use real butter

It is fascinating that you can get raspberries from the southern hemisphere in the dead of winter here, or that you can find apples and oranges throughout the summer months. That’s the beauty of a global market. I noticed in graduate school that for being in the middle of nowhere (Ithaca, NY) our grocer was able to provide gorgeous produce year-round. What a treat. But anyone with a single functioning taste bud can tell you there is a striking difference between a winter strawberry and one that is in season. Flavor, texture, color, juice – it is all superior in the summer. Same goes for tomatoes and other produce. Buying foods that are in season not only gives you a superior food specimen, but is more ecologically friendly when considering the energy required to deliver said import to your hot little hands. What do I think of when summer approaches? Berries, melons, squash, tomatoes – tons and tons of fresh produce to be eaten raw or grilled. How about winter? Brassicas like brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, broccoli are so delicious roasted. Root vegetables are terrific in soups and slow-cooked stews. Pumpkin in fall ushers in my favorite of all holidays – Halloween! Apples and other citrus are usually associated with summer, but they are fall and winter’s bounty. Hot apple cider mulled with cloves, cinnamon, and slices of orange keep guests coming back for more through the New Year. Yum!

**Jump for more butter**

We had denied ourselves our favorite restaurant for far too long. It was time to go and tell Fumito that we bought a house, and that he needed to move his business to Boulder. Any one of my sushi-loving friends can tell you that this place is AMAZING. Fresh fish, incredible sushi, awesome price. It helps to have known the chef for over 12 years. We’ve had sushi in Auckland, Queenstown, Toronto, Seattle, Bellingham, Hilo, LA, SF, Santa Cruz, Denver, Boulder, Albuquerque (that was a mistake – but Jeremy was the one who ate there), Ithaca, Boston, Williamsburg, Atlanta – nothing compares to Ai. My girlfriend from Tokyo says it is the real thing. Tonight, Fumito was very happy to see us, and piled our plates with a lot of freebies, like toro (fatty tuna). This stuff is $6 a piece and he gave us 4!

He was also messing around back in the kitchen preparing seaweed and poke salad for us. Another one on the house! I’m very sad to be leaving these fellows. This is the absolute best sushi bar on earth. Sushi Zanmai in Boulder is good, but it ain’t no Ai. The softshell crab handrolls were to die for tonight.



Sushi is beautiful food.

Swung by the Chronicle to pick up a nice bottle of Sancerre for our realtor, but they didn’t have any in stock. Instead we got a lovely Chablis:

Looked so good, we got one for ourselves. We’ll drink it to celebrate the closing.

Food Trivia
Spinach was cultivated as early as 400 AD in what is now modern day Iran. It was imported into China a few hundred years later, and eventually introduced into Europe when the Moors invaded Spain. It has been called the “prince of greens”. The leafy green is touted for it’s iron content and was made famous by Popeye and his can o’ spinach. However, the calcium and iron contents in spinach, although high, are only partially absorbed by our bodies because another component – oxalic acid – binds to both, rendering them unusable. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A. I love spinach stir fried, raw, and cooked in a dozen wonderful dishes. The downside is that the yield of cooked spinach is 1/10 the initial raw state.

fry baby, fry