@vivalafoodies Adam tweeting in the vineyard this morning in Calistoga having a great time
Oto-Oto Signature Tofu the texture of buffalo mozzarella and some wasabi, wow what a way to start the meal
A great day of wine tasting in Santa Ynez, Mosby, LaFond, Alma Rosa & Sanford. Rose is what’s great, least favorite was Sanford oddly enough. Now off to the next few wineries for afternoon tastings.
There’s something about a road trip and going to a truck stop along the way. It’s a different world, one of true americana, the place where all walks of life converge. The food is simple yet tasty as long as you stick to the basics. When I look around I often wonder where the truckers are going to and coming from. Have they been on the road all night? Are they going cross country, or just in a local haul. Travelers coming I for a rest and hearty meal on their way to their next destination. The big change today is the mire health conscious menu with wheatberry bread, egg beaters and other lo cal fare. At some point I’ll take a long trip across the country and experience a complete cross section of what these roadside watering holes have to offer. For now, I’ll enjoy my simple breakfast and go on my way.
Salt like wine is effected by it’s terroir. The minerality of different regions add different colors and flavors to them. Brian Hepp of Hepps gourmet salts, is bringing these unique flavors to the farmers markets. I met Tyler at the Sherman Oaks farmers market and he took me through an informal tasting of some of the salts. Textures varied from coarse firm granular to, fine almost powder-like and larger pyramid like flakey crystals a shape reminiscent of a very popular drug of the 60’s. The natural salts have smokey, citrus, herbal notes and more. They also have flavored and smoked salts that are just fantastic. I did a tasting if a wide variety, from Hiwa Kai which is a rich black salt with a slight smokieness and hints of bacon and mushroomI. They also have hickory Applewood smoked salts as well as flavored salts like curry, habanero, lemon and more. I picked up some of the Hiwa Kai and also the Alderwood smoked salt. You might want to check it out. www.heppssaltbarrel.com
Saturday afternoons at the Saddle Peak Lodge a feast of small plates, Cielo wines, psychedelic sangria and live music. Like a short vacation in the Santa Monica mountains. Noon to 5
