Good Friends and Lokal Eats

Despite us having two birthdays and two anniversaries among us (literally within a span of nine days), my crew of besties always takes me out for a celebratory birthday dinner at the beginning of May.

Okay, I'm not going to argue. I love these guys! And they - quite clearly - know how to make me happy. This year, we headed to Carmel Valley to check out Lokal; we haven't been since they opened. We were due.

This ceviche was my favorite from the evening! There were so many flavors on this plate: scallops, avocado, grapefruit, and crisp mole chips.

We all ordered dishes and shared. I don't remember who ordered the Prawn Mac'N'Cheese Balls, but we all took turns saying it. Mac'N'Cheese Balls. Mac'N'Cheese Balls. Mac'N'Cheese Balls. And I know that Brian ordered the Bones, roasted bone marrow with mushrooms on the top.

We tried the halibut over parsnip puree topped with arugula.

And, when it came time for dessert, we pointed at the chalkboard and said, "We'll take one of each." I'm not kidding. We had a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich.

The Burnt Jack Daniels Bread Pudding was comprised of sourdough breadcubes, burnt caramel, cranberries, Jack Daniels cream, and burnt milk ice cream. I think they used 'burnt' too many times in the description, but it was tasty.

White Chocolate Crème Anglaise with Fresh Seasonal Berries...

New York Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce and Fresh Fruits...

Homemade Olive Oil and Crème Fraîche Donuts with Hot Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar...

And, for the first time, we each brought a bottle of wine to share! Jenn brought a Berghold FootStomp Zinfandel. Brian shared a 2009 Italian red. And I brought the newly released Big Daddy - a fortified Pinot Noir - from Holman Ranch Vineyards. I think we'll have to do this again soon.

Thanks, Jenn, Mike, Pia, and Brian, for the fabulous dinner. I felt celebrated...and stuffed!

Comments

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream

As we headed inland from the coast, I cringed as the temperature gauge in the car for outside temp climbed into the triple digits. Ugh. I'm a rather wimpy central coastal Californian who begins to wilt when it's 70 degrees outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a planned ice cream stop. When I parked the car outside Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream in Santa Rosa, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. We knew that we still had to get to the campsite...and set up our tents in the heat. But we were going to enjoy the cool, sweet treats from Frozen Art first! Michoacana ice creameries are the equivalent of Starbucks in Mexico; they're ubiquitous. Purists, however, claim that operating a true Michoacana ice cream shop require ties to Tocumbo. It's estimated that almost ninety percent of the Tocumban population is currently employed in the ice cream business from making ice cream itself to making equipment. But the real art of Tocumban ice creams: imaginat...

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog