cook + celebrate: pizza + seafood dining

It’s been a whirlwind of a week. Cecilia decided to throw a pizza party on Monday, and so I volunteered to bake her pies in my Ooni. The pizzas were phenomenal despite the burnt edge of one of the earlier pies. However, the last margherita with loads of arugula and basil was the BEST tasting.                         

 

Bay Area weather this week has been brilliantly warm and sunny. My neighbors, Helen and Nancy decided to take me to a birthday lunch at Half Moon Bay. I chose Barbara's Fish Trap.

Because we had a 30 minute wait, we walked the fishing pier behind the restaurant. I talked to the crabbers and fisherwomen--one red crab and a small croaker.

I knew I was not gonna get to walk the beach, being with two sedentary women, and the weather being too blazing for my hot flashes.

  

The seaside view, however, and my beer were enjoyable.

 

I especially loved fantasizing about sailing on this boat called Digression.

After lunch and a run to Half Moon Bay Nursery, I promptly took a cold shower and napped with Sadie before it was time to go to dinner. I basically exercised (swam a mile) and then slept most of my birthday. After eating an fried oyster sandwich, I wasn't sure I would be hungry for dinner. Nope! I told Patrick I wanted us to dine at Gao Viet Kitchen for my birthday. I ordered the Crispy Imperial Rolls. I noticed that Patrick ate more than one. I brought home what we didn't eat and wrapped the two left in lettuce and herbs as a late night snack.

I wanted something green, something salad-y, and the closest was the Mango Salad with Shrimp. It had too much bell peppers and not enough green mango. Really what I wanted was a green papaya salad with shrimp, but on the menu the papaya salad was served with beef.

I didn't choose to go to my original restaurant pick of PPQ Dungeness Island because of a few negative Yelp reviews and was urged by Cecilia to try instead the downtown San Mateo Vietnamese restaurant. So okay I ordered Gao Viet's grilled lobster with garlic lemongrass chili lemon butter sauce with garlic noodles. The shellfish was delicious and messy, and I'm tempted to cook this dish on my own for Patrick's birthday.

I told Patrick to take pictures of the dish and to messaged them to me because I had forgotten my phone. And I'm committing to memory all the embellishments like mint and scallions and red chilis (sweet chili sauce perhaps?) so that I can cook this at home. Patrick did say it was the best Vietnamese food he's ever eaten, and so now I'm on a mission to re-create this meal on Halloween weekend. 

October 5th, my 58th, was a pleasurable and happy birthday.