Marzipan - Fruit and Not Fruit

Oh man, next trip to NYC I need to figure out how to get here. Katie Parla had a great shot in her instagram stories, but nothing online, at least anymore...
In Germany we went Konigsberger Marzipan which was a revelation.
Updates to come...

Joshua Tree

List of Airbnb rentals, but especially this one built for star-gazing

Bluestar accessories

Looooong matches. Because the sparker can be a little scary.

Charming

I could really go for Jessica Winzelberg's enamel charms

Sourcing: Il Florista petals, salts and sugars

From Christine Muhlke's 2019 gift guide, weird and wonderful bottles of petals to scatter or brew, and savory infused salts. New York pick-up only, no online, but hey then you can eat at the restaurant!

Sourcing: Uni from Santa Barbara

Again, Ruth Reichl has the best links. Today she featured tool to open sea urchins ( I vaguely remember using pliers to snap off chunks of shell when we served them at Montrachet)

But even better, she linked to Sea Stephanie Fish, a Santa Barbara company, owned by the only female sea urchin diver in the US! And they sell to the public!

Eat the (delicious) invaders!

Sourcing: grownup non-alcoholic drink options

 

Seedlip gets a lot of press, and some pretty respectable places have added to their bars & shelves.

Tost sounds like a really great champagne alternative, but only seems to be served / sold on the east coast at this writing, don't know if I want to splurge on the shipping...
Update: seems to be carried at World Market in San Jose & San Mateo !

Add to the list Jus Jus  which is actually 3.4 % alcohol so not for the kids...It's presented as fermented verjus. Link is to stockist / restaurants, Bay Area & LA

Sourcing: Korean Ingredients

Ruth Reichl always has the best gift guides - Gotham Grove's  traditional kochujang was today's pick and the whole site has fascinating ingredients, especially the vinegars...

Spring 2020 : Le Dix-Sept Pȃtisserie

Eater article about a fab sounding new bakery opening in the Mission. "Chef-owner Michelle Hernández specializes in creative buttercream cakes, but also nougat, a chewy confection rarely seen in the states, and canelés de Bordeaux, the deeply burnished little custards which are rarely done quite right."  I've got to find some of the nougat before xmas, apparently it's at Bi-Rite. Will update with any info on pop-ups, custom orders etc...
Update! Sounds like they are currently only doing pre-orders, box of 20 canele for $60
Pick Up Only DogPatch Workshop, 1750 E Cesar Chavez Suite E San Francisco

Tuesday	3:00 pm	–	5:00 pm
Wednesday	3:00 pm	–	5:00 pm
Friday	3:00 pm–5:00 pm

Cap Corse Mattei Rouge Quinquina Aperitif

Another Christine Muhlke recommendation, D&M describes it as:

Aromas of walnut husk, ginger with a orange pith / seeds on the back end. Corsica Muscat and Vermentinu mistelles base. Cinchona bark (quinine) 

Cap Corse Rouge is traditionally served neat or on ice with tonic or soda, garnished with citrus peel. It mixes well with rye whiskey, especially so in a Boulevardier.  

Boulevardier Cocktail

Stir with ice:

1 oz Mattei Cap Corse Rouge Quinquina Quinquina

1 oz Aperitivo Cappelletti (this also sounds good to have on hand!)

1 oz rye whiskey

Strain into double rocks glass filled with ice.

Garnish with an orange peel

Sourcing: herbs

The smoked chili flakes from Daphnis & Chloe is recommended by Christine Muhlke

For the list of good-smelling things, a soap that is safe for outdoor showers, camping etc

Stuff is happening at Heath Ceramics....

Cool! The book got fully funded, a Heath Ceramics documentary from KQED is out and finally, a Heath furnished rental in Tahoe.

Sacramento source: CityScout Magazine

CityScout has good listings, got there from a story about Faria Bakery, went to Allora on their recommendation and had the cavatelli above in a pheasant ragu and lovely delicate sharp and sweet barely tomato-y sauce. Next visit I want to check out the natural wine bar pop-up

Coffee exploration on the Peninsula

list of places with unusual coffee drinks from thesixfifty

Local-ish places

Voyager Craft Coffee// 3985 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara; 669.241.8835
Tokyo latte: infused with cherry blossom, brown sugar, and vanilla
Valencia: orange blossom water and coconut
Santiago: cocoa, cinnamon, and brown sugar with a ginger, cayenne pepper kick

1 Oz Coffee Castro Street Suite 130, Mountain View//650.254.8555
Turmeric latte

Bitter + Sweet// 20560 Town Center Lane, Cupertino; 408.255.2600
Black sesame latte combines tahini (sesame seed paste), condensed milk, and espresso.

ZombieRunner// 429 California Avenue, Palo Alto; 650.325.2048
Turkish cappuccino mixes steamed chai into your espresso




Plus list has Saratoga, Pacifica and South SF spots

Society of Architectural Historians definitive encyclopedia ONLINE!!!

An online collection of histories and essays. WHOA!

POST guide to a SF to Santa Cruz road trip

A list of hikes, stops and some food recommendations

“Weaving Beyond the Bauhaus,” at Art Institute in Chicago

Artsy article about the weavers.

Show is at the Institute Aug 3, 2019  - Feb 17, 2020
Aug 3, 2019–Feb 17, 2020
Aug 3, 2019–Feb 17, 2020
Aug 3, 2019–Feb 17, 2020

Campari Cocktails!

from Serious Eats, 21 recipes

Guide to LA's Little Tokyo

Afar article.
Of special note:

Satisfy your sweet tooth at Mikawaya, the 109-year-old dessert shop where mochi ice cream—balls of Japanese rice cake filled with assorted ice cream flavors—was invented.

Most years, springtime heralds the return of the LA Art Book Fair, the West Coast sister of the NY Art Book Fair and a one-stop-shop for art book–centric reads from artists, antiquarian booksellers, small presses, and institutions.

WaPo City guides, actually good!

List of US and global cities

Japanese in San Mateo

Eater article

NYC Restaurants Fall 2019 Hot Openings

From NYMag

Especially interesting:

(september openings)

Canal Street Oysters
380 Canal St.

A stupendous limestone bar is the focal point of brothers Anthony and Tom Martignetti’s latest restaurant project. On the bar go oysters — Bluepoints, Wellfleets, Malpeques, Beausoleils, raw on the half-shell — plus whelks, clams, and sea urchin. John Dory Oyster Bar vet Charlene Santiago’s cooked dishes expand on the theme. There’s razor clams on the plancha, fried fish sticks, cod bánh mì, and squid-ink paella for two. 

Il Fiorista

17 W. 26th St.

Flowers look great. Flowers smell wonderful. Flowers make us happy. And although we sometimes forget, flowers of the edible variety when cooked or preserved taste pretty incredible. That would seem to be one of the things the Italian-born husband-and-wife owners of this restaurant, boutique, education center, and all-around floral superspace would like to draw our attention to. How will they do it? Think bread and nasturtium butter, fluke crudo cured with chrysanthemum, and grass-fed strip steak with flowering marjoram and sweet-potato leaves, all washed down with orange-flower Negronis.

F&F Pizzeria
459 Court St., Carroll Gardens

Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli (the Franks) are French-trained chefs who cook Italian. They are not, however, pizzaioli. But they have a guy. Actually, two guys: Chad Robertson (of San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery) is one, and Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix is the other. (Actually, Bianco is not only a pizzaiolo, but maybe the world’s greatest pizzaiolo, and also a partner with Robertson and his wife, Elizabeth Prueitt, in the Los Angeles culinary mega-complex the Manufactory.) Both have signed on to advise and support and generally share with the Franks all their naturally-leavened secrets. Which, if you know anything about bread and pizza, you know is like having John Coltrane and Charlie Parker agree to help you play the saxophone.

Daily Provisions  (actually I want to try all the daily provisions...)
375 Amsterdam Ave.

The Upper West Side isn’t lacking for spinoffs of popular downtown restaurants. But what right-thinking Upper West Sider wouldn’t want a Danny Meyer bakery-café in their backyard? The DP crew is bringing its Sprezzatura breads, BECs, broccoli melts, and diet-busting crullers to the old White Gold Butchers space. To mark the occasion, the pastry kitchen is debuting a new cruller flavor: caramel apple. It’s glazed with cider-spiked caramel and topped with crushed peanuts, and sounds like something the neighborhood’s gourmet trick-or-treaters could get behind.

The Riddler
51 Bank St.

Jen Pelka made a name for her San Francisco Champagne bar by having fun with something people tend to take extremely seriously, and she brings that same playful spirit to her new West Village outpost — along with 100 different labels by the bottle, a dozen sparkling wines by the glass, signature snacks like tater-tot waffles and free popcorn, and “The Joan,” a glass of house wine filled to the brim.

(november opening)

Le Veau D’Or
129 E. 60th St.

Who better than Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, those masters of the bistro and the brasserie, to let loose on this storied Upper East Side establishment?

Chicago Chefs Guide

Eater article with best late-night, drinks, brunch, splurge and can't miss places

Gem-O-Rama : Prospecting for Crystals at Searle Lake

NYTimes article  about mucking around for hanksite and pink halite, copied here

F | 10 Palm Springs Vintage Shopping List!

Big fat list of places to check out

Craig Ellwood house in SLO

From Esotericsurvey's Insta Aug 27th
"Weekend house designed in 1964 and built by students in 1967-1968. Part of a class led by Ellwood when he was a visiting professor. The walls have been removed adn it is now part of the Experimental Practices Laboratory at Cal Poly, SLO. Definitely worth the hike"

Belcampo in San Mateo

The website doesn't list it yet, but rumor has it that they'll be opening in the Hillsdale Mall. In the meantime I should go by the SF location, or Oakland, or hit them when in LA

Alpine Inn Portola Valley

They promise "quality burgers and cold beer" but also had very respectable pizza and greek salad. We sat at a booth inside and totally missed out on the HUGE back area with picnic tables under giant trees

Manresa Bread in Campbell

Lots of tasty food besides the bakery goods. Visited in July, need to go back...

Palm Springs: Where to take the waters

Article from Palm Springs Life on history of the hot springs etc.

The Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza opens in summer 2020 in Palm Springs, but you can take the waters now at these spas in Desert Hot Springs:


Miracle Hot Springs10625 Palm Drive
Desert Hot Springs
760-251-6000
miraclesprings.com
Day spa passes are available to enjoy the mineral waters.


The Spring Resort and Spa
12699 Reposo Way
Desert Hot Springs
760-251-6700
the-spring.com
Enjoy three mineral water pools with a day spa pass.


Two Bunch Palms
67425 Two Bunch Palms Trail
Desert Hot Springs
800-472-4334
twobunchpalms.com
A favorite for its Grotto mineral pool, storied history, and 600-year-old hot spring.

Story time: the five children’s books every adult should read

Guardian article, copied here

Slow fashion: how to keep your favourite clothes for ever – from laundering to moth-proofing

Guardian article, copied here

Pat McGrath Foundation

Sephora Valley Fair has it

Shopping for Xmas already

Ornament for S, for his first stamps in his passport

Old World Christmas 36234 Ornament, Passport

Shopping already for the Feast of Seven Fishes

Option #1


Mercury Glass Fish for the favors
4 inch long for medium size, $1.49

Japanese sandwiches in SF

Eater article on Japanese sandwiches in SF

Bread N' Chu (no website as yet) 
1900 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94121

also mentioned in article

Stonemill Matcha
On Valencia Street, a neatly-cut tonkatsu sandwich has been a hit at premium matcha cafe , 

Ichi Sando (no website)
1581 Webster St Ste150, San Francisco, CA 94115
In Japantown, serving instagram-ready tamago sandwiches for $9.50 a piece.

Not mentioned, but visited
Bread Belly
Superior bread! and they have salads etc

coldspringtavern.com

Andrew Romano

Oakland shop with vintage rugs and home goods

https://thevintagerugshop.com/