Octaveman

THE ARTS & CRAFTS Maybe I don’t get out much to the craft fairs but it seems like there were more vendors/artists that had really cool stuff this year than in years past. There were quite a bit of them on both sides of the park showcasing jewelry, pottery, photographs, paintings, clothing, cutting boards, wood carvings, metal carvings, weather vanes, glass stuff, etc. Much more than I can remember. All really nice stuff but priced beyond what most people would pay. That’s not to say it’s not worth it. I couldn’t justify spending $40 for a really cool water bowl for my cats for example. There was this one vendor that had some really cool things and if I had a spare $575, I would’ve bought that wall hanging for my dining room. THE ENTERTAINMENT There are three stages that have music going from the time they open until the time they close. This is a great place to sit/hang out and let your food settle a bit. Music ranges from cover bands to blues to folk type stuff to country to jazz to rockabilly to funk…you name it. They also have roaming musicians that play around the park. THE BEVERAGES Soda and water places are all over the park. There are three beer tents that serve Budweiser related products and a wine tent that has about 10 or so local wineries to sample from. There is a commemorative beer cup made of tin if you’d like a souvenir as well as commemorative wineglasses that are usually limited editions with the GF logo and year printed on them. This year’s glass looked more like a champagne flute than a wineglass so I didn’t get one. The wine tent. Sorry I didn't take a lot of pics of this. This is just one side of it. One of the three beer tents GARLIC WORLD and THE GARLIC SHOPPE These two places are great to check out before or after the festival. I always get a couple of boxes of garlic from Garlic World and we picked up a few other things for friends/co-workers and myself if I didn’t get anything at the festival. This was my first visit to The Garlic Shoppe and it had some nice things but were overpriced IMHO. I believe they are associated with Rappazini winery. I think Garlic World is much better though. Also spanning the side roads in Gilroy are all the fruit shacks selling various things. I bought two pounds of Bing cherries that were delicious. Both these places are located on Interstate 101 south of 152 on the east side of the freeway and are about 1 mile apart. The Garlic festival is a great time and I highly recommend going. Friday would be the best day to go since the weekends can get almost too packed with festivalgoers. It’s also best to get there when they open at 10:00 a.m. because for some reason, the crowds don’t get going until late morning early afternoon. The traffic getting to the fest can be backed up the later you go. On our way home to San Diego on Sunday, traffic was backed up to the highway. That’s a long trek to the park from there moving at a snails pace. Cheers, Bob

THE FOOD The object of the festival is to eat as much food as you can without going broke. There is a wide range of foods to eat but it can get a bit costly. I usually get way too stuffed from my usual dishes I never get a chance to try the other yummy vendors all over the place but one of these times, we’ll hit them first and then go for the usual suspects after. The usuals I’m referring to are the peppersteak sandwiches, the sautéed calamari, shrimp scampi, bag of garlic bread, BBQ’d pork on a stick, garlic ice cream, chocolate covered apricots, BBQ’d oysters on the half shell, deep fried artichoke hearts and deep fried mushrooms, etc. As you can see, that doesn’t leave much room in my belly for anything but a couple tablets of Tagamet. Yes, I did say garlic ice cream and it’s delicious. One cone was not enough for my daughter…she had to have two. It’s basically soft serve vanilla ice cream flavored with garlic. The garlic flavor is not overpowering and mild but it does have a slight bite of garlic to it. I would serve it to guests at my house…it’s that good. My daughter and her 2nd ice cream cone The Peppersteak sandwich The sauteed calamari The shrimp scampi Gourmet Alley is sponsored by Con-Agra or by the City of Gilroy (not 100% sure) and is the focal point of the festival. On one end you have the huge bbq pits cooking the roasts for the peppersteak sandwiches and on the other end, they are cooking up the scampi and calamari. The middle is where they make the other items. Gourmet Alley serves up Peppersteak sandwiches, sautéed calamari, shrimp scampi, Penne con Pesto, stuffed mushrooms, stir-fried garlic chicken, garlic sausage sandwiches and two different combo plates with the above. Mmmmmm...beef There's Rosemary branches tied to the stick and they dip it into a bucket of 1/3 lemon juice to 2/3 white wine, oregano, S&P and loads of mince garlic. Fire in the Hole!!!! The calamari being cooked The vendors surrounding the grounds include with some duplications and/or variations deep fried (DF) calamari, DF clams, DF shrooms, DF artichoke hearts, Thai beef/chicken/pork sticks, Spanish garlic shrimp, garlic rosemary chicken sandwich, BBQ pork rib’s and pulled pork sandwiches, garlic fries, escargot, garlic cheese pizza, blackened catfish, corn on the cob with garlic butter, garlic veggie wraps, garlic kettle corn, fruit smoothies, Cajun foods (alligator, crawfish, etc.), bbq’d turkey legs, chocolate dipped fruits……..just to name a few. Yummy apricots A few vendors like this one serve samples of their mustards, relishes, salsas, etc. More to come.......

So the Gilroy Garlic Festival was last weekend and in case you couldn’t go or have never been, here are a few words and a few pics showcasing some things from the festival. GENERAL “The Fest” has been around since 1979 and is used solely as a non-profit event. The event occurs on the last complete weekend in July. If August 1st falls on a Sunday, the festival will be held the weekend prior and runs Friday through Sunday. It is held at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy that is very big and surrounded by trees. The park grounds are separated in two by Gourmet Alley with the food and merchandise vendors on both sides. There is a stage where the cooking demonstrations are held and where the garlic cook-offs happen. They had something new this year. There was a small stage set up that explained how to make the various dishes from Gourmet Alley. I didn’t notice it until late in the afternoon so I missed what I wanted to see but there’s always next year. View of Gourmet Alley and surrounding Cook-Off Stage Parking is in huge lots surrounding the park and there are air-conditioned coaches to take you to the front gates. Not like the old days where you had to hoof it. Some may have heard rumors or stories about how bad the parking situation was with all the dust and long walks but the organizers have taken great strides the last 10+ years to make it more comfortable and easy for all young and old. There are water trucks circling the parking lots at all times watering them down to control the dust. The park itself is very lush with greenery and grass that makes it very enjoyable to walk around on. It can get hot in Gilroy. This year was not as hot as previous years but if or when you go, dress accordingly. I personally have been going since 1981 or 1982 (can’t remember) and only missed a handful of festivals since moving down to San Diego in 1985. This year we brought our kids (6 mo. old boy and 2.5 yr. old girl) to the festival because the babysitter (Grandma) fell ill and was not able to watch them. No problem though because the boy just stayed in his car seat and the girl had a blast running around and eating almost as much garlic-laden food as my wife and I. They have a kids play area that my wife took my daughter to blow off some energy while I strolled around taking some pictures. More to come....

You're right, Shalmanese. The 70/30 on your picture basically illustrates that concept...a combined angle of 30* with 21* on one side and 9* on the other. At least thats my understanding of it. Keep in mind that almost all Euro knives have a combined angle of about 40* or 20/20 because of the softer metal. A 30* combined would be hard to keep the edge from failing.

I'd recommend the Hiromoto AS 210 gyuto. It is a blue super carbon steel core surrounded by stainless steel. It is one of my favorites in my block because the steel is awesome...takes a great edge. http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/TenmiJyurakuSeries.html Also consider the Misono UX10. Very nice knife. http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/UX10Series.html Also consider the Ryusen Blazen. Great powdered steel blade and very comfortable handle. http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/RYUSEN.html I would honestly take any of the above three over what you listed. Agreed, the Deba is not an everyday knife.

Time between sharpenings depend on usage with either soft Euro knives or hard Japanese knives. It only makes sense that the harder the blade, the longer it will stay sharp thus longer times between sharpenings. Since they are harder, they can be ground thinner and are lighter, more nimble as a result. Only traditional Japanese knives are single beveled (right or left handed). Most if not all western style Japanese knives are double beveled with a 70/30 or 80/20 bevel ratio rather than 50/50 with Euro knives. I should note that there are western style Japanese knives that are 50/50 out there as well. This is an attempt to simulate the more precise single bevel cutting action while still keeping it double beveled. Even with one-side favored grinds, it has little to no affect on left handed users. Many lefty's I know say there's very little to almost unnoticable difference in cutting action. Why? Because the edge is so thin to begin with that a fraction of a millimeter difference in bevel angles from side to side is not enough to make a difference. Even if it is noticed, it only takes a few uses to get used to it. Once you see what it's like to cut a carrot and not even feel any resistance, then you won't care any more...believe me. I just got a knife that felt like I was cutting air when it met mr. carrot for the first time.

I'm with Rachel on this one. Upon seeing the pudding (proof, is in the) pics, I bought it and still going strong. I even got another one for a pepper mix to complement the black pepper only mill. Four months and still going strong.

Ray Ray has a line of knives by Furi that I hear are the bomb.

From what I've heard from many is that the shears made by (and I can't beleive I'm typing the name) Cutco are the ONLY good thing to come out of that company. Don't know what differentiates them from other brands but many have said they are great shears.

You are within walking distance of the Gaslamp with too many restaurants to choose from. On 4th and 5th avenues south of Broadway. 5th ave has more selection. Just go walk around and see what sounds good.

Agreed, I almost didn't recognize it the first time I went. The time you go definately makes a difference. I went there on a Friday around 5:30 and the wait was only 25 minutes. I've eatin at Por Favor once and also agree, it wasn't bad. It served it's purpose which was to stuff my belly. There is or used to be a small place called Mario's De La Mesa on the corner of Grant and La Mesa Blvd that looks like a normal house with a sign out front. It's a little further east of the downtown shops past Allison. I remember it being pretty good the last time I ate there a couple of years ago. Anyone else been there?

Kalypso, thanks for enlightening me on the sushi ota/otta confusion. I wll have to try that place soon then. And yes, mmm-yoso, it's sushi itto that sucks big rat b****. Appreciate the correction. It's really too bad about old town or rather bazaar del mundo. I enjoyed spending nary a nice warm summer night eating dinner there and leasurely perusing the shops. My mom also loved to go there when she was in town. She always tried to make sure she got to go. I'm really bummed about how it changed. Thanks for the info on what's happening with it. I hope the company loses their butt's on the deal and end up selling it to someone who cares about something other than making money.

I guess Sushi Ota is an acquired taste. I hate the place. Ate there once at the one in Hillcrest and the fish quality was aweful. I couldn't find anything I really enjoyed eating. Cream cheese does not belong in sushi. I was hard pressed to find anything where the flavors didn't mask the flavor of the fish. I even had the Mexican version of the sushi menu which was supposedly better. I was going to give it a 2nd chance at the place downtown but after looking at the menu, my wife and I left and ate somewhere else. I know many people like it but I guess I prefer quality to imagination. Regarding Casa de Pico, now I'm unsure about the Old Town location. The Bazaar del Mundo webiste still lists it as a restaurant but the interenet brings up comments to the contrary. From the net... Here is another quote from the net... I haven't been down there so I have no clue what's really going on but it's a safe bet that Casa de Pico is not there.

Casa de Pico is now in Grossmont Center next to BJ's.

Osaki Brand. I've seen them in stores for the same price. They go quick so when I see them I usually get 4-5 packs at a time. I use these exclusively.

http://catalinaop.com/sushi.htm www.sushifoods.com Both places are good. Catalina Offshore Products is more fresh while Sushifoods tends to have more frozen stuff but doesn't lack in quality. They do have a LOT more variety since Cat OP is limited in selection to what's in season. For example, you can get 5 different sizes of soft shell crab at Sushifoods.com. These are the only two places I've purchased sushi from when I can't find what I want from the stores. Cheers, Bob

Check out www.peppermills.com Supposedly, it can grind spices with the best of them.

I like the smell of onion and garlic on my hands AND my board.

Cool!!! Thanks.

Put them in a tall vase? With water? Do I trim the top? If so, how far down? What's loamy soil?

All these posts are from people who love to garden and take pride in the fruit it bears. There's also the freshness factor in growing something yourself and cooking with it. But there's another factor that I don't see being touched upon and that is growing something out of a financial necessity. Kaffir lime leaves cost $30/lb at stores and $75/lb on-line. Then there's also lemongrass. Grocery stores are charging almost $1 per stalk and online retailers are asking about $1.50 per stalk. I've never been good at keeping things alive other than my cats and my family but I'm working toward turning over a new leaf so to speak and bought a kaffir lime tree to love and nurture. And I'm also considering planting a few stalks of lemongrass too. Anyone know the process for that? Can a pot be used? My mother who is an avid gardener brought me about 6 pots of various herbs to keep going and use on a regular basis. So I'm giving this gardening thing another shot. Cheers, Bob

many people force the patina with ferric acid and water (1:4) sold at radio shack under the name of "etching solution" but I didn't like the results. It made the sides satiny in feel and food stuck to it really bad. Another way is to force with vinager and water (1:1) to a small degree. The knife will patina a lot slower so you can regulate the results a lot easier than with the F.A. Personally, I like the look of a natural patina and it doesn't take much to form it and get the protective thing going. Forming the patina is a lot like seasoning a cast iron pan or carbon steel wok. It takes a little time to form but once it does, it works like a charm. Use it on onions and lemons to get it moving in the right direction. A pattern will eventually develope that makes the knife look cool. Here's my Hiromoto HC. Check out the cool looking patina swirls I got going. Don't ask me how I did it because I have no clue. The HC is the knife on the far right of the three. it didn't take long for that to happen. Cut some stuff (onions/lemons) up without rinsing it down for a minute or two, then rinse. Repeat. BTW, the knife on the left of the three is the Hiromoto AS. Stainless sides with a super blue core. Only the core will patina (see dark edge) and it forms very fast. Extremely good knife too that I highly recommend. Great choices of knives, Ojisan. Koki and JCK.com is the greatest place to get knives. They'll even try to get knives that aren't on their site. The Hiromot HC wasn't normally sold by them until a few months ago when they added it due to huge interest asking them for it once word got out the knife rocks. Great customer service and prices to boot. $7 to ship anywhere in the world is huge too. I can place an order on Monday and have it Thursday...from Japan! Hope this helps.

The patina on a knife is not what the issue is with working with carbon. Some food will discolor when a carbon knife is used and nobody wants to look at discolored food on their plate. Artichokes, avocado's, onions are a few examples. The patina is a natural reaction to the food that it touches and once it gets formed it will reduce and eventually eliminate that food discoloration. I'm not 100% sure about health inspectors having problems with carbon knives being used. I've read it will depend on the inspector or the district they're in. I know many chefs that use carbon knives at work with no problems so I can only assume it's acceptable.

Phil, honestly either one would work well. Since patina is no problem for you, I would wholeheartedly recommend the HC because 1) the steel on that knife is really good; 2) the fit & finish is remarkedly better than the DP and 3) the scales of the handle are more rounded making it more comfortable to hold. Carbon steel will outperform stainless anyday and HC's carbon is pure Japanese carbon and it will also hold a great edge. When I sharpen my HC, I get a screaming edge that makes it fun to sharpen...and use! The fit and finish is loads better in that there are smooth transitions between the scales and the tang, no gaps and surprisingly good finish in this price range. I can't remember exactly what the original bevels on the HC were but they were definately assymentrical...maybe 70/30 or 80/20. You can easily change that to your liking with a little work on your EdgePro. I personally don't mind assymetrical so I've kept them as is. I use whetstones so I'm not sure where the bevels are now but they are a tad bit thinner than factory and it's still holding up well. The DP is a good knife but the HC is a better knife and I recommend it without reservation. Cheers, Bob

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