Perfect Start to a Weekend…

…lunch with a Republican. Gosh, I never thought I would say those words! HA! But honestly, some of my best friends are Republicans. One such friend is Janet, who lives in NYC. Janet and I met at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA, and became good friends. She is a truly loyal and wonderful friend, though not without her faults, including:

1. Spoiling my daughter. It was she that started Maya’s American Girl obsession. Maya now has 4 of the things. Janet only bought her one, so it’s not ALL her fault.
2. Waiting until the last minute to call me and let me know she’s in town. I received a phone call from Janet on Thursday morning. “Hi J, guess where I am?” “I don’t know.” “Stockton.” I screamed in mock horror, because hey, I LIVED in Stockton for 11 years of my life, and that’s almost enough to kill a person. You don’t believe me? Read a bit about my opinions of Stockton, here.

But I digress….so, Janet is in CA for a brief stay, visiting her dad, who still lives in Stockton, and going to San Francisco to hook up with the girls (dang it all, we already had plans, so I had to poop out of that one! Stupid short-notice-giving-Janet!) , and coming here to visit me for lunch. Yay!

We dined at a place that is better for me than for Ted. It’s Va de Vi, downtown Walnut Creek. Ted likes it OK, but the portions are a bit small for him. Being a dainty girl (HA!), I can’t eat as much as a manly-man, so it’s fine for me. Since he wasn’t with us, we decided to go there for a lovely lunch. Yummy.

Va de Vi serves small plates, kind of like Spanish tapas, but it’s more of a fusion restaurant, with a bit of an Asian flair. We ordered several dishes and shared. We started with a lovely Ahi Tuna Tartare, which was served with crispy sesame type wafers, and pickled cucumbers. Mmm. Then we moved on to Seared Day Boat Scallops with a yummy sauce that tasted like it had a thai curry undertone. Scallops can be very tough if they are overcooked, but these were plump and delicious. After that, we had a shrimp risotto that was delicious, though it would have been nice if it came with two prawns on top, so we didn’t have to cut the one that was there in half. We’re good that way, though, and we shared. We moved on from there to lamb sirloin which was skewered on rosemary and served in a very nice sauce. It was perfectly cooked to medium rare, and very tasty. Then we decided we were still a bit hungry (not such dainty girls after all, huh?) so we ordered another Ahi Tuna Tartare. Yummy.

Va de Vi boasts quite a wine list. After all, Va de Vi translates to “It’s about wine” in Catalan. You can order wine by the glass, by the bottle, or in a tasting, or flight. We decided to go for the classic California Chardonnay tasting, which is three half glasses of wine, starting with a light house wine, then a medium intensity Flora Springs, and ending with a very buttery Rombauer. Mmmm.

Overall, it was a perfect afternoon. Janet even behaved herself, and didn’t buy anything she was drooling over at the Coach store. With all of that wine in her, I have to admit, I’m a bit shocked.

I happen to think this was the perfect way to start off a weekend. I may need her to come visit more often. Happy Saturday, everyone!