532759 Wed Jun 25 21:53:17 -0700 2008 0 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 3814485 Normally, I hate vegetables. Well not *hate* but I use it to illustrate how I usually feel about them. Dislike. Not a fan. You get the picture. I wanted to go out on a limb & expand my horizons. So I chose dinner at Ubuntu as a pre-bday treat. My husband was very suprised & thought I might go into some kind of "veggie shock" but I really loved the meal, the concept and the restaurant. I don't want to just rehash the positive things that have been said about Ubuntu, although now I get it. The flavors just sang. I didn't miss meat at all. And we left completely stuffed. We had the lavender marcona almonds (addictive); chickpea fries (reminded me of eating the outside of a corn dog - yum!); baby artichokes w/miso bagna cauda (perfectly tender); cauliflower in a cast iron pot (this was so flavorful and I loved the different textures); and lastly, the deep fried egg,smoked fingerlings w/black garlic coulis (loved the fingerlings which were more of a rough mash). We each had a peach wine cooler that had muddled rose & another flower - the perfect summer evening drink. I am still thinking about my dessert: "bowl of frosted feuilletine" which had caramelized bananas with kaffir lime, warm rum milk and crunchies. The combination of bananas and lime was amazing. I had some of my husband's "cheesecake in a jar" but it wasn't as memorable as my dessert. I am surprised I loved Ubuntu. The vibe was really welcoming, our server was well informed about the dishes & ingredients, and the right level of attentive. OK I'll stop now - but I'll be back! We toured Round Pond olive mill earlier in the day. It was $25.00 per person. The website says to allow 1.5 hours, but it was exactly 1 hour. There is a maximum of 6 people per "tour". Our guide informed us that they did 3 tours per day and the summer was booked solid. You meet at the olive mill, and we were showed one olive tree grove, right outside the mill building. Since it wasn't pressing season, we got a quick look at the equipment up close. The on to the tasting. We tasted 4 olive oils alone, with bites of green apple in between, then with bread. Then we tasted 2 vinegars on a sugar cube. Lastly we were given a small salad with fresh tomatoes & mozzarella, to dress as we pleased. We were offered a tasting of the chardonnay & cabernet I believe, for an additional $10.00 - we declined this. Although I am glad we did it, it seemed rushed, quick, and we were told by our guide that this was a great way of generating revenue even when the mills weren't running. I have been to other agricultural food tours in this country & other countries, and to me Round Pond didn't shine as an outstanding example. Wed Jun 25 21:53:17 -0700 2008 23298 SanJoseHound