Cycling Foodie

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Thanksgiving 2012

Exceeded every expectation I had ... wow.

I wonder how many miles we’ll need to ride tomorrow to work this off?

More photos and details to follow.

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Sunday, November 11, 2012

Last night a little foodie exploration and treat was in order, so off to Paragary’s Bar & Oven in Midtown Sacramento. I’d never been there before, but have heard wonderful things about it. Now, I know why!

Malbec ... beautiful color!

We shared a special Manhattan and it was really good. I am not a big mixed drink aficionado, and have not had a Manhattan since I don’t know when, but wow. OK, we didn’t officially share it, but I sampled it a couple of times. I sampled an aperitif, Branca Menta, which was interesting and I’ll have it another time, but I decided to just stick with wine. I wanted something a little earthy to pair with the Wood Oven Roasted Portobello Mushroom appetizer, so I ordered a glass of the Sangiovese (Perazzeta, Tuscany, 2010). My fellow foodie friend had the Malbec (Crios, Mendoza, Argentina, 2010).

We started out with the Wood Oven Roasted Portobello Mushroom, Polenta, Garlic, Herbs, Parmesan.

The Wood Oven Roasted Portobello Mushroom appetizer was fantastic. Each item was divine on its own, but a little of each together formed the perfect bite.

Little Gems Lettuces

We then shared the Little Gems Lettuces salad, with pears, bleu cheese, pecans, and fresh pomegranate. Every aspect of this salad was fresh and perfect. The balance of sweet, tart, savory flavors, and tender crisp lettuce was exquisite. In hindsight, I think this would have been lovely with a sparkling wine.

Entrees ...

For entrees, we tried the special tortellini (filled with ricotta, goat cheese, greens, and served with a Gorgonzola cream sauce, garnished with walnuts) and a Pizza Sampler (half homemade fennel sausage with smoked mozzarella, wood-roasted onions, roasted Calabrian chile peppers, and half roasted mushrooms with leeks, fontina, garlic, thyme, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese).

Tortellini close-up

Normally, I am not a big cream sauce fan (and don’t really want to develop much of a taste for them), but this was fantastic! The pizza was lightly topped and the crust was thin and perfect. This is the kind of pizza I want to make at home. The crust stayed crisp and held up to the toppings, but it was not tough. I love the slightly puffy rim and super thin base. (It also made for yummy lunch leftovers!)

Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake

I was only going to look at the dessert menu, but someone promised to share this with me. We shared the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Espresso Gelato and Chocolate Sauce.

I’m not sure how many miles I’ll have to ride to work all of this off, but every bite was worth it.

This was my first trip to Paragary’s Bar & Oven, but my sincerest hope is that it will not be my last. Every aspect of the meal and experience was superb. Our server, Julie, was attentive, friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. The atmosphere was comfortable, elegant, and unpretentious. Check them out online:  http://www.paragarys.com/sacramento-restaurants/paragarys-bar-oven/

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Some kind of wonderful … 

Handmade pizza with Gorgonzola cheese, figs, arugula, and balsamic ... it was every bit as amazing as it looks.

I had the pleasure of dining recently at Tra Vigne in St. Helena. I have not been there since the late 1980’s.

It was worth the wait … 

If you want to check them out online, see:  http://www.travignerestaurant.com/index.html

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I have this girlfriend who is training for a big, multi-day ride:  http://stihltourdestrees.org/the-event/

She wanted to do a century this weekend, so I suggested a modified Tour de Cure Napa Valley route. We started out on the Silverado Trail, just past the intersection of Silverado Trail and Trancas Boulevard. We got a bit of a late start (9:30 am), but still we expected to be done well before 6:00 pm. Little did we know the adventures that were in store for us.

Just before we started our Napa Valley Century, July 15, 2012

The ride started out quite chilly. Luckily for me, I always overdress because I cannot stand being cold. My friend overheats easily, so she didn’t have the layers on that I did, so she was pretty chilly at the start of the ride. The fog started clearing and the sun warmed the Valley nicely. The first stretch of our ride was lovely! We rode all the way to Calistoga on the Silverado Trail. I think that’s quite a bit safer and more comfortable than Highway 29, especially as wineries open and wine tasting hours begin. Highway 29 is nice early, early morning, but we started out too late for that.

We rolled in to Calistoga. I wanted to avoid the downtown traffic on Lincoln Avenue, so we took a side street that wrapped around. Little did I know the excitement that would ensue. Maybe 1/4 mile down Lake Street, I heard a tap-tap-tap-BANG!!! Followed by a fast and loud pssht! Aw, no … that can’t be good. Yep. Flat, flat, flat back tire. Dang it! Hopeful that a quick change would get us back on the road, but in looking at the tire … well, see for yourself.

And so the adventure begins ...

Fortunately, we were just a few blocks from the Calistoga Bike Shop (http://calistogabikeshop.com/). Not sure if rolling my bike would damage the rim, so I carried my bike part of the way. My friend carried it the rest of the way (OK, most of the way). We have different strengths, what can I say? Almost $90 later for a new tire and tube (they very kindly waived the labor charge), and a snack at the Village Bakery, we were on the road again, headed up towards Healdsburg.

Want some great bread? Try Village Bakery in Calistoga.

Village Bakery Seeded Sourdough Toast

We headed out of town and along Highway 29 until it turned into Highway 128. We then headed up valley, out of Calistoga, up over the hill into the Alexander Valley. This part of the ride was pretty uneventful, just some beautiful weather, a little nice climbing and downhills, a few stretches of flats, and tons of beautiful scenery. We stopped at the Jimtown Store (http://www.jimtown.com/), which I hear is a great place to stop for lunch. I groused about paying $3.10 for a 1.5 liter bottle of water, but was so thankful later in the day that I had made this wise investment. We continued to the end of Highway 128 in Healdsburg, had a brief rest in a nice shady spot, a snack, some conversation with another cyclist – we had seen him earlier at the Jimtown Store. I struck up a conversation with him because his jersey said “Klein” – as in Klein bikes! He told me about a shop in … a town in Southern CA that is still selling brand new Kleins. I’m skeptical, but I’ll look into it. How cool would that be?!

We had a nice chat, then headed back.

Playing "Chase the Jersey"

More than halfway done!

Top of the last climb on the way back to Calistoga

As we descended on that last hill back in to Calistoga, we were greeted near the bottom with a line of stopped traffic. An elderly woman driving a Cadillac had hit (and broken) two utility poles before hitting a third one head on. (See article:  http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/calistoga-crash-triggers-small-grass-fire/article_93a6e7d6-cf68-11e1-8439-001a4bcf887a.html)  I’m pretty sure she hit a third pole, not a fence as the article says. The good news is that she walked away from the accident and seemed to be OK, shaken up, but OK. Her family came to get her; she did not leave in an ambulance. The bad news is that this delay added about another hour to our ride. The article says the road was closed for about 35 minutes, but it was more like an hour.

Adventure continues ... downed power lines and wildfire!

Cal Fire in action

Cal Fire helicopter

We got to see firefighters in action and that certainly added an element of excitement to our adventure. I grew up around firefighters, so I have an especially healthy appreciation for them. I tried flirting with them when I was a teenager, but they would have nothing to do with me. I think it’s because my brother was Ambulance Captain and it must have been an unspoken rule. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it; I’m sure it had nothing to do with my teenage nerdiness.

We had an unexpected and lengthy rest stop while the fire crews put out the fire, police & CHP blocked traffic, and then finally PG&E was able to get through to deal safely with the downed wires. The elderly driver of the crashed vehicle kept trying to get out of the car, but police and firefighters would not allow her to because there were live wires down. That’s why they would not let us through, either. So we all waited.

Aaah ... ice water ... The menu looks lovely, too. I'm looking forward to trying this restaurant soon!

We finally got through … and headed back through Calistoga to the Silverado Trail and back towards Napa. At first we were well-rested, but I think we were both getting tired. We made a few quick stops along the way. My friend ran out of water before we reached Rutherford, so we took a little side trip. We stopped briefly at Alex Italian Restaurant (http://www.alexitalianrestaurant.com/Ale/HOME.html) and they very kindly let us fill up with some very refreshing ice water. After a short rest, we headed back to the Silverado Trail and on towards Napa again.

The wind had started to kick up, the sun was going down, and it was getting cool again. I was quite thankful at this point to be slightly overdressed. To keep myself motivated and positive, I kept repeating the mantra, “The wind is an excellent training tool … the wind is an excellent training tool …” and focusing on high cadence and good cycling form. At the end of the ride, I felt great. I was definitely ready to be done with the ride, but I felt great. Lightly salted almonds made for a terrific post-ride snack on the drive home.

It seemed to take forever to ride those last 15 miles or so, but we finally made it back to the car. I don’t think my friend has ever been so happy to see her car. This was her first century ride and it was full of surprises and adventure. She is a very strong rider and is far more prepared for her multi-day ride than she thinks. We finished with about 15-20 minutes of light to spare, more than 2 hours after we expected to be done.

I’m looking forward to my next century ride!

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Just a very quick shout out to Alex Italian Restaurant in Rutherford – thank you so much for filling our water bottles today! My friend and I had had a challenging ride this evening … exploding tire … car crash and wild fire … running very late and running out of water. I hope you know what a significant difference your act of kindness made in our ride today.

Thank you. I am looking forward to having dinner in your beautiful restaurant, and hopefully soon!

Check them out:  http://www.alexitalianrestaurant.com/Ale/HOME.html

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Saturday morning was far too windy to ride, so I headed off to the local Farmers’ Market. I met up with a girlfriend and we perused, shopped, chatted with vendors, had coffee, and sampled. My favorite sample of the day was the Meyer lemon jelly at the  Glashoff Farms’ table. Tart. Sweet. Lemony. This jelly would make a perfect glaze for a fresh fruit tart, or brushed onto cake layers before finishing. I bought the big jar. Check out their website:  http://suisunberry.com/index.htm

We tried the pour over coffee. I thought it was too weak; my friend thought it was too strong. It was a Goldilocks moment. To be fair, I am mostly an espresso drinker, so very few regular coffees will be strong enough for me.

I learned that Davis has its very own currency, “Davis dollars.”

Davis Dollars

Davis Dollars

Davis Dollars

How it works is that you buy the “Davis Dollars” and they can only be used in Davis. The thought is that it will encourage local spending and build a sense of community. For more information, check it out:  http://davisdollars.org/

Time to get back to business … so many incredible, beautiful produce finds at the Davis Farmers’ Market!

Assorted Vegetables

Fresh, sweet, juicy peaches

Royal Anne Cherries

Sweet red cherries

Berries!

Sweet, fragrant strawberries

Succulent blackberries

Flowers

We went to Crepeville for breakfast (http://www.crepeville.com/). My friends each got a Benedict-type dish, and I got fresh fruit and a side of potatoes. As always, it was wonderful. I don’t go out for breakfast very often, but I do enjoy Crepeville’s breakfasts.

Breakfast at Crepeville

Breakfast at Crepeville

The "side" of potatoes ... $2.95 and enough to feed a family of four!

Fresh fruit, cut to order, $4.95 and completely worth it!

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I had the pleasure of seeing a very dear old friend today. We had a very nice visit, lunch, and a walk. I got to hear some stories from one of the best storytellers I have ever known in my life.

We had lunch in Rocklin at Primo Pizza (http://www.primopizzarocklin.com/). We shared some soup and pizza.

Tomato Basil Soup

Pesto Pizza with Chicken, Red Onions, and lots of cheese!

Everything was served hot and fresh. The pizza had clearly come straight from the oven to our table. The portions were generous – we did not even come close to finishing any of it. I was quite happy to leave with leftovers.

Later we took a walk, then stopped to watch a few moments of a Memorial Day celebration downtown.

Lovely day for a walk ...

My friend had to work today, so I headed home mid-afternoon. On my way home, I encountered a homeless veteran at a traffic light in Woodland. His sign simply said, “Hungry Veteran.” I offered him my leftover pizza. I think he was as grateful for that pizza as I was with the time spent with a very dear friend today. He beamed a partially toothed smile and said, “God Bless You, Baby Girl!”

Happy Memorial Day!

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After a day of feeling sorry for myself for the unfortunate bike mishap this morning, I needed a little TLC tonight. I caught up with an old friend for dinner. Her favorite Davis restaurant is Little Prague (http://www.littleprague.com/). I’ve only been to Little Prague once before, and it wasn’t the best experience. That had nothing at all to do with the restaurant, and everything to do with a blind date that I got talked into a while back. It was one of those epically bad blind dates where right after you leave you grab your cell phone and the instant you shut your car door you call your friend to say, “What were you thinking?!” But that’s a story for a different blog.

Being such a beautiful evening, we wanted to sit outside.

We started out with a cold cucumber dill soup. I’m not usually big fan of any cream soups or sauces, but my friend had raved about how fabulous this was, so I had to try it. I was rather pleasantly surprised.

Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup - surprisingly light & refreshing!

My friend had the Chicken Schnitzel with Czech Potato Salad (Kuřecí řízek), and I had the Grilled Basil Salmon.

Chicken Schnitzel with Czech Potato Salad (Kuřecí řízek)

Grilled Basil Salmon (Losos na bazalce)

Salmon is a dish I am always hesitant to order at any restaurant, because it is too often overcooked. Again, I was pleasantly surprised that my salmon was perfect – moist, flaky, and delicious. I requested the sauce on the side, because I don’t typically care for any kind of sauce on fish. It was a rich, creamy sauce that I did enjoy dipping a potato or two in. Everything was nicely seasoned, nothing was overly salted.

I enjoyed a glass of an Alexander Valley Syrah. We chatted and savored the food, the service, the atmosphere. The service was very attentive, gracious, and friendly. Our server, Jason, listened very patiently and kindly to the story of my bike crash today. My friend insisted that I show him my bruised shoulder. I did.

I played with the new camera, experimenting further with the various settings. I caught some nice shots.

Iced Tea

Just playing ...

A moment of reflection ...

I particularly like these; they just sort of captures the homey, comfortable atmosphere.

Charming string lighting ...

Black Forest Cake

And then there was dessert … such decadence! Normally I don’t eat dessert like this unless I have done a significant ride, but tonight was an exception. I needed a little TLC and pampering. And that is exactly what I got at Little Prague in Davis tonight. My friend has been a regular at the restaurant for many years, so we also enjoyed the pleasure of a visit from the head chef, Karel.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

The only disappointment for the evening was when I realized on the way home that I had left my take home box with the other half of my cake in it on the table.

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Top of Cardiac Hill, March 11, 2012

This is the first time I have ever made it all the way to the top of this hill. A few years ago, when I was in much better cycling shape, I got very close, but never quite made it for one reason or another.

Today I rode with a friend from DBC. We started out near Lake Solano and rode together up to the dam. Then we split so we could each ride at our respective paces, mine being quite a bit slower, especially up the hill. This was perfect for me because I could ride at a pace that was comfortable for me, without embarrassing myself and not feel like I was ruining anyone else’s ride by not keeping up. We timed the ride so that I had one hour to get to the top from the dam. I plodded along steadily up from the dam, and enjoyed a few brief downhills, then “Cardiac Hill” starts a steady climb that’s about 2 miles long. It’s just past Markley Cove. I made it from the dam to the top of Cardiac Hill in about 40-45 minutes. I stopped briefly, snapped a few photos, then headed back down towards Markley Cove. I spun around for a few moments, then headed back up the hill. Maybe 1/4 of the way back up, we passed and I rode up a little more, then turned around and we rode back down together. I am looking forward to getting a lot stronger again this summer, learning some better cycling technique, and perhaps even getting some new equipment.

For more advanced cyclists, Cardiac Hill isn’t that big of a deal, but for me … this was quite an accomplishment.

Then we stopped for coffee and a quick bite at Steady Eddie’s in Winters.

OK, I guess it’s time to go start doing some chores and getting ready for the work week.