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The perfect lunch date with my dear friend and ideal man (save for that he's gay ... hmm, maybe that's why he's ideal) JW is one that's had at Hillstone's circular bar, facing out on the Embarcadero and the SF bay.
If I'm not chowing down on the honkin' Hillstone cheeseburger, I'll opt for the vibrant and vivacious Thai steak and noodle salad, which comes packed full of mouth-watering goodies. Besides the marinated beef filet, cooked a perfect medium rare, it's got big avocado chunks, roasted peanuts, luscious mango, sweet tomatoes and cilantro, all awash in a zippy Thai dressing. A tall, icy glass of Arnold Palmer rounds out this perfect midday meal.
Well done to newcomer Mission Cheese. Lonely Planet writer/pal AB and I enjoyed 2 monger's plates for a total of 6 out-of-this-world cheeses spanning the American countryside from West to East coast and in between. Accompanied by a couple of lovely glasses of rose, we were 2 very happy campers sitting at the beautiful burnished-wood bar one fine summer's eve.
Makes me that much more excited for my impending journey to France ... cheese of all shapes and sizes, with bouquets ranging from floral to foot-y ... I'll take it all, merci beaucoup.
Yay, cheese.
The spicy roast crab at Vietnamese resto Yummy Yummy is hands down the best of its kind in SF.
The uber garlicky-fiery chile sauce is out of this world. My folks, whom I took there while they were in town, gave it the highest of all compliments (in their book), saying this had exactly the flavor components of an excellent Korean marinade (mind you, I did say Yummy Yummy is in fact a Vietnamese establishment).
My ma, who doesn't really care for crab at all, couldn't help but sneak a leg or 2 or 3 onto her plate; it was the garlic-chile-onion-scallion-sesame sauce that she was in love with. And so was I—oh yes, and the crustacean itself was damn good too.
Pasta of a different kind and equally as good ... this one—the black bean noodles (aka jia-jiang-mein)—hailing from Eastern Paradise in Honolulu, Hawaii.
I love this dish, which is available at certain Chinese restaurants catering to Koreans—typically, there's even a second menu written in Korean. The umami-rich, soy-based sauce also includes chopped onions and zucchini along with diced beef and shrimp. Some versions have squid and sea cucumber or diced potatoes; this one didn't. The whole thing is then topped with a julienne of raw cucumbers. I like to spike my noodles with a good swig of vinegar to give it a tangy bite.
Eastern Paradise's version was pretty good. But I've gotta say that San Tung's (which makes its pasta in-house) in SF is better. Sadly, I avoid that place like the plague because it's mobbed day and night (and no wonder, the food is really that good). I guess I'll just have to suck it up and go back. Maybe if I go on the early side of lunch over the weekend, the wait, not to mention the din and roar, will be minimal? We'll see ...
Grazie, SM, for the fresh pasta, which I'm told hails from his hometown Lucera in Puglia. This exact type is called troccoli. The long, thick strands are traditionally cut with a special brass rolling pin, something SM's dad made to do up his own batches of troccoli back in Italy.
And so, a few of us got to partake of SM's lovely handiwork (something he does on a daily basis) one Sunday night not too long ago.
We enjoyed the filling pasta with a simple veggie ragu topped with grated Parmesan along with a side of peppery arugula and cherry tomatoes. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that are the most satisfying.
Nothing like a refreshingly ice-cold margarita accompanied by some baja fish tacos along the water, palm trees swaying in the tropical breeze, to let you know you're now officially on Hawaii time.
Now this is living.
I had a meal of epic proportions at uber fine-dining restaurant Benu ("I see rich people," I texted my pal AB as I waited for her to arrive), which took over Hawthorne Lane's spot in SoMa in just the past year. It was AB in fact who clued me in to Benu's worth—she had just finished writing up a piece on the incredibly gifted sommelier Yoon Ha. So, since I owed her a meal in return for the one she'd sported me at Coi ... here we were.
And what a mind-blowing meal we had, accompanied by some of the most inspired and creative wine (and sake). I told AB, "Let's become regulars." That's saying a lot, considering the pricetag on this place. But heck, Yoon Ha knows his sh*t and so does Chef Corey Lee (whose spent time in some of the most illustrious kitchens including The French Laundry). Koreans rock. Yes they do. Woooo.
Benu's cherry blossom granita with yogurt, cucumber and pistachio crumble ... a refreshing balance of tangy and tart with a bit of crunch and salt thrown in.
Abalone grenobloise with cauliflower, parsley and capers ... dusted and fried in panko, the shellfish was light and tender in consistency, and mild in flavor. The accompaniments brought the pop to the dish.
Creamy, sinful and oh-so-good foie gras steamed in sake, with the tiniest brunoise of peach, accompanied by kohlrabi, perked up by the bite of perilla sprigs, with a side of buttery brioche toast.
From the oak-acorn strozzapreti, Iberico ham, Himalayan truffle ... a lovely earthy, savory pasta.
This risotto was the dish that almost brought AB to tears—of joy, that is ... as I'm Korean (and we just don't do that kind of thing in public ... tiger moms don't condone such displays of emotion after all), I did not follow suit. However, that's not to say I didn't feel exactly as she did. The creaminess of the rice, flavored with corn and black truffle and given a generous helping of the most luscious sea urchin, which melted like butter on our tongues, brought us to our proverbial knees. We scraped the plate clean.
Duck with crisp-tender baby bok choy and jicama cubes. A really nice combo with a perfect sear on the medium-rare bird.
Andante Dairy cheese, compliments of another Korean ... oh so pretty and precious, really lovely stuff.
Almond brioche, apricot, buttercream, osmanthus ... A gorgeous-looking plate and equally gorgeous in flavor. The fragrant osmanthus flower is native to China and often used to infuse teas.
After copious amounts of wine and food, we were served a selection of scrummy truffles to go with our tea and coffee.
Phew. I gotta say, I'm beyond impressed. Benu really brought it. In spades.
The best heirlooms are the kinds you can eat ...
Yay, for the San Francisco Ferry Building farmers market.
Last month, I volunteered at CUESA's monthly food event that showcases what's in season. Right now, it's all about berries. Sweet, tart, tangy and delicious blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries, strawberries and blueberries—they're not all pictured here, but I got to take home about 10 pounds worth of the ambrosial fruit. Love the ferry building farmers market.
It's been more than 2 and a half years since my one and only visit to Maverick. I really don't know why I waited so long to take a trip back to this marvelous Mission eatery. The meal the 6 of us had last night dazzled us all just as it delighted the folks 'round the dinner table a few years ago. From the uber-creamy mac n' cheese and overflowing basket full of fresh, springy sourdough bread to the super seasonal, harmonious and eye-catching entrees with their accompanying sides, there was no dish we didn't love. Kudos to the cooks in the kitchen. Next on the list: Maverick's down-home brunch. Stay tuned.
The house butcher plate was much fought over as Mr. C wanted to have it all to himself. However, after we pointed out how horribly piggish that would be, he relented—but only grudgingly. The prized plate included duck prosciutto, a country pork terrine, liver mousse, home-made cauliflower, carrot and jalapeno pickles, along with a wonderfully addictive smoked violet mustard.
Sweet and tangy baby beets accompanied by dots of smoked plum, a crumble of piquant Rogue River blue cheese, wheat berries, smoky guanciale and sprigs of slightly sharp watercress. What a beautiful and well-balanced dish.
Crispety-crunchety fried green tomatoes with a zingy chive-buttermilk sorbet, green tomato jam, lavender and purslane. I'd voted to pass on this dish, having tried it elsewhere and been underwhelmed at best. So glad we got it here, as I'm now a fan of the green orbs ... Maverick really does know how to make food look and taste good.
Moist and juicy flat iron steak with a lusciously smooth potato puree, crisp-tender root vegetables, oxtail vinaigrette and fresh blobs of horseradish cream.
Southern fried chicken cooked to perfection—the slightly sweet crust (was there cornmeal in there, we wondered?) was so crunchy, sealing in a moist, juicy bird. It came piled on top of dirty red rice, sauteed broccoli rabe and plenty of red eye gravy.
My dish: the pork shoulder presse (seemed like pork belly to me) ... a crisp topping with a flakey meaty interior, complemented nicely with a strawberry-rhubarb mostarda, sunchoke puree and chips, wilted Russian kale and green peppercorn.
I'm not a huge fan of tarragon, but these tarragon-shortbread cookies were tasty and well paired with a sweet Meyer lemon curd, stewed strawberries and home-made mascarpone (read: Italian triple-cream cheese).
Koreans love pickles ... all kinds of pickles. Something about that sour-y, vinegary, sweet, tingly, tangy, fermented, fill-in-the-blank quality to the pickled vegetable or fruit tickles our fancy.
Happily, I got to attend a pickling party at J&J's not too long ago, where we canned several pounds of cucumbers, cherries and rhubarbs one lazy afternoon. OK, so the cherries weren't put into any kind of vinegar solution, but rather one favoring brandy and cognac. But since they were made specifically for Manhattans, which are meant to get a person pickled, we figured the shoe fit.
