old friends and new food

i took a friday off from work and was graced by the presence of my dear friend rachel, in town to catch up and see the new city i call home. as her mother said upon hearing that i'd moved to san jose, "i guess everyone's gotta live somewhere." but i think rachel's visit left her with a more positive impression of my new life in the south bay. apart from splitting a bottle of morgon that afternoon, a highlight was lunch at cyprus cafe in campbell. the mohammara, a spread of red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses, was new for both of us and very tasty. i also loved the wine list -- every wine on the list is available by either the bottle or the glass, giving a much larger selection by the glass than most restaurants. both of us loved our wines -- rachel had a california torrentes and i had a french rosé that we both agreed had a truly fantastic color. alas, neither of us can remember the name of the vineyards, and the photo i took of the wine list is too blurry to read. i'll be back for more rosé and mohammara, and this time i'll make sure to remember the names of the wines.