Father's Day Breakfast Vacation

Living in San Francisco for that brief time (not quite two years) opened my eyes to eating and cooking food in a totally different way from anything I had experienced before. Maybe it wasn't just the west coast difference, though to be sure, the farmers market situation out there is year round and abundant. Maybe it had more to do with the city vs. suburb living that I grew up in and currently inhabit. I know plenty of people out here that are just as into food as I am - it's one of the reasons I love living here. And slowly, slowly, small, locally owned restaurants are replacing the chains you see up and down the strip mall highways. It's progress, and I like it.

But still, in the five years we've been back, I have yet to come close to the experience Nick and I had eating a plate of chiliquilles while sitting on a curb on a cold crisp San Francisco Saturday morning at the farmers market at the Ferry building. We stood in a long line to get our food. We didn't even know what it was we were ordering at first, but we knew if the line was that long it must be good. And it really was. A bed of crispy, salty tortilla chips coated in a smokey red sauce piled high with light, fluffy, buttery scrambled eggs and topped off with a dollop of cool sour cream, shredded cheese, and more salsa.

So on Father's Day this year, it wasn't French toast or pancakes, it was Chiliquilles, San Francisco style, that he requested. A mini vacation on a plate. So good, you will be searching for a flight out west after just a few bites. And if you do find yourself in San Francisco on a Saturday morning, search out the food stall frying up a huge batch of tortilla chips out behind the Ferry building. But get there early, they always sell out.

Conquering Mussels on the Grill

Curried Mussels and Shrimp, Corn & a Cold Beer

I used to be afraid of cooking mussels - or shellfish of any kind, really. It seems like such a thin line between a delicious dinner and spending the night violently ill, and I always felt it was better left to the experts to figure out how to stay on the good side of that line. But then we were out to dinner last summer and my youngest son decided he wanted to try one of my mussels - and he liked it!

Since their usual dinner fare is along the lines of macaroni and cheese or chicken tenders, I was ridiculously excited and decided it was finally time to tackle those mussels myself.

Here's a few tricks I've learned for buying and preparing easy, delicious, and most importantly - safe - mussels:

1. To make sure the mussels are fresh, the shells should be completely closed. Discard any broken or opened ones.
2. Transport them and store them in an open container, if possible, so they can breathe. Keep them in the refrigerator on a bed of ice until ready to use - and cook them the same day you buy them.
3. Soak mussels in a bowl filled with cold tap water for 20 minutes before cooking. This will help them release any sand or grit.
4. After soaking the mussels, scrub them with a vegetable brush to remove anything that may remain on the shell. Pull stringy "beard" off of any that may have it.
5. Count on about 1 lb. of mussels per person for a main course. 

So now that your mussels are ready to cook, how will you prepare them? There are countless delicious recipes out there, but here's one I really like. It's based on a recipe from Donna S. on Allrecipes.com for Grilled Mussels with Curry Butter and I added shrimp to mix things up a bit. And before you ask, no, the kids won't eat curried mussels, so I made theirs with just butter, lemon and parsley. Each serving was cooked in it's own individual foil packet, so it was super simple. I hope you enjoy!

Curried Mussels and Shrimp on the Grill
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 lb. mussels, scrubbed
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bell pepper, diced (I used yellow)
1 tomato, diced (I used roma)
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. curry powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. Preheat grill to medium high. Set out all ingredients listed above to make it easy to prepare each foil packet.
2. Make curry butter by mixing butter, curry powder, garlic, cumin and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
3. Get 4 large rectangles of foil and lay them out on the counter.
4. Divide mussels and shrimp evenly in center of each foil rectangle.
5. Top seafood with peppers, tomato and parsley. Add a few dots of curry butter to top of each packet.
6. Seal each foil packet by pulling two sides together and folding along top. Then scrunch (technical term) the sides to create a seal. It doesn't have to be pretty :).
7. Place foil packets on preheated grill and cook for 5-10 minutes until shrimp are pink and mussels have opened.
8. To serve, open foil packets carefully, preserving liquid in bottom which will be a combination of the melted butter, herbs, and juices. Pour each packet into it's own wide, shallow bowl and top with sliced lemon or lime and more fresh parsley.

The great thing about a recipe like this is how versatile it is. If you don't like the flavor of curry, pick another you do. Switch out peppers for zucchini. Throw in more tomatoes or onions. Mussels are relatively inexpensive (I've paid $3/pound at Whole Foods) and if you follow the simple rules above, they make a quick and delicious meal too!

Cocoa Vienna HAS Opened on Church Street!

UPDATE 5/29/13: Cocoa Vienna HAS Opened on Church Street! For many in Vienna, this weekend was all about ViVa Vienna, but for the owners of Cocoa Vienna, it was opening day! After months of waiting, watching, planning, and dreaming, the much-anticipated chocolate shop has finally opened.

We stopped by on Saturday with the kids to check things out and were instantly greeted by the smiling owners, Stacey and Sam, and offered a taste of chocolate from one of the two huge drums of melted chocolate (milk and dark) that grace the front of the shop. Walk a little further down the aisle and you'll see dozens of precious little treats displayed in flavors such as raspberry, mocha, amaretto and champagne truffle, salted caramel, and dark chocolate ganache, their signature chocolate that owner Stacey Meruvia swears is the best. I defy you to walk out without tasting at least one (or twenty).

In addition to the individual chocolates behind the counter, Cocoa Vienna claims to be able to do 1,000 different molded chocolates, and many of them are on display, with more to come. Now you can see a life-size soccer ball made entirely of white chocolate, a bride and groom wedding cake topper, and plenty of seasonal items (think flip-flops, beach balls, Dad's Day). It seems if you can imagine it, it can be made out of chocolate. What's not to like about that?

ORIGINAL POST from 10/2013: Ever since Vienna's beloved toy store, "Once Upon a Time", shut it's doors, there has been much speculation about what would fill it's place on historic Church Street. After watching the building go through a much-needed face lift over the summer, it seems that our wait is almost over. Today a new (and adorable) sign made it's appearance - Cocoa Vienna Chocolates.

For a town of dozens of chain stores, chain restaurants, and chain coffee shops, we do love to support locally owned businesses, and I'm sure this one will be no exception. Their location across from Caffe Amouri and next to Diamond Spa gets tons of foot and car traffic, the building is gorgeous with a covered front porch and wood detailing, and best of all - they are selling chocolate!

The shop is owned by Stacey Meruvia and Sam Aboulhosn and is set to open in December, according to the few details I discovered online - just in time for the holidays. So hit the gym now, fellow Vienna-ites, and get ready for this tasty temptation!