Road Trip, Part Deux! More surf, More Beagles and More Delicious Things To Eat!

Whew. Friday and Saturday were exhausting.  Here are George and Derric snoring away on their comfy hotel bed during nap time before dinner.  Zzzzzzzzzz. Zzzzzzzzz.

It's not just the beach that's tiring, though. Here's George on a gopher hunt outside the hotel. It works like this: first we stare at the hole for several minutes. Then we stick our snout in it for a good, long sniff session!!

George knows gophers well from our time in Malibu because there were gophers all over.  Here's a snapshot from Malibu when he had a real long stare down with one gopher who seemed to be saying 'you want a piece of me buddy?  Huh, do ya?'!

Derric doesn't know from gophers because of his previous life locked up in a testing lab.  In fact we met another beagle on the beach this weekend whose name was Regal.  Yep, Regal the Beagle.  His peeps hadn't heard of the Beagle Freedom Project, the organization that rescued Derric and gave him the chance at a new life. But later we saw them again, and they had looked at the website and even seen bits of Derric's rescue.  Here's the link again to the Beagle Freedom Project if you're interested:  www.beaglefreedomproject.org.

Anyway, after that big breakfast at Esau's it was back to the beach.  Sam, the beagles and friends took their places on the sand for sunning and reading and napping and I surfed.  A word or two about surfing on this trip: yeah, the waves again were pretty small and mellow, but I still had a blast.  This was the first time I surfed three days in a row. There once was a time when I'd stand on the sidelines at the beach watching surfers and wishing I could join in.  Finally I felt like a member of the club, even if it's in my own sort of lame way.

We never really ate lunch because breakfast was so hearty.  Yeah, we snacked while on the beach, and at one point I walked down to one of the little shops at the end of Padaro Lane and picked up a little Greek Salad and some Deviled eggs that we all nibbled on.  Needless to say we were awfully hungry for dinner.  Originally the plan was to eat in Santa Barbara, at Cielito, a Mexican Restaurant on State Street that has a big patio and is dog friendly.  Here's a link: www.cielitorestaurant.com  We all had a nice dinner there last year and the food and Margaritas were pretty good, but earlier Saturday, while strolling Linden Avenue in Carp for a bit, after a stop in at cool surf shop Rincon Designs (www.rincondesigns.net), where I picked up some shades and new board shorts because my old ones were coming apart at the seams, we also noticed the restaurant Sly's, which is old-school steaks and seafood, www.slysonline.com.  Unfortunately, Sly's is not dog-friendly (can't win 'em all, Derric and George, sorry).  But there was a sign in the window advertising Sly's To Go, so we figured we could order take-out and eat it on the beach at sunset again!  Which we did. Appetizers were onion rings and chips, and a grilled artichoke, which we all shared.  We also ordered Sand Dabs, Fried Shrimp, the blue plate special for Saturday which was Braised Short Ribs, and a bunch of sides.  While it probably would have been a bit better in the actual restaurant it was all delicious on the beach too.  And of course there were martinis again.  Here are some dinner pics:

But the best in terms of Surf Dude Food was yet to come.  Sunday morning, we all took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel.  Lots of choices, so you can be bad, or you can be good.  I was good -- oatmeal, a banana and a toasted bagel, because I knew what was coming later:  La Super Rica just up the road in Santa Barbara!!

La Super Rica (again, old-school…no website) is a pretty famous taqueria on Milpas Street in Santa Barbara.  Who made it famous?  Julia Child, of all people!  Julia spent her last years living in Santa Barbara, and apparently she liked to drop by La Super Rica every once in a while for some chow, and once word got out, the hordes came.  They still do.  But honestly, the food is amazing.  Some tips though.  Most important is get there early, like before they open, and you can beat the lines.  Here I am, in fact, standing at the closed door, with my serious 'open please.  Open right now. I am very hungry' look.

We timed it so we were first in line, but within minutes, this happened:

Hard to tell, but the line snaked about halfway down the block -- and this was BEFORE they even opened!  Here's a look at the menu, and also a shot of a lady making the tortillas by hand and from scratch, which of course is the best way:

And now some of the eats we ordered (again, to go…tip #2: La Super Rica also does not allow dogs, so if you have the pups get it to go).

 

From the top, a pork and zucchini sort of stew that was stuffed into tortillas, the #16 special (really, really excellent), some shredded beef tacos with Guacamole and a Gordita.

So that was our last meal on this road trip. After some more beach time, we packed it all up and hit the road for home.  The beagles were out like logs again practically the whole way.  It was an awesome trip.  Go to Carpinteria!!

Esau's (breakfast Saturday) - Four Surfboards (Really Good)

Sly's (dinner Saturday) -- Three Surfboards (good)

La Super Rica (Lunch Sunday) - Five Surfboards (excellent)

Road Trip! Carpinteria, CA! Surf! Eat! (Part 1 of 2)

Every year around this time we take a little road trip up north to Carpinteria for a few days, with a couple of very close friends. If you've never been to Carpinteria, it is highly recommended. It's little beach town just south of Santa Barbara, and the nice thing about it is it's still a little scruffy around the edges (not that real estate is cheap, because it's not). The waves are usually pretty mellow in Carp, but that's a good thing for me, and I had a blast surfing three days in a row in those mellow waves. Also, it's a very dog-friendly town and that's good for the beagles. In fact one of our favorite dog beaches is in Carpinteria  It's not the state beach. They don't allow dogs on that one.  But if you exit the 101 at Santa Claus Lane (yes, that's the real name!) and then turn onto Padaro lane, here you can park, carefully cross the railroad tracks and you will find yourself on a really awesome dog-friendly beach. Here's a look at sunset:

And one of Beagle George enjoying the view:

If you're curious about the history of Carpinteria, here's a little educational tidbit.

Turns out the town was named after Native Americans who crafted canoes out of wood. Anyway, we arrived late afternoon on Friday in town and headed straight out to the beach for a surf and meet up with our friends. The plan was to have dinner right there on the beach later, and so I packed us a picnic.  Again, we had a lot of Zucchini and some eggplant in the garden so those were put to use (also one friend is a vegetarian) so the menu was chilled Zucchini and potato soup, and grilled vegetable and goat cheese sandwiches.

Here's what the soup looked like:

And here are the sandwiches, with their tops off and with their tops on:

Of course we also had martinis!

So, for the soup, you'll need:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Canola or vegetable oil
1 large white or yellow onion, diced
3 large Zucchini, diced
3 medium baking potatoes, diced
About 6-7 cups chicken stock (home made if possible)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Whole wheat croutons (see below)
Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche
Snipped chives or green onions
*serves 6-8
*make ahead note:  this soup actually tastes better if it chills for a day or two.

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, melt butter and oil.  When sizzling, add the onion.  Season with a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until onion is soft, but not brown.
2. Add diced zucchini and potatoes.  Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper, stir and cook a few minutes, just to sweat the vegetables.
3. Pour in chicken stock.  The stock should just cover the vegetables.  If you need a bit more, add it.  Or you can add some water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.  Off heat, and let the soup cool a bit.
4. Using a blender, food processor or, if you have one, a hand blender, puree the soup until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning -- it will probably need more salt and pepper.
5. Refrigerate until very cold.
6. When ready to serve, toast up a couple of slices of whole wheat bread.  Dice into cubes.  Ladle cold soup into bowls, dollop in a spoonful of sour cream, scatter with croutons and sprinkle all with snipped chives.

And for the Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese sandwiches:

1 large, or two medium eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Salt and fresh ground pepper

3 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes

1 large log goat cheese

2 large baguettes

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

*makes 4-5 hearty sandwiches

1. Spread slices of eggplant and zucchini on a sheet pan.  Drizzle with about two tablespoons olive oil.  Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Toss everything together.
2. Heat your grill to medium-high (note:  I use a Weber with charcoal and some mesquite chips to give the veggies that smoky flavor -- but this is not necessary.  Gas grill is fine.  You can even roast these vegetables in a 450 degree oven until they're tender and caramelized, probably 25-30 minutes)
3. Grill the vegetables, turning often, until tender and you have nice brown grill marks.  Remove from grill and let cool.
4. Slice tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut the goat cheese into slices (here's a tip: using dental floss -- yes, dental floss! - to slice goat cheese makes it super easy)
5. Cut the baguettes into about 9 inch lengths, then slice each in half.  Drizzle some olive oil on the bottom halves.  Then put down a layer of grilled eggplant, followed by a layer of grilled zucchini, followed by a layer of tomato slices.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the tomatoes.  Lay the goat cheese slices on top of the tomatoes.
6. Drizzle the sandwiches with some more olive oil and sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar.  Top with the second half of baguette and slice each sandwich in half. Wrap in foil and keep chilled in your cooler until it's time to chow.

So that -- and the martinis -- was dinner.  If you're thinking, 'hey, the dude forgot dessert,' he didn't.  Right on Carpinteria Avenue just past Linden Avenue is Fosters' Freeze! www.fostersfreeze.com.  We got soft-serve cones dipped in chocolate.

So that was it for Friday at the beach. After dinner we headed back to the hotel, which was the Holiday Inn Express on Carpinteria Avenue -- now before anybody says, 'what? Holiday Inn?', the number one reason we stay there is dogs are allowed. And yeah, okay, it's not the Biltmore or the San Ysidro Ranch, or Baccara but you know what?  The rooms are more than decent, you can get free breakfast if you want, there's a pool and jacuzzi and it's reasonably priced.  Really, when we do these weekends it's all about the beach, so if you're just looking for a good place to crash, this is it.  If you want more of a resort (and you're willing to pay five or six hundred bucks a night) try one of those other places. Or try the Holiday Inn www.hiexpress.com/Carpinteria.

Saturday morning, after a really good sleep for everybody, it was time for breakfast at another favorite place in Carp, Esau's, which is on Linden Avenue www.esaucafe.com.  Esau's has lots of outdoor tables, and they are very dog friendly.  In fact somebody usually brings out a bowl with water for your pups before you even ask for it.  How cool is that?  Here are some specials at Esau's:

I ordered Mike's Special, but everybody ordered hearty breakfasts.  Here's what they looked like before we devoured them, with Mike's Special pictured first, then a spinach and cheese omelet, then chilaquiles, and finally a veggie omelet:

By the time we were done there wasn't much left. Mike's special, I have to say, was really good food for surfing because it was extremely delicious…and filling!  FYI another dog-friendly spot just up the street from Esau's is called…The Spot! They don't seem to have a website, but here's a pic. We've had burgers there, and the food is also delicious.

So after breakfast it was back to the beach at Padaro Lane. Below, Sam and Derric are enjoying beach time.  Also, you will definitely get to see Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner go by.  For some reason practically everybody on the beach stops to watch the train and wave.  You'll find yourself doing it too!  Old school, low tech fun, huh?

Oh, here are some things to note about this beach:  it's very rustic. There are no lifeguards here, and no real bathroom facilities.  There are a couple of porta-potties, but just up the street there's also a bunch of cafes and stores where you can also get food and use the bathroom, so no worries, right?

So I think that's the end of Part 1 of this Carpinteria adventure with Beagles and friends.  In Part 2, more surfing, another beach dinner, and then, on Sunday the amazing La Super Rica in Santa Barbara, so stay tuned, folks.

A Burrito? Si, Por Favor!

This past Saturday was another super mellow day, with really gentle, small-scale waves, so it was fun for me.  Not so much for the big girls and boys.  Also, there were dolphins.  That's always a little surreal but in a good way.

Sunday was a Surf Food Dude kind of day, because Sam wanted burritos for lunch, so he headed over to Tacos Villa Corona, which is on Glendale Boulevard in Atwater.  I'd provide a link to Tacos Villa Corona, but this place is really old school and they don't have one!  Which is actually kind of nice, in this day and age if you ask me.  Old School is good -- I love places, and people, who do things their own way and don't really give a s**t what anybody thinks!  You might have heard of this joint because Anthony Bourdain covered it on one of his shows -- I think he was raving about the breakfast burrito, which is really delicious also.

Often when you arrive at Tacos Villa Corona you'll find a line looking something like this:

Don't come here thinking you can settle into a comfy seat to eat your burrito. There's a couple of stools outside, but that's about it. Inside is just a tiny counter space to order, and the rest is where they cook your food.  So you either scarf your order down in your car (yeah, I've done this) or you sit on the sidewalk, or you eat standing up, or you bring it home. Also, it can take a while to get your food after you order, because the lady and I think it's her son (or grandson?) who run this place do things at their own pace. Their hours can sometimes be sporadic as well. Occasionally, I'll pass by with the Beagles on a walk and they're closed when they're supposed to be open, so just keep your fingers crossed if you're in the mood for one of their burritos.

Here are the menus:

As you can see they have tacos and tostadas and other things, but I think most people who come here get burritos.  We had one steak for Sam, and one spinach, potato, bean and cheese for me.  Here's how they looked before being devoured:

Note those little containers in the picture just above.  That's the salsa that comes with the Burritos.  It's smoky and spicy and I'm not sure what exactly they put into it, but it's extremely addictive.

The tab for lunch for two came to around ten bucks.  Not a bad deal, huh?  This will certainly not be the last burrito we will sample, but it is surely one of the best.  So…four surfboards!

Tacos Villa Corona
3185 Glendale Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA  90039
323.661.3458

Pizza! A sure candidate for the Surf Dude Food Hall of Fame.

Does anybody not love pizza?  I think if there is a such a person, I would not like to know him or her.

I love pizza.  I could eat pizza every day.  Seriously, I could.  Pizza is Surf Dude Food for sure -- it's usually pretty cheap. You can pick it up on the fly.  And it's delicious.  Recently, after a session at Hollister in Santa Monica, I grabbed a couple of slices from one of my favorites, the Joe's Pizza on Broadway just east of Ocean Avenue (www.joespizza.com).  As you can see below (one pepperoni, one cheese) I couldn't wait to take a bite before snapping a pic.  But I think I mentioned being in the water makes a person hungry, especially if you do a lot of paddling.

Of course there's lousy pizza in the world, but there's so much good pizza too. (Oh, and speaking of pizza in the world, something on the bucket list is a trip to Naples, pizza's birthplace, to do an eating tour.  Plus, I hear there actually is surfing in Italy so that would be cool to check out).

Today, however, we're talking pizza made at home, which is a process, I will admit. Just like it's super hard learning to be the surfer I want to be, it's not easy learning to make good pizza at home.  As with surfing, however, persistence and dedication are key -- keep at it, and you will improve, even if progress can be slow.  Plus, you feel a real sense of accomplishment when you get it right.  Kind of like if you have a good day in the water.

I've been through a lot of trial and error when it comes to making pizza but I've finally gotten results that are pretty f'n good. Now if I only had that outdoor wood-fired pizza oven I've been daydreaming about.  But you don't really need a wood-fired oven.  A pizza stone works well, and those are cheap and easy to find.  A wood pizza peel (one of those paddle like things) is nice, but not necessary either. However, a good crust recipe is vitally important. I'm a thin, crispy crust person.  If you like thick crust pizza…sorry.  I went through numerous crust recipes before I found the right one, which comes from Jim Lahey, of New York's Sullivan Street Bakery.  He's a genius, as mentioned in the cookie post.  You can read more about him here:  www.sullivanstreetbakery.com.  I came across this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine, but I had heard of Lahey because he developed a recipe for no-knead bread that Mark Bittman wrote about in the NY Times.  Here's good news:  you don't have to knead this pizza dough either, so it's easy to put together. The one thing you have to keep in mind is it's a 24 hour rise, so you need to plan ahead a little (for last minute pizza makers I have a back up crust recipe that rises in a couple of hours but we'll save that for another time).

I've tried numerous sauces as well, but I think it was in a Saveur magazine piece on pizza that I first discovered using just crushed really good quality canned tomatoes, and salt and pepper.  You don't need to cook this sauce or add anything else to it (okay some people might want to add dried oregano but that's okay too). And, of course, you'll need cheese.  Some will argue you should use fresh mozzarella. That's sometimes fine, but if you're looking for pizzeria-slice kind of pizza you need to use the non-fresh variety -- it's less watery, and it melts better.  I like to add a little grated Pecorino or Parmigiana, but it's not necessary.  Sometimes I'll do half mozzarella, half Fontina.  It's your pizza so it's all up to you!.  Then, of course, you can add whatever toppings you like.  Roasted eggplant's good.  Sausage is great. Pepperoni of course. Whatever you like, pretty much.  So here we go.  Let's make pizza!

For the crust: (adapted from Jim Lahey and Bon Appetit Magazine).

3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water*
*in a slight departure from the recipe I use slightly warm water…just a little warm.  Too hot, and you'll kill the yeast.  I just think it helps get things moving.

1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt and yeast.
2. Slowly mix the water into the flour.  You will have a wet, somewhat shaggy dough
3. Form dough into a rough ball.  Transfer to a clean bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, about 18-24 hours.

Here's a couple of pictures, of the stirring together of the ingredients, and then after the addition of the very barely warm water.

Don't worry if the dough isn't smooth.  It's fine!  Below is the dough in a clean bowl, ready for it's 18-24 hour rise.

You'll notice that bubbles not only form on top, but all through the rising dough.  This is good!  It makes for a crust that will be crisp but also light and airy.

Look at you, Dude! All I did was plunk you in a bowl, and you have risen!  Right on, brother!

So after the 24 hour rise, it's time to divide the dough and let it rest.  Here's something else to note: this is actually 1/2 of Lahey's original recipe, which made something like six smallish pizzas.  What I do is make one medium size 8 slice pie, and with the rest of the dough I make Calzones or a smaller pizza a few days later.   So to continue:

1. With lightly floured hands, remove dough from bowl onto a floured board.  It might seem sticky and slightly wet.  Do not worry.  This is normal.  Just keep your hands floured and shape it into a rough rectangle, about 9 inches long.
2. Divide the rectangle into two pieces, one about 6 inches, and one 3.
3. Now grab opposing ends of the rectangle, fold them in and form it into a ball. Set the ball on the floured board seam side down.  Dust with flour, cover with plastic and let rest about 2 hours.  Form the smaller piece into a ball, but wrap this one well in plastic.  You can refrigerate it for up to three days and it will be fine.

Now here's what the dough looks like as a rectangle and then divided:

While the dough rests, make the sauce.  Here's what you need:

1 14 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes*
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Dried oregano, optional
*Tomato note:  there is a difference in canned tomatoes.  Imported San Marzanos cost a little more, but they're totally worth it.

1. Separate the tomatoes from liquid.  Set the liquid aside.
2. Place the tomatoes in a blender or food processor, or if you have one, an immersion blender.
3. Puree the tomatoes.  Then add about 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid.  The sauce should have some body and not be too thin, so add the liquid slowly.
4. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
5. Add a half teaspoon of dried Oregano if you like.  That's it…not hard, huh?

Now, onto the the cheese.  Like I said, if you're looking for pizzeria-slice style pizza you want the non-fresh mozzarella because it's less watery.  So, for the cheese blend:

1/2 pound low-moisture Mozzarella (part-skim or whole milk).

1/4 cup grated Parmigiana or Pecorino.

1. Shred the Mozzarella on a box grater.  Mix with the grated Parm or Pecorino.

Okay, so, now time to put it all together. About an hour before you want the pizza to go in, put your pizza stone in the oven and crank it up!  You want your oven and the stone as hot as you can get it, so set it at 500, or higher if you can.

Now pay attention because here's one of the best home-pizza making tips I ever found -- use Parchment paper!!  Seriously, you'll see some pizza recipes that want you to be like a pizza chef who's been making pies for decades -- they'll say you can throw the dough in the air and form it and then flick it off the peel into the oven? I'm here to tell you you can't!  Don't try.  What will make your life so much easier is this: begin to form the pizza on your floured board.  Then lay a sheet of parchment right on the peel, and if you like sprinkle it with cornmeal (this will make your crust even crispier).  Now, transfer the dough to the parchment and continue pressing and pulling gently to form the size pie you want.  When you're done it will like like this, and for this eight slice, slightly oval pie, its about  16"x14" :

Time for sauce.  Start with about a cup.  Ladle on a thin layer of sauce -- too thick and it will weigh the crust down.  Layer on your cheeses, and then whatever toppings.  For this pizza I used some Zucchini and eggplant from the garden, which were brushed with olive oil and roasted until just starting to brown.

Now, open your super hot oven.  Slide the parchment paper and pizza right onto the hot stone.  Close the oven and wait!  Depending on how hot your oven can get, it should take about twelve minutes.  You want the crust brown -- maybe even blackened in spots -- and the cheese melted and caramelized.  If you want, after about five minutes, open the oven and pull the parchment out so the pizza rests right on the stone.  This will help with crust crispiness.

So here is the finished product:

It was really delicious.  Trust me.  But the bonus is still to come. As I said, sometimes we have Calzones a few days after pizza but that's for a different post. This time I made a smaller pizza to have for lunch, basically a Margarita, with just tomatoes, cheese and fresh basil.  Note that when you want to use your bonus crust, remove it from the refrigerator a couple of hours before you plan to use it.  Let it rest on a floured board, covered with plastic, for those couple of hours and all will be well.

Here is bonus lunch pizza:

And sliced:

Yeah, I ate it all, but it was pretty small and the Beagles got some too.  Stay tuned for more pizza posts. Now go for a surf, or a swim or a run or a spin, or a bike ride, or whatever, and then make pizza at home.  Practice, just like you do with the sports.  You'll get really good at it.   C'mon, try!