Locavore -Someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles.

Although I didn’t know it at the time I guess I was pretty fortunate growing up. You see, I grew up living with my father and grandparents in a small town an hour north of Los Angeles. When I wanted fresh vegetables or fruit I just got it from the backyard. I guess I was a locavore before it was even a movement. As a kid I enjoyed the best California Haas avocados, fragrant tomatoes and the sweetest oranges I have to this day, ever tasted. Eating local, fresh food wasn’t a movement for me, it was a way of life.

I miss those days. As with most things from childhood, I took it for granted. Even as an adult I didn’t appreciate it. In my early twenties I worked right down the street from the famous Santa Monica farmers market. I loved the fresh produce, but I rarely shopped there. Now I find myself living in Dallas, Texas. I thought the only thing fresh here was the beef. I don’t know what the Dallas of years past was like, but there seams to be more and more great restaurants popping up every day. One such restaurant brought back the memories of my youth. That restaurant is Bolsa in Oak Cliff.

I live in Carrollton and spend most of my time north of Dallas in Plano, Frisco and McKinney. The only reason we ventured to south Dallas was because my wife was given a gift certificate. In fact, it nearly expired before we were able to use it. That’s how long we waited to make the trip. Then I heard Bolsa was a part of the locavore movement. Hmmm, now I’m intrigued. Craving the home-grown food of my youth, I just had to check it out.

My wife and I took our 13 month old girl and decided to invite my wife’s father as well. The restaurant is located in a renovated auto shop and reminded me of the little pockets of mom-and-pop shops and restaurants scattered throughout Los Angeles. The staff was very friendly as well. In fact, I think my baby girl made a new best friend in the hostess.

We all decided to share two appetizers. The cheese plate came with manchego, blue cheese and Guinness chedder. Served with grapes, crackers and thinly sliced pears. The other was the bruschetta sampler consisting of four different versions. Smoked salmon with capers and creme fraische, fuji apples with slivered almonds, butternut squash with goat cheese, and  prosciutto and figs. Both were delicious. We were also informed they had 1/2 off bottled wine. We ended up sharing two bottles of a wonderful viognier.

For my entree, I chose beef medallions with mashed potatoes which was cooked perfectly to medium rare. My father-in-law chose a prosciutto and pear flat bread with mozzarella cheese. We were thinking it would be a small thin flatbread. We didn’t expect it to be the size of a medium pizza. I have to give the top choice to my wife who ordered the salmon. It had a light crispy texture on the outside and the inside was cooked so perfectly, it melted in your mouth like butter. My baby girl ate about a third of it. Yes, my baby is a foodie. While other kids her age eat goop from a jar or french fries from Mc Donalds, mine eats roasted sweet potatoes with olive oil and cinnamon.

For dessert, my wife ordered the white chocolate rum tart with a bruleed banana. I think I chose the better one here, opting for the bread pudding in a bourbon sauce.

Overall, we loved the restaurant. Could I tell if the food tasted so much fresher than other top restaurants? Well no, even though it did taste very fresh. Had I been able to sample some of the ingredients raw, perhaps. But after everything is cooked and sauced it becomes more difficult. I think the fact that I knew I was eating locally grown, organic food just makes me feel better about what I am putting in my body. And the fact that it was delicious sure was a big plus. Bottom line; Bolsa gets two thumbs up around the table.

Since high school (long before Iron Chef came around) I often found myself scavenging for ingredients in the refrigerator to turn into interesting meals. The other morning was no exception. My wife had previously made some plain pasta shells for our one year-old daughter and I thought they might make an interesting breakfast.

Pasta for breakfast? Hey, why not. Nothing like some good carbohydrates to give you much needed Saturday morning energy. After some searching I also found some bacon and eggs. Hmmm, this is sounding a little familiar. Carbonara anyone?

As you may guess, I cooked the bacon and crumbled it. I used the rendered fat with a little butter and olive oil to saute some fresh garlic and then added the pasta and bacon back to the pan. For a little twist I added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes I found in the refrigerator door and the juice of a fresh lemon with a little dried basil and parsley. I finished the dish by folding in the beaten egg with some Parmesan cheese, off the heat.

The dish turned out great. I especially loved the addition of the sun-dried tomatoes and lemon juice. The acid was a great balance to the saltiness of the bacon and Parmesan cheese.

So the next time you look in the refrigerator and think to yourself, “There’s nothing to eat”, remember that thinking outside the box can be a rewarding experience.