Foie Gras & Flannel

Edit: I really do love Denver, but Diablo Burger is in Flagstaff. D’oh!

I had to reflect on this for a week, but the more I think about Diablo’s Wrigley Field burger, the more I know it’s one of the best I’ve had. Ever.

I’m in love: with the burger, with the emphasis on local–with the entire concept of the restaurant. A focused, mouth-watering menu. Cash only. Two beers on tap (two good beers, that is). Small, intimate environment. Locally-sourced beef and ingredients.

The four paragraphs at the top of the menu that introduce the burger list urge customers to trust the cooks:

Because this beef is about 95% lean, we recommend that your DB burger be cooked medium-rare…In addition, please understand that we cook all of our burgers to order, literally taking the temperature of every single burger we make.

That attention to detail shows throughout the restaurant. But enough talk.

Ready. Set. Drool.

That’s six-ounces of mouth-watering beef topped with homemade sauerkraut, bacon, Swiss cheese and a spicy honey mustard–all on an English muffin. On top of Belgian frites.

Jason ordered The Cheech, generously topped with guacamole, pepper jack and jalapenos. And we both sipped on a delicious IPA.

Once again, Flagstaff, you’ve been good to me. I may soon plan a trip to the Grand Canyon just to have another reason to pass through.

When traveling, I’ll always trust a recommendation from a friend over one from Yelp. That’s how I found Jerusalem: my friend Susan suggested it during my overnight stay in Denver last week. Honestly, I’m not sure how Susan discovered this place, but she said it was good enough to take a cab during a layover–that’s at least a 20 minute drive from the airport, and it’s tucked away off of I-25 next to a residential area.

The space is unassuming–it’s a neighborhood restaurant. But walking up, Jason and I noticed that the small dining room was packed, and that’s usually a good sign. We were offered a table on the closed-in patio, which is accessed through the kitchen. We started with coffee.

After a stop for appetizers and beer at Wynkoop Brewing Company, we weren’t very hungry, so we split an order of felafel and the combo plate: gyro and kebab meat, fattoush, tabbouleh, yalanchi, hummus, baba ganoush, pilaf and pita. Yep, just a light dinner.

Overall, it was good. Not mind-blowing or I’ll-never-eat-Mediterranean-anywhere-else good, but refreshingly authentic.

Of course, now that I say that, I’m craving the felafel and hummus.

Meet Jason. He’s my not so little brother. And he’s one of the few people I know that appreciates flannel as much as I do.

I finally lured him to California.

Jason left North Carolina last Monday; I flew in to Denver later in the week to help drive the last 1,250 miles.

Kenosha Pass, Colorado - 9,997 feet above sea level

I’ll share more about our food adventures another time. For now, I’m just celebrating the arrival of my brother—we haven’t lived near each other in over seven years.

Let the food adventures begin!

I first heard of the Good Food Awards through my friend Emily, another Eat Retreat connection (actually, she helped organize the retreat!). Emily is serving as chair for the Preserves committee, and connected me to the organizers so that I could help document this year’s judging. It was humbling to spend a day amongst so many passionate and knowledgeable leaders in the food community.

I’ll post more from the day on Flickr, but here are a few of my favorites from the judging and after party. For more info on the awards, read this, then check out the full list of judges!

I’m in SF for a few days, and was able to catch up with Kimberley of The Year in Food over dinner at Starbelly. More on food later; for now, just a photo. I’m off to explore the city!

Earlier this week I spent two days in Sacramento for a training workshop with California Volunteers. I had a free evening to walk around, so I explored downtown a bit, eventually ending up at the intersection of R and 14. My friend Daniel had recommended Magpie on a previous trip, so I stopped there for dinner.

I was excited, but I didn’t quite know what to do when I walked in the door. There was no host station, just a counter and a deli case in front of me, and a sign out front saying this was a catering company. Had it not been for the near-full restaurant, I would have assumed I’d be taking my food to go.

The menus: one for dinner, printed with the week’s date, and a wine/beer list, both clipped to panels from a produce box. I sat and read through every line waiting for someone to greet me–a little over 10 minutes. Not a great start.

But that’s when the experience really started. I asked for recommendations from the menu, but every description made it harder to choose, so I started with the Amber Ale from Eel River and a green salad, served with fresh watermelon radishes and a refreshing cider vinaigrette.

For dinner, I chose the risotto: Muscovy duck confit over the rice with truffle oil and aged jack cheese. With the whole-kernel corn, the flavor reminded me of a hearty corn chowder; it was incredibly rich and delicious.

Sitting at the edge of the patio with my camera, I drew a small crowd from passersbys on the sidewalk to my right. Everyone asked the same question: What is that?!? I answered, and after taking the first bite I confirmed that it tasted as good as it looked. Maybe even a little better.

A little note about the location: Magpie is next door to Shady Lady, among a row of businesses just outside of downtown. Also in the building: another restaurant, a bar, two hair salons and a small concert venue. It’s a happening little spot, with an eclectic mix of people. I loved the energy and engagement of strangers.

Thanks for the good time, Sacramento!

I love this time of year. But this late summer is making it hard to get anything done – every trip to the market inspires new food ideas.

Today, I picked up a peach pastry (you might notice a theme when I go to the Saturday market), fresh raspberries and blackberries, and plump muscat grapes. Just yesterday I talked to a winemaker about the flavor of wine grapes: less water and more sugar make for a much more flavorful grape. And these muscats have a crunchy, nutty seed that’s also tasty.

I hope your Saturday is just as inspiring!

I needed something healthy for dinner. Like an heirloom tomato and edible-skinned avocado.

I picked these up during a tour on Sunday of KMK Farms in Kingsburg. Take a trip to a nearby farm, farm stand or farmers market to take advantage of the harvest!

A few weeks back I picked up a bottle of kumquat-infused vodka at a harvest exchange. I sipped a little neat, but decided to hand the bottle over to a professional for mixing. Enter Ephiram, of Anywhere Laboratories.

We met up on a Friday afternoon to talk about mixed-use spaces: I’m researching shared kitchen spaces, and Ephiram has plans for a shared space for mechanics (among many other things).

He brought a few things to mix, and after a little testing, he came up with this recipe.

The Dirty Kumquat

• 1 ounce kumquat-infused vodka*
• 4 ounces ginger ale
• Squeeze of fresh lime
• Splash of grenadine

*I’m pretty sure you’ll need to make this yourself…

Mix (with a chop stick, if that’s what you have on hand), and adjust to taste–we were mixing in Mason jars, so it wasn’t an exact pour.

Enjoy with friends.

Ever seen one of these? I bought a few off of the flower vendor at the market this morning—she says they’re as hot as a habañero.

I’m a little nervous.