curiously ravenous

'wichcraft

2008-12-19T20:19:00.004-05:00

Ahhh the hunky, bald genius that is Tom Colicchio. He and Padma make me look forward to every episode of Top Chef. It just would not be the same without their clever little back-and-forth quips each week. I am someone who loves sandwiches, especially pressed, hot ones, that are smothered in interesting spreads and sauces... pestos, aiolis, it's all good. These past four months, I have had no fewer than 5 sandwiches per week. Hey, they are portable, delicious, and always a good balance of carbs and protein.

This is why I was super ecstatic that Colicchio had opened a 'wichcraft here in SF, just a few blocks away from us. Mr.S took me to see what it was all about, since he had gone by himself once, and was shockingly disappointed, and wanted to get my opinion. The menu reads like a farmers market lover's dream, all types of veggies, smoked meats, delicate spreads and rustic breads. There seemed to be a great amount of potential here for success. There are cool and warm sandwiches, breakfast foods served all day, salads and soups, and brownies and cookies. And to boot, the interior design at 'wichcraft is clean and streamlined, modern whites and brushed stainless steel.

My sandwich was filled with plump, marinated white anchovies, a soft cooked egg, roasted onion, salsa verde, and frisee greens. Does that not sound slightly off? Salsa verde? Well it sure wasn't a light and fresh green salsa. It was much more like an overly greasy pistou, made with way too much olive oil, which soaked into the bread, turning it into an oily mess. The anchovies and egg were gorgeous, but that was really the extent of it. The roasted onions were not soft and caramelized, but rather, fried to a stringy toughness, altogether unpleasant. Frisee is usually hit or miss as it is, it's good sometimes, but it just does not belong in a sandwich, it being tough and extremely bitter. All in all, this was not a hit with me.

Mr.S ordered the grilled cheddar, with smoked ham and pear and mustard. It could very likely have been a large sandwich, but after being pressed, it arrived at our table, looking very anemic and flat. I skipped taking a picture of it, because it just looked plain pathetic.

Taking a second look through the menu, I realize that many of the combinations are just off. Perhaps in theory they work together, but reality proves that hmmm... maybe not.

I did end my meal on a high note.

The house-made peanut butter 'creamwich was out of this world. It was a large soft sandwich cookie, with chunks of peanuts, crispy edges, and filled with a smooth peanut butter ganache spread that I would probably eat by the spoonful. And it was only $1.

I really had high expectations for 'wichcraft, since I'd heard from friends who have eaten at Craftsteak and Craftbar of how fabulous the food is, and how on point the service is. I feel like 'wichcraft could do much better if it simply just pared down their sandwiches to 3-4 ingredients, rather than trying to use 5-6 different complex ingredients that perhaps do not complement one another successfully. In the end, 'wichcraft did not wow me, and I would have to say given the choice, I would not go back, but rather go next door to the fantastic food court at Westfield...

stacks

2008-12-18T18:49:00.009-05:00

Hayes Valley is one of our favorite neighborhoods to explore; some of our most loved eateries are here... Absinthe, Suppenkuche, Stacks, and Christopher Elbow for chocolates and hot cocoa so thick and creamy (it is pretty much liquefied chocolate).

I love a good, hearty brunch, the kind where mimosas and bloody Mary's flow freely, and eggs are always fluffy and smothered with cheese. Is there any other kind? Stacks is one such hotspot serving up hefty portions of fresh, traditional brunch dishes, famous for their, what else... pancakes.

One of my brunch go-to's is huevos rancheros, and Stack's version does not disappoint. I think the thick layer of melted cheese really helps.... and I'm a big sucker for canned black olives... mmmm.

Mr. S had a short stack (2) of the pancakes with wheat germ. There's even a version with banana macadamia nut and coconut! Just to show how generous the size was, I had him put his hand next to them to compare.... They were good, light and fluffy, with specks of wheat germ for a nice texture.

Our friends had another order of the huevos and the crab crepe, with melted Jack, avocado and hollandaise. All that food, and a whole bagel, plus hash!

No pictures of this, but Mr.S also had a fresh fruit smoothie: the Jitter Bug, made super thick with espresso, vanilla yogurt, bananas, cream, and hazelnut syrup.

The prices are appropriate here, and the portions are more than overwhelming. Stacks is the real deal. No messing around here.

tartine bakery

2008-12-11T20:18:00.005-05:00

Ooof. That was the sound of my heart sinking. Perhaps I had such lofty expectations of this beloved bakery, famous for its trays of doughy, chocolaty treats. I fell in love with Tartine even before I had ever set food inside. I remember flipping through the pages of the cookbook, from my tiny kitchen in Baltimore, mesmerized at the pictures of gooey brownies, which I made right away and were honestly, daaaaamn good. Mr. S will TESTIFY to that.

So a few weekends ago, we made our way over to the Mission, stomachs growling for some croissants and Tartine's famous quiche. We saw the line first. A line of fellow hungry morningers, literally around the block. I get grumpy in the AM on an empty stomach, and now a crowd of people, stood between me and a flaky croissant. Not even sure we were going to get a table, I started to "hover" over other people's. Oh I'm sure I was annoying as hell.

The cakes and morning pastries looked fantastic, so naturally I wanted one of everything, but we finally settled on a sticky bun, a plain croissant, ham quiche, vegetarian quiche, a pain au chocolat for the road, and a cappuccino and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Sounds like a lot, but we were running on empty.

First thing I noticed is Tartine has a tendency to overbake everything to a dark golden brown. Which is alright if a crunchy buttery flake is what you prefer, rather than a softer golden, more pliable dough. All technicalities aside, both the croissant and the morning bun were quite finger-licking good. There also happens to be a generous drop of almond extract in everything. The morning bun was fine, nothing to write home to mama about, but Mr.S sure was not a fan of the orange flavoring.

One of the only shining moments of the morning was my cup of cappuccino. The perfect ratio of foam to espresso to steamed milk, and a beautiful finish of foam art to boot. The espresso machine is set separate from all the food, a way smart idea, so the barista can actually focus on making drinks instead of being barked at by the hungry sugar-crazed morning crowd. Which definitely was apparent in her mood, as she was certainly the cheeriest of the staff that day.

Quiche is everything I love all in one bite. Buttery crust, eggy custard, cheese, and BACON. I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer here by seemingly berating everything on the menu, but I'll just say that I've had better. Tartine's version is made with creme fraiche rather than a savory, salty Gruyere, so it turns out bland and slightly runny. The crust is made using a puff pastry dough, instead of a crispy short pastry dough, which gave it a chewiness that was rather unpleasant, despite the amount of butter used.

There are 2 daily selections, one veggie, and one with slivers of Niman Ranch smoked ham. My veggie that day was sparsely dotted with mushrooms and artichoke, lost in a sea of wet custard. There was no depth of flavor that a strong and ripe cheese would have imparted, had one been used. Sigh. Because it was so rich and heavy, I only managed to make it halfway through my slice while Mr.S picked at his.

Lastly, on to the scene. A word to the wise, if you want to fit in, throw on a pair of super-skinny jeans, a flannel shirt, and wait 3 days without washing your hair before you go. Having worked for many years in a similar-type bakery and cafe, I am usually appalled when I see the staff handling my soon-to-be-ingested goodies, sans wax paper, gloves, aprons, hats, or even a bandana. Alright, so it's ok to have a 'tude and all, but would it be such an unreasonable burden to run a comb through your hair and hide half of it under a hat? Seriously, it's common courtesy, and really, personal hygiene is pretty hip these days.

Our experience could have been more pleasant, had there not been other customers breathing down our necks, eyeing our table and food, asking us if they could steal a chair or have us scooch our table over an inch. We certainly could have done without the loud indie rock as well, and the waitress who harassed us for our receipt over a pain au chocolat. All in all, I felt a little battered and bruised upon leaving, with a heavy stomach.

I tore into the pain au chocolat later that afternoon. The dark Valrohna chocolate was fantastic, but the rest was too doughy and soft. Yes, the flavor was rich and buttery, but the mouth feel was worlds away from the light, airy croissants I remember from Parisian boulangeries.

I always try to give a business the benefit of the doubt because I truly believe a one-time visit is never enough for a basis of final judgment. For this reason, and for the fact that I have a sweet tooth that leads me through much of my decision-making, I will most likely revisit Tartine, on an off-day, maybe for a loaf of their daily fresh-baked bread, and a brownie or two. The optimist in me would like to believe that it's gotten so many rave reviews for a reason....

2008-12-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

I absolutely adore pumpkin pie, or as Mr.S calls it good ole punkin pie. I probably don't have to describe its silky and lush creaminess to anybody, as most probably everyone and their uncle has eaten a slice (or three) around this time of year. But buyer beware. Do not, and I repeat, do not fall into the trap of buying a glossy, prebaked, boxed pie from the bakery section at the grocery store. When really, all it takes is a couple of cans of shelf stable ingredients, lots of cinnamon, and a pre-baked pie crust. Trust me, because I just spent almost 4 hours baking "the perfect pumpkin pie" from scratch, and in a double-blind taste test, it sure didn't beat a Libby's pumpkin pie that took only 15 minutes prep time.

Why Libby's recipe is heads above the rest...

1. no messy pumpkin cleaning...all those seeds, skin and stringy slime
2. the total cost of ingredients is less than $4.50!!
3. I can prep one of these babies while cooking 2 other dishes, writing a paper, and with 1 eye closed... ok so i exaggerate...
4. ...but yes, it is that easy!
5. the finished product is a bright golden orange that sure beats a dusty looking brown thing, made from scratch
6. it tastes like heeeaaven

So instead of posting a less-than-perfect recipe for pumpkin pie, here is Libby's, a tried and true favorite, with a few touch-ups made by yours truly.

"Touched Up" Libby's Pumpkin Pie
yields 8 servings

1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 15-oz. can Libby's pumpkin puree
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 9-inch frozen deep-dish pie shell

1. Heat oven to 425F. Pre-bake pie shell for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside, on a baking sheet (for easy transfer into the oven later).

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the ingredients until well blended. Pour into the pie shell.

3. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350F. Bake for 25-35 minutes more, or until given a light shake, the center does not jiggle but is set. Remove and let cool for 2 hours.

4. Serve chilled or at room temperature, with fresh whipped cream.

halloweenie cakes

2008-10-31T16:22:00.000-04:00

I stayed in this Halloween. For the first time in years. Didn't have a costume planned... didn't really want to. (And maybe had a law school text open for a few minutes here and there throughout the night....shhh! don't want to let it leak I'm actually a gigantic nerd.... GASP) All I wanted was to stay in, watch a movie and get my shoulders rubbed by Mr. S. But most important... stuff my face with FUN-size candy bars. Which btw, are not really fun for anybody. They are too small for anyone to actually enjoy them, unless you fit no less than 5 in your mouth at one time. And, such a waste of wrappers! There's too many, which make me feel like a complete gluttonous pig. By the time my sweet tooth is somewhat satiated, I already feel a zit the size of Montana growing. So seriously, no fun for anyone. Hand me one of those king-size bars anyday.

To add to this weeklong sugar fest, my friend and I volunteered for a Halloween bakesale. Normally, I probably would have gone all out, hell yea, 8-layer cake with pumpkin buttercream and all the works. But folks, I am now a first year law student, and thus submitted to becoming a slave of The Duncan Hines cake mix and frosting duo. Which is not to say I don't, on occasion, love to dip a finger in a jar of whipped sugar fluff, or cut into a no-fail, over-vanilla-ated, piece of "yellow cake." I'm definitely not too good for these convenience go-to's. And they were super fun to make (honestly FUN in this case) and decorate and then sell at 3x the price of the ingredients to starving law students. Mwahaha. How eeevil.

They were hella good. We made some mini cupcake size versions, so I've decided to name them HalloWEEENIE cakes. That was supposed to be funny, but considering as how I am probably on a sugar high, maybe it wasn't. Anyway, enjoy the pictures...

bounty of the midwest: slow food nation

2008-09-14T22:53:00.000-04:00

Slow Food Nation held this year's exhibitions in SF. What was it exactly? In the simplest of terms, an orgy of food and festivities that drew in thousands of eaters passionate about the foods with a story and people behind them. Basically a weekend of non-stop eating and gratuitous tastings of the nation's finest new developments in food. Lucky me. And thanks to FoodBuzz, I got to attend a Taste Workshop I'd had my eye (and stomach) on since the schedule of events was first announced, as a Foodie Correspondent.

The tasting featured heritage foods that hail from the Mid West, namely from Michigan. The big draw for me was Zingerman's, just about the most kickass purveyor of regional, wholesome, and novel foods and products there is. They've expanded over the years from just a small deli to a now a large family company that covers baked goods, charcuterie, cheeses and dairy products, artisanal breads, and fresh meats and produce.

Feast your eyes on this tasting menu...

Zingerman's Bakehouse Red Fife Bread (Ann Arbor). This breed of wheat was once cultivated all over the plains of Michigan, but was over-harvested and was at one point, almost extinct. With the help of regional farmers, the hearty Red Fife wheat has been brought back. The bread was dense and sweet, and as heavy as rocks. Mmmm filling.

Pickled Asparagus from Maulbetsch Farm (Ann Arbor). This little delight was the single most refreshing dish of the tasting, at least for me, and begs the question, what else can you pickle? Well, gosh, just about everything! And if you put your heart into it, it might taste just as good as these crisp stalks.

Cold Smoked Salmon from Durham's Tracklements (Ann Arbor). Durham's does a dry cure on all its salmon, as opposed to a brine-cure, which is a much more commercial and mechanized process. With dry curing, it's all done by hand and every filet is treated differently depending on the flesh, size and thickness. Learning about the cold smoking process was seriously fascinating (more interesting than anything I'm learning in law school presently... ahem) This piece was cured in a slurry of maple syrup, juniper, cinnamon and salt.

"Twigs and Berries" Salad from Zingerman's Delicatessen. The wheat berries were harvested from Washington Island, WI, just across lake Michigan. Chewy and hearty, the salad was a simple recipe of wheatberries, dried cherries, red onion, purslane, and parsley tossed in a light vinaigrette.

Cured Berkshire Pork from The Henry Ford (Dearborn, MI). The pork is from pigs raised on Almar Orchards in Flushing, MI. Orchard, you ask? Well yes, this makes sense if you think about it. The apples that fall to the ground attract ground larvae, which little piggies absolutely adore. They eat their weight in a natural source of protein and carbs, all the while producing meat that is lean and sweet. The tenderloin here was smoky and salty, nicely paired with an apple and cherry chutney, also from Almar Orchard.

Cheeses from Zingerman's Creamery, paired with Preserves from American Spoon (Petoskey, MI). The speckled one in the back is the "Bridgewater," a double-cream, cow's milk cheese, flavored with ground black pepper. It was brilliantly tangy and spicy (my favorite of the three cheeses served) and paired well with a sweet peach preserve. The creamy white cheese toward the front is "Lincoln Log," a Bucheron-style, goat's milk cheese that was salty and smooth, and paired with elderberry preserves.

Fresh cream cheese! If you think cream cheese comes spreadable, from a plastic tub like I did, then you are seriously missing out. This was fresh, double-cream, cow's milk that had been acid-coagulated with a minimum amount of rennet. Light and extremely milky, it was paired with a thimbleberry preserve.

All 3 cheeses are available at Cowgirl Creamery (yes, I made sure to ask!).

The last treat of the hour was Paw Paw Gelato from Zingerman's Creamery. Paw paw is an actual fruit (which I never knew) that is a relative of the mango. It retains a custard-like flesh, and has a grassy, sweet taste. The gelato was dense, even though it is made with less cream than regular ice-cream, due to the fact it's slow-churned, and thus has less air content. (This is why a pint of gelato may weigh more than a pint of ice-cream.) The paw paw fruit was grown locally in Palmyra, MI.

I walked away a much happier, fuller, and more knowledgeable foodie. Michigan is the second largest agricultural producer in the country, and most of its milk is shipped directly to Vermont for cheese. Next time you eat a piece of Vermont cheddar, you might ask yourself where that really came from....

Much more to come from my adventures at the Taste Pavilion.... stay tuned!

bong su

2008-08-25T23:09:00.001-04:00

The mouth-watering smells that float up to our apartment from Bong Su every night had us thinking...why hadn't we eaten there yet?? So Mr.S and I scrambled downstairs last week for a little Vietnamese pick-me-up of "shaking beef", and all kinds of delicious fare.

Bong Su feels like a lounge; there was no shortage of servers and hostesses walking around in backless tops. (I felt overdressed in a sweater and jeans!) It was a predominantly older crowd that night...a possible sign of wisdom and experience when it comes to knowing good food? Who knows, but I was ready to dig into one of the restaurant's famous appetizers, the Duck Mustard Wraps.

For an app, these rolls were a hefty size, filled with lean and flavorful shredded duck meat, alongside strips of mango and cucumber. And all wrapped up neatly in a leaf of mustard green.

It was served chilled, but now I'm wondering if it would have been better warm... The dipping sauce was certainly a crowd pleaser.

Mr.S's Hoi An Chicken arrived much to my confusion. It looked like a chicken melt (with cheese) which upon tasting, we found it to be a delicious coconut sauce. The mashed plantains were greasy, but had great flavor.

I came for the Shaking Beef, to compare it with the version at the Slanted Door.

Verdict? Definitely less sweet and the portion was more generous here. The flavor was spot on. What it lacked was the char on the meat, that crispy caramelization that occurs when meat hit an insanely hot wok. The version at the SD had this which imparted a great smoky flavor to the dish. Here, I really enjoyed the heavy seasoning on the beef, especially the black pepper, fish sauce and lime juice.

Bong Su's a bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. All the dishes are served family style, so there's no room to skimp. And the flavors are a homerun. Before I forget... my Mekong Martini sealed the deal for me. It was playful, delicious, and not overly sweet like many Jolly Rancher-style cocktails are now. It was a combination of lychee vodka, mango puree, pandan syrup, and what do you think is there a the bottom of the glass?

That's right, boba! Black tea tapioca pearls.

I'd come back for this alone....

the elusive sticky bun

2008-08-24T21:23:00.000-04:00

Yes, this sticky bun was 1)sticky and 2)came in the form of a bun, but any reasonable breakfast pastry eating person knows that a good sticky bun is, but not limited to, all these things. They should also be large (in my opinion), somewhat soft yet chewy, and slathered in gooey caramel. My favorite are the ones that use a flaky croissant dough instead of a yeasted bread dough, but that's sometimes hard to find.

I dropped by Citizen Cake patisserie this morning for some sweet treats after brunching at Absinthe in Hayes. I suppose my first deterrent should have been the sheer size of the sticky bun. It was puny, but my craving was anything less, so I gave in and bought one. (It was about the size of a tennis ball.) I have to say, it was an overall disappointing experience. The dough was overly dense and meaty, like it hadn't risen properly, and maybe had just been sitting there all night and morning. The caramel was nice and sticky and rich. However, it left me wanting more. (My fingers were no where near sticky and messy enough after eating it!) At $3 a pop, I felt a bit pastry-cheated. Even my cherry ginger scone, at $3, was on the underdeveloped side.

Lately, I've been finding that the sticky buns and cinnamon rolls at Whole Foods are quite tasty. At only $2.19 apiece, they're right up my alley.

chocolate fungus

2008-08-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

Mr.S and I breezed through Westfield shopping center, but not without a stop at the Sanrio store, and the specialty chocolaterie, CocoaBella. This lovable little chocolate mushroom is made of Michel Cluizel chocolate and hazelnut praline. Almost too adorable to eat, but it didn't take much to convince me....

CocoaBella Chocolates
2102 Union Street
San Francisco, Ca 94123

dessert update!

2008-08-23T00:57:00.000-04:00

Mr.S and I don't usually order dessert when out. We are more appetizers folk. By the end of dinner, we hardly have room for the now-all-too-common chocolate pot-de-creme that sits as the first option on dessert menus all across the U.S. On a whim, after our entrees this past weekend while dining at Bong Su, we decided to rediscover our sweet tooths. And we were not disappointed.

Suffice it to say, we were more than impressed with the novelty, pairing, and flavors of this truly excellent dessert. A quenelle of toasted rice rice cream sat atop a sesame shortbread, with candied pralines, and served with a side of stone-fruit salad and toasted pinenuts. All this finished off with a drizzle of dulce de leche. Damn. Just writing that felt good.

The toasted rice ice cream was ingenious. It was mildly reminiscent of Korean toasted barley tea and rice pudding. The seasonality of the ripe plums and pluots was a wonderful addition. The perfect ending.

mad for avocado

2008-08-19T20:37:00.000-04:00

I oftentimes wish avocado didn't have that large pit in the center... what a waste of space, that cavernous hole can easily be replaced by more fleshy, sweet meat. I love avocado; it's nature's butter- mild, grassy and sweet, and when ripe, perfectly creamy and silky. I've capitalized on these prized qualities in recipes for avocado pound cake and avocado ice cream, which were no doubt very interesting, yet delicious, concoctions.

At the Farmer's Market over the weekend, at the Ferry Building, I picked up these 2- the one on the left is a Bacon avocado (small for 75 cents), not yet at its full maturity, and a standard sweet Haas avocado ($2) on the right. I let the Bacon ripe up for 3 days on my counter, squeezing it everyday to test for doneness. The meat was a surprising pale green color, unlike the bright yellow of the Haas. More surprising though, was the taste. It was incredibly delicate and very sweet and light on the palate, with no sacrifice in oil content.

This may just be my new favorite fruit.

takoyaki

2008-08-18T21:20:00.000-04:00

Mmm, octopus balls. No, not literally, but yes, literally. These little puffs are made of eggy batter and pieces of octopus. These takoyaki are a Japanese streetfood mainstay, grilled in special cast iron molds. Side one is cooked to a golden crispy brown, then flipped with a wooden skewer, letting side two cook to the same doneness. They're served in paper trays, doused with mayonnaise (or Kewpie), a sweet and savory sauce (like teriyaki), and sprinkled with tempura crumbs, dried fish shavings, and dried seaweed.

I picked up a tray of 8, to go, from Nijiya Market in Japantown for $2.99. Unsurprisingly, they definitely skimped on the octopus. But the batter was delicious and savory. Not a bad deal though, for just three bucks, I got a delicious streetfood lunch.

bigilla

2008-08-17T19:07:00.000-04:00

In Malta, I tasted a delicious bean dip that is called bigilla. We had it every morning, slathered on fresh baked bread, with sausages and assorted sheep's milk cheeses. Bigilla is traditionally made with dried broad beans, but there are variations of the dip that use fresh fava beans. It's a staple in Maltese country cooking, but in recent years has made a comeback in mainstream and contemporary Maltese cuisine.

In trying to keep with authenticity, be sure to use plenty of fresh garlic, good olive oil, and the dried mint.

Try this as a dip with raw veggies, or a spread for sandwiches and wraps.

Bigilla (Maltese Bean Dip)
yields 1 cup

1 cup dried broad beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
dried marjoram, mint, and parsley (mixture)
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Soak the broad beans in cold water overnight. The following morning, cover the beans with salted water in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until beans are tender, about 1 to 1.5 hours. Drain, and remove as much of the skins as possible.

2. Coarsely mash the beans, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve with bread or crackers.

blue bottle coffee

2008-08-16T19:53:00.000-04:00

We walked over to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market this morning, unbenownstly unprepared, with only one cloth bag in hand, ready to face the seductive lures of summer ripe peaches, flour-dusted golden loaves, and deeply violet-hued fingerlings. On top of all these temptations, Mr.S and I, for the almighty love of the bean (the coffee bean, that is), stood in line for over 30 minutes at the Blue Bottle Coffee Company cart. Throughout our wait, I looked at the people around me, standing around patiently for $3 cups of lattes and $2 cups of made-to-order drip coffee. I couldn't help but wonder, is this all really worth it? Is the length of a line directly proportional to the quality of the product being waited on to be consumed? Why were we punishing ourselves by standing on a queue that had hardly budged in 20 minutes? Ahh, too many questions from a caffeine-starved brain...

When Mr.S handed over my cappuccino, I yelped (yes, like a terrier) a small "Oh!" of pleasant surprise at the brilliant coffee art.

And then I sipped. Very nutty, pleasant and smooth were some of the first thoughts that came to mind. All of Blue Bottle's espresso drinks use a ristretto, double shot and steamed Clover milk. The had nuances of hazelnuts and a subtle sweetness that was enhanced by the milk. I reveled in my delightful morning cup while snacking on their complimentary almond macarons (flavors vary weekly).

We watched the barista for awhile as he prepared custom made drip coffee for customers. He reminded me of a DJ, spinning, with all his tech-y equipment and layout.
He uses a filter drip system, a rather rudimentary one in this case of paper filters and cups, to essentially make coffee extractions. (The original technique uses bunsen burners, glass tubes and flasks for an extremely scientific and exacting process.) The grind and weight of the beans, volume of water, temperature of water, timing of extraction are all key components to a single cup of brew. No wonder people are consistently lining up week after week. This is definitely not your cup of Sanka.

Currently Blue Bottle operates a small cafe on Mint Street over Mission and 5th, as well as a kiosk in Hayes Valley. And of course you can find them Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market, just be prepared for long lines. (Bring a book!)

cream top

2008-08-15T21:36:00.000-04:00

Some people don't care for the cream top at the surface of bottled milk. I will never understand these people. It is the natural milkfat that floats to the top of more natural milk products that have only been partially homogenized. And um, it's really fricking good. It's like eating cream. Essentially, that's exactly what it is. Eating cream. I wish someone would just skim off the cream top, package it, and sell containers of this. I would undoubtedly be a repeat customer.

I bought a quart of Strauss Creamery 2% milk today, gently popped the top open, as to not disturb the cream on top, and dug in with a spoon. Yes, I know this was a bit decadent, but you really only get one chance to do this per bottle... You know you do it too.

egg custard tarts

2008-08-14T22:51:00.001-04:00

I ran some errands in Chinatown today, and as a reward, treated myself to a box of dan ta, or egg custard tarts. These were my favorite Chinese dessert as a kid. The custard is a brilliant shade of yellow... creamy and subtly sweet. I prefer the bright yellow ones, a sign of a healthy dose of yolks used.

Equally good is the crust. Somewhat salty, it's similar to a good pie crust. It must be flaky (as a result of lard as one of the key ingredients and very delicate.

These were delicious, from Golden Gate Bakery. They were wrapped up for me still warm, with a buttery flaky crust.

dim sum!

2008-08-12T21:41:00.000-04:00

The conveniences of living in a diverse, multicultural city- within half a block from my apartment, there's a cheap Indian chaat eatery, a Thai, Vietnamese, and Cantonese restaurants, a pizza place, a Japanese sushi joint, a Mexican chain restaurant, and of course, a Starbucks. I think I shall never go hungry again.

Lucky for me, the Cantonese dim sum place is one of the higher rated ones in SF. It's appropriately called Canton Dim Sum & Seafood, and though it sits far out of Chinatown, it still manages to draw a significantly authentic Chinese crowd consistently. Little old grandmothers throwing elbows and canes around trying to get a better look at carts full of chicken's feet and shumai- that's what I call a good time, and a safe bet that you're getting the real stuff.

The roast pork was well seasoned, thinly sliced, porky deliciousness. Maybe a bit on the fatty side, but if you're into that, then it's really quite good.

The fried tofu squares with soy sauce and scallions was nicely fried- not at all greasy, but crispy and light. This is a hard dish to mess up.

This was the only dish of the morning that none of us liked- the steamed pork spareribs with black bean sauce. The cuts of meat were way too large (they are usually only bite-size and very tender). And there was hardly any black bean flavor to the sauce (there were carrots though, somewhat odd...). Oh yes, and a grease trap of a dish. Bleh.

One of my favorites: Xia chang feng, or steamed rice roll with shrimp and soy sauce. It was perfect- soft and chewy rice texture, plump shrimp and a savory sauce poured on top.

A vegetarian delight, and another of my favorites of the morning: Su ji dou fu, dried tofu sheets wrapped to form a roll, stuffed with shitake mushrooms. It's brilliantly chewy, and the name translates to "vegetarian chicken tofu" or mock chicken tofu because the texture resembles eating chicken meat. Be aware though, as it may not completely be vegetarian since it's oftentimes braised in chicken or beef stock.
The stir fried pea shoots were a lovely shade of verdant green, and tender but still crisp at the same time. There were also huge chunks of garlic in there too. Mmmm... lethal!

My mum and dad got bowls of congee and silken tofu, both very traditional, though a tad on the bland side for me. The congee had chunks of hundred year old egg and preserved pickles, but was missing the fried red-skin peanuts that is the usual accompaniment. I enjoyed the tofu better, as it was incredibly soft and light, with a delicately sweet broth poured on top.

Though I had to loosen my belt at this point in the meal, I still made room for the steamed shrimp dumplings. Dim sum is not dim sum without shrimp dumplings. They had a good amount of ginger, and the wrappers were nicely chewy (I hate when they are over-steamed and mushy).

Canton's dishes definitely delivered and did not disappoint, with the exception of the spareribs. I found the menu to be slightly pricier than most dim sum places, but they also serve a high quality of dishes, with very fresh ingredients. I will more than likely frequent this restaurant, as I love dim sum carting, and I dim alot! (That'll be my only comedic contribution to this post.)

$1 book project

2008-08-06T09:44:00.000-04:00

So... I'm STILL ALIVE and kicking! Just been super busy hopping from place to place... Officially moved into my new apartment in San Francisco last week, and a blustery cold week it was! (I've become quite used to the disgustingly humid summers of the mid-Atlantic now...)

And I'm currently sitting at our diningroom table in Malta, during one last week-long family hurrah before law school starts for me, and before my parents must return to the grind of well, working. We landed in Rome 5 days ago, relaxed for a couple days, drove to Florence and Venice for another 2 days, then flew here to the beautiful (and incredibly sun-drenched) island of Malta.

All this traveling, and moreover, literally gawking at how little an American dollar gets you in Euros these days, has reminded me of the value of a dollar and what it can buy from country to country (apparently not much now all across Europe!). Speaking of dollars and whatnot, I want to bring to everyone's attention the $1 Book Project. It's a compilation of reader-submitted photos of objects, across the world, that are worth exactly 1 US dollar, no more no less. Really amusing entries.

The object of the project, according to the creator:

"The $1 Book Project attempts to prove that the value of an object depends on culture and geographic location. Currently a work in progress, the following images explore the power (or lack thereof) of one American dollar. I asked people to submit a photograph documenting what they bought. They could not spend more than $1. Not a cent over."

So far, I've found a small pack of gum in a nearby Maltese supermarket and some postcards in Venice that cost roughly $1. So it's actually a much more difficult task than it may first seem. There's a link to a currency converter at the site; helpful for international folks. I'm certainly going to keep on searching in the next few days...

drool worthy

2008-07-23T09:41:00.010-04:00

I have a dark and shameful past. A period of my former life in which I could barely make rice in the electric rice cooker, consistently turned out rubbery tough scrambled eggs for Sunday's breakfast, and served guests frozen meals from a box and called it my own homecooking. This latter practice, however shameful and unspeakable it may be now, actually helped me to throw some of my most successful dinner parties. The first of Mr.S's birthdays that we celebrated together, I pulled one over on him with one of my slaved-over-a-hot-stove "home cooked" meal.

The menu consisted of braised lamb shanks in a rosemary-mint sauce, oat blinis with creme fraiche, and roasted root vegetables. I don't know if Mr.S fell for me that night or for the lamb, but he decided to stick around.
Luckily for him, I learned how to cook. Eventually I revealed my secret to him years later, that my fork-tender lamb shanks were actually store bought, precooked and frozen, from Costco.

These lamb shanks are some of the most delicious and succulent pieces I've ever had because they truly taste like they've been cooking away for hours. The meat is rich and tender, without the least bit of game, falling off the bone as you gently pry your fork into it.
The sauce is like a thickened au jus, sweet and intense, flavored with rosemary. I can never really fully taste the mint, but it's there, a soft nuance to balance out the richness of the sauce. After you pull away the meat, the invitingly attractive bone implores you to gnaw away at it; it's difficult not to give in.

These lamb shanks are made by a company called Cuisine Solutions, which specializes in a method of cooking called sous-vide.
In recent years, it's become a term more popularized thanks to shows like Top Chef and actual top chefs like Thomas Keller, Wylie Dufresne, and Ferran Adrià. Essentially, it's a purely scientific approach to cooking. Based on the molecular makeup of the food to be cooked, a combination of heat, timing, and cooling is used. All this, and a hermetically-sealed plastic pouch. The food is sealed in such a package, and cooks for hours, sometimes even a day, over the lowest heat possible, basically in its own juices. This is achieved by heating the pouch in a temperature-controlled water bath, then cooling it gradually. Accordingly, the flavors remain concentrated. They completely saturate the food, usually a protein, which maintains its structural integrity and keeps nice and tender because it retains all of its original juices.

Reheating is a breeze. For smaller servings, I heat up a large pot of water over medium-low heat and simply place the pouch, frozen, into the water. It will gradually heat up over 10-15 minutes or so. This is like a mock sous-vide setup in your home kitchen. Because of the low heat, the meat will heat up evenly and not seize up. For larger batches, say 3 or more large pouches (for a group of guests), I unwrap the frozen meat from the pouches, place them in a shallow pan, and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or so. The lamb will form a nice crust from the dry heat, and the sauce will reduce down a bit.

You'd never expect a frozen meal to be much palatable, let alone mouth watering. But I've certainly discovered one that is all this and quite versatile. I usually always have a box of these sitting in my freezer on hand, ready for surprise guest visits, a quick weeknight dinner for Mr.S and me, or an upscale meal for myself and a group of discerning dinner companions.

Cuisine Solutions lamb shanks are available at Costco, Wegman's, and online through Peapod.

to market! to market!

2008-07-21T13:14:00.000-04:00

I worked the farmer's market in Dupont Circle this past Sunday. Within seconds of stepping off the metro escalator, I was sticky and sweaty, but nonetheless excited to meet up with my friends from Atwater's (my old employer) to work our stand at the market. Lord knows how I made it through the almost 6 hours of working in the heat! (One of the girls working in the stand next to us actually fainted from heat stroke.)

Well, bread is one of those foods that holds up pretty well in hot, sticky weather (it did just come out of a 500 degree oven hours earlier); but chocolate chip pastries were a whole different story... Atwater's is the only vendor at Dupont that sells handmade artisanal breads, cookies, cakes, and our famous scones and granola. And so, no surprise that the lines to buy one of our breakfast pastries or a loaf of rustic sourdough were tortuously long.

our storefront

Atwater's breads have really made a name for itself, dense and chewy with a crisp crumb and well-developed gluten. We sold hundreds of loaves, maybe even a thousand or more. People, in general, just LOVE BREAD. Especially when they are beckoning golden loaves like these, whispering promises of wheaty, starchy innards, the perfect remedy to that Sunday morning hangover.

One of our bestsellers- sunflower flax seed bread

raisin walnut sourdough, another goodie

One of my all-time go-to's: the San Francisco sourdough, literally the best I've tasted anywhere in the country, as of yet.

We also sold a few types of our pastries and sweets. I set up this table; kind of looks like the display just threw up a ton of sweets, doesn't it... (I was going for the whole cornucopia look)

cookies, granola, scones, pound cake, tea cakes, brownies and streusel bars

These little loaves are Atwater's famous scones- filled with golden raisins, dried cherries, and sometimes currants. They flew out of the case; we were sold out by 10:30am. Proof that people love buttery things.

Of course then, there's the produce at a farmer's market. Summer's colors were just screaming to be taken home, in all sorts of incarnations- succulent peaches, brightly hued berries, firm summer squashes, deep leafy greens still with a hint of frost...

golden currants- super sweet little jewels that pop in your mouth

these fat little fingers of carrots were hard to walk by without admiring

There were vendors who also sold prepared foods, like made to order crabcakes and chilled gazpacho. Also quite a few dairies whose poor cheeses and yogurts were sweating and melting under the heat. But that didn't stop me from sampling... I discovered a delicious handmade sheep's milk cheese called Stony Man from Everona Dairy (Rapidan, VA). It was similar to a Manchego, very dense, buttery and salty, with a surprisingly sweet aftertaste.

the Piedmont cheese with add-ins: cracked black pepper, sun-dried tomato, and a beautifully-layered vegetable ash

plain Piedmont- very nutty and tangy

Also found these gorgeous, sweet, red onions. The woman who these belonged to (who was quite protective of her purchase, naturally) told me how wonderfully sweet and mild these are. She went on to extol their many virtues; and I seem to have forgotten their name... If anyone knows, please help me out!

Working a farmer's market is completely different from shopping at one. You really get a sense of the commaraderie that connects the vendors and producers, the sense of a shared purpose, and a sweet justification that all your labors and love of the land have really paid off. I went home with an eco-friendly (anything less would have gotten me deathly stares here) sack of goods, some purchased, some traded for loaves of bread: homemade cherry pie, peaches and pluots, a bunch of lemon basil, a jar of local honey, maple yogurt, a loaf of cranberry-pecan sourdough, a quart of chunky gazpacho, fruit and nut granola, and some baby watercress and arugula.

Next stop: the farmer's market at the Ferry Building in SF!

ninja express sushi

2008-07-20T10:41:00.000-04:00

Brillat-Savarin once said "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are." Well if this is true, then I should be a 5'2" walking slab of raw fish. I've been eating a lot of carry-out sashimi and sushi lately. If anything, this new diet has only increased my craving for the raw stuff, not quell it.

My sushi supplier is currently at the top of my all-time-favorite people list. Soft-spoken and kind, he believes in high quality ingredients. No, this is not an upscale Japanese restaurant, but a small "sushi corner" located in the prepared foods area of Lotte supermarket. The small venue is called Ninja Sushi. Operated at most by 2 chefs at a time, the small 3-seater restaurant is easy to miss. There's an easy to follow order-by-picture menu posted above the wall, but since the chef is so accomodating, he can usually make whatever you want, depending on the availability of his ingredients, of course.

We ordered carryout last week for dinner- the 18 piece sashimi entree ($14.99) with salmon, tuna, and white tuna (escolar).

We were happily surprised to find not 18, but 25 glistening pieces of sashimi in our box! The chef had thrown in a few extra slices of salmon and hamachi, and seaweed salad. The rolls are standard fare, but very good, and again, he doesn't skimp on the ingredients. (My mom always orders a special warm and crispy salmon skin roll.)

My favorite is the white tuna sashimi, though that is a misnomer, since the fish is actually escolar. It is extremely buttery, yet clean tasting, supple and soft on the palate.

Interestingly, escolar has been banned in Japan since 1977 because in some individuals, it has been known to cause bad digestive issues and diarrhea. There's a high level of wax esters in escolar flesh, very much like Olean (in fat free Pringles) that just passes right through you. In some people though, it can cause some transient, but nonetheless, nasty GI issues. Luckily, not me!

There's no website for Ninja Sushi, but I have posted their menu here. (click on the image below)

toro!

2008-07-17T13:46:00.006-04:00

An interesting little side article in the Wall Street Journal today- the average price of two pieces of toro sushi around the world. In case you've been living in seclusion somewhere and have no idea what toro is, first let me preface the description by mentioning that toro means "to melt" in Japanese. And that is precisely what this cut of meat aims to do, in your mouth. Toro refers to the fatty belly portion from the bluefin tuna. Depending on the degree of fat marbling through the flesh, sushi chefs will grade toro into 2 categories: chu-toro and o-toro.

Chu-toro is only moderately fatty, and is the more affordable of the fatty cuts of tuna. It is light pink, and the marbling resembles webbing throughout the flesh. O-toro is the fattiest part of the belly, and on a cross-sectional cut, looks almost like a light pink bacon, with it's heavy striped marbling runny along strips of flesh. (Looks like a candy cane.) Because of the highly prized degree of fat, o-toro can really tear a hole in your wallet at good sushi restaurants.

pure fatty delight: o-toro

I've not been fortunate enough to have tasted o-toro, but by the looks of it, I'd have to pay about $20 for 2 pieces in New York. If I jet-setted over to Singapore, I'd have to fork over $35, but the ultimate deal would be dining in Manila, where 2 pieces cost a mere $8! What a steal!

An interesting fact about tuna fat and why, from a physiological standpoint, it's so special. Tuna fat is not at all like the fat on nearly all other fish, which tends to be concentrated only in one area of the body. Instead, tuna fat marbles the whole section of the tuna where it's found. Chu-toro, for instance, is a whole layer of fat-marbled flesh that wraps around the inner musculature of the body, twice. Because of this, tuna have the unique ability to raise their body temperature up to 18 degrees above the temperature of the water around them. And because of this structural quality, toro tastes oh-so-wonderful...

toro image from visualhistory.blogspot.com

longest starbucks order?

2008-07-14T19:06:00.000-04:00

On the occasion, I make a Starbuck's run. Today I ran out of milk at home, and didn't feel like drinking any of the usual weak stuff at the office. The one on the way to work was packed this morning with caffeine and sugar-starved souls (me being no exception), I even had trouble finding a parking spot! The lines were long but moved relatively quickly.

The reason I'm rambling on about this is because I'm always self-conscious that my usual drink order runs on the long side. I'm typically not such an eccentric espresso drinker, but honestly, Starbuck's has kind of spoiled me by accomodating all my particular drink needs. I usually always get the same thing: "double, tall, nonfat, extra-hot, wet capuccino." Having worked once as a barista in a coffeeshop, an order like this on a busy morning would have had me steaming at my ears.

Today however, I didn't feel so bad. The woman in front of me literally ordered something to the following effect: "quad, venti, half-caff, one pump sugar-free vanilla, two pumps sugar-free hazelnut, extra-hot, ristretto latte, with half soy, half lowfat organic milk, with two paper cups." Who does that?? Needless to say, I was more than a bit peeved at her custom drink order, but the guys behind the counter surprisingly, remained nonplussed. I'll never know if they got her drink exactly the way she wanted it, but she walked out of the store, drink in hand, with no complaints.

This leads me to the question- what's the longest coffee drink order you've ever heard, given, or received?

image from starbucks.com

soon doo boo jigae

2008-07-14T10:03:00.001-04:00

I often get asked the question, what's your favorite type of Asian food? (Or in rare instances, "Oriental food," asked by completely oblivious non-asians...) Anywho, I have to say, I have no answer for this rather complex, yet general, question. I like it all. Put it in front of me, and I will eat it.

I go through my phases of course. Recently, I've been waking up at night with the sushi sweats- longing for a bowl of rice topped with grilled unagi and fresh hamachi. This past winter, I went through a mild obsession with Cantonese-style congees, especially congee with dried scallop and 100-year old egg. My love for Thai and Vietnamese cuisine is everlasting. They all satisfy my cravings in different ways.

On a recent night, we went out for Korean spicy tofu soup. Soon doo-boo jigae. Kind of rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it? Served in a hot earthenware casserole, it's a bubbling brew of spicy stock (pork or seafood), shrimp and oysters, pork, or kimchee, and the soon doo-boo: the deliciously creamy silken tofu. I like mine with an egg cracked on top, left to firm up in the hot soup.

I always forget just how satisfying Korean food is. It's like eating a box of chocolate liquors in one go: intensely intoxicating, heady and bold. Korean food is proof that a good sweat can work wonders to cool down the body. Everytime I leave a Korean barbeque or finish a hot bowl of jigae, I feel as if I've just come out of a bathhouse- calm and sedated, mopping away at my brow.

2941 restaurant

2008-07-13T22:14:00.001-04:00

This is the story of an oasis. An oasis within an office building in suburban northern VA. Wherein, a classically trained French chef, who's previously worked with Daniel Boulud, now serves up innovative dishes using seasonal ingredients. I suppose I've lived in the city for too long. I've been under the false impression that any restaurant with valet parking and a thoughtful tasting menu couldn't possible be found in suburbia. I stand corrected.

Despite its odd location, 2941 Restaurant provides a serene and gorgeous backdrop to an upscale dinner experience. Easily a favorite with wedding parties, there are waterfalls, gardens, and koi ponds that help to create nice photo-ops.

We started with a salad of local baby beets, goat cheese, endive and chives. I enjoyed the addition of the chives, both for color and flavor. Beets are one of those foods that really sells itself- deeply rich in colors and earthy sweet.

The next course was a lMaine lobster claw, served two ways- poached, and chopped in a loster cake/nugget. It was served with a long bean and bibb lettuce salad with tamarind-anise vinaigrette. Amazing is really all I can say about this dish. I love long beans; they tend to be used more in home-style cooking and rather underused in restaurants. The lobster meat was sweet and supple.

The main course was a pan-seared halibut filet with braised baby carrots and sugar snap peas (from California), in a light sabayon sauce with morels. The sabayon was wonderful- light as air, and simply melted on your tongue. I've never seen morels paired with fish, but it works beautifully, like a double dose of umami for the tastebuds.

For dessert, a pear-almond cake, with a frangipane base, served with almond cream. The buttery crumb of the cake was delectable. My mom ordered the molten chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice-cream and a dark chocolate tuile. In general, the desserts were less impressive than everything else; they lacked a certain edge and creativity.

We ended our meal with coffee and the house's complimentary serving of citrus beignets, which were glazed (!), light, and just the right size. What I really miss is the ethereally light, cotton candy that 2941 used to serve to all its guests after dinner. Tall, freshly-spun, light blue mounds of fluffy cotton candy used to be a fun and whimsical part of the dining experience here, but not anymore.

2941 is a great special-occasion restaurant (my parents take me here for my birthdays), as well as an escape for a seriously nice lunch or a weekend brunch. The service gets slow on weekends when the place is usually quite busy. Reservations, as well as a jacket for the gents, are highly recommended.

Update: A new pastry chef was brought on in June 2008, and upon inspection of the new dessert menu, it looks to be a much more impressive selection of sweets. However, the cotton candy is still nowhere to be found. Please bring it back!

Note: The menu items from this review are from April 2008, and thus reflect the seasonal selections at that time.