OTOW ORCHARDS

Tired from the partying last night. Too tired to get up early and head out to Sac. So I stayed for lunch with Shirl and we went to the pho place we always go to. I ordered their giant bowl and had so much, I had to take it to go.

After saying my goodbyes, I left for Otow orchards, the little orchard I saw on Huell Howser's videos. It was much smaller than I thought it would be. Just a rundown little farm with a bunch of mature persimmon trees. I was here for the hoshigaki. They came in a sandwich plastic bag and there were about seven of them inside. But they were over $25 per pound! Yipes! I figured I'd never be there again, so I bought two bags along with some chocolate persimmons that I wanted to try.

The orchard isn't very far from K. Paul's place, but Jared asked me to pick him up at the hotel they were staying, just down the street from K. Paul's place. I guess the poor kid was bored and didn't really want to hang out with his parents. When I got there, he wouldn't answer his phone, so I left. But when I was on the freeway, he called and I had to turn around and go back.

We got to K. Paul's, but no one was home so we waited. But there was traffic after church, so K. Paul and fams asked me to just meet them at the restaurant we were going to eat.

We all met at Iron which is a pretty fancy restaurant. K. Paul really likes to celebrate at nice places which is awesome because no one but he can really afford this type of restaurant. I ordered the lamb shank which came with mashed potatoes. It was delicious, but I was shocked at how flavorless it was. It seemed to need salt and it totally lacked that flavor. Jared's steak was the same way so given the prices, I don't understand how the flavor could be that way.

When we all got back to the house, I went into a food coma and fell asleep on the bean bag. I forgot how comfortable those things are.

(written 1/13/12)