Gastronomie

Summer's Long Departure

This is one of my favorite times of the year -- the days are getting shorter, but what we have of them bring sparkling-razor-focused sunshine. The haze is gone for a few weeks, and the weather gets a bit temperamental. Yesterday it was 75 degrees at 8pm; today, it's 67 at noon.

My favorite fruit in all the world (tomatoes) are at their apex, and some days warrant eating them out of hand. Other days, it seems cool enough to start canning and souping.

It's the last of the weekends at the lake, the last of the cookouts, the last of lazy mornings in the sun, reading a good book with a glass of iced tea. All these "lasts" remind me how lucky I am to live here, to BE here, and to have wonderful people (and dogs!) around me to share these moments with.

I've compiled a few of my favorite end-of-season recipes for you -- I know I'm looking forward to enjoying the last of the summer light streaming through my windows while I pull together these dishes.

Farmer's Market Penne
Chicken & Squash Risotto
Revelatory Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Bread Salad with Cannellini Beans

PS -- don't forget to come out tonight and celebrate the final days of summer in Old Oakland.

Tags: Food, Wine, Food & Drink, San Francisco, Oakland, French Bulldog, Lake Berryessa, Recipes

Thursday Night Live, Coming to Old Oakland This Week!

This, my friends, is the Oakland I'm talkin' about.

I'll be there on the early side. Wanna join me? Drop me a line.

But bring your dancing shoes, because with Fito Reinoso and his ten-piece band on-stage, I know I won't be able to keep my bum in a chair.

PS - Take BART to avoid the traffic; get off at the 12th Street Station, and walk to 9th street. Turn right, and you'll see us.

Tags: Food, Wine, Food & Drink, Oakland, Old Oakland, Cuban

Bar Cesar, How Do I Love Thee?

We East Bay DINKs are an odd lot. For example, I will happily drive across the bridge to hit Coco500, or Globe, but Bar Cesar on Shattuck? In BERKELEY? Nope, that's too far.

So I was ecstatic when they opened a second location on Piedmont Avenue, spitting distance from my house, and with a gorgeous patio that is the perfect place to spend a few hours on a Sunday (or Wednesday!) afternoon.

I've now been to Cesar four times, for both lunch and dinner, and I can call it an incredibly welcome addition to the 'hood. Service is generally stellar, the bar is exceptionally good, and the food is always solid. There are usually some standouts, and a few things that are just "ok" in my book, but nothing has ever fallen flat.

We generally start out with either a Dark & Stormy's ($8.00), made with uber-spicy Belvoir Ginger Beer or a Pimm's Cups ($6.75), made with Elderflower soda -- a lovely spin on a traditional cocktail. While both are standout drinks, you could order just about anything here and rest assured that it would be perfectly rendered. (I owe you guys a story about my new favorite cocktail, which I've dubbed "Manhattan, the Elder").

Cesar's charcuterie/salumi choices are plentiful and worth a try. The  Tocino de Pato ($5.75 for half portion - more than enough for even 3 people to share), or smoked duck breast is my personal favorite.  Toothsome, a bit gamey, a bit fatty, and very delicious.  The  Lomo Embuchado ($6.75)  is also great, and a unique treat -- dry-cured pork loin is not something I've seen on any other menus.

The rest of the menu is pretty seasonal, so some of the dishes I've loved have since been replaced. Generally speaking, though, anything with anchovies or sardines is worth a try -- we had a standout beet salad with boquerones that made a believer out of C.  More recently, I shared the  Grilled Sardines with Heirloom Tomato Salad ($11.75) with a friend, and we  couldn't believe the quality. While sardines can be a pain in the butt to eat, Cesar makes them more than worth the work. The tomato salad, too, was exceptional. And honestly, you'd pay that much just for the salad at most places of this caliber.

The bocadillos (sandwiches) have generally been my least-favorite things on the menu, although that may have more to do with the fact that i'm just not a "sandwich person". The open-faced Smoked Salmon with Queso Fresco, Dill & Capers ($8.25) could have packed a little more punch, though the accompanying lemon wedge helped. And the Spicy Tuna with Egg ($7.75) wasn't really all that spicy.

Frankly, I think that the already-mild sandwiches really suffer from being served with other, more flavorful dishes.

Two more things to note: First, if you see black rice/black noodles on the menu, order them. They knock B44's Arros Negra out of the water. And, while the Patatas Bravas ($6.75) are worth a try, these dense wedges of potato with spicy tomato sauce and aioli WILL fill you up, so nibble them sparingly while you still have other food coming.

Amazingly, I've never tried any of Bar Cesar's desserts (it's a cocktail or a sweet for me these days, lest my waistline continue its magical disappearing act), though I've watched plenty of other tables gobble theirs down happily. You'll have to give them a try and report back.

Bar Cesar
4039 Piedmont Avenue
Oakland, CA
510.883.0222

Tags: Food, Wine, Food & Drink, San Francisco, Oakland, Tapas, Spanish, Bar Cesar, Restaurant Review

Wattie's Tomato Sauce

Why didn't anyone ever tell me?

Cawfee Tawk with the Amateur Gourmet

Hello kiddums -

Hope you are all here to bid Adam Roberts a warm, fuzzy welcome to Gastronomie. As you know, Adam recently published a little tome, and he's working his way through the blogosphere on a virtual book tour.

So grab a cup of joe, snuggle up to your laptop, and join us for the next thirty minutes (or more!) to ask Adam all your questions about his book, blog, life, and how the hell he got so funny. (Seriously. Have you seen the bit about the pet lobster??)

The chat board is behind the break, so read more to get there!

Adam from Amateur Gourmet on Live Chat, this week!

We food bloggers are an odd little community. There's very little strife and animosity between us, and when we can help one another out, we love to. All the better if it's fun for us.

So when Adam contacted me about his virtual book tour, I jumped at the chance to get involved.

This coming Thursday the 13th, Adam from Amateur Gourmet will be visiting Gastronomie, virtually, via a free chat hosted by Geesee.

In true Jewish gay boy/Persian Princess form, we have only JUST nailed down the times, so I wanted to get this post up quickly to give anyone who has questions for Adam the chance to schedule their day.

Who:     Adam Roberts, The Amateur Gourmet

Why:     To pimp his new book, yo!

When:  Thursday, September 13th -- two chat sessions
                  9:00 - 9:30am PST & 4:00 - 4:30pm PST

How:      Just click on the link provided in the post on the home page on Thursday.

A Geesee window will load; registration is NOT required, but we do suggest you select a nickname for yourself so you're not just another Guest (you can do that in the lower right hand corner of the chat window).

Come armed with questions for Adam, but BE NICE. Meanies will be asked to leave or, worse yet, unceremoniously punted from the room.

Tags: Food, Wine, Food & Drink, San Francisco, New York, Amateur Gourmet, Adam Roberts, Chat

Tabbouleh-ish

Yesterday, Stephanie and I used "the farmer's market" as an excuse to spend a leisurely day catching up. In the process, though, I did manage to pick up a few things that I'd been craving, and which made for a delicious "tabbouleh-ish" dinner tonight.

Tabbouleh-ish Salad

• 1/2 c. dry couscous (this would be equally delicious with quinoa - just prepare as per the instructions)
• 1.5 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 c. less 2 T boiling water
• 1-2 T excellent red wine vinegar (I used some home-made gifted by a talented friend)
• 1 T truffle oil
• 2 T chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 c. diced summer tomatoes (as usual, I used dry-farmed Early Girls)
• 1 handful purslane, chopped coarse
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Toss dry couscous with olive oil, coating grains thoroughly. Add the water, stir briskly, and cover. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Uncover couscous, fluff with a fork, adding the vinegar and truffle oil as you do.
3. Gently toss in the parsley, tomatoes and purslane. Season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
4. Check for seasoning, adjust as necessary, and serve.

Eat while watching the following Burning Man video, and consider the epic greatness of a place where really fearless people can blow up a 90-foot oil derrick with 900 gallons of NASA-dumped jet fuel.

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, San Francisco, Black Rock City, Recipe, Video, Burning Man

"Welcome to Burning Man, where nature is seriously trying to kill you!"

How do you explain an experience that's beyond words? How do you explain to someone who has never been that there is a utopian nation, but one which requires the ultimate participation of all of its citizens?

It's a place called Black Rock City, and for fifty-one weeks a year, it exists only in most peoples' imaginations. For one week, though, it comes alive with a vigor and lust for life that can only be experienced first-hand.

That said, am I asking you to attend? No. I think the Burning Man comes to you either very young, or at a time in your life when you need him. I think forcing yourself on the Playa (and, conversely, the Playa on your self) is a grave emotional and physical mistake. You must be ready to receive the harsh reality of nature, people and self. You can't come here without being willing to know yourself explicitly.

It's not a big, drug-addled, fur-covered rave, like the media would have you believe. It's a series of random coincidences, fateful happenings, and destinies entwined. You'll meet people you'd swear you've known your whole life; you'll spend time with loved ones you get to know a little better. You'll spend a ridiculous amount of time facing your own demons. If you're strong enough, the Playa will give you the support to face those demons head on.

I'll keep writing, ad hoc, about the experience. But for the next few days, you'll have to enjoy some video footage I took, with some commentary. I hope you'll find some of it a third as fasinating as I do.

Bisous,
Fatemeh

Tags: Food, Food & Drink, San Francisco, Black Rock City, Burning Man, Playa, Nevada