Daily Feed - February 1-8

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	ABOUT ME: Name: Gutenberg Location: Somewhere near the Golden Gate Bridge. Occupation: BRPR (Bunrab public relations.)			the BUNRAB blog spot
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February 1-8, 2010

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Monday, February 8, 2010
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I cut over to Lil' Biscuit House:

... to drop some dough on a two meat combo ($15.00):

... which came with one of their namesake nubs of baked bread. This carb-o was on the dry side and required buttery buttressing.

Their beer promotion:

... had the reverse of its intended effect on me as I made my beverage selection.

The baked beans were perfectly good while the mac and cheese didn't manage to elbow its way through to any bold bud-citement.

Although the chicken was fried to a moist-centered crispy-edged doneness and the baby back ribs weren't tough, the focus wasn't on seasoning. I'm wondering if the under-seasoning is an intentional act to compensate for their heavy helpings (by making a low sodium health claim) or perhaps it is to accommodate a clientele that demands milder chow.

Lil' Biscuit House
55 37th Ave.
San Mateo, CA
650.372.9898

Mark your Calendar

Cochon 555 is trotting back to The Silverado in Napa for another sow-studded soiree.

Chefs from the French Laundry, Meadowood, Namu, Zazu and the Silverado will try to snout do each other in the heritage hog off. Each chef will prepare one of the 5 breeds of pigs to be sampled with swine pairings from local vintners before votes are placed for the Prince of Porc.

There will be butchery, beer and bartending to hogment this troughffic time.

Check out the previous other white meat ups here, and here.

Cochon 555
February 28th, 4:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Tickets $110, $160 VIP

The Silverado Resort
1600 Atlas Peak Road
Napa, CA
707.257.0200

Sunday, February 7, 2010
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Sea Thai Bistro opened a few days ago in the former Simmer Restaurant space transforming the decor from a muted Autumnal feel to a fancy goldfish vibe.

We sat down under a red chandelier to some “little baskets” ($8.00):

... which were cashew canoes with fried noodles, cilantro, onion, tomato and shreds of carrot making for pleasantly crunchy, herbaceous lettuce wraps.

A big bowl of red pumpkin curry ($16.00):

... had pepper-tinged coconut milk covering carrots, sugar snap peas, mushrooms and Thai basil. The wedges of Japanese squash were underdone for my taste, but still okay with a side of brown rice ($2.50).

Bacon infused the “Street Fair Noodles” ($14.00):

... with broccoli, bean sprouts, chicken, chili, Thai basil, egg, carrots and bell peppers. This was a satisfying combo of crisp-tender vegetables and pasta, but we wondered if their pricing would suit those seeking a midday meal.

Despite the balloon boy tribute out front, the place was empty during our visit so they may need to work on a list of lunch specials to prime the pump at this petite Asian eatery.

Sea Thai Bistro
60 Corte Madera Ave.
Corte Madera, CA
415.927.8333

Saturday, February 6, 2010
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This evening’s Wine & Wishes event:

... on Treasure Island brought out benevolent Bay Area chefs and vintners to raise funds for the Make a Wish Foundation.

Farralon kept ahead of the wave of shellfish slurpers with their tidey bank of bivalves:

... while Waterbar’s sturgeon sandwiches:

... tipped the scales with their roe chapeaus.

Chef Hirigoyen’s:

... boca-licious piment d’espelette kissed calamari and black eyed pea salad:

... and his snapper ceviche were fabulous fare.

We loved the Ladera:

... 2003 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and Macphail:

... 2007 Anderson Valley Toulouse Vineyard Pinot Noir while we adam-antly appreciated Oola’s:

... signature ribs:

... and A16’s baked ricotta with braised greens and olio nuovo:

Elizabeth Faulkner’s desserts are never short of twists as demonstrated in these cuckoo cacao cubes of chocolate pudding with crispy nibs and a whip of tangy marmalade:

For those who wanted a more traditional take on afters, there were mini Kara’s Cupcakes:

There were auction items to peruse under a chimp-a-lier:

... at another awesome annual fulfillment of stomachs and wishes.

Wine & Wishes 2010

Friday, February 5, 2010
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The opening party for San Francisco Beer week was hoppin with a maltitude of distinctive characters.

Jesse steered us towards some satisfying suds at Moonlight Brewing:

... as well as a Chinese-influenced herbal glass of E.S.Chi from Marin Brewing:

Speakeasy’s:

... Zinfandel barrel aged, payback porter was a chug of chocolate cheer to follow up a terrific trio of Ryan Farr’s chicken, beef and pork dogs:

... (which we tore through with a couple bags of 4505 chicharrones.):

We caught up with friends until we were tapped out with poor head retention after this lively launch:

... to a week of sudsy soirees.

SF Beer Week 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010
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Gelateria Naia's mobbed pre-release tasting:

... of 22 new creations included dashers dragon through St. George Absinthe and saucerve made with Blue Bottle brew:

The exacting extracting of artisanal ingredients culminating in creamy concoctions Tcho cased Numi-rous local wares.

We savored several small spoons:

... of Numi Ruby Chai, Blue Bottle Bella Donovan, TCHO sorbetto and St. George Framboise Eau de Vie which all qualified as parfait among this tundra of tasty treats.

Gelataria Naia
2106 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA
510.724.2479

Mark your Calendar

Meatpaper is best known for their searing stories featuring raw journalistic talent, but they are also famous for their fabulous fetes.

Pizzaiolo will be the site of their issue 10 launch party where Charlie Hallowell, Julya Shin, Thomas McNaughton and many others will prepare nibbles to be washed down with Scribe wine, Magnolia beer and St. George Spirits.

Past parties have been peppered with pig butchery, bacon marshmallows and meaty merriment.

Meatpaper 10 launch party
February 21, 7-9 p.m.
Tickets $50 advance purchase required

Pizzaiolo
5008 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA

Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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The Buckeye Roadhouse isn't the place you go to be surprised. The menu changes as frequently as Steve Jobs' wardrobe and the decor is hermetically preserved in amber.

Over the years, we've tired of their Bingo based bivalves and the pie of s'more has us bored, but we will still get the chili-lime "brick" chicken ($19.95):

... with a cheese filled pasilla pepper pustule. This clucker is reliably tender and juicy mounted with a guacamole hill and their cocktails are a refreshing way to shake off the silly sensation of turning your auto over for free compulsory valet parking during low traffic times (an activity geared for the idle rich).

This predictable pit stop continues to sate more than innovate.

Buckeye Roadhouse
15 Shoreline Hwy.
Mill Valley, CA

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
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Specialty’s Cafe has a fundamental misunderstanding of soup. Their spicy lentil dahl soup ($3.49):

... was as liquid as Bernie Madoff’s wife. This bowl of clay-like legume loaf was served tepid to further re-pulse.

The Cobb sandwich ($6.99):

... had the expected anemic tomatoes and I had to pick off the pickles from this otherwise okay, thick-bread bordered salad of blue cheese, turkey, avocado and bacon.

This counter service cafe attracts Oracle workers and other techployees from the vicinity who enjoy unleashing their laptops:

... as they lap up poorly presented, bakery chain chow.

Specialty’s Cafe and Bakery
1886 S. Norfolk St.
San Mateo, CA

Mark your Calendar

Ryan Farr of 4505 meats will be tossing around the pigskin during the Superbowl as he spit roasts a Becker Lane hog at Bloodhound this Sunday. Doors open at 2 p.m.