Welcome Fall With Cornish Game Hen Dijonnaise

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Turn on the oven to warm up the house -- and to enjoy this fantastic Cornish game hen dish.
Turn on the oven to warm up the house — and to enjoy this fantastic Cornish game hen dish.

Summer has turned to fall as fast as the click of an on-off switch.

That means retiring the A/C, and turning on the oven instead without guilt to warm things up.

“Cornish Game Hen Dijonnaise” is a worthy dish to mark that transition.

A succulent dish that roasts in the oven and creates its own lusty sauce in the process, this recipe is from “Feasts on the Farm” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Tamara Jo Hicks, owner of Toluma Farms in west Marin County, and Jessica Lynn MacLeod, a longtime volunteer there who developed the recipes.

Hicks and her husband bought the 160-acre farm in 2003, restoring the land to raise goats and sheep. In 2013, they began making their own farmstead cheeses under the label of Tomales Farmstead Creamery.

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An Indelible Visit to Aubergine, Carmel’s Only Michelin Two-Starred Restaurant

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Presentation of the smoked scallop at Aubergine.
Presentation of the smoked scallop at Aubergine.

It’s a good bet that if you see anyone dressed up in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a charming beach town and major laid-back tourist draw where shorts and sweatshirts are the norm, they are likely headed to dinner at Aubergine.

Located in the Relais & Chateaux luxury hotel, L’Auberge Carmel, it is the only Michelin two-starred restaurant in this tiny town of 3,000. In fact, since retaining its one Michelin star since 2019, it was awarded its second star last year.

A lot has changed since I last dined there a dozen years ago. Most notably, jewel box of a dining room always felt intimate but even more so since four tables have been removed, leaving all of five now situated around the perimeter. There are two seatings available, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. If you choose the early seating as we did, you’ll catch the last light on a fall evening through the wall of draped windows.

Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel.
Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel.
Awarded a second Michelin star in 2024.
Awarded a second Michelin star in 2024.

Executive Chef Justin Cogley remains the constant, a former professional figure skater with “Disney on Ice,” who glides smoothly through the upper echelons of fine dining, having launched his career at none other than Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago.

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Yeobo, Darling Is A Treasure of Taiwanese and Korean Creativity

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A Taiwanese version of Italian lasagna at Yeobo, Darling.
A Taiwanese version of Italian lasagna at Yeobo, Darling.

Husband-and-wife and chefs Michael and Meichich Kim have had a rather Goldilocks’ culinary journey.

Their former Michelin-starred Maum in Palo Alto with its one long communal table that seated a mere 16 diners at once was maybe too exclusive for most.

Their former Bao Bei fast-casual spot at State Street Market in Los Altos was maybe too lowbrow to fully utilize their talent to the fullest.

With Yeobo, Darling, though, which opened in Menlo Park in June, they have created a spot that is just right.

The small bar.
The small bar.
The intimate dining room.
The intimate dining room.

It’s a fitting showcase for their very personal cooking that spotlights Michael’s Korean heritage and Meichich’s Taiwanese lineage. In fact, Yeobo is Korean for “sweetheart,” symbolizing just how intertwined their relationship and personality is with this restaurant.

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Zeroing In On the Last Days of Local Zucchini

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Chewy, hearty bulgur is the foundation for this zucchini and pea pilaf.
Chewy, hearty bulgur is the foundation for this zucchini and pea pilaf.

Have a few zucchini still languishing in your fridge or lingering in your backyard garden?

Then, the time is now to enjoy “Zucchini, Pea, and Bulgur Pilaf.”

Because it makes use of frozen peas, and can be served at room temperature or chilled, it’s versatile enough to make most any time.

The recipe is from “Sabzi” (W.W. Norton), of which I received a review copy.

This collection of vegetarian recipes is by Yasmin Khan, a British food and travel writer, and human rights activist.

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San Mateo’s Bonjour Bakehouse Expands With Indoor Seating

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Pastries from Bonjour Bakehouse.
Pastries from Bonjour Bakehouse.

It’s been an eventful past six years for the family-owned Bonjour Bakehouse in a warehouse area of San Mateo.

Bordeaux, France-native Francois Bernaudin was executive pastry chef of La Boulange in San Francisco before founding Bonjour Bakehouse in 2019 at Kitchentown, the food incubator hub in San Mateo. Three years ago, Paris-born Ingrid Sarlandie, a mechanical engineer who worked in executive management in Silicon Valley but had a lifelong passion for baking, joined the business.

For years, the bakery operated a pass-through window there with seating on the sidewalk. But last month, it added indoor seating for 40 with bistro tables and a communal table that afford views of the production kitchen.

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