In addition to sampling two charming – really, that’s the word – examples of Spanish mencia varietal, we split a small plate of tender, tangy calamari salad on a float of micro-gazpacho. Soif still owns the island of intriguing off-the-beaten-track wines. Go immediately to sample the mencia flight, including the lively tamarind and roses of the 2007 Guimaro “Amandi” from Ribeira Sacra.
Dear Westside community partners in the natural food game: I love New Leaf. I love the very idea of New Leaf. But since expansion into the Big Store, the delivery system seems to have bogged down.
Sandwiches are now made in slow motion, even at the obviously busy lunch hour. By individuals who appear never to have seen a loaf of bread. Tuna sandwiches are laboriously constructed as if working from blueprints printed in Latvian. Same thing at check out.
Even during peak hours, there are few check out folks on duty. And – forgive me – they are slow. Often they stop in the middle – the middle! – of a transaction and chat with other checkers. Or leave the checkout lane entirely and go off on a mission of mercy for another patron. Well-meaning, but unclear on the concept.
I urge New Leaf management to spend more time on staff training. Thank you.
Your friend,
Christina
Gabriella Cafe. Lunch for four. After we ordered, our host Paul Cocking came by with a few small plates for us to try until our halibut and opal basil salads, kampachi crudo, and gnocchi Bolognese arrived.
Olives in oil with a branch of thyme. Chef Brad Briske’s fresh pickles – cippolinis, Armenian cucumbers and celery(r.). Beautiful food that tasted as good as……
Calm down, I’m talking about a full-bodied frozen yogurt creation — the Gizmo – that combines dense barely sweet frozen yogurt plus your choice of fruit — and turns it into enlightened soft serve creamy dessert. I am (but you probably guessed this already) referring to the possibilities available at the new Yogizmo Yogurt Co. store – located in the Avanti region of Mission Street.
The latest Yogizmo shop just opened here on the Westside, and I stumbled into it on a hot afternoon and found immediately cool comfort in the form of a blueberry Gizmo for $3.35. Dense, tangy, well, just check it out for yourself.
You can also sample abundant Marianne’s (more…)
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.