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Cousin MC2 and I happily tucked into a medley of wonderfully prepared dishes at Bar Bambino in the Mission a couple of weeks ago. It was our first time there. I had bypassed this Italian wine bar and restaurant over the years because I'd heard mixed reviews. But recently, a trusted source gave it a resounding rave. So, we gave it a go. And we loved almost everything that came out of the kitchen ...
The lovely spread of cured meats—from prosciutto to spicy salami—whet our appetites for what was to come.
God, I love peas. This from a gal who used to gag at the grainy texture when I was kid. Well, no longer. After a tap or two of the salt shaker, the creamy richness of Bar Bambino's spring pea puree touched with mint was to-die-for. The only tiny negative: Some cook had rubbed the raw garlic into the bruschetta with a bit too much vim and vigor.
My trusted source had warned me against the octopus and yet we went there. We figured, maybe it had been a bad day in the kitchen when she'd had the eight-armed beast. But no, trusted source was right. Chewy and slightly underseasoned octopod is not ideal—I'd say braising and then grilling the thing had really killed it. But heck, the balsamico dressing basting the meat and chicory salad gave it all a sweet tartness that we could and did appreciate.
Bar Bambino really rises to the occasion when it comes to pasta. That day's special braised rabbit was perfectly seasoned, the gnocchi just the right texture—airy pillows that practically floated into your mouth. MC2 doesn't care much for the wily wabbit, and yet she really went for this dish.
Our fave was the trofie—long, skinny spirals of eggless pasta—bathed in a luscious, creamy sauce laden with Parmiggiano-Reggiano and house-made sausage. We both readily agreed we could eat this every day ... as we scraped the plate clean. But it's probably a good thing that we can't—or else we'd be packing on the pounds.
We finished off the night with a moist polenta cake accompanied by a tangy citrus compote and sweet orange butter. Thanks, MC2, for celebrating my day with me!
Last weekend, I wanted to cook. For my friends. Something comforting, easy and full of flavor. Meatloaf, mashies and green beans came to mind. It seemed only natural to want to recreate the giddy pleasure I'd felt when I sat down to the ever-popular Blue Plate version not too long ago.
Here you see 2 pounds of organic, grass-fed ground beef with 1 pound of ground pork sausage (after all, you gotta have some fat to ensure a moist and flavorful loaf), dotted with chopped onion and red pepper, crushed tomatoes, flavored with lotsa smoky BBQ sauce, a couple dashes of Worcestershire, a huge handful of crushed crackers to loosen the loaf plus a couple of eggs to bind it together, and finally generous amounts of salt and pepper to season it up.
Heavenly aromas wafted from the kitchen as the loaf bubbled and cooked.
Buttery, fluffy yukon gold mashed potatoes and green beans basted in garlicky olive oil and more butter helped take this dish over the top.
We Koreans like our crab. I grew up eating it steamed and pretty much plain—fresh, fleshy cracked crab sitting around the dinner table. But I really like it the way Woodhouse Fish Co. does it: cracked and steamed in white wine, lemon and plenty o' garlic butter. Mmm, mmm, good. My only regret was that I didn't go whole hog—a half a crab is simply not enough.
Oh yah. And DA's cioppino—chock full of fruits de mare in a zesty tomato stew—was also really delightful.
I'd been hearing about the much-revered Sushi Ran in Sausalito ever since I got back to SF in '06, and yet it still took me this long to get out here. Ah well, I've had much on my mind of late, but thank you, PM, for getting me off my duff and across the bay. It was well worth the trip.
JA and I snagged some killer window seats in shoe-box sized Bar Jules last Friday night. It was the first of many good things to come our way. That night's menu (it changes daily) had a number of tantalizing items such as a chiogga golden beet salad with farm-fresh greens (yes, please); tender, springy, grilled scallops with uber-fresh, sweet baby carrots and crisp-tender asparagus in an herbacious sauce gribiche (that too, yes); and a strawberry-almond tart with a big ol' dollop of whipped cream (please sir, could I have some more?).
