Friday Food 10-25-19

Last weekend while I was in San Diego I went to dinner with my friend Beth and, of course, we hit our favorite spot, Ikiru at Liberty Station.  Their food is so fresh and so tasty and very beautiful!  We have our favorites, but this time we ordered from the specials for October menu.  And we now have another favorite!  

This is it!  Called "Poke Island", it is just a small poke bowl served "free standing".  Exquisite!

We also indulged in one of our standards - "Orange Crush" which has slices of lemon between the pieces of sushi.  Not exotic, but very good. 

We also had the top two items which were delicious, but not very photogenic.  If you like squid and octopus you would enjoy these small servings that are very tasty. 

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Friday Food 10-18-19

I don't go to San Diego much anymore and I really miss my faorite sushi place, Ikiru in Liberty Station.  But I will be down there tomorrow for the opening of the new exhibits at Visions Art Museum and have reservations for dinner at Ikiru.  I can hardly wait. 

These pictures are of the Ultimate Crab Roll, my most favorite.  It is not raw, but baked, so it is served warm.  Sometimes it is so "loose" that I need a fork, but it still tastes the same as if I had struggled with chopsticks.  The arthritis in my hands makes chopsticks more difficult, but usually I can manage.  Unless it is "loose"!

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A visit to VAM in SDiego 09-03-19

For some unknown reason the drive to San Diego and back was very easy today.  It was about an hour and 45 minutes each way.  A great contrast to the times it has taken three hours on the road - each way.  I went down to have lunch with my friend Beth Smith and to see the exhibits at Visions Art Museum.  They are worth the trip, especially the Carol Larson/Marion Coleman exhibit.  It is a very personal expression of their lives and their art.  

We had our favorite sushi rolls at Ikiru and visited for several hours.  It was 84F in SDiego today, but not so hot at Liberty Station.   However, it was 97F in Placentia and the humidity was about 50%.  Doesn't seem like much to those of you who live with almost 100%, but I am not used to it and it saps my strength.  At 9pm it was still 84F, so KoKo and I had a very short walk tonight.  

This is the lemon roll which has paper thin slices of lemons in the cuts. 

This is my favorite, the Ultimate Crab Roll which is broiled rather than raw. 

All the way north on I-5 I could look at this huge pile of clouds which was centered over the San Bernardino Mountains.  May be what created the humidity. 

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Friday Food 08-30-19

Birthday coming up and I know I want to have some sushi and/or sashimi.  Can't decide where to go.   Here are some selections from the past year.  

Scallop and salmon sashimi with daikon at Fish in a Bottle, Placentia. 

Specialty rolls at Ikiru in San Diego. 

Green Tea Ice Cream at Ikiru in San Diego.

Poke Bowl from H2o in Irvine.

Poke bowl detail from H2o in Irvine. 

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Friday Food 11-16-18

 These pictures are from February 2013 when I lunched with friends at a restaurant in Liberty Station, San Diego.  It was called Rosedale and featured fish which was good, but none of us were impressed with the place and I guess that others didn't care for it either as it lasted a very short time. 

This fish sandwich was good, but not memorable and I can't remember what fish was used.

The presentation included this colorful leaf that I did not recognize. 

But it was what made the lunch memorable, nobody else knew what it was either. 

Tatsoi.  I looked it up online and found it is also called spinach mustard, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy.  It is an Asian variety of Brassica rapa grown for greens

I have never seen it since.  

There are many interesting restaurants at Liberty Station, but I usually end up at Ikiru, my favorite sushi place.  I so seldom drive down to San Diego these days that I can't pass up the chance to visit Ikiru.

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Friday Food 08-17-18

A lovely lunch today at the elegant Summit Inn in Fullerton, but I didn't take any pictures!  I guess Carol and Teresa and I were just enjoying each others company so much that pictures didn't cross my mind.  Guess we will have to go back.  Not just for the pictures, but for the delicious food. 

Last week I was in San Diego delivering items for the Visions Veranda Sale and enjoying lunch at my favorite sushi place, Ikiru at Liberty Station.  I remembered to take pictures there. 

The pale green exterior of the roll is paper thin cucumber.

Protein Fresh Roll

In: tuna, tai, salmon, hamachi, crabstick, avocado, kaiware, soy paper.  Out: cucumber wrap, ponzu.

 Between each segment is a paper thin slice of lemon. 

Orange Crush Fresh Roll   In: spicy scallop, cucumber.  Out: salmon, ponzu sauce.

RE: The object in yesterday's blog.  Only one suggestion as to what it could be.  How about it Bernina users, is that suggestion a possibility? 

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Friday Food 06-29-18

If I am going to feature Friday Food you will see some sushi, because it is one of my favorite things to eat.  I'll try not to overdo it.   My two favorite sushi spots are Fish in a Bottle in Placentia, CA, and Ikiru at Liberty Station in San Diego, where I had this for lunch one day last year. 

 

I don't remember which roll this was, but it was delicious.  Looks like tuna. 

This is the Ikiru fabulous Ultimate Crab roll, which is not raw.  It is my favorite of any roll I have ever eaten anywhere.  Remember the restaurant scene in the movie "Harry met Sally" where the lady at the next table says, "I'll have what she has."  That describes this situation!  

Hard to eat with chopsticks, try asking for a fork!

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"Interpretations" exhibit opening at Visions Art Museum 10-17-15

I am in San Diego at HIE again!   I drove down (2 1/2 hours)  for the opening reception for the "Interpretations" exhibit which opened  today.  This is an International juried exhibit with 32 quilts selected by an international jury - Noriko Endo of Japan, Dena Dale Crain of Africa and Alicia Merrett of UK.  They made wonderful selections and the Visions installation crew did a great job hanging the quilts to enhance our viewing pleasure.  The exhibit runs through January 3, 2016, and I hope you can all get to San Diego to see it "in the fabric".  There is a beautiful catalog available for $3 plus postage.  Check with the Visions staff.

 

This is the cover of the catalog showing Betty Busby's "Mycology".

The light spot in the upper left is a reflection from the lamp in my motel room. 

I tried a flash but it was even worse.  

The back of the catalog shows Marianne Burr's "Eleven 3 Thirteen".

Again there is the reflection from the lamp in the upper left corner.

 

After the reception I was fortunate to go out to Ikiru for a late dinner with Linda Colsh and Kathleen Probst.  We all had something different that has been pictured in this blog previously. Except Linda's selection of California Roll - it has never looked so good!  And  it was delicious.

 

Linda Colsh is giving a presentation tomorrow morning and I will attend that before heading home.  Perhaps lunch first ... at Ikiru?

 

The exhibits missing from Palm Springs were also missing at PIQF.  I understand the shipper was UPS!   Hope they locate the palette/shipping container soon.  Everyone would rather have their quilt than insurance money.

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In San Diego for the weekend 09-17-15

I'm missing the KoKo dog even though I am not home, but in a motel in SDiego.  I returned the little guy to his mommy on the way down I-5.  He seemed happy to be home.  I had thrown Ducky in a nylon bag and stuck him in the washer with my clothes and the same thing happened that happened last weekend.  The washer just filled with water and nothing happened.  I had to open the door so more water on the garage floor, but it managed to miss my shoes this time.  I fished out the bag with Ducky, rinsed him off and squeezed out all the water I could, but I had to put him in a baggie and return him to Nancy to deal with.  Poor KoKo, deprived of his Ducky, he is very unhappy.  

I was late for my meeting at Visions Art Museum, but didn't miss much.  Afterward Beth  and I had dinner at our  favorite place,  Ikiru.  Such good food and a pleasant atmosphere.   Afterward I checked into the motel and have been trying to go to bed ever since, but there are things that need to be done and computer work.

This is a very atypical painting by Emily Carr done early in her career in 1911 when she was in Brittany, France.  It is one of my favorite paintings -  I think it is the colors that attract me and the slight resemblance to my mother's house in Oregon. 

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Food, again. 6-26-15

Good trip to San Diego, including lunch with Beth at Ikiru.  Instead of having the usual I decided to try one of their specials, a Maui Roll.  It was delicious, but a little soft so I had to eat it with a fork instead of chopsticks. 

 

Sticking up like a backbone are four large potato chips!

The presentation is always so attractive.

Scallops, avocado, shrimp, carrots, who knows what else.

 

If you are ever looking for a place to eat in San Diego take a trip to Liberty Station and try Ikiru.

 

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Sushi for lunch 08-26-14

I do love sushi and what they serve at Ikiru in San Diego is fresh, tasty and filling.  Beth Smith and I went there today and, as usual, shared two rolls. 

 

In the back is an Orange Blossom roll and in the front is a Liberty roll.  Both  are served with Ponzu sauce, which is the dark semi-liquid on the plate.

 

Liberty is seared on the top, so it is served warm.

Orange Blossom is cold and has super thin slices of lemon  in each cut.  Tart, but oh-so-refreshing on a hot day. 

 

One reason I went down today was to take several boxes of books donated by Toni Mahoney to share between Surfside Quilters Guild and Visions Art Museum.   The Guild is preparing for their November Fest which features raffle baskets, so some books will go in those, and VAM has an ongoing sale of "Gently Used Books" in their gift shop all year round.  There will be some good bargains when the books are priced and shelved.

 

If you haven't been down to see the current exhibits at VAM you should try to go, they are outstanding.   When they come down the end of September the new Visions biennial exhibit will go up - it is a juried show with quilts from around the world.  While you are in the area, stop by Oceanside Museum of Art which is showing one-third of the quilts from Quilt National 2013.  www.visionsartmuseum.org

 

Exhibits in San Diego 08-07-14

I drove to San Diego today to see the new exhibit at Visions Art Museum.  And, of course, to have lunch at my favorite sushi place, Ikiru.  They were ready to send out a search party since I haven't been in for over three weeks, or maybe a month!   Their food is so good, I have really missed it.  Didn't even look for a sushi place on this trip and ate a lot of meals out of my cooler and "lunch" box in my room at night.  Too tired to go out looking for a place to eat.  I can have a big breakfast at any motel these days (although I prefer HIE), so don't need much lunch; a piece of fruit, some cheese and crackers. 

Orange Blossom (front) and Real Crab Rolls

Orange Blossom - see the parchment slice of lemon?  Yummy.

Anyway, if you can get to VAM you are in for a treat.  Caryl Bryer-Fallert-Gentry's "Thirty Quilts for Thirty Years" (which are all thirty inches square) look spectacular.  They ARE spectacular.  She has revisited the designs she has done in the past and created new versions for this traveling exhibit.  Very impressive.  She has had such an influence on contemporary quilting over the years - so many innovations.  She was the first artist to have a machine quilted quilt win Best of Show in Houston.  In the Alcove Gallery Deidra Adams 
has six quilts from her "Tracings" series and all are gorgeous.  I like them so much that I bought two for TCQC, but they will hang in the gallery until the end of September.  The Valya Gallery is filled with Arline Frish's "Hanging Garden of California" which is composed of dozens of flowers knitted with multicolored metal wires and hanging upside down from knitted tubular stems.  They are quite beautiful and they dance when the oscillating fans are on.  Some of Arline's  neck pieces are hung on the end wall - again, beautiful. 

Photography is not permitted in the galleries, but you can see examples on the Visions website:  www.visionsquiltmuseum.org  And you can visit the artist's websites to see more of their creations. 

First Friday at VAM 11-03-13

Museums around the country observe "First Friday" when the public is admitted without charge.  Last Friday, the actual 1st, I went down to San Diego to act as a gallery "sitter" and to see the reactions of visitors to the quilts.  It was exuberant.  They were mostly just overwhelmed and kept saying so, even though most did not know that I am the collector. 
 I enjoyed the evening very much.

Board member Linda Chase with her husband, Doug (I think) sat the desk part of the evening.  The gift shop fills the area around the desk and there are always some sales when people come through.

There were about 450 visitors during the three hours the museum was open. This view is from the desk looking back to the door that accesses into the rest of the building and other museums.
  

One of the other current exhibits is "Birds" from Visions members.  These quilts are hanging in the alcove gallery across from the desk.  They are all for sale and quite reasonable priced.

 

 The event lasted three hours and I was starving by 8pm when the museum closed.  Beth and I went to our favorite sushi place, Ikiru, and ate our favorite rolls, followed by the delicious green tea ice cream with dark chocolate drizzled over the top.  Good thing I had a motel room because I would never have made it home to Placentia that night.

Lunch in San Diego? It must be Ikiru. 08-17-13

I drove down (and back) to Visions Art Museum on Wednesday.  It was quite an easy drive, little traffic either way and the weather was lovely.  I had a meeting about the upcoming exhibit of quilts from TCQC and went to lunch with Beth Smith.   It has become more difficult for me to eat anywhere but the nearby Japanese restaurant, Ikiru.  After all, I can't eat there just any old time I start lusting after their excellent food.


Beth ordered one of the special offerings and I cannot remember the name.
 

Maybe she will let me know what it was so I can add it here.  It was delicious.
 

 
This is the Real Crab Roll that I ordered.  Real crab instead of the ersatz crab more commonly served.  The crab was cooked so the roll was warm.   We both were in ecstasy and decided that we would call this the Ecstasy Roll.  Remember the restaurant scene in "Harry met Sally"?  That is the way I felt about this roll. 
 

 
The rolls are very filling, but I was so tempted to order another one because it was so good.
 

 
A close up of the decoration on top - fish roe and finely chopped green onion.