MsMelkor

So after a longer-than-anticipated hiatus, Rancho Gordo and I, accompanied by Melkor, sampled the burritos at the Taco Michoacan (I think that's the name of it...) truck in Napa. It's right in front of Wal-Mart on Soscol. My cabeza burrito had a good meat/rice ratio, and unlike Tacos La Playita, these were evenly distributed throughout the burrito. The meat itself was moist, and was in large chunks, rather than the usual shreds. RG liked the juicy pork in his al pastor burrito, and Melkor enjoyed his carne asada (although he found the beef to be a bit dry). Portions were large - plenty of food for $4. This truck did not have any horchata. We did not bring a camera, but the next time I drive by I'll take a picture of the truck and post it. We'll try to hit another truck next week, probably also in Napa. There are a LOT to choose from!

Have you seen the Alinea font?

I have such fond memories of Gianelli turkey sausage - the Davises are family friends, so we would visit their booth every year. It just wouldn't be the fair unless you "put some Gianelli in your belly"!

It's true...Stone makes a mean BBQ, even if he does keep pork butts warm in his couch

How about RNM in the Lower Haight? I haven't been there but I hear it's pretty good.

Is the produce place in Green Valley you're talking about Castaneda Brothers? I bike past it fairly regularly, but haven't yet stopped to investigate.

No - overnight it to me instead!

Cortez is good, although the food portions are very, very small.

Beg to differ... After last year's earthquake, having grown up SoCal, I always assumed it was RowBLAYS and queried Robin Garr's Wine Lovers Discussion Group to confirm my suspicion. I was just there, and everyone there called it Rowbulls. I know that is not the correct Spanish pronunciation, but that's what they say. If you search online you'll see conflicting opinions on this. Here's one that supports Rowbulls.

It's Rowbulls, although the locals just call it "Paso"....

On the plus side... - It was fun - It was very different from the sushi places I've been to before - It was super cheap - if you've seen the 707 Taco Truck thread you know I like to find good cheap food. I think it's more of a challenge than finding good food at say, the French Laundry (where the real challenge is getting the reservation and then paying for dinner!) - The staff was very nice - since Carolyn and her better half go there frequently, they gave us a couple of complimentary dishes On the minus side... - While I do enjoy cheap eats, there are some things that are just expensive to make, as Melkor points out above. Sushi-grade fish and skilled sushi chefs are expensive. Cabeza burritos are not. So I think I'll choose to splurge on sushi and find low-priced chow elsewhere. But hey, it was an adventure. And I'm always up for something new.

I believe this legal protection for Champagne was established under the Madrid Agreement (1891) and confirmed at the Treaty of Versailles (1919). Since the US never signed the Treaty of Versailles, we don't abide by this rule. However, members of the EU (among others) do.

I'd suggest either Bistro Jeanty (traditional French bistro) or Pere Jeanty (Mediterranean) over Bouchon. I don't know why exactly, but Bouchon just doesn't do it for me.

I would recommend Fleur de Lys only if you are old enough to remember WWII.

I agree with RG about the dry meat. Unfortunately my burrito didn't have any hot sauce on it, resulting in a mighty dry burrito. There was a lot of it, though, so you do get a lot for your $5. The beans and rice were only on one side of the burrito - this meant that many bites consisted only of meat or only of beans and rice. A more even distribution would have improved matters greatly. I did like the sauteed (grilled? broiled? roasted?) green onions on the side. Overall, I thought it was decent, but prefer Dos Hermanos in Vallejo. We'll see what the next one brings. Tana - why not start a companion thread to this one on 831 taco trucks? Then we can overrun the California board with Bay Area topics!

Of course - a different set of gloves for each set of wine glasses. Personally I prefer the snug fit of the Champagne gloves, but others might prefer the roomy yet tapered Burgundy gloves

Yes, but you get fingerprints all over the bowl, whereas with a traditional wine glass if you hold it by the stem or foot you don't. Also, depending on how you hold the O glass (Riedel's name for their stemless line), you may warm up the wine with the heat of your hand.

We buy organic milk at Trader Joe's. It's a bit more, but I'd just as soon spend the extra dollar or two a week to know that the milk I drink is not full of hormones/chemicals/etc. Does anyone buy their milk from a local dairy farmer or small cooperative directly?

Close. It's 18th/Guerrero, and I second the recommendation. I really enjoyed Tartine when I was there a couple of weeks ago, although their croissants were a little on the burnt side. Seems like a common problem in this area.

Melkor and I spent a little time in Paso last weekend. Definitely visit Turley - you don't need an appointment. Also Dover Canyon is owned by an eGulleter (DoverCanyon) and is just a few miles away from Turley. Linne Calodo was recommended to us as a small but excellent winery, but we didn't have time to visit. Other wineries in the area: EOS, Hunt, Justin, J. Lohr, Martin & Weyrich, Peachy Canyon, Robert Hall, Treana. Bonny Doon is also there - depending on what you think of BD you may or may not want to visit it. You can get the full list at www.pasowine.com. They have a very useful map so you can plan your visit. Note that many of the smaller wineries are only open Thursday or Friday through Sunday, although you can often make an appointment to visit on other days.

Most commercially made pasta is made with a Teflon die - this makes the pasta really smooth so sauces don't stick as well to them. Some specialty producers will use a traditional bronze die that creates a rougher texture, which helps the pasta hold the sauce.

Blackened with Cajun spices and dipped in a mustard remoulade sauce.

That's how Melkor and I eat most of the corn we grow...it doesn't even make it inside!

Cole's and Harris Ranch are about 300 miles apart. (Harris is in Bakersfield in Central/Southern CA and Cole's is in Napa, which is in Central/Northern CA - neither are in northeastern CA.) Personally I prefer Cole's. I thought Harris was totally overrated.

I haven't been to Wappo, Glen Ellen Inn, Pilar's, or Sonoma Saveur, so I can't comment on those. La Toque is good but very expensive, so that definitely belongs in the "break the bank" group. The rest of the places on your list are all wonderful. You might want to consider Zuzu in Napa - it's open late and has some good dishes if you choose carefully. I haven't eaten much in Sonoma aside from a nice dinner at the Girl and the Fig on the plaza in Sonoma. In Healdsburg is the Dry Creek Kitchen, where I've had excellent food and so-so food (also belongs in the "break the bank" group). I've been meaning to try Bistro Ralph, also in Healdsburg. By April, Rancho Gordo and I will be able to recommend some taco trucks in the area as well.