what to do? stay or go? open a bakery and go through the struggle of moving and stuff or stay in a comfort zone in the not-too-shabby city of boston?

just made some caponata (a la via matta) and bread pudding (the breakfast book, i love you).

listening to yo la tengo's popular songs. catchy.

i hate thinking about this change. it's a big one. i think things have to change for me.

dallas is hot. the house in plano is hot. so large and spacious here compared to boston. will anyone buy bread if i make it?! food's been good, though, with dad around and cooking. of course, karthik and preeti's wedding reception was fun, too. oh texas . . .

yesterday we first hit petaluma and had coffee and toast at della fattoria. i really shoulda visited the farm where the big oven is, but i wasn't sure where to go (yeah, i have a phone). just a little shy, oh well. we drove on to sonoma to visit the bbga office. natalie and laverne were really nice . . . we hung out at the artisan bakers warehouse for quite a while chatting with mike zukowski . . . he really inspired me to think about food in a different way and to focus on small, local, neighborhood food (including bakeries). i think my favorite bread came from the model bakery at the oxbow market in napa en route to yountville, where we finally made it to the bouchon bakery. got a couple of macarons, cookies, and loaves of rye and olive breads. (chef) matt mcdonald gave us the abbreviated tour as they were busy preparing for some wine tour. we walked into ad hoc (keller's super scaled-down restaurant). every night is a 4-course meal for $45. we had rib eye with potatoes, iceberg lettuce salad, cheese course with beets and walnuts, and cherry-lime granita. simple, satisfying, solid. odd music, though, for the joint. fun crowd, though. oh yeah, we also bought way too much salumi and charcuterie over at the oxbow market at the fatted calf. i think the guy behind the counter was having way too much fun giving us samples and watching our faces light up.

made a cake for my roommate this week: buttermilk cake with tons of fresh ginger (processed, whole, in the cuisinart) and lime cream. if you don't have "desserts by pierre herme", i feel you're missing out on some real basics in your pastry collection. the lemon cream recipe is one of my favorites. foolproof and so good that i'll never make lemon curd again, not if i can help it. with the leftover cream i spread it on some rustic italian, and boy it's like having bread with butter and preserves but in one fell swoop.

had a late breakfast at the busy bee on beacon st in brookline. i haven't had good greasy greek diner food in ages, and this sure hit the spot. endless coffee, two scrambled eggs, buttered toast, home fries, and a huge serving of hash (bacon, ham, potatoes, onion, ground meaty bits?). i gotta eat some vegetables later. 5pm and i'm still full.

steve earle show tomorrow night, bakery party sunday night, and sf a few days later. what a week!

neko case and kelly hogan are great, live or recorded. on stage, they're hilarious and make you want to hang out with them after the show. crooked finger was great as an opening act, too. eric bachmann is really tall.

had brunch at the highland kitchen on sunday. chicken liver omelet -- good idea, but the livers and eggs were a little too cooked for my taste.

funny shirts i saw this weekend: a rolling pin and "this is how i roll" and a whisk with "just beat it".

happy birthday, little james!

i'm super happy with my bake this morning, specifically the pain de campagne baguettes. nice color contrast, crisp, clean cuts, beautiful, and it smells great. i'm sitting in the library checking my email, and the aroma's driving me crazy (in the coconut).

can't even remember the last time i posted, but notable events:

1. bon chon outpost in allston. very excited.
2. been eating lots of korean lately. mostly jigaes (brothy stews).
3. baked a most awesome sour cherry upside down cake with the cherries that lydia picked over the summer. recipe from chez panisse fruit (cranberry upside down cake). sour cherries on their own are DISGUSTING, but when there's enough sugar, they're so delicious.
4. i've noticed a lot of day-old morning buns at the bakery, so i took some home and made bread pudding. note: morning buns are basically croissants with brown sugar. recipe from the foster's market cookbook.
5. i'm making congee with brown rice and chicken bouillion cubes today. hmm.
6. myra's getting married!
7. i will be switching to later (afternoon/evening) shifts at the bakery after my awesome roommate will finish her training (by me!). oh glorious sleep.
8. rock band 2 is fun with even better songs. i mean really, squeeze's cool for cats? totally.
9. saw andrew bird at carnegie hall but also ate chicken-fried eggs (roly poly) at shopsin's and a creme brulee doughnut at the doughnut plant. what a trip.

it's december 1. news:

1. recently got back from hong kong. was overstuffed and fed way too well. had to put an end to this because i had to fit into my pants and into the seat on the plane. ask if you want to see photos.

2. saw slumdog millionaire. not too shabby. quite exciting, actually.

3. lydia surprised me on my birthday by flying into town.

4. received a hat knit by jg's grandmother. wow!

5. had thanksgiving with the mccaffreys. made an embarassing dessert -- without sugar. gross.

6. ate at momofuku ssam with yen and jc. and then the momofuku milk bar with the tasty salty pistachio soft serve. those pork buns are pretty amazing.

not much else.

that's where we are right now in our cross-country jaunt from boston to sf. food wise it kind of stinks, but where else will you eat when you've got 3 1/2 days to cover just over 3200 miles? the coolest and smallest place we ate at was the dew drop inn, and i have no recollection what state that was in. tiny grill where i had a chicken sandwich and soft serve twist. really hit the spot. we've been eating lots of crap in the car, but when we eat meals, it's mostly been salads or grilled chicken. kind of makes up for being so sedentary, i guess. i was tempted a couple of times to get a chocolate-dipped soft serve from dairy queen . . . but remembered that i had candy bars back in the car. mmm. we're saving the good eatin' for sf.

ate at manresa, a spanish-influenced restaurant in los gatos, ca. mel and i had the tasting menu, and it was pretty good . . . i posted pictures here. we had 3 amuse bouches. not bad, but the more i have fancy tasting menus, the less enamored i am of them. i'd much rather have real down-to-earth food. i am familiar with and appreciate the work and art that goes into the preparation and presentation of fine dining, but i'm happier with a burger, fries, and milkshake.