Sugar Dreams

Not much to say here. This was another cute cupcakery with glam chic decor. After taking the first bite of my insanely moist vanilla cake, Bavarian creme filled and billowing chocolate ganache topped cupcake (aptly titled "Knock Your SOX Off...ala Boston Creme Pie)...I knew I made a mistake by just buying one. I was in the car halfway to the airport and since I was not the one driving, turning the car around was not an option. This was my Street Car Named Desire culinary moment, "Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiift"! This was hands down one of the best cupcakes I've ever had.

Sift
404 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 703-4228

Sonoma...Uncorked

This place has managed to pull off having California frontier aesthetics without being Disneyland campy. The place was built in 1881 and has managed to avoid bastardizing it original decor. Once you mount the rickety steps you enter a culinary WONDERLAND. The establishment is part general store and therefore carries survival standards like soap and Bisquick. They also carry taste bud teasing artisanal meats, cheeses, preserves, confections, pastries and snack foods galore. There is a gourmet deli that serves up insanely delicious handcrafted sandwiches with ingredients like speck, Molinari Salami and aged Gouda. There is a full bar in the back of the store.

I initially went kicking and screaming into this place. I was being a snob, having just been spoiled on the first leg of an indulgent wine tour. However once I entered I heard whispers of "Mama's home" in my head, which echoed as I perused the deli meat counter and studied the menu. My poison of choice was the speck sandwich. I could taste it before it even hit my lips...the aroma emanating from the warmed speck had a similar aromatic effect as truffle oil. Toasted crusty baguette, paper thin speck, fig compote, aged provolone and arugula. Each bite was savory delicious. I almost had to be carried out. This is a great place to stop before, during or after you hit the wineries. And yes I made sure to do a last stop visit before I departed the Sonoma area the next day. The Dry Creek General Store's sandwiches are what dreams are made of...Mickey Mouse ain't got nothin' on them! Two words...eat here.

Dry Creek General Store
3495 Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 433-4171

Persian Nights

My family and I have been fans of Persian food for as long as I can remember. Our first taste of this cuisine was shamefully experienced at a mall, the Sherman Oaks Galleria in the 80's. The food was so good at this place that we had a Pavlovian salivatory response even from the mention of the mall. When that place closed we moved on to Persian restaurants closer to our home like Your Place (SOOOO good and now closed), Javan, Shamshiri, Shaherzad and Pars. Although each restaurant has been distinctly different they have all been delicious but EXPENSIVE. I finally got the nerve to face the challenge of cooking my very first Iranian meal and to up the ante I invited guests. I made Jujeh (Chicken) Kabob with onions and peppers (marinaded in yogurt and kabob seasoning), Shirazi salad (tomato and cucumber), brown Basmati rice and assembled some semblance of a sabzijat (mixture of fresh herbs...cilantro, basil, parsley, chives, watercress) to pluck. I also purchased some lavash (whole wheat...it was good), feta and mast o musir (yogurt with shallots) from the Tehran Market in Santa Monica. I had some butter, limes, lemons and olives for accompaniments as well...oh and wine of course. The meal was a success and affordable.

The Maui Files (Culinary Adventures in Paradise-Part 1)

Maui is many things but is best characterized as a dichotomous destination. It is part heavenly paradise and part commercialized demon (think Lahaina, Kanapali and overpriced tourist trap restaurants with sub par food...ala Bubba Gumps). Luckily there are small towns on the island that are in harmony with the ideal getaway intimacy one hopes for when breaking away from the hustle and bustle of city living. One such town is Paia. In this town you will find a main road with a strip of specialized boutiques and NO towering high rise hotels. On my way to the Road to Hana I stopped off at a quaint French spot called Cafe De Amis.

This restaurant more than exceeded my expectations. Their specialties are DELICIOUS crepes and fresh juices/smoothies. The place is low key affordable and absolutely a must go to stop.

I ordered the ham and gruyere crepe (Delish!) which was accompanied by a a perfectly dressed fresh salad.

The second crepe on deck involved a combination of three of my favorite things...brie, avocado and apple. It is amazing how something so simple can bring so much pleasure. The pleasure quotient was escalated by a gracious dollop of creme fraiche being place adjacent to the salad. I left full as a tic and completely satisfied.

Cafe De Amis

42 Baldwin Avenue

Paia, HI 96779

(808) 579-6323

Holy Land (Part 1-Guilt and Giving In)

My stomach (a.k.a. "The Beast") has a mind of it's own. When I travel I like to stick with the local cuisine but sometimes my cravings from home take precedence. Israel is culturally diverse country and has a burgeoning food culture. I was lucky enough to indulge in the local delicacies but I also had a hankering for familiar comfort foods, which were surprisingly easy to find and very affordable. My first few days were spent eating fruit, humus, cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers, even for breakfast. The emphasis on Israeli cuisine is on "fresh" and "healthy". Eventually after an initial internal struggle I succumbed and gave into the cravings being barked by "The Beast". I found a pizza place...Il Pizziaolo. The smell of the freshly cooked crust beckoned me.

I ordered a sun-dried tomato and olive pizza. It arrive piping hot and loaded with fresh mozzarella. It was absolute heaven even in the humid 90 degree weather. I came back here several times and on my last night in town. The staff was friendly and the pricing was great.

Il Pizziaolo

122 Ben yehuda

Tel Aviv

phone: 03-6093515

www.rest.co.il/sites/Default.asp?txtRestID=17

My next shameless craving indulgence involved sushi. This craving hit almost as soon as I hit the ground. I stumbled across a hip modern/retro Pinkberry style decor restaurant called Atza Sushi Bar.

It's hard enough to try new sushi places in Los Angeles let alone outside of the US so I was not expecting much...let alone real crab. But I was pleasantly surprised.

I ordered a spicy tuna roll and a California roll (I never order these but get them when I am testing out a new place since they are hard to mess up). Both were tasty and satisfied my craving. The staff was really nice. They do delivery and takeout orders.

Atza Sushi Bar

128 Ben-Yehuda St.

Tel Aviv

Phone 03 527 0017

www.atza.co.il

Another great find that I came across during my trip was a beach side lounge with tasty food (I ordered fried calamari...it was "fresh") and strong drinks. The place is called Gordo and it is fabulous.

They apparently serve breakfast and host events up to 500 people. This is a great place to lounge, people watch, escape and watch the sun as it sets.

Gordo

Gordon Beach

Tel Aviv

Phone: 03-5293929

http://www.gordo.co.il