Eight Minutes, Nine Bucks

I had the biggest, most beautiful pastured chicken on earth thawing in a roasting pan. We had another unseasonably rainy day and I was dreaming of a cosy dinner with juicy white meat paired with our favorite cranberry sauce, the lovely little "oysters," one for me and one for he and perfectly roasted skin sprinkled with herbs - we love, love, love roast chicken.

The problem was that the darn thing was so big that it didn't thaw in time for dinner! So, we popped it in the fridge for tomorrow and went out to choose one of the 14 possible restaurants in our tiny town.

First, to the farmer's market, which is held on a blocked-off main street in the village each Wednesday, to buy fruits and veggies for the coming days. After hitting the berry, cherry, mushroom and greengrocer vendors, I noticed that there was a tent called "Zen Grill" down the far end of the row. As I walked along behind the tent, the cook stepped out and slapped the prettiest piece of fresh salmon I've seen in quite some time onto his sizzling hot grill. Needless to say, I hurried around to the front to read the menu, hoping the salmon wasn't just for the stallholder's dinner.

It wasn't. Oh, heaven! I ordered two plates and was told to stroll around for eight minutes, which I did, snagging a sample of Catahoula coffee, a new addition to the market, from the owner as I passed by.

Eight minutes later, I collected our plates and headed back up the hill to dinner chez nous. The salad was fresh, the rice uninspired (what a land office business they could do if they'd offer Massa rice instead!) and the salmon was perfectly grilled with a nice spicing of pepper and salt and something else I can't quite identify. The outside was nearly crisp but the inside was moist and just changing texture to the just-barely-cooked. The flakes of fish came easily apart but were no longer gelatinous - in other words, done to a turn.

All this for $9. They even gave a slice or two of lemon along with a bright smile and a "Thank you!" A bargain by any measure on a day when it poured with rain and then cleared just as the market started.

O, Happy Day!

Happy days here in Point Richmond - our little farmer's market has reopened for the season and will be with us every Wednesday evening from 4-8pm until late October! It has started small, with fewer tents than last year, but we have some interesting new vendors and several of the downtown restaurants are opening for farmer's market specials, too.

Little Louie's, for example, is opening their excellent new wine bar, 4 to 9, for tastings on market day. The venerable Hotel Mac is also having market day specials on Wednesdays. Even the Hidden City, which is normally open only for breakfast and lunch, is opening for dinner on Wednesday evenings. We noted that the new Mexican restaurant, El Sol (a branch of the one in Rodeo) in town opened on the first day of the market with samples and promises to be a great new place. There is even a vegan restaurant, Symphonie, in Point Richmond. The popular new pub-style restaurant, Up and Under, is a lively place for a drink or a meal. In fact, our little town has more eateries than you can shake a stick at; why not come try some of these? And, if all you want is a cup of coffee while you stroll the market, Little Louie's and Starbucks will happily fill your cup.

There are also pickup foods at the market - My Beloved and I enjoyed the barbecued pork dinner with potato salad and baked beans, and were torn between that and the turkey leg offering. There is also a Shave Ice stand and a Kettle Corn tent, not to mention the Churros and Funnel Cakes available at another tent. Sadly, I haven't seen the Baked Potato guy this year, yet, but I'm hopeful he will return.

Fresh veggies, fresh flowers, fresh breads, jewelry, art, fresh pastas, even fresh sausages - we have it all just on our doorstep for the next five months and we'll be looking for you to enjoy it with us!