Check out our other stuff:   Yummy Chow   |   Photo Hutch  |  Home


 
 
 

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



 

November 9-15, 2009

 

go to next week's blogs

 

  Sunday, November 15, 2009
permalink


Humphry Slocombe’s larder is lined with a layer of plump products including Boccalone pig fat. Instead of churning out a butter based version of brown bonbons, they make a porculiar product:

... which is soft, sueet and sumptuous:

These industrial strength lard caramels are not for eating by the handful, think of them as pignardises.


Humphry Slocombe

Boccalone
Lard Caramels
Available at Boccalone sporadically - they run out quickly
Boccalone Salumeria
Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA
415.433.6500


 

Mark your Calendar

Laurent Manrique, Bruce Hill and John Paul Carmona will be among the many talented Bay Area chefs preparing 4 course meals table side during the Taste & Tribute dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel on November 20th.

Chefs will pair off at eleven tables to create some enticing eats like roasted black cod with sweet onion and marrow broth or Spanish caviar with smoked potato, creme fraiche and chives. You can check out the menus here.

There will also be an abundance of alluring auction items at this Tibetan Aid Project benefit. Whether you want to paddle your way to Bordeaux for a culinary tour given by the gracious Jean-Pierre and Denise Moullé or put a cork in it with a silent auction bid for a 1994 Stag’s Leap Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon.


Taste & Tribute Dinner

Benefit for Tibetan Aid Project
Friday, November 20th, 5:30-10 p.m.
tickets $300 per person
Four Seasons Hotel
757 Market St.
San Francisco, CA
415.633.3000


 




 

 

  Saturday, November 14, 2009
permalink


The Jetset Chef aka Alex Marsh is having a 3 day layover at the Coffee Bar:

... for his Basque-inspired prix fixe dinners.

His recent Spanish travels jet fueled a menu which took off with a platter of pintxos:

The tendercles of the petite puses were eight fisted eating, while the perfectly cooked prawns stuffed with piperade showcased the seafood. Crisp, greaseless, porcini croquetas, Idiazabel cheese with sun dried tomato and a slice of tortilla went well with the crisp 2007 Viña Valoria Blanco Rioja.

Thin slices of Serrano ham, Epic Roots mache, ripe melon, crunchy almonds and a paprika-shallot vinaigrette:

... were given a black cherry boost by the 2006 La Terrera Rioja.

A 2007 Mas Malbec Mendoza added a hint of spice to blue nose bass poached in olive oil:

This merit-worthy, moist fish flesh was placed on a pedestal of lentils dotted with capers, olives and caper berries (which added satisfying saline snap.)

Walnut pudding:

... had a Japanese-style restraint in the sweetness level of this cacao, fig and nocino nudged landing pattern.

The chef:

... did a fly by to all of his diners who left their tray tables unlocked for his culinary recollections of his recent retreats.


Basque-ing in the Cali sun dinners
The Jetset Chef (beware, this link leads to audio)
November 14, 15 and 16
$35 prix fixe or $55 with wine pairing
Coffee Bar
1890 Bryant St.
San Francisco, CA
RSVP LWickettatCoffeeBar@gmail.com

 

 

 

Mark your Calendar

La Cocina is holding a Gift Fair at the Mission Cultural Center on December 4th. This incubator kitchen is grub hub to some delicioso chow including spicy plantain chips from Estellita’s Snacks and the famous, shortbread, caramel and chocolate bars from Clairesquares. A good place to stock up on holiday cocktail party snacks and locally made gifts.


La Cocina Gift Fair

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Friday Decenber 4th 4-9 p.m.
2868 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA





 

 

  Friday, November 13, 2009
permalink


My first lunch draft choice turned out not to be an eligible receiver, so I intercepted a 3rd Avenue Burger ($8.75):

at 3rd Avenue Sports Bar & Grill as a wild card replacement.

Television screens offered half time entertainment as I tackled my chuck puck.

The soft bun fumbled under the half pound pro-tein assault linebacked by melty jack cheese, tomato, lettuce and sauteed onions. Despite this interference, I managed to hand it off into my face mask along with franch-fries players with crispy skins. These MVPotatoes are worth a touchback to sack some snacks.


3rd Avenue Sports Bar & Grill
77 E. 3rd Ave.
San Mateo, CA
650.340.9872





 

 

  Thursday, November 12, 2009
permalink


The Sugar Rush event:

... featured the un-beetable talents of Bay Area sucrose slingers such as the Recchiutis:

... who are so badass that they burn their sugar before they make their sensational s’mores:

Boulevard took the sugar high road with a hazelnut semifredo over chocolate cake, orange caramel, Campari foam and a citrus tuille.

Michelle Polzine’s:

... date turnovers from last year were such a me-jewel that we were looking forward to this year’s creation. She hit that same Range of delectability this evening with her butterscotch pudding with crisp, mini, vanilla wafers:

Bill Corbett’s:

... butternut squash with coconut curry ice cream and red pepper caramel:

... drove us out of our gourd with its yokan-like texture in this successful marriage of savory and sweet. As Executive Pastry Chef at Michael Mina he has created tempting trios of toothsome decay. In a matter of weeks he’ll be making a switch to Coi where he will continue his quest for coi-lity.

Adam Becker Spruced up dark chocolate bases with hazelnut mousse, candied hazelnuts and coconut tuilles:

These light bricks of nuttiness were legolicious.

Humphry Slocombe’s:

... ice cream sandwiches were irresistible. Oolong gingersnap and pepper-mint:

... were heavenly, but the peanut butter curry was a sidewalk sundae sensation.

Spark ignited another hot benefit for Bay Area youth.

This annual event always takes the cake.


Spark Sugar Rush 2009

111 Minna Gallery
San Francisco, CA





 

 

  Wednesday, November 11, 2009
permalink


Aya Sushi

A warming bowl of chicken donburi:

... was an improvement upon Monday’s drier-egged beef version. Simmered chicken (enrobed in its junior incarnation) with onions, sesame seeds and kamaboko were given a splash of teriyaki-ish sauce. We also got some sushi:

... which was okay, but this seems like more of a belly ballast base than an special sushi stop.


Aya Sushi
1070 Holly St.
San Carlos, CA
650.654.1212

 

Mark your Calendar

Throw on your kaffir lime green tux and head to St. George Spirit’s Holiday Open House for tastes of tantalizing ‘tails and some sensational swigs of their excellent elixirs.

La Cocina, El Huarcache Loco, Recchiuti Confections and Gelateria Naia will be among the caterers at this potent party where you can take your cheesy prom attire off the hanger and put it in the hangar.

“A Winter Wonderland”
St. George Spirits Holiday Open House
Saturday, November 21st 1-6 p.m.
Tickets $40 advance, $50 at the door
2601 Monarch St.
Alameda, CA
510.864.0635
21 and older
cheesy prom attire recommended


 






 

 

  Tuesday, November 10, 2009
permalink


The rib sandwich ($8.75):

... at KC’s BBQ arrived as a plate of sauce slathered, meat sticks and slices of bread to be sandwichized by the diner. The pork fell from the bone at the suggestion of pressure to perch on sans-arti bread. This wheaty wonder-esque loaf lent soppage support to the smoky, tender and well-seasoned filling.

The yard sale decor and lack of table service may keep it from the pages of the Relais Chateaux directory:

... but we were perfectly happy to dive into our liquid laden lunches.

The sauce was mild, sweet and messy...exceedingly messy...Carrie at the prom messy.

But as long as you leave your white linen suit in the closet, KC’s is a good place to assemble a lowbrow sandwich.


KC’s Bar-B-Que
2613 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA
510.548.1140

 

 

A bakery is coming to the Bon Air Center in Greenbrae:

I haven’t sampled any of SusieCakes’ sweets at their Southerly stations but am curious to see what they whip up.


SusieCakes

Opening soon
310 Bon Air Center
Greenbrae, CA






 

 

  Monday, November 9, 2009
permalink


I took a seat in the bustling dining room at Hotaru:

... where miso soup was the warm up act for the beef donburi ($6.95):

Thin slices of beef, onions, and scallions were bound with egg (that was cooked a little more than I prefer) beef-ore capping a bowl of rice.

It’s time for someone to bridge the gap of cultural understanding vis a vis the Japanese restaurant salad:

I have nothing against Iceberg lettuce, but I have never developed an appreciation of this de rigueur display of pinkly dressed plants. I’m not saying that Japanese restaurant salads are bad, they’re simply not good - it’s just not something that people crave. That being said, they produce as fine a version as one can of this confounding foodstuff.

I had better luck with tako ($2.50), Hamachi ($4.50) and Hotate ($3.00):

... which were neither overcooked or dressed in pink.

This cheap and cheerful “Japanese Homestyle” eatery was a fine fueling stop once you got past the salad.


Hotaru

33 E.3rd Ave.
San Mateo, CA
650.343.1152

 

 

Mark your Calendar

ACME Chophouse will hold an indoor tailgate party this Thursday as the 49ers and Bears throw the pigskin.

4505 Meats hot dogs, Dungeness crab sliders and bourbon BBQ baby back ribs are a few of the $5 appetizers on offer along with $3 draft beers and other drink specials.

Sit your endzone down to tackle some snackage as you cheer on the home team.

ACME Tailgate Event
Thursday, November 12th
4:30-10:00 p.m.
ACME Chophouse
24 Willie Mays Plaza
San Francisco, CA
415.644.0240


 






 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUNRABS Home | Contact Gutenberg | Yummy Chow | Photo Hutch

 

Entire contents copyright © 2009 by BunRabCo. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Find individual postings:

or by area:

 


Daily Feed Archives:

Today's blog

October 2009

September 2009

August 2009

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

April 2009

March 2009

February 2009

January 2009

December 2008

November 2008

October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

July 2008

June 2008

May 2008

April 2008

March 2008

February 2008

January 2008

December 2007

November 2007

October 2007

September 2007

August 2007

July 2007

June 2007

May 2007

April 2007

March 2007

February 2007

January 2007

December 2006

November 2006

October 2006

September 2006

August 2006

July 2006

June 2006

May 2006

April 2006

March 2006

February 2006

January 2006

December 2005

November 2005

October 2005

September 2005

August 2005

July 2005

June 2005

 

 

 

 

Gutenberg's favorite blogs:


 

Becks and Posh

Meathenge

Chez Pim

David Lebovitz

Amateur Gourmet

Bay Area Bites

Restaurant Whore

The Food Whore

Cooking with Amy

Gastronomie

Food Blog S’cool

Eggbeater

Vinography

Slice

Tasting Menu

101 Cookbooks

Dessert First

Albion Cooks

In Praise of Sardines

A Full Belly

I'm Mad and I Eat

Life Begins at 30

Refined Palate

SF Eater

Knife's Edge

Eating Every Day

The Grub Report

Tastespotting

The Hungry Hedonist