Hello folks. This is my premiere blog which deals with food, baking and cooking commentary although it will contain some side notes and other stuff. So…it shall begin with this…I love food. Lately food, cooking, baking, eateries, restaurants and food “stuff” on TV has become so popular. I am not sure I can say that I understand why, but I like it and I am a follower. I say this as I bow my head in disgust, BUT I AM. I gave in. I now have an absolute passion to open my own bakery/coffeehouse in my town. It will happen, I’m pretty sure, but the timing is something else entirely.
Okay so here is something that could be construed as ironic. I have come to realize, being the foodie that I am and a lover of a good carbohydrate, I have some food issues and/or allergies. Gasp – Horror! I KNOW! I have autoimmune health issues that may mean I may need to cut out gluten from my diet. Until my doc says no more, I am still eating gluten. Until we figure out what is going on we’re just being careful. That being said I went on to look up a gluten free diet and came acrosss some great recipes. The first being a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe for an insanely delicious cookie that does not contain “GLUTEN”. These salty, nutty, chocolatey, lovely little bits are much more yummy than I thought they would be.
mmmmmm smell the peanut butter
I shall be making these over and over again. My husband managed to disappear these which quite clearly is a good sign. I said “Okay so they’re gluten free. Do you want one?” he said “Yeah. Okay I’ll try them” and then before I knew it they were gone, but not before I managed to have a couple of the little lovelies.
We are getting into a foodie season here. My birthday is coming up and friend’s birthdays, and an anniversary. So many delish meals are to be had so stay tuned for many more restaurant reviews.
The first review is one for a very special restaurant in Marin, San Rafael to be exact. It’s called Whipper Snapper which is located in the west end of 4th street located at 1613 4th Street between “F” and “G” streets in the newly renovated West End Village of San Rafael.
It’s a Carribean tapas restaurant and Sangria bar. I should say that the initial purpose for us to go here was not for the food but to see my husband’s band play there. I was amazed at just how cool the decor was. There are fabulous whimsical chandeliers hanging from the ceiling dripping with crystals and the blue of the walls just hug you as if you are swimming in the carribbean. The picture below doesn’t really do it justice. It was taken of the entrance door. I just really liked the little guy overhead. There is also a small patio in the back which is a bit small but very cozy and comfy. We were there while it was still light out and it was quite cozy and was actually very romantic once the sun went down. Picture terra cotta colored walls and funky art and candles all around.
The menu is not extensive but every item on the menu is very special and it all looked so amazingly good. I wasn’t hugely hungry but after reading the menu I was so overwhelmed with things I wanted to taste. I could not decide what to order. I mean with items like “F & G Ceviche” snapper, shrimp, scallops in lime juice with peppers, red onions and cilantro; Spicy Cajun Shrimp with cayenne pepper cream sauce and Fried Sweet Plantains with black beans and sour cream, who could decide. I had a hard time but ended up with the Organic Potatoes with rosemary and chili pasilla aoili which were phenom. The potatoes were cooked perfectly and the chili aioli had just the perfect amount of heat and really nice smoky flavor.
My husband Mike, the big beef eater in our house (oh hell, the only beef eater in our house) ordered one of the specials, the Peppercorn Encrusted Steak with grilled vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. Now I do not eat meat but this dish made me say “Wow. That looks awesome” See for yourself.
The veggies that came with this were green beans, carrots and chayote squash, a great combo. The skins were left on the carrots. I really love unpeeled carrots. There is something really fresh in the raw flavor of an unscraped carrot. Really.
Now that we know I am not a meat eater, I just ordered the Organic Potatoes tapas and the Caesar Salad with lime/anchovy dressing and manchego cheese. This Ceasar was one of the best I have ever had. It was so satisfying. Mike, who by the way hates ceasar salad, ate half of it. That says loads about how good it was.
I was really impressed with the fact that the specials came with wine pairings, possibly easily impressed? Anyway, I had Alamo Vineyards Chardonnay from Argentina, a really nice wine. Now the next time I go I will make sure I have a bigger appetite and plan on ordering Bill’s “Zarzuella” – shrimp, calamari, mussels and seasonal fish with pasilla and chipotle chilies, onions and bell peppers in a tomato-saffron broth over Jasmine rice. Are you drooling yet? Right? I don’t know how or why I didn’t order that on that day. I did say I was not real hungry so that was probably why but next time, and there will be a next time, I will order it and report back.
Whipper Snapper is known for their really great Sangria’s. They serve a white and a red Sangria. Next time I go I’ll definitely order the Sangria, white. I did talk the bartender into letting me taste a bit of each and I really liked the white Sangria. It wasn’t too sweet. Wines and the delish food aside, I can not be remiss in telling you just how orgasmic the dessert was. We ordered the Coconut Brownie Love: A moist dark chocolate brownie with a dark chocolate frosting, served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and topped with toasted coconut. ORGASMIC. It was served warm and well, we shared it :- ) We struggled to finish it because after all the food, even though it was to die for, we could barely finish it. Don’t get me wrong though. WE FINISHED IT! It was a struggle but so worth it. 
Oy so by now we had to go walk around the town for about an hour before we felt back to normal but loved every second and morsel. I think what I liked the most about it was that while it felt like you were some place very special and ordering some very special food, you also felt like it was home and very comfortable, not stuffy or pretentious. The wait staff was so unbelievably friendly as well, from the waitress to the kitchen staff. The owner Bill was in the kitchen and was such a kind person. Bill has an extensive resume in the restaurant business. Check out his bio on their website for the whole enchilada about his creds. Whipper Snapper is a family restaurant run by owner/chef Bill Higgins, his wife Debra McKnight Higgins and son Lukas. You can tell that the employees like Bill. My theory with restaurants is that the climate in the kitchen affects the food. So, happy kitchen staff equals great food and this place proves my theory. On the weekends there is live music and as I mentioned my husband’s band Big Dog Trouble played there. If you are looking for a quiet place to eat, ask to be seated on the patio or out front. Whatever you do, don’t let the desire for a quiet meal lead to missing out on such incredible soulful food. I can’t say enough great things about this place. Love you Whipper Snapper and love your food. Check back for more FOOD! and go check out Whipper Snapper http://www.whipsnap.biz/ .
Coming up in the very near future…La Note in Oakland, Morimoto’s Napa (of course in Napa), and American Cupcake. So many wonderful places, I can’t wait. Now if only I could make a chocolate cheesecake worthy of it’s reputation.
The Passion Project 
