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Here's another one of my pop quizzes!
First correct person to guess what this item is receives their choice of a copy of Jacques Pepin's Today's Gourmet: Light & Healthy Cooking or Frank Prial's Decantations.
The answer will be posted between midnight and 8amPST Saturday.
Yesterday, I had lunch at Campton Place with two friends. As it was a business lunch, we didn't focus as much as I would have liked on "foodiness", but we still got a fairly good representation of dishes into the mix.
Service at Campton Place is calm, hushed, elegant. At lunch, it seemed to me that nearly every other party in the restaurant was either a "Ladies who Lunch" group or a wealthy older couple, laden with Hermès and St. John bags. Unfortunately, because this type of table generally has time to burn, service is appropriately slow. We found ourselves rushed at the very last moment to get JP & B to their next meeting on time.
The food was all thoroughly competent. Some of the dishes were deliciously creative; others seemed to be lacking a bit of something. Ultimately, the overall experience did leave me wanting to go back for dinner, to try Chef Humm's dishes when he's actually in the kitchen, and without the limitations of a lunch menu.
Campton Place's lunch menu is priced at $34 for 2 courses, $39 for 3 courses and $49 for 4 courses. Any item on the menu can be prepared in appetizer or entree portions, which is a nice touch.
We were brought a lovely amuse of seafood ravioli, perhaps one of the best dishes of the meal. Tender pasta, a savory-tart sauce, celeriac & seafood danced on the tongue.
This week's interview is with Shelley Lindgren, co-owner and sommelier of A16.
Shelley was an incredibly sweet and gracious subject, and really represents the many things that I love about where the wine industry is going--younger, hipper and ultimately focused on helping guide consumers through an enjoyable experience. She told me,
"I don't go from table to table trying to show people how much I know--I'm there when they need me, to answer questions, make suggestions and help them navigate the list... It's not about my ego."
And that is why you should go over to KQED, and read the interview.
*Photo courtesy of A16 restaurant
Owen Linderholm of Tomatilla (ergo, Paper Chef) fame, has published a book entitled Digital Dish.
It's a compilation of some of the best posts from 24 different food blogs, written between Summer 2003 and Summer 2004.
It includes some of my personal favorites like Dr. Biggles of Meathenge, Jeanne of Cook Sister, Kate of Accidental Hedonist and many others.
Go here to order the book, and support one of our most prolific and engaging food bloggers--don't forget that Owen published the book himself, so it's a labor of love, and it would be great to see him actually cover all his expenses.
I've caught a nasty bug. Don't know how it happened, really... don't much care, either. Just want to feel, you know, better.
Usually, when I feel this way, I want the simplest of foods. Toast, for example, slathered with butter and drunk with hot tea. Maybe a cup of tomato soup.
Ideally, of course, I'd make myself a big pot of Ash-e Resht-e, but who has that kind of energy? On the other hand, a pot of matzo ball soup is perfectly simple, delicious, and easy-peasy with a box of Manischewitz matzo meal in the cupboard.
So, tell me, what is your ideal get-well food?
I first heard about The Occasional Gourmet via KQED's Bay Area Bites. So, when I ran into Kathy Fitzhenry at the Grand-Lake Farmer's Market last week, I knew I had to pick up a few of her spices. I ended up bringing home packets of Pimente d'Espelette and Berber Spice.
I'll write about the pepper another day, but suffice it to say that it is an incredibly aromatic, rich, sweet pepper that packs a fair bit of smoky & complex heat. I really wanted to do something with the Berber blend, but all I had in the house was a pork roast. I got creative, and came up with an absolutely delicious meal with some really unusual and complex Moroccan-inspired flavors. Next time, I'm making this with lamb, and giving the rub a little longer to work.
My selection of fruits/veggies to roast was driven by (a) what I had in the fridge, (b) a craving for Moroccan preserved lemons and (c) an abundance of Meyer lemons on the counter. You have to love really strong flavors to like this, and the dish was a bit on the strong side for C's tastes. But I really enjoyed it, and I hope you will, too.
