You Are Invited to My New Blog!

Thank you for your interest in 365daysofdinner.com. This was my first blog and I'm proud that I saw this major project through for an entire year. There are lots of great recipes and restaurant reviews here and I hope you find what you're looking ofr.

This fall, I launched my new blog, TheEnthusiasticEater.com and I invite you to pay me a visit there. This blog allows me to talk about my passion for food, wine, and travel whenever the spirit moves me. I hope you'll check it out, maybe become a follower, and leave a comment from time to time.

Happy eating!!

Summary: Time Flies When You're Eating Well

About 1 year and 3 days ago I had the idea to document my dinners for 365 days straight. I had been tossing around the idea of starting a blog and this seemed like a unique and fun first blog topic.

It's hard to believe that a year has gone by already and that I followed through and wrote an entry each and every day for 365 days!! It was fun, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting and in the end, quite satisfying.

I'm proud to say that 176 of those 365 dinners took place at home (not including takeout - more on that below) and that I cooked all or part of nearly all of those meals (there was the occasional can of soup or bag of edamame as dinner - these meals do not count as "home cooked"). I feel that that is a tremendous accomplishment for someone who works full time.

Some of my favorite recipes that appeared during the past year are:

Moroccan Chicken with Quinoa

Picadillo

Mustard Crusted Lamb Chops

Chicken Parmesan

Grilled Strip Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Three Meat Meatballs

Salt Roasted Shrimp with Lemon Honey Dipping Sauce

Parchment Wrapped Halibut

Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

Sausage & Peppers

Zucchini Tart

The remaining 189 non-home cooked dinners break down as follows:

140 at a restaurant (read on for those highlights)

16 takeout

15 cooked for us by a friend of family member

6 in an airplane or airport

4 at a sporting event

4 at other kinds of events (including 1 wedding)

3 at the office

1 room service while traveling on business

I had dinner at 66 different restaurants this year but some restaurants deserve recognition for having fed us very well.

Bistro Aix: 15 visits

Isa: 11 visits

Izzy's Steaks & Chops: 11 visits

Capannina: 9 visits

Balboa Cafe: 7 visits

Cafe Maritime: 5 visits

Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Mezes, Osha: 4 visits each

Additionally, we had the opportunity to dine at Chez Panisse and Zuni Cafe this year - two legendary Bay Area restaurants that are not to be missed.

The picture of this entry is a scan of a calling card I left behind (when I remembered) at restaurants throughout this year - my husband's brilliant idea.

Speaking of my husband, who was mentioned often throughout this blog - I want to thank him for his tremendous support this year. He often reminded me to take a photo of my plate and no matter how hungry he was or how eager to dive in to his plate, he was always patient while I did so. He also served as awesome tech support for me throughout the year, especially when my old site refused to be updated and I had to move things over to Blogger. Although I won't be documenting it on a daily basis any longer, I promise him tasty, adventurous, and/or fun dinners for many years to come.

And of course, I want to thank all of the readers of this blog. Whether you read my entries regularly or only once in awhile, I truly appreciate it. Another blog is to come one day soon, so check back for the URL. I'm still tossing around some ideas.

Meanwhile, I wish you many delicious dinners of your own!! Happy eating...

Day 365: Last Hurrah

My husband and I brainstormed lots of ways to conclude this blog but in the end, I decided to keep it simple. For dinner, we returned to the restaurant we visited the most times over the past year and then went to another local spot for one of my very favorite desserts.

It's kind of amazing to remember that we lived in our neighborhood for over a year before we checked out Bistro Aix, just 2 blocks from our house. But, ever since that first visit, we have not been able to stay away. The menu features several staple dishes that we have come to love and in addition, some dishes that come and go depending on what's in season. No matter what we've ordered, we've never been disappointed and tonight was no different.

I went with my favorite Bistro Aix salad, spinach with baby beets and goat cheese. Yummy. For my entree, I decided to go with something new: grilled yellowtail with creamed corn and a small salad. Every element of the dish was delicious but the corn was downright addictive. Had they wheeled a vat of it to the table, I would have dived right in.

Thank you to Bistro Aix for serving me so much amazing food over the past year. As it turns out, this blog is ending at just the right time. Bistro Aix is about to close for renovations for at least 6 months. What will we do??

For dessert, we walked a couple of blocks to Mezes and bellied up to the bar for galaktobouriko and a class of Samos (Greek dessert wine). Galaktobouriko is similar to baklava, but with custard so it isn't as dry. It arrives doused in honey - the whole thing is so sweet that I feel my skin vibrating. I love it.

So...that's it. A wonderful meal to conclude a year of mostly wonderful dinners. Stay tuned for a summary of the year. And thanks for reading!

Day 364: Empty Cup, Full Belly

Uh oh. In my haste to get this delicious chili into my tummy, I completely forgot to photograph it. Imagine a thick, dark mixture of beef, beans, and tasty spices and seasoning, with cheese sprinkled over the top. As you can see, I brushed off the chopped raw onions.

I paired my chili at tonight's Giants game with hefeweizen, my favorite type of beer. An hour of so later, I followed it up with some caramel corn - a hand made specialty at AT&T Park and a treat I can never pass up. For a photo of this ridiculous, mind blowing dessert, check out entry #344, "Go Team!". In this case, though, seeing is not believing. To understand why I go on and on about this stuff, you must try it for yourself.

One day to go!!

Day 363: This Blog's Final Discovery

My husband and I recently discovered the show "Check Please Bay Area", which is produced by and airs on the PBS affiliate here in NorCal, KQED. The show features three guests who each talk about their favorite Bay Area restaurant and then the other guests go and visit it and each reports on their experience.

We recently saw an episode that featured Sociale as one of the three restaurants. Intrigued by the menu and the garden ambiance, we decided we needed to check this place out.

I was taken with the place upon arrival. We had to walk down a narrow tree lined alley which let us out at Sociale's garden patio. It was a bit too chilly to sit outside, so we were seated indoors. The service was stellar - prompt and super friendly.

One of the dishes on the appetizer menu is deep fried olives stuffed with fontina cheese. I needed to try this (pictured). Unfortunately, it was disappointing. It tasted like super salty olives. The cheese didn't come through at all. I ate two of the eight on the plate, my husband ate one, and the remaining five were uneaten.

Next I had a salad of prawns, peaches, and cucumbers. All of the ingredients were so fresh - super crunch cukes and the peaches were so sweet and delicious. I loved it.

My main course was pappardelle pasta with duck, peas, and truffle oil. This dish was rich, savory, and luscious. I'd order it again in an instant, although the menu contained lots of other dishes that I'm interested to try as well.

It would have been great if I'd had any room left for dessert - the goat cheese cheese cake sounded so interesting - the apple and quince tart sounded delicious, and the beignets with blackberry glaze sounded amazing. But alas, I was way too full. But we'll be back. Not in time to tell you the details - but that just means you probably need to check this place out for yourself.