A day trip up to Sonoma/Napa

A couple of Fridays ago, after the huge fires died down, we went up to Sonoma and Napa for the day. The area depends on tourism so we thought we'd do our part. Here is what we saw.

We first drove up to Sonoma. We passed by Sonoma Raceway. 60% of the hill overlooking the racetrack was charred black.

We went to Ceja Winery near Fremont Diner. It was the first day the tasting room opened since the fire. We were the only ones there for a long time, until a couple from Charleston, South Carolina, showed up. Here are a few unused livery cars parked outside.

We then went to St. Helena for lunch. The restaurant is usually pretty busy, but we had no problem getting a table. The staff frankly looked shellshocked. The menu was very limited, but we had a good time.

Then, it was a stroll through town. I saw this BMW Z8 in a bank parking lot. I wonder if it belongs to a good customer who needed a safe place to protect his prized possession from the fire.

And I believe that's a Honda Clarity, the fuel cell-powered sedan. It looked fugly.

We then drove up to Calistoga. The town was evacuated but the firefighters were able to save it. It's my favorite place up there. I couldn't get a mud bath at Indian Springs that day because the male section of the spa was closed for planned renovations.

And here's the drive down Silverado Trail. The fire reached the edge of the road and many buildings and vineyards were saved. The firefighters did an incredible job.

Eating the Globe: Croatia

Tadich Grill (1849) is not only one of the oldest surviving restaurants in San Francisco, it is one of the oldest surviving restaurants in the country. It's named after a Croatian, who introduced grilled fish to Americans. Croatians, supposedly, invented grilled fish.

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

Eating the Globe: Uzbekistan

A few thoughts.

This is plov, possibly the most Silk Roady dish there is. The English spelling pilaf is from the Greek word pilafi, which is from the Turkish word pilav, which is from the Persian word polow, which is from the Hindi word pulao, which is from the Sanskrit word pulaka (ball of rice).

I had this dish for lunch at a Mongolian sushi place that also served Russian fare. It's as sketchy as it sounds. The flavor was uneven and it was oily and dry at the same time. I really need to go to New York for some decent Central Asian grub.

If all goes according to plan, I will have Croatian for lunch next Monday.

And here is presidential candidate Herman Cain (R) on Uzbekistan.

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

Fork that hides noodle slurping noise

Two traditional Virginia meals

These were from my recent trip.

First up, we have a Southern/Soul Food lunch from Mama J's in the historically African-American quarter of Richmond called Jackson Ward. The sides-- cornbread, greens, and macaroni and cheese-- were the standouts. The catfish was good too, but I should have just ordered one piece instead of two. My eyes were clearly bigger than my stomach. The secret ingredient was salt.

Another memorable meal was lunch at The Roanoker. On the trip, I learned about the difference between City Ham and Country Ham. City Ham is what we consider "ham" outside of Virginia. It is preserved with nitrates. Country Ham is what they eat in Virginia. The bone is kept in and it is preserved with salt.

Again, the sides were the stars of the show. The fresh biscuits, green beans, and garden tomatoes were fantastic.

We are back!

We just flew back from Richmond, Virginia. The trip was filled with cars and ham. I got to visit the 900-car Duncan collection and drove a 1991 Toyota Century and a Gen 1 Isuzu Impulse Irmscher Turbo! A detailed report will be coming shortly.

Fish processing machine

Sunday brunch

Friends invited us over for a simple brunch. We got a Laotian feast instead. There's also a bit of Vietnamese and New Mexican on the table. There were at least eight different kinds of fresh, homemade hot sauce.

Wasp carrying its dinner

Farm to vending machine (Japanese curry rice)

Future posts about northern Minnesota

We had a wonderful vacation along the shores of Lake Superior last week. But with the baby and work, I am simply too exhausted to write anything cogent.

For example, I deleted two drafts of a post about race and the two diners I visited. Race is a sensitive subject and I don't talk about it much, so I wanted to make sure the blog post came out clear. It's a work in progress. Maybe this weekend.

We stayed in a cabin north of Duluth. Duluth is an absolutely foreign place. With its no-nonsense industrial port and Soviet apartment blocks, it's more Siberia than Upper Midwest.

I spotted a couple of Travco Dodge RVs on my way to get some smoked fish.

And here's a view from our porch. Lake Superior holds 10% of the world's fresh water.

Here's grandpa holding Tamerlane Jr at the Split Rock Lighthouse, once the most visited lighthouse in the United States.

A view from the lighthouse.