu so they didn’t have any specials that night, which was fine by us but also gave me a smile because fall food basically equals comfort food, and autumn has always been my favorite season.  The menu didn’t need to be explained as a fall menu though, as it was laden with items like squash, soup, meatloaf, and pot roast.  Jane ordered a dry white (server said Pinot Grigio**) and Brian had a glass of the same (he said, “She’ll end up finishing it so I just get what she wants.”)
 

We ordered our mains right away and were served within ten minutes.  Brian had the pot roast (which he said he had only had as part of their hash at breakfasts, and wanted to try it the night before), Megan the mussels which was in a curry style stew with pork belly and winter vegetables, and Jane and I both had the meatloaf, served with mashed potatoes, winter vegetables, and mushroom sauce.

I was hungry enough that I tucked in straight away to my plate, and it took me about halfway before I was actually thinking about what was happening in my mouth.  The meatloaf was pleasant; it had some bite to it unlike the meatloaf I'm accustomed to which (while it might taste good) has very little texture beyond mush.  The potatoes were soft and warm and harmless, same with the winter vegetables.  I think the standout on my plate had to be the mushroom sauce, as it was earthy without being to funghi-y, unctuous, and with pieces of mushroom that had exactly the texture you want cooked mushrooms to have (slightly chewy without being rubbery, but with at least a little of that crumbly aspect that raw ones have).

 
I failed to taste Megan's or Brian's plate, but the way I see it that gives me an excuse to go back, as they were both totally happy with their dinners.  Megan commented on the way home that she wasn't expecting so much coconut milk in with the yellow curry broth that the mussels were served in (along with pork belly, by the way, which is always a huge mark in the YES column for me) but it was really tasty. 

Brian selected the chocolate pot de creme for dessert, mostly because we were all waffling and our server described it as "really fancy chocolate pudding", but all the same it was perfect for the four of us to have a few bites each of the sweet dark pot.  I was proud of myself for being able to detect the orange essence as an ingredient, but after I picked that up it was all I could taste so it was easy for me not to eat too much.

I walked out of there feeling full and warm and happy, which is exactly the way to end a meal.  I know it had a lot to do with the company and my reveling in the affordability of eating out in Minneapolis vs. northern California (the bill before tip was in the $120s... that's for 4 full meals, 7 glasses of wine, and a dessert),  but the Modern is comfortable and familiar, hip without being pretentious, and most importantly, the food tastes good.  I will go back.

Note:  After Megan and I had started in on our first glasses of wine, but before Jane&Brian got there, as I was musing over the affordability of the wine list and admiring the note at the bottom of the menu stating The Modern's commitment to using local, sustainable, and organic ingredients when possible, Megan said, wouldn't this be the perfect time to start your food blog?  So it was. 

*2008 Tortoise Creek Pinot Noir, France 8/32
**2009 La Fiera Pinot Grigio, Italy 7/28

Let's Eat

I love food. 

I love especially what happens to people when they share a meal, or some wine, or even better, both. 

My sister described what I love as “celebratory eating experiences.”  I thought – isn’t every eating experience celebratory?  I love eating not just for nourishment but pleasure, because I believe good food is one of the very few pure pleasures in this life.

I spent the last three years of my life on a farm in Healdsburg, California thinking about food, wine, and everything that comes with it for most of my waking hours.  I’ve gotten to watch a pig turn into pork, olives to oil, grapes to wine, and chicken to dinner (for 150 people, no less).  I’ve gotten to eat dinner with some of the best chefs on the west coast, often from something that was hunted or harvested within hours of when we ate it.  

I cannot write about my passion for eating and everything that comes with it without trying to make clear that I understand that I have been privileged in my experiences with food.  I understand that for too many people food is only about nourishment and that it’s a struggle to just have enough.  I appreciate deeply that I’ve been able to have the education and experiences I have had around meals.

It was a difficult decision to leave Sonoma County for many reasons, not the least of which that it's one of the best places in the world for someone like me; someone who loves to eat and cares about where her food comes from, and where everyone's food comes from.  I chose Minneapolis  for many reasons too, not the least of which is that it's populated with a high concentrate of people who care about the same.  I am in Minneapolis now, as of two weeks ago, and and I have so much to explore; restaurants (within walking distance!), farmers markets, co-ops, pubs…  So much to taste and eat and drink.  So much to write about.