The Chicks are here! The Chicks are here!

These are the hands of Mary Anne. They've farmed, watered, planted, fertilized, pulled, and taken care of just about every vegetable we've had in the past year.


And now, they have a new purpose.

These hands will now take care of 13 precious chickens (12 hens + 1 rooster) in the hopes us CSA members will have quality eggs come Fall.

The babies arrived Monday from the Midwest and, as Mary Anne says, she hasn't been able to do much else but watch them peck around, sleep, chirp, and just be cute little chicks. They move somewhat in waves. A couple will bunch up together in one area of the pen, under the warm lamp, and then move together to another area. There is no adult bird, so they rely on each other's cues.


It's a remarkable hen house, built by her partner Harold with recycled wood and parts. It's a coop any chicken would love to call home, and two folks that couldn't be better suited to take care of them and raise them in sound, organic, sustainable principles. They will be happy full-grown chickens in a couple months, and they'll produce happy, tasty eggs.

We are so grateful for their gifts.

I recorded a bit of a video, maybe not the best, but I hope to upload a better video next week. For now, this will suffice. (You can hear their itty bitty chirps in the background)

The Counter in Roswell

We spied this place a couple weeks ago. It wasn't open until last week. And boy is it worth the indulgence. Think a gourmet burger joint in a funky Jetson's environment. Add a cool California vibe and casual bar - with a surprisingly good beer and wine selection! Eric was impressed with the offering of Victory's Pils. Constructing a burger and its format is fun as there's about 200 combinations. Appetizers include sliders, grilled veg plates, and fry combos. It's certainly worth the drive up 400 from Atlanta. Maybe next time we'll make room at the end of our meal for a gourmet milkshake.

Oh, the fries!

We ordered half-and-half fries: regular and sweet potato. The regular was dusted with a seasoning salt and the crispy sweets with sea salt. The sweets were the better of the two. Like this is 3am craving good.

Eric's creation

We both went with a burger in a bowl, bunless, on a great assortment of fresh greens. His with feta, grilled onions, grilled pineapple, roasted red peppers, and a tomato dressing.

My burger creation

One-third LB of good ol beef, gruyere, grilled onions, grilled chiles, black bean and corn salsa, sprouts, and topped with a caramelized onion dressing.

Garlic scape!

At first glance, is it a flower? An overgrown dandelion?


It's actually a garlic scape. Yep, I never heard of it either. Mary Anne's clipped one for each of her CSA shareholders this week, and I was really marveled at this. It's more like the flower of a garlic. It blooms a beautiful lavender-colored 4 inch diameter head and you simply pluck a tender "petal" and sprinkle onto your favorite dish for garlicky loveliness. One petal is for a wimp; you really need to pull a minimum of 10 to get full enhancement.

I was so intrigued, I just had to fix sauteed veg and scrambled eggs to pair up for dinner.

Ah, the start of a great veg season!

The CSA from Mary Anne's Freehome Gardens has started and we are so excited. No more bagged salads! No more shriveled Kroger lettuce leaves! You really don't appreciate the veg from Mary Anne until you go an entire winter season without them.



So, this feels right.

The first week brings swiss chard, green Royal Oak lettuce, Yugoslavian Red Butterhead lettuce, spinach, Black Seeded Simpson lettuce, amaranth, Red Russian & Lacinata kale, mustard greens, Hakurei turnips, baby carrots, baby garlic.

Meals seem so much more complete now.

Ribs at Spiced Right

These were amazing bones! Smoky, tender, chewy, and tasty! Someone definitely knows what they're doing.

Spiced right

Oh this is good

Santa Lucia Highlands: Scheid

We continue our journey south and figure to start at the southern-most winery: Scheid.

These folks had the best tasting room, and winery set up, we came across during our trip. Even a walk through their demonstration vines. These little buds are the superstars of harvest come September and October.
Scheid outsources 95% of their grape, but 5% is retained that they bottle under their own label. The chunks of granite in their soils are massive, which could be why I found these wines to be stellar. Especially their chard and sauvignon blanc.

Unfortunately, they do not sell in Georgia. In fact, they do not even sell outside of Monterey County, but I will have my ways to get more bottles into my cellar.

Santa Lucia Highlands: Pessagno

So, this is the place.

The grapes out of this region, well I consider the best. Gravel. Granite. A mineral fleck to each glass. Cool weather and crisp morning breezes from the pacific settle in between these two hills of the Salinas valley and create something magical.

In the valley, grows the spinach, the strawberries, the romaine, the lettuces we bring on our tables everyday. This is the salad bowl of America, quite literally. The soils are rich. Fragrant. And its on these hills that surround the vast miles of tender greens, its these hills that grow some of (what I consider) the best grapes in the world.


Most of the wineries are private. Or boutique. So, touring them, or even finding a tasting room, is a challenge. We concentrate our efforts on the ones that are open for visitors rather than stalk the production houses of the wineries that don't allow gauking tourists.


We first stop at Pessagno and fell in love with their port. Well, honestly, their Four Brothers Pinot was wonderful too, but that port, ohmygosh. 2002 Hames Valley Vineyard. An intimate winery. And they have a great two bedroom cute cottage in back that you can rent out (maybe next trip!) and be as close to the vines as one could get.

Santa Cruz wineries: Testarossa & Bonny Doon

We left San Fran for California wine country. Specifically, the area I love to call my favorite: Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County. As we meander our way down to that area (with a rad convertible) we stop in a couple of wineries.

First off is Testarossa, which was an impressive stone fortress, almost like a hilltop monestary.


We sampled a couple of great reds, and then we were off through the forest of California redwoods to... Bonny Doon.



The wine at Bonny Doon? Eh. But the scenery is worth the trip. These trees are truly remarkable.

And our southerly journey continues to Santa Lucia AVA south of Salinas.

Saturday Morning at the Ferry Building

So, on Saturday mornings, apparently all local farmers and growers set up shop outside and encircling the Ferry Building where you can stroll and find any type of fruit, veg, cheese, meat, or flowers you so desire.



We needed fuel up before we began. First up: coffee. Blue Bottle was highly recommended by Suzanne and Marshall - and it did not disappoint. A slight acid cut with local, foamy organic milk. It is worth the 20 minute wait as your coffee is custom-made. Grounds and all.


Next stop along the Embarcadero was a breakfast plate from Rose Pistola was farm fresh eggs, pressed prosciutto, fresh California spinach, and fontina cheese. A side of crispy potatoes. Oh, a good morning it is.


Energized, we trot through the crowd. Fresh chickens, organics, dried fruits, Indian spices, goat cheeses, wild mushrooms, tamales. Literally every table was worth stopping, observing, salivating, and then regretting we had no kitchen nor ability to take any tender items home with us.





I don't think we've had a more visually-stimulating Saturday morning.

Vietnamese... organic, sustainable

Some folks are well aware that Eric and I love the Vietnamese cuisine. And we really don't get enough comparable restaurants here in Atlanta. We knew when we originally planned to go to San Fran that it was an absolute, nothing-holding-us-back, no iota of hesitation to go to the nationally-acclaimed Slanted Door.



Charles Phan has created an absolute gem of a restaurant. Combining all of the qualities of a traditional Vietnamese cuisine with sexy cocktails, organic and sustainable foods, and shared plates. Supposedly, 20 of his family members work all over the restaurant.

We began with wine (a Loire 2006 Pinon Vouvray) and beer (Belgium's Witkap-Pater). Delightful. Later, an interesting red German paired well (2005 Schloss Schonborn pinot, Rheingau, Germany).


We began with crispy vegetable imperial rolls with taro root, cabbage, cellophane noodles, and peanuts.


Next, chicken claypot baked with caramel sauce, chiles, and fresh ginger.


We shared the Niman Ranch shaking beef consisting of cubed filet with garlic, watercress, and red onions.


Lastly, a little sweet, a little tart: caramelized pineapple with creme fraiche on a bed of blanc mange and basil gelee.


This is the one place you must stop when in San Fran. It is worth the wait. These flavors will linger with us for a long time.

Recession-proof chocolate

Of course, we had to stop at Rechuitti at the Ferry Building in San Fran.


God love 'em. This chocolate is the type that you have to budget for, get what you need (not everything you want). Each piece. Each package. Each flavor. A true work of art. Recchiuti. We spent a ton on their chocolates at the NYC Chocolate Show some 18 months ago.

After a piece, you really never go back to regular store-bought chocolate.

And did I mention the marshmallows are amazing?! Their talents even spill over into non-chocolate products!!

San Francisco!

We are in the land of sea lions, sourdough (damn gluten), strong coffee, cable cars and Democrats. Yes, San Fran. Through creative use of Delta skymiles and Hilton points, we are able to see and do it all free. Well, that is excluding whatever goodies we come along upon.

We walked and walked and walked from Fisherman's Wharf to the Ferry Building to Chinatown and back to the Wharf.

Good thing the weather was totally cooperative... sunny and in the 60s.

Where's the chocolate bunnies?

Happy Easter!
We went to brunch at Muss & Turners today.
We were lured by their posted menu of meats, eats, and sweet treats.

Artisan Cheese & Charcuterie Display

Slow Roasted Berkshire Ham Brined with Coca Cola

Kippered Salmon with Traditional Garnish
Tilapia Ceviche with Lime, Cilantro, Red Onion and Jalapeño
Riverview Farm Truffled Grits (Eric's favorite)
Applewood Smoked Bacon

Scrambled Eggs with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
& Fresh Italian Herbs & Parmigiano
(this was ultimately my favorite offering of the day. I'm such an egg girl and you set out these perfectly scrambled buttery rich eggs, its heavenly. Ryan Turner is there to grate a fresh layer of Parmigiano)



White Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits with Berkshire Sausage Gravy
Sweet Polenta Cakes with Balaton Cherries & Maple Syrup
Chilaquiles (‘Traditional Mexican Lasagna’)
Chicken Pozole Verde with Traditional Garnish
Organic Mixed Field Greens with Balsamic & Champagne Vinaigrette
Seasonal Fruit Salad
Vegetable Antipasto Platter
Really Serious…Like We’re Not Kidding Mac n Cheese
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Melted Chocolate Bunny Tarts with Bacon Garnish
Pine Nut Tarts with Rosemary Whipped Cream
Assorted Cookies & Brownies

Sadly, no melted bunny tarts. No pine nut tarts. No rosemary whipped cream. The kitchen seemed hectic, so this could be the reason for the substitute of flour less ganache cake (which was whoa-so-rich) and a creamy key lime pie, whose acid cut right through whatever leftover bits you had on your tongue.

There was so much to choose from, and we were thankful the buffet style allowed us a smidge of just about everything. You had to feel bad for the folks who showed up dressed in their Easter finery, who had no reservations, only to be turned away from the door. We were truly thankful we were there. And got to celebrate a quiet Easter together.

Shaun's Restaurant... March Gluten Free Prix-Fixe

First Sunday of the month brings another wonderful gluten free prix-fixe menu at Shaun's in Inman Park. Dare I say that this month was better than last time?? And last time was simply stunning, but this blew me away.

Eric and my mother ordered a varied charcuterie board with speck, bresoala, coppa, cornichons, and dijon mustard.

I started with English pea soup atop garlic flan and a tasty crispy strip of applewood smoked bacon. This was paired with Green's "Discovery" Amber Ale. That soup was really that green - fresh liquid pea. And the garlic flan, a savory creamy surprise, hidden underneath the soup, brought a great texture contrast to this silky soup.

Next was a scottish salmon with star anise oil and ginger under julienned asain pear and endive. This was paired with Green's "Quest" Tripel Blonde Ale. You wouldn't think all those go together, but once that beer hits your tongue after a forkfull of the salmon, it all makes sense. I love anise, and it translated well with this fish delicately prepared and its sweet crunchy pear neighbor.

My third course was duck leg confit with champagne sauerkraut paired with Green's "Endeavor" Dubbel Ale. Now, this is my favorite beer in the Green's GF line. And can I tell you this sauerkraut was simply the best I've ever had (Germany included). The champagne left a couple of bubbles between the kraut shreds and it really had moments it danced on your tongue. The Dubbel went well with the duck, but I just love that Dubbel with anything.


Mom had Chicken Liver Fettuccini with organic free range livers smothered under marsala wine sauce. She really enjoyed it. Eric had the braised brisket with farro, brussel sprouts, and sweetgrass dairy goat cheese. Mom snuck a taste of the sprouts and she must have a small bowl all to herself. It was that good. Especially with the creamy slightly-melted goat cheese on top.

My dessert was divine: vanilla sorbet with strawberries and cinnamon cream. Paired with a glass of Riondo Pink Prosecco. Light enough to top off the evening and I really don't think you could get a more genuine vanilla bean flavor infused that in sorbet. In a world of chocolate -vs- vanilla, I usually choose the former, however, this sorbet was quite the contender. Good thing both Eric and my Mom were too full to dip their gluten-laden silverware in my bowl for tastes - hee hee!