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Wednesday, August 10, 2011
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Sushi was our targeted tucker so we rolled over to Sakae:
... where we noshed on nigiri ($4.50-$6.00):
... and maki ($10.50-$12.00):
... that were serviceable (but our tastes run toward more vinegared rice.) PIckiness aside, this was a spot hitting craving crusher that was quick and peppy.
Sakae Sushi & Grill
243 California Dr.
Burlingame, CA
650.348.4064
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Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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I had Refuge pastrami in salad form today. My chopped salad ($12.00):
... was packed with 'rami, romaine, Swiss cheese, egg, tomato and topped with avocado. This terrific tumble of free form, forkable fortification came with toasted bread rye-angles and a zippy honey mustard vinaigrette served on the side. This was the least salady salad ever invented - it was more like a minced sandwich.
The house brined and smoked cow is worth a trip for any of their pastramutations of their beefed up bounty.
The Refuge
963 Laurel St.
San Carlos, CA
650.598.9813
Marg your Calendar
Carolyn Alburger of Eater SF will be guest bartending at Jardiniere on Thursday, August 18th from 6-8 p.m. She'll be slinging "MargarEaters" made with tequila, lemon and agave syrup with Jamaica. Nine bucks gets you one of these Eater 'itas (with proceeds supporting the charity Home Away From Homelessness.)
A special cheese, corn and chili empanada ($9.00) will be made as a cornvenient cocktail 'ccompaniment.
So head to Jardiniere next Thursday for some swell sips and Eatertainment.
Jardiniere Restaurant
300 Grove St.
San Francisco, CA
415.861.5555
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Monday, August 8, 2011
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Lamb sweetbreads ($15.00):
... glanded under sheets of summer truffle dotted with garlic flowers in an organ recital of crisp-crusted flash-fried tender tissue with lobster mushrooms and delicate dots of truffle. This ris-diculously good appetizer is an example of Incanto's awesome offal offerings.
We attacked the beef heart tonnato ($12.00):
... which was nicely rare and ventrickled with tuna sauce with a chiffonade of opal basil. Roasted tomato added an aorta of fruit to this pumped up plate.
Lemon cucumbers with radishes ($8.50):
... topped with grated bottarga was a summery garden gathering followed by a side of eggplant ($5.00):
... brightened with with mint, capers and chili.
Risotto ($17.00):
... with spinach, chanterelles and borage flowers was grainy gratification with an earthy edge to this 'natch nosh glugged with 2009 Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani.
Sardines ($21.00):
... rolled with tomatoes and chili while beef brasato pappardelle ($15.00):
... was a bold bovine bolstered mint mingled pasta that cowlesced beautifully.
Duck leg ($26.00):
... got a crunchy kick from toasted hazelnuts in a nest of cabbage. I greedily gobbled the garland of giblets on the poultry's periphery along with the meaty motivator.
Crisp bits of ham added porky punch to a melon sorbet ($8.00):
This appetizing basil seeded dessert made me want to start dinner all over again.
Bay leaf panna cotta ($8.00):
... was set off with strawbs in this lactose and leaf, signature sweet.
We left no evidence of the chocolate tart ($8.50):
... with a tuft of whipped cream or the blueberries and peach upside down cake ($8.50):
... with douglas fir ice cream (which we clear cut.)
Incanto continues to deliver superior suppers at their Church Street chowatorium where both their food and their waitstaff:
... have big personalities.
Incanto Restaurant
1550 Church St.
San Francisco, CA
415.641.4500
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Sunday, August 7, 2011
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Figs and strawberries plucked from the backyard:
... were still warm from the sun when we dug into our fruity snack. This sweet harvest has us looking forward to next week's Dessert First:
Mark your Calendar
Elizabeth Falkner, Michelle Polzine and Jake Godby will be among the sweet talent filling (and producing) cavities at the 11th annual Dessert First. This benefit for Project Open Hand is a soiree of sucrose sensations.
Last year's sweet spread included a sublime, smoked blackberry soda from Luis Villavelazquez, Baker & Banker's fantastic fig newtons and Michelle Polzine's peachy granita while the previous year's strawberry Pavlovas by Jessica Sullivan and raspberry rectangles from Bill Corbett were cane-do crystallizations of glucose gratification.
Hors d'oeuvres and wine will be on hand for those who want to block their sugar shock at this confection convention.
11th Annual Dessert First
Sunday, August 14, 5 - 8 p.m.
GA $75, VIP $125 (VIP includes reception at 4 p.m.)
InterContinental San Francisco
888 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA
415.447.2316
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Saturday, August 6, 2011
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We sat down to a "507 Magnolia" Pimms, Gin, lemon and cucumber cocktail along with a "watermelon refresher" with vodka, lime and cucumber:
... at the Left Bank in Larkspur.
Chef Fabrice Marcon:
... recently took the reigns at this Marin brasserie where his sea scallop ceviche ($12.50):
... had us shellfishly slurping up bits of pickled melon and cucumber in the heat and sweet kissed mounds of mollusk - definitely required ordering.
House made lamb sausages ($10.25):
... got a pop of piment d'espelette to punctuate these juicy junctions of sheepy satisfaction rocketed up with an arugula, olive and shaved fennel salad which we gre-noshed on with a 2007 Clef des Murailles Rhone blend.
Duck breast ($21.25):
... was roasted with ripe peaches to accent their sweet, rare, flesh. Chickpea flour polenta soaked up some of the honeyed balsamic sauce while a 2009 Sean Minor Pinot Noir gave a cherried cheer to this ducky dish.
Nougat ($6.75):
... nuttily nudged in a frozen formation was surrounded by a pool of raspberry coulis to add brightness to this delectable dessert.
Chef Marcon's impressive path includes Restaurant Paul Bocuse, the Meadowood and Hyde Street Bistro and we're glad he has come ashore at this bank.
Left Bank Brasserie
507 Magnolia Ave.
Larkspur, CA
415.927.3331
...as we walked down the road we noticed that the Ward Street Café has shuttered with new signage:
... indicating an upcoming cookie business...
-G
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Friday, August 5, 2011
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Knives were brandished:
... as Andrew Freeman MC'ed:
... the opening ceremony of SF Chefs 2011.
Baker & Banker's chocolate city was sliced:
... and champagne was sabred:
... before the tented tasting.
Chris Cosentino's pork estufada was his take on a Portuguese poultry preparation, but with pig jowls, belly, shoulder, feet and skin. We loved this Anchor Steam beer solution with sausage, chickpeas and two year old, salt cured pork liver:
... grated over the top - absolute pork-fection.
Michael Mina's Spanish mackerel escabeche:
... was wholly mackable with preserved lemon to rind up this eggplant and 'banzo garbed fin de sea-cle sensation.
Jason Berthold of RN47 went all alpha numeric on gulf prawns with corn, a crisp chickpea disc and tomato vierge:
... that was virgin on sinful in this amazin' crustacean liaison.
Jon Gasparini's:
... "Lawrence Berg Swizzle" was a refreshing Wild Turkey snow cone of lemon, mint, maple syrup and creole bitters followed by a taste of straight whisky from Daniel Hyatt:
... a punch from Martin Cate and elixir from H. Joseph Ehrmann:
Catherine Eloise and Dennis Leung of DeLise:
... made marvelous sea salt fudge brownies:
... and calamansi sorbet floats that had us floating with fascination over their clever confectionery concoctions.
There was no shortage of swell chow:
... or personalities:
... as we checked in with some of our favorite fellow party 'preciators.
SF Chefs continues with more in-tents tastings, parties, classes and demos. Check here for all the specifics.
SF Chefs 2011
Mark your Calendar
Join Avedano chef and co-owner Tia Harrison as she toasts Joshua and Jessica Applestone in celebration of their new book "Butcher's Guide to Well-Raised Meat"
The Applestone's are owners of New York's Fleisher's Grass-fed & Organic Meats - a meatatorium that is much loved by Martha Stewart, the New York Times and Saveur.
Enjoy complementary tastes with sparkling wine during this book signing in Avedano's udder room.
The Butcher's Guide to Well-Raised Meat book signing
Avedano's Udder Room
August 10th, 8-10 p.m.
235 Cortland Ave.
San Francisco, CA
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Thursday, August 4, 2011
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The faded sign outside of Shin Toe Bui Yi was a herald of the text based confusion we were to encounter during our mid day visit.
The "To go only for lunch" poster had us wondering where to lug our lunch, but another sign explained that we could eat from our to-go trays in the dining room.
Most of our chow came in plastic clamshell casings, but the Yangnyem Tongdak ($11.99):
... came in a white paper box. This KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) was fluffily fried with a batter bedecked, moist meat that was relishably reorderable. These greaseless goods were gob gratification.
Pageon ($10.99):
... were pancakes jacked with scallions in flavor flaps which insulated our bulgogi ($18.99):
Thin sliced, marinated rib eye were tasty, tender, tufts of turf-dweller bumpered with both beef and vegi bibimbaps ($10.99 and $11.99) with crunchy vegetables brought together by a runny yolk:
The condimentary 'companiments included little fishes and kim chee:
... which we picked at with our gargantuan grouping of grub.
Our take away from this eat-in restaurant was that they serve up satisfying Seoul food in plentiful portions.
Shin Toe Bui Yi
2001 Taraval St.
San Francisco, CA
415.566.9221
Mark your Calendar
Parties That Cook is launching their first Farm to Table cooking class on August 13th. Guests will tour Canvas Ranch before breaking into teams to create a seasonal four course menu.
Culinary expertise is not required as there will be professional chefs on hand to help bring the project to fruition. Aprons will be replaced with napkins as all sit down to enjoy their work at a long table set in the field. Check out all the deets here.
Parties That Cook
Farm to Table cooking class
Saturday, August 13th 3:30-7:30 p.m.
$135 per person
Canvas Ranch
755 Tomales Road
Petaluma, CA
888.907.2665
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Wednesday, August 3, 2011
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I placed one of my standard orders at Bette's Oceanview Diner and contentedly chomped on a chopped Cobb salad ($9.95):
... during today's lunch rush.
Their take on this chicken, blue cheese and avocado cobbination comes with a consistently correctly cooked hard boiled egg, tomatoes and romaine dressed with a snappy vinaigrette.
Bette's may not deliver on the oceanview, but it delivers on all other fronts.
Bette's Oceanview Diner
1807 Fourth St.
Berkeley, CA
510.644.3230
Mark your Calendar
2000 pounds of whole animals will be fire roasted at the Charles Krug winery during Cochon Heritage Fire on August 13th. 25 chefs and 10 butchers will make up a meaty mecca during this celebration of heritage breeds.
Taste Network's Brady Lowe always steers a stampede of talent towards his Cochon collaborations and this one promises complete carnivore contentment. Expect knifings by Dave the Butcher of Marina Meats, John Fink of The Whole Beast and Tia Harrison of Butcher's Guild and a list of chefs including David Varley of Michael Mina, Jeremy Fox of Whole Vegetable and Mark Dommen of One Market.
Wine, cheese and Magnolia beer with fan the flames of festivity at what promises to be a rollicking roast.
Cochon Heritage Fire
August 13
4 p.m. entry for GA, 3 p.m. for VIP (includes reserve wines and early entry)
GA $100, VIP $200
Charles Krug winery
St. Helena, CA
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Tuesday, August 2, 2011
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The loading dock across the street from Little Skillet:
... was sizzling from the sun as I cracked open the case on my chicken and waffles ($11.00 for a 3 chicken piece configuration):
A crisply fringed, rich, eggy waffle was a porous poultry pedestal for the tender, juicy and nicely spiced breast, thigh, leg and wing (a bonus bit in my "3 piece" portion).
There was a not-so-little line for lunch at this waffle window, but my skilletfully made bird and bread box was worth the wait.
Little Skillet continues to be San Francisco's pan ultimate poultry portal.
Little Skillet
360 Ritch St.
San Francisco, CA
415.777.2777
Mark your Calendar
SF Chefs 2011 is underway with a line up of the Bay Area's top toquey talent with something for every taste.
Check out the full schedule of parties, classes, demos and tastings here.
SF Chefs 2011
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Monday, August 1, 2011
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The fried chicken special ($18.00):
... at Town Restaurant was tender, moist and greaseless in its fried fortress surrounded buttery mashed potatoes and snappy green beans. We partook of this pleasing poultry along with a prime rib sandwich ($17.95):
... which got a crunch from o-rings, a kick from horseradish and a fruity flourish from roasted tomatoes in this bundle of thin-sliced beef.
We enjoyed our lunch out of Town, where their patio provided a sunny setting for our midday meal.
Town Restaurant
716 Laurel St.
San Carlos, CA
650.595.3003
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