Foodphiles

Warm Chicories Salad with Poached Egg, Bacon and Kumquat

2009-02-28T17:43:00.000-08:00

We've been making a new salad recently, after trying it at Nopa a few weeks ago. They still have a version of it on the menu.

The basic idea is to combine warmed up chicories, either endive or radicchio (or both), with bits of smoked bacon, thinly sliced kumquat, some of the bacon cooking grease (or oil olive for a healthier option) and a poached egg (the yolk makes the salad). It's a fantastic combination. We briefly warm the chocories up over low heat in a pan and combine the bacon, bacon grease, olive oil and kumquat with a little salt and pepper. Simultaneously, we poach the eggs, and after plating the salad, top off each plate with a single poached egg. It's a warm, tasty salad, perfect for an easy weekend lunch or brunch.

More Momofuku

2009-02-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, you can call it an obsession.

The last few trips I've made to New York, I have insisted on dragging my friend, Dan, to Momofuku. My most recent trip was no exception, well, except that I insisted on taking him there twice, two nights in a row.

Tuesday Night, February 24, 2009
Dinner, Momofuku Ssam Bar
New York, New York

Dan and I arrived early, at about 6:45, and the restaurant was nearly empty. We sat side-by-side at the main long table running down the left side of the restaurant (I suppose you could think of it as a "bar," though half of table seats diners on both sides and looks more like a high table than a bar). The menu, which proclaims itself not at all "vegetarian friendly," looked as decadent as ever. The best way to describe the menu is as an unabashed homage to fat, rawness and strong, rich flavors. Pork is the dominant feature of most dishes, though the menu includes an impressive offering of raw oysters, fish, shrimp and sea urchin (I tasted the uni with tapicoa and whipped tofu on my first visit to the restaurant a year and a half ago).

We started with the steamed buns, which are unlike any other bun I've ever tried. Instead of what I think of as a traditional round, sealed-off Chinese bun, the Momofuku buns are crescent shaped and more like soft, thick tacos or pitas than anything else. Stuffed with slices of braised pork belly along with a layer of rich, salty hoisin sauce, cucumbers and scallions, each bite was a welcome reintroduction to David Chang's inventive and pleasurable cooking.

Next, we ordered a special dish of mussels steamed in a salty unfiltered sake broth with bok choy. Served with lamb sausage focaccia for dipping, the sauce made for one of the most unusual and flavorful versions of steamed mussels I've ever tasted. We also ordered a charred squid salad, dressed with ginger, scallions and mizuna (a Japanese mustard green). This was the weakest and least interesting dish. An order of lamb torolloni, however, turned out to be a beautiful pasta dish served with black garlic, pine nuts and rocotta cheese.

Our final plate was lamb sweetbreads, which were served with chestnuts, king oyster mushrooms and radishes. A truly amazing combination of flavors, the chestnuts and mushrooms combined with the sweetbreads to make a rich, thick, deep and dark sauce that coated the tender sweetbreads. The texture of the fresh radish contrasted nicely with the softness of the other ingredients. It was a superb dish. We drank a J. Christopher white wine from Oregon with the meal.

For dessert, we walked next door to the new Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar, where we tried the Cereal Milk soft serve ice cream (yes, it tasted like the leftover cereal milk) and marshmallow cereal milk, which I preferred for its tartness and slightly green color.

Wednessday Night, February 25, 2009
Dinner, Momofuku Noodle Bar
New York, New York

The next night, I once again dragged Dan out to try the Momofuku Noodle Bar, which was the original Momofuku restaurant. It looks almost identical to the Ssam Bar, but the menu is smaller, more modest, and features primarily noodles and ramen. Like the Ssam Bar, pork is the favored meat at the Noodle Bar too. We could not resist ordering the pork buns again. They were identical to the ones we ate the night before, though no less pleasurable and tasty. We could have ordered chicken buns, made with the darker chicken leg and thigh meat and crispy chicken skin, but neither one of us could resist the pork belly a second time around.

We also tried the Momofuku Ramen, a bowl of hot ramen noodles served in a pork broth with shredded pork, pork belly, scallions and a poached egg. It was as rich and enjoyable as it sounds. Finally, we shared a braised beef shank, which was served with carrots and turnips and topped with freshly shaved horseradish. The beef was soft, tender and perfectly braised. I enjoyed the horseradish, but the dish was fairly predictable and not as inventive as I would have hoped for. We drank a bottle of Gruner Veltliner with the meal.

For dessert, we tried the only dessert option available on the menu, a swirl of vanilla wafer and banana soft serve ice cream. I loved the vanilla wafer flavor in particular. On the whole, it was a very good meal, though none of the dishes topped the creative mix of flavors from the night before.

Walking out of the Noodle Bar, we walked past Ko, which I would love to try some day soon. I peaked in the small porthole window in the front door and gazed in on the twelve lucky diners enjoying their meals. It was a sight to keep my Momofuku obsession alive until my next trip to New York.

Dessert Update

2009-02-28T11:56:00.000-08:00

Despite the respite from blogging, I have not taken a break from cooking or baking.

Here are some photos of a few successful desserts:

Malt Ball Cake, Version III (earlier versions here and here):

And my mother and me cutting the cake:

I also made a butternut squash crostata from a recipe created by the pastry chef at Delfina Restaurant in San Francisco:

And, I made the easy and Thomas Keller's always delicious lemon sabayon tart last weekend:

Three Stars for Momofuku Ssam Bar

2008-12-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

As you may recall, I absolutely love David Chang's restaurant Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York. I've eaten there twice, once about a year ago and once again early in October when I was in New York for one night for work (past postings about Chang and Momofuku here and here).

My last meal there was an amazing. My friend Dan and I ordered pork buns, meacham country ham from Kentucky, pickles, roasted wild stripped bass with Jersey corn, chanterelles, pancetta and lima beans, pork shoulder steak with zucchini and buttermilk dressing and a strawberry shortcake made with corn bread, strawberries and creme fraiche.

The pork bun, the fish and the strawberry shortcake were phenomenally good. The buns are perfect, the fish with the corn, chanterelles and lima beans was amazing and I loved the play on succotash, and the combination of non-sweet corn bread, strawberries and creme fraiche for dessert was inspired. It was all seriously delicious. The atmosphere of the restaurant was loud and cramped(we were seated next to two very loud guys who we ended up befriending over the course of the meal), but the good food makes putting up with the noise and cramped quarters worth it. Also, much to my surprise, we were seated immediately. I had expected a long wait. It was a truly great meal, and I highly recommend a stop when in New York.

Also, check out Frank Bruni's review of Momofuku Ssam Bar in which he gives the restaurant three stars today. I also recommend watching this short narrated slide show of the restaurant and food while Bruni talks about the restaurant.

Opening of the Dining Commons for the Edible Schoolyard

2008-11-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

Lou and I attended the opening of the new Dining Commons at Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley yesterday.

The Dining Commons is a new, open eating space for the 950 6th, 7th and 8th grade students at King Middle School. In addition to feeding the students at King both breakfast and lunch, the kitchen staff also prepares meals for all the other schools in the Berkeley Unified School District.

The commons completes the plan to integrate the school's lunchroom with the Edible Schoolyard, an instructional garden on the school grounds where students participate in experimental learning in the garden. The work and learning in the garden connects to formal academic instruction in the classroom, and the commons is the eating place where the kids can eat fresh, healthy food. Both the Commons and the Edible Schoolyard are incredible projects of the Chez Panisse Foundation.

Before the lunch began, we toured the garden. The lunch menu included yellow lentil soup with spicy yogurt, roasted organic chicken (not from the schoolyard coop!) with herbs from the Commons garden, garlicky potatoes, grilled fall vegetables, lettuce salad and fruit and cookies tisane.

My photos from the day follow.

Two of the garden teachers welcoming a group for the tour:

The chicken coop:

A view of the garden:

Inside the commons (it looks nothing like a cafeteria):

Another inside view from our table at the start of the program:

Back in the garden:

Urban Farming

2008-10-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

While I'm posting again (sorry for dropping off the face of the earth), I'll mention this story about Will Allen in Milwaukee, who recently was awarded one of the MacArthur Foundation genius grants for his work running a non-profit farm, Growing Power, inside the Milwaukee city limits.

It's an inspiring story of this man's commitment to providing fresh, natural and locally grown food to a poor urban area where fresh produce is often in short supply. Allen's urban garden has become a focal point for urban renewal, volunteerism, creativity as well as a showcase for composting, gardening and the joys and pleasures of fresh and natural food. Will is practicing food justice at its best.

Bi-Rite In the News

2008-10-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

There are two stories out this week on Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco, one of my favorite grocery stores in the city. The Chronicle ran a story yesterday and Edible San Francisco has a story in the just-released October issue. There was a posting about Bi-Rite on the Ethicurean today.

I'm a big fan of Bi-Rite's commitment to selling locally grown and organic food, and these stories highlight owner Sam Mogannam's leadership of the store and his decision to buy a farm in Sonoma to grow some of the fresh produce sold in the store. It's a great idea, and I'm glad he's getting some publicity and some commercial success for his efforts.

What I've Been Up To Lately

2008-05-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've been sick for most of the last two weeks, so my apologies for not posting.

Lou, Amy and Jen did take me to a fantastic birthday dinner at Ubuntu in Napa, which I'll write more about soon. Lou also surprised me earlier that day with a private tasting and vineyard tour at Quintessa. All I can say now is, wow. They make a truly amazing wine.

Be sure to check out this report from the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, which Mark Bittman wrote about on his blog yesterday. I haven't fully digested the report yet, but it seems to make the point that despite rising prices for food Americans still pay very little for food compared to other countries. Very interesting.

A New Report on Wasted Food in Britain

2008-04-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting story from the Times of London on a new government report that estimates just how much food the British throw away uneaten annually. It's a staggering 1/3 of all food purchased.

LA Times Opinion Piece About the Farm Bill

2008-04-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Daniel Imhoff has written a great summary in today's LA Times of what's wrong with the soon-to-be-passed Farm Bill.

My sister gave me Imhoff's book, Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill, for Christmas, and I think it's an extremely helpful book for better understanding the history, composition and consequences of the bill. What Imhoff does not explain, however, is how citizens can come together at the grassroots level to apply political pressure to elected officials to change the Farm Bill and demand better food policies. I'm giving that some thought.

Artichoke and Pea Risotto

2008-04-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

Lou made a fantastic baby artichoke and pea risotto tonight. He sauted the artichokes and then finely chopped them before blending them into the risotto with the peas. It was, as you might expect, rich and creamy; a truly spectacular meal.

More About Chez Panisse

2008-04-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

After claiming that Chez Panisse is my favorite restaurant of all time anywhere, I thought I might try to find a video on YouTube that would give you some more visuals of the restaurant. Here you go:

Paul Krugman Explains the Rise In Global Food Prices

2008-04-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

New York Times columnist, Paul Krugman, devotes his column today to the current global food crisis and the rising costs of foods. It's a sound review of what's going on around the globe.

Oxtails Redux and Rhubarb Shortcake

2008-04-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

Lou made Marin Sun Farms Oxtails again last night for Amy and me. This time, he used the recipe from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, which calls for using fewer onions than the recipe he used last time. It also calls for using tomatoes and a splash of brandy. On balance, I think the Zuni version was a little better than two weeks ago. The acidity of the tomatoes was a nice addition this time around. The braising sauce was wonderful with my homemade wheat bread and with the asparagus I blanched and sprinkled with Italian parsley and fresh lemon juice.

For dessert, I modified Scott Peacock's recipe from last month's Bon Appetit for a rhubarb compote. Actually, I made the compote according to the recipe, but I served it with homemade biscuits and whipped cream instead of with the cake Peacock suggests in the magazine. I served, in effect, rhubarb shortcake. I forgot to garnish the dish with sprigs of mint, but the overall flavors were marvelous. The richness of the soft biscuits and the thick whipped cream nicely balanced the tart chunks of rhubarb and the slightly sweet and sour rhubarb syrup. It was a tasty innovation, if I do say so myself.

Dinner in the Chez Panisse Cafe

2008-04-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

I convinced Heather and Lou to join me for dinner at the Chez Panisse Cafe last night.

Lou's parents had given me a gift certificate for Christmas (Thank you!), and I have been calling both the Restaurant and the less formal Cafe incessantly throughout the last few weeks to try to reserve a table for spring. I had mostly been asking for a table on weekend nights, and it had not worked. So, literally, at the very end of the work day yesterday Heather sent me an instant message and asked if Lou and I had plans for dinner. We did not have plans, and I immediately thought it would be fun to try to use the gift certificate.

I was in luck. They offered me a 9:15 table, and I took it. We have not been eating until almost 9 on week nights anyway, so I thought it wouldn't be much different than normal. Lou and Heather agreed.

In total, I think I've been to the Restaurant and the Cafe at least a dozen times, and I have never eaten at any other restaurant that has consistently delivered elegant and delicious food with such informed and gracious service. There is no doubt that Chez Panisse is my favorite restaurant anywhere. It is a truly lovely experience to eat there.

To start the meal, we agreed to share a pizzetta with spring onions, sorrel and brandade (dried and salted fish, cod in this case I think, that is then washed and mashed with potatoes and cream). The pizza was cooked in their wood-burning oven.

I tried a cauliflower soup with orange zest and marjoram (it was my least favorite dish of the night) and Lou and Heather split a salad of grilled endive with bottarga di muggine and egg.

For our main courses, I had Northern halibut with Kaki Farm asparagus, potatoes and kumquat relish. Lou had grilled loin of Watson Ranch lamb with artichokes, roasted onions and black olives, and Heather ordered Penn Cove (Washington State) mussels roasted in the wood oven with spinach, peas, and saffron. The flavors of my fish were delicate and perfect: the fish was tender and light, the asparagus were slightly lemony and the combination was just like spring. It was just what I was hoping for.

For dessert, I ordered mint-chocolate chip ice cream with bittersweet chocolate sauce (and a chocolate cookie), which I also tried when we ate in the Cafe with my cousin in October. Lou ordered a Pink Lady apple and Meyer lemon tart with vanilla ice cream. He and Heather each ordered glasses of a 2005 Moscato d'Asti, Bricco Quaglia, Rivetti, Italy. We also brought and thoroughly enjoyed our own bottle of Patty Green 2006 Bonshaw Pinot Noir.

Today's Food News: The Farm Bill and Small Farms in Poland

2008-04-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Carolyn Lochhead explored where things stand with the Farm Bill in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set a deadline of April 18th for passing the bill, but Lochhead reports that negotiations for the final bill are going slow.

Also, Elizabeth Rosenthal writes in today's New York Times about the difficulty small, family-run farms in Poland face in abiding by European Union regulations for selling meat, milk and produce. Basically, the EU's health and safety standards are geared towards big farming operations, not family-run farms, so the smaller farms are unable to afford to buy the equipment and make other investments that would bring their operations up to the EU standards. She explores the effect of this reality on family farming and on organic farming in the EU, since so many European family farms operate on organic farming principles.

Reservation Hell at Momofuku Ko

2008-04-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here and here are two amusing postings by Frank Bruni about just how crazy it has been trying to reserve a table at David Chang's newest restaurant, Ko. I feel for him, sort of. Be sure to read the comments, and here is my take on David Chang.

UPDATE: Here is one more posting from Bruni.

Are Food Price Increases Good For Us?

2008-04-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

Kim Severson has written an excellent story for today's New York Times about the possible results of changes in food prices.

She explores a tough issue that has been on my mind, whether higher prices of some foods will lead to a change in the kinds of foods Americans buy and eat or not. She notes that the price of some food--commodities (grain, corn, etc) in particular--has become more closely correlated to the price of fuel and that rising prices for those foods make what had been more expensive foods--grass-fed meats, organic produce, milk and eggs--relatively less expensive. She also explores whether this equalizing of price will change consumer behavior (conclusion: the jury is still out). It's well worth the read if you want a good overview of both the changing economics of food and the possible implications of a change on the health and eating habits of Americans.

UPDATE: Ezra Klein comments here on this story and about the likely effect of an economic downturn on eating habits in general.

Pork Tenderloin with Jesse's Spiced Prunes

2008-04-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Dinner tonight: grilled Marin Sun Farms pork tenderloin with spiced prunes and arugula with grilled green garlic.

Last Christmas, Jesse gave us a jar of spiced prunes, which he made from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. I've been waiting for the opportunity to pair them with some pork, and tonight I decided to grill a piece of tenderloin we bought at the farmer's market on Saturday.

The preparation for the pork could not have been less simple. I rubbed the pork with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary and grilled it for about 10 minutes per side. I ended up cooking the meat medium well, which was slightly more than I would have preferred, but with the spiced prunes, the flavors of the pork and rosemary were still delicious. Thanks Jesse!

A16 Revisited

2008-03-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

We had another wonderful meal at A16 on Saturday night.

Last time we were there I was blown away by the pizza from the wood-burning oven, and I was equally as pleased this time. The service was outstanding and the food was very good. The best dishes were the pizza scarola, of course, and the semifreddo we tried for dessert. Actually, the semifreddo was amazing, and unlike anything I expected. It came out as a layer of shortbread cookie covered in a layer of semifreddo, with caramel drizzled on top and hazelnuts sprinkled on top of the caramel. Truly amazing.

We also drank a nice bottle of wine, Benanti, "Rossodiverzella," Etna Rosso 2004, a delicious blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappucio (one of the wines recommended by Mick at Unti Vineyards).

Here's the list of all our courses (as usual, we split everything):
--Roasted local calamari with agretti, pickled chiles, green garlic and toasted pine nuts
--Pizza Scarola - braised escarole, pancetta, black olives, ricotta, chiles, garlic
--Tonnarelli with pork and tomato soffritto, corona beans, chiles and pecorino
--Local petrale sole in cartoccio with almonds, basil, green olives, celery and seville orange, served with cannellini beans with garlic and oregano
--Semifreddo with hazelnuts, caramel, and shortbread cookie

My only note of criticism about A16 has to do with the space. I must say that I find it completely lacking in style or charm. When we sat at the chef's counter last time, I was captivated by watching the cook make pizzas and I did not notice the overall decor. This time, however, because we were seated at a table at the back of the restaurant, I found the poor ambiance more noticeable. It's a good thing the food is so good because the look of the restaurant decor could use an overhaul.

Food and Pesticides: A Songbird Story

2008-03-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

In today's New York Times, Bridget Stutchbury, a biology professor at Toronto's York University, writes about the devastating impact high levels of pesticides used in farming South American fruits and vegetables have on the North American songbird, the Bobolink. She cites a study that shows that the birds consume extremely high levels of deadly pesticides while wintering in South America. It's so bad that the Bobolink population has dropped by about 50% in the last 40 years.

Stutchbury makes clear that it is the North American and European appetite for fresh produce--tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries and blueberries--that create the conditions for heavy pesticide use. South American farmers reply on pesticides and other chemical to mass produce crops in delicate monocultures, and as Michaal Pollan has written, these monocultures depend heavily on pesticides and chemicals to succeed.

So, as if it's not bad enough that we're unnecessarily killing animals to feed ourselves, she also writes about how we're exposing ourselves to pesticides by eating produce raised in South America. Stutchbury cites studies by the Food and Drug Administration that shows that fruits and vegetables from South America exceed Environmental Protection Agency standards for pesticide residues on foods grown inside the United States. She also writes that, "tests by the Center for Disease Control show that most Americans carry traces of pesticides in their blood." And, she goes on to say, "American consumers can discourage this poisoning [of ourselves and the Bobolinks] by avoiding foods that are bad for the environment, bad for farmers in Latin America, and, in the worst cases, bad for their own families."

Stutchburg suggests buying organic and fair-trade coffee and organic bananas as a way of protecting the birds and ourselves, and she suggests avoiding all other produce imported from Latin American because so few are raised organically.

UPDATE: Once again, The Ethicurean, has a great posting on Stutchbury's op-ed.

My First, and Last, Posting About Top Chef

2008-03-27T13:25:00.001-07:00

After hearing several positive reviews from several friends - Amy in particular - Lou and and I succumbed to watching a few episodes of Top Chef last night.

The show has gotten a lot of news in San Francisco because four of the contestants are from here: Zoi Antonitsas (chef and restaurant consultant) and Jennifer Biesty (executive chef at Coco500) (they're a couple), Erik Hopfinger (executive chef at Circa), and Ryan Scott (the former chef of Myth Cafe).

Amy told us that she enjoys seeing what kinds of dishes the chefs create, and after watching last night, I can see her point. It was fun to see what the chefs could come up with for their dishes, especially given the limited parameters for the various challenges (usually time or strict ingredient or menu guidelines).

And yet, I found the reality television trappings of the show tiresome. I groaned every time the producers took a dramatic pause and cued the suspenseful music. The show should be called survivor chef, not top chef. It's really just a contest about who can best perform under the artificial conditions set by the producers. It is probably not the best medium for showcasing the talent and skill of most of the contestants. I'm also not sure that the show truly reflects how chefs really cook. How many chefs cook almost entirely by improvisation? Perhaps a few, but I suspect most of them take time to craft and refine the dishes they serve.

I was also put off that the show focused so heavily on the personalities of the chefs and that, as a consequence, the food was practically overlooked. No shot of any one dish lasted for more than a few seconds, and the producers barely allowed the chefs more than a clipped sentence to explain their dishes. With a few exceptions, we heard almost nothing about the passions of any of the chefs for particular ingredients or foods. Perhaps we will hear more about the food itself as the number of contestants narrow, but I was disappointed that food got so little play in these first few episodes.

Food Film Festival?

2008-03-26T11:05:00.001-07:00

I'm surprised no one has started a food-oriented film festival in San Francisco. It strikes me as something that would succeed here. Check this out: Food For Thought Film Festival.

Eat Your Breakfast!

2008-03-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

The New York Times reports on a recently released study that shows some evidence that adolescents who eat breakfast have lower Body Mass Index (BMI). The research suggests that adolescents who eat breakfast consume more carbohydrates and fiber than fat and seem to exercise more, thereby helping them control their weight. The study also shows some interesting differences in the eating habits of adolescent boys and girls; girls were more likely to skip breakfast than boys, though boys ate more calories than girls.

Cooking Grass-Fed Meat (and Eggs)

2008-03-25T14:45:00.001-07:00

Two Saturdays ago at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, Lou and I came across the stand for Marin Sun Farms, a family-run farming organization that raises 100% grass-fed beef, poultry, lamb, goat and pork in Marin and Sonoma Counties north of San Francisco.

We were delighted to find them and pleased to discover some meats and cuts that you don't always see in the grocery store. Specifically, we were intrigued by the cuts of goat and by the oxtail (yes, the meat and bone from the tail of a cow). We bought a small portion of each--a half rack of goat--roughly 3 lbs--for $19.99 and a smallish package of cut, frozen oxtail--about 2 lbs--for $10. We also bought a dozen pasture-raised chicken eggs for $7. To my previous posting, all of this meat was fairly expensive compared to the amount of conventional meat we could bought for the same amount of money. Judging from taste, however, I think it was worth it, and I was happy to pay extra to support farmers who use sustainable farming practices to raise their livestock.

We finally got around to cooking both cuts over the weekend, and they were spectacular. Lou used a simple recipe of olive oil, several garlic cloves, lemon juice and rosemary to marinate the goat. He scored the fat and grilled it over high heat for seven minutes per side, and it came out perfectly medium rare. We served the goat with roasted romanesco broccoli and a puree of celery root and potatoes. The meat was delicate and tender, and it tasted gamy like lamb, minus the strong grassy flavor.

On Sunday, Lou prepared the oxtails (he did the major cooking this weekend). He braised them using this recipe from Gourmet. The flavor of the sauce was outstanding; it was rich and, oddly enough, almost creamy. The oxtails themselves were not as soft or as tender as I expected they would be--they didn't fall off the bone--but the meat still tasted delicious and served with brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes, they made for an excellent Sunday dinner.

Finally, below is a picture of the frittata we made with some of the eggs from Marin Sun Farms and some green garlic we also bought that day at the farmer's market. What was striking about the eggs was the variety of shapes, sizes and colors of the shells. Equally as diverse in color were the yolks, ranging from deep yellow to bright orange, due in large part, I'm sure, to the diversity of food eaten by the chickens that produced the eggs. It was quite a tasty post-farmer's market breakfast.

UPDATE: Here is a great post from The Ethicurean about a farm tour at Marin Sun Farms.

Cheap Meat

2008-03-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

For the first time, I came across two postings about food on a reasonably mainstream political blog. Ezra Klein, who occasionally writes about his own exploits in the kitchen, offers some thoughts, here and here, about the price of meat.

He argues, as have Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, Alice Waters and others, that increasing the price of meat would likely lower meat consumption, which could result in alleviating some of the health and environmental problems associated with producing and eating meat. He also calls out farm subsidies for corn as a chief culprit for masking the real cost of meat and for fooling consumers into thinking meat is actually cheaper than vegetables.

This is one reason the Farm Bill matters, and it is the key rationale for removing farm subsidies from the bill.

Spring Asparagus at Nopa

2008-03-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Amy kindly gave us a 6:15 pm reservation for four at Nopa on Saturday night. We invited Joey and Brad to join us, and it was a great meal.

I've probably eaten at Nopa eight times since we first discovered the restaurant about two years ago (not long after they first opened), and I have never been disappointed. The cooking is superb, the food is always delicious, fresh and seasonal, and the service is casual, but very good.

We shared a plate of little fried smelts, served with shaved fennel and lemon-dill aioli, and I ordered the asparagus soup with a touch of cream, olive oil and chervil (parsley) for a second starter (the picture below looks more like creme brulee than soup, but the color of the soup was actually bright green, not yellow). For the main course, Joey, Brad and I each ordered a pan-fried halibut dish, which was served with a meyer lemon olive tapanade, olive oil, asparagus and some arugula. Lou ordered braised duck leg and breast with creamy farro, carrots, spinach and mushrooms.

All three of my dishes were excellent. Lou and I almost always order the little fish at Nopa. We've eaten some wonderful sardines and anchovies before, and the smelts were equally good, though more heavily battered that some of other fish preparations we've tried. The soup was thick, rich and hearty, and the fish was heavenly. The olives and asparagus grounded the tender fish, and each bite was a lemony delight. We did not order dessert because we took off to catch a movie, but Joey and Brad stayed on and ate a pecan tart with salted caramel ice cream and a Mexican coffee ice cream sandwich. Not surprisingly, we missed out. They reported that both desserts were delicious.

For wine, I ordered a sparkling gamay--Gamay "FRV100" Beaujolais NV Rerres Dorees--a very fruity sparking red. For dinner we tried a bottle of 2006 Movia "Gredic" Tokai Friulano, Goriska Brda from Hungary. We were hoping it would be somewhat dry, but it turned out to be fairly fruity and sweet. It was not that different from the Tokai dessert wines, which I am more familiar with than the table wines. It was not the best pairing for the halibut.

Chef on the Edge? Momfuku's David Chang

2008-03-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Larissa MacFarquhar's profile of chef David Chang in the March 24th issue of The New Yorker. Unfortunately, the story is not posted on The New Yorker website (what do they post there anyway?), but it's worth the read if you can find a copy of the magazine.

Chang is the founder of Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam Bar, both in the East Village in Manhattan, and just this week, he opened a third restaurant, Ko, also in the East Village.

MacFarquhar's profile is far from flattering. Chang comes off as crazy. It's clear that he's a brilliant chef and that his obsession with innovation and flavor--along with his striving for perfection--have produced some amazing meals for his diners. Sadly, it's just as clear that he's tightly wound and seems barely able to hold it together. Reading about him, I imagined him as a sort of culinary van Gogh--intense, manic and capable of genius, but somehow doomed by his single-minded drive for perfection and beauty.

And yet, I found an admirable cross current in MacFarquhar's piece that's also worth mentioning: his humility and his concern for others. Chang repeatedly emphasizes that he's no great cook, and MacFarquhar writes about his concern for his staff--even though she also quotes him at length berating them. She quotes him talking about his commitment to provide health care and other benefits for them, and she writes about his commitment to using local food whenever possible. Perhaps most interestingly, he talks to her about the choices he faces in opening new restaurants and expanding his Momofuku empire to other cities.

Despite these positive qualities, Chang seems more like someone gripped by fear of failure. It is a fear so strong that he seems on the verge of losing all perspective on what he's accomplished and what he's achieved. Perhaps, I'm naive in thinking he could ever relax running a high-profile trio of New York restaurant, but I hope he'll try.

I should also mention that I ate at the Momofuku Ssam Bar last September when I was in New York. I met my cousin, Alan, and my friend, Dan, there, and we had an excellent meal. The dish that stood out was a tapioca pearl and sea urchin combination, with nori and crispy rice (I think). It was amazing. As sea urchin often does, it tasted like the sea, and the tapioca, the nori and rice gave the dish a surprisingly crunchy and chewy texture. It was brilliant. We also had one of the pork buns; it was also quite tasty.

Read the story. Try one of the restaurants.

Here are two videos I found that capture him talking about both Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam Bar. Note his humility.

UPDATE: Two interesting posts about Chang from other blogs, here and here.

Fat!

2008-03-20T10:26:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking more about my reaction to Kim Severson's story in Dining In/Dining Out yesterday, and I want to expand on my comments to say more about why reading her account of the "Fat Pack" left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps my gut-reaction was too strong, but I cringed while reading a few lines from her story:

The journalists, bloggers, chefs and others who make up the Fat Pack combine an epicure’s appreciation for skillful cooking with a glutton’s bottomless-pit approach. Cramming more than three meals into a day, once the last resort of a food critic on deadline, has become a way of life. If the meals center on meat, so much the better.

and

“Most of us who are in this profession are here as an excuse to eat,” said Mimi Sheraton, the food writer and former New York Times restaurant critic who has chronicled her own battle with weight loss. Still, she said, “I’ve never seen such an outward, in-your-face celebration of eating fat.”

and in response to suggestions of moderation, she writes,

To which many members of the Fat Pack say: Shut up and pass the pork butt. Among a certain slice of the food-possessed, to suggest that indulgence might put one’s health in peril is to invite ridicule.

Admittedly, she ends the story with quotations from one former "Fat Pack" member who is learning to love vegetables, but I found the individuals she quoted to be mostly unsympathetic figures.

Why?

I'll confess something: I used to struggle with my weight. Ten years ago, I weighed about 40 pounds more than what I weigh now. Almost no one I know now can believe it, but it's true. The main culprits for my extra pounds, I think, were eating too much junk food, settling too often for a quick fast-food meal and failing to control the size my portions. It was not a result of eating too many haute cuisine meals (I did, of course, enjoy a fancy meal or two every now and then).

When I moved to California in 2001, I started exercising more regularly, first taking up running and then settling into a regular routine of swimming (I've been a life-long swimmer). I started to pay more attention to what kinds of food I ate, focusing on eating whole foods and leaving behind fast-food and junk food. I cut out soft drinks. By no means did I give up on eating nice meals, but I shifted the balance of my calorie intake and calorie usage, burning more calories than I took in. I became a conscious eater and a regular exerciser, and I've held my weigh more or less steady for the last seven years.

So, having found a good balance between healthy and mindful eating and exercise, I have little patience for the people Severson quoted throughout her story. I know that it is possible to balance eating flavorful and healthy foods, occasionally indulging in rich meals and working out. Throw in being mindful of the origins of the food I eat, and that's a decent recipe--dare I say--for a balanced lifestyle that guarantees nourishment, health and pleasure.

No doubt there are thousands of other stories like mine, and I would have preferred to read about at least one of them in Severson's piece yesterday.

As a parting gift, here's a memorable scene from "The Producers" with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane:

I'm Back

2008-03-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I lasted posted on Foodphiles. There's no good reason why I took a break. I spent some time in January volunteering for the Obama campaign as a precinct captain in San Francisco, and I spent much of February closely following the campaign. I've played a lot of bridge and studied some Italian in preparation for a trip to Italy in May. I read Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food."

I feel the urge to write again, so here goes.

I certainly did not give up on cooking or eating while I was away from this blog. Lou and I ate a wonderful meal in January at Mistral in Seattle. We also cooked up a few fantastic meals--a wonderful chicken with shallots, prunes and brandy recipe from Bon Appetit, a rich and flavorful "Japanese" styled pot roast from Food and Wine, and a Bolognese ragu from the NYT Magazine. We made a meal mostly from The French Laundry cookbook for two friends. And, just the other night, Lou made a fantastic pizza using baby artichokes as the topping.

In addition to posting some stories and photos from those meals, I will give an update on the Farm Bill, which continues to languish in Congress.

I do have one posting in the making now: what to do with a piece of goat meat that is resting in our refrigerator. We bought the meat at the Farmer's Market on Saturday from a small producer in Marin County, and it is turning into a major cooking challenge. I've only found one recipe for cooking goat, and that was in "The Joy of Cooking." Every other place I've searched online turns up only recipes involving goat cheese. Lou wants to braise the meat with rosemary, which I think would be fine, but I want to find some really good traditional preparation. I fear, however, a traditional preparation will call for roasting the meat over an open fire. That won't be an option for us, unfortunately. I'll keep you posted.

Finally, I want to comment briefly on Kim Severson's story in the NYT Dining In/Dining Out section today about overeating foodies, food bloggers, food critics and chefs. She calls them the "Fat Pack," and writes about how many of them have been forced to come to terms with the onset of heart disease, diabetes and other disorders as a consequence of their occupational unhealthy eating. Frankly, the story struck me as ridiculous. Even though she writes about how some of these folks have attempted to strike a balance between eating fatty foods and eating in moderation, it's hard to feel much sympathy for any of the gluttons she quotes. I felt somewhat better reading Frank Bruni's take on her story, but I was generally put off by the self-indulgent bent of her story. While I suspect that many New York Times readers can afford to gorge themselves repeatedly on high-priced, high-fat meals, I think the food and diet related problems facing most Americans result not from eating too many of those kinds of meals but too many of the kinds of meals Michael Pollan writes about in "Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food."

Food News Roundup

2008-01-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

There are two interesting stories today, one in The New York Times and the other in The San Francisco Chronicle featuring two food activist that I want to recommend:

The NYT story, by Kim Severson, profiles Robyn O'Brien who transformed herself into a children's food allergy activist after one of her kids suffered an allergic attack at home. In addition to creating this website, www.allergykids.com, O'Brien has questioned the health effects of food additives and processed foods on kids, and she has also advocated serving kids whole, non-processed foods. Her story is one in a soon-to-be-released book, "Healthy Child, Healthy World."

The Chronicle story, by Carol Ness, takes a look at what Michael Pollan is up to now that his new book, "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto", is out. Somewhat surpisingly, Pollan tells her that he is planning to move on from writing about food and farming to turn his attention elsewhere. He tells Ness that he has been "uncomfortable" becoming a food movement leader and spokesperson and that he prefers to see himself as a journalist who exposes the facts rather than as a leader of a movement. He rightfully asks, "where are the politicians?" He also told Ness that he does not feel like it is his responsibility to fill the leadership vacuum in the food movement. Very interesting. My question is, who is going to fill that vacuum?

Snapshot Restaurant Review: SPQR

2008-01-06T21:37:00.001-08:00

I just returned from dinner at SPQR, the new sister restaurant to A-16 located on Fillmore Street in San Francisco. SPQR is a Roman-themed restaurant with an extensive small plates offering hot, cold and fried antipasti, along with several pasta dishes and a few entrees.

We walked in at about 7:30 pm and were seated immediately. It helped that it's been raining like crazy for the last three days and the restaurant did not seem overly busy.

I immediately reviewed the wine list hoping to find a Nerello Mascalese, but to no avail (we tried our first Nerello Mascalese at A-16 a few months ago--here's my posting about our meal). Our server sent the wine director over, and she engaged us in a fun conversation about Nerello Mascaleses and other similar wines. She pointed out several pinot neros and an interesting Sardinian wine that might be a suitable substitute for us. We chose the wine from Sardegna, 6 Mura, a medium bodied, ripe fruit wine with notes of mint herbs and leather and some tobacco. It was an inspired recommendation.

For food, we ordered three antipasti to share--Grilled Percorino with marinated mushrooms, Red Chard with tomato, fennel and anchovy and Fried Brussel Sprouts with garlic, capers, lemon and parsley. Each dish was outstanding. It's hard to beat grilled cheese, and the crispy pecorino and sweet mushrooms hit the spot. The Red Chard and the brussel sprouts were equally spectacular. The chard was sweet, juicy and tasted like cabbage. The brussel sprouts were crispy and very lemony, and they were delicious.

Lou ordered the Carbonara-Guanciale, eggs, black pepper and pecorino over spaghetti. His dish was rich and eggy, and he loved it. I ordered Steelhead Salmon in porchetta with onion and radicchio agrodolce. The flavors of the fish were excellent, though my piece of salmon was full of bones, which meant that I picked a bone or two out of my mouth after each bite. That was not so pleasant, despite the outstanding flavors.

Despite the bones, the overall experience--the flavors of all the food, the wine, the attentive and friendly service, the warm atmosphere--was wonderful. I'm looking forward to going back.

Beet Soup

2008-01-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

I made a red and golden beet soup the other day for dinner. It was my first time cooking beets, and I actually enjoyed watching my hands turn more and more red as I peeled and chopped the beets. The coloring washed off fairly easily.

On the whole, the soup--it's really two soups--turned out well. The recipe calls for stewing the beets separately for about 40 minutes, however I let them go a little longer just to be sure they were soft enough. I also ended up using slightly less than the exact amount of beets called for in the recipe, so I inadvertently added too much milk to the golden beets when I pureed them in the food processor. For the red beets, I scaled back the amount of milk and used only a cup and I was happier with the way they turned out.

We served the leftover soup on Friday night for Amy and Jen, and I thought it might look nice served in teacups. Here's the way it turned out on night number two.

New Year's Day Feast

2008-01-02T22:45:00.000-08:00

Brad and Joey treated us to a wonderfully tasty New Year's Day feast, featuring traditional Southern fare of black-eyed peas, collared greens and cornbread. It was a fantastic meal. Brad is a vegetarian, so the whole meal was meat-free, and he succeeded in making delicious black-eyed peas without using pork. His collared greens were also perfectly cooked--using lots of butter helps--and his cornbread was rich, but not overly sweet. For dessert, Joey pulled out two overflowing platters of cookies. He had apparently spent a day baking cookies after returning from his holiday travels, and he made two kinds of shortbread, plain and bourbon, soft ginger cookies, chocolate chip and walnut and several others. My favorite was the bourbon shortbread cookies. It was a perfectly mellow and delicious start to the new year.

Winter Wine Tasting

2008-01-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

I went up to the wine country last Sunday for a day of wine tasting with some friends. Our destination was Healdsburg. It was Lou's and my second trip there in the last two months. We first went up there in October with my parents when they came out for a visit, and we had a nice day of tasting with them.

I made a tasting reservation for us at Unti Vineyards--one of the places we dropped in on with my parents. I thought it would be a good place to visit with friends.

This time around we were treated to an unexpected pleasure: Mick, the owner, conducted our tasting and chatted us up. He was great, and Lou and I really enjoyed talking to him. He talked about his wines and told us about his forthcoming fortified wine--he described it as the result of a wine-making screw up--and it's going to be a Banyuls-like wine (Joey and Brad brought us a Banyuls once, and it was fantastic with a peach melba I made). Considering how much I like his other wines, I can't wait to try it when he releases it in March.

We also talked about a wine that Lou and I have tried recently--Nerello Mascalese--and he gave us a couple of recommendations for some producers he likes: Benanti and Cottanera. I'm going to see if Josh at Bi-Rite can find them for us. Nerello Mascalese is a pinot noir-like wine that is grown on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. He said that the wine has been mostly ignored until recently when a few winemakers have applied modern wine-making technique to the grapes and have come out with some spectacular results. He described some of the wines as being even more sublime than the finest Burgundian wines.

We also spoke about restuarants, and he named a few of his favorites in and around Healdsburg and in San Francisco. In Healdsburg, he recommended The Farmhouse and said Dry Creek Kitchen has been more consistent lately, without saying whether it's been consistently good or bad. He also said that Dry Creek Kitchen is usually better when the chef, Charlie Palmer, is cooking. In San Francisco, he spoke highly of A-16 and SPQR (A-16's sister restaurant) as well as about Delfina. Actually, he said Delfina is his favorite restaurant in the city, especially when Craig is cooking a regionally focused menu.

From Unti, we headed over to the Dry Creek Kitchen for lunch. Honestly, it was a disappointment. The food, at least for me, was fine. I ordered a delicate gnocchi with a mushrooms and a smoked salmon eggs Benedict, but Lou rated his dishes as mediocre. The service was pretty bad, and for what we paid for the meal it was not worth it. I wish we had tried the Farmhouse instead.

Overall, however, it was a pleasant day with friends.

Two Links, and Off for Christmas

2007-12-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

Check out this story yesterday in Dining In/Dining Out about Meatpaper, a newish San Francisco-based quarterly devoted to meat. What I love about the story is that the two founders were once committed vegetarians who changed course and now appreciate and celebrate eating meat.

Oliver Schwaner-Albright quotes Stranden, one of the founders, as saying, "We find over and over again that bacon is the conversion meat...Bacon is how vegetarians change their minds." I was struck by this comment because Lou and I recently had a conversation over dinner with our friends Scott and Stephen, and the subject of the conversion from vegetarianism to carnivorism came up when I commented on the chicken dinner Scott served and ate along with us. Scott used to be a vegetarian, so I was a little surprised to see him eating meat. He told me that he had begun eating fish some time ago. He said he then ate a piece of prosciutto on a salad once and that ultimately broke the no-meat-eating barrier for him. He's been eating meat ever since. I remarked that I had heard other former vegetarians say that bacon was the meat that first lured them back, so I was intrigued to hear Stranden echo pork-inspired conversion stories. By the way, reread the title of this posting. Does pork come to mind?

Also, I noted this blog posting today about Grant Achatz, the chef at Alinea. Apparently, he had been diagnosed with cancer of the tongue this summer, and he's now made a public statement that his cancer is in remission. Good news.

I'm off for about week for Christmas visits in the east, so blogging will likely cease. Merry Christmas!

A Chez Panisse-Inspired Meal for the Girls

2007-12-19T11:39:00.000-08:00

We hosted the girls--Amy and Jen--for dinner and bridge last Saturday night, and I made a meal that was almost entirely inspired by our visit to Chez Panisse last Thursday.

I made a version of risotto with grilled chicories and balsamic vinegar, along with chard gratin and a loaf of whole wheat bread.

The risotto recipe, straight from Chez Panisse Vegetables Cookbook, turned out extremely well. I used a combination of endive and radicchio. To be exact, I used four medium sized heads of endive and one head of radicchio. My only modification was rather than stir the balsamic into the risotto, I followed the lead of the chef last Thursday who placed the risotto into a small pool of balsamic in the center of the plate. I forgot to shave Parmesan on top of the dish, but Lou, Amy and Jen all raved about it anyway. Lou even said he thought it was better than what they served us at Chez Panisse. I think it tasted so good because of the extra butter that the recipe calls for stirring in at the last minute. Here's a pic of my half eaten plate.

The Chard Gratin recipe also came from the Chez Panisse Vegetables. I first tried this dish several years ago at a lovely dinner a friend cooked on a cold, rainy San Francisco night. She is a trained chef and a former cook at the now defunct San Francisco restaurant Elizabeth Daniel, so not surprisingly she made a beautiful and delicious preparation of the recipe.

I tried making it about three years ago, and I somehow screwed it up. I think I was rushing and skipped a few steps. Lou did not like it then. This time, I took my time and followed each step exactly. It was fun paraboiling the chard, squeezing as much moisture as possible out of the leaves, cutting them into small pieces, gently sauteing them and baking the dish. My one mistake was adding too many bread crumbs. I think I made the same mistake last time, but the chard itself tasted absolutely wonderful despite the extra breading. I also added a few pieces of bacon to give the dish some additional fat. I loved the rich, milky flavor, along with the nutmeg. It's a wonderful dish, and one of these days I'll get it exactly right.

The bread recipe is Julia's Child's from Baking With Julia.

Cookies in Spades!

2007-12-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

I made chocolate-dipped espresso shortbread cookies last night for my office holiday lunch today. I got the recipe from the Fine Cooking chocolate baking collection that my mom gave Lou and me last Christmas. It's an easy recipe, and I had fun making and rolling the dough, cutting the spades (being a bridge geek, I have cookie cutters for all four suits!) and baking and dipping the cookies. I love how they look nestled in the tin.

Food News Roundup

2007-12-17T13:21:00.001-08:00

Here's a rundown of several food related news stories from the past week that I think are worth mentioning on Foodphiles:

First, The New York Times Sunday Magazine published a piece by Michael Pollan yesterday in which he discusses the un-sustainability of factory farming and monocultures. It's well worth a read. I also noted that his new book, "In Defense of Food, An Eater's Manifesto," will be published in January. I'm definitely going to add his new book to my wish list.

Also, today in the NYT, they published a story by Elizabeth Jensen about the Food Network canceling Emeril Lagasse's prime time show, "Emeril Live."

I can't say that I'm entirely sad about Emeril Live coming to an end, especially since I have not watched his show in a very long time. But there was a time, probably in his first couple of years on the air, when I watched his show regularly. Actually, I used to love his show. I was captivated by the novelty of it--the live audience, his humor (Bam!) and the way he made cooking seem fun and easy. Like so many other viewers, he turned me on to other cooking shows on the Food Network as well, many of them obviously modeled on his show. Dare I say he defined the terms of celebrity chefdom?

So, it seems like a big deal that the Food Network has now canceled his show. I think it's too bad that they did not seem to give him a chance to retool the show or try to update the format for today's audience. It is a shame, frankly, that his break-through show is coming to an end. Of course, many of his innovations--his down-home shtick and the live audience--will live long as long as Rachel Ray and others remains on the air, but I want to note the end of the run for the original cable cooking king.

Also, in the Chronicle, Carolyn Lockhead reports today on the green changes Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and my own representative in Congress, has pushed on the cafes in the U.S. House.

And also today in the Chronicle, Phil Matier and Andy Ross mention that San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is considering subjecting the sellers of high-fructose corn syrup drinks to a special fee to help the city cope with the rising costs that stem from unhealthy foods and drinks. Newsom's idea stikes me as a good first start at trying to change the behavior of retailers and consumers when it comes to buying these drinks.

Finally, here's a story from last week about the first regular grocery store set to open in San Francisco's economically disadvantaged neighborhood, the Bayview. This is good news for this largely African-American neighborhood that has not yet had its own grocery store.

A Pre-Winter Meal at Chez Panisse

2007-12-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

We had another lovely dinner at Chez Panisse on Thursday night.

Lou and I took our friends, Jesse and Shawn, for their first visit to the downstairs main restaurant, and we had a fun night, filled with good food and lively conversation.

I had restrained myself back from looking at the menu all week long so Lou and I could go to dinner not knowing what was to come. I usually look over the menu about once a week to see what they're serving, but I like being surprised when I go in to eat (here is a link to our last dinner at Chez Panisse). Shawn broke down and looked at the menu in advance, so he and Jesse knew what was for dinner. They were good to us, however, and agreed to kept it a secret. On the way over to Berkeley I speculated that we were in for another lamb dinner since that's what we almost always seem to be served when we eat in the restaurant. Luckily for us, I was wrong.

The first course was a Dungeness crab salad with avocado, lime and coriander. The base for the salad was frisee, which was lightly mixed with three or four small slices of avocado, a creamy dressing, and hints of lime and cilantro (coriander). It was a marvelous way to start. Light and freshing, the flavors of crab, lime and avocado were divine together.

We brought along a magnum bottle of 2004 Patricia Green Cellers Goldschmidt Pinot Noir, which was even better than Lou and I thought it would be. The nose was of that Oregon grass, along with cherry, blackberry, and hints of leather. The finish was long and complex, echoing the fruits from the nose, but with more spice and pepper than we expected. It was a delicious wine.

The second course was my favorite: grilled chicory risotto with balsamic and Parmesan. It was incredibly good tasting. The risotto was creamy, perfectly white in color, and the chicories (mostly endive, I think) had been stirred in at the last minute of cooking after being grilled. The risotto was served on a thin pool of balsamic vinegar and several large slices of Parmesan cheese and some black pepper were arranged on top. I loved the slightly sweet, yet savory combination of the dish. Grilling the endive cut down its bitterness and transformed it into almost sweet, smokey tender leaves. Embedding them into the creamy risotto was brilliant. The balsamic gave the dish an acidic zip to bring it alive. Fortunately, I discovered a recipe for grilled radicchio and balsamic risotto in the Chez Panisse Vegetables Cookbook, and I'm going to make the dish myself tonight for Amy and Jen.

The fourth course was braised Soul Farm chicken with wild mushrooms, leeks, and potato puree with olio nuovo. I must say, this was one of the most moist and juicy chickens I've ever tasted. I was served a small piece of chicken breast, along with what I think was a wing, though it may have been a piece of thigh. Honestly, I'm not sure. No matter, it was delicious. I ate every bit of it except the bones. I even picked up the bones and sucked every last piece of meat off each bone before relinquishing them to our server. I earned my membership in the clean plate club. The mushrooms and leeks, as well as the potatoes, were a lovely match for such delicate, juicy chicken.

For dessert, they served an apple and quince puff pastry tartlet with vin santo zabaglione. It was an superb dessert, and I savored every bite. The tartlet was served on a thin layer of what appeared to be vin santo syrup, with the creamy zabaglione on one side of the tartlet. Our server brought out a 1993 Fattoria di Felsina Vin Santo by mistake (he was going to bring a newer vintage but couldn't read the labels and brought us the older one instead), which had a nose of light, sweet caramel and hints of honey and fig. The finish was so long, light, and caramelly that I'm pretty sure I was purring after my first sip.

It was a great dinner all around. We talked about music lessons, travel, molecular gastronomy, the Farm Bill, San Francisco politics and the food. I think Jesse and Shawn enjoyed the experience, and I know did we.

Farm Bill Update: The SF Chronicle's Coverage

2007-12-15T10:48:00.001-08:00

I must say, as someone who often complains about the Chronicle, they have provided outstanding coverage of the 2007 Farm Bill. Here is Carolyn Lockhead's story on final passage of the bill in the Senate yesterday. She has provided consistent, thorough reporting on the slow movement of the bill and on the various attempts to reform the bill.

I also want to note the poor coverage in the NYT and other national newspapers--not to mention TV news. The Chronicle published stories on the bill every day this week, and yet the NYT failed to publish a single exclusive story about the bill (there is, however, a good story today by Carl Hulse on how the Senate Republicans have thrown a wrench in the Democratic efforts to pass legislation this year). The fact that the NYT regards action on the Farm Bill as unnewsworthy is a sign of either the national ignorance about the importance of the bill or the lack of interest in changing such a complex piece of legislation. We have a lot of work to do if there's any chance of reforming the bill in 2012.

Farm Bill Update: Senate Passes the Bill

2007-12-14T15:42:00.001-08:00

The Senate passed the Farm Bill this afternoon on a 79-14 vote. The "No" votes came mostly from Republicans opposed to subsidies, but three Democrats joined them in opposing the bill, including Senator Lautenberg. Senator Feinstein supported the final bill, but Senator Boxer did not vote. None of the presidential candidates cast votes either.

Now the House and Senate will attempt to work out their differences, all with a possible White House veto looming.

Also, here is Carolyn Lockhead's overview story from today's Chronicle on the Dorgan-Grassley amendment yesterday. She gives tells the background story on the vote well.

Farm Bill Update: Dorgan-Grassley Amendment Fails

2007-12-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

The vote was 56 to 43.

A majority of the senate voted in favor of setting a payment limit to farmers, but not enough to surpass the parliamentary hurtle of 60 votes required to add the amendment to the bill. Because of arcane senate budget rules that subjected this amendment to a "point of order," Senators Dorgan and Grassley needed a super-majority to add their subsidy reform measure to the bill. Southern senators of both parties, most Republican senators and a handful of Democratic senators from other states stopped this reasonable reform from passing by voting "no."

Read Ken Cook's skewering of the senate, especially the Democrats, here.

Interestingly, all the Democratic presidential candidates voted for the amendment. Senator McCain was the only senator who did not vote, which is too bad, because he would likely have been counted as the 57th vote in favor of the amendment. Senators Feinstein and Boxer also supported the amendment.

My conclusion is that despite their spirited effort, reform advocates lacked the political muscle to counteract the political power of agribusiness and other special interest opponents of reform. Most members never seriously feared voting against reform. Looking ahead to 2012, it seems to me that the most effective way to ensure real, substantive reform will be to assemble a grassroots coalition that will demand that members of Congress embrace real farm subsidy reform or face consequences at the ballot box.

Can we make that happen?

Farm Bill Update: Dorgan-Grassley Measure Doomed

2007-12-12T15:11:00.002-08:00

Today the Senate is debating Senators Dorgan and Grassley's amendment to limit federal farm payments at $250,000 per farmer. Ken Cook reports that the amendment is going to fail because of the strong opposition and filibuster threat from Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln and because the amendment will be subjected to a super-majority vote threshold of 60 votes. There's no way 60 senators will vote for the amendment, so it's going down. I'm curious to see how many votes Dorgan and Grassley will win, and I hoping the number will exceed the 37 votes for the Lugar-Lautenberg amendment yesterday.

Speaking of Lugar-Lautenberg, Carolyn Lockhead has a good story in today's Chronicle about the vote yesterday. She tries to make sense of the disparate group of senators who supported the measure as well as explain why my Senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, supported the amendment.

Dream Cooking--Er, Eating--Weekend at Tahoe

2007-12-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a posting about Pim's piece in the December issue of Food + Wine about a fake weekend she and her boyfriend, Manresa Chef David Kinch, spent with Coi's Daniel Patterson and others cooking on the slopes.

Dreamily delicious, huh?

Menu for a Romantic Dinner at Home

2007-12-11T20:48:00.001-08:00

On Saturday night, I made a simple, yet elegant, dinner for Lou and me for a quiet night at home.

I made an easy recipe I found in a Bon Appetit a couple of years ago. Here's the recipe, but all you do is brush a rack of lamb with olive oil, sprinkle it with salt (I used rosemary salt Joey and Brad gave us not long ago), pepper and chopped rosemary. Then, you toss some cherry tomatoes in a bowl with more oil and rosemary, arrange them around the lamb on a baking sheet and cook for about 30 minutes uncovered at 450 degrees. The lamb came out of the oven rare--perfect for us--with the tomatoes soft and almost melted, and the flavors of the lamb, rosemary and tomatoes were spectacular.

I also roasted brussel sprouts in the usual fashion, sliced with salt, pepper and olive oil, although I mixed in pine nuts this time around. The pines nuts were a nice touch, and I like the light nuttiness they add to the dish.

Best of all, we opened a bottle of 2005 Unti Segromigno, which is a blend of Sangiovese, Syrah and Barbera. Unti is a small family run vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley, just to the northwest of Healdsburg, California, that mostly specializes in making Italian style wines. We visited the vineyard in October when my parents came out to see us, and we tried several wines, including the Segromigno, though it did not stand out. It was unbelievably good on Saturday. Lou and I were struck, actually quite shocked, by the wonderful flavors of fruit, especially strawberry and fig, along with hints of licorice and leather in the bouquet and by the licorice finish. It was a delicate, complex and delicious wine. We finished off the whole bottle, and I highly recommend it.

Farm Bill Update: Lugar-Lautenberg FRESH Amendment Fails

2007-12-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Senate just voted down the radical reform measure offered by Senators Lugar and Lautenberg. The vote was 58-37 against. Interestingly enough both of my Senators--Feinstein and Boxer--supported the amendment, but there was no partisan breakdown on the vote. Also, not surprisingly, none of the presidential candidates voted. The votes for and against were all over the place, with Democrats and Republicans both supporting and opposing the amendment. As best I can tell, Senators from farm states, except California, or at least those from states that receive lots of federal farm subsidies for various crops voted against the amendment and those who come from states that receive little in farm subsidies voted against it. Fairly predictable.

The debate continues this week, with the pivotal vote on the Grassley-Dorgan amendment still to come. Also, here's a posting by Ken Cook about the RESCU amendment, offered by Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and others, which would redirect about $2 Billion from crop insurance companies and invest it in conservation, school lunch programs, food stamps and deficit reduction. Cook seems to think that Brown's amendment could pass, thereby further improving the bill as a real reform measure which would boost spending for low-income folks who could use the help buying better food.

A Sunday Food Diary

2007-12-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

Lou and I had a pleasant day of eating around San Francisco yesterday.

The day started off at home with coffee--Peet's holiday Blend--and Straus non-fat vanilla yogurt with a coconut granola from Rainbow Grocery and sliced banana. Over breakfast, I read Florence Fabricant's wonderful essay in The New York Times Sunday Magazine arguing that white wine makes for a superior pairing with cheese. Not only is Fabricant a wonderful writer, but I enjoyed the piece because it seems that Amanda Hessler, the dreadful Sunday magazine food editor/writer, has been banished from the pages of the magazine, thereby boosting the quality of the food writing immeasurably. Hessler used to write horrible stories typically reminiscing about some miserable cooking from the past (think laudatory pieces about jell-o molds or the like), and her columns were unfailingly uninteresting and uninspiring. I loved Fabricant's argument about white wine as much as the story she tells of her controversial effort to persuade chefs and wine and cheese enthusiasts to forgo red for white. It was a much welcomed bit of food writing in an otherwise food-free Sunday paper.

For lunch later in the afternoon, Lou and I walked into Tartine and waited for no more than five minutes (a record for customer service efficiency at Tartine), and then found a table for two (another shock) and before immediately being served (the hat trick shocker) two piping hot croque monsieurs. One was fromage blanc with sundried tomatoes and the other was turkey with roasted red pepper. Both of them were, of course, delicious. The fromage blanc croque was creamy and rich, while the roasted red pepper gave the turkey croque the zip it would have otherwise lacked. The Tartine croques are fantastic, and I especially love the crunchiness of the bread crust and the way the cheese burns and crisps on top.

From there, we walked up the street to Bi-Rite to pick out wines for our Wine Blitz case, including a bottle of 2005 Unti Segromigno, among others (I'll write more about the bottle of Unti we tasted Saturday night later). Then, after a drive around town and a little Christmas shopping, we stopped at Peet's for coffee. I had been craving a peppermint mocha, so I got my fix, and Lou ordered a decaf drip.

After some more Christmas shopping, we slipped into a showing of "Enchanted" at the Westfield Center downtown . After the movie, we finished the evening off with dinner at Out the Door, where we ended up sitting next to two friends, Jesse and Shawn. The food was good, if not amazing, and we ordered a chicken bun, green papaya salad, curry chicken and a grilled cod served in light tomato broth with onions and spinach.

Eric Asimov on Kermit Lynch

2007-12-08T10:51:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to post about Eric Asimov's story about Kermit Lynch, the Berkeley wine merchant, for the last couple of weeks.

Here's the original story in Dining In/Dining Out. Asimov tells Lynch's story well. His passion for French wine and his focus on discovering French producers is inspiring. In a follow up blog posting, Asimov continues the story and tells of tasting Beaujolais with Lynch.

Lou and I have been over to Lynch's wine shop several times, including once for the festive Beaujolais tasting in the fall last year. It was a lovely afternoon in the Bay Area, and we basically stumbled upon the festivities with no advance planning or preparation. My main memory of the tasting is of the rawness, the grittiness even, of the Beaujolais wines we tasted that day. The wines we tasted were thick with sediment. I also remember the deep rose-purplish color of the wines. They were beautiful, even if not spectacular to taste.

Be that as it may, I admire Lynch for his passion and for his determination and success in educating Americans about French wines and in pushing French producers to make better wines. His shop is well worth a visit if you find yourself in Berkeley.

Farm Bill Update: Reid and McConnell Strike a Deal and Debate Begins

2007-12-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

According to my usual source for happenings in Congress, National Journal's Congress Daily (I can't link to it because it's by subscription only), Senators Reid and McConnell have struck a deal on the Farm Bill and debate began on the floor yesterday. The deal allows each side to offer twenty amendments to the bill, with the reform measure offered by Senators Grassley and Dorgan up first with a vote expected on Tuesday. It looks like the Senate will complete the bill by the end of the year.

Again, I'll plug Ken Cook's excellent blog, Mulch, which focuses on the Farm Bill, farm subsidies and other policy issues related to federal food and farm policy, as a good resource on reform efforts.

New Pizzeria Delfina Coming Soon

2007-12-05T11:30:00.001-08:00

The Chronicle is reporting today that Craig and Annie Stoll plan to open a second Pizzeria Delfina on Fillmore Street in a space that they had originally hoped to lease for Delfina ten years ago. Sorry you have to scroll down the page, but here's the story.

And, guess what they're supposedly putting in the space?

Yup, a wood-burning oven!

I can't wait.

Farm Bill Update: Filibuster

2007-12-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've written about the Farm Bill, and that's because nothing has happened. Well, that's not exactly true, but the net effect of all the "action" in the Senate amounts to not much at all.

Senator Harkin did take the bill to the floor about a month ago, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell could not agree on the number of amendments that the two sides could offer on the bill--most of the amendments had nothing to do with the Farm Bill. Then, after more than a week of no action, Reid subjected the bill to the parliamentary equivalent of execution when he called for a cloture vote and the vote failed. Cloture is the term used in the Senate to close debate on a given matter, and it is the means by which the Senate ends a filibuster. When the cloture vote failed, the Senate failed to end debate, in effect allowing the Republicans to "filibuster" the bill. There was an excellent story by David Herszenhorn in the NYT Week in Review about the widespread use of the filibuster in the Senate.

On Monday, National Journal's Congress Daily P.M. reported that Reid made an offer to McConnell to limit the number of amendments on the Farm Bill to five for the Democrats and ten for the Republicans. Apparently, both the wholesale reform measure proposed by Senators Lugar and Lautenberg and the more modest reform measure of Senators Grassley and Dorgan would be among the amendments. No word yet on whether McConnell has accepted the deal. I would say that the likelihood of the bill passing this year is in doubt. Before the Senate adjourns for the end of the year--in a mere three weeks--it must resolve at least eight spending bills, including the funding bill for Iraq. That's a tremendous amount of work, which would leave little time for other measures. In addition to the unresolved Farm Bill, the Senate also needs to act on a major energy bill. While it's possible that in the end of the year furry of legislative activity, the Farm bill might make it through, I'll be surprised if they get to it.

UPDATE: National Journal's Congress Daily P.M. is reporting today that Reid and McConnell clashed on the Senate floor this afternoon about the fate of the Farm Bill. Congress Daily also reported that Reid is going to file a second cloture motion on the bill to try to force the Republicans to agree to a deal to pass the bill. I seriously doubt the Senate will act on it before recessing until January.

White Bean Soup with Sausage

2007-12-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

I spent most of this afternoon making a white bean soup. I had several cups of rehydrated beans left over in the refrigerator after making another stew earlier this week.

I chopped some shallots, sauteed them in olive oil in a big pot along with some chopped sage and rosemary. After the shallots were translucent, I added four or five cups of chicken stock and all the beans. I brought them to a boil and then let them simmer. After about an hour, I added five chopped tomatoes and one piece of sausage, and I continued to simmer the soup for about three more hours.

In the meantime, I made croutons out of the leftover wheat bread that I had made for Thanksgiving. I broke the remaining bread--perhaps a slice and a half--into small bite sizes and tossed them in olive oil and salt before baking them in the oven for about eight minutes. Actually, I let them go too long, so they came out slightly burned. Damn!

When it came time for dinner, I ladled out the soup, tossed a few croutons on top and added a dollop of creme fraiche to assemble the dish. The creme fraiche, not surprisingly, made the dish. Its sourness cut the sweetness of the soup, and made it a delicious dish on a cold, gray Sunday.

Pizzaiolo

2007-11-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

A quick note about Pizzaiolo.

Lou, Peter and I ate there a couple of Fridays ago, and I must say that it was a mixed experience.

Despite showing up early in the evening, they made us wait nearly two hours for a table. We spent most of that time looking around some galleries in downtown Oakland, but it was somewhat annoying to have to wait so long, especially after the hostess told me that the wait would not be longer than about an hour.

Once seated, I realized that the acoustics in the restaurant are terrible. They seated us in a back room with a group of at least twenty people who were celebrating a birthday. When we first sat down they were still eating and they were reasonably quiet, but as soon as they finished eating and continued drinking their noise level rose dramatically. It made our conversation difficult.

The pizzas, however, were tasty. We ordered one pizza with nettles and cheese and another one with grilled squid and aioli. Both combinations were fantastic, though the squid and aioli was my favorite.

Despite my love of pizzas cooked in a wood-burning ovens, I couldn't help think that the restaurant came off like a loud, chaotic college town pizza joint. Perhaps that should come as no surprise. After all, Pizzaiolo is not far from the campus of UC Berkeley.

Coq Au Vin

2007-11-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

We gave a little dinner party for our friends Amy and Jesse before a night of playing bridge not long ago, and I made coq au vin using Julia Childs's fantastic recipe. I'd had the urge to use up some of the accumulated red wine in our refrigerator, and the idea of recreating coq au vin got stuck in my head.

The last time I made the recipe, I cut a few corners by using de-boned, skinless chicken thighs and skipping Julia's instructions for sauteeing mushrooms and braising pearl onions. I think I also served the chicken over rice. The chicken and the sauce turned out pretty well then, but it wasn't amazing and Lou was not overwhelmed.

This time around, I followed her directions more closely, and the recipe was incredible. I used chicken legs and thighs on the bone with skin, and I browned the skin by searing the chicken, first skin side down, on very high heat. Then I browned the onions, carrots and herbs before adding the wine and chicken stock to braise in the oven for about a half hour. While the chicken was in the oven, I sauteed the mushrooms in butter and set the pearl onions in a mixture of chicken broth and butter to braise over low heat for about 30 minutes.

When the chicken was done, I strained the cooking liquid and then reduced it down from several cups to about 3/4 cup. Then, I stirred in buerre manie--butter and flour--to make a rich, thick red sauce. I poured the sauce over the chicken and plated the mushrooms and onions with the chicken and sauce on top.

It was, in a word, manifique!

Joey's Birthday

2007-11-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

While my parents were visiting in October, we missed Joey's big birthday party up in Healdsburg. Actually, we ran into Joey, Brad and his mother and sister in Oakville Grocery after a day of wine tasting in the Dry Creek Valley with my parents, but we couldn't join them for the birthday party Brad and his mom planned for him. Instead, we offered to have Joey and Brad over for dinner a couple of weeks later.

We planned a menu made up of a few dishes neither one of us had made before, along with a couple of easy, tried and true dishes that would not take as much time to make.

To start, we served hand packed Spanish sardines with thinly sliced celery, salt and pepper and freshly squeezed lime juice.

As a second course, Lou improvised on a recipe from the El Bulli cookbook. Instead of making asparagus lollipops with truffle cream, he made brussel sprout lollipops with truffle cream. Lou changed from asparagus to brussels at my request, since I claimed that there would be no way to find fresh, local asparagus at this time of year, even though it would be easy enough to find asparagus at Whole Foods. He gave in to my locavore leanings and switched the recipe. It was a fairly complicated recipe, which he executed flawlessly. I don't remember every step, but he cooked and then liquified the brussels, made whipped cream infused with truffle water (hand made) and then piped the whipped cream onto baking sheets and carefully filled the piping with the liquified brussel sprouts. He then froze them until we served them. We can see the lollipops in front of Joey in the picture above. All in all they turned out pretty well. The sensation of eating the frozen brussel sprouts and cream together was a little strange, and later on we added some truffle salt to the lollipops and they tasted much better. Brad joked that we should start a savory lollipop stand.

For the main course, I pan friend trout with juniper berries, salt and pepper, and laid them on a bed of hot potato foam, which Lou had made by cooking the potatoes and liquifying them with milk and cream. The trout is always a winner, and the potato foam was a wonderful compliment to the salty, piney flavor of the trout.

For Joey's birthday cake, I made a Sachertorte. Honestly, I had no idea of the significance of the cake. Lou nearly chose is for his own birthday cake, and that was the first time I had ever seen a Sachertorte recipe. Joey, on the other hand, immediately grasped the significance of the cake and he seemed delighted about it. He told us about tasting various Sachertortes while in Vienna a few years ago.

The cake turned out pretty well, I'd say. The cake includes two delicious elements--citrus syrup, which I made in the same manner as simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, boiled) with the zests of lemon and orange, and a layer of reduced apricot jam. Then, for the toping, I made a simple chocolate glaze, made of melted chocolate, sugar and water. I tempered the glaze for at least twenty minutes by repeatedly running portions of the glaze along our marble slab with a metal spatula while the glaze cooled. The tempering is suppose to allow the glaze to cool without developing any air bubbles, thereby keeping the glaze smooth and glass-like. The glaze turned out well, especially considering that it was the first time I'd ever made it. The cake itself ended up a little uneven. Perhaps I should have cut it down to make the sides of the two pieces flush, but I simply glazed the cake and let it be. I must say that it tasted deliciously rich, chocolaty and infused with citrus and fruit.

Bon Anniversaire, Joey!

Manresa: a Birthday Dinner

2007-11-22T21:52:00.000-08:00

I finally made the trip down to Los Gatos, about an hour out of San Francisco, to eat at Manresa, David's Kinch's well-regarded and much written about restaurant. Now I'm finally getting around to writing about it. The occasion was Lou's birthday, and I was able to talk Amy and Frank into joining us for the evening.

The restaurant setting is nothing particularly spectacular. The space is elegant, but not striking. Even though our table was not ready when we arrived exactly on time for our 8 pm Saturday night reservation, none of us minded much having to wait.

Once seated we perused the menu and discussed how to order. Kinch has designed the menu so that diners can order either four courses from an a la carte menu or a spontaneous tasting menu which he requires the entire table to order. We debated ordering the tasting, but decided, instead, to order a la carte from the menu and order one of almost every dish so that we could try a bite of most of the dishes on the menu. The menu was divided into four sections, which roughly break down into starter courses, fish courses, meat courses and desserts.

After ordering, the chef sent out several amuse bouches--at least five--the best of which were a mango smoothie (above) and little crispy ravioli (below). All of them were delicious. The most memorable amuse bouche, however, was the oyster on the half shell still in its juices and sea water. The brilliant catch was that Kinch had added agar agar (gelatin) to the sea water and juices to set the oyster in its juices and sea water. The dish was topped with a crispy piece of nori. They called it a taste of the sea, and it was incredible and ingenious.

For starters, we tried Amberjack, prepared shashimi style with olive oil and chives, "In the Garden," a preparation of vegetables arranged on a plate like a mini garden, and Celery Root Veloute with Sunchoke ice cream. The assortment of vegetables was both cute and tasty, right down to the "dirt." I thought the soup was the real standout of the starters, however. The combination of hot soup and cold ice cream was a palate pleaser, especially from two strong root vegetables. We tried one other starter, a Monterey Bay spot prawn with exotic spices and citrus. The prawn was magnificent and rich, and surprisingly, it turned out to have been a pregnant prawn, so we all tried prawn roe for the first time.

For fish, we tried the John Dory, San Bream and Abalone with a slow egg. As best I can remember, the John Dory tasted good, though the baked abalone and egg was the stand out of the fish courses.

For meats, we ordered farm poularde (young hen) poached and then roasted with sunchokes and black trumpets, Suckling pig with blood sausage, braised kale, and potatoes and apples, and venison roasted with huckleberries. I had been most excited about the suckling pig, in part because I love roasted pork and because Kinch's blood sausage is well known, but the dish did not quite meet my expectations. It was not as rich and flavorful as I had expected, and the meat was not as tender and moist as I had hoped. Instead, the dish that had appealed to me the least ended up as my favorite--the venison. The meat itself was tender, delicate and roasted perfectly rare. With the spices and huckleberries, the dish perfectly fused together the gamey, wild flavors of the venison and the sweetness of the cooked huckleberries. It was a brilliant and pleasing dish.

For dessert, we ordered a selection of cheeses, a chocolate napoleon with tobacco ice cream and a goat cheese bavarois. The napoleon and the tobacco ice cream was the best dessert, and the tobacco ice cream in particular was amazing. The flavor was not so much like a cigarette or an ash tray, but more like the flavor of tobacco in red wine. Subtle notes of the sharpness of tobacco, which paired well with chocolate. It was a very innovative treat, on par with the Foi Gras ice cream at Coi.

We chose the premium wine pairings, and unfortunately I left without asking for a copy of all the wines they served us. I do remember that they served us nearly ten different wines, including several Spanish wines which were unfamiliar to me and at least one Santa Cruz Chardonnay (Manresa is located at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, an up and coming wine producing region). Best of all, for dessert they served us a sherry from the 1960s to pair with the cheese, along with an equally old Madiera to pair with the napoleon and tobacco ice cream. Both of those wines were outstanding and memorable.

Farm Bill Update: Michael Pollan's NYT Op-Ed

2007-11-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore's Dilemma, had an excellent piece, "Weed It and Reap," in yesterday's Week in Review section of The New York Times.

Pollan gives an thorough summary of the fate of this year's farm bill, and he explains why the bill the House passed this summer and the bill that Senator Harkin will take to the Senate floor this week is probably about as good as it's going to get this year for farm bill and federal food policy reform. The political pressure for reform came together too late and without enough political force to make much of a difference against the organized efforts of agri-business.

In no small part thanks to Pollan himself, however, real reform got a better hearing than before.

Also, based on Pollan's argument, my own research and a few emails and comments about my recent postings, I want to amend my view of the Grassley-Dorgan amendment. I now see that it is a well intentioned attempt at meaningful reform to reduce subsidies to big, corporate farmers. While not as far-reaching as the Lugar-Lautenberg measure, the Grassley-Dorgan measure might stand a chance of passing by a slim majority. Here's a posting from the Blog for Rural American about the Grassley-Dorgan amendment.

Please contact your senators and ask them to vote for the Grassley-Dorgan and Lugar-Lautenberg amendments.

Farm Bill Update: Links

2007-11-02T14:57:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are interested, here's a Congressional Research Service report comparing the House version of the farm bill with the version Senator Harkin pushed through the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Also, here is information on the reform substitute amendment Senators Lugar and Lautenberg will offer next week.

I can't find the details on the Grassley-Dorgan amendment, though here's one other comparison chart from the Farm and Food Policy Project.

Farm Bill Update: Next Stop, Senate Floor

2007-11-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

The SF Chronicle published a story, written by Carolyn Lochhead in the DC bureau, today on the status of the 2007 Farm Bill. Last week the Senate Agriculture Committee approved a bill Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) put together. His bill is similar to the one the U.S. House approved over the summer in that it places a few new restrictions on farm subsidies and adds some new spending on organic agriculture and school food programs, but doesn't constitute wholesale reform.

There will be two major attempts to amend the bill on the floor next week, one by farm state senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and the other by Dick Lugar (R-IN), himself a farmer, and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). As best I can tell, the Grassley-Dorgan amendment would represent a step back. Their measure seems to try to limit farm subsidies to the largest farms, but purposely avoids substantial reform of the system. I think their approach is far worse than Senator Harkin's mediocre bill and the House bill. The Lugar-Lautenberg proposal, however, would scrap the whole subsidy system and replace it will a farm insurance program for which all farmers would be eligible. Without seeing the full details, the Lugar-Lautenberg proposal seems preferable to me as a way of ending the unfair and unequal farm subsidies while continuing some form of crop insurance for farmers who hit hard times.

My guess is that both proposals will fail and the Senate will adopt Senator Harkin's bill. So, despite some tweaking to reduce the amount of farm subsidies and the addition of modest federal support for organic agriculture and better school food programs, not much will change and the bill will become law.

What's interesting to me about Lochhead's article is that she points out that neither of California's senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both Democrats, (full disclosure: I was a staffer in D.C. for Senator Feinstein in the early 1990s) have taken a public position on the bill. I'm not exactly sure why that is. Both senators have strong environmental records. Feinstein has been an effective advocate for public lands and for land preservation in general and she can claim credit for spearheading legislation to set aside major portions the California dessert as protected land. She also brokered the deal to preserve the salt flats in the southern portion of San Francisco Bay. Boxer is the Chairperson of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and has worked hard on several environmental measures and has also steadily voiced concerns about climate change issues.

Given that California is the nation's largest agricultural producer, it does seem strange that neither one of them has yet to advocate for (or against) the bill or any of the alternative proposals. In addition to constituent farmers, they also have to contend with a reasonably active food reform movement that is mostly based in the Bay Area, but also has a few voices and followers in Los Angeles. A further complicating factor is that the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is also a Californian (she's my congressperson in San Francisco) and she is the person who signed off on the deal in the House that made only minor changes and that has become the base for Harkin's bill.

My guess is that Feinstein and Boxer will both tow the moderate line here and oppose the Grassley-Dorgan amendment, vote for the Lugar-Lautenberg amendment even though it will fail, and then vote for the unamended Harkin bill, which is basically Nancy Pelosi's House bill. We'll see.

If you care about this, it's probably worth contacting your senators and encouraging them to vote for the Lugar-Lautenberg measure and against the Grassley-Dorgan amendment. Assuming both will fail, then urge them to vote for the final bill.

Welcome to congressional politics!

Crater Cake (aka Birthday Cake)

2007-10-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

Last year's birthday cake masterpiece, sadly, went undocumented on Foodphiles, so I want to post something about this year's cake for Lou's birthday even though I have mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand, I loved the way the stenciling turned out. I bought stencils and cut out the lettering in parchment paper (thanks to Heather for the stencilling consult), which I then positioned over the cake (with Lou's help) and dusted with powdered sugar. Cute, huh? I love the way the lettering looks uneven, off-centered and like a stamp.

On the other hand, something went seriously wrong with the cake while baking, and it did not turn out perfectly. The middle of the cake did not bake through fully. When I pulled the cake out of the oven--ten minutes beyond what was called for in the recipe--and released the sides of the pan, the center collapsed. So sad. The cake looked like it had a crater in the middle.

Fortunately, the cake still tasted pretty good. The outer rim was more dry and cake-like, while the center was moist and dense like a chocolate brownie. I made this cake last New Year's Eve, and it turned out very well. I remembered it being moist with a smooth, even surface. The secret ingredient--olive oil--guarantees moisture, but I wonder if it also makes it fickle.

I can think of a few reasons why things went wrong. One, I made the cake in stages, mixing the cocoa, vanilla extract and almond extract several hours before combining the rest of the cake. Maybe the chocolate hardened too much. I carefully warmed up the chocolate before mixing it with the other ingredients, but I fear that combining those ingredients so early screwed things up. Second, I followed a baking tip I read somewhere to place a baking sheet on the floor of the oven to help moderate the heat throughout the oven. Another mistake (note to self: don't experiment with baking technique when you're baking your boyfriend's birthday cake). I wonder if the baking sheet hindered, rather than helped, the even baking of the whole cake by throwing off the temperature in the oven. Lastly, rather than use a 8 and 1/2" springboard pan as called for in the recipe, I used a 9" pan instead. You'd think that the increased area would cause the cake to bake more thoroughly, but I guess not. Thoughts?

By the way, here's the recipe from this Fine Cooking publication.

Despite the imperfection of the baking, we finished off the entire cake in about twenty-four hours.

Moroccan Chicken for the Boys

2007-10-30T21:51:00.001-07:00

I made a Morrocan Lemon Confit Chicken dish with preserved lemons and Calamata olives for our friends who came over for bridge last Wednesday night.

I came across this recipe in Food+Wine three years ago, and it immediately jumped out at me as something I wanted to try. I've made it three or four times since then, and I love the smell of the lemon and cinnamon in particular. I also like the way the sauce thickens up, and for that reason, it makes for wonderful leftovers.

Unfortunately, Lou doesn't care for it. I think the problem has been that I have usually substituted boneless chicken breasts for on-the-bone breasts, and the chicken has almost always turned out a little dry. I made the same mistake on Wednesday. We had a couple of boneless breasts in the fridge, and I bought two more to serve the four of us. Bad move. The chicken turned out dry again, and Lou didn't like it. If you make this recipe, be sure to brine the boneless chicken breasts or use either chicken on-the-bone with skin or chicken thighs.

I was most pleased with another Food +Wine recipe from 2004 for Fragrant Basmati Rice. I made the rice by cooking it along with two bay leaves, a cinnamon stick and four smashed cardamom pods. Delicious!

On Wood-burning Ovens

2007-10-10T11:02:00.001-07:00

Olivia Wu has a story on personal wood-burning ovens in the food section of today's Chronicle.

I have my own fascination--obsession perhaps--with wood burning ovens. I love the flavors these ovens create, along with the look of food that has been baked or roasted in them. I suppose you could get the same crispy crust on pizza by baking it on a pizza stone in a gas oven and then burning the rim of the crust under the broiler, but that's not as fun as lighting a fire in a small oven, stoking the coals until the heat surpasses 600 degrees, watching the smoke billow out the door and carefully eyeing the pizza as it cooks, all the while turning it frequently to make sure the dough cooks and burns evenly. Perhaps I'm as amused by playing with fire as I am with eating good food.

I know of several restaurants in and around San Francisco that make regular use of their wood-burning ovens--Nopa, Chez Spencer, Zuni, A16, Pizzaiolo and Chez Panisse--and I know of at least one other personal wood-burning oven in San Francisco. The personal wood-burning ovens seem like a rarity and real luxury in the Bay Area, so it was a pleasure to read about cooks who have made good use of them. One of these days, I'll figure out a way to have one of my own.

I also noticed this story in a recent NYT Friday Escapes section about Mario Batali's vacation home on the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, which mentions his wood-burning oven. Batali said that he'll make up to 30 pizzas in an evening when friends come for dinner. Wow! I was reminded of my own experience frantically baking about that number of pizzas in my friend's oven.

Frank Bruni also wrote a great review of Franny's in Brooklyn a few weeks ago, making mention their wood-burning oven. On a future trip to New York City, I hope to sample the pizzas from their oven.

Strawberry, Kimchi and Granola? A Pre-Concert Meal In Three Parts

2007-10-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

We cooked an exquisite dinner last night, if I do say so myself.

Amy and Heather came over for an early dinner before a concert at Davies Symphony Hall. We had tickets for the first of eight concerts Andras Schiff is giving in which he’ll play the full cycle of Beethoven piano sonatas. I have been very excited about the series, and I was able to convince the two of them to join us for the opening concert (it was fabulous).

Actually, my original plan had been to meet them for dinner at Zuni. I haven’t been there in a while, and I wanted to try it out again, but they could not guarantee us a table before the concert. I also tried to reserve a table at Absinthe, but that was also a no-go. So, I decided to cook at home. Or, rather, I decided to grill.

I marinated a little over two pounds of flank steak with olive oil and salt and pepper for about an hour. In the meantime, I thinly sliced five medium sized zucchini on a mandolin and then briefly marinated them with olive oil, salt and pepper as well. After grilling the zucchini for about eight minutes—they were very soft—I threw the steak on the grill. I cooked the steak for about four minutes per side, pulled it off to check on how cooked it was and put it back on the fire for about another two minutes. In all, the steak cooked for no more than ten minutes. It came off perfectly rare in some parts and medium rare throughout the rest.

While we chatted with the girls, Lou made his special sauce of Kimchi, crème fraiche and grated horseradish. He makes it by combining about a half a cup of crème fraiche with three or four spoonfuls of Kimchi and a healthy portion of freshly grated horseradish. It’s delicious, and it makes a wonderfully tangy, spicy, and creamy sauce, which is a perfect compliment for grilled steak. He is, by the way, the innovator in our kitchen. I’m much more inclined to follow a recipe, and I guess that’s what generally makes me a good baker. Lou is much more of a natural cook, willing to test—and trust—his taste buds to combine foods and flavors. Often times, he comes up with some amazingly good combinations, and the Kimchi, crème fraiche, horseradish sauce is a good example of his innovation (this was actually a reprise of this concoction for Amy!).

For wine, I opened a bottle of 2005 Vincent Dancer Pommard “Les Perriers.” The Pommard is a delicious Burgundian red from the biodynamic producer I discovered last March at Alinea. We were all struck by how light the initial taste of wine was, and we agreed that it tasted strongly of strawberries, with hints of raspberries, pepper, tobacco, vanilla and traces of violet or flowers. The color was also light strawberry red. It was a lovely wine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lou said he prefers the grassy boldness of the Oregon Pinot Noirs, especially Patty Green, but he agreed that it was a pleasingly complex wine.

Finally, for dessert, I made vanilla ice cream. I usually use the Ben and Jerry’s recipe that calls for 2 cups of heavy cream, 1 cup of milk, two eggs, 3/4 cup of sugar (I used the sugar we have flavored with the shell of a vanilla bean), 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract and the seeds of one vanilla bean. In this recipe, you beat the eggs for about a minute, whisk in the sugar, add the cream, milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean and chill in the ice cream maker for 25 minutes. It could not be easier, and it comes out soft and perfect. We crumbled my friend Nick’s granola—-Cocoa Bliss—-on top. Nick has recently started his own raw foods company, Kaia Foods, and he’s come out with a small introductory line of raw granola snacks which he sells online as well as in several stores in San Francisco. Cocoa bliss tastes of cocoa and coconut, and it provided chewy counter textures and chocolatey sweetness that helped the vanilla ice cream stand out.

Salted Lavender Caramel Chocolates

2007-10-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's been a VERY long time since I last posted. Several of you readers have gently reminded me that I do in fact own this blog and that I should get back to posting right away. Well, here goes. I have no good excuse for not writing for nearly two months. I took a break. I went on vacation. I made a couple of work trips. I happily ate my way up the East Coast and then around San Francisco. I will tell you about some of those meals soon.

In the meantime, I want to say a word about a surprise treat my friend, Wes, gave me last Saturday. He came to our swim team practice armed with a tupperware container of homemade salted lavender caramel chocolates. They were exquisite. The caramel tasted faintly of lavender. Actually, the caramel finished like a fine wine with hints of lavender lingering in my mouth long after I had swallowed. Dark chocolate wrapped the caramel, enriching it with cocoa bitterness, and large grains of salt delivered a savory counter note to the sweetness of the caramel and the bitterness of the chocolate. Each piece was beautifully styled as well.

I only learned after the fact that Wes used to be a pastry chef. I should not have been surprised--his confections rivaled in taste and beauty any of the best I've tried.

More, Wes, More!

A Weekend in Michigan

2007-08-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

Lou and I spent a long weekend in Michigan the last weekend in July (I know, I've been bad about posting). It was a nice trip to see Lou's family. We Spent a few days alone with his parents in Caseville, a small town on the shore of Saganaw Bay at the mouth Lake Huron, and then we stayed at their home for the last two days.

We saw some beautiful scenery on the way up to Caseville (actually we were in the heart of the Thumb of Michigan, which is pretty much all farmland). Here's a shot from our drive north.

While we were up there, we bought some walleye and whitefish at a fish market and brought them back with us to Lou's parents house to prepare as a feast for his family on Sunday afternoon. Here's a picture of the walleye before Lou put it on the grill (he brushed the fish with oil olive and covered the fish with basil and thyme from his dad's garden).

We also grilled some corn and some asparagus.

Here we all are after our meal.

So, what do you do in Michigan after a big family summer feast? You jump up and down on the trampoline with your boyfriend's niece! It was more fun than I imagined.

There were also a few triumphant moments on the badminton court.

Lastly, we stopped by Lou's grandmother's house to say goodbye and see her garden.

She showed us her lovely squash and tomatoes.

She also showed us one of her pickling cucumbers.

I should also mention that we ate our share of Erma's Frozen Custard while we were there. We stopped there four times, in fact. Frozen custard is a midwestern specialty. It's richer than ice cream, and delicious. When I lived in Illinois, I used to love to visit the Jarling's Custard Cup in Champaign. Erma's was a nice treat, and it helped make our trip even more tasty.

Pie Contest

2007-07-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

What is it about pies?

Last week, I found myself being pressured to make some pies. First, Lou brought home several stalks of rhubarb with hopes I'd make him a rhubarb pie. They had been happily standing in a pitcher of water on our counter for a few days when Heather forwarded me a link from Daily Candy about a pie contest at Southern Exposure, near Mission Pie, on Mission and 25th Streets. She demanded that I enter the competition. Sheesh. Pushy Italians!

Thus, uh, encouraged, I decided to bake a couple of strawberry-rhubarb pies and enter the best one of them in the competition.

We had plans on Friday night, so I didn't get started making the pie dough until about 10:30 pm. I immediately ran into a couple of potential problems. First, I realized that I did not have enough chilled shortening in the fridge. Second, I realized that I did not have enough all-purpose flour to make the dough. I immediately threw the shortening in the fridge to attempt to chill it quickly, and I decided to use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour.

Last fall I had tried making pie dough with the whole wheat pastry flour, but the dough was a complete disaster. It was a crumbly mess. I know that I did not use enough water, but I also wondered if the whole wheat flour itself was part of the problem. Lou was convinced that it was, in fact, the whole wheat flour ruined the dough.

I have been using Julia Childs's recipe for perfect, flakey pie dough, and she says that you can use either all-purpose flour or pastry flour, though she doesn't weigh in on whether you can use whole wheat pastry flour. The few times I've looked for pastry flour at Bi-Rite or Rainbow, the only pastry flour I could find, was whole wheat pastry flour, so I figured that's just how it's made.

Last Friday night, off to a somewhat uncertain start, I began to assemble the dough. I mixed the flour and the salt, first added the cold butter, then the slightly chilled shortening, and I mixed them all together with a full cup of very cold, nearly frozen water. The dough was extremely moist and sticky, and about as well formed as the dough I made in March. I put the dough in the fridge to chill over night.

I woke up early on Saturday morning to roll out the dough and bake the pies before my swim practice at 11:30. When I took the dough out of the fridge, it was very hard, and even after I allowed it to warm up slightly, it was difficult to roll out. Slowly, gently, I rolled out four crusts. Two of them turned out very well, one of them was ok and the final one (actually the first one I rolled out) was a disaster. Slightly worried, I put them back in the fridge to rest.

Meanwhile, I headed out to Rainbow to buy some more strawberries and some quick cooking tapioca. I got home, cut the strawberries and rhubarb, sweated them in sugar, added the tapioca, some orange zest and salt and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes. Then I divided the mixture between the two pies, placed dollops of butter on the filling, covered them with the top crusts, brushed the tops with cream and dusted them with sugar before sliding them in the oven for about and hour and ten minutes.

I didn't cut deep enough vents in the better looking pie, but it came out looking fine. The filling in the other pie spilled out on the crust and over the side of the dish. Unfortunately, the crusts did not look very flakey.

After allowing the pies to cool, I texted Heather and invited her over to taste the pies before heading out to Southern Exposure to enter the contest. I opened a bottle of Sauternes and Lou used our new pressure device to "foam" some of the leftover vanilla ice cream in the freezer from the fourth of july. The pie tasted delicious. I was disappointed in the crust, however. Rather than turning out flakey, the crust was more crumbly. It tasted good--slightly like graham crackers--but it was not as flaky or as pretty as the crust I'd made in March.

After tasting, we headed over to Southern Exposure to deliver the pie. The scene was bustling and not at all what I expected. Quite honestly, I feared I'd be the only person to show up, but I was wrong. Eleven others beat us there, and there were about two dozen people milling around tasting pies, talking and enjoying the pie-making revelry.

I "registered," giving them my name and telling them what kind of pie I'd made. They explained the process: get photographed with your pie, cut a slice of pie for the judges, and go put your pie on the tasting table for others to try. I got my picture taken, and then went over to the judges. As I cut a slice, the piece kind of fell apart as I served it up (Heather said she saw me cringe). I thanked them and walked away. Lou immediately chastized me for not talking up my pie. He told me I should have "sold it." He refused to buy my argument that I couldn't sell a pie when I knew the crust was bad. He replied that George W. Bush didn't get elected President because he was the best candidate, but rather because he could sell it. I'm sure he was right; I could have sold it, but I didn't feel right about it knowing I can make really good crust.

I put the pie on the tasting table and admired some of the other pies. There were several interesting pies, including a pumpkin chocolate mole pie with sesame seeds and a beautiful blueberry pie with an elaborate lattace top. There was also a coconut cream pie with caramel, a la Tartine. It was a fun, festive atmosphere, but we left early before they announced the winners because I had a hair cut.

I didn't win, but I had fun, and we had two pies. I'm still not quite sure what went wrong with the crust. In the meantime, I think I'll stick with all-purpose flour, or I might try mixing all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flour half and half.

Belated Birthday Dinner: Chez Panisse

2007-07-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

A French provincial summer dinner. That's how our server described the meal she served us at Chez Panisse on Saturday night. How perfect!

Several months ago, for my 35th birthday, Lou's parents kindly gave me a gift certificate for Chez Panisse. Lou's mom remembered how much I like the restaurant after we took them there for dinner when they visited us last November.

I was thrilled about the gift certificate, since it would mean that a trip to Chez Panisse would soon be in order. Sadly, Lou and I ended up canceling two planned trips because one or the other of us did not feel well.

When we finally arrived on Saturday, I was immediately reminded why I love this restaurant so much. Chez Panisse does not strive for elaborate food and nor does it deliver feats of molecular gastronomy like Alinea or the French Laundry. Rather, the restaurant delivers reliably elegant culinary pleasures and gracious service, along with a mindfulness of the chain connecting the farm and the table.

I must admit that I fell in love with the restaurant from my earliest days in California. I lived in Berkeley directly behind the restaurant for several months when I first moved to California, before moving across the bay to San Francisco. Each morning, I was awakened by the clinking of wine bottles in the recycling bins in back of the restaurant. That summer, I made a point to walk by the front gate of Chez Panisse on the way to the post office to check the menu for the week. I have yet to break the habit of reading the weekly menus.

The only exception is when I have a reservation. I like to be surprised by what I'm going to be served, so I refrain from looking at the menu before I pay a visit. On Saturday, we told the server that we did not want to see the menu (they lay out beautifully printed menus at each place setting) and she obliged us in keeping the courses a secret after making sure we did not have any dietary restrictions.

The first course was an apertif of mulberry juice and prosecco, followed by an exquisite plate of summer vegetables--grilled squash, zucchini, shallots, carrots, a few light greens, an egg, an anchovy fillet and house-made aioli. The vegetables were fresh and tender, and the combination of the aioli, the egg and the anchovy added wonderful flavors of salt, garlic and, well, egg. A very nice beginning.

I brought along one of the three bottles of 2002 Vincent Dancer Chassagne-Montracht ler Cru "Tete du Clos" I was able to get from Josh at Bi-Rite. You may remember that I first discovered Dancer's wines on my visit to Alinea in March. The 2002 was marvelous. It is a soaring, ethereal wine, with strong notes of lime along with very subtle hints of hay. I absolutely love Dancer's wines, and because he is a biodynamic producer, I thought this would be a great wine to bring to Chez Panisse. It paired pretty well with all the courses, especially the first two.

The second course was probably my favorite. We were served a provencal fish and shellfish soup with a rouille crouton. The soup--really a bouillabaisse--was made with clams, shrimp, monkfish, sea bass and a broth made of fish stock, garlic, parsley, minced tomatoes, shallots and saffron. It was amazingly delicious. Even though I did not grow up on the sea, the lightness and tenderness of the fish, the shellfish and the broth touched me deeply. The soup had soul, and it demonstrated why Chez Panisse is such an outstanding restaurant.

The main course was rack, loin, and leg of lamb served with rosemary and olive sauce and shell and wax beans on the side. It seems like we've been served lamb the last few times we've eaten in the restaurant at Chez Panisse, but I am never disappointed with their lamb (all raised on small, organic farms, by the way). Each piece of lamb was tender and moist, and the rosemary especially gave the dish a lovely summer flavor.

For dessert, we were served an apricot puff pastry tartlet, with a sabayon on the side. Our server kindly placed a candle in a small strawberry and presented my plate as though it was my birthday. She was very sweet. A delicious end to a wonderful meal.

Thanks Louie and Rae!

Bastille Day Luncheon at Michel-Schlumberger

2007-07-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Heather, Lou and I made the trip up to Healdsburg to celebrate Bastille Day at the Michel-Schlumberger winery in the Dry Creek Valley. I had been to the celebration several years ago, and I had fond memories of an afternoon spent tasting French wines, eating well-prepared French provincial fare and enjoying the warm weather of Western Sonoma County, California (I first discovered Michel-Schlumberger not long after I moved to San Francisco when my friend Amy, from business school, came to visit and we made a stop at the winery during a weekend tasting tour of the Dry Creek Valley).

A few years later and shortly after Lou and I started dating, I asked him to accompany me for another Bastille Day celebration at Michel-Schlumberger, but he refused me, saying he wasn't ready for a day trip with me yet. Three years later, when I asked again he gladly accepted. I asked Heather to come along.

We got a very late start last Sunday, leaving well after 10:30 for a lunch that was set to begin at 11:30. It takes about an hour to drive to the winery, so we arrived shortly before noon. We were the last to arrive, and they gave us three seats at the end of a long table that was set up in the wine storage area of the winery. The room was dark and cool, a different set up from my first experience when the table was set up under an archway in the central courtyard of the winery.

Last time I was there, Michel-Schlumberger was featuring tastings for its French wine club--I think they used to import a few wines from France--but this time all the wines were Michel-Schlumberger's own wines. We missed the pouring of the Pinot Blanc, but arrived in time for the pouring of a 2005 La Brume Chardonnay and the serving of the first course. The Chardonnay was deplete of the Napa-like oakiness and butteriness of so many California wines, and instead I noted minor hints of lemon or citrus. The food was a salad of chard, pea shoots, sunflower sprouts and asparagus, served with grilled shrimp and a "gateau de mer," which was something like a seafood cake. The flavors were very nice.

The second course, also the main course, was beef and lamb shishkebabs, served with harissa pistou (more or less French pesto), with fingerling potatoes, wilted frisee lentils and grilled peaches. They poured a 2004 Maison Rouge. I thought the shishkebabs were a little weird, but the food was delicious, especially the lentils and the wilted frisee (I'm going to try that!) and the grilled peaches (I'm also going to grill some more peaches before the summer ends!).

The third course was a cheese course--a soft cow's milk cheese, a blue and a soft goat's cheese--served with a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cab was the best of the wines--it tasted of tobacco, plums and cherries. We bought four bottles!

And, for dessert, they served a strawberry and lemon verbena "Paris Brest" with candied pistachios (the dish was a soft pastry filled with lemon verbena cream, served on a strawberry gelee). Sadly, they did not serve a dessert wine.

It was a lovely afternoon, though the traffic getting back to San Francisco was horrendous. Thanks for driving Heather!

Lemon Sabayon Tart, from the French Laundry Cookbook

2007-07-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I still have not yet written up the story of my experiences over the last couple of months at The French Laundry. Perhaps now that I've brought it up on Foodphiles, my readership will demand that I tell the full story. Until then, you'll have to make due with a short story--along with a few photos--about making the easiest recipe in the French Laundry cookbook .

Flipping through the cookbook, which Lou gave me about a month ago, I was immediately drawn to the recipe Lemon Sabayon-Pine Nut Tart with Honeyed Mascarpone Cream. Not only is it easy relative to many of the other recipes, but the combination of flavors stood out as light, fresh and endlessly pleasing. Keller's recipe calls for a making a pine nut crust, filled with lemon sabayon (kind of a lemon curd) and topped off with a scoop of honey mascarpone whipped cream. How could you possibly go wrong with such a combination of flavors?

Here are a few photos:

Amy and me before browning the tart under the broiler.

A perfect match!

At last! The tart with whipped cream and a gardenia from the garden.

Fourth of July Malt Ball Cake

2007-07-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

I made the malt ball cake again for the Fourth of July. You can read the story of this cake here, but I was inspired to make it again because we had our friends Stephanie and Jen and their three daughters over for a celebratory lunch. Here's Breckin with the cake.

Lou and I toyed with the idea of arranging the malt balls in the shape of a star, but then I came up with the idea of just making a rough American flag design. It worked out perfectly, and I think the cake looks even better than the Easter cake. Pretty cute, isn't it? The shape of the cake vaguely reminds me of a red, white and blue styrofoam hat my dad used to wear on the Fourth of July when I was a kid.

As expected, the cake was a hit--colorful, moist, tasty--but I wouldn't dare post the pictures of Breckin's face covered in cake!

Farm Bill: Mixed Reports on Committee Action

2007-07-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

According to National Journal, the House Agriculture Committee voted yesterday to reduce agricultural subsidies to farmers along the lines of what I wrote about here. There seems to be some doubt about how this is going to play out--read postings from Ken Cook and Scott Faber--but I tend to think that some movement towards reform is better than no movement. It's not clear to me that more money has been directed towards healthy eating programs or other sustainable food programs. More soon.

House Mark-up on Farm Bill Begins Today

2007-07-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a great article from Saturday's Washington Post that reports on the divide among House Democrats about whether and how to reform the Farm Bill. The reporter focuses in on my fellow Kenyon College alumnus, Ohio Congressman Zack Space, who has come out against reform.

The mark-up begins this afternoon (now) in D.C., and you can listen or watch here. Scott Faber previews today's mark-up and gives his take on what members of the committee would see their districts benefit from reform.

More from Michael Krasny: "Organics"

2007-07-17T09:35:00.001-07:00

Krasney did another segment on food yesterday on Forum. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I'm glad he's exploring the topic of what "organic" food labels mean and whether the food labeled "organic" is more healthy or not.

Farm Bill News: Nancy Pelosi Indicates Support for Subsidy Reduction

2007-07-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

According to the .National Journal's CongressDaily PM (sorry I can't link to the article, but National Journal keeps its articles behind a firewall), Speaker Nancy Pelosi told House Agriculture Chairman Petersen that she wants "stricter limits on farm subsidies for individuals as a symbol of Farm Bill change." The reporter, Jerry Hagstrom, quoted Petersen as saying, "Payment limits would do the most good to show reform." He is considering a proposal, according to Hagstrom, that "would end the three-entity rule that allows farmers to receive subsidies from three separate farming operations but would not place restrictions on their gains from marketing loans." Hagstrom reported that "the proposal would also lower -- but [Petersen] would not say by how much -- the $2.5 million ceiling on the adjusted gross income above which farmers cannot qualify for farm subsidies." He also reported that another change would limit the subsidies on a farm to a farmer and his or her spouse.

So, what does this mean? I take it as good news that Pelosi supports some kind of subsidy change, even if the changes are relatively modest. My guess is that she's heard enough from farmers and activists in California that she'll do what she can to try to change the subsidy scheme and diffuse the flow of federal farm subsidy dollars away from the Mid-West and from big farms. I do not have information now about on what's going on in the Senate, and I don't know how aligned or divergent the two houses are in their thinking. One other possibility is that President Bush could threaten to veto the bill if he's displeased with the changes Pelosi hopes to implement. In that event, according to Hagstrom, Petersen suggested to Agriculture Secretary Johanns that the 1949 Permanent Farm Act would become governing federal farm policy. I am not at all familiar with that act, but failure to reauthorize the act might be the best way to bring an end to federal farm subsidies. It won't happen. No one will let this bill sunset, and frankly, a lot of good programs would die if the bill expired. Be that as it may, I'm intrigued by the idea of how a veto threat might play out.

Finally, Hagsterom reported on one other interesting piece of news: Congressman Goodlatte has not yet signed on to Petersen's version of the Farm Bill. He is, according to Hagstrom, holding out until Petersen makes clear how he intends to pay for sections of the bill with offsets from other programs. More than anything else, Goodlatte represents the administration at this point in the process, but because of the makeup of the House he's more or less powerless when it comes to determining the content of the bill. Of course, I could be wrong, if the content of the bill is decided along regional and not party lines, he may have the ability to sway non-midwestern members who do not represent constiuents who reap great benefits from the current subsidy scheme. If all the votes during the mark-up fall along party lines, he will be sidelined.

KQED's Forum on the 2007 Farm Bill

2007-07-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

I just found out that Michael Krasny did a show on the 2007 Farm Bill on Wednesday morning. Doh!

Michael Pollan was one of the guests.

You can listen to the recording here.

Simple Pleasures: Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Fudge and Strawberries, Oh My!

2007-07-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last night, after eating a delicious pizza from Pauline's (we ordered a medium meat special with hot coppa, orange bergamot and provolone cheese, all on a cornmeal crust. Amazing!) I decided I wanted to have a few scoops of the leftover vanilla ice cream we made on the Fourth of July, topped with hot fudge sauce. Our friend Amy had given us a jar of fudge, and for some reason, I was craving the combination of the two. I served myself three scoops of ice cream, warmed up the chocolate fudge, and sat down to enjoy my dessert. I couldn't help think of my dad eating a bowl of ice cream in front of the TV.

And guess what happened next? Lou save the day! He announced that he was going to cut up the strawberries he had bought for me to use to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie and drizzle them with chocolate. As he began to cut up the strawberries, he asked me if I'd like a few strawberries to go with the ice cream and fudge I was already eating. I nodded enthusiastically, and after a threw a few cut strawberries into my bowl, I discovered yet again the simple pleasure of the sweet combination of strawberries, chocolate and cream. Heavenly!

Virginia Farm Photos

2007-07-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last year on Labor Day, Lou and I made a trip to Virginia to visit my family and see some friends who still live there. I wrote up some of the cooking we did that weekend here.

One of the afternoons we were there, we drove out with my parents, my sister and my niece to my Dad's farm, which is known as Lover's Leap (the farm got its name because it abuts a huge cliff and there's a legend about two Indian lover's jumping to their deaths from the cliff because their families did not approve of their love).

A few of the photos we took that afternoon were lovely, so I thought I'd post some of them after writing about Virginia yesterday. My Dad is not a farmer, but he leases out the land to a neighboring farmer who uses it to graze his milking cows. To my knowledge, neither my father nor the farmer receive any federal government farm subsidies. Not long ago my dad put a conservation easement on the farm so that it will remain mostly undeveloped in perpetuity.

This is a photograph of the Maury River, which runs through the farm.

This is me in front of one of the barns.

And these are the cows who live on the farm.

Sign the EWG's Farm Bill Petition

2007-07-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Farm Bill Update

2007-07-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well, honestly, I haven't had much time yet to figure out who is coordinating any grassroots organizing to pressure Congress to reform the Farm Bill, but I did come across this blog at Environmental Defense and this blog over at the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Both websites give good summaries of where the legislation stands (it's about to be "marked up" in the House, which means that the relevant committee--in this case the House Agriculture Committee--will consider the legislation and amend it before sending it to the full House for further amendment and a vote). Here is the House Agriculture Committee's summary of the bill as of July 10th. This looks like a fairly comprehensive listing of the current reform-minded bills pending in either the House or the Senate, though most of them will not move (meaning they won't ever make it out of committee (forgive the legis-speak, but I don't have a chance to use it very often any more)).

One of the things that strikes me as odd is that the Ranking Member (the senior most Republican on the committee) of the House Agriculture Committee is Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who represents the 6th Congressional District of Virginia. I was born and raised in the 6th District, in Lexington, Virginia. What's odd about the fact that Goodlatte is the ranking member is that the 6th District, according to the Ken Cook's Mulchblog and the analysis of the EWG, comes in 42nd or 5th from last on the list of committee member districts that receive agricultural subsidies. Cook's assertion seems to be that the 6th District would benefit from a change in farm policy that would shift subsidies away from crops grown primarily in the Mid-West to crops grown by smaller farmers across the country like the one in Swoope, Virginia (in the 6th District) that I wrote about here. I doubt Goodlatte will buck the status quo. As Ranking Member and former Chairman my guess is he's firmly in the pocket of agribusiness, but I could imagine that he might make some small effort to amend the bill if he received pressure from his constituents. Even a small change in the subsidy scheme could be a good start to eventual farm bill reform. Do I have any readers in Virginia?

I also came across this blog on food policy.

More to come.

More on the 2007 Farm Bill

2007-07-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

There's a great story in today's Chronicle about the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. The reporter explores the growing movement to reform the farm bill by shifting the focus of the bill away from primarily subsidizing farmers (and agribusiness) to providing more support for regional and sustainable farming, promoting more healthy foods and diets and encouraging more environmentally friendly policies. The chief complaint against past Farm Bills is that they have primarily supported farmers who grow only a handful of crops--corn, soybeans, cotton, wheat and rice--as opposed to fresh produce or livestock and that those foods, though cheap, are not actually good for us to eat. In April, Michael Pollan made a strong case for why what we've subsidized in the past has negatively affected our health.

I'm going to do some more research on the political organizing to change the bill, and I'll report back soon. I was pleased to see, however, that the Environmental Working Group, where my friend Dusty works, has compiled a database of farm subsidies for the last few years. Very interesting.

Last night, I picked up again my copy of Omnivore's Dilemma, which I had put down for the last month or so. I just finished reading the section in which Pollan writes about Joel Salatin's farm, Polyface Farms in Swoope, Virginia. Swoope is about 40 miles or so from Lexington, Virginia, where I grew up, and I was delighted to read that such an iconoclastic farmer is challenging the conventional wisdom in the Shenandoah Valley. This is the kind of farming a new farm bill ought to support.

Ratatouille

2007-07-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Lou and I saw Ratatouille on Saturday night. It's a well done (all food puns intended) tale of a foodie rat who yearns to cook. The story follows the rat, Remy, from his humble roots in the French countryside, where his family eats nothing but garbage, all the way to his stealth takeover of the kitchen of one of the most revered chefs in Paris. The climax of the movie is when Remy comes out (he had been hiding behind the chef's son, a bumbling dishwasher) and takes full control of the kitchen in order to prepare a French Laundry-like ratatouille for the story's bad guy, who is, of course, a food critic. Remy's ratatouille wins the critic over by recreating the tastes and flavors of his mother's ratatouille and by emotionally transporting him back to the warm and comforting embrace of his mother. The ratatouille scene is brilliant--both in a triumphal and a comedic sense--and I loved the message that good food not only delights and stimulates the senses, but also the enlivens both the heart and the mind. I also liked the message that food brings people (and rats) together, and makes relationships possible. That's what appeals to me about cooking and eating (this is not a celebration of baking as much as it is of cooking). Anyway, we laughed out loud longer than anyone else in the theater at the moment of Remy's triumph. It was a deliciously delightful movie made for foodies and non-foodies alike.

By the way, Frank Bruni wrote this essay in the NYT Week In Review yesterday, and I want to echo his view of how much Ratatouille seems to be a movie that could not have been made as little as a few years ago. Thanks to Julia Child (the real godmother of American foodies), food bloggers, celebrity chefs and everyone else who has preached the gospel of good cooking and eating, not to mention those who have prepared and sold gourmet cuisine, Americans now seek out and appreciate good food more than ever before. Thus, they--we--are able to fall for a story about a rat who, like them, loves food and yearns for more of it.

Go see it, and tell me what you think.

Oh, and guess what we made for dinner last night?

UPDATE: The NYT published Thomas Keller's recipe for Confit Byaldi, otherwise known as ratatouille.

FURTHER UPDATE: Here, Bruni ponders the portrayal of the restaurant critic in Ratatouille.

Snapshot Restaurant Review: Bar Bambino

2007-07-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

For the second Sunday night in a row, I ate at Bar Bambino last night. Of the many new restaurants that have recently opened in the Mission—it’s two blocks from my house—I want this restaurant to succeed. Sadly, despite the good food we were severed on both visits, the service was uneven and slow.

Last Sunday, Lou and I walked into Bar Bambino at the end of a long day. Both of us had taken part in the Pride parade earlier in the day, and we were exhausted. Neither one of us was up for cooking, so we decided to check out Bar Bambino. We took the last table in the crowded front section of the restaurant across from the bar (the space is beautiful and sleek). At first glance, the menu seemed somewhat limited, but we quickly identified several dishes that looked interesting and noted the plenteous selection of cured meats and cheeses. We settled on a selection of meats—genovese, prosciutto, and salumi—and a Cowgirl soft cow’s milk cheese wrapped in nettles (a favorite of mine that I haven’t tasted yet this season). We ordered a salad of tuna, cannellini beans, and red onion, a Bucatini alla Gangivecchio (thick noodles, served with fried kale, raisins, pine nuts, pancetta and cauliflower), and the meatballs. The food was exquisite. All of the meats were tasty and beautifully presented. The Bucatini was outstanding, with the flavors of the cauliflower, kale, raisins and pine nuts, all doused in olive oil, simultaneously stimulating the sweet and the savory taste buds. The meatballs were firm and served with a delicate tomato sauce heavily laden with sautéed onions and kale. The tuna dish was light and refreshing, but because it was served with the food, we felt like it didn’t quite fit with the pasta and meatballs. We also ordered a 2002 Benati Nerello Mascallese, like what we ordered at A16. For dessert we ordered a chocolate semifreddo and cappuccinos.

The service was a little slow and clumsy, and the timing was off on our main dishes. The pasta, meatballs and the tuna came out together, so we didn’t have a chance to enjoy the salad alone. I would have preferred for the meats and cheese to come out together first, but there was a gap between them, with the meats coming first and cheeses following along later. I wanted the salad next, followed by the pasta and meatballs. Our server was attentive, and yet not good at following through. The main problem, I think, was that his assistant was overwhelmed or not up to the job. I watched bring out several dishes for other tables, look around and deliver them to the wrong table. The poor diners next to us seemed to get screwed on each course. They were given beef meatballs, instead of the vegetarian ones—that’s probably grounds enough for a free meal in my book—and their dessert and their side dishes were mixed up or mistakenly delivered as well. Our service was not nearly as bad, but it was painful to watch them suffer mistake after mistake. The oddest moment for us was when we questioned our server about our cappuccinos. Both Lou and I were surprised that the cappuccinos came out looking more like lattes or macchiatos than cappuccinos, but when we said something about them to our server he simply said abruptly, “No, those are cappuccinos.” I thought that was a little rude.

We went back for another try last night to send off my friend, Dan, who had been visiting for the last week. We ordered much of the same food—meats, cheeses, bucatini, and meatballs—though we substituted a dish of sausage and lentils for the tuna salad and we also ordered a side of grilled asparagus. The service was excruciatingly slow. Our server—who was very nice and accommodating—told us that the owner would be preparing the meats and cheeses and he told us that had been taking his time in fulfilling orders. He was right. We waited for nearly forty minutes for the first tray of cured meats, and then we waited another ten minutes for the cheese. The server kindly gave us a bruschetta with squash, sauteéd greens, and fontina for free, but it was appalling to be made to wait so long for a first bite. Once our main dishes arrived we happily devoured them, and the dishes tasted good but I’m not sure the food is worth such a long wait. Such good food deserves tighter, more efficient service. I hope they’ll pick up the slack. I’d quickly give Bar Bambino a rave review if they do so.

A16. Or, Let Me Tell You How Much I Love Wood-Burning Ovens

2007-06-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

Lou and I finally ate at A16 last night. I first read about the restaurant long ago, and I’ve wanted to try it for months. Our plans fell through last night, so I suggested that we head over to the Marina to add our name to the walk-in list for a table. Lou readily agreed and we jumped into the car and drove into the wind and fog to check it out (for you non-San Franciscans, this time of year the temperatures in the city often hover in the mid-50s and the wind and fog usually rush in late in the afternoon, leaving the air cold and damp; that was more of less the scene last night).

A16 is set on the ground floor of a brick, Georgian-like building on Chestnut Street in the Marina District of San Francisco. Lou said he thought that the building looked like it belonged in Boston, and I countered, saying that it looked like something you’d see in Georgetown. Either way, it looked slightly out of place.

He dropped me off to add our name to the list and he drove off to find parking. Inside, the restaurant was packed. The small bar area inside the front door was full of people—mostly couples—drinking and sampling appetizers. The hostess told me that the wait would be less than thirty minutes, so I stood outside on the sidewalk to wait for Lou. Once he arrived, we moved inside to shield ourselves from the cold. Not long after Lou arrived—after waiting a total of about 20 minutes—the hostess ushered us back to the “Chef’s Counter,” which turned out to be a bar overlooking the two wood burning ovens and food preparation areas for the line cooks overseeing the ovens. Without asking, they gave us the foodie seats!

I was thrilled to be seated five feet or less from the ovens. First of all, we could feel the heat from the ovens, and after standing in the cold I was happy to warm up. Secondly, the smells coming out of the oven were scrumptious, and, third, I was fascinated watching the cooks prepare food for the ovens and use them for cooking.

The two cooks worked vigorously, one, right in front of us, making pizza after pizza, and the other, roasting vegetables and meats in the other oven (a little down the counter from where we were sitting). I was fascinated by the pizza making in particular. I watched the cook shape the dough by hand, pour sauce on top of the dough and add some toppings and some cheese to finish off the pizza. Then, she wedged the long-handled pizza peel between the oven and the countertop where she had been working. She would then gently pull the pizza onto the peel, rearrange it into a perfect round and slide it into the oven. Seconds after the pizza entered the oven, thick black smoke would begin to circulate around the roof of the oven and seep out the door (one note about the oven: there is no flue inside the oven; rather, smoke exits the oven by the one oven door (the same one you’d use to put in both the wood and the food). The smoke ventilates by means of a separate exhaust pipe or flue above the oven. Very cool design.) After 3 minutes or so, she would rotate the pizza in order to thoroughly cook the dough and blacken the crust. Then, after only a few more minutes, she would lift up the pizza to evenly blacken the edge of the crust and pull it out of the oven. Done! In all, she would not cook the pizzas for more than 5 or 6 minutes.

(One more note about wood-burning ovens: my friend, Dan, who built his own wood-burning oven in back of his house in San Francisco is the inspiration for this blog. I spent a day with him, shortly before the birth of Foodphiles, way back in November of 2005, while he prepared for a pizza party he and his wife, Jennifer, were hosting that night as a benefit for their children’s school. We made dough, shopped for ingredients for the toppings at the Ferry Building Farm’s Market and then the three of us and Lou spent the night making pizzas for their 8 guests. It was awesome, and I’ve never written about it. Lou took lots of video footage, and I fully intended to make a video story of the experience, but I could never figure out how to edit the footage and so I’ve never done a story about it. Foodphiles was meant to tell the stories of other people’s interest in food, and I was fascinated by Dan’s passion for his wood-burning oven. Not only did he build the oven himself, but he enthusiastically cooks in it and champions roasting, baking and pizza-making. Ever since, I’ve wanted my own wood-burning oven.)

So, back to A16. We ordered a series of things from each of the categories on the menu: a crostini of cured tuna, soft-boiled eggs, radishes, fennel, celery and onion; Lonza (house cured, fatty and smooth pork); a pizza with tomato sauce, anchovies, olives and pancetta; squid ink pasta with squid and squash blossoms; and oven-baked cannellini beans with bread crumbs. The food was delicious. The pizza was particularly good. The crust was burned in several spots along the edge, and it was thin, moist and very hot. The pasta was also excellent, with a nice balance of squid and squash blossoms in a light tomato sauce. The cannelloni beans were creamy and warm. The only disappointment was that the flavor of the tuna was milder than I expected in the crostini. The service was top-notch as well. Both of our servers were attentive and engaging, and several people—one of the servers and the pizza cook in particular—commented on Lou’s tie.

For wine, since neither one of us knows much about Italian wines, we relied upon the sommelier to recommend a bottle for us. We told how much we’ve been enjoying wines from Burgundy recently and that we have also fallen for many Pinot Noirs from Oregon. He suggested a Palari, ‘Faro’ 2001, and it was delightful. The wine was slightly fruity, with notes of cherry, raspberry and strawberry, along with subtle hints of grass. It was lovely with all our food.

All together, the food bill came to only $70, not bad for so much good food. For good food and a pleasant dining experience, A16 is well worth it.

The Fear of the Foodie Host

2007-06-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

I've been away from the blog for a few weeks. I'm sorry about that. There's no good excuse. I was in Hawaii and in New York City in May, and I've cooked and eaten some great meals since my last posting, but I just haven't felt like writing. I'll write up something soon. I have at least one very good story to tell.

This was in the NYT Dining In/Dining Out section today. It's an interesting piece about the anxiety foodies feel when they cook for other foodies. I think I'm fairly relaxed in the kitchen, no matter who is coming to dinner, but I know that I stress out at least one person: my mom. The funny thing is that I feel like my mother is one of the people who most influenced me as a host, though perhaps not as a cook. Even though she freaks out before her guests arrive, she is thorough about planning parties and thinking through every detail. She is also a gracious host, and I think that may have rubbed off on me. Who knows. For whatever reason, I love to entertain as much as I love to delight guests with tastes, flavors and presentations, and I think that might be the key to hosting other foodies. Also, a willingness to accept that dinner may not turn out perfectly also helps. Think of it as Foodie Zen.

Dining In/Dining Out Goes "Green"

2007-04-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

In other recommended reading, today's edition of Dining In/Dining Out is spectacular. With a focus on "eating green," check out the four featured stories about locavores , foie gras, biodynamic wine making, and a fantastic story about Prince Charles, who has become a "hero" within the organic/slow food movement in the U.S.

Clams

2007-04-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've always loved clams. As a kid growing up in Virginia, one of my favorite meals was fried clams at Howard Johnson's. I liked the chewiness of the clams, and I loved the tartar sauce. It's hard to go wrong with serving a kid anything fried, but I think I developed an early and lasting love for these little shellfish as a result of those occasional meals at HoJo's.

Now, I like clams much less disguised, though their chewiness still appeals to me. I'll eat clams raw, but I usually enjoy them with pasta or as a topping on pizza.

In the food section of today's Chronicle, Olivia Wu has a nice piece on local Bay Area Manilla clams. She tells the story of the rise in clam growing in Tamales Bay, and she features Martin Strain, one of the early clam growers who helped bring clams to cooks and diners in San Francisco (check out the photos too). I was happy to read that he only sells his clams at the Alemany Farmer's Market (another reason to check out the market).

Anyway, I recommend the story. I plan on picking up some clams this weekend at Alemany and cooking them up. More on my culinary adventures with clams soon.

Celebrating Baby Kai (and his parents)

2007-04-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we gave a celebratory dinner for our friends Amy and Frank in honor of the recent birth of their son, Kai. We also celebrated Amy's return to drinking wine!

We assembled a special menu and pulled out all the stops to fete them right.

For hors d'oeurves, we served a selection of cheeses, with honey and marcona almonds.

For the first course, we served a sunflower sprout salad with sieved egg, orange and red pepper sections and a citrus-champagne viniagrette. I had been imagining a salad with sieved egg for a few weeks, and Lou thought of using the sunflower sprouts as greens. It turned out to be a light and refreshing spring salad.

For the second course, Lou made a potato and black truffle tourine, a recipe he found in a Masters of European Cooking cookbook he bought a year or so ago. I had dismissed most of the recipes in the cookbook as being a little too fussy for my tastes, but Lou picked out a winner. And, he executed it flawlessly. He prepared the tourine by layering shaved, cooked potatoes and shaved truffles and then soaking them in a rich beef and mushroom broth. The tourine chilled in the refrigerator for several hours before serving, allowing the broth to seep into the layers of potato and truffle and flavor them completely. He garnished the dish with homemade mock creme fraiche. It was a masterpiece.

For the main course, I grilled flank steak, using a dry herb rub that Lou's sister had given us for Christmas. I also roasted cauliflower, using our Delfina Pizza inspired recipe of olive oil, capers, anchovies, green peppercorns, red pepper flakes, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lou concocted a homemade Kimchi-horseradish sauce, which he made by mixing mock creme fraiche with grated horseradish root and store-bought kimchi. Delicious! We forgot to take a picture until after we had mostly devoured the dish.

For dessert, I baked a strawberry-rhubarb pie, which we served with homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

For wines, we started with a Roederer Estates sparkling wine, followed by a 1985 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, which was devine. It tasted of tobacco and blackberries and was perfectly balanced and smooth. This was the special bottle Lou had reserved for Amy. With dessert, we served a Sauternes which I bought at Bi-Rite. I don't remember the winemaker.

I bet even baby Kai will remember this dinner. Congratulations, Frank and Amy!

We are Indeed What We Eat

2007-04-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Michael Pollan has a good piece in today's New York Times Magazine that I'd recommend. I still haven't read "The Omnivore's Dilema," but I've found his other writing about what we eat, where it comes from and who we are because of what we eat illuminating. Check it out.

Food Foraging: The Alemany Farmer's Market

2007-04-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

There are several farmer's markets in San Francisco each weekend, and for the last year or so I've usually found my way to the Alemany Farmer's Market, located on the south side of Bernal Heights. I'm a big fan.

Even though it lacks the stunning views of the Ferry Building Farmer's Market and even though I am not sure all the produce is organic or sustainably farmed, the produce is fresh and very cheap. I also like the diversity of the patrons of the market; in many ways the customers reflect the diversity of San Francisco much more than the Ferry Building market, which is usually overrun by tourists.

I woke up early, so by 9 am I had finished two cups of coffee, read the paper and eaten the pineapple breakfast cake they gave us as we leftGary Danko on Thursday night. With time to kill until my swim practice at 11:30, I convinced Lou to join me for a trip to the market.

Today, we bought three bunches of asparagus for $7, one basket of strawberries for $3, some romanesco broccoli for $4 a head and some broccoli rabe-like cauliflower for $5. We also bought some honey--Blackberry Blossom, Orange Blossom and Eucalyptus--for $14.

We've also bought flowers there the last couple of weekends, and we've never spent more than $30 on bunches of fresh flowers. Here's Lou with the flowers.

Here are some almonds on the branch. We haven't decided what to do with them yet.

And, here's me with the honey man.

And here's a picture of the jars of honey.

Snapshot Restaurant Review: Gary Danko

2007-04-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Lou took me to Gary Danko last night to celebrate my 35th birthday. It was a fantastic meal, from start to finish. Impeccable service. Flawless food. What a great birthday treat! Lou had eaten there several times before, but I was a virgin. Sorry, no other pictures; we forgot our camera.

We started the meal with a bottle of 1998 Dom Perignon and decided to share the evening's chef's tasting menu, which featured Villa Mille Rose Olive Oil as a theme in many of the dishes, and another tasting that we assembled ourselves from the select-your-own-courses part of the menu. I won't describe every course, but I want to mention a few of the stand out dishes.

First up, Nettle Soup with Burgundy Escargots and Maitake Mushrooms. The nettles were pureed with spinach and mixed with cream. The server poured the soup into a bowl in which the escargots and mushrooms were arranged in a small, tight cylinder. All together, the soup tasted like a pesto, with the nettles and spinach evoking the basil and the escargots and mushrooms providing hints of nuttiness. Small strips of meyer lemon zest added an unexpected zing to each bite, and the tendermess of the snails contrasted nicely with the silkiness of the soup. It may have been the best dish of the night; it was certainly a delicious starter.

Next, Roast Maine Lobster with Morel Mushrooms, Asparagus and Tarragon. The lobster tail was arranged in its shell and covered with a buttery sauce made up of morels, asparagus and whole sprigs of tarragon. I love lobster, asparagus, morels and tarragon, so this was a perfect combination of ingredients for me.

Other stand outs: Striped Bass with Cannellini Beans, Broccoli Rabe and Bagna Cauda, Seared Squab Breast and Stuffed Leg with Olive Oil Risotto, Rhubard Confit and Spring Onion, and Lemon Herb Duck Breast with Duck Hash and Rhubarb Compote.

We also sampled some wonderful cheeses. I know Brillat Savarin, a gruyere and several others were among them, but I can't remember the names due my tipsy state when the cheese course began. Not only did we finish off the bottle of champagne, but we also drank a half bottle of Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin 2001 (an amazingly smooth and well-balanced red Burgundy).

For dessert, we shared a Honey Mousse with Olive Oil Sponge Cake, Pistachio Cream and Lemon Gelee and a Baked Chocolate Souffle with Two Sauces (chocolate and Creme Anglaise). Lou loved the souffle and I loved the honey mousse and olive oil sponge cake, so dessert worked out well for us. We ordered glasses of a Tokaji Aszú, Kiralyudvar, Cuvée Ilona, 5 Puttonyos, Hungary 2001 to pair with the mousse and cake and a Banyuls, Jacques Laverriere, Clos Chatart, Vin Doux Naturel, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 1998 for the souffle. They also brought me a lemon mousse cake with a single tall candle on it for my birthday. Yes, three desserts! A great finish.

Gary Danko at last! Thank you, Lou, for a stunning birthday meal.

Vincent Dancer

2007-04-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Josh, the wine buyer at Bi-Rite, I just picked up three bottles of Vincent Dancer (click here if you don't read French very well) Chassagne-Montracht ler Cru "Tete du Clos." I tried the 2004 vintage at Alinea in March, and I asked Josh to find some bottles of that vintage for me. He was only able to find three bottles of the 2002 left in the U.S. All the other 2002s, 2003s and 2004s were sold out. Lucky me. I'm going to store these for a while and try them on some future special occasion. I'll write more about them then.

Snapshot Restaurant Review: Birthday Dinner at Jack Falstaff

2007-04-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

My friends, Amy and Jen, treated Lou and me to dinner on Tuesday night at Jack Falstaff. The occasion was my 35th birthday. I've noticed the restaurant before when driving around South Beach--the rusted metal exterior has caught my eye. So I was happy to finally try it out. The space inside is small, fairly sleek and decorated in various tones of green. Much more warm than the exterior suggests.

I ordered a Sweet Onion Velouté to start, followed by the Bouillabaise with Sweet Gulf Prawns, Fresh Sea Scallops, Manila Clams, Green Garlic, Andouille Sausage, Pebble Potatoes and Lemon Confit. I paired the soup with a dry Alsatian Riesling and the bouillabaise with a viognier. The food was very good. Lou had foie gras for a starter and black truffle risotto for his main course. Amy and Jen had Crisp Asparagus & Duck Prosciutto and Kobe Beef-Style Steak Tartare for starters and Thick Cut Duroc Pork Chop and Seared Lamb Tenderloin for their main courses. We were all pleased with the food. For dessert we shared a Warm Chocolate Ganache Cake with Hazelnut Brittle Ice Cream, Candied Kumquats, Kettle Corn (amazingly delicious, especially with the kettle corn!), a Blueberry Crumble with Granola Crusted Pie, Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream and an Angel Cake with Bay Leaf Infused Berries, Whipped Goat Cheese. The ganache cake was outstanding, in large part due to the surprising texture added by the kettle corn. It was the best dessert by far.

My only complaint about the restaurant was that our server knew nothing about wine, and rather than calling over the sommelier to answer our questions he tried to fake it. It was slightly annoying, especially his description of one wine as "austere." Of course, catching up with Amy and Jen was wonderful, and overall the meal was very special. We took turns telling stories about our memories of our all-time best restaurant dining experiences, and it made for a wonderful evening of celebration.

Thanks Jen and Amy!

Les Petits Princes

2007-04-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Mark Bittman has a short piece on the pleasures of anchovies in Dining In/Dining Out today. I mention it only because living with an italian, anchovies are king in our kitchen. We cook with them all the time, using them to flavor vinaigrettes and to spice up roasted vegetables and sauces. I've threatened our friend Amy with making anchovy panna cotta some time soon, and she actually thinks it sounds kind of good as a savory dish. We'll see. Anyway, if you're shy about anchovies, consider Bittman's advice. Here's his simple recipe for pasta with garlic, anchovies and tomatoes.

Revisiting Thailand

2007-04-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

Last April, Lou and I spent seventeen days traveling around Thailand. It was a wonderful trip from start to finish, but the food was one aspect of the trip we enjoyed most of all. As some of you readers know, I took a long break from blogging late last spring and summer, and as a result I never posted about the food we sampled in Thailand. Now that a full year has passed, I thought I'd take you on a photographic look back on some of the simple and delicious food we tasted while visiting that lovely country.

A few words about Thai cooking: everywhere we went--Bangkok, Chiang Mai and on Phuket--the food was simple and made of fresh ingridients. Most often, we ate a spicy salad, made with a consistent base of fish sauce, lime and some assortment of fruits or vegetables and meat or fish, along with rice and some kind of curry, again made consistently with coconut milk, curry paste, whole green peppercorns, and some combination of vegetables and meats, fish or shellfish. No matter whether we ate on the street, at little cafes or in fancier restaurants, the food was always a delight.

Here are some pictures of a few of our meals.

Pork and kale with noodles at the Jim Thompson House Restaurant in Bangkok.

Lou at lunch in Pai in northwest Thailand before we rode the elephant. We often would down a large Singha with a lunch of rice and curry.

This is a spicy chicken curry with bamboo shoots (one of my favorites!).

Some delicious vegetables at dinner in Pai.

That same night we also ordered an unusual shaved lemongrass and cashew salad. I would not normally expect whole, raw lemongrass to be edible, but it was quite tasty with the cashews and light dressing of lime juice and fish sauce.

Here's a picture of a typical spicy beef salad, this one on Koh Racha, where we stayed for several nights at the southern end of Phuket.

While at the Racha, we took a Thai cooking class. Here's a picture of the chefs.

Here's our green curry.

And our Tom Yam Goong (spicy seafood soup).

And our spicy seafood salad.

And me enjoying the results of our class efforts.

A sample of the fresh seafood that was on display at markets everywhere we went. This is also on Koh Racha.

Here's a picture of my birthday cake at the Racha. It was an iced banana cake.

And, finally, here's a picture of the best Mango Sticky Rice we tasted in Thailand. We ordered it at our hotel, the Chedi, in Chiang Mai, and they served it with coconut ice cream. Yum!

What a trip!

You can take the boys out of the country, but can you take the country out of the boys? Or, Alinea meets Rockbridge.

2007-04-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

I’ve been meaning to write up my meal at Alinea in Chicago for several weeks, and since I’ve decided to post once every day this week, I’m going to knock out this posting.

About four weeks ago I met five of my close friends from high school in Chicago for a weekend reunion. One of my friends has a membership in a destination vacation club and he graciously reserved a spacious condo for our use in the North Loop. Located on the 46th floor, the condo overlooked Grant and Millennium Parks and the Art Institute of Chicago and gave us a sweeping view of the Sears Tower, many other skyscrapers and Lake Michigan. Despite some low cloud cover that settled in for two of the days we were there, it was a spectacular place to stay.

Even more than the view, I enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with my old friends. I’ve known some of these guys for more than thirty years, and we’ve managed to sustain our friendships through high school, college, into our 20s and 30s, despite the divergent directions our lives have taken. Two of us now live in California and the other four live in or near our hometown in Virginia. Without wives, boyfriends or children, each of us relished the chance to reconnect and enjoy each other. It was a special reunion.

We had planned very little for the weekend, waiting to see what would unfold and hoping to explore the city spontaneously once we all arrived. I wanted to make plans for dinner, however, and when we all first agreed to meet in Chicago I suggested we plan a meal at Charlie Trotter’s. I knew of Charlie Trotter’s, but had never eaten there before. I called and made a reservation with no problem at all. I was actually somewhat surprised by the ease with which I was able to reserve a table, especially after having tried so many times to book a table at The French Laundry. I expected more difficulty in making a reservation. I scoured the postings about Charlie Trotter’s on Chowhound and investigated the Chicago restaurant scene further and concluded that Charlie Trotter’s was a little tired. Instead, I decided that I wanted to try Alinea, Grant Achatz’s restaurant known for his version of molecular gastronomy that has received many rave reviews in the food press. I called and was able to book a table for six.

Some of my friends grumbled a little about the restaurant (mostly concerning the cost), but after hashing it on email before we arrived in Chicago everyone agreed to give it a try. It turned out to be a marvelous meal, both in terms of the food and in terms of our camaraderie. One of the nice things about the meal was that with a group of six we were able both to carry on conversations as a table, engaging all six of us, and to break off into side conversations of among just two or three of us. We alternated back and forth between having smaller, more intimate conversations and conversations involving all of us. We talked, of course, about the food and about what we were all experiencing thanks to Achatz and his staff, but we also talked about our current lives and the future and we reveled in our common memories of times past. I deeply respect and like all of those guys, and it meant a great deal to me to be able to spend the time with them.

Now, about the food.

Achatz offers two menus, the tasting, which is a fourteen course tasting menu, and the tour, which is a twenty two course tasting menu. We opted for the tasting and chose the wine parings to go along with dinner. At the start of the meal, the servers placed several sprigs of rosemary in the middle of the table. Immediately, the rosemary scent enveloped the table and set the stage for an unfolding feast of tastes and smells.

The first course (don’t worry, I’m going to describe every course) was a lovely little croquette featuring smoked steelhead roe. It was bite-sized, served on a small pedestal and it tasted a little like a smoked fish hush puppy.

A few courses later, we were served one of the most unusual dishes. It was the “apple.” The dish was actually a frozen or iced horseradish ball, bite-sized, topped with a small shaving of celery, resting in a small shot of apple puree, which looked, smelled and tasted like apple juice. The idea was to shoot the dish, and the dish enlivened the nose and palate. Lifting the glass, I smelled the celery, then swallowing the horseradish ball, my tongue came alive with the flaming sensation of horseradish, only to be immediately cooled and soothed by the apple juice chaser. It was a brilliant combination.

Three of the meat courses are worth describing. The first, and the best dish of the night, was the monkfish. Prepared and served three ways—as crisps, as roast and as mousse—the fish was served along with small onions and banana and lime purees. It was unbelievably good, and I liked the combination of the crispiness of the fish and the soft and tenderness of the roasted fish and the soft, saltiness of the mousse, along with the sweetness of onion and banana and the acidity of lime.

The next dish was, by far, the most dramatic. The servers place pillows of juniper air before each of us (cloth pillows were lined with plastic bags and filled with juniper infused air). Then, the servers placed the plates holding the duck preparation on the pillows, causing the pillows to slowly release juniper air to enhance the flavor of the duck. I’d say the juniper was a subtle addition, but the duck itself was a perfectly prepared, and many of my friends thought it was the best dish of the night. For me, it was second only to the monkfish.

The final meat worth mentioning was the lamb. The servers brought out three bite-sized preparations of lamb resting on 325 degree bricks. They then placed the rosemary sprigs that adorned the center of the table at the end of each of our bricks, allowing the rosemary to add to the smell of the lamb.

None of the desserts in particular stood out, though the final dessert, which was not printed on the menu, was a "caramel." It was really a meyer lemon beignet attached to a cinnamon stick—it was actually more or less a sweet, lemon and cinnamon hush puppy. It served as a complimentary bookend to the savory fish hush puppy that opened the meal. Those of us who finished the meal with coffee used the cinnamon sticks to stir our coffee. Delicious!

A few of the wines are also worth mentioning. The sommelier was a doppelganger for my friend Greg’s brother. He paid special attention to us and delivered some wonderful wine pairings. The best wine was the Vincent Dancer Chassagne-Montracht ler Cru "Tete du Clos", 2004, served with the monkfish. The other two dessert wines were also quite good, one from Hungry, Oremus Tokaji Aszu "5 Puttonyos" 1999 and one from Austria, Hans Tschida Chardonnay "Schilfwein", Neusiediersee, 2000. We also ordered a bottle of a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, a Ken Wright Cellars Pinot 2004 (I think). We drank it in between courses.

A few final thoughts:

The space at Alinea is beautiful. The ultra-modern dining rooms are sleek and calm, with low lighting and gray, black and cream color tones. The walls were sparsely decorated and with several minimalist flower arrangements placed around each of the dining rooms.

I was somewhat surprised by the static nature of the menu. We were served the exact menu that I had read on the Alinea website a week before we showed up at the restaurant, and the menu is still the same today. Coming from California, where most restaurants change their menus almost daily, depending upon what’s most fresh, I expected more or less the same at Alinea. Achatz, who trained at The French Laundry, seems to take the view that he’d rather perfect his dishes and serve them consistently for a season than change the menu daily. I was a little disappointed that the menu did not seem to vary more often and that we weren’t trying some new creations. I was also disappointed in by the response from one of our servers about where they source the food. I asked whether all the food was organic, locally and sustainably farmed, and the server’s reply was, to say the least, vague. He said was that Alinea uses some of the same producers that supply The French Laundry. I was surprised that the menu did not include a statement about food sourcing. No matter, I was still blown away by Achatz’s attention to detail, his careful, beautiful and tasty preparations and by the experience as a whole.

If you find yourself in Chicago any time soon, I highly recommend trying out Alinea.

And thanks to my Lexington friends for a wonderful weekend.

Coi

2007-04-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

Foie Gras Ice Cream.

Those four words alone could serve as a summary of the outstanding meal Lou and I shared on Friday night at Coi (pronounced Kwah).

I had read about Coi a few times over the last year, including most recently in the current issue of Food & Wine. I can’t say that anything I had read led me to want to break down the door, but it was on my list of restaurant to try. Then, Lou had dinner with a friend on Thursday night and when he mentioned that I had recently experienced a wonderful meal at Alinea while I was in Chicago in March his friend suggested that we try out Coi, where Daniel Patterson performs his own version of molecular gastronomy.

On the way to the pool on Friday night we called over to see if we could reserve a table. Success! They could seat us at 8:45. We hurried through our workout and headed over for dinner.

I was completely unprepared for what was about to unfold. My impressions about the restaurant were so vague and off-based that I did not know we would end up having one of the best meals I’ve eaten so far this year (it’s been a good year for eating out so far). We let the talented staff spoil and pamper us, we soaked in the sleek, but warm design of the dining room and we enjoyed every bite of memorable feast Patterson and his staff prepared for us.

You can see from the menu that Patterson has constructed an eleven course tasting menu, priced at $115. We chose the full tasting—as opposed to a four course mini-tasting menu priced for less—and asked that they serve us both options, which we would share, when the menu allowed for two choices on certain courses. I learned that lesson at Hatfield’s—we were able to taste everything on the menu. We also ordered the wine pairings to go along with our meal, in large part because the sommelier enthusiastically described some of his innovative wine parings (more on the wine later). Before we were seated, I did not know that the menu was designed as a tasting menu, so I was very much surprised, and delighted, to read about what was in store for us.

I’ll spare you every detail about each course, but a few of the courses are worth commenting on in detail:

The first course was a compote, I suppose, of pink grapefruit, ginger, tarragon and black pepper foam, served in a small bowl set on a long, rectangular plate. The bowl was set to the left side of the plate, and on the right side was a drop of Coi perfume (on sale for $49). Our server instructed us to rub the perfume on our wrists, smell it and then begin to eat the dish. The aroma was light and flowery (neither one of us could identify the exact flower scent), but the combination of the smell with the cool acidity of the grapefruit and the spice of the ginger and the depth of the tarragon, all topped with black pepper foam (which was actually white) was a thoroughly inviting way to begin the meal. The combinations were all fresh, light and airy, and I felt a little like we were settling on a cloud. The dish was paired with Champagne, of course, which only enhanced our sense of delight and good feelings.

Next up: Yuba “Pappardelle” with soy milk, English peas, fava beans and leaves and flowers. The dish was a modern twist on the traditional dish of peas and cream sauce over pasta, but Patterson’s version was modernized using more healthy ingredients. Yuba—the skin from tofu—replaced the pasta and soy milk took the place of the cream. The peas were still peas, though they were very fresh and enhanced by the addition of fava beans and “leaves and flowers.” I suppose the dish actually was healthier than the traditional dish, but what struck me about it was the lovely lightness and freshness of the dish, which pleasantly evoked the season and excited my palate.

The third outstanding dish was the slow cooked farm egg farro stew, garden rosemary, parmesan. I thought this dish was an interpretation on eggs and grits. The egg, which had been slowly simmered in the shell for several hours and then cooked in the stew, was perfectly set on top of the stew. The farro stew was white in color, creamy, somewhat thick, rich, and both soft and warm. A light parmesan foam, with bits of rosemary, rested on top of the egg and the stew. The yolk of the egg mixed in with the stew, and combined with the rosemary and foam to make tasty and rich comfort food. It was the best dish of all the non-dessert courses.

Finally, the piece de resistance was the second dessert. On the menu, the second dessert was listed as a chocolate parfait, served with cucumber ice cream. Interesting, huh? The cucumber ice cream by itself was light and refreshing; the way that water infused with cucumbers is light and refreshing. The chocolate part of the dessert was made up of a thin chocolate wafer, which separated the ice cream from a thick, dense, rich bittersweet chocolate mousse. Separately, the ice cream and the chocolate mousse were terrific, but together they didn’t quite work. Chocolate and cucumbers do not naturally compliment each other. It was the only dish all night that left us disappointed.

I told our server that I didn’t think the two worked well together, and she told us that the cucumber and chocolate combination was new. She said that they used to pair the chocolate with foie gras ice cream. I almost lost it. I oooed and ahhhed, and I told her I thought foie gras ice cream and chocolate sounded like an amazing combination. I also asked if we could taste the ice cream. She said she’d check with the pastry chef. A few minutes later she returned to our table with one new plate of chocolate parfait, with foie gras ice cream. We tasted the ice cream alone and then with the chocolate, and both ways it was better than I had imagined. The ice cream was uber-buttery and rich. The taste was not so much of foie gras, per se, as more just intense, smooth, soft and rich (perhaps that is the taste of foie gras). How can you go wrong with triple fat ice cream? But, with the chocolate, the ice cream was so over-the-top and amazing, I honestly can barely describe the sensation of each of those bites. The richness and the buttery flavor of the ice cream set a platform for the chocolate to soar (sorry for the cheesy language, but that’s all that comes to mind). It was inspired. We ate every bite.

We both raved to the server, and I begged her, for the good of all foodies in the world, to persuade the pastry chef to return the ice cream to the menu. She told us that they had only recently removed the ice cream because so many Coi diners seemed slightly unsettled by the idea of foie gras ice cream and the wait staff had offered to make so many substitutions that the chef decided to pull it from the menu. Shameful. Judging from the reaction of people I’ve told about the ice cream, I’m beginning to understand why they took it off the menu. Even though I enthusiastically described the dish to several people, most of them looked at me with more or less blank stares or made comments of indifference. Oh well. Foie gras ice cream is a dessert that no restaurant will top. Wow. Before leaving the subject, I wanted to mention how the pastry chef came up with the idea (I was somewhat shocked I had never seen it before). Our server told us that he had been served a savory dish of foie gras with a drizzling of chocolate, and that led him to think of pairing chocolate and foie gras, with the foie gras in the form of ice cream. I thought it was brilliant.

Finally—I know this has turned into a long posting—the wines. The very enthusiastic sommelier made some bold and risky choices, and I’m not sure all of them worked. While many of his choices were inspired—the sake pairing for the Kampachi Sashimi and the sherry for the artichoke dish—but the Madeira which he paired with the leek terrine while a good pairing, made for an abrupt change from the wines and sake served immediately before it. Also, the Chenin Blanc, to which he added freshly squeezed lime juice and was paired with the yuba pappardelle, was underwhelming. As a Chenin Blanc fan, I would have preferred to taste the wine without the enhancement, but it was interesting trying it out. Also, he served a second Madeira with the chocolate, and while a good pairing, I would have preferred a port or another wine, especially after having a Madeira earlier in the meal. He was charming and fun, and I’m happy we accepted his experiments, but overall, I’m not sure they worked.

Despite my grumblings about a few of the wine pairings, I highly recommend Coi. Go now, before you can’t get in without waiting two months!

Easter Brunch Featuring: Malt Ball Cake!

2007-04-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

I made brunch yesterday for a few friends. As is often the case, I had been fantasizing about the menu for several weeks.

I made eggs benedict with a twist. Instead of using ham or hollandaise, I drizzled creme fraiche (actually homemade mock creme fraiche) and crumbled smoked trout over homemade biscuits and poached eggs, topped with chopped green onions, chopped italian parsley and freshly ground black pepper. I served grilled asparagus on the side.

For the biscuits, I used Julia Childs's simple recipe for baking powder biscuits (1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of milk, mixed together, barely kneaded, brushed with butter and baked for 12 minutes at 425 degrees). The dough was very sticky, but the biscuits came out light, fluffy and delicious. I poached the eggs the night before, on the advice of Julia Child (for exactly four minutes) and heated them up the next morning (for only one minute in warm simmering water). Despite my worries, the eggs turned out well. The yolks were runny and yellow--perfect with the biscuits and trout.

But the focus of the brunch was a malt ball cake I made for dessert. Last December Food & Wine magazine published a photograph of a malt ball cake and named it as one of the upcoming tastes for 2007, but they did not print the recipe. I was dissappointed because the cake sounded good and I thought Lou might like it. I wrote a letter to the editor expressing my disappointment and asking them to print the recipe. Not long after I sent the letter via email, I got a response back from the assistant to the editor at Food + Wine asking if they could print my letter. I was thrilled and I gave her my permission. My short letter, along with the recipe, appeared in the March issue. The ironic thing is that when I told Lou about it he said he didn't think the cake sounded good at all. So much for me judging his tastes.

I had been thinking of the right time to make the cake since F+W published the recipe and the brunch seemed like a perfect occasion. I got it in my head to cover the cake with malt balls, and Lou and I decided to check out the malt ball selection at the new Miette Confiserie in Hayes Valley. Brad and Joey had told us about the new Miette last week, and I was eager to check it out. It's a beautiful store, and they had several jars of pastel malt balls on display for Easter. We were helped by Caitlin, one of the owners, and she made a helpful suggestion to crumble some malt balls up and add them as a layer to the cake. Brilliant!

I baked the cake on Saturday evening, and we assembled and decorated it later that night. I was skeptical about the recipe for the icing because it called for using 10 oz of milk chocolate, and no other cake I'd made before had called for using milk chocolate. I capitulated to the recipe and made it with the milk chocolate, and it turned out well despite my misgivings. Lou even said he thought it was the best icing he'd ever tasted.

After layering the cake and icing it thoroughly, we debated how to arrange the malt balls on the cake. After discussing various designs, including a big wave which would have run along the side with malt balls, we decided to create seven sections of different colors, in effect creating seven columns of colors around the cake. It worked. On top, we made five rows of different colors. We put it in the refrigerator to chill the icing, with hopes of fixing the malt balls in place.

After everyone had eaten on Sunday, we let the cake make its debut. We waited until the last minute to pull the cake out of the fridge, which in hindsight was a mistake because the cake was very cold and dense, but the dramatic debut was worth it. We served it with some homemade strawberry-balsamic ice cream (again, inspired by Joey and Brad who served us strawberry-balsamic ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery the week before). Our ice cream was a little tangey since we more or less made up the recipe, using a 1/4 of balsamic vinegar. Nonetheless, it still made a nice compliment for the cake. The cake was moist and the malt balls enhanced the subtle malt flavor of the cake itself. We left the cake out after the brunch ended, and Lou and I thought the cake tasted even better as it warmed up (I've eaten at least four slices since!). It stikes me as odd, but the cake became even more moist as it came to room temperature, and the warming also unleashed the richness of the butter-cream icing. It would have been better served at room temperature on Sunday morning. Oh well.

After all was said and done, Lou loved the cake I had asked Food and Wine to publish for him.

UPDATE: Check out this posting about the brunch from one of our guests.

Making Pies

2007-04-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

I've made several pies over the last few weeks. I first made a couple of rhubarb pies late last summer using Julia Childs's recipe for flakey pie dough. Her recipe is perfect, and if you follow her directions you can't screw up the dough. I tried making pie dough once later in the fall and it was a total disaster. The dough did not take and it never adhered. I now realize that I failed to use enough water to provide a base for the flour, butter and shortening to stick together. I'm embaressed to say that I think I used only a few teaspoons of water instead of the full cup of water called for in the recipe. Duh! Anyway, having made that mistake, I feel like I've now got the hang of it. I also learned to follow the recipe.

I made a couple of cherry pies in March, and then I made a strawberry-rhubarb pie on Saturday and a plain rhubarb pie on Sunday. I added some orange zest to the rhubarb pies, and I loved the hint of orange flavoring. The zest mellowed the tartness of the rhubarb, especially the less than fully ripened rhubarb I bought at the store. I served the pies with a sauternes, which pulled out the flavor of the orange zest in particular.

Here's a slice of the cherry pie.

Strawberry-rhubarb pie: filling, fresh from the oven and a slice with homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

And, the rhubarb pie--see the green, not-totally-ripened pieces of rhubard through the vents? It tasted amazing!

Some Baking Photos

2007-02-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

I'm going to take a moment to post a few photos of some of the results of some recent (ok, really old) baking.