A Visit to the Kwik-E-Mart
2007-07-06 02:13:00
On the way home from work tonight, I stopped at the local Kwik-E-Mart. Yes, the Kwik-E-Mart. In conjunction with Twentieth Century Fox, 7-Eleven has transformed 11 of its convenience store locations into Kwik-E-Marts to promote the upcoming The Simpsons Movie, which opens nationwide later this month. One of these temporary Kwik-E-Marts is located in Mountain View, CA, just around the curve from the Googleplex and, fortunately for me, on my way home from work.As I drove up to the store, I noticed that the 7-Eleven signs next to the parking lot had been liberated of their newly applied store logos, undoubtedly the work of souvenir-seeking scofflaws. However the store itself, with its new facade, was left unscathed.Not surprisingly, a lot of other people were also checking out the newly transformed store. I counted at least 25 people, both outside the Kwik-E-Mart, snapping photos and loitering about a la Nelson Muntz and crew, and inside the store, taking in the new decor. In addit
Joey Brings the Mustard Belt Back Home
2007-07-05 00:22:00
In a high noon showdown earlier today, Joey Chestnut took down six-time defending champion Takeru Kobayashi by downing 66 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes to win the 2007 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut shattered his own world record of 59 1/2 dogs, which he set last month in the Southwest regional qualifier. Kobayashi was credited with eating 63 dogs in a losing effort, but there was a moment at the very end of the competition where it appeared that he suffered a "reversal of fortune". Karen and I were both surprised that he was not disqualified for this seemingly obvious breach of the contest rules.
Ratatouille!
2007-07-08 23:41:00
I'm not talking about the movie, but rather the dish! My wonderful girlfriend surprised me last Friday evening by preparing this simple, but tasty French recipe for dinner. Karen opted to go with a quick version of the recipe with poultry sausage. She spent a good part of the afternoon shopping for ingredients and dicing vegetables, which included red bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, Japanese eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. In lieu of a hot pepper, Karen used a spicy turkey sausage with cilantro.The recipe was very fast and easy to make. First, she sauteed minced garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Then, she added in all of the vegetables except for the tomato and continued to saute the mixture until it began to soften, perhaps about 7-8 minutes longer. Then, she mixed in the diced tomatoes and cooked it for an additional 3-4 minutes. Finally, she put in the sliced sausage, and the chopped basil and parsley, and cooked the mixture until the sausage was warmed t
Range: Our Dinner in Pictures
2007-07-13 14:14:00
Last weekend, Karen and I were finally able to meet up with Tesha and Jeremiah for dinner out on the town. Even though my ex-pat friends have been back in the Bay Area for over nine months, it's been amazingly difficult find a mutually workable time to get together for a nice, sit-down dinner due to our exceedingly busy schedules. In fact, we were fortunate that Tesha had just flown back from Europe last Friday and was eager to meet up for dinner (despite the jet lag).Karen and I thought that we would introduce them to one of our favorite dining spots in San Francisco, Range
(842 Valencia Street; 415-282-8283), a Mission District destination featuring American cuisine. Karen has this knack for picking out up and coming restaurants before they become the buzz of the town. Range was one such find, a restaurant that we visited well before it received its Michelin star rating.We started our dinner with a round of drinks. The ladies both opted for a peach bellini, while we guys went f
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, Pictures
Introducing... What We Ate
2007-07-16 02:28:00
Here's the first in what hopefully will be an on-going series of posts summarizing some of my dining experiences. I often find that when I am busy, especially with work (like I am now), I tend to let this blog go by the wayside. Hopefully, with this is condensed version, I can still share some of my stories, even when other things take over my life.Friday, July 13Lunch: Coco500, 500 Brannan Street; 415-543-2222One of the perks of Karen's job is that they have summer hours, which means her weekend starts at 12:30pm Friday afternoon. This past Friday, I took a half-day off to join her in an early weekend.What we ate:Braised duck panini: shredded duck on lightly toasted bread - dee-lish! Came with a watercress-orange salad on the side.Spaghettini: pasta with local squid in a ink-based sauce with a hint of lemon and olive oil. Also excellent.Truffled squash blossom flatbread: Also very good, though it seemed that it would be more appropriate as an appetizer (which is how we had it)
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A Quick Update
2007-07-26 01:16:00
I apologize for the recent drought of new posts. I was out of town for most of last week attending a work event at the Seascape Resort in Monterey Bay. With family in town visiting me this week, I haven't had much time to catch up on my favorite blogs, much less add to my own. I definitely hope to get back into the swing of things next week with some new blog entries.However, I did want to pass along some unfortunate news coming out of the Chicago food scene. Grant Achatz, executive chef of Alinea, announced that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. Achatz, who worked under the tutelage of Thomas Keller at The French Laundry, opened his restaurant two years ago to much acclaim, serving up unique and innovative dishes such as his "PB&J", the essence of the sandwich compressed into a single bite. Achatz is undergoing chemotherapy treatment which could potentially affect his sense of taste. Hopefully the treatment will go well and he will have a spee
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, Update
, Quick Update
Bottled Tap Water
2007-07-27 10:10:00
Recently, a lot of attention has been raised about bottled water and its negative impact on the environment. In addition to the obvious need to manufacture plastic bottles (much of which ends up clogging up landfills), a lot of energy is consumed transporting the water to the consumer. Bottled
water opponents also argue that bottled water is far more expensive and no cleaner than tap water (which, in the United States, is quite clean). In many cases, it is simply bottled tap water. In fact, PepsiCo just announced that they would be changing the labeling on the Aquafina bottled water product to say just that. Aquafina bottles will now have the words "Public Water Source" listed on the label. I wonder if Coca-Cola will follow PepsiCo's move toward corporate responsibility by updating the labels on Dasani, their line of bottled water.
What We Ate... At The Alembic
2007-08-03 19:07:00
Monday, July 30Dinner: The Alembic Bar, 1725 Haight Street; 415-666-0822Last Monday, we decided to check out The Alembic, a trendy new bar in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco.What we ate:Sliders: Moroccan spiced lamb burgers with harissa aioli and olive tapenade. Tasty, but I wish that we got more than two burgers for $10. Stout-braised oxtail: with melted cheese and roasted peppers on toast. Good, but also a bit expensive.Herb and Spice Dusted Fries: with lemongrass, garlic, and aromatic aioli.Spaetzle: with braised rabbit, bacon, gruyère, dijon mustard and tarragon. Absolutely delicious, our favorite dish of the evening.What we drank:Bourbon Old FashionedMint JulepMellow Yellow: not the soft drink, but rather a variation on a whiskey sourSara's Ruby Mild from the Magnolia Pub and Brewery, The Alembic's sister restaurant
Hot Dogging
2007-08-10 03:16:00
Between a family visit, a sudden surge at work, and a wonderful event in my life (about which I'll probably blog one of these days), I haven't really been thinking much about food lately, especially not about cooking. In fact, I haven't really cooked anything for three weeks and counting. (No, making sandwiches and reheating leftovers don't count.) I know, it's quite disappointing, but hopefully things will settle down soon. Anyway, to tide you faithful readers over until that time comes, I thought that I would mention a CNN article that I read about Chicago's best hot dogs. This week, I transited through Chicago twice on a trip for work but never left O'Hare, so I was unable to sample any of these dogs. Luckily, there are places here in the Bay Area that carry that bright green relish that is a necessary component of a true Chicago dog.
Happy Birthday, Big Guy
2007-08-24 02:58:00
The Big Mac turns 40.
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, Birthday
, Happy Birthday
Alive and Kicking
2007-08-24 01:37:00
Lest you think that my recent lack of posts means that I have been not eating (as my friend Doug seems to think, at least judging from his comments in a recent post), let me reassure you that I am alive and well, but simply quite busy. Despite our somewhat hectic schedules, Karen and I have managed to fit in a few dining outings here and there.A couple of weeks back, Karen took advantage of her half-day Friday to hop on a mid-afternoon train and head down in my direction, meeting up with me just as I was getting off work. We had made plans to meet up with one of our friends, Diana, before she headed out to the other coast for grad school this fall. We left the dining plans up to Diana, who wanted to enjoy some cuisine that she might not be able to get in her new home city. She thought that some Indian food would be nice, so we headed to Amber India (377 Santana Row; 408-248-5400). This was our first visit to the Santana Row location, though we had previously dined at the Mountain
Read more: Alive
, Kicking
Served Up on a Stick
2007-08-29 00:48:00
Earlier this week, SF Gate food critic Michael Bauer attended the Association of Food Journalists conference in my home town, the Twin Cities. While he was there, he and the 60 or so conference attendees from around the country took the opportunity to visit the annual state get-together, the Minnesota State Fair. In his blog, Bauer writes about his visit to the festival, an homage to the state's agricultural heritage and a celebration marking the end of another summer past.While the fair features a multitude of art and science exhibits, musical performances, and carnival rides, I would argue that it is the food that draws people to this event year after year. Indeed, for a brief twelve short days at the end of each summer, the state fairgrounds become the proverbial center of the culinary universe. You see, among the 4-H livestock judgings, the farm equipment displays, the roller coasters, the REO Speedwagon concerts, and the stock car races lies the true raison d'être of the St
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The Best Thing Since Sliced...
2007-08-28 02:04:00
...Spam! Yep, you heard that right. Your favorite canned luncheon meat now comes pre-sliced in a single-serving pack for your dining convenience. What will those guys in Austin think of next??
Read more: Thing
An Afternoon in Bodega
2007-08-27 23:46:00
On Saturday, Karen and I drove up to the Bodega Seafood, Art, and Wine Festival in Sonoma County, about 90 minutes north of San Francisco. What started as an overcast and cool day turned into a sunny and warm one as the day progressed. We listened to some music and checked out some of the pieces being sold by the many artisans and craftspeoples exhibiting their work at the festival. Of course, we also had a chance to check out the delectable cuisine being sold by the many food vendors in attendance. Here's a rundown of some of the food items that we encountered (and devoured):A shrimp po'boy on a Dutch crunch roll. We were a couple of bites in before we remembered to take a picture:Teriyaki chicken with a side of garlic fries. The chicken portion was huge:Some homestyle macaroni and cheese:A funnel cake topped with powdered sugar, strawberries, whipped cream, and cocoa powder:
Read more: Afternoon
On the Road Again
2007-09-28 01:05:00
Wow, it's been a while since my last post! It's been a busy month for me, one during which I was on the road a couple of times. Three weeks ago, Karen and I managed to get away for a long weekend trip to Minnesota. My high school friend Chris was getting married in Minneapolis, so we headed back to my home state for the wedding and took the opportunity to spend some time with my mom and sister. It was Karen's first trip to the Land of 10,000+ Lakes, so I wanted to take her around for a tour of the Twin Cities. We checked out the most obvious tourist attraction, the Mall of America, on our first evening in town. Due to the timing of our flights and the wedding events, we only had one full day to take in the scenery, but we were able to fit in a tour of downtown Minneapolis and take a nice drive around Lake Calhoun. We also drove around the University of Minnesota campus and saw the site of the collapsed bridge. In the afternoon, we took a long walk in the Minneapolis Sculptur
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United v. Lufthansa, Part II
2007-10-11 19:58:00
As I mentioned in my last post, I've been on a road a couple of times in recent weeks. Shortly after my trip to Minnesota, work took me to Europe for another week-long journey away from home. On this trip, I flew United
, so I had the opportunity to sample their Business Class cuisine. As you might recall, I wrote about my dining experience on Lufthansa earlier this year, so to be fair, I figured that I should share my thoughts about United's culinary offerings. This time, I remembered to bring my camera so that I could share my experience via pictures.On its international flights, United offers exclusive menu selections created in partnership with Chicago restaurateur Charlie Trotter. Known for his highly regarded eponymous restaurant, Trotter worked with United to create several different dishes for First and Business class passengers on U.S. outbound flights.For dinner, we started with citrus-cured smoked salmon with caramelized fennel citrus salad and organic yuzu-miso vinai
What We Ate... At Saha
2007-10-18 00:28:00
Wednesday, October 17Dinner: Saha, 1075 Sutter Street; 415-345-9547Tonight was Date Night, so where does a guy take his lady? For a dining experience in the Tenderloin the Tendernob Nob Hill, of course. For our date tonight, I decided to try something a little different, so I took Karen to Saha, a Middle Eastern restaurant in the Hotel Carlton. Named after the Arabic word meaning "a toast to good health", Saha serves up Middle Eastern fusion cuisine, combining the flavors of Yemeni cooking with Californian and French influences.What we ate:Stuffed avocado: Knaffe (see below) coated & lightly fried avocado stuffed with pomegranate, couscous, tabouleh, and served with semi-soy marinated tofu and raspberry reduction. This starter had an interesting mix of textures and flavors with the crunchy coating contrasting nicely with the creamy avocado. The slices of tofu were surprising good as well.Kofta: Yemeni meatballs of ground lamb and beef marinated with allspice, cumin, min
Angels and Cupcakes
2007-10-16 01:27:00
A couple of weekends ago, San Francisco hosted Fleet Week, an annual event held during the Columbus Day weekend to honor the Sailors and Marines serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The past few years, Karen and I have missed Fleet Week, as either one or both of us have been out of town for some reason or another. (For instance, we were in Hawaii during last year's event.) This year, both of us were in town, so we decided to head down to the waterfront to check it out.One of the main draws of the weekend is the airshow, which is highlighted with an aerial performance by the Blue Angels
, the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron. Though I had been to a few other airshows in the past, this was the first one where I saw the Blue Angels. They did not disappoint. The precision in their maneuvers was amazing; at times, it appeared that the six planes were moving as a single entity, as the fighters flew together with just a few feet of separation between them. From our vantage point near
A "Great" Start to the Day
2007-10-15 22:15:00
Today, Hardee's announced their newest breakfast offering. The new Country Breakfast Burrito is composed of two bacon, sausage, and ham omelets, five hash rounds, shredded cheddar cheese, and country gravy wrapped in a flour tortilla. Ladened with 920 calories and 60 grams of fat, the breakfast burrito is a perfect complement to Hardee's 1420 calories, double quarter pound Monster Thickburger and its 83 grams-o-fat Southwest Chicken Salad. Hopefully, they will have AED units available at all locations.
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, Start
One Dram at a Time
2007-10-24 23:50:00
Last night, Karen surprised me with a fabulous early birthday present: tickets to the First Annual San Francisco Whisky Fest hosted by Malt Advocate magazine. We met up after work yesterday evening at the Hyatt Regency, site of this tasting event, and headed into the main ballroom where more than 200 of the world's finest single malt and blended whiskies were waiting for us to sample. Whiskies of all kind from around the world were present at this event. There were Canadian and Irish whiskeys, Japanese single malts, and Kentucky bourbons distributed among the 70 or so booths at the gala. For me, however, the highlight of the evening were the Scotch whiskies, which were well-represented at this event.As we walked around the ballroom, it was difficult to figure out where to start, but after a few minutes of wandering, we ran into the table for Highland Park, a single malt label that I had been looking to try for some time. Not only did I get a chance to try to 12 year old bottling,
The 2008 Michelin Guide
2007-10-23 01:47:00
Today, the second edition of the Bay Area Michelin
guide was released, with 34 restaurants receiving a one star rating or higher. Out of this list, Karen and I have been fortunate enough to visit a few of them: Bouchon, Boulevard, Gary Danko, Quince, Range, Redd, Sushi Ran, Cyrus, and Manresa, with the last two restaurants garnering a two star rating.In addition, the guide lists 50 other Bay Area restaurants which earned a Bib Gourmand rating. According to the guide, this rating is given to restaurants that are "an inspector's favorite for good value. For $40 or less, you can enjoy two courses and a glass of wine or dessert (not including tax and gratuity)." Out of these restaurants, Karen and I have sampled the fare at A16, Cafe Gibraltar, Delfina, Hong Kong Flower Lounge, Junnoon, Kokkari Estiatorio, Koo, Nopa, Perbacco, Poleng Lounge, Pres a Vi, rmn, Tomasso's, and Yank Sing. We've also visited the predecessor of TWO (namely, Hawthorne Lane).(Edited 10/24/2007 to include link
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Makin' Some Chowdah
2007-10-28 17:04:00
Now that Karen has left for the airport to head back to the Bay Area, I can share my next recipe with you. (You see, I want to have a little surprise for her when she gets home.)Using the chicken stock that I made yesterday, I put together a simple chowder, again adapting a recipe that originally called for turkey. Made with some of Karen's favorite foods, including bacon, wild rice, and sweet corn, I thought that this soup would make for a nice "Welcome Home" meal.Before starting to work on the soup itself, I had to prepare some wild rice. I had just enough wild rice in my pantry for this recipe, though it looks like I will need to put in an order to Minnesota for another 10 lbs bag. After the rice finished cooking, I put it aside and started the work on the soup. I started by browning up some bacon my trusty Dutch oven. The recipe called for pancetta, but unfortunately Safeway is a bit challenged when it comes to specialty items such as this.After browning the bacon, I drained
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Stocking Up
2007-10-27 16:10:00
With the arrival of fall and cooler weather, it's a perfect time to enjoy some warm and hearty soup. In order to make soup, you need some sort of base liquid, such as a nice chicken stock. Of course, the best stock is the homemade variety, so today I set out to make some for myself, adapting a recipe for turkey stock from the latest issue of Bon Appétit by substituting two chicken carcasses for the turkey. A stock is basically a liquid made from simmering a few ingredients in water. All stocks are made with some sort of animal bone, often chicken or beef. The main flavor of the stock comes from the cartilage and connective tissues in the bones. The collagen in the connective tissues is transformed into gelatin during the simmering process and contributes to the resulting mouthfeel of the stock. Most stocks also contain other flavoring agents, such as mirepoix, an onion, celery, and carrot mixture (often in a 2:1:1 ratio), and aromatic herbs, such as parsley and thyme. The reci
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A New Layout (or Not)
2007-11-18 23:43:00
Some of you may notice some minor changes in the look and feel around here. I just finished migrating the blog from Blogger Templates to Layouts. I can hopefully take advantage of the some of the features in Layouts as well as get fixes to issues that have never been resolved in Templates. If you encounter any problems or have any comments or suggestions, please let me know!Happy reading!
1300 on Fillmore
2007-11-15 22:38:00
(This post is way overdue, but better late than never, right?)A couple of weeks ago, Karen took me out for a fabulous birthday dinner at 1300 on Fillmore
(1300 Fillmore St; 415-771-7100), a new restaurant located in the Fillmore Jazz district of San Francisco. Having opened only five days prior to our visit, 1300 on Fillmore features American food with a Southern flair. Indeed, their website describe their cuisine as "Soulful American". Opened by Executive Chef David Lawrence and his wife Monetta White, 1300 on Fillmore is located in the Heritage on Fillmore high-rise, next to the soon-to-be-open Yoshi's Jazz Club.Arriving at the restaurant, Karen and I initially walked right by the nondescript wooden front door. Once we realized our mistake and made our way through the entrance, we found ourselves surrounded by the dark walls of the stylishly appointed space. Designed by the MCCARTAN design firm, the restaurant exudes sophistication without feeling overly formal. Covering its w
Getting Ready to Feast Tomorrow
2007-11-21 14:07:00
I just got done with the last of my Thanksgiving Day grocery shopping. I'm glad that I took the day off to relax and avoid the mad evening rush at Safeway that inevitably happens the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. As I picked out a fresh turkey for tomorrow night's dinner, I was asked by two different people on how to select and prepare the turkey. I was happy to help, though a bit surprised - it's not like I was wearing a Butterball Turkey Hotline cap or anything like that.Since it'll only be the two of us for dinner tomorrow, we're going to keep it simple. The menu for tomorrow is (tentatively):Roasted Turkey (not sure what I want to do quite yet - the last time, we made a miso butter-rubbed version)Bread stuffing (I'm not a huge fan of stuffing, but Karen likes it)Cranberry compote (both of us will be making our own variation)Braised leeks (Karen loved the leeks that we had at Ad Hoc, so I thought that I would make some for her)Baked Squash CasseroleHmmm... I guess that we
Read more: Feast
My Aha! Food Moments
2007-11-21 01:10:00
Every so often, each of us experiences an "Aha!" moment. During these brief flashes of insight, you make a quantum leap and suddenly have a profound revelation that changes the way you view the world. Over the past few days, I've been thinking about the "Aha!" food moments that I've experienced. I came up with a list of five such moments which I would like to share with you.O-ToroDate: July 9, 2005Place: Sushi Ran, Sausalito, CADuring the summer of 2005, I had my first encounter with o-toro, the most luscious cut of maguro available. I can still remember that piece of tuna belly just melting away in my mouth like it just happened yesterday. The taste and texture were simply amazing and unlike anything else that I had ever eaten before. That utterly decadent slice of fish changed the way that I think about eating sushi. Since then, every time that I eat o-toro (which is nearly every time I eat sushi), I close my eyes and hope that I can once again experience the feeling of eatin
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As Simple as That...
2007-11-20 22:08:00
This afternoon, I picked up the phone, dialed a number in Yountville, and landed a Saturday evening dinner reservation here. Woo-hoo!
Read more: Simple
Just Sit Tight... Will Be Reporting Back Soon...
2007-11-28 16:34:00
For those of you who are waiting for the report on our visit to the French Laundry, just hang in there for a few more days. I had to travel to Europe this week for work, so I haven't had a chance to sit down and write a proper post. Once I return from Sweden, I'll get cracking on the write-up. I'll just say that we had a wonderful evening - it was one of the best meals that I've ever eaten.Thanks for your patience!
Read more: Reporting
Absinthe No Longer Absent
2007-12-05 01:37:00
As of December 21, American-made absinthe will be legally available in the United States after a 95 year absence. Bay Area distiller St. George Spirits, best known for their high-end Hanger One vodka, will be selling bottles of the newly legalized liquor at its Alameda tasting room and at a few select retail locations. Though the absinthe must legally have less than 10 parts per million of thujone, the chemical thought to be responsible for the liquor's hallucinogenic effect, the high alcohol content (typically around 120 proof), should get you to where you want to go.
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