Ai Fiori Is Amazing

Ai Fiori's chef de cuisine Chris Jaeckle, for whom I used to work at Tabla, recently got the three-star nod from The New York Times' Sam Sifton. So, when I was in Manhattan, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I'd already been hearing raves about Ai Fiori from my besties, who know Chris too. CJ kindly put us on the books late one Friday night, and we partook of a culinary-palooza for 3-plus hours. Have a gander ...


Compliments of the chef: a flavor and color explosion that came in the guise of a hamachi sashimi palate cleanser.


Heavenly foie gras torchon with a crunchy crumble of pistachios, tangy-sweet rhubarb mostarda (aka chutney) with pickled chunks of rhubarb and plenty of brioche toast.


My fave pasta: agnolotti—described as "braised veal parcels" on the menu—accompanied by a handful of fava beans and dressed in an earthy black truffle sugo.


DY waxed poetic about the semolina saffron gnocchi swimming with hunks of blue crab, bits of sweet sea urchin, chopped tomato, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs and toasted breadcrumbs. It was just a smidge too salty for me—still good though.


The trofie nero (thin twists of pasta infused with squid ink) came tossed in a Ligurian crustacean ragoût, cuttlefish, scallops and spiced breadcrumbs. I gotta say, it was a tad saltier than the gnocchi, so not a perfect dish for me, though DY liked it lots. Still, it's better than most pasta creations I've had.


I chose the bouillabaisse as my main and was ever so pleased with the subtly seasoned saffron fumet, garlicky rouille, and tender pieces of red snapper, scallops, langoustine and manilla clams.


DY's main was insanely rich: lamb chops with foie gras wrapped in caul fat sitting on wilted Swiss chard. I'd agreed to go splitsies with DY, but after two small bites, I was done with this dish and happily dove back into the bouillabaisse.

Of course, these are just a handful of the awesome dishes we enjoyed at Ai Fiori. Also, not pictured:
- warm chocolate sformato, lemon-honey, stracciatella gelato
- Ligurian olive oil cake, ricotta, pear confit, port, gelato al caffé
- plus 2 other decadent desserts

Pleased as Punch at Plate Shop

Chef Kim Alter's Sausalito resto Plate Shop does everything right. And no wonder, considering where she hails from: Aqua, Ubuntu, Michelin-starred Manresa ... With a garden in back that allows for the freshest produce on every plate, not to mention house-churned butter and eggs from chickens roosting in Alter's coop, the food screams of California seasonal, local and organic to the Nth degree. I've been twice so far since its recent opening and have praised it to the heavens to anyone who'll listen. Can't wait for my next trip back to the Saus and Plate Shop in particular.


Melt-in-your-mouth Kobe beef bavette pumped up with chunks of avocado, charred spring onions and onion soubise beneath.


Fragrant and savory braised lamb with a pile of perfectly cooked root vegetables. Winner.


Chicken done 3 ways: roasted, confit'd and whipped into the most decadent liver mousse with a Jameson whisky gelee.


Uber-moist arctic char sitting atop sautéed maitake mushrooms, kohlrabi strips and maple-cured fish bacon (what what?! yes!).


Can I have s'more, please? ... Sticky, gooey monkey bread made of spongey, airy cinnamon brioche and finished off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

nopa Keeps on Rockin'

Thank god for nopa. If not for this "San Francisco gathering place" in the Western Addition, the neighborhood would probably have remained a (culinary) wasteland. From the get-go, nopa breathed life into the Divisadero corridor, and it continues to anchor the on-the-rise and yet still somewhat gritty strip boasting all manner of really great restos, cafes and bars.

Love nopa.


Above: fried, uber-moist sardines flavored with pimentón (Spanish paprika) and a preserved meyer lemon aioli.
Below: creamy, baked goat cheese, pickled beets and frisée, plus a pile of crostini.


Wow. When we ordered the "warm butter bean salad," we had no idea it was going to come out as the most comforting of comfort dishes. This baked tomato sauce-based casserole—"it tastes like pizza," said an awe-struck PH; "the best kind," I replied—came stuffed with wild nettles, a poached egg and kumquats, with oozing cheese, pesto and savory breadcrumbs loaded on top.


We finished off with a Moroccan vegetable tagine that had been cooked to perfection. PH didn't realize it was a vegetarian dish, the flavors were so rich and full. Castelvetrano olives, toasted almonds and plenty of tangy lemon yogurt made this dish that much better—in color, texture and most important, flavor. Mmmmmmmm.

Bisous à Bouchon

In spite of having been inspired (bowled over, really) by celebrated culinary wonder Thomas Keller in The Soul of a Chef almost a decade ago on my journey towards cooking school and into the restaurant—albeit for a short time only, I'd never actually taken the opportunity to try his much-revered and widely heralded food. Until now.

Last week, JA and I took a day off from work and wound our way up to Yountville to drop in for a late and lazy lunch at Bouchon. It was an experience to remember—incredible from beginning to end, and strongly reminiscent of the best Parisienne bistro. I loved absolutely everything that came to our table. Why can't every day be a holiday at Bouchon?


Above: lobster bisque swimming with mildly earthy trumpet mushrooms and a crispy-on-the-outside, molten-and-tender-on-the-inside lobster beignet anchoring the fragrant bowl.
Below: a joyous, harmonious tangle of marinated beets, Tomme Dolce (soft-ripened goat's cheese), roasted garden lettuce, poached rhubarb and toasted hazelnuts with a drizzle of rhubarb vinaigrette.


Then out came the creamy cod brandade beignets with a super crisped-up exterior sitting on top of sweet-tart tomato confit, crowned with fried sage. ... I suddenly felt transported to one of Barcelona's amazing tapas bars.


Gnocchi a la Parisienne doused in a rich brown butter sauce stayed fresh and bright with its fricassee of garden vegetables including tangy rhubarb, sharp wilted greens and the umami flavors of mushroom.


We couldn't leave Bouchon without trying the chocolate bouchons (aka rich, moist brownies) accompanied by a home-made espresso ice cream and skim milk foam—"that's the part that keeps the dessert light," said the waiter.


Riiiigggght, I said. There was nothing light about this meal, but we were more than OK with that. After all, Bouchon is all about butter, beautiful food and the occasional big splurge.

Chowing Down on Irving Cafe's Banh Mi

I really suck for not ever having made it to Irving Cafe & Deli in all the years I've lived less than a quarter mile away from this awesome purveyor of banh mi (aka Vietnamese sandos). Especially after I'd been lamenting the lack of really good banh mi in SF—more specifically, crying foul over the mediocre quality of the bread. Soft, spongey bread is a no bueno. Airy, crusty slender baguettes are IT. Well, Irving Cafe & Deli has it all. This here's the roast pork with the works on crispety-crunchety French bread, slathered with plenty of special sauce. ICD's now on my radar.

A Good Line-Up at Bar Agricole

I was too busy eating to snap a lot of pics at Bar Agricole. Truth be told, I was enjoying the company and the nosh so much that I just plum forgot to get the digi-cam out. But I did get off a couple as follows, of some really choice selections:

Plump, juicy manila clams piled in with caramelized potatoes and crisp-tender sugar snaps, sitting in a pool of buttery, rich broth.

A springy slice of lemon cake topped with supremed blood oranges and a crown of crunchy, sweet pickled fennel, plus a big blob of whipped cream. Mmmmmm. Me likey.

Zero Zero for Pie and Dessert

Zero Zero (named for the type of flour pizzaiolos use in Napoli) puts out really good pies—like my fave, the Fillmore comprising hen of the woods mushrooms, leeks, mozzarella, parmesan, pecorino, fontina, garlic and thyme. But it also happens to have a really great make-your-own-dessert program.

DY, SP and I chose the Straus Dairy soft-serve vanilla-chocolate swirl topped with crispy shards of nutty, buttery toffee. Along with it, powdery puffs of deep-fried ricotta dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. In a word: heaven.

SPQR Still Has It

SPQR continues to rank in my top five, not just for its amazing handmade pastas (hello cocoa linguine in pork cheek ragu and cappelacci black kale and goat cheese-filled pasta with meyer lemon, walnut and saba). The other stuff is equally inspired. See for yourself ...


I could eat this crostino every day; it's like Christmas on a plate. Spread with the creamiest burrata and popping with the flavors of chili, honey, fried sage and rosemary, not to mention toasted hazelnuts, this plate got us started on our merry way. And how.


MC2's 14-year-old daughter voted for the fried pickles and anchovies, and who was I to disappoint my cousin's kid? In fact, the salty crisped-up lil fish coupled with the sweet dill—along with dabs of spicy aioli—were an awesome pairing.


We loved SPQR's luscious asparagus custard made with creamy fonduta and dressed with foraged mushrooms and California asparagus ...


And made quick work of the perfectly poached farm egg sitting on top of a subtly sweet spring garlic soubise (read: bechamel-based sauce), crowned with a tangle of fried onion rings, bacon crisps, radish and carrot slivers.

Before the final dish came out, I thought I'd hit my limit. After all, among the 3 of us, we'd plowed through 7 dishes already. But when I caught sight—and a whiff—of the gorgeous venison (done 3 ways—on the grill, in a braise and made into sausages) joined with a tangy-sweet huckleberry sauce, I got my second wind. Needless to say, we scraped the plate clean.

In Season: Strawberries

Just a little something I whipped up ...


a strawberry cheesecake with chocolate crust ... mmmmm.

Oh la la Oola

I'll be honest. It's Oola's awesome spicy cilantro, ginger and soy-glazed ribs that got me thinking it was time to get over there for a Dine About Town prix fixe lunch. Coupled with a piquant red cabbage-apple slaw, the meaty main was just as good as I'd remembered it. Meanwhile, the massive croque monsieur made with airy brioche bread, black forest ham, Swiss cheese and tons of creamy béchamel brought oohs and ahhs all around the table. The cheese was perfectly crisped on the outside, sealing in a wonderfully moist interior. Mmmm.


Oola really goes all out for DAT. Most restos just put out 2 courses for lunch, while Oola does 3. The finale comprised a really fresh raspberry and frangelico bread pudding sitting in a lovely pool of crème anglaise, crowned with a scoop of whipped crème fraiche. Absolutely delightful.

Quelle Fromage

I had a bit of a scare last month: I thought I might be developing lactose intolerance. The horror. Several hours after I'd plowed through half of the cheese plate you see above (comprising a lovely and luscious assortment of unpasteurized French and other European cheeses), I was doubled over in pain. Could it be? After all these years of getting off scott-free, eating tons of dairy while my mother and sister suffered from this awful condition, it seemed I might be stricken.

But it appears I'm in the clear (and the gut pain and bloat was likely due to a simple case of gluttony). This past week, I've been eating copious amounts of queso fresco and sour cream with no problems at all. Phew. All's well in the world.

Crab Boil in the Creek

A couple of months back, lil cousin YJ and I drove up to the Creek (aka the WC) for a big ol' crab boil at cousin MCC and fam's fab abode. Here you see the loverly Dungeness crabs resting in the backyard, waiting for their impending doom.


We discussed the 2 humane options for killing the crustaceans—either stab them through the brain with a chef's knife or stick 'em in the fridge for 20 minutes so they go to sleep (an Alton Brown "Good Eats" tip). I voted for the latter method, but big D took a quick peek in the fridge and said to me, "Nope, no room. You're killing them."

Sigh. Of course, it'd been years since I'd killed crabs this way—I hadn't done it since cooking school. But I was up for the challenge. And in fact, 3 of the 4 crabs surrendered to the grim reaper with nary a protest.

But then we got to the 4th and last mother of all crabs. And it fought back. And then some. Holy crap. There were screams ... and laughter (of a hysterical nature). The dang thing was bucking like a crazed bronco on the counter, so much so that it fell to the floor. Big D scooped it up in one motion and held it down while I shoved with all my might and finally plunged the knife through its nobby noggin.


Ah, sweet success. We threw the mofo into the roiling pot of spiced water after the rest of its docile brethren.


It's said among certain Asians that a violent death will produce a bitter-tasting flesh. Not so. These succulent crabs were incredibly sweet and subtly tasting of the sea.


We worked our way through every corner and crevice ... mmmmmmm.


Love crab.