Last night we wanted to get a drink before going to a movie in Orinda (saw Pride & Prejudice, even the Austen haters among us loved the movie) and we decided to stop at Calypso Bar & Grill which is very close to the theater. Alas, unbeknown to us there is a cafe/wine bar just across from Calypso which might have been more appropriate for a quick drink. Next time.

Calypso is a Caribbean themed restaurant, the type that might have been popular in the 60's and 70's. The restaurant is small and dark and on Saturday nights, at least, features music. Last night it was a singer/guitar player singing covers from the 60's. I particularly enjoyed American Pie.

Boris and Regina just had bottled drinks, but Mike ordered the hand shaken Margarita while I had a fruity rum drink. They were both good, though not outstanding. Mike felt the Margarita had too much ice, but I was happy for that as I prefer my drinks cold. Mike liked the coconut shrimp, though as he says, he's never had coconut shrimp he doesn't like.

In all I wouldn't mind giving the place a try for dinner if we happened to be in Orinda. The restaurant is family friendly - there was a whole group of children while we were there.

Calypso Bar & Grill
2 Theatre Sq., No. 153 (off Moraga Way)
Orinda, CA 94563
925-258-9686

I'm cleaning up my spice rack, throwing away old spices. There are some I've had since I got married, over a decade ago. Granted, I've seldom if ever used them since (like fennel seeds, what do I need fennel seeds for?) but I figure if I do need them again, I can buy them anew. The list below are the spices I have - most in good quantities. This way next time I come across a recipe that calls for something I can check it against this list rather than having to go through the whole rack.

Black peppercorns
White peppercorns
Powdered Cayenne pepper
Piment d'espelette
Ground chili de arbol
Sweet paprika
Chili powder
Oregano
Thyme
Tarragon
Rosemary
Herbs d'provence
Ground sweet basil
Saffron threads
Bay leaves
Turmeric
Ground allspice
Ground cumin
Mustard seeds
Curry powder
Mustard powder
Ground ginger
Cinnamon sticks
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Nutmeg pods

These are spices I probably should buy to replace the ones I threw away. Any other suggestions:

-Red pepper flakes
-Ground black pepper (for when I don't have time to grind enough)
-Allspice berries
-Cloves
-Regular paprika
-Hot paprika
-Garlic powder

Viva Mexico is one of the very, very many taquerias that dot the San Leandro landscape. This one is located in the "Fashion Fair Shopping Center", the little outdoor mall by Bayfair Mall where Ross, Michael's and Pier 1 are located. We went there for dinner one night last December before going to see a movie nearby.

Unfortunately all this time after our dinner I don't have a clear picture of everything we had. Under such a circumstance it might be better perhaps to not write a review at all - but we're quite unlikely to go back there so it's now or never. Plus I figure that as long as I'm honest, you, the reader, can give my recollections the weight you think they are worth.

In any case, I'm afraid to say that I cannot remember what we had for dinner that night. My educated guess is that I had a carne asada burrito and that Mike had a carnitas burrito, as this is what we usually order when we go to a taqueria. I don't remember eating it, but I do remember discussing that the food wasn't that great, certainly not as good as that of our favorite taquerias. I also recall liking the chips and the fiery roasted pepper salsa, while Mike being less parcial to it.

I did like the restaurant itself. It's a small operation and the owner, behind the counter, was very hospitable. A couple of diners at another table were saying (in Spanish) how this was the best Mexican food around. Still, Mike and I left thinking we wouldn't be coming back.

Viva Mexico
Fashion Fair Shopping Center
15100 Hesperian Blvd.
San Leandro, CA
510.317.2042

Lola and I had a get away weekend to the Tomales Bay and stopped by Priscilla's in Inverness for lunch. Yes, we would have preferred to go to Manka's, but that wasn't in the cards.

Priscilla's is a small, quaint, small-town cafe serving gourmet pizza and sandwiches. They make their own bread and bake it just before assembling the food (we could see the process from the window). You order the food at the counter and a waitress will bring it to your table. Service was quite prompt and everyone was very friendly.

Lola (who apparently was not filled by the 23 oysters she had just had) ordered the clam chowder. She thought it was a bit bland. It was fresh and homemade tasting, though not particularly clammy. She'd eat it again though she'd probably chose something else if she had the choice.

I had their roasted tri-tip sandwich and was also disappointed. The bread was very nice, warm and fluffy, and the meat was probably good as well, but the flavor of the mustard was so intense that I couldn't taste anything else. I'd definitely would skip it.

That's too bad, as Priscilla's was a very cute place to stop for a bite - I might still go again, but try the pizza or pasta instead.

Priscilla's
12781 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.,
Inverness, CA
(415) 669-1244

Yesterday I ate my first oyster. My friend Lola and I were exploring Tomales Bay and she wanted to stop at Hog island Oysters for some oysters. I'm a nice friend, so even though I knew this would mean I'd seat around staring at the bay while she ate oyster after oyster, I complied. Plus it's a nice bay.

Hog Island Oysters has a swank oyster bar at the Ferry but at the "farm" it's a much more downscale (though not cheaper) experience. You park your car, go into the farm and chose your oysters among the types available that day (they start at $10 a dozen). You can then either take them home, or pay $8-10 per person for use of their pic-nic facilities - don't expect anything fancy, just a few old pic-nic tables and grills. As I wasn't eating oysters, they were nice enough to not charge me but Lola's bill for two dozen oysters and pic-nic fee came up to $30. Not bad, but not that much cheaper than at their bar where oysters cost $1.50 each.

Lola was quite happy to eat her oysters plain and raw, if you want to BBQ yours or add some lemon or condiments you can buy charcoal and supplies at the general stores a few minutes south. Hog Island Oysters does provide you with a tray, a shucking knife and glove so you can shuck them yourself.

Lola was in ecstasy. She ate and she moaned and she celebrated each and every taste, to the point that I figured I should at least give them a try. Could they possibly be that good? Trying them wasn’t easy for me, the little creatures looked almost as disgusting as snails, plus I don’t relish the thought of eating something that is actually alive (yeah, yeah, I’m a hypocrite, I’m OK with others doing the killing for me), but her expressions of pleasure really spiked my curiosity. So I tried a little Kumamoto oyster - the type that Lola found sweeter and most delicious (it was also the smallest). To me it tasted like concentrated sea water, with some sea weed added for good measure. I could see the appeal for Lola, the taste of the sea in all of its immensity and possibilities, more than a taste it seemed to be an experience. But as taste went it was just not my cup of tea - it was OK, it didn’t make me gag, but once was enough. Lola didn’t mind, as it meant more for her.

In all she was more than pleased with the experienced, she thought the oysters were very good and would definitely buy from them again. I am happy to have tried them once.

In one word: yummy. I've had Trader Joe's Green Curry and Red curry sauces before and I had enjoyed them, but I have to say this one is my favorite. It's thick and creamy and sweet and spicy (good spicy, but too spicy for my kids) and pretty well balanced. Mike found it a bit too sweet for his taste, and I almost agree, but I like sweet food. In all, a great sauce to have in the pantry for when you want something quick and easy.

A new Dutch study shows that consuming chocolate or cocoa products helps reduce blood pressure.

Ok, ok - it doesn't really, it just shows that healthy, elderly men who ate more chocolate had lower blood pressure than those who ate less. And as we all know correlation does not necessarily mean causation.

But other small studies have shown the same effect and cocoa beans contain flavanols, which are thought to increase nitric oxide in the blood and improve the function of blood vessels.

Arch Intern Med -- Abstract: Cocoa Intake, Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Mortality: The Zutphen Elderly Study, February 27, 2006, Buijsse et al. 166 (4): 411