Oysters and Everything is Good With the World

^^This picture represents all that is good with the world.^^

After San Francisco, I switched gears completely and came up to Sonoma county to visit my friend Liz. She lives in Healdsburg and works in the wine industry. She has a beautiful little house pretty much right in town, so everything is super convenient to walk to. I spent some time walking around the first day- since it was a Friday, Liz was still at work. There's some beautiful restaurants and shops, though most of them seem to cater to a higher-rolling clientele. Once Liz finished work, we went out to BobCat ranch, where her parents are retiring to. They have their own wine label, and gave me a couple bottles, which was really nice. BobCat ranch is a place that is meant for peace and serenity. Alongside the vineyard, there is a beautiful lake, complete with bullfrogs. I can picture it being an idyllic place for kids to go to, once grandchildren are in the picture. 

Saturday is up there as one of the top-ten best days of my life. After Sean (Liz's bf) came back from his run, the three of us packed up the car with picnic supplies and headed out to Tomales bay, an incredible place where you can buy oysters by the 50 and either shuck them raw or grill them on the grills provided by the picnic site. I was in heaven. First of all, I love oysters. Second of all, I love being part of a convivial, festive atmosphere. There is nothing wrong with an environment in which you can cook and eat as many oysters as you want, while drinking wine and beer, talking to good friends and looking out over a beautiful bay. I had made a mignonette sauce for the raw oysters, as well as a lemon-garlic-butter sauce for the cooked ones, and we had some Mexican-style corn with cotija cheese...it was the best, if I lived out here I would do that probably at least once a month, since it's about 50 minutes from San Francisco. Liz tried to convince me to move to Healdsburg and get a job in the wine industry, but it's too much of a small town. 

Yesterday, I was on my own because Liz went to work, so I went to a couple of wineries in the area, tasted some wine, bought a couple. It was really fun, but the kind of thing that I'd rather do with at least one other person and/or someone to drive us around. After that, this Healdsburg housewife came home and made dinner for Liz and Sean- sweet pea, mushroom and leek lasagna, which was pretty great if I do say so myself. 

Today, I'm off to Thomas Keller-land, aka Yountville. It's the promised land, and I can't wait to eat at at least one of his restaurants- the French Laundry is a no-go probably (I had a chance for a res on Friday, but I'll already be on my way home by then), but Bouchon and ad hoc are still there...! Time to hit the road again......