Grace designed a dessert table and I tested out some summer desserts I've been meaning to try. You can check out her thoughts on design at her blog, or check out the PW article for some more photos!
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Line Starts Where?
Oh the irony
The former Taylor's Refresher, now Gott's Roadside, kicked off their new identity today with some free food, T-shirts, and a little bit of chaos. While it was painfully obvious that the event suffered from poor planning and severe miscommunication, it was very generous of the owners to celebrate by feeding the public they regularly serve. At the end of the day, the staff was really kind, friendly, and tried to keep the spirits high for the hundreds waiting bitterly in the biting wind. Let's just say that complaining definitely helped our situation.
Monday, March 22, 2010
In the Sun
The weather has been amazing (ie, 60F+) which makes me want to wear pretty dresses and just listen to fluffy music all day. One can dream!
Raisin scone, soda bread, and brown bread from John Campbell's in honor of St Patty's
While their scones are much lauded across the city, I think they're rubbery. Their breads however are powerfully addicting.
While their scones are much lauded across the city, I think they're rubbery. Their breads however are powerfully addicting.
Fried mac n cheese and a pork confit sandwich from 4505. So unnecessary and kind of disgusting (the mac n cheese).
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Message in a Cookie
My sister let me borrow her W-S cookie cutters where you can stamp a 2-line message. While it isn't the most well-designed (only alphabet letters and no numbers or symbols, only 3 basic shapes without ability to customize, etc), it is still quite useful and I was able to work around its limitations. I used them to put together a Project Wedding article, and brought them to a bridal shower afterwards for my friend Patty (worked out quite nicely).
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Yoghurt Bread
My friend Emily introduced me to lacto-fermented bread - that is, yeastless bread that rises from soaking wheat in yogurt, sour milk, or buttermilk (basically anything with active cultures). I would talk about the science behind it and the biological health benefits, but it went completely over my head. She even went above and beyond by making her own whole wheat flour by grinding up wheat berries. Now THAT is all natural.
Here is the flour after soaking in the yogurt and fermenting in a warm place for 24 hrs. It felt like a slice of bread crumpled up, very dense and dry.
After adding in some eggs, butter, and other stuff, the dough was like a super thick batter
It actually had a pretty nice crumb! Coarse, chewy, and super healthy!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Commis
Please excuse the craptastic photos - Commis' signless storefront intimidated me enough to not bring my camera, though it didn't stop me from snapping a few with my phone.
I had read a lot about this restaurant since its anticipated opening, followed by Michael Bauer's griping review and others mixed. I am not one to ever take him seriously, so I was still curious and decided to go a few weekends ago. Despite its lack of any signage and overall pretentious aura from the outside, I found the ambiance to be comfortable and not sterile at all, the service warm and friendly, and the food subtle and unexpected.
To address a few of MB's complaints - Yes, it was strange that the utensils were placed upside-down, but after asking the hostess she explained that it was really just the design, and if they were placed right-side-up they would rock back and forth. Odd choice, but really a minor detail. The walls were bare, yes, but there were so many live plants and other decor that I didn't feel like I was in a lab at all.
Let's get to the food. Their signature amuse (poached egg yolk surrounded by onion cream) was quite unctuous - fatty, rich, and delicious. I wasn't a fan of everything we had (broccoli soup tasted like strong ginger to me), but one app was a revelation - crispy sweetbreads with cereal grain and fowl juices (think savory oatmeal). The cod entree felt like Asian comfort food with its clear broth, turnips, and cabbage. The food was surprisingly accessible and familiar, yet still refined in technique.
The third course, however, was a bit underwhelming. Presented with 3 options (fruit, chocolate, cheese), we went with the goat cheese panna cotta with beet-blood orange sorbet, blood orange segments, beet foam, and candied pistachios. The pistachios had the perfect texture, but something went awry with the panna cotta which seemed to have tiny air bubbles and seemed to foam in the mouth. Instead of the chocolate, I thought the cheese course sounded interesting, but while the menu said "warmed," I was not expecting melted cheese on puff pastry! The lavender onion marmalade accompaniment was interesting, but it was really a waste of a dish.
While not every dish was stellar, there were definitely a few winners that made the meal satisfying. The wine pairing was also spot-on, and our servers were extremely knowledgeable in each bottle's story. I don't know if I would go back since it was over $100 per person, but I'm glad I tried it.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Here and There
Apple galette with almond frangipane and really great homemade puff pastry (I didn't peel the apples so there would be some color - the reds are from pink ladies); chicken adobo burrito with garlic fried rice from papalote's annual mexi-pino menu mmm
Underdog(s)
Underdog (hot dogs) and Underdogs (sports bar + taco shop) can get easily confused, especially since they are just about 2 blocks away from each other on opposite sides of 19th. Underdog feels like a hippie version of Top Dog with their extensive list of vegetarian and vegan "sausages," except significantly more expensive by $2+. The meat versions are all organic, and they also include some grassfed options as well as a Let's Be Frank dog, which would explain the higher prices, though it isn't more satisfying than a $1.50 Polish from Costco. Good and healthier I suppose, but how healthy are hot dogs anyway?
Monday, February 01, 2010
The Challenge: Complete
Brunch galore: Mama's and Cafe Fanny (far R)
I've made it. Well.... I have a little confession to make. This weekend on 30-Jan, just 2 days left in the month, I was at Korean BBQ and enjoying my vegetable bibimbap, and I picked up some of the banchan that I thought was tofu. Well... it turned out to be fishcake! UGHHHHHHH FAILLLLLLLLLLLLLL
While I would like to discount that because it was a pure accident right before I was home-free, I know I can't call this challenge a success without feeling guilty. I was sooo close. Oh well!
French onion soup and a glass of wine at the Absinthe bar on a rainy day! Blue Bottle's toast and latte
Do I feel different? Did I miss meat? Will this change the way I eat from now on? I feel exactly the same, and like I said before, the only difficult part was eating out or in social gatherings. Since my last post, Rhonda was gracious enough to make a special mushroom ragu for me at a party, I tried the house-made veggie burger at Monk's Kettle (Can't Fail is much better), Mike and I have had a lot of red hot catatoes, and I've been enjoying many a veggie burrito from La Taq after church. I've been saving money from the discipline of bringing my lunch to work instead of spending $10/day on overpriced FiDi salads, and hopefully I can continue to do that since it's also healthier.
Every time a new article was posted about meat contamination or something just as disturbing, I definitely thought "I'm glad I don't have to worry about that." Now that I will again, I think I might stay away from questionable products like hot dogs, bologna, etc unless I know that they are sourced from actual substantial pieces of real animal that hasn't been sitting in its own feces and disease. But who am I kidding. It's so difficult to really track that down, so maybe I will just try to only eat meat when I eat at non-sketchy places (since most SF restaurants grind their own meat, etc). We'll see! Maybe I'll try it again another month, but in the mean time I will be enjoying the nduja that has been sitting in my freezer, waiting for this day to come.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Challenge Update: Halftime
Something I still won't see for awhile: 4505 Meats lengua/brisket sandwich, topped with shredded brussel sprouts, a fried egg, and hollandaise
I am halfway through my month of not eating meat. It's only been 2 weeks, but I feel like it's been a long time, and February couldn't come sooner! The very first day (1-Jan-2010), I was already challenged by having lunch with my extended family at a serious Vietnamese restaurant (like... Story Rd Little Saigon serious). Now, I never realized how difficult it is to avoid meat and meat products in their cuisine, and at the time I was under the impression that I just wasn't eating meat... so I ate around fish, but still ate fish sauce. Some would call that cheating, like my sisters, but I didn't think it was. Regardless, I haven't eaten anything cooked with meat or meat-based sauces either since then.
Eating out in social settings is really the hardest part, as I learned once again on 2-Jan-2010, when my friend had a party with Hawaiian BBQ. Good thing I brought my own food! Many of my friends have shaken their heads with pity on me after forgetting about my month-long diet, especially after offering me some bacon that was more or less a cube of fat. One night I went to the MOMA and hung out at the rooftop Blue Bottle, where their only savory options were a mortadella sandwich, and a sweaty, stale cheese sandwich that had been left out all day. I ended up having a latte and half a slice of cake for dinner.
No sweaty cheese on this tray! R: the makings of an amazing butternut squash pasta with fresh sage from my mother's garden, and brown butter (it looks really dark because of the solids, which I later strained out)
So what have I been eating, and not just avoiding? LOTS of curry. I have seriously been eating some form of curry multiple times a week - Korean, Indian, Thai... you name it. I went to Udupi for the first time I learned of Mike's absolute love for Indian and Thai food (I thought it was just Italian). I've had split pea soup up the wazoo (so easy to make), and discovered the most amazing mix at TJ's - almonds, peanuts, wasabi peas, and dried cranberries. I've generally also been eating less - not because I've been restricted, but since I have less options, I don't have the chance to over-gorge like I normally do. My body has also been craving fat, something I am not used to since I generally get that from animal protein. I should probably eat more eggs.
While it hasn't been too difficult so far, it's still been more challenging than I thought it would be. Here's to two more weeks!
While it hasn't been too difficult so far, it's still been more challenging than I thought it would be. Here's to two more weeks!
Monday, January 11, 2010
In December Drinking Horchata
Kotteri (back fat) broth, lots of cool posters
Potato balls (fried mashed potatoes filled with beef stew), and a sampling of all the guava pastries. In store, sensory overload! It was very confusing
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