Le Vallauris - Palm Springs

I had a yearly business meeting with my partners on Saturday and following the meeting we met for dinner with our wives at Le Vallauris, a French restaurant in Palm Springs. It was a sunny day in the 70s as we were seated on the outdoor patio late in the afternoon. Men waiters in formal attire, portable message boards with the days menu filled in with chalk and tall trees resplendent in green leaves were some of the dominant images of the beautiful seating area. 

The menu offering, though not large, provided great variety and some difficult decisions for me. There were only a few things on the menu that would not have been of interest to me. Petrosian caviar, two types of duck fois gras (both sauteed and a cold torchon), raw oysters on the half-shell, snails, a salad with three types of beets, a salad with a whole Maine lobster, a warm lobster dish, several types of lamb, Chilean sea bass, rabbit fricassee, a hangar steak, and others. 

I had no clue what "Petrosian caviar" was, so I had to try it. It also happened to be the most expensive thing on the menu. It came on a large round silver tray. In the middle was a silver bowl filled with ice and a small jar of caviar with the lid pulled off and resting against it. The bowl was full of very tiny black sturgeon fish eggs and a small white plastic spoon was inserted, to scoop the eggs out. On the tray were four square white ceramic containers with grated white cheese, chopped Bermuda onion, sour cream (or creme fraiche?) and shredded egg yolk, each separated by a half-lemon in yellow cheese cloth tied with a green ribbon. On a separate white dish covered in white linen was a stack of 8 quarter sections of toast. It was the most fancy serving of anything I've ever had. 

It turns out that "Petrossian" is a French company that sells caviar and if I'd looked at the little lid propped up against the jar I would have been able to determine exactly what type of caviar I was getting. There are three types of sturgeon from which caviar is obtained: beluga, ossetra and sevruga. Beluga is considered the best, it has larger eggs and is mostly unavailable in the U.S. I had some when we visited Turkey and Russia.  On the Petrossian website it states: "Serve fresh, premium quality Petrossian caviar in its original perfection – do not sprinkle with lemon or serve with chopped egg, onion, or sour cream. Save these garnishes for inferior grades of caviar. For serving accompaniments, we offer blini and crème fraiche – very subtle flavors made specifically to let caviar’s full flavor shine through."  Contrary to the Petrossian instructions I got all of those things and more. I did try the little toast slices with variations of the condiments and caviar and I liked the sour cream and onion the best. I did not like the egg yolk. But Petrossian is right, the caviar was best on its own. These eggs were much smaller than beluga eggs and did not have the same wonderful pop when bursting in the mouth, or as strong of a salty, fishy taste. The presentation was great, the taste was okay. 

Judy ordered some oysters on the half shell and shared several with me. I love the salty juice of the slimy oyster as it mixes with the bite of the cocktail sauce and slips down the throat. 

I ordered the sauteed duck foie gras and for the first time got foie gras in its original form. I've had it in a pate form, and in a cool torchon form, in small quantities, but this was the entire duck liver in all its glory, barely seared - a liver sushi. As I first cut into it and put it in my mouth, I was a little surprised - it was just liver. Of course, I knew foie gras was liver, but I'd never seen or tasted it in its original form. It was like discovering a dead whole chicken after experiencing only chicken Mcnuggets and Kentucky fried chicken. The foie gras came with an unusual dark bread that distracted the taste buds and a sweetish sauce that masked the real taste. I tried these distractions, then pushed them away and went for the real thing. It was weird. I loved trying it this way, but pate is better. Another distraction on the plate was a large yellow slice of quince and what appeared to be a quince puree which was delightfully thick and sweet. It had the taste of a pear, but was stronger and thicker.

Judy ordered a lobster salad with one of the most wonderful food preparations I've ever seen. The lobster salad was in the shape of a lobster. The front claw meat, shaped like the claw, was laid on the plate where the claws of the lobster would be. The lobster head stood upright below and between them. Asparagus spears represented the front legs and avocado slices represented the hind legs. Lobster meat resting on lettuce represented the torso and the tail followed at the end. It not only looked great, but it was cooked perfectly. The meat was perfectly cool and still very moist.  

I went back and forth between rack of lamb and veal sweetbreads and opted for the sweetbreads. The sweetbreads are something that not many restaurants offer and it was an opportunity to expand my experience with brains. The sweetbreads were amazing. They were on a bed of asparagus and mixed in with many capers with several freshly fried potato crisps. The sweetbreads were beautifully seasoned and cooked, very tender but with an outer crustiness with taste-bud relishing flavor. None of the heavy thickness of the cold, lemon infused lamb brains I had in Amman, but a decidedly lighter, more flaky texture. Great, great dish.

Veal sweetbreads

Judy got a chocolate something-or-other, of course, with a side ginger snap cookie with ice cream on top. I had a taste of the cookie and always love ginger snaps.

I got an ice cream cake with crunchy meringue drops and assorted fruits on a graham cracker-type crust. I don't recall all the details. It was good.

I got to eat one of my partners lamb chops. It was glorious: tender, flavorful, perfectly medium rare. This was a great meal: great atmosphere, perfect weather, great company and a wonderful variety of challenging dishes. Caviar, foie gras and sweetbreads in one sitting, who needs dessert. Le Vallauris is the no. 1 rated restaurant in Palm Springs on Trip Advisor. I have no argument with that. 

Salo-Salo Grill - West Covina, CA

Judy gave me the book Fed, White, and Blue by Simon Majumdar for Christmas and in one of the early chapters Simon visited Salo-Salo Grill in West Covina to learn how to cook Filipino dishes. As I read the chapter I realized that I have never eaten Filipino food (at least that I can recall). So I proposed to Judy that we go there and she was game. We invited Jeff and Julee, Jeff a former LDS missionary to the Philippines, to go with us. Salo is ranked no. 24 of 232 restaurants in West Covina on Trip Advisor and gets 3.5 stars on Yelp with 235 reviews.

I looked up Filipino cuisine on Wikipedia and I was blown away by the variety of dishes I've never heard of. Where has this been all my life? Filipino cuisine focuses on a combination of sweet, sour and salty flavors and tends to be less spicy and less complex than other Asian cuisines. Vinegar is a common ingredient.

Salo-Salo is a larger building to one side of nicer-than-average strip mall. Other ethnic restaurants are represented including one serving Indonesian food. Salo-Salo was full of Filipinos, usually a good sign when visiting an ethnic restaurant.

We ordered, then waited, and waited and waited. People who came after us were served, ate and left, before we were served. The restaurant filled up while we were there, but was emptying out before we finished. I'm not sure the cause - what we ordered, what we looked like, or what we smelled like, but we felt and were unattended. The sago-gulaman, a sweetened tapioca with diced gelatin drink I ordered never came, adding to the gripe of poor service. Fortunately, we were with good company and the unfamiliar smells that were assaulting us while we sat gave evidence that we were going to eat a food foreign to us. I was excited to dig in when what we ordered was delivered.

I ordered the "make your own platter" which included three items and one side, ostensibly to share with Judy. I picked three of the four items from the crispy meat platter, including lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly with crispy rinds), Kuya's fried chicken and lechon ribs (battered pork ribs). I got a side of mango salad at Judy's urging, I would have ordered something more savory.

Pork belly on the left (3 slices), chicken in the center and unrecognizable pork ribs to the back right. The mango salad is back center.

I particularly wanted the pork belly as that was one of the items Simon Majumdar learned how to cook when he visited, and I generally quite like pork belly. Simon wrote that the pork belly was first brined with lemongrass to freshen up the flavor, then simmered with a broth flavored with onions, celery, garlic and carrots, then dried in the oven, and then deep-fried. These steps create pork belly that is very crispy on the outside and very tender succulent and juicy on the inside. It reminded me very much of the chicharron that I occasionally buy from a local Mexican food market - crisp on the outside, but in this case, on the inside much, much more tender. This was probably my favorite food item of the night and something I would order again.

From the picture you can tell is was very crispy - but what is not obvious is that it was very juicy on the inside.

The lechon ribs were heavily battered and crisp on the outside, although nowhere near as crisp as the pork belly, and quite juicy on the inside. I liked the juiciness of the ribs, but I felt that all of the batter hid much of the taste. I'm all for batter when what you are eating is kind of bland, like fish or chicken, but for ribs it just got in the way.

Overly battered pork ribs - front and right. The chicken is to the left.

The fried chicken was much too dry for me. I would have taken I bite or two and left it. However, I discovered that the Mang Tomas All Purpose Sauce, when liberally slathered, moistens it up and gives it more flavor - like salt and butter on corn on the cob. The ingredients of Mang Tomas are water, cane sugar, breadcrumbs, cane vinegar, salt, onions, garlic and black pepper. Without the Mang Tomas, the chicken would have been left for dead.

Transforms the inedible into the edible.

Judy got kare-kare, an oxtail in peanut sauce with vegetables and served with a bangoon, a sauteed shrimp paste. She had them leave out the tripe that was also supposed to be included. Simon Majumdar also made kare-kare when he was at Salo-Salo. He described it as a stew traditionally made of oxtail, thickened with ground toasted rice and ground toasted peanuts. Wikipedia states that kare-kare is made from a base of stewed oxtail, but can be made with all sorts of other ingredients, including seafood. Vegetables, such as eggplant, Chinese cabbage and other greens are added, usually "equaling or exceeding the amount of meats." The stew is flavored with ground roasted peanuts or peanut butter, onions and garlic and can be thickened with toasted or plain ground rice. It is often eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste), sometimes spiced with chili and sprinkled with calamansi juice. This is Filipino comfort food and it was very, very good. Judy pronounced it the best dish on the table and her assertion had some merit.

This picture was taken after some of the contents had been removed. The item in the center-front is a segment of oxtail. Green beans, bok choy and purple cabbage are also floating around in it. 

Julee ordered an appetizer that I think was vegetable lumpia frito, vegetable spring rolls. Lumpia is a staple in Filipino cuisine, but originated in China. It is served as an appetizer or main dish and accompanied by a sweet sauce and/or an apple cider vinegar/garlic sauce. The outside was hard and crispy, the inside very moist. I tried both the sweet sauce and the hot vinegar sauce with what looked like green beans floating in it. Toward the end of our meal I popped one of those green beans in my mouth and learned that it was a pepper with a pretty good kick. I ended up eating some of the extra pork belly I was going to take home in an attempt to silence the raging fire in my mouth.  Julee who had earlier eaten something she could not identify and complained about how hot it was, laughed almost beside herself, as I scrambled for an antidote. 

Beware of the innocuous looking green beans floating in the vinegar. They are chili peppers and they contain fire. 

Julee ordered a milkfish, I'm not sure what the exact preparation was. I've had milkfish before and find it kind of mushy and soggy. This was similar.  

milkfish

Jeff ordered what I believe was miki-bihon, a combination of egg and rice stick noodles sauteed with Chinese sausage, shrimp, fish balls and vegetables. The miki or Shanghai noodle is an egg noodle and the thicker of the two. The bihon is a rice noodle and thinner. I really love rice noodles and quite liked the small taste I had of this dish.

miki-bihon

Jeff ordered a boneless chicken fillet fried in adobo sauce. Adobo is a  hallmark dish of the Philippines. The chicken is marinated overnight in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. Then it is simmered and browned after it is cooked, one of the things that distinguishes Filipino adobo. I had a piece of the chicken. I loved the flavor, but the chicken was over-cooked. 

adobo chicken

After a huge meal, we still decided to try dessert. Judy and I ordered the halo-halo special: sweetened beans, coconut gel and fruits over crushed ice, sprinkled with pinipig (rice crispies), topped with leche flan and ube ice cream. Ube is the name for purple yam in the Philippines. The ice cream was good, but nothing really made it spectacular, except the purple color that was fun. The crushed ice was quite runny and I was not particularly fond of the sweetened beans. I enjoyed the texture of the flan. A fun dessert, and although visually unusual and combining many weird elements, not something I would order again. 

halo-halo special

Julee ordered leche flan, a Philippine custard pie in caramel syrup. Flan is flan. I enjoy the smooth texture, but a little goes a long way. 

Finally, Jeff ordered the turon ice cream delight which was ube ice cream with sweet bananas in a fried pastry in a langka syrup. The fried banana in the syrup challenged the kare-kare and the pork belly as the best dish. I would go back to try that dessert again. 

This picture was taken after it had been whittled down. It was originally surrounded by pastry wrapped and fried bananas. 

Aside from the very poor service, we really enjoyed the meal. We got a great introduction to a new cuisine that I now want to learn more about. 

St. James Lutheran Church - Portland, OR

St. James Lutheran Church is located in downtown Portland, Oregon northwest of the Hawthorne Bridge over the Willamette River. 

St. James Lutheran Church in Portland at the corner of Park Ave and Jefferson Street.

The congregation was founded in October of 1890. The Pioneer Chapel was built during the 1890s and the Sanctuary was finished between 1907 and 1910. 

The Sanctuary as viewed from an upper balcony.

The outside of the structure was originally brick, but then replaced by roughly textured Tenino sandstone. The tower was removed in 1951 because of structural problems and then it was replaced in 1974. An educational annex was added in 1956. It is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Sanctuary and Pioneer Chapel were put on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1975. 

The Park Ave view of the church.

The Jefferson Street view of the church.

The oak altar, pulpit and lecturn were installed in 1910 along with the painted organ pipes.

Stained glass windows of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and Christ Blessing Little Children were made by the Povey brothers who ran a glass studio that supplied windows in churches and homes throughout the Pacific Northwest. 

Christ blessing children. Given to the church by the Luther League in 1907.

Christ's hair, and the childrens' hair, for that matter, is distinctively gray. It makes Christ appear much older. 

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane is also distinctive because of Christ's hair, but this time because it is a blonde, unruly mop - more of a Lion's King mane. Christ appears much younger. This was also created in 1907.

The stained glass of Christ and the children complements the baptismal font which was the gift of the owner of a granite company, also  in 1907. It is made of carved marble and has "Suffer little children to come unto me" carved around the upper lip. 

The stained glass window over the front door represents the symbol of St. James. It was made by Bryce Anderson of Oregon in 1982. 

An inner view of the stained glass, interrupted on the inside by a staircase. The clam shell is a symbol of St. James and most of the other tie-ins to St. James elude me. 

The Journey of Faith, on the west wall, is an eight panel Honduran mahogany wood carving by Leroy Setziol, a Northwest carver, called the father of Oregon woodcarving. Here is a video segment of a visit to Setziol's Oregon home and studio. Setziol does not work from sketches, he just starts to chisel and goes where the wood allows him to go. His works are not sanded, he carves and then applies oils. Each panel is a story, event or person in the history of Christianity. 

A portion of the Setziol installation. 

The first panel is an obvious clam shell, the symbol of St. James. Below is a fish, a symbol of Christianity. 

The second panel. None of this symbolism jumps out at me.

The third panel. Setziol has a fascination with the crucifixion and there is an obvious cross here.

The crucifixion with two women at the base of the cross. The inside form of the women is a heart. 

The fifth panel. A native looking face to the left and two clerical looking faces to the right. 

The sixth panel. The right side seems like a nod to fertility with a child representing each breast and a womb full of children. 

The very cool seventh panel. I envision Abraham and Sarah.

The wonderful eighth panel. Setziol is known for his geometric shapes and this is full of them. A large dart board. 

The window on the north wall of the Chapel was donated by the Mission League in 1891. It is the oldest window at St. James. I looked briefly in the Chapel, but stayed primarily in the Sanctuary. 

The windows on the north and east walls of the Sanctuary were installed in the late 1940s. 

There are windows for each of the four evangelists. I only show Matthew.

A symbol for the nativity.

A symbol for the resurrection. It may be a stylized representation of the lotus flower. 

Grapes represent the blood of Christ, particularly in reference to the Eucharist as here with the cup. A grape vine is a reference to Christ. 

Wheat represents the harvest reaped from sowing the Gospel. When near grapes, as this one is, it is also a reference to the body of Christ in the Eucharist. 

The Lily of the Valley appears in early spring and symbolizes Christ's "advent," a Latin word meaning "coming," or the waiting and preparation for the birth of Jesus. 

This is known as the Agnus Dei, Latin for "Lamb of God." Christ as the lamb is on a book with seven seals which represent the final judgment. The banner is a symbol of victory, and with the cross, is a symbol of the resurrection and the triumph of Christ over sin and death. 

Song of Solomon 2:1 proclaims, "I am the rose of Sharon, The lily of the valleys."  Some Christians believe the rose is a reference to the church and some believe it is a reference to Christ and some believe the rose is Christ and the lily is the church. Sharon is found in Galilee between Mt. Tabor and Lake Tiberias and is a reference to lowliness. 

Psalms 150:3 says, "Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre." 

Another reference to Psalms 150:3.

Luther designed a seal with a red heart at the center with a black cross inside. The red heart represents love, joy and peace produced by faith. The cross reminds the believer of Christ's sacrifice for all people. The white rose which it is superimposed on is the color of angels and blessed spirts. The blue background represents the hope of heavenly joy. There is also a gold ring, not well visible here, which represent's heaven's eternal bliss.

Luther's Seal. The Easter lily around it is symbolic of Christ's resurrection as it blooms in spring from a lifeless bulb. 

We visited on a cold, rainy morning and were pleasantly greeted and allowed to go inside. A couple were inside cleaning and she mentioned to us that they were married in the church about 50 years before and have been attending ever since. Very nice.

One more random window with beautiful dark colors.