Posted by Anita on 08.21.06 4:55 PM
Boy, did we have a blast this weekend… so much so that I’ve been too beat to blog.
Saturday found us in the usual place: Breakfast at Primavera — ack! no chilaquiles? I suppose migas are close enough — then a long wander around the Farmers’ Market. Highlights included taste-testing about a gazillion peaches (oooo… Frog Hollow didn’t make the cut), looking far and wide for the best heirloom tomatoes, having an excuse to splurge on burrata at Cowgirl, discovering the previously mentioned tri-tip of luv at Prather, and scooping up the weekly bag of gloriously bacony avocados from Brokaw … mmm, mm!
Back south again with a stop at In-N-Out Burger en route to Target and the Colma BevMo for their big Grand Reopening sale (had to use that $10-off-$40 coupon!). Then back home, for a bit of prep cut short by realizing that we’d forgotten a few things… Off to Noe Valley on a “bourbon and bouquets” run, stopping at French Tulip — where we ran into Sean, quelle surprise — for hydrangeas and such, then on to Urban Cellars for a shockingly overpriced bottle of Knob Creek.
Whew. No wonder I’m tired… that sounds exhausting. But at the time, it felt like a nice and leisurely preparation for the dinner party we hosted on Saturday evening, jokingly (but accurately) called “bounty of the market, plus cheese”.
As our guests arrived, we started with a round of Currier cocktails on the back deck, accompanied by gorgonzola-and-peach bruschetta from the Ferry Building cookbook. Moving to the table, we paired a surprisingly affordable Yalumba ‘Y Series’ viognier with a salad of heirloom tomatoes, rosemary salt, burrata, and toasted pain-de-mie breadcrumbs (photo, above).
For the main course… there goes that tri-tip again, offered with a side of our friend Wendy’s luxurious penne-and-cheese, the winner of a recent mac-n-cheese cookoff among our old Seattle crew, and a Galante Vineyards Carmel Valley cabernet. (We won’t talk about the haricots verts that we forgot to serve… oops.)
Dessert was easy but good: We stole a page from our friends Russ & Nick’s dessert tricks, sweetening mascarpone with honey… which we then drizzled over Ciao Bella grapefruit-Campari sorbetto, topped with a few perfect raspberries. Then coffee in the living room, served with a platter of kumquats and shortbread, and another of madeleines and macarons from Miette, and some Recchiuti fleur de sel caramels.
Hard to imagine we had the strength to get up the morning after such a glorious evening, but shopping waits for no woman! Another early stop at JoAnn’s en route to Toys ‘R’ Us — our niece is on her West Coast tour and must have Dora! — then home for a quick nap before the family arrived. Thank goodness we have an appreciative audience for our leftover mac and cheese.
breakfast, cooking, dessert, entertaining, farmers markets, food boards, Noe Valley, shopping, wine & bubbly
3 Comments »
Posted by Anita on 08.15.06 9:24 PM
I don’t talk about it much, but I’m rarely in the mood for breakfast foods in the morning. For years I tried to find pleasure in cultured boutique yoghurts, angelic buttermilk waffles, and steel-cut oats with berries… to no avail. Even my breakfast dream team — chilaquiles, corned-beef hash, eggs benedict, the sausages at Lola — leans to the savory side.
Finally, I just had to admit it: I’m not a breakfast gal. Now that I’ve made peace with this awkward reality, I’m much happier. In a pinch, I’ve been known to make a morning meal of dinner leftovers. But when time allows, I often eat what most people would consider lunch.
As I cleaned out the fridge last night, I noticed a couple of strips of bacon languishing all alone. I’d also bought a small bag of avocados at Trader Joe’s, and then turned right around and bought three more at the farmer’s market — oops. And I was making salsa this morning for tonight’s dinner, so I had an excuse to hijack a slice of heirloom tomato. Add two slices of toasted Acme pain de mie, and you’ve got yourself a midsummer B-A-T sandwich, with a side of leftover mac salad. Perfect breakfast chow, no?
—
* Edited to add: We removed the link to the Cook’s Illustrated macaroni salad recipe in July 2008 in protest of their bullying tactics.
breakfast, recipes
6 Comments »
Posted by Anita on 08.13.06 4:48 PM
We had a ton of house projects to finish today, and that meant a trip to Lowe’s. What’s that got to do with food? Well, Lowe’s is in South City… and South City is home to JoAnn’s, an unpretentious little diner that’s become one of our favorite breakfast stops.
Now, I don’t want to get your hopes up: The breakfasts aren’t amazingly special — JoAnn’s no Dottie — but they’re usually tasty. And even though the place is always busy, there’s rarely a wait. People apparently come from far and wide for their muffins, if that’s your sort of thing.
I also love the place because if you’re not in the mood for breakfast, they serve the lunch menu — including a fabulous burger — all day long.
JoAnn’s Cafe
1131 El Camino Real
South San Francisco, CA 94080
650.872.2810
breakfast, restaurants
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Posted by Anita on 08.12.06 10:24 PM
We’d been doing really well, getting to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market every Saturday morning, for a while. Then houseguests descended, weekend trips took us away… and we kicked ourselves all week long as we suffered with crappy food from the supermarket at the time of year when no sane food-loving soul should ever tread the fluorescent aisles.
We finally found our way back to where we belong today, and with an added bonus: Our friend Carla was in town, and staying right across The Embarcadero from the market! We kidnapped her from her hotel, dragged her to the market for Blue Bottle coffee and chilaquiles at Primavera, then made our rounds: June Taylor for more preserves, Andante cheeses, Frog Hollow peaches, some amazing Charentais melons and bacon avocados, herbal salts at Eatwell Farms, Toulouse sausage from Fatted Calf, a pork shoulder at Prather, the usual assortment of things at Rancho Gordo… I could barely hold the bags when we were done!
Somehow, even in midsummer, it just didn’t seem that crowded, so we spent more time browsing, finding lots of tasty ideas for things to cook this week. And to get to spend the morning with one of my favorite Seattle people made it all the more fabulous.
breakfast, farmers markets, shopping
2 Comments »
Posted by Anita on 08.09.06 8:27 AM
Steve’s comment on the hash post got me thinking of chilaquiles, one of my favorite foods. I love ’em so much, I’ll eat them in just about any way they’re prepared, from haute to humble, rojos or verdes.
As I nodded off to sleep last night, I remembered that I had some leftover Flor de Junio beans in the fridge, and probably a small handful of good, thick tortilla chips. This morning, with no time to make salsa from scratch, I reached for a small can of the pretty-good stuff: Embasa salsa verde. I like it better than jarred salsas because it actually tastes like tomatillos, not citric acid, and you can see chunks of white onion in it. Alas, no crema on hand, but luckily a new round of queso fresco.
If you love chilaquiles but don’t ever make them at home, you should start. It’s a really simple process: For a single serving, put about a quarter cup of smooth-ish salsa in the bottom of a medium skillet — red or green, as you like it. Let it heat until it’s warmed through and sizzling, then add a handful of chips. Depending on their size and flatness (or lack thereof) you may need to break them up a little, and possibly add some more sauce. You don’t want them dripping, but you do want a good coating on all surfaces. Toss the chips with the salsa until heated through, then top with cheese: Queso fresco is good, as is any Mexican melting cheese, or even Monterey Jack in a pinch. Drizzle with crema, or a little sour cream thinned with milk, and cover for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts and the crema settles. (You can also wait and add the crema when you plate them; Chilaquiles is really an idea more than a recipe, and even in Mexico there are as many ways to make ’em as there are cooks.) Take them to the plate, consider topping with some chopped white onion, a little chopped cilantro, or nothing at all. I like ’em served with soft-scrambled eggs, or a side of homemade refritos.
UPDATE: As if this post wasn’t already enough of a Rancho Gordo advertisement… I sit down to eat my chilaquiles, and who do I find in Chron’s food section? Yup, Steve himself, waxing eloquent about heirloom beans. Talk about your synchronicity…
breakfast, cooking, Mexican, recipes
2 Comments »
Posted by Cameron on 08.06.06 7:01 PM
Hash is one of those dishes for which there is both one recipe and a million recipes. Most folks will nod along for the first couple of ingredients (cooked meat and cooked potatoes) and the method (cut up together and fried in oil). But after that, you’re on your own and buddy, you can call that pile in the pan whatever you want but it ain’t hash back where I come from.
The keen-eyed will notice that first picture is actually not hash. It’s summer succotash, graced with a skewer full of Prather Ranch pork. The hash of which I am about to speak came from the leftover pork and potatoes that accompanied the succotash.
When I’m making hash, I start with roughly equal amounts of onion, meat, and potato, all diced medium. Corned beef is my favorite, but any leftover meat will do. Onion goes in pan with salt and fat, which could be a butter and olive oil combo or bacon fat, depending on my mood. Saute until translucent and a bit soft, but don’t brown ’em (a little on the edges is okay) or they’ll burn later. I don’t bother with herbs if I have corned beef, but a little thyme here is good with plain pork. Black pepper also works.
Add the potato and meat, stir it up and get it warm, then add enough heavy cream to bring it all together. Don’t go overboard. You’re making hash, not sloppy joes. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Press the hash into a single layer and cook until the bottom is brown and crisp: 10 or 15 minutes depending on the stove, the pan, and the ingredients. Here’s where you’re going to get in trouble if you really browned your onions. In any event, go easy on the flame and watch carefully, because there are few things sadder in the morning than burned hash.
At this point, most recipes will breezily say something like, “Flip the hash over and brown the other side.” But I’m not like them and I’m not going to lie to you. You can try the flip thing and if you manage it then you’re a better man than I am. I usually just scrape it all up, give it a mix, and then pat it flat again. Cook until crispy, and serve with eggs, poached if you’re feeling orthodox.
breakfast, cooking, meat
7 Comments »
Posted by Anita on 05.02.06 10:35 AM
Always on the prowl for better breakfast, we tried out Ann’s Doughtnut Sandwich Shop for breakfast last weekend (based on a postive review on Yelp), and.. wow… I mean, I never though I would get nostalgic for the mediocre eats at Al’s Cafe Good Food.
First of all, service was surly. We were grunted to a table, and had threadbare menus shoved at us. Actually, make that ‘menu’, singular — did the waiter really want us to share? Uh, yeah. Sorry, I don’t read upside-down in the morning. After trying unsuccessfully to get the waiter’s attention, we got up and got a second menu off the counter.
Then we tried to order, only to find out that they don’t make poached eggs?? WTF!? I thought this was a coffee shop. Given the choice of scrambled or over-easy, I went with scrambled. No English muffins or sourdough, either — you’ll take white or wheat …and *like* it.
We were practically the only people in the place, but for some reason our food took forever to come. When it finally materialized, it looked like a dog’s breakfast. The hashbrowns were cooked in nasty artificial-tasting griddle grease, and were totally pale, cold, and underdone. The eggs, on the other hand, were rubbery and over cooked. I don’t expect much from diner corned-beef hash from a can, but it should at least be heated through and preferably a little crispy (this was neither). Oh, and as for my toast? Nasty bread with cheap margarine. (–shudder–)
While we were attempting to eat, a guy came in and sat at the counter, and asked for eggs with three slices of bacon, instead of the two slices listed on the menu.
Waiter: “No, it comes with two.”
Customer: “Well, I’d like three.”
Waiter: “No!”
Customer: “What do you mean, “No!”? I’ll pay for it!”
Waiter: “Get out of here!”
(customer gets up, slams menu on the counter, and leaves)
Waiter: “And DON’T COME BACK!”
I felt sick most of the day after eating here. I can put up with mediocre food, as long as it’s made with love. But this meal was obviously made with an extra helping of contempt.
Ann’s Doughtnut Sandwich Shop
4488 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94112
415.334.1761
breakfast, restaurants
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Posted by Anita on 02.03.06 5:07 PM
I haven’t had time to download all the photos from our trip, but a couple of people have asked me about our experience with the Tsukiji fish market tour.
Nakamura-san and Yoshino-san speak fluent English, and they’re incredibly well-versed in the ins and outs of the market. They both used to work in Tsukiji for different wholesalers, and Yoshino-san lived in San Francisco years ago. I am sure that we saw things (like the uni showroom) that we would never have found on our own. Their explanations helped us understand the things we saw, rather than just being amused by the visual experience. If our guides didn’t know the answers to a question, they would ask the vendors and show genuine interest in the answers themselves.
The tour costs 7,500 yen (approximately $63/£35) per person. The only tricky part of the operation was the reservation, and even that isn’t hard. They’ve got major spam-blockers running on their email account, so you need to post their message board with your preferred date, and they will email you back.
The first morning, we ate at Sushi-sei, a traditional sushi bar in the outer market. We ordered the middle of the three set menus, and enjoyed everything very much. Nobody spoke any english, but it wasn’t a major problem… it just meant that we couldn’t chat with the sushi chefs! The second morning, Cameron went to Sushi-zanmai, a more-modern, casual sushi-place a couple of streets over. He said both were very good, but Sushi-sei was measurably better. (I, on the other hand, went to Yoshinoya!)
breakfast, restaurants, shopping, travel
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Posted by Anita on 01.25.06 7:50 AM
As promised, a wrapup of yesterdays trip to the House of Chicken and Waffles.
I’m about to commit blasphemy, but I think I actually like this place better than Roscoe’s. Cute decor with an air of space-age diner; bright colors and clean as a whistle.
I opted for the Angie’s Delight: 1 chicken breast, 1 waffle, plus grits.
The waffle was tasty, with a hint of spice; the chicken was nicely fried, then ‘smothered’ (actually dipped) in spicy chicken gravy. At first I thought I was going to have to ask for butter for my grits, but found a huge pool of butter lurking near the middle of the bowl… righteous!
Service was super-friendly, although it took more than 30 minutes to get my food (at 2pm… not exactly the lunch rush). And it’s not cheap: With a soft drink, my bill came to $11.
House of Chicken and Waffles
510.836.4446
444 Embarcadero West (near Jack London Square)
Oakland, CA
breakfast, East Bay, restaurants
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Posted by Anita on 11.11.05 5:45 PM
Rocky and I had a little too much fun visiting Murray last night.
The good news is that I am staying at the Ändra, so the best damned room-service hangover cure ever was only a speed-dial call away: Two eggs (scrambled), housemade pork-maple sausage, smashed garlic-fried potatoes, rustic Dahlia Bakery toast, figs… courtesy of Mr. Douglas at Lola.
breakfast, drinks, restaurants, Seattle, travel
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