Citrus Incentive

I love citrus season! I love Rooney's in Tiburon! I love eating citrus salad at Rooney's!

We've had some fun visits from out-of-towners this year, first my DC brother and now my oldest friend (we literally shared a playpen) Wenirs from Michigan. Seeking to amaze and impress them with our neck of the woods in a vain attempt to get them to move here and make visiting easier, we exposed both to a nice Tennesee Valley walk (it's filled with water music this week from all the rain - a bonus!) and a dinner at Rooney's.

My first course at this third visit to Rooney's was a stacked citrus salad of pink and white grapefruit, blood and caracara oranges, shaved fennel, finely minced purple onion and perfectly ripe but firm avocado with an orange-cranberry relish and a citrus sesame vinaigrette. The little green accents are watercress sprouts, I think, or perhaps wasabe sprouts, if such things exist. In any case, they added just the right zing, both visually and gastronomically.

Served on a dramatic square black plate, it was a feast for the eyes as well as a Vitamin C hit! I've always liked sparkling citrus with unctuous avocado but the relish, the fennel and the red onion lifted this dish out of my ordinary and into my pantheon!

If this doesn't tempt them to move here, nothing will!