One Last Look at 2007's Flavors

Everyone seems to have a year-end list, and I honestly didn't think I would have a list to blog about. But when I thought about it, I realized that this year I discovered a lot of interesting tastes and flavors. I mean, that's the thing I love about food--there's always something new you haven't tried.

So here's my Top 10 favorite food tastes in 2007:

No. 10: Olive Oil and Rosemary Bread from LaBrea Bakery. This is actually a recent food discovery for me. I love LaBrea's bread and I get it regularly from Whole Foods, which gets it half-baked from Southern California and then finishes up the baking at the store. This means the bread is fresh and warm when you buy it. I typically buy the Whole Wheat bread but recently picked up this Olive Oil and Rosemary Bread. It's sooo amazing in terms of the softness inside but with this strong rosemary essence. So wonderful.

No. 9: White Pomegranates. While this isn't a new taste, it definitely is a new look. I've never seen pomegranates in this pale color. While I still love traditionally rich, ruby-colored pomegranates, this white version has this ethereal feel that adds more mystique to this romantic fruit.

No. 8: Speck. I first saw speck, an Italian cured meat, strewn on my delicious pizza at Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco. I'm a big fan of prosciutto, but speck has a leaner feel with less of the fattiness of prosciutto. So with just that one fact, it makes speck my new favorite Italian cured meat. I find speck at the deli section of The Pasta Shop at Markethall in my Rockridge neighborhood.

No. 7: Cassata. This is the flavor of a traditional Italian cake that includes orange. I love the orange-cream flavor because it reminds me of my childhood favorite, Creamsicles. I tasted and learned about Cassata at the Gelato Milano shop in downtown Berkeley. (In the picture, the Cassata flavor is the one on the bottom. The top flavor is Tiramisu, which is an old favorite flavor.)

No. 6: Rambutan. I saw this tropical fruit during my trip to Vietnam in January. It looks so exotic, but has memories of my favorite childhood Chinese fruit known as lychee. I was even more excited to see Rambutan sold in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's nice to know I can get this every year when they're in season. My new favorite furry fruit!

No. 5: Soft Tofu Soup. My sister loves this but I never tried it until this year when I visited Pyung Chang Soft Tofu House in Oakland. It's this amazing Korean dish made of soft silky tofu in this spicy soup. So comforting and amazing. One of my favorite things to get for a quick dinner.

No. 4: Blue Lake Green Beans. I didn't think green beans could be different from one another. They all look the same. But when I bit into my first Blue Lake Beans this year, I fell in love with the watery crispness. I now eat exclusively Blue Lake Beans. Forget about all the rest!

No. 3: Poco Dolce Chocolates. I've raved about this chocolate from San Francisco ever since I tried it at the Chocolate Salon at Fort Mason. Poco Dolce's chocolates are pretty expensive so I can't always buy and eat it, which is probably a good thing because I'd probably gain a lot of weight just eating this again and again. But I do love the bittersweet chocolate flavors with the fleur de sel sprinkles on top. Mmmmm.

No. 2: Flavor King Pluot. This was one of my surprising finds of the year. I didn't think a plum would be sooo sweet and distinctly flavored. The meat is also very beautiful to photograph because of the rose-peach color, depending on the ripeness. From now on, every summer I will be on the lookout for the Flavor King!

No. 1: Bomboloni. I'm sure it's no surprise that my No. 1 favorite new taste this year is the Bomboloni doughnut from Boriana's Corner at the San Francisco Ferry Building. And I'm sure I'm not the only one recommending this Italian treat, because every time I've gone to buy one from this small shop, I overhear someone raving about how they heard it from someone, etc. (Maybe they heard it from the Single Guy Chef!) However, there has been some grumblings lately on Chowhound about how some people have had some stale experiences. I'm hoping that this isn't true, because I love my custard Bomboloni (and even the Nutella bomboloni pictured above). The Bomboloni has given me so many happy memories for 2007!

Hope you all have a fantastic New Year and looking forward to discovering new tastes and flavors in 2008!

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Sticking Together in the New Year with Komochi

Growing up in Honolulu, New Year was an extremely festive and busy time for all my Japanese-American friends. The Japanese celebrate New Year on Jan. 1 unlike most Asian cultures, which follow the lunar calendar. Since Japanese-Americans made up close to a third of the population in Hawaii, the New Year always brought TV news stories about the gold-like prices for tuna (raw fish is popularly served, as you might guess, at new year's parties) and the ritual pounding of mochi on New Year's Day.

Mochi, or komochi, is made of rice flour (sold under the brand Mochiko). It's sticky and soft after steamed into cake patties. Something similar is found in other Asian cultures. In the Chinese culture, a similar sticky rice cake is made for the new year, called lien gou.

So this morning I headed off to Japantown in San Francisco to see what the New Year preparations were like here and to also go hunting for mochi. My first stop was to Benkyodo, one of the oldest businesses in Japantown (it opened its doors in 1906). Benkyodo is known for its manju, which is mochi cakes made with a bean paste filling. But around the new year, they're busy making kagami mochi or okasane, which is the new year's mochi cake offering to the gods (pictured above in their counter). I couldn't buy any because they were all reserved for customers who had pre-ordered. If you want to pre-order, it's too late. Last day to pre-order for the New Year was Dec. 24. Yikes, poor planning on my part. (BTW, they're also not making manju while they're so busy making okasane. The manju returns on Jan. 4.)

If you want something ornamental and not necessarily freshly made, you can buy one of these imported Japanese new year mochi cakes at Nijiya Market at Post and Webster. It even comes with a plastic orange to symbolize the coming of spring, or plastic spring.

Over at the tiny Uoki Sakai Fish Market on Post Street, I found more user-friendly komochi made fresh by Benkyodo. So these tiny rice cakes or komochi are eaten in the new year in a soup known as Ozoni. Sticky rice cakes are popular in Asian cultures for the new year because it symbolizes how the family sticks together just like the sticky rice, and it's sweet so you know you'll have a sweet year ahead!

Benkyodo, 1747 Buchanan St., San Francisco. PH: 415.922.1244
Nijiya Market, 1737 Post St., San Francisco. PH: 415.563.1901
Uoki Sakai Fish Market, 1656 Post St., San Francisco. PH: 415.921.0515

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What's Open at the Oxbow Public Market

NAPA, Calif.
My friends Stella and Mariusz were visiting this week from Virginia Beach, so since I had the week off, we drove up to Napa the day after Christmas. One of the places I told them we had to check out was the new Oxbow Public Market.

The market, right next to Copia (Mondavi's offering to the wine gods), is supposed to be the Ferry Plaza in wine country. In fact, Oxbow's founder, Steve Carlin, was a project manager who helped create the vision for the popular San Francisco Ferry Building maketplace. (He also spent several years with Oakville Grocery.)

The Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa opened just a couple of weeks ago. But it's doing a "rolling" opening, which means that you can visit the marketplace but not every store is open. So each storefront will open in the next few weeks, as they're ready to be open. If you wait a couple of months, you'll probably see the Oxbow at its complete glory. But if you visit earlier, you also get the chance to chat with the store owners as they prepare to open their places. Either way, it's definitely a fun place to food explore.

Here's what we saw when we visited during the holiday week:

One of the first stop as you walk into the Oxbow's warehouse-like location is the Folio Enoteca & Winery. Enoteca is Italian for wine cellar. They have a little cafe like area and they're actually producing wine on site. Folio is an offshoot of the Mondavi family, owned by Michael Mondavi.

Of course, there has to be a chocolate purveyor. At the Oxbow is Anette's Chocolates of Napa Valley. Here's a photo of chocolate-dipped apricots. Yum.

One of the more impressively organized and displayed storefront is this by Tillerman Tea. It's a new tea company based in Napa created by two partners (one of whom came from the winery industry) who followed their passion for tea. Stella loved the bright red tea cannisters.

We did a tea tasting at Tillerman, and the owner, David Campbell, served us a green tea from China called mon jian. It was very nice with a very slight smokey flavor that reminded me of Dragon Well tea. I also loved all the tea ceramics at the store. Definitely a place to visit again.

It was too early in the morning for us to try out the ice cream place at Oxbow, but it definitely looked interesting. This is the Three Twins Organic Ice Cream, which like the name says makes ice cream from organic and sustainable products in the Napa Valley. That's the owner there, Neal Gottlieb, a former Peace Corps. volunteer. One day I'm going to ask him how he got three twins, because shouldn't it be called Triplets Organic Ice Cream? ;-)

Here's a storefront that's still under construction. I would say half of the stores weren't really opened yet.
This spice store looked like it was pretty much ready to open, but it was still closed and I took this photo behind the wired barrier.

This store is known as Heritage Culinary Artifacts, which has an eclectic collection of things for your kitchen. It really had a pork theme, for some reason. So it's great for all you pig lovers.

Here's another home furnishing/entertaining-type store known as Fete. There's a weird accent on the first "e" but I can't seem to do it on blogger. Oh well, you know it's fancy when it requires an accent.

Not many of the food places were open. Along with another Taylor's Refresher, there's going to be this Venezuelan place called Pica Pica Maize Kitchen. It should be open soon after the new year.

The location will also have a Fatted Calf, a cheese shop and a rotisserie. There'll also be a farmers market in stands outside the building with local farmers selling things in the mornings, but I'm not sure when they'll be ready to do that. Stay tuned.

Oxbow Public Market, 610 First St., Napa. Open daily starting with farmers market at 8 a.m. and restaurants till 8 p.m. Web site.

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I Ate The Whole Thing

I'm off from my day job this week, so that means I get to visit with friends who are home for the holidays and go to my favorite food places and avoid the lines. Yesterday, I had lunch with my friend Sylvia from New York and we walked around the Mission District in San Francisco afterwards. So of course we went to Tartine Bakery and even though there was a line, it was no where near the typical weekend lines snaking out the door. I ended up getting the above Banana Cream Pie (small individual size for $5.50). It was actually a lot but I ate the whole thing. There were slices of bananas in the filling and the cream was so light and airy. The only thing was the crust, while flakey, was a bit tough to break apart with a fork because of the chocolate layer. Dang chocolate! ;-)

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Christmas Dinner Revisited

I feel like in my posts lately it may not seem like I've been doing much cooking. But I have. It's just that I've been having a low-key holiday season this year, so when I have been cooking, I've been sticking with my tried-and-true recipes, many of which I've blogged about in the past.

Take, for example, Christmas dinner. I spent most of the day at home cooking, making some of my favorite recipes but adding a few changes here and there. I thought I'd give you a look at my Christmas dinner this year, and maybe it might give you an idea for dinner on New Year's Day. Enjoy!Roasted Beet Salad with Pears and Baby Watercress in a Blood Orange Vinaigrette. I started my dinner with a beet salad because you know I love beets. This salad is very similar to this blood orange and roasted beet salad here, but I switched it up by not using goat cheese and adding fresh Bartlett pears. The pears made the salad more refreshing and juicy. I also got those baby watercress at Whole Foods (they're the ones where the watercress stem is very thin and the bunch is sitting in a tray of water).

Grilled Lamb Chops with Butternut Squash Puree with Marsala Reduction, Micro Greens and Roasted Yukon Potatoes. I think lamb chop is an easy and stress-free entree to serve for dinner. So I got some French-cut chops and just seasoned with salt and pepper and some fresh rosemary and just grilled them with olive oil. The real work came in the surrounding items. I started by roasting a small butternut squash, and then puree-ing it with my hand blender with a dash of milk. Then I low simmered about a half cup of Marsala wine with a cinnamon stick and a tablespoon of sugar to create this sweet, holiday-appropriate reduction to drizzle over everything. I also roasted some yukon potatoes and topped everything off with micro greens. (I see restaurants using micro greens every where and you can now buy them at specialty grocery stores or the farmers market, which is where I found mines.)
Meyer Lemon Custard Cakes. I ended my Christmas dinner with this easy-to-make lemon custard cake. I got the recipe originally from Martha Stewart's Web site. When I made them last year, I enjoyed them so much when made fresh and with Meyer lemons in season. So I did them again for Christmas.

So that was my Christmas dinner. (And boy, did I pay for it with the dishes to wash! I think I'm still washing dishes.) I have to say I really liked the beet salad and the lamb chops smeared with butternut squash as I cut into them. So what was your favorite thing about Christmas dinner?

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Dinner & a Movie at the Kabuki

I'm very Jewish when it comes to Christmas because you'll typically find me at the movies. As a single guy living away from my family, I often find myself sharing my Christmas with other strangers in a dark room and the flickering light on the projected silver screen.

This year, I decided to check out the new Sundance Kabuki Cinemas on Christmas Eve. The Kabuki Cinemas in San Francisco's Japantown recently went through a renovation, now under the ownership of Robert Redford's Sundance Group. Much of the highlight of the changes focuses on the food, including three eating formats for movie goers, created by Chef Vincent Schofield, formerly of Boulevard.

If you haven't visited the new Sundance Kabuki, here's a preview:

Things are so new that they're still old. Many of the signage haven't been changed or updated. When you approach the Sundance Kabuki theaters, you don't really see any major change from the outside, although it seems like they've added more bamboo trees inside and outside of the place. Here you can see that the sign outside still says Kabuki 8 Theaters instead of Sundance Kabuki.

One of the major change as far as entertainment is that seats are assigned. You can go online and purchase your ticket and then select your seat. If you don't buy your ticket in advance, then when you go to the ticket office, you see a computer screen with a seating chart and the clerk asks you to select your seat. While all this is cool and personalized, I bet this will really make the lines go slowly as people take their time studying the seating chart to pick their favorite seat.

Also, the new Sundance Kabuki adds a $1 amenity charge. This is how the conversation went:

Sales clerk: The $1 amenity charge is so that we promise not to show any commercials before the movie.

Chef Ben: But what if I want to see commercials? Will you waive the amenity fee? I so dig those Mac-PC commercials. Can I see those?

Sales clerk: Sorry, no.

Chef Ben: Why don't you just add the $1 into the total price instead of separating it out and calling it an "amenity" charge?

Sales clerk: [[This is so not what I need on Christmas eve.]]

Chef Ben: Hey, does the amenity fee include a back rub from Robert Redford. That'll be cool.

OK, I'm so amazed that I was sold a ticket and was able to sneak all the remaining photos in. I'm pretty sure I'm on someone's list now.

This one spot of the theater was really cool and very Sundance-like. It was a waiting area with this really big comfy leather sofa and club chairs.

Of course, the Sundance catalog was all over the place.

So before my movie, I checked out the Bar Bistro on the second floor where all the theaters are. It has a bar that serves alcohol, table seating along the side and these big benches and ottomon-like chairs in the center area. I decided to sit here because the table seating were along the lobby where movie goers walk back and forth watching you eat. This comfy area was a bit more hidden.

The Bar Bistro offered a menu with a variety of sandwiches and panini, salads, starters such as Coca Cola pork ribs, 10-inch pizzas and dessert like house-made churros. The menu had a mix of Mediterranean/Spanish/California cuisine.

I ended up getting the 10-inch pizza with arugula and prosciutto. It was a lot for $12 and when I bit into it, I felt like I was sitting at Pizzaiolo or Dopo. The thin-crust pizza tasted like it was made in a wood-fire oven and it really did taste comparable to some of the better pizzas around. I think I was partly surprised because I've never had such a great pizza at a movie theater. The ingredients were fresh, it didn't take long for it to arrive, and it had a very satisfying sauce. I enjoyed it and can't wait to try the other flavors.

One floor up you'll see the Balcony Bar where you can get drinks before going to your movie. Now that may actually make some movies more bearable to watch! But you have to drink your drink here. It's not allowed inside the theaters, although food is OK to bring in with you. Both the Balcony Bar and the Bar Bistro are open after 4 p.m. on weeknights and for lunch and dinner on weekends.

After my movie (I saw Juno--loved it!), I went to check out the adjacent Kabuki Kitchen, in the spot formerly a Pasta Pomodoro. The place is so new that, again, there were no signage outside letting people know it was called Kabuki Kitchen. In fact, a few people walked in thinking it was still Pasta Pomodoro. When you walk in, there's a bar to the right and a lot of tables on the top and lower level. Then an open area where you can look into the kitchen. I would show you pictures but the place was decorated like a cave. So it was very dark with just candles for lighting. Luckily there were some ambient light at the bar where I sat.

For dinner, Chef Schofield offers similar items like Bar Bistro (such as the Coca-Cola pork ribs) with a few additional items. Since I still had that pizza in me, I ended up trying the Mahi Ahi Poke ($13) as a starter. It was your basic poke, which is the Hawaiian style of ceviche using soy sauce as a marinade. I didn't really enjoy the use of mahi mahi as poke because it didn't have a rich flavor like the ahi (tuna), which is more traditional poke. But it was nice and light. I would have enjoyed it more if it was all ahi instead of mahi ahi. The taro chips on the side were good.

For my entree at Kabuki Kitchen, I ordered the Butternut Squash croquettes with celery root and sauteed cavalo nero (that's the greens) with persimmons ($17). It was a very fancy sounding dish. The croquettes were just OK and the celery root was bland. The greens weren't any better.

Of all the food I ate at the Kabuki, the pizza was probably the best thing. The service at the Kabuki Kitchen was friendly but seemed a bit frazzled. Probably after a few months, things will be more settled.

For now, the new Sundance Kabuki offers comfortable stadium seating inside the theaters and delightful eating options just outside the door. While the execution is a bit inconsistent depending on what you order, it is creative and convenient for a movie complex. Makes planning for a Friday night movie-and-dinner date so much easier. Now all I need is the date. :)

Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, 1881 Post St. at Fillmore, San Francisco. Web site.
Dinner reservations at Kabuki Kitchen, PH: 415.409.6878.

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Something For You All Under The Tree

Happy holidays to everyone! I hope you're all enjoying this special time of the year with family and friends and, of course, some good food.

In the spirit of giving, I thought I'd do something special and create this video below. It's actual a blooper reel of my attempts in making my In The Kitchen demo videos for the blog this past year. As I've mentioned before, I'm a one-man, low-budget production. So when I do these demos, I usually just wing it with no written script or no director. What that usually means is me making several tries at talking and making sense at the same time. Not as easy as you might think.

Anywho, hope you enjoy my bloopers! And thanks again for visiting my site. I wouldn't even subject myself to this public humiliation if it weren't for you! Happy holidays!

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Dish on Dining: Noodle Theory

The Californication of Asian Noodles
6099 Claremont Ave., Oakland
Rockridge neighborhood
PH: 510.595.6988
Open daily (except Tuesday) for lunch and dinner
www.noodletheory.com

When I want noodles, I want them to be fresh and comforting. Noodles are the type of food that you want to eat at authentic, hole-in-the-walls. Several bloggers go on and on about noodles—from ramen to chow mein—waxing poetic about these slurping goodness.

Earlier this year, Noodle Theory opened on the edge of my Rockridge neighborhood in a former Double Rainbow ice cream parlor. Recently, I finally made it for lunch at the A-frame-like tiny noodle bar.

Joining me was my friend Vera, who lives nearby and has been to Noodle Theory several times. We got there before noon and didn’t have any problems finding a table. The restaurant has all their tiny tables along the glass wall facing Clairemont Avenue. I got the view looking out the window while Vera got the view of the cooking station where all orders are made in flaming woks behind the counter by about three cooks.

Unlike fully dedicated noodle bars where you might get 10 varieties of ramen or just as many versions of won ton mein, Noodle Theory is a focused noodle bar with only a few selections on some of the typical favorite noodles: soba, ramen, udon, and crispy noodles. The noodles are all topped by properly sourced California meats, mostly Niman Ranch.

As I perused the menu, our server brought us a small dipping dish filled with edamame, the popular Japanese soy bean bar snack. It looked vibrantly green but doused with a dark sauce that was a combination of soy and balsamic vinegar. That signaled the theme of Noodle Theory: serve up classic Asian dishes and accompaniments but add a westernized twist to them because they can. It was fine, and the dark sauce wasn’t as powerful as it looked.

For our lunch, we ordered the shrimp dumplings ($8.50) as a starter. Vera ordered the Spicy Pork Loin Ramen in Peanut Lime Cilantro Broth ($9.50) while I got the Chicken Ginger Noodles ($9).

The dumplings arrived soon after and they had a crumpled skin surrounding the exterior. The dumplings were plump and tasty, but nothing spectacular. It was fresh and filling but didn’t taste anything better than what you could get at a Chinese restaurant.

When our lunch arrived, the server told Vera she should stir the bottom of her broth because the creamy peanut sauce typically settles in the soup bowl and it’ll blend nicely with her broth. Of course, I distracted Vera by taking a picture of her ramen and then grabbing a taste of her tender pork loin, so she forgot to stir her broth. Without stirring, her broth tasted thin and insignificant. But she said later that after she remembered to stir in the peanut, it tasted full and creamy.

My ginger noodle dish was a substantial order. The freshly grilled Fulton Valley chicken topped these very darkly tinted thick noodles. I found it odd that Noodle Theory feels the need to add so much color to their noodles by using what apparently is dark soy. But despite the dark look, it wasn’t at all salty. It just looked that way.

The chicken meat was perfectly tender and very moist. It felt very healthy and fresh. And while the noodles were dark, they were balanced enough that I felt the overall dish was satisfying.

Were the dishes authentic? Definitely not. But I don’t think that’s what Noodle Theory is all about. Noodle Theory is classing up noodles in an attempt to expand its audience. Is this really necessary? In a sophisticated neighborhood like Berkeley-Oakland where Asian food is everywhere, I don’t think so. Maybe in Walnut Creek or Pleasanton, where Zao Noodle (which seems like the model for Noodle Theory) is focusing its expansion in the suburbs while exiting its city locations.

For dinner, Noodle Theory has much of its lunch offerings with just a few more entrees. (But I’m always a believer that noodles are best for lunch.) And while Noodle Theory is a competent approach to westernized noodles, I’d rather head to Chinatown to get some of the real thing.

Single guy rating: 2.5 stars (fresh and fast)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner

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Show-stopping Chiles at Tierra Vegetables

I didn’t have time to post this photo earlier, but I figured you’re all probably still doing your Christmas shopping so you won’t have time to visit the farmers market anyway. So as always, I bring it to you!

I snapped this photo of these beautifully brilliant chiles hanging at the Tierra Vegetables stand at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco last Saturday. The color was so amazing it literally stopped me in my tracks. Tierra always has such unusual chiles for sale that I can always count on its stand for a beautiful shot. I don’t think these chiles were for sale, just a way to attract buyers (and it worked). They were hanging over these bottled jars of the Rojo chile jam. While the jams were this beautiful bright red color, it was a bit too hot for me. Even though I like spicy food, it was just a tad too much. But maybe you’ll like it. You should try out their chile jams next time you’re at the Ferry Building on a Saturday. It’ll definitely perk you up on a gray morning.

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Gourmet Ho-down at the Blue Barn

When you think of visiting a barn, scenes of Napa Valley or the Santa Cruz mountains come to mind. Even those little towns you see on the way to Point Reyes. But the Marina District of San Francisco? Wooooaaaaht? (Is that how you spell it, Ellen?)

Well, there I was this past weekend. On Chestnut Street in the city’s Marina District, where joggers have switched to biking in stretchy pants because of the cold weather and young couples walk around in matching Patagonia vests.

In the spot once selling pizza by the slice from Cybelle’s Pizza, you see this rustic barn façade, now the front for Blue Barn Gourmet--what can best be described as a seasonal sustainable deli. The person behind Blue Barn is Sam Joshi, who already has a couple of Marina properties (Mamacita and Umami).

While it calls itself a deli, it seems that much of the business is in the prepared foods section. They sell sandwiches and salads made to order using produce from Oak Hill Farm.

Here’s my photo tour of the tiny Blue Barn in the Marina:

When you walk in, you definitely get the barn motif. But for me, and probably many others, you feel a bit overwhelmed by the descriptions of the salads and sandwiches available to order. My suggestion is to go up to the register where you can pick up a paper menu. Grab a copy, move off to the side and study it, then go up and order. Regulars who already know what they want will thank you.

This is the counter near the register where you order. In the back, you see the cooks working busy in the kitchen making the sandwiches. In the front are all the various ingredients for the “You Pick Salad” sold for $7.50. Similar to Pluto’s (which is a few blocks west in the neighborhood), you can create your salad from the variety of seasonal ingredients. There are beets, pomegranates, caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash, marinated seaweed and just as many interesting dressings (think champagne-saffron or sushi ginger vinaigrettes). There’s a guy who’s ready to make your salad but he was away when I snapped this shot.

In the counter there are tons of cheese, breads and prepared salads. I just hope they have a lot more in the back, because one person can order that whole bowl and they’d be up a creek!

Keeping up with the charcuterie trend, Blue Barn also offers cured meats and fresh artisan bread. Everything looked very fancy, but it must be tough competing with Lucca Delicatessen across the way in the same neighborhood.

This is where you pick up your order. There are two tiny bar tables at the window and really, you’ll find it hard to get a seat and eat in. The people who buy sandwiches here … take. their. time. … when enjoying their sandwiches. That’s OK. On a nice day, you can walk over to the Marina green or the Palace of Fine Arts and snack on your sandwich and specialty drinks. (What I also like about the tiny place is the high ceilings with barn beams.)

So I ended up ordering the Rooster special sandwich (or “sandos” as it's written on the menu). I walked across the street to Peet’s Coffee to savor my sandwich. This is my Rooster all wrapped up. I took a picture to show the stages of unwrap. When I ripped off the outside layer, I found this…

That’s right, a piece of Bazooka gum. It was such a nice surprise and I thought such a fun touch that I was already in love with my sandwich even before taking a bite.

But then of course I had to get to my sandwich, and here’s the Rooster. It’s a chile-lime grilled chicken breast with Niman bacon, avocado, sharp cheddar, roma tomato and a chipotle-scallion aioli all on a toasted ciabatta bread. Dang, that’s a long description, but it just doesn’t give justice to what I ate. My first bite gave me the crunch and feel of grilled panini, and different flavors and tastes took turns surprising me with each bite. One bite: savory. Second bite: tender. Third bite: Vinegary-good. Sometimes it was the cheese, sometimes the aioli. I could go on and on. The only thing I would say was the ciabatta, while nicely toasted, was a bit tough to eat. Still, that is so minor compared to the wonderful blending of flavors in this specialty sandwich. It was worth paying the Marina tax on food around this neighborhood. (The Rooster coast me $8.50. So worth it.)

I had very low expectations for Blue Barn Gourmet. I felt the space was too small. It was a bit too overdone with the barn theme. (I mean, how many things can you distress?) And it was in the Marina. But in the end, this is a place serving solid specialty food. Now you have another thing to do in a barn.

Blue Barn Gourmet, 2105 Chestnut St., San Francisco. PH: 415.441.3232. http://www.bluebarngourmet.com/ Open daily (except Tuesday) from 11 a.m.

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Spiked Custard Pie for the Holidays

I was home sick recently. (Hmm, I wonder why? Maybe it’s all the holiday baked goods I’ve been eating here and here.) Slumped on my sofa during the day, wrapped in my throw that I really should take in for some dry cleaning, I was watching the Food Network, of course.

At the time, it was Paula Deen’s holiday special. And I have to admit, I’m not a fan of her Southern cooking because of all the butter and fat she uses. (I’m also not a fan of her voice, but I have to say it’s starting to grow on me.) As I was about to flip to another channel, I saw a promo for the next segment showcasing a recipe for eggnog pie. Mmm, eggnog.

So after the commercials, Deen introduced one of her sons, who demonstrated making the pie. I forgot which son. The one with chubby cheeks. Does that narrow it down? Anywho, it was a really simple recipe and I liked the idea of an eggnog flavor so I made it this weekend.

It was very simple (made simpler by using a frozen pie crust I still had in my freezer) and used very few ingredients. After it was done baking, the texture of the custard was so clean and smooth that I thought I was a professional. The only thing is I thought the white rum that the recipe called for was a bit sharp for a dessert. It really tasted like alcohol but without getting drunk because the alcohol probably evaporated in the baking.

If you feel like trying this recipe for the holidays, I’d suggest using a sweeter alcohol like brandy or Madeira (although it might make your custard darker in color). And I would add just a tad bit more sugar than the one cup. I also didn’t serve it with whipped cream as suggested.

Here’s the link to the recipe on the Food Network’s site. Happy holidays!

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Holiday Cupcakes, Kara-style

A couple of weekends ago, I blogged about the holiday cupcake at Teacake Bake Shop on the East Bay (it was eggnog, in case you forgot). This past weekend, I was in San Francisco near the Marina District. So of course I had to check out Kara's Cupcakes.

For the holidays, they had a pumpkin spiced cupcake, of course. But they also had this cupcake called Peppermint Twist. It was a chocolate cupcake with peppermint candy crumbles on top. I bought one out of curiosity.

The chocolate cake itself was so richly satisfying. It had a dark color, almost like bittersweet chocolate, but still had a moist texture. But my first bite into the peppermint frosting made me feel like a light bulb went on above my head in some cartoon feature. It was like, who would have thought it would be like this?

I didn't imagine that the frosting would be so creamy and soft. It was like buddah (butter). I'm pretty sure it was a butter cream frosting. (Later on I learned on Kara's Web site that the frosting was white chocolate butter cream. Even better!) I had to take a picture below just so you can see the huge plop of butter cream that created this creamy, light goodness.

Of course, the first bite was amazing. But after the second bite, my tummy was thinking "I want my mommy." That's right, it's that sweet tasting flavor that you know you'll get a tummy ache if you ate too much of this or if you ate it on an empty stomach. Still, it was so different and yummy that I didn't care. I toughed it out.

So check out the Peppermint Twist at Kara's while they're still offering it. It's definitely something I've never had before. Ho ho ho.

Kara's Cupcakes, 3249 Scott St. (at Chestnut); second location at Ghiradelli Square. PH: 415.563.CAKE.

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Hook Me Up: Spasso Coffeehouse

With my new MacBook with wi-fi access, I decided I should be more part of the coffeehouse community, even though I don't drink coffee. So occasionally I thought I'd blog about some neighborhood coffeehouses and cafes with wi-fi connections.

So that brings me to Spasso Coffeehouse, not too far away from my Rockridge apartment in Oakland. In fact, I think Spasso is considered on the edge of Rockridge near Clairemont on the border of Berkeley and North Oakland. I'm there right now writing this post after a lunch of chicken salad sandwich and Mango Ceylon tea from the Republic of Tea. I got here a little before noon and it was already pretty packed in the back with a mix crowd of college students and non-college students (that's me and a handful of other "mature" coffeehouse hanger-ons).

The back room is pretty large, but it's tightly packed with small bistro-type table tops next to each other. By the time I finished placing my order, the only seat was smack dab in the middle of the room, where I felt like I was on display, just like this huge mural that I could see from where I was sitting. I think it's pretty interesting, and adds to the casual, worker-type mentality of the place. Eventually someone left and now I'm sitting right underneath the mural against the wall on this long wooden bench. It's not very comfortable but at least I'm no longer the center of attention.

Here's the typical coffeehouse crowd at Spasso this Sunday afternoon. Overall, this is your typical cafe. My only gripe so far is that it sure takes a long time to get your food. The two servers at the counter are very friendly and nice, but seems a bit overwhelmed by the people coming in. For example, the guy who took my order never gave me my pot of tea. I had to come and get it and it was just sitting there on the counter. That isn't a biggie, except when you're like me and you don't like your tea seeping for longer than 4 minutes max (for black teas). So I didn't know how long this was seeping. Luckily, it's fine. (Or maybe it's not and that's why I feel so wired right now.)

The woman who was making sandwiches got my order for the chicken salad but then when I sat down in the center of the room, I noticed that she was now busy taking orders. So who's making the sandwiches? It was a bit confusing about when they were going to get to it. And with a chicken salad sandwich, you'd think all the ingredients are made and you just have to slap it on a couple pieces of toast and then serve it up. You'd think. It was maybe another 10 minutes before I got my sandwich.

Here's my chicken salad sandwich on toasted whole wheat bread. Pretty straightforward. I have to say, the chicken chunks were pretty nice and tender, but overall it was very homemade. It's satisfactory for my needs, which was basically a quick bite so I could focus more on blogging and working on my Christmas e-newsletter. Time to get down to work!

Spasso Coffeehouse
Location: 6021 College Ave., near Claremont Avenue in Oakland
PH: 510.428.1818
Food: Sandwiches, baked goods and specialty drinks
Coffee: Organic fair trade coffee
Tea: Republic of Tea brand
Wi-Fi: Yes, free hi-speed with password
Restrooms: Yes
Seating: 15 tables in the back, three in the front plus a sofa with coffee table, two outside on sidewalk
Cleanliness: Average. No bus boys so you have to bus yourself, and some customers weren't really nice about that.

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On the Menu: Dine About Town

The food event to drum up business for the local restaurant biz, Dine About Town is coming back in 2008, and not just once but twice.

Sponsored by the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, this is your chance to get a table at some of the fine dining restaurants in the city at a reasonable price point via the prix fixe special lunches ($21.95) and dinners ($31.95) developed by the participating restaurants. Dine About Town, Part 1, runs from Jan. 15 to 31 (Part 2 runs sometime in June 2008).

Limited tables are set aside by each restaurant, so you might want to make your reservations for your favorite now. You can do it on OpenTable or the official Dine About Town site.

To help you out, I’ve listed some of my highlights from the official list of participating restaurants. I start off with the list of restaurants I’ve been to and my notes on whether it’s worth going on DAT, followed by my wish list of places to try and why. See you on the dining circuit!

Been There:
Absinthe Brasserie (lunch only). Near the Civic Center, this Hayes Valley classic has quality French brasserie dishes and a fantastic bar.
Andalu. This Mission District hot spot is popular with the “girls night out” crowd, mostly because you get tasty California-style dishes in small plates.
Azie. By the people behind LuLu’s, this fine dining restaurant is comfortable and cozy with elegant Asian-inspired dishes.
Chez Papa. This is one of my favorite Potrero Hill neighborhood restaurants. You feel like you’re in Paris, mostly because almost all the servers have a French accent, but also because the food is sooo French bistro. This original is still better than the other offshoots such as Chez Mamam.
Destino. Serving up fancy Latino-style dishes with a Peruvian slant, Destino is a small neighborhood restaurant. The food is inconsistent and isn’t that expensive that you need to wait for DAT to give it a try, IMHO.
Foreign Cinema. One of my favorite Mission District classic, this is an elegant but casual place for good food and fun. What comes out of the kitchen is worth the bustling noise.
Garibaldi’s on College. I used to consider this my neighborhood restaurant since I lived just two blocks away in Rockridge, but it’s been awhile and the food buzz has been mixed about this Rockridge standard with the beautiful room and bar. Again, this place isn’t that expensive that you’d have to worry about waiting for a DAT menu to try if you have to.
Le Charm. Another French bistro on the list. This one is on Fifth Street in SOMA. You probably wouldn’t even notice this quaint place, but the food and service is very cozy.
Le Colonial. Upscale Vietnamese food in a French-Colonial setting is always a nice way to escape the basic California cuisine. Hidden in an alley, Le Colonial is a gorgeous space for dinner.
LuLu. Another San Francisco classic, LuLu serves up French Provencal dishes from its wood-fire oven. While the crowd can be a bit touristy, you can still count on the food to satisfy.
Plouf. Among the alley-Euro atmosphere of Belden Lane, Plouf emphasizes French seafood, and you get it with the striped black-and-white shirts worn by the servers. But while some dishes may be interesting still, overall I feel this restaurant has lost some of its luster.
Roe Restaurant. Recently renovated, this restaurant has ambitious dishes from the kitchen that is executed well but still doesn’t really harmonize on the plate. Because of its high prices, DAT menu may be a fine opportunity to give Roe a try.
Scott Howard. I went to this Financial District star earlier this year for another prix fixe dining event. While it’s a handsome room with interesting dishes, Scott Howard offers an ongoing prix fixe menu, so the attraction for a special DAT menu isn’t quite so attractive.
Waterfront Restaurant. Along the Embarcadero just north of the Ferry Plaza, this restaurant offers up clean California dishes with a view.
XYZ. The fine dining restaurant for the W Hotel in SOMA, I found the environment more pretty than the food. While the offerings are upscale, the preparations seem a bit flat. Stick with a drink at the bar.

Want to Try:
A16 (lunch only). This Marina hot spot is probably going to fill up fast for DAT reservations, even though they’re just offering lunch specials. Its Italian dishes have been the talk of the town for awhile.
Americano. I hear mixed reviews of this restaurant, but it’s in the beautiful boutique hotel Vitale near the Embarcadero so I’m game for a try.
Bacar. Once known as an excellent wine-influenced restaurant, Bacar has gone through several chef changes. It’s trying for a comeback and DAT may be a good way to see if it succeeds.
Bong Su. From the family behind Palo Alto’s Tamarine, this fancy Vietnamese restaurant started off shaky but latest buzz is that it's found the right groove in its home in SOMA.
Café de la Presse. I walk by this place all the time heading from Union Square to Chinatown and I keep saying I should check it out. It has such a Parisian scene that it looks fun. From the people behind Aqua.
Campton Place (lunch only). One of the more elegant hotel dining rooms, Campton Place may be the best choice for a DAT menu because it’s probably way too expensive to dine any other times.
Cote Sud. A cozy French restaurant in the Castro, I’ve heard some good things about the food. It’s supposed to be comforting and satisfying.
Farina. A beautifully designed Mission District restaurant, this place serves up Ligurian style Italian cuisine. It’s gotten mixed comparisons to Delfina up the street, but I still want to give it a try. I do judge a book by its cover!
Jack Falstaff. Part of the PlumpJack group, this restaurant recently got a rave review in the San Francisco Chronicle. It might be worth checking out if Michael Bauer says so.
Nua. Another interesting new dining spot, this place offers Mediterranean cuisine in a stylish setting.
Plumpjack Café. You might see Mayor Gavin Newsom having dinner late at night here at the place that launched his restaurant creds. Once getting rave reviews, it’s questionable now that the star chef has returned to Manresa in the Peninsula. But with DAT, it might be safe to give the new chef a try.
Supperclub. Known for its entertainment and lounging beds, this seems like a fun place to try for the food and dining experience.
Umami. This new Cow Hollow restaurant offers up the next taste level known as umami by creating a mix of California and Asian fusion dishes, small plates style.
Vitrine (St. Regis) (lunch only). Again, DAT is a great way to try restaurants that you may never afford to get in, and so for that reason, Vitrine at the amazingly beautiful St. Regis Hotel near the SFMOMA seems pretty attractive for a DAT lunch rezzie.

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The Root to Loving Beets

Today I’m cooking with beets, one of my favorite things to eat but not to cook. If you’ve worked with beets, you know what I mean. It takes a while to cook for it to get tender, and you have to deal with getting the skin off. Plus, the beets give off so much coloring that it can stain your fingers and everything around you.

But when you bite into a sweet, tender beet … Oh. My. Gawd. You feel like the work is all worth it.

Last year I made a beet salad that got a lot of raves from you all. This year I wanted to make another salad, but because it was cold outside, I wanted to make something comforting. So whenever I think of comfort I think potatoes. I threw in some treviso because I’m so enamored by its color (keep in mind this can be a bitter green, or really, magenta) and mixed everything together in a creamy dressing. This makes a nice snack but I bet it could also be a scrumptious dinner salad if you threw in some lump crab meat! Yum. Enjoy!

FYI, the photo above aren't the golden beets I used for the salad. They're some red beets I saw a the Berkeley Downtown Farmers Market. They looked so wild with their long roots.

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Roasted Golden Beets and Fingerling Potato Salad

Copyright 2007 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
6 golden beets
¾ lb. fingerling potatoes (or new potatoes)
1 cup treviso or radicchio, shredded
olive oil
sea salt

Dressing:
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T fresh lemon juice
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T fresh tarragon, minced
pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Scrub your beets clean and remove the green leafy stems. Coat with olive oil and sea salt and place on tray or roasting pan. Then place in the oven and cook until fork tender, about 45 to 60 minutes. About 15 minutes later, do the same thing with your fingerling potatoes (coat with oil and season with sea salt) and then cook in oven with beets until tender (about 30 to 35 minutes).

Remove beets and potatoes from oven and let cool. For the beets, rub the skin off and cut off any unsightly marks. Cube them and place in a bowl. Cut your fingerling potatoes into bite-size pieces and add them with your shredded treviso to the beets.

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients to make the dressing together until well blended and creamy. Drizzle over beets and potatoes and toss to coat well. Refrigerate if you’re not serving it right away.

Makes 3 to 4 servings. It’s a nice side salad with a meat dish like lamb or beef.

Pair with a glass of Riesling.

TIP: Working with beets can be messy. If you have rubber gloves, I’d wear them when removing the skin off the beets because beets give off a lot of colored juices and can stain your fingertips. (Even more so if you end up using red beets.) You can tell the skin of your beets is ready to be removed in the oven when it starts to crinkle, almost like air pockets are forming just under the skin.

THEY GO TOGETHER?: If you’re lazy about cleaning up multiple trays, you could cook your beets and potatoes on the same tray. Just make sure you remove the potatoes when they’re done, because they’ll probably cook faster than the beets. I cook the ingredients separately only because my beets are sometimes really dirty and I can’t totally scrub it all off. But since I’m rubbing the skin off, I don’t care. That’s not the same for the potatoes, so I didn’t want my potatoes rubbing against my dirty beets. (Dirty beets, hmm, that sounds like a good name for a food blog! Hey, if any of you steal that idea, be sure to give me credit!)

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Dish on Dining: Franklin Square Wine Bar

Cozy Spot Livens Up Oakland’s Uptown Neighborhood
2212 Broadway (at 22nd Street south of Grand Avenue), Oakland
Uptown neighborhood
PH: 510.251.0100
Open 11:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, from 5:30 p.m. on Saturday
No reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.fswinebar.com

AC Transit introduced me to the new Franklin Square Wine Bar.

Let me break it down:

I work out at the gym three times a week after work, catching the No. 12 AC Transit bus from my office in Oakland’s Lake Merritt area to the Grand Lake neighborhood. The AC Transit bus is notorious for being off schedule, and often you’ll see them bunched up one after the other. But the No. 12 bus is pretty consistent so if I leave my office at the right time, I only have to wait a couple of minutes before my bus arrives.

Unless it’s Friday. For some reason, Friday’s like the beginning of the weekend for AC Transit and the schedules get tossed out the window. So after a long week, all I want to do is do my little routine at the gym and go home. What actually happens is I end up waiting for the bus and my mind goes through the internal debate about whether I should wait some more or go home already.

On a recent Friday night, going home won out. So as I headed to another bus stop to catch the AC Transit bus that takes me home, I see the Franklin Square Wine Bar, which opened just a month ago. I decided to check it out.

Franklin Square Wine Bar is by the same owners of Luka’s Taproom and Lounge at the corner of Broadway and Grand Avenue. In fact, the new wine bar is just across the street from Luka’s next to a place selling Louisiana-style fried chicken.

Franklin Square Wine Bar is like the mature, older brother to Luka’s, which is more like the rage-against-the-man younger sibling in college. Instead of stark art work, beer on tap and a lot of fried foods that you’d find at Luka’s, you get a sophisticated wine list and California-Mediterranean-inspired small plates.

The restaurant isn’t very big. You walk in and find several stools at the bar on the right and a row of small tables (more suited for two) lined up against the wall on the left. Off in the back you can see the small kitchen where Chef Jack Alioto can be seen overseeing the preparations. (On most nights you can also see Chef Alioto walking back and forth between Franklin Square and Luka’s.)

I grabbed a stool at the bar, tucked my bulky gym bag underneath and proceeded to decide on a wine for the evening. The wine list has a wide variety of offerings, including several by the half glass. The bartender/server was friendly and helpful in describing the wine and helping me select something of medium strength. I ended up with the 2003 Miramar Pinot Noir from California’s Russian River region ($7 for a half glass). It was a nice, medium-body red that gave me a lot of flexibility in matching my food choices.

For the food, the menu starts off with several cheese plates and soup and salads. Then there’s a section of sandwiches (and one tartine) that seem to be more geared toward the lunch crowd. Then there are 9 options under small plates. (Prices range from $6 to $15 but mostly hover around the $6-$7 point.)

At the top of the small plates list was the cauliflower risotto ($7), which I order immediately because I love risotto and cauliflower. For that night, the chef added the option of truffle shavings for $5. Having never tried truffles, I decided to splurge and ordered my risotto with truffles.

But first to arrive was my order of marinated squid sitting on a white bean puree spread over toasted baguettes ($6). I have to say, the squid had a pinkish-purple color that didn’t seem very appetizing. It reminded me of liver. When I ate it, the squid was tender and easy to eat, and I liked the white bean puree. But overall I felt the dish needed more seasoning.

Then came the cauliflower risotto with truffles on top. I expected to see thinly shaved truffle slices but instead saw gratings of brown over the canvas of creamy white risotto. Soon after the dish arrived and I snapped my photo, Chef Alioto came up to chat about the risotto since it was the first night offering it with the risotto. (He probably also noticed me snapping away with my camera. Busted!)

The chef asked me what I thought about the truffles, and to be honest, I could barely get any essence of truffle. All I tasted was the wonderfully comforting and extremely creamy risotto with cauliflower florets. The cauliflower flavor sang out strongly and probably overpowered the grated truffles. I told this to the chef and suggested that maybe shavings would have allowed the truffles to hold up against the risotto base. He said that his girlfriend works at the French Laundry and she told him Chef Thomas Keller grates his truffles, so he thought why question a master? Smart thinking. But either the truffles he got weren’t as powerful in aroma or the grating minimized its strength. (I noticed on a second visit that the cauliflower risotto was still offered but no longer with the truffle option.)

I actually feel that the risotto is so good on its own that it’s fine without the truffles. What’s distinguishing about the risotto (which actually didn’t have a lot of rice kernels) is the cream base that held together nicely with the risotto rice. It’s definitely my favorite dish of the night and I hope Chef Alioto makes this his signature dish for the restaurant.

OK, beyond the risotto, I also ordered the house-cured bresaola ($5), which is thinly sliced cured beef. The plate came with marinated artichoke hearts salad with parmesan. The slices of bresaola was very pretty on the plate and I loved the rich red color. The beef is mostly on the leaner side, which I prefer, but it lacked any strong flavoring, except for the freshly ground pepper on top. Still, it was enjoyable and a very nice attempt at house-cured meats.

I ended the night with the chevre cheesecake with caramel sauce and fleur de sel sprinkles ($6). (Everyone is getting into the caramel and salt trend, which is just one month away from becoming overdone, if not already.) The cheesecake had an excellent texture. (I like mines fluffy and dense at the same time like on the East Coast, as opposed to creamy and light.) While the cheesecake was nice, the fleur de sel didn’t add anything to the cheesecake. It just made my cheesecake seem more salty. I think because the fleur de sel used that evening were more fine than chunky. I think having bigger chunks of this specialty salt may have made the difference.

After a satisfying dinner that was pretty reasonably priced given all that I ate, I decided to come back to Franklin Square Wine Bar for lunch. This time I brought along my friend Lisa, who works in the same building as I.

When we arrived, the place was nearly empty except for a table of four in the back. After work and around dinner time, this place has been pretty packed.

We skipped wine and stuck with water since we both had to go back to work. But started our lunch with the baked brandade, which is like a cheese soufflé made with salted cod and cream. When it came out, it looked like another comforting dish. It was just too pretty to break into. But we did and spread the brandade on the accompanying crostinis. (The server was also nice enough to bring an extra plate of crostinis without us asking because there was just a lot of brandade in that little ramekin.)

Overall I give high points on appearance, but just a lukewarm vote of confidence for the brandade’s taste. It still had a slight fishy-ness to it that wasn’t very appetizing. Not having tried brandade in the past, I can’t say if traditional brandade is supposed to have that fishy taste and texture. But it’s not something I would try very often based on what was served for lunch.

Lisa and I each ordered a sandwich for our lunch. She settled on the tuna confit with sliced egg and black olive pesto and I got the chicken salad with tarragon and apples. Both were served in a toasted baguette and with a side of wax bean salad.

I really loved the baguette, which was nicely toasted to provide a contrast to the tender chunks of chicken. The chicken was filling and I liked the apple chunks, but the overall taste was average and didn’t create any new flavors in my mouth. Lisa was just as lukewarm about her tuna, which she said was good, but she didn’t make any ooh and ahh sounds. We both were mixed about the side bean salad. Lisa says it left an odd metallic aftertaste in her mouth and I thought it needed to be more aggressively dressed with something other than the simple vinaigrette.

Lunch was not as inspiring as dinner, and I joked with Lisa that having wine with your meal at a wine bar probably makes a difference. But given the crowds at night, Franklin Square Wine Bar definitely looks like a place people in this area are hungering for.

And it’s smart timing for owner Rick Mitchell. The wine bar provides another pre-show dinner option for those attending concerts at the Paramount Theatre (two blocks away) and for all the luxury condominiums being built on Grand Avenue in this area that the city is promoting as “Uptown.” With the addition of Franklin Square Wine Bar, things are looking up for the neighborhood.

Single guy rating: 3 stars (Did I mention the cauliflower risotto?)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner

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Serving Up: Menu For Hope

When I started blogging a year ago, I noticed a few food bloggers talking about this thing called the “Menu For Hope” during the holidays. It’s an annual online fund-raiser organized by one of the more noted food bloggers, Chez Pim, who lives in the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pim started it initially as a way to help out after the devastating Southeast Asian tsunami a few years back, and continued it every year. Each year she picks a worthy food-related program to support.

So this is what I thought last year:

Chef Ben: That’s so cool. Food bloggers do more than just make recipes and eat out.

Me: You should really join in. It’s a worthy cause and you’ll be part of the food blogging community.

Chef Ben: Me? I don’t think people really know me. I’m so D-List. Plus, the holidays are right around the corner. I don’t have time to come up with a gift for people to bid on. Maybe next year.

Me: That’s what you always say. I’m still waiting for you to redesign your Web site.

Huh, I just realized I’m kind of hard on myself. Anywho, now it’s next year and of course I still don’t feel connected enough to donate a food-related gift that would be a worthy prize. So if I’m not donating a prize, I thought I should at least help promote this worthy cause.

How it works is you go and check out the list of donated food-related items and note down the ones you wouldn’t mind having. (Take down the special product code for the item.) Then you click on the donate site and you buy a raffle ticket for each item you want to possibly win. Each ticket costs $10 and you note the prize you’re hoping to win. If you want to increase your chances of winning, then like other raffles you just buy more tickets.

Some of the prizes are pretty amazing, and Pim is so known around the world that she’s gotten prizes from around the globe. (I’m not going to tell you which prize I’m bidding on because I don’t want the competition!) This year all the proceeds go to the UN World Food Programme’s special lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. Last year, Menu For Hope raised more than $60,000, also for the United Nations’ program.

So click here to browse the list of prizes and buy a raffle ticket before Dec. 21. Then check back on Jan. 9 on Chez Pim’s blog to see the list of drawings. For just $10, you’re getting a chance at some cool food prizes, but most of all you’re helping to feed people who don’t get to enjoy the wonders of food that we do in this country.

UPDATE (01/11/08): The raffle winners have been announced. Click here to go to Chez Pim's official list of winners to check if your donation won out. (Alas, a certain Single Guy Chef will not be having dinner with a certain wine critic for the New York Times. boo.) And congratulations to Chez Pim for an amazing fund-raising effort this year, raising an astonishing $91,188. That's pretty impressive for an online fund-raiser that's only a few years old. See you next year!

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Crab Whisperer: A Conversation with Fisherman Duncan MacLean

People dreaming of a crab-filled Thanksgiving got their hopes drowned in oil—heavy, bunker fuel oil to be exact. The Nov. 7 Cosco Busan spill in the San Francisco Bay, which killed or injured more than 2,000 sea birds and other marine animal, also wreaked havoc on the local crab season, which typically starts in mid-November.

Now, more than a month later and after a delayed start and a freak storm off the coast of Half Moon Bay to boot, local crab is finally finding its way to markets and the dinner table. This Sunday, the Jack London Square Farmers Market in Oakland held a crab fest to kick up interest again for the Dungeness crab.

Selling fresh Dungeness right off his boat was Half Moon Bay fisherman Duncan MacLean, who’s also the president of the Half Moon Bay Fishermen’s Marketing Association. MacLean traveled on his boat, the “Barbara Faye” named after his daughter, from his dock at Pillar Point to Jack London Square.

I sat down with him when he took a break from selling crab (and a break from an odd “crab race” for the kids) to talk about this year’s unusual crab season, how to shop for crab and how he likes to eat these succulent and sustainable shellfish.

The following are edited excerpts of our conversation:

Chef Ben: How long does the typical Dungeness crab season last in the Bay Area?

Duncan MacLean: It starts in the middle of November and goes till the end of June. But 50 percent of what’s caught for the entire year is caught in the month of November. They only grow once a year, so they don’t replenish as the year goes on. You have one set harvestable amount.

CB: When was the first time you went out this year after the oil spill and the delayed start to the season?

DM: With the oil spill and everything else I think we got out Dec. 1.

CB: What was the catch like that first time?

DM: Pretty slim.

CB: Yeah, that’s what I heard.

DM: We’re kind of like on the downside of the cycle.

CB: And do you think it’s slim because you miss that beginning of the season?

DM: Well, that didn’t help any because the crabs have a tendency to move west as the year progresses and they go off the continental shelf and then it’s beyond our depth range to catch. That’s another part of the protection plan. They have places they can hide that we can’t get to.

CB: So are those initial crabs considered lost for the season?

DM: Yeah, that and the price. November, that Thanksgiving market, is our strongest period in the entire year. And we stood to get a $3 to the boat price if we went fishing in the middle of November. We started December first and we got $2. So we lost a third of our season right there.

CB: What kind of financial effects did that cause?

DM: The money’s not there and the money doesn’t trickle through the community like it normally would. It doesn’t just hurt me to not go fishing. It hurts the entire community.

CB: What’s the difference between Dungeness crab in the Bay Area and what comes in from the Pacific Northwest?

DM: They’re basically the same thing only there’s different molting cycles along the coast. Ours molt earlier in the year than they do up there. They harvest them probably a little bit prematurely so there are a lot more soft ones and they’re not as full as they should be.

CB: So does that mean that the Dungeness crab we see later in the season are probably from the Pacific Northwest?

DM: Well, they’re like us. Half of the crabs are caught in the first two weeks of the season and up there even more so because they have a lot bigger boats with a lot bigger gear. And they serve a whole different market. The fact is that most of the crabs are harvested right away. It’s a finite resource on an annual basis because they only grow once a year. Once you’ve taken them out you can’t expect more to show up because they just aren’t there.

CB: I wanted to turn to some basic tips about buying crab. I heard you can only buy males?

DM: Yes, we only sell the males of Dungeness. Rock crab is different, they can sell females.

CB: How can you tell which one is male?

DM: On the underside of the crab, there are long, skinny little kind of appendages right in the middle. On the female, it’s round and it’s real obvious.

CB: So do you have to pick through your catch to throw back the females?

DM: The females are generally smaller, so they get out through the escape rings. There’s an escape ring in each (crab trap) that will allow all the undersized male crabs and female crabs to escape without bringing them to the surface. In fact, 17 percent of what gets out of those escape rings are legal. So it helps perpetuate the species. You don’t have to worry about catching every last one of them.

That and with the biodegradable panels that are put in there, if a trap gets lost or cut off, the panels deteriorate and the trap opens up and the crabs go right back into the wild.

CB: So what should you look for when buying crab?

DM: You want the hardest ones you can find in terms of the shell because what happens is when they molt they throw the old shell and they’ll grow ¾ of an inch, and then their shell will redevelop and get hard again.

It usually takes about a month to do that. During that process, the meat is chalky, it doesn’t have any texture and very little flavor and it’s not very good. So when you buy one, you want to take it just above the claw in the back of it, you squeeze it right there and if it’s spongy at all, don’t buy it. You want one that’s rock hard. That’s the easiest way you can tell whether or not it’s a good crab.

CB: After you take it home, should you store it in any special way if you’re not cooking it right away?

DM: You want to cook ’em as soon as you can, at least no more than five or six hours of them dying. But generally speaking you want to cook ’em while they’re still alive. They’ll stay alive if you keep ’em in a cool place, out of the wind. They’ll stay alive for 24 hours.

CB: I’ve heard some people say you can put them in a paper bag with newspaper and put them in the refrigerator. Does that work?

DM: When you put ’em into something cold like that, they have a tendency to hibernate. They just go into a dormant state, so yeah, it does help to keep them a little bit. But by the nature of the refrigeration, it also dehydrates them and it dries out the meat and makes it harder to pick out the meat, even after they’re cooked.

CB: How do you usually like to eat your crab?

DM: Bar-B-Q.

CB: Oh, I never heard of that.

DM: You got to clean ’em live. You take ’em and you pull the tips of the legs off and you break it in half and you pull the legs up and you put them on a piece of aluminum foil with a pad of butter and a clove of garlic and wrap it up really carefully so you don’t pierce the foil. And wrap it again a second time. Put it on the barbeque for about 25 minutes, and it sucks all the butter and garlic right up into the meat and it’s just killer.

CB: Mmm, that sounds good. I bet you can do that right at the beach.

DM: Uh-huh. And you can do in a campfire. Basically all you’re doing is steaming it in butter. It turns out real good.

Many thanks to Duncan for taking the time to chat with me for my blog. He says he’ll be docked at Jack London Square in Oakland for the next few Sundays, so go check out his crab catch and get your local Dungeness crabs straight from the source, our local fishermen.

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Bring On The Dungeness Crab!

There's nothing that puts me more in a crabby mood (and that's a good thing) than the local Dungeness crab. Its big, juicy meat makes the difficulty eating it just a minor complaint. My mom loves Dungeness crab, and I got her love for it later in life when I had my first, real fresh Dungeness in San Francisco. From there, I never turned back.

For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, you're all pretty familiar about the delayed Dungeness crab season in the bay because of the massive oil spill. Just a quick recap for those outside of the area: big tanker hits foot of Bay Bridge in fog, goof-ball captain tells Coast Guard he has a minor leak, tanker leaks tons of oil into the bay, birds die, fishing in the bay gets suspended, crab boats left tied to the pier, no crab for Thanksgiving. :(

Now nearly three weeks later, crab is finally coming to the waterfront (albeit not in the large quantities that we would have gotten in mid-November). In Oakland, the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association decided to have a crab festival to remind people that there's still crab available. It was like Christmas morning for me, so I packed my camera and checked out the festivities at Jack London Square. Here are some shots from today:

The Jack London Farmers' Market takes place every Sunday. I actually rarely go to this market because there are so many markets these days and a few of them are within walking distance to my home. To go to the Jack London Square market, I had to take a 30-minute bus ride and then walk another 10 minutes to the waterfront. Since it's nearly winter, there weren't that many stalls (like most farmers markets these days) and of course citrus was everywhere.

They weren't kidding when they say fresh crab is here. A boat from Half Moon Bay came all the way to Oakland to sell its catch of fresh Dungeness crab. People actually had to walk down the pier to the boat to get their crab. The fisherman, Duncan MacLean, was selling his crab for $5.50 a pound. He says he'll be at Jack London Square for the next few Sundays. (Tomorrow I'll be posting my Q&A with Mr. MacLean about the crab season.)

Here's a happy camper with his fresh Dungeness crab that he just bought from Mr. McLean off his boat.
They had a cooking demonstration and the Slow Food Berkeley group prepared some fresh crab for the crowd. Here they're in the tent banging away at the freshly cooked crab to prepare them for the hungry spectators.

Tamar Adler did a cooking demonstration. Well, she actually didn't really do much cooking. She's a chef at Chez Panisse, and she said she had planned to demonstrate a crab salad recipe from the restaurant. But she said her boyfriend convinced her that the best way to eat crab is by itself with butter. So that's what she did. Instead of cooking, she spent the time showing people how to clean crab. While I agree the succulent meat of fresh crab is very sweet, it still would have been nice to see something more than just her dropping a crab into a pot of boiling water.

Here's Adler dropping a crab into a pot of boiling water. Yep, that was her cooking demonstration. She says you should cook the crab for 13 minutes.

Adler rips apart the top shell of the cooked crab as she demonstrates how to clean the crab after cooking it. In most Asian cooking, the cleaning is done before you cook the crab. So that's what I'm more used to. (Later I'm hoping to do a demo of cleaning the crab when it's fresh and live. I tried to do it last year but got injured when my crab was feisty and pinched my left index finger. I wasn't very happy.)

This is just guts of the crab. Adler basically ripped away all the unappetizing parts inside the crab such as the guts and gills, and then she snapped off the tail. Then she just dipped the crab in a pot of water to rinse it, then she was done.

To serve the crab, Adler did two dipping sauce. The first was your basic clarified butter (melted butter with the foam skimmed off). Then the second sauce was something she says she had when eating crab on the beach in Vietnam. It's a simple sauce of lime juice, lots of salt and lots of pepper.
Here she adds the pepper to the bowl of lime juice and salt for the Vietnamese-inspired dipping sauce. Yep, that was it. Very simple.

People lined up to get the free sample of crab claws and dipping sauce. I tried a bite and, yes, fresh crab is just so wonderful by itself. Too bad I just had a claw.

Another odd thing they did for the crab festival was a crab race. For all those PETA people, you might not want to read what happens next. But basically they built this rig tilted up and they dropped six crabs down the chutes and the kids pounded on the box to shake the crabs down. Most of the crabs who won were the ones that slid down on its back. Um, I think I'll stick with eating my crab.

COMING TOMORROW: I chat with crab fisherman Duncan MacLean about this year's crab season and his tips for shopping and cooking your crab. Check back Monday night for this Q&A.

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Holiday Flavors at Teacake

Can you guess what holiday flavor is in this cupcake? I got it this afternoon at Teacake Bake Shop after I got my haircut over at the Bay Street Mall in Emeryville. Pumpkin? Gingerbread? Vanilla Cranberry? Nope, it's Eggnog.
Spiced cupcakes are everywhere this holiday, and I thought it was interesting that Teacake was offering this eggnog flavor. I'm sure it was just to be different because everyone has gingerbread and pumpkin. (Actually, Teacake does have a gingerbread cupcake, along with chocolate-mint. It also has a fudge bar with peppermint crumbles on top.)

So how was it? Well, I think someone needed to spike the eggnog because it was just OK. The cake itself was a bit like a spice cake, but not super strong in flavor, which is how I usually like it. But the frosting was really sweet. For those who have a sweet tooth, you might like it. There was the slightest hint of eggnog, but mostly just sugar and the sprinkling of holiday spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. Now, who out there has fruitcake cupcake? Anyone?

Teacake Bake Shop, 5615 Bay St., Emeryville. PH: 510.655.0865

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18 Shopping Days Left

Tonight I’ll be making one last push to finish my Christmas shopping so I can start enjoying my weekends again without worrying about sending gifts off to my family in Hawaii.

After my last post of gift ideas for foodies, reader Ann asked for more suggestions in the $15 to $20 range. (I do note that my original list included one item that was under $20.) I thought it was a good idea because we all need some nice gifts for coworkers, party hosts or food bloggers (ha!) that aren’t very expensive. So here are more suggestions of food-related gifts, all under $20.

See you at Union Square!

Kara’s Holiday Cupcakes, $3.25 each, from Kara’s Cupcakes stores. Kara’s is my special occasion cupcake retailer. Just giving these little treats will make anyone feel special. For the holidays, Kara’s is selling special holiday flavors: spiced pumpkin and “peppermint twist” (chocolate cupcake with white chocolate buttercream frosting with candy cane sprinkles). Pick up half a dozen for $19.50 and you’ll have a nice holiday brunch gift. :)





Bodum Double-Walled Glass Mugs, set of 2 Espresso, $19.95 from Sur La Table. Bodum is one of the finest names in glassware, especially glassware that can take a lot of heat. I actually have a teapot from Bodum and love it. This particular pair is made for espresso. I think the clean design and practicality of it makes it a very elegant gift.


Montsarra NV Cava Brut, $15.29 from wine.com. It’s always nice to have something sparkling for the holidays, but sometimes you don’t have the budget for champagne. One of my favorite sparkling wines is Spain’s cava. I find it more drinkable than Italy’s prosecco (another alternative to Champagne). This particular bottle is described as having “lasting bubbles and a crisp finish.” Now who wouldn’t want that?


Hand-sliced Jamon Serrano (8 oz.), $16.95 from La Tienda. Next year, the food world is going to go crazy over Jamon, the Spanish ham. Well, everyone will be talking specifically about jamon iberico, which is the king of jamon and will finally be allowed to be imported into the United States for the first time. But you’ll need to spend nearly $100 to reserve a chunk of this special meat. As an alternative, give your friends an intro to jamon with serrano so they may want to start saving their money for iberico. You can start with this taste of Jamon Serrano from one of the better known Spanish online retailers, La Tienda.



Dizzy Cocktail Glass, $2.95 each, from Crate and Barrel. Doesn’t this just look perfect for a holiday party? I think Crate and Barrel has some of the most beautiful glasses at reasonable prices. At $2.95 each, you can buy a set of six (that’s $17.70 for those too lazy to add) for a nice holiday gift.







June Taylor Meyer Lemon Marmalade (8 oz.), $14, from June Taylor. Made in Berkeley, these marmalade are hand-made by June Taylor, who can be found every Saturday morning selling her jars at the Ferry Plaza farmers market. But you can get these beautiful-looking jars of marmalade online or at June Taylor’s Berkeley Still-Room, which is open during the weekends for the holidays.


Holiday Motif Box, 8 pieces (3.5 ounces), $18, from Recchiuti Chocolates. A last-minute holiday gift (and you know there’s always someone you forget) can always be found at Recchiuti Chocolates at the San Francisco Ferry Building. This particular box includes quaint winter designs that make it a very special office gift or grab bag. Again, also a nice gift for yourself. ;-)

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Dish on Dining: Spork

Not Your Grandfather’s KFC
1058 Valencia St., San Francisco
Mission District
PH: 415.643.5000
Dinner Mon.–Sat., 6–10 p.m. (till 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays)
No reservations, VISA/MC accepted
www.sporksf.com

I’ve actually eaten out of desperation at the tiny KFC outlet in San Francisco’s Mission District. You’d have to be desperate to do that because there are tons of restaurants and taquerias around to satisfy one’s hunger, so it was only at times when I didn’t want to wait for a table or needed a quick bite before heading home that I resorted to this fast-food option.

I don’t have to feel desperate any more as restaurant after restaurant opens up in this neighborhood. And the KFC is no more. In its spot is a funky diner serving up whimsical American classics.

Restaurateur Neil Jorgensen and Chef Bruce Binn have transformed the tiny KFC shack into a trendy Mission district restaurant, and as a nod to its former tenant they called the place Spork. (That’s the spoon-fork utensil that’s popularly used by KFC.) Recently I visited the place with my friend David for a weeknight dinner.

Jorgensen has taken advantage of the space, pushing back the previous kitchen farther behind to open up more space for tables and a huge curved bar. The heavy curtains at the door reminded me of restaurants back in New York, but the casual but stylish interior definitely had a California feel. (But I have to say, I didn’t really get the huge pop art of hands signaling numbers. It looked like a cross between Andy Warhol and Communist propaganda posters.)

Spork doesn’t take reservations (and isn’t opened on Sundays, which I annoyingly found out a few weeks earlier) so David and I got there early to ensure we got a table right away. We arrived soon after the restaurant opened at 6 p.m. and was seated by the window. By the time we were done with dinner, the place was packed with an eclectic group of diners while others lingered around the bar waiting for tables.

Chef Binn’s menu is limited to several appetizers and about five entrees, all playing on the theme of an “upscale diner.” (<--TM by David.) And despite the fact that they print out the menu every day, I doubt that the selection changes that often. I’m pretty sure, for example, that you can always get the Inside-Out Burger or the Mussels and Pork with a Spork.
We started with the rosemary dinner rolls, which are complimentary but the menu notes that you have to request them in order for them to bring them to your table. And can I just say that you should never, ever forget to request these warm, savory, Southern comfort in a bun. The rosemary infused the buns with aroma that just opens your senses for the meal ahead.

David started with the Roasted Pears and Goat Cheese Salad ($9) and I got the Griddled Calamari and Prawn Salad ($11). The pear salad was elegant and nicely cooked, while my salad was accentuated by an Asian-inspired slaw with a soy-ginger vinaigrette. All the ingredients, from the tender calamari to the meaty prawn, were perfectly cooked and blended nicely together as a starter.

For our entrees, David ordered the Alaskan Halibut ($21), which came with a bacon and lentil salad and a mix of spinach, artichokes and chicory. The dish didn’t look any different than the featured fish dish at any other fine restaurant. It was nicely cooked and seasoned.

I ordered the Mussels and Pork with a Spork ($17) because I love any kind of slow-cooked pork and mussels are always a guaranteed crowd pleaser. While the dish came out looking like some huge mass of food, the flavors from the Belgian beer in the pork to the natural juices from the mussels blended nicely.

I didn’t, however, get the purpose of the spork that came with the plate. While cute and playful for the theme of the restaurant, I kept going back and forth between using the spork to dig out my mussels to using my regular fork to get to the pork.

To end our meal, we shared the Pot Brownie ($6), which despite the name does not contain any prescription-required “grass” (in California only). This was a straightforward brownie served in a ramekin with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The dessert was the least successful of all the dishes. The brownie didn’t taste fresh and the ice cream was a bit icy.

Despite the Pot Brownie, the meal overall was a creative approach to comfortable favorites packed with flavor. The service is also very friendly and there were nice touches from beginning to end (such as the tiny burger candy made in Japan that comes with your check). The only desperation around these parts may well be customers desperately waiting for a table at Spork.

Single guy rating: 3.5 stars (flavorful favorites)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner

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Color My Cauliflower With Curry

I recently decided to make my cauliflower soup, but I was getting bored of the white cream as the end result. To spice it up, literally, I added curry. So the following is my quick and easy recipe for curry cauliflower soup. What’s nice about this soup is the slight heat from the curry really warms me up during this fall-going-into-winter season. (We’re already getting rain in the Bay Area. I know, we need it, but still. Brrrr.)

And for the holiday season, I thought it’ll be fun to dress up my curry cauliflower soup with some fresh pomegranates seeds. The pomegranate I got had a lot of juice (and yes, I had to be super careful breaking it apart because it was splashing everywhere) and the red ruby jewels looked nice against the pale yellow soup. So the photo above shows the holiday version of the soup, and the photo below is when I garnished with toasted pine nuts for the times when pomegranates are not in season. Enjoy!

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Curry Cauliflower Soup

Copyright 2007 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower (about 1 lb.), cut into florets
½ sweet onion or one small onion, diced
1 stalk of celery (about ¼ cup), diced
1 T yellow curry powder
1 t cumin
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
½ cup heavy cream
2 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

In a large saucepan, warm olive oil over medium high heat and then add onion and celery. (You might want to add some salt to season your vegetables.) Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes to soften vegetables and then add curry. Cook the curry for about a minute to release the oils in the curry, and then add cauliflower pieces and stir to coat the curry around the cauliflower. (Be careful to watch the fire because you don’t want to scorch your curry or you’ll get a bitter taste.) Add broth, water and cumin and let cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes until cauliflower is fork tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove saucepan from heat and puree the soup with a hand blender or place small batches into a blender* and puree until smooth. Add cream and season with more salt to desired taste. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and serve warm.

Makes 3 to 4 servings. Serve with hummus crostini.

* Do not place hot liquid in blender. Let the cauliflower cool first. And never fill blender or food processor by more than half.

TIP: For a holiday flair, you can garnish the soup with pomegranate seeds instead of pine nuts. The red from the pomegranate will be a nice color contrast with the soup, and the tart flavor from the pomegranate juice will add a twist with the spicy soup.

SOUP SALT: I find when making soup, it makes a difference seasoning with sea salt instead of table salt or more refined salt. For all my soups now, I use the grey sea salt (sel marin) from Brittany. But you can use any kind of sea salt and it’ll add a lot of flavor and body to your soup.

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Online Wine in a Berkeley Brick and Mortar Home

This weekend I was shopping in the Fourth Street shopping district in Berkeley, and I made it a point to check out a new store I had read about. This wasn't another upscale, boutique store in this high-end shopping neighborhood, but it was a warehouse-type place for wine.

Wine.com, one of the largest online retailers for wine, apparently decided that the Internet isn't enough for selling wine and maybe customers want to hold a bottle of wine in their hands and get a sense of what they're about to drink. So wine.com opened its first retail store on the West Coast just a few weeks ago south of the Fourth Street shopping area between Bancroft Avenue and Allston Way. (They have another retail location in Connecticut.)

First off, I have to let you know that there was a sign outside the door before you walk in alerting buyers that you're about to be filmed and security cameras are everywhere. So despite my efforts to be the super sleuth shopper, I was only able to sneak in a few shaky camera shots. But really, when you walk in, it's not a very big retail shop. It's like the size of a corner wine shop.

In the front retail area, there are about four short aisles of wine organized by varietal, of course. But because wine.com is an online retailer, you can sit at a desk near the back and surf wine.com's site to buy wine. I know, you're thinking you can do that at home. But the selling point is that if you find a wine you like, you can ask them to retrieve that bottle from its Berkeley warehouse in the back and that way you avoid shipping and handling. (BTW, if you're at home now and you find a wine on wine.com that you want, you can also order it online and then click the option to pick it up at Berkeley, again avoiding shipping and handling costs. This is so cool for us in the Bay Area!) Having access to the online inventory means you can choose from more than 2,500 wine choices! Now that's way more that can fit in that front retail area.

Here's one of the wine sections at the Berkeley store. You're probably wondering what all those tags are on the neck of the bottles. Each bottle comes with an individual tag that has the name of the wine and some notes that you can take when you're at home after you've purchased this wine. I thought this was a neat idea because there's been many times I've drank a bottle of wine and thought I'd buy it again but forgot the name after dumping the bottle. This way you have a way to remember the wine after its gone. But it does make the display look like a sewing center, doesn't it?
This is a wide view of the retail area as I'm standing in the warehouse section. You can go to the warehouse section to check out some bargains, but there weren't anything that caught my eye. Most of the wine at wine.com's store average about $20 with some of the better wines selling for more than $80. I didn't think their prices were necessarily cheap like a discount wine shop and I didn't feel they offered anything rare and boutique like. I saw a lot of the same names I see at places like BevMo.

The one section that I did like was one called "90 under $20." This section included wine that were rated 90 points or above (based on Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate magazines) but cost less than $20 per bottle. It was at this section that I found an interesting bottle of Pinot Noir from Argentina. It's called Punto Final and cost me only $13.79. I know, this is probably more than what you spend at Trader Joe's, but I opened the bottle for dinner and it was oh so fine. It's a 2006 vintage with a lot of body, vibrancy and berry undertones. It was perfect to warm me up during this chilly weekend.Here's my bottle of Punto Final from Argentina and a close up of that neck tag that's on all the bottle. So you can note any special occasion you're drinking the wine and what you liked about it and what you think it'll go well with. My Punto Final will go well with anything, whether it's a heavy fish like salmon, a roasted chicken or some lamb. It had the complexity to match well with many dishes. So if I'm filling out this card, I'm checking "yes" under "order again."

Wine.com, 2220 Fourth St., Berkeley. PH: 510.704.8007

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Recipe to Successful Holiday Shopping

It’s the first day of December and you’re already feeling behind in your Christmas shopping, right? Well, join the party. (Hey, what are you going to bring to the party? Sigh, another thing to add to the list of things to do!)

No worries. The Single Guy Chef is here to help, at least when it comes to shopping for your food-loving friends and family. I actually have to mail most of my gifts off every year, so I have to say I’m a lazy-ass shopper and I do it all online. Well, mostly online whenever possible.

So here are a few suggestions of gift ideas based on things I’ve come to know and love. (And again, no need to send any gifts my way. Just your visiting my blog and clicking on my Google ads are enough for me. See, I’m so easy.)

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker (red), $59.95, exclusively at Williams-Sonoma. All cooks like their gadgetries, and I just feel lately I’ve been talking a lot about artisan ice creams in the Bay Area, what with my love of Ici and Bi-Rite. So you can let someone special make his or her own creations at home. I like the smart holiday red color of this particular ice cream maker, and it comes with an extra freezer bowl so you can make multiple flavors at once. The price can’t be beat too when most electronics are over the $100 mark. Hmm, I’m already dreaming of peppermint candy ice cream with cranberries.

Cook With Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook, (Hyperion, 2007), $24.75 at Amazon.com. My cookbook recommendation for this year is one that I already have on my shelf. This latest U.S. publication from British chef Jamie Oliver aka “The Naked Chef” is a nice, hefty gift that is perfect for any starting home cook or one looking to expand his or her cooking style. I’ve always been a fan of Oliver’s simple but creative approach to combining fresh ingredients, and his conversational revelations to the basics of everyday cooking makes this an easy book to master. Added plus: just amazing photography as usual.

Cowgirl Creamery Favorite Deluxe gift package, $60, www.cowgirlcreamery.com. If you have friends who love cheese as much as I do, then treat them to some of the best in the United States, from right here in the Bay Area. Cowgirl Creamery produces award-winning cheeses and this gift package lets you choose from three of its most popular cheeses (Mount Tam, Pierce Point and Red Hawk—I’d go with the Red Hawk myself) along with a fruit nut crostini from Anjou Bakery, a cheese knife and a Cowgirl Creamery cheeseboard. It’s the perfect simple dessert for Christmas day.


Poco Dolce Bittersweet Tiles Assortment Box, 16 pieces ($34), available online at www.pocodole.com or most Whole Foods stores. I’ve mentioned before that this is my current favorite specialty chocolates produced in San Francisco. I’m still in love with the blending of bittersweet chocolate with the sea salt crystals on top. The company isn’t promoting any special gift boxes for the holidays, so I’d recommend giving the standard 16-piece assortment box, which will allow your loved one to try the many offerings and let them decide what’s their favorite.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Cake, $49, available at www.froghollow.com. Get a bit retro on yourself and give a fruitcake. What better way to say Merry Christmas!? Frog Hollow Farm, one of the Bay Area’s favorite fruit preserves purveyors, puts a fun twist to this holiday tradition with their moist spike cake speckled with their own preserved fruits. This package comes with seasonal fruit, which I believe should be pears. This should be one fruit cake that won’t get past 2007.

Waitress DVD, (20th Century Fox), $19.99 on Amazon. The DVD of this delightful independent film will be released on Dec. 4 just in time for the holidays. And you can forget about that other food movie starring a rat—this one was my favorite food film of 2007. Keri Russell delivers a true-but-charming performance as a diner waitress trying to get out of her hard-luck life by dreaming up crazy-named pies. Of course, I still can’t get past the sad story of how the New York filmmaker/actress Adrienne Shelly was murdered right before her film premiered, taking away one of the more innovative female film visionaries to come along in awhile. Anyway, this is a charming, quaint film with a lot of quirkiness to keep your favorite person satisfied in front of the TV.

Formaggio Kitchen Connoisseur Pantry Basket, $125, from www.formaggiokitchen.com. The online gourmet specialty store known as Formaggio Kitchen seems to have made the list of several holiday shopping guides, and with good reason because they offer some really hard-to-find gourmet spices and ingredients. It definitely has a big emphasis on cheese and Italian products, but I like as their pantry basket. First of all, it’s huge filled with a variety of jarred or canned ingredients that’ll make any foodie friend happy. If you don’t want to go with the pre-selected pantry basket, you can create your own with some of Formaggio’s unusual ingredients. (The smoked Viking sea salt from Denmark looked especially exotic.)


Heath Winter Shallow Bowl, $125, available at www.healthceramics.com. Just as important as quality ingredients to make a meal is plating! And anything would look good in this beautiful bowl from Heath Ceramics, the high quality hand-crafted pottery in Sausalito just north of San Francisco. I’ve been an admirer of the Heath brand for years, and many top restaurants use their products. I especially love the color of this special winter edition of Heath’s product line. So beautiful. Can you picture it with a persimmon sitting at your dinner table? (Or better yet, mines? ;-)

Good luck with your holiday shopping! BTW, any of the above will make nice little gifts for you as well! Merry Christmas!

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