Day Trip: Cowgirl Creamery & The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Store

Last week, the weather here in Sacramento took a turn and became quite uncharacteristically hot for April. To escape the heat and to have some fun, my friend Amanda and I decided to head out of town for a day trip. Embracing Henry Miller's saying of "One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things," we decided to hit up the small town of Petaluma and learn how some of our favorite cheeses are made at the Cowgirl Creamery. We arrived a little early so we decided to wander about the little industrial area where the creamery is housed. While reading a flyer about the town's annual Butter and Eggs Days in the window of a small café (Aqus Café), we were approached by a friendly Irishman. He turned out to be the proprietor of the stylish coffee house and was kind enough to walk us over to our destination. Glad he did because we might have passed by the creamery completely--walking by on the road, it's easy to miss the inconspicuous sign jutting out high above.

Inside the creamery, we were greeted by Vivien Straus of the Strauss Creamery in Marshall. (Cowgirl Creamery gets a lot of their dairy from the Straus farm.) Vivien was the perfect person to guide our tour- she's sweet, enthusiastic and has a true love for her work. The tour started with a simple demonstration on how cheese in general is made. We then moved onto learning about how the Straus family got involved in the making of cheeses with Cowgirl Creamery, how the various artisanal cheeses are created and packaged and how the Marin Agricultural Land Trust was formed. This was followed by a guided tour of the cheesemaking facility and of course the tasting of an assortment of delicious cheeses (including the Mt. Tam in various points of the aging process). My favorites were the Red Hawk (a pungent triple crème with a washed rind, that is very full-flavored with a slight hint of tang) and the ever popular Mt. Tam (a smooth triple crème with an edible bloomy rind and buttery taste). Can you say cheese nirvana? Yum.

At the conclusion of the tour, we were sent home with a couple of issues of Culture magazine (a publication devoted to cheese) and little Cowgirl Creamery refrigerated lunch bags that included a wrapped round of Mt. Tam, a container of Fromage Blanc (a clean tasting creamed cheese) and a cute little cheese knife.

419 First Street,  Petaluma, CA 94952. (866) 433-7834
www.cowgirlcreamery.com

* Tours are held on Wednesdays at 11:30am and are about a hour long. $30
* Reservations required.
* This facility does not offer retail sales.
* More info can be found here: Cowgirl Creamery Tour

After our tour, we headed over to downtown Petaluma. We decided to have some lunch at Della Fattoria on Petaluma Boulevard. In hindsight, I wish we had chosen somewhere else. Although the décor of the bistro was quite adorable, the food was nothing to write home about and the service downright awful. To make up for our craptacular meal, we decide to walk down the street and check out the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Store. This store is housed in a gorgeous historic building (it was constructed in the 1920's and formerly housed the Sonoma County National Bank) and offers a plethora of heirloom seeds (1200 varieties!), plants, gardening supplies, books and gourmet spices.

 

If you go downstairs, they have various gardening gifts and a small room devoted to air plants. While the sheer choice of seeds will awe you, make sure to look up and check out the ceiling of the store. The architecture is breathtaking.

(Photo of Seed Bank interior by Amanda Blosser)

 

* 199 Petaluma Blvd. N, Petaluma, CA 94952. (707) 773-1336. http://rareseeds.com
* Closed Saturdays and major holidays.

All in all, the town of Petaluma is quite charming. The weather was great, there's a lot of fun shops and businesses to explore and it's just a short drive from Sacramento. For those who are interested- the Butter and Eggs Days is coming up on April 27th & 18th. You can find out more info here: Petaluma's Butter and Eggs Days 2013

Sunh Fish...& Whole Grilled Branzino with Lemon and Thyme

1900 V Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. (916) 442-8237.
M-F 8-5pm, Sat & Sun 9am-3pm. Accepts plastic.

When my friend, Cate, decided to throw a sushi party two years ago for her birthday I accompanied her to Sunh Fish on Broadway to pick up a few seafood items. I had heard about Sunh Fish before but had never stopped in there. The seafood we got there was great and I kept meaning to get back over there again, but life got busy and I never did. Flash forward to this year, I read about Sunh Fish moving to 19th and V Street into the old Verge Gallery. It was now within walking distance from my cottage! But did I ever get there? Nope...not until this week and I could kick myself that I haven't visited sooner.

Earlier this week, a chef acquaintance of mine had posted a tantalizing photo of some plump Tiger shrimp and creamy looking stone ground grits on his Facebook and noted that the shrimp were from Sunh Fish. Mr. S. and I had just been lamenting recently that there was such a limited selection of places to buy good seafood at in Sac; so when I saw that post, I decided to shoot the chef an email and ask if Sunh Fish sold whole fish retail and whether the fishmongers there would gut and scale the fish for you. I got an enthusiastic, "Yes!" back. So on my way home from running errands Thursday afternoon, I popped in there. Sunh Fish has a nice (free) parking lot, so you can swoop in and out easily. As I entered the building, I immediately noticed that the "store" area was one big room- warehouse big! There was an office to the left and then a large display case housing sushi-grade sashimi and salmon. Also in the case were fresh diver scallops, mussels, about four different kinds of prawns and an assortment of other delectable seafood. Walking up, I was immediately greeted with a friendly smile and an offer of assistance. I knew I wanted a whole fish to grill but I wasn't really sure what kind, so I asked the gentleman behind the counter for some recommendations. He suggested the Branzino (aka loup de mer, a European sea bass that has firm meat, not too many bones and is sustainable). I bought two, which came out to roughly two pounds. While I was waiting for him to scale and gut my purchase, I chatted with an elderly Japanese lady (a fellow customer) who had nothing but rave reviews for the store and suggested next time I try out a few of the oysters. I also wandered over, perused the cold case on the adjacent wall and noted that they carried several different kinds of tobiko and other sushi odds and ends. As I was checking out, the gentleman that had been assisting me was kind enough to answer my numerous questions about grilling fish whole and offered a few helpful cooking tips.

So if you're thinking of cooking up some seafood, I would highly recommend paying Sunh Fish a visit- excellent, quality seafood and phenomenal service. Plus they're open 7 days a week.


RECIPE
Here's some quick instructions and tips on how to cook whole Branzino. The prep, cooking and clean up turned out to be quite simple. Although we had a bit of an issue with the fish sticking a bit to the grill, it tasted fantastic - light, flaky and fresh. We'll definitely be opting to cook fish whole more often...maybe next time we'll try the salt crust method.

Grilled Branzino

Ingredients

2 one pound whole Branzinos, gutted and scaled
extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 bunch of fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
kitchen twine

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill (medium-high heat) or if using charcoal, start your fire. Word to the wise- make sure your grate is extremely clean and be sure to rub it down with LOTS of oil (or use an oiled fish basket). We thought we had used enough oil on the grill but the fish skin still stuck. Boo! Next time we'll have to use more.

2. Rinse the fish under cold water (inside and out- be careful of the dorsal fin, it's spiny and sharp) and pat dry. Cut vertical slits into the side of the fish, about 1 inch apart. Turn fish over and repeat.

3. Rub the fish inside and out with olive oil.

4.Season the inside of the Branzino with salt and pepper. Then gently massage the outside of the fish with salt.

5. Place lemon slices and thyme sprigs in the cavity of the fish.

6. Cut two pieces of kitchen twine for each fish. Tie them around the thickest part of the fish to secure the inside ingredients from falling out.

7. Place the fish horizontally on the grill over direct medium-high heat.

8. Rule of thumb: grill the fish about 8-10 minutes/a side per 1-inch of thickness.

9. Place a spatula under the fish (or use two spatulas- one on top, one underneath) and flip the fish over.

On the grill...skin stuck a little

10. To check for doneness: insert a metal skewer or a small knife into the thickest part of the fish's flesh, if it's done it should have some give and slide in easily. The skin should look crispy and the flesh will be moist and flaky.

11. Remove from grill, allow to rest for 4-5 minutes. Serve warm with lemon.

The Aftermath

A Wild Trip to Cabela's (& Our Summer Stay in North Shore Tahoe)

The North Shore Cabin

 Cabela's : 8650 Boomtown Road, Verdi, NV 89439. (775) 829-4100

When Mr.S. invited me to North Lake Tahoe for a family vacation, the last thing I expected was it to be "Sacramento hot" there. It was definitely a hot one; however, the weather was beautiful, the lake was bright blue and we brought along shorts, tanks and sandals. His brother graciously invited us to stay again at the same gorgeous cabin we stayed at this winter; with 5 spacious bedrooms (3 master suites) and 5 bathrooms- there was more than enough room for the eleven of us to kick back and relax. There was shuffleboard in the game room, movies (and the Olympic coverage) on the upstairs telly and a huge wraparound balcony to enjoy wine on while taking in the majestic view. During the day, we lounged on King's Beach (the kidlets even took one of those giant trikes out onto the water) and in the evening, we cooked dinner or went out to indulge in some fine dining. On Saturday, we took a jaunt out to Cabela's in Verdi (near Boomtown). Mr.S. was pretty sure that I would be bored off my rocker at Cabela's, but I had a blast. There were loads of rifles in the gun library, a huge selection of fishing gear and tons of camping gear and hunting/camo equipment throughout the megastore. They even had hollow point zombie bullets for sale. Eeep!

 Cabela's 

 Hungry Bass, Carp and Catfish

Zombie Ammunition

While we were there we shot targets in the old time shooting gallery, watched the giant fish being fed, made up stories about the various stuffed wild game (elephants, polar bears, hippos, oh my!) and then just when we were starting to wane a bit, we retired for some lunch at Cabela's Grill. Mr.S. went straight for the buffalo burger; whereas, I opted for the elk burger. The elk burger turned out to be good, the meat tasted much like your regular beef burger just denser. The accompanying coleslaw lacked flavor although it did taste like it was freshly made, as opposed to from a carton.

Cabela's Deli & Grill

Elk Burger & Slaw

Anyhow, we made it out of there without doing too much damage to our wallets, although it was fun watching Mr.S. looking like a kid in a candy store. Men! ;) Also, the kidlets had a fab time. Their Grandpa indulged them a bit with purchases of camo gear and air pistols, which they couldn't wait to get back to the cabin and use in the film they were making.

Tomorrow's Monday again...Ugh! Maybe I should have bought some camo gear, then I could hide from the giant pile of laundry and other various housework that I need to attend to.

Mercado Loco

3710 Franklin Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95820. (916) 452-4834

  

What's your favorite Mexican market in town? I know you have one. Mine? Mercado Loco at the corner of Franklin and Sutterville. I seriously love that place. It's nice and big, always clean and I've never left the place without at least one staff member offering a friendly greeting and a smile.

First things first, right when you walk in the store - to your left, just before the meat department- is a small soda fridge marked "salsa." Don't pass it up! Mercado Loco sells some pretty amazing fresh salsas- my favorite is the one marked, "Salsa Casera," (which translates to "homemade salsa,"...go figure). The Salsa Casera is slightly spicy and absolutely delicious on eggs.

In addition to fantastic salsas, Mercado Loco also has a great meat department with a large and varied selection of fresh meats. The butchers are young but helpful and have never steered me wrong when I've asked for assistance in choosing meats for recipes or how to cook some of the more unfamiliar kinds of meats. 

Salsa Casera, fresh garbanzos, chorizo

On the other side of the store is the produce, spices and tortillas. There's a multitude of tortillas to choose from (the kidlets seem to like the blue tortillas that I pick up) and there's practically an entire aisle devoted to dried spices. I love strolling through their produce department, everything is always fresh and so inexpensive! I usually will stock up on jalapeños, fresh garbanzos (in the pod), limes and cilantro during my visit. Oftentimes, there's a fruit or veggie that I'm unfamiliar with and the ladies at the checkstand are really nice about cluing me in on what it is and how to eat it/cook it if I ask. Like this one on my last visit- the xoconostle. It turned out to be the fruit of a cactus. The fruit looks similar to a prickly pear but it tastes super sour instead of sweet and it's usually used to make salsas, sauces and syrups.

xoconostle

Anyhow, Mercado Loco is probably not the fanciest Mexican market in town nor probably does it have the largest selection of Mexican foods in Sac, but it's definitely top three and I think the friendly service will definitely keep it number one on my list. So if you're in their hood, pop in and give it a looksie...and pick up some fresh salsa while you're there.

Osaka-ya

2215 10th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818. (916) 446-6857.


How do you make a 12 year old grin from ear to ear for less than $3? Take him to Osaka-ya for a sno-cone.

Mr. S. and I found ourselves one Saturday morning recently with only one kidlet in our possession. (Kidlet #2 was at a sleepover.) We decided to pile into the car and take an excursion to the Sac Zoo and perhaps stop off for some frozen yogurt or an ice cream scoop along the way as a treat. When I mentioned Osaka-ya as an option, I got two blank faces staring back at me. Turns out neither Mr. S. nor Kidlet #1 had ever had an opportunity to experience a sno-cone at Osaka-ya before! I was a bit shocked as Osaka-ya is a downtown Sacramento institution. I believe it's been around since the mid-60's. The little mom and pop store on 10th street sells various homemade Japanese confectioneries like mochi and manju and a smattering of dry goods. When the temperature begins to creep up, they open up a walk-up window where you can order ice cream, freezes and the aforementioned delicious sno-cones. The sno-cones here are actually made from shaved ice; so they're soft, flaky and easy to spoon not those hard-as-a-rock mounds that you get at the State Fair or sporting events. There are a rainbow of flavors to choose from and for the more adventurous type, you can get a scoop of ice cream or some azuki beans thrown into the center of your frozen concoction. (Note: the portions are HUGE. We got the smaller size and were still unable to finish.) Anyhow, Kidlet #1 had a blast and has already asked when we can return to Osaka-ya. With the dog days of summer just around the corner, I'm sure we'll find ourselves at their sno-cone window soon enough.

Spice It Up! : World Spice Merchants

(This is just a wee rack in the shop. Trust me they have LOTS of spices to choose from...like world domination of spices...ok, maybe not quite "world" domination...but LOTS nevertheless)

 

1509 Wester Ave., Seattle, WA, 98101. (206) 682- 7274.
www.worldspice.com


One of my favorite shops to hang out in during our trip to Seattle was World Spice Merchants on Western Avenue (just outside of Pike Place). WSM was discovered during my trip along the West Coast last year, but this time around I wasn't on a time crunch and got to spend ample time persuing and sniffing the jars. Yes, I know-- I'm a total nerd. So what? WSM is a cook's dream...jar upon jar of every spice (and spice blend) imaginable and all the delicious aromas...Mmmm, bliss! I decided I just had to purchase a few spices to take home to experiment with even though there was a lengthy wait in the small shoppe (thank you Mr. S. for being so patient!). I ended up going with a few ounces each of the Harissa, Smoked Paprika, Zahtar (Israeli), Jerk Rub and I also restocked my cache of Herbes De Provence, but goodness if given more time (and a fatter wallet) there was much more I would have loved to buy. Luckily, WSM ships! So treat yourself to a small Xmas gift or order a few spices for the chef in your family.

[All of their spice blends are mixed by hand in small batches and ground to order within 24 hours of shipping. There's a two ounce minimum for purchase and they are packaged/sealed in plastic bags. For $2 more/each, they can be packaged in airtight 1-cup jars (ooh-la-la!). Also, you can order the spices whole instead of ground should you choose.]

99 Ranch Market Opens Up

 fresh steamed dumplings

4220 Florin Rd, Sacramento, CA 95823

One of the small things I'm always thankful for is living in California where Asian food is plentiful. I have Oto's Japanese Market on Freeport that I hit up for most of my Japanese cooking needs and the Asian Farmers' Market (kitty corner from the W Street Farmers' Market on Sundays) that I can pick up fresh Asian veggies at; but once in awhile, I need specialty ingredients when I'm attempting a new Thai, Indian, Hmong, etc. recipe. For the most part when the need has come up, I've been able to find what I need at SF Supermarket on 65th Street. But variety is the spice of life and I was pleased to know another large Pan-Asian market had opened in Sacramento (thanks for the heads up Anthony!). Since I had a few hours to kill, I trekked out to So. Sac to check out the new 99 Ranch Market located at Florin and Franklin (just down the road from Luther Burbank High School).  I didn't know much about 99 Ranch but many of my Bay Area friends seemed familiar with the chain. 

yucca root

jujubes and longan

Upon walking in, I was struck by two things: the behemoth size of the store and that it was extremely clean. As you walk in, to the left is the produce area. The area was well organized and the fruits and veggies were colorful and fresh. There was a wide variety of ethnicities represented- I found myself next to rambutans, kholrabi, bitter melons, daikon and indian eggplants to name a few. Toward the back of the store is the live seafood area. The area was non-stop busy. I immediately noticed that the pungent "fishy" smell of other Asian markets and cloudy watered tanks were missing; looks like 99 Ranch is on top of their sanitation issues. The store states that they will "cut and gut" (and even fry) the fish for you if you like, which is a great deal. Amazingly, the entire time I was there (mid-day on a Monday) the area was hopping with people purchasing large prawns, bags of oysters, a plethora of fish and even sea cucumbers! It never stopped! The middle of the store carries spices, treats, sauces, liquor and dry goods like noodles and rice. I came across several sections of interesting looking frozen stuffed buns and dumplings. There's a few aisles of housewares and electronic kitchen gadgets and then you're upon the chaos-- the bakery and "food court" section. Here you can buy fresh breads and made-from-scratch pastries as well as tasty dim sum items, steaming hot bowls of noodles and boxed lunches. Hopefully the food court lines die down a bit once the market's been open for awhile. I'd like to go back and pick up a BBQ'd duck or some crispy pork. During my visit there were so many people elbow to elbow and a confusing criss-cross of lines that you would have thought that they were giving out free Justin Bieber tickets.

fresh fish

rice cooking wines

 

fruit wines

99 Ranch Market's prices seem on par with it's competitors. The fact that it's clean and well-stocked will probably be what draws me back. I also like that the customer base is as diverse as the products they carry there and everyone seems welcomed. The staff that I came across during my visit were all polite and helpful. There was a language barrier issue with one store clerk that was trying his best to help me locate an item but several nearby customers immediately jumped in to help me out. In addition to finding out where the item was located, I got several useful cooking tips! Oh and before I forget, take heed-- much like the other Asian markets in town, this place is rampant with little old Asian ladies speeding along like Andretti and ramming you with their carts. But no pain, no gain right?

moon pie

dried chrysanthemum

pastries