Phil's Fish Market

Artichoke Provencale, Squid Platter, Fat Lip Amber Ale

While on vacation, I cherish my lazy, lazy days.  At long last I had one of those days today, so you can imagine that it took a lot for me to get out of bed and emerge from my cocoon on a blustery winter day.  The motivation: lunch at Phil's Fish Market.  What can I say?  I am easily swayed by food.  My favorite on the menu: Artichoke Provençal.  Once a special taped onto the bottom of the menu, this garlicy, brothy soup includes scallops, shrimp, tomatoes, and (of course) a Castroville artichoke.  I always order this when at Phil's, and whomever I'm with usually does, too.  Here it is, along with the squid platter ordered (ahem) for "research purposes."  And new news to me: Phil's now serves English Ales on tap, locally brewed in Marina.

Andrew Molera State Park and Big Sur Coastline

Hello readers, and sorry for the lapse in posts.   Localite started a new job and went back to school.  To atone, here are some photos from a recent hike in Andrew Molera State Park and the drive home.  Though I grew up in Monterey County, this was my first trip to the home of the oldest structure on the Big Sur coast and Molera Point.  Enjoy!

Molera Point

Molera Point

Looking out from Bixby Bridge

Marine Mammals in the Bay

It's been an exciting summer around the Monterey Bay for those interested in viewing marine life.  In June a once in a decade sighting of over forty blue whales made the local news and brought an influx of business to Fisherman's Wharf and local whale watching businesses.  For a link to whale watching tours, see right.  If you prefer to stay on land, you can view the whales localite-style by parking outside Pt.Lobos State Reserve and hiking in with a pair of binoculars.Then yesterday the Monterey Bay Aquarium announced that a baby sea otter is now being rehabilitated- the second such in the Aquarium's history.  Even a local has to smile as the pup seems to wave from her photo.  Everyone say it with me: "Awwww!"

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Randy Wilder

Beef!

My summer vacation was punctuated today by a long awaited event: The first pick up of my grassfed beef.  Some months ago, I recruited a friend to share a split half of a grassfed steer from nearby San Juan Bautista.  To read more about Morris Grassfed Beef, please click here.

We decided to split a split half, which means that over the course of a year we will each have about 40 pounds of meat.  We chose to get ours CSA-style, which means that instead of picking it all up at once, we will also pick up in September, November and February.

My 10 pounds share of today's pick up is: five one pound packages of ground beef, two rib eyes steaks, one flank steak, one New York steak and one skirt steak.  Also, you can see how little space ten pounds of meat takes up in a standard freezer (bottom shelf).

Bottom shelf center and left: Morris Grassfed Beef, CSA share

More to come on cooking!

First Harvest

Cherries: The Ephemeral Fruit

Highway 152, Gilroy

This weekend is the mid-point of May and with it comes the chilly summer fog and the start of the cherry season.  Traditionally Memorial Day marks the start of summer, but locally these are the hallmarks of the change in season.

I had occasion to drive over to the valley this weekend, and driving back over Pacheco Pass I was greeted by seasonal cherry stands lining the side of the roads in Gilroy.  I can remember roadside cherry stands all the way back to when I was very little due to the fact that the South Bay Area was once a stone fruit and nut going region.  I was understandably nostalgic when I saw the hand painted signs for the cherry stands with names like The Pit Stop, Nature's Gift and The Merry Cherry.

The Merry Cherry got my business because they cater to someone exactly like me.  Retuning from a long, hot drive up the valley, I was pulled in by strategically placed signs.  The first stand started me thinking "Look, a cherry stand," but traveling at 60 miles an hour I didn't have time to slow and pull over.  No matter, for just when I started to regret the missed opportunity, along came another Merry Cherry!  And so the moment of merriment when I pulled over.  I almost felt lucky to have the opportunity to be there.

Bing and Rainier cherries

Bing cherries are the most common and popular cherries, but also in season are rainier cherries, which the seller told me are also called "Queen Anne."  Yellow in color with a pink blush, these cherries are less sweet than bings.  But hurry, the cherry season is short and late rains such as we've had recently have been known to ruin a ripe crop.  It's also important to eat them quickly, for left on the counter cherries mold fog and in the refrigerator they lost their fresh flavor like tomatoes.

Whole Enchilada Marketplace, Moss Landing

Yesterday my carefully planned Saturday fell apart..but no matter.  Suckered in by the loss leader sign for 10 artichokes for a dollar, I discovered the Whole Enchilada Marketplace on Highway 1 in Moss Landing.

I knew from driving by that there was a Surf City Coffee.  Hooray for local rather than national corporate chains.  A wander into the produce stall took me back to childhood memories with the smell of dried fruit.  Inside the Marketplace is a casual, happy place.  Not pretentious or stuffy, the Driftwood Beer and Wine Bar is partitioned off for alcohol consumption.  The "Bar" is decorated with signs from local Northern California professional teams: San Jose Sharks, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco Giants.  There is a big screen t.v., should your team be playing while you're there.  On Fridays and Saturdays, there are wine and beer tastings, and the shelves feature many local Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo County wines at reasonable prices.

In addition to the friendly staff and casual environment, the deli menu has the most charm.  Boasting a good variety of freshly made bread, meat and cheese, someone stopping by for a quick sandwich is sure to be content.  But those open to exploring the specialty sandwiches are in for a great surprise.  I decided to have the "Power Plant," a tri-tip sandwich with chipotle mayonnaise.  The portion was good and the saucy zingy without being too hot.  The other feature was the "Crabby Attitude" made of crab, tartar sauce, avocado, lettuce, tomato and red onion, which I will try on my next visit.  The menu features paninis, hot food and smoothies, too.

If you're in a mood for some casual, local fun and a snack, drink or meal, stop by The Whole Enchilada Marketplace just south of the Power Plant on Highway 1.  Need to get a hold of them first?  Call them at (831)632-BOAT or fax at (831)632-CRAB.