It's hard to decide whether to enjoy the unseasonable dry sunshine that this winter is pouring down or to feel badly about the drought and stay in, because staying in is what one usually does in January.
On her recent birthday (yes, 29 again), SHED's Cindy Daniel decided to brave the sunshine and enjoy some outside time away from work.
Climbing into the car with husband Doug Lipton and one of their sons, the trio headed off to West Marin to visit some favorite providers, see the sere countryside, and enjoy some unseasonable dry sunshine.
First stop, MH Bread and Butter in San Anselmo, which bakes SHED's bread from the local grain we mill in-house. But they're more than just a bakery, offering a nearly salacious breakfast menu and special-event foods for everyday consumption. Opened last May, this young husband-and-wife team of chef Devon Yanko and baker Nathan Yanko — he spent nine years at Tartine Bakery — have already set the food blogs afire. Plus, they're just plain nice.
Over the hill and onto Tomales Bay Foods in Pt. Reyes Station, home to the Cowgirl Creamery, their take-away "Cantina" stand, and Susan Hayes Handwovens. Fresh cheese, healthy hiking foods, and great clothes? Exactly. A refurbished barn, this tall shadowy hall is always bustling with cheese-lovers and cheese-lookers, as the production facility is open to viewers who don't mind standing at the glass. It's like being at a whey nursery—but smells much better.
Next up, Marin Sun Farms, the butcher shop and cafe just outside of Pt. Reyes Station. Specializing in grass-fed, pasture-raised meat, Marin Sun is a happy confabulation of butchery and restaurant. There's no chance you won't notice the butcher case that lines the back of the place, but a few sweet tables await in a sunny front room. It's also one of the only places you can drink Sean Thackery's wines, draughts made as the Greek poet Hesoid prescribed, while you enjoy a bolognese or a terrific burger.
(SHED has just agreed to be CSA drop-off point for Marin Sun Farms' meats and poultry, the only spot in Sonoma County where you can pick up this regular treat. Details will come as soon as they're nailed down.)
And on to lunch, which on this birthday afternoon was celebrated at Luc Chamberland's Saltwater Oyster Depot in Inverness. Those with long memories might remember this as the Gray Whale pizza joint that once served the west side of Tomales Bay, but no sign of red sauce and crust remain as Luc and crew have used crowd-sourced funds (you could have actually purchased yourself a chair on the patio last year) to create a community haven devoted to great food, excellent wine, fresh bivalves, and good works.
Cindy and her men had sweet kodomo oysters and glasses of sparkling wine, finishing with a buttermilk panna cotta topped with candied Buddha's hand citrus.
The ride home was quiet as each looked out at January's dry unseasonable sunshine and smiled.