Lobster for the Price of Turkey

Three years ago, Jim and I started a new Thanksgiving tradition: Lobster for the Price of Turkey.

Actually, it was Yankee Pier, a New England-style seafood restaurant in Lafayette, California, that started it for us.



For many a year, I've been cooking our Thanksgiving dinner. We like to stay close to home and just celebrate by ourselves, with, of course, Poodle Louie.

But three years ago, we were a bit undecided on what we would do on Thanksgiving. And, when I got the email from Yankee Pier offering Lobster for the Price of Turkey, it was decided...the deal was/is that the restaurant serves a three-course meal on Thanksgiving, with limited choices for each course. Whether you choose Turkey or Maine Lobster or one of the other main courses, the price is the same. This year, the price was $45 per person.


As a former New Englander, I consider any meal that involves Lobster to be a perfect meal.  I imagine the Pilgrims ate a lot of lobster while they were camping in Plymouth...lobster is part of my heritage!!!

And, this year, Yankee Pier's menu was expanded to offer more choices. The main course choices included, in addition to Turkey and Lobster, Steak, Pan-Roasted Petrale Sole, and Scallops.

For First Courses, we chose Fried Calamari and the Yankee Salad, a salad of lettuce, walnuts, apples, and blue cheese. We shared both First Courses.



I, of course had the Lobster, which was wonderful...and fun to play with too...somehow, my lobster seemed to have lost one of his eyes in the process of arriving on my plate, but that did not stop me from menacing Jim with his head from across the table.

Jim had the Sole and was happy with his choice, too.



We both ordered the Cranberry Apple Crisp with Ice Cream for dessert.

I only ate my ice cream at dinner and took the Crisp home for another day...one serving would have been enough for both of us,



but Jim managed to eat his entire serving on his own.

I'm thankful for a beautiful day, good friends, family, and a lovely Thanksgiving Day. Hope you've had a good one too.

TEA FOR TWO IN LAFAYETTE

Melia and I like to meet from time to time for a cup of tea and an hour to two of conversation.



We meet everywhere from Whole Foods, to Peet's, to one of our homes. We like to try new places.

And now that Tea Culture has been published, I feel I have an obligation to try more and more tea places because people are asking me for recommendations and advice on where to have tea and what kinds of tea to drink.

I had recently read about The French Bakery in Lafayette. It is located in the building that housed Lisa's Tea Treasures, another tea room, several years ago. What intrigued me about The French Bakery is that it sells baked goods as well as serving lunch and afternoon tea. Another intriguing feature is that included in its tea selection are several teas from Mariage Frères, the French tea company whose teas I adore and whose teas are not sold very extensively in the United States, at least not in places near me.

I must preface my description of our visit to The French Bakery by saying that I don't go out for a full afternoon tea service very often, mainly because, the offerings are more than I generally want to eat if I am having dinner that evening. And, at least at local tea houses, the full tea service frequently includes more sweets than I prefer.

So, in anticipation of Melia and my tea visit, I called ahead to The French Bakery to ask if we could simply order a cup of tea with maybe a pastry or two. The person on the phone told us we could do that but then confused me by saying that it was advisable to make a reservation for one of their seatings. I did not reserve, but told Melia that if this did not work out, we could go to one of the nearby cafés where we knew we could order a cup of tea.

When we arrived at The French Bakery on a Friday afternoon at 2 p.m., there was nary a customer in the place. In fact, while we looked at the pastries and some of the tea items on diplay, there wasn't even an employee there to talk to us.

After a few minutes, someone came out to greet us and offered to seat us. This being a warm day, we asked to sit outdoors on the patio rather than at one of the formally-set tables in the several small rooms indoors. We also told her we were just going to order tea and a pastry.

She was agreeable and said it would be just a minute while she set a table for us. Well, rather than the bare lawn furniture that we expected, she covered the outdoor table with a table cloth and set the table with cloth napkins, silverware, and china cups. Still wondering exactly what we had gotten ourselves into, we ordered a pot of Mariage Frères Red Marco Polo tea and a scone for me and a little berry cake for Melia.



Everything was lovely. Our server offered to warm my scone and, for a few dollars extra, serve it with clotted cream, strawberry jam, and lemon curd, each of which was served in a small ramekin.




We lingered over our tea for nearly two hours...a lovely way to relax and visit.

While we were the only customers for tea, we did notice a steady stream of people coming to buy baked goods from the bakery. Owner Lynn Appleton previously operated Pâtisserie Lafayette. At The French Bakery, she has combined her pastry shop with a tea room.

The Bakery serves lunch and afternoon tea/desserts. At the bakery counter there are a few informal tables for those who just stop in for a quick pastry and tea or even coffee. It is open every day but Monday from 11 a.m. (10 a.m. on Saturdays) until 5 p.m.

SOUTHERN MEX IN LAFAYETTE

I get my hair cut next door to El Jarro, a Mexican café in Lafayette, CA. (3563 Mt. Diablo Blvd; 925-283-6639).

In the few years that El Jarro has been open, I often consider timing my hair appointments around lunch here. It was not until today that I finally tried El Jarro.

My stylist recommended the Tilapia Vera Cruz, the manicurists love the Mexican Torta Sandwiches. I was advised to not order burritos, enchiladas or tacos because the specialities of El Jarro are the authentic dishes of Southerm Mexico.

The woman who was having her hair cut after me, arrived for her appointment with Sopas from El Jarro...they looked deliciuos and this is what I ordered...what is offered on the menu gives a choice of Chorizo or Chicken as the main filling. I've been told you can ask for custom creations; the woman at the hair salon had Carnitas on her Sopas.

I decided to order off the menu, choosing the Chorizo. My serving consisted of two fried tortilla shells, each about the size of an English Muffin, filled with Chorizo, shredded lettuce, and Mexican cheese. On the side was sour cream and spicy red sauce. At $7.50 the serving, this was more than enough for one hungry person.

The one thing that I would have liked with my lunch was some Agua Fresca, the Mexican fresh fruit drink. El Jarro does not offer such. Instead I had a glass of orange juice, which was a refreshing balance to my spicy dish, but watermelon or strawberry Agua Fresca would have really hit the spot.

The one Mexican non-alcoholic beverage that they serve is Horchata, a drink made with almonds, rice milk, cinnamon, sugar and lime. Next time that's what I will order.

And, there will be a next time. Looking around the small dining room, I observed that the Tortilla soup was very popular. Also at many tables were the Tortas, sandwiches in thick soft Mexican buns, filled with meat, avocado, cheese and more. A customer near me ordered a single taco with Spicy Chicken.

I will be back in 6 weeks, if not sooner...6 weeks is my next hair appointment.

Oh, El Jarro has an enclosed back patio and a few outdoor seats in front on the side walk. It has private free off street parking in the back too.

CHOW...PERFECT FOR A CASUAL MEAL ANYTIME

One evening while Sister V was visiting, I didn't feel like cooking dinner at home but also did not have a lot of time to go out to a restaurant. Since I was hosting a big party at home, and had already set up for it, getting takeout was not the best of options.

With very little debate, we decided to head to Chow. The Lafayette, California Chow is the closest one to my home. There are two in San Francisco and a new one which is about to open, or may already have, in Danville.

The ambiance is casual, the food fresh, organic, sustainable, and pretty darn good...no matter what you order.



At each table, there is a Hershey Syrup can in which there is flatware, napkins, and chopsticks...you pretty much set your own table.

The Lafayette Chow also has a small produce, meat, and wine market. One can order anything from the menu to take home and many ready to eat meals are available as well.

Chow does not accept reservations, but, if you call as you are about to leave for the restaurant, they will put your name on a waiting list. While the dning room is always busy, I have never had to wait very long to be seated. The Lafayette restaurant also has heated outdoor seating and dogs are welcome to sit with their people on the patio. In fact, your server will bring a bowl of water for your dog.

A lot of Chow's menu is best described as "comfort food" from various cultures. Some of my favorites include the Thai Chicken Salad, the Cobb Salad,Rose's Spaghettin and Meatballs, Smiling Noodles, Lasagne, Baked Eggplant Parmesan, and



Pot-Roasted Beef Short Ribs.



Each day, two or three fresh wild seafood dishes are featured.

And, there is a different Daily Sandwich every day. The Daily Sandwich is a complete meal on one plate...the sandwich is accompanied by your choice of Green Salad, Fries, or Soup. I often make a special visit to Chow on Tuesday for the Daily Sandwich...currently on Monday it is Fish Tacos, onThursday Steak with sweet peppers, onions, gruyere cheese, and arugula; and on Friday, it's Wild Petrale Sole garnished with a spicy avo-mango salsa and chipotle-lime crema. The Sunday Sandwich is Rose's Meatballs with Provolone cheese. I recently discovered that Chow will serve the Meatball sandwich any day of the week, it your request it.

Which brings to mind that the kitchen at Chow is willing to accommodate many special requests. Sometimes, when I stop by for breakfast, I don't want a big omelet or scramble, but only one fried egg, a cup of fresh fruit, and a pastry... they are always able to serve me what I request. Even on the evening that we came here with Sister V, J had Chocolate Cream Pie for dessert



and V had a Lemon Bar.



I kept it light with a cup of fresh fruit.



Chow is open every day of the week, serving lunch and dinner daily, breakfast on weekdays, and brunch on weekends. The same menu is featured for lunch and dinner. Prices are extremely reasonable, particularly for the quality or food served. The Daily Sandwiches are about $10, meal-sized sandwiches are about $13 for the largest size (salads come in small, medium, and large servings), and Pasta and Fish/Meat dishes are in the $13 to $18 range.

It is popular with diners of all ages, from babies to seniors...just as popular for family gatherings as it is for solo dining.