Hello Friends,
I’m a little behind schedule this month – did you miss me? April took some weird turns and I found myself not writing nearly as much as I usually do. When you are a one-woman shop, that means the presses come to an (almost) halt. If I owe you an email or a call, I haven’t forgotten you. I’m just distracted by life. As the world turns.
What’s news in your pocket of paradise? Have you made plans for summer yet? Eaten any meals that blew you away? I’m not sure where the term “the world is your oyster” originated, but I live very close to an oyster hot spot. I’m currently ogling the many oyster houses that are within easy driving distance of my house, open on Mothers’ Day for dinner (I’m not a big brunch-er), and where my family can find a meal that suits us all. One way or another, there will be oysters.
What’s Hot: Fungi, Laksa and Plankton
Not all together and not all at the same time. These are just a few of the food and food-adjacent events that have caught my attention in May and June.
Fantastic Fungi (May 8, 9, 11 and 25)
Do you ‘shroom? Loue Schwartzberg sure does! The acclaimed director and pioneer of time-lapse photography commemorates the fifth anniversary of the film Fantastic Fungi with a digitally remastered edition. Yes, there are enhanced visuals and sound – the better to immerse yourself in the wonders of the fungal kingdom, my dear.
Events at each screening include a pre-recorded introduction from Schwartzberg, a post-screening Q&A with the filmmaker and select cast members, and, I am told, one-of-a-kind, mushroom-inspired visual sequences. As for viewers, you will emerge (Schwarzberg hopes) inspired to effect positive change and promote environmental stewardship.
Screenings:
5/8 & 5/9 – Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema, Tahoe City
5/11 – Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael
5/25 – Summerfield Cinemas, Santa Rosa
Malaysian Laksa in Sonoma (May 18)
Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen is hosting a pop-up: Chef Jessy Manuel’s Halenia dinner. Manuel is known for her rendition of Malaysian laksa, a noodle and broth dish originating from the island of Borneo. Crafted over 72 hours, Red Curry Laksa is the main course, served alongside Sabudana Vada (a traditional Indian snack), Beef Rendang with sticky rice, and Cendol, a Javanese iced, sweet dessert. In true Southeast Asian street food style, pick up each of four courses from a hand-built cart or chat with the chefs as you pick up a dish from the kitchen. Singapore’s 100% humidity not guaranteed.
Phytoplankton (June 22)
Can phytoplankton be hot? Microscopic and photosynthesizing organisms, phytoplankton live in the sunlit layer of marine and freshwater. Yet we still don’t know a lot about them or much about the oceans, really. That’s where AI comes in. On June 22 at Spaulding Marine Works in Sausalito, Peter Molnar, founder and expedition leader of the Ocean Genome Atlas Project will speak about the expeditions he’s been leading to map the genomic information of organisms and develop, with the help of AI, a public atlas of functional biodiversity. Turns out phytoplankton have a lot to teach us about our neural networks, longevity, biodiversity, and evolution. Who knew?
The food nerds amidst the science nerds will be keen to know that Maria Finn, whose cookbook Forage.Gather.Feast I profiled in my cookbook column last month, will be serving dinner, featuring dishes from the cookbook, after Molnar’s talk.
Monthly Cookbook Column
After successfully launching my cookbook column a few months ago, I am back with my third review. Matthias Giroud’s Lo & No Alcohol Cocktails. Known for “cocktail experiences,” Paris-based Giroud bills himself as creative director of Alchimiste Group, a “Chef Mixologue. It’s no wonder, then, that the introduction to his cocktail book is from renowned chef Pierre Gagnaire. Yes, THAT Pierre Gagnaire, he of the three Michelin, eponymously named Paris restaurant.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, consider this low-alcohol cocktail book an entree into a new world, one where tinctures and syrups are fussed over as tenderly as newborn babes and pages are dedicated to the delights of muira puama – a cocktail ingredient I had never heard of before opening this book – and “verjuice,” an Americanized spelling (I think?) of verjus. (It’s unfermented grape juice that is somewhat acidic.) Unlike muira puama, I have a bottle of verjus in my vinegar and oil cabinet, awaiting the proper moment to come out and play.
As I am not a professional mixologist, I had to choose a lane or risk further crowding my spice cabinet with singular ingredients. Giroud is honest about the French tilt of this book. Most readers outside of France do not share the same cultural love of cordials and syrups as the French.
For my review, I made Morning Routine’s French Bellini with peach puree and a splash of brandy. When mixed with the dry cider from Bay Ara-based Blindwood Cider, it worked like a charm. Toasted coconut almond milk from Califia Farms stood in for the homemade almond and coconut foam in Afternoon Snack Time’s Choco Coco. I even added some Tcho Hawt Chocolate crumbles atop the foam. From A Liquid Chord for an Exquisite Dinner, I was drawn to Tramonto. A simple mix of red vermouth, limoncello, and Lambrusco, preparing the drink involved nothing more than a trip to the fridge or the local liquor store to make.
This book is for an explorer, someone who wants to figure out how to drink deliciously. Someone who enjoys a well-made drink minus (mostly) the alcohol.
Please let me know if you are writing a cookbook or know of a new or forthcoming cookbook I should consider adding to the queue.
What I’m Reading
Though I loved HBO Max’s Julia, I watched both seasons already and am casting about for a new show. (Sorry, Top Chef, I just can’t watch any more seasons.)
I am, however, reading The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García. García, who came up in Eric Ripert’s and Enrique Olvera’s kitchens, runs Mexico City’s Máximo Bistrot, where he combines French technique and American stylings while flexing the indigenous ingredients and biodiversity of Mexico. García’s story sits at the intersection of so many issues confronting humans in the US and Mexico today, many of them well-documented. It might make you angry. And then sad. And then hungry. I found it a worthwhile read.
About That Image
I recently spent a week in Mexico – not nearly enough time, just three days in Mexico City and three days in Zihuatanejo. As a norteña with roots in Europe who lives in California, I found the culinary scene as expressive as it was expansive. My non-stop eating escapades barely touched the surface of unique flavors and ingredients that have, little by little, made their way north of the border. (RIP Cala San Francisco.) Consider my eyes opened.
While on the Pacific Coast in Zihua (as the locals say), I made my way to town a few times, eating all the things. I had the good fortune to have dinner at Angustina Mezcal and Cocina. Run by brothers Antonio and chef Felipe Meneses, the mezcal bar and restaurant is open to the street, colorful and inviting. At its heart is the cooking of Guerrero, the region in which Zihua lies and Chef Meneses pours his passion for local ingredients into every dish. (He’s on my right in the picture.)
Tostada de atún is made with plátano mole and fermented chiles. Chef added a touch of vanilla to the chile, adding a distinct sweetness from the native plant’s aromatic beans. When paired with one of the house mezcals, the dish became something else, a testament to regional flavors working in harmony to create something that can be experienced only in the place where it is from. Stunning. It was a fitting end to an epic week.
As I headed back to my suite at Marea Beachfront Villas (it’s on a 21-km long, sandy white beach, y’all!), I was reminded yet again of the beauty in this world. And to travel more. Mexico, I’ll be back.
Thanks for reading and be in touch.
Christina