Post Competition Celebration Week

I am taking an entire week off after my competition (July 10th). I will spend the week relaxing and eating foods that have been on the "do not touch" list for ages. I will be quite loose about my diet the first week, then not quite as relaxed the second, then it's back to normal.

When I say normal, I do not mean competition prep normal, I mean a balanced, 6 meals a day diet, with an occasional plate of pasta, some lamb or pork, in other words, a few normal foods will find their way into my otherwise strict diet. I do need to gain some weight, it is not healthy to try to maintain the weight I am right now.

To give you a taste of what I shall be up to, here are some of my plans.

On Sunday, David will make David's Famous Fizzes, and I have been hankering for some sourdough toast with jam. Then it's off to Santa Cruz for lunch with our son (Cooper) at Bonny Doon's restaurant "Cellar Door" . This restaurant has an atmosphere and philosophy closest to any tapas bar I have ever been in, outside of Spain. It is a joint effort between Randall Graham of Bonny Doon Winery and David Kinch of Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos.

Monday Cooper is off to Lacrosse camp at U.C. Santa Cruz for a week, so after we drop him off, we will have lunch at Ristorante Avanti in Santa Cruz. They have an ever changing menu of fresh, seasonal ingredients, you never know what the day holds until you look at the chalkboard.

Tuesday is probably Yankee Pier in Santana Row for the Chef's shellfish platter which is oysters, shrimp and cheviche, plus all bottles of wine are half off in the month of July! Or we may just have some wine then slip across the street the the Left Bank for steak frittes and salad Lyonnaise.

Wednesday is Bastille day, which commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. Festivities are held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic. We have reservations at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and this is one of only 6 special events they celebrate there, so it will definitely be the highlight of the week!

Thursday, no plans! I may make homemade pizza and lounge in the backyard. But that may also change!

Friday Cooper will be picked up and we will head off to Aldo's on the water in Santa Cruz for some of their infamous deep fried calamari, just caught that day.

Saturday morning is off to San Fransisco to Mijita's at the Ferry Plaza Market. Traci Des Jardins is the chef of this fantastic Mexican restaurant. We will dine on fish taco's and red wine for breakfast, then wander through the stalls of the market and the farmer's market outside.

I still need to fit in a naked lobster roll from the Old Port Lobster Shack in Redwood City, I know Cooper will want to go too.