Gastronomie

The Fat Lady - Jack London Sq, Oakland

We've lived in our new place for well over 6 months now, and we're STILL exploring the neigborhood. In our defense, we were dead broke for the first few weeks we lived there (my birthday dinner the week after we closed was at - gasp! - Old Spaghetti Factory. Hey, it's walking distance, and there is something strangely satisfying about their brown butter & mizithra cheese spaghetti).

Anyway, we walked down there on Friday night for "date night" - it's been way too long since we've done something without the hounds.

Started with an order of Bruschetta 3 ways. This was really tasty ciabatta bread with 3 different toppings - brie & almond (mild but tasty), mozzarella & pesto (the pesto was really good, but this wasn't made with fresh mozzarella which make it sort of lackluster) and goat cheese with olive tapenade (my favorite of the 3 - piquant and delicious).

I had the prime rib "lite cut" which was really delicious. It was cooked just a minute or two longer than I would have liked, but the cut itself was so delicious with the rub that it was fine. Came with a perfectly respectable baked potato, with all fixings "on the side" and a delicious order of greens (include kale, I think). The jus was a little savory, a little sweet, just how I like it.

C's NY strip was really incredible - the glaze and rub they used were divine, even though strip is not my favorite cut of steak.

His creme brulee was also amazing. Really light custard - almost pudding-like - with a fantastic brulee. My rice pudding was also good, but loaded with almond milk which I don't care for. I was so full that I could barely finish it, anyway.

Service was really warm and inviting. We can't wait to go back!

The Fat Lady's Citysearch Website & Menu

Alborz Persian - a taste of home?

This week was crazy and mad, and resulted in a profound craving for the most Persian of comfort foods - Chel-o-Kabab (keep reading).

Now, had I been in LA, I would have gone immediately to Shamshiri. But in SF? Where to turn?

I landed at the only Persian restaurant in the city, hoping against hope that they hadn't bastardized traditional cuisine, and that they would have traditional chel-o-kabab....

We started with "mast-o-khiar", a yogurt dip with cucumbers and dill - very similar to tzatziki - and "tah dig", which literally means "bottom of the pot". It's the carmelized, crispy, buttery rice at the bottom, and we Persians consider this a delicacy. At Alborz, it's served with the stew of the day on top. In this case, it was "gheymeh" -- tomato-based with lentils and beef. They did a great job with it.

Now, a word about this "chel-o-kabab" stuff -- no self-respecting Persian goes to a persian restaurant for the fragrant rice mixtures and stews. We go for that delectable treat that never tastes the same when you make it at home:

Mounds of fluffy basmati rice, delicately scented with saffron alongside grilled tomatoes and a crisp onion. Topping it all -- skewers of ground beef, filet mignon, and boneless breast of chicken.

The ground beef was intensely flavored with onions, garlic, and other tasty spices, and was cooked to perfection -- juicy and delicious.

The filet was also delicious -- very tender cut of meat, marinated just right. A great contrast to the texture of the ground beef.

And finally, the true test: the chicken kabob. Marinated in lemon juice, yogurt, saffron and more spices, it was close to perfect. Just a touch overcooked, but not enough to dry it out.

The proper way to eat Chel-o-kabab: Put a pat of butter on your rice. Smush some of the grilled tomatoes into it, letting it asborb all the juices. Sprinkle just a bit of sumac powder (sumac berries are tart, and we grind them into a powder) over the rice, and dig in.

Because we went with a couple of American friends, I also ordered fesenjan, a stew of walnuts and pomegranates to eat over rice. Some people find this dish too sweet, but it's truly a wonderful representation of the diversity of Persian cooking. Alborz does a great job with this stuff -- definitely in the Tehran style (a bit sweeter than the N. Iranian style where it's more tart).

Of course, after dinner, we ordered hot tea to go around, and shared a pastry (zoolbiah), which I could have gone without. It tasted a bit freezer-burned and didn't do much for me. I might have tried the Persian Ice Cream, but frankly, I just don't care for it -- never have. However, many people find it a treat, and it should at least be tried - rosewater ice cream, usually with pistachios.

So, Alborz is definitely a great, authentic Persian restaurant. with a prime location at Van Ness & Sutter. But it seems to have trouble filling up... I just think most people wouldn't know what to order in a Persian restaurant.

Oh, and by the way, we ordered a bottle of Australian Shiraz which was lovely -- Shiraz, of course, is a grape that originated in Iran, and seems to go best with the foods.

My first attempt at Khoresht Bademjan

There are a handful of Persian dishes I've had the chutzpah to attempt. I could explain this by telling you that my mother is reknown in our family and social circles as the best chef. Nothing, and I mean nothing I have ever attempted reaches that pinnacle that is my mother's cooking.

So, I stick with what I love. I stick with those dishes I've made dozens of times and have pretty much gotten down pat. But attempting new dishes takes elaborate planning, willing guinea pigs, and my own deep-seated hunger for that particular meal.

Well, last night, it was Khoresht Bademjan - a rich, deeply fragrant, heady eggplant stew served over rice* - and one of my favorite dishes as a child.

With Oliver & C offering to be my guinea pigs, I started the email barrage to my mother. The exchange goes something like this:

-----Original Message-----
From: Fatemeh
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 4:20 PM
To: Mom
Subject: khoresht bademjan

Hi -

I bought pre-fried bademjan from the Persian market... is an hour enough
time to make this from start to finish? I just have to make piaz-daagh
first, then brown the meat with some turmeric, then let it all simmer
together with tomatoes and tomato paste, right?? Then I can add the
eggplants just before serving to warm them through? Is that right?

Thank you!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Mom
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 4:32 PM
To: Fatemeh
Subject: RE: khoresht bademjan

Let them simmer for 15 to 20 minutes so that our khoresht take the taste of
them and bademjan take the taste of the meat and the other thing. Don't
forget to add zafaran at the same time.
If I were you, I would make it with chicken. Also, if you have roobe anar,
add a little to it to, not so much otherwise it looks brown/black.

-----Original Message----- From: Fatemeh Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 4:40 PM To: Mom Subject: RE: khoresht bademjan

Chicken? Really? All I have is chicken breast... I have a lb of meat in the
freezer that I want to use up. Why chicken instead of beef? How long will it
take once I add the tomato to the beef or chicken?

THANK YOU!!!!

-----Original Message----- From: Mom Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 4:48 PM To: Fatemeh Subject: RE: khoresht bademjan

Chicken breast really cooks fast as you know, you can actually make the
piyaz-daagh and add the chicken breast and on medium/hot hit and covered
pan, suttee and almost cook it, then add a can of chopped tomato and lemon
juice and let it simmer for another maybe 2o to half an hour and then add
the bademjan, 3 to 3 spoon of roob anar and zafaran, simmer for max 10 to 15
minutes, make sure you have enough juice to sort of cover them and you
dinner is ready. When I go to Bahman's, I usually takes me around an hour to
make it.

So with this in my pocket, off I went. (I did end up using the beef, after all).

It turned out beautifully - next time, I'll add a bit of ab-ghooreh (verjus, to non-persians) for some punch. And I'd like to try to make it with okra, too.

*Now, if I could only get my rice to cook properly...

Michael Mina Restaurant

I'm a little late posting this, but it's taken a while to get motivated. So sue me.

Dinner at the new Restaurant Michael Mina was really... spectacular. Honestly, I think it was the most artfully prepared meal I've ever had, and I LOVE the concept. I think it could be really overwhelming if you didn't know what to expect going in, but if you're open and ready to be bombarded with a barrage of flavors... you'll be fine.

I was with 3 other people, on day 22 of the restaurant's opening. I'm only really going to comment on what I had, because I didn't really sample much of anything else, and besides, it would take HOURS to talk about all the preps. I will, however, comment on the few bites I had of Craig's dishes.

First, the decor is beautiful. San Francisco traditionalists will bemoan the loss of the Compass Rose, but it's not like it was the Redwood Room, was it? Tones of chocolate, pale eggshell blue and ivory make the space astoundingly serene - even whilst overlooking the vigor of Union Square. We had a table at the back window which was lovely - we could just about see the kitchen's finishing station if we leaned back - but the banquette seating was not great. They were very comfy sofa/loveseat things, but not really suitable for the height of the table. The hostess (one of several) ran downstairs to get Craig & Susan cushions from the bar seating area. Those seemed to help them quite a bit.

On to the food.

Pierrotti Family butchers

C & I work across the street from each other in this tiny town about 10 minutes south of the city. It's a complete throwback to a bygone era, to the point of a town butcher.

These guys have been in business for years in the Midtown Market, and they are the type of butcher that your grandma went to 40 years ago. He knows everyone by name, and his meat is amazing.

First of all, his meat is amazing. And he knows more about the best way to cook EVERY CUT OF MEAT in his case than... than... Martha! If you call him in the morning, he'll pop a roast on the rotisserie for you and you can pick it up whenever you tell him you want to.

The only other decent butcher that's remotely near us is at Piedmont Market, and their meat is probably 20% more expensive than Pierrotti's, and they aren't as personal as them either. Not to mention that Pierotti literally five minutes from our offices.

Thank you for Subscribing!

Thanks for subscribing to Gastronomie Updates. You should expect to hear from me 3-5 times per week (even if there is a daily update).

Your name and email address will never be made public, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

If there's ever anything I can do to improve the site, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks again,
Fatemeh