I guess there is a reason why people refer to Sonoma as an island. It is just out there. In a league and a space all by itself. There simply is just no other place like it. Shhh, don’t let anyone else in on our little secret that Sonoma is just pure heaven. Fairly close to perfection if you ask me. Believe me, I know this and am reminded of it on a daily basis, but sometimes all you need to do is just go somewhere else to really remember, to be slapped in the face with the differences of being somewhere else. I have lived in a big handful of wonderful, beautiful places and believe me when I tell you that there is just no place as glorious, delicious and lovely as living in Sonoma. I have a few friends, and you know who you are, that have a desire to move away from Sonoma and all I can say is…y’all are nuts!
Here I sit in South Florida, visiting my family in what is also considered one of the most sought after places in the world to live and to vacation. Sure, it’s the sunshine state, even though I am just now seeing sunshine for the first time in four days. My last day. Sure, there is a restaurant for every man, women and child living here and you basically can get just about every ethnicity of food you could possibly imagine, every nationality of Latin for example, but not an even edible version of Chinese. They go in and out of business quicker than you can imagine with the fickle, demanding locals and the non-tipping tourists. Sure they have “green markets,” but no one seems to care that the extent of the produce comes from South America. Please don’t get me started on the grocery stores. Oh boy. I used to love my local market here, but when shopping for dinner the other day, I stood like a deer in headlights at the vast, almost absurd array of boxed cereals, crackers and canned goods, my head spinning. The produce department resembled a factory, everything sat on styrofoam, covered in plastic wrap and glowing eerily under the florescent lights. Oh the meats. At that point I missed my Sonoma Market so badly that there was truly an ache in my heart, tears welling up in my eyes. Why must everything be prepackaged? Why do they assume that each patron wants five pork chops? What happens if I merely need two? The aisles went on and on while my head began to pound with the dizzying array of choices.
When dining out one evening, the daily, “local” vegetables were obviously frozen, from a bag. I thought things would look up as I happily shopped at the local Whole Foods, a massive store that easily dwarfed ours. Ah! All the exceptional looking cheeses were from Sonoma County, while the natural chicken and pasture-raised lamb also were from good old Sonoma. The oysters and the crabs mostly, yup, came from Northern California. The lettuces, Sonoma. The artichokes, well from Castroville, but that’s close enough. The olive oils? From Europe mostly, but the others…ah-ha! Wine Country. The wines, the Meyer lemons, blood oranges, the avocados, right from our very own back yard. Oh, and P.S. I looked like a Martian bringing my own reusable bags.
Of course Florida has its charms. Stone crabs, café Cubano and key lime pie to name a few. The grocery store’s cold beer aisle could easily keep a frat house satisfied for days while there is an entire section devoted to plastic beach pails, sunscreen and cheap flip flops, such fun! They also sell bait. Yes, bait. I always hope an unsuspecting Canadian doesn’t grab it for dinner. Not only did I find Sonoma wines for half the price than you might find in Sonoma, but I picked up Bay Area cheeses for less than at home and indulged in Tomales Bay oysters for less than had I picked them up form the farm. What on Earth do you think that’s about? Well, I am back now and could not be happier to be home to my little bubble.
The best thing I ate this week.
When visiting my family in Florida, I am typically armed with a list of foods I must have and nostalgic restaurants to visit, checking them off one by one. No matter what season, key lime pie is always on that list. True key limes, for us West Coasters, are 1 to 2 inches in diameter with thin skin that is yellow when ripe. Their flavor is unique, a bit tart, while their aroma is exceedingly floral and totally heavenly. Real key limes are not easy to find. The sort typically sold in markets here are actually Mexican limes, a distant relative. Real key lime pie is something special and even in Florida can be tricky to locate. You might be fooled into ordering one at that ramshackle, authentic seafood shack on the water only to have it delivered to your table and – the horror! – it’s green! Real key lime pie is sort of a pale, golden yellow from the egg yolks and in my somewhat expert opinion should never be topped with meringue or whipped cream. The flavor is tart, with an indescribable, almost honey-orange-lemon flavor with an ultra creamy consistency. The crust must be traditional, buttery, good old Graham crackers. In South Florida, there is no better version than the one they’ve been serving for more than 100 years at Joe’s Stone Crab on Miami Beach.
On the Menu
The imminent arrival of spring means that it’s time to begin signing up for this season’s CSAs. A favorite small farm CSA is the one offered by Lunita Farms. For a mere $25 a week, receive a gorgeous share of fresh vegetables and fruit – sometimes flowers – lovingly grown and delivered by local farmer extraordinaire Rachel Kohn Obut. For more information see lunitafarms.net or email Rachel at lunitafarm@gmail.com
• Friday night, February 18, is the annual gala celebration in conjunction with the Sonoma Valley Olive Season “VinOlivo.” You’ll sip some of the Valley’s best wines, chat with winemakers, enjoy bites from some of our finest restaurants, and sample local olives and olive oils at the olive bar. Held each year at the Lodge of Sonoma, this is a blow out not to be missed. Call 935.0803 or visit sonomavalley.com/olivefestival for details or to purchase tickets.
• The first of the Community Center’s “Community Table” dinners is Saturday, February 19 at 6:30 p.m. Chef Molly Heyerly of Rocket Café and Catering is preparing a three-course Swiss-inspired dinner paired with Beltane Ranch and Fichtenber Vineyard wines. The dinner is $40 per person and benefits the SCC’s Culinary Arts programs. To r.s.v.p. call 938.4626.
• Another “Rive Gauche Dining Club” dinner coming up on February 23 at 7 p.m. This month they’ll be celebrating the Iberian Peninsula with tapas, Portuguese mussels and clams, wild boar ribs and live music by Dave Agullar and Peter McCauley of Tudo Bem. The dinner is $30 per person and wine is b.y.o.b. Call 996.9453 for reservations and details.
• Get your tickets now for the very fun and festive sounding St. Francis Dad’s Club “Mardi Gras Party and Crawfish Boil” with live Zydeco music from Gatorbeat to be held on Saturday, February 26 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the St. Francis school office. Email questions to stfdadsclub@gmail.com.
• February 21 begins the seven day celebration of Sonoma County’s farm fresh food and world-class wine dubbed “Sonoma Restaurant Week.” Restaurants county wide have created specially priced three-course menus available during the week-long event. Della Santina’s, Hopmonk, Saddles, Mamma Tanino’s, LoKal, Café la Haye, and Harvest Moon Café are just a handful of the Sonoma Valley restaurants that are participating. Visit sonomacountyrestaurantweek.org for a complete list of restaurants and their menus and get out there and support our small town spots during this quiet time of year.
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