Global Glutton

Bar Tartine's Chocolate Torte

2012-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Dobos torte. Burnt orange carmel sauce. Hazelnut slightly-soured cream. Two spoons.

Amazing.

Bar Tartine
561 Valencia St.
San Francisco CA
415.487.1600

Best Bagel & Lox in NYC

2012-01-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

Russ and Daughters in the LES.

A perfect bagel with spread and fish will set you back more than $10, but it's worth it. This is the most perfect lox and cream cheese bagel I've ever had.

I opted for the Scottish salmon, a plain bagel, horseradish cream cheese with capers. Tomorrow I'll try something else ;o)

There certainly is no shortage of choices.

Grab a coffee and some of the delicious chocolates or pastries from the sweets counter while you're there too. Or stock up on R&D's own caviar - never know when you may need that.

Russ & Daughters
179 E. Houston St.
New York, NY 10002

Dungeness Season

2011-12-30T10:15:00.001-08:00

It's Dungeness crab season in the Bay Area!

If you're tired if the same old crab cakes, try the House Special Chili Crab at Z&Y Restaurant in Chinatown.

I'll warn your tastebuds: it's pretty spicy. But it's also pretty awesome crab!

Z&Y
655 Jackson St
SF
415.981.8988

Merry (almost) Christmas

2011-12-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

A San Francisco-style Christmas, from my home to yours !

Great SF bites: Mission Cheese

2011-12-12T09:58:00.001-08:00

The California Gold grilled cheese at Mission Cheese is amazing.

Various melted flavorful cheeses with fig preserve and prosciutto sandwiched between two thick slabs of De La Fattoria Levain.

So good I couldnt save any for the picture.

Get a nice glass of red to go with - their Periscope Mashup or CTZN Zin are delicious accompaniments. And hang with the pretty Mission people for a few hours.

Mission cheese
736 Valencia St
SF
415.484.6553

Desserts with a view

2011-12-06T11:24:00.001-08:00

The secret to great macarons?

1) Measure your ingredients with a scale, not cup measures

2) A convection oven

3) Baking in a kitchen with splendid views!

Bay Area wine lovers, I have a secret. . . shhhhh. . .

2011-10-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

Drink great small production wines. Chill in a secret live/work space. Support local wine makers. Impress your friends. Meet Christy!

Living MacTavish

2011-09-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Susan throws amazing house parties.

Those lucky enough to be invited are always delighted by her whimsical, classy and real (read: elegant but unpretentious) style. Everything from her constantly-changing menu of home-cooked multi-course fare to the finer details like cocktail labels made out of vintage tie-on tags. Not to mention her equally enticing mix of friends. She's like Martha Stewart, but way more hip/sophisticated/fab - and less prone to insider trading.

The thing I admire most is that Susan makes it all look effortless. Whether connecting friends from different parts of her life, making oyster shucking look sexy, or whipping up a salt cod brandade using whatever she has on hand, she's a natural at hosting and connecting interesting people. It's no surprise she runs the 'best' PR firm in town.

The good news? You too can aspire to replicate parts of Susan's wonderful style - just check out Living MacTavish. Add it to your blog list - for awesome recipes, trendy style tips, cute home decor and hosting ideas, and really hilarious commentary on what WASPs would - or wouldn't - do.

I Made the Cover of Bon Appetit

2011-08-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

The cover of this month's Bon Appetit has the MOST delicious looking pie on it.

I'm often skeptical of the recipes provided in these cooking magazines. They often require a lot more massaging and a few attempts to get right. This can be particularly true for those recipes involving more intricate dishes. And this pie looks particularly intricate - it has an italian meringue topping, on top of a home made lime curd with wine-soaked blackberries and made-from-scratch crust.

But, I'm happy to report that I followed the recipe nearly to the letter with very delightful results. See for yourself!

So go ahead and try this recipe yourselves at home.

The only modifications that I would recommend is perhaps use one fewer yolk in the lime curd if you prefer your curd on the more-sweet-less-eggy side.

I Have Met My Match and its Name is Chocolate Cake

2011-07-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting with chocolate cake recipes for years. Years. And I don't even like chocolate. And yet somehow, creating the perfectly rich, dense and moist flour-based chocolate cake continues to elude me. I have gone everywhere from Food TV to the Joy of Cooking to secret family recipes. Nothing seems to result in a perfect chocolate morsel. Each attempt has resulted in cakes that are close in taste but lacking in appearance, or beautiful to look at but desperately disappointing at first bite.

And so after 6 months of not baking, I regathered my courage and attempted to conquer the chocolate challenge once and for all. I was armed with a highly rated online recipe, and a very cool new Nordicware mini bundt pan that my friend Melissa got me for my birthday. The recipe had everything going for it - an unusual aromatic spice to add depth (cardamom), dried fruit to balance the rich chocolate, and three types of chocolate (cocoa, semisweet pieces, and dark pieces). I tried friendly tips - mixing the cocoa with hot water first to create a paste, soaking the currants in brandy and hot water, greek yogurt and milk to ensure moistness and density, coating the baking pans with flour and butter to ensure the molds made perfect little cakes.

The result was aesthetically pleasing. The cakes emerged perfectly, no strange sticking or deformities. . . I overconfidently posted to Facebook about my succes. And yet, at first bite. . .the little buggers were so disappointingly dry! Chocolate cake and I are officially over. This is one baking challenge that I just can't manage to crack. . .

But I am very open to suggestions. Have tips? A fool proof recipe? Please share !

Get Your SF Pastry Fix

2011-07-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a big, big fan of Tartine Bakery & Cafe in SF. Nothing novel in this admission - I'm sure I'm not the only person in this city who dreams of those fluffy, buttery croissants or the weekend gougeres that come out of Elisabeth Prueitt's bakery. That said, it's become a veritable nightmare to try and enjoy this spot on weekends, or really at any sane morning hour. There are throngs of people hanging all over it, lines out the door and down the block, and it's not inconceivable that when you make it to the counter, they're out of the best items.

And so, at long last, I am happy to report that there is a worthwhile pastry alternative in San Francisco. You can in fact get your pastry fix on without enduring a gauntlet of long lines and crowds. This spot may not have the charm of a french style patisserie, but it offers a more distinctly San Francisco vibe. It's called Pinkie's Bakery and you absolutely must indulge in their baked goods. All of them.

The deceptively simple website, slightly sketchy location and somewhat spartan decor at this joint - it's wholesale, a "hipster" bakery if there ever was one - belie a dense menu of rich, buttery, wholesome pastries that will soothe your soul while filling your tummy.

My favorite was their lemon huckleberry poundcake. The gingersnap sammy cookies are also divine. And I'm told their made to order cakes are pretty special too. Consider one for your next birthday celebration.

And if you need something savory to wash down these baked treasures, here's a double snap - Pinkie's shares a space with Citizen's Band, one of SF's best new brunch spots. But that's a post for another time . . .

Pinkie's Bakery
1196 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.556.4900

Guess Where Dinner Was. . .

2011-06-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Behold, a picture of dinner on a recent business trip. Observe the lovely presentation . . . and the overwhelming number of dishes. Our meal probably kept an entire kitchen full of dishwashers employed.

There are some obvious signs that this was in an Asiatic location. But props if you can name the exact local. . .

Mystery Spot
Somewhere Asiatic

Pick Cyrus

2011-05-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Move over, Thomas Keller. On a recent overly decadent weekend, Zack and I tried the French Laundry and Cyrus on back to back nights. The French Laundry left very very many things to be desired. Cyrus was a knockout wonderful experience.

This wasn't my first time at Keller's famed Yountville joint. But it will certainly be my last. We arrived for a 7:30pm Saturday evening seating. The restaurant was packed. They have added more table tops than when I was last here, cramming every possible bit of the floor's surface area with a $300 revenue-generating seat. In the center of the room sat a large party. . . with a crying infant. I didn't realize fine dining now comes with a high chair and the soothing sound effects of a screaming child.

And in the back cove, while we picked at the smattering of foraged wild weeds on our measly starter platers, a private party was treated to special deluxe dishes like an entire roast pheasant. Of course, the regular diner can't order this because it's not on the "no-substitution" tasting menu. If you thought you were special because you managed to survive the gauntlet of getting a reservation at TFL - be warned, there's an entirely new hierarchy of ostentation surrounding what you get to eat when you arrive.

Travel over the mountains and into Healdsburg, in the more-understated Sonoma County, however, and you'll be delighted with the best of the fine dining experiences to be found in Wine Country. Cyrus, nestled in the Les Mars Hotel, is lovely. It is fine food at its best, every bite was delectable and delightfully presented. The service and ambiance are elegant but understated. You feel as though you're in Northern California, where casual and polished come together in the best ways possible. And it's all very accessible - would-be diners can make reservations easily over OpenTable rather than wrestling with endlessly busy phone lines, a cold hostess, or elite cardmember concierge services.

I can opine more on specific dishes later, but suffice to say it was all really good. And so tastefully sincere and fresh - none of the ridiculous pomp of bitty foraged weeds and flowers or micro-portions. For now, let's let the main point stand: next time you're planning on a splurge in Northern California's wine regions, pick the local favorite over the staid and dated option. Cyrus is the way to go.

Cyrus

29 North Street

Healdsburg, CA 95448

707.433.3311

Best Dessert in Russian Hill

2011-02-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

I've raved about Frascati in Russian Hill before. Everything, from its location on romantic tree and cable-car trimmed Hyde Street, to its consistently mouthwatering dishes (ohhh that brined pork chop. . . ), to its romantic neighborhood-spot vibe, are special.

But let's highlight one particularly scrumptious feature: the superstar on Frascati's dessert list. They call it the "Warm Black and White Chocolate Bread Pudding." It's warm and cozy, sweet and gooey in all the right ways.

We treated ourselves to it again last week when Zack's mom was in town. As the spoon licking and satisfied sighing around the table verified, this dessert is incredible. The fluffy, buttery chocolate bread base is nicely paired with a delicate hazelnut ice cream. Only, the scoop is mountainous and has loads of chocolate and caramel syrup. That takes this dessert from simple comfort food into the realm of over-the-top extravagance that'll remind you of the best cake-and-ice cream combos from your childhood. The only thing missing was sprinkles. . .

Frascati is already my No. 1 recommendation for a special occasion dinner in SF. The bread pudding only underscores the superlative. Don't forget to order it. . . or if you're lucky enough to live in the neighborhood (like I am!), it's worth stopping in just for the dessert.

Frascati

1901 Hyde Street

San Francisco

415.928.1406

To forage or. . . NOT to forage

2011-01-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

Some dear friends of mine took me on my first food foraging adventure event just before Christmas. You can imagine my excitement - here in Northern California, the epicenter of the local food movement, finding and harvesting your own food is practically the core of culinary truth.

The mission was to harvest large California golden chanterelles - bright precious gems that grow slowly, appearing in the winter months at the foot of oak groves situated at a precise altitude in Northern California. We were searching for the Queen of the Forest, mycological treasure. Visions of idyllic strolls through forest meadows and the rush of finding pristine bundles of golden mushrooms filled my head.

And so we ventured East, over the Bay Bridge and into the far lands past Berkeley. To a San Francisco city girl, we were in lush green hinterlands that further added to the mystique of our purpose. "There be dragons" (or at least, great wild harvests) the signs may as well have said. And we arrived at our destination, which shall remain nameless to preserve this secret mushroom spot for those who so kindly shared it with us that day. Suffice to say, no beaten path can lead you there.

The reality, I must say, was something else entirely. Mushrooms, it turns out, grow in some of the least convenient habitats possible. There were indeed lush green meadows and beautiful live oak tree groves. But to get to them required wading through mud pits and rifling through musty detritus and slimy earth. At points, the paths we chose were so harrowing our shoes, already caked in mud, slipped down treacherous ravines and river beds, threatening to dump us and what few mushrooms we had gathered 30 feet below.

And yet on our group pushed, ever motivated by the prospect of finding a bundle of golden eggs (or mushrooms, as it were). And when you finally spot those deep yellow-orange ears, sprouting from the ground between an age-old oak tree's roots, it's like a drug-induced high. Adrenaline pumps, you dash over and cut them from the ground before others can reach them. And when you find one, there are generally more in the area. Remember that childhood excitement over treasure hunts? It's the same feeling, for adults.

I'm glad I had the experience. But I must admit, there is still something less than glorious about hauling 7 lbs of fungus home only to remove another 2 lbs of caked dirt and decay before you can eat them. There may be an earthworm or small lizard or two, too. And because you can't wash these mushrooms - they become too water logged - prepare yourself for a bit of unpleasant silt in the cooked product. Yuck. Still, if you enjoy mushrooms - rejoice. With the giant haul you'll likely bring home, you'll be eating mushrooms for days. And days.

I'll say the un-sayable: wild harvesting was a great experience. But I would far prefer getting served perfectly cleaned, beautifully prepared chanterelles on a restaurant plate any day. The process of locating, cleaning and cooking this rather dirt-ridden produce is a turn-off. If this makes me a less hardcore foodie, that's fine. They can keep the dirt and earthworms.

Two hours after coming home with our loot, Zack and I stepped into Bi Rite Market and saw a beautiful, pristine bunch of Golden Chanterelles. Selling price: $35/lb. Our day's mushroom haul was worth $250 to someone . . .

So enjoy the trekking and mushroom hunting - but selling your hard-won treasures may be a better post-harvesting option!

Baller mushroom tartlets (or what I learned from my sister)

2010-12-22T09:29:00.001-08:00

My sister is turning into a pretty serious mistress of the kitchen.

This is a particularly remarkable turn of fate when you consider that two years ago, she was a woman who hardly deigned to chop her own tomatoes. These days, you can regularly find her whipping up delectable and sophisticated dishes. Example 1 of her domestic goddess status: behold, the ridiculously adult-looking mushroom tartlets she made for appetizers at Thanksgiving this year.

These things are seriously tasty. They hardly lasted 10 minutes after coming out of the oven. If you're looking for a relatively easy recipe that will impress your guests and please their palates, try this at your next dinner party.

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts

10 oz frozen puff pastry

3 tbspn unsalted butter

2 large onions, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

3/4 lb of wild mushrooms (crimini and porcini work especially well; remove tough parts of stems)

finely chopped chives

EVOO

Directions

1. Thaw the puff pastry. Pre heat oven to 350F

2. Lightly brown the walnuts in a baking sheet placed in the oven for less than 10 minutes. Careful not to burn! Remove, cool and coarsely chop.

4. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Make sure you stir. Reduce heat to low and slow cook until caramelized, about 40 minutes. Let cool. In a food processor, puree with walnuts until mixture forms a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper.

5. While onions are slow cooking, line medium baking sheet with parchment paper. Separately, on a hard, smooth surface, unfold the puff pastry and use a round pastry cutter to cut into 4 inch rounds, about 1/8 in thick. Set another baking sheet (or flat weight) on top and bake for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven.

6. Increase oven temperature to 400F. Separately, in a medium sauce pot, bring water to boil. Blanch mushrooms for about 2 minutes, until they become a bit tender. Drain, pat dry and cut into 1/4 in slices.

7. Take each pastry round and spread puree on top (leave about 1/4 inch from the edge). Arrange mushroom slices on top, overlapping. Brush with EVOO. Bake for 10 minutes or until hot all the way through. Remove from oven, garnish with chives and serve!

Recipe taken and modified from Jean-Georges Vongerichten in Food&Wine.

Exotic Fruit Gelato on South Beach

2010-12-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

I was planning on expounding on the many delicious values of this gelato spot in Miami, but my very attentive boyfriend is insisting that I spend this time interacting with human beings instead of indulging my food fetish.

And so, I will resort to bullet-pointed highlights of the key takeaways compliments of my former life as a management consultant:

(Situation) Tart frozen yogurt is still my regular dessert of choice, given that it is far more widely available BUT
(Complication) La Gelateria Parmalat on Lincoln Road in Miami makes some amazingly fresh gelato using real fruit which blows original tart out of the water. I tried their papaya and guava and am addicted
(Resolution) Sadly, I live a few thousand miles too far for this to be a regular fix. But if you're in the area, now you know - please please enjoy a cup of this deliciousness for me.

And if you get to try the supote, know that I'm extremely jealous.

La Gelateria

670 Lincoln Road

Miami Beach, FL 33139

786.276.9475

Best dumplings on the planet

2010-11-30T11:55:00.001-08:00

The best dumplings on the planet are made by a Taiwanese franchise called Din Tai Fung. Lucky for you, you can find this veritable temple of East Asian delights in 10 countries and territories around the world. Including the US.

I had my first hit in Shanghai in July and returned to Hong Kong for subsequent fixes. Ok, I'm not actually so badly addicted - I didn't actually travel 6000 miles for a dumpling. But I would entertain a road trip from SF to Arcadia since there's a new Din Tai Fung down there - any takers? . . .

So what exactly is so addictive about this place? One dish sums it up: truffled pork dumplings. Din Tai Fung's specialty is their Shanghai-style soup dumplings, called xiaolongbao. Some genius that works in their kitchens had the creative insight to imagine what would happen if she added the most delectable of Western cuisine's flavors into the delicate liquid-laden bites. And she absolutely struck gold. Order the truffled pork dumplings. Actually, go ahead and get two orders because you won't be able to stop after the first 5 pieces.

So find a Ding Tai Fung near you. Prepare for total dumpling delight (see picture below).

Din Tai Fung

Store #1,1108 S. Baldwin Ave

Arcadia, CA 91007

626.574.7068

Taco-licious

2010-11-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

The name of this joint says it all: TACOLICIOUS, an amazing (relatively) new taco spot in SF. But it's not in the Mission.

All you Marina dwellers, there's now one more reason not to leave your northern strip of the city: delicious tacos at Tacolicious. The rock cod was my personal favorite - buttery chunks of fit deep fried in a fluffy on the inside-crispy on the outside batter, all on top of tasy corn tortillas with a light remoulade. Scrumptious! I'm told the carnitas tacos are pretty irresistible, too.

Make sure you try the variety of salsas, too. Hot, medium and mild in a bright splash of colors. I won't tell you which color's which, but suffice to say it's not entirely intuitive. . .

Just one note: good company is a necessary ingredient to survive the Marina crowds at this spot. Good thing I got my fix with Garron and Christin.

Tacolicious

2031 Chestnut St

San Francisco CA 94123

415.346.5641

Bite worthy: Scotch Eggs at Wexler's

2010-10-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

The best bite worth having in San Francisco right now: the Scotch Eggs at Wexler's.

A relatively new spot in the Financial District, Wexler's does American barbeque fare with a touch of class, and trendiness. It's a small spot tucked in next to Wayfare Tavern, with vintage-chic decor. Think white, wood, mirrors and elaborate hanging light fixtures.

What's remarkable about almost everything on their menu is that they take what can be sloppy, heavy and rich foods and make them refreshing and somewhat refined. Think bites of hush puppies with pickled shallots, or a plate of pork with a dainty and whimsical presentation (and really delicious contents).

The drinks at the bar are cheeky and different. Try the cocktail concoction with arugula and fennel.

But the star of the edible show at Wexler's is definitely the scotch eggs. Scotch eggs are a British import (Fortnum & Mason claim to have invented them back in the 18th century), but the Americans at Wexler's have definitely taken this at times too-hearty dish to a new height. A scotch egg is a hardboiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded and then deep fried.

The Wexler's version adds some cornmeal to the bredding for an extra crispness, soft boils the egg to leave it soft and rich in the center, and complements the dish with a tart sweet tea gastrique and a harissa-inspired hot sauce. The result is pure deliciousness.

This is definitely my favorite bite in SF right now.

Wexler's

568 Sacramento Street

San Francisco, CA 94111

415.983.0102

Need a nosh in Seattle?

2010-10-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Piroskhy Piroshky's the spot. Consider it yet another reason to visit Pike Place market when you're in Seattle.

These delicious Russian-style pastries come with all kinds of sweet - and savory - fillings inside warm and buttery pastry crusts. Think a Cornish Pie, but with much better stuffings. Try the sweet marzipan roll, the beef and cheese, or the potato mushroom and onion one (my personal favorite).

You'll find Piroshky Piroshky tucked into an unassuming store front off the market entrance. Look for all of the rave reviews plastered in the window to find it. Just make sure you get there before noon or the line can be tremendous.

Piroshky Piroshky

1908 Pike Place

Seattle, WA 98101

206.441.6068

00

2010-08-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

The debate over SF's best pizza spot rages on, and there are quite a few new contenders to add to the mix.

I won't opine here on where the best pie resides, but I can tell you that one of SF's newest pizza places has other reasons to visit: the starters and desserts.

Zero Zero, Bruce Hill's new SOMA spot, is the place to visit. The starters to order: try their watermelon salad starter, as well as the padron pepper poppers (say that three times fast). The latter are especially addictive. You can check out the entire menu here.

I'll give you another hint: the house red wine is the best glass on the list. Use it to wash down the many scrumptious pizza options.

But the real show stealer on this menu, as far as I'm concerned, is dessert. It comes in a simple, unassuming white cup. And it sounds deceptively simple - drive-through style soft serve. The difference? It's particularly creamy and rich, and dressed elegantly with olive oil and sea salt. Get two spoons, since it's even more delicious shared. Just make sure you try it!

Zero Zero
826 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 348-8800

In China, They Eat Everything. Part 2.

2010-08-09T16:52:00.001-07:00

We continue our tour of my culinary (mis)adventure(s) in China . . .

Sea snails seemed particularly popular in Beijing's wet market. I'm told they're even tastier than escargot.

Summer fruit was a major hit; I had my first waxberries in Shanghai. Think plum meets strawberry meets pleasantly strange fibrous texture.

Preserved and packaged seafood is an increasingly popular delicacy. Here is a very expensive box of preserved abalone. It doesn't have much flavor, but it's awfully chewy. . .

In China, They Eat Everything. Part 1.

2010-07-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

Because a picture is worth 1000 words, here are some snaps of what they served up during my 5 weeks in China.

We covered the whole spectrum - the good, the bad - and definitely the ugly.

Yangjin, the beer of champions (in Beijing anyway)

Peking duck (overrated and way too fatty, sorry peeps)

Sea cucumber. Yes, they're worms. Yes, people really pay $300/g. No, they aren't kosher.

Best Tamale in San Francisco

2010-06-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Taquerias in the Mission are like religious institutions. People prescribe to one or two favorites and tend to follow them dogmatically. And they can be awfully fervent in their belief that their place is the best.

Consider this a revelation, then. The best tamale in the Mission is tucked into a corner place you probably haven't heard of, and it comes in a little plastic basket swathed in . . . plantain leaves.

Bet you didn't see that coming. It's not the standard corn husk cover, and the change in wrapping gives this delicious masa morsel a trademark woody/smokey/herbal flavor profile that is delicious. At the very least, it's a new twist on the familiar, and it works extremely well. Order the chicken mole filling.

The spot, you ask? Taqueria La Oaxaquena, on the corner of Mission and Clarion Alley. And while you're there, order the interesting pupusas (goat cheese and sundried tomato is my favorite) and hot chocolate, too.

La Oaxaquena
2128 Mission Street
San Francisco
415.621.5446

Move Over Cupcakes: Macarons Are Here!

2010-06-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm tired of paying $5 for cupcakes. I know they've been the trendy dessert of the day for years, and all the cool kids do it. New York is lined with drive up trucks vending sugary sweet cupcakes, and they've been infiltrating SF too. Kara's, Sibby's, Citizen Cake, we all have our favorites.

But for the foreward-looking foodies out there, I've found the new dessert frontier: macarons. They're bite size, the flavors can be delicately delicious (if done right), and they're adorable. And if you look around carefully enough, you can find some amazing macarons in SF.

What are they? French confections made out of egg whites, almond flour and lots of sugar. They can come in amazing flavors, ranging from nuts (pistachio is my favorite), fruits, flowers and the more exotic (truffle, anyone?).

So where in SF can you get your macaron on? The most common spot would be La Boulange, which has them almost every day in pretty pastel colors. If you're looking for a more artisanal location, check out Paulette in Hayes Valley (see below). The vibrant colors make these bite-size confections look like edible toys - but the flavors are strong and super sweet. Maybe even a touch too sweet. . .

My hands-down favorites are the macarons from Christopher David in Bernal Heights (see top). They are delicious. The textures are perfect - the shells are airy and chewy. And the flavors are creative, with combinations like strawberry lavender, or individual stand-outs like meyer lemon and butterscotch.

They'll set you back about $2 a bite, but it's totally worth it. The only challenge with these confections may be finding them. If you don't want to schlep out to Bernal Heights for them, check out the next SF Underground Farmers Market, where Christopher David makes regular appearances. . .

Christopher David Macaron
833 Cortland
San Francisco, CA 94109
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights
415.205.0908

Paulette
437 A Hayes St
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.864.2400

Baraka: This Lemonade is a Blessing

2010-05-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

I have had the best lemonade of my life.

And yes, it will blow away even the best of any Southern grandmother's pitcher.

You can find it in a small, unassuming little Algerian-Tunisian restaurant called Baraka tucked away in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The drink is called Cherbat. What makes it so special? A blend of scrumptious ingredients - including orange essence, rose water, fresh mint and other spices like cinnamon and cloves. There's a beautiful garnish of rose petals, too. The result is a refreshing and delicate beverage that will cool, rejuvenate and cleanse your palette. And it looks quite pretty, too. You can try making it at home by following this recipe; just make sure you add fresh mint and finely grind the spices.

Baraka offers a wealth of other delectable food, too. The flavors are Mediterranean with a North African twist - lots of olive oils, vinegars, and capers complemented by flavorful spice blends like zaatar. If you can make it for lunch, I'd highly recommend the open face tuna sandwich, served on hearty Berber-style flat bread.

Many thanks to my dear friend Melissa for sharing this spot. If Bedouins really eat this well in North Africa, I just might consider becoming a nomad . . .

Baraka Cafe

80 1/2 Pearl Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

617.868.3951

Bisou - best new SF restaurant

2010-05-15T12:43:00.001-07:00

I am breaking a cardinal rule of mine and spilling the beans on an amazing, yet-unexploited SF dining spot.

But only because it's so good. I'd say it's the best new restaurant in SF. The Yelp reviews agree too.

It's an awesome little French bistro with a modern chic vibe in the Castro called Bisou.

I can't sing enough praises for this place. The food is simple but scrumptious. The prices are very reasonable. The drink selection is varied and well-chosen. And the desserts come with beautiful sugar ornaments!

Nick Ronan, thank you for outdoing yourself and creating this adorable new spot. And thank your amazing wait staff for being so friendly. At dinner here last Sunday, we were gifted with champagne on the house, and a custom-made steak tartare heart. The service is lovely - warm and welcoming. And the entire three course experience came for under $40 a person.

Things you should definitely order while you're here:
- Ernst&Co Pinotage - rich blackberry flavors without the funky nose that these South African wines can have
- KBA Kobe Steak Tartare - the picture says it all
- Beef Bourguignon - Julia Child would swoon
- Frites - delicious, if you can order them before they run out!
- Desserts - try them all (but if you must pick one, definitely try the chocolate carresse, shown above)

So there you have it, one of my best secrets, no longer kept. Now before the place gets so booked it's impossible to get a table, check it out.

Bisou
2367 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415.556.6200

Oysters on Highway 1

2010-04-29T12:54:00.001-07:00

I heart oysters.

Good news: just 30 minutes north of San Francisco, I can get them fresh and eat all the slimy, salty sea mollusk goodness I want.

Three purveyors to choose from, all located off the beautiful Highway 1 as you drive up to Point Reyes. They all offer some pretty delicious oyster goodness - and provide picnic benches, shuckers and bbq grills for you to enjoy your purchase on the spot! A dozen oysters will set you back about $15-20, depending on what you type you buy. . .

1. Drakes Bay Oyster Company
(a family farm off of Drakes Bay)

2. Hog Island Oyster Company

(of Ferry Building fame)

3. Tomales Bay Oyster Company
(great for mussels and clams too)

Thanks also to my lovely oyster shucking model, Chiara:

Facil: It's Easy to Love

2010-03-29T14:31:00.001-07:00

Berlin offers a smorgasbord of dinging experiences - arguably the most diverse selection of restaurants in Germany. You can find American burger joints, home cooked Turkish meals, traditional Bavarian fare. The range is as eclectic as the city's history and current population.

If you're looking for a haute cuisine experience, Berlin's Facil restaurant offers a truly remarkable one. Nestled atop the Mandala Hotel, Facil blends effortlessly into the elegance and Euro-sophistication of its luxury hotel home.

Minimalism is the mantra at Facil, where the cuisine has French inspiration but draws on regional cuisine as a base. The ambiance is refined and relaxed, from the green walls sporting cool gray marble wall panels and a Giallo Reale Patinalo-tiled floor. You'll feel you're eating in a hidden sanctuary, under a glass ceiling that offers stunning sunlight at lunch or the glow of Berlin's lights in the evening.

But don't let the elegance of the place distract you too much - the food here is seriously good. Facil is one of Germany's finest restaurants, and boasts a Michelin star. The food is exquisite.

Chef Michael Kempf offers a six course menu that changes every few nights. The dishes present a structural twist that combines unusual flavors and textures into memorable forms on the plate. Imagine individual amuse buches in colors so vibrant they remind you of spring flowers, or a squab with roasted fruit sauce that is simply presented, but explodes with flavor.

Facil's service also deserves special recognition. The staff are warm and hospitable, offering thoughtful suggestions on wine pairings (we were very impressed with sommelier Felix Voges's recommendations throughout our meal) and insights into the ingredients in each dish as requested, too. This wasn't one of those intimidatingly nice restaurants - it was a first class dining experience that was accessible and unpretentious.

And by the way, the desserts are so beautiful, it's almost hard to eat them. Almost. Until you realize how delectably delicious they are. . .

Facil

5th Floor, inner courtyard

The Mandala Hotel

Potsdamer Str. 3

Tiergarten, Berlin

030/5900-51234

Citizen Cake was a Let Down

2010-03-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

I don't often blog about the bad stuff. But this experience was so sorely disappointing, I can't help it.

Compared to the dream like gnudi I had at Restaurant Zoe the week before, I recently ordered a dismal version of the same dish at Citizen Cake. To even call both plates by the same term is misleading. Would you call a Ford and a Bugati both luxury cars? Hershey's and Recchiuti both gourmet confections? Here too, the Citizen Cake version was a flopping failure compared to what Zoe's kitchen had majestically created.

The dish had a series of problems. One, the gnudi were pan seared and cooked as opposed to being boiled or steamed as they had been at Zoe. As a result, they had a hard almost skin-like texture on the outside and a mushy cheesy center. There was nothing delicate about the dish, and the texture was so severe it was hard to concentrate on the flavors. Although there wasn't anything notable going on there, either. The flavors overpowered. Too much of an eggplant-tomato-olive mush of sorts was served under the gnudi. The red onion puree at Zoe was tart and simple; the Citizen Cake accompaniment was overly sour and chunky. The marriage on the Citizen Cake plate was not a happy one.

I've eaten at Citizen Cake before and had a far more enjoyable experience. Maybe Elizabeth Faulkner's kitchen is growing lax?

Then again, something else was clearly afoot (and afoul) that evening. The kitchen was out of a number of the wines and dishes on the menu. I mean, they didn't even have potatoes to make french fries to go with their burger! Apparently Cake's getting ready to move to a new location in the Fillmore. But can't they at least keep a stocked kitchen in the meantime?!

Citizen Cake
399 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 861-2228

Eat Here. Bill Gates Does.

2010-02-21T11:04:00.001-08:00

The Seattle restaurant scene continues to impress me. Two weeks ago, I was looking for a nice spot to have dinner with my work team from Dalberg. It needed to be laid back enough to facilitate bonding, but cool enough to match my colleagues' sophisticated east coast tastes. . . .

As luck would have it (and with a lot of help from Yelp), we found a gem of a place in the heart of Belltown, Restaurant Zoe. It's been around for a while, and it has all the understated charm of a restaurant known among locals as a delicious secret. Time to share the news.

Two dishes in particular stood out here:

One, the ricotta gnudi. They're light and fluffy and served with this tart and tangy red onion puree. It's like eating a cheese cloud sprinkled with truffles. Make sure you order them.

Second, the banana macadamia cake (see photo!). The cake itself is fine, an upscale take on banana nut bread. But the sides on this one really shine. It's served with this macadamia toffee, which is crunchy and salty. Also, a milk chocolate semifreddo, which is amazing. I could have easily eaten an entire pint of that on it's own.

By the way, the dessert was so delicious it prompted me to learn what a semifreddo actually is. The secret? Heavy whipping cream is added to ice cream and turned into a semi frozen delight. Not the healthiest thing in the world, but the smallish serving size makes it ok, right?

Anyway, Zoe was a fantastic find and made for a great dinner. I'm not alone in that assessment, either. Just ask other usual diners, like Bill and Melinda Gates, who were eating here that evening too.

Restaurant Zoe
2137 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA
206.256.2060

Popping mango balls: strange, but tasty

2010-02-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

No, I did not just discover tart fro yo. But for those of you ready to write off this frozen fad, don't think you've exhausted the realm of fruit-and-yogurt toppings just yet.

San Francisco chain Tuttimelon has a new topping that will rock your original tart world. They're called popping mango balls and they're pretty special. Even though the name is a bit strange.

What are they? I couldn't tell you. My attempts to Google them has turned up very little information. But think of it as a dabble in mass molecular gastronomy. They're little balls of mango juice coated in a silky sugar coating. The texture is much like a bath ball. The taste, far less soapy. Delicious even. And they're so pretty!

If you have any insights on what these things are, please share. In the meantime, I'm walking down the street to get another cup of them. I may ask for some frozen yogurt to go with, too.

Tuttimelon
2125 Polk St.
San Francisco
415.563.8284

2 for 1 deal: Four Barrel coffee & Humphry Slocombe ice cream

2010-02-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

You could spend an entire day jumping from one magical eatery to the next in the Mission. But Four Barrel's recently made the task a little bit easier for you. They're serving an affogato that combines their absurdly good coffee with Humphry Slocombe's delicious (if unusual) ice creams. Last weekend, it was HS's beer-inspired 8 ball stout. Because there's nothing better than the taste of alcohol when you're actually sobering up, right?

For the image conscious, think of this as a prime opportunity to be uberhipster. You'll have coffee in one of SF's hippest joints, topped with the chicest ice cream in town.

Four Barrel
375 Valencia St
(at 15th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 252-0800

(PS - hands too jittery from caffeine! The coffee's that strong. . .)

Sweet !

2010-02-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

While walking around the Mission and the Castro in an attempt to burn off some of the massive brunch we had just finished at Mission Beach Cafe, my friends and I bumped into this cute confectionery.

The name's pretty easy to remember: Sweet.

And it is. I'd especially recommend the fleur de sel caramels (although everyone's carrying them these days, they really are awesome here). Or if you're craving something of the more baked variety, try the mini cupcakes. At $1.80 and two bites a piece, you can even have two!

Sweet
218 Church St
(between Market St & 15th St)
San Francisco
415.552.8992

Best Brunch in SF? Mission Beach Cafe . . .

2010-01-31T09:34:00.000-08:00

I'm taking nominations for the best brunch spot in San Francisco. I know, it's a contentious question. But there are two criteria for nominations that make the task harder than you think:
1. If the wait is 2 hours plus on the weekend, don't even bother
2. Tell me about something new. None of the same Foreign Cinema, Mama's, Dottie's, etc.

I have one place in mind. It's fairly new on the SF brunch scene, and a welcome addition: Mission Beach Cafe. The spot is cozy and unassuming, tucked into a residential street corner in the upper Mission. The simple decor serves as a nice canvas for the food, which is spectacular. Prices are also reasonable here - you can get a (giant) mimosa and a delicious dish for $20-25. And the services is welcoming and warm, with bits of hipster mixed in.

Did I mention the MBC mimosas? These ain't your normal orange fizzes. They offer an entire mimosa menu, with exotic options like tangerine lime, pomegranate, orange cranberry and more. The juice is fresh and delicious, the alcohol graciously poured, and the size is GIGANTIC. You may have trouble walking out of the restaurant straight. . .

But the highlight here is undoubtedly the brunch food. Everything we had was delicious. The menu at MBC is full of heartwarming, hearty food that retains a touch of class. Truffles with home fries, french toast with lavender, sliders of ahi tuna and caviar. You can see for yourself on the menu.

I had the eggs benedict with wild mushrooms and spinach. The standard hollandaise was substituted with a better, lighter sauce made with bravo farms white cheddar. The english muffin was freshly made. And a Saturday special: the kitchen kindly topped the dish with a hearty shaving of truffle. It was delicious - light and fluffy eggs, earthy spinach that was perfectly (and barely) cooked, and a sauce that was divine. Refined and deeply satisfying, I'd take this upscale benedict dish over the usually clumsy and heavy original any weekend.

By the way, I should mention that MBC has an amazing menu all week round. In fact, you may see their Pot Pie Tuesday featured on here sometime soon. . .

Mission Beach Cafe
198 Guerrero Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.861.0198

Try Tilth

2010-01-19T10:07:00.000-08:00

I've eaten at Tilth three times in the last 6 months. And I don't even live in this city. It's that good.

It's also one of only two totally organic restaurants in the country. And by that I mean it's the second restaurant in the country that has been certified by Oregon Tilth (a major organic research and education center). The food is exquisite and earthy - a New American that tastes wild, fresh and warm all at once.

Chef Maria Hines has put together an impressive kitchen, with constantly changing seasonal product that comes from the best local vendors. You'll eat things here you've probably never had anywhere else. Like halibut cheek. I had it off the menu back in June and was surprised that such an ugly fish could produce something so lovely. Buttery and tender, the unusual cut was moistly cooked sous-vide and balanced nicely with the light sauce and potatoes served on the side.

You'll also get some seriously earthy dishes. I had a carrot risotto in December that sang of an organic vegetable garden, incredibly sweet and tangy. And a spot prawn dish (these critters were flown in from Alaska's Sylver Fishing Co.) that had oceanic, sweet and umami going on at the same time; you could practically taste the cold Pacific they came from.

The front of house at Tilth is pretty special too and makes for a wonderful experience. The restaurant is a cozy converted house in a calming green. And each time I've eaten there, the servers have been friendly and welcoming, and extremely knowledgable. I love servers who can make educated recommendations, hinting at the taste experience each dish holds rather than restating the obvious.

Next time you're in Seattle, check out Tilth.

Tilth
1411 North 45th Street
Seattle, Washington
206.633.0801

One Bite Stand: check it out!

2010-01-13T04:45:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is undertaking a most daring culinary adventure. She's committed to trying one new food item for every day in 2010 - 365 new things!

Follow Claudia's quest, and help her along with some strange (preferably delicious) suggestions on her site, One Bite Stand.

Some highlights of her list so far:
- Pimms (but Claudia, you have to do it with lemonade, strawberries and on an Oxford punt in the springtime!)
- Tofutti ice cream sandwiches (surprisingly palatable...)
- Quinoa (thank you, Peru)
- Fun dip (nostalgia for my childhood)

Pittsburgh icecream spots?

2009-12-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'm looking for a few good Pittsburgh ice cream recommendations.

I was a regular at Dave & Andy's back in September, but I can't say it blew my socks off. Does it ruffle your feathers a bit to read that? I mean, they definitely get points for originality of flavors. But the execution left something to be desired.

Take their birthday cake, for example. I adore mushed up cake and ice cream. Their version even had cake sprinkles added in! But a spoon full left my mouth aching, from sharp ice crystals and too hard to munch sprinkles. And the cake tasted a bit like crumbly pumice stone - as though it hadn't been properly incorporated with the ice cream mix before freezing.

So surely the Burgh has better spots to offer. Know of them? Please share!

Dave & Andy's Homemade Ice Cream
207 Atwood Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412.681.9906

My Thanksgiving Menu

2009-11-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

A hodge podge of fancy new recipes and tried and true traditional favorites:

Aperitif: Fresh cranberry cosmos

Appetizer 1: Bacon-wrapped, goats-cheesed stuffed dates

Appetizer 2: Pistachio arancini with cranberry sauce

Wine 1: Prosecco!

Course 1: Butternut squash soup with ginger cream
Side 1: Indian handvo

Wine 2: Greener Planet Tempranillo-Grenache

Course 2: Roast turkey a la Anderson ! (friends are bringing the bird, using their family recipe)

Sauce 1: Apple cider gravy

Side 2: Homemade green bean casserole

Side 3: Mixed indian dahl with chickpeas and red kidney beans

Side 4: Basil rice pilaf

Wine 3: Fritz Zinfandel

Course 3: Spice crusted pork tenderloin

Sauce 2: Mustard tarragon sauce

Side 5: Chestnut, apple and leek bread stuffing

Side 6: Roasted white and red sweet potatoes with fried sage and honey butter

Dessert: Pie assortment !

Looking forward to the cooking and eating . . .

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours !

Wha' Cola? Pakola!

2009-11-19T13:54:00.000-08:00

I'm generally not a soda drinker.

But the other day I saw an 8oz can so unusual in an Indian grocery store, I had to try it. It was green. Like, bright candy apple green. Any Pakistani reading this probably already knows what I'm talking about.

It's calld Pakola and it's a self-proclaimed "Ice Cream Soda." The flavor is unlike any ice cream you've probably ever had, though. Let's just say this flavor doesn't exist in Baskin Robbins. If you've ever had South Asian ice creams, you may recall the overwhelmingly floral and fruity taste of something called "Tutti Frutti." Well that's more or less how this can of pop tastes. It's a strong, sweet taste. Almost like cotton candy mixed with jasmines and roses, if you can imagine that on your tastebuds.

But while the flavor may be vaguely identifiable, the sensory experience of staring at a bright green, bubbling glass of soda is still disconcerting. I've never had ice cream with this texture or presentation! If you have a sweet tooth and a sense of adventure, the 160 calories per can are worth the splurge.

So what is it, exactly? Pakola is a Pakistani soda that is made by Mehran Bottlers. As the name suggests, it was the first national brand soda in Pakistan (Pakistan's Cola = Pakola). The peculiar green refreshment is the original flavor, but I understand in Pakistan you can now get Pakola in other flavors like Lychee and Orange (which is actually Orange).

A Southern Specialty: Waffle House

2009-10-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a part of Florida that is for all intents and purposes the deep south. We're talking Watermelon Festivals replete with crown-bedecked Seed Queens and catfish and fried okra-filled menus around town.

Certainly, you might call me a fair weathered Southerner. I've picked and chosen the qualities I've chosen to retain. For instance, the accent can stay below the Mason Dixon; it's just not suited to an Indian American working in San Francisco. There are, however, a few culinary gems that I'll proudly flaunt.

One of the shinier ones is the best joint for a consistently tasty breakfast - any time of the day and in just about any Southeastern state. Waffle House! Those of you who have driven through my home region will undoubtedly recognize the trademark black and yellow signs that line busy interstates proclaiming the approach of a Waffle House franchise. But have you actually stopped in one?

If you haven't yet, you should. And you have plenty of options to choose from; today, there are over 1500 Waffle Houses across 25 US states. The first one is still open for business in Avondale Estates, Georgia. The fare is a step up from fast food, but I warn you it's essentially a Southern diner. Prepare for the short order stations behind a raised counter and bar stools. The smell of smoky bacon grease adds some extra charm.

Ironically, the items I recommend most on the Waffle House menu are not the waffles (although those are also quite tasty). It's actually the omelettes, hash browns, and grits. Go ahead and order them all together!

The secret to Waffle House omelettes lies largely in technique, not any special ingredient. If you watch carefully while your order is prepared, you may catch the cooks running your eggs through an industrial blender - which is reserved expressly for this purpose. Yup, they blend their eggs. Sure beats hand-whipping or electric mixers. The machine seriously aerates the eggs and makes them a bit frothy - allowing for a much thicker and fluffier omelette. It tastes like a yellow cloud, coated in cheese and sprinkled with mushrooms and green peppers (if you get my standard order, anyway).

And the hash browns? They're the perfect mix of soft, preboiled potato and golden-crisped strands. Nicely covered in oil, of course. The grits are a southern signature, and when mixed with a touch of butter and some salt and pepper, they're usually very well cooked. The result is a soft and flavorful mouthful of cooked ground corn. . . enjoy !

New food blog! (but keep reading this one too)

2009-10-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

So the posts up here have been pretty sparse lately. I have a good excuses. Let's just say it involves hospitals and a few painful incisions.

But, I'm back to blogging and have an exciting announcement! Continuing the great family tradition of sharing favorite food tidbits, my cousin Hima Bindu has decided to start her own food blog. Awesome! And it certainly has such aspirations (of awesomeness).

By way of background, Hima has a background in the restaurant business and has been a lifelong foodie. She's possibly more into adventurous eating and cooking experimentation than I am. Her foray into gastro-writing is titled "Dewdrop Recipes." Hint: it's related to the western translation of her name.

Admittedly, the blog is just getting off the ground. So feel free to send Hima suggestions on future posts, layout, URLs, etc.

So, if you're not getting your fill of Mylavarapu food posts here at Global Glutton, check out Dewdrop Recipes. . . just make sure you come back here to read the next post!

Yes, Real Indian Fusion Food Exists

2009-05-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

For all of its complexity, diversity and deliciousness, Indian food rarely comes in hybrid forms. I love my palak paneer and naan as much as the next person, but sometimes it's just too heavy. And seeing the same dishes on Indian menus around the world does get a touch dull after a while. Especially when the cuisine has the potential to lead to all kinds of exciting culinary experiments and hybrids.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered someone had the same idea. Over thirty years ago. Just a short, scenic drive away from my house. A Punjabi visionary named Avatar Singh it seems saw that Indian food could, as perfect as it is, be something more. And drawing on new world influences, he created a menu of creative concoctions melding Mexican and Indian cuisine. The result still shines over thirty years later in a Sausalito restaurant with his name, Avatar's, which his family still runs. I suppose if an Indian Mexican restaurant were to happen anywhere in the 1970s, it would be in the Bay Area!

Try the punjabi enchiladas. The flavor combinations have a lot going on, but are consistently delicious. I'd strongly recommend the curried rock shrimp. For the more creative, you can even design your own fillings. And for those needing more guidance, one of my favorite things about Avatar's is Ashok Kumar. Ashok is Avatar's brother and hosts at the restaurant regularly. He rarely forgets a face or an order, and in just two minutes will have such a good read on you that he can suggest personally tailored orders. I haven't been dissapointed by his recommendations yet.

If you find yourself hunting for an adventure outside San Francisco, or crossing the Golden Gate bridge around dinner or lunch, make a stop at Avatar's. The meal will be an adventure on a plate. And I can guarantee you'll be eating something you probably won't find anywhere else.

Avatar's Restaurant
2656 Bridgeway Blvd.
Sausalito, CA
415.332.8083

Good Bites Pt. 2: Primavera Tamales

2009-04-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite weekend indulgences. On those rare Saturday mornings when we don't have plans and I can drag Nik out of bed before 1pm, I often make a beeline for the Ferry Building Farmer's Market.

While I adore this market, it is not the prospect of waiting in a 30 minute line for Blue Bottle coffee, dodging tourists nor paying $5 for an avocado that motivate me to become presentable and face the world on a Saturday morning. Actually, it's the tamale stand.

Tamales are, like sushi and coffee, sacred things in San Francisco. Everyone's got a favorite. Some swear by the civic center or mission tamale ladies. Rustic as those tamales are - you can't beat their wheelie carts or prices - trust me, these gringa-made Ferry Building versions give them a run for their money.

You'll find them at the back of the market. Hard to miss, just follow the sound of the bad buskers that always camp out across from the stall. These lovely steamed masa delights are made by Primavera, a Sonoma-based joint that makes homemade tortillas, tamales and salsas. It's run by Karen Taylor, a self-taught chef of mexican cuisine who makes a mean chicken mole tamale and an amazing pumpkin & white cheddar one. Make sure you douse them all in the roasted tomatoe salsa that's served in a bucket at the stall.

A bit pricey for Mexican food, you might complain. But note that Taylor's ingredients are all locally sourced and organic. You're paying for that - and the travel costs from Sonoma! The good news? If you really like these, Primavera is opening a store that sells all of their products retail - so you can get them outside of the area farmers markets. . . if you're willing to drive out to Sonoma, that is.

Next time you're at the Ferry Building market, tempting as it might be to grab an Out the Door sandwich or stop at Rose Pistola in the very front of the market, venture to the back. These tamales are totally worth it.

Primavera Tamales
Ferry Building Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8am - 1pm

Good Bites Pt 1: Fire Cracker Balls

2009-03-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Tucked around San Francisco are individual dishes that deserve some limelight. So I'm going to show them some love with a solo appearance on this page. And you should show them some love by ordering them when you're next in their 'hood.

We start our series with a sketchily titled, but unquestionably delicious, dish in Hayes Valley. Fire cracker balls (above left). That's right. They're on the menu at Domo Sushi, Hayes' boutique neighborhood sushi joint.

What is it you ask? Delicious, first off. It's a spicy tuna roll, coated in panko bread crumbs , fried lightly, and then covered in a mouth watering combination of spicy mayo, bbq unagi sauce, and scallions. And just to put it over the top, it's then dusted lightly with tobiko. Not something your doctor would recommend, but trust me - it's gonna make your tummy really happy.

Domo Sushi
511 Laguna St
San Francisco
415.861.8887

Maple Mascarpone Heaven

2009-02-18T16:25:00.000-08:00

I adore cheesecake. For the longest time, I was an ardent believer that the best cheesecake in New York City (and I know this is a dangerous topic) lived at Veniero's Pasticceria in the East Village.

But I have found a higher order of cheesecake being. It makes its fleeting, ephemeral appearances at a famous NY eatery, a place called Babbo - owned by one Mario Batali. But credit for the creation of this amazing dessert goes to his pastry chef, Gina DePalma.

What is this magical edible thing? It's a maple-mascarpone cheesecake and it's unlike any cheesecake I've had before. The texture is so light and airy that you can eat the whole thing after a 10 course tasting menu and genuinely believe your pants won't pop off (as I did). The flavor is delicate yet rich - it comforts, and avoids over powering the taster with sweetness. And the presentation is delightful - don't dwell on it too long as this thing is better off in your mouth and tummy!

Make sure you order it. And if you dare to try recreating this piece of heaven on a plate, you can try the recipe too.

Babbo
110 Waverly Place
New York, NY
212.777.0303

Food as Art (?)

2009-01-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to go to SFMOMA since I moved to SF. It took me over a year, but I finally made it there right before the holidays.

It was fun. I walked around, saw some Dali and Jasper Johns, relished some Olafur Eliasson and Shiro Kuramata (I want that cabinet). I had a latte in the cafe, wore my most artistic outfit, discussed politics with a disdaining tone - and walked around like an all-to-serious conneiseur of life's finer things.

But for the life of me, I really did not know how to react to the museum's special exhibition, called "The Art of Participation." At moments walking through those installations and pieces, I swung between stifling yawns, laughing aloud with incredulity, intaking my breathe sharply in wonder, appreciating profound things, and playing (see below; is it appropriate to faux-fight in a work of art?).

A range of reactions for a range of artwork. In the experimental exhibition, you can 1) drink free beer with an artist (Tom Marioni), 2) pile brooms on top of people, and 3) have your portrait taken for display - among other things. And at the end of it all, thanks to one artist's huge stack of reprinted photos, I even walked out with a piece of free photocopied art to take home with me.

One installation in particular, though, resonated with me. Against a black white wall, in a thin white shelf, one artist offered a modest sample if kitchen groceries. A green bell pepper, an orange, a banana, a carrot and a single can of food. The scribbled drawing on the side instructed viewers to, in fact, play with the food items. Make a living statue. Rearrange them on the shelf. And so, therein lay the most profound message of the whole show. For me, anyway: play with your food! After all, if it's in SFMOMA, it's haute arte. . .

A Casa Fox

2008-12-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

I took my boyfriend to New York for the first time last month. One of the many wonders of that city that I wanted him to experience firsthand was the amazing restaurant scene. I never cease to be surprised by the number of great eateries that just seem to pop up all over that town.

Imagine how pleased I was then, when, on our first night, sour lemons turned into a delicious New York lemon meringue pie. Nik and I missed our reservation to a Cuban joint that probably wasn't worth the cash anyway. So we wandered through the Lower East Side - and stumbled into a homey-looking Latin food restaurant.

The roaring fire, ranch decor and worn wooden tables - diners were eating family style, sharing space - welcomed us in from the cold. A Casa Fox, the quaint sign outside pronounced. The place was so new it didn't have a liquor license, so we picked up a bottle of rioja to match the Central American flavors of the restaurant.

It was another golden New York find. The restaurant serves delicious American takes on Nicaraguan (and other Central American) comfort foods. And it has a story - it's modeled on the home foods of chef Melissa Fox's mother's and grandmother's recipes. Try the empanadas - all of them. The fillings are delicious, a modern twist on these regional classics - like roasted duck, or chorizo and queso. If you fall in love with them as I did, apparently you can buy them in the frozen food sections of some NYC grocery stores. Or, if you're more in the mood for small bites, get a smattering of the appetizers. I highly recommend the cheese sticks with membrillo. Fried queso fresco with a mouth-wateringly yum quince paste sauce. Trust me, they're better than mozarella sticks!

The place is reasonably priced too. An entire meal for three - and we definitely overate - set us back less than $35 a person.

A Casa Fox
173 Orchard Street
New York
212.253.1900

Cool Cup of Coffee

2008-12-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

There are a ton of coffee joints around San Francisco, but one part of town where I find it consistently hard to find a decent cafe to work in is SOMA. Not a particularly quaint part of town, and most of the time folks spend here is in an office.

But still, there are those odd moments - when I'm waiting for the boyfriend to finish at work, or when I really need a break from the office environs - when a nice coffee spot would be nice. If you've got any recommendations, let me know.

I have found something that will do in the meantime - the new Blue Bottle cafe in the old US Mint complex. It's most worth the visit because it has those funky, expensive glass coffee makers. The small cafe is also cozy and has a nice vibe to it. There isn't a lot of space to sit, just a few long tall tables and a handfull of bar stools. But I got a fair bit of work done there and enjoyed it.

And when you're finished there, just walk across the complex to Chez Papa for a delicious glass of French wine!

Blue Bottle Cafe
66 Mint St
(between Jessie St & Mission St)
415.495.3394

Scary Fish & Chips

2008-11-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Waterbar, a swanky new resto-bar in SF, has a lot of things going for it. It's got a killer location, right along the water by the Bay Bridge, a cool interior design that includes columns made of real fish aquariums, and it offers a decent raw bar.

That said, one thing on the menu I wouldn't recommend to anyone, save thrill seekers and wierd food lovers, is the fish and chips. You'd think the dish were benign and simple enough - just fry some white fish and make french fries. But somehow, in its attempt to dress up a perfectly perfect classic, the Waterbar kitchen went horribly awry. I think the photo below says it all.

It's simply the ugliest dish I think I've ever seen.

Waterbar
399 The Embarcadero South
San Francisco
415.284.9922

A Good Pint

2008-11-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

With the election at hand and a likely Obama victory, I'm glad to be back in the US. But from time to time, there are moments of my life in England that I miss and grow nostalgic about. Especially the pubs.

There just isn't anything quite like them in the US. Sure, we have our biker bars and sports bars and dive bars. But there are no cute country manor houses with beer crusted tables and hefty pint glasses. No corner pubs where families gather to start drinking at 10am. No menus sporting curry and rice, bangers and mash, or ploughman's lunch - bar food that sticks to your ribs and arteries.

So imagine my surprise when on a drive out of Muir Woods, as we came round a particularly curvy bend in the road, my friend Siddhi insisted that we stop at Pelican Inn. The quaint joint was tucked away where the North Bay hills meet Muir Beach. And on that stop we found ourselves in a little piece of England, transplanted. The house was rustic and white with brown beams, flowers and gardens outside - and inside the narrow corridors and criss-crossing staircases made it feel ancient.

Hidden below was a perfect pub, replete with ancient wooden sidings, random hunt-related decor and a draft bar manned by friendly bartenders with local ales on tap. And the bar food was perfect - hefty cut chips (ie french fries), bangers and mash, beet and goast cheese salad.

The only reminder that I was in Northern California? Most of the produce was supplied from Green Gulch Farm & Zen Center, which happens to be just up the road.

Pelican Inn
10 Pacific Way
Muir Beach 94965
415.383.6000

Weird Fruit

2008-10-17T02:47:00.000-07:00

What's neon pink and lime green, leathery with tentacles all over?

A fruit - and a rather tasty one at that.

Last time I was at the Civic Center Farmer's Market in San Francisco, my boyfriend convinced me to purchase a rather bizarre looking fruit. It looked just as described - and got stranger still when we cut it open. In its core, the dragon fruit has a translucent white flesh dotted with tiny black seeds. Its like litchy, but not really. Almost like a kiwi, but not really. Actually, I can't really relate it to any other fruit I've had before.

What I can say, though, is that it's really delicious. The flesh is tender and has a light, almost perfumed taste to it. It's not overpoweringly sweet or tart. It's delicate, like a litchie mixed with a kiwi and a rambutan. A tropical smoothie in one strange package!

And it's big enough to fill you up. Dragon fruit are about the size of a large fist - although the one's I saw in Kona a week later were more like melons! The best way to enjoy them is to cut your dragon fruit in half and eat the flesh with a spoon. Then throw the peels away - a self-contained and beautiful dessert.

These tasty tropical treats will cost you though - when you can find them, they're usually $4 or more a pound. Even in Hawaii, where they grew like nuts.

Yummy Ya Mo!

2008-10-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

You know those perfect hole in the wall finds that make you feel like you're a real local somewhere? Yeah, well - I've got a new one. And as precious as these finds are, I'm going to be nice and share it with you.

Vegetarians rejoice, there are options aplenty here for you. And if you're on a budget, even better - a hearty meal for two here will set you back $20 at most. That includes a luxurious coconut juice (served in a green coconut!) too. Can't promise you an umbrella tho.

So what is this gem of an SF restaurant? It's called Ya Mo Thai Kitchen, and it's tucked away just off of Mission on 18th street. It's tiny - be prepared to take a seat at a small counter just opposite the stove and kitchen line. You'll get an up close and personal view of dinner being made.

The name suggests thai food, but don't expect your typical green curry and pad thai here. I think the place actually has more Burmese influence, and the fare ranges from fried samosas to unusual curried meats to deliciously simply fresh rolls.

My friend Siddhi, who gets total credit for introducing me to the place, swears by their cold spicy noodles. Be sure to order their tea leaf salad too - it's fragrant, earthy sour and crunchy all at once. And it's less than $5.

My absolute favorite part of Ya Mo? Every time I go, it's entirely woman run - and these women look like they're having a blast. They chit chat, yell, laugh - and every now and then, things on the stove go ablaze!

Ya Mo Thai Kitchen
3406 18th Street
415-553-8911

Fall Favorite: Ferry Building Farmers Market

2008-09-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

The Ferry Building Farmers Market usually offers a mixed (canvas tote) bag. Sometimes, like in the spring and summer, it's run amok with tourists reveling in "Northern California lifestyle" and organic goods. When they bring their screaming kids with them, it's even worse. The experience isn't a fun one - there are just too many people and you begin to wonder if it's worth paying the market's inflated prices. $5 for a bunch of strawberries in May? Really? No thanks, I'll buy them in Chinatown for $2.

But then there are the quieter seasons, when it's just locals who show up and the end of summer harvests begin to come in, that the market reveals its charms and the experience is pretty awesome. The ferry building market in the fall makes me feel like a kid in a candy store (not like the brat above, though). The colors and flavors are really something - it's as though all the activity, sun and energy of the summer has concentrated in produce that's ripe, delicious and visually appealing.

Colorful heirloom and other specialty tomatoes are wrapping up their season. Juicy peaches and plums the size of your full hand sit in huge piles, waiting to be taken home and eaten. Even the carrots show up in a fun array of shapes and colors. . .

It's still a bit too pricey to do all of your grocery shopping there, but there is a great selection of local produce and foodstuffs. And you're supporting local producers. Think of it as your charitable - and tasty - deed for the weekend. So, if you live in or near SF and you haven't been to the farmers market yet, try to make it there this fall. It's well worth the trip - and waking up before noon on a Saturday!

Dave Makes Yummy Pizza

2008-09-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend has brought many wonderful things into my life. Superpoke!, a domain name, and Dave's pizza are three particular additions that come to mind. The first two aren't edible. So I'll tell you a bit about the third.

Dave makes delicious pizza. He makes it at home, it's fast and fairly foolproof, it's rectangular instead of round, and the best part is that you can mix and match whatever toppings you want.

We had a particularly delicious version of his quick-rise, quick-bake pizzas last weekend. It starred an unusual little Japanese mushroom, maitake. It's also called Hen of the Woods but that just sound strange. It doesn't really taste like chicken - although it is a bit woody. On a crispy, slightly risen pizza dough and with Gruyere, it's really delicious.

The recipe below is Dave's, and you can read more about his pizza - and other food-related escapades - on his own site . The only two things I'd note in this recipe:
1. Take care and bake the pizza on a silpat baking sheet. Don't use a metal baking tray if you can help it - it can make the dough come out soft or even soggy if you're not careful.
2. If you don't have a fancy stand dough mixer, use your hands and combine the ingredients in the same order listed below. Lightly knead the dough together, watch this for technique. Make sure your yeast is well dissolved and gets evenly distributed when you add it!

You won't get to enjoy it with Dave and Annika's hilarious company, but at least you'll get to nom some tasty pizza. . .

Dave's Maitake and Gruyere Pizza

Ingredients
1 lb. maitake mushrooms
1 large leek, thinly sliced
1 cup aged Gruyere cheese
1 clove garlic
2 cups bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp olive oil + extra

Directions
Dissolve 1 tsp. sugar in warm water. Add yeast; allow to bloom, 2-3 minutes.

In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment place flour, salt, remaining sugar, and olive oil. Set mixer to low and allow dry ingredients to combine before adding bloomed yeast. Add slowly until the dough forms into a ball. Punch dough down into a flat disc; cover and allow to rise for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice mushrooms, garlic, and leek and sautee in a cast iron skillet until softly wilted. Stretch the pizza dough into a rectangle enough to fill a 9×13″ Silpat sheet. Cover with sauteed vegetables and grated Gruyere; bake directly on the Silpat (i.e., not in a baking sheet) for 7-10 minutes or until crust is crispy. Allow to cool for 2-5 minutes and serve.

Wierdest Food Experience: Zanzibar

2008-09-20T09:54:00.001-07:00

I've done a lot of entries on some of my favorite food experiences over the last year or so. I eat and enjoy a lot of food. Rarely, there's a genuinely bad food experience too.

But I haven't shared my weirdest food moment. From my annals of memorable eats, alongside memories of beautiful ambiance and delicious flavors, what's enthralled me at the same time that it's turned my tummy a touch queasy? Bizarre and fascinating - but not quite gross?

The title goes to the open air seafood market in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Here, in one of the prettiest little spots on earth, is also one of the strangest food experiences I've had.

The festivities run almost every night during the week in a little city square. Right next to here, the island's dhows dock after early mornings at sea, where local fishermen pull up nets full of sea goodies. And at night, when some goods have been sold to local restaurants and prepared as meals at home, the remaining are curried, grilled, smoked or served raw to locals and tourists alike.

The ambiance at the market is heady. It's pitch black, the sky is full of stars, and all around the market are little kerosene and electric lamps emitting a faint golden glow onto rough wooden tables. People are everywhere, pushing and shuffling through the spaces between tables. Swahili, French, English, Italian, Arabic fly around. Some tables carry crafts and souvenirs for the foreigners. But others, the majority really, are laden with more fish, prawns, squid, crabs, octopus tentacles and fried foods than you can imagine. In the distorting light of the lanterns, it can look like the table tops are alive with creatures from the sea.

It made my stomach churn at first. Bargaining with wiry fishermen over sea carcasses, so close to where the things were just alive and swimming. But once I got past it and ordered my first bite - the sea food here is really fresh and delectable!

How does it work? You walk around and bargain with each vendor for what you'd like. And given that you probably won't speak Swahili, just accept the fact that you're going to pay double what the Zanzibari next to you will. But at least you can probably afford it. A grilled octopus tentacle, with fresh sea salt, chili powder and lime will set you back about $4. Try the fish fritters too - they're deep fried and delicious. And seasoned with some of the island's famous spices. . .

Take some strategic advice: go to the stalls near the water, with the most traffic. The guys towards the back have slow turnover and you may end up with a squid skewer leftover from the day before. Don't rush to buy everything the first time you see it either. Mosey, meander among the tables and see what you like. And if you can deal with watching an octopus get pulled from a bucket and chopped up just behind the grill - order right on the spot to guarantee the freshest piece!

Sushi Spot: Okoze

2008-09-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Sushi is a sacred thing in SF.

Most of my friends are fanatics for it, and they have their preferences. City natives tend to claim their favorite spots, the secret sushi joint that concocts delicious rolls and offers something new. There is certainly no shortage of restaurants to choose from, from the high-end and hard to access Kiss Sushi to hole in the wall places near the wharves.

I'm putting my own stake in the ground and proclaiming that my favorite raw fish fix comes from Okoze Sushi in Russian Hill.

Try to get a seat at the sushi bar if you've got a small party and want some entertainment. The sushi chefs behind the bar move fast, and are fun to watch. They may bring out a live fish or two though, so be forewarned. But at least you'll know your sushi's fresh!

Have a glass of the house plum wine when you get there too - it's delicious. Their scallop rolls - spicy and not - are really tasty and usually involve two types of scallop (sea and bay). in Russian Hill. Ok, so it's only a 5 minute walk from my apartment. It's further - and better - than Sushi Groove, which is only 3 minutes. I love most things about the place, from the friendly, neighborly service, to the delicious rolls to the ambiance of this Japanese nook. The toro is rich and delicious, melts on your tongue. And order the rainbow roll too to get a good survey of the fish on order.

When you're finished, make sure to stop at Swenson's down Hyde Street for dessert!

Okoze
1207 Union Street (at Hyde)
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.567.3397

Amelie

2008-08-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

I was out with my friend Emily this weekend and we ended up at Amelie, catching up on old times with some quality wines and company. It was one of those spontaneous discourse sessions - the kind you'll want to remember if you get old. The evening's nostalgia inspired more than just one blog entry.

I've been there before and its actually one of my favorite wine spots in SF. The wine selection is good, and they don't over-do the California thing. You'll find plenty of vino from Europe on the list. Don't miss the Gewurtzraminer - a bit fizzy and not too sweet, definitely delicious. And the menu is pretty sweet - try some of the goat cheese and honey crostini with your glass.

You'll also find plenty of boys from Europe behind the bar. Did I mention that one of the selling points it the charming, sweet and metro attractive wait staff?

Amelie's definitely got ambiance going for it. Its a bit more upscale and high energy than Hidden Vines or Bar Johnny, and gets so busy during happy hour that its standing room only. But you won't mind - pretty people fill the place up and you may meet someone new and exciting! Just one warning - the bathroom door doesn't lock.

Amelie
1754 Polk Street @ Washington
San Francisco

Uganda Highlights: The Rolex

2008-07-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Matoke never grew on me while I was in Uganda. I defer to a colleague's description - no matter how often I tried it, or what sauces it came with, it still tasted like "musty socks." I know this may be a hard thing to hear for any Ugandan, for whom the yellow mush is comfort food.

But there's another Ugandan specialty that is worth writing home about: the rolex. No, it's not a fancy watch. The local name for "rolled eggs," it's street food, made of eggs scrambled with random veggies, lots of grease, and rolled into a chapati. Some claim it originated just 8 years ago at Makerere University, but it's a national dish by now; we found it all the way in the southwest reaches of Uganda.

I had it 3 or 4 times while I was in Uganda last month, and each time it hit the spot in the way that a bacon cheeseburger or rava dosa usually only can for me. Maybe it's because we were starving, sweaty and tired after being "in the field" when we ate these. Maybe it was the special seasoning of Ugandan dust and old pan grease that drips out the end of the chapati on that last bite.

Whatever the reason, it's a pretty special thing. David will tell you that himself.

Gravalax, Uganda style ?

2008-07-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

I can't say I know much about Scandinavian cooking, but I'm generally a fan of gravalax. With its light dill, coriander and sugary-brined flavors, it's got more to entertain tastebuds than your average lox. Seafood "cooked" without heat seems to be a favorite of mine (check out the earlier post on ceviche). Anyway, since salmon seems to be easy to find this summer, I experimented with a few online recipes a few weeks ago with some success.

It helped that the latest Saveur was an issue dedicated to the art of gravalax. With pictures that tantalizing, it was hard not to try making the stuff at home!

It was an amusing coincidence, then, when just a week later, I found myself halfway around the world in the heart of Africa - Kampala, Uganda to be exact - and gravlax appeared on the dinner menu! With a Ugandan twist, mind you - this wasn't your Scandinavian grandma's brined fish. Actually, the appetizer was a crocodile gravalax. I can't say it was delicious, but it was definitely. . . interesting. Chewy and a bit like chicken, with a funky aftertaste. Maybe that was a bit of Nile flavoring?

Props to the chefs at Emin Pasha's Fez restaurant (in Kampala) for putting such an audacious 'fusion' dish on their menu. And proving that refined culinary adventures can be had in even the far reaches of the world. . .

A French Fry Tour of SF

2008-06-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

French fries are amazing. Simple, diverse, sinfully fried, and incredibly unhealthy these little golden bites are high up on my list of comfort foods. I've got two french fry havens you really must try here in San Francisco. And it's not an obvious list - so don't expect to read about Frijtz!

The first I found unexpectedly at my neighborhood bar, Bar Johnny. They're these delightlfully crispy garlic truffle fries. I like my fries cut thin and crispy, and these really are. Plus they have this awesome mushroomy taste and smell. Just don't plan on making out with anyone after you eat a bowl (most likely two) of them. You can find me here on a random weeknight, gossiping with girlfriends, sipping a spicy shiraz, and chowing on these.

The second dish of french fries is a twist on a North African flavor profile which I love - smoked chillis and harissa. Tucked into the side dish listing at Nua on some lucky weekend evenings, these harissa fries are awesome. They're also cut thin and fried crip, Belgian style - but they're also sprinkled in a smokey-sweet paprika and come served up with a harissa aioli that makes my mouth want to sing. In deference to Nua's windows, I resisted the urge! But these fries are worth a repeat visit.

Just remember to go for a long run after you eat all of these. . .

Bar Johnny
2209 Polk St
San Francisco
(415) 268-0140

Nua
550 Green St
San Francisco
(415) 433-4000

DC Highlight: Palena Cafe

2008-05-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

I lived in DC a few years ago and still remember how hard it was to find good restaurants. There were decent places, but the real gems were few and far between - and generally really pricey. Restaurant Week rarely generated much to look forward to. But I discovered a few cool places on a recent trip. Maybe I wasn't originally looking in the right places, or maybe it's a testament to how the city's changing. Either way, I thought I'd share one of the dining highlights of my visit.

Tucked into the Cleveland Park netherlands of DC, Palena Cafe is worth a trip up the metro and towards the Zoo. Go for dinner with friends, dress low key and brace yourself for simple and tasty classic fare. The Cafe doesn't take reservations, unlike the slightly more upscale dining room in the back. It's helped change opinions about the DC dining scene.

But the menu is worth a wait - ordinaries like burgers and pasta or roast chicken take on a slightly magical taste with help from the little elves back in the kitchen. Make sure you order the fries - and expect to relish the crispy, if a touch unhealthy, bites. The place even has an "only-in-DC" story - owners Frank Ruta and Anne Amernick met while cooking in the White House.

Palena Cafe's specialties are its burger and roast chicken. It's elegant and refined, but casual - sneakers and jeans are welcome in the environs of leather stuffed bar stools and real silverware Beware that the chicken takes 45 minutes and plan to sample the worthwhile appetizers while you wait. Wait staff service was not a highlight of our experience, but that might be because we're spoiled here in San Francisco. The prices are also reasonable - most plates are within the $10-15 range. So sample as much as you can!

Indo Snack Attack: Roomali

2008-04-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite sandwich shop. It's not what you think - no mouth watering kosher deli, not an italian hogie joint. It's actually Indian. I know, I'm still a bit surprised at that too. Roomali specializes in wraps of Indian flavor, rolled into - you guessed it - a roomali roti. They're scrumptious. Too bad the NYT's Julia Moskin missed this jewel among sandwich shops.

The only drawback? It's nestled in midtown New York, all the way across the country.

Roomali rotis, fyi, are a special type of roti that's large and super thin, almost like a handkerchief. Roomali makes theirs a bit thicker, just a touch thicker and chewier - and certainly more flavorful - than a burrito tortilla. For you brave folk, you can try to make these at home using this recipe, but half the secret's in your roti throwing technique - you may need this instructional video too.

But the real magic here is in Roomali's sandwich fillings. They're unusual - egg and reshmi kebab, chicken tandoori, chickpeas and potatoes, super spicey paneer. So many to choose from! I recommend the kebab, and the chili paneer ones. Each is accompanied by the crunch of raw onions and tomatoes. And some flaming cilantro sauce coupled with cooling raita too. A veritable Indian meal rolled into one. Not to mention, the menu is vegetarian friendly.

A wrap will set you back about $4, and theyre small enough that you'll want 2. Feeling really nostalgic for India? Get a glass of chai with it too. . . and you can practic your Hindi in Roomali's Curry Hill neighborhood too!

Roomali
97 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212) 679-8900

NY vs SF Round 2: Spice Shops?

2008-04-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

This round isn't terribly fair. My favorite spice store in the whole wide world is in midtown Manhattan. It's called Kalustyan's and its the stuff of culinary fairytales. Jars of every type of dried fruit or nut you can think of - Turkish Almonds, Tamari Almonds, California almonds, guava, kiwi, Medjool dates. The list goes on. And then rows upon rows of any oil you could desire to cook with, all the Indian and Middle Eastern spice or lentil or grain you could ask for. Jars of Indian pickles, enough to make Salman Rushdie happy. Arcane japanese chili threads on your recipe list? Kalustyans has them.

And that's just downstairs. Upstairs has another entire floor of delights. There are cooking vessels from various corners of the world - copper kadais and clay tajines. Hookahs if you need one. And an array of dried teas so vast, any Englishman would feel right at home (they have over 180 varieties).

The deli upstairs at Kalustyans is pretty special too. You'll get some middle eastern and Armenian specialties, like Mujhadarra, a curried lentil dish, delicious falafel and mouth-watering dolmades. Eat there and eat often - for just $7, you'll get enough food to keep yourself fed for days!

I haven't found anything that can come close to comparing in San Francisco. Any of you Bay Area buffs out there know of something I've missed??

Kalustyans
123 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10016

NY vs. SF Round 1: Pizza

2008-04-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

New York versus San Francisco. It’s a contentious, polarizing debate. Two different cities, opposite sides of the country, totally distinct vibes. I have a love affair with both. In the realm of food especially. New York has a vast array of restaurants and a meld of world cuisines. You can find just about anything there at any hour. San Francisco fare is fresh, cutting edge, healthy – although there’s less of it and perhaps less selection. And while I love my SF taquerias, I definitely still miss my New York pizzerias.

But all is not lost! You don’t have to give up beautiful weather, Tahoe and a (more) gorgeous city for perfect pizza. Where to go in SF to quench that craving for a piping, crispy, mouth-watering pie? Pizzeria Delfina, near Dolores Park in the Mission, is a nice place to start.

The lines, especially on weekends, are annoying. But the fare is worth it (if you’re waiting less than an hour at least. Nothing except Mama’s is worth waiting longer than that). Delfina’s magic lies mainly in the dough. It’s slightly crispy, delightfully chewy and doesn’t get soggy under the weight of tomato sauce and chunky topics. Most of Delfina’s pies also showcase a delicious tomato sauce as a base, which is tangy and rich.

The Salsiccia pizza is a classic – pork sausage with fennel, cheesy mozzarella, pan tossed red bell peppers to add a bit of crunch. Worth getting an extra pie to take home for the next day’s hangover. I was less a fan of the clam pizza – too fishy tasting for my taste. It was like having a piece of a salty lagoon on a pizza pie, if you’re into that. One of the Delfina special pie that day, Speck Pie, was a white pizza that offered an unusual combination of flavors – spring garlic, leeks and harder Italian cheeses with some prosciutto on top. Check out the menu for other cool topping combos.

So, while I fully plan on enjoying a slice or two of New York style heaven during my visit to the Big Apple this weekend, Delfina should be a nice surrogate for the rest of you staying back in Baghdad by the Bay. . . Just don't park in this dude's garage.

Pizzeria Delfina
3611 18th Street
San Francisco

(photo credit: Nik)

Culinary Improv Pt. II: Meat Rubs & Special Sauce

2008-03-27T23:24:00.000-07:00

I'm in this phase of cooking on weeknights. I find catharsis and relaxation after a long work day in the kitchen. It's also an opportunity to be creative that work may not provide. That said, it's got to be a fairly fast cooking process because I get bored and tired easily. Dinner at 10pm? Might as well order my favorite neighborhood takeout!

Finding recipes to follow was a good start, but I find that often these took significantly longer than the prep time indicated. So time to get serious and learn some basic cooking techniques. The following recipe is an amalgam of what I've learned about pairing flavors, cooking pork - and making interesting sauces.

I'm curious as to whether this bears replication. I've only made it once but if any of you venture it and it comes out alright, let me know! We may have a bonafide recipe on our hands . . .

(Thanks to my personal photographer for the pic)

So heres the story behind the flavors. Pork chops and apple sauce is one of my favorite comfort foods. So I know that apples and pork go well together. But to keep the sauce from getting too sweet, I wanted something tangy to cut it. Like dijon mustard. And to give it an extra kick and sophistication, a mysterious element, I thought it'd be fun to add some bourbon to the mix. And since I'm Indian and you can never have too much masala, some old cinnamon-clove-ginger-chilli masala sounded like a nice addition ;o) May not make total sense, but that was basically my thought process (BTW Gray Kunz's book on the Elements of Taste is a good starting point with pretty pics for learning this)

The recipe itself? Well, it involved pork as you might have guessed. . .

Ingredients
1/2 lb pork tenderloin
2 tbsn mustard
1 tbsn crushed bay leaves
1.5 tbsn fennel
salt & pepper to season
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbspn butter (melted)

1 medium shallot
1 tbsn butter
1.5 red apples finely diced
1 tbsn dijon mustard
2 tbsn bourbon
4 cloves
1 tspn cinnamon
2 tspn diced ginger
1 tspn crushed red pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 470F
2. Wash and trim the pork. Season with salt and pepper. Mix bay leaves, fennel, mustard in a small bowl. Rub onto pork, coating evenly on all sides. Leave in fridge for at least an hour if you can.
3. In a hot cast iron pan with a drizzle of olive oil, sear the meat for about 2 minutes on each side.
4. Place in oven, still in pan, for 10-15minutes until meat is just short of done.
5. As meat cooks, in a separate saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add diced shallots.
6. Add apples and ginger, cook for 2 minutes. Add mustard, cloves, cinnamon, red pepper.
7. After 1 minute, add bourbon. Then add stock and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to low and simmer, letting sauce slow cook and reduce to desired thickness. Allow to cool slightly and add salt to taste.
9. When pork is almost - but not quite - finished, removed cast iron pan from oven with mitts. In a flat plate, rolls bread crumbs with melted butter. Using tongs, transfer pork and coat in bread crumbs evenly, turning repeatedly.
10. Return pork to cast iron pan and place back in oven. Continue baking until finished and panko has turned golden and crispy (another 5 mins or less).
11. Allow meat to cool a few minutes. Slice into medallions and serve with sauce poured on top!

Culinary Improv & Cream Sauces

2008-03-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Learning to "wing it" when you cook is an important skill. Not only can it cut down cooking time, but when done properly, it also requires you to master the finer principles of cooking - pairing flavors, learning basic culinary techniques, thinking creatively about food. I'm not very good at it myself but I'm learning. Rarely does the resulting product warrant praise, so I want to share one of my few improv victories - a tasty cream sauce with artichokes and lemon pepper.

The inspiration for this concoction? 45 minutes to make a meal, a bag of penne in the cupboard, and two lemons about to spoil in my fridge. Nothing especially poetic. Let's also toss in the fact that it's citrus season and I'm generally a fan of making food with seasonal relevance. And that sauces, I've discovered, are quick and easy and can make a boring meal delicious and elegant. They're a fast way to jazz up frozen meats or pasta into a meal worth eating at a proper table with a glass of wine.

So on to this delicious cream sauce. I can't claim it's healthy, but it's pretty tasty. The recipe is below. But first, a few of my observations on sauce making technique. For one, shallots and butter and maybe a touch of garlic or other bulby flavors (like onions or leeks) are a good starting point to just about any sauce. Especially if you're making one with cream, where the flavors are often pretty light and delicate, this first step can add a nice depth of flavor. Next, simmering your cream is important but don't let it simmer for two long or you can seriously over-thicken your sauce. I actually like to cut my cream with low fat milk, which helps make the sauce thinner.

Ingredients
2 tbspn butter
1/4 pint heavy cream
1/4 pint low fat milk
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can artichokes, drained and diced
2 tbspn thyme, finely chopped
1 tbspn sage, finely chopped
lemon zest from 1 large lemon
1-2 tbspn capers
5 tbspn grated parmesan cheese
2 tbspn crushed black pepper
salt to taste

Directions
1. Melt butter over medium heat, add shallots and brown. 1 minute later, add garlic.
2. Add cream and milk and raise to a simmer, stirring constantly
3. Add diced artichokes, sage and thyme, and pepper
4. After 1-2 minutes, add lemon zest
5. Continue simmering for 6-7 minutes, stirring often so sauce does not stick and burn
4. Add capers and parmesan cheese. Reduce heat.
5. Continue simmering until sauce reaches your desired thickness.
6. Salt to taste and serve over pasta, chicken breasts, etc.

Go to Wine Country, Try the Eggs Benedict. . .

2008-03-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

NorCal's wine country has more redeeming features than fabulous wine and The French Laundry. I actually figured this out back in October but am somehow just getting around to sharing the news. Sorry for the slight delay. . .

My last visit to wine country involved an overzealous friend and a 6:45am wakeup call. Since we'd gotten up at such a atrociously early time, and few wineries are open to serve wine for breakfast, we decided to hit up the best meal of the day in Napa. A quick blackberry search (boy did that make us feel baller) for "Eggs Benedict" and "Napa" revealed one Alexis Baking Company (ABC) & Cafe.

There was something magical about the breakfast that that fateful search led us to. . .

Maybe it was the absurdly beautiful scenery of Napa vines in fall colors. Those reds, oranges and yellows, perfectly trellised and glittering with some strange silver threads (to scare birds?) were poetic enough to trump a New England color change.

Or maybe it was the prospect of the awesome wines we would go on to taste that afternoon (Grgich Hills and Stags Leap, among others were highlights - perhaps to be discussed in a future post). And there would be many.

But one way or the other, that breakfast at ABC Cafe is still one of the best ones I remember having since moving out here. In truth, the credit probably goes to Alexis and her kitchen staff directly. The eggs benedict was amazing - please do try it if you can. The portions are huge, so beware that you can probably order one dish for two people. The eggs are huge and poached to perfection. The bacon was just crisped and not too greasy. And the hollandaise was flavorful - touches of dill and paprika were well paired. As a seasonal complement, with the harvest just ended, we had some juicy wine grapes as a garnish on our plates too.

You'll have to take a little detour to find this place - it's nestled on Third Street in sleepy downtown Napa. But especially if you can beat the lines that begin to form outside by 10am (as we were leaving), eggs benedict fans will find it well worth the search.

Alexis Baking Company & Cafe
1517 Third Street
Downtown Napa

(Btw, photo credit for each of these gorgeous shots goes to my photographer friend Tushar!)

Magical Murugan

2008-03-02T23:03:00.001-08:00

I was in Chennai recently for work. After a long day of meetings, my mind was exhausted from talking and listening - and I was craving some good old South Indian comfort food. Luckily, Chennai is just the right city for such a craving. An economist of repute, with whom we met that day, recommended a little coffee shop called Murugan Idli Shop.

The unassuming little cafe, tucked into a corner store front on North Usman Road (although there are 4 other locations in town), isn't much to look at. But the joint has been around for over 15 years. It's humble in trappings - but for visitors to South India looking for some 'authentic' local flavor, that may make it all the more appealing. Chennai residents certainly think so, as I'm told that all the local branches are packed during lunch time and on the weekends.

Murugan specializes in South Indian snack foods - idlis (steamed rice cakes with various flavors), uttapam (a flatbread cooking on the griddle, made from slightly soured batter), vadas (fried lentil cakes), tamarind rice, yogurt rice - and these delicious chutneys that accompany each dish. The food is served piping hot, freshly cooked, entirely vegetarian. And it is so, so tasty. Mom, you may not like to hear it, but their idlis are actually better than yours.

One of my favorite parts of Murugan? Everything is served on banana leaves. Not only do you get the authentic South Indian dining experience, but you also get the gratification of knowing you're being environmentally friendly! To further add to the shop's authenticity - you'll be washing your hands pre and post meal at the communal wash basin with the best of them, and you're lucky if your waiter speaks any English. But the fare here is so delicious, Murugan is a great opportunity and incentive to learn a little bit of Tamil - "innumonu , dhayavu saidhu" (one more please!).

Murugan Idli Shop
46/13 North Usman Road, T.Nagar
Chennai
Tamil Nadu
India

GlobalGlutton Gets Tech Savvy

2008-02-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

I am the least techy person I know. I thought getting a blog up and running was impressive enough, given my relative ignorance of IT-related things.

Which is why it's a huge feat that I've managed to get a unique domain name for this blog. So to all my avid fans, revel in the fact that you can now just type www.globalglutton.com into your browsers and enjoy my culinary musings. Blogger, I love you but your blog addresses are just too complicated.

Of course, I won't claim sole credit for the accomplishment. Special thanks to my high fiving code monkey for helping make this happen.

www.globalglutton.com

From Karnataka with Love: Mysore Pak

2008-02-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Karnataka is home to many amazing Indian phenomena: Bangalore's hi tech revolution, ancient buildings, the Mysore maharajas - perhaps most notably, Mysore Pak. This amazing Carnatic dessert is delectable - sweet, buttery and rich. Like an Indian shortbread, but better. Just don't pay too much attention to what goes inside. . .

That said, the best Mysore Pak in the country, I will venture, is not in Karnataka. It's made in a sweet shop in Chennai called Sri Krishna Sweets. It's utterly amazing, worth the trip out of state for a taste. And if you're only in Chennai for a short while, as I was - don't worry. Sri Krishna now has a stall in the domestic airport where you can buy a quarter kilo of this great stuff for just 50 INR (about $1.50).

Because the recipe is fairly simple, the quality of ingredients that you use is critical. Mysore pak's main element is besan flour - a fine chick pea flour that you're likely to find only in an Indian grocery store. Also, do not cut back on the amount of ghee used in here. No substituting with apple sauce or margerine or Crisco - just pure, unadulterated clarified butter. As much as your arteries may cringe when you're making this dish, just keep in mind that serving sizes are meant to be tiny - bite size. So enjoy it in moderation!

Here's a recipe that I've borrowed and modified from Mahanandi:
1 cup Bengal Gram (sift and aerate to remove lumps)
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 cup Ghee (at room temperature)
1/2 cup Water
2 pods cardamom (crushed)

Directions:
1. In a big sturdy pot, take one cup of water, add sugar and bring them to boil till the sugar syrup reaches one string consistency. Reduce the heat.
2. Now pour the ghee and besan flour in a steady stream into the sugar syrup while stirring. Stir constantly!
3. Cook till the mixture becomes slightly frothy, thickens and the ghee begins to leave the sides of the pan.
4. Add in the cardamom powder.
5. Spread out on a greased pan immediately. Even and level out with a spatula. When firm, but still warm, cut the mysore pak into squares or diamond shapes.

Best Drink Ever

2008-01-29T01:54:00.000-08:00

India is home to the best non-alcoholic beverage ever. Fresh lime soda, or nimbu-pani, is light, refreshing, delicious - and quintessentially Indian. It's even got a historical legacy - K.T. Acharya, author of the A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food, claims that it was ""the supreme quencher of colonial thirst" in India. Forget those brand name sodas or mango juice - fresh lime was here first. It's easy to make, tasty - and it continues to be the everyday beverage of choice.

One sip and you can understand why. The drink is a peculiar blend of tart and luscious, sweet and salty - and if you get it with soda, fizzy and smooth. Don't be fooled by the simple title either - there's a great deal of choice in how one orders a fresh lime. Are you a salty or sweet drinker - do you dare to mix both? Or are you such a devoted drinker that you can handle it with sulfuric black salt or chili powder? Would you take it with soda or straight water? And of course, ice or no ice? I'm a "soda, salty sweet with black salt please, no-ice" fresh lime connoisseur myself.

Fresh lime virgins may liken the drink to American lemonade - but the metaphor doesn't do this beverage justice. Lemonade is overpoweringly sweet and invokes images of Grandma's front porch and a plate of country cookies. The fresh lime is subtle and sophisticated - teasing your tastebuds. And in pairings, it's remarkably versatile. You can take it alone as a non-alcoholic aperitif in an elegant high glass, or straight out of a plastic disposable as you eat idli off of a banana leaf.

One thing's for sure - while the drink has been around a long time on the subcontinent, I've never seen it served up elsewhere. I think it's time for a little culinary exportation. . . For anyone interested, here's a recipe:

2 tbsp. simple syrup (made by first boiling together equal parts sugar and water,
then letting it cool)
1 1⁄2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (persian limes work best)
3⁄4 cup soda water
1/2 tbsp. salt
Lime slice

1. Fill a glass with ice cubes, then add simple syrup and lime juice. Add soda water and salt. Stir well, then serve garnished with a lime slice, if you like.

Indigo

2008-01-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

Mumbai natives will hardly find this review surprising. They've been fans of Indigo for years. But since I visit the place every time I'm in town, I wanted to get it up on here too.

Full of pretty people and tasty food, the restaurant offers Western fare with a creative twist. Located in Colaba, one of Mumbai's most happening neighborhoods, Indigo gives you a taste for how India's changing - and why this is a metropolitan city in its own right. Dining in this city is hardly just about avoiding Delhi belly - you can have a fabulous meal and experience too.

The ambiance alone is worth the trip - the restaurant remains a hang out for the city's young metropolitan crowd. Uber chic is the theme du jour. Every day. Expect to see everyone from supermodels to investment bankers there on a weekend evening. Admittedly, that might sound like typical New York - but the fact that that crowd's gathered in Mumbai, half a world away, makes it slightly more unusual than you'd expect. And the decor is beautiful - cool whites and brown, unusual flowers accentuate a modern aesthetic.

And if you're there after dinner, the joint turns into a fabulous cocktail bar. You can rub elbows with Mumbai's beautiful people - with a seasonal cocktail to boot.

Food here is awesome, and the menu's full of great international fusion dishes. For lunch I was spoiled with a chestnut and pumpkin pasta, covered in nut pesto and sauteed squash. Eating out in Mumbai rarely involves actual Indian food - and with choices like some of those on Indigo's menu, I understand why. If you're there while the beet and coconut soup is on the menu, try it; may sound weird but it's delicious. And, after traveling halfway around the world, I still found a pastry chef who's skills are worthy of a gold star - Suresh Kumar, thank you for your creative and yummy cappuccino souffle!

Indigo
4 Mandlik House
Colaba, Mumbai

First Worst Meal in SF

2008-01-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

I had my first worst meal in San Francisco last week. It was so off-putting that it's taken me a week to blog about it. (That and a little trip to India that's kept me busy, but we'll get to that).

The most disappointing aspect of this meal, though, was the high expectations I had going into it - Thrillist featured the place as its hot new restaurant recommendation for the week. Thrillist overhyped; Sangha underdelivered.

Nothing about the place, which blends Scandinavian interior design with Latin and Japanese fusion food, was great. Thrillist promises "strength in synergy," but instead diners get a chilly dining room that looks unfinished, and tasteless (or at worst, bad tasting altogether) food. The chefs may need to revisit their menu.

We tried every single specialty roll on the menu but couldn't find a single one that was worth the trip back out to Glen Park for a second serving. Even the self-proclaimed "Ecstasy" roll, which combines maguro and binchi, was disappointingly bland - and it was the best of the lot. My vegetarian friend had the worst luck - her best roll was a meager combo of rice and diced fruits. Mango, cucumber and rice do not an enticing fusion meal make! The spider roll was a disaster entirely. The seaweed wrap on the outside had such a strong fishy taste, we couldn't finish more than two pieces for fear that the softshell crab inside the roll had spoiled.

That said, it's interesting to see Sangha get such positive reviews on Yelp - maybe we just had a particulary bad experience. But even if that's true, it's not a good sign that this brand new restaurant, just 4 weeks post-opening, is struggling to capture the gastronomical hearts of diners. More likely than not, Sangha's popularity is due more to the dearth of Japanese dining options in Glen Park.

The highlight of our meal at Sangha, if I had to pick anything? The fact that Gialina's is just down the street, and you and your date can order one of their divine nutella and marscapone dessert pizzas to wash out Sangha's sad flavors.

Sangha
678 Chenery Street
(between Carrie St & Diamond St)

Sweet Spot

2008-01-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

I am not a chocolate lover. Those words may strike some of you as sacrilegious, but it's the truth. The good news, though, is that the fact that I'm featuring a chocolate shop means it's damn delicious.

This isn't some mass-manufactured, individually-wrapped and nationally shipped Ghirardelli either. The name's XOX Truffles, and their little truffle bites are divine.

Tucked into a little Fisherman's Wharf - North Beach store front at 754 Colombus Avenue, you'd be lucky to accidentally stumble across this place - although that's how I somehow found it. The yellow sign in the window read "rated one of the 7 best chocolates in North America," and my inner foodie was intrigued.

XOX specializes in little, bite-size chocolate truffles that come in 27 flavors. Truffles, the sophisticated pinnacle of chocolate making, have been mastered by chocolatier John Marc Gorce. For the traditionalists, the classic amaretto and dark chocolate ones are well suited. Not too sweet, these chocolates are smooth and buttery, a dreamy consistency. But they don't pack the overwhelming sweetness that turns me off of Godiva or Ghirardelli's versions. For the more adventurous, the Early Grey, Red Wine and a l'Orange are worth trying. The flavors are subtle and complement And at 75 cents a bite, you can sample as many as you like.

I may become a chocoholic yet. Let me try the other 22 flavors and then get back to you on that. . .

These Ain't Your Mama's Eggs

2008-01-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

I may be the last person in SF to discover how amazing Sunday brunch at Foreign Cinema really is, but at least I'm blogging about it.

Foreign Cinema has the best brunch I've had since New York. Better than my typical lazy Sunday Chinese ordering-in. Even better than Universal Cafe. For those of you too lazy to leave your neighborhood on the weekend, this is worth the trip. And for those of you lucky enough to live in the Mission, it's worth fighting you all for a table every Sunday.

Actually, that one of the surprising parts about my visit. Sunday afternoon at 12:30, and we didn't have to wait in line at all for a table for four. Maybe that day was an anomaly. The space is really pretty - a converted cinema space (and they still do foreign film showings, go figure) with high ceilings, wide open spances, an industrial-chic look. And a pretty little patio in the middle for those craving unadulterated SF sun. This is where the pretty people hang.

The Bloody Marys at Foreign Cinema are delightful. Just spicy enough, they're mini works of art. And if you don't like yours with celery, don't worry - there's also an olive, pickled onion and caperberry for you to nibble on.

Try not to get too drunk before eating though, or you'll spoil the best part. The brunch fare at FC is amazing. I kept stealing bites from my friends' baguette French toast. The bread was seriously warm and thick and buttery soft. It was like eating bready creme brulee with a touch of powdered sugar and fruit! I've always through brioche made the best French toast, but this dish singlehandedly changed my mind.

Still, one of my greatest tests for a restaurant menu is whether it can reinvent a classic. And this place certainly has - one bite of their 'scrambled eggs' made that quite clear. These ain't your mama's eggs. They were fluffy and light, with a touch of crumbled goats cheese and lots of this picante green mole sauce. And they topped a crispy fried tortilla, laced with a touch of red mole sauce and refried beans. So good! And quite pretty, too.

Foreign Cinema - 2534 Mission St.

Cantina

2007-12-29T10:08:00.001-08:00

I am a total girl when it comes to cocktails. The prettier and tastier, the better. Props to my friend Siddhi, who took me to this nice new joint in the Union Square area.

It's called Cantina and you should hit it up when you're next looking for a cool drinks place to impress your friends. Small and subtly located on Sutter near Mason, you can walk right by the pretty wood and wrought iron door if you don't know what you're looking for. You'll get credit for having 'local' knowledge and knowing that such a place exists.

Inside, Cantina is skinny and long, only has a few seats but is dimly lit with spicy decor - funky fabrics, interesting paintings (you might not ever hang them in your house, but at least they have a home here; but luckily its an art gallery so the pieces change), and a bar to make any Latin liquor connoisseur swoon. They've got more types of cachaca, pisco and tequila than I've seen outside of Brazil, Peru or Mexico! And did I forget to mention that lots of the pretty people hang here? Make sure to dress casual-Mission.

But I digress. This is a drinks joint, or a 'bebidas bistro' to borrow their own term, after all, and boy do they do those well. Duggan McDonnell, expert mixologist, has worked some might fine magic on this drinks list. And it, like the art, changes. The drinks are one of a kind, don't even dare trying to order your standard gin and tonic here. All seem to be served in a simple, tall high ball glass with a sliver of cucumber, ginger or pineapple. And it's all made fresh at the bar, none of this from-concentrate crap.

My personal favorite is one that I bummed from Siddhi, the Laughing Buddha - a scrumptious mix of ginger, ginger beer, serrano pepper (yeah that's right) and alcoholic goodness. It's not too sweet, a crime often committed by alco-pop makers. I ordered one of the daily specials, a pisco punch - after spending minutes agonizing whether to get that or a blackberry cabernet caiperinha. I made a good choice, my drink had some ginger, orange and pineapple juice to drown out pisco's often heavy, burning taste.

But I'm definitely trying the blackberry thing next time.

In Support of a Fellow Foodie

2007-12-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

I love comparing my food preferences with those of my friends. Generally, I'm in it for selfish reasons, to prove that my critical tastebuds are better than theirs, or at least as discerning. Just kidding. I'm hardly a Type-A perfectionist. My disastrous Gingerbread house, which would make a pre schooler's art project look good, can attest to that.

Anyway, Vaughn Tan, a fellow SF foodie, H-bomb alumn and wood shop extraordinaire, has created a map of good eats in SF. I want to share it because I agree with a number of his selections. For those of you visiting the city or looking for new restos to try, may this serve as a useful edible guide to San Francisco:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=114669541453560775024.00000110a882e636554fe&z=12&om=1

Vaughn's the only person I know who got academic credit for "researching" and writing about fabulous Japanese food. Check out more of his musings at http://www.fractiouscolloid.com.

The Great Gingerbread Disaster

2007-12-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

I had a major culinary catastrophe recently. I blog about it because it was my greatest baking failure to date. Right up there with the time my dog ate half of a homemade pineapple cake.

But in seriousness, my sister and I took on the daunting project of building a gingerbread house this Christmas. I decided we should bake the whole thing from scratch – none of this graham cracker nonsense. I searched the net but the recipes I came up with weren’t very helpful. They were targetted more at veteran gingerbread makers looking to add an extra story or fine details like gingerbread crown molding to perfect structures. Few provided basic instructions for beginners like us, who would’ve been happy with a clapboard shack so long as we could pile tons of candy goodness onto it.

Our house was doomed from the beginning. The gingerbread planks to our humble home distorted in shape as they baked. One piece nearly burned. They tasted ok – not very sweet, but that was OK given the amount of extra sugar we loaded on in the form of frosting and candy. The pieces hardly fit together, and our frosting was more like white sludge than a firm glue to hold the pieces together.

Luckily, we somehow managed to have a crumbling structure to put candy onto by morning. Our Christmas miracle! And boy did we load that thing up with all kinds of chocolates and teeth-rotting edibles – almond M&Ms (love them!), twizzlers on the roof, Hershey’s Kissables, candy cane pieces. And these funky little peppermint malt balls – though I think we ate as many as we used on the house.

But our baked abode did not last. Within minutes of putting the last candy touches on it, the roof gradually caved and then the walls imploded. A perfect Florida gingerbread house, perhaps – post-hurricane.

I will not accept pastry defeat. Anyone out there have suggestions for how to do better next time?? Stronger gingerbread? Better icing? Tips for making the template?

An Unconventional Thanksgiving? Sweet Potato Tamales. . .

2007-11-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. It combines my three favorite ingredients – cooking, eating and family. That said, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s also one of the least conducive occasions for experimenting. You don’t want to disappoint your guests with a charred, under-seasoned or all-out failed dish. It’s an occasion to let your tried and true blue-ribbon recipes shine – the perfect pecan pie, creamy mashed potatoes and delectable turkeys get their moment.

But sometimes tried and true gets boring. Years of eating the same dishes – mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with either marshmallows or maple syrup, too-tart cranberry sauce, turkey which is rarely evenly cooked, green bean casserole with too much canned mushroom soup, give or take a pumpkin pie or two – can leave the taste buds craving something different.

Mind you, not everyone needs adventure in their Thanksgiving menu. I’ll admit, there’s real value and skill in consistency. This entry isn’t for those tradition-bound eaters. It’s for those of you, who like me, are looking for something a little different to grace your tables – at least for next year!

In search of something more interesting, I tried a few new recipes on my Thanksgiving table this year. And the results were exciting. I’m sharing my favorite here – it's Bobby Flay-inspired, and it’s a real fusion dish suited to the part of Florida where I'm from, where Mexican and southern influences run together – just as they do in these sweet potato tamales.

Ingredients
20 dried corn husks
1 1/2 cups canned corn kernels
1 medium onion, chopped
1 head garlic, cloves removed and roasted
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening or margarine
1 1/2 cups masa or yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon honey
2 medium sweet potatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions
1. About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, soak husks warm water for 2 hours, until softened.

2. Roast the sweet potatoes at 375F for about 1 hour or until soft, then peel and mash

3. Puree the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a blender. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and cut in the butter and shortening.

4. Mix in the masa, honey, and salt and pepper coarsely, until there are no visible lumps of fat.

5. Fold in the sweet potato puree, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, allspice, and maple syrup.

6. Remove the cornhusks from the water and set aside the 20 biggest husks. Pat dry. Tear the remaining husks into 1-inch wide strips to be used for tying.

7. Form the tamales: lay 2 husks flat with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping by 2-3 inches. Place about 1/3 cup of masa mixture in the center. Bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and pat down to close. It’s OK if the masa spills a bit from the seams. Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of cornhusk, folding the short ends in towards the middle and centering the filling when you tie. The tamale should look like a little tied packet.

8. Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover with a lid or tightly with foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. To serve, allow to cool slightly and serve with salted pecan butter.

(Pecan butter - grind 1/4 cup of pecans and blend with 1 stick of softened butter, and salt to taste - yummy!)

A Taste of Home: Vik's Chaat Corner

2007-11-13T23:41:00.000-08:00

I've found a little taste of home in the East Bay. It's called Vik's Corner in Berkeley and it's awesome. Tucked into an unassuming warehouse near the corner of 4th and Allston Way, this restaurant dishes up Indian street foods reminiscent of Bombay's Chowpatty. You should go. Soon.

It was a great place to quench my cravings for real Indian fast food - from to dhokla and chole batura - even good old South Indian specialties like masala dosa were on offer! Vik's isn't a well kept secret either - it was packed the Sunday that I went with family with college kids, Berkeley residents and, of course, Indians. The latter audience is a living testament to the quality of the place!

The eatery is totally casual and laid back. In real Indian style, you can wait in line at a register surrounded by super hot stoves and men rushing around to make your food, yelling in Hindi (and Spanish), all the while staring at a display of mouth-watering Indian mithai.

For those of you who feel especially inspired by your eating experience, you can also step next door into Vik's Distributors, the neighboring Indian store, to pick up ingredients and try recreating the Vik's experience at home.

Do Right with Bi-Rite

2007-10-28T21:59:00.001-07:00

I’ve been in San Francisco long enough now to have sampled some of the city’s finest food offerings. There are many to choose from, but the one worthy of my first SF entry is hands-down the amazing ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery. Their cold concoctions evoke delicious childhood memories of monkey bars, birthday parties and light-up sneakers. . . Well, maybe not the sneakers.

Bi-Rite has been around for over 50 years. The small, locally-owned joint makes batches of artisanal ice cream in unusual but scrumptious flavors. They've nailed the basics - the ice cream is light, airy and not too sweet. In fact, the flavors are the creamery's biggest highlight! The combinations are not predictable, but they sing on your tongue and usually pair two seemingly mis-matched ingredients which complement each other well. The creamery offers up to 49 such flavors – I tried to sample them all and failed, but here’re some of the highlights: salted caramel, balsamic vinegar and strawberry, honey and lavender. The Mint Chip is great too.

Bi-Rite’s salted caramel deserves a special shout out. The salty-sweet combination is incredible. It’s like caramel popcorn without the annoying bits that get stuck in between your teeth!

A double scoop will set you back $4. The portion sizes are just right, and come with cute wooden spoons to boot. If you’re feeling like a real cacophony of flavor, go for one of their many sundaes. The banana split comes with caramelized bananas! Otherwise, for the lactose intolerant (or diet-abiding people who foolishly venture past), the creamery has popsicles in refreshing flavors like pineapple mint.

Bi-Rite is a quintessentially SF place – quirky, exceptional . . . and a bit of green mixed in. After you order your cold or baked goodies, you can walk just across the street and enjoy them in beautiful Dolores park! (If you have time, be sure to check out Bi-Rite Market just down the street for unique, hard-to-find gourmet food items)

Beaches, Pink Flamingos - and Key Lime Pie

2007-10-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

I made a lot of key lime pie this summer in Florida. It’s one of my favorite parts of going home. My neighbor has this prolific citrus grove in her backyard, and her key lime tree usually has plenty of little yellow-green gems begging to be mix with condensed milk and turned into a delicious tart pie. It’s such a quintessentially Floridian thing, I can’t say no.

Before I share my tried and true recipe for key lime pie, it’s worth mentioning that key limes really are different from the standard Persian limes that you see in grocery stores. They taste and look different. They’re a lot smaller – about the size of a ping pong ball. When they’re ripe, the skin thins and they turn a bright yellow color. It’s got more zing too – more acidic and a touch of bitterness, and a more floral bouquet than the normal grocery store lime.

Key limes are named after the Florida Keys, where they grow well and are the signature ingredient in our state’s best dessert. The limes themselves are said to have immigrated to Florida from Malaysia or somewhere else far east, transported by Spanish ships. Key lime pie is from Key West, which helps explain the other unusual ingredient in the recipe – condensed milk. The recipe originates at some point in the 19^th century, when shipping families in Key West had to substitute canned condensed milk, since few people had ice boxes to keep fresh milk. originated in

Aficionados will argue incessantly about the proper or best way to make key lime pie. Graham cracker or pastry crust? Sour cream or crème fraiche? Meringue or whipped cream topping? Cooked or uncooked filling? I’m taking my own stand. Here’s my favorite key lime pie recipe. . .

Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ cup vanilla wafer crumbs
¾ cup brown sugar
4 tbspn butter, melted
2 (14oz) cans condensed milk
1 cup key lime juice
2 whole eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
¼ cup whipped cream
2 tbspn powdered sugar
1 tbspn key lime zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Mix the crumbs, brown sugar and butter together in a medium bowl until well blended and moist. In a lightly greased 9” pie pan, press the crumb mixture in, distributed evenly along the bottom and up the sides, to form the crust.

3. Bake crust in the oven about 20 minutes, until browned. Remove and let cool.

4. Decrease oven temperature to 325F. In a large bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice and eggs. Whisk until well-blended and pour into cooled pie shell.

5. Bake 15 minutes in oven. Remove and let chill in fridge for 2 hours.

6. Once chilled, in a separate medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, whipped cream and sour cream. Use to top pie. Sprinkle with lime zest (and optionally a sprig of mint) to garnish. Serve cold.

"Expateries" - a (Delicious) Traveling Phenomenon

2007-09-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

In my travels to various countries, I’ve encountered one ubiquitous feature in just about each place I’ve visited: the expat-run gourmet eatery. On the one hand, these establishments stick out like sore thumbs – imagine an amazing gelateria on a remote Kenyan beach. On the other, they also channel their strangely cosmopolitan environs – remote towns often chalk-full of international visitors. For all the assumed contradiction between the local and global, however, these kitchens often manage to fuse the best of both realms.

While the category encompasses a wide variety of restaurants, cafés, bakeries, etc., these expat eateries tend to share a few traits. For one, their offerings usually meld elements of two countries. Indeed, the owners are often aspiring and adventurous cooks from other countries who have made a new home in distant lands. A green chili-white chocolate-vodka cheesecake that I had in Mumbai’s Theobroma dessert café (run by sisters Tina and Kainaz) comes to mind, for example. Yum!

Second, their décor and ambiance offer a little taste of home and respite for the travel weary or home sick. They can channel aesthetics that seem to appeal to citizens of the world. At Yacout in Marrakech, for instance, I remember recalling flashbacks to The Park lounge in New York, with its indoor trees and chic fairy lights. As a result, they often stand apart from typical restaurants – just like their food.

More often than not, they rely on imports – imported food items, wines, and recipes. Even décor is inspired or borrowed entirely from far away places. In a sense, their offerings are real fusion food – melding local ingredients with foreign recipes or techniques, which are sometimes acquired with real effort. In Zanzibar’s Stone Town, for example, Amore Mio (see photo above) is a real labor of love run by an Italian family that moved to the East African island and set up a bonafide gelateria – with an imported gelato maker! In pursuit of such eclectic visions, great pains can be taken. In Santo Domingo, for example, the owners of Hotel Ataranzana bed and breakfast (Bernhard and Suzanne) imported their own cheeses and salamis from Europe for the delicious daily breakfast service!

But the most recent ‘expatterie’ experience I’ve had, which really inspired this whole entry, was a chic-comfy Peruvian joint called Cicciolina in the heart of Cusco. Its owned by, as you probably guessed, an Italian replanted into the Inca heartland. The café-resaurant- tapas bar serves delicious food to the hike-weary, fresh from its imported gourmet oven, stellar tapas with a local twist, and great cocktails. In fact, the owners have also gone into the wine importing business, opening a distributor called Baquito, that supplies other area restaurants with imported South American and European bottles.

The décor in Cicciolina deserves special praise. The restaurant is on the second floor of an old colonial building, with a gorgeous bar bedecked in red flowers and hanging ornaments, and black or espresso tables, mirrors – very chic. Someone’s clearly put a lot of effort and love into the place. Perched from one of those corner high tables, I enjoyed a whole range of offerings – the Pisco sours are excellent, and the bartenders offer an informative intro to various types of the grape-based liquor.

I was so enamored with Cicciolina’s foods that we ate there three times in our three days in Cusco. I can strongly recommend their brunch foods – I had a great poached egg-asparagus and brown bread open sandwich. Not sure what they put in the balsalmic sauce, but it had a nice special sweetness to it. And the evening tapas are wonderful – showcasing typical Peruvian flavors in a classic Spanish form. Savory mushroom bruschetta and a roasted red pepper bite come to mind. What a delicious postcolonial concept!

El Sabor de Ceviche

2007-08-24T08:20:00.001-07:00

I ventured to Peru at the beginning of August. The journey was primarily to see the country’s famed Incan ruins, and to observe economic conditions – but I certainly harbored culinary ambitions as well.

As most of you have likely heard, however, a devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake rocked southern Peru just a few days after I returned, on August 15. It doesn’t feel right writing about fanciful food experiences in a country where so many are without access to emergency healthcare, supplies or shelter. Not to mention, more than half of Peruvians live in poverty. So let me first encourage you to help the cause, keep monitoring news reports from the region, and donate or volunteer as you can. A few websites to help Peruvian victims -

CARE

UNICEF

CRIMSON SOLIDARITY (started by friends of mine)

How can anyone write about the highlights of Peruvian cuisine without mentioning ceviche (unless, of course, you’re a vegetarian)? I’ve been in love with the dish since I first tried an interpretation of it, with trout and lots of lime and peppers, in Nicaragua in 2002. Two months later I was surprised to see another version – but this time in the thick of New York’s high dining scene, with scallops and grouper and blood orange marinade, at the then-called Bouley Bakery.

Ceviche was coming “into fashion” on the haute-cuisine stage at that point. The dish immigrated from its Peruvian home, where it was already migrating to other parts of the region (like Nica), all the way to New York. I loved it because, whether at a simple café in Central America or a fancy joint in the Big Apple, it is a great summer dish, light and refreshing, melding two of the season’s best flavors – fresh fish and fruit.

So what is it exactly? Ceviche (sometimes called cebiche) is a dish of raw fish marinated, or “cooked,” in citrus juice. It was originally eaten by the Inca. In Peru, the dish’s home, that citrus juice is typically from Peruvian limes. It’s traditionally marinated in chilies as well, and accompanied by boiled sweet potato, fresh boiled maize and thinly sliced sweet red onions to balance the heat and acidity. The fish is often a white sea fish (given Peru’s massive Pacific coastline), sea bass or grouper. But there are certainly variants on the theme – in northern regions of Peru, you can find more exotic seafoods used such as white and black conch.

The “secret” of ceviche, though, is that the fish are not actually raw. They’re not quite “cooked,” either, since that term implies the use of heat. Rather, the acidity of the citrus juice chemically denatures proteins in the fish used for ceviche. The process renders the meat an opaque color, which can give it the appearance of having been cooked. But the texture of the meat remains raw, almost like sashimi.

There are two important tricks to preparing ceviche. Both involve maintaining a fine balance in the fish, so as to avoid undercooking it without overcooking. One is in the cut of the fish. Select the freshest fish you can find, and make sure that you slice it into thin, bit-size pieces. This increases the surface area that’s exposed to the citrus juices, allowing them to work best. The second trick is to not over-marinade your fish – too much exposure to the citrus can give it a tough, leathery texture. Your seafood will determine length of exposure. Generally, a flakier fillet, like flounder or snapper, or tender shellfish like scallops may only need to marinate for about 15 minutes. Denser fish, such as mahi mahi, can take closer to 50 minutes or an hour to “cook.”

Remember though, citrus juice cannot kill bacteria in the same way that heat can. So it’s very important to pick fresh fish, free of bacteria and parasites, to prepare this dish. Where this is not possible, some advise picking deep-frozen fin fish, which has been at -4F for at least a week.

And now, without further ado, a recipe for basic ceviche –

Ingredients
2 lbs of fresh red snapper fillets (no bones), cut into thin ½ inch pieces
½ cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
½ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ red onion, very finely diced
1 cup of fresh peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
1 serrano or other hot chili, seeded and finely diced
1 sweet potato, boiled until soft, peeled and cut into big slices
1 ear of boiled sweet corn, kernels removed
2 teaspoons of salt
dash of ground oregano
sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Directions
1. In a casserole dish, preferably ceramic, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, oregano and cayenne pepper.
2. Cover with lime and lemon juice.
3. Let mixture sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices.
4. Let sit for two more hours, giving time for the flavors to blend.
5. Serve accompanied with boiled, peeled sweet potato and corn, garnish with red onions.

Optional:
You can use shrimp or scallops, or another flaky white fish instead of the snapper. You can also add key lime juice or grapefruit juice (freshly squeezes, no sugar added) instead of regular lime juice to add additional flavor.

Chef Pankhurst Shares a Recipe

2007-08-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

With my rave review of Savoy Cabbage, you can imagine how excited I was when Peter Pankhurst, the restaurant's head chef, agreed to share a recipe. I had a delightful amuse bouche at his restaurant during my visit in early July, a light sweet corn mini-pancake, topped with smoked salmon and a creme fraiche sauce.

Many thanks to Chef Pankhurst for sharing the recipe, which I'm including in this post - and I hope you try it for yourselves! This light, pretty finger food would be perfect for a cocktail party or appetizer. It's easy to make if you can handle making pancakes, offers a classic flavor combination, and looks so elegant!

1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup corn meal or polenta
1 tablespoon baking powder
100ml cream
75ml milk
3 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ear sweetcorn, boiled till tender and kernels removed
Smoked salmon, thinly sliced
Crème fraiche
Chive tips, to garnish

1. Mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the wet ingredients. Mix with a whisk to make a batter somewhat thicker than normal pancake batter. If too thick add more milk. Fold the sweetcorn kernels into the batter just before using.

2. To cook, drop teaspoonfuls of batter into a lightly greased frying pan. Flip cakes after approximately 45 seconds andcook on the opposite side for about 25 seconds.

3. Taste 5 or 6 cakes to see if they are OK. This can be difficult, so taste as many more as you need to ensure top quality. If necessary, start over, but try to save some for your guests.

4. Garnish with thinly sliced smoked salmon and top with crème fraiche. Garnish with chive tips.

Cape Town Culinary Highlights

2007-07-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

Cape Town is a city full of wonderful eateries. I’ll admit, I was pretty sick of crackers and peanut butter by the time we reached there too. That certainly helped cast the pretty seaside city as a culinary Mecca! Its repertoire is diverse, ranging from cozy cafés to touristy “African fare” joints and posh fusion restaurants. The city has an up-and-coming dining out scene that even critics in established foodie cities are noticing. So, as Melissa planned our travel along the Garden Route, I plotted an (equally important?) culinary itinerary to sample Cape Town’s many offerings during our four days in town.

A fan of locally-owned cafés with lots of character, I found plenty of places to enjoy a cup of coffee or light foods in CT. Mr. Pickwick’s Deli on Long Street was one of my favorites. The joint turns into a chill bar in the evenings too, where you can enjoy a nice glass of South African wine and read about upcoming concerts and art events. Afro Café, on the antique-covered Church Street, offers amazing salads (see picture). I can practically still taste one that Melissa ordered, which had warmed goats cheese, beets, mint and rocket with seeds.

Frieda’s Café, on Bree Street, dishes up heart and stomach-warming comfort foods with a new twist. The décor inside was also memorable – like a modern cafeteria, the café has an open central seating area replete with long tables, but garnished with the decorative charms of a comfy home. Check out the Mustard Seed just across the street for great sandwiches too!

But the dining experience I remember most was our last night in town, when we treated ourselves to dinner at the Savoy Cabbage Restaurant & Champagne Bar. A “New South African” restaurant, it’s one of CT’s most celebrated – and for good reason. I’m joining its throngs of international fans. Elegant without overwhelming, the restaurant’s exposed brick contrasts with modern glass and metal fixtures, and bespeaks a casual-chic that’s also conveyed in the menu options. The ambiance is polished but laid back enough to enjoy meals with friends and family without frills or excessive formality. The Savoy Cabbage's L-shaped dining room is split into two levels with a slight view of the kitchens. That’s where the restaurant’s cooking staff works its magic, capturing the flavors of seasonal South African ingredients in masterfully melded dishes.

Take my favorite starter, for instance, a tomato tart with a practically perfect crust. Simple, but well executed and full of flavor. Some dishes incorporate unexpected flavor combinations. We tried one starter of chicken liver pate coupled with stewed plums and artisanal bread which was unusual but delicious. Chef Peter Pankhurst even managed to make tripe appetizing! My friend Paul braved a main course of tripe cooked in a smoky, tangy flavored tomato sauce that has made him a dedicated fan of this difficult-to-make-appetizing cut of meat. I was very pleased with my choice as well, a filet of yellowfish prepared with a light herb sauce, potatoes and sugar snap peas. The restaurant’s wine list was equally stellar – I enjoyed a glass of Lourensford Sauvignon Blanc 2004 with my meal, a nice complement to the light fish, and which was perhaps the best SB I’ve had in recent memory.

From décor to food and drink pairings, owner Caroline Bagley and her team have done a great job. After traveling across the globe to the southern tip of Africa, I found a dining experience to rival some of my favorites in New York, San Francisco and Boston alike. If you make it there before I manage a return visit, enjoy a meal (or two) there for me!

Pinotage: Dis goed! [It's Good!]

2007-07-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

After a long, gradual trip across the country from Durban, we were anxious to get to Cape Town. But not too anxious to rush through wine country! Even in comparison to the dramatic Garden Route cliffs and beaches we had just visited, the idyllic peaks and valleys of Stellenbosch and Paarl were stunning. Vineyards were nestled into the scenery, garnished with simple, white Cape Dutch manor houses. I tried to take some pictures, but we actually ended up in Stellenbosch on a rainy day

Showers didn’t keep me from the tasting glasses, though! I was traveling with my friend Melissa, and we managed to see 4 or 5 of the major wine estates in Stellenbosch in one day despite inclement weather. We tried to select estates for the variety of their offerings – to get the best of South African whites, reds, dessert wines and ports. I’m not well versed in South African wines but this was a great introduction.

For one, the country’s port selection converted me from a dedicated noble wine follower into a fan of sweet fortifieds as well. We found an Allesverloren port (2003 vintage) that I would happily trade a glass of braccheto in for after a nice meal. The wine has a sweet, woody bouquet with creamy chocolate and plum/raisin flavors – with a lingering fruity aftertaste. I’m going to try it out in some dessert recipes too! Allesverloren is actually in Riebeeck West, but if you’re in the Stellenbosch area, you can find some of their ports for sale in the Die Bergkelder (one of the region’s largest producers) cellars, as we did.

I'm far from an enologist or wine connoisseur, but this trip still turned me into an avid evangelist for South Africa’s signature, up-and-coming varietal, Pinotage. The grape is a vinifera hybrid of Hermitage (aka Cinsault) and the finicky Pinot Noir. It was developed right in wine country, at Stellenbosch University in 1925. The grape still comprises less than 10% of total grape wine acreage in SA, and it tends to be received with controversy – some love it, most don’t. But Pinotage is on the rise as more local winemakers and critics are touting its potential, particularly well-aged wines. The locally popular Cape Blend wines that abound in South Africa require Pinotage (30-70%) as a component.

Anyway, history and context aside, I found Pinotage to be an intriguing wine. Its taste varies considerably even between neighboring Stellenbosch estates. What I found to stay constant between vintages and estates, though, was a deep red wine with smoky and earthy flavors, mineral undertones, and sometimes notes of tropical fruits. Sound unusal? It was. Not quite as full bodied as a Shiraz, but not as heavy as a Cab Sauv.

I’ll be honest that it took me some time to find a Pinotage I was happy with. I knew it was uniquely South African before I landed in Johannesburg, but I struggled to find one that didn’t make my mouth pucker or overpower my meal with its aftertaste. We spent an evening at WineSense in Cape Town sipping over half a dozen varieties of Pinotage.

WineSense, by the way, is a place I absolutely, hands-down recommend to any wine fan – connoisseur, amateur or casual drinker alike. It’s a wine bar with a neat concept. Customers buy debit cards, top them up, and get tasting-size, half-glass, or full glass measures of wine dispensed from state-of-the-art machine kiosks. You get to run your own personal tasting! I tried a Simonsig RedHill Pinotage (2004) there which definitely satisfied (although if I had a bottle I’d age it a bit longer). I still remember the wine’s red berry flavors. If you're interested in more on Pinotage, Kanonkop is another major Pinotage producer in the region, and with Simonsig, its Pinotage wines regularly win international and national competitions (but we didn't make it out there).

But what I was really pleased with was a Pinotage (2005) I tried at Middlevlei estate. I didn’t find it as “big” as the Simonsig, but it was a nice, medium-bodied wine, not overpowering with its black berry flavors, with a nice hint of oak and smoke. Something to be had with a nice, spiced red meat dish (from the braai, perhaps?). And a few sips into the glass, there was something about the wine’s flavor that still played with my taste buds – exactly what I like in a glass of wine, a bit of mystery and adventure with an unfamiliar varietal!

Chakalaka: The Coolest-Named Soup I've Ever Had

2007-07-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

To escape the cold and rainy summer weather in England, I left for sunny and warm(ish) winter weather in South Africa in mid-June. I wasn’t really sure of what to expect in the way of South African food and culinary experiences, but we found a pretty mixed bag – some interesting seasonal ingredients, geographically concentrated fine dining, a versatile collection of wine and spirits, and “native”, if not terribly unique or healthy, cuisine.

That said, peanut butter, banana and crackers were staples in the more remote and poor parts of the country that I traveled through. Our trip into

Lesotho

, where some 43% of the population lives on less than $1 a day, was a lesson in subsistence eating. Even grocery stores in Maseru, the kingdom’s capital, were short stocked with limited food options. In rural Malealea valley, where we stayed (see photo), the abundant and immense vistas almost compensated for meager dining. For most Basotho, fresh pears, oranges and bananas imported in from South Africa are luxuries in this winter season. Food is practical and hearty – simple, filling and drawing on limited available ingredients.

Soups and stews are aplenty at this chilly time of year, and one recipe that piqued my interest was Chakalaka, a spicy and tangy soup that’s almost thick enough to be a stew. It’s satisfying with a distinctive taste. That said, as Brian McCune blogged from Cape Town, there’s no definitive definition or recipe for the dish – Chakalakas across the country can be quite different! What’s constant is that it’s generally vegetarian, and has some combination of spices, peppers, tomatoes and onion.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to pry recipe secrets from the women who made it for us when we spent a night at Malealea Lodge in Lesotho. But I’m pretty sure the key is in the mix of spices, and in slow-cooking the stew. I tried recreating it when I got home this week by modifying a recipe I found online. Limited success. Something’s still missing. . . for the more “shortcut inclined” among us (permissible in the pursuit of authentic flavor, I say), Knorr makes Chakalaka instant flavor packets that you can order online. It’s pretty good, and tastes more like what I remember having in Southern Africa - it’s also got thickening agents for the soup’s trademark stew-like consistency.

Here’s the homemade recipe I tried – if you can think of additional modifications, please share them!

Ingredients
1.5 oz canola oil
2 ½ tbspn chopped fresh ginger
2 tbspn chopped fresh garlic
1 tbspn chopped chili peppers
1 cup chopped onions
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped green peppers
½ cup chopped red peppers
3 tbspn curry leaves
1 or 1.5 tbspn curry powder
1 cup grated carrots
2 cups baked beans (in tomato sauce)
½ or 1 tbspn fresh cilantro
3 cups water

Directions

Heat oil in a soup pan and lightly fry ginger, garlic, chillis and onions.
Add curry leaves and powder.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add peppers and carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add baked beans and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add 3 cups water, allow to come to boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and add coriander. Check seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with bread, pap (maize meal), or thick soured milk (if you want the real thing) - hot or cold.

A New Take on the Open Faced Sandwich: Pa Amb Oli

2007-06-14T08:52:00.001-07:00

Lunch in Mallorca was always a sunny, pleasant affair usually involving nice glasses of wine. . . a topic I'll hopefully cover soon before jumping into South African culinary adventures (hint: what's coming next!). . . but I digress.

Mallorcans are big on pa amb oli, a local specialty eaten as part of a light lunch or for breakfast. In the island's trademark style, the dish is simple, showcases local products, and has a hearty farming origin. Balearic farmers apparently eat it as a staple, using rustic leftover breads and sliced meats and cheeses.

The dish is basically an open faced sandwich, where ripe tomatoes and rich cheeses and cured meats are the highlight upon a hearty slice of whole grain bread. It's easy to make and be creative with too. One restaurantwe visited in Palma de Mallorca's up and coming Portixol neighborhood, ENCO, did a wonderful new take that involved local pickled peppers and tomato paste instead of the traditional sliced tomatoes.

I've included a version of the recipe below. It doesn't take longer than 10 minutes to throw together, so long as you've made the paste ahead of time. But don't skimp on the toppings - it's worth investing in great Spanish cheeses and cured meats from your local specialty deli if possible, to try and recapture some of the dish's local flavor!

Ingredients
A loaf of dark rye bread (ideally a rustic loaf of farmer’s bread)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
1 cup tomato paste (see recipe below)
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
¼ lb of soft white cheese, Manchego, Maó, Malorquin or Mahón recommended
¼ lb of Serrano ham
Pickled peppers (optional)
Pitted, red Spanish olives (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF

2. Slice the loaf thickly into ¾ or 1 inch slices

3. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

4. Remove from the oven and immediately rub 1 side of each slice with a cut side of the garlic.

5. Spread about 2 tbspn of tomato paste (see below) or more if desired, onto one side of each bread slice.

6. Drizzle olive oil over the tomato paste and sprinkle with sea salt.

7. Top with 1 or 2 slices of cheese and ham, as desired. Place back in cooling oven for 1-2 minutes to warm slightly.

8. Remove from oven. Garnish each pa amb oli slice with peppers and/or olives and serve immediately, while bread is still warm and crisp.

Tomato Paste
6 large thin-skinned tomatoes, perfectly ripe (tomato enthusiasts, Heirlooms work well in this recipe)
1 teaspoons salt or to taste
extra virgin olive oil
1 tspn. crushed chillis
½ tspn ground paprika
¼ tspn oregano

1. After rinsing tomatoes, score a cross on the bottom of each fruit using a sharp knife. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water (for less than a minute), then drop into a bowl of ice cold water.

2. After this the tomato peel should almost fall off. Pull the peels off the tomatoes and discard. Cut the core out and remove all the seeds, discard these as well. Chop the remaining flesh into small pieces.

3. Place pieces in a medium sauce pot. Add salt to taste, as well as crushed chillis and ground paprika. Simmer over a low heat for around 1 hour, stirring often to prevent tomatoes from burning.

4. Remove from the heat and press through a fine sieve into a smaller sauce pot. Discard flesh from sieve. Add oregano to remaining mixture.

6. Continue to cook mixture very slowly until the paste holds its shape without running on a spoon, approximately 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent any sticking.

7. Remove and cool. Store in a sealed jar in fridge until ready to use.

Start Your Day the Mallorcan Way: Ensaimadas

2007-06-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

The travel guides we took with us to Mallorca insisted we try ensaimadas, a local specialty for breakfast. I’ll be honest, some of the descriptions left something to be desired – “a larded swirl pastry” served full of cream for breakfast? I prefer to start my day lardless; my heart hurt just reading the description! But on our first morning, delicious buttery wafts lured us into the local patisseria where we were staying in Palma de Mallorca. There, in the display case, were dozens of perfectly golden, puffed pastries curled delightfully on their side. They looked too delicious to pass up. . .

Ensaimadas are the traditional breakfast fare of Mallorca. By some accounts, written mention of the pastry dates back to the 17^th century! The use of lard in ensaimadas ties them to the island’s farming heritage, since they’re usually made with homemade pork lard in Mallorcan kitchens. It’s also historic – the pastry’s name comes from the Arabic word for pork lard, saim. Making ensaimadas is practically an artform - a Regulatory Counci l actually certifies certain bakers around the island for making "ideal" versions of this Mallorcan delicacy!

Sarah and I actually found ensaimadas to be great, light starts to the day – not as heavy or unhealthy as their lard-based recipe suggests. They’re like a cross between a croissant and sweet bread, puffy with a slightly crisped outside, but melt-in-your-mouth sweet and soft on the inside. They were a nice local replacement for my morning croissant and bagel – and perfect with a strong cup of coffee.

The pastry uses simple ingredients - strong flour, water, sugar, eggs, and lard. The trick to making perfect ensaimadas, though, is in the kneading and rising stages of the recipe. I wasn’t lucky enough to see any master pastry chefs work their manual magic, but I did my best to collect some tips from local bakers. A variant is served with thick cream in the middle, but I’ll stick to plain ensaimadas (my favorite) to keep things simple. And, for the more health conscious among us, I’ve also substituted butter for the traditional lard. If you have any advice or modifications to what I suggest in the recipe below, please share them!

Ingredients
4 tspn dry yeast
1 cup milk
½ cup sugar
1 tspn salt
4 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tbspn olive oil
1 ½ cup butter, for coating
sugar for dusting
½ cup grated edam cheese (optional, for topping)

Directions
1. Warm milk slightly in microwave. Dissolve yeast in the warmed milk and set aside.

2. Combine sugar and salt in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour and warm milk mixture, interchanging each. Blend thoroughly. If using an electric mixer, mixture should just separate from sides of bowl.

3. Break and beat eggs together lightly in a separate boil. Mix in olive oil. Add egg and oil mixture to flour mixture, mix well, and knead until soft and well-blended.

4. Cover with a damp cheese cloth or paper towels and leave to rise in a warm place (just above room temperature) for about an hour, until dough doubles in volume.

5. Remove cloth, knead the dough again. Dust a clean, flat counter surface with flour to prevent dough from sticking. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough as thin as possible over a floured surface (1/4 inch thickness). Brush the entire surface of the dough with softened butter. Be generous!

6. Start rolling the dough, bit by bit, from one side all the way to the other, as though you were rolling up a sheet of paper – fairly tightly. When the dough has been rolled up, allow it to rest, covered again, for 1 hour.

7. Remove cloth and coil the risen dough loosely horizontally, making a snail shell shape. Transfer the coil to a greased baking sheet.

8. Cover one final time with an extremely large inverted bowl, large enough to ensure that the dough will not stick to the bowl's surface when it rises. Allow the dough to rise for 3-4 hours.

9. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Uncover and bake the dough coil for around 45 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown. Brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sugar. Add cheese if desired.

10. To serve, cool slightly till warm and cut into cake-like slices. Serve with a great cup of coffee!

El Sabor de Mallorca. . .

2007-06-10T03:05:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a great trip to Mallorca, Spain with my friend Sarah. We needed to escape the clouds and cold that were somehow still afflicting Oxford in early June so we decided to rent a car and drive around in another country. Couldn’t have picked a better place – there was lots of sun, beaches and great food on this largest of the Balearic islands! My rusty Spanish was put to good use as we navigated Mallorca’s winding roads along the northwest coast, with nothing on our agenda besides a search for interesting seasonal ingredients and creative cooking with an authentic touch.

Mallorcan food is closely tied to the island. The sea, sun, and sandy soils give rise to powerfully flavored local produce and sea foods. Olive trees cover the hillsides, their whimsical branches often forced into symmetric terraces – both the oils and fruits play big in local foods. Nestled between the mountains, citrus trees cluster into little groves with their branches literally dripping with lemons, loquats, or oranges. Balearic vineyards have begun, offering local wines that convey Mallorca’s sharp landscape and hearty environs at affordable prices. Local specialties like pa amb oli (rustic bread with olive oil, tomatoes and sliced meats or cheese) showcase these natural ingredients and use a simple, minimalist approach to flavors and spices.

But the island also has a large expat community, as a lot of Germans and Brits are moving to the island to buy up the rustic villas and beach homes. That’s having an interesting effect on the culinary options. As we traveled through major towns and smaller villages, it was hard to find purely Mallorcan cooking free from other influences. Quite a few of the visible restaurants cater to a tourist audience by offering up standards like grilled meats and fish or pastas infused with local ingredients and flavors.

So, this short trip provided a lot of taste bud-edifying experiences. I tried to recreate some of the flavors and experiences at home, although it’s hard to replace special ingredients like Mallorcan produce and home cooking. As demanding as the “research” was, I hope you can enjoy some of our finds in the ensuing posts. . .

II. Baked Lavender-Rosemary Chicken

2007-06-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

2 2.5 lb. broiler-fryer chickens, cut up

Salt & pepper

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion (1 med.)

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

1 packet chicken bouillon powder

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tspn. leaf rosemary, crumbled
1 tspn. dried lavender

2 tspn. grated lemon rind

3 tbspn. lemon juice

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat ¼ cup olive oil in skillet and brown chicken on all sides; remove chicken to a shallow baking dish.

3. Using grease in skillet, cook onions and garlic until golden. Add water and bouillon. Cook, stirring, until bouillon and all brown drippings in pan are dissolved.

4. Add parsley, rosemary, lavender, lemon rind and lemon juice. Pour over chicken.

5. Cover and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.

I. Lavender Creme Brulee

2007-06-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup milk

1 – 1 1/2 tbspn dried lavender flowers, plus buds for garnish

8 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar, plus

3 tbspn for sprinkling on top
2 tbspn honey

1. Butter 6 6-ounce crème brule or custard ramekins and set them inside a large, shallow baking dish.

2. In a large, heavy saucepan, add the cream and milk and add the lavender. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Let the lavender stems steep for about 10 minutes or until the milk has a lavender flavor.

3. While the milk infuses, in a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, the 1/2 cup sugar, and the honey until smooth. Whisk into the slightly cooled lavender-cream mixture. Temper this by pouring a bit of the egg mixture and blending well before adding the rest of the egg mixture.

4. Strain combined mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and skim off any lavender flowers and foam.

5. Divide the mixture evenly among ramekins and refrigerate for 3 hours.

6. Preheat oven to 325°F. Add enough hot water to the baking dish that holds the ramekins to reach 3/4 up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the oven.
7. Bake for 50 minutes or until set around the edges. Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool in the water bath. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

8. When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle the tops with a thin layer of sugar and caramelize with a small torch or under a broiler set on high. Hold the torch 4 to 5 inches from the sugar, maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching a touch early, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds afterwards.

9. Refrigerate 10 minutes before serving. Garnish each crème brûleé with lavender blossoms.

Pretty, Purple and Palatable: Cooking with English Lavender

2007-06-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

June 3, 2007

Oxford, UK

My inaugural post is on an auspicious ingredient, the flower of love and luck – lavender. Oxford, England is abloom with these fragrant buds this time of year, and while appreciating their elegant stems and dulcet smells in the University’s gardens, I was inspired to bring them into the kitchen. I didn’t have to wander too far from home to find this culinary inspiration! The flowers have a beautiful color, the plants smell great, and its in-season. English lavender, the type that grows around here, is apparently especially succulent and fragrant, and I’ve been experimenting with it in a few recipes.

I can hardly take credit for the idea. Most people may be familiar with lavender as it’s used in soaps, perfumes and potpourris. But it’s commonly used in cooking as well. As an herb, the plant has been in documented use for over 2,500 years. It’s closely related to rosemary, sage and thyme. In places like Provence , I've seen chefs use lavender in savory and sweet recipes alike for its soft, sweet flavor, which carries lemon or lime overtones.

Lavender buds are best used for cooking, particularly dried ones, which have a more concentrated flavor. But you can still cut stalks from your garden and use the healthiest, largest, most deeply colored fresh buds you see. But wash them well, then carefully dab dry between sheets of paper towels. The prescribed ratio is to use 1/3 as much dried lavender as you would fresh flowers. Take care not to overuse as a little goes a long way – too much can give dishes a bitter taste. If you want to make your own dried lavender to store, it’s best to harvest buds just when the flowers begin to open, when they contain the most essential oils.

Lavender sugar is another way of preserving the flowers’ flavor for future use. Just place 1-2 tbspn of ground, dried flowers into 1 cup of sugar, seal it tightly for a week or longer, and you’ll have lavender-infused sugar to use in baking or with beverages. If you want to use the flowers in savory dishes like the chicken dish listed here, it’s versatile – lavender compliments fennel, oregano, rosemary, thyme and sage flavors. I also like using the flowers as a fragrant and elegant garnish for champagne, white sangria, cakes, fruit salads and sorbets.

I’ve experimented with a few easy recipes for using this dynamic garden plant, which I’m posting below. Please feel free to share more recipes or culinary uses for lavender. And I’d love feedback on these recipes too. . .