Skip to main content

Fearless Palates at La Balena Carmel


When I made reservations at our absolutely favorite restaurant - La Balena Carmel - for our capodanno dinner, I had no idea what we would order. Truth be told, it doesn't matter what you order there, everything is always delicious and unique.

So, the menus came, the boys perused, I didn't even blink when they made their choices.

Riley: I want to try the bone marrow dish.
Dylan: Which one is that?
Camilla: Okay, Riley. Dyn, it is osseo puttanesca. What else should we get?
Riley: Can I get the tripe, too?
Camilla: Sure. Are you going to share?
Riley: Do I have to?
Dylan: Yes, you have to share. Oh, Mom, I want the octopus tentacles.

Camilla: What else do we want? What do you want for your main dishes?
Dylan: I want the wild boar. Whatever they have that's wild boar.
Camilla: They have pappardelle with wild boar. It's a wide noodle. Is that fine?
Dylan: Yep.
Riley: I'll get the gnocchi.
Camilla: With the gorgonzola sauce?
Riley: No! I want the beef heart bolognese.
Dylan: What are you and Daddy going to get? Can we try?!

Here's part of the savory parade that made me smile with pride. My goal of raising kids with fearless palates is coming true. I love these boys! Riley was relishing his trippa Fiorentina (tripe, braised tomato, chili, mint, and pecorino) while Dylan dug into the osseo puttanesca (bone marrow, braised tomato, capers, olives, anchovy, and taleggio).


 The osseo puttanesca was completely devoured.


I ordered the pesce Romano - a whole fried sea bass stuffed with dungeness crab, topped with parsley, Meyer lemon, and olive oil. While I don't normally like fried things, Chef Brad Briske and his crew did an outstanding job with this. And the boys battled over the head; I think they were searching for the eyeballs.


Jake ordered the granchio fritto. It was a little bit messy to eat, but it, too, was amazingly delicious.


I love that Riley declared, at the end of the meal, "Mom, Andrew Zimmern would be proud of me. I ate octopus tentacles, tripe, bone marrow, and beef hearts all in one dinner." Yes, Mr. Bizarre Foods himself would be proud. But, so am I!


Grazie mille to everyone at La Balena. You are true culinary artists and I so appreciate being dazzled every time I set foot in your restaurant....and you're helping me raise kids with fearless palates. I love it. Buon anno a tutti! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce