Using the Word Thankful.. STILL....

Turkey leftovers and forgotten mash no longer sit upon the shelves of the fridge. Thanksgiving has come and gone. Christmas seems to be "hot topic" now! Maybe I'm slow on the take... but, I'm still pausing to reflect and give thanks for all that I've been gifted with.

Non-traditional observances aside - Hubby & I enjoyed a beautifully warm, seaside to mountain top week of Thanksgiving observance. What began as a "time to unwind" post-Goat Hill getaway to the ocean, ended up being the start to our holiday.

Just past the hills, and sitting in the low-lying farming area of the California central coast is a cluster of tiny towns that are quite the slow paced, verdant, oceanic paradises of my dreams. We visit Half Moon Bay when our bodies say "rest".  Hubby & I frequent this place, and my parents traveled over these hills to bring their four children to sandy playgrounds when I was young. Their fist home was nearly purchased here.

 

Hunkered down in the San Benito House, an inn that hasn't seen much updating in years, we plopped ourselves on wooden benches and watched the world go 'round us. Taxidermy heads-'n-horns line the walls of the pool hall. A happenin' pub serves up a mean Bloody Mary. My brother joined in for an ale at the outdoor fire pit, and a lobster roll down the Highway.

 

Ocean smooth as glass ... the oddest of sights! I don't know that I've ever witnessed nearly nonexistent wave action at this portion of the coast. We took in some local fare.. as in - artichoke soup from Duarte's (I've posted on this before), and we backroad-ed to see country stores, shops and... here's another strange curiosity - fence posts trimmed in dried fish heads!!  what?? yep....

Two days of beachy bliss! Thankful for every minute of it...

 

Travel with me to the next Thanksgiving stop....

I hope to continue regular posts.. at a much more regular pace! Until next time...

Our History in Pescadero

The San Francisco Chronicle had a well known columnist named Herb Caen. I believe that is where I first read an article he wrote about Duarte's in Pescadero. Duarte's is a small, wooden clad building on the tiny main street of Pescadero. This family owned and run restaurant has been in business since 1894.

 

The Duarte's Tavern sign has been around since the 1930s.

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  Emma Cardoza Duarte started the pie tradition at the tavern. This photo appears on Duarte's pie boxes.

Every morning, 78-year-old Ron Duarte walks down the steps from his home and directly into the restaurant he owns.

He is the third generation of the family to run Duarte's (pronounced DOO-arts) Tavern in Pescadero, Calif.,Ron's grandfather, Frank Duarte, a Portuguese immigrant, bought the tavern and the land around it for $12 in gold in 1894. In those days, Pescadero, near the Pacific, was a popular settlement for whalers, fishermen and farmers from Portugal.
To start off his business, Frank Duarte Sr. bought a barrel of whiskey from Santa Cruz. "Used to be 10 cents a shot or three shots for two bits," says Ron Duarte. "They'd set the barrel of whiskey here in the bar and people would bring their bottle in and fill it up."

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Hubby and I have been going to savor artichoke soup for thirty years or so. Our love for that creamy, luscious soup has never wavered! YYUUUUMMY!! here's the last bowl I had ~

Duarte's Artichoke Soup

A previous version of this recipe misstated the amount of corn starch in the thickening mix. The mix should consist of 1/3 cup corn starch and 1 cup warm water.

March 16, 2009

Serves 6

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 lb. butter

3/4 tsp. white pepper

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3 tsp. chicken base

2 tbs. fresh garlic, chopped very fine

4 lbs. cooked artichoke hearts

2 cups heavy cream

Thickening: 1/3 cup corn starch and 1 cup warm water, mixed

Puree artichoke hearts (use water in blender). Add pureed artichokes to soup pot. Add chicken broth and other ingredients, except cream and thickening mix. Simmer for 1 hour. Slowly add thickening mix to boiling soup. Add cream

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We also lunched on fried smelt.... sounds horrid - but, oh so NOT!!

More than just a place we've come to dine for years, we also became engaged on the sands of the beach in Pescadero and then had this very same meal that evening to celebrate. We have history here.