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October 11, 2004
Back from Cali
I just got back from a trip to San Fran to hang out with three friends from my floor in college. Two of them flew out from Chicago and we all met up at ryanp's place. It was quite a bit of fun, complete with barbequeing fish at sunset on the beach, watching sunset over the bay on a rickety wooden "no trespassing" powerline utility bridge, and a full day of wine tasting in the Napa and Sonoma Vallies.
The first day of the trip, Thursday, was the most packed. To round out the day in the late afternoon, the four of us took the top down convertible to Half Moon Bay. Along the way, we picked up some salmon, sea bass, and ahi tuna for grilling on the beach. There was very heavy fog at the local beach, so we drove down the coast looking for a clearer view of sunset. Realizing that the sun was going down quickly, we settled for the next beach along the road. Unfortunately, it closed at sunset and only allowed grilling in their designated pits. There was no one supervising the beach, so we decided not to worry about it. We took the grill, the fish, and the wine (did I mention the wine?) out onto a secluded cliff. I prepared the fish with a little lemon juice, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper while Mike ignited the coals. Ryanp was feeling a bit uneasy, and around sunset went down to check the parking lot. All of the other cars were gone, except for ours. And a second car. A truck, actually. A truck with a ranger (not sure what he was really). We thought about just leaving the car there, staying hidden right where we were. But if we did that, they would lock the gates and our car would be stuck there until sunrise. That didn't seem like a good option, but we had just put the fish on the grill a few minutes prior. If the ranger decided to come looking for us, we could get in a good deal of trouble. Let me list the possible fines:
- drinking alcohol.
- a fire in our own grill
- out past sunset
- any others I'm missing?
Mike and Ryan came up with an idea, and we put it into action. Ryan and I ran down to the car, just as the ranger was checking out the plates. We apologized for being late, and he told us it was no problem. We drive the car out of the gated area, and drove a little way down the highway. After a couple of miles, we backtracked and parked down a side highway near the beach. Ryan and I then snuck back into the beach and met up with Mike and James, who had been keeping the fish warm for us. This bit of quick thinking headed off some potential fines, of which we only ended up with a ticket for parking illegally on a highway. Not so bad.
I have not acted that crazy in quite some time. It was like being with my old college friends brought out the person I was back in my earlier college days, both the good and the bad. It was fun to return to being a good deal more free-spirited (crazier?), but along with that, for some reason, came me being pretty much a selfish ass. Not sure what the relationship between the two is, but I'm still thinking about it. It is so hard to change, and so easy to regress.
Entry posted by byscuits on October 11, 2004 12:30 PM
Comments
you gotta post some of those pics!
Comment posted by ryankp at October 11, 2004 01:31 PM
this is more a comment for Ryan I think, but speaking of the grilled fish got me thinking. One of my favorite things in the world is Black Pepper Crusted grilled Ahi (or Ahi Au Poivre) with asparagus tips, tapenade, and sauce Bernaise. I first learned to make this for high-end banquets at the Binz in St. Paul. You start with sushi-grade Ahi tuna sliced in steaks about 1 inch thick, and toss those with Olive oil, and lightly salt them,then roll them in cracked black pepper to coat. Then you grill them, roughly 1 minute on each side, and 45 seconds on each end. At the same time you take fresh white asparagus tips, lightly salted and peppered, and grill them very quicky (30 seconds a side). And set them off the heat. To plate the dish, you spoon the Bernaise sauce (which is a basic Hollandaise with sauteed minced challots, fresh Tarragon chiffonade, and a dash of Tarragon Vinegar) onto the plate. On top of that you have a nice dollop of tapenade, which is a pesto of nicoise olives that you can buy premade at the cheese counter of any Whole Foods grocery store, or a good italian or mediterrenean market. Next, slice the crusted tuna in eigth inch thick slices (it should be be a nice rich red on the inside if you have not overcooked it) and arrange them on top in a pinwheel fashion. Then you lay a couple of Asparagus tops on there, and if you want to go over the top a teaspoon of Ceruga caviar (a more affordably priced caviar than Beluga)finishes the dishes perfectly. Caviar and a nice full bodied Red Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, or even a port or Chianti.
You know, I love the M.A. program, but sometimes I really miss the Binz.
Comment posted by adam at October 11, 2004 04:35 PM
