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ABOUT ME:

Name: Gutenberg

Location: Somewhere near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Occupation: BRPR (Bunrab public relations.)

 
the BUNRAB blog spot
 

Do you need to answer back? You can send me comments if you want to.

If I want to, I'll post 'em in this very blog.

-Gutenberg



 

December 17-23 , 2006

 

go to next week's blogs

 

 

Saturday, December 23, 2006
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Joe’s Cable Car restaurant was in the Christmas spirit by giving out a gift with lunch.

They even pulled out the folk art Santa:

...to complete the holiday effect.

My 6-oz. "chopped beef steak" with avocado ($9.75):

... hit the spot. I like the way they grind their beef to just the right texture (which they do in full sight, with choice, chuck.) The meat was cooked to the requested medium rare with melted, sharp Cheddar collapsed between the patty and the vegetable matter.

O-rings ($3.00):

...completed the circle of this artery insulating meal.

Joe’s Cable Car Restaurant
4320 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA
415.334.6699

 


 

 

 

Friday, December 22, 2006
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Chubby and I were heading to the Letterman Theatre:

...in the Presidio but we needed to grab some quick chow on the way. We whipped by A16:

... and got seated immediately without rezzies (how lucky is that for a Friday night filled with hungry shoppers?)

My Margherita pizza ($12.00):

... had more blisters than a centipede at the Bay to Breakers. This simple combo of tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil leaves was a little soggy towards the center, but was good enough for me to eat the whole thing anyway.

Chubby got the Salsiccia ($14.50):

... with fennel sausage, grana padano, mozzarella, and some rapini to scrub out the cheesy sausage artery road block. This was a tasty combo but suffered from a damp center as well.

Next time we will both have to ask for our ‘za’s fired a little longer.

They got us out quick so we were in plenty of time to see a pristine print of Flags of our Fathers with top notch projection and sound. It was important to fill our bellies before the movie since popcorn is not an option in this non-milk dud friendly, carpeted screening room.

 


 

 

 

Thursday, December 21, 2006
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Harmony Restaurant opened up this week in the Strawberry Village Mall in Mill Valley.

If they get all their Peking ducks in a row, their take-out shop will open next week with hot food and cold kits to assemble your own chow out of Harmony’s way.

I think that they picked a good name for their eatery because I can hear the out of tune responses already. We are conditioned to think of dim sum as ultra-cheap eats so it’s difficult to swallow the idea of five bucks for an order of sui mai, but you really can’t look at Harmony as just another dim sum restaurant. Their focus is local, sustainable ingredients with an updated interpretation. The modern muted toned dining room is your first clue that this isn’t your typical cart go round.

Not everything on the menu was available today. They didn’t have any pea shoot or vegetable green dumplings or the scallop and chive dim sum. So I went with the shrimp gow:

...which contained fresh and tasty pink meat. The Fun Gwor with pork and mushrooms:

... was okay, with distinct bits of fungus and pig, but it needed more of the promised cilantro and parsley, I preferred the vegetarian dumplings with black mushrooms, pickled turnip and green onions due to its tasty textural variations of crunchy and soft umami laced bites but it wasn’t something I would go out of my way to reorder.

The sui mai tasted like solid, standard issue pork and shrimp stumps wrapped in egg noodle.

All of the items:

... ($5.00 for each of the varieties that I had) were fine, nothing extraordinary, but to be fair, they are just getting started and they didn’t have a lot of the items that I wanted (due to priming the pump of their suppliers.)

Next time I think I’ll check out their non dim sum menu like the chili wok tossed onion rings or Harmony Signature Beef.

It’s too early to tell, but from the friendly staff and their fresh tasting chow they may not have such an empty dining room in the near future. 

They are going to have dim sum carts on the weekends but are not going to be Chinesey enough to remain open on Xmas or American New Years.


Harmony Restaurant
800 Redwood Hwy. #401
Mill Valley, CA
415.381.5300



 

 

 

Wednesday, December 20, 2006
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Have you seen that Ten Speed Press book called Hungry Planet?

You open it up to see full page photos of families from around the world surrounded by all the food that they typically eat in a week.

Although they list this book in their cookbook catalogue, it’s really a photo essay that relates to the Menu for Hope raffle. All of the money from this drive goes to the United Nations Food Programme.

Ten Speed Press generously donated a prize of three cookbooks (of the winner’s choosing) from their enticing catalogue (prize number UW23.)

If you are illiterate, you can choose from other non-text based items like Amy’s Mocha me happy, or check out Shuna’s desserts after a meal at Aziza,  Sam’s Wookie cookies with a real wookie, Brett’s praiseworthy chow or Fatemeh’s spicy offerings. 

Pim has not only put together this drive, she has also gotten some outrageous prizes like dinner at Manresa.

Don’t be deceived by the date that the winners will be announced. The deadline to get in on all these (and other) cool prizes is Friday, December 22nd at 6 p.m. PST.

You will be helping to feed those in need so do it now before you forget. Seriously, do it now.

-G


 

 

 

Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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Fennel and potato soup ($3.50):

... at Slow Club was just the thing to take the San Francisco chill off today.  This thick rooty fluid was the anise-swer to my craving. Not only was it delish, it thawed out my fingers so I could enjoy my ‘za.

Grilled flatbread ($9.50):

...had nice little blisters on the thin crust with a combo of chewy and crunchy regions. The melty mozzarella, shrooms and Italian sausage were tasty belly insulation. I wonder if more people order “flatbread” since it sounds healthier (and classier) than “pizza.”

Slow Club
2501 Mariposa St.
San Francisco, CA
415.241.9390



 

 

 

Monday, December 18, 2006
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The Joy of Cooking says that the definition of eternity is one ham and two people. Obviously they didn’t have access to Fatted Calf’s hams. We got one of the larger of their petit jambon ($10 per pound):

...which weighed in at about  two and a half pounds. This is just the right amount for a few meals and some snacktime refrigerator whittling of heritage pig.

Ham sandwiches:

...with gruyere and fava greens:

...were a highly recommended way to enjoy this smoky, pork treat.

 

From today’s bunrab email, Kate writes about Bette’s To Go:

Gutenberg,

I owe you a thanks, again. I have lived near Bette's To Go for over 6 years. Having always been mesmerized by the deli food, I have never ordered from the unobtrusive menu. But your review encouraged me to change my ways, and I must second your review on the Cubano. My goodness, what I've been missing! It was a good thing I ordered it to go, because I would have been tempted to get a second one.

I am wondering about your assessment of the staff as "wonderful", however. In all the years I've been going, I'd say 95% of that service has been curt and rather unpleasant.

You must be a charmer, or have friends there :).

Kate


Gutenberg replies:

Dear Kate,

I’m so glad you liked the Cubano too. It’s nice in this cold weather to boot.

As far as the service goes, even though you are a regular, I think that they really have a soft spot for rabbits.

-G


 

 

 

Sunday, December 17, 2006
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The French Laundry
knows how to put on a holiday party.

As always, they were in top form with salmon cornets, smoked sturgeon, beef tenderloin:

... pork rillettes, foie gras, and every imaginable dessert:

The champagne was flowing, the wassailers were singing:

 
 

... and  the cookie decorating station was going full force:

Cecilia Chang, Margrit Mondavi, and other members of the food and wine community came to raise a glass. Laura Cunningham looked gorgeous engulfed by the crowds during her visit.

Chubby chanted “chicken livers, chicken livers..” on the way to Yountville and was happy that Thomas’:

... chopped liver:

... (which he personally prepares every year) was presented in its buttery goodness.

These people know how to spread holiday cheer.


-G

 


 

 

 


back to last week - December 8-16, 2006

 




 

 
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