Well folks, it seems like most of my posts are about how neglectful I’ve been with this blog.

This one is no different: it’s been over ONE YEAR since I last wrote and the amount of comment spam coming in for moderation seems to be increasing exponentially, almost like gathering vultures of doom, waiting for this poor neglected blog to gasp its last breath.

Or maybe, that’s the guilt talking.

Either way, I’m back in the saddle, waving away the spampires and thinking about a little housecleaning.

I’m contemplating merging this blog with my OTHER neglected blog on photography which you can check out at www.ClayGiraffe.com . If you go back to Oct/Nov of 2006, I wrote a couple fun entries about my monthlong trip to Italy. While I don’t specifically describe the food (because I kept thinking I should write it here), I couldn’t completely avoid talking about it because in my heart of hearts, I AM Foodmuse and gosh darn it, I was in BOLOGNA, ITALY for gods sake.

So I think I should merge the 2 bloggy beasties. What do you think?
I shall do some contemplation at Costco, while cruising the sample wares…

Meanwhile, if you’ve got any ideas or thoughts on the matter, send them to
FM at Foodmuse dot ORG

Cheers!

The Winsor Dark Chocolate Rocky Road Bar is nominally a bar of fluffy marshmallow and whole almonds enrobed in a thick coat of dark Belgium chocolate.

But let’s just call it what it really is pure, undiluted, E.V.I.L.

It’s a PG-17 Rocky Road bar that makes you throw back your head and Mwa ha ha like Boris Badenof while you gloat and nibble at its sinful perfection. And really, how embarrassing is that?

You can get your block of the Dark Force at Whole Foods where I succumbed during a late night run prior to movie night with friends last weekend. I did a triple take when I first passed its Basket of Temptation but finally found the wherewithall to keep going because I am a most virtuous and saintly girl.

But Shodashi, otherwise known as the Messenger of Satan, told me I had to try one. Since I’m only human and already had a clutch of chocolate (hey, it’s all for the blog - I don’t even like dark chocolate!) I averted my eyes and had her pick out a picture perfect block to balance atop my already tetering pile and ran for the register.

But now I’ve eaten a morsel and am addicted. May the Goddess have mercy on my soul.

mmmm…mwa ha ha ha…

Work has just been a frenzy of activity over the last several months and it’s been forever since I’ve had a full weekend of relaxation. But with an entire half Sunday to myself I wisely went over to Shodashi’s to pack it full of some of my favorite things:

1 Crazy Friend (ie Shodashi) who pampers me because she’s a goddess (of Evil perhaps, but a goddess nonetheless)

Homemade Lemon Squares made by said goddess. She claims they were not quite perfect yet they had completely vanished when i returned for another just 2 days later.

Chocolate. Given to me by an obviously extraordinarily enlightened Finnish friend. Fazer Red (Caramel Milk Chocolate) and Blue (Milk Choc) are apparently *the* Finnish brand of chocolates. They are waxier than milk chocolates I’m used to but I am not one to look a chocolate horse in the mouth. And is variety not the spice of life (if not chocolate)?

Freshly Shucked Oysters. A brand new addition to my (extensive) list of Favorite Things. But now that they’re on it, I can’t get enough. So let’s subcategorize them under Obsessions. When I started to whine about needing an oyster fix, the goddess friend thought for a moment, looked at her watch and said, “We have 15 minutes before closing time”, plunked me into her car and whisked me over to the Los Gatos Farmers Market where I ate 5 of these luscious beauties.

After a quick visit with Rembrandt and Van Gogh this evening, the Dessert Club went to dinner at Satsuma then headed over to London’s financial district to sample the Chocolate Fondant (aka Lava Cake) at Coq d’Argent.

They were no longer seating for dinner but after a bit of discussion with the hostess, (”we came all the way from San Francisco for your Fondant!”) they let us come in for dessert.

The cake was plated nicely and was rich with the requisite chocolate gooeyness but had a slightly doughy aftertaste which puts it firmly in the “tasty but not the second coming of JC” category.

Though the fondant itself wasn’t particularly memorable, I very much enjoyed a pleasantly sip-able glass of Tokaji, a Hungarian dessert wine I’d never tried before. It was fruity without being cloying, reminscent of a less potent Sauternes. Alas, being sleepy, tired and ever so slightly jet-lagged, I did not take the name of the maker or vintage.

Details…………..
Coq d’Argent
No1. Poultry (really!)
London EC2R 8EJ
Tel: 020 7395 5000

I’m back in London for work but I have to admit something to you. I’ve fallen in love.

I finally made it to the National Gallery today. I have been meaning to for awhile since it’s so close to my hotel and as it was otherwise drizzly and grey it seemed like a perfect day to spend in a museum. After wandering the many intersecting halls, I became completely riveted by the Van Gogh’s in Room 45.

I never really “got” Van Gogh before, wasn’t a fan, didn’t really see anything particularly special about his paintings. But perhaps that’s because I never saw them in real life and up close before. Seeing his paintings in person (within sneezing distance!) with its vivid thick active palette knife work was a visceral experience that was completely mesmerizing. His work is like a 3-dimensional visual manifestation of emotion that made me feel alive, joyful, manic and full of wonder. Two Crabs actually made me want to want to laugh out loud, the colors were so glorious and the layering and palette/brush work was just so precise.

Floating away from the Van Gogh’s on a complete and utter high, I came across the Rembrandt’s. And fell head over heels in love with his Self Portrait at 63. I feel disturbed and almost embarrased to look at him - long dead but painting himself to be remembered as he was. Not a great artist, but a flawed old man with tired, crinkled eyes, bulbous nose, the large almost clumsy looking hands folded.

Like the Van Gogh, Rembrandt’s paintings rejuvenate me because of my emotional response to the art. I feel a new awareness that I’m alive and how precious that simple fact is.

Seeing these more modern (compared to ancient) works have whetted my appetite to visit the British Museum again. I’ve been dreading and feeling almost oppressed by the monolith that is the BM but now I can’t wait to return after all these years. And I’m greatly looking forward to returning to the Nat Gallery for another visit later this week.

It’s wonderful that most museums in London are free, so if you have even a few minutes, you can dash in and get a quicky art fix. The Nat is open late on Wed nights so that’s when I’ll return to visit my guys.

…

But since this a food blog, you should know that I left the Nat Gallery and hungrily headed over to the Spaghetti House on Haymarket. I have to admit I didn’t have huge expectations of this chain restaurant but was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.

While munching on a complementary saucer of mixed black olives marinated in olive oil and herbs I placed my order of Gamberoni in Saltini and Spaghetti Bolonese since they were out of the Pasta Vongole (clams in white wine) I originally wanted.

The shrimp appetizer came quickly and looked unimpressive to my California eye. Though described as “giant pacific shrimp”, they are small and lost nestled in their bed of fresh arugula. But when I began to eat them I was won over. Covered in a light batter, then quickly deep fried, they were delicately flavored with perfectly crispy tails. A pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon over the shrimp and arugula, I wolfed the rest down, glad I didn’t have to share them with anyone.

The pasta appeared shortly thereafter, its sauce aromatic with red wine and freshly grated parmesan. I’m surprised at how perfectly al dente it is. The bolonese sauce tastes homemade and the dish is warm and satisfying on this chilly evening.

Details……….
Spaghetti House (multiple locations)

Along the western wall of the Garden of Rambunctiousness grows our espalliered 6-N-1 apple tree. It only began bearing fruit on 2 of its 6 limbs over the last 2 years and it’s still trying to teach me the best time for optimal harvesting.

So for now, I employ my tomato & peach ripeness test to the fruit. To do this, I give the apple a quarter twist of the stem. If it drops off, I figure it’s ripe. If not, I leave it for another time. I know I’ve left a few of the Fujis on a bit too long by using this method but the Galas have come out wonderfully crisp, slightly sweet and counterbalanced with just a touch of tanginess.

As you can see in the picture to the right, they’re definitely on the small side but they make the perfect snack and I eat them simply out of hand while wandering about, pulling weeds, throwing snails over the fence and inspecting the rest of the dew splattered garden first thing in the morning.

I ate the mango from Pakistan U’s mother gave me while packing up and preparing to leave London this morning.

She said, “Don’t stand on ceremony, just eat it.” So I took her advice and gave it a try.

Still in my pajamas, I took it into my hotel bathroom. I easily peeled back the skin with my fingers. Oozing juices, its musky fragrance began to fill the room as I started to consume it over the marble sink.

I bit off chunks of sweet flesh, the thin fibres sticking between my teeth and worked my way around the fruit, learning to avoid the less ripe, lighter colored sections, while devouring and sucking the seed to get the last bits of orange sweetness where it was best.

When I was done, I looked up and a wild-haired, wide-eyed, mango-mouthed girl gazed back at me from the mirror.

I had never eaten a mango like that before. I was a convert.

Now pass me the dental floss.

Ok, yes. 3.5 months in Blog land qualifies as forever and a day away from my post here. But I’ve been super busy with work and actually still am. But I have SO MUCH WORK TO DO it just seemed like the perfect time to completely procrastinate and write a short blog entry.

So what have I been up to?

I’ve taken 2 trips to London in the intervening months, eaten out several times with with friends, family &/or work collegues & all in all continued to make a nuisance of myself everywhere, always taking photos prior to meals, photographing interesting looking food shops, all for the benefit of you, my voracious and demanding reader(s).

So you see I have not forgotten about this blog and will (eventually) get my photos and thoughts posted. As a matter of fact I believe I’ve perfected the annoying photographer act to a tee, though the disciplined writer is still a work in progress.

Now aren’t these good natured chaps handsome? Even more scrumptious was the fresh seafood in the cases behind them. This is Randall & Aubin, a seafood restaurant in London’s Soho theatre district. I didn’t have a chance to eat here, but I promised the gents I’d return for a platter of briny fresh oysters on my next trip over.

Details…………………
Randall & Aubin
329-331 Fulham Road
London SW10
Tel: 020 7823 3515

A16 is the kind of neighborhood Italian restaurant I wish was closer to my home. Unaffected but real Italian cooking with fresh ingredients, wonderful desserts, an excellent winelist all served in an elegantly casual space.

Today we were in San Francisco to visit the newly renovated Asian Art Museum so we decided to come in for an early lunch. We split an order of Lamb & Pork meatballs in marinara and a homemade mixed Funghi (Mushroom) Pizza. While the meatballs were moist and delicious in their tangy marinara, the pizza was crust was overly charred. Dessert which we also split was excellent again. Ripe macerated peaches were served with honey semifreddo on a toasted brioche round.

After our museum visit and a meander through town, we stopped at AG Ferrari’s to stock up on a few pantry items. The cheeses were looking especially good that day, so we picked out a few to snack on. They were kind enough to slice up a portion of each and then wrap up the rest for us to take home. We tried the following:

• Brillo Divino: drunken goat cheese soaked in red wine. Excellent
• Tomino Boscaiolo Longo: a mild Piedmont cow’s milk cheese
• Caciocavallo: another mild cow’s milk cheese, this one was made in CA. Similar to mozzarella.
• 18mo. aged Gouda from the Netherlands. Delicious.

Details…………………..
A16
2355 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 771-2216 Make a Reservation
Website: www.a16sf.com

AG Ferrari Foods
Multiple locations
Website: www.agferrari.com/

Z and I had dinner at Satsuma, located near London’s theatre district. It’s another one of those clean lined, overly bright, hardwood floor and communal table + bench style restaurants that seem to be everywhere in London these days.

We had a leisurely, well priced, very good bento dinner with thick slices of tasty sashimi. The pic to the right is from this first meal.

Unfortunately, my second visit with friends a couple months later was not as good. The sashimi was less than fresh and service was horrid. It was also incredibly loud and completely packed even though it was only Wed night.

Since my 2 visits were so different, I would definitely give it another try. But if you see a substantial line forming inside the door, save yourself the trouble and head for an alternate dining spot and return to Satsuma some other time.

Details…………….

Satsuma
56 Wardour Street
Soho, London, W1D 4JG