California Trippin' - San Francisco

After a long absence from the blog, I was inspired to write again after Crystal and I's recent trip to Northern California.  In addition to a mixture of adventure and relaxation, we really set out to enjoy what some call the food and wine mecca of North America. As with most of our trips, many a day was spent discussing where we should eat lunch and dinner and making sure all scheduled activities did not conflict with our eating and drinking schedule.

Our trip was broken up into 3 parts:  San Francisco, Napa Valley (Yountville), and Half Moon Bay.  Since this is a food blog, I will focus mainly on the San Francisco and Napa portions of the trip, as the food in Half Moon Bay was rather mediocre overall (there was one highlight though), but will hand out awards for each stop.

Today's post will center on San Francisco.

San Francisco

Best Dish:  NOPA, Country Style Pork Chop w/ potatoes and spinach

This was the BEST pork chop I have ever had (yes, better than Patti's) and was very unique.  It was glazed and then grilled and cut in a way that retained a nice fat content, reminded me of a tomahawk steak cut, without the huge bone sticking out.  It was cooked medium rare and the flavors were intense and rich and everything you want in a large cut of meat.  Just phenomenal.

 

Pork Chop - sorry for bad picture

Best Wine:  NOPA, 2007 Calera "Ryan's Vineyard" Pinot Noir

Really well balanced and full bodied for a Pinot, this was a memorable bottle.  Paired nicely with our selection for dinner (see above for my pork chop, Crystal had Halibut).  Have been hoping to see this bottle on other wine lists since, but have come up empty so far.

 

Best Lunch: Tie, Slanted Door & "Picnic" on the Embarcadero

Upon arriving in San Francisco we immediately went to the Slanted Door after hearing numerous recommendations.  The restaurant overlooks the water at the Ferry building near Pier 1 and was a perfect setting to kick-off the vacation.  The food was well prepared, and while lacking a bit of a punch we were expecting in Vietnamese fusion, offered a satisfying meal.  We started with their famous shrimp and pork spring rolls and a cold noodle salad.  We split a lemongrass chicken entree that was devoured quickly as well.

Spring Rolls @ Slanted Door

The Ferry Building, which houses Slanted Door, is also home to many artisinal shops that were really fun to browse.  On Sunday, we decided to pick up a loaf of San Francisco's famous sourdough bread, some Fromage Blanc cheese from Cowgirl Creamery, fruits and olives from the market and had an impromptu picnic on the Pier.  It was so great to sit out next to the water, enjoy some high quality food at a very low price, and be reminded of my lunches in Europe.

"Picnic"

Honorable Mention: Boulevard
While no one dish stood out above Nopa, it would be hard to leave our meal at Boulevard out of the discussion.  Boulevard was Californian cuisine, presented in a very elegant and upscale environment.  The service was impeccable and we were treated to an amazing meal.  We started with the soft shell crab, which is always hard for me to pass up when it is in season.  This was a nice tempura presentation and allowed the crab to shine without overpowering it with breading.  Crystal had the filet, which was extremely tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare.  It was one of the richest filets I have tasted (may have been the butter!) and really nice. I had the lamb t-bone, which was flavorful and rich and served with some mint and potatoes.  I really enjoyed the lamb, but have to say the filet stole the show.  Dessert was a "Candy Bar", a chocolate ganache with roasted peanuts and caramel ice cream.  It was not our absolute favorite dessert of all time, but certainly was presented in the same upscale fashion as the rest of the meal.  Very nice restaurant that really left us with an impression of San Franciscan cuisine.


Lamb



Filet - Yum

"Candy Bar" with homemade Marshmallow

New Favorite Restaurant

Ghyslain (pronouced jeesleigh) recently opened on East Market Street in an old carriage house behind what was once a funeral home and is now home to Creation Gardens corporate offices.

This is a simple establishment, where you order at the counter and they bring your food to the table when it is ready. They also make "Beaux Arts" Chocolates and have fabulous desserts and gelato. The decor is spartan but classy - marble top tables and a fantastic dessert display case.

I have been there 3 times and enjoyed every visit tremendously. First, I took David Perellis to lunch for his birthday and we shared a French dip and he had French Onion soup and I had chicken gumbo. Both soups were fantastic and the sandwich was huge and I am glad we split it.

The second was for Mother's Day. Taylor and Alex, David, Debbie and Ethan, Mimi and myself enjoyed sitting outside on a gorgeous day and had a wonderful brunch. We sampled; waffles with Cream Anglais, Croque Monseiur, Norweigean salmon on French bread, granola with yogurt and fruit, oatmeal and a Cobb salad. The side dish of Lyonnaise potatoes that accompanied the Crouque Monseiur was one of the highlights, just the right amount of cream, cheese and thinly sliced potatoes.

The final trip, I was with Phyllis Green and we ran into Jeff and Amy Norton, and Hank Goldbeck, whom we joined for dinner and lovely conversation. I had the Pan Bagna Nicoise II sandwich, which was dry. This is the only dish I have had that disappointed, I would have used fresh tuna susimi instead of shredded can tuna and add some kind of dressing, however the French bread that it was on was perfect. I also ordered a beautifully presented Caprese salad with a very high quality mozzarella and a light balsamic vinegriatte on it. Jeff Norton had a Cajun wrap, Phyllis had the Greek quiche with wonderful black bean soup, and Amy had the California salad. The Norton, each had the chocolate mousse for dessert! Wish I had taken a photo of them, they were works of art, cyclinders of mousse surrounded by white and chocolate strips, tied with a ribbon and top with shaved chocolate. Very yummy. We finished with French pot dark coffee.

They are open everyday from 7 am to 9 pm and serve lunch and breakfast all day! The chocolate, gelato and fancy dessert make this a great place to go after the show, or even after dinner at another restaurant to have dessert and coffee.

Like I said this is my new favorite restaurant.

First Friday Shabbat Dinner - March

This past Friday was First Friday Shabbat Dinner at my house. I served Hoppin' Johns and everyone really enjoyed it. I served it so as to accommodate those attending; vegetarian, semi-Kosher and meateaters. It's not hard to make and serves a lot of people.

I served chorizo sausage on the side, as well as cooked chicken thighs that had been seasoned with granulated garlic, thyme, crushed red peppers and a little salt and pepper. I also had a bowl of shredded Monterey Jack cheese available and a sampling of hot sauces. So people could put a scoop of rice and then the black-eyed peas and finish it like they wanted. It's great for entertaining and you only need a salad and bread to compliment it. Try it and let me know how it comes out.

HOPPIN’ JOHNS


16oz dry black-eyed peas, packed in water
8 cups water
For your meat eaters, serve cooked chorizo sausage sliced into disks or diced cooked chicken or both on the side for them to add to theirs.24oz vegetable stock
1 t salt
1 onion, diced
1 – 28oz can of diced tomatoes
½ t pepper
½ t granulated garlic
½ t crushed red peppers
½ t thyme leaves
½ t ground cumin
2.5 cups cooked brown rice
½ cup dice green onions
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 cups cooked brown rice

Cover black-eyed pea with enough water to allow peas to double in size and still be covered. Let sit uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove floaters. Rinse peas well.

In a medium stock pot heat vegetable stock with the rinsed black-eyed peas, onions, diced tomatoes, pepper, crushed peppers, thyme and garlic. Simmer peas for 1-1.5 hours or until peas are soft.

To serve, place brown rice on a plate and top with a generous portion of the black-eyed peas. Top with the shredded cheese and diced green onions. Serve with corn bread and hot sauce.


Serves 10 - 15

For your meat eaters, serve cooked chorizo sausage sliced into disks or diced cooked chicken or both on the side for them to add to theirs.


CORN BREAD


2 cups bread flour
2 cups corn meal
1 stick butter (8oz)
2 cup cooked corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
2 eggs
8 t baking powder
1 T sugar (3 T if you like it sweet)
1 t salt
2 cups of milk

Preheat oven to 425o

In a large mixing bowl mix all dry ingredients. Beat eggs and add to dry mixture, add milk and corn kernels and mix just enough to incorporate all ingredients.

Lightly grease a 13” x 9” x 2” baking pan. Pour batter into baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Test with toothpick or tester for doneness (no batter on it when inserted into bread and pulled out).


Yields 8 large and 16 small servings

Fire Roasted Salsa

So I was watching Rick Bayless' Mexico, One Plate at a Time  on Sunday morning and it was all about salsas.  The main point of the show was that salsa in Mexico is used more as a condiment than as a chips/dip combination that we use here in the States.  He showed clips from various Mexican restuarants that would have 5 or 6 different varieties of salsa available for toppings to the tacos and street food they were enjoying.  One of the salsas he made in the show really caught my eye, it was a fire roasted salsa.  I made it that night and mixed it with some homemade queso sauce and poured over macoroni, topped with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs and baked for 20 minutes.  However, I think the salsa would be a great topping to almost any dish, it could go on fish, steaks, burgers, tacos, fajitas, or could be used as a dip with chips.  The recipe I used (and adapted from Rick Bayless') was as follows:

8 garlic cloves
1/2 onion
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 can of chipolte peppers, in adobo sauce (spoon out 4 peppers)
1/4 can of roasted red peppers
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
1 tbsp of water
10 dashes of hot sauce

In a medium hot skillet, roast the garlic cloves, with the paper still on, until softened and paper is black in spots.  While you are roasting the garlic, slice onion into 1/8th inch slices and add to pan about halfway through the garlic cooking.  After garlic is roasted, remove from the pan and set aside.  Add the tomatoes, chipolte, red peppers and hot sauce to the pan with the onions.  Sautee for about 3-4 minutes, to remove the canned flavor and to heat slightly.  While this is cooking, peel the garlic from its paper and place in a blender with the cilantro, add the ingredients from your skillet and blend until smooth.  Add the water if needed to thin out slightly.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Hope you enjoy.

Gastropubs

One of the most popular restaurant trends of the last few years has been the Gastropub.  The name Gastropub stems from the concept of the classic pub mixed with gastronomy, the art or science of quality food.  Over the last two months I have eaten at a few so-called gastropubs and I must say I love them.  The two best that I have eaten at recently are The Publican and The Purple Pig.  What is great about these establishments is that you leave the restaurant feeling like you ate the food the chef had always wanted to cook, at the restaurant he had always wanted to open.  Both of these establishments are owned by chefs made famous well before they opened their respective gastropubs, but you get the sense that these places have a renewed energy that shines through in food.

 The Publican is owned by Paul Kahan (of Blackbird and Avec), and their specialities are pork, oysters and beer.  The beer list is extensive and has a selection from around the world in all different styles.  The waitstaff is very knowledgeable about the list and offered great recommendations.  The beers paired nicely with a selection of oysters and spicy house made pork rinds to start the meal.  The pork rinds were really cool, it had a nice pork flavor and a very nice crunch.  The composed dishes are designed as small plates intended to be shared.  This is further enhanced by the communal dining aspect of restaurant.  Instead of having your own table, you are seated at a large table next to other diners.  It took a minute or two in order to get used to this concept, but at the end it definitely adds to the experience.  I sampled the suckling pig, veal sweetbreads, and the blood sausage and all were interesting and challenging to the palate.  This was not the food you get just anywhere.  The suckling pig was quite good and extremely tender.  The blood sausage (yes, it is what it sounds like) blew me away, it was one of the best things I have eaten in along time.  It had such a deep flavor, very enjoyable.  On my next visit, I would like to sample some more of their seafood options and the cured ham that they offer, but will definitely be going back for seconds on the blood sausage.

http://www.thepublicanrestaurant.com/    highly suggest flipping through the pictures of the food...

The Purple Pig was not all that different than The Publican conceptually.  It too is owned by some famous chefs/owners; Tony Montuano of Spiaggia and a James Beard award winner, Scott Harris who owns Mia Francesca, a fantastic Italian restaurant in Wrigleyville, and Jimmy Bannos and his son, Jimmy Bannos, Jr. who own Heaven on Seven, an extremely popular Cajun restaurant.  So the pedigree of this place was impressive to say the least.  The Purple Pig's slogan is Cheese, Swine & Wine, and the menu certainly supports that motto.  Like The Publican, communal dining was offered and we were sat at a large table with 3 or 4 other parties.  It was neat that towards the end of our meal the couple across from us was asking about dishes as they wanted to order them based on eyeballing our dinner.  The wine list was great, no American wines listed and the selections stretched across Europe.  Many of the wines were offered by the glass/quartino/half bottle and full bottle, which I really enjoyed because it allowed us to sample different wines from different regions.

The food stole the show though, we started with olive oil poached tuna and fava beans and shaved brussel sprouts with Parmesan and pecorino cheese.  The brussel sprouts were exceptional, the nuttiness of the cheeses shined through and accompanied the tuna nicely.  We followed that up with some crispy fried pig ear with fried kale, cherry peppers and a fried egg on top.  This was really cool, when you got a bite with all the components, it worked well.  Plus, you get to tell people you ate Pig's ear and enjoyed it.  Our next round of small plates were milk braised pork shoulder and a serrano ham, oyster mushroom and fried egg on top of a grilled piece of bread.  The serrano ham was good, the fried egg made the dish once again, but the pork shoulder was some serious eating.  It was the most succulent piece of pork I have ever tasted, it felt like butter in your mouth.  The flavor was great and it was served on creamy mashed potatoes with a nice gravy on top.  It was what you have always wanted a pot roast to taste like.  So good!  Dessert was a nutella, marshmallow and banana panini, which was fun and delicious, if not a bit overkill. 

http://www.thepurplepigchicago.com/    check out the recipe for the pork shoulder, will be trying it...

So am I on board with the Gastropub concept?  Yes, 100%.  The communal dining, European influenced small plates and focus on quality beer/wine lists is the complete package to me.  So I encourage you to try one the next time you get the opportunity, its the type of place to try something new and interesting and wash it down with a great beer or glass of wine.  Let me now if you have had any similar experiences.

Simple Dinner

The other night we invited some friends over for dinner last minute.

We were excited to have them but weren't really sure what to make.

Since neither one of us is that good of a cook, we were truly stumped all afternoon about this.

Ultimately we decided pizza was the best way to go.

Easy, yet delicious!

I bought pizza dough from Fresh Market.

Since I don't like pizza sauce, yes I am that picky, we made two medium size pizzas,

one with sauce and one without.

The one with sauce is much prettier.

It included spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, pepperoni, & salami.

Topped with shredded mozzarella & feta cheese.

(Mine had everything minus the sauce and meat.)

Stuck them in the oven for a few.

And there you have it!

Simple, yet delicious, dinner for four.

Anteprima

For Crystal's birthday this past weekend, we went to a great Tuscan restaurant up in Andersonville.  This is on the north side of the city and an area we do not frequent enough.  My friend and co-worker Brad had been talking up Anteprima for quite some time now and I have read a lot of great things about it.  Needless to say we were very excited to try the restaurant and it did not disappoint.

Let's recap the meal:

The restaurant brought out an amuse bouche, which was a vegetable tart.  It was a lot like a quiche and was a tasty first bite.   We decided to kick the night off with some cocktails and they were interesting; Crystal had Cynar, mixed with lemon juice and soda -- we had no idea what it was, but it was refreshing.  Later research indicated that it was a very popular drink in Europe.  I had a martini with fresh lemon juice and rosemary.  Very good, but I probably prefer a dirty martini, but this was good too.

For starters, we shared the grilled octopus (shown below) and the orichette pasta.  I need to discuss the octopus for a second, because it was phenomenal.  I have been craving it from the second the last bite was finished, I want more of this and I want it now.  It had a nice acidic vinaigrette spooned over perfectly grilled octupus.  It also had razor thin sliced fingerling potatoes and some peppers and chilis mixed in on the side.  It had such a nice balance and the octopus had a nice grilled flavor, but it did not overpower the dish.  The orichette was also well made, it had a house made lamb sausage, pecorino cheese and some chili flakes.  It was quite spicy, but again not in a way that overpowered the dish.  It was a smaller portion, so glad we got it as a starter, but was a nice dish I would try again.

On to the entree portion of the meal, Crystal had a sliced New York Strip which was served with wilted arugula and shaved parmasean cheese.  It was interesting that they put the arugula almost raw on the plate, but the plate comes out very hot, so it wilts as you are digging into the steak.  The strip was cooked nicely and was very tender and juicy.  I had the lamb chops, which were cut super thin, almost like they took a lamb chop and cut it in half lengthwise.  The flavor was outstanding and the sides may have been even better.  It came with a soft gargonzola polenta and spinach.  Excellent.  We enjoyed our meat dishes with a Barolo wine from Italy and it complimented the rich food very nicely.

Dessert was also very good, Crystal had a chocolate hazelnut tart and I had the lemon panna cotta.  I am not a huge panna cotta fan, but this was excellent.  Would definitely order it again when I return.  Crystal's was also delicious, the crust was great and it had a nice rich flavor.  If you like chocolate and hazelnuts, this was for you.

A great birthday dinner for Crystal and an exciting new find.  Looking forward to returning.