As mentioned before, I went to the new Michael Mina last week. I'm not really a power-lunch type (my wallet groans when I buy $11-salads), and I usually intentionally wait for new restaurants to work out their kinks before I give them a try. My lunch here, however, was completely decided on a whim. It had just opened, was just a stone's throw from the office, and was a slightly more attractive option than chicken fingers, even as Alice's treat.
As expected, this restaurant/wine bar was more casual than its fine-dining sister. I called Friday between 10am-11am to no avail (usually reservationists get in by 10am), and when we walked into the empty restaurant at 11:45am, they said they were all booked (I later got a voicemail saying that they were having phone problems and had open reservations for lunch. Um whaat). The bar is open seating and serves full menu so we took a load off, and as expected, the place was pretty lively around 12:30pm (when normal people eat lunch).
Blah blah blah. I'm boring myself writing this post. A lot of it is because... our meal there was easily forgettable and underwhelming. The food was fine and moderately priced for a restaurant attached to such a famous name, but also as expected, portions were small but still filling enough for the average small person. Hamachi was like any other dish anywhere else, the grilled mushrooms could've come from a Foccacia kitchen, the halibut was bland, veal a bit too homemade, and the duck and agnolotti were pretty tasty. I LOOOVED the desserts at Michael Mina, so the chocolate frozen parfait-like dessert was a bit lackluster. The cherries and lemon crisp complemented the white sesame pot de creme nicely, although the crisp wasn't... crisp. Blah blah blah.
Ultimately, what saved my view of RN74 was the wine. Countless reviews anticipating its opening have gone into great detail of the sommelier's vision of the restaurant's marriage of wine and food. I am far from an oenophile, so I just told the server/bartender to give me a glass of pinot to go with my veal. It was absolutely delicious. Light and fruity, but still smooth and endlessly drinkable... I should've noted what it was actually called. Either way, this glass of wine made me a believer in RN74... as a happy hour destination. I mean, the restaurant is not even a month old and is still working things out, so what can I really say, you know? Do expect to see the head honcho himself though!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
RN74
Top 10 Go-to Lunch Spots Within a 1-mile Radius of Where I Work
Last week I celebrated my four-year anniversary... with my job. WOOT. I believe my very first meal as a FiDi yuppie was at Boudin, probably a turkey avocado sandwich on a croissant. Well, times have changed and many lunches have been had. While we celebrated this depressing milestone at the recently opened RN74, a large percentage of my income in the last four years has helped sustain these businesses:
1. Foccacia: GOOD LORD, I would not be able to count the number of times I've been here. My go-to salad: spinach w/ roast chicken, kidney beans, roasted red bell peppers, and goat cheese. Go-to sandwich: wheat w/ roast chicken, pesto mayo, roasted red bell peppers, brie, onions, lettuce, tomato [toasted]. (salad and sandwich sound oddly similar) Go-to grill: ground chicken w/ grilled veggies or mac n cheese if I ignore my conscience.
2. Harvest and Rowe: split-pea soup isn't as thick as it used to be (the thicker the better), but I still get it whenever it is remotely cold.
3. Mondo Caffe: crab melt
4. Mixt Greens: maui or the bachelor. It's so expensive, but sooo convenient!
5. Go-go Sushi: usually a sashimi bowl
6. Birley's: BBQ chicken sandwich
7. Baladie: lamb/beef shawarma (Oasis Grill has a much better falafel)
8. Niji Japanese Grille: I don't know why it's spelled with an "e" at the end. Udon (cold days) or gyu-don
9. Muracci's: katsu curry when I don't care about what I'm putting into my body, or beef ramen
10. Neeto's: Expensive, heart-attack-ish, but sooo close! California club!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Bandwagon (bandcart?)
Good grief this food cart thing is getting ridiculous. Street food, food carts, street vendors... whatever you want to call it... this type of food has been lacking in SF, a thought that I've mentioned before and have felt for a long time (long before MSF came around). The concept is obviously nothing new, and if you ever go to other big cities (outside of LA), you'll see non-taco-truck food vendors everywhere.
Well, it's finally happened. I'm sure the recession has a lot to do with this sudden surge (less money = people want cheaper food, people can't afford renting restaurant space, people need extra cash, etc), and maybe the whole immediacy of the twitter craze, but I think the bigger influence is MSF. I just hope this fad is about serving good food, and not just about being hip and catering to the Dolores Park scene. If only! I'm sure there will be plenty more popping up around the city, but here's the running list:
Magic Curry Kart
Creme Brulee Cart
Amuse Bouche Guy (this guy doesn't have any permits = Amuse Douche? har har that was cleverrr)
*Correction* Apparently none of these guys have permits, and there's also a spring roll guy now.
Non-cart "street food"
John's Snack and Deli: I actually ate here a few days ago*, and eater finally got word today
Kitchenette
Kasa (it's been around for awhile and actually is a restaurant, but they've been having special street food nights featuring different regions of India)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
TOP 5: Tokyo Food Themes
My visit to Tokyo was at the tail-end of my trip, and the purpose was really just to eat, shop, and hang out (unlike last time). I did reference this list, but really just for the sweets.
1. Sakura
Cherry blossom season varies all over Japan, and is a bit short-lived and fleeting. Although I caught trees at their peak all over China, I arrived in Tokyo a few days late. It was still beautiful, but the green leaves were already invading the branches, and the petals were already beginning to fall. Oh well! There were plenty of sweets still available - just in time before the season came to an end.
Sakura mochi from Higashiya in Nakameguro. The filling was red bean, and the flavor of the cherry blossom leaves was infused into the rice (I've always thought that mochi used mochiko, but apparently that's only one version).
Sakura ice cream (subtle floral/bing cherry flavor), bread w/ crush cherry blossom + red bean filling, bread sprinkled with cherry blossom leaf powder
2. Hidden treasures
Some places that my friend Taro took us to included this easily missable Okinawan-style Izakaya in Shibuya. Their pork tongue was tender and delicious, their "sea grapes" fresh and crunchy, and it was just a great meal all around. We also hung out at this tiny jazz cafe near Haraujuku/Shibuya... super super cute! We also ran into the makeshift cafe in Nakameguro... while in Tokyo, I managed to go to almost all the places listed in this NYT article without even knowing about it until I got back.
On the street, in front of Madeleine (photo courtesy of Taro)
Teyandei - hollowed out baguette filled with ice cream (L), fried mountain yam w/ tartar sauce (R)
The Japanese really know design, especially when it comes to food. French pastry (and pretty much all things French) is especially adored, and two of the most popular patisseries I had on my list were in Ginza - Sadaharu Aoki, known for its eclairs, and Hidemi Sugino, known for its mousse cakes. I was told to arrive early for the latter, but I didn't realize that getting in line an hour before the store opened wasn't early enough! The store only makes 5-10 individual pieces of each cake, and there is a 6-piece limit per patron. Um, what? Yes, that means they can sell out of one type of cake after one customer. Um, what? !!! That is the dumbest business plan ever! So yes, I arrived almost an hour before opening, and barely nabbed 3 of the remaining cakes. Was it worth it? Well, if I had first selection, maybe I would feel differently, but at the moment I would say no. It's a heart-wrenching process watching platter after platter disappear before you get to the counter. I would consider trying my luck again if I knew I would be one of the first 5 people in line. =P
Aoki's famous eclairs (cassis, salted caramel -- very deep and almost burnt, matcha/chocolate layered cake)
At any sushi place, my go-to dish is always chirashi. I've seen a few different versions, but at this restaurant in Tsukiji was my first time having it prepared 3 ways. #1: Mix up the raw fish, uni, roe, and rice with soy sauce and wasabi to your liking; eat half. #2: Mix in pickled vegetables; eat half of that. #3: Pour hot tea/water onto the remaining fourth and eat as a soup. I'm a purist, so I preferred method #1, but it was still interesting since the fish was partially cooked at the end.
Kit Kats: Strawberry, jasmine, fried sweet potato w/ honey, and red bean -- all flavored chocolate. There were others like flan and white chocolate, but these seemed to be a little more interesting.
Farm to Table
Mmm dinnerI took the above photo while I was on a bus in the Sichuan province. Tons of trucks full of animals and produce were passing us by, and this one in particular struck me. These animals were no doubt "free range" and were probably fed "local" and "organic" meal, and were bred "naturally" (we passed by tons of farms), but WTF! In transit, they were just covered in each other's vomit and feces. It was truly disgusting. Yes, that did make me want to become vegetarian for the day (I had dan dan mien w/ ground pork for dinner), but moreover, it made me wonder if all that sustainable jargon really mattered when it came down to whether or not I'd eat it.
Anyway, I won't say much more about the topic, so with all that aside, one of the best parts of the trip in terms of fresh food was the tea! Super fresh and picked right off of the mountains!
Some less thoughtful Top 5 lists after the jump:
TOP 2 Beijing Roast Ducks
1. Quanjude (the one near google and microsoft, not the forbidden city location!)
2. Dadong
Quanjude (right) and Dadong (left) were comparable in quality - the skin was crisp, had a light golden color, and the fat was translucent and blended into the skin. Despite Dadong's reputation for being the best, what put Quanjude over the edge was its cornmeal wrappers that gave extra flavor. They also gave you more for less money, but that was really secondary to the flavor. People usually consider Quanjude overrated and way past its prime, but their new location in the "silicon valley" of Beijing is smaller and less people go there... so the high quality that has made this restaurant successful in the past is maintained at this branch (so far). Note: we also went to Bianyifang, which isn't worth talking about. I attempted going to Liqun mostly because Tony Bourdain went there and loved it, but all the locals were disgusted and insisted we go somewhere else since it was supposed to be the worst!
TOP 5 Lays Potato Chips Flavors1. Lychee all the way!
2. Seaweed (couldn't find them in Beijing, but went I went to Shanghai a few years ago I brought back bags and bags)
3. Mango
4. Blueberry
5. Finger Licking Braised Pork (I actually didn't try it, but hey, it must be finger-licking good!)
TOP 4 ways to get food poisoning in Beijing (or, TOP 4 foods to regurgitate onto the lawn of the Bird's Nest):
1. Hot pot: note to self - do not listen to locals when they say to only cook tripe for a few seconds
2. Hot pot: a free plate of lamb. Chinese people never give freebies!
3. Jian bing
4. Bao zi with pickled vegetables
TOP 3 Sichuan-style foods
1. Boiled fish in oil, water, and spices - I couldn't get enough; truly amazing!
2. Dan dan mien
3. Fried sticky rice balls - OK, not exactly Sichuan, but we got these multiple times in Chengdu (even better version in Guilin: coated in sugar and pork sung).
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Home!
Whenever I go abroad I always crave fresh Californian produce. My first meal back from Asia was a salad at Intermezzo. Mike and I also whipped up some spaghetti with tons of fresh basil (using the supposed Delfina recipe), and some sauteed chard and roasted asparagus. Very winter meets spring. Yay for bay area farmer's markets!
Of course there are tons of markets in Asia (where they're "farmer's markets" by default), but you just can't get the same produce that I'm used to here.
Oh yes, I also checked out the new Blue Bottle, gorged myself at our company brunch-fest, and spent a lot of time indoors in front of my computer instead of enjoying the fabulous weather. Home, indeed!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Rage Against the Machine
I decided to make bostock for my friend's birthday, which meant making brioche. Yeast hates me, so I try to practice every once in awhile. I've tried a few different recipes in the past, and I decided to give Tartine's a go this time. It's definitely different than the others - as the cookbook disclaimer says, their brioche is meant to be less rich since they use it solely for their popular bread pudding (in fact, they don't even let you buy any, even though they sell loaves of other bread). The texture was more crumby and similar to more "normal" breads, unlike the flaky, buttery recipes of Dorie and others. It makes sense, but I think the rich version tastes better, regardless of what you're using it for. Butter = better, duh.
The dough also developed a lot of gluten while I was adding the butter - so much, that I literally had to push all my body weight onto my mixer to keep the top from flipping up. I realized that day that if I ever get a new mixer (which is highly likely at this point), it will need to be the crank kind or a Hobart (can you imagine having a 140-liter Hobart for home use?? I would need a big kitchen). Why? Because my bowl got stuck! All the motion in the bowl must've locked that sucker in. Seriously, throughout the entire day, both Val and I would periodically try to twist and turn the bowl free, but to no avail. I had trouble sleeping that night because my forearms and hand tendons hurt so much. I'm pretty much resigned to dealing with it and washing the entire machine in the sink. Sadness. =(
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Nooooo Reservations: What Would Tony Eat?
Word on the street says Tony is coming to the city next weekend to begin filming the long overdue SF episode for the current season. Both Mikey and I are committed fans of the show (Mikey more so than me), much like the rest of the world. After the wealth of episodes I've watched I think we kind of understand the evolution of his tastes and what he seeks. Of course, it's all speculation, because it's not like we know the guy (I wish). With that said, where will Tony eat when he's here, considering that there has never been an SF episode? What restaurants/food-related places define this city? For someone who has traveled all over the world, where can he go that will be unique to the rest of the globe?
Some unsurprising destinations would be...
- Incanto, possibly for a head to tail dinner with fellow pig-lover Chris Cosentino
- the Ferry Building/Farmer's Market
- a taco truck in the mission
- Chinatown, maybe even a stop at Golden Gate Bakery
- some Californian cuisine establishment, like Zuni or Chez Panisse to verbally combat Alice Waters
Here are two less obvious places where I think he should definitely go to, and why:
1. San Tung
Sure, this restaurant isn't necessarily mind-blowing (although some people are completely in love with their wings), but I feel like the food and its patrons reflect the city well. Tony likes establishments with history and rich stories, meaning and value in their off-the-beaten-path glory. San Tung is a purely local restaurant, filled with families, yuppies, grad students, food-lovers, and even a few non-Asians that may or may not call the plate of kimchi an "amuse bouche." The bay area is largely Asian and Asian American, and the northern Chinese/Korean-influenced cuisine of the shandong province (close to South Korea) is also something Tony hasn't tasted in his five seasons. The food is simple, humble, but so good and so satisfying. Honestly, who doesn't like it?? Here's the story behind the restaurant:Behind this restaurant are Mrs. Chu and her son, Frank. Mrs. Chu, who immigrated to San Francisco from Korea as an ambitious Chinese entrepreneur, runs the business side. Frank’s father had a serious medical condition 10 years ago that forced Frank to leave school at Skyline Community College, where he was studying to be an auto mechanic. Although Frank sacrificed his dream to own a mechanic shop, he is enjoying the success of the family restaurant. Amazingly, San Tung amassed great popularity without advertisement; Frank credits fresh food and loyal customers, who in return have generated business from rave word-of-mouth reviews. (source)
2. Mission Street Food
If you keep up with the SF food scene, there's pretty much no way you haven't heard of this. I've been a few times, and see no reason to discontinue my occasional visits, depending on the menus. Although this is the more likely of my two suggestions to make it onto the show, I still wouldn't necessarily add it to the "unsurprising destinations" list, even if it has been getting a lot of press lately. This is no ordinary "underground food movement," and is very much unlike your other roaming restaurants or pop-ups. What makes MSF special is not just the stripped-down food-focused [un]intentional hipster irony of being in a slightly run-down Chinese restaurant... but it's really about community. MSF is about collaboration, and bringing community together through good food, and perhaps more importantly, through the process behind that food. The menus are developed and executed by people from all around the city, using ingredients sometimes from backyards (like herbs). The community aspect also extends to where the money goes - all profits to charity. Why would Tony go here? Because MSF is as much, if not more, about San Francisco and its people as it is about the food it serves.
Hm I pretty much just wrote two voluntary endorsements, but these two "restaurants" really make me proud to be a San Franciscan. THAT is why Tony should go there!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Peanut Butter Banana Time!
I've been spending a lot of time with my parents, which means limited baking/cooking/food-making. However, that also means consistent access to my mom's ice cream machine! When I had leftover sour cream and some blueberries I got sick of eating... I made blueberry sour cream ice cream (tastes like cheesecake). The other day someone was talking about peanut butter banana milkshakes, so I did the most logical thing: made some ultra creamy PB ice cream topped with some hot caramelized bananas. Really the epitome of comfort food-dessert without making a pie. Also a flavor concept that is a favorite of mine.
Food Porn
The other day, someone commented that only people in the bay area take pictures of their food. I'd like to further that conjecture and claim that outside of food bloggers, only bay area Asians take pictures of their food. Jen countered this by telling a story of doing it in France and her Frenchie friends laughing because it fulfilled their stereotype of Japanese tourists taking food pictures (she is not Japanese). So yes, bay area Asians and Japanese tourists.
Yes, there was a time before my memory cards were filled with food porn, and I actually took more photos of people than food. Here are some food-related pictures from that time during a trip to Japan, pre-food-blog. I'm going to Japan again soon... what will happen? A bay area Asian in Japan... will the world implode in all its food porn glory?
L: takoyaki, R: OJ has feelings too
L: frozen tuna @ Tsukiji, R: Tiger trying to communicate what he wants to eat