Tastes of Slow Food, Part 2

Today I'm wrapping up the second part of my report on Slow Food Nation's Taste Pavilion at Fort Mason in San Francisco's Marina district. I spent most of the day Saturday exploring the different pavilions, trying to use up my $20 "slow dough" voucher. If you didn't read part 1 of my report, be sure to check it out here.

The various food pavilions at Slow Food Nation took up the entire Festival Pavilion building at Fort Mason. But it also poured outside to the front area, with a pavilion for Indian food, Native American food, baked goods, bread and beer. But the most popular pavilion was probably the pizza pavilion. The wait in line was more than 30 minutes. Above, a worker tends to the brick, wood-fire oven set up just for the event.

They had a whole assembly line creating thin-crust pizzas. There were two options: a traditional margaretta and a rapini and sausage pizza.

I went for the rapini and sausage pizza. It was really interesting with the rapini, which is like thin broccoli. The pizza also had partly cooked red onions. It was extremely greasy because of the sausage, but the crust was perfect and the combo of the ingredients worked well. (Note: Slow Food Nation was really good about rationing the paper goods and compostible eating utensils, so that meant there were no napkins at any stations when eating! Argh, I apologize to everyone who walked by watching me eat this pizza and wiping my hands and mouth with butcher paper.)

Why do people like to bake bread into animal figures? I find it kind of odd. Here's a turtle bread above. (Most of the bread served at Slow Food Nation was from Acme Bread, of course.)

It wasn't all eating at the Taste Pavilion. At the Green Kitchen, there were demonstrations going on all day. I didn't stay for all because, well, I rather do the tastings. But I had to check out two of the major chef celebrities that showed up on Saturday. The first was Charlie Trotter, the legendary Chicago chef. A little trivia, in the opening scene of "My Best Friend's Wedding," Julia Roberts plays a food critic and the restaurant she's at was supposedly a fictional one run by Trotter.

Chef Trotter demonstrated recipes using seasonal ingredients so that meant heirloom tomatoes. Here he's making a cold tomato soup using yellow tomatoes that he's squeezing through that hand crank. It looks fancy but I can tell you it looks like your arm will fall off after using it.

The Green Kitchen set up wasn't ideal for a food demo. The burners weren't that hot and they didn't have an overhead mirror so you couldn't see the food from above. So that meant I couldn't really take a picture of Trotter's tomato soup. He passed it around but it was too dark to photograph. It did look beautiful after he added cucumber and olive oil and seasoned with citrus. He sold it to an audience member (along with dinner for two at his Chicago restaurant) for $250 to benefit the Edible Schoolyard Program (which is Alice Waters' youth gardening program). He's such a good guy.

The other chef who could tear me away from all the tastings was Chef David Chang, the toast of the town in New York City. Chang is the owner of Momofuku Noodle and Ssam Bars and his new Momofuku Ko, a 12-seat intimate restaurant. He's garnered a lot of praise for his inventive Korean-style dishes. I was surprised how young Chef Chang looks, and he seemed a bit nervous speaking in front of everyone because I could see his hand shaking as he worked his food. He was also cooking with tomatoes.

Here he's cutting some cherry tomatoes. He's going to make a tomato tofu dish with very minimal cooking, using mostly the tomato juice and a marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil and a whole bunch of other spices that he didn't explain but just pinched and dashed into a bowl. I guess he wants to keep his recipes secret.

One of his secret ingredient is shiso leaves, which is a Japanese herb similar to mint but very distinctive. He chiffonade the leaves and tossed it with the tomatoes.

Here's his final dish. Sorry the photo is a bit blurry but everyone was crowding around me as I tried to photograph the dish because they were trying to pick at the food before it was gone. Hel-LO people, this is tomatoes and tofu. I guess when it's touched by Chef David Chang, it goes beyond just tomatoes and tofu. ;-)

Back to the tastings. I went over to the wine pavilion, which was huge in the back of everything. All the wines were from wineries that are sustainable and uses organic ingredients. There were individual glasses for tastings around the back and tables for flights. It was a bit overwhelming, and this will be my only negative note about the Taste Pavilions. Many of the food stations were manned by volunteers who didn't necessarily work at the farms or producers. So that meant they couldn't really answer questions about how things were made, etc. I felt they missed out on the educational component of the Taste Pavilions. Sometimes you lucked out and actually got the farmer or owner behind the counter, but most times not.

Here's a glass of a 2006 Pinot Noir I tried from Bouchaine Vineyards in Napa. It was young with a bit of tannins, but had a lot of legs (which means it was quite alcoholic). It tasted much better after I let it breathed for awhile.

After wine, I visited the tea pavilion. It was funny how tea is supposed to make you relax, but I was stressing because the line to get to the tastings was long and I was pushed up against the start time to see David Chang at the Green Kitchen. Slow Food was especially slow at this very moment.

When I finally got a seat, I was at the oolong table. I love oolong but turns out the person giving the tasting was from Teance, which I've visited before. I love Teance, but I was hoping to learn something new. Oh well, it was a very nice cup of pheonix honey oolong from China.

I kind of like how they served the tea in these little glass cups. So cool. But don't let your kids play with them.

Here are people relaxing and enjoying themselves outside the beer pavilion in a haystack area set up by the Slow Food people.

Slow Food Nation's Taste Pavilion turned out to be a really fun event and not necessarily as chaotic as I thought it might be. Everyone was in a good mood and I loved meeting people and chatting with them about what they tried and what they liked. I wished I could have visited all of the pavilions (I missed the pickled pavilion which got a lot of rave reviews), and I only used up $10 of my $20 voucher, mostly because you lose time waiting in lines. Still, I think I tried enough things to feel like I got a lot out of the experience and reminded me again of why I love living in the Bay Area. Slow food rocks!

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Tastes of Slow Food, Part 1

The much-anticipated Slow Food Nation celebration in San Francisco is finally taking place this Labor Day weekend. With perfect Bay Area weather to order, I went to the marquee event today ... the Taste Pavilion at Fort Mason. With such a massive event, I'm going to have to give you a look at the event over two days. So here's part one ...

Slow Food Nation is the anti-fast food event, a celebration of local, sustainable food nurtured by farmers and cooked with natural ingredients for tasty meals. Several events are occurring around the city (primarily at Fort Mason in the Marina and the Civic Center), but the one that's drawing the crowds is the Taste Pavilion at Fort Mason's festival pavilion. This sold-out event showcases several pavilions dedicated to a particular category of food.

My ticket was for the day portion of the pavilion (from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), and I arrived at Fort Mason promptly at 11 a.m. and there was already a line to get in. I finally got through the gates at 11:20 a.m. and was given my "slow dough," which is a voucher worth $20.

With my slow dough in hand, I can eat tastings at various pavilions and they mark off points from my voucher. Most pavilions charged between $1 to $3 for tastings, which were organized as either individual tastings or flights, which is a combination of foods.

Of course, the first place everyone went to was the coffee pavilion (and also the bakery pavilion). But since I don't drink coffee, I went past this pavilion and straight to the cheese pavilion...

This actually turned out to be a smart move on my part. Even though there was a line, it did move fairly fast and I was in line maybe 15 minutes. Later in the day, I walked by the cheese pavilion again and the line was out the door! I'm glad I got a chance to taste things like ...

... this fresh Chevre cheese from Dancing Goat Creamery in Byron Center, Michigan. Now, some people might be thinking, hey, this is supposed to be local and sustainable so what's with the cheese from Michigan? Well, this is the Slow Food NATION so that means there were featured products from around the country because the idea is that people who live in that area who came to town for this event will learn about their local products and taste it when they get back home. And it was a treat for me to get to try this cheese, which was slightly tart, creamy and a bit like ricotta. I liked it.

Also being served was this Perdido, a cheese from Sweet Home Farm in Elberta, Alabama. It looks like cheddar and is firm like cheddar, but had a mild taste. I also liked this cheese, which was creamy yet firm.

My favorite cheese happened to be the local version, which was the Pt. Reyes Original Blue from Pt. Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. up in the North Bay. It was so pungent, which is great if you love blue cheese, and I doooo. The texture was also so soft and creamy, not super crumbly. It was so enjoyable.

Here's my flight of cheese. They also served it with a tasting of apple butter from June Taylor, the Berkeley fruit compote and jam woman. I have to say I generally think June Taylor's products are a bit on the bland side, but this apple butter was amazingly bright and fresh with very strong flavor. I loved this too.

There were talks being done all day, and here's Wil Edwards of Artisan Food School talking in the cheese area. I wished I had time to listen to his talk, but with so many food places to try and lines to conquer, I had to move on to places like ...

... the seafood pavilion. I'm a big fan of fish and seafood so decided to try the trio of tastings served here.

This isn't it. This was just a display of whole fish and other seafood items. It's like an aquarium, but without the water.

Here's what I ate at the seafood pavilion. It was a trio of seafood, starting with this albacore tuna with white beans. This was prepared by Piatti Restorante & Bar in Mill Valley. It was OK. The tuna was very meaty but I thought the beans were too al dente for my taste.

Oh. My. Gawd. I looooved this offering from Nopa in San Francisco. Nopa is one of the city's most popular restaurants and I am going to run to this place soon if all the food is as good as this marinated squid dish with beans. The squid was tender and tasty and it was in a tomato-based sauce. As you ate it, you discover these little bits of bread crumbs that offered another texture to contrast with the silken squid pieces. As I ate this, I took notes and all I wrote was YUM.

Here's the third offering in the seafood tastes. It's a sardine stuffed with cheese, which I think was buffalo mozzarella, prepared by Dopo restaurant, which is my neighborhood restaurant! I live just 10 minutes from the restaurant on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. It's another popular Italian place, and this particular dish was excellent. The sardine was incredibly meaty and tender, and blended so nicely with the cheese. So simple and so tasty!

Olive oil at the olive oil pavilion. I didn't get in line to check this out, but I loved their display.

Another place that I didn't really visit, again because of the amazingly long line, is the charcuterie pavilion. Of course, meat would be a popular spot. This "tail to table" themed pavilion had workers slicing up fresh charcuterie.

Here's a volunteer serving mortadella to a hungry taster.

Not sure what this is, but it got spared the slicing. I bet they were saving it up for the night crowd.

Saw this container at the chocolate pavilion of raw cacao. I thought it was so funny how they wrote the sign "not to be eaten." I wasn't too impressed by the taste offerings at the chocolate pavilion. It was just a small plate with maybe three pieces of chocolate, so I moved on to someplace worth standing in line, and that was ...

... the ice cream pavilion. You can bet this was also very popular, but the line at least wasn't crazy long like the charcuterie line, so I got ready for my flight of ice cream tastings.

I really loved how organized the ice cream pavilion was set up. They created three flights called "Classic," "Modern" and "Alternative." Each flight offers flavors that support the theme. I decided to go for the Modern flight, which included the following flavors: sweet corn/black raspberry (from Jeni's Ice Cream), ginger (from Bi-Rite Creamery of San Francisco), and Creme Brulee (from Divina).

Yeah, ICE CREAM! Here's my modern flight, and I loved each flavor. The sweet corn was distinctively corn-like (I almost said corny, ha!) but was nicely covered up with raspberry almost like a raspberry sauce on a sundae. The ginger from Bi-Rite (which I've had before) was just as intense and wonderful, and the creme brulee was sweet but not super sweet. All three ice cream from different makers all had amazingly similar creamy texture, just so wonderfully thick and rich.

Some paper umbrellas hanging from the ceiling of the "spirits" pavilion, which focused on alcohol. You can bet this was also a pretty popular pavilion, but I skipped it. Again there were so many pavilions, I had to be really strategic to decide which ones to stand in line for. In the end, I still didn't get to go to every pavilion. But I did see more than what I featured above, and I'll report on those tomorrow. So come back for more!

If you still want to take part in the Slow Food Nation events, you can still check out the farmers market and street food plaza (no admission required) at the Civic Center until Monday. Hurry up and get to Slow Food. (Check its Web site for details.)

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Mini Dish: Kasa Indian Eatery

Everyone has his or her favorite cuisines. Mines include Vietnamese, Italian, Korean, French, California, Japanese, Hong Kong-style Chinese, and some Hawaiian.

Since that’s not an exhaustive list, then that means there are cuisines that are not among my favorites. Such as Indian.

While I don’t go out of my way to seek out Indian food (I find everything either cooked to a mush or barbequed to dryness) that doesn’t mean I don’t eat it now and then. It’s mostly my hopes of someone changing my mind.

A friend recently showed me the Kasa Indian Eatery in the Castro, which opened in June, and I was so intrigued by its concept that I recently visited for lunch.

Kasa is right at the corner of 18th and Noe Streets, in a spot that used to be a cheap taqueria. I remember that I would go to the taqueria for a quick and simple meal when I couldn’t decide what to eat in the neighborhood. So I was kind of sad to realize that it was no longer there.

But enough with memory lane.

I walked into Kasa and immediately thought that this is not like any of the Indian eateries I’ve been to before (not that I’ve visited that many). It was modern, sleek, hip and stylish with its aluminum bar stools, bright yellow flowers and photojournalistic black-and-white images on the wall. It really played to the casual-but-hip approach to eating by the owners, Anamika Khanna and Tim Volkema.

Kasa doesn’t offer a full Indian menu but focuses on a kind of Indian street food known as kati rolls. It’s been described as an Indian burrito. So it’s basically a wrap using a flaky, buttery wrap called a roti. You can order six different fillings for your kati rolls or you can order a thalis, which is basically a deconstructed kati roll with a bit more sides.

(The rolls sell for $5.50 for one, $8.95 for two and $11.95 for three while the thalis plate sells for $10.95.)

You order at the counter and watch the people assemble your kati roll or thalis, and then you sit yourself and chow down. I decided to get a thalis plate of chicken tikka (charbroiled free-range chicken, not to be confused with tikka masala which comes covered in sauce). They also had a special that day of Gobi Aloo, a curried cauliflower and potato dish, so I ordered a side of that.

The thalis is actually a big platter of food, starting with your main (my chicken tikka) and sides of basmati rice, daal (which is typically slow-simmered lentils), raita, chutney, marinated onions and a pickled crunchy garnish salad. On top they place one sheet of the roti, which I guess you can use to roll your own kati roll if you felt like it.

First the side of Gobi Aloo. I’m always interested in any kind of spicy cauliflower dish because I love cauliflower and would love ideas on how to prepare it differently. The Gobi Aloo was, unfortunately, very much like what I think of Indian food to be—a bowl of mush. The cauliflower and potatoes were so overcooked that I wondered if there were any nutrients left in the vegetables. And I don’t think the whole bowl was just cauliflower because it seemed like they mixed in some broccoli as well. It looked like this grey-green mush. I barely finished it.

For my platter, I started with the chicken tikka pieces because they looked the safest. It was good and tasty, but I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as incredibly moist. Then I took a bite of the roti, but I was nervous from the start because the wrap was glistening from either melted butter or oil used to fry up these babies. It definitely tasted home-made, which was good, but I couldn’t get past the greasy buttery coating.

The other parts of the plate were all fresh and tasty, from the cooling raita (yogurt with cucumbers and mint) to the tart crunchy salad. The daal was nice and tasted almost like a chutney. You can tell that the quality of the ingredients is top-notch, but I felt that it actually probably would have tasted better combined. So a kati roll probably would have been the better route to go, if I can just get past the greasy feel of the roti.

Because I spent more than $15 for my lunch ($10.95 for the thalis platter and another $5 for a side of the Gobi Aloo), I felt the food needed to knock it out of the ballpark. Or at least make me an Indian cuisine convert. It did not.

Kasa is a refreshing spot for the neighborhood and you’ll probably enjoy it if you love Indian food. But I kind of wish the old taqueria was still around.

No rating since this is a mini review. And just because I don’t roll with the roti doesn’t mean it might not be for you. I definitely like the scene but am still not sold on Indian cuisine.

Kasa Indian Eatery, 4001 18th St. (at Noe), San Francisco. PH: 415.621.6940. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. www.kasaindian.com

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Dish on Dining: Bar Jules

Neighborhood Café Draws in Hayes Valley
609 Hayes St., San Francisco
Hayes Valley
PH: 451.621.5482
Lunch, 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m., Wed.–Sat.; dinner, 6–10 p.m., Tues.–Sat.; brunch, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays.
Major credit cards accepted, no reservations
www.barjules.com

Dining early is the key to visiting Bar Jules, the popular tiny restaurant on the edge of Hayes Valley. Opened since December 2007, the café has created quite a buzz about its daily changing menu and fresh, sustainable faire. And since it takes no reservations, you can expect a long wait if you arrive anytime after 7 p.m.

That’s why my food blogging friend Foodhoe and I was at the restaurant a few minutes after it opened at 6 p.m. We were there maybe 5 minutes after the doors opened and already two couples had beaten us. Still, we had our pick of the tiny two-seater tables along the wall and near the window. (The space has a total of 38 seats, including a few at the bar that looks onto the open kitchen.)

Bar Jules’ chef/owner Jessica Boncutter has worked at the nearby Zuni Café, so it’s no surprise that her menu reflects the fresh, seasonal, simple cooking of Judy Rodgers. But Boncutter has made Bar Jules a real chef’s restaurant because the menu is limited to only a few selections, which makes it almost like a daily tasting menu or an eat-what-we-cook approach ala Ad Hoc in Napa Valley or Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

So you need to go with an open mind and an adventurous appetite. If you’re nervous about what will be on the menu, you can get a sneak peek on the restaurant’s Web site after 11 a.m. every day; they’re very good about updating it.

On the night we were there, eight dishes were listed on the menu, which is written on large chalkboards on the café’s walls. There were a soup (chickpea), a salad (butter lettuce with heirloom tomatoes), what looked like three appetizers or starters, and three entrees.

The menu definitely reflects the seasonal ingredients as well as a couple of unusual items (our night’s menu included a beef tongue sandwich). There’s also a vegetarian option that you can request from your waiter.

Foodhoe and I started with the Preserved Yellowfin Tuna ($12) and plate of La Quercia Prosciutto with figs and melons ($14).

I’d never heard of preserved tuna and love yellowfin tuna from eating at sushi restaurants, so I had in my mind a sashimi-like yellowfin maybe a bit tougher due to pickling for the preserved angle. Instead, it came out looking like cooked tuna on a Mediterranean-style salad. Foodhoe actually said it looked like premium tuna from a can.

Don’t get me wrong, it tasted much better than tuna from a can, but still the texture was quite like canned tuna. The bed of greens under it was crunchy and I liked the added cooked eggs for even more protein, but it was one of those dishes that sounded better when you ordered it than when it arrived.

The prosciutto plate was a classic presentation of thin prosciutto strips with chunks of fresh cantaloupe and sliced figs, topped with a sprinkling of sea salt and olive oil. It was fresh and seasonal, but nothing to travel across the bay just to try.

For our entrees, Foodhoe got the Wood-grilled Sock-eye Salmon with Corn, Black-eyed Peas and Watercress ($26). It was a cleanly presented plate of richly colored salmon on top of a plate of corn and peas with a small watercress salad on the side dressed in a simple vinaigrette. The salmon was nice and flaky while the corn reflected the sweetness of summer. Again, all the flavors were clean and crisp but nothing illuminating.

I went with the Berkshire Pork Stew with Potatoes and Cucumber-radish salsa ($24). The pork was tender and flavorful, and Foodhoe helped me out by eating most of the parts with the fatty edges. I especially liked the cucumber salsa, which added a nice brightness to a generally heavy dish.

The meal was filling and our server was very knowledgeable and helpful in making wine recommendations (the wine list is also handwritten on a chalkboard near the bar). There were three items for dessert, but nothing really thrilled me—yogurt, chocolate or polenta cakes.

But Foodhoe couldn’t resist the chocolate cake, which was listed as River Café Chocolate Nemesis ($7) on the menu. Our waiter told us that it was a no-flour chocolate cake.

When it arrived, it looked like any no-flour chocolate cake with a dollop of whipped cream on top. I tasted a couple of bites and it tasted like a brownie, although not as sweet or dense.

Half-way through our dinner, the place completely filled up with what looked like a lot of nearby residents. A couple even braved the cold San Francisco foggy night to sit outside rather than wait. In some of the reviews I’ve read on the Web, several people mentioned that the service can be a bit delayed between the starters and the entrees, but Foodhoe and I didn’t notice much of a wait between courses. Then again, it may be because we were eating during the early bird hours.

I used to live in Hayes Valley and if I still did, I probably would visit the cozy and charming Bar Jules once or twice a month. But the food, while solid, doesn’t inspire me to travel far to try its dishes. It definitely is a refined neighborhood café that’s perfect for the locale but far from a destination restaurant.

Read Foodhoe's take on dinner and see her beautiful photos here.

Single guy rating: 3.25 stars (Clean flavors in a small package)

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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The Garden that Alice and Gavin Planted

This coming weekend, which is the long Labor Day Weekend (sigh, summer, where did you go?) is also when the Slow Food Nation takes place, a massive foodie event that's supposed to promote the ideal of eating sustainably and cooking naturally. Started in Italy, the Slow Food movement in the United States is the passion of back-to-nature Alice Waters. It should be an exciting gathering of food lovers in food destination San Francisco.

As a preview of this multi-day event that includes a major Taste Pavilion, tasting menus at local restaurants and panel discussions, I decided to check out the little garden planted in the front mall of San Francisco's City Hall, under the auspices of Ms. Waters and Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The garden is open every day during the day and is free to the public. There's a gardener on the premises to answer questions and a little stage, but not sure if performances are scheduled there.

There were tons of herbs and vegetables and flowers. And yes, it smelled like fertilizer. But that's the smell of organic growth, no?

Everything were planted in concentric circles, which really takes advantage of the water flow when watering, especially important during this time when we're in a drought.

I think the garden has been around for a month. So far these lettuces still look kind of small huh? I wonder how long they take to grow? No wonder salads are expensive; it takes forever to grow them! ;-)

Bok choy! I eat this all the time and now I can see how they look in the ground.

What an interesting squash blossom. It's like a star fish.

This is how I think of squash blossoms. You know, I could sell this one for a a whole quarter I bet at a farmer's market. I bet I could get a $1 for that star-fish-looking one above.

Brilliant swiss chard with their red stems.

There were several types of filler flowers in various pots, just to make the garden pretty. We always need flowers to make us stop and take notice of what's around us.





The garden is worth checking out if you don't do anything else during Slow Food Nation. Also near City Hall will be a special "Slow Food to Go" event where street food vendors will set up shop at the Civic Center Plaza (where there's typically a farmers market on Sundays) to sell food really cheap like a food court. So that's another thing to check out that's free. (The Taste Pavilions at Fort Mason are $65 per day for adults, so a bit of a commitment.)

This is definitely a community garden, if your community is more than 1 million people. ;-)

Check out the Slow Food Nation's schedule of events and buy tickets here.

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Mini Dish: The Mixing Bowl

There’s been so much change in the Temescal neighborhood near my Oakland home that I think it may be the next Rockridge.

A couple of new restaurants have opened and another high-profile one is on its way. One of the new places is called The Mixing Bowl, which I visited with my friend Vera, who also lives in the hood.

The Mixing Bowl is in the spot of the old Temescal Café. I’d been to the Temescal Café before, not as a regular but on a few occasions. It was your typical café with free newspapers strewn everywhere and people on laptops next to emptied coffee cups with that tell-tale dark brown stain around the rim. The Mixing Bowl, just like its fresh bowls of vegetables and hand-made sandwiches, is the complete opposite.

I’m not sure what happened to the Temescal Café, but The Mixing Bowl is a welcomed addition. Its brightly lit room with handsome wood furnishings screams out quality. Sure, the food prices are higher than the old café, but it’s not that much different than comparable casual-dining spots.

You order at the counter and get a number. There are a lot of seats in this café owned by Grace Lee, who can be seen on the floor bringing food to customers’ tables.

They serve a bunch of salads and sandwiches and in the mornings sell breakfast burritos and baked goods. When I met Vera for lunch, I ended up ordering the first salad on the menu, which was a tamarind chicken salad with miso dressing. Vera got the pulled pork sandwich. (Prices range from about $7.50 to $8.50.)

I thought my salad was pretty big with a lot of crunchy vegetables and nicely cooked chicken breast slices on the top. This was pretty filling but the dressing was light. Even though it didn’t have a distinct miso flavor, it still had a nice Asian taste to it. It was more vinaigrette than creamy, but still mixed well with all the crunchy ingredients.

Vera’s sandwich, as you can see, came without a bun because she requested it that way since she’s on a no-carbs diet. I think it’s typically served in a soft bun. I was debating with Vera about how you can’t go wrong with pulled pork because all you do is slow cook some pork and then top it off with barbeque sauce. Vera pointed out that she’s had some amazing BBQ pulled pork where the taste can be complex if done right. I thought The Mixing Bowl’s version was nicely done but Vera thought it was just OK. (I’m still trying to figure out where she had that amazing BBQ pulled pork.)

There’s a real healthy element to The Mixing Bowl with a lot of fresh juices made by the staff. On the day we had lunch, the place had a special on aqua fresca, which Vera tried. I got a green tea-pear iced tea that was refreshing.

Opened since earlier this summer, The Mixing Bowl is still finding an audience. It was a bit empty when we first got there before noon, but it started to fill up in the next hour. Oh, and I did like some of the art hanging on the wall, which still gave it a café feel when it’s clearly turned into something more.

No rating since this is a mini review. But the food is fresh and service friendly, so definitely a nice place in the neighborhood for a light lunch or afternoon snack. I will be back.

The Mixing Bowl, 4920 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. PH: 510.655.5630. Open weekdays, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays) and weekends, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. www.themixingbowlcafe.com

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The Nectarine Photo That’s Making the Rounds

This is a photo that launched a spirited debate on Chowhound (150 replies and counting) about what’s an adequate dessert at a restaurant. Since the initial post on Friday, this photo has popped up on a variety of food blogs across the country. (That’s right, it went national, baby!) Not wanting to feel left out, I’m posting it too.

But I have to say, I’m fascinated by the debate. Here’s how it started:

Friends dine at the famous Zuni Café in San Francisco and notice a table nearby getting a nectarine on a plate for dessert. That was it. A nectarine. On a white plate.

Shocked at the ridiculous sight, the friends order the exact same dessert so they could photograph the audacity of it all.

Friends’ friend posts the photo on Chowhound, saying the $8 nectarine dessert at Zuni is just that, a nectarine. Debate ensues about the fresh food movement and the ridiculous overcharges at restaurants.

But wait. There’s more. Zuni Café responds that the actual price of the dessert is $4.50. If the friends were charged $8, then it would be an outrageous error. They agree that $8 is ridiculous for a nectarine. $4.50, not so much.

To be fair, the nectarine served was a Blossom Bluff nectarine, which I’m sure is quite juicy. But my take on it is why serve something that people can easily get at home? For the people silly enough to order it, why can’t you just wait to get home and get some fruit from your refrigerator if all you wanted was a nice piece of fruit?

The arguments have referenced the Chez Panisse approach to food, where nothing stands between fresh produce and your stomach. One blogger noted that he went years ago and Chez Panisse served only a Flavor King plout for dessert. Now, I’m not sure how much they charged, but I would agree a Flavor King is amazing just by itself. Still, I have a whole bag of Flavor Kings plouts in my fruit drawer right now. And while I love them (the season just started guys so get them in the next month at the farmers market), I would have been disappointed being served that at a restaurant.

Sure, sometimes you just feel like a fruit for dessert. In many Asian countries, fruit is a natural dessert. Many Asian restaurants will just serve you a slice of orange or cantaloupe for dessert. The difference? It’s FREE.

I think the photo showcased the absurdity of the entire Zuni dessert offering because it was so lacking in presentation. How about at least a twig or even placing it in a wooden bowl?

So what do you think? What’s an adequate dessert or an adequately priced dessert? Was Zuni being innovative or just plain lazy?

Link to original Chowhound post. Photo courtesy of Chowhound.com

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Non-melting Creamsicle Cupcakes

Remember when I was in Hawaii earlier this year and I blogged about this great cupcake shop and its Orange Creamsicle cupcakes? I liked them but thought they would have been better with a cream filling inside that orange cake to really be a Creamsicle cupcake.

Lately I’ve been stressed at work, and one of the things they suggest to help relax is to meditate by visualizing something peaceful and calm. All I kept picturing was a Creamsicle cupcake. Mmmm.

I searched the Web for some recipes (I’m not a big bake kitchen tester) and couldn’t find anything exactly like what I wanted. So I just borrowed recipes from a couple of sites to create this Creamsicle Cupcake.

I started with the orange cupcake. A lot of sites had recipes for old-style orange cake, which I learned is a real Southern thing. But I wanted something fluffy and less dense. I found this recipe at CupcakeRecipes.com. I’ve never seen this site before, but a lot of their recipes look really easy. Here’s the orange cupcake recipe, but for your convenience I’ve also typed it out below. The only thing annoying about CupcakeRecipes.com is they don’t say how many cupcakes the recipe makes.

From CupcakeRecipes.com
Orange Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients
1 ¾ cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoons salt
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs, separated and whites beaten until stiff
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup orange juice
1 stick of butter, softened

I started by combining the butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Cream these ingredients together thoroughly.

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together in a separate mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients to creamed ingredients one-third at a time, alternating with adding portions of the orange juice to the creamed mixture.
Then you fold in the beaten egg whites. Here’s my egg whites beaten until you get those stiff peaks they always talk about. See how they stay up stiffly?

Here’s the batter spooned into my cupcake-lined baking tray. The recipe says to just fill it half-way. I baked it in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes and tested it by inserting a toothpick in the center. It’s ready when it comes out clean. You can also tell it’s about ready when you start smelling the orange scent in your kitchen. Sigh.

Here are the cupcakes all baked and golden brown. Like I said, the recipe didn’t say how many cupcakes the recipe makes, but it turned out to be 18, which is an odd number considering most cupcake bake trays are 12 holed. Odd, but whatevs.

Now I wanted to make this a real Creamsicle-like cupcake, so that meant orange on the outside and white cream in the center. So I read on this blog called Baking Bites about how she made her own hostess cupcakes—you know, those chocolate cupcakes with the cream filling. I borrowed her recipe for vanilla cream filling and also her technique of inserting the filling into the cupcake.

I initially thought I could just squeeze the filling in through the bottom of the cupcake after maybe piercing a small hole. But the Baking Bites gal’s suggestion made a lot more sense (and is less messy) by using a small knife and cutting out a cone on the top. I angled my knife and just started cutting away the top. Then I scraped off some of the filling cake from the cover (yeah, I got to taste the cupcake leftovers and they were good) and placed the top back on so I wouldn’t get confused about which cupcake top went with which.

Then I made the vanilla cream filling and placed it in a plastic bag and snipped off the corner and just started squeezing them into each cupcake hole. It didn’t matter that I cut off the top of the cupcakes because once I placed the top back on, I would be covering it up with icing so all signs of any cutting would be covered up. Ingenious huh? Anywho, here’s the recipe for the vanilla cream filling here, but as always, I’m helping you out by just printing it below.

From Baking Bites:
Vanilla Cream Filling

Ingredients
3 T all-purpose flour
½ cup milk (low-fat is fine)
½ cup butter (or trans fat-free shortening)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ scraped vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract (I just used the extract, vanilla bean is expensive!)

Whisk together the flour and milk and cook in a small saucepan over medium heat until thick. This will only take a few minutes. Stir continuously to prevent the mixture from clumping and do not bring all the way to a boil. When thickened (consistency will be that of a thin pudding or custard), strain with a mesh strainer into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool completely to room temperature.

When the milk mixture is cool, cream the butter (or shortening) and sugar together in a medium bowl until light. Add in the milk/flour mixture and the scraped vanilla bean seeds (or vanilla extract) and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 7 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, or a large Ziplock bag with the corner cut off, and set aside until ready to fill your cupcakes.

So once I filled all 18 cupcakes and placed the tops back on, I just spread on the orange icing that I made, again using the recipe from CupcakeRecipes.com. Here’s the recipe below:

From CupcakeRecipes.com
Orange Icing

Ingredients
1 ½ cups powdered sugar (or confectioner’s sugar)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated orange rind (orange zest)
3 tablespoons soft butter
2-3 tablespoons orange juice

Mix all ingredients together starting with only 2 tablespoons of the orange juice. If frosting is too thick then add the additional tablespoon of orange juice.

And finally, here’s the cupcake with the filling. I took a bite so you could see the insides. I have to thank Baking Bites and CupcakeRecipes.com for the recipes because they were super easy to make (although a bit time consuming, and I stressed out because I had to rush to meet a friend for lunch after baking all morning). The cupcake was light and fluffy (I think the cake flour makes the difference) and the cream filling was sweet. I think if I were to perfect this, I might want to find an orange icing recipe that looks more orange like a Creamsicle’s exterior. Maybe an orange ganauche with food coloring? Mmm, next time. Enjoy!

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Dish on Dining: Battambang

Mixed Pleasures on the Way to Cambodia
850 Broadway (near 8th Street), Oakland
Chinatown
PH: 510.839.8815
Open Mon.–Thu., 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m.; Fri.–Sat., 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; closed Sundays
Reservations, major credit cards accepted

I had the urge to try a different cuisine I don’t typically eat, so I recently went for some Cambodian food. In Oakland, one of the more well-known Cambodian restaurants is Battambang on the edge of Chinatown. Hel-LO, it says “authentic Cambodian cuisine” right in the window so how bad can it be?

The first time I tried the restaurant, I had met my friend Jeanne for lunch. She brought along her two young sons, which meant we had to be a bit tame on our selections and look for more kid-friendly dishes.

We started with a plate of the Lawt ($7.25), which is the Cambodian version of crispy spring rolls. I’ve decided that every Asian country has some kind of spring roll, and it’s all done slightly differently. In Cambodia, or at least at Battambang, they come out like cute little baby spring rolls!

We got this plate of lawt where each one was maybe 2 inches in length. (You might not be able to tell in the photo because I zoomed in so close, but just look at how big the spoon is next to it.) They were served with a light vinegar dipping sauce similar to what’s served at Vietnamese restaurants. The filling was mostly ground pork and bean threads, but they were crispy and definitely a hit with the kids. (I only had one, just in case you’re wondering why I’m eating fried foods.)

We got a few dishes to share. First came the Kari Sach Tair ($10.25), a red curry made with boneless duck legs, potato, carrots and sweet basil. The curry smelled sweet and fragrant, and the duck was so deliciously tender, falling off the leg bone. I enjoyed this with the fragrant jasmine rice that I noticed always comes in a very decorative rice container in all Cambodian restaurants. (OK, I’ve only been to one other Cambodian restaurant in Berkeley years ago, but they used the same type of rice container too.)

We also tried the Battambang Noodles ($8.25), which is very similar to pad thai noodles. It was pan-fried rice noodles with strips of chicken, egg, bean sprouts, green onion in a light tamarind sauce with chopped peanuts sprinkled on top. This was a lot of noodles and quite filling.

Our final dish was a vegetarian dish so the kids would get their veggies. It was called Char Banleh ($8.25), and was supposedly sautéed asparagus, broccoli, onion, baby corn, mushrooms, green beans, bamboo shoots and tofu. But it seemed like it was primarily tofu and a few broccoli pieces. I don’t remember seeing any asparagus. It tasted like the vegetables were boiled instead of sautéed because they seemed overcooked and mushy, just like the tofu. This was my least favorite entree.

After lunch, I didn’t know if I truly got to taste authentic Cambodian cuisine, especially since we held back a bit with the kids. So I came back again, this time for dinner and this time with my friend Vera, who traveled to Cambodia two years ago. (Vera actually couldn’t remember much about the food in Cambodia, so it was kind of the blind leading the blind.)

We started with the Num Banchey ($7.25) for an appetizer. This is very close to the Bahn Xeo in Vietnam. It’s an egg crepe stuffed with chicken, bits of prawns, onion, bean sprouts and green onion. I barely tasted any of the chicken or prawns because it was stuffed with a lot of bean sprouts. And when the bean sprouts cook, they let out a lot of moisture so the num banchey tasted a bit soggy to me.

Vera had a craving for tripe so we ordered the Battambang salad ($8.25), which was sliced beef, tripe, bean sprouts (again), picked Chinese water crest, mint and peanuts in a lime dressing. (BTW, you can’t go wrong with ordering anything with the name Battambang in it.)

This was the typical refreshing salads of Southeast Asia, but I was surprised at how incredibly easy it was to eat the bits of tripe. They were tender and not at all chewy, which is the texture I usually think of when I think of eating tripe. Combined with the thinly sliced beef, this was a hearty but light salad. I totally enjoyed it.

To try to order something authentic, we looked under the house specialties and ordered the Amouk Trei ($11.25). I totally loved this dish as well. It is made up of layers of thinly sliced fish fillets stacked inside this boat made of banana leaves. Everything is steamed in a red lemongrass sauce with a slight coconut milk topping. If you’re not a fan of mushy baby food, you might not like this. And while I don’t generally go for mushy food, this was more like Asian comfort food at its finest with tender fish blending with various fragrances to create a delightful meal. This was different and interesting and I was glad I tried it.

Because I liked the curry from lunch, Vera and I also ordered the Kari Sach Chearm ($12.25), which was lamb in red curry with onion, eggplant, carrots and sweet basil. Again, I felt all the ingredients came together nicely (although the eggplant was a tad mushy, but that’s why I don’t like eggplant).

Side note: The service is pleasant and friendly although a bit neglectful at times in between dishes. And I was a bit annoyed that every time I’ve visited Battambang, there’s a tiny swarm of flies buzzing in the entrance. Not the kind of thing you want greeting you before a meal.

Despite the flies up front, the inside is clean and reminded me of a Tuscan villa with its bright yellow walls.

I suspect Cambodian food has a lot of influences from Thailand and Vietnam, which are nearby countries in that whole Southeast Asia area. While doing some reading about Cambodian food on the Web, I read descriptions of some dishes that I didn’t find in Battambang’s menu. So while some of the dishes were quite delicious (try any curry and the Amouk Trei), I don’t know if I got the full experience of Cambodian cooking. Still, Battambang offers tasty food at decent prices. You’ll never feel hungry leaving here.

Single guy rating: 2.5 stars (Southeast Asian flair)

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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A New Spice in Ice Cream

Enough about fro-yo. Today I checked out a new ice ream store in Berkeley.

Tara's Organic Ice Cream opened just a week ago. I guess the area could be considered the edge of Rockridge; it's on College Avenue at Alcatraz not too far from my favorite restaurant Wood Tavern. Looking from the outside, Tara's looks almost like a yoga shop with its lotus-sitting goddess as a logo. It totally blends in with the Berkeley crowd. My friend Joe and I almost walked past it.

Tara's is a husband-and-wife business, but it's mostly the brainchild of Tara Esperanza who was actually behind the counter when we visited today. The Esperanzas are originally from New Mexico, where they opened their first shop. Now they've ventured into California, and to College Avenue, which is kind of ballsy considering that the foodie favorite Ici is just a 5-minute walk away.

The place has a real strong Latin and Southeast flavor, both in the look and in the flavors of the ice cream. I really liked the art work hanging on the walls.

I have to say there were some really crazy flavors, from agave to orange-rosemary to sweet corn. (That's right, corn.) There really seemed to be a big emphasis on spices and herbs. There were also several sorbets.

Joe got a scoop of the Pink Peppercorn and another scoop of the Garam Marsala, an Indian-inspired flavor. I thought they both looked kind of the same, huh? I think he needs little labels so he would know which is which. But once you try it, you could tell. The Garam Marsala was extremely spicy and reminded me like eating pumpkin pie with all the different spices. It was full and flavorful. The Pink Peppercorn, according to Joe, tasted like vanilla with bits of peppercorn in it.

I went for the Strawberry-Balsamic and Kaffir. The Strawberry-Balsamic was all right but nothing spectacular. It also had a lot of clumpy bits, which I noticed occurred in some of the other flavors. The ice cream, overall, at Tara's was very authentic and home-made, but some like the Strawberry-Balsamic suffered from that clumpiness. The Kaffir, however, was a big winner in my eyes. A big citrus person, I loved the lime essence of the kaffir leaves in this ice cream. It was significant and interesting.

The ice cream sells for $2.85 for a one-scoop cup and $4.60 for medium cup and $3.60 for a scoop in a hand-made cone and $5.35 for two scoops in a cone.

Tara's Organic Ice Cream is pretty daring in the flavors, but I have to say the texture and creaminess of the ice cream is nice but isn't comparable to places like Ici, which continues to be my favorite. (We walked a few blocks to Ici and they still had a long line outside.)

It's nice having Tara's as a new addition in the neighborhood. When you feel like experimenting with odd and unusual flavors, this is a mini ice cream lab for just that.

Tara's Organic Ice Cream, 3173 College Ave. (at Alcatraz), Berkeley. PH: 510.655.5014. Open noon to 9 p.m., Mon., Wed., Thu. and Sun.; noon to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. Closed Tuesday. Web site: www.tarasorganic.com

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Morel Mushrooms at Market Hall Produce

I can always find unusual and gourmet mushrooms at the farmers’ markets or specialty stores like Far West Fungi at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza, but it’s rare to get your pick of special shrooms at the neighborhood grocery store. That’s unless you live in Rockridge like me and you can shop at the Market Hall Produce Store.

That’s where I was earlier this week when I saw this box of morel mushrooms for sale. Market Hall Produce typically has several boxes of mushrooms that you don’t normally see at the supermarkets. Varieties like chanterelles, oyster, or enoki. But I was surprised to see morels because this fungi—popular in a lot of restaurant dishes—aren’t cultivated like others. You can only get them from mushroom foragers who get out into those wet areas where these mushrooms thrive and pick them. It’s definitely available only in the wild, and often you only see them dried and packaged.

They’re kind of an odd looking mushroom, without a typical cap and looking a bit like a dried sea cucumber to me. But they infuse a rich woodsy flavor to a pasta or risotto dish. Because they’re hand-picked in the woods, they’re pretty pricey. As you can see, Market Hall was selling them for $31.89 a pound. Of course, mushrooms are pretty light so you can get a nice handful without breaking your budget. The thing I don’t get is I thought mushroom season is in the fall and spring? So I don’t know where Market Hall got this big box of morels. But I’ve learned never to look a gift horse in the mouth. And just enjoy.

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The Return of the Tomato

The San Francisco Bay Area (and we stretch to include Napa Valley to the north) is really emerging as a leader in the culinary world with some amazing chefs, restaurants and an abundance of farm goods. So that means more and more food events. Seems like there's a special event every week.

Today is the first day of what's being called Heirloom Tomato Week. (It's actually more than a week since it runs from Aug. 14 to 24.) It's supposedly the first of three major food events that will culminate with a week long Food and Wine event the same time next year. (I'm actually more interested in the second event in this series focused on crab in January 2009.) It's nice to see the tomato get its due after being falsely accused earlier this year of being a salmonella spreader.

Participating restaurants will feature heirloom tomatoes on their menus or offer tasting menus dedicated to the heirloom tomato. When you dine and pay with your VISA card, you get a special commemorative tomato cookbook. To find a restaurant, you can check the list out on OpenTable. I actually don't have any plans to go to any of these restaurants, so I'm interested in hearing from anyone who does go what kind of dishes that surprised or delighted you. I'm a big fan of heirloom tomatoes, but I'm expecting to see a lot of appetizers and salads. Prove me wrong!

(BTW, in the photo above, I just discovered the difuser glow filter in Photoshop. I think it gives a neat, artsy effect. What do you think?)

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Dish on Dining: Chez Papa Resto

From Bistro to Paris Chic
414 Jessie St., San Francisco
Mint Plaza in SOMA
PH: 415.546.4134
Lunch, Mon.–Fri., 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; brunch, weekends, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; dinner, daily, 5:30 to 10 p.m. (till 11 p.m. Thu.–Sat.)
Reservations, major credit cards accepted
http://www.chezpapasf.com/

I easily list Chez Papa in Potrero Hill as one of my favorite San Francisco restaurants. The cozy bistro up the hilly 18th Street has a real French feel, from the French country comfort dishes to the accents of the wait staff.

So I was excited to try Chez Papa’s latest venture, a restaurant or “resto” in the new Mint Plaza—the refurbished little alley just south of Market and Fifth Streets. Opened earlier this year, Chez Papa has dropped any of the neighborhood bistro feel and has created a grand stage for the culinary styling of Executive Chef David Barzigan.

The metal exteriors that blend with the rest of Mint Plaza shield the drama inside the near-black interiors of the restaurant. Waiters dressed in black walk around black wooden furnishings underneath black chandeliers barely seen against the black walls. It was so black that I couldn’t help but notice how the red “exit” signs seemed to pop out even more than normal. I guess that’s a good thing in case of an emergency.

OK, so I may be a bit dramatic as well. There were accents of plush bronze here and there.

The settings with a large bar and long communal table in the center could easily fit into a hip neighborhood in Paris. But this is the Mint Plaza, so the room on this night was filled with tourists and after-work cocktail drinkers.

My server, not surprisingly, was slim and French. (How do they find all the handsome French-speaking waiters in the city?) Service overall was friendly and helpful. My server steered me toward a very buttery Pinot Blanc from France to go with my dinner.

Chez Papa’s menu has an extensive appetizer selection (you could probably make a meal of just ordering a few appetizers) and an entrée section that seems to lean heavily on seafood. It was a real balancing act for me because there were so many things I wanted to try but several of them sounded heavy and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get past one dish if I didn’t play smart.

So I decided to start with the Port-glazed Sweetbreads ($15) and the Squash Blossoms with Mozzarella and Goat Cheese ($13).

The sweetbreads came covered with foam—supposedly a spring garlic emulsion according to the menu, but it just seemed like spilled whipped cocoa. I’m not a fan of foam because I can never really taste the essence used to create it and never seem to see the value in how it accentuates the dish. In this case, the foam basically buried my sweetbreads, which I eventually found underneath.

The sweetbreads had a nice umani-like coating from the port, giving it a slight sweet but savory taste. Unfortunately, I felt the sweetbreads were a bit chewy and nothing at all like how I had it done at Bar Tartine recently. Still, the dish was brightened by these incredibly fresh and crunchy snap peas.

The trio of squash blossoms was my favorite of the evening. I broke my rule about eating fried foods because the menu said it was “lightly fried.” Still, when you bite into it, you know this had to be deep fried a lot because it was so incredibly crunchy. I also liked the presentation of the dish, with the tomato coulis and aged balsamic vinegar.

I could tell that Chez Papa was an expert in fried things because their pomme frites (French fries) at another table looked really enticing. (Oh no, I think I’ve gone down the slippery slope of deep-fried dining!) Another really scrumptious-looking and classic French dish was the huge bowl of PEI mussels at the table next to me (yes, it was just an appetizer portion but still hearty in size).

For my entrée, I ordered the Grilled Loch Duart Salmon with Citrus Mélange ($21). When it arrived, I realized why my server kept asking if I wanted any sides with my meal because the plate carried only my salmon filet. Sure, it was beautifully presented with the creamy citrus mélange spotted with tiny purple opal basil and it sat on a slight bed of braised fennel, but how I craved for some mashed potatoes to go with it. (For the sides, you can order potato gratin or ratatouille for an additional $6.)

The salmon was grilled perfectly, but there was a slight off taste when combining the fennel with the citrus mélange. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it was like a slight blunt to an otherwise well-executed dish.

Actually, since I had two appetizers, the single serving of salmon was enough for a meal. Plus, I wanted to save room for dessert.

I ordered the almond and basil panna cotta with raspberry coulis ($8). The panna cotta was on the dense side—creamy and thick—and pleasurable with the slight almond essence. I think I could have gone without the raspberry, but I guess the chef felt he needed the striking red color to contrast with the white panna cotta.

I didn’t feel rushed dining at Chez Papa, so it actually gave me time to make a lot of little odd observations. Things like:

1) I don’t get the comical cartoon of a French chef’s face (I guess he’s chez Papa) that’s on the restaurant’s logo. It really takes away from any attempts at elegance.
2) While opened for just a few months, a lot of the wooden chairs are already showing signs of being scuffed. I guess that’s what happens when you use black-colored chairs. You can’t hide anything.
3) The room was really loud even though it was half full at the time. I bet it gets even louder as the night goes on.
4) The servers seem to really spend a lot of time wiping down wine glasses when they’re not busy.

I think I would have been more forgiving if this were a bistro, but it’s a full-fledge restaurant with fine-dining prices. So I think my expectations were heightened. And while Chez Papa Resto delivered in some dishes (namely the squash blossoms), it was simply satisfactory in others. The environment, service and food contribute to an overall pleasing dining experience, but is that enough in these times of high-priced dining?

Single guy rating: 3.75 stars (Fancy French)

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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Yo-yo-yo, it’s another fro-yo review

Continuing to eat my way through the frozen yogurt craze, I took a cue from some of you who suggested I make YoCup my next destination.

So last week after work, I went to the Rincon Center south of San Francisco’s Financial District and found a near-empty YoCup store in the courtyard (just a stone’s throw from the popular Yank Sing dim sum restaurant). I guess everyone was busy rushing home to dinner. Who eats yogurt before dinner? Oh yeah, me. The food blogger.

Of all the fro-yo spots I’ve visited, YoCup seemed the least dynamic. Sure, it was pristine in its pure white base, but the complementing pastel colors seemed to fade into the background, making the place seem even more empty and stark.

YoCup serves three frozen yogurt flavors: original, blueberry and mango. The mango was interestingly tart, but I opted for the original. Instead of my usual strawberry toppings, I went for lychee this time. YoCup is one of those fro-yo places that likes to play with the names of the sizes (just like mi my mo at Jubili). So here you can get a “teaser” (small), “pleaser” (medium) or “filler” (large).

I’m pretty sure the $3.50 for my teaser fro-yo included the one topping. If you get the larger sizes, you get more choices for toppings. The lychee, while one of my favorite fruits from a can, did look kind of plain next to my white original fro-yo.

But on the yogurt, YoCup’s is definitely different from all the rest. It was denser, thicker, almost like ice cream. That was a nice surprise. It was slightly tart, but not too much. The downside of it being thick, however, is that it was really really cold. Seriously. You could get a brain freeze if you ate it too fast. Really.

There were a few bits of icy particles, which I assume comes from being so dang cold. But it wasn’t the same annoying icy texture I’ve had at other fro-yo shops where the texture is grainy because of the iciness. Overall, I liked YoCup.

Walking back to the BART station along Market Street, I stumbled across YoCup’s new second location. It’s more convenient with more foot traffic than inside the Rincon Center. I’d suggest looking for this YoCup since it’ll be easier to spot than weaving your way around the Rincon Center. Peace out.

Single Guy's Fro-yo Rankings:

1. Red Mango, Palo Alto
2. Pinkberry, Southern California
3. YoCup, San Francisco
4. Fraiche, Palo Alto
5. Icebee, San Francisco
6. Jubili, San Francisco
7. Yogurt Harmony, Berkeley
8. Yogen Früz, San Francisco

YoCup, 101 Spear St., first floor courtyard of the Rincon Center, opened Mon.–Sat.; and 685 Market St., opened daily. www.yocupyogurt.com

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Hook Me Up: Cafe Lyon--CLOSED

UPDATE (06/20/09): This cafe switched to a tiny restaurant but it couldn't draw enough diners. So now it's up for sale.

It's been awhile since I've been out and about with my laptop, but I had a free afternoon after doing a few photo shoots, and it's such a beautiful afternoon that I decided to go find a cafe.

I'm at the Cafe Lyon right now near the Rockridge BART station in my neighborhood. It's actually not the first time I've been here. This is a really cute small corner cafe that's not as popular as the ones on Piedmont Avenue on the other end of where I live. So it's nice not worrying about finding a spot.

The spot used to be a juice shop that went out of business and I think it's been a cafe for the past year. They have a few outdoor tables, but the sun is super bright outside, especially if you're worried about the glare on your computer screen. So most people are inside.

When I arrived at about 3 p.m., the place was totally empty except for this woman ahead of me. Since then, the place has filled up where almost all the tables are taken up. People are just following me everywhere! It's funny, like I said, this place doesn't seem very crowded except the peak time around the late afternoon.

They sell a variety of pastries, bagels and sandwiches. But I have to say, today in the glass counter there are two flies buzzing around trapped inside with the food. Now, I don't know if the food in the counter is just for display and they make your order in the back. But it just kind of turned me off. I know in the past I've had a cinnamon roll and it was fine. Nothing spectacular about the food, it's mostly the drinks. They have a nice variety of drinks, including coffee, tea, and even wine tasting on Sundays. They also have what's called a kombucha, which is what I ordered.

I had never heard of kombucha, but apparently it's an ancient drink from the Himalayas. I think recently someone bottled a version and is selling it as a wonder drink. I'm not sure what version they have here at Cafe Lyon, but it looks like they make it themselves. The drink is fermented green tea that's blended with an effervescent juice drink. I got mines with black currant, one of my favorite flavors. It cost me $4 with tax. It is like drinking any other sparkling juice and you barely detect any tea flavoring until near the end when you reach the bottom. It's interesting and good on a super hot day, but I rather stick with my normal black tea and sip away in the afternoon.

Cafe Lyon has this real Spanish feel and the walls are filled with art work by local artists. Because it's close to the Rockridge BART station, it also has one of those flat screens that display the upcoming trains' arrival times. That's pretty cool.

The cafe has a nice cozy feel, but I have to say I come back because the wireless is amazingly fast. I think because it's small so you're not sharing it with a room full of people like other cafes. And you don't need a password, so it's convenient to hook up.

OK, and I have to admit that I come back because the servers are really sweet and one in particular is very cute. Free wi-fi and eye candy, what's better than that? ;-)


Cafe Lyon
Location: 5701 College Ave. (at Miles), Oakland
PH: 510.547.0800
Food: Baked goods, bagels, sandwiches
Coffee: Unknown
Tea: Unknown, loose-leaf
Wi-Fi: Yes, free, no password necessary
Outlets: Yes, alongside the walls.
Restrooms: Yes
Seating: About 8 small tables inside and 3 outside, bar seating too.
Cleanliness: Average

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The Push and Pull of a BBQ Pork Sandwich

Summer, for me, is filled with a few baseball games. So there’s a lot of just lounging around for the Single Guy. When I’m at the games, one of my favorite things to get is a barbeque pulled pork sandwich. It may be a bit messy, but I love the BBQ sauce and the tenderness of the pulled pork.

I realized that pulled pork is very similar to make like Hawaiian kalua pig. So recently I decided to make it at home by modifying my kalua pig recipe and then creating an Asian-style BBQ sauce. You could use your own favorite bottled BBQ sauce, but I like sometimes making my own to make sure I’m not eating a lot of preservatives.

To complete it, I just purchased some sandwich buns. If you can't find them, you can use really big hot dog buns, which is what I actually did when I found these Brioche hot dog buns from La Boulangerie sold at my local Whole Foods. When I put everything together (topped off with my pickled onions I already had in my frig) it was the perfect summertime quick-fix dinner. (Well, OK, it wasn't such a quick fix after I spent a Sunday afternoon slow cooking the pulled pork. But that’s the cool thing about the pork, it can last for days.) Enjoy!

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Asian-style BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

Copyright 2008 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
4 to 5 lb. pork shoulder or butt
2 T Hawaiian sea salt or kosher salt
2 T organic or all-natural liquid smoke (optional)
½ cup beef or chicken broth
Sandwich buns

BBQ sauce:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 T Hoisin sauce
2 T tomato paste
1 T soy sauce
1 t Szechwan peppercorns
2 T honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut pork into small pieces about the size of your fist and place in baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and liquid smoke and work the ingredients all over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.

When ready to cook, remove from refrigerator and place in roasting tray. Pour broth to create a thin layer of liquid on the bottom of the pan, then cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place in oven and bake for 2.5 to 3 hours.

Remove from oven and let cool. Then with two forks, pull the pork apart into stringy pieces. Pork should be so tender that it’ll easily fall apart. Pulled pork can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated.

To make the BBQ sauce, place all ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer for about 5 minutes, letting all the ingredients blend together. Use a hand blender to create silky texture to your sauce or run sauce through a sieve to remove any chunky items.

When ready to eat, pour sauce over the pulled pork and then serve in your favorite sandwich buns. Garnish with pickled onions and serve with green salad.

Makes about 4 to 6 servings.

Pair with a glass of Pinot Blanc.

TIP: To reheat the pulled pork, I find you retain the moisture and juicy elements by steaming the pork in a bamboo steamer or something similar. This works even after you’ve frozen your pork for future meals. (Let defrost in refrigerator before steaming.)

HOISIN SAUCE: This is a special Chinese sauce used in some dishes. You can find it sold in jars in the Asian ingredients aisle of your grocery store or at an Asian food market.

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A Pie Shop with a Mission

I’m not a big pie eater, but this past weekend when exploring San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, I paid a visit to the Mission Pie shop at the corner of Mission and 25^th Streets.

I had heard about this place and its do-good origins. The business collaborates with the Pie Ranch organization, which takes teens from the city out to the farms to teach them where food comes from. Mission Pie employs several teens from the organization and the neighborhood.

The place opened in January 2007 and earlier this summer it expanded into larger digs next door, taking up the whole corner.

When you walk in, you notice the open feel of the expanded café. (It can’t really be called a bakery yet because for now they bake their pies elsewhere and bring them in. Starting this fall, they plan to open a kitchen to bake their pies—and reportedly pizza pies—on the premises.)

The décor is kind of shabby chic, with a lot of vintage furnishings and cabinets, giving it a homey feel. For the pies, they’re focused on fresh, local ingredients. Since it’s summer, you can bet a lot of the pies showcase the current crop of tasty fruits.

In the glass counters, there are pies by the slice, whole pies, tarts and mini pies. I got a slice of the raspberry-nectarine pie ($3.50) with a dollop of whipped cream. I also got a cup of herbal tea called California Maté from their selection of Taylor Maid Farms organic teas.

The pie had nice chunks of fruits and you definitely got a sense that this was a fresh, homemade pie. I wasn’t too crazy about the crust (a bit too thin and uneven for my tastes) but overall it was satisfying. I wouldn’t travel long distances for a slice, but it’s definitely charming for the neighborhood.

Mission Pie is the kind of funky, eclectic do-gooder type of place you’d expect to find in Berkeley. I’m glad to see it spreading in the Mission, which has recently been overrun by hip lounges and restaurants. The homemade pies at this place are a reminder of simpler times.

Mission Pies, 2901 Mission St., San Francisco. PH: 415.282.4PIE. Open: Mon.–Thu. 7 a.m.–9 p.m.; Fri., 7 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m.–10 p.m.; and Sun., 9 a.m.–9 p. m. http://www.missionpie.com/

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More Squash at the Farmers' Market

I love going to the farmers' market in the summer because the stands are just bursting with color. Like these beautiful summer squash at the Lucero Farms stand at the Temescal Farmers' Market in Oakland. I've seen these before, but never in this wild green and yellow color. BTW, Lucero calls the squash "flying saucer." It is a bit alien, huh?

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Back for Seconds: Franklin Square Wine Bar

Eating out can add up, so I have to watch how often I dine out. That means when I decide where to go, I end up trying some place new so I can blog about it. But that means I don’t get to return to some of my favorites. Today, I’m launching a new feature called “Back for Seconds” and these are update reviews on places I’ve visited and enjoyed.

Still Pouring Refined Small Bites
2212 Broadway (at 22nd Street south of Grand Avenue), Oakland
Uptown neighborhood
PH: 510.251.0100
Open 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m., Monday–Friday, from 5:30 p.m. on Saturday
No reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.fswinebar.com

Original visit: December 2007

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, my friend Joe and I were looking for a nice place to sip some wine and sit outside. We had just visited Fourth Street in Berkeley so I racked my brains for a place on the East Bay. That’s when I suggested the Franklin Square Wine Bar, not too far from my office in the Lake Merritt/Uptown neighborhood of Oakland.

This small wine bar by the people behind Luka’s Taproom (just across the street on Broadway) has had steady business but not crazy busy probably because of the location. Still, they’ve placed some outdoor seating and I like not having to fight for a table on a Saturday evening.

Joe and I each tried their flight specials. Joe tasted three Pinot Noirs and I had three glasses of red wine from East Bay wineries. For the munchies, we ordered the Burrata Mozzarella with Heirloom Tomatoes and the Saffron Risotto Cake.

The Burrata Mozzarella with Heirloom Tomatoes is a classic summer combo, but I was amazed when it came out. I thought the burrata cheese, which looked like a huge blob, had this unusual beautiful-but-ugly combination. You know what I mean? It was a big blog like some monster, but the plate was so beautifully constructed by the Franklin Square’s kitchen that I thought it was a well-concept plate.

The taste and texture were just as good. The burrata mozzarella was gooey and soft, and blended nicely with the fresh summer heirloom tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt. Like I said, it’s nothing original and a classic summer dish, but still well executed.

The Saffron Risotto Cake is just a fine example of the chef’s knowledge of risotto. I raved about their cauliflower risotto when I first visited, and in subsequent visits I’ve always ordered whichever risotto they’ve had on the menu. This time, the chef took it to another level by making this risotto cake, which is basically risotto that’s been pan-fried into a nice crispy dish. This is a dish many Italians would make at home with their leftover risotto.

The risotto was just simply infused with saffron and beautifully presented with a light arugula salad. Again, a very elegant presentation to a classic dish.

Franklin Square Wine Bar continues to bring a new level of enjoying wine on the East Bay by pairing it with elegant and sophisticated small bites. What better way to spend a beautiful Saturday?

Update experience (previously 3 stars): Still going strong

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The Seduction of a Tea Lover

Behind the scenes at Mariages Frères (Paris):

Henri: “Edouard, have you noticed the spike in our sales for le Casablanca blend?”

Edouard: “Oui, oui. Johnny in marketing says a food blogger in California called the Single Guy wrote about how much he loves le Casablanca.”

Henri: “Oh. What is les ‘blogger’?”

Edouard: “Ah, people with nothing to do and sit around all day talking like they know everything about food.”

Henri: “Mon ami, you pull mon leg? You know Edouard, we should come up with another blend to tickle ze fancy of les Single Guy.”

Edouard: “You read my mind, Henri. But it must be something enticing et irresistible. Even more romantic than le Casablanca.”

Henri: “How about les orchid tea that we got in ze other day?”

Edouard: “Oui, and let’s blend it with the essence of vanilla.”

Henri: “Edouard, you are a genius. I bow at your feet.”

Edouard: “Moi? Les nothing. But what shall we call it?”

Henri: “Black Orchid.”

Edouard: “Ah, brilliant. Now you’re ze genius.”

Henri: “Ze nothing. Edouard, should we get les ham et fromage baguette for lunch today?”

Edouard: “Oh, no. Not again. Today I feel like … croissant.”

Henri: “Ha, ha. Oui, et chocolat.”

Letter to Mariage Frères:

Dear Tea makers at Mariage Frères,

I have been a longtime fan of your exquisite tea ever since I stepped into your shop in the Marais district of Paris. In particular, I have raved on my food blog about your Casablanca blend.

I never thought I would find another flavor to rival it. But I did. Your newest blend, seductively called Black Orchid, is a soothing sweet tea with the richness of black tea combined with the gentle fragrance of vanilla. It’s my favorite tea now to make with my afternoon scone. I enjoy the fragrance of the tea so much that I must admit to sometimes just opening the canister and sniffing its contents.

Thank you again for a wonderful find. Please keep up the good work!

Best,

The Single Guy

Disclaimer: The above is fictitious and only happened in the mind of the Single Guy. The original Mariage Brothers were named Edouard and Henri, but of course they are now long gone. But their legacy continues.

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