We spent Easter Sunday yesterday with Dave’s sister Trish, her husband Bruce and family. Tau loves haves having his teenage cousins Greg and Jess around to play soccer with him and do Thomas the Tank puzzles (thrilling for them, I’m sure!).

It was so hot here that the Easter Bunny had to drop his eggs off very quickly after brunch and we ran out and find them before they melted into globby, gooey little messes.

Pics are over at Flickr. Enjoy!

Sticking with the “quality is more the norm than the exception” theme from my Savvie posting, Sue asked me to blog about the coffee in New Zealand.

Shortly after arriving in Auckland, I let AJ and our newly introduced sister-in-law Jules know that I was partial to good coffee. Turns out they are too. This gave AJ and Jules every opportunity to show off their local stomping grounds, starting with the coffee shop in their local Warehouse outlet.

AJ cringed with embarrassment. His sister and brother-in-law arrive from the US — home of Starbucks, Peets and Seattle’s Best — and the first coffee shop we frequent in Auckland is at the Warehouse! Later that afternoon AJ demonstrated his own perfected latte-making skills. Their coffee of choice is Gravity because, as the ad goes …

 
Tiny Mairangi Bay Village, where AJ and Jules live, has about 30 shops ranging from a FoodTown to a yoga studio to upscale dress shops and everything in between. Coffee can be ordered in at least six restaurants and cafes in the village, such is the love affair locals have with their Joe. Much as in the US/Canada Pacific Northwest, coffee is intricately woven into the Kiwi lifestyle. Coffee shops are filled with folks reading the paper or magazines, working on laptops, coffee-moms meeting girlfriends for a morning latte after walking the kids to school, toddler and dog in tow, business folks brokering deals in suits and the occasional tourist contentedly taking it all, trying desperately to learn the local coffee lingo:

• Skinny latte = Latte made with skim milk
• Long black = What we call an Americano, served without milk or cream
• Long black with milk on the side = Americano with milk on the side (the closest to what we drink here in the US)
• Short black = Espresso

Some shops we visited, like The Red Beret in Motueka and Zest in Nelson, are so busy that customers find themselves cleaning their own tables in order to be seated. Once seated, the patron can then sit back with their long-black-with-milk-on-the-side and pastry, only to politely have to stand a few seconds later to let a new mom pass with her pram. An aside: the prams in NZ are generally larger than most Kiwi cars, which makes for a tight squeeze in coffee shops.

We found the Kiwi roast of choice to be medium-dark and espresso shots were always extremely flavourful. None of the “this espresso’s so weak I can see my mother-in-law through it” shots that our friends at Starbucks have become really famous for. The kind where the espresso shots are no longer “pulled” by hand but triggered into action by the cash register/computer and then shot off by an automated espresso machine.

Sign at Mariposa Palms Nursery and Cafe

Two really unique coffee destinations that AJ and Jules took us to were Morris and James Pottery & Tileworks & Mariposa Palms — both in Matakana, an hour north of Auckland. The Morris and James cafe sits in the courtyard outside the sales center for their very unique and beautiful pottery. And Mariposa Palms cafe is nestled under the palms sold at their plant nursery. In addition to pairing a serene setting with superb coffee, Mariposa also offers free puppies and espresso to unruly children.

Even though we were fortunate enough to frequent some very memorable coffee shops throughout our time in NZ, it is this story that I like to tell to highlight just how good Kiwi coffee is. When we were staying up in Paihia, Sue, Tau and I drove out to Matauri Bay for a morning on the beach. After leaving the main road, the rural drive passes more livestock than homes and finally makes it way up and past the Matauri General Store before the steep road down into the bay.

Being low on supplies, we decided to stop and pick up something for lunch. We then realized that while one half of the very humble looking general store was exactly that, the other half was the local bar. On the counter of the bar sat a very high-end espresso maker. I was floored. Beer, wine and coffee - the Kiwis know a thing or two. After ordering lunch at the bar, we sat out back in the sunshine and drank our long-black-with-milk-on-the-side and ate our meat pies (Kiwi meat pies really ought to be the subject of an entirely separate post). Here in the middle of very rural New Zealand, miles from the nearest town, the owner knocked out a couple coffees so smooth and rich that they rivalled any other cup we tasted in urban NZ or the US for that matter.

Aerial View of Matauri Bay

Those of you that know me, know that I’m partial to white wine. Those of you that know me particularly well, know that I am extremely partial to Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Hi. Dave here.

Living in California, a state that swirls and swallows vast quantities of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, I’m seen as somewhat of a wino odd-ball. In San Diego, the Riesling and Gewürztraminer sections are usually banished to the far corners of most wine stores. It’s almost as if you have to ask for them in a soft muted voice.

And then there are those (mostly men) who would accuse me of being as fruity as the wines I like, not realizing that when the occasions calls for it, I’m as appreciative of a smooth Pinot Noir or an earthy Syrah or — heaven forbid — a wheat beer or a lager.

We arrived in New Zealand on a Thursday morning after the overnight flight. By the afternoon I’d located and ventured into the local wine shop, Mairangi Bay Wines. By Friday evening, Sue and I left Tau with his cousins and aunt and ventured back down to MB Wines for some wine tasting.

My initial impression remained constant throughout our time in New Zealand. In the words of one great wine critic and educator: New Zealand makes the best New Zealand wines. They are not Californian or German or Australian or Italian. Kiwis have come to understand the potential of their land in producing truly excellent wines.

Jules Taylor

That Friday night, we discovered Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007, which received an Air New Zealand Elite Gold medal. Two bottles made it back to California and one has already been consumed. Sue Courtney, the wine blogger describes this wine as: Juicy, vibrant and punchy with musk, sweat pea and sweet citrus aromas and a grassy, herbaceous undercurrent to the tropical fruit, lime and grapefruit flavours. Intense and zesty with a powerfully long finish and fabulous length. I don’t get all these nuances of flavors. I just really like it a lot.

Not a bad start to enjoying Sauvignon Blancs, seeing as I’d always associated them with a strange, harsh, grassy aftertaste, therefore avoiding them completely. The following evenings and sometimes early afternoons, we delved into sampling a number of excellent savvies (as New Zealanders affectionately call them). Kiwis are fiercely proud of their country, their culture and their produce and wines. They have every right to be.

Early the next week, we flew from Auckland to Nelson on the northern tip of the South Island and rented a cottage in Tasman. Neudorf Riesling and two websites (Nelson Tourism and Nelson Wine Art) had convinced me that a trip to the area would be rewarding. You gotta love the power of the Internet.

I was also very much interested in exploring a smaller, more boutiquey wine region that is well know for crafting some of New Zealand’s finest aromatics. The Neudorf Rieslings I’d purchased in San Diego bore witness to this. Accommodation at the Tasman Village Cottage was also booked based on the advertised “… just relax with a bottle of wine from the adjoining Blackenbrook vineyard and make the most of having a private and spacious place to stay.”

This didn’t take much convincing as the evening we arrived, we discovered another savvie gem: Blackenbrook Vineyard Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2007. Sue Courtney describes this as: Light golden coloured with powerful aromas and flavours of citrus, apple and nectarine with underlying gooseberry and tropical fruit. Juicy and flavoursome with an amazingly long finish where hints of tobacco, tomato stalk and capsicum emerge. A wine of richness and power with a wonderful texture, bright acidity and balance all the way through. A truly remarkable Nelson Sauvignon Blanc.

Again, I don’t get the hints of tobacco, tomato stalk and capsicum references because it’s been a long time since I experimented with any tobacco products. I also believe that the tomato plant itself is poisonous and for those of you that don’t know a capsicum is a bell pepper! Again, I would just say, I liked it a lot.

Note that this wine was good enough to get my red-wine-loving-wife to go, “Mmmmm.” And I should note that this wine was awarded Gold and Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc at the 2007 New Zealand International Wine Show. Not bad for a Savvie produced in Tasman’s clay soils!

Blackenbrook was a wonderful jumping off point for our time in Tasman. It was close enough to walk Tau up to see the tractors at work, past the fields of grazing sheep. We also managed quick trips to Kahurangi Estate and Neudorf with our two-year-old who saw very little purpose in the activities, regardless of the number of nearby sheep or horses.

If Blackenbrook was the jumping off point, it also signaled the end to our stay. Our hosts, Cameron and Maria, had arranged for me to meet with the Blackenbrook wine maker Daniel Schwarzenbach for 30 or so minutes. I was eager to meet the man behind the wine we’d been consuming all week long, and valued the opportunity to meet Daniel one-on-one. Our 30 minute chat spilled over 2 hours as he walked me around his gravity-fed winery, answering tens of probably naive or stupid questions and giving me insights into the wine industry that I otherwise would probably never have gained.

Back in Auckland, I ventured into the local grocery store to see shelves filled with Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris alongside the Pinot Noir and Savignon Blanc. Clearly in NZ a few other folks have as much an appreciation of these varietals as myself. My lasting impressions of New Zealand can also be said about the wine - quality is more the norm than the exception.

Coffee with marshmallow fish

 
What struck us most about our time in New Zealand was how simple and open the Kiwi lifestyle is.

We noted on more than one occasion how the small communities along Auckland’s North Shore are like the neighbourhoods Dave and I were raised in thirty-some years ago in South Africa.

Before I get into the specifics of our trip, here is a short list of Kiwi pleasures — the little things that made us smile and reminded us of childhood.

1. Small neighborhood shopping centers, each with their own bakery, butcher, post office, and dairy (cafe/tearoom/corner store).
2. Kids walking to and from school barefoot.
3. Hot, flaky meat pies — steak and kidney, chicken and veg — and piping hot, tender sausage rolls.
4. Main highways with only a single lane in each direction!
5. Custard slices. Gloriously creamy, sticky-icing-sugared custard slices!
6. A Friday night youth disco to raise funds for the local school.
7. Cadbury’s Flakes. Now available in dark chocolate — even better!
8. Tea rooms and coffee shops, where each cup is served with a chocolate-covered marshmallow fish.
9. Small, locally owned stationery shops. The kind that smell of paper and ink. That sell ornaments and gifts that children can buy with their own pocket money. The antithesis of Office Depot.
10. Fanta, still hideously orange and sold in glass bottles. Couldn’t bring myself to drink one but fun to look at none the less!

Friday afternoon was cool and overcast. Perfect weather for staying home and watching a movie with a glass of wine and a bowl of comfort food.

I’d thawed ground lamb but wasn’t sure what to do with it. Spaghetti Bolognese? Lamb curry?

And then I remembered frikkadels — quintessential South-African meatballs and the perfect comfort food of our youth. I hadn’t eaten frikadelle in probably twenty years.

What I’d forgotten was how easy they are to make. And how they go with just about anything.

I didn’t feel like peeling potatoes to make mash, so substituted couscous, with a hearty gravy and some steamed veggies. Perfect!

Tau’s plate

Our plates, with grown-up veggies

If you’re interested, here’s the recipe — the bread and egg make for a very moist texture, and the flour and spices ensure the outsides are crispy and the gravy tasty! (more…)

Mighty Girl Maggie Mason served up an elegant sliver of etiquette on her blog today. She quoted fashion designer Valentino, who insists on dividing his attention at dinner parties equally, talking to the guest on his right for the duration of the first course and to the guest on his left for the second.

Comments on Mighty Girl’s post pointed out the obvious flaw in this approach; if all the guests at the table followed Valentino’s rule to a tee, they’d spend the whole night staring at the back of another person’s head. I knew there was a reason I didn’t wear designer clothes. Valentino pants are likely stitched so that one leg doubles back into the other.

But I digress. Maggie’s point was that we’ve lost the charm of the intimate dinner party, the kind where you lay out the good china and guests are hand picked to complement and keep each other fascinated all night long with witty anecdotes and scintillating repartee.

Sort of. (more…)

The beach at Manzanita looking North

Just kidding! Wouldn’t put you through that and I doubt anyone’s interested in a blow-by-blow of our week away.

But I did want to add a link to a small set on Flickr and give you a few short takes on our time on the Oregon coast.

Note: If you view the Flickr pics as a slideshow, click the [i] to see descriptions. Can you tell I write user manuals for a living?

And please pardon the lazy bullets. It’s been a brain-frazzly week.

• McMenamin’s Kennedy School Hotel (Portland) – So unbelievably cool! I added a few of pictures of our room and the hallways to the Flickr set but please also check out their web site. Beer and pizza in their movie theater and the kids are allowed? Woo-hoo! And about that lovely reflection pool? Tau started backtreading as soon as he got near it: “All done … no-no! … Waaaaah!” No amount of coaxing would stop him crying so we had to leave. Of course, once he spotted kids swimming in the pool through the window across the hallway from our room, it was all, “Pool … pool … Mama! POOL!” And pulling our sleeves to go back.
• Mish Mash — The house we rented a couple blocks away from Manzanita Beach with Dave’s brother Stu, his wife Kristi, nephew Kai, and Dave’s Mom and Dad. Mish Mash had everything we needed including beautiful views, a big garden for the kids to run (well, actually, more like ride … on Nanny’s back) and a great comfy kitchen and fireplace. Thanks to Stu and Kristi for organizing and bringing all the kid gear we couldn’t fit in our luggage: booster seat, Pack ‘n Play, rain gear, gumboots, kites, and lots and lots of fleece!

Mish Mash, Manzanita, OR 

• Time and space — This is what I love about a vacation with no agendas. Most days we had a late breakfast, went for a walk to the beach or into the village for a coffee, ate lunch, napped, cooked dinner, sat by the fire and then crashed around 9:30. And most afternoons, I went up to “nap” with Tau. In truth, I lay on our bed watching the waves crashing on the beach or reading a book. Yes, I read a book, with printed words and a cover and everything! A travel memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert called Eat, Pray, Love. Highly recommended.
• Cuzzling rivalry — Lets just say that the boys were not too keen on sharing. Not one bit. Which lead to a fair bit of squabbling and, “I don’t want him to” from Kai and “No, NOOOO! MINE!” from Tau. But of course the minute they were out of each other’s sight …. “Kai? Kai? Dad-dee … Kai?” and ”Uncle Dave, where Baby Tau?”
• Hanging out — Dave and Stu took off winetasting in the Willamette Valley all of Tuesday, just the two of them, which was great because they don’t often get that kind of time together. Which is a shame because they are close. That day, Kristi and I took the boys to the beach. It was the one truly warm, sunny day we had and Tau and Kai had a ridiculously happy time in the “river” at the top of the beach. Tau stood in the freezing cold water for 45 minutes and threw rocks. Ecstatic.
• Celebrating – Kai’s third birthday back on June 1 and Tau’s upcoming second this October. Grandad hung balloons, Kristi made a cake and the boys blew candles … and vied for who got ownership of the orange and the pink and the green balloon.
• Did I mention all the time and space? – Time for early morning yoga at the community center in nearby Nehalem. Slow, stretchy asanas and gentle light filtering in through the tall windows. And on the Wednesday, a delicious hour-long sea-salt scrub and massage with green tea and mint. Double AH!
• And finally, lovely walks on the beach — because what’s a week spent on the Oregon coast without long walks on the beach, all bundled up cosy?

Snug as a bug! 

Now go and look at all those pics!

(Posted by Dave)

When we started planning our trip to Oregon some months back, Stu and I spent a considerable amount of time researching places we would like to visit in Portland, the Willamette valley and at the coast. (Sue and Kristi, in unison: “No kidding!”)

Arriving in Portland in mid-morning, Sue, Tau and I headed off to Trader Joe’s for groceries and Hollywood Espresso for lunch.

This seemed as good a jumping off place as any to our overnight stay in Portland. Hollywood Espresso serves up Portland Roasting coffee, wine by the glass and terrific Panini sandwiches served up by efficient and friendly staff. Not a bad start to our week away.

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Sunday brunch at Bombay Exotic Cuisine of India

Crossing my fingers and toes; Tau is over pinkeye and the bronchiolitis has cleared, so we’ve had 9 (nine) whole nights of beautiful, solid sleep. Feel like a million smackeroos.

Saturday: Woke up early and snuck out quickly to yoga. Great class: Spine twisting, limb stretching, quiet. Dave, Tau, Nanny and Grandad headed over to the local farmer’s market for breakfast crépes, fresh flowers and to see the train. Over lunch, Dave and his Mom planted a few new things in the garden. Late afternoon, Dave and I got cleaned up and headed over to La Jolla for California tapas and drinks at a place called Azul’s. Very nice. With wine and a martini we shared four small plates: warm pistachio-crusted brie cheese torte, a pear and walnut salad, grilled halibut on wild black rice, and fennel-crusted lamb loin medallions. Yum. For dessert, I had espresso crème brulée and Dave had a strawberry mascarpone terrine, both with coffee. Tau didn’t miss us for a second. Love having the grandparents to stay!

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Considering the one-year-older thing, noticed this, printed on my morning coffee cup: 

The Way I See It #215 

Your body is a whole, all of its parts connected. Your body wants to be healthy. Every lifestyle choice you make has a profound impact on how you live, feel, age. Only a true understanding and appreciation of your body will enable you to live long and live well.
 
– Andrew Weil, M.D.
Author of Healthy Aging and director of the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine.

This is part of Starbucks’ The Way I See It campaign, and I’m probably not the only person who finds the union of holistic health guru Andrew Weil and corporate coffee strange. Everything in moderation I guess.

We are cautiously optimistic that El(Rota)vi(ru)s has left the building. Things seem a lot more solid, shall we say, in the diaper department and our Curious Tau is back again. 

Two new games this weekend:

1) Hiding Go Duck: Beg your parents to wind up bath Duck-Duck, then hide him in the big African straw basket and jam the lid on. Your parents will be amazed and confused. They can hear the duck feet going like mad, but where the heck is that duck? Silly parents — you have to show them where you hid him.

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Moments of bliss come without warning in small packages.

Yesterday I received a small cardboard box at work. No sender on the shipping label and no hint as to what it might be. Turns out the Asian company that does our translation work loves us and sent each of the writers they work with a selection of yummy Godiva chocolates.

Dave and I never buy nice chocolate for ourselves. Wine, yes. Food, of course. Coffee, OK. These are all necessities. But good chocolate seems extravagant.

Once the Tau noises stopped upstairs last night, we curled up in front of an episode of Nip Tuck with some red wine, a small bowl of ice cream and the lovely chocolates. Dark cherry liquor literally burst in my mouth. 

Makes verifying installation guides translated into five different languages much more palatable throughout the year!

Peachy Canyon Winery, Paso Robles

Thanksgiving 2006 was spent — just the three of us — in San Luis Obispo County, a 3-hour drive north of Los Angeles. Having woken at 4 a.m. on Saturday, we sped through LA before heading towards Santa Monica and then through Ventura — well worth the extra time to meander through these two towns. Headed into Santa Barbara for some breakfast, shopping and wine purchases at Cellar 205, a co-op winery in downtown SB that my crazy sister-in-law Linda told us about. Highly recommended is the Oreana 2004 Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara).

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See Dave’s 40th in our Yahoo! photo albums!

We had a great time celebrating Dave’s birthday in the Okanagan Valley. On July 20th, we flew up to Kelowna, British Columbia, then drove an hour or so south to Naramata, a small town at the end of the road on the quiet side of Okanagan Lake.

The Okanagan Valley has flourished so much in the twelve or so years we have been vacationing there. The region, which boasted 15 wineries a decade ago, now has over 150, many producing top-notch, yummy wines! Naramata (population 2000) consists mainly of small vineyards and orchards set up right on the lake. The town has one pizza joint, one pub, a small grocery store and a great coffee shop — what more could a birthday boy ask for? Naramata is super-secluded compared to close-by Penticton, which gets pretty ugly in the summer heat what with tourists, traffic, loud powerboats, etc.

Most of Dave’s family (around 20 people all together) made the drive to the interior from Victoria — we suspect this had to do with many of them not having met Tau yet, and joked that Dave and I could have slipped away for the weekend sans kid, and no one would have noticed we were missing! Dave’s Aunty Mary was visiting from England. It was a special treat to see her, and we thoroughly enjoyed the delish fruit cake she made for Dave’s birthday.

We ended up staying with Stu, Kristi and Kai at a small private flat (with shaded BBQ patio) just off the main drag, with the rest of the family at the local motel just a block away.

We started most days with coffee and a breakfast bagel at the cafe, then slowly wandered down to spend the morning and lunch time at the lake, then did a bit of wine tasting in the afternoons, and usually wound up barbecuing and sampling more of what we’d bought at the wineries in the evenings. BC was experiencing the same heat wave we’d left behind in California, with temps hitting 38 degrees C, making the lake temperatures perfect for swimming … and the AC in our flat an absolute necessity at night! Tau and cousin Kai spent their days and nights in diapers only, and had a great time in the water!

On the Saturday night, we had a very casual outdoor potluck. The family had collaborated to make a scrapbook for Dave’s birthday (thanks to Trish for organizing), and it was fun to look over the pages of Dave’s past and reminisce. On the Monday, Dave and I visited Glenda, a friend from Victoria, who is now growing grapes on her property for one of the local vineyards — it was interesting to get the inside scoop on the industry. And on Tuesday we said our goodbyes to the last of the family and made our way home.

Sigh — why do vacations have to come to an end? We had a wonderful time visiting with all the family, and look forward to many more holidays at Naramata.