T Stands for The Steak and Grape

 
Hello T- Gang, we meet again this week, compliments of Elizabeth and Bluebeard to share what we are or have been drinking.  This week it is a glass of the house Merlot wine at The Stake and Grape, you can also see DH's glass of water behind my wine, mine was pushed to the left.  We had been out looking at model homes Sunday afternoon, as it was too cold to sit in the house.......but more of that later.  After tromping through model homes for hours, looking for a floor plan that we might want to build (hopefully this year) we finally got hungry.  We have bee frequenting this place since it first opened about 4 years ago.  Nice restaurant that serves a good steak and a very large wine list.....thus the name The Steak and Grape.  They do serve a variety of dishes for lunch and for dinner, all well made, all very tasty and the service is top notch.  There is a large bar, that fills on Sundays for the "game" of the week, but it isn't a sports bar (the loud and roudy kind) Then there is a very nice dinning room to have a great meal in, lunch and dinner menus.  I didn't think to take pictures of the place, inside or out........next time.....promise!  As they have begun to hang art, for sale on the walls.  This time it was quite a few abstracts and quite a few of those were already marked sold.  It really isn't a very large place, and is located in a small shopping center.  I know it has made a name for itself, even though it is on the west side of Bakersfield, but I was still a little surprised at how much of the art was marked sold.
One of the foods that always draws us here is the Calamari appetizer MMMMMMM!  It is so good and the little bowl has a sweet and hot jelly to dip it into.  As you can see the pieces are not little tiny piece either and cooked to perfection...................oh I'm ready to go back!!!  After having this, plus HOT FRESH rolls and their small complementary bowl of beans, we split a steak dinner.
 
Tonight (Monday ) I am final enjoying a warm house. Last Thursday we had to call a repair man to come and see why the heater was blowing cold air.  Of course when he got here it was working!!  Friday morning, the same thing and I recalled the service, but they couldn't come out until the afternoon, and I had GD Megan all day Friday and couldn't leave it blowing cold air, so it was set up for them to be here first thing this morning...........cold weekend!.  I did get out the little electric space heater and set it in the kitchen so she could paint., and when the sun finally decided to show, we went for a long bike ride.  That 4 year old can ride for a LONG time!!  When we got home we fired up the oven and baked some cookies, so we stayed cozy the rest of the day.
 
I'm sure some of you are thinking "What does a crazy old lady in California know about being cold?"  Well, a lot really.  I went through grade school and Jr. High in Fargo North Dakota.  But the cold HERE is different, it is a damp cold that works it's way clear through to your bones.  It's been so warm and dry here for the last four years I had forgotten what the gray days of damp foggy weather is like.
 
On the brighter side (and now warmer) I had to go into Bakersfield this afternoon to run a few errands and remembered to take my Michael's 50% OFF coupon with me.  So I treated myself to a new art journal and a black Fiber Castell pen with a brush tip.
 
It is a soft cover, and the pages are a really nice weight, but not as heavy as my larger art journals.  This is a real treat for me, it has stitched in pages (just like the real artist use...LOL)  It is a 7.75 in. x 9.75 in ( 19.7 x 24.8 cm) and the weight of the paper is 90lb.  I plan on using this one just a little differently.  Over at Daisy Yellow blog she has started a 67 day prompt challenge, that urges you to write in your art journal, something I don't normally do, but willing to give it a try.  Like J52 there are prompts but it doesn't matter if you do them in sequence, skip the ones you don't like, or run late (which they are up to #12 now, so I am LATE getting started) She also does a variety of other things too like the I-Cards, but has a lot of information on other art things too.
 
 
Just a little something I thought might interest many of you.  I received my Posh order today and, as always they fill up the empty space with packing peanuts, and they always include this little card as a reminder.  Sorry you can't read it very well, but it says they dissolve in water, and you could actually eat them.......or they are safe against accidental consumption! (but not recommended!!) 
 
So that's it for this week, Ill be around in the morning with my coffee.
 
Inky Hugs
Krisha
 
 

Comments

Everything sounds very positive here ... that's fine for the week....
you can eat this worms instead of popcorn... can't you?
But I think we prefer the steak above....

Happy T-Day-Happy week Krisha!
Julia Dunnit said…
I've had boiler issues too...it's been a distinctly cold week...some mornings have been below freezing and I've been a bit grumpy about getting out of bed, so I totally understand. Steak and grape sounds fab - did you find a floor model to suit you? What exciting plans!
After enduring the cold blowing burner...you certainly deserved a new art journal! Looking forward to seeing how you fill it up! The restaurant sounds like a gem-good food, good service and a nice atmosphere!

When I saw those packing peanuts, my heart did a little pitter patter! If you work with clay at all they can be baked with clay around them, later soaked, and you end up with a hollow piece!

Love your gorgeous photo! Happy T Day!
Linda Kunsman said…
We had some furnace trouble too but thankfully had it repaired before losing the heat or I would have died! I'd love to have calamari with a glass of merlot right now:) Nice to treat yourself to good food and some new art products too-I LOVE those pens! Happy T day!
I love those packing peanuts. So much more responsible than the styrofoam ones. I'm glad you got your heat fixed. Cold can be such a miserable thing if there's no way to warm up the house!
Darla said…
We both posted wine pictures this Tuesday. Maybe its a California thing, LOL! I like the look of your new journal and have never tried the pen. I'll be waiting for my next M coupon and see what I can find. Hope your heating troubles are over.

Darla
I saw a way to use those packing peanuts in your art, but it was YEARS ago and I have no idea where I saw it. Someone made mixed media using them.

Steak and Grape sounds like YOUR kind of place, dear Krisha. Perfect for the wine loving carnivore (GRIN). And to share it with abstract art would make me forget I am a vegetarian!!

If you want to be cold, come to my place. It's REALLY cold here, because I keep my house so cold it sometimes freezes the pipes. Thankfully, I made sure it didn't this year. But we've had sub-freezing temps with ice and snow for so long, I can't even remember what warmth really feels like.

If it's any consolation, I was in SOCAL (LA area) one year with friends who lit a yule log in their fireplace on Christmas, then had to open all the doors and windows because it got so hot in the house.

Thanks for sharing this week with us for T this Tuesday. Hope your heater got fixed properly this time.
jinxxxygirl said…
Hi there Krisha!! Happy T day! So great to know they are coming up with alternatives to Styrofoam.. :) I LOVE my Pitt Pen. Infact i just bought some this past weekend. .I use the XS,S, F tip ones.... They are great for my doodling and will write over acrylic paint as long as you make sure it is VERY dry... like let it dry for a couple days before you try to write on it... thats just my experience... :) Hugs! deb
Thanks for the offer! I still have a handful, but when I run out, I know who to ask!
Rita said…
Ha! I was talking about being behind on Journal52 today--LOL! That looks like a lovely Strathmore journal and pen. (I'm always drooling over supplies!)
Sounds like a really nice restaurant--even if I don't eat meat anymore. ;)
My folks retired from Minnesota to Florida and the cold is different down there, too. I thought they were kidding until I was down for a visit many years ago in the winter. Not that five below can't chill you to the bone, too, as you know because you LIVED IN FARGO--whoohoo! I've been up here since 1999 now. Not a heck-of-a-lot different than Minneapolis. Just a lot windier. ;)
Happy T-Day! :)
Halle said…
I don't think I'll actually be tasting any of the packing peanuts but I have gotten ones like that before.
Sorry I'm so late...yesterday got away from me and this morning started with a trip to urgent care with the boy. I feared pneumonia...it's not. Likely influenza...great the next two days are finals for him. BAH!!!!
Anonymous said…
mmmm wonder if you could use them in art..will have to try..lovely steak..just cooked one for my eldest son as he doesnt like curry like the rest of the family...lorraine (not anonymous dont know why its saying that!)