CSN Review

CSN stores gave me a gift certificate to use in any of their on-line stores after which I was to review the item of my choice on my blog. There were no strings attached. In other words, this was to be an honest review.  I chose the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt-Ice cream & Sorbet maker. It was back-ordered (not surprising; I ordered it at the height of summer). The company e-mailed a new shipping date the very next day and I received it exactly two weeks later, just as promised. I was very happy with the service, which makes it easy to write this review.

I made Huckleberry Ice Cream in this ice cream maker (post and recipe will follow).  It was so easy to use.  There was no hand cranking involved (excellent!) as there is with many of the other small freezer container models.  My ice cream was frozen and set up in 25 minutes.  It was so easy and convenient.

Would I order from CSN stores again?  YES!!!, most certainly and I recommend them to you as well, honestly. Their prices are discounted lower than my local discount stores (I checked before ordering) and shipping is free to most areas. Thank you CSN for excellent service and an excellent product. We love our ice cream maker and have another batch of ice cream in the works.

Check back soon as CSN is offering another gift certificate to one of my readers to use in any of their on-line stores.

Part 2 San Francisco

This trip I wanted to go to new restaurants that we haven't been to before. And we managed to hit a few of them in between shopping and playing.

Tartine Bakery is a small unassuming bakery in the mission district, an up and coming neighborhood for the food scene.  Definitely out of the downtown tourist area.  Don't let that fact deter you from eating there. It is just down the street from Mission Dolores on Guerrero Street. Be sure you take an address when you go because there isn't a sign on the outside of the building. You might recognize it by the line of people outside of the door though. The first morning that we attempted to get in the line was more than halfway down the block. We came back on a week day and came early. There was only this much smaller line and we got in but had to wait for one of the five communal tables inside. As we were leaving, the line again snaked farther down along the block. Come early and be prepared to wait but the bakery items are WORTH THE WAIT. This is one of the best bakeries in any city in my opinion. We had a sampling of items. They have a full range of pastries, the usual croissants, cakes, cookies, their lunch specialty, a Croque Monsieur sandwiches, and gourmet coffees. But if you want to buy their bread you will need to put your order in by 3:00 pm. and then you can pick it up at five; yes 5:00 in the afternoon. No order, No bread. It's apparently that good.

Their "Morning Bun" (that's it on the right) is quite possibly the best breakfast item I've ever tasted (except for the Kouing -aman)at Les Madeleine.  It's really a buttery pastry rather than a doughy bun.  The photo doesn't do it justice.  It is buttery, flaky, crispy, crunchy, brioche dough coiled into a bun. Sprinkled with sanding sugar with just a hint of orange zest, it melted in my mouth. The bottom of the bun was crunchy with a sugar syrup (think sticky buns without the caramel and nuts) and it was baked in a muffin tin. We all agreed that it was the very best thing any of us had.

I will admit that this is where we stopped for breakfast again on the last day as we drove out of the city. I think I could eat that morning bun every day and not be tired of it for a long, long time.

Maybe they don't need to advertise on the storefront after all.  I think the neighborhood locals would appreciate a shorter line.

What I Ate On My Summer Vacation.

We went on a little vacation last week; to San Francisco, otherwise known to locals as THE CITY.  And don't ever call it "Frisco"; that will get their hackles up.  Are you wondering why I haven't posted a photo of the Golden Gate bridge?  Well,  we never saw it.  It was in the fog.  With the exception of one afternoon, this is the weather we had all 5 days...cold and fog.  Mark Twain is reported to have said, the "Coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". That is so true; in the summer months you can hardly even see the city, let alone the bridges through the mist and fog. Bring a coat because it's cold. September and October are the nicest months, but we love SF any time of the year.

My husband attended Graduate school there when we had one daughter.  I won't say how long ago that was, but now all 4 daughters are grown, so you get the idea.  We try to go at least once a year to shop, eat, and play.  It's one of our favorite cities for so many reasons, the least of which is that it will always feel like home.  I get a thrill every time I drive over the Bay Bridge into the city.  We lived in the Pacific Heights neighborhood all those years ago and that area where we stay on all of our visits.

We definitely had a lot of fun. We saw Wicked at the historic Orpheum theatre.

We went to Mission Dolores and saw the mission and the newer Basilica and cemetary. The two years I lived in SF and all the visits since, I have never been inside the Mission. It is beautiful and if you are in Sf you must visit.

We did some touristy things (which we don't always do when we go there).  We saw the traveling impressionist exhibit from the Musee deOrsay in Paris at the de Young Museum located in Golden Gate Park.  This was the primary reason we went now.   The Musee D'Orsay was at the top of Bruce's list of things to see in Paris before our trip to Europe was cancelled by a volcano in Iceland last April. 

We also ATE.  And Ate.   And Ate.  The girls tease that I take more photos of our food than our family (almost true, I admit).  I did take quite a few to share with you.  We went to some food spots that I have been wanting to visit.   AND...I did manage to get some of my family eating the food.

NETTIE'S CRAB SHACK

Erin's favorite meal was the Crab Cakes at Nettie's Crab Shack on Union Street.  Union is a long stretch of up-scale boutiques and restaurants between the Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow neighborhoods.  Nettie's is bright and sunny with windows on all three sides, which is unusual on this busy street.  The decor is simple and charming and the food was wonderful.  If you've never strolled along Union you should.  It's got so many great stores.  Flower shops, clothing, banks, theaters, and or course restaurants.  I thought that Erin's crab cakes were almost as good as my crab roll.  It was served on brioche with it's crusts cut off and then the brioche was toasted with butter.  Stuffed with sweet, dungeness crab, and drizzled with butter; nothing else.  It was so good and simple.  The shoestring potato fries were excellent as well.  In fact, everything we ordered was delicious and this will be a regular haunt of ours from here on out.

PACIFIC CATCH

The only other meal that we had that compared to Nettie's was the one we had at Pacific Catch.  Bruce and I have eaten there before and had to return.  It is on Chestnut street in the Marina neighborhood about 4 blocks from Union Street.  Chestnut is another street similar to Union in that there is every service, lots of restaurants (both casual and upscale), and stores along this street.  Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Gap, Apple, a Walgreen's, several grocery stores and theaters are here.  We love the Marina (this neighborhood was built on the spot of the Pan Pacific exhibition near the bay) and we always stay at the Cow Hollow Inn.  This is a very laid back, casual, and family-friendly neighborhood.  You'll rub shoulders with Young Urban Professionals and their one child in a stroller (mostly because after 2 children they can't afford to live in this upscale neighborhood) but it's perfect if you travel with a family.

Pacific Catch is small....really small.  It consists of nine counter seats and 4 very small tables at the front by the window.  We are amazed at the food they turn out of this tiny kitchen (that's it behind the counter in the photo above).  The menu is very simple; salad, rice bowls, and the freshest sea food in very simple preparations.  I would describe it as Fusion sea food.  They serve fish and tacos with Asian or Mexican influences and it is wonderful.  I have to admit we ate there TWICE, which amused and delighted our waitress.  Don't miss their fresh ahi and mahi tacos or their BBQ and California salmon sandwiches.  This restaurant took over the space from a Pasta Pommodoro restaurant.  We were sad to lose Pasta Pommodoro 'til we ate at Pacific Catch.  We never miss eating at least once at Pommodoro, an old favorite, but after this trip I think we are done with it.  We were disappointed with their menu changes and maybe that explains the down-sizing of this restaurant company.

Lest you think all we ate was seafood...tune in tomorrow for another review and some great photos of food and terrific shots of The City.

New forays into outdoor cooking and a CSN review

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My husband and I have a new hobby...cooking together.  Usually he mans the grill and I do the prep, but we had so much fun collaborating on the Dutch oven dinner we did last week that we're planning a few new forays into outdoor cooking.  Last night we smoked a pork shoulder and made pulled pork on our Weber kettle grill. It was so good that B. couldn't stop talking about it.  You can bet there will be some more smoking going on around here.

CSN Stores has asked me to do a product review for them.  Do you know about CSN Stores?  They have over 200 online stores under their umbrella.  Really!!! They have everything, and I mean everything, you could ever want.  Now I just have to decide which item to review. 

Do I choose a new cast iron Dutch Oven piece?  They carry so many kinds of cast iron.  OR...do I choose something from the many items for barbecuing?  That would make my husband soooo happy.  I have been wanting an ice cream freezer for the homestead.  Hmmm.  This may take awhile folks.  So many great products to choose from.  Which item would you choose?

Windy Ridge Cafe with the Girls

Last week we went to Park City to have lunch at Windy Ridge Cafe, a bright, fun, and wonderful restaurant.  My friend Rosie introduced me to it many years ago and it has remained a favorite of mine for several reasons.

• It is a bit out of the way and it mostly caters to locals, not tourists (they don't know what they are missing).
• The food is wonderful.
• Their bakery is even more wonderful than the cafe.

This is one of my favorite lunch spots. We split a plate of sliders.  Our burgers were all-american, blue cheese with bacon, and avocado; I loved the Blue Cheese slider.  The waiter also kindly brought us extra set-ups so that we could share and split the bowl of South Western Corn Chowder and bread three ways. 

"What !?!, you say.  Are you guys just cheap"?  No, we were saving room for this (and we did tip generously, in spite of ordering just 2 plates for three people).

We more than made up for the very small lunch with the take-home treats we purchased at the bakery, which has been moved from the cafe building to a large building just across the back parking lot.

We each liked a different bakery item best, so that just goes to show that there is something for every taste here.  Cristie and I loved the nut bar, Barbara loved the fruit tart, and we all agreed that the lemon bar was "to die for". 

If you're looking for a great lunch spot, head on up Parley's Canyon to Windy Ridge Cafe.  And if you don't have time to eat in you can purchase some of the many pre-packaged food items from the cafe that the bakery has in their refrigerated cases.  The lasagna looked wonderful and I'd get a loaf of their bakery bread to go with it.  Whatever you do, be sure to take home some of these dazzling bakery treats.

Saturday with King Arthur

Last Saturday the King Arthur Flour people came to town.  Maria (http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/) put together a group that met for lunch and then attended the KA pie demonstration.  I was lucky enough to be invited.  It was great to meet some of the other local food bloggers and a local photographer.  They all have pretty impressive blogs and credentials (not to mention that they all have business CARDS).  I didn't.  I am told that I need to get some.  It's hard to think of my blog in terms of a business card or that I am even in their league. 

We met for lunch at Les Madeleines, a french bakery that also offers a lunch menu.  It was fun to sample and talk about their menu offerings with the other women.

This is a rather fuzzy picture of their signature item, Kouing Aman.  It is a french pastry creation that is crunchy, slightly salty, sugary and flaky all in one package (think of a crunchy, caramelized, croissant).  There is just no way to describe how good this item is.  I am told there are only six other bakeries in the country that make and sell these.  They are incredible and well worth the price.  They are in such demand that Romina, the owner, only allows you to buy 6 per customer unless you order these in advance.

This is my dessert choice which I  shared with the table.  It's a Financier; a little butter cake with

cranberries and quince.  It was slightly sweet and I liked it a lot.

Cristie shared her little lemon tart.  It was good too.

Tiff ordered a sandwich.  I didn't taste this but she liked it a lot. I did snag a french fry and it was wonderful.  I love the fry holder.

And here's Barbara's soup, with her Kouing Aman that she shared.  You can just see the beautiful salad on Donna's plate in the background (she contributed the colorful carrot curl from her salad for Barbara's garnish so we could make the photo lovely).  These women are seriously good food stylists as well.

I got to meet some wonderful women with whom I hope to get together 

again soon.  I mentioned a few of them above with their blog links.  Also, Becky's blog is Vintage Mixer.  You'll want to check out her reviews on the regional food scene.  It was fun to meet her friend Amy, who is a great photographer.  Heather, who is a food writer, and Anne, who is Donna's daughter and blogging partner, were all there as well.  I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of these women and you will want to check out their great blogs.

Next, on to King Arthur.  We had a great lesson on pie crusts from Jessica from their Vermont Education Center.  There were door prizes, and two of our group won.  Everyone got dough scrapers, coupons for on-line use, and some free yeast.  Pretty good freebies!  They have great products and it was fun to attend with new foodie friends.  Check out King Arthur's website for some really great baking products.  Unfortunately, you'll have to find your own food blogging friends and a french bakery for lunch.