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Hot weekend trip!
Head south to Atascadero, California for a stay at the Carlton Hotel.
Wow, what a place! Old friend David Weyrich (Martin & Weyrich Winery,
Paso Robles) has added another diamond to his belt. Remember Villa
Toscana, his thirteen room bed and breakfast in Paso? Well his new hotel
has the same high quality standards. In fact it borders on the
unbelievable. The Carlton has two restaurants, a pastry shop, sushi bar,
full bar and wines galore. Executive Chef Anthony Harris is doing an
excellent job, producing some bold and flavorful food. How about a
chicken pizza from the wood burning oven, or a pizza |
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done on the grill, which comes out crispy,
with a variety of toppings? Our first lunch consisted of Manilla clams,
lobster and crab cakes, two pizzas and some spicy calamari tossed in a
great sauce. For the main dish, we had flank steak (a bit too much
"texture" for me), vegetable soup and another order of clams. Too full
for dessert - maybe next time. David, you've got another winner there,
congratulations. Folks, do some wine tasting (in an area that now rivals
Napa), enjoy the beautiful scenery (better than Napa) and stay at a
first-class hotel with a restaurant like you would expect to find in San
Francisco. The Carlton's fine dining restaurant |
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seats about 45 and feels like a
super-exclusive club where even we met two ex-peninsulans (a Cardianale
and an Enea). Olive oil anyone?
I'm talking about extra-virgin Tuscan oil, with so much flavor that it
makes all others taste like water. I ran across it at the Willow Creek
Olive Ranch just off of Highway 46 near Paso Robles. A food writer
described it as "A superb oil - cloudy, green, full of grassy flavors.
Made in Paso Robles, in the sharp Italian style with Frantoio, Pendolino,
Lucca, Leccino and Moraiolo olives." Check it out at
www.willowcreekoliveranch.com.
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Q). Dear Chef Pisto,
My grandson recently started attending culinary school in San Francisco.
We started talking squid one day and, much to my surprise, he told me
that several of the chefs at school told him that they would NEVER pound
squid before cooking it. Now, I have been cooking squid for over 40
years and every single time I've cooked it, I've pounded it first. Have
I been doing it wrong all these years, or it the reason almost all the
squid I get at restaurants is a little chewy? We have decided that what
you tell us will be the right answer.
Eleanor Bray
Via e-mail |
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A). After 40 years of cooking squid,
you should be teaching the class to those young whippersnappers! I
agree, keep on pounding. It improves the texture a bit and provides you
with some good mental exercise. Squid has a tough membrane that will
benefit from a few good whacks.
Q). Why does the lemon meringue pie
filling fail to set? It happened to me twice in the last week.
Cathy
Via e-mail
A). Ah ha! You know Cathy, people think pies are easy. I have
found baking superior pies to be very tricky. I think my problem was two
fold: First, the pie dish I used was a |
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monster. Not only was it very large, but I put the meringue on top immediately
and browned the pie in the oven. Now I know if a cornstarch-thickened
sauce or gravy gets too hot, they will break. So, in my case, it was a
very large pie dish plus a large, hot volume of lemon filling covered
and put it in a hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes that made it too hot.
Bottom line, make small pies. Let cool 20 to 30 minutes then cover with
meringue and finish in the oven. Like I said before, in baking there is
little margin for error. Question: Here's a switch folks - I want to
know about your favorite pie.
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Q). In Mexico, and in most Mexican
cantinas here also, the word "pisto" means alcoholic drink. Cerveza is
beer as you well know but "pisto" can also mean drunk, and "pisto" means
the person has had a lot to drink. When Mexicans meet in a cantina, one
person will ask the other, "quieres una cerveza oh un pisto", which
means: "you want a beer or a drink." Comprendes Juan Pisto?
Ernie Rodriguez, Via e-mail
A). Thank you mi amigo! Let's see if I've got this straight. In
Mexico pisto means an alcoholic drink or someone who is drunk, or
someone who has drunk a little
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too much; In Spain, pisto means a
vegetable stew; In Peru pisto could mean Pisco which is a brandy.
In Italy it means an Italian family who original name was Pistos.
Q). I am a guide at the Aquarium and
am frequently asked if fresh caught sardines are sold anywhere in the
area and if any of the local restaurants serve them. I only know that
sardines are frozen processed at a couple of places in Salinas. Can you
tell me where I can direct people who want to buy them fresh
or have them at a restaurant? Thanks for your help.
Carol L. Voss, Prunedale
Via e-mail |
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A). Boy Carol, you have hit the
jackpot! I have been trying to get people to at least taste these
babies. We've even served them free just so people can see how
delicious they are. I have Monterey sardines on the menu at Blue Moon on
Cannery Row. They will be served barbecued - Sicilian style, so please
send them on down. That's the ticket! You also can't find anything more
loaded with omega 3.
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