Michelle's Happy Hour Starter

I took the kids cherry picking today and it was er... a fruitful outing indeed. We came home with a whopping 20lbs of fresh cherries! I think it's safe to say this was about 15lbs more than I anticipated. 

As I'm mulling over, or rather panicking about, all the possibilities for utilizing this bounty, I had the good fortune of stumbling across a cocktail recipe from one of my favorite SF Bay Area chefs/cookbook authors - Joanne Weir.

This sounds like the perfect accompaniment to the incredible Mexican food at her new restaurant in Sausalito - Copita. Now I only have 19.5lbs of cherries to go - perhaps I'll make an infusion or two - or twelve.

Fresh Cherry Margarita

12 fresh sweet cherries, pitted 
1-1/4 fl. oz. (2-1/2 Tbs.) tequila, preferably blanco 100% agave 
1 fl. oz. (2 Tbs.) fresh lime juice 
3/4 fl. oz. (1-1/2 Tbs.) agave nectar, preferably dark 
1/2 fl. oz. (1 Tbs.) maraschino liqueur 
1 fresh sweet cherry with stem, for garnish 

Put the cherries in a cocktail shaker and mash them with a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon until well crushed, about 1 minute. Add the tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, maraschino liqueur, and 8 large ice cubes. Cover the shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Immediately strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with the cherry.

¡Salud!

If This Is Boring - Bring It On!

Not sure what's up with this review and the C+ rating, but I'm more inclined to agree with this one as they declare Say Goodbye, off Norah Jones' latest album, Song of the Week.

Call me crazy, but I think Danger Mouse + fill in the artist name here = unique listening experience NOT boring. Norah Jones might be too mellow, too mainstream or too over-produced for some, but the fact is she has the vocal chops to lay over most anything - certainly the distinctive grooves and plucky arrangements that this guy throws down.

Little Broken Hearts is well worth a thorough listen, from start to finish, with an open mind and a relaxed mood - a broken heart is optional.

For another boring track - try this one.

Michelle's Happy Hour Starter

I love all things ginger. Ginger snaps, ginger bread, ginger ale, ginger tea, crystallized ginger, pickled ginger - even fresh ginger juice. 

To me the taste and the scent are simultaneously uplifting and calming, and I adore cooking with it. There are dozens of great recipes out there but I seriously think I could pour this glaze over almost every dish I make. And then there's the added bonus of these healing powers.

But one of my favorite uses for ginger is for making signature cocktails - as evidenced by this recipe, and this one and this one too.

If you have not tried this ginger liqueur, you need to add it to your bar immediately and make this drink. It's a bit pricey, but like all fine French things it's worth it.

I found today's recipe in Imbibe and it is the perfect way to rev up any gathering - sparkling, tart, spicy, sweet and refreshing.

Ginger Lily

1 3/4 oz Irish Whiskey

2/3 oz fresh lemon juice

1/3 oz ginger syrup

1/2 oz simple syrup (1:1)

3 chunks fresh pineapple

4-8 mint leaves

Ginger beer

lemon wedge

In a shaker, combine all ingredients except the ginger beer, and muddle the pineapple and mint. Shake and strain into an ice-filled glass, then top with ginger beer and garnish.

Cheers!

Yes, More (Love) Interruption Please

It seemed like an eternity from the time this single was released until the long-awaited solo album, Blunderbuss, hit the airwaves. Granted that gave me lots of time to read lots of reviews, it didn't mean I liked what I read. 

"He may never recapture the electric eel zing of the White Stripes, but it would be a mistake to count out Jack White. I'm actually embarrassed to admit how low my expectations for this album were..."

Count him out? Low expectations? Based on what - all the other forgettable music on lame albums like Icky Thump?! Call me a groupie, but I don't think Jack White needs to prove ANYTHING, to ANYONE, ANYMORE. But of course he will, as evidenced by the fact that Blunderbuss has now topped the Billboard charts.

Crazy thing is, as incredible as that single is, it's not the best song on the album. Blunderbuss and Hypocritical Kiss are equally incredible for completely different reasons. They are stripped-down, heartfelt ballads that veer into folk and pop territory and they are great.

It's not the first time or the last time Jack will be listed on Michelle's Favorite Things. And although I don't yet have a ticket for this tour, I'm still hopeful. Until then I'm gonna soak up all these UNSTAGED videos directed by the equally cool and charismatic Gary Oldman.

And I think I'll post some spirited comments on a few music review blogs.

Food Worth The Wait Indeed

I don't know what's more difficult - getting a table in under 2 hours or enough light to take a proper photo?

After a dozen visits to the temple of wood-fired flour+water, I finally got both. And once again, when this showed up at my table, I was reminded why no one seems to care about the wait. If it's Neapolitan-style pizza you gotta have - with toppings like potato, pancetta, fontina & rosemary, this is the place you gotta go.

Well, you can also go to this place, the sister restaurant and start of it all - but the line will not be any shorter. Michael Bauer declared it worth it back in 2005, and here we are 8 years later still willing to wait, and wait some more.

You can't chalk those crowds up to newcomer buzz either. Pizzaiolo has been open for 8 years and Boot & Shoe for 2. There's a line out the door every night for one reason - consistency. Consistency in top-notch ingredients, consistency in artisan cocktails, consistency in the über-hip crowd and last, but certainly not least - consistency in that incredible pizza dough. 

There's lots of emphasis on pizza here because that's what this guy really perfected after an 8 year stint at the famed Chez Panisse, but the rest of the menu is equally perfect. The asparagus and burrata with black olive tapenade will have you hounding every cheese shop in town for details on their burrata delivery.

The antipasti, the pasta, anything roasted in that wood oven - beef short ribs with cannellini beans, baby leeks and salsa verde, and the incredible desserts - Straus vanilla soft serve with burnt caramel sauce and sea salt. Like I said, it is all consistently delicious.

But you do not have to take my word for it. Those crowds tell you what you need to know.

And speaking of need to know, Inside Scoop SF tells us there's another Hallowell outpost in the works. Add it to the wait list.