Dish on Dining: Burma Superstar

Spreading Out in the East Bay
4721 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
Temescal neighborhood
PH: 510.652.2900
Lunch and dinner daily, except Monday
No reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.burmasuperstar.com

Lately when I’ve been eating out with my friend Joe, seems like we’ve been hitting new locations of old favorites. First it was Pizzeria Delfina’s larger California Street location, and this past weekend it was checking out Burma Superstar’s week-old location in my Temescal hood.

This star of Burmese cuisine has a slick new look on Telegraph Avenue, which for a few months was the home for an American comfort food joint. What’s funny is that even though Burma Superstar remodeled the place and added all new furnishings, the feel still screamed out American bar rather than Southeast Asian ethnic restaurant.

Maybe they still need to decorate the walls, which were white and empty when Joe and I visited for dinner on Saturday. In the tiny and popular San Francisco location, you definitely got a feel of Burma with the knick-knacks on the walls. But the only touch of Asian at the new location was a huge golden good-luck cat sitting at the edge of the bar. (You know, the one with the one paw up.)

Despite the sterile surroundings, I liked the fact that this space gave you more room to breathe and enjoy the food and company. It’s just as noisy here as in the city, but at least you don’t have to squeeze past other diners.

Burma Superstar is definitely drawing the early crowds to Oakland based on its reputation, but we were still able to get a table without much of a wait. (That probably won’t last.)

I noticed that the menu seemed limited, listing mostly the popular standbys from the original location but not much else. Hopefully the menu will expand as the kitchen gets more comfortable in its new space.

We started with the Rainbow Salad ($10.25), which on the menu states that it was featured on a Food Network show (not sure which one, my guess is that it wasn’t “Diners, Drive-ins & Dive”). I mostly ordered it because I’ve already tried the often-ordered Tea Salad and wanted to try something different.

Like the Tea Salad, the Rainbow Salad is made with a variety of ingredients and then tossed at your table. Burma Superstar supposedly makes its Rainbow Salad with 22 different ingredients, but both Joe and I lost count when we were trying to listen to the server explain each ingredients. I do know that there were several different types of noodles and this really pretty scoop of saffron rice.

The salad was dressed with a tamarind sauce, and it was light and refreshing but nothing spectacular. The ingredients lacked the pungent flavoring you get from the Tea Salad, for example, but I did like the light tamarind sauce.

An unusual-sounding dish was the Classic Burmese Chicken Casserole with Cardamom Cinnamon Rice ($15.75), made with shrimp and cooked in a claypot. When it arrived, Joe commented that it looked like Burmese paella.

The chicken was tender, but the dish was aching for some sauce. With the chicken and rice, it really seemed dry. Overall, the flavoring was more subtle than most dishes I’ve had at Burma Superstar. The rice included fresh pods of cardamom seed, which I’ve never eaten before (I’ve had it as a flavor for ice cream or tea, but never in its natural form). I have to say, while it embarked a floral essence that was unusual, the initial bite is a bit off-putting and herb-like. I don’t know if it’s that smart to include whole cardamom pods in rice. Also, the specks of cloves in the rice weren’t that fun to bite into either.

Our final entrée was the Pumpkin Pork Stew ($14.75). We actually wanted to order a curry, but our server told us that the casserole would carry the same flavor as most curries so it would be smart to try something different. Oddly enough, the casserole didn’t remind me of curry at all, but the pumpkin stew looked like curry albeit less spicy.

The stew was definitely tasty with tender chunks of pork with pumpkin and potato pieces that were cooked perfectly. If spicier, I would definitely think this was pumpkin curry.

Side note: Service was efficient and not scattered like you sometimes experience at newly opened restaurants. I guess that’s a testament to Burma Superstar’s experience with running restaurants. But despite the efficient service, everyone we encountered that night seemed a bit robotic. They weren’t engaging or friendly. They were just there, which to me seemed like an odd note to strike for what should be a neighborhood restaurant.

We capped off our dinner by sharing the Black Rice Pudding ($8.50) with ice cream and strawberries. The pudding was very warm, so that made the ice cream melt quite fast. While the rice had a nice sweet taste, it wasn’t overly sticky or mushy like you would expect when you read the word pudding. It was slightly al dente, which seemed odd.

Overall, I think everyone’s excited about Burma Superstar arriving, especially Joe who’s big on takeout (what’s funny is that there weren’t any takeout menus available at the door). The kitchen was able to transfer its quality cooking from the original location to this new spot, and I definitely think the space has a hip vibe that gives it a nice appeal. If they can make the service more pleasant and possibly add more variety to the menu, then this location may do better than the original Burma Superstar.

Single guy rating: 3.25 stars (Shining bright in Oakland)

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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In a Pickle with Korean Chili

So lately I’ve been on a craze for Korean food, but my Korean food is limited really to just kim chee and BBQ chicken. I really don’t venture beyond that because a lot of Korean dishes are heavy on the beef — except for soon, the tofu soup, which I also crave.

Recently when I was shopping in a Korean grocery store in Oakland, I saw these really cute pickle cucumbers and that prompted me to make some Korean pickled cucumbers. This is also one of my favorite things about Korean food. Pickled cucumbers are a common panchan, which are the free side dishes that come out at Korean restaurants before your main meal.

I’ve had a variety of Korean pickled cucumbers, some made more spicy than others, and some more crunchy than others. But my favorite has to be from my go-to Korean fast-food spot in Hawaii called Yummy’s. Their cucumbers are always so crunchy and not overly spicy, with just the right balance of sweet and sour.

In the past I’ve tried to duplicate this at home, but always failed. Now I realized it’s because I wasn’t using the right cucumbers. Apparently, it makes a difference using these small pickling cucumbers because they really retain their crunchiness even sitting in pickling juice for days.

Below is my recipe for the pickled cucumbers, Korean-style. Enjoy!

Korean-style Pickled Cucumbers
Copyright 2009 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients
1 lb. pickle cucumbers or Japanese cucumbers
1 t kosher salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup water
1 t Vietnamese fish sauce
1 t grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 T hot chili paste
1 t chili flakes

Cut cucumbers about ¼-inch thick (leaving on the skin) and sprinkle with kosher salt. Gently work salt through the cucumber pieces with your hand and let sit for 30 minutes. Then rinse quickly under running water and drain in colander.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, vinegar, water, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, chili paste and chili flakes. Add cucumbers and then transfer everything into a clean mason jar. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 3 cups of pickled cucumbers.

TIP: You have to use small cucumbers designed for pickling to really get that nice crunch. Normal cucumbers might be crunchy at first, but will eventually soften. The pickled cucumbers are often found in Asian grocery stores, especially Korean and Japanese stores. In other gourmet stores, they may already be pickled.

HOT SAUCE: The Korean chili paste, aka kochujang, is a common ingredient in Korean dishes. They’re sold in plastic containers and has the same consistency as miso paste, but spicier of course. Check Korean grocery stores or a general Asian grocery store. I’ve never purchased it online, but if you’re desperate to try you can go to KoaMart.com out of L.A.

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A Masa Amount of People at Taste of Tamales

I got my fill of tamales yesterday afternoon at the Third Annual Taste of Tamales by the Bay at San Francisco’s Fort Mason. A variety of tamales was served up by local restaurants, and it was a good thing I got there early because, as usual, these tasting events get crowded by the minute.

I don’t generally eat Mexican food, but I do love tamales—what I consider Mexican comfort food. It’s made with a corn meal called masa and often filled with meats or vegetables like sweet corn (my favorite), and steamed inside a corn husk.

The restaurants that turned out to showcase their tamales varied from the really fancy restaurants to caterers. My favorite tamales came from Cocina Poblana from Oakland’s Jack London Square. They actually made unfilled tamales and then served tender pork on top with sauce and a sprinkling of cheese. I’ve never had tamales served this way, but it was great.

There were some odd tamales, like one stand that was selling sweet tamales. Now, earlier I had a tamale from La Espiga de Oro from the Mission District that was made of sweet corn and it could have passed for dessert. But at this other stand, they had tamales made with strawberries, chocolate and peaches. Thing is, you didn’t actually get the bits of fruits, but instead just got a tamale flavored with fruit-flavored syrup. I wasn’t a fan.

It wasn’t a big event, but as people munched away at their tamales, they listened to Mexican music and you could stroll and check out some craft booths selling Latin-inspired jewelry or cookbooks. I checked out the tequila booth from Partida and they had three versions of their tequila that varied depending on how long they were aged. The girl there was so funny because she kept pouring tasting cups that were like shots. (Not really, but pretty close.) So I felt a bit drunk by the end of the day.

There was also a section where they taught people how to make their own tamales. It really looked a bit messy to make, so I just stuck with standing in line for the ready-made tamales.

A fun and entertaining part of the event was “Margaritas Rock!”, which was a competition for the best margarita. Amateur and professional bartenders competed in several rounds. I don’t know who won because I didn’t stay till the end, but I caught the first round and watched these guys make up their own signature margaritas with ingredients like cantaloupe, Midori liqueur and Fresca. I tried one afterwards and it had sooo much alcohol.

I didn’t realize there were so many tamale lovers, but it’s nice to see this Latin classic get an event all to itself.

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Sugar Cane ... Is This Hawaii?

Seeing sugar cane stalks brings back memories of growing up in Hawaii, where the entire island was once filled with sugar cane fields. They were such a signature of the islands that we even had sugar cane in our backyard. And one of the treats our mom would give us is bits of sugar cane stalks, the fibrous skin hacked away with her kitchen butcher knife, revealing the golden center. She'd chill these stalks and then we'd munch away at it, sucking at the juices that were released with each bite. (Caution: You can't eat the stalks, just suck on the juices.)

I'm always surprised when I see them at the farmers' markets in the Bay Area because I wonder where does it get so hot that they can grow sugar cane regularly? (I know we had super hot weather last week, but sugar cane thrives in consistently hot weather.) I spotted these stalks at an Asian stall at the Civic Center Farmers' Market this morning, sold for $3 each. I wonder who knows what to do with them, other than a natural sweet treat for kids?

A year ago a reader emailed me asking where she can find sugar cane stalks. I forgot why she was looking for them. But if you're still reading my blog, head down to the Sunday Civic Center Farmers Market in San Francisco and you can find them there!

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Night of Flavor Exploration at ‘Taste of the Nation’

The Giants are out of town, but if the players were anywhere near their lockers this past Thursday night at AT&T Park, training regimens and fitness diets would definitely be out the door.

That’s because the Field Clubhouse—just a few steps down from the players locker room—played host to notable chefs from around the city for the Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation. The event was a two-parter: 1) a tasting event that ran from 6 to 8 p.m. at the clubhouse, and 2) a sit-down dinner at the nearby Acme Chophouse cooked by celebrity chefs like Traci Des Jardins, Michael Simon, Chris Cosentino and Gavin Kaysen.

The two events all benefit the Share Our Strength organization, which helps fight hunger among children in the United States.

I could only afford the tasting event, so my recap is focused primarily on that portion of the evening. But the exploration of the variety of mini bites was more than enough to keep me satisfied all evening.

This is my first time attending this annual fund-raiser, and the tasting event didn’t have a real organized feel to the layout. Restaurants were spread all over and drinks were on one side of the room, but it would have been nice if restaurants were organized by “greens,” “meats” and “sweets” for example.

Instead, I just ate whatever I ran into. One of the first bites I tried was this incredibly simple but tasty anchovy starter from Chef Staffan Terje of Perbacco. It was a cured local anchovy wrapped around a bit of farm egg and served with salsa verde. The local anchovy was meaty and flavorful, but not overly salty and it was balanced with the egg and salsa verde, which provided a slight acidity for balance. I admit I came back for a few more of these silvery slickers.

Another really nice starter—also featuring a farm egg—was a fava bean salad by the chefs from Coco 500. It was conveniently served on a cracker and topped with smoked bonito, which added a complexity of taste to what sounds like a real simple dish. A Mediterranean pinto bean salad from Zaré at Flytrap was quite filling, and Bar Tartine’s crudo made with sustainable Kona Kompachi was excellent. It was served with a light horseradish and fava beans. Waterbar’s Parke Ulrich served an Australian Kingfish tartar that was nice, but the portion was overwhelmed by the little gem lettuce holder, which was not so little.

A very elegant carrot soup was served up by Chef Mark Sullivan of Spruce. It was still warm when I got a taste, and it continued to warm you inside with the tumeric flavor and bits of dates and almonds.

On the opposite end of Sullivan’s warm carrot soup was the gazpacho served up by Top Chef contestant and Absinthe Chef Jamie Lauren. Lauren was also that night’s host for the tasting event, so she wasn’t always at her Absinthe station. But here’s a shot of the top of her head as she’s focused on prepping her white almond gazpacho with a Point Reyes clam in the bottom. The cold soup was pretty, creamy, rich and tasty.

Right next to Lauren’s station was another former Top Chef contestant, Jen Biesty of Scala’s Bistro. She was serving up a very delicious and meaty olive oil-poached prawn with a fennel puree and smoked sea salt. For drama she added spots of black aioli. Just an amazing small bite. (Sorry, all my pictures of Biesty in action came out blurry but both Lauren and Biesty look exactly like how they did on the show.)

Some of the more substantial dishes included, of course, mini lamb burgers (you can always count on someone making mini burgers at a party), also from Zaré at Flytrap. An interesting burger dish was the Pork Sugo Sloppy Joe from Chef Chris Behr of SPQR. True to its name, this Sloppy Joe was a mess to eat, but tasty. SPQR’s sister, A16, served up a traditional pork and beef meatball cooked up by Chef Liza Shaw. Offering a break from these Italian dishes was the pork belly buns (also kind of messy to eat but still tasty) from Charles Phan of Slanted Door and his new Heaven’s Dog.

I took a break from the munchies to get a much-needed drink. Several bars were serving up specialty mixed drinks, including Beretta and Bourbon & Branch. I got a drink from Bourbon & Branch’s bartender, but I couldn’t really understand what was in it. I think he called it “Favela” and I know it definitely had mint and orange bitters. It was definitely refreshing. Square One vodka was serving up several infused vodkas and I tried the cucumber, which was also refreshing. I was surprised there weren’t as many wineries, but I did try the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Raymond Vineyards and it was a bit earthy and flat. (Not much real body or complexity.)

Back to the food, there were some unusual offerings from the new restaurant Midi, which served up a country chicken terrine with a French breakfast radish on top. Terrine takes some getting used to eating because it’s served cold and can taste like a savory gelatin. This was probably my least favorite taste of the night. But nearby was this fantastic and unusual looking Crab and Rock Shrimp Verrine from Cortez Restaurant and Bar. It was a tiny cup layered with the crab and shrimp along with grilled ramp, avocado, cucumber and crème fraiche with an interesting crispy nest on top. It looked really unusual and the diversity of flavors was incredible. I would give this tasting bite from Cortez the Blue Ribbon if I were into judging people. ;-)

But also yummy were the beef carpaccio from the Ahwahnee Restaurant all the way from Yosemite and the crispy pork cake with strawberry and jalapeno jam from Maverick all the way from the Mission.

There were several other bites that I tried, and some more successful than others. But by this time I was focused on the sweets, which were actually limited to only a few places. One place that went all out was Postrio and its chefs Seis Kamimura and Ian Flores, who offered up an array of dessert options from chocolate-layered cakes to truffles to meringues. Scala’s was also nice enough to offer a dessert — an incredible Bostini Cream Pie, a mini play on a Boston cream pie. And Perbacco had one of my favorites, which was a pretty ricotta panna cotta with strawberries.

It was an impressive collection of chefs and food, and all for a good cause. It’s slightly ironic that to put the spotlight on hunger in America, we have to put on an almost decadent tasting event. But chefs cook, and bloggers eat. We each contribute what we do best as our way of helping — as long as we never forget those who can’t attend special events like this.

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Dish on Dining: Pizzeria Delfina

Showcase for Pizza and More
2406 California St., San Francisco
Pacific Heights
PH: 415.440.1189
Open daily for lunch and dinner (except no lunch on Tuesday)
No reservations, major credit cards accepted
Web site

One thing that seems to be bucking the economic downturn is pizza. And that was fully evident when I visited Pizzeria Delfina awhile back with my friend Joe.

I’ve blogged about the original Pizzeria Delfina location in the Mission neighborhood, but this visit was to its second and newest location on California Street in the upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood across town.

This larger location, brightly lit but still keeping with the funky flavor of the Mission spot, seems to be packed all the time. Joe and I arrived early for dinner on a Saturday night and there were already several names on the wait list. Luckily, our wait was only about 20 minutes because we were willing to sit at the long counter facing the prep stations.

The counter actually was a dream spot for me because I could see the sous chefs preparing the dishes, such as the large salads and meatball appetizers. Off in the back was the pizza station where the pizza makers were busy prepping several pizzas for that night’s dinner rush.

As we watched the chefs prepping the dishes, we noticed an interesting dish that looked almost like a long chunk of cheese. It caught both Joe’s and my attention, so we asked our waitress about it and she says it was the special appetizer of the day, “Mozzarella in Carozza” ($7).

This was a skewer of mozzarella cubes and bread, pan-fried with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and served up hot. The edges of the bread chunks were perfectly crisp and the mozzarella cubes were oozing when I bit into them. I enjoyed this but I have to say I don’t think it was the same thing we originally saw. (I think what we saw was the “Panzarotti,” which was also a special appetizer.) Still, our Mozzarella in Carozza was excellent.

Joe and I couldn’t decide on a pizza to share, so we each got our own. Joe decided quickly on the Clam Pie ($17) while I debated for awhile and ended up ordering the Prosciutto Pie ($17).

The Clam Pie came out with a very thin crust but puffy edges, which is how I remember Pizzeria Delfina’s pizzas. The edges are always slightly burnt in certain spots, like evidence that this is rustic and homemade.

I tried a slice of Joe’s Clam Pie and loved it. I couldn’t imagine a pizza with clams (for some reason I kept envisioning a pizza with clam shells on top), but the juices of the clams mixed in with the tomato sauce and were a brilliant combination. And while the center of the pizza can get soggy quickly, it was worth it.

My Prosciutto Pie looked really pretty when it arrived, with the fresh prosciutto slices and arugula elegantly draped in the center. While all the ingredients were a classic combination, my Prosciutto Pie turned out to be harder to eat. The prosciutto slices and the mozzarella cheese didn’t stick together and kept sliding off the pizza. Joe, however, loved it. We both decided that we should have switched pizza orders because we each loved the other person’s order.

After the pizza we were both pretty full, but I did want to try Pizzeria Delfina’s famous cannolis. Unfortunately, for some reason the cannolis never made it from Mission Street to California Street. This second location did not offer the popular cannolis on its dessert menu.

So instead I got the affogato ($4), which is the only way I really drink coffee. Affogato is the traditional Italian dessert of a scoop of vanilla ice cream with espresso.

It arrived in this unusual metal cup that looked strangely Moroccan to me. The espresso came separately and it was left up to me to pour as much of it as I wanted onto the ice cream.

When I ate the affogato, there was something off about it. The coffee was way too bitter for me, and it wasn’t as enjoyable as at other places where I’ve ordered affogato. So one thing I realized about affogato -- the coffee makes it or breaks it. In this case, the coffee didn't live up to its potential.

Despite the bitter coffee, I didn’t have any bitter aftertaste about my visit to Pizzeria Delfina’s second home. The pizzas are still nicely thin and filled with flavor and the menu of appetizers and salads seem to be more extensive than the Mission location. The only improvement I would say is to offer the cannolis here as well since it’s a signature dessert.

Otherwise, this new location demonstrates the high standards of its owner Craig Stoll, and I’m sure Pizzeria Delfina will have no problems weathering the economic storm.

Single guy rating: 3.75 stars (On the Rise)

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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Recycle. Reuse. Refresh.

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What’s Hopping at Yoppi Yogurt

Hot enough for ya? We’ve had record heat in the San Francisco Bay Area the last two days, so I’m cooling off by looking at some recent photos of frozen yogurt I had at Yoppi Yogurt in the city’s Financial District.

The current warm weather reminds me that I need to get back into my fro-yo rankings. And I’ve never visited Yoppi, but read about it on Foodhoe’s Foraging blog. The problem is Yoppi isn’t open on weekends, so I had to check it out one day after work.

The shop is pretty small in an office tower at the corner of Sansome and Clay Streets. It’s one of those self-serve fro-yo shops, so you pay by the ounce.

Yoppi Yogurt offers four flavors: Yoppi Tart (original flavor), Blueberry Tart, French Vanilla and Classic Chocolate. I got myself a small cup of the original tart fro-yo and went over to the topping station and sprinkled on some fresh strawberries and mango cubes. (Oh, and I couldn't resist and topped it off with a cherry.)

My total came out to $3.62, which doesn’t sound so bad (it cost 46 cents an ounce). The yogurt itself was a bit tart when I first ate it, but after awhile I got used to it and I didn’t really notice the tartness. The texture is not as creamy as I’ve had from other places, but it wasn’t icy. It was kind of in the middle, which is kind of where I’m putting Yoppi on my rankings. It’s a decent cup of fro-yo that hits the spot when you’re on the go, but not anything I’d search out or spend a lot of time hanging out.

Single Guy's Fro-yo Rankings:

1. Red Mango, Palo Alto
2. Pinkberry, Southern California
3. Tuttimelon, San Francisco
4. YoCup, San Francisco
5. Fraiche, Palo Alto
6. Icebee, San Francisco
7. Yoppi, San Francisco
8. Jubili, San Francisco
9. SoGreen, San Francisco
10. Yogurt Harmony, Berkeley
11. Yogen Früz, San Francisco
12. Céfiore, San Francisco

Yoppi Yogurt, 475 Sansome St., San Francisco. Open weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. PH: 415.399.1788. www.yoppiyogurt.com

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Batter Up: Tres Agave at AT&T Park

This month was the beginning of baseball season, and yesterday was the perfect day for my first San Francisco Giants game since the weather was the type that one had to be outside. (But not necessarily four hours in direct sunlight.)

There’s not much new when it comes to food at AT&T Park, where the Giants play. Stands still flowing with garlic fries. People still chow down on corn dogs. I’m still avoiding the Crazy Crabs. But there was one addition, and that’s the restaurant Tres Agave, which has taken over the Mexican food carts that used to be run by Compadres.

Tres Agave is a pretty popular Mexican restaurant just a couple of blocks from the stadium in SOMA. So I was interested to see what kind of game fare they were offering.

The Tres Agave cart can be found on both the promenade and view levels (and possibly the Club level, but I couldn’t get in to check myself) and sells things like street tacos and humongous nachos topped with carnitas.

But I got the chicken tamales (they also have vegetarian) because I love tamales. For $6.50, you get a tray of two tamales and a whole lot of chips. The thing about the tamales is they’re tiny like baby tamales. I think they were maybe 6 inches. Can you even see them in the tray that was overflowing with chips?

The tamales were decent. It was basically cornmeal and chicken. The sauce that came with it improved the taste, but I saved much of it for the chips because I don’t like eating chips without salsa.

After a few innings in the heat, I had to get up and walk around and feel the breeze of the bay. So I ran into another Tres Agave cart and this time I tried their bacon-wrapped hot dog ($6.75). I know, you’d think by the sound of this that this item would be the most popular thing at the stadium.

The hot dog came with grilled peppers and onions and then drizzled with some kind of sauce, kind of like chipotle. Again, the tray was overflowing with chips.

This wasn’t a foot-long dog. It was like a minor league dog, just as small as the tamales. It was nice and salty, but I have to say I could barely enjoy the bacon because I tasted more of the hot dog than the bacon, and the sauce covered everything up. I enjoyed it but I didn’t feel satisfied. (And I tossed out the tray of chips because they didn’t serve it with any salsa.)

Tres Agave might be selling fancy Mexican food, but I’m really disappointed at the portion size. It’s almost like those catered parties and these were the perfect portions for finger food.

After the tamales and hot dog, I had to get a frozen lemonade just to survive the rest of the game in the heat. Luckily, it was a game worth watching since the Giants beat the Diamondbacks, 2-0, behind pitcher Randy Johnson (who used to play for the Diamondbacks). Just 146 more games to go!

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Kicking Off Summer at Ducca

We’re just half-way through spring, but it’s been feeling more like summer in the Bay Area these days. So it was perfect weather for Ducca’s “Bocce Ball and BBQ” event Friday night.

I wasn’t really clear what the party was for, but it seemed like another chance for free drinks and food from Ducca’s chef Richard Corbo, who was named a “Rising Star Chef 2008” by the San Francisco Chronicle.

I’ve never eaten at Ducca, but it promotes itself as a Northern Italian restaurant. It’s centrally located right in SOMA, very close to the Union Square area. I arrived soon after work, and within a half hour Ducca’s garden was so packed it looked like any other Friday night happy hour, but outside. (I got an invitation awhile back for this private event, but it looked more like the crowd grew from word-of-mouth as one friend brought along another and so on.)

Grilling just screams summer, so seeing the big grill setup in the center of Ducca’s garden and patio was very exciting. Unfortunately, I never really got a taste of anything from the grill. For some reason, I kept seeing food being grilled, but none ever made it among the crowds. I initially saw blackened pig heads and then some grilled peppers and artichokes along with some whole chicken, but never got to taste them.

So some of the things I did get to eat where various appetizers circulating the crowd. There were house-made foccacia, one topped with carmelized onions and another with prosciutto and asiago cheese. (The bread was soft and thick.) Then there were cups of spring risotto, which had peas and was really tasty and warm. Of course, the most popular item was the deep-fried fish chips with fried polenta. I passed on the deep-fried tray, but everyone seemed to love it.

I have to say my favorite bite was the one dessert item being passed out, and it was this panna cotta topped with strawberry. The panna cotta was so incredibly creamy with a nice vanilla taste, but I just couldn’t get over the texture. So rich and thick but still smooth. Only one tray came out early on and I was glad I grabbed one before I left.

The drinks were hosted by Svedka vodka, a Swedish vodka I’ve never heard of. I think it’s new. Of course, they were pushing the flavor-infused vodka, which I’m not a big fan of but, hey, I’m willing to try any vodka that’s free. There were a few specialty drinks for the night, and the first I tried was the “Spring Cooler” made with vanilla vodka, cranberry juice and Triple Sec with a cucumber slice. This sounded really refreshing to me, and it was. The vanilla actually made the drink taste more full-bodied, and I enjoyed it. I also tried the “Clementine Crush” made with Clementine-infused vodka, orange juice, lime juice and bits of fruits. This was the prettiest but the taste was kind of boring for some reason. I think because the vodka flavor was a bit overwhelmed by all the fruits. There were also sangria and beer making the rounds.

Here’s Chef Corbo hard at work in a makeshift prep area in the back of the restaurant. I think he was a bit surprised when he looked up and I was there snapping away. But when you’ve got two vodka drinks under your belt, you’d be daring too!

I snuck into the restaurant to check it out since I haven’t eaten there. The lounge is really seductive with its red chandelier and plush settings. Looks like a fun after-work hangout. The restaurant was totally empty since it was closed for the BBQ event. (I’m assuming they started serving dinner after the event ended at 7 p.m.)

I think this is the chef de cuisine manning the grill, which didn’t serve up anything while I was there. So much for the BBQ.

And here were a few friends of the restaurant making an attempt at the “bocce ball” party of the “Bocce Ball and BBQ” event. It never really got going since most of the crowd was into the free drinks and food.

Even though I didn’t get any barbeque and the bocce ball game was pretty lame, it was still a fun way to kick off my weekend. Everyone seemed to enjoy hanging out with friends and soaking in the peeks at summer.

Ducca, 50 Third St. (between Market and Mission Streets), San Francisco. PH: 415.977.0271 www.duccasf.com

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Yuba from Hodo Soy Beanery

If you shop at one of the many farmers’ markets in the Bay Area, you may have seen this booth from Hodo Soy Beanery. They sell tofu-related products, and only at farmers’ markets (there’s no retail store).

The products are organic, fresh and really tasty (for tofu!). They sell ingredients for you to take home and use, or prepared dishes like Spicy Tofu Strips or Kung Pao Tofu Salad.

The company also has an interesting history. It was started by a group of office workers on the Peninsula who wanted quality tofu and tofu-related products and couldn’t find them. So they decided to make it themselves.

What I like to get from Hodo Soy is their yuba, which if you’re not familiar with this, it’s the skin that’s skimmed off the top of soymilk. They’re sold in flat sheets and look a bit crinkly. It’s used a lot in Chinese dishes, but when I buy them in Chinatown they’re usually dried and imported from China. So it’s nice to occasionally get them fresh.

It tastes like tofu but to me feels lighter because of the thin nature of the yuba. Hodo Soy’s version is a bit creamy and has a fresh milky taste, which is probably because of the quality of its ingredients. (Of course, this means you pay a heftier price tag for them. A packet of yuba cost $7 for what feels like 6 to 8 ounces.)

Because of my eating binge lately, it’s nice sometimes to make a healthy dish like the simple salad I made below with yuba I got from Hodo Soy Beanery. This salad is also an easy dish to make to take to work for lunch. Of course, if you’re lazy you can just buy their prepared dishes (I like their Sesame Tofu Strips). Enjoy!

Yuba Salad with Broccoli and Red Bell Pepper

Copyright 2009 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients
1 packet yuba (tofu skin, about 6 to 8 ounces), cut into strips
1 broccoli crown, cut into florets
1 red bell pepper, julienne

Dressing
2 T sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T sugar
1 t chili sauce (optional)

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Place yuba, broccoli and red bell pepper in a large bowl. Then make dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Toss with the yuba and garnish with sesame seeds. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

TIP: If you can’t find fresh yuba, you can go to an Asian grocery store and buy dried yuba, which might be labeled as dried tofu skin. Just look for flat sheets of the cream-colored tofu or long crinkly sticks. They’ll be hard like a thin sheet of plastic but will crack easily at the slightest touch. Soak them in water until they’re softened (about an hour) before using.

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My Apology and Thanks to La Farine

Dear Owners of La Farine:

I’m sorry. I’ve misjudged your bakery.

It’s nothing that you did, or said. I just fell into that bad habit some of us humans do now and then when we, yes, judge a book by its cover. Well, in your case it was judging a bakery by its bread display.

A few years back, I walked into your bakery with a friend, who swore by your baked goods. But as I walked through your pristine little shop on College Avenue (not too far from my Rockridge apartment) and saw your display of rustic baguettes and loaves, I said to myself: “Am I in Disneyland? This looks too perfect. It looks so fake.” (Actually, I think I said this out loud to my friend as well.)

Granted, it was in the afternoon so the shop was quiet and the shelves seemed a bit bare. But in my mind, along with thinking the food would not taste good because it didn’t look like real food, I admit I assumed it would be really expensive.

So I left, without a purchase. And really never thought about you again.

But then a year ago I went to a baby shower (yes, I was the only single guy there), and the hostess served a beautiful fruit tart from your bakery. I loved it! And that made me think that maybe I was a bit too quick to judge you, La Farine.

Then a few months ago my friend Valerie gave me a gift card for your place. So now, I had no reason not to go back.

Last weekend, I came by to use my gift card. Your bakery looked pristine, as usual, but this time I arrived before lunch so it was more bustling and the counters seemed to overflow with color and a variety of choices.

I picked up one of the rustic baguette, and then headed to the refrigerated counter and ordered a slice of the Gateau au Citron and a seasonal fruit tart (3-inch individual size). (Everything totaled up to the $10 gift card I had.)

At home, I ate the baguette with a carrot-ginger soup I made earlier and it was amazingly crusty but soft in the center. I enjoyed the baguette throughout the week, and when toasted it still held up well.

I had the Gateau au Citron (translation: citrus sponge cake), which really tasted more like a lemon cake. It was a bit too tart for me (and I’m a lemon lover), but the texture was light and airy. And yes, it was very pretty.

Later that night, I ate the fruit tart. And this was when I started writing my apology to you, La Farine, the master of flaky pastry and creator of beautifully arranged fresh fruits.

The tart looked like a crown jewel, with its beautiful circles of raspberries and blackberries. And the custard filling was creamy and not overly sweet. With each bite, I dreamt of eating more and more until I had no more and all I felt was thanks for having had such a wonderful treat.

So I’m sorry, La Farine, for misjudging you. And I thank you (and my friend Valerie for the gift card!) for the wonderful bread and tart, which I will return in the near future to try again.

Your neighbor,

The Single Guy


La Farine French Bakery, 6323 College Ave., Oakland. (Other locations at 3411 Fruitvale Ave. in Oakland and 1820 Solano Ave. in Berkeley.) PH: 510.654.1025. Open seven days a week. www.lafarine.com

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Single Guy's Planner

It’s getting busy for the Single Guy this month. Here are a couple of interesting events that I’m planning to attend:

April 23 (Thursday)—Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation. I actually brought my ticket for this gala event already, and you should too! It’s a celebrity-chef-studded event that’s raising funds to wipe out hunger among the country’s children. The event is hosted by Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere and Top Chef local cheftestant Jamie Lauren of Absinthe. It’s really two events at Des Jardins’ Acme Chophouse (go Giants!) in San Francisco starting with a tasting event for $75 (this is the one I can afford) with appetizers and drinks from restaurants around the city. Then for $250, you can eat at the gala dinner with courses made by celebrity chefs Michael Symon (Iron Chef America), Chris Cosentino (Incanto), Gavin Kaysen (Café Boulud in New York) and Koren Grieveson (Avec in Chicago). The price is pretty steep, but it does go to charity. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

April 26 (Sunday)—A Taste of Tamales by the Bay. I love tamales and I missed this event last year but heard it was a lot of fun. So I’m going to try my best to make it out for this tamales extravaganza at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. Event runs from noon to 4:30 p.m. (talk about a long lunch!) and benefits the Benchmark Institute, a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits help low-income communities. Tickets are $35 (early bird before April 18) or $40 for adults and $15 for children (kids under 6 eats free with an adult who paid for an adult ticket). Learn more about the event and purchase tickets here.

Here are some other interesting events that I haven’t committed to but are worth a mention:

April 15 (Wednesday, tomorrow!)—Tom Colicchio book signing. Expect big crowds at Williams-Sonoma’s Union Square flagship store as the head judge of popular “Top Chef” sells his book, “ ’wichcraft” (which is the same name as his sandwich shop in SOMA). Book signing (with panini tasting) begins at 5 p.m. at 340 Post St., but I’d get there early if I were you because the Colicchio groupies can be numerous.

April 25 (Saturday)—Best of the Bay Tasting Event. It’s like the battle of the tasting events. First there’s the Share Our Strength event I mentioned above, and then the San Francisco Ferry Building is hosting this massive tasting event in conjunction with the Project for Public Spaces convention taking place during that weekend. (PPS is a group that works on developing farmers markets across the country.) This tasting event, which includes nibbles from various restaurants and wine and vodka from Napa Valley, also costs $75 for tickets, and takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ferry Building’s Grand Hall. If I didn’t buy my ticket already for the SOS event, I probably would have gone to this. Click here to purchase tickets.

April 30 (Thursday)—Dining Out For Life. This is the annual fund-raiser for the Stop AIDS Project, where all you do is go out for dinner at a participating restaurant and a portion of the proceeds go to support this AIDS organization. And it’s not just for people in San Francisco; there are Dining Out For Life events all across the United States. Just go to the group’s Web site and click on the link for participating restaurants. For you in San Francisco Bay Area, your list is here.

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Dish on Dining: Jardinière

Eat Away the Monday Blues in Luxury
300 Grove St. (at Franklin), San Francisco
Civic Center
PH: 415.861.5555
Open for dinner nightly
Reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.jardiniere.com

In today’s economy, restaurants are doing a variety of promotions to fill their dining rooms. Who am I to pass up a good deal? One of the more interesting specials come from Jardinière, the flagship restaurant of celebrated Chef Traci Des Jardins (a James Beard award and Iron Chef America winner).

Jardinière has been a mainstay for fine French dining in the city for years, and its close proximity to the Opera House make it a popular spot for the opera-ballet-symphony crowd. In recent years, Des Jardins has implemented new formats to keep things fresh, including the casual J Lounge downstairs. And last month, she introduced a Monday, three-course prix fixe dinner with wine pairings for $45 (before tax and tip).

I sent the rundown of Monday night menus (the restaurant’s Web site posts planned dinners for the upcoming month) to my food-diner-in-crime Foodhoe Foraging and we set out to Jardinière last Monday night for the Tuscan-themed dinner.

It’s been a few years since I’ve dined at Jardinière, but the overall vibe despite the revamped downstairs still screams out luxury. The large bar still is the central focus of the room, even when dining upstairs in the main dining room.

NOTE: When trying Jardinière’s Monday night dinners, you can only order the prix fixe menu. The regular menu is not available as an alternative. In a way, it’s a smart business formula because – for one night – the kitchen can control the ordering of food because they already know what the diners will order. They just don’t know how many will show up.

Foodhoe and I got there early for dinner and by the time we left, the restaurant filled up with other Monday night diners. So it’s a sign that the Monday night themed dinners seem to be sparking a lot of interest.

For the Tuscan dinner, we started with Acquacotta, a tomato, mushroom and bread soup. Our server did a wonderful job of explaining each dish as well as the wine that was paired with the course. For the soup, we were served a tasting of the Casamatta Bianco 2007 Vermentino.

The wine was nice and bright, which in a way made the soup seem light. The soup was an intense tomato soup with a really enjoyable bread in the center. I enjoyed the bread a lot because it was toasted, giving a nice contrasting crunchy texture to the soup, almost like a big crouton. But because it was sitting in the soup, it was also slightly softened.

The only oddity about the soup was the clump of green vegetables on top. I couldn’t figure out what it was; it looked a lot like spinach. But it had a strong almost bitter flavor, which did not blend well with the overall flavor of the soup. So it really seemed out of sync and probably would do the soup service by being left off entirely.

The second course was the main entree, which was a Porchetta of Suckling Pig. This was really the main reason why I wanted to try Jardinière’s Tuscan dinner because I knew any kind of roasted pig would be amazing. And I was right. The thick slice of suckling pig (a young or baby pig) was perfectly cooked, tender with a crispy skin and some fatty parts still there for flavor.

Unlike the soup with the odd green component, I thought everything on the pig plate complemented and even played off each other. The tender and fatty pig was cut by the vinegary shaved fennel salad, and seemed bigger in serving size with the sausage stuffing. The side farro salad with braised greens and topping of salsa verde were substantial and did not overpower the pig, instead offering much needed color to the plate.

Foodhoe never had a suckling pig before, but since I ate many suckling pigs with my mom for dim sum (it’s a popular choice among the Chinese), I knew this would be a star. Foodhoe enjoyed the crunchy skin, and I bit into a few pieces too even though I generally stay away from eating skin.

The pig was served with a glass of 2005 “Majus” from Ajello, a red wine from Sicily that was perfect with the meat dish. I really liked how the wine carried through the Tuscan theme for the night.

The last course was dessert, and after the pig, I figured dessert would just be a throwaway because I was already happy with the dinner so far. But the dessert, an espresso flan with candied almonds and frothed almond milk, was such a delightful surprise, it made the dinner a huge success.

The flan had a sweet espresso flavor and the candied almonds were so crunchy and lightly honeyed that I wanted a snack bag to take home. And Foodhoe commented how the frothed milk (just like foam that reminds her of cat spittle) really carried a taste that matched the flan.

We were served a dessert wine that had such a beautiful light amber color, called D’Ancona Passito de Pantelleria (2004). It did its job of adding a nice floral taste to the dessert course without being either too strong in alcohol flavor or too sweet.

Of all the different dinner promotions out there, I found Jardinière’s Monday prix fixe dinner to really be worth the money. It’s a great value for the level of sophisticated dishes you’re served (and the wine!). Despite being a French restaurant, the Monday night themes – like the Tuscan dinner demonstrated – go all over the world, giving the Jardinière kitchen a chance to stretch their culinary perspective. (But dinners aren’t restricted by geography, upcoming dinners focus on spring and another on San Francisco, featuring cioppino.)

This Monday night dinner is a smart promotion that I think will definitely win new fans to this San Francisco landmark. Would I be this excited if I paid what would be the normal high prices at Jardinière? I think so because this peek at the quality and talent of the kitchen along with the professional service proves why this restaurant continues to be a perfect place for a special dining experience.

Read Foodhoe’s take on our Monday night dinner here. And again, to get a preview of upcoming Monday dinners, check out the restaurant's Web site.

Single guy rating: 4 stars (Creative Promotions)

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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Spring Brings a Fresh Start

This is my favorite time of year, not only because of the beautiful weather in the Bay Area but also the feeling of renewal and hope. So while some of you are busy roasting lamb or glazing ham, I decided to take this time to launch a new look for my blog.

The main change is the header, so if it doesn’t look different to you, try clearing out the cache on your computer and hitting the refresh button. I’ve also made some subtle changes over the last few days, including calling myself Single Guy Ben.

There’s been some confusion in the past with new visitors who think because I called myself Single Guy Chef that I was, literally, a chef. And while it was just a play on the whole food theme of this blog, I was getting a bit tired of having to explain myself. So thus, I’m now reborn as Single Guy Ben, or just plain The Single Guy.

But you might say, hey Single Guy, so why is your URL and e-mail still singleguychef? Well, that’s because I’ve used that since I launched the blog in 2006 and people have gotten used to that and have me in their address book that way, so it would be too confusing to find a new URL and have people change their address book. So some remnants of the Single Guy Chef remain.

I hope you like the new look, and I hope you continue to visit my blog. I’ll still be posting simple recipes to help people, especially singles, come up with easy but elegant dinners. And as I go food shopping or eating out in the San Francisco Bay Area or beyond, you’ll read about my adventures here. Let me know what you think. One way you can take part right now is by voting in the poll over on the right column, letting me know which recipe sounds like the most interesting for my Test Kitchen feature using Food & Wine recipes.

Here’s to spring and fun times ahead!

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Dish on Dining: Bottega

Working Out the Kinks … NapaStyle
6525 Washington St., Yountville
Napa Valley
PH: 707.945.1050
Lunch and dinner daily (except closed for lunch on Monday)
Reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.botteganapavalley.com

YOUNTVILLE, Calif.
This food-loving community, flowing freely with the wine, loves the latest hot thing. And for the last few months, that’s been Bottega Ristorante by celebrity chef and NapaStyle guru Michael Chiarello.

It’s been awhile since Chiarello has headed a kitchen, spending the last decade in front of the camera with his cooking shows or writing cookbooks or opening gourmet food stores celebrating the bounty of Napa Valley. So there’s no surprise that people have been flocking to see if Chiarello still has the cooking chops.

The restaurant, right across from — of course — a NapaStyle store, is designed to reflect the charming style of wine country in Napa and Italy, with an outdoor wood oven at the front and wine bottles stacked up along the walls of the private dining room. Bottega is actually quite spacious, with a bustling bar at the front, a communal table to the side, and a large dining area that faces the open kitchen. (There’s also patio seating that’s probably popular during lunch.)

Even before I stepped into the restaurant for my dinner reservations, I spotted Chef Chiarello outside talking to what looked like a few business partners or associates (they had that moneybags look to them). After I was seated, I could still see Chiarello buzzing about the place with his trademark charming smile. He wasn’t necessarily greeting customers or fans, but mostly chatting up old friends. (Here is my poor attempt at trying to shoot a photo of him as he talked to a big table in front of me.)

While the restaurant walks a fine line between casual trattoria and a fine-dining establishment, there’s still a sense of newbie jitters among the service staff. While things were brought to me on an orderly basis, I got the sense from watching the staff that they were still figuring things out. My server, in particular, seemed rushed and didn’t really pay attention when I was placing my order. (As I was still speaking, he was scribbling and said “that should be enough for you.” I don’t know why but people look at me and think I don’t want to eat a lot.)

So my dinner started with the wine. Bottega has an impressive list of Californian and Italian wine. They don’t sell wine by the glass but in what’s called “quartino” portions, which they estimate to be 1.5 glasses. It’s brought to the table in a small decanter (I’ve seen this a lot at Spanish tapa restaurants like Laiola and the new Barlata.)

On my server’s recommendation, I got a quartino of the Goldeneye Pinot Noir from Mendocino. This turned out to be a bit too tannic for my taste. But more unappetizing was the fact that I scribbled down the price as $12, but when I looked at my tab recently I realized I paid $25. I don’t know if I scribbled down the wrong price or I was overcharged, but that wine was not worth $25 for just 1.5 glasses.

So lesson learned about wine at Bottega: check the fine print! (Remember, I was there for my birthday so I blame it on my aging eye sight, too.)

For the food, Bottega follows the Italian tradition of antipasti, first course (typically pasta) and second course, along with a few side options or contorni.

I started with the Burratta with artichoke two ways ($12). The burratta, hand-made fresh mozzarella spun into a big blob, was indeed fresh and chewy and refreshing to eat. It was served with a few pieces of toasted bread and decorated with tiny little crisps. I was a bit confused about the concept because the menu said the artichoke was served two ways: lemon-braised and crispy. But all I could find on my plate was the lemon-flavored artichoke, which was a nice counterpoint to the burratta. I didn’t notice any fried artichoke, unless those thin tiny pieces garnishing the plate was supposed to be the artichoke?

Even though I’m not a fan of deep-fried foods, I was expecting a play in textures. In a way, I felt cheated.

Next up was my pasta dish, which was the Garganelli with Balsamic Rabbit Sugo ($19). The garganelli was similar to ziti and was served in a bowl that allowed all the sauce to settle on the bottom, leaving the top pasta pieces tasting a bit dry. One word immediately came to mind when eating this sugo: salt. It was so salty that it made it difficult to enjoy the overall dish, and the rabbit wasn’t as tender as I expected. Asparagus tips for the season were thrown in but the flavor didn’t seem to mesh with the overall taste of the rabbit sugo, so it seemed like the asparagus was more of an after thought.

Then this is when my dinner got sidetracked. After I finished my pasta, my server brought me the dessert menu. But earlier I had ordered a second course, the Quail with Honey-Balsamic Glaze ($26). Apparently, my server thought the burratta and garganelli would be enough to fill me up, and I admit that might have been a sufficient dinner for some. But I wanted more, and had ordered more, and was a bit upset at this point that my server was determining how much I should be eating.

To his credit, he didn’t argue with me and quickly put in an order for the quail. My dish arrived a few minutes later, so it wasn’t a long wait. But that made me wonder whether the quail was cooked the way it normally would be because this quail tasted a bit undercooked. There wasn’t enough of a sear to the skin, leaving it more mushy than crisp. And the honey-balsamic glaze was imbalanced, leaning more on the sweet side. The quail sat on some bitter greens that had been sautéed and the combination of flavors seemed off to me.

After my experience, and what I just wrote, you’d probably be surprised by my final score. You’re probably thinking I would have scored it lower. (I think it is lower compared to some glowing reports I’ve read elsewhere.)

I feel the service needs to be more engaging and less rushed, but I did find the environment enjoyable and the menu interesting. I think Bottega has potential to be great if more care is given to the balance of flavors in the dishes instead of what seems like a rush by the kitchen to meet the unexpected crowds. If Chiarello doesn’t pay more attention to the sophistication in the execution in the kitchen, I’m afraid Bottega may be like any hot thing … passed up for someone younger and hotter.

Single guy rating: 3 stars (Style over Substance)

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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Cade Winery: White, Red and Green

ANGWIN, Calif.
In Napa Valley, many wineries line Highway 29 offering public tastings of their latest releases. But some in the know find the best tastings to be at smaller, boutique wineries where you need an appointment to visit.

One new kid on the block is definitely off the beaten track.

Cade Winery is the latest production from the PlumpJack Group, whose partners include San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and billionaire Gordon Getty. It recently opened its 21-acre vineyard and winery (built from the ground up) to the public via appointments. I made an appointment last week, visiting on Cade’s official first day.

The winery is atop Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain appellation east of St. Helena. The drive up there is breathtaking with sights of towering trees along the road and sweeping views of the valley below.

The winery sits on a hillside overlooking the 21 acres of planted grapes, mostly cabernet. The building’s design is modern and minimalist. Designer Juan Carlos Fernandez made it a point that the shape and colors blended in with the winery’s natural surroundings.

With tastings by appointments, the group is more intimate. During my appointment, there were only two other guys who joined me for the tour and tasting. We were greeted by DJ Nielsen, who’s in charge of hospitality at Cade, and we began with a tour of the winery building.

Along with the minimal design, the new Cade winery and vineyard are green, meaning it was developed to be environmentally friendly. Cade is currently seeking approval for LEED certification, which stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.” Apparently, there are different levels of certification and Cade is hoping for “gold.” Nielsen says the winery can’t be considered for the higher “platinum” certification because the facility is not open to public transportation.

Still, Cade goes a long way to be a good friend of the environment. It's powered by solar panels on the roof and was built using a variety of recycled components. The building is surrounded by native wildflowers and Manzanita trees, which is also the inspiration for the Cade logo.

We saw workers finishing up the bottling process of Cade’s sauvignon blanc, and toured the man-made cave used to store the barrels of wine. The cave, which ironically wasn’t underground, included a huge table made of scrap metal from furnace tops.

The tour was pretty straightforward, so let’s focus more on the fun part — the tasting.

We walked over to a smaller building nearby known as the lounge. There you’re greeted by a water fountain and a spectacular view of the valley. There’s also a contemporary space where Cade plans to start offering food and wine tastings twice a day. Since I was there on its first day, we only had the wine tasting.

There were plush chairs and sofas setup facing the view, and that’s where we did the tasting, starting with the 2007 Cade Sauvignon Blanc ($26 per bottle). The wine was more full bodied than most sauvignon blanc I’ve tried, with a slight melon finish. Cade’s goal is to use organic grapes to make their wine.

I found most of the wine to be very drinkable, even when so young, because the lead winemaker, Anthony Biagi, does the trick of blending the varietal with other grapes to round out the tastes. For example, the Sauvignon Blanc was finished with semillion grapes.

The two reds we tried were the 2006 Cade Napa Cuvée ($60) and the 2005 Cade Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($64). Both were also very drinkable and smooth, with the Howell Mountain Cab a bit more earthy than the Cuvée, which is primarily cabernet grapes but with a few others mixed in for good measure.

I was there for an hour an a half just tasting the wine and talking food with the two other guests and Nielsen, who used to run a cooking school in Napa Valley and whose husband is in charge of the food program at Cade. It didn’t hurt that it was a beautiful spring day, making the view beyond the water fountain even more spectacular and soothing.

Some of you might wonder if wine tastings by appointment means more pressure to buy a case of wine to go. I had the same feelings, but others I talked to say you shouldn’t feel pressured to buy the wine if you’re not into it. I actually enjoyed all the wine, and left with a bottle of the Howell Mountain Cabernet. The two other guys bought a bottle of each wine we tried. (Some Cade wine is available at the PlumpJack winery and store, but the vintages we tried were sold only at the winery.)

There is a $10 fee for the wine tastings, and if you’re interested in the food-and-wine pairings, those will be available at $30 by appointment.

It’s nice to visit a winery that strives to be environmentally responsible, and you can’t beat the combination of good wine and view.

Cade Winery, 360 Howell Mountain Road, Napa Valley. (By appointment only.) PH: 707.965.2746. www.cadewinery.com

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Dish on Dining: Go Fish

Casting a Wide Net at this Seafood Spot
641 Main St., St. Helena
Napa Valley
PH: 707.963.0700
Open weekdays, 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.; weekends, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.
Reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.gofishrestaurant.net

ST. HELENA, Calif.
Cindy Pawlcyn is like the female version of Thomas Keller in Napa Valley, overseeing a restaurant empire that includes the venerable Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, and her 3-year-old Go Fish seafood and sushi restaurant.

From the outside, Go Fish looks like any Napa Valley restaurant along Highway 29, with the ubiquitous cream exterior that blends in with the mustards or chardonnay grapes in the nearby fields. But inside, Go Fish is an expansive space with the elegance of fine dining mixed with the coziness of wine country.

I dropped in for lunch on a weekday and didn’t have a problem getting a table along the banquette that overlooks the highway. The booth was filled with pillows and I commented to the hostess that it looked like the perfect place for a nap after a few glasses of wine. (I don’t think she took too kindly to the idea of me bunking out at her restaurant.)

Just like the hybrid décor — is it an East Coast crab shack or a Hawaiian seafood hut? — the food is a bit all over the place. There’s a sushi bar and a raw bar with oysters, and the menu is sprinkled with New England influences along with Asian touches. The underlining theme, though, is that it’s primarily seafood (I say primarily because there were some chicken options.)

Adding to the confusion is that Go Fish is currently offering a select menu from Mustards because that restaurant is closed after a kitchen fire, and my waitress said Pawlcyn decided to offer some of Mustards’ standbys so the regulars would have some place to go.

I stuck with the main Go Fish menu, starting off with the cucumber salad with octopus, shrimp and crab ($11, or you can just get a plain cucumber salad for $6). The salad is the traditional Japanese salad of pickled sliced cucumbers, but enhanced in my case with the fresh seafood. The presentation was simple but lovely, showcasing the freshness of all the ingredients. The salad was topped off with some grated ginger and pea shoots.

I’m always a fan of the crunch of the cold cucumber with the sweet and sour pickle juices (Go Fish’s salad also had pieces of kombu, or sea kelp). And every piece of the seafood was incredibly fresh and cooked plainly, allowing me to savor the natural sweetness of the crab meat (three pieces), the one prawn and the three thinly sliced octopus (or is it octopi?). I appreciated the balance in the pickle juice because sometimes it can be too sweet or too sour. I thought this was a refreshing start to my lunch.

I also ordered the Oysters Victor, which sounded really interesting. The oyster is taken off the shell and baked, then returned to the shell with a sunchoke puree with bits of bacon and cheese on top. You can order as many as you want (it’s sold for $3 each), so I got three to try.

They looked really decadent in the yellow, creamy sunchoke puree (which actually tasted more like a froth), but I felt that the oyster-to-puree ratio leaned heavily toward the puree. So while the puree was nice and tasty, it really drowned the oysters and I felt like I didn’t get much of the oyster’s essence. (If I were on an Iron Chef America panel on an oyster challenge, I would probably comment something along the lines: “This was enjoyable and I loved the bits of bacon mixed in the puree, but I have to say that the secret ingredient wasn’t really featured.” Food Network, call me!)

Oh, I forgot to mention that for lunch I had a glass of the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from Cliff Lede ($12) that was wonderfully dry and full in body. I thought it was a versatile wine to go with any seafood.

For my main dish I ordered Ken’s Noodles with Hana Broth and Tempura Prawns ($22), which is named after Ken Tominaga, the restaurant’s sushi master. You’re probably wondering why I would order a $22 bowl of noodles that I probably could get in Japantown for half the price. Well, some of you might remember that I went to Napa on my birthday, and my mom has drilled it into my mind that I need to eat noodles on my birthday for long life (the long noodles are supposed to represent long life). So her voice is always in my head reminding me to order some kind of noodle dish, even if it’s pasta or in this case, Japanese udon.

The noodles came out in a beautiful bowl and served with the traditional chili pepper. It was topped with three huge pieces of tempura prawns, but unfortunately the tempura was soggy. Now, you probably would say that, yeah, throwing fried shrimp into a bowl of soup would always turn out this way, but I’ve actually had some tempura ramen or udon in the past where they were able to expertly place the tempura at the last minute to retain some crunch.

But at Go Fish, it was like they didn’t even bother with that. Still, despite the soggy shell, the prawns were yummy because of the quality of the ingredient. The noodles, however, were slightly overcooked, so it was just as soggy as the tempura skin. The broth was deep and full-bodied, but leaned toward the sweeter side, which I wasn’t a huge fan of.

Ordering the udon is just a reminder to me that I really shouldn’t be ordering tradition Japanese dishes at a non-Japanese restaurant. But hey, I know my mom’s happy I ordered the noodles.

Despite the noodles, overall I was pleased with the offerings at Go Fish, mostly because the quality of the ingredients was top-notch and the service was like that at a fine-dining restaurant. And despite its eclectic décor, I found the space to be very welcoming.

Single guy rating: 3.5 stars (Fresh Fish Style)

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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Sifting Through the Cupcake Flavors

NAPA, Calif.
I’m always on the lookout for new cupcake stores, so when I read about the new Sift Cupcakery that opened a month ago in Napa, I squeezed in a visit during my recent road trip up to wine country.

The company started out with a store in Sonoma County (in Cotati to be specific) and opened up in downtown Napa recently, right on Main Street. But it can be a bit confusing when you walk in because it’s not entirely a cupcake store. Sift Cupcakery shares space with a clothing store. It looks like the same owner, but I wonder how they can keep the kids who buy cupcakes from strolling around the store and NOT get icing on all the pretty dresses.

The cupcakes are near the entrance to the right as you walk in. It’s really an odd setup because it looks like an afterthought. Anywho, one thing you get right off the bat with Sift is that they have crazy fun with their flavors.

I’m talking about cupcakes with names like Knock Your Sox Off (Boston cream pie-inspired), Pinking of You (vanilla cake with pink frosting), Ooh La La (red velvet with cream cheese frosting) The Sky is Falling! (chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse) and Irish Car Bomb (chocolate Guinness cake with Irish cream frosting).

Because I was kind of full from my breakfast treats at Bouchon Bakery, I only bought one cupcake—the Key Lime Bliss ($2.75), just because I love citrus flavors and it looked so lime green it reminded me of a margarita. And who can resist a margarita?

The Key Lime consists of a vanilla cupcake with a green key lime filling topped off by the electric lime-colored mousse frosting and a tiny lime pate de fruit. I bit into the cupcake and the first thing I noticed was the odd gummy texture of the mousse on top. It was almost like eating that green slime they have at the Kids Choice Awards, but thicker. (Disclaimer: I never ate slime but imagined if I did it would taste like something gummy.)

The cake itself was just OK, not necessarily very moist. And the key lime filling had such an odd green color that it became unappetizing. I should note that the Key Lime cupcake was one of those sold in the refrigerated section because of the key lime filling, so that might have something to do with the cake’s texture being a bit denser.

Still, I was disappointed. I know I just tried one cupcake, but it was so off that I just didn’t feel the urge to make another attempt later in the day. Everything about the Key Lime tasted so fake that I just didn’t want to put myself through it again.

I think Sift has an appeal to a certain demographic, mainly kids who love cupcakes with wacky colors. I’d rather just walk up the street and check whether Ubuntu is making its cupcakes, which are more my style.

Sift Cupcakery, 1000 Main St., Napa. PH: 707.240.4004. www.siftcupcakery.com

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Waking Up to Bouchon Bakery

YOUNTVILLE, Calif.
It seems like everyone visiting Napa Valley comes to Bouchon Bakery for morning pastries and coffee. Even on a weekday morning when I visited, the tiny-yet-perfectly decorated French bakery by Chef Thomas Keller was packed with foodies who have read about the bakery’s chocolate bouchons or macarons.

I can just imagine the crowds on the weekends.

But Bouchon is worth a visit, crowds or not. Keller started the bakery as a place to make bread for his nearby restaurants, which include the highly acclaimed French Laundry. He and his team then branched out to making an array of pastries, tarts and sandwiches in the traditions of French patisseries.

Some people mock Keller’s Bouchon Bakery as being a chain, now that he’s opened larger versions in New York City and Las Vegas. If this is a chain, I’d gladly petition for one in my neighborhood!

Walking into the bakery, you’re hit by the rich sight of perfectly baked breads against the wall, waiting to be taken home to accent any rustic country dinner.

Or you might get entranced by the displays of muffins and specialty baked goods at the front of the counter. Just trying to decide what to get at this point may be one of the reasons why the line seems to get held up at the front as people try to get a glimpse of every perfectly shaped baked item.

In the refrigerated section, you’re inundated with more options, including the top row of macarons of every flavor. The rest of the counter includes an assortment of desserts, all pretty and varying in style—from the uncomplicated bread pudding to the sophisticated tarts.

I was surprised to even find jars of foie gras for sale (at $50 a jar). While I’m not a big consumer of foie gras, I can see how this would make a decadent and luxurious country picnic for some.

The other end of the room has a window view into the bakery, where you can see Keller’s expert team baking everything on site.

The bakery is on the same grounds as Bouchon Bistro, painted in a rich maroon color contrasting with the light and bright color scheme of the bakery. In between the two is outdoor seating where many people gather under the morning sun to enjoy their treats. I started off by having this chantilly éclair that was almost pencil thin but so enjoyable with its light cream piping and tasty filling of custard and chocolate.

Then I moved on to Bouchon’s macarons, which are much larger in size than others I’ve tried recently in San Francisco. These were the size of hockey puts, but tasted light and airy. I tried the caramel and espresso flavors, and each had an airy light crunch when I first bit into one. The interior, though, was light and soft with a slight chewiness in the center. I thought the caramel was maybe a bit too sweet for me, but I really enjoyed the coffee undertones in the espresso macaron. My only regret is that I didn’t buy more to take home for later.

I was so enthralled by the offerings at Bouchon Bakery that I didn’t even pay attention to the prices of each items. All I know is that the éclair, two macarons and a package of shortbread cookies I bought to bring home came out to $19.85 with tax. (I found out later the macarons are $3 each.) While I didn’t try everything (it would involve many more future visits that I am now scheduling in my mind), I can say the things I did purchase was worth every penny.

Bouchon Bakery, 6528 Washington St., Yountville (Napa Valley). PH: 707.944.2253. Open daily, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. www.bouchonbakery.com

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One Spring Day in Napa

NAPA VALLEY, Calif.
I got struck by spring fever last week, so one day I took a day off from my regular day job, rented a car, packed up my camera and headed to Napa Valley.

So how did I spend my day? Well, below I give you a quick photo summary. But come back every day this week for more details as I stretch my one day in Napa into a full week of posts!

Here’s how my day went …

10:18 a.m. — My first stop was at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, the famed French bakery by Thomas Keller, who basically should be named mayor of Yountville for all he’s done for the food community here. Find out what I ate on Monday.

11:05 a.m. — I drive over to Napa, the actual city, to check out the Oxbow Public Market. After a year, the Ferry Building-wannabe is finally looking nearly complete. Since my last visit, Hog Island Oyster Co. is finally open and the produce store has relocated to the front corner. I only saw one spot that was still under construction (for Kara’s Cupcakes opening April 7). While there, I shopped at the Whole Spice Co., which is one of my favorite places to shop because the owner Shuli Madmone is friendly and for just $6 you can buy a bottle of one of his creative spices that are freshly blended.

11:28 a.m. — It’s never too early for cupcakes, so I visited the Sift Cupcakery in downtown Napa just a few minutes from the Oxbow. Opened for less than a month in the Napa location (the original store is in Sonoma County), Sift had some creative cupcakes. Come back Tuesday to find out what kind.

12:07 p.m. — Time for lunch, so I decided to try Go Fish in St. Helena, the newest restaurant by Chef Cindy Pawlcyn, who also owns Mustards Grill and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. Read my full review of this seafood spot on Wednesday.

1:35 p.m. — I strolled around historic downtown St. Helena and went inside the Woodhouse Chocolate store, where they had some really amazing looking chocolates all hand-made in Napa Valley. I ended up trying the Fresh Mint and the Wild Cherry (which has half an Italian cherry) for $3.70 for the two pieces. The Fresh Mint wasn’t as minty as I would have liked and the Wild Cherry was nice but not exceptional. The overall quality of the chocolates was great, but the flavoring needs to be more distinctive, IMHO.

2:28 p.m. — Ironically, I didn’t do a lot of wine tasting on my day in Napa. But the only winery I did visit was a new one called CADE Winery in the Howell Mountain appellation. It’s the latest from the PlumpJack Group (which many of you may know was founded by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom) and CADE is entirely green. Read more about what this means on Thursday.

4:18 p.m. — I had to stop by Dean and Deluca, my favorite gourmet store from New York, which has been in St. Helena for a few years now. Above is an interesting display of salt blocks being sold. It’s the latest trend now to serve food, especially raw fish, on these pink salt blocks from the Himalayas. I didn’t bring one of this block home but instead bought a box of Dean and Deluca tea and a special treat for later.

4:41 p.m. — Happy hour at Brix, where you can find some of the friendliest bartenders in town and a beautiful patio garden to sit and enjoy the afternoon sun. During happy hour, all the food and drinks on the bar menu is 50 percent off. I started off trying the specialty drink Grape Crush (made with Cointreau, Ciroc branded vodka, vignette pinot noir soda, and sweet and sour) that includes freshly muddled grapes on the bottom. It was kind of fruity like drinking grape soda, so I ended up getting a vodka martini to man up a bit. I also ordered a half dozen of the fresh oysters, which were a variety I never tasted but enjoyed called Beau Soleil.

5:57 p.m. — I arrive for my dinner reservations at Bottega, the newest restaurant in Yountville that’s ironically not from Chef Keller. This is the new Italian place by celebrity chef Michael Chiarello and it was packed because of the new-hot-spot buzz. Come back Friday to find out what I ate and any Chiarello sightings.

8:18 p.m. — Sigh, I finally arrived back home in Oakland after a beautiful day in Napa (um, did I mentioned the temperature was 72 degrees?). As a treat, I ate this Black and White cupcake that I purchased for $4 at Dean and Deluca. It’s made from Alexis Baking Co. in Napa Valley, and the cake was chocolate and just OK, but the beautiful black and white frosting on top was superb — so creamy and not super sweet, just really balanced and very sophisticated in flavor. Oh, and I placed a candle on top because, yep, it was my birthday, so the cat’s out of the bag that my Napa escape was a celebration of spring and getting a year older. What a way to age, huh?

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Colors of Spring

I don't usually eat turnips, but don't these golden turnips look yummy? They were spotted at the Berkeley Farmers' Market in downtown this morning. And of course, there were a lot of artichokes at every stand, including these beautiful mixed colored artichokes of varying sizes. I'm so excited spring is here because that means more colorful and unusual items popping up at the farmers markets.

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What's In My Frig?

It’s been awhile since we’ve looked into my refrigerator. But I did some spring cleaning recently and after throwing out some old bottles of pickles and molding capers (I really need to use them more often), I ran across this bottle of Fig and Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette.

If you’re like me, you probably get a lot of bottles of all sorts of specialty food items from friends and family who know, well, you like to cook. But sometimes it’s hard to use up a lot of sauces when I typically make quick dinners from scratch. So my trick for using up sauces, other than just pouring it as a salad dressing or over grilled vegetables, is to use it as a glaze. Baked chicken or fish. Or in this case, pan-seared pork chops.

So that’s how I came up with my dinner of fig glazed pork chops over artichoke risotto. I decided to make a quick and easy artichoke risotto because artichokes are in season right now. For the pork, I got one of those thick-cut chops so it really looked like a hearty dinner.

See what you have in your refrigerator and see what you can make! Enjoy!

Fig Glazed Pork and Artichoke Risotto

Copyright 2009 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
2 pork chops (1-inch cuts), about 1 lb. total
2 T bottled fig vinaigrette (or other similar sauces such as balsamic)
1 large artichoke (leaves and choke removed, using only the heart), diced
½ sweet onion, diced
1 cup Arborio rice
1 small glass of dry white wine
1-1/2 cups of chicken broth (or 14 oz. can)
¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T unsalted butter
Extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Start by making the risotto. In a medium saucepan, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat and add onion and garlic. Cook for about two minutes until onions are translucent, making sure not to brown the garlic. Add rice and stir with onions, letting the heat toast the rice for about a minute. Turn heat to medium and add wine and cook until most of it evaporates. Then start adding in the broth, using a ladle to add two scoops of broth (about ¾ cup) to start. Toss in the artichoke pieces. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon and adding broth along the way as it gets absorbed, until rice is al dente, or almost done. Add salt to taste.

Remove saucepan from the fire and stir in butter and cheese. Let it sit for about a minute, then plate up your risotto with your pork slice.

For the pork, season your pork with salt and pepper (both sides). Then in a saute pan, warm two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat and then place pork in pan. Sear for coloring for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Then drizzle the sauce of the pork and place in 400 degree oven to finish cooking the pork. (Depending on how thick your pork is, you might need to cook it in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes.) When removing from pan, turn to coat in the thicken sauce before plating. Use some of the leftover sauce for your plate.

Makes two servings. Serve with small green salad.

Pair with a glass of Pinot Noir.

TIPS: If you don’t want your artichoke to look brown when cooked, place your freshly cut and cleaned artichoke pieces in a bowl of ice water with lemon juice while you’re waiting to place it in the risotto to cook.

REVIEW OF RISOTTO: Risotto rice makes this dish unique with its short grain and creamy texture. So you can’t substitute it with the typical long-grain rice or even Japanese sushi rice. But you do have choices. There are three main Italian rice to make risotto: Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone Nano. Arborio is the one most widely available outside of Italy and can be easily found in any grocery store. It consistently cooks in 15 minutes and produces a nice cream. But don’t be afraid to experiment with Carnaroli and Vialone Nano if you spot them on a gourmet store shelf. They both cook a bit longer, but Carnaroli grains keep more of their shape so it’s a nice choice if you don’t like your risotto too mushy. Vialone Nano is creamier if you want to go the other direction.

WHICH SAUCE WORKS BEST: Depending on what bottles of sauce you get as gifts, I find the best are the ones that have some kind of sugar content. The sugar will help create a nice caramelize-type of sauce when cooked. Avoid sauces that may have too much oil because then it’ll just splatter and make a mess in your oven.

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Dish on Dining: Barlata Tapas Bar

Small Bites Make a Big Splash in Oakland
4901 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
Temescal neighborhood
PH: 510.450.0678
Open daily, 5 to 11 p.m.
No reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.barlata.com

Tapas—the small-portioned bar food of Spain—have been all the rage for years in the Bay Area, but few restaurants have done it justice, I feel. Most people would just cut their portion sizes in half and called them tapas.

But the new Barlata in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood has brought some authenticity back to the tapas movement. In both food and ambiance, this new restaurant by Chef Daniel Olivella (who also owns B44 in San Francisco) comes close to the tapas bars I visited in Barcelona a few years ago.

It’s also exciting that Barlata, less than a month old, is right in my neighborhood. I recently checked it out with my friends David and Ann, who live even closer to the restaurant than me.

Chef Olivella grew up in the Catalan region of Spain, which hugs the eastern coast of that country. The cuisine and culture are very different than the rest of Spain so you wouldn’t want to just lump Catalan cuisine as simply Spanish. Many of the dishes reflect the fresh ingredients found in the nearby Mediterranean.

The colorfully decorated spot looks big but actually fills up quickly as buzz has gotten around. They don’t take reservations and many of the tables are for small parties, although there’s a communal table on the way to the kitchen. The bar, at the front of the restaurant, will soon be serving pinxtos, which are smaller tapas served on toothpicks. (In Barcelona, these are offered free with drinks, but at Barlata you’ll be charged $2.50 per toothpick.)

Since Barlata just opened, they didn’t have their pinxtos set up yet. But no worries because the regular menu has an impressive list of options to choose from, with olives and jamon plates to a variety of tapas to paellas.

We started off with the Ceviche Shrimp ($8), which came looking like shrimp cocktail but served with bits of octopus, scallop and tomatoes framed by a slice of avocado on one side and lime on the other. I really enjoyed the freshness of the ingredients and the lively presentation.

The Grilled Sardines with red onion and fennel salad ($8) was also nicely done, except it was a lot of work dealing with the fine bones of the sardines (I wonder if there’s any way around that?) and the flavor was more subtle than the other dishes.

Several dishes are served in tin cans, a play on the Spanish word for tin cans, or latas (get it?). For example, the Lata de Setas ($7) is a mix of mushrooms that were grilled. It was simple yet fun at the same time.

BTW, the wine list is made up of Spanish wine only. My knowledge of Spanish wine is limited to the ubiquitous rioja, so I went with the suggestion of our server who recommended the 2005 Mas Donis Barrica ($7 per glass) from the Montsant region of Spain. It was a nice medium-body red wine that was smooth rather than tannic-laden.

Our parade of small dishes continued with the Lata de Chipirones ($8), one of the more successful dishes of two baby squid stuffed with fennel sausage, peas and ink sauce. The squid was tender and perfectly cooked and the sausage filling was tasty and filling.

The Mar I Muntanya ($8) was another one of my favorites. They’re lamb meatballs served in a chocolate and tomato sauce with bits of squid and peas. (David commented that peas were a common ingredient in the dishes and apparently he’s not a fan of peas. But I am, so I didn’t mind the overuse of peas. It seemed really Spanish to me, for some reason.) The lamb meat, however, did lack the nice gamey flavor that I enjoy, making the meat taste like any other ground beef.

Another lata dish we got was the Lata de Pulpo ($10), which is another octopus dish, but here the octopus is advertised as cooked for two hours. It definitely tasted tender, reflecting the slow braising, and it was served with fingerling potatoes and then overly dusted with what I’m guessing is pimenton, the smoked Spanish paprika.

David suggested we try a paella (there are six options), so we ordered a large version of the Seafood Paella ($20) or Barceloneta. It looked enticing when it arrived, with its mix of mussels, clams and prawns (and yes, peas). Overall, the rice had a nice authentic flavor and carried the deep hue of saffron, but unfortunately our paella had some bad mussels. Not just one, but all the mussels we tasted in the paella had a stinky flavor, which marred an otherwise tasty dish.

We capped off our eating adventure with a special dessert of the day, which was an almond cake with honey and fig center. The cake itself had a mild flavor, but had a nice light texture to it. I wouldn’t say it wowed me, but it was a satisfying end to our dinner.

Chef Olivello was often seen in the dining room checking on patrons and getting to know his new neighbors. From the look at the crowds, I’m guessing a lot of people plan on being regulars. (In fact, David and Ann say Barlata is going to be their new regular hangout.)

I have to admit that when I traveled in Barcelona, I felt the food (which was rising to international acclaim at the time) was oversimplified and thus, a tad boring (with a few rare exceptions). But Barlata has shown me that you can be authentic but inventive, playful and tasty. It’s another welcomed global addition to the hood.

Single guy rating: 3.75 stars (Small plates with big flavor)

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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