Another La Balena Adventure

When my dad said that he wanted to go out for an Easter lunch, I didn't even skip a beat in suggesting, "La Balena!" Why? The food, the owners, the chef, their philosophy, their quality, the atmosphere, and - oh, did I already mention?!? - the food.

To me, holiday meals are about family. I want to linger. I want to chat. I want to spend time with the people that I love. So, we usually don't go out to eat on holidays. But I have to say, lunching at La Balena today was perfect...and a culinary adventure to boot.

Emmanuele brought out a plate of Tripa Toscana for us to try share. Tripa? Tripe?! I know lots of people eat it. I am not one of them. Usually.

But, it was worth it. I actually had seconds...and so did Riley. So tender it melted in my mouth. And the flavors were complex. I'm not sure what was in there, but it was delicious. Just like Brian admits to now eat beets - but only at my house. I will say that I eat tripe - but only at La Balena.

The other dish that Emmanuele brought out for us to try: rabbit loin. On a bed of greens and fava beans.

Dylan took a bite and asked what it was. "Rabbit," answered Emmanuele. Dylan didn't say a word until after Emmanuele left. Rabbit?!? As in the Easter Bunny?!? "No," I assured him, "it wasn't the Easter Bunny. Okay. And he kept eating.

Photo by La Balena Carmel

We also feasted on Alaskan halibut that Chef Brad picked up in Santa Cruz. I saw this photo on facebook this morning and knew that someone at our table would order it. In fact two someones ordered it - Jake and Riley.

We had wild boar and potato frittata; meatballs, zuppa rustica with lots of greens; two kinds of pecorino and gorgonzola dolce; cantaloupe, peach, and pear mostarda; blood orange and limoncello sorbetti, pizzelle; affogato; and more.

What a perfect Easter lunch. Complimenti to everyone at La Balena...e Buona Pasqua!

Comments

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy. Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies #SundayFunday

Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating childhood favorites. Thanks to Stacy of Food Lust People Love , Sue of Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of Making Miracles , and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for coordinating this low-stress group. Today Stacy is hosting and she's given us the following prompt: "Childhood favorites. Did you have a favorite dish growing up? It could be something your family cooked or a restaurant dish, even a Chef Boyardee canned good or packaged ingredients like Rice-a Roni or mac and cheese. Recreate THAT dish from SCRATCH for this event." Here's the #SundayFunday childhood favorites line-up... Chili Mac from A Day in the Life on the Farm Ham and Mushroom Breakfast Burritos from Making Miracles Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Homemade Wonder Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories K-Mart Sub Sandwiches from Palatable Pastime Kempakki Dosa from Sizzling Tastebuds Meat Chilly Fry by Sn

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page . We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog