Gastronomie

City Bakery's Pretzel Croissant

One of my favorite people has long sung the praises of this tasty treat from one of her favorite spots in Manhattan.

So during this most recent trip, I made sure to make the time to stop in at City Bakery.  I now can't decide whether I owe her my first born, or whether I should kill her.

On our last day in The City, my colleague and I grabbed two delicious BLT sandwiches.  Niman Ranch bacon cut very thick and sweet heirloom tomatoes on light-as-air toasted brioche made for a perfect pre-flight lunch.

On our way out, I picked up TWO pretzel croissants, thinking I'd eat one and save the other for C. Yes, well, you know what they say about "best-laid-plans" and all that.

But really, I couldn't help myself. This flaky, tender croissant, with its buttery crust, baked JUST long enough to brown the butter ever so slightly, and the crunch of salt and sesame seeds is perhaps the most perfect savory baked good in The World.

Those of you who live in, or are visiting New York... EAT THIS. Or many of these. Really. Seriously. And, you know, on your way out? Feel free to grab one or a few for me. You can share my first-born with Shuna.

Tags: Food, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review, City Baker, New York, San Francisco

Ethiopian Crosses the Border -- Enssaro

I adore Ethiopian food. The first time I tried it, I was living in Washington, DC (a city with a large Ethiopian/Eritrean population), and I was instantly hooked on the unique spices and presentation, luscious honey wine and the fun & sensual experience of eating with your hands.

It was almost a year ago now that C finally agreed to give this cuisine a try, and his reaction was the same as when he ate his first banh mi -- "Why is this my first time eating this?!?" Since then, despite craving Ethiopian a couple of times a month, we don't ever seem to make it, just because it has always meant a miserable drive into Berkeley.

Last night was Date Night, however, and I just HAD to have Ethiopian. Nothing else sounded nearly as good, but I was getting grumpy just thinking about the drive. Then I remembered hearing about Enssaro, a new restaurant on Grand Avenue in the Grand/Lake district, which is just about stumbling distance from our house. Off we went.

Turns out, Enssaro is some of the best Ethiopian we've ever eaten. C's Kitfo ($8.95) was deliciously buttery with the exquisite build-up of heat that typifies this culture's food. My Yebeg Tibs ($8.95) was made with well-trimmed lamb, lots of onion and peppers, and a hint of lingering cardamom.We also shared an order of Ata Kilt ($6.95), which is a wonderful way to take the heat down a notch. Enssaro's version is loaded with cabbage, carrot and potato, lightly sweetened, lightly savory. Delicious.

We washed everything down with two bottles of Ethiopian beer -- light for C and dark for me -- which surprised us with their complexity and, well, perfect pairing with the food.

Total damage, including tax and tip? $48, making me a pretty cheap date!

Tags: Food, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review, Ethiopian, Oakland, San Francisco

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Le Colonial -- It's Easy to Forget

It's easy to forget all about Le Colonial, the French-Vietnamese restaurant with a locations in San Francisco, New York and Chicago.

But when Rubicon rudely gave away our dinner reservation mere minutes after our party of five was delayed, it was Le Colonial who rescued this very important client dinner.

The vibe at Le Colonial is tropically sexy -- you just FEEL warm and fuzzy when you're sitting in the upstairs lounge with one of their incredible Hendricks Gin cocktails. Service is always competent, though sometimes a little bit slow, and the staff are almost uniformly friendly. That's a hard thing to count on in this city.

Our dinner on Monday night included an incredible appetizer of Banh Cuon ($9), tender  rice noodles wrapped around a filling of chicken, mushrooms and scallions. I'm still thinking about this one a few days later, and can only compare it to a lighter, more flavorful version of Chow Fun.

While I typically order Bo Luc Lac when we go out for Vietnamese, I found myself changing my mind at the last minute to Cuu Nuong ($38) after smelling the one that arrived at the next table over. While the meat was exceptional, overall the dish was a little bit on the sweet side for me. That said, the accompanying mint & apple salad was amazing. We also ordered a side for the table, Mien Xao Cua ($13) -- glass noodles, dungeness, egg -- which we polished off quickly, despite all being incredibly full.

I'm not sure why it's so easy to write off and forget about a restaurant that opens additional locations -- perhaps it's a bit of foodie bias. But I can't say that I've ever had a less-than-great meal or poor service at Le Colonial, although I'd absolutely admit to the fact that it's somewhat overpriced. Still, it's a great place for out-of-towners, girls-night dinner, or a naughty cocktail with your beloved in their lounge.

Le Colonial
20 Cosmo Place
San Francisco, CA
415.931.3600

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Restaurant Review, New York, San Francisco,  Vietnamese, Le Colonial, Restaurant

Light or Dark? McSorley's wants to know.

 

These are your only beverage choices, offered by a crotchety Irishman with a thick brogue, when you walk into McSorley's in the East Village.

The beauty is that you can order either or both. How, you ask? Because each individual order brings two half-pint beers, pulled cold and fresh, with a healthy head. McSorley's dark ale is deep and caramelly and smoky. The light is crisper, as you would expect, very refreshing.

Need another beer? The whole table gets around; that's just how it is. Don't like it? Leave. 'Course you'd be missing out, 'cos you can always leave some behind (though, more likely, someone at your table will drink what you don't). But you can't find this kind of camaraderie in many other pubs.

The girl from three tables over might sit and chat about the boy she's trying to charm for 20 minutes. And you might never hear the story of the four generations of men sitting at the table across  from yours.

Grandpa's been coming here for 60 years; Dad was here when the court order came down in 1970 opening McSorley's to women; Son's been coming here since he was a boy -- a Ginger Beer and and order of fish & chips were his favorite meal watching games with his Pop. And now he's brought his 2-year-old son to McSorley's, and the little one seems to be walking in these men's footsteps as he chows down on beer-battered fish.

I love me my Heinholds, yes. But McSorley's wins the award for best pub in the (city?) (country?) (world?) for all the reasons one seeks a pub: liquid therapy (a great beer that's only improved by hot salty tears), a new-best-friend-for-the-night (to hear how crappy your day's been), and a volume level that drowns out your sobs. All topped off by a barkeep who, with one sentence, can make you laugh so hard you snort beer.

Oh, and did I mention they've been around since 1854? That's a lot of time to perfect one's art, don't you think?

I love, love, love McSorleys. And plan to stop for a beer and some fish & chips before leaving for the airport tomorrow afternoon!

McSorley's Old Ale House
15 East 7th Street, New York
212.474.9148

 

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Manhattan, New York, San Francisco,  McSorleys, East Village, Pub, Beer

Why I love Manhattan -- Dinner at MoMA

So, go figure -- people aren't so freaked out about flying anymore. I know this because I've spent all day battling the other several thousand San Franciscans trying to get to JFK.

Regardless, you have to love a city where it's a no-brainer to find a 10pm reservation. Which, seriously, get easier when your clients are west coasters who don't have much of an appetite before then.

Which is how I found myself at a really excellent dinner at the Bar at The Modern tonight. ("at the Modern" refers to "at the MoMA)

The Modern sets up their bar menu in three sections -- small appetizer plates and "half entree portions" (yea, I'm not entirely sure of the difference, either). Cocktails are sexy -- my updated version of a Dark & Stormy had tamarind in it, giving it a nice kick and appetite-wheting savouriness.

We ordered an assortment of items from all three menus, served as a couple of coursed. The Charred Octopus ($12) was really exceptional -- chickpeas and basil were a bright flavor counterpoint to the octopus, and those were really cooked perfectly. Steak Tartare with a perfect quail egg ($14) was alxo beautifully executed with bread as good as Acme's and lusciously unctuous beef.

The outstanding dish in the second course was the Gnocchi with Sage, Mushrooms & Sweetbreads ($17); I am a complete believer that the water here really changes the composition of nearly any dough as I truly haven't had gnocchi this ethereal since the last time I was on the East coast.

The Beignets with Maple Ice Cream, Mango Marmalade & Caramel ($9) were also extraordinary, though I was bummed by the fact that the "tea and coffee guy" had left so I couldn't get a cup of Vanilla Rooibos tea. Ah, well, another glass of Albert Mann Rieslingi from Alsace did nicely.

There's no question that even a casually elegant dinner with clients is more expensive here, but at least at these prices, our great dinner was a foregone conclusion!

The Bar at The Modern
9 W. 53rd Street, New York
212.333.1220

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Wine, Manhattan, New York, San Francisco, MoMa, Tom Colicchio

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The Great Ice Cream Debate -- Ici vs. Sketch

So, if you've followed the happenings in the East Bay dessert world, you know that a couple of Chez Pannisse alums recently opened a cutie-patootie ice cream "parlor" called Ici in Berkeley.

But is there room in the hearts of East Bay-ers for TWO cutie patootie frozen dessert joints? Because, unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past year or so, you know that we over here love us some Sketch. Eric & Ruthie have developed what can only be described as a cult following for their lusciously heady frozen confections.

This past weekend, C and I were battling Cals fans as we drove through Berkeley, and fortuitously found ourselves in a holding pattern directly in front of Ici, on College Avenue. As I swung the car into the yellow, I yelled (with all the passion of a football coach, natch), "Run, go, RUN! Two flavors. Pick two. Any two. Just MOVE!"

Good man that he is, he was in and out in less than two minutes, a single scoop cone of vanilla for him, and a cup of Earl Grey and Pine Nut Praline for me. Before I go any further, let me just say that their cone is the BEST CONE I HAVE EVER EATEN - light and flaky like a Pirouette, with a happy little nubbin of dark chocolate at the base.

Side note: I don't think I ever told you guys this, but my first and last attempt at ice cream making was an Earl Grey flavor. One that I tried to serve to this obssesed couple. I over-steeped the tea, so the end product was pretty much inedible -- it was horribly tannic and horribly horrible. Thus, I feel uniquely equipped to judge Earl Grey ice creams.

The verdict? I found Ici's ice creams all a little too sweet for my palate. On the other hand, the flavors themselves were tremendously pure and, well, flavorful. Texturally, the vanilla and tea were lovely and smooth, with a nice mouth-coating butterfat content. There was a hint of extremely fine graininess to the pine nut ice cream, which didn't distract from the experience; unfortunately I couldn't help but think would never happen at Sketch.

It's important to note, however, that Eric & Ruthie don't sell what they make as "ice cream" -- their repertoire is predominantly gelato with a few granitas thrown in for fun. That said, I still think that what they do is perhaps a little more refined than Ici, and I like that. So, for the time being at least, I will be heading to Fourth Street rather than College Avenue for my frozen treat fix.

Ici Ice Cream
2948 College Avenue, Berkeley
Open Tues - Sun, 11am - 9pm

Sketch Ice Cream
1809-A Fourth Street, Berkeley
510.665.5650
Open Sun - Thurs, 12pm - 6pm, Fri & Sat 12pm - 8pm

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Berkeley, San Francisco, Dessert, Ice Cream, Gelato

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Andrea Immer Dumbs Down

Generally speaking, I like Andrea Immer. She's approachable, friendly, smiles a lot, and makes wine exploration fun.

But from time to time, she dumbs things down on her Fine Living show that really surprise me.

For example, on a recent show on dessert wines and spirits, she tried to tell us that the "best" pairing with dark chocolate desserts is vintage port. But really, I challenge anyone who's paired a lush Banyuls with chocolate to agree with her.

Now, you might be thinking that Banyuls is too far off the traditional beaten path for her to cover, but in this show she covered everything from Sauternes (Chateau d'Yquem, no less) to Tokaji. Plus, she and her mentor spent a good 30 seconds talking about the contrast between malic and tartaric acids -- it's doesn't get more geeky or technical than that.

So why, Ms. Immer? Why didn't you bring the gastronomic equivalent of le petit mort to your audience?

Tags: Wine, Food & Drink, Andrea Immer, Dessert, Fine Living, Sauternes

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I am SO sick of Chowhound

I know, I know.

I'm just repeating what I've said before, and what Sam recently wrote.

But when I was invited (yes, personally INVITED) back to the redesigned Chowhound, I really thought there must have been a change in the air.

Sadly, I have discovered that this is patently untrue. In fact, attempting to change one's opinion about a previous review is, apparently, unacceptable. On a recent thread asking for opinions on Lulu vs. Tres Agaves vs. Chowhound, I responded to update something I had previously written about Coco500.

At some point thereafter (not sure when, exactly), my comment was deleted.  I suppose it's because I said that service had improved, where all the other posters were still quick to bash it. Or maybe it's perhaps because I had linked to Gastronomie? But I thought that was OK.

Whatever the case, I'm back to saying "hasta" to Chowhound -- as a contributor, anyway. I suppose now that CNet owns them, they don't have to worry about looky-loo bandwidth issues.

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, Chowhound, CNet

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