Gastronomie

Happy BlogDay

Today is the first annual BlogDay, wherein each blogger chooses to recommend five new (or new to them) blogs.

The purpose? Cross-pollination, of course, and the potential to discover dozens of great new sites on which to while away the hours. So, without further ado, I present my favorite "new finds".

San Francisco Gourmet is a wonderfully-written blog about fine dining in the Bay Area. Authored by the mysterious "NS", this site has a clean layout, and really nicely done "at a glance" ratings for each establishment.

Another favorite, but non-food, blog is No War on Iran written by six young Iranian-Americans. I may not always agree with their positions, but I am always better-educated for having read their posts.

I think it's hard for many of us to remember that Eggbeater has only been around 6 months -- I can hardly remember when I wasn't looking forward to Shuna's next heartfelt and beautifully-written post. A favorite on my blogroll, and a great friend to boot.

Another food, but really more lifestyle, blog I've been enjoying recently is Five Pints. Having met Mr. Fivepints at the Food Blogger picnic, I can attest to his quirky sense of humor which had me bent double a few times. Nice guy, nice blog. Great food to boot.

Lastly is a totally NOT new blog (I mean, it's been around for 5 years or something) but I just discovered MightyGirl via a series of links from BlogHer attendees. Maggie cracks me up, and she's got a wicked sight, MightyGoods where she features cool stuff that you can buy (not from her though. That wouldn't be so cool).

I hope you enjoy these... and please let me know what your favorites are (you can post in the Comments if you don't have a blog of your own).

Technorati Tags: Food | Iran | Shopping | Blog Day 2005

Coco500... I loved it... and I hated it.

I don't like writing lukewarm reviews, particularly when the food leaves absolutely nothing to complain about. But when poor or negligent service detracts enough from a meal to taint the overall experience, it has to be noted.

This past Saturday night, C and I had 9pm reservations at Coco500. We arrived a few minutes early and found ourselves crammed uncomfortably with a party of four in the small entry foyer. We were seated quickly, and had a nice long time to peruse the menu and examine the decor. It's warm and inviting with a new mirrored panel to help expand the feel of the space. The menu is divided into several sections, most of which invite sharing.

After about 10 minutes, our waiter came along and we ordered cocktails and our food. He wrote nothing down. Now, I am extremely impressed when waitstaff can commit to memory a full order without error, and I'm not at all predisposed to expect mistakes. Unfortunately, in this case, we would have been much better served by a small notepad. But more on that later.

The Best Happy Hour Deal in San Francisco

Yes, yes, I know. I gave you a little nibble about the Hawthorne Lane Happy Hour, and then I left you hanging. But, in my defense, the other post was already getting rather long, and I was on a mission.

But, see, the beauty of the World Wide Interweb is that I can come back two, even three, days later, and give you the scoop, the low-down, the "goods", if you will. And it's even more appropriate, because you could go off, and have yourself a loverly happy hour this very evening, if you wish. Because, really, what's a Friday evening without Happy Hour?

The best part about Hawthorne? You can still get a seat there, especially on a Friday evening. Sure, most of the other patrons will be in their FiDi garb, but you won't feel out of place even in your jeans.

An update on Phineas Frogg

A few you have asked me for an update on Finn, and I'm thrilled to oblige. Because if there's anything I like talking about more than food, it's French Bullies!

The little man is doing admirably, considering his shady beginnings. The infections in his ears have cleared up nicely, but he now has a skin infection. He's on antibiotics for that, which unfortunately encourages the yeast growth in his ears, so he's always itchy. We're hoping to find him a home that will home-cook his meals, or feed him a raw diet as ANY grains or other high-glycemic index foods encourage further yeast growth.

He's been neutered, and I'm glad to say that it hasn't really affected his personality too much. He's learning that screaming like a banshee at neighbor dogs is rather impolite, though from time to time, the temptation is too great, and he just has to "go for it" -- usually, when I'm walking him (suggesting that he's a bit protective of me). At the end of the day, we really want him to go to an only-dog home, or maybe one with a small, submissive female.

Finn has been a precious, welcome visitor in our home. Soon, the time will come for him to go to his "forever home".

In the meantime, he (and many of the other dogs in foster care) have racked up some pretty hefty veterinary bills. If you feel that you would like to sponsor this cutie (or, really, any other dog in foster care who may steal your heart), please go to the FBRN Foster Roster. You can Paypal a tax-deductible donation, and sponsorships of $10 or greater earn you a magnet ($10+), mug ($50+) or t-shirt ($100+).

Phineas Frogg says, "THANK YOU!!"

Technorati Tags: French Bulldog | Dogs | Rescue | Oakland

Channeling Rachael Ray, Part Deux

I didn't really have ANY intention of doing two posts for this month's Dine & Dish. But on Friday, I discovered what may be the best happy hour deal in the city, and I would be remiss in my duties as a food blogger if I were to withhold said discovery from you, my fabulous readership.

I suppose I could have written about it outside the context of D&D, but that wouldn't have been much fun, now would it? Admittedly, this means that I needed to "mock up" a full day of eating. And, this day can only be accomplished M-F, not on weekends. So, really, it's a total sham on my part, because I don't work in the city, and couldn't actually do this day unless I was playing hooky. But really, that's neither here nor there.

Also, that very pretty cocktail up there? Yeah, it's not part of the challenge. But it's pretty, and it tasted good, so I'm including the picture. But at $10, it definitely doesn't fit within the parameters of "$40 a day".

Rachael Ray in... Oakland?!?! (or, my entry for Dine & Dish #4, Part 1)

Sarah & Sam came up with a brilliant theme for this month's Dine & Dish: Play Rachael Ray for a day, and eat 3 squares plus snacks for under $40.

It's so brilliant, in fact, that I felt compelled to do TWO versions. Part 1 (which you're currently reading) focuses on Oakland, while Part 2 (coming Monday) focuses on San Francisco.

Per the instructions, my spend does NOT factor in tips (which, I suppose, is better than Ms. Ray's perpetual undertipping to keep to her budget). Anyway, without further ado...

My first stop was La Farine in the Rockridge District. A luscious chocolatine only set me back $1.95, but this tasty pastry has enough weight to keep me full until lunch. I added a cup of hot tea, bringing my total breakfast spend to $3.50.

From Germany, with Love

Not too long ago, Nicky & Oliver posted about a honey shop for their entry to SHF #10. One of the honeys they mentioned was Coconut Honey.

Now, C loves him some honey. And he loves him some coconut. So, it would stand to reason that acquiring a jar of said honey would make me a nice wife, and garner me some favors, right? I dashed off an email to Nicky asking if she could find out if the Honigstüberl shipped. She responded that they didn't, but she'd be happy to buy me a jar next time she passed by.

This, of course, turned into a "care-package swap" akin to Blogging by Mail, but outside of that context since, frankly, I hadn't read about it yet!

Kashk-e Bademjan

As promised (to several of you, in fact), here is my Kashk-e Bademjan recipe. But first, let me say a few things about this delicious dippy-spready-goodness.

1. I'm not posting a picture because, frankly, there is no way to make this stuff pretty. It's just... unattractive. As is so much Persian food. It's tan-brown sludge. But hot damn, does it taste good.
2. Kashk is critical for this recipe. It's a thick whey product that's really only found in Middle Eastern markets. I've heard it referred to as "caramelized yogurt", "cream of whey", and other random things. I don't think any of those is actually accurate. But for the life of me, I haven't a clue as to how they thicken the whey to where it really is a paste.
   
   Don't try to substitute yogurt in this dish (or in Ash-e Reshte, which also requires kashk). The taste is entirely different. If you can't find kashk locally, let me know and I'll try to help you find some. I did find a place that sells dried kashk, but I'm not sure about the quality.

In the company of greatness -- yes, this post IS about food

My, oh my... what a way to spend a Sunday. Truly, in the company of greatness -- great people, great food, great wine, great everything. Even great weather, as luck would have it.

Yes, I'm speaking of the SF Food Bloggers Picnic, the first of what I hope will be a semi-regular gathering -- personally, I'm already thinking about hosting a holiday party (or perhaps a post-holiday-decompression party) for all my lovely peers. Any takers?

With four other fabulous bloggers (Dr. Biggles, Amy, Sam & Jen) and the Biggles' family's hospitality (and smoker), we rounded up a crew of some 40 guests. Each guest was charged with bringing something to share, while Biggles manned the smoker & grill.

From an informal tasting of bacon (Biggles will fill in the blanks, I'm sure)...

to an Absinthe demonstration...

and a gaggle of homemade andouille (courtesy of Haddock)...

...this was a day I will surely remember for many moons.

Five Pints (whose name I've seen but whose blog I had never visited) made a Kabocha dish with squash about as local as it comes -- from his very own garden.

Sam, of course, in keeping with her Eat Local challenge, oven-roasted some delish Early Girl tomatoes and paired them with purslane and sorrel. Her gougeres were equally delicious, and not too salty in the least.

Biggles, of course, graced us with only the very best from the smoker and grill -- Heritage Farms beef, Fatted Calf Porchetta (which, ohmigod, let me tell you is the best pork roast in the world), smoked free range chickens... Well, here, take a look for yourself at the fruits of his labor:

Of course, I haven't said a WORD about the desserts. Shuna made two gorgeous pies with the best. crust. ever. Both loaded with plums and berries, and fragrant with rose geranium. Kim G, who contributes to Bay Area Bites, brought a galette of rhubarb. The Bunrabs (charming couple!) contributed heavenly chocolate macarons, which were my utter downfall -- I ate far, far more than my fair share of those.

Fortunately, Steve from Blue Bottle Coffee was on-hand to brew perfect cups of joe to help aid in the digestion of all these gustatory pleasures.

I finally got to meet some of the bloggers whose work I enjoy so much, including Elise (who so generously shared her apple butter with each of the co-hosts), Joy (and Jon, who shared tales of the Googleteria), Catherine and Mr. Food Musings (who, I'm sure gets told daily that he looks like Vincent D'onofrio) and CookieCrumb and her other half.

There are SO many other people whom I haven't mentioned. Please forgive me. I utterly enjoyed all of your company, and could never do yesterday proper justice. It's the kind of day that you can't properly explain to anyone, except to say, simply, that is was PERFECT.

Tomorrow, I shall post the Kashk-e Bademjaan recipe that several of you asked for, and which was my contribution to the picnic.

WBW #12... Closer, no CLOSER!

Don't you love it when someone else does all your homework for you? And you didn't even have to bully them to do it?!?

Well, Derrick, who lives just a few blocks from us, did all the research on Dashe Cellars for this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday. So, instead of regurgitating it all, I'll let you head over there and read it all for yourself. But, be sure to come back, because Derrick and I drank different Dashe bottlings, and I'm glad for that.

But first... "Hello, my name is Fatemeh and I'm a zinfandel junkie". I love this gorgeously velvety grape. I love when the fruit is balanced by white pepper and other delicious spices. I think a properly vinified zinfandel doesn't show its 15+% alcohol so obnoxiously. That means, for the most part, that I really, really like what Michael & Anne Dashe have created.

Wine: Dashe Cellars Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
Vintage: 2002
Varietal: 86% Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignane
Appellation: Sonoma Dry Creek Valley
Price: $22 MSRP, widely available for $18

The Nose:
Immediately noticeable dark chocolate; dark black berry fruit, with a good measure of cracked black pepper. Some heat comes through right off the bat.

The Eyes:
Inky violet-purple. Fairly dense all the way through the meniscus.

The Palate:
Velvet, pure sumptuous velvet on the palate. Spreads broadly across the tongue, softening at the edges. More of that tooth-staining black fruit gives way to clove, black pepper and a long, juicy, cranberry finish. Grippy tannins need food to tame them.

Overall Impressions:
The only thing holding this wine back is the heat -- it's REALLY hot. The excessive heat belies the relatively tame (for zinfandel) 14.5% alcohol. It's most definitely a food wine -- even the steak salad we ate didn't stand up to it particularly well. The lovely piece of dark chocolate I enjoyed while watching MythBusters, on the other hand, was a nice pairing.

Not necessarily my favorite Dashe bottling, but still far better that the goopy, sticky zins with little to no spice that are becoming increasingly popular.