Lunchbox Liz

Right across from the Bob Hope Airport sits the Burbank Hilton. The hotel has seen its better day, but it is still well run with a good tea available in the lobby, comfy beds, a decent exercise room, and a wonderful restaurant called The Daily Grill. The restaurant sells itself short by the posters advertising its fair in the hotel elevators. I bet it appealed to travelers in the 1950s, but large platters of steak with a backdrop of dark wood paneling gave my traveling companions and me a stomachache. They were so bad that we almost didn’t eat there except for the fact that we were so tired from our day’s work we had no other choice in the industrial section of town where the hotel was located. I ordered a side of grilled veggies and my companions ordered the chicken casadia and a salad. We were not expecting much, but to our delight it was some of the best food we had during our trip. It just goes to show you that you can judge a restaurant by its elevator advertising.

Today’s Lunch
Pesto on Pumpkin Toast

Pick the leaves from basil stems, enough to equal two cups. Place in food processor with 3/4 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until ingredients are incorporated with one another, but not pureed. Store in a glass container in the fridge. You can make pesto with any herb--dill, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, or sage.

The spelt pumpkin bead made by Ursula at the farm; someday I’ll weasel the recipe out of her.