April 29th

(This is a semi Part II of the post before this, 'Colorado at last', so you may want to start there)

Within the weeks before my departure date for Colorado, Elane would continually keep me updated with how the fruit blossoms were doing as spring approached and the fruit was emerging. 'This is looking to be an unbelievable fruit year. Everything is progressing at the right timing and rate...Apricots! Plums! Nectarines! Let alone all of the peaches, pears, cherries and apples!' All of the former fruit being ones that have not survived over the past years because of late spring freezes. The buds were looking to make bumper crops you would dream about; fruit practically dripping off the branches.

It sounded absolutely thrilling. With every positive update I would allow myself to get a little more excited for these potential buds. There were moments I would get ahead of myself; 'Apricot Jam...Apricot-Nectarine Jam...Apricot-Nectarine-Plum Jam!' Oh, the possibilities! But I always had to bring myself back down. Even though these ideas seemed within tangible reach, they were still purely fantasies.

This is because of the essence of what food production is. The world of farming is so fascinating to me because there is only so much you can control. You can read about all of the right things to do, follow trends, do exactly what worked the last time...and most of the times, that's what makes our food grow.

But then, there is that X factor. That powerful source of the unknown we like to call Mother Nature; a figure that will forever make you at her mercy.

If it were last year, you could talk about the 3 minute hail storm that damaged a large percentage of the surviving fruit. This thankfully didn't make them inedible, but rather less than attractive with their indents from the ice pellets. These imperfections denied them the ability to be sold as straight fruit at markets since they weren't as pristine looking as some customers would like their, say, perfectly globed apple to look like. Luckily, they were just fine for preserving and making juices and cider.

This year, however, Mother Nature had different plans. And it all came down to one night. One week before I left Massachusetts, the extended forecast for Paonia, CO projected an arrival of a cold front that was predicted to bring evening temperatures dangerously low...low enough to eliminate any and all of the fragile blossoms that were blanketing the orchard. That Thursday, April 29th, I think I checked the forecast every 1/2 hour, continually wanting my computer to tell me something different each time. I went to bed sending all of the warm energy I could gather within myself to those vulnerable little blossoms. But the next day, I woke up, and read only one number: 22.5. That's the number of degrees it went down to that night in Paonia. That's the number that wiped out almost the entire millions of blossoms that were happily on their way to a healthy growing cycle. I could. not. believe it.

After arriving here it was more than saddening to go around to clusters of trees and see the frost bitten blossoms that could-have-been. Some look completely dead, and others try to deceive by having a healthy looking flower, but with a dead fruit inside.

Both of these blossoms contain dead fruits inside (the one directly above my thumb and then my index finger), but look strikingly different

That long black stem piece is what would have grown to be a full cherry

BUT. And there is definitely a but. As the days have gone on we have found a few sole survivors. It looks like we will have some sour cherries pull through, along with some peaches and gala apples. Although it still will not be enough to sell at markets, we will at least have some to snack on ourselves, as well as a stash for me to make some new value added jarred products to sell at next season's early markets. A small ray of light in the dark - all was not lost (at least not 100%).

Paul said that the amount of surviving fruit we will get still depends how much the bears and squirrels munch on once the fruit gets sweet. I told him I would sleep out there within the trees myself and protect those few peaches with my life. They say to steer clear from a Mama bear with her cubs, but I pity the fool that tries to come between me and our surviving peaches.

A full blown freezer burnt peach blossom

A survivor! Although the exterior of the blossom was affected by the cold, the fruit inside lives on. You can even see the fuzziness of the stem growing out of the middle that translates to the fuzzy peach you find in the store.



A beautiful, healthy sour cherry-to-be!

The other positive that is coming from this is that we now have enough time and space to focus on a legitimate garden plot for us to try out growing vegetables for a change. I am in charge of its design, organization, and production, and I must say I go back and forth from being incredibly excited to incredibly intimidated. Being the definition of a Beginner with anything gardening, especially from scratch, I have been hastily trying to learn as much and as fast as I can as the growing season quickly approaches. So far Paul and I have decided on a specific place for the plot on the orchard, as well as the orientation, and have already done the first tilling of the soil. I made my seed order last week, and they should be arriving by the end of this week. I feel like a mother who is receiving her children via UPS. Those little guys don't know how much TLC is coming at them since I will do anything to have them succeed. All I ask for is that something edible comes out of the ground at some point in time. Alive. And well.

Laying down the Northwest corner marker while surveying the garden plot

Paul tilling up the soil

Miko doing his part and contributing some of his own tilling. Apparently he finds this humorous too as he sticks his tongue out at me.

Will there be challenges? Failures? Mishaps? Learning experiences? Aching backs and piles of weeds? Oh god yes. And hopefully I will have a plate full of delicious vegetables at the end of the day as my reward. I sense a legitimate tango is before me with Mother Nature and her gimmicks, but needless to say I'm ready to dance.

Colorado at last

After over 2000 miles on the road, a book on tape, numerous bathroom and snack breaks, millions of sacrificed bugs on the windshield, and of course, fantastic culinary pit-stops, we finally arrived in Colorado after our four day driving adventure.

Although still one stop away from our final destination, we spent some time in Denver to explore the city, meet up with my good friend Charlotte, enjoy the mountains and eat some great food. After a few review readings, it seemed clear that Rioja in downtown Denver was the place for us to go. It boasts an impressive mediterranean menu that is hard to believe could be as good as it claims, seeing that landlocked Denver and anything in the mediterranean seem like worlds apart. Ah, but how wrong such assumptions can be sometimes, and we lucked out with having that be the case with our Rioja experience. Just like at Lucky's Cafe in Cleveland, you can safely assume that if it's on the menu, it was made in-house, including and beyond the pastas, cheeses, bread, and pastries.

Instead of the waiter bringing you a measly basket of one type of bread, you are presented with an enormous platter of a variety of breads from which you can choose. From kalamata olive baguettes to chevre biscuits to orange fennel rolls to smoked lavender slices, the meal could have ended right there and I would have been a happy woman. Of course, it only continued...

The chef thoughfully split this warm Indian curry Fregola salad on three plates for us to share. Toasted Sardinian pasta, cashews, golden raisins, roasted garlic and fennel naan bread, tomato-red onion-cucumber salad, honey lime yogurt

Hand made mozzarella, wrapped in smoked prosciutto, grilled bread, oven-dried tomatoes, arugula, green olive pistou. Yet another spectacular starter.

Charlotte's pick of Caprese Gnocchi: ricotta gnocchi, house made burrata cheese, herb tomato salad, almond-basil pesto, guanciale (although she opted out on the cured lamb cheek which is guanciale). So many summer flavors, clean and fresh.

My and Mom's choice of Artichoke Tortelloni: goat cheese and artichoke mousse stuffed pasta, artichoke broth, truffle essence, queso de mano cheese, chervil. Ah yes, and a fried artichoke chip on top. Delicate and immaculate flavors.

Chilled S’mores Pot de Crème: chocolate custard, house made graham crackers, brûleéd house made marshmallow. Too bad licking plates in public isn't polite. I was dangerously on the edge.

Meyer lemon sabayon tart, pine nut cornmeal crust, Meyer lemon confit, pine nut brittle ice cream, lemon cello granita. Citrusss!!

On the wings of yet another great destination dinner, we finally set out for Paonia, the endpoint of our drive. It was fantastic to pull up the orchard driveway again after my winter hiatus, as we were slowly being exposed to the familiar mountains, valley, and landscape that haven't changed one bit. I was back at my 'special place', and knowing that there was a whole summer ahead of enjoying the area only made the arrival that much more exciting.

Since returning from the orchard for the first time this past fall (of '09), I felt like this place only existed in my stories and pictures as I described it to all of the people close to me at home. 'No really, I swear, that's how beautiful it is! And that's really where I was fifteen feet from a bear!' I guess that's why having my mom here was so special on many different levels; for one I was able to share this place with someone new, and also that now she can attest that it really exists! I think she also realized what a gem of a spot it is from her time here too, seeing that on our full day of exploring around she, Elane, and I did a walking tour of the orchard as well as up along the ditch where the mountain water irrigation water flows down into the orchard. I'm not sure how many times she said 'This is the best walk I've ever been on!' But it was a lot.

We munched on wild asparagus growing along the ditch for a mid-walk fuel up.

Just relax, will ya?

Probably having a fantastic conversation with Miko. Instantly BFFs.

But alas, all good things have to come to an end at one point or another. Our road trip west was finally complete. And as I dropped my mom off at the Grand Junction airport, I knew that the 'arrival' chapter of my summer in Colorado had closed; a trip that exceeded our expectations and will be one for the record books. But as I drove back down the highway back toward the green mesas and snow capped mountains, I knew there was still much more ahead of me. Much of course, revolving around food.

Much of course, placed on the fate of that darn fruit.

(for 'Part II' continue on to the post titled 'April 29th')

Vamos a Chicago

As if our Rueben experience at Lucky’s in Cleveland wasn’t enough to fulfill my daily goal of finding and eating good food on the road, we hit Chicago that afternoon.

Oh Chicago, oh how I needed to stay for at least 3 more months to even put a dent into your epic food scene. I had a taste and now I only want more.

It started on the rooftop bar of our hotel theWit – a hotel any visitor to Chicago should try to get a room at when visiting, we had a phenomenal stay. It has the highest open-air bar in the city, and they serve food and drinks with options of both indoor and outdoor seating. It was overcast and quite windy by the time we got up there, but the thoughtfully constructed deck had been built to block all of that Windy City wind out.

That, along with the strategically placed space heaters and chic long rows of fireplaces, kept us comfortable and warm and still enjoying fresh air and the excitement of being outside. The drinks were great – I had a pear vodka, honey, and lime cocktail (yum), Mom with a cosmo, of course – and the food looked superior. The only criticism we could give was that the big screen on the side of the building was forcing us to watch the Cavs completely spank the Celtics. We tried to synchronize our sips with every drained 3-pointer to hide our wincing.

And soon enough, it was time to get to dinner.

In preparing for this trip, I will admit that an embarrassing amount of time was spent on researching where we should go out to dinner in Chicago. We only had one night, so the pressure was on. I wanted it to be worthwhile, memorable, not too expensive, not too generic, flavorful, original.

Trying to plow through the options of ‘Chicago restaurants’ on Google on my own proved tiresome and pointless, so I tried farming out to friends who had already visited the city for advice. This only left me with multiple lists, none of which overlapped, of different places that all shared the same group title of “YOU MUST EAT HERE”.

Oy vey.

Nonetheless, after countless readings of menus and reviews, I followed my love for Spanish cuisine and decided on Mercat a la Planxa, a restaurant located right across Chicago’s gem of Millennium Park. The menu is based specifically on Catalan cuisine, in tapas style of course, which meant smaller plates of different tastes and preparations.

The style of the restaurant was open and warmly decorated, where we could plainly see the chefs in kitchen bustling to prepare our orders. The staff was incredibly helpful, and kept a perfect pace with the rate at which we were enjoying our meal. Although on the pricier side in general terms ($12 for four small scallops, $11 for a shortrib flatbread the size of an oversized piece of pizza) quality way overrides quantity here. You are paying for attention to detail, for the pure craft of the creative marriage of flavors, for quality ingredients, and for the talent of a chef who can deliver these things successfully (who I found out later is coincidentally the last Next Iron Chef winner Jose Garces).

With this in mind, you end up only needing a few bites to truly enjoy the dish anyway, seeing that each one will hold you for longer than you expect as you try to map out the flavors that are unfolding in your mouth. This is not something you can do with a cheaper, one-note flavored dish that you’re not fully enjoying or noticing anymore after bite five.

A few cocktails, seven plates, and after dinner drinks later, I sat there satisfied with our Mercat experience.

Chicago proved to be one great city, but in that moment the meal left me craving only one thing: the Spanish countryside.

Here are a few of my feeble attempts to photograph our experience:

My Sangriatini with the house bread in the background:

Crispy bottom, chewy and soft interior, and a tomato and garlic soaked top. Very Mediterranean, and very delectable. I didn’t want another slice, I wanted the whole pan.

Datiles con Almendras

Bacon-wrapped Dates Stuffed with Almonds

I even devoured the garnish.

Pulpo con Patatas

Spanish Octopus, Confit Potato, Smoked Paprika

Even for our 'least favorite' dish of the night, it was still pretty darn good. Love that Spanish paprika.

Costillas de Ternera

Beef Shortribs, Horseradish, Parmesan & Bacon

Peppery, savory, smoky, with a bite.

Diver Scallops

Simplicity at its finest.

Arroz a la Cazuela

Saffron Scented Broth with Maine Lobster, Chicken,

Chorizo, Rabbit, Shaved Artichoke Salad & Piquillo Aioli

Served still steaming. My heart stops for paella...

Croquetas de Mariscos

Shellfish Croquettes, Tarragon Emulsion

Eat them whole right from the spoon. A symphony of textures and flavors.

Croquetas de Xocolata

Milk Chocolate Croquettes, Banana Marshmallow, Rosemary Caramel, Arbequina Olive Oil

No, youre wrong. It's the farthest thing from disgusting you will ever find. The flavor combination is pure genius.

Oh, also, one of our favorite Chicago attractions; what we like to call, 'The Bean':

Although similar to any other ordinary mirror, you cannot pull yourself away from taking pictures off The Bean.

Mom whipped out her go-go gadget arms just for The Bean. Look at those limbs!

Rueben Bliss

CO Trip Day 2 & 3 May 7 - 8, 2010

385 + ~400 miles traveled

Day 2 & 3 of our trek west have came and went quickly, and brought us from Ashtabula, Ohio, to Avoca, Iowa, with a stopping point of the great city Chicago, Illinois in between. We have loved seeing the countryside unfold before us, and Ruthie has stayed strong as our trusty Stallion. But lets get down to the more important details here; what we’ve eaten, and how delicious it was.

Day 2:

Our first stop was Lucky’s Café in Cleveland, Ohio; another Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives hit conveniently stationed along the way of our already mapped route. This was a pick that I was particularly excited to get to, as it is a place that encompasses many of the food values I believe are incredibly important and advocate whole heartedly. The first is that they grow a variety of the ingredients they use to create their menu. Right next to their building spot they have a line up of garden plots placed among a group of picnic tables where customers can enjoy their food right next to…well, their food; right where it came from. And anything they cannot grow or make themselves on site, they buy from other regional food providers in the Ohio area. Because, just as our waitress explained to us, “we believe it just tastes better.” And she’s absolutely right.

It turned out that we arrived at Lucky’s at about 9:30 AM. Ever since I had seen the video clip from the show, I knew I needed to try their Rueben sandwich, no matter what else seduced me from their tantalizing menu. And, apparently, no matter what time of day it was because I dove into this phenomenon of sandwich before some people had even started their workday.

The Lucky Latte, sweetened with local honey. Don't judge coffee and honey until you try it. Wow.

And it was worth every single flavorful, juicy, tender, cheesy, crunchy crust, fresh bread, tangy, sweet, and savory bite. I know I say a lot of things I eat were ‘the best things ever’, but honestly, ladies and gentleman this-is-it. This is the real deal, the Cadillac, the Larry Bird, the whatever-you-want-to-call-it-that’s-the-best because it is that awesome.

The corned beef: from locally raised cattle, brined in-house with seasonings taken straight from the garden. Fall-apart tender, amazing beef flavor that is perfectly supported by a backdrop of the brining elements like coriander seed, ground mace, and fresh thyme.

The bread: housemade, rye, crisped on the griddle top, still soft interior

The sauerkraut: housemade, spot-on acidity, not oversalted, wilted just enough and maintaining a fresh crunch

The cheese: swiss, melted, not too much

The Thousand Island dressing: housemade, gently flavored, thoughtfully provided on the side for personal application. The chopped pickles in it? From cucumbers they grow in their garden, which they then pickle, and add to your dressing. No big deal.

All together: Rueben Bliss.

Go. Go to Cleveland, just for Lucky’s. They care about what they serve, and your taste buds will thank you.

Oh, we also got some of the baked goods to go (how can you honestly bypass them on the way out?) We enjoyed them on the road on our 'Atlas Coffee Table' as Mom likes to call it. Yum.