Home

Technically, "home" for me is the San Francisco Bay Area.  It's where I grew up, it's my family, it's where I feel I belong.  But this past year, New York has become a kind of home for me also.  New York is where I work, where I play, where I spend the majority of my time.  Lately, I've been torn between these two homes of mine, between the two coasts, between New York and the Bay Area.  Sure, it's been hard living in New York City, but it's also really hard to leave.

Last Friday, I took some time off work, hopped on a plane, and came home.  Home to California, that is.  It's only been a couple of days, but I already miss New York.  Don't get me wrong; I'm in no hurry to get back to New York.  I love being at home.  It smells clean.  My mom takes care of me like I'm still 10 years old.  And on top of it all, I never eat better than when I'm at home.

This trip so far hasn't been any different.  Especially that last part.  It all started with a weekend in Sonoma and a little trip to Ad Hoc, Thomas Keller's restaurant in Yountville, CA.

The restaurant was amazing.  The kitchen was able to accommodate my pescatarian mother and even my vegan cousin.  My other cousin Joanne and her husband John are in the wine business, so they brought two bottles of some of their best stuff, and the staff happily served it to us.  And the potatoes.  Oh, the potatoes.

They were deep fried to golden, crispy perfection.  And oh so fluffy and soft on the inside.  Mmm.

On to the rest of the menu:  slow roasted prime rib that melted in my mouth, literally.  Freshly picked heirloom tomatoes with sweet, creamy mozzarella.  The most perfectly cooked squash I've ever had in my life.  Sheep's milk cheese (Fiori Sardo) with honey and almonds.  And a tiramisu that not only picked me up, but left me up in the clouds after this wonderful meal.  Seriously.  It was heavenly.

The next day, still swimming in our prime rib reverie, we made dinner at the house.  It was no Ad Hoc, but the tri tip was juicy, the tomatoes were ripe, and the wine was flowing.  What more could you ask for?

I love Sonoma.  It really is just breathtakingly beautiful.  It's a wonderful retreat from city life, and there's plenty of wine and sunshine to distract from, well, anything you need a distraction from.  Now I'd like to say that I've made the rounds to all the wineries and vineyards the area has to offer, but the truth is I've only been to a handful of them.  When your cousins are in the wine business and they provide crates and crates of wine and leave them in the garage for the taking, it's easy to get lazy.

My mom herself is trying to get her feet wet in the wine business.  (I mean that in the most broad and general sense - the woman doesn't even drink wine!)  We've got a small crop of grapevines in the backyard in Sonoma.  It'll be a couple of years before we see any grapes that we can turn into wine, though.  When that happens, we'll have Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Malbec to enjoy!

After our blissful Sonoma retreat, my cousin Krystal and I headed back to San Francisco for Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park:

We heard The Devil Makes Three, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Chromeo, Phoenix, The Budos Band, and Empire of the Sun.  We ate BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, grilled sausage, Korean tacos, Mexican tacos, and quesadillas, and we drank lots beer and whiskey.  It was a perfect Sunday.

Now, you might be thinking that all of this is pretty convincing stuff to move back to California.  Sunshine, food, wine, family...  And it is.  Part of me is ready to move back now, right now.

But.  I miss my friends, my apartment, and just being in New York.  What is it about that great city of ours that makes you miss it as soon as you leave?  Maybe all of the fresh air out here is getting to my head...