Eating on Lakeshore

I said that I was unemployed and would resurrect this column and write all the time, and I lied. If John McCain does it, why can't I? The truth is I job search, I see friends, I fill my time with other things. My apologies for leading you on, it is a genuine hope that I will do this more, and do it better.

But just to keep the record straight, my lack of frequent posting has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't be eating well. Quite the contrary. Since moving to the Lakeshore neighborhood I've indulged constantly. I eat better than well, I probably eat better than you. I can chock this up to three things that I have that you don't, unless of course you're my neighbor.

1) Grand Avenue's insane weekend market that happens mere minutes from our house. Every Saturday we trek downhill, canvas bags in tow for our weekly supply of the season's bounty. We have our cheese and butter vendor, Spring Hill, (how great is it that I can buy homemade butter?) and our various suppliers of produce. Blossom Bluff sells us stone fruits. Zuckermans gives us potatoes in various shapes and colors. We've bought orchids, figs, corn, avocados and other delights. Perhaps the greatest indulgence is the Roli Roti truck which parks at the end of the chaos and turns out blistering, fat, rotisserie chickens from Petaluma. Half the fun is just standing there watching them spit cook and drip fat on each other. And smelling them isn't half bad either. Buy a whole chicken ($12) or just a half ($6.50). Finger licking good. There is also live music, like Dylan Moon, the 15 year old Pink Floyd phenom. And a bouncy castle as if you needed any more reasons to be jealous.

Here is a picture after a recent trip to market land (chicken not pictured).


2) I live just up the hill from Arizmendi bakery. Part of the employee owned, cooperative series that brought you similar ventures like The Cheese Board and the other Arizmendi. They put out killer baked goods, breads, and pizzas for a phenomenal price. They also sell their extra pizza dough (which is a house made sourdough crust) for $1.50 a round. They have a double corn muffin that is worthy of tears. My only question is why they don't make bagels.

3) Colonial donuts. $.85 Glazed Old Fashioned. Open 24 hours. You do the math.

I'll end this post with photos of the food we've been enjoying thanks to the Lakeshore neighborhood.

Tacos on handmade corn tortillas made even better by garden fresh salsa, a Justin specialty.

A tomato snack with farmers market avocado and shaved parmesan.




Its great to be back in California.