05 Oct 2012 6 Comments
in Food, Humor, On the Road Tags: Bodeguito del Medio, camarones, Casa Tres Coronitas, cooking, food, huevos ranchers, margaritas, Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, tequila
The first thing you must let go of at the Casa Tres Coronitas is your need for walls. Because there are few of them, and when Euphracio appears in the morning, many of those fold away into the vistas of the Bay of Banderas.
Sunset on the Bay of Banderas
Because we are in the jungle, the collapsing away of walls means you become integrated with the surrounding nature. More
02 Oct 2012 14 Comments
in On the Road Tags: Casa Tres Coronitas, cooking, food, huevos rancheros, humor, Jalisco, Mexican food, Mexico, Puerto Vallarta
It was two or so years ago, at the preschool silent auction. I may have had a drink or two, I can’t recall. Browsing the yoga classes, crappy wine baskets and tickets to Legoland, I discovered seven nights in a house in Puerto Vallarta. The opening bid was $1,000. The value was $10,000. Nobody had bid, so I figured I’d go ahead and get things rolling. Puerto Vallarta was my favorite town in Mexico, and if I won, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.
I won.
Vista bonita — Casa Tres Coronitas
Fast forward a year. We hadn’t yet claimed our winnings. And once again, there was the week in Puerto Vallarta at the preschool auction. Our friends Nat and Shirley had bid the opening $1,000. Wouldn’t it be nice to have two weeks, I said to my wife. So I bid $1,100. “Stop overbidding us!” Shirley insisted. I agreed, on the condition that we combine our time — after all, the literature said 5,000-feet, two master suites, ample room for children — and go either two consecutive years, or for two weeks. They agreed. More
28 Sep 2012 5 Comments
in Humor, Observations, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories) Tags: bacon, clarified butter, food, ghee, humor, license plates, tofu, turkey bacon, yoga
A friend of mine at a design firm where I do contract work a couple days a week makes herself some turkey bacon every morning. You can smell it when you walk into the break room.
I began referring to it as “fakecon” (as in fake bacon), which she objected to. “It’s not fake, it’s turkey.”
Mmmmm.
As far as my knowledge goes, turkeys do not have a bacon cut. (If they did, Thanksgiving might’ve been a more memorable meal.) More
25 Sep 2012 7 Comments
in Food, Humor, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories) Tags: Barley Forge Brewing, beer, brewery, Culver City, Ernie Demontreux, Greg Nylen, hops, pale ale, Topanga
Sunday morning, as my wife gathered up the children to go to church, I went to a different sort of place of worship, to a service more in keeping with my vision of the divine… I went to make beer.
Cascade hops on the vine outside
It all began last spring, at the fundraiser silent auction for the school my children attend. As I was walking around bidding on various items, I discovered the beer-making session offered by my friend — litigator, Cubmaster, Irish fiddle player, Topanga brewmaster and all around good and generous guy, Greg Nylen. More
20 Sep 2012 2 Comments
in Food, Humor, Recipes Tags: chipotle, cooking, food, kettle corn, Miyazaki, popcorn, Popcornopolis, recipes, Tim Burton, umami
I’m currently addicted to Trader Joe’s “Herbs & Spices” popcorn — the perfect snack when I get a potato chip craving and don’t want the fat. But a rather surprising development given my historical indifference to popcorn.
A bowl of wickedly addictive chipotle Mexikettle corn
I’ve never considered myself much of a popcorn guy. It’s fine at the movies, but otherwise something I just never thought about. But every Christmas, my brother Mark, a man of fine taste, gets our family a large tub of three flavors — cheese, kettle and zebra chocolate — from Popcornopolis. And who winds up eating most of it?? More
skinny girls & mayonnaise 