Ojai, December 5, 2008—
AZU, THAT'S THE PLACE, I remembered it after Zagatting it, Don't pass up the bacon-wrapped stuffed dates, Zagat said. So after driving most of the day through various traffic jams and closed rest stops we pulled in at Ojai and dropped off the suitcases and headed for Azu. I began with a Martini, muted by the inclusion of lots of tiny bits of ice, otherwise okay. Then the dates, wrapped indeed with bacon and stuffed with chorizo, said the menu. But the stuffing had the consistency of chestnut purée. When I asked, the waitress said the stuffing was in fact blood sausage, but the menu called it chorizo because many people don't like the sound of blood sausage.
I was a little surprised that anyone could have heard the sound of blood sausage: this was the most infernally loud restaurant I've eaten in in many months, perhaps years.
I went on to a house salad, nicely dressed with lemon juice, and a lemony soup on chicken stock.
Chardonnay, Two Tone, Russian River Valley, 2006
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