Category: Cool Service
Make Thomas Keller's celebrated fried chicken at home.
A couple weeks ago we included uber-chef Thomas Keller’s innovative restaurant, Ad Hoc, in our post about restaurants in Yountville, California. This Napa Valley darling started out as an experiment. Keller found a small space on Washington Street where he could serve dinner – a single dinner – nightly.
The evening meal would be prepared from the best ingredients available that day -- many of which come from the French Laundry gardens -- and served family style.
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Visit California's spectacular state parks for less.
Given California's huge budget deficits, who knows what will happen in the future. But California has some of the most beautiful state parks in the country. From Point Reyes to Mono Lake, there are countless opportunities for hiking, swimming, paddling, climbing, biking, camping, surfing, and wildlife spotting.
Most of the parks are free-of-charge if you walk or bike in, and charge a very reasonable parking fee if you drive -- usually between $4 and $14 per vehicle. Once you buy a day-use parking pass, it's good that same day at other parks in the area. So you'll only pay once.
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Hear your favorite Steely Dan album, performed live.
Steely Dan has stood the test of time better than most bands. Fifty-somethings who grew up with the duo have remained steadfastly loyal. But a surprising number of forty-, thirty-, and even twenty-somethings can sing along to My Old School.
Even so, I was surprised when I heard Only A Fool Would Say That while shopping at Macy's.
The group's complex, jazz-rooted melodies, dark lyrics, and impeccable production were finally rewarded when Two Against Nature - their first album in twenty years - won the Album of the Year Grammy in 2001. Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that same year provided the impetus for a successful tour.
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