Calif Dreamin...

As some of you know I was born and lived in Calif. for 41 years. In 1998 work caused me to relocate myself and family to the hills of WVa. Talk about a change!
 
I don't miss a lot about Calif, some geographically and some weather related things. And then there is food! Tri-tip, fresh tortillias, good Mexican in general, See's candy and SF salami. Molinari brand especially.
 
Well recently my oldest daughter has stepped up and is making us good Mexican food, including homemade tortillias. For a few years now I've plied on a fellow Roadfooder to ship me a salame or 2 most every year. He is able to buy it at Costco and USPS it to me at a decent price. Thank you again you know who Molinari offered a web service but their shipping was high plus they tacked on COD fees. Recently they went to a base price for a given weight plus UPS ground. A fair arrangement. I took them up on the new method and ordered 6 lbs of salame, 3 lbs each of 2 types. Shipping was slow and the anticipation was great and well rewarded.
 
See's candy, IMHO The BEST choclates you can buy. The last thing I as an obese diabetic needs. I just ordered a lb.
 
I will ration them out at 1 piece a day for when I get home from the gym.
 
Thank God for the internet!
 
So what food stuff do you have to import from home?
 
MikeS.
 
 

Pork Boudin for me.
 
There isn't anything like it in California.
 
 

My sister still ships me bbq sauce and povitica from KC.
Since I live in what is referred to as Marin's northernmost 
suburb, (Ashland)I don't want for California products.
I did get  a great deal on Columbus Salame

at out local store:
$.99 a piece. Eat your heart out, Mike.
I bought 25 of em.

As I said in another thread, down here in AZ I buy a lot of stuff on the internet I can just walk a few blocks and buy in SF. That would include:
 
(1) Canned San Marzano tomatoes (esp.hard to get in 14 oz cans)
(2) Thai curry pastes (red, "mussamun", panang)
(3) Good Asian-made soy sauce
(4) Italian onions pickled in Balsamic vinegar
(5) Christopher Ranch garlic products (from Gilroy)
(6) Tamarind paste
(7) Sriracha sauce
(8) Various Chinese bean sauces and pastes
(9) Certain liqueurs like Ricard (can't order that from out of state--gotta bring it with me)
 
One thing I can't get is Acme bread (there is no better sourdough):
 

 
 

Although I never lived in Louisiana, my husband grew up there, I occasionally order these goodies from Cajun Grocer.

I dont import anything from Detroit, where I was born, but I certainly have some regional favorites I mail order. My cousin in N.C. sends me Dukes mayo, country ham slices and pork cracklins that are homemade. Cant get that stuff here in Wisconsin! And I have a friend in southern Indiana that cans the most exquisite homemade fruit butters and jams, from their orchard. Lucky I have a good supply until next years crop!

And I have a friend in southern Indiana that cans the most exquisite homemade fruit butters and jams, from their orchard. Lucky I have a good supply until next years crop!
Gee! I wonder who that might be :)

bill voss


My sister still ships me bbq sauce and povitica from KC.
Since I live in what is referred to as Marin's northernmost 
suburb, (Ashland)I don't want for California products.
I did get  a great deal on Columbus Salame

at out local store:
$.99 a piece. Eat your heart out, Mike.
I bought 25 of em.

 
Bill, have you tried Molinari? A better product as far as I'm concerned.
 
Are those a 1 lb chub? Sweet deal for sure.

I have not. I'll see whether I can find them up here. 

hey Mike. I agree. let me know if you need me to ship you some from here!

MikeS.

 Bill, have you tried Molinari? A better product as far as I'm concerned.

Are those a 1 lb chub? Sweet deal for sure.

 
I don't eat much salami so I'm no judge but Molinari has an online store at http://www.molinarisalame.com/store/

Every year as far back as I can remember my step-father would buy my Mom a box of Sees Chocolates for her birthday. When he passed away in 1992, I took up the slack and continued the tradition. Mom passed away in 2004, three weeks before her 94th birthday. I had already done the internet order and set up a delivery date with Sees when she passed away. In the turmoil of dealing with all the related details, I forgot about the box of chocolates.  On delivery day, I received an email from Sees asking what I wanted to do with the "undeliverable package". I must admit it was a pretty emotional experience for me. I had the box forwarded to my sister , but  it was a difficult thing to do.  The Sees people were very helpful and understanding in how they dealt with a delicate situation.
  We have ordered some regional sodas via the internet, but shipping is usually so high that we are doing that less and less these days. Our Wisconsin family can haul a dozen six-packs of Sprechers Cherry Cola down here twice a year on their visits and keep us stocked for a fraction of the cost of buying on-line.
  Mike, We're glad you like the fruit butters and preserves. We hope this year will provide a better crop of all of our orchard trees...2010 was a freakin disaster.

Mayor-I believe it was me who mentioned your fruitful bounty-Mike was quoting me-but thats okay-he can have some too!!

When See's candy is good, it's very, very good but here are some pictures of what arrived at my Mom's house one Christmas:

To be fair, when I called them, they promptly sent a new box that was fine.
 
When I get a candy craving myself, here's where I go:  http://www.laurascandies.com/joomla/index.php
 
They are in New Orleans and make the usual pralines and such, but what I love is alled "Mississippi Mud":   "Milk or dark chocolate layered with caramel and pecans and more chocolate drizzled on top"
 

Mike, you'll have to come out again. I've got some new places to try. And if you make it out by tomorrow, I'm barbecuing a tri-tip and making Santa Maria style beans. Come hungry!

BT, that strange condition of the See's Candy was probably due to the shipper.
 
It was nice of Warren Buffet to replace it.
 

Another question for BT:
 
Did that box come from See's or a friend of your mother's?
 

mar52


Another question for BT:

Did that box come from See's or a friend of your mother's?

 
I ordered it online for her before I left to be with her for the holidays, so I was also there when it arrived.  As far as I know, Sees ships its stuff directly and, if you use their site, they are very particular about when you want delivery. They also pack the candy especially to keep it from melting when delivered to warm weather areas like Florida (where this was).  I doubt very much there was any spoilage during shipment.  I'm pretty sure they just randomly grabbed a spoiled box off the shelf to send me, but it does make you wonder how old some of their candy is when it's sold or shipped (still, like I said, it's pretty good with the exception of this one box).
 
By the way,the "strange condition" wasn't so strange--that's mold on the candy.

Is that heat reaction? I see the damage but not enough detail to place the blame for poor results???  Sees is good, but we have had some 'heat-stressed' results a couple of times while living on the High Desert. Minor white-streaks and somewhat dry...but twice in 40 years isn't a big deal to me.

Sourdough from Boudin Bakery..... You should see some of the crap that gets pased off as "sourdough bread" around here.

What chefbuba says

chefbuba


Sourdough from Boudin Bakery..... You should see some of the crap that gets pased off as "sourdough bread" around here.

 
Take my word for it--Boudin can't hold a candle to Acme (or several other bakeries in the Bay Area that are smaller and less widely marketed to tourists, hence less well known--Semifreddi and Grace especially).  See photo above.
 
Now, since I spend half the year in Tucson these days, I know what you are saying and I totally agree that Boudin puts anything called sourdough almost anywhere outside the Bay Area to shame.  I don't even bother ever buying sourdough here.
 
But if you ever visit San Francisco and want to try the best, go to the Ferry Building food hall where Acme has an outlet and try their sourdough (or any of their other breads if you aren't a sourdough fan).  It really is to die for.  Or, if you happen to be in the vicinity of Upper Market St., near Castro, visit the Harvest Market which carries products from all 3:  Acme, Grace and Semifreddi.

It is sort of like the way that Bagels from NYC, or rather from certain locations in NYC, are so much better than those from other places, and tons better than the "national brands"...So it is with Sourdough Bread. I see it in the stores here, and even recently enjoyed some very good 'Bakery Sourdough' from our local Costco. However, Nothing has every come close to the quality of the sourdough we found in SF.  I guess the term regional specialty extends beyond the Bagel Market !

mayor al


It is sort of like the way that Bagels from NYC, or rather from certain locations in NYC, are so much better than those from other places, and tons better than the "national brands"...So it is with Sourdough Bread. I see it in the stores here, and even recently enjoyed some very good 'Bakery Sourdough' from our local Costco. However, Nothing has every come close to the quality of the sourdough we found in SF.  I guess the term regional specialty extends beyond the Bagel Market !

 
I've always guessed that the main difference in bagels was how they were made.  "Real" bagels are boiled, then baked.  I bet the national brands just bake them or maybe send them through some kind of steaming before hitting the oven.  Anyway, since the authentic process is pretty labor intensive, I'm betting they short-circuit it some way.
 
As for sourdough, half the key is top quality ingredients. Then there's all the mythology about the natural yeast in the air of San Francisco and environs (and sourdough starters created therefrom).  Some people believe this, some don't.  Climatologically, SF is fairly unique with its water on 3 sides and the perpetual wind off the 50 degree ocean (the humidity is always high, hence the fog).  It could well have unique yeast though I don't think that's ever been proven.
 
One thing is a fact and that is almost all the artisanal bread in the Bay Area these days is baked, not in San Francisco, but in the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley etc).  There's a bakery right near the West Oakland BART station and when I used to ride BART to Concord early in the AM when they were baking, the smell was nearly overpowering (I'm told a lot of the smell of baking bread comes from the alcohol the little yeasties produce being cooked off).

Never had anything from Acme, but the reviews are very good.
Wish I could get something decent here. I was drooling reading the reviews, great bread is something I truly miss, but you have to give up something to live in podunk and enjoy the peace and quiet!
About the best I can do here is the La Brea bakery knock off that Costco sells.

BT, I used to ride BART from San Leandro to the Embarcadero every day, I remember there was a commercial bakery there at the W. Oakland station, like Sara Lee or similar....always smelled good.

BT,
To each his own.  As good as Acme is, I still prefer Boudin.  To me it has to right combination of chewy outside, soft inside, and the amount of sourness.
 
I thought a lot of the S.F. sourdough breads were made by the same company.
 
Whenever I see Acme I think of the Roadrunner cartoons.
plb
 

chefbuba


BT, I used to ride BART from San Leandro to the Embarcadero every day, I remember there was a commercial bakery there at the W. Oakland station, like Sara Lee or similar....always smelled good.

Nabisco, as I remember.    My friend Lynn lived at 
17th & Peralta, or Ft. Peralta as it was called in the household.
 

Nabisco, or "Mother's Cookies?"

bill voss


My sister still ships me bbq sauce and povitica from KC.
Since I live in what is referred to as Marin's northernmost 
suburb, (Ashland)I don't want for California products.
I did get  a great deal on Columbus Salame

at out local store:
$.99 a piece. Eat your heart out, Mike.
I bought 25 of em.

 
Holy Crap!  Now that's a deal!
 
Wanna trade for so me genuine, authentic, Philly Style Cheeze Whiz?