Razzle Dazzle at Ragazza

It's been way too long since my first and only visit to Western Addition pizza place Ragazza. And of course I'm underplaying its worth by simply calling it a pizza place. Sister to Glen Park's Gialina (which several food enthusiasts—especially in the way of Italian pie—swear puts out the best pizza in town), Ragazza indeed rivals some of the best dough slingers and pie purveyors in SF.

And it's not just its Neapolitan-style chewy-crisp thin-crust 'zas that will rock your world. Ragazza's big and beautiful all-that-is-good-with-the-world-that-is-California-local-and-seasonal salads like the wild arugula tossed with big hunks of roasted beets, fresh fennel, gobs of Cypress Grove goat cheese and crunchy pistachios will make converts of anyone who may doubt the merits of fresh veg.

We were in the mood for more fresh veg, so easily settled on the savory roasted cauliflower with sweet red onion, fava leaves, fresh thyme and smoked mozzarella.

And because our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, we went ahead and ordered the uber rich local asparagus with preserved lemon, leeks, green garlic and creamy ricotta pie. Honestly, it's impossible to exhibit any self-control when the splendiferous odors of crisping dough and roasting veg come wafting from the open kitchen into the airy dining room. And why try? Ragazza is well worth the splurge.

I Like Mission Pie

"Mission Pie is a corner cafe, bakery and neighborhood gathering place."  It's also got a way with pie—and well it should considering its name. This here's the frangipane pear pie a la mode with the pear-rhubarb bringing up the rear. A mighty fine crumbly crust houses a luscious, fruit-laden interior, making these the perfect option for anyone with a sweet-tooth hankering.
 

Yay pie.

Farm to Table at Jole

Thank you, AB, for suggesting Calistoga gem Jole—celebrating my birthday with a parade of (mostly) delicious dishes showcasing California's best made it an especially memorable meal.

The tuna crudo—with its fragrantly addictive orange bergamot dressing—proved to be the highlight of our visit to Jole. 

Though the gnocchi with broccoli rabe had great flavor, its texture left a little to be desired. "I want pillowy. It's more like memory foam," said JP of the somewhat dense and durable potato pasta. Indeed, he was spot-on with his description.

The halibut was cooked to a perfect medium rare and sat atop a wondrously umami-esque mushroom jus, accompanied by a creamy pea risotto.
 

Ah, the seared foie gras. Time is a-ticking in California—it's soon to be outlawed, so we took the opportunity to order this hefty portion sitting atop caramelized onions and served with panko-crusted piquillo peppers. My half was divine: perfectly seared and almost melting like a hot stick of butter. But the very core of JP's portion was hard as a rock—turning his stomach to the fatty, rich hunk of liver.
 

Fortunately, the uber tender lamb chops accompanied by a crispy pile of smashed potatoes and grassy-bitter spears of asparagus redeemed Jole in JP's eyes.

A lovely cheese plate for dessert, and we rolled out of Jole pleased as punch, replete and ready to jump into the geyser-heated mineral pool back at Indian Springs.

The Chairman's Porky Pig

Mmmm .... pork. The Chairman's Coca-Cola braised pork with savoy cabbage and pickled mustard seeds on a steamed bun is my number one go-to whenever this awesome food truck happens to be in the neighborhood. Which unfortunately isn't often enough.

Sluice it with Sriracha, and it's the perfect midday pick-me-up, guaranteed to fuel you for the rest of the day. And then some.

Peruvian Paella at Mochica

My Barcelonan friend IM declared there's no such thing as Peruvian paella, and she should know as she's quite the accomplished cook and made probably one of the best versions of this classic Spanish rice and seafood dish I've ever had.

But I figured I'd give Mochica's seafood paella a try, especially as my other dining mate AM assured me the food at this SOMA establishment was super tasty.


Indeed, AM was right. My dish was delicious—chock full of fresh clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp and fish, perfectly cooked to a moist-tender done-ness and well flavored with saffron, paprika, parsley and garlic. IM was also right. This was more like a seafood risotto than a paella—I was missing the crunch from crisped-up rice scraped from the bottom of the skillet.

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed my meal, and the lively company as well.

Bacon Bacon — Not Your Mama's Banh Mi

Bacon Bacon's banh mi doesn't follow any strict conventions of what a typical Vietnamese sando should taste or look like. And it doesn't really matter. Because Bacon Bacon's version—with its crumbly, well-seasoned pork meatballs, strips of hunky bacon, and loads of pickled tangy carrots, fresh cilantro, cabbage and jalapeno—works. Ever so well. See for yourself.


Need I say more?

Gorgeous Food at Soto

I've gotta say that 2 Michelin-starred Soto was probably the highlight of my food forays during my last visit to NY. And that's saying a lot considering the line-up included such heavy-hitters as Marea, dell'anima and The Dutch. Chalk it up to a confluence of food beautifully arranged and wonderfully composed, a relaxed and easy atmosphere with uber friendly service, and of course JP's fine company.


One of the standouts of the night: Soto's humble, homemade soy dish comprising the creamiest black sesame and white sesame tofu, served with wasabi, soy sauce, and topped with soy foam. Ever so good.


Another Soto fave: the chawan mushi—the airiest of egg custard soups made with chicken broth, thin slices of shitake mushroom, ginkgo biloba nut and a whole shrimp.


Grilled unagi cooked to the exact done-ness—to a medium-rare. Oftentimes, even at the best sushi restaurants, I find the unagi can be overcooked and/or fishy. Not so at Soto.


Thin slivers of fluke with scallions, ginger shoots, shiso leaf, sitting in a pool of ponzu sauce. Refreshing and harmonious this was.


Black trout carpaccio drizzled with a hint of truffle oil, capped with caviar and chives, served with a crispy, bright watercress salad. I loved how every dish had so much going on and yet made perfect sense on the palate.


Fatty tuna-like-buttah tartare with creamy avocado sitting in ponzu sauce, more caviar, chives and a chiffonade of seaweed. When I ordered this "house special," I kinda thought this was something I'd seen—and eaten—so many times before. I mean, tuna tartare and avocado, right? But holy cow. Soto's version was like no other. It blew me away.


The silkiest slab of braised black cod sitting in the lightest soy broth, served with shimeji mushrooms, radish and mountain potato. This is absolutely my favorite type of fish, and Soto handled the sable with so much loving care. I could certainly have had another order—except for the fact that we'd inhaled quite a a bit of food already (not all dishes pictured).


Steamed chunks of lobster layered with a luscious uni mousse, lightly drizzled with truffle oil, topped with a crispy piece of smoked uni (wowza), tiny scoop of caviar and scallions. The rings of crispy lotus root and cucumbers served as the perfect, crisp-fresh foil to the decadently rich seafood main.

My Fave NY Cupcakes

My number 1 and 2 cupcake venues in Manhattan are:
1 - Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery in the Lower East Side
2 - Butter Lane Cupcakes in the East Village


What I like about Butter Lane is that you can mix and match from a variety of cakes and frosting to create your own oh-so-pretty cupcake. Pictured here are the chocolate cake with salted caramel and chocolate frosting, and vanilla cake with salted caramel frosting.


What I like even more about Sugar Sweet Sunshine is that the cakes are always moist and springy, and they're humble (and less pricey) than all the rest—like the cupcakes of my childhood bake sale days. Pictured here are the Sunshine (yellow cake with vanilla buttercream frosting) and the Strawberry (strawberry cake with cream cheese buttercream frosting).

NY's 2011 Restaurant of the Year: The Dutch

NY Times food critic Sam Sifton writes, "The Dutch, ladies and gentleman, is my restaurant of the year." He's not the only one touting the Dutch's merits. NY magazine's food writer Adam Platt and food blog Eater NY second his endorsement as do a number of other food critics and bloggers. Of course, such overwhelming praise is going to make me sit up and take notice.

But what clinched it for me—and made me call for brunch rezzies as soon as I knew I was visiting NYC—was foodie friend KG's rave review of the place as well as the fact that former cook pal and current sous chef to Daniel Humm (of Eleven Madison Park fame) MK had agreed to join us. Having worked at Locanda Verde for chef Andrew Carmellini, who also helms the Dutch, I was pretty sure her presence would ensure us a good experience.


I had no idea of course that her roommate was working the pass as The Dutch's expediting sous chef. And that she was going to send out equally as many dishes—compliments of the chef—as we'd ordered. No complaints though. We loved everything that hit the table, including Kierin's pastry board made up of a blueberry buckwheat muffin, apple-cheddar scone, and my fave the light and airy, still warm out of the fryer, sugar-dusted donuts.


Also amazing was the fluffy stack of buttery almond French toast accompanied by sweet, rum-soaked slices of bananas foster.


My order of fried eggs with creamy smooth hominy grits, crumbled chorizo and salsa verde was probably the most modestly sized plate at brunch. A good thing too, since wave upon wave of food kept streaming out of the kitchen, and I was happy to make room for a little bit of everything.


"How's the fried chicken?" I asked MK. "Slammin'," she replied without hesitation. She was right. That hefty platter carried probably the best crispified and juicy chicken parts I've ever had the pleasure of mauling. The butter-honey biscuits were pretty tasty too, though I will say I've had better, softer, flakier biscuits from other purveyors (the biscuits at Brenda's French Soul Food, for example).


“Of all the great pie bakers in New York City, the current champion is probably a young woman named Kierin Baldwin, who runs the pastry department at The Dutch ... ,” writes Sam Sifton. Here, here.

Yay pie, and yay MK and The Dutch.

Hapa SF Does Lumpia Right

Last Friday's food truck hailed from Hapa SF, which makes Filipino food using organic ingredients. I'd heard good things, and since it was parked right next to our office, I of course had to give it a try.


The vegetarian pancit—rice stick noodles sauteed with an assortment of vegetables and doused in soy sauce—was fairly unremarkable. But the crispy lumpia—classic Filipino spring rolls filled with ground pork and vegetables—were delicious. Served up with a side of fish sauce as well as a kind of pineapple chutney, the little nuggets were extra crispy and flakey on the outside, super moist and flavorful on the inside. Made me think of when my queen-of-deep-frying mom learned how to make this tasty snack from her Filipino co-workers back when we were kids. Lumpia was a treat we always looked forward to. I mean, what's not to love, right?

Brews and Brats at the Biergarten

This is a winning combination if there ever was one:

Really good beer (one hefeweizen, another pils in 1 liter steins)
+
2 juicy bratwursts, 1 uber fresh, doughy pretzel, a heaping mound of sauerkraut, plus plenty of horseradish and mustard


Oh, and prime seating at one of the many picnic tables dotting the Biergarten because CD and I had queued up just 7 minutes after the doors opened—or gates as it were. Winter hours are from 2 to 8 pm on the weekends. We hung out in the Biergarten til well past 5, the weather was so lovely—downright summery in fact.


The only tiny criticism: the sauerkraut could've done with a bit more pop by way of a good dousing of vinegar. Otherwise, what a fab way to wile away a weekend afternoon, catching up with a good friend and enjoying the ebb and flow of the happy folks surrounding us.

Nombe's Ramen Noodles

When I'm feeling under the weather, I can't think of anything better than inhaling a piping hot bowl of pork tonkotsu ramen. This here noodle dish is from Nombe in the Mission. The milky broth was ever so hearty and heartwarming. And I swear it nipped my cold in the bud. Or I'd like to think so anyway.