Week 8: The Value of a Recipe

Traveling is always exciting - especially when it comes to food.  In San Diego there is a wonderful mix of breakfast places that my in-laws have introduced me to.  From World's Best to Brockton Villa, the choices are all fabulous.

Torrey Pines State Reserve

This trip we went somewhere new - The Cottage - in La Jolla, CA.  My mother-in-law had been there celebrating when she finished her Master's degree and her girlfriends had bought her the cookbook that the restaurant sold.  So we returned, years later, partially because the binding was shot on the cookbook.  The tiny little restaurant had coffee and coffee cake on the sidewalk for those of us waiting half an hour at 9:30am to get breakfast.  The ambiance was definitely cheery and the weather was quite a bit warmer than here in Connecticut.  Having read the cookbook on the car ride over, I was aware that they had specialties such as fish tacos and granola.  Interestingly enough, the granola recipe is the ONLY recipe they would not share in the cookbook.  It even said as much in the book.

Well, I ordered the Baja Chicken Hash and it was fabulous.  My mother-in-law asked one of the waiters if she could exchange her cookbook for a new one as the binding was no longer holding the center of the book together.  The young man smiled and kind of laughed a little which through us off.  He said, "We don't sell those anymore.  They're kind of a collector's item now.  Selling for $100 on ebay!" Now I just checked Ebay and I didn't see a single cookbook on there. I did find them on Amazon for $6 used.

Regardless.  It begs the question: what is the value of a recipe?  To me great food at a restaurant is kind of like a seductive secret.  I don't really want to know but it would be interesting to know.  And half the time once you do know, it isn't all that fabulous and you truly can't recreated the initial experience.   Great food is partially great because you share it in a unique setting with the people whose company you enjoy.  A recipe is only as good as the people you share it with.

Next time I visit good ol' San Diego I may end up at a new breakfast place to enjoy another round of great food.  But I won't lie,  that granola was BRILLIANT - which may keep me heading back to The Cottage in the future.  My guess is that the secret is in the cooking method but while it was really good granola, I'm not sure I'd pay $100 for it.

Hope you enjoyed safe travel and fabulous food this holiday season,
Melissa

P.S.  I've posted my toasted granola recipe under breads!