Back for Seconds: Wood Tavern

This is an occasional report on return visits to restaurants that I’ve already reviewed.

Pure Pastrami Bliss
6317 College Ave., Oakland
Outer Rockridge neighborhood
PH: 510.654.6607
Lunch, Mon.–Sat.; dinner nightly from 5:30 p.m.
Reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.woodtavern.net

Original visit: February 2008

At times when I feel like indulging on the weekend, I make my way to one of the best restaurants in my Rockridge neighborhood, the charming and handsome Wood Tavern right near the Oakland-Berkeley border.

This was the restaurant that won me over when I finally visited earlier this year after being rebuffed a few times when it first open. So now I know the trick of eating at earlier or later times. For lunch, that means getting there when the door opens at 11:30 a.m.

I don’t know if it’s the poor economy or whether it was just too hot for people last week to stay inside a restaurant, but on this Saturday Wood Tavern was near empty when I arrived, which is a bit unusual for them. When I asked for a seat at the bar, the host gave me a look as if to say: “Don’t you want a table? We’ve got plenty of them.”

As a solo diner, I still prefer the copper-trim bar where I watched some U.S. Open tennis action and chatted with the bartenders. I also started my lunch with a Cool Breeze, which sounded great on a hot day. It’s a mix of grapefruit and other juices along with alcohol (gin, I think) but I asked to get a virgin since it was too hot a day for alcohol.

The lunch menu changes with the seasons, but Wood Tavern stays true to their categories. So even though the ingredients change, you still can expect selections of charcuterie and cheese, a soup and something with pork belly, sandwiches, and entrees (the Niman Ranch hamburger seems like a regular standby).

Of course, I already knew what I was ordering, and that’s my indulgent lunch of the hot pastrami. I’ve heard a lot about this sandwich as being one of the best in the Bay Area, and while I rarely eat pastrami because of all the fattiness, I so love the aroma of hot pastrami. Just writing about it now after the fact is making my mouth water.

The description for Wood Tavern’s Hot Pastrami sandwich ($10)—another consistent menu selection over the seasons—is pretty cryptic, with only notes of emmenthaler cheese and Dijon-horseradish dressing. It comes with the Tavern slaw.

When it arrived, I just marveled at the thin layers of pastrami, which I’m guessing is Niman Ranch. Just looking at it I could tell that it’ll taste so tender because all the slices looked like they melded together while still creating the look of individual slices.

I couldn’t tell what kind of bread it was on. I’m guessing a crusty French roll. While the bread was fine, I don’t think it’s the perfect match for the pastrami. It did its job of keeping all the meat together, but I think some kind of rye bread would better serve the luscious and tasty pastrami inside.

The pastrami was indeed tender, and amazingly they all held together when I would bite into the sandwich. Sometimes pastrami can be chewy so your bites would tear the rest of the sandwich apart, but at Wood Tavern the pastrami is so perfectly tender that it easily tears away with each bite, leaving the rest of the sandwich in tact for your next bite. The dressing was very minimal although it had a kick from the horseradish, and the cheese pretty much melted from the heat of the pastrami so that it was basically just goo keeping everything together.

The Tavern slaw was a simply shredded cabbage with green specks that tasted like basil. I thought it was refreshing but the dressing tasted primarily like lemon juice. It needed a bit more sweetness to balance the tart. It didn’t compare to the perfection of the pastrami meat.

Still, the pastrami itself—the way it’s sliced, the taste of the flavors, the warmth of the meat—all combine to make it one of the best in the Bay Area. And it’s a real value lunch at only $10 when you consider the quality and the ambiance of the elegant Wood Tavern.

Update experience (previous 4.25 stars): Still going strong

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Ask Ben on AskMen

Just wanted to let you all know that I’m spreading my wings a bit and am contributing restaurant reviews to a men’s site called AskMen.com. That’s right. I’m a Single Guy. I eat out. They called.

You can read my first review here, where I featured one of my favorite places Bar Tartine in the Mission District. I’ll probably have a review up once a week in the beginning and eventually just one a month as they build up their cadre of bloggers in San Francisco. But for now if you read about a place in the Bay Area on AskMen.com, it’s probably by me. (If you see my reviews, be sure to leave a comment!)

And if you’re visiting my blog for the first time from AskMen.com, welcome! I can’t guarantee a lot of photos of scantily clad women, but you’ll definitely see lots of food porn. ;-)

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In the Kitchen: Making Paella in Two Parts

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a demo video, and today I’m posting two! Well, it’s actually just on one topic but I had to split the video into two parts to upload onto YouTube. (Dang 10-minute limit!) I’m showing you how I make paella, one of my favorite dishes to make for Sunday dinner. People think it’s labor-intensive, but I find it pretty easy and nice to cook since everything’s in one pan. Plus you can bring the pan onto your table and eat right out of it.

Below are the two videos (don’t forget to watch them in order or you’ll totally get confused) and I’ve reprinted the recipe below. I actually posted the recipe a long time ago on the blog, but I’ve tweaked it a bit because, as you know, when you cook something again and again, you always find ways to refine it. Plus, I think these steps are a bit more authentic to a traditional Spanish paella. Well, as authentic as a Chinese-American guy making paella can do it! Enjoy!

I TAKE REQUESTS: OK, so I'm running out of ideas for kitchen demos. If you'd like to see something demonstrated or want to watch me cook something, I welcome your suggestions in the comments section! You can have a video dedicated to you!

FYI: YouTube might be acting up in watching videos, especially if you're using the Firefox browser. So if you don't see a video, click on the title to go to the direct link where the video sits in YouTube. Sigh, technology!

Paella Part One



Paella Part Two

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Chicken, Chorizo, Seafood Paella

Copyright 2008 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
4 oz. chicken thighs (2-3 pieces, whole or cut into cubes)
3 oz. Spanish chorizo (one link, diced into small cubes)
1 cup Bomba Spanish paella rice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bellpepper, small dice
¼ cup frozen green peas
5-6 mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
3 jumbo shrimps
1 ½ cups chicken broth (or 1 can of Swanson chicken broth)
1 tomato, skin removed and deseeded, diced
1 t saffron
1 T smoked sweet paprika (pimenton)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

In 11-inch paella pan (or large skillet), brown chicken and sausage with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat (about 3 minutes for each side of the chicken, leaving the chicken partly rare). Remove meat from pan and set aside. Drain excess oil.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil and saute tomatoes and green bellpepper. This is your sofrito, which is a vegetable paste that’s your base for your paella. (Sofrito can include carrots but never onion.) Cooked until mushy, about 10-15 minutes. Add broth and season with salt and pepper, saffron and paprika. Then add rice evenly around the paella pan. When all the ingredients have been blended, do not stir the rice any more. Add the chicken and chorizo back to the pan by nestling them into the rice. Cook at a medium heat or rolling simmer for about 15 minutes. Cook covered with some newspaper or piece of alumninum foil.

After the rice has been cooking for 5 minutes, remove foil and add the shrimp. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes, then add mussels and peas. Cook uncovered until done. (The rice should look plump and the broth should be dried out around the edge of the pan. To help get the crispy bottom known as the saccorat, turn up the heat for the last two minutes of cooking but be sure not to blacken your rice.)

Makes two to three servings. Garnish with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

Serve with a glass of pinot noir or shiraz.

TIPS: Bomba is the premium paella rice from Valencia. You can find various brands at gourmet stores in the United States. If you can’t find bomba Spanish rice, some recipes suggest using the arborio (short grain) rice used for making risotto. However, I’ve never tried it so can’t fully recommend it as a decent substitute. I figure, if you’re going to make paella, use everything Spanish.

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Dish on Drinks: Clock Bar

Time Stands Still at this Hotel Bar
335 Powell St. (first floor of the Westin St. Francis), San Francisco
Union Square
PH: 415.397.9222
Daily, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. (food until 10 p.m. nightly except 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays)
No reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.michaelmina.net/clockbar

In a city that’s turning bartending into an art (I think this is where they came up with the term “mixologist”), it was only a matter of time that some of the biggest names in the restaurant business paid attention to the drinks. And you don’t get any bigger than Michael Mina. (OK, maybe Thomas Keller might trump him.)

This summer, Mina opened Clock Bar at the Westin St. Francis—right across the lobby from his two-star Michelin restaurant that bears his name. Clock Bar gets its name from the grandfather-looking clock that stands ornately right outside.

I visited the Clock Bar for the first time last week on a warm summer night. If it wasn’t so warm, I probably would have appreciated the enclosed bar that has no windows and just lots of gold touches. The space is actually the size of my studio apartment, so in a strange way I felt right at home.

Two glowing podiums dominate the space, which looks like a mix of modern with a beautiful glass encased fireplace and touches of ‘70s geometric shapes highlighted on the shelves at the bar.

Early on the crowd is a mix of tourists, hotel guests and conventioneers in an almost sports bar-like atmosphere. But as the evening goes on, you get the young professionals and bar hoppers looking for a fun time in more of a lounge atmosphere. Clock Bar tries to keep them happy with delicious drinks and a mini bar menu designed by Mina and executed by Clock Bar’s Executive Chef Chris L’Hommedieu.

First a disclaimer: The lighting was such the typical mood lighting of a lounge that it was really difficult getting shots of the food. Ironically, my photos of the drinks didn’t turn out half bad.

Clock Bar’s food menu is reasonably priced between $12 and $15 for eight selections, with a typical bar food attraction to fried things and a nod to Mina’s signature seafood flair. There are two desserts (chocolate panna cotta and blackberry custard) for $8.

The guy sitting next to me was raving about the tuna tartare ($12), which I read is assembled in front of you. But I’ve had so many tuna tartars that I’m a bit tartared out. So I went for the black truffle popcorn ($12), which I heard is quite addictive.

OK, you might think (just like the guy next to me) that $12 is a lot for a bowl of popcorn, but I have to say it smelled wonderful. The mustiness of the few black truffle specks mixed with the fragrant chives were all illuminated by the heat of the popcorn. Even though I’m not a frequent popcorn eater (bits undoubtedly always get stuck in the back of my throat), I can see how these are addictive. But don’t expect the black truffles to be the winning flavor; I think it was more the chives that sealed the deal.

Then I tried the Lamb Tenderloin Panini ($15). It was made up of four quaint pieces of panini almost like finger sandwiches, served with harissa aioli, Sylvetta arugula, and roasted sweet peppers smashed between a nicely toasted panini-style roll. While everything melded nicely together, I couldn’t really detect a strong lamb flavor. It was tender, but it could have been any other meat.

But really, I felt the food was just a supporting act for the drinks. The 14-page drink book included several interesting featured cocktails and then a variety of classics cocktails along with alcohol-specific drinks focused on the likes of gin, vodka, and even absinthe. It’s the type of complete drinks list that would serve well the cast of Mad Men.

I tried a couple of the specialty drinks, created by head bartender Marcovaldo Dionysos. Up first was the Uptown Manhattan ($11). Manhattans are one of my favorite drinks, mostly because I love the amber color. I typically see them served in martini glasses and the bourbon makes you feel like a real man. But they can often be too strong because of that.

Dionysos’ twist on the traditional Manhattan is that he blends in Amaro Nonino instead of vermouth and adds cherry-infused brandy. This is all served in an old-style champagne glass with a burnt orange peel that the bartender lights up right before he serves it to you. (Don’t worry, it just makes a crackling noise and doesn’t light up the rest of the alcohol like a flambé.)

The blend is a bit easier to swallow than the traditionally potent Manhattan. I could probably even drink two of these, but I decided to try another special: the Napa Sour ($11).

I occasionally like a sour drink, like a Lemon Drop. So if you like those types of citrus-based drinks that lean more sour than sweet, then you’ll love Clock Bar’s Napa Sour because I do. I wish this could be my new drink, but it’s only served here. Guess I just have to come back more often.

The Napa Sour is made with Bulleit bourbon, fresh lemon, sugar and egg white all froth up and then topped with a bit of Napa red wine (usually a cabernet sauvignon). It just looked beautiful to me how the bartender was able to keep the red from mixing in with the rest of the drink. And the taste was just a perfect balance of sour and subtle sweetness.

I think it’s too early to really get a sense of what kind of bar Clock Bar will be. At times it feels like a sports bar while other times it’s a trendy lounge. And early on it often feels like a waiting area for diners with reservations at Michael Mina across the way.

Whatever it turns out to be, it has definitely raised the bar on how a hotel bar should be designed and delivered. The food is noteworthy although not necessarily amazing, but the specialty drinks are worth watching the mixologists create and for you to consume.

Single guy rating: 3.5 stars (for the elegant food); 4.25 (for the delish drinks)

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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Bumpy Bittermelons at U.N. Plaza Farmers Market

I can't tell if the vegetable above is unusually beautiful or if they remind me of rats. Eeek! They're actually bittermelons sold at the farmers' market at the United Nations Plaza on Sunday. And it wasn't just sold at one stand, several farmers were selling these bumpy bittermelons. Bittermelons are pretty popular in Chinese cuisine. My mom used to love stuffing them with fish cake and pan-frying them. I, however, am not my mom so I'm not a big fan of the bittermelon. But they are definitely oddly interesting looking. The farmers market near San Francisco's Civic Center is actually filled with several Asian farmers, so you can find a lot of Asian vegetables for cheap, cheap prices. But no matter how cheap, I can't cut into these bumpy melons.

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Tutti Tutti Fro-Yo in the Marina

When I was traveling in Italy, one of my favorite words I saw around was “tutti.” It just sounded like so much fun, especially when you say it twice, tutti tutti. But what it has to do with frozen yogurt, I can’t tell ya.

But there I was on Chestnut Street in the Marina district of the city at Tuttimelon, another fro-yo shop in the Bay Area. This is actually the second location of Tuttimelon; the first one is in the outer Sunset on Irving Street (and there are three more planned for North Beach, Russian Hill, and Noe Valley and one in Alameda across the bay).

Tuttimelon is a mixed breed of frozen yogurt shop and gelato stand. I guess they’re trying to live up to its Italian-sounding name. (They also sell smoothies.) But I was there in my continuing search for the best fro-yo in the area.

I’ve basically been doing taste-tests with the original flavor, usually topped by strawberries. But I was feeling adventurous on this day so I got Tuttimelon’s mango fro-yo. Other flavors include blueberry and chocolate. I topped my mango fro-yo with strawberries at least, for some consistency.

The sign warns that the mango is tart, and they weren’t kidding. It was more tart than some of the tart original flavors I’ve tried. It was unusually pleasant in a weird shock-to-my-senses good kind of way. But what really impressed me was the thick and creamy texture, which was very nice (and yes, not at all icy). It actually is very similar to the texture found at YoCup. (In fact, in my rankings below I give Tuttimelon a slight edge over YoCup, mostly because I like their mango better than YoCup's and it's slightly cheaper.)

Tuttimelon’s fro-yo is priced at $1.95 (small), $2.95 (medium), and $3.95 (large) for the original while the other flavors cost $2.45 (small), $3.45 (medium), and $4.45 (large). Toppings are 75 cents for one, $1.15 for two, and $1.45 for three.

In its marketing, Tuttimelon seems to emphasize its product’s non-fat status more so than any of the other yogurt shops. It claims on its Web site that its fro-yo is only 30 calories per ounce (and they do give the ounces in their signage so you can figure it out). So for my small mango fro-yo, I ate 150 calories. Hmm, sounds like I could eat five more!

Tuttimelon seems to draw a mixed crowd of those who want the yogurt and those that want the gelato. It’s perfect for the neighborhood (and funny it has the same walls with wavy yogurt swirls like at Fraiche in Palo Alto) and go for the mango if you’re into puckering. ;-)


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. Jubili, San Francisco
8. Yogurt Harmony, Berkeley
9. Yogen Früz, San Francisco

Tuttimelon, 2240 Chestnut St., San Francisco (second location at 2150 Irving St.). Opened 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (later to midnight on Friday and Saturday). www.tuttimelon.com

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Dish on Dining: Chef Lin’s Top Café

Home-style Meals on a Budget
370-372 12th St. (between Franklin and Webster Sts.), Oakland
Chinatown/Downtown
PH: 510.251.2662
Open for lunch and dinner
No reservations, major credit cards accepted

It’s always fun to discover a dive, those out-of-the-way places that isn’t all that in appearance but offers good food and good prices. It’s like your own little secret.

I can’t classify Chef Lin’s Top Café as a dive. It’s a little brighter than a dive, the food is moderate-to-good, and the secret may already be out judging by the mix of customers eating at this spot serving up basic Cantonese-style dishes.

I noticed Chef Lin’s a few months ago while walking to Oakland’s Chinatown for lunch on a workday. Since then I’ve tried it a few times, and can always count on a filling lunch under $6.

The restaurant is by itself east of Chinatown and it’s one of those places that hang colorful papers of the day’s special dishes written in Chinese characters. While most of the servers speak Cantonese, an increasing non-Chinese clientele seem to have no problem ordering in English.

They have a special lunch menu, but it can be confusing because there’s one sheet with lunch specials that’s priced at $6. These include special dishes like clay pot and fresh fish. But on the regular menu, there are also lunch specials listed for $5, often rice dishes topped with things like beef stew or curry chicken. All lunch specials come with the daily soup—often a clear broth with vegetables and herbs like the kind my mom used to make when I was a kid.

Since I speak Cantonese, I often would ask for dishes that may not be on the lunch special menu. Here’s an example of some of the dishes I’ve tried so far:

During my first visit, I ordered their won ton noodle soup. But I wanted some protein like roast duck. But Chef Lin’s, ironically, doesn’t serve duck. The server suggested adding a traditional Chinese beef called ngo lam, which is a five-spice braised beef with a lot of fatty parts. My mom loves eating ngo lam.

My order was a nice bowl of big won tons and pieces of the beef. The won ton was packed with ground pork and the ngo lam was tender and aromatic. But the real winner to me was the noodles—they were surprisingly thin like angel hair pasta, or dare I say it, even thinner? I’ve never had noodles like this before and I’m a big fan of thin, light noodles. I just wished they gave more. Still, I really enjoyed it.

Next I tried something off of the special lunch menu and ordered the Peking Spare Ribs. The menu offers many of these Americanized dishes, such as Mongolian Beef and Kung Pao Chicken. But growing up, the tangy but crispy taste of Peking Spareribs was one of my favorites.

Chef Lin’s version came out in a big plate with rice, but not much greens. Like many Chinese dishes, meat is emphasized more than a balance with vegetables. The texture was also a bit more wet and mushy than I typically like my spareribs, so it was closer to Sweet and Sour Pork than Peking Spareribs.

During one visit, I thought I saw Singapore Fried Rice Noodles on the menu, and this is one of my favorite dishes. Again because the thin rice vermicelli noodles fried up with egg and shrimp in a curry sauce make a nice and tasty meal. But on one visit, I couldn’t find it on the menu.

When the server came to take my order, I just asked if the kitchen could make Singapore Fried Rice Noodles and she said ok, even though they don’t offer it regularly. What came out was this huge order of freshly fried noodles with chunks of shrimp, bell pepper, ham and egg. It was such a hearty dish with a lot of what’s called “wok hay” or “breath of the wok,” which is often the sign of an expert hand in using the high heat of a wok. The only negative thing I would say about this plate of Singapore Fried Rice Noodles was the processed ham used and that it had a wee bit more oil grease clinging to the noodles than I preferred. Still, that didn’t stop me from making two meals out of this one order.

In my most recent visit, I wasn’t sure what an item on the menu was. It was listed as Pork and Dry Mustard Vegetables and I wondered if it was the pickled cabbage that I love. When I asked the server, she told me it was not pickled. She briefly mentioned the pork as “kau yuk” but I think my brain zoned out on what that was and I felt pressure to order the dish after my server convinced me that it was delicious.

When the dish arrived, I realized that I’d ordered one of my mom’s favorite dishes and one that I’ve generally avoided all my life for health reasons. Kau yuk is braised pork belly and when it comes out, people wet their lips looking at the fatty portions of the sliced pork belly. Growing up, I never liked the fatty portion because it was like eating a tub of Crisco. But my mom loves it because, of course, fat is flavor, and it’s braised in a rich, intense marinade of spices and soy.

Since I already ordered the dish, I went ahead and ate at least the lean meat part of the pork belly. An old Chinese man at a nearby table saw my order and salivated at the idea of eating all that fat. He told the server that he’s too old now to eat kau yuk and only young people like myself can handle all that fat.

I didn’t want to disappoint him so I ate most of my kau yuk, which despite the fat was indeed rich in beefy flavor. It’s the kind of dish where the sauce is so good you pour it over your rice to get all of it.

Chef Lin’s dishes are the kind of hearty Cantonese meals of my childhood. And while I’ve avoided many of these dishes in recent years for health reasons, it’s nice to go back to my youth occasionally. I know this is a place my mom would love when she visits me because it’s casual, cheap and comforting.

Single guy rating: 2.5 stars (Home-cooked goodness)

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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Soba Snack Lunch or Dinner

Watching some of the chefs at Slow Food Nation cook with summer tomatoes inspired me to create this dish with cherry tomatoes I got at my local grocery store and topped on a plate of soba noodles.

I love soba noodles, which is the Japanese buckwheat noodles. They’re darker and more hearty than other noodles and can be served hot or cold, but often cold and by itself with just a hint of a light sauce. With the heat wave we’re having in the Bay Area, this easy dish is perfect for a simple lunch, light dinner or even a snack. Enjoy!

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Soba Noodles with Summer Cherry Tomatoes

Copyright 2008 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients
½ cup cherry tomatoes, assorted colors
3 oz. dried soba noodles
1 T soy sauce
2 t sesame oil
2 t sugar
juice from one lime
sesame seeds and nori for garnish

In a small bowl, halve the cherry tomatoes in assorted sizes, squeezing just a few to get some juice. Mix together with soy sauce, lime juice, sugar and sesame oil. Let sit for 5 minutes. (You can also prepare this ahead of time and refrigerate.)

In boiling pot, add soba noodles and cook to the package’s instructions. (Typically about 3 minutes.) Rinse with cold water and drain.

Arrange noodles in a shallow bowl or plate and top with cherry tomatoes and sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and strips of nori (dried seaweed). Serve immediately.

Makes one serving.

Pair with a glass of dry sake.

TIP: For the nori, I just got a sheet of dry seaweed I use to make sushi maki rolls or musubi and then I sliced thin strips to sprinkle on top. But you can experiment with other garnish like pickled ginger or some thin slices of cucumber. Anything’s possible!

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Big Daddy for a Big America

Several people have asked me if I’ve seen Aaron McCargo’s show “Big Daddy’s House” on the Food Network. If you recall, Aaron was this season’s winner of “The Next Food Network Star,” which I tirelessly recapped on this blog.

His seven-episode series aires on Sundays at 1:30 p.m., and the last episode is already set for this Sunday. Aaron was the feature of this complimentary article in the New York Times this past weekend, and in the story it mentions that his show was so popular that the Food Network plans to renew it.

I hate to be hating on someone else’s dream, but I can’t watch “Big Daddy’s House.” And I blame the Food Network for putting on a show that’s so irresponsible to the health of Americans.

They promote the show as “big bold flavors” when the reality is it’s just plain big. More like super-sized big. In the episode I watched, Aaron made three huge egg burritos filled with beans and piled on with guacamole, cheese and heaping spoonfuls of sour cream. The theme was to eat this in bed so you’ll want to stay in on a Sunday morning. Believe me, if you ate this, you wouldn’t be able to get out of bed because you’d be so weighed down.

In the same episode, he made a super-stuffed French toast and a big glass of parfait. Sure, the parfait was made of yogurt and whipped cream, but in terms of proper portions for a meal, it looked like it could feed a village in Africa.

In a time when obesity is a growing problem in our country, especially among our children, I find it sad that programs such as this gets on the air. This is the kind of eating habits that gets us in trouble.

As far as Aaron is concerned, I can see how he’s a likeable personality. He’s a lot more comfortable now than his first episode and I like how he gets his family involved as guests, like when he had his brother over for barbeque. And I’m sure his food does taste good, but was there no nutritionist working on the set?

It’s also sad that Aaron, being African-American, is not a better role model for his community in terms of how to eat healthy. African-Americans are at high risk for such chronic conditions as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. I wonder why? Maybe it was that platter of fried chicken or the potatoes au gratin cooked with a whole stick of butter?

I sometimes will indulge in cooking rich foods like lasagna or sweets like cupcakes, but this is just occasionally. (Regular readers of this blog probably know how I tend to avoid fried foods and rich foods like foie gras.)

Sure, the Food Network might say they have counter-programming that do promote healthy meals (like Ellie Krieger’s show). But those seem dwarfed by over-the-top shows like “Big Daddy’s.” For your waistlines, I encourage you to switch to another channel (or better yet, go for a walk) when shows like these come on the air.

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Seen at the Market: Slow Food Edition

Just when you thought you read the last word on Slow Food Nation, here’s another post! Don’t worry, it’s my last one.

On a hot summer Sunday, I went over to the special farmers’ market set up at the Civic Center Plaza right in front of San Francisco’s City Hall. Slow Food Nation gathered a special lineup of farmers picked for their particular food specialty. The crowds were out early, checking out the various booths.

(Side note: Every Sunday there’s a regular farmers market at the United Nations plaza not too far from the Civic Center. I thought that the Slow Food Nation’s farmers market would be in that spot. Turns out the regular farmers market still took place, so it was a bit sad to see them ignored by the Slow Food crowd near City Hall. Why couldn’t they have combined the two markets or something? When I walked through the regular market, it felt like they were the kids who weren’t invited to the party. Maybe next year it could be a joint market?)

Below is just a look at some of the interesting finds I saw at the Slow Food Nation’s market.

Look at these gorgeous endives still on their roots. This wasn’t for sale but was on display at the booth by the California Vegetable Specialties of Rio Vista.

This smorgasbord of peppers was at the Catalan Family booth. Maria Catalan of Hollister was selected to showcase her squash, which she had a few of. But the bigger display was this assortment of peppers, including what she called black peppers (left), and the chocolate peppers (bottom right).

This is heirloom brown rice from Koda Farms of South Dos Palos in the San Joaquin Valley of California. It’s a Japanese-American farm and the rice is medium grain instead of the more common short grain found at stores today. It’s supposed to taste more complex and subtle in flavor. I bought a bag of their brown rice and regular sushi rice to see if there’s a difference in short and medium grain.

The berries at this booth were so amazingly fresh and colorful. It’s the Live Earth Farm from the foothills of Santa Cruz Mountains. They’re typically at the farmers markets in the South Bay, but that’s a wee bit out of my way so it was nice to check out their goods in the city.

Here are taste samples of vinegar from Katz & Co. of Napa. I’ve never heard of this company, but apparently they make vinegar and olive oil sold at places like the Pasta Shop. I really liked the Sauvignon Blanc vinegar because it has a definite taste of the grape and is a bit sweet. But boy, is it hard to taste vinegar as a shot. I nearly choked. Still, good stuff.

There were a lot of heirloom apples at the market, including this booth from Windrose Farm of Paso Robles. Here are some beautiful red-veined crab apples.

One of the more unusual things I saw at the market were these goat cheese decorated with fruits and herbs, like dried blueberries and apricots. They’re from Harley Farms Goat Diary of Pescadero. They’re all very pretty and different. The cheese itself is very light and airy, not very dense. It was very fresh.

Of course, there was a lot of good eating at the farmers’ market with a special Slow Food To Go, emphasizing street food. The booths didn’t open until 11 a.m. but lines were already forming before then.

The booth with a long line before it opened was the one serving these breakfast biscuits. Baked buttery goodness and pig product, who wouldn’t rush for that? A lot of people were murmuring that this was prosciutto, but they looked pretty thick for prosciutto. Either way, it was a best seller.

Here’s a real street food. They’re huaraches, which is Spanish for “sandals.” They’re made by Veronica Salizar of the Mission District and they’re filled with beans and then topped with a stir-fry of vegetables and onions.

A worker cutting salumi at the Salumi Artisan Cured Meats booth. That’s actually where I ended up, getting a Muffaleta Sandwich ($7) put together by Heritage Foods USA of Seattle.

Here’s a close up of my muffaleta. It actually wasn’t as layered with meats as I imagined the traditional muffaleta to be (a sandwich that originated in New Orleans). But it was filled with a lot of fresh products, including ginger and garlic salami, spicy mole salami, fresh mozzarella, olive relish, and peppers all in a roll by Della Fattoria of Petaluma.

Hand-pulled noodles from the Imperial Tea Court booth. They were sold topped with Chinese beef stew.

On a hot day, these cups of agua fresca looked so refreshing.

I spotted the queen of Slow Food Nation, Alice Waters, who was able to look chic in a scarf when it felt like 80 degrees. Waters was leading a private tour of the farmers market. Of course, she was followed at all times by a TV camera crew. Everyone was going up to her and hugging her to thank her for her work. She’s like a food deity around these parts. While I don’t think one person can be responsible for the great food movement in the Bay Area, I do give props to Waters for her tireless promotion of the local food scene. So here’s my hug to you Alice, albeit electronically since I didn’t dare approach you in public. ;-)

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