Jewish Sonoma ... Chabad comes to Healdsburg, Menorah and all!

What better way to celebrate the festival of lights than to attend a group menorah lighting ceremony?

Tonight Jewish Sonoma (Chabad) led by Rabbi Mendel Wolvovsky and his wife Altie (and six kids!) hosted menorah lighting in front of the Oakville Grocery store in Healdsburg.

Live music, lots of children, candles, latkes, dreidels, gelt. It was great to see my husband lighting the candles on the HUGE menorah and my daughter passing dreidels out to the crowd.

Did I mention the best part? The fact that a Jewish community does exist in Healdsburg!

Latkes, Latkes, Latkes

I love Latkes. They are one of my favorite holiday foods!

I love them so much, once I start eating them, I can't stop. Last night I made Latkes for dinner. Today I am 2 pds heavier.

Here's the recipe. Make at your own risk and enjoy!

5 russet potatoes
2 yellow onions
3 eggs
salt and pepper
1/4 or more of flour
Oil


Shred potatoes and onions in food processor.

Mix well with hands in large bowl. Add beaten eggs and salt and pepper.

Add flour until mixture holds.

Add oil (one or two knuckles deep) to pan and heat med – high.

Fry until crispy brown.

Serve with apple sauce or if you’re like me, eat them with a bit of kosher salt.

The Sands of Time

 


Aging & the art of growing old gracefully


When I was little, under the age of thirteen, I remember noticing my mom getting older.

She had this cool trench coat and when she wore it she sort of morphed into this sophisticated, young woman who I was no longer embarrassed to be seen in public with.

When she slid into her trench coat, wrapping the sleek belt around her slim middle, claiming back her pre-baby waist, I thought she was cool & totally un-mom minivan like.

Now I am a mom (without the minivan)and as I fight the sands of time and the gradual toll they are taking on my youth, I realize not every woman ages the same.

We all do it differently.

This past week I accompanied a friend to her Botox appointment. Yes, friends … Botox.

She’s young - early, early thirties. If you met her you'd never think she needs Botox but she’s taking a very aggressive & proactive stance on aging. Her logic is that if she starts young, she will circumvent the wrinkles, never giving them the chance to develop.

She’s basically keeping her face in a constant state of paralysis.

I am a voyeur so I insisted on joining her in the doctor’s office to watch the process. This was actually my second visit.

Surprisingly, what I witnessed was relatively uneventful.

The dermatologist came in, cleaned the delicate skin around her eyes, and injected a couple of syringes into her “barely there” creases.

As the doc slid the short needle in and around the shallow skin she didn’t move a muscle, literally. It appeared to be painless. I thought I'd see a foot jerk or something - nothing.

She was done within a few minutes and we headed over to Whole Foods for lunch… no one the wiser.

Top Chef season finale ... Season 6

In case you're a fan of Top Chef and you were wondering were the upcoming season finale was shot ....

It was shot at Cyrus restaurant (in Healdsburg!) and features one of our own local talents as guest judge - Chef Douglas Keane!

http://www.biteclubeats.com/2009/12/confirmed-top-chef-finale-at-cyrus.html

Smart Idea Sonoma

Exciting: http://www.sonomamarintrain.org/

Resturant Files: Monti's

Restaurant Files: Monti’s
Location: Santa Rosa
http://www.starkrestaurants.com/montis_rotisserie.html

Early last week, in the midst of holiday shopping at Montgomery Village, my friend and I were overcome with hunger. We decided to grab lunch at Monti’s.

Monti’s, located in Montgomery Village in Santa Rosa, is one of a couple restaurants owned and operated by the Stark restaurant empire.

In addition to Montie’s they also operate Willi’s Wine Bar, Willi’s Raw Bar in Healdsburg, and a steakhouse in Railroad Square.

Willi’s (in Healdsburg ) is one of my local favorites.

I also like Montgomery Village. If I need to shop in Santa Rosa, this is where I go.

The village is an assemblage of specialty shops including purveyors like Sur La Table (so fun to get lost in this gem of foodie fabulousness), home décor boutiques, clothing shops, patisseries.

After lugging our bags to the car, we settled in at a bistro table on the outdoor patio.

We ordered the following:

• House Made French Fries Tossed with Gorgonzola & Rosemary $6



• Monti’s Cristo, Westphalian Ham, Gruyere & Sweet Onion Jam
on Toasted Brioche $12

• The special sandwich of the day – a rotisserie turkey sandwich on brioche with tomato chutney.



The Monti Cristo, enjoyed by my lunch companion, was purported to be “sooo soo good” andworth its weight in every delicious calorie consumed. She likened the taste to a warm French toast with a savory twist.

I had the special sandwich. It, too, was good. I requested it on ciabatta bread and it arrived with thinly sliced rotisserie turkey, red onion and the chutney. It was understated but good.

Both sandwiches came with (what I assume were house-made) pickles and olives. They were a bit spicy and a nice twist

The fries were great: crispy, salty, layered with gorgonzola cheese and rosemary. A perfect addition to the sandwiches.


What’s happening in Healdsburg?

http://www.healdsburg.com/PDFs/HolidayCalendar2009.pdf

Sick

I've been sick. I'll be back. Stay well.