June | 2012 | SarahLacko, The Voice Behind My Tea Cup

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A year ago today I was the bride dressed in the vintage white striped gown with the blue sparkling heels, a feathery bird cage veil perched upon my blond waves of hair and a bouquet tied up with blue ribbons of scrap material from my mothers sewing room. You see, in 2008 had you told me I would be getting married in 2011- I simply would have told you that you were crazy. Instead, there I was standing with my arm looped through my fathers arm, smiling like crazy as we walked the trail together until we were standing underneath the spreading green canopy of a hundred year old oak tree. There stood my best friend, the man I was about to marry, lip quivering, eyes filled with a beaming smile just for me. I didn’t think that I would cry, but as soon as it was my turn to repeat the words the pastor said, to utter my vows so earnestly to this man that was before me, my breath caught in my chest, my heart was beating in my ears and the tears ran down my cheeks. I meant those vows with such a fury, with such passion and with such love and respect. I had to whisper them to him, I was so choked up at the thought that my life had turned out so very beautiful from the mess I had made before this man had even walked into my life. God had put me right were he wanted me, just like he always does.
I can tell you the very place I was standing when we met. It was my sister’s deli, April 17th, 2009 and he was in dirty jeans and a t-shirt fresh from off work. His hair was messy and he had the most perfect white teeth when he smiled. He asked me out three times that night and I shot him down three times that night. It was with much persistence that finally, just finally, I told him if he won the tickets for the roller derby he could take me with him. (The deli was raffling them off) He didn’t win the raffle of course and I thought that I was off the hook. You see, the last thing that I had been looking for was a relationship. He however had other plans- and he bought the tickets off of the true winner and proceeded one more time to ask me out. I relented and shrugged. I looked back to both my sisters and said, “It’s one date, it’s not like I’m going to marry the man.”….God is funny, especially Gods timing and plans. One date, one date! and from that moment on we were inseparable.
When I stood there saying those vows to my soon to be husband, I saw my past flash through and I saw my future right there before me. He has given me the ability to dream again with my eyes wide open. I didn’t have to wonder if I was marrying my best friend, my love, my other half, I knew. I knew that there would be low days and high days, mad, silly and triumphant days, but I never knew that it could all be so good despite all the troubled days. The hard days have made us closer and the good days, well, they are just icing on the cake. We have come a long way in one year of marriage- I mean a long way. We have been given so many opportunities in the 366 days that we have been married!
We have stood together in vineyards and we have dipped our toes on the banks of the rivers. We have chased ocean waves hand in hand and climbed the branches of trees resting on tall mountains to get a better view of the world. I am thankful for my husband. For his unending patience with me (Lord knew I needed a patient man for my crazy ways.) I love his kind heart and his gentle hands. He is smart, hilarious and above all, he is a man of God. We pray together and for each other while we hold hands. He is honest with me and has pushed me to dreams I didn’t even know I could dream up. I have to say, Cinderella may have got her Prince Charming, but she didn’t have it as good as I do. Cheers to one year of marriage, and blessings to the many many more that are to come. May this happy ever after have new beginnings and new dreams often in the many adventures that we will embark on together. Happy Anniversary my love, Thank you for all that you bring, all that you do and for always making me smile, even when it rains.

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After all, I was born into a family where dessert before dinner was perfectly acceptable. (I consider myself amongst the lucky for that.) How could our mother complain if it was my father who started it and taught his daughters well? My father is a man who has the fist bite of everything my mother bakes- and my mother can bake. You’d better believe that the second her mouthwatering boysenberry cobbler is pulled, warm and bubbling from the oven with its crispy golden sugary crust, that my father is standing there with a fork and a bowl of vanilla ice-cream. It’s what we Griffins do. Sunday mornings are, and were in my childhood, honorary blue-berry muffin mornings. It didn’t matter if mama made them, or after she taught her daughters to make them, it was Sunday morning ritual before church. Dad slathers on three to four pats of butter and drinks a glass of chocolate milk. Then it’s off to church, and then a big lunch to follow. Now that you have pictured my family as gluttonous three hundred pound dessert loving jackals….I beg to differ. We are healthy, normal weight kinda people. Ask my dad, every time it comes up for him to have a doctors appointment he puts away the dessert for two weeks and snacks on almonds and apricots so he can tell his doctor he has been eating healthy. So, in honor of father’s day, and my amazing father; confessions of a food junkie, his daughters quest for the perfect bite.

I am definitely my father’s daughter. Although, my palate is broader than my fathers! On a scale of desserts, I have tried them all, as for main dishes, well, I’m working on it. I digress back to the family sweet tooth. I was raised on my grand-parents fruits and vegetables from their amazing garden. We had the good fortune of living next door to them while they were still alive and they were literally just a hop skip and jump to the other side of the fence. We ate watermelons fresh from the earth and would take salt shakers and straws out to feast on the pink dripping goodness while the summer sun would bake our skin. It was the same with tomatoes and cucumbers, peas and corn. Even an old fig tree where I would perch in the branches just above my grandpa’s head, dirty from play as a little girl and listen to my grandfather sing from his stool that sat upon the earth as he would shoot the crows that taunted his trees.
“Killed that chicken and he gave me the wing, thinks I’m working but I ain’t doin a thing.”
So there was born a love a fruit and veggies…but then came the bees and the fresh spun honey from my grandma Iula. Grandpa and my dad would suit up and smoke the bees while my mama and my sisters and I watched. Oh the honey! Golden and sweet and fresh off the comb for my sisters and I to giggle and take turns making a mess of the machine that would spin the honey around and around until it was put in squat little mason jars. I’m pretty sure my dad got his sweet tooth from his mama’s honey, I know that she had quite a sweet tooth herself. There was no shortage of summer staples in her fridge in the summer. E. L Fudge cookies for my sister Ginny, Otter Pops for me, Oreo’s for my sister Jill, the list goes on and on. See what I mean about dessert? Still the best way to have honey is with a biscuit. While my grandmother, Iula is no longer here, her plain biscuits, cut in perfect circles from turning a glass upside down in the creamy dough was the best thing I had a ever tasted.

Now I am a grown woman, and as I mentioned before, my palate has broadened. So, I thought I would share with you so of my hands down favorite things I have ever had the pleasure of eating. You can thank my husband for a couple of these too, he is willing to try the most daring concoctions as well- especially those of the sea. Things I love most from the sea are the pearls- not the fish. So here goes, let’s start with dessert- since that’s what my father taught me.

For the die hard chocolate fan- who doesn’t like to venture farther than a chocolate covered caramel- I beg you to up the anti and head to Kobasic’s in Sacramento. All the chocolate wonders of the world reside there- lavender infused, chili infused, balsamic vinaigrette chocolate squares….the list goes on and on. Try them all, you won’t be disappointed. Can’t decide? Ask the cute little old man behind the counter- he’s the one who made them.
For the more adventurous soul, who is willing to order something they have never heard of or seen before, behold, the best dessert you may ever put in your face. Tra Vigne, a quaint little Italian joint in the streets of St. Helena. I questioned the waitress when she offered it to me, almost scoffing at its look. But hey, you just never know. So I ordered it. Then I simply refused to share any with my husband. The Pancotta Crème Fraiche. Oh have mercy on my soul. You will not be disappointed. This one still sits at my top favorite dessert to ever pass by my lips….until we move on to the donut portion of this message.
Ah yes, the donut. The mysterious round object that begs to be eaten. I’ll give you hint, and it doesn’t start with Krispy. There will be no Krispy Kreme’s on this list. You want a real donut? You go to Maries Donut stand. Sacramento, Ca off of Freeport. Yes, don’t walk there, run! Get in a car and go. It will blow your mind. Get the crème filled. Heavens to Betsy, they don’t get better than that….unless of course you get the opportunity to venture to Deep Cove Canada, Deep Cove donuts….my girlfriends and I went deep sea kayaking there once, tried the donuts, then walked back in and ordered some more of the glistening deep fried goodness. Ordered a dozen to, “take home to family.” I’ll tell you this much. No family member ever saw those donuts. We finished them in the car before we were even at the airport.
Need something cool on a summer day? Head to Magpie, its in Sacramento Ca. The ice-cream sandwich won’t be out on the shelf. You have to ask. Then a little part of your soul will know what happiness is. Last weekend I had a toasted coconut crust (all handmade there) with kumquat vanilla ice-cream smashed between it, sandwich. I was grinning like an idiot while I ate it.
Alright, alright! One more dessert and then we will hit the next course. A local favorite of the recently re-done Hilda’s Bakery, Auburn Ca. Not only do they offer excellent coffee and appealing décor, those people know how to make an Éclair, I “declare” it the best. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Really though, something about the whip cream, so delicious.

Must be time for appetizers, and boldly, I am only listing one at this time. AND- you have to go Chicago to get it. Frontera Grill. Two words for your little heart. Bacon Guacamole. I know of no other substances on this Earth that belong together more than bacon and guacamole. You will have died and gone to heaven when you taste this stuff. It comes out looking spectacular, banana leaves embracing the green goodness before you.
Hot homemade tortilla chips to serve with it. I can’t speak highly enough about this. Seriously, I have dreamt about it at night.

Here we go. The main courses, not to be taken lightly, and you might have to drive a ways for these. I promise. Put them on your travel list of restaurants you must eat at. Everyone has one of those, right?
We will start close to home, well close enough. I consider a two hour drive insignificant when we are talking a good pie. (Not my mothers boysenberry either) I’m talking pizza. My preference is thin crust, so those of you who scoff at it, well, you are missing out.
Zero-Zero Pizza, San Francisco, Ca. The perfect crust, the most mouth watering tomato sauce all in perfect proportion topped with basil and fresh gooey mozzarella…I order one for myself. No, that isn’t a typo. Some thing’s just aren’t meant to be shared. This pie is one of them. Trust me you won’t want to share your slice either.
Ok, now if you happen to be in Brooklyn….under the Brooklyn Bridge is a place called Grimaldi’s. My girlfriend and I searched high and low for this place on our trip to New York…and we almost got our selves killed on the streets of NY. (Partly because of Rachel’s driving, partly because the road construction. No worries, when we were about to take the off-ramp- (in the wrong direction), in true Brooklyn style a group of cops standing nearby shouted, “its de udder way.”) The line was out the door, we waited. Rachel kept circling the block while I stood in line. We ate it in the car; it started with, “let’s just try one piece” and ended up with a empty box by the time we got back to our room. Last place for epic pizza is Evanston, Chicago. A hole in the wall next to a great concert venue, The Union has pizza that is not the true “Chicago Style.” This isn’t Gino’s East deep dish. This is grab a napkin, eat it hot, eat it cold, thin crust perfection cheesy goodness.
For the more enlightened palate, I bring you this list of the most mouthwatering main courses I have experience thus far that deserve writing about. From Carlsbad to Napa to Chicago….Write these down.
Vigiluccis, Italian, Carlsbad, Ca. Order the Penne Ala Vodka with mushroom, cooked to absolute perfection, simply a divine dish for your taste-buds. The Vodka Sauce is really world class. If you happen to get out to Park City, Utah, there is a place called Zoom. It is home of the best burger I have ever had. Ever. It was also the most expensive, and you got to eat it in recliner Lazy-Boy chairs….Whoa, everything down to the choice of bun they use and the secret sauce makes you want to forget your BBQ grill and pray for a pay increase so you can afford the burger. Hey, it was my birthday and I wasn’t paying! Can’t make it to Park City? Have no fear. Burgers and Brew in downtown Sacramento, Ca will make everything perfect, get the Ortega Special, or get any of their burgers with bacon. Delicious? Yes. Yes it is. Affordable, yep, but really this is the place to go and enjoy a true burger, order it with a side of onion rings, the best you will ever have. Prefer something a little more enticing? You have to go back to Chicago, and head into Frontera Grill again. Mexican food that beats what you get in Mexico. I’m not talking your favorite dollar street tacos from the Roach Coach down the street. This is serious taste sensations for your mouth and a feast for your senses…would you expect anything less from a place that brings you bacon guacamole? The taste of the beans alone would make you write a five star review. Who knew beans could be so good? Add some duck with Pasilla-Huitlacoche sauce– yes, that says duck. Broaden your horizons! Tastes like filet mignon. That sauce. I’m not kidding. We even ate the onions that were recommended. Who eats onions? Have your friend get the grass fed skirt steak, mix and match. There will be nothing left on your plate except for those banana leaves the bacon guacamole came on- and even those will have been licked clean.
(I’ll be dreaming about that again tonight)
Just want a sandwich? Head back to Sacramento for the fabulous Tipps & Shakes Deli. I can’t get enough of their BLT on whole wheat….or the Turkey and Swiss on Marble Rye, you can get it how you like it, and let me tell you, you will like it. Fresh soft bread, lots of meat and cheese, these aren’t sandwiches for the kindergarten class. These are sandwiches that are educated, delicious and beautiful. Yes, I just described a sandwich as beautiful.
So there you have it, a window on how I got to be such a foodie, my appreciation of food and my love for dessert. I confess, I’m addicted! Next time I will toss out some more of my favorites in my search for the perfect bite while out on an adventure….but for now I have to go make my own dinner…and dessert, or maybe dessert before dinner, because as my father says, “you wouldn’t want to get full on that healthy stuff.”