YOU ASKED FOR IT!!!!!

I am so excited about this....  GET READY!

I have been talking about the tostapane for years.  I have used it on my TV show a hundred times, I wrote a blog about it years ago, and many of you have written asking where you can buy one!   I always made a joke and said that you had to come with me to Italy to get one.

On one of my trips, my students and I descended upon a small hardware store in Greve’s central square, and bought out their stock! Now I finally imported them into the U.S., and it is available now on Open Sky at: https://opensky.com/joanneweir/product/tostapane.

It is such a simple concept, but nowhere else to be found. It toasts bread or crostini on top of the stove and makes it taste like you’ve cooked it over an open fire, just like in Italy!  My favorite way to use it is to slice a loaf of rustic bread, toast the slices on both sides on the tostapane until they smoke slightly, then remove and rub them with a cut garlic clove. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle them with salt – a Maldon salt  or other flavored salt – and you have the snack from heaven!

my life at Copita

If you were wondering what happened to me, I promise I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth.  For the last several years, I loved traveling the world teaching, sitting behind my computer writing and smiling in front of the camera but now it feels so right to be back in the kitchen.  I'm at Copita pretty much 24/7 these days cooking with my Mexican soul mate and sous chef, Dilsa Lugo.     Dilsa is from the Cuernavaca, Mexico, I am from San Francisco and working side by side, knives in hand, our creative juices are flowing together.  It feels good to be doing something as simple as shucking sweet corn for corn soup, chopping cilantro from our organic garden in the Sausalito hills and roasting heirloom tomatoes for salsa rustica.  At this point in my life, I'm learning a lot from Dilsa and teaching her what I've learned along the way.  And the best part…  people are loving what we are doing at Copita.

Here’s what they’re saying…

“Honestly, I was a little surprised that the second thing I saw was Weir—her head of red curls bobbing through the crowd with the calm of a pro. She's a woman constantly on the move with ideas and projects. Great for Copita: she's working the floor with her signature charm on a random Tuesday night.”

Then, carnitas. Oh man. They rival Nopalito's adored rendition, for sure: crisp edges, enough salt, a hit from the lime wedge, and—well, my friend said it best: "This is like crack!" I let her bring home the leftovers. 

All of the tortillas are made in house by Mexico-born sous chef Dilsa Lugo (hence the masa smell filling the dining room).

My point here, is that I'll be back, and you should not be afraid to cross the bridge on a Tuesday for a mid-week Marin escape. Considering the manageable prices at Copita, you could even make it a quarterly thing. Just don't underestimate the power of a Mexican restaurant in Sausalito. Make a reservation.”

7 X 7 Magazine, June 21, 2012

“The food at Copita is top-notch, but there’s a reason “Tequileria” comes first in the restaurant’s tag line. Weir has tequila expertise like few others, and they’re leveraging it to the max at Copita"

Restaurant Hospitality,  June 20, 2012      

“Copita, just about overnight, has suddenly become southern Marin’s most stylish destination for Mexican cuisine.”

Marin Scope Newspapers,  June 13, 2012

Named “Bay Area’s 10 Hottest New Restaurants”

Zagat, June 2012

“Copita has certainly become a Sausalito game changer”

Zagat Buzz, June 2012

And here’s what we’re cooking…

Aguachiles- I first tried this dish with my feet in the sand in Puerta Vallerta.  Shrimp "cooked" in lime juice with a sauce of chiles, lime juice, cilantro and cucumbers.  Avocados and red onions on top.  

 

   California halibut ceviche with serranos, lime, red onions and cucumbers

 

Tamailtos,three little tamales filled with corn and roasted poblanos, pork adobo and chicken verde

 

Mexican tourists are saying that our carnitas is just like their mother's. Thanks to Dilsa's Mom

 

 Oaxacan chocolate milkshake with chile arbol-spiced wedding cookies

I promise to keep posting, maybe even a recipe or two from Copita.  

I miss you all.  And if you're in the Bay Area, jump on the ferry and head over to Sausalito.  We'll have a margarita together!