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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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

Summary only...

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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