Two week berries.

Moistur and heat are the enemy of berries. I have been using this "technique" for about a year now and it really does make the berries last about a week longer than when left in there original container.

Remove the berries from there original package

Do NOT wash at this point, as this will add moistur

Line an over sized Tupperware container with a paper towel allowing some of the towel to overflow out of the container. The best case scenario is to have the berries in a single layer, but this can be difficult as most of us don't have extra large Tupperware. Strawberries can be especially tough because of there size, so just do your best.

Loosely attach the lid of the Tupperware to one side of the container making sure there is a gap on the other side allowing air to circulate. The overflowing paper will ensure that a seal is not created and air will be allowed to circulate.

Place container in a colder part of your refrigerator.

Berries should last for about two weeks depending on ripeness. Make sure to remove any soft or rotting fruit as mold will spread quickly.

good luck and enjoy

ngI’m not a coffee drinker, so to me this is ridiculous

Blue Bottle Coffee Co. just got a $20,000 coffee machine. This just seems a little extreme I mean how good can a cup of coffee get. I have never been to Blue Bottle so this is all coming from a place of ignorance, but I think a cup of coffee should cost about a dollar fifty. For hundreds of year’s people have ordered a cup of joe and slapped down a nickel, a quarter, a dollar or some nice whole number and everything was just fine. Has coffee changed? Have coffee drinkers changed? Not really. But thanks in part to the devil itself, Star Bucks, the way coffee is sold has changed. It is now very expensive stuff and priced according to no real rhyme or reason.

Blue Bottles $20,000 machine works like an inverted French press, heating water from the bottom and forcing it up with the coffee into a receptacle on the top. The machine seems to infuse the coffee with great flavor and impart a very delicate texture. It looks like a lot of hype if you ask me, but, then again, no one did.

If I pay 3.50 for a drink there better be some booze in there. As far as I know Blue Bottle doesn’t have a liquor license


Slide show below

Places I Eat

Everyone thinks their restaurants are the best. The truth of the matter is that 90% of the time people eat around their houses or near work. I am no exception to this rule. Whenever anyone asks me for recommendations I usually steer them to restaurants near my house (in the Castro) or where I hang out (in the Mission). I usually eat at places I can walk to or a place I am already familiar with. I have friends that are always eating at new restaurants, but lately I have been doing a ton of cooking at home. It’s odd, I like new things but when it comes to eating I seem to be drawn towards cravings rather than novelty. This is not to say that I don't eat at new restaurants but it seems most of the time I go back to old favorites or places that have been so highly recommended that I am forced to try them or create a great rift in my social life. So here is a list of some of the places I like to eat and a few places I am yet to try but had better get to soon or be ostracized. They range from cheap and easy places to high-end eateries meant for special occasions.

DISCLAMER - This is not a “best of” list, these are just places I like. So there! They are in no particular order.

Sunflower (both) - Vietnamese - There are two restaurants that share one kitchen. The food is clean and fresh and very cheap. I like the vermicelli with imperial roles and BBQ pork (like $6.95). My wife likes the Pho, shaken beef and lemon grass tofu. They also have one of the best lunch deals in town.
Mission - 3111 16th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 626-5022

2223 - California Cuisine - That’s the address on Market Street and the restaurant’s name. This is a good solid restaurant. Not revolutionary cuisine, but it does recipes that you’re familiar with, really well. Recently they have had some ups and downs, but it is still one of my go-to restaurants. Great drinks and atmosphere. Market, Castro

2223 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 431-0692

China First - Chinese - This is great Chinese food. A lot of the specials are written in Chinese on boards on the wall, so I feel like I am missing out a little. But ask them to prepare almost anything you want and they will. This place is so cheap and has a very “authentic” atmosphere (fish tanks, crab tanks, giant clams, lazy susans and terse yet strangely accommodating waiters that would be smiling if they knew how). Great for large groups. Not classy but really good food. This and Tong Kiang are the only reason I go to the Richmond.

Richmond
336 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 387-8370

Ton Kiang - Dim Sum - Clean, diverse Dim Sum, accessible to gringo novices and sophisticated authentic palates. It’s great for Dim Sum, the regular food is passable. Other Dim Sum places have a better selection, but for some reason this place just does it right. No matter how many people you have in your party it will cost you between $20-$22 a person including tip.

Richmond
5821 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 221-2121
(415) 752-4440 - Delivery

Caffé Macaroni - Italian - I ate here for the first time about two weeks ago. I thought it was good solid Italian food. My chicken was overcooked but the sauce it came with was really fresh and tasted great. It is owned by a father/daughter team and with native Italians in the kitchen, you can’t complain about authenticity. They also own the one across the street (temporarily closed). I haven’t found great Italian food in S.F, so this will have to do.

North Beach
124 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
Telefono: (415) 217-8400


St. Frances Soda Fountain - Indie-Rock Diner. The service is good, the food is O.K and a little pricy for a diner, but it seems that all diners in this town are pricy. You will wait for a table if you come here for brunch on the weekends and during peak lunch hours during the week. If you’re lucky you may see the Mythbusters team in here. Worth checking out. My brother swears by the burger. I eat the Reuben. Salad dressings leave a lot to be desired.

24th ST mission
The Mission
2801 24th St
between Bryant St & York St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 826-4200

RNM - California Cuisine - I hear this place good, very highly recommended. Definitely pricey, but has, possibly, the best maitre d’ in town. Check it out.

Lower Haight
598 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 551-7900

Firefly - California Cuisine - This is a staple restaurant for a date or dinner with the parents. It is cozy and has a great warm atmosphere. All the food is great; I have never had a bad meal there. Sometimes they have prix-fix menu that is also a very good deal. One of the quieter restaurants in San Francisco.

Noe Valley
4288 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 821-7652

Hog Island (Farm and Ferry Building) - Oysters & limited food menu - If you like oysters just go. You will leave the Ferry Building hungry, but damn those oysters are good. The farm is a great way to spend the day but call first and get reservations.

(Embarcadero, Marshall)

1 Ferry Building
Shop #111
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 391-7117

FARM
20215, Highway 1, in Marshall, CA.
49 miles north of San Francisco,
(415) 663-9218 ext. 208


Manora’s Thai Cuisine - Thai Food - One of the best lunch specials town. You get your choice of two dishes plus soup and seasoned rice. I’ve actually never been there for dinner.

SOMA
1600 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 861-6224

Osha - Thai Food - great food, smaller portions, but the dishes are really good.

Mission
819 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 826-7738

Old Jerusalem - Middle Eastern - best Middle Eastern food I have eaten in S.F. Atmosphere is O.K but the food shines. I mean this is the real deal; I’m not talking about that lightweight Truly Med stuff. The portions are perfect for eating family style. Expect to leave very full.

Mission near Cesar Chavez
2976 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 642-5958

Zeitgeist - Grill Food - Great burgers! I am sick of the home fries but the burgers are awesome. Other than that, the grilled cheese is the only thing worth getting. Unfortunately the burgers only come well done, but for some reason they taste great.

Mission
Neighborhood: The Mission
199 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 255-7505

Vallarta Taqueria - Full Mexican Menu - I think this is some of the best Mexican around. It’s the real deal. The clientele is mostly Hispanic which to me is a good sign. The other day I was in for lunch and saw them boiling an entire cow’s head. It was a sight to behold. Don’t miss the great tacos served at a little separate stand in the front of the restaurant!

24th ST, Mission
Neighborhood: The Mission
3033 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 826-8116

Na'an and anything (Chutney, Curry and so on) – Indian - I have eaten at the one in the Inner Sunset and the one downtown as well as the one in North Beach. I can’t tell any of them apart menu-wise, even though the names are different. Most of them are good. The one in North Beach is the best. They skimp a little on the meat but the sauces are enough over basmati rice. The prawns at the downtown location are spicy and delicious. (All over the city)

Chow & Park Chow - Comfort Food - Food is B-, but there is something for everyone. If you can’t make up your mind, go to Chow, you’ll leave satisfied. That’s all I’m going to say.

Church and Market and Inner Sunset
215 Church St
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 552-2469

1240 9th Ave
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 665-9912


Blue - Comfort Food - Good food, great portions, but needs better décor. I don’t need to say more than the comfort food is comforting. Try the mac n'cheese.

Castro
2337 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 863-2583



Boulevard - I still think this one of the best restaurants in San Francisco. I have eaten at most of the high-end restaurants in town and this one still holds up. They went through a spell about two years ago of putting two or three small entrée’s on a plate, like short ribs and monkfish on one plate. It just didn’t work but they have remedied it since. I have never had a bad meal there.

1 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 543-6084

This isn’t a complete list of all the places I eat but it is a good start. If you ever find yourself in any of these neighborhoods, I highly recommend checking them out. Hey, by the way, send us your recommendations!

Lambfest Supported by NEW GOLDEN NATURAL FOODS

Sunday surprised some of us at Cult Table with a spontaneous dinner centered around an excuse to play Assassin's Creed. I called Mike to see if I could get an hour in on his XBOX 360 only to discover that his twin brother, Andy, was already occupying the couch and the game AND that my own brother, Vadan, AKA BigMouth, was on his way over to do the same. They were planning a dinner for four (Andy's boyfriend David was holding fort in the kitchen, as well) and Mike already had a lamb tagine and a delectable citrus and fennel salad in the works. Vadan was bringing a version of the sausage and lentil stew that he and his wife, Stacey, had served Meghan and me a week earlier. Naturally I had to invite myself over and decided to bring a couple lamb loin chops over to augment the meal.

As I'm sure you're aware, GOLDEN PRODUCE, the awesome little inexpensive, organic produce market across the street from the Market Street Safeway, has opened a new store a few shops down called GOLDEN NATURAL FOOD. It has a full meat and fish counter as well as a selection of wine, dairy, gourmet and dry goods. I have been waiting for this place to open forever so I was super psyched to get my first purchase in the joint. On my way over, Mike called to let me know that all the ladies were joining us, having just emerged from a showing of that new Katherine Heigle vehicle, the legendary 27 Dresses (I have nothing to say on that), so I got 6 thick organic lamb loin chops at $12 a pound which more than fed the 8 of us. This is a store that is just getting going, but once it hits its stride, between the produce market and the new market, I will never have to go to Safeway again! Check it out. The meal was awesome and wee all got drunk on a selection of Malbec brought over by David and Andy as well as half a bottle of my current favorite cab under $25: Est. 1975 from Amber Knolls Vineyard.

Check out gridskippers.com's awesome little list of good meat markets in San Francisco

Just opening in San francisco

New and Notable Restaurants

By Gina Goff, City Editor- CitySearch

1.
The Cravery

829 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
Easily portable, handheld pot pies are freshly baked and served to-go from this all-natural SoMa takeout spot.

2.
Kabuki Kitchen

1865 Post St, San Francisco, CA
Despite its Japantown location inside the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, this contemporary restaurant offers eclectic dinner options like pizza and braised oxtail.

3.
Conduit

280 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA
Just-opened New American restaurant showcases artfully presented organic produce in a sleek, industrial-inspired space along the Valencia corridor.

4.
Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant

330 First St, San Francisco, CA
Rincon Hill's new one-stop shop serves as a casual daytime cafe, an elegant dinner destination and a rare-wine retail shop.

5.
Yoshi's Jazz House & Restaurant

1330 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco location of this world-class jazz venue showcasing legends at their zenith and young Turks on their way up.

6.
Pot de Pho

3300 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA
An upscale establishment offering homemade fancy pho with organic and free-range ingredients.


7.
Bar Jules

609 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA
Intimate Hayes Valley cafe serves market-driven dinners to boutique shoppers and gallery gawkers.

8.
Blue Barn Gourmet

2105 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA
"Slow food on the go" is the mantra at this gourmet deli offering seasonal salads, specialty sandwiches and artisanal meats and cheeses.
9.
Lolo

3234 22nd St, San Francisco, CA
Recently debuted restaurant in the Mission serves Latin-Turkish fusion cuisine in a romantic, colorful setting.

10.
O Izakaya Lounge

1625 Post St, San Francisco, CA
Located in the newly renovated Hotel Kabuki, this Japanese-baseball-themed restaurant and lounge offers izakaya-style share plates, sake cocktails and regional Japanese drinks.

11.
1300 on Fillmore

1300 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA
New restaurant-lounge in the historic Fillmore district serves "North-meets-South" soul food made with fresh California ingredients and French technique in a jazz-club-style setting.

12.
Bin 38

3232 Scott St, San Francisco, CA
New Marina wine bar and merchant boasts an unpretentious atmosphere for sampling rare varietals, international beers and a complementary menu of seasonal share plates.

Where to 'wich 2: Vadan's Take

While I have to agree with my brother on the lack of great sandwich places in San Francisco I can’t fully agree with the glowing review of The Sandwich Shop. I take my sandwiches very seriously and it is a grim day when a supermarket serves up the best sandwich in town (Safeway has one of the best, and that’s not saying much). One of the two other sammie shops that I think are worth mentioning is Tortas El Primo (2499 Folsom St). This is a Mexican style sandwich shop, so don’t go looking for great pastrami or succulent salami, but the sandwiches are big and full of the wonderful marinated meat you would find in a burrito (but no burritos here). The other sandwich place is Mae’s and my brother gave a pretty accurate assessment of that place. Just to reinforce his point, order bread first or face the wrath. There is a third shop which I have not been to but has gotten good reviews online, so next time I am in North Beach I will give it a try. The name is Petite Deli (752 Columbus Ave). I don’t know much about it other than there is a very sweet lady behind the counter and the sandwiches are supposed to be great. I take this with a grain of salt, however, because everyone who lives in North Beach always thinks their shit is the best, despite the fact that it’s frequently disappointing.

The Sandwich Shop in the Dogpatch in my opinion was just all right. I think they have some hits, like the tuna, two huge scoops. If nothing else the sandwich will fill you up. And then there are some misses, the roast beef, I didn’t eat it because the meat looked processed and totally fake, reminiscent of Arby's. I ordered pastrami, which was very nice, but I did have to jump over the cuonter and tackle the nice lady when she tried to put it in the microwave to heat it up. Microwave cold cuts are a big no-no in my book. I would say this place is closer to Subway than that great sandwich shop you wish was there. This place is not worth the trip to the Dogpatch, but if find yourself craving a sandwich on that side of town, “The Sandwich shop” will fill you up. By the way, anyone have strong feelings about Wich Craft? Post a comment, please, we’d like to know.

P.S. No seating at The Sandwich Shop so be prepared to eat in your car or find one of the parks on that side of town. Mae’s has tables.

Where to 'wich in San Francisco

Mortadella and Salami Classic from The Sandwich Shop

Some days, nothing will satisfy like a sandwich. I think it's sort of like beans and rice, a perfect combination of protein and starch. It's savory in nature, with complex salt flavors and lubricating condiments and a mixture of textures that is deeply satisfying. In my view, San Francisco does not provide this staple of the American diet as readily as some other cities and regions, but that is not to say we don't have our gems. There is a particular school of sandwich craft that I celebrate in, as of this past lunch, two locations: The cheap hero or sub. To rate highly in this genre of lunch foods, a cheap hero must be presented with a variety of choices in meats, cheeses, condiments (go jalapeno over pepperoncini) and salads (of the egg, tuna and chicken group). It must be made to order, by someone who enjoys doing it, not on a bogus Dutch crunch roll, and hover somewhere around 5 bucks. It must be enormous.

Previously I have found a couple places satisfactory and most frequently have chosen Mae's or M and L market in the Castro (691 14th Street). It's been there forever and is run by 3 generations of women, each with their own character and style. It's only open during the week and only for lunch, but I think it sets the bar for this town. You'll get more meat on your sandwich than you'll expect so consider their half sandwich option if you're not a power eater (it's not really half a sandwich, just half as thick). Be sure to order your bread selection first as the young woman, who cranks out most of the sandwiches, is a little particular about how you order. You must order your bread first. If you're nice, you'll get a cookie as you check out.

Today's lunchtime venture was over in Dogpatch at a sandwich joint called, positively and seriously: The Sandwich Shop (635 19th Street). Only its humble reality and monster sandwiches could justify that name, but they pull it off nicely. It's just a lunch counter and one nice lady making the sandwiches while her man runs the till smiles encouragingly as you try to decipher their so-simple-I-can't-quite-figure-it-out menu. I had the mortadella/salami classic and Vadan (my brother) had the pastrami (cold!). Our friend, Bill, had the tuna salad and we were all impressed. Good meat/condiment/bread ratio and serious weight for your $5. Check it out when you're looking for some straight ahead, old-school eats. -Sirr Less

interesting list of best reasturants in San francisco

For complete artical go to link below
sf station

This list is published on Sfstation.com

Top 10 Restaurants of 2007

SF Station's Best of

By Tracie Broom (Dec 27, 2007 )

• Gialina
  2842 Diamond Street, San Francisco, CA 94131
  415.239.8500
• Spruce
  3640 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94118
  415.931.5100
• Metro Kathmandu
  311 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
  415.552.0903
• Seasons Steak & Seafood Restaurant
  757 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103
  (415) 633-3838
• Café Majestic
  1500 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
  415.441.1280
• Brenda’s French Soul Food
  652 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
  415.345.8100
• Salt House
  545 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94104
  415.543.8900
• Weird Fish
  2193 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
  415.863.4744
• Two
  22 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
  415.777.9779
• Namu
  439 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118 Map
  415 386 8332

A Sardine Dish That Looks Great but Tastes… “Interesting”

Over the holidays I saw a pic of a great looking sardine dish. And, while I was in Whole Foods the other day I saw some great looking large sardines. These were the Arnold Schwarzeneggers of Sardineifornia, not your mama’s fishies. They were a good 8’ inches long. The size scared me a little but I bought them any way. I was not convinced that my wife would chow on monster sardines, but she doesn’t cook much so faced with starvation, she chose to eat. My wife is my lab rat and critic but she only

has two reviews:

1. “This is awesome! Write down the recipe, I want to eat this all the time.”
2. “Interesting, are there capers in there?”

She thinks there are capers in everything, I don’t know why. Any way, this dish was a total experiment and visually

it turned out really nice but the flavors weren’t quite there. The fish was a little too tangy and, oddly enough, they tasted a lot like sardines. If I did it again I wouldn’t marinade them and I would make a richer celeriac mash (heavy cream). The dish wasn’t bad, I

wanted the fish to be light and the mash to be rich and the carrot salad to be the acid with a hint of sweet. I probably would skip the mushrooms next time. Anyway, try it if you like and get back to me with changes or improvements.

I marinated the four fish overnight in some olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon zest, Salt, Pepper and a few dried shitake mushrooms.

• Boil water and once boiling add salt. Slice celeriac into small chunks and add to boiling water and cook until soft (like boiled potato). It cooks quicker than you think.
• Chop up some bacon and cook it off till it’s crisp. I places the bacon bits on a paper towel to drain. I had about a teaspoon and a half of fat left in the pan.
• Add fish to pan and let cook fully on one side, 3 minutes
• Meanwhile, in a mixing bowel, combine salt and pepper, a little rice vinegar, good honey, some capers and dry herbs (I used this great shallot pepper from Penzey's Spices, but any herb mix will do). Fresh tarragon would be really nice also.
• Slice a carrot thin with a mandolin or a vegetable peeler.
• Once fish is crispy flip over and cook on other side, 2 minutes
• I like sardines cooked all the way through so I let them go a little long.
• Pull celeriac out of water and mash in a bowl with truffle butter (if you have it, regular butter will do otherwise), whole milk, salt and white pepper until they look like mashed potatoes
• Pull fish out of pan and set on paper towels to drain
• Deglaze with a small amount o f white wine add a small portion of the left over oil and wine reduction to the honey rice vinegar mixture. Add the carrot strips and toss this mixture should be just slightly sweet. The purpose of this is to cut through the rich mash and the oily fish so keep it tangy.
• Put a small scoop of the celeriac mash in the center of a plate, Place a small pile of the carrot salad n ext to it and then lay out two fish on the plate. Garnish with lemon.

p.s. I had some shrimp that neede

d cooking, so I tossed them in th

e left over marinade, chopped up some shallots, crushed some garlic and threw in some red pepper flakes into the dirty pan and cooked the shrimp as shown. Oh, there was a little butter in there as well.

Edible Chemicals

If you watched Top Chef on Bravo two seasons ago and where taken with Marcel’s hair… and cooking, than I have a great site for you, Willpowder.net. This site offers the home chef a real chance to play around. Not since my grade school chemistry set have I had such fun mixing chemicals and eating the results. This site offers a plethora of edible chemicals (at least I think there edible) to help your cooking repertoire. Have you ever wanted to make those oh so trendy foams, then you want to pick up some Lecithin powder and get mixing. How about high class Jell-O, then Agar Agar is the product for you.



Image from Willpowder.com

Not only does this site offer great products but it also offers really good recipes and
explanations for product uses. I know this is a little late for the holidays, but the products on this site are a perfect gift for that home chef who already has everything, because I can guarantee he or she does not have Tapioca Maltodextrin (used to transform food into powder). Believe me you haven’t had this much fun since you blew up that model volcano in 5th grade. Sorry, no advice on how to achieve Marcel’s hair.

The Holidays Recovery Regimen

When you come from my family, both sides, the holidays can be an overwhelming experience of gluttony. We are cooks and eaters. This year, like every one past, the season was rapidly punctuated by meals of grand scale interspersed with a massive quantity of holiday snacks laden with fats that stay solid at room temperature, even with the heat cranked against the winter rains. So I was relieved, in a way, when New Year's Day passed and a modicum of relative normalcy returned to my diet. In retreat from the indulgence of the holiday's baked goods and complexly sauced red meats, I like to turn to a week or two of simple one pot dishes and basic plates of lean white meats and vegetables. Here is one that soothed my gut. It's a lot of ingredients but trust me, it's fun to make, un-fuckupable and delicious.

This is something like a fast chicken noodle soup done in a dutch oven. I believe that chicken soup can heal everything, even overeating, but I also wanted to make it quickly and with a little more substance than broth. So in a way this recipe could also be called "easy braised chicken thighs and the vegetables that make them sexy".

I call for about a pound of chicken thigh fillets. These boneless, skinless cuts have a little more flavor than the breast so they stand up to their eventual boiling with more fortitude, even without any help from bones. We're going to use pre-made or purchased stock to reinforce that flavor in the broth. They also produce a very clean fat for flavoring the vegetables.

The Actors:

A pound of chicken thigh fillets
2 large leeks (cut into 2 inch strips lengthwise or diagonally cut into rounds)
1 Medium yellow onion (medium diced)
1 Large carrot (diced in small cubes)
1 Rib of celery (sliced into small crescents)
1 Pasilla or other large mild chili pepper (stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped)
1 Large bunch of spinach
1 Small handful of barley, quinoa, or Israeli couscous, that's the kind with real big kernals. (Don't worry low carbers, this is only to impart a little starch for thickening. There won't be enough in there to make you feel guilty)
1 bunch of fresh dill or dry dillweed if you don't have fresh (but I would seriously reccommend fresh)
1 can of fat free, low sodium chicken broth (unless you've got some stock you made yourself, in which case I love you)
A splash of white wine, preferably an un-oaked, not super dry one. Even something slightly sweet will do.
Salt n' peppa
A good herbs de provence

The Action:

Rinse and thoroughly dry your thighs. Season the hell out of 'em with good salt n' peppa and herbs de provence. In a dutch oven or thick bottomed deep braising pan, over a high flame, heat just enough olive oil to keep your thighs from sticking in the heat and to impart a little flavor. Lightly brown your thighs. Not more than a minute or two per side, depending on the thickness of the meat. You're just rendering some of the chicken fat into the pan and making flavor from some good browned bits on the meat and the pan surface. Without reducing the heat, remove the meat and set aside to rest. Add onion, celery, carrots and pasilla pepper to the pot and season them again, including more herbs de provence with the salt n' peppa. Stir occasionally to keep anything from burning and cook until onions often a bit. About two minutes after you add the mire poix (onions, celery, carrots) add the leeks and cook for a minute or two more. Again, don't let anything burn, keep stirring. Once the veggies are softened, seasoned and smelling good, throw your thighs in again and add a splash of white wine. Err on the conservative side with the wine, a couple tablespoons will do. After the wine has surrendered its alcohol, add the barley or other starch, remember, just a small handful. Add your broth or stock and just enough water to cover everything. Bring to the edge of a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Let it simmer, partially covered (but letting the steam escape) for 20 minutes. Now you have two choices to make. You can choose the thickness of your meal here. It can be a soup by adding more water or stock at this juncture or a light stew in it's current reduced state. You also can choose to remove the chicken thighs, shred them traditionally and return them to the pot, or you can leave them whole. *See Note Below

After you've made your choices about the consistency of your dish and whether or not to shred, add the spinach and give a stir. Let simmer for one more minute then turn off the heat and, finally, add the dill (my favorite moment, what a smell). Let the soup rest for 5 minutes. Then, taste it. Add salt and pepper and more dry herbs if needed but know that it will get saltier and the flavors will emerge further as it cools. Now I know this recipe was long and unnecessarily detailed, but here's the beauty of it: you can forget almost any step in the process and almost any ingredient but as long as you start out with good vegetables and chicken thighs, it will be awesome. Just doctor it at the end with whatever you have in the way of dry herbs and and you can do a hundred variations on it that will never fail to make something good.

*With both of these decisions, I choose to have my thigh and eat it too. I leave the soup reduced for the first serving then thin it out with water when I reheat it and eat it again the next day as a soup. I also shred half of the meat but leave half of the thighs solid for a rustic braised presentation, sometimes eating them separately over a bed of winter veggies with some broth further reduced for sauce.

Disney Cruise Food

Well, I did the unthinkable! I spent the New Year’s celebration aboard a Disney Cruise ship, The Wonder. I was with my wife and 31 of her family members! As you can guess, for most people the main focus of the trip was the kids. My main focus was the feeding frenzy that accompanies cruising. There where 2700 cruise ship guests (meaning our group made up more than 1% of the total guests aboard).

First off, I would like to commend Disney on doing a good job in designating adult only sections of the ship and not making them overly Disney, no Goofy-brew or Donald Daiquiri’s. Just Stella and Jameson on the rocks for me.

In deference to vacation slide show nightmares of the past, I will not bore you with the details of the cruise itself. Just know that my wife and I enjoy spending time with family but cruising of any sort is not my or my wife’s ideal vacation. But being fun loving people who like to drink, we can enjoy most situations with adequate liquid provisions.

First I want to make a general statement on the food: It was really, really good wedding food. What I mean is that you can tell it was mass-produced and cooked in steam trays and ovens but all in all it was satisfying and had decent flavor. I am not talking three star dining, but I have had worse food right here in San Francisco. I would dare say that the food was better than the food at Chow. There where two distinct food services on the boat, day and night. The cruise had all the normal fare during the day, pizza, hot dogs, burgers and so on. Disney did a good job of providing healthy alternatives to fried foods; they had wraps (of course, uggh) and many different types of salad. The night was taken up with a sit down 3-course dinner (well actually you could order as many courses as you wanted) at a set time in a fine dining setting. I will mainly focus on the dinner course as there was nothing exceptional (I use that term loosely) served during the day, with the exception of the mid-day buffet that was over-flowing with steamed shrimp, clam chowder, rare roast beef and piles of sushi. The shear quantity and variety of food being served is worth noting.
We have to approach discussion of dinner with a handicapping system, meaning, the highest rated food on the ship, a lobster bisque, will get an “A+” but on dry land the same dish would earn a solid “B”. By the way, halfway through the cruise I took a tour of the main kitchen, an impressive spectacle, but the two main things I learned are: First, there is no gas on the ship, so everything is done in either, an electrical oven, deep fryer or in a steam table. They do have a flat top and an electric grill to finish food but most of the cooking is done through those three methods. The amazing thing is that they managed to cook most dishes properly, the tuna was pink in the middle and the beef was medium. I mean I could have used things rarer, especially the duck, but hey, at least they’re trying to do it right. Secondly, they have a dish washing machine that can clean 1200 or 12,000 (I can’t remember which, but it was enough) dishes in 10 minutes. That caused massive kitchen envy in my wife and I.

The presentation of the food was nothing short of spectacular, which made a number of mediocre dishes somehow palatable, and the dining room did have some interesting features.

Here are a few of the dishes we ate at sea;

∑ Gruyere souffle with a tarragon and roasted pepper sauce- this was a good dish but the souffle was too cakey - B-
∑ Tempura- Bad batter, no panko. - C
∑ An aspic with calamata olives, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese- Surprise of the trip, this was great, sweet and tangy, nice texture too - A
∑ Beef consume’ with beef “ravioli”- Not really a ravioli more like a wanton, the broth was great, the Ravioli was okay - A-
∑ Lobster bisque- Smooth, full of lobster flavor, nice mix of cream and alcohol - A+
∑ Pan fried tuna with Paella- Fish cooked well, but the Paella was a little dry- A
∑ Beef Wellington- beef cooked well and mushroom paste was very flavorful, pastry could have been a little flakier but still good-A
∑ Lobster tail on creamed celery root- lobster a little dry but they came around and pored butter over it. I guess here I’m grading the butter. - A
∑ Shrimp cocktail- shrimp frozen- B-
∑ Escargot - Not enough garlic but texture was good- A
∑ Vichyssoise – Needed one more straining and a little more cream- B
∑ Scallops in scalloped potato - This was an odd dish. It was sort of like shepherd’s pie with scallops, needed less potato but good flavor overall. - A-
∑ Duck sort of a l’orange - Great sauce and roasted cabbage, duck was a little over cooked - A-
∑ Various desserts - Cakes were no good but everything else was great (see pics). Again, nice presentation.

The chefs were not re-inventing the wheel here; they wanted to give a broad group of people solid food that they could relate to. I think they succeeded. I mean let’s face it the woman wearing the puffy-paint Mickey sweat shirt and speaking with a thicker twang than Kenny Rodgers isn’t going to be wolfing down the escargot (alright, them’s fighting words, but I calls it like I sees it). When you serve 2700 people a night you make the food for the 1500 in the middle and let the people on the ends of the food appreciation spectrum work it out. Even a food snob like me appreciated the effort and I feel relieved that I can honestly say to the hard working cooks on the Disney cruise-ship Wonder that the food was pretty good.

P.S. The best dish we had the entire time we were on the boat was something my sister-in law’s Filipino parents got from the Filipino head chief they befriended. It was chicken adobo. It was spicy and full of great flavors. Wish they’d put it on the menu.

Great Chritmas gift Idea

As you may have noticed it is the holidays and that traditionally means a time for giving(and recieving). I have traveled to India and Asia and have seen the result of not having enough food or what some people like to call starving(no laughing matter). As a food blogger i spend a lot of time talking about gluttony, and sometimes we forget that there are people out there who don't have the luxury of choosing a black or a white truffle. So for the holidays this year I think we should all think about a great charity; chez pim and "The Menu for Hope".

It's goal is to help cure hunger around the world, there website can give you a better idea of what they are about; http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/

Besides helping all the people in need, they have really done a great job collecting prizes that people actually want. Here are some of my favorites;

EU31: A personal tour of elBulli kitchen laboratory at the new Alícia Institute, from Chez Pim

EU01: Edible Paris custom food itinerary from Rosa Jackson

UW37: Chris Cosentino (of The Next Iron Chef and Incanto) will take you to lunch on delectable bits at his favorite secret offal restaurant in San Francisco, plus a Lips and Assholes t-shirt from Offal Good (You gotta support San Francisco !!)

EU04: Paris Market Tour and Lunch for Two from umami

UC26: Moto - chef for a day from Moveable Feast *new

AP30: An eating tour of Bangkok with Austin Bush, Thai food expert and Lonely Planet writer plus a copy of the latest edition of Lonely Planet Bangkok Guide (valued at US$200) from Gut Feelings *new

EU40: Lunch for two at the Michelin 3 star l'Arpège in Paris courtesy of Alain Passard, via Chez Pim *new

UE18: A Fully Loaded Bookshelf of Cookbooks (Minus the Shelf) from Serious Eats

UW41: A full year's subscription to Gastronomica, can be shipped anywhere in the world *new

UW32: Very special package of English Afternoon Tea from June Taylor and Sam Breach at Becks and Posh (gotta support one of my favorite blogger, not to mention the great conversations you will have)

UC14: 8 oz. hand-crafted pancetta from Seriously Good

EU13: A big box of Swiss chocolates from just Hungry

AP07: A bag of the world's hottest chillies, homegrown in Nagaland, India from Rambling Spoon

UW36: 100 gift voucher to spend at The Fatted Calf's new Napa store from Becks and Posh( Come on San Francisco, you know you like the fatted calf)

UC28: Hot Doug's celebrity sausage from Moveable Feast *new (I'm a hot dog lover)

WB09: Make Custom Wine at Sonoma Grapemasters from Segue Cellars

UK07: Bottle of whisky from A Wee Bit of Cooking

UC27: A bottle of real Absinthe from Moveable Feast *new

AP23: 1 bottle of 18-year-old Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky Gold Signature (valued at US$95) from Gut Feelings *new
AP24: 12 bottles of 42 Below Vodka (valued at 12,000 baht) from Gut Feelings *new
AP25: 6 bottles of 42 Below Seven Tiki Rum (valued at 6000 baht) from Gut Feelings *new (free booze is always good)

The tickets are $10 and there are a ton of great prizes. So give the tickets as gifts or just get yourself some and hope for the best. Good luck and Merry Christmas.

House rubbed rack of lamb with cardamom golden beet puree’, walnut shitake dirty rice and garnished with roasted rutabaga and celery.

I made this awesome dish last night. The lamb’s flavor was like a cross between bacon and sausage and the light tart beets really brightened up the flavor of the rice. I think you can leave off the rutabagas and the celery but I like the freshness the celery brings and the rutabagas, well hey, how often do you eat a rutabaga. I had the rice left over from the night before; I cooked it in a rice cooker with some dried seaweed I got from Rainbow grocery. If I were to do it again I would just make a sort of risotto instead of the “dirty rice”. The lamb is Australian lamb I got from Costco for 9.99 a lbs (the rack cost me $12 and change), the rutabagas. The beets and celery are all form the farmers market. I get most of my herbs and salts from Rainbow grocery.

If had to do it again I would boil a russet potato and mashed it with the beets to give them a silkier texture. I also would have added cream to the beets as apposed to whole milk. If my wife weren’t starving I would have thrown the rack under the broiler for 30 seconds per side to crisp up the outside. And last but not least I would have roasted the Veggies in a separate pan, they got a little greasy, but for the sake of fewer dishes, roasting in one pan turned out ok.

This dish serves two hungry people or three not so hungry people. Either way you will have roast veggies and beet purée left over. You can also save the beet boiling liquid and reduce it down farther and make a great vinegar syrup witch you can use for strawberries, over vanilla ice cream or as a sauce for steak, pork or lamb.

I really apologize but I don’t cook using measurements. If I had to guess I would say a pinch is half a tablespoon and a dash is a tablespoon. You are just going to have to make this dish yours and change the flavors to your liking.


For the spice rub
Pinch of fennel seeds. Crushed in a mortar or spice grinder.
Pinch of ground Mace
Big pinch of Hickory salt
Pinch of smoky salt
A sprinkle of garlic salt
A small pinch of hot paprika
Three small squirts of ketchup

Beet puree’
Four medium golden beats quartered
Water to cover beets and then some more
Three cloves of peeled garlic
Five cardamom pods
Half an onion quartered
A pinch of Chinese five spice
5 good dashes of Chinese black vinegar*
2 dashes of cider vinegar
1 bay leave
Salt and pepper

Rice
Jasmine or Basmati rice **
Dried seaweed
Dried shitake mushrooms
Two cloves of garlic
Walnut oil
Butter
Chicken broth
Diced Shallot
Diced sage
Salt and pepper

Roast veggies
Three Rutabagas quarter inch sliced
2 ribs celery cut into one-inch slices
Half onion sliced thin
Salt, pepper and olive oil

Lamb
Rack of lamb cleaned up and frenched.


For the lamb

∑ Heat oven to 450
∑ Mix all herbs, salt and ketchup in bowel to form a dry paste
∑ Spread paste all over lamb and let sit until room tempter is reached.

For beet puree’
∑ Add all vinegars to pot
∑ Slightly crush cardamom pods and add to vinegar
∑ Add the rest of ingredients
∑ Add beets
∑ Add water to cover beets and then a little more
∑ Bring to boil

For rice
∑ Put rice and appropriate amount of water for rice in a rice cooker
∑ Add dried seaweed
∑ Cook until done

Put lamb, bone up on a rack, and then place in a baking dish. Spread the rutabaga and the celery around the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil. Place in 450-degree oven for 12-18 minutes or when a thermometer place in the lamb reads 145 degrees for rare.

Cook beets until a paring knife can be easily slid into it. Remove solids from pan and discard cardamom pod and bay leaf. Blend the solids in a food processor, add about and 1/8th cup of cooking liquid, more if you want it tangy. Add a little less than a tablespoon of butter and two dashes of milk; blend in a food processor until smooth. Add more butter or milk if you want it creamier

Heat some of the butter and some of the walnut oil in a saucepan, add diced shallot, cook until clear, about thirty seconds. Add crushed garlic and cook thirty more seconds. Add dried mushrooms to butter. Remove rice from rice cooker and add to shallot, garlic, and mushroom mixture, add small amount of chicken broth. Briefly mix and then cover to keep warm.

Remove lamb from oven and let stand, tented with tin foil for five minutes.
Turn oven to broil and return celery and rutabagas to the broiler and cook until edges brown.

Meanwhile place a large tablespoon full of beet puree’ on plate and spread out on plate.

Add diced sage to rice and stir in. Place a large spoonful of rice in center of the beet circle.

Remove veggies form broiler and place in circle on top of beet puree’, outside of the rice.

Cut the rack of lamb between the rib bones creating lamb chops. Place three chops on the plate in a circle

Garnish with parsley or a dash of paprika or some sliced chive.

I am not a pro recipe writer so I hope this made some sense. Like I said there are things I would do differently if I didn’t have left over rice and fresh mushrooms. I would have made this with fresh mushrooms and a proper rice dish but hey, I didn’t want to waist the rice.

*If Chinese black is unavailable use balsamic and cider. Just use less balsamic.

**I like jasmine rice but I had basmati on hand. If I were making risotto I would use aborio.

Where I eat.

Everyone thinks there restaurants are the best. The truth of the matter is that 90% of the time people eat around their houses or near their work. Another good rule is that everyone thinks there restaurants are the best. I am no exception to this rule, whenever any asks me for recommendations I usually steer them to restaurants near my house (in the Castro) or where I hang out (mission). I usually eat at places I can walk to or place I am already familiar with. I have friends that are always eating out at new restaurants but for the time being I have been doing a ton of cooking at home, there for I have not been eating out that much. It is odd, I like new things but when it comes to eating I seem to be drawn towards cravings rather than trying new things. This is not to say that I don't eat at new restaurants but it seems like most of the time I go back to old favorites or places highly recommended. So here is a list of some of the places I like to eat and a few places I am yet to try but come highly recommended by close friends that I trust. They range from cheap and easy places to high-end eateries meant for special occasions.

Like I said most people don't travel to far from home to eat, So I live in the Castro, work in the mission and my wife works near Fillmore st. So most of my eating happens near those places. I am sure there are good places in other neighborhoods like the Marina and Polk ST. I just haven't found any worth mentioning.

DISCLAMER- this is not a “best of” list, these are just places I like. I don't need to justify why I eat there, I just do.

In no particular order;

Sunflower (both)- Vietnamese- There are two restaurants that share one kitchen. The food is clean and fresh and very cheap. I like the vermicelli with imperial roles and BBQ pork (like 6.95). My wife likes the Pho, shaken beef and lemon grass tofu. They also have one of the best lunch deals in town. (Mission)

2223-California cuisine- this is a good solid restaurant. Not revolutionary cuisine but it does recipes that you are familiar with, really well. Recently they have had some ups and downs, but it is still one of my go to restaurants. Great drinks and atmosphere. (Market, Castro)

China First-Chinese-This is great Chinese food. A lot of there specials are written in Chinese so I feel like I am missing out. This place is so cheap and has that authentic Chinese atmosphere. Great for large groups. Not classy but really good food. This and Tong Kiang are the only reason I go to the Richmond for food. (Richmond)

Tong Kiang- dim sum-Clean, white person (and Asian) person Dim sum. This restaurant is great for Dim sum, the regular food is O.K, but their dim sum is the reason to go. Other Dim Sum places have a better selection, but for some reason this place just does it right. No matter how many people you have in your party it will cost you between $20-$22 a person including tip. (Richmond)

Café Macaroni- Italian-I ate here for the first time about two weeks ago. I thought it was good solid Italian food. My chicken was over cooked but the sauce it came with was really fresh and tasted great. It is owned by a father daughter team and with real Italians in the kitchen, you can’t complain about authenticity. They also own the one across the street (temporarily closed). I haven’t found great Italian food in S.F, so this will have to do. (North Beach)

St. Frances soda fountan-Indi-rock diner-. The service is good, the food is O.K and a little pricy for a diner, but it seems that all diners in this town are pricy. You will wait for a table if you come here for brunch on the weekends and during peak lunch hours during the week. If you’re lucky you may see the Mythbuster team in here. Worth checking out. My brother swears by the burger. I eat the Reuben. Salad dressings leave a lot to be desired. (24th ST mission)

RNM-California Cuisine- I hear this place good, very highly recommended. Check it out. (Lower Haight)

Firefly- California Cuisine- This is a staple restaurant for a date or dinner with the parents. It is cozy and has a great warm atmosphere. All the food is great; I have never had a bad meal there. Sometimes they have prix-fix menu that is also a very good deal. (Noe Valley)

Hog island (farm and ferry building)-Oysters plus food- If you like oysters just go. You will leave the ferry building hungry but damn those oysters are good. The farm is a great way to spend the day but call first and reservations. (Embarcadero, Marshal)

Manora Thai- Thai food-Great lunch special never been there for dinner. Good food. (SOMA)

Osha- Thai food- great food, smaller portions but the food is really good.

Old Jerusalem- Middle eastern- best Middle Eastern food I have eaten in S.F. Atmosphere is O.K but the food makes up for it. I mean this is the real deal; I’m talking about that lightweight “truly Med” stuff. The portions are perfect for eating family style. (Mission near Caesar Chaves)

Zeitgeist- Grill food-Great burgers, I am sick of the home fries. The burgers are the only thing worth getting and they only come well done, but for some reason they taste great. (Mission)

Vallarta Taqueria-Taqueria- I think this is some of the best Mexican around, this is the real deal. A lot of Hispanic people eat here which to me is a good sign. The other day I was in for lunch and saw them boiling an entire Cow’ head it was a sight to be seen. Great tacos!
(24th ST, Mission)

Na'an and anything (chutney, curry and so on)-Indian- I have eaten at the one in the inner sunset and the on down town and the one in north beach. I can’t tell any of them apart even though the names are different. Most of them are good. The one in North beach is the best. They skimp a little on the meat but the sauce is very good. (All over the city)

Chow (park chow)- comfort food- Food is B-, but there is something for everyone. If you can’t make up your mind, go to Chow, you’ll leave satisfied. That’s all I’m going to say. (Church and market and inner sunset)

Blue- comfort food-good food, great portions, but needs better décor. Try the mac n'cheese. (Castro)

Boulevard- I still think this one of the best restaurants in San Francisco. I have eaten at almost all of the high-end restaurants in town and this one still holds up. They went through a spell about two years ago of putting two or three small entrée’s on a plate, like short ribs and monkfish on one plate. They just didn’t gel with each other. I have never had a bad meal there.

This isn’t a complete list of all the places I eat but it is a good start. If you ever find yourself in any of these neighborhoods, I highly recommend checking them out.

Home made pate'

Growing up, i hated liver of all sorts. I hated the way it's smell filled the house and got on everything. I couldn't understand why anyone in their right mind would eat it. It's texture was slippery and biological and just gross. Now, i was not one of those kids who only ate hot dogs and mac'n cheese, quite the contrary. My father has always been a great cook and to this day is probably the best home chef I know. My parents were hippies who owned a tour company. So from a very young age, I ate all sorts of food, from Indian curries to organic brussel sprouts (yes, a kid eating brussel sprouts). Throughout the years, liver has always been on my short list of dislikes. Now, this list doesn't include all livers. Maybe I just have good taste or i was blessed with no conscience, or maybe it was years of Iron Chief (Japan), but i have always liked foie gras. (Calves's liver I am still working on) About 9 years ago something shifted, I was in Saul's Delicatessen (http://www.saulsdeli.com/) in Berkeley and for some odd reason had a hankering for liverwurst. So I ordered one up and my life has never been the same. I eat liver all the time and if it is on the menu in any form, I order it. I don't know where it started but it seems that Jewish people love chicken liver (gross generalization, but I am yet to find one that doesn't like them). This being said, I am part Jewish and my Jewish God-Father gave me the basis for my chicken liver recipe, so I have to give some props where props are due. Anyway, I took his recipe and read up on some others from the Joy of Cooking and some fancy restaurant cookbooks as well (Chez Panisse or Boulevard, I can't remember). Somewhere between the authentic and the classy I came up with a great recipe for chicken liver pate. I also have to add that this whole recipe cost me about three dollars (watch out $10 challenge) and I highly, highly recommend using organic chicken livers. It cuts down on the "yuk" factor of eating innards.

Recipe:
Feel free to omit the apples if you want but i think it balances out the earthiness of the liver. I also just re-read an article in Sauveur magazine that excluded apples and included tomato paste, anchovy paste and capers. That's a recipe from Florence.
I also like to serve pate on brioche or toasted, but still moist bread. I am not a huge fan of the baked to hell crostini. And for god's sake, put out more bread than you think people will need. Don't make people pile on pate, so gauche.

Salt and pepper 1 lb of organic chicken livers.

Heat 12 inch pan to high heat.

Add small amount of oil (I use olive oil), just enough to cover bottom of pan.

Add livers and brown on all sides and cook til small amount of pink remains in center. This may be done in two batches in order to prevent steaming. You can also break up livers with wooden spoon to check centers for doneness. DON'T OVER COOK.

While livers are cooking, dice about 1/4 cup of shallots and a 1/4 cup of yellow onion.

Cube half a sweet apple. If apple isn't sweet use more.

Remove livers and place in food processor.

Add onions to pan and scrape brown bits from pan until onions are translucent and just beginning to brown.

Add shallots and apples, cook until apples soften and shallots are clear.

Add a tablespoon of sherry and 3 tablespoons of apple brandy or apple liqeur. For all you "appletini" drinkers, don't use Puckers or any crap like that. Use real apple liquer. You can often find it in Russian or Eastern European markets. Deglaze pan and scrape up brown bits.

You can set the whole pan on fire and burn off the alcohol if you want (Be careful, I accept no responsibility if you lose and eyebrow).

Add the solids and a small amount of liquid to the food processor with the liver and turn on (30 seconds).

While mixer is running, add chunks of cold butter to mixer in small amounts (this adds to texture, and amount is totally based on personal preference).

Check consistency and taste. Add left over liquid to thin out pate and season with salt and fine ground pepper.

Continue blending until mixture is smooth. If it gets two watery add small amount of Pate' back to pan and heat up stirring constantly, do not let brown.

Make this dish your own, change it, add things to it, and try new flavors . It is so easy and will impress guests, especially the fire part.

good luck.

Rice is nice

I have traveled through many Asian countries. I have eaten many cuisines, each one of them more exotic then the last. The only thing that links the wonderfully spicy Dahl in India to the delicate fish of Japan is… rice. This is not to say that all rice is created equally. There is a myriad of rice varieties all over the world Black rice in Bali, Red rice in Thailand, Jasmine rice in Japan, and good old brown rice, here in hippie America. Now what connects all this rice from all over the world? The rice cooker. Now I normally wouldn’t make grand generalizations (that’s a lie I do it all the time, but for the sake of sounding sensitive I will down play this fact) but it seems like everyone in Asia has a rice cooker, and what can I say that over 2 billion people can’t be wrong. In Asia with the exception of the very hard up, I have never seen anyone cook rice in a pot on a stove.

I bought my rice cooker years ago and the damn thing won’t die. I left it on top of my toaster oven and melted the legs off and it still works great, am I a little concerned the house may burn down, but hey you have to live dangerously and it’s not the rice cooker’s fault. I have a small rice cooker which can feed 3-4 hungry people max. For bigger parties I have a 30 cup rice cooker and that thing will feed an army. But for just me and my wife the small one works great.

What I love about it is the ease with which it works. I mean you put in rice and water (different rices need different amounts of water) push a button and walk away. When you come back you have perfectly cooked rice, no stirring or tricks or guessing and no burnt bottom. Sorry that got a little infomercial there for a second, but I really can’t stress enough how great the cooker is. I have to be honest I don’t even really know how to make rice without a cooker. I have tried a ton of different ways but not one has produced the same effect every time as rice cooker does.

I have started to branch out with my rice cooker. I now make steel cut oatmeal in the morning, I set it up with I cup of oats and double water and a little butter hit the button then take a shower. When I get out breakfast is ready. I also made a great cheating risotto in it. I added rice and a little less chicken stock than the recipe called for, I also added some fresh herbs and a little parmasean cheese. When the button popped everything came out great. I then buttered the bottom of a pan add some garlic and let that brown for thirty seconds, then I added the risotto and began adding chicken stock and white wine until the rice was just cooked through then I added a little more fresh herbs and parmesan cheese, seasoned with salt and pepper and done. It didn’t really cut down on time but it sure did cut down on the ease of the recipe.

I have also cooked a paella gumbo sort of thing in the rice cooker. But that recipe will have to wait till next time.

I have no idea how the rice cooker knows but it knows a whole hell of a lot of more about cooking rice than I do. It has a non-stick surface which makes cleaning easy but even better than that it has never screwed up a pot of rice. Unlike me who has screwed up more than my fare share of rice so I figure why not let this thing do it every time.

Grill top paella/gumbo sort of thing

It was labor day last Monday, and what better way to celebrate working than having a BBQ and cooking all day. Even though this is still work I think I can let it slide. I also don't BBQ like everyone else. First, let me say that i don't own a BBQ, I do however own one hell of a smoker, I also own my own grill grate, don't ask. Second, Just like every other man, I think I am one hell of a BBQ/griller. But not like every other man, I actually know how to grill. I have read books and burned my fare share of stuff. I understand the fire, I know how to build one, I know how to maintain one and I know how to cook over one. Building a fire in a group can be one of the most frustrating experiences a person can ever have. Fire techniques are like Ass holes, everyone has one. An let me tell you everyone likes to share there technique weather or not asked for.

So on this day my friend Bill built and maintained the fire,and he did a fine job. He did get his fair share of abuse but the fire stayed hot and everything did get cooked. On this day I undertook something a little brave for the grill. I undertook a Paella/Gumbo sort of thing. It all started in a snobby super market on the way to Hog Island Oysters(where we had the BBQ). I wanted to cook something that stayed with the seafood theme of oysters, but would feed a lot of people. So i grabbed some shell-on-shrimp next I made my way down and got some Calibres sausage(I don't know if this is a real sausage or just a name the store came up with). I picked some up some pre-made Spanish rice from the Deli counter. Next I wanted canned tomatoes and clam juice but they where both way to pricey for me to buy in this boutique super market. So I settled on a large can of Manhattan clam chowder. i figured the tomato-fish base would have to substitute. A friend grabbed a large red pepper and some beer and that was that or so I thought. As I continued the 1.5 hour drive up to Hog Island I had a hunch that no one brought charcoal so we made one more quick stop in Point Reyes station. I ran into the small store and gave it a once over and to my surprise they a few extra things I needed... and It was cheap! I got three chicken legs and thighs for just over $2.00 an onion and a box of Zateran's crab boil all this and a bag of charcoal for under 8 dollars.

Skip ahead two hours and the Grill is on and ready to go. I diced up the onion and read pepper and put it in a disposable chaffing dish and that dish went on the grill. I also but the sausages on the grill to Firm up a little so I could slice them later. I let that cook for a while until the onions just began to brown then I threw the sausages and a little Pacifico beer in the pan and covered it. Meanwhile I put the chicken legs and thighs on the grill, skin side down, and let them cook for a while. After flipping them a couple of times I pulled them off and along with the Grab boil spice and the Manhattan clam chowder added the chicken to the chaffing dish. I let that come to a boil then added the sausage , a pound of shrimp and then covered the whole thing with the rice a few slices of lemon and some sprigs of parsley I let the whole thing cook until the shrimp was just done. I pulled the dish off and shredded the chicken into the dish.

I have to say I thought I was going home with pounds of this stuff. Everyone was full and the weather was getting bad, but much to my surprise the entire thing got eaten. It was such a mish-mash of stuff thrown into a pot I was actually surprised it turned out well. But hey i guess you can't go to wrong with grilling on a bay, in the sun, on labor day.

BLUE better than CHOW

BLUE better than CHOW

I ate Blue last night and was pleasantly surprised. See, i live around the corner from it's Market st. location and walk by all the time. The monochromatic blue decor never enticed me in. It wasn't until a co-worker of my wife recommended it did i decide to eat there. It was late and we where hungry and wanted something easy. We got to the restaurant around 8:45 and to our surprise it was packed. The restaurant was warm but even packed with people the restaurant's cold feel didn't beat off the wind and fog. The waiters are friendly but to a point of annoyance. At first glance the menu is simple and at second glance it remains so, As long as you are in the mood for comfort food you are in the right place. A citrus salad with fennel and Orange caught our eye to start. Then the waiter walked buy with a bubbling hot crusty over sized ramekin filled with mack n' cheese. At this point I new this was not going to be a low calorie night. So i went for the gold and ordered meatloaf with gravy and two Amstel lights. The conversation was good but the tables where a little close together so both our neighbors conversations where also enthralling. As the food began to arrive we realized that we made the right choices. The salad was dressed nicely but it could have used a boast in the fennel department. The mac n' cheese came out and was everything i hoped it would be (but it needed salt). I am a purist when it comes to mac n' cheese and this one is strait out of the book. It was tangy, cheesy and velvety smooth, It really hit the spot. But I think my heart would've stopped if i ate the whole bowl, but hey, I haven't heard of the mac' n cheese diet yet. The meatloaf was equally classical but I think they use a lot of pork in there meat blend. which makes for a lighter loaf but doesn't produce that beefy(yea beefy) flavor that you want from meat loaf. The sides of mashed potatoes and garlic carrots where also done well. it is nice to see that they didn't go lame on the sides the portions where big and the flavor was good... not great but really good. I went there with no real expectation and was pleasantly surprised to find a restaurant that does comfort food well and at a good price. Chow was my go to place for that but I feel like the quality of chow's ingredients has become a little mas produced for my taste. I look forward to Blue for an upcoming breakfast i have a feeling there Monte Cristo could be enough to stop my heart for good.

The Tragedy of Restaurant Rot

The Tragedy of Restaurant Rot

How do you explain the demise of a favorite eatery? I’m not talking about when the cook gets busted on 3 counts of possession, (1 count for cocaine and 2 counts un-pasteurized, smuggled goat cheeses), or when things finally come to a head between the Salvadoran dish man and the Guatemalan grill cook (Oh I tell ya, more kitchen fires get started over futbol scores and papusa fillings than you might guess). I’m not even talking about when entrance is shuddered and the last breath escapes from the swinging door of your local diner.

I’m not talking about restaurant death at all, that would be easy to explain. Most restaurants don’t make it, it’s the thing that keeps us all in day jobs. I’m talking cancer here, that slow ugly rendering of a formerly great restaurant into a suddenly sub-par placeholder on the block.

This is the seriously malevolent shit because you can’t spot it coming. You don’t eat there for a couple or six months and next thing you know the tuna melt has sweet pickles in it. A lot of the time, there’s nothing to indicate the change at all. The menu stays the same, the look doesn’t change, there’s no overt indication of a change in ownership and the cook is still that crazy bastard with the ponytail. But still, you can tell that the joint now sucks. It has succumbed to restaurant tragedy, it’s going down and it’s the worst when you’re the first to notice it.

This happened to me last night. I went into an old favorite cheap Indian joint, actually a relatively new offshoot of an old favorite, but still a place I have frequented, thrilled by three things:

1. I love cheap, dirty San Francisco Pakistani/Indian food (Naan and Chutney, Naan and Curry, Naan and Sense, etc.) and this was one of my favorites, though I hadn’t been in 3 months.

2. I have to make an effort to get to this place for several reasons. It’s kind of far from my house but this time I was lucky enough to be in the area for work, and in the evening, no less! I usually have to settle for lunch even though the dinners are much better since they are not serving the 5-dollar buffet lunch crowd. I have a waifish girlfriend with a New England palette, in other words she often negs it when we do have the opportunity to go for dinner: too dirty, too spicy, too much gee, and not worth the trip across town. Can you believe that shit? It’s not as if we didn’t drive 2 hours to eat at the French Laundry (that’s right, I’ve been, bow down) or fly to Paris for the weekend to celebrate my birthday at Robuchon (curtsy please)!

3. The most important thing is that I was alone. You never get to eat Indian food alone because it makes no sense to do so. You need a variety of dishes to satisfy an Indian craving but any one dish will fill a plate so you have to eat in groups. But I had cash in my pocket and gluttony on my mind. There would be no witnesses when I ordered three dishes all for myself and you have to take my word with no proof that I didn’t order 5. The best part was, I hadn’t eaten all day, so I was ready.

So I ordered chicken tikka masala, that most American of Indian foods, palak panneer and keema naan with a side of onion biryani. I’m not going to bother with describing the pathetic flavors or my reaction, you probably saw the aftermath of the fire on your local news and that image of me spitting spinach at the restaurant’s owner, as the cops hauled me in, was not at all flattering.

But it really made me realize something. This is the fate of almost all restaurants. It is, really. All you can do is hope the quality lasts long enough for the food to become dated. What the hell happens to a place when it mysteriously goes sucktastic? Now I’ve had my share of restaurant jobs in the front and back of the house, and maybe I was working when this phenomenon occurred, but I don’t know what causes it.

So today, when I get back from lunch, I’m going to call my buddy Rob Guarino in New York and ask him. He owns and manages several restaurants and has been in the business for 10 years. But the best thing about G is that he’s a food phreak too. When the New York Times reviewed one of his places, they called him “movie star good looking Robert Guarino.” And he is, but he’s a New York Italian guy who married a Chicago Jew so you know he’s gonna eat well and get fat. Bless karmic justice. I’m thinking he’s got some answers, not because he’s worked at restaurants that have failed (it’s okay, it happens to everyone sometimes, Rob) but because he currently has one that’s been great for a long time through several chefs and changes in style and menu. It’s called Marseille and it’s fantastic. It’s on 9th avenue at 44th street, go there and be happy and be sure to tell them I sent you so that I can feel like a part of the place even though I live across the country. Anyway, when I get back from lunch I’m calling him.

I’m going to lunch now, Boars Head sandwiches from the DeLano market around the corner, more on that later). Bye, wait for me to get back (see next sentence). Okay I’m back. I’ll call Rob now…

For the first time ever, I can’t get through to Rob at the restaurant. Maybe he doesn’t want to risk cursing the restaurant by discussing the inevitable future. That leaves me with a terrible alternative. I have to ask my idiot brother Vadan. He has theories about everything. Hold on, I’ll ask.

Here’s what that guy thinks and I hate to say it, but he’s defeated the question of this entire entry by making the answer seem so obvious that now I’m the idiot. Hooray, I just wasted a whole hour to report that the phenomena that I’m resenting is nothing more than the failure of inspiration and the loss of passion that results when good work becomes a job. I hate to think of chefs having jobs, but it does make sense. In the end, food is art that we consume in a moment after its birth. It has to have more passion behind it than any creative expression besides whistling. They are both only good when you really mean it.

“Ring, ring!” That’s my text imitation of my cell phone playing the voice of Julia Child saying, “First you take the chicken…”

“Ring, ring!”

It’s Rob. Please let him contradict my brother. Let there be mystery once more in this question of restaurant rot.

I just got off the phone with Rob and here’s what that guy says.

There are 5 big causes for a show dog getting the mange…What the hell was that? Crazy escapee from someone’s George Bush blog. What I meant to say was there are 5 major reasons that good restaurant to falls apart. I’ll call ‘em Robert’s Rules


1. People leave. Rob saying that made me realize, you never really know who’s anchoring a city kitchen. The staffs are large and the departure of a sous chef, while unannounced, may actually be a greater tragedy than a change in ownership or the death of the coke-snorting, cheese smuggling chef.

2. Things slow down. Restaurants have a rhythm and people need activity to keep their skills sharp. If things are slow and business is inconsistent, the edge can go and very frequently coincide with better talent that was drawn to the excitement of the “new hot gig in town” leaving for the newer hotter gig in town. Jesus, does that make restaurants the new club scene? We’ll discuss that another time.

3. Profit doesn’t happen. A restaurant can be open a long time on the anticipation of profit. Tired owners may try to make do with less cooks or tighter control of kitchen inventories, simpler recipes resulting again in a duller kitchen.

4. Profit happens. This one pisses me off. Things get good and the bosses start taking more vacations. They spend less time in the kitchen and on the floor and they don’t replace those roles well and things become unfocused. Booooooo! C’mon, with great power comes responsibility. My dollars, over the years, have paid for your damn vacations! Make sure my needs are met before you go off snorting coke in the Riviera and forget to smuggle my damn un-pasteurized cheese!

5. But of course the one that counts is none of these. The one that counts is the ridiculously obvious one that Vadan already told me about and the one that Rob actually mentioned fist: Passion. To quote Rob, “so much of it is love that if you get a little tired of it it’s kinda hard keep the fires burning.” And yes it is just like a marriage; maybe that’s why so many good eateries close after seven years. The spark goes. But still, how the hell do you stop loving chicken tikka masala, you cold-hearted bastards?! Fortunately the same passion does not die in the art of eating.

Oh well, eat well and when the place you love gets restaurant rot, euthanize that sucker.

Eat the World! -sirr a.k.a. Mr. Eat