Nothing like a little ocean air and long walks with a hyperfriendly dog to rest the soul and recharge. We spent a long weekend in Mendocino, house-swapping with our friend Rod, and had a blast. What is it about getting away from the home base and decompressing? I read two books (including Jonah Lehrer’s magnificent How We Decide), got caught up with my New Yorkers, cooked some simple meals, drank a bunch of wine, and soaked in a hot tub. Total heaven.
House-swapping is such a wonderful thing; I’ve probably done at least 20 of them without a single problem arising. It’s so great: you show up in some great locale in someone’s home, which is almost always a hundred times better than a hotel. I like finding homes with pets that need care, because OUR house comes with cats! You can even find people, like Rod, who are keen on repeat swaps, especially when things go as swimmingly as they always do with us. The only money we spent was for food, which we’d spend anyway, and gas to get there. All of the benefits of having a second home somewhere, and none of the hassles/expenses/liabilities. If anyone reading this would like to know more or has a specific question about house swapping, shoot me an email. We’re doing another one — in Amsterdam! — in a month or so. I’m especially interested in hearing from people familiar with Amsterdam — must-sees, restaurants, food-related stuff.
We also recently visited the Drakes Bay Oyster Co, where I caught the drillers doing their thing. The oysters grow in these big clusters, which are broken apart by dudes with pneumatic drills and sent up the assembly line for sorting (into small, medium, and large). Clusters are formed individually, by hand, by the workers, by setting oyster larvae on shells saved from the shucking and packing operations. These “inoculated” shells containing the oyster spat (baby oysters) are then strung together on wires and suspended in the pristine and nutrient-rich waters of Drakes Estero, inside Point Reyes. Most oyster farms just chuck them on the bottom; fewer than five percent use this Japanese-inspired “string” method. They were exceedingly tasty! Owner Kevin Lunny, whom I’ve written about before, once told me his oysters came out on top in a blind tasting of more than 100 different producers. I believe him! It’s like eating the essence of ocean nutrients. Favorite topping: a simple mignonette made with very finely diced shallots that have been soaked in ice water, freshly toasted and ground black peppercorns, and pomegranate vinegar, though I also like a reduced citrus sauce (ginger syrup, orange/tangerine, meyer lemon).
There is much happening in my little world of breakaway cooking, but I’ll save that for another post. I will be requiring your sage collective advice!
Very long e-mail sent.
That sounds like my kind of vacation.
I’ve always been a bit hesitant about house swaps, but your story is encouraging. Let me just say that if you’re ever in Vancouver, you’re more than welcome to stay with us, after our home reno is done, of course.
Thanks Ed! Incredible amount of good info on eating in Amsterdam; this should be published somewhere!
And Helen, you’re very kind — I may very well take you up on it!
Another great post. I would love to do this this but maybe in a few years from now… The bad part about being in a place like Baltimore is that nobody would even *want* to swap homes with me. Sigh.
Please post mignonette recipes. For some reason every time I try to make it I can’t get it right.
Don’t give up on a Ballmer swap, Steph! You never know (really) — people have all kinds of reasons for being in all kinds of places. Absolutely nothing to lose by trying.
No recipe for mignonette, just a superfine mince of the shallots (soaking them in cold water seems to help, if you want to bother with that extra step), a glug or two of preferred vinegar, and a very light touch of something sweet to counter all that acidity — lately I’ve been using a lot of agave nectar, seems to work great.
My experience with food in Amsterdam is more on the low end – but I do have that. Charles suggested I come share.
My favorite place for shoarma in the city is Derya at Javastraat 34 near the Tropenmuseum. He makes his own bread, which he sells to other restaurants – really yummy. Friendly guy, too. Open very late – great for after the bar.
For sandwiches, I always go to Hartenkaas at Reestraat 19, near the Anne Frank House. The owners are a bit grumpy, but generally nice – and the cat is very sweet! I recommend the brie-chicken-pine nut or the spicy lamb.
My experience in AMS means I know the veg options. My two favorites are Bolhoed (Prinsengracht 60- 62) and Vliegende Schotel (Nieuwe Leliestraat 162). There is also decent falafel throughout the city at Maoz.
The Pancake Bakery (Prinsengracht 191-A) is a pretty typical tourist stop – but tasty for that. I always love the poffertjes – little puffy pancakes made from a yeast based batter, served with butter and powdered sugar.
One of the nicer places I’ve been to is the Cafe-Restaurant Amsterdam (Watertorenplein 6). We all had mussels and enjoyed the beautiful walk (or bike ride) out to it. Really neat building that used to be a pumping station.
I’ve always started nights out in Amsterdam with a stop at Wijnand Fockink (Pijlsteeg 31- 43) for a jenever or liqueur. Been there forever, great staff, tasty drinks. Cafe Belgique (Gravenstraat 2) is a good place to stop for a beer, in summer they usually have hammocks out. Both of those are very near the dam.
Bagels&Beans throughout the city seem to have decent (not so much wonderful) coffee, and some of them have fantastic bagel sandwiches. Australian Ice Cream, also throughout the city, do a great chocolate ice cream.
All of the museums are excellent – the tropenmuseum often has great special exhibits. Anne Frank house is worth a trip through – I found that Sunday Morning was quiet. I love the weekend markets, especially the mostly organics one at noorderkerk.
Wow, that’s really fantastic Sarah, thank you!! It’s pretty much exactly what I was looking for, since I don’t visit high-end places much either. Hammocks and Belgian beer sounds especially appealing.
Will you be there in late May/early June? Would love to connect if so!
Hi Eric, what a great vacation! And I envy you and your upcoming trip to Amsterdam! Though I’ve never been, a good friend who lived there for many years gave me this list to pass onto you:
Small nice restaurant in Jordaan neighborhood: http://www.beulings.nl/index.htm
More expensive but good in De Pijp neighborhood: http://www.le-restaurant.nl/
Good Fish and Seafood in a cool spot: http://www.nevy.nl/
Simple, but nice food in a great industrial space: http://www.hoteldegoudfazant.nl/
And, a 1 Michelin star restaurant (pretty expensive, reservations needed) Le Garage: http://www.restaurantlegarage.nl/
I hope you have a fabulous trip!
Wona
Oh my that’s exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for. Thanks Wona, and thanks to your thoughtful friend!