A little while ago some of us got together for a sushi party! We got the goods from Mitsuwa, a Japanese market in San Jose. Gigi says this place is better than Nijiya, which is the only one I've been to. I'll take her word for it!
You name it, we had it: amaebi, unagi ("salmon skin roll"), hamachi, salmon, tuna, wakame (seaweed salad)... so much food but soo good. It was my first time rolling, too!
Resident Francophile, Cynthia, turns 25 today! In honor of her quarterlife, she threw a French themed potluck, and despite some groans, a lot of people made food!
I had some lentils, so I made a Coq Au Vin and just threw them in with that. It ended up looking like brown mush (or barf, according to Kevin), but it was quite tasty. Cyn made some crepes for dessert a la Ikea mix, and we also had a fruit tart from La Farine (which, btw, ain't all that). Other dishes people made/brought included:
Our microwave is broken, so we've been steaming our food. I suppose that's probably better, anyway?
Leftovers from Great China (sorry for the glare)2115 Kittredge (between Shattuck & Oxford)
(510) 843-7996
Northern Chinese (Szechuan) in Berkeley
I've known about this place for a long time, and I have even gotten take-out (random veggies... I was hungry and in the area) during my college days without knowing what this place had to offer. There's a ridiculous wait, despite the 3 floors this place occupies. You can make reservations, and I'm glad we did. Thanks to my super yelper father, my family went here to try the peking duck it is popular for.
Why is this peking duck so lauded? Basically because they trim off the fat under the skin for you, and remove all the bones. This is perfect for the lazy (me) and the non-Chinese (stereotypically HM and afraid of getting down and dirty, which can also describe me). So was it as good as everyone praises it to be? Well, honestly, the only reason why I liked it so much was because it was so easy. If it had come normally (in bone and with fat), it wouldn't have been much different than your regular peking duck.
Late, I know! As a surprise "appetizer," Mike also made some gnudi like the Spotted Pig is known for. He got the sheep's milk ricotta from Cheeseboard, and we used a Batali recipe for a brown butter sage sauce to serve it with. Good thing I run haha.
3560 18th St (& Guerrero)
(415) 565-0360
Italian in the Mission
The best meal you can ever wish for when you have a canker sore :).
haha isn't that appetizing. When we went to Farina I was dying in pain and starving because I couldn't chew. I was planning to just get soup but luckily they have gnocchi with parmesan and truffle shaving and I was blown away. It was awesome. I also tried some of Kathy's chickpea soup and it was pretty good also. For dessert I got the Pearmisu and it was ok. I would definitely go back just for the gnocchi.
Pictures after the jump!
Since Michael Laiskonis, pastry chef of Le Bernardin, started blogging, I've found myself starring every single entry in my feed. He just shares so much knowledge and his recipes are so innovative... I still have yet to eat there, but I'm sure once I do I will enjoy it even more after reading his blog!
For a potluck, I wanted to make something that could be easily shared family style but still had an edge... I didn't want to make anything too fancy, so I thought his apple confit recipe pared down would work well, as well as his panna cotta. I changed the recipes so it would fit my schedule (e.g. I could easily make the caramel powder without the smoke, but I was trying to make both things at 9pm on a weeknight).
Unfortunately, I never got a chance to take real pictures of it! This is the only one I have, which is just a peek at the end product. =( It tasted good though! The panna cotta could've been silkier though. Not sure if that was me (making one giant one instead of 40 small servings) or the recipe.
Altered recipes after the jump.
2377 Shattuck Ave.
(510) 843-1535
French (or Provenal) in West Berkeley
I've been here many a time in the last few years, and it's definitely one of those places that gets majorly hyped. I first heard about it back in 2003 from my co-RA in the dorms who had spent a year studying abroad in Paris. OK, I thought, this place must be pretty good since she's probably been to Provence. I remember being completely let down by the supposedly divine raspberry oatmeal pancakes, as well as the eh eggs.
I had also gone for dinner once with a friend, and I remember being a believer in monkfish after my meal. Buttery and rich, that dinner was one of the best I had in college. But then again, that was pre-SF and before I really began fine-tuning my palate. I went here for another brunch last year, and got the deliciously sounding open-faced omelette with potatoes and caramelized onions, which was disappointingly bland.
After my let-down brunch experiences here, I went here again this past weekend, only because Mike had never been before. This time it was actually quite good. I would usually average the stars in the review, but I'm feeling generous. I believe that this restaurant can be redeemed, given these crucial factors:
600 Guerrero St. (and 18th St.)
(415) 487-2600
[French] Bakery/Dessert place in the Mission
One of my favorite places in SF. What I love about this place is the atmosphere -- it's so comfortable. It's the type of place where you can spend an hour or two just reading by yourself. The quality of the desserts is very good, as is the food (try the sandwiches). The only thing this place lacks is originality/innovation in their menu (although that's not what they're going for, anyway).
*** UPDATE ***
I've never tried their loaves of bread before, but I finally did last week. Here's a sourdough with dates & hazelnuts... the crust was very caramelized which I'm personally not a fan of, but the bread was fluffy and the flavors subtle.
I woke up this morning with an email from my mother, with the subject line "What did Mommy cook," including a series of photos as follows.
Ooh the suspense is killing me!
