Friday, September 19, 2008

Aarrrhh!

Aye, matey. Cap'n Cranky and I visited the overflowing treasure chest that is Tyler Florence Mill Valley t'day.
A virtual galleon stuffed with the loot and booty from many lands. Especially the land of Tyler Florence. Selling his own line of Mikasa china. Ahoy!
Shiny trinkets. Avast! Expensive toasters. Off the plank with ye! Stacks of quaint (and jarringly practical) Kerr canning jars, but no pressure canners for sale. Keelhaul the lot!
A quiet, dim room of books, but none by authors (men authors) prettier than Tyler. Yoo hoo, sailor!
And a wall of inexplicable condiments.
Yo ho ho and a bottle of balsamic!
Scurvy rapscallion. Not goin' back.
Yarrr.

21 comments:

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Yarrr, tots of rum and parrots for all the scurvy dogs who sail on the good ship MadEater!

Nikki @ NikSnacks said...

Oh good Lord, every day is National [insert random, inane celebration or fact here] day and never have I ever seen such an outpouring of people actually participating. Not ice cream day, cheeseburger day, your mom's a whore day...none of those. I commend you, my friend.

And I'm jealous you went to the Emporium O' Tyler. 'Cause he's on my top 10 list of people to meet.

peter said...

To quote from the sea-captain on the Simpsons, "Arrr. {Tyler} will replace the whale in me nightmares."

Zoomie said...

Sounds like you need lots of piece o' eight to visit Tyler Florence! Where in Mill Valley is it?

kudzu said...

Arrr, I was so out of it I failed to observe Talk Like a Pirate Day, but I can see you celebrated enough language for the three of us. Love your "review". What else did we expect, in the space that was originally a useful, friendly, inexpensive hardware and housewares store (Varney's)? Mill Valley continues its sinking into the sea of boutique commercial real estate.

cookiecrumb said...

Morgan: Guess what was on TV yesterday. Pirates of the Caribbean. It's viral!

Nikki: I don't think Tyler is in the store all the time. He's got a new gig up in Napa these days. But I bet you *would* get to meet him, because you're like that. :)

Peter: I'm so glad it wasn't "Quote From the Simpsons Day," because I can only do "embiggen." It's perfectly cromulent.

Zoomie: I didn't see any price tags! I guess you have to ask.
The store is where Banana Republic was. I just didn't feel any sense of allure.

Kudzu: I am proud to say I bought real stuff at Varney's in its time. But I believe it's Wilkes Bashford that went into that space. Arrrh!

Chilebrown said...

We may be by Marin in the morning to test a Meathenge theory. The blueberry saleswomen is always cute. Is it still blueberry season? Coffee Booth if you are up!

P.S. Dagny and Biggles are on their way for pepper tasting. Wish us luck!

kudzu said...

Dang. So what was the space before it was Banana Republic (which, as we know, also started in Mill Valley)?

cookiecrumb said...

ChileBrown: We might be there in the morning. We're heading down to the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival later, but not until tennish.
Good luck with the peppers, you crazy hotheads.

Kudzu: It was already BR when we took up legal residence in MV; though I do remember when the original BR (pre-chain) was up around the corner on Blithedale. I don't know what occupied the now-Florence real estate before BR moved in.

Zoomie: I have to add this remark from Cranky. "You need lots of doubloons in your pantaloons."

Zoomie said...

That Cranky! Always the perfect words!

The Spiteful Chef said...

Tyler Florence used to give me hella lady-peg-leg, but lately he's been cap'n and commander of the good ship Fatass. Too much hardtack and rum, methinks.

Still...a wall of unusual condiments to pillage would be reason enough for me to drop anchor and pillage.

We don't have any fancy food places down here. Just G-dub and that scurvy scoundrel can pretty much go walk the plank. Or do something with the poop deck.

The Spiteful Chef said...

scratch that first "pillage." stupid insert key...

cookiecrumb said...

Ahoy, Spitey: No good condiment stores at all? You need to do some deep research. I realize it's SA, but... aw, poor you.

Heather said...

Johnny Depp is yummy enough to be on a food blog. I'm going to go drink some arrrnge juice.

cookiecrumb said...

Heather: I would lick him.

Anonymous said...

"Yoo hoo, sailor!"

You are SO funny!!!!!!

cookiecrumb said...

Tana: I think you may be the only one who got that.
;-)
xx

limoncello said...

Tough crowd!
I've been absent from IMAIE for a while, but have to say...I had a perfectly pleasant encounter with TF at the farmers' market about two months ago - it was kinda cool to chat with him about a local product (Stone House tangerine olive oil) and its uses. We're about the same age, so I can't comment (negatively) on recent changes in body shape.

But about his store: as I recall it was a furniture shop 'way back when. And yea, Banana Republic was in that rickety little building on East Blythdale, but was it before then? BEADdazzled! My sister used to buy buy beads and feathers and roach clips there for creative expression. Ask Steve Sando - I'm sure he'll remember!

cookiecrumb said...

limoncello: I had to scratch my head for a minute, trying to figure out what IMAIE meant... w00t!
How cool that you chatted with TF at the market. I'm sure he's perfectly nice. I just don't think I'll get back to the store, because Mill Valley kicked me out. I'm too poor.
Man, the good old days. Did you ever know Joe Leis?

limoncello said...

I understand, CC, I feel your pain re the NEW Mill Valley. I worked at The Soap Opera in Old Brown's Store back when I was a 'teen. Mill Valley was almost...dare I say...grungy? My brother was a line cook at Davood's -- now Piazza d'Angelo. The town freaked out when Alice Waters consulted on the revamped Depot menu after they ripped out the bus stops. Even two years ago, my mother asked whether we should have lunch at "Sonapa Farms". Hated to break the news that's it's the "Champaign Bakery" now.....

I didn't know Joe Leis, but John and Nigel and Village Music -- the backdrop of my adolescence....

cookiecrumb said...

Limoncello: You go back a lot further than I. I didn't know the Alice Waters story! Ha ha.
I remember Whole Foods coming in. What a mess.