I first tried making this meal after consulting with Chef Billy Krupp at Google a couple years ago. I wanted to do a seared tuna steak and was casting about for ideas of sides. Rice or potatoes, a vegetable, that sort of thing. Chef Krupp made the suggestion of doing wasabi mashers. He also suggested asparagus with red thai chili peppers (which I did at the time, but it was asparagus season then).

When I made it this time I used swiss chard as the side, as we had some from our produce delivery.

Chard

• Wash, trim, and chop into thin ribbons (the stems into small chunks).
• Quickly sauté until just tender
• season with sesame oil

Tuna

• Coat the steaks in sesame seeds: white, black, or a mix.
• Quickly sear each side in a bit of oil in a hot pan. A cast iron (plain or enameled) pan works great for this.
• Be careful not to overcook, it should still be pink/raw in the middle.

Potatoes

• Make mashed potatoes.
• Mix in wasabi paste. If you’re mixed the paste from powder, you probably want to make more than you think you might need. It takes quite a bit to give these a nice kick.

That’s all there is to it. And here it is plated and ready to eat.

Suzanne’s been in a smoothie making mood. Maybe because I’ve been buying mangos & bananas.

The latest was especially tasty, and deserving of mention. Mostly it was like the past incarnations: yogurt, banana, mango, ice. Blend until smooth. But today, instead of the usual dollop of honey, she tossed in some dried dates. Not only did it taste good, but it looked great, with flecks of dark brown date giving it a very nice visual texture.

(Thanks to Dave for letting me moonlight on his blog – now my pictures of cooking have a place to live)

I made my first attempt at carnitas in 2006. Seems the traditional method involves a large copper cauldron filled with lard, so that wasn’t going to be practical. While slowly deep frying a giant hunk of pork sounds delightful, my kitchen was not going to accommodate such an undertaking. My approximation was to slow cook a pork shoulder in butter, oranges, sugar, and some spices. After a few hours I cut off the fat and reduced the liquid to a sauce (adding a bit more sugar) After glazing the hunks of meat I threw them into a very hot oven. The result was crusty on the outside, moist on the inside, and all-around a source of delight. I’ve used this basic technique a few times since, varying the spices along the way. The results have always been excellent.

Lately I have tended to avoid the “butter step”: as it seemed superfluous to add a few sticks of butter to an already fatty cut of meat. I haven’t missed it. I also don’t really consider what I make to be carnitas, though it continues to be inspired by those flavors.

Ingredients

• 1 large pork shoulder (I usually use the “picnic shoulder”, about 5lbs raw)
• 1 yellow onion
• 2-4 oranges (or more, to taste — I used about 6 clementines last time I did this)
• 3 cups broth (I usually use chicken, but any tasty broth will do)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or I like to use jaggery when I have it around)
• 1/2 cup Dry Rub (or more, to taste) — you can make up your own, buy one, or use something like what I did in the pictures (all amounts are approximate):
  • 1/4 cup smoked salt
  • 3 TB garlic powder (or even better: use fresh, minced garlic)
  • 3 TB Oregano
  • 2 TB Cumin
  • 2 TB Thyme
  • 1 TB Black Pepper
  • 1 TB White Pepper
  • 1 TB sugar (brown or white)
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • Zest of 1-2 oranges (I used the zest from 5 clementines in these pictures)

Prep Work

1. Zest the oranges, set zest aside to use in your dry rub or to add to the broth
2. Juice the oranges, saving both the juice and the juiced orange carcasses
   
3. (if necessary) mix your dry rub
   
4. Cut the onion into small pieces — I usually quarter it then run through a food processor slicer blade.
5. Dry the meat and, if possible, bring to room temperature

Phase I: Get the Meat Ready To Hang Out

1. Pre-heat the oven to 250°
2. In a heavy dutch oven, heat a couple tablespoons of high heat oil with a bit of salt (I like to use smoked salt for this). Once the oil is just starting to smoke, place the meat in with the fattier side down. Brown it for about 5 minutes, until the fat is nicely browned.
   

   Turn it over and brown the other side for another 3-5 minutes (optionally, brown the other outside edges, but you are just looking to get some nice browning going to flavor your onions and the broth). Once browned, remove the meat and set aside.

   
3. Immediately throw the onions in to brown in the fat that melted off the meat. Stir occasionally until translucent. This should take about 5-7 minutes, but you can let it go for quite a while, as long you don’t burn the onions.
   
4. While the onions are browning, rub the meat with the Dry Rub all over. Be sure the fattier side gets a nice coating, as that will be the side not in the liquid, but save about 1TB of the rub to sprinkle on right before you put the meat in the oven.
5. Once your onions are the way you want them, put the meat in with the fattier side facing up (which allows the fat to drip down over the meat as it melts).
6. Pour in broth to a depth of about 1-2 inches, being careful not to submerge too much of the meat. Then, pour the orange juice over the meat. Sprinkle the remaining TB of Dry Rub on the top of the meat.
7. (optional) Put the juiced orange carcasses on the top of the meat to help everything stay moist.
   
8. Cover the dutch oven and place it in the oven. Let it cook for at least 3 hours, probably 4-5 hours. I sometimes leave as long as 8 hours, though at that point the meat will completely fall apart. About 3/4 of the way through you can remove the orange carcasses and turn the meat over. I like to put a few of the onions on the top of the meat after turning it to be sure it doesn’t dry out.

Phase II: From Tasty to Sublime

1. Remove the meat from the dutch oven and place on a shallow baking pan. Turn your oven to 500° (or as hot as it gets) – you can also use the broiler, but that must be done with great caution, as it’s easy to burn the glaze and get too much of a charred flavor.
   
2. Pour the liquid from the dutch oven into a separator (or just remove the oily top layer yourself), then pour the non-oily bottom layer into a small sauce pan. At this point I like to add the brown sugar or jaggery and/or more orange juice (and sometimes more cinnamon or other spices, depending on the flavor I want for the glaze), but that’s optional. Reduce the liquid over medium heat until it becomes viscous enough to stick to the meat, about the consistency of a gravy.
   
3. While the sauce is reducing, cut the meat into large chunks, removing the larger pieces of fat (unless you love to eat hunks of fat). I usually just discard the fat at this point, but you can save it to cook with beans or whatever turns you on.
   
4. When the sauce is reduced to a glaze, use a basting brush or just spoon it over the meat, coating it as much as possible. If the meat isn’t falling apart (which it usually is) you can try dipping the pieces of meat into the glaze using a slotted spoon. Reserve the rest of the sauce to use over the finished meat as a gravy.
   
5. Put the glazed meat in the 500° oven for about 3-5 minutes. Watch is closely, as the time will vary depending on how much sugar is in the sauce and the moisture content. You want to see just a hint of blackening at the edges, at which point you want to remove it immediately or risk having hunks of char. You can’t really go wrong, so if you get impatient just take it out.

You can serve this meat with tortillas and taco fixings. I also like to serve it over polenta or rice, depending on the spice mix. If you cooked the meat enough, you could probably just go right to “pulled pork” (with or without the glazing step) if you prefer. Ideally, the meat should have a nice crust on the outside and be succulent inside. This meat should keep well for a day or two in the fridge (or even longer).

Opening night. Always an exciting time for, and at, a restaurant. The staff is nervous. I imagine it can feel a little overwhelming when the doors finally open and the public floods in.

And flood in they did; the place was jumping. Even with what appeared to be plenty of staff on hand, things seems to run slowly, and less than smoothly. We chalked that up to it being early on opening night.

Lafitte is the creation of SubCulture Dining’s “dissident chef” Russell Jackson, and is named for a successful 19th century pirate off the coast of Louisiana, Jean Baptista Lafitte. The restaurant decor is reminiscent of a pirate ship galley, with communal seating in addition to two and four seater tables. Wood beams and decorative shipping crates complete the look.

In stark contrast is the modern stainless steel kitchen.

The descriptions of the site claimed the dress code was biz casual, which we pretty much adhered to (although in my line of work, biz-casual is pretty much shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops). I took advantage of the occasion to don a fresh dress shirt and snappy tie. Suzanne was looking devastatingly awesome, as usual. Beyond that, the clientele had a wide range of dress that went from jeans and a hoodie to jacket and a tie. The usual suspects were out, it being the highly anticipated opening of a hot new restaurant by a known chef:  There were plenty of lawyers and even former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, looking dapper, as usual.

We were seated immediately and brought our choice of still or sparkling water quickly. We perused the cocktail menu and made or selections.

We ordered our drinks.  Then we waited for our drinks. And waited. Eventually, after far too long, they arrived. We were told it was because they had to remake them until they were right. Opening night.

Because we had to wait so long for our drinks, we had plenty of time to peruse the abbreviated menu; there were a total of eight items from which to choose.  Not eight entrées, but eight items:  Three appetizers, one pasta dish, two main dishes, and two desserts.  We figured out that we wanted almost everything within five minutes; however, we waited a lot longer for our drinks. This was our first taste of the delays and glitches experienced throughout the rest of the evening. By the time the waiter (well, we think he was our waiter, but that’s another story) came by to apologize for our drinks taking so long we were ready to order our meal.

Once they showed up, our drinks were good. I had a Smoke Screen (Old Overholt Rye, Benedictine, Lapsong Souchong tea, & kumquat), Suzanne had a Concubine (Death’s Door white whiskey, jasmine tea, meyer lemon, & egg white). We both really liked the Smoke Screen. Nice and bright with the citrus.

There was a selection of non-alcoholic cocktails available which, while we didn’t have any, Suzanne and I thought was a nice touch.

Compared to the menu, the wine list was extensive with a wide range of styles and prices. Many selections are available by the glass as well as by the bottle. As I’ve really been enjoying Spanish reds lately, I opted for a bottle of Siete 7 Tinto, Navarra, Spain 2008. We were not disappointed. It should be noted that unlike our cocktails the wine arrived quickly and the wine service was exemplary.

With the preliminaries taken care of, it was time for the food.

As is our usual approach when dining out, we ordered different things that we both like, and swapped part way through. For appetizers we had Cold Asparagus and Foie Gras Torchon, Grilled Bitter Lemon and Pepper Aspic Cream, and the Fried Artichoke with Spicy Dijonaise.

The asparagus was perfectly cooked, then chilled. It was bright green with a pleasant crunch. The thick slice of smooth and creamy foie gras was almost orgasm-inducingly good. Someone in the kitchen was showing off his mad mandoline skillz by making a bed of lengthwise-sliced asparagus for the foie to rest on. A slice of grilled bitter lemon completed the plate.

The artichoke was simply wonderful. A whole artichoke, steamed, deep fried (we think), and cut in half. Beautifully tender inside with browned, crisp outer leaves that crunched like potato chips. It was complimented very nicely by the dijonaise.

Next up were pasta and entrées: Zitoni Tagliati with Fennel, Green Garlic & Guanciale; Pork Sausage with Flageolet Beans, Tsoi Rabe & Mustard Sauce; and Sturgeon with braised Baby Leeks & Marjoram.

The pork sausage was somewhat forgetable. The beans were nicely done and tasty. The presence of a piece of pork belly was a surprise, seeing as it wasn’t in the description of the dish that appeared on the menu. It was, however, delightful, and probably single handedly rescued the dish from mediocrity.

The fish was tasty enough, and the baby leeks were perfect. However, marring an otherwise great dish was the dryness of the fish

Overall, we liked the entrée sides/garnishes more than the cores, other than the unexpected pork belly. Presentation and plating were expertly done.

Now we come to an interesting glitch. I had ordered the pasta as well, so as to have a wide sampling of what was coming out of the kitchen. I had expected it before our entrées, as it would be in a classic Italian service. I mentioned this to our waiter when he arrived to clear away the entrées. He was taken aback but quickly recovered and asked if it would be ok now. Sure, I’m here to sample your food. Bring it.

Now another oddity. A busser (maybe) arrived with silverware for the pasta, a fork and a spoon. He made a comment about the spoon for our soup. “We’re having the pasta … and … there isn’t any soup on the menu.” He went on to question the need of a spoon with Zitoni Tagliati (as opposed to spaghetti or such). “Well, it’s for the sauce,” I pointed out. Backpedaling and sucking up ensued. Rather surprising and disappointing. To compound things, these were not soup spoons. But as I said earlier: New staff, opening night.

The pasta (which we gobbled up before we remembered to take a picture) was cooked just right, with a sauce filled with smoky, piggy goodness. Another oddity was the presence of escarole which, like the pork belly, was good, but not on the menu.

I chalk those discrepancies up to the dynamic nature of the menu, which I’m sure will often change slightly between when they are printed and when the doors open for dinner service.

As you can see on the menu, there were a couple of dessert options, which we opted to skip since we were happily sated.

The overall noise level was reasonable (other than a child at the next table and some loud, obnoxious lawyers), with soft background music. We had no problem carrying on a conversation.

The meal as described above rang in at $160 plus tax and tip: cocktails, wine, appetizers, pasta, entrées. Skipping the pasta course would have dropped $22 off the price. The wine we had was toward the lower end of the price range and we could have easily doubled or tripled the bottom line based on wine selection. This is probably not a regular dinner stop for most of us, but I think it will be a fine place for a special evening out. I’m looking forward to going back in a few months to see how they settle in.

Lafitte is located on Embarcadero at the north end of the Pier 5 building. Perfectly situated for a romantic after-dinner stroll on the pier.

We recently had dinner at Algrias before our monthly visit to The Exploritorium After Dark.

Alegrias describes itself as being inspired by Grandma’s kitchen and serving authentic Spanish tapas and paellas. They’ve been in operation in San Francisco for 13 years.

The decor was all about bullfighting. Classically Spanish I guess. I’m not so sure about the slipcovers on the chairs, though. They seemed tacky. As expected for a dinner service, the lighting was subdued, so the pictures are not great.

I don’t have significant experience with Spanish cuisine to comment on the authenticity of what we had, but it was good and we left with our hungry sated.

We decided to have some sangria with our meal. It took quite a while for someone to come for our drink order, despite the restaurant not being busy yet. In fact, by the time someone attended to us we had settled on our entire order.

Then we were told that it would take a bit of time as they had to make the sangria. Excuse me? Spanish restaurant. Thursday. Just as dinner service begins. Caught without sangria?! Not good.

So we ordered our meal: a selection of tapas. Not being intimately familiar with the serving sizes, wanting to sample a variety of dishes, and wanting to have plenty to write about, we (ok, I) were somewhat overzealous. Ok, so there’d be food left. That’s not unexpected. What is unexpected is the waiter chastising you for ordering “too much” food.

So the food began. First out was Escalivada (Grilled eggplant, peppers & onions drizzled with a Spanish sherry vinegar reduction) and Chorizos Españoles (Assorted cured Spanish style sausages).

Both of these dishes were extremely tasty. The eggplant, onion, and peppers were very nice, in a delicious reduction. The sausage plate contained thin slices of four different types of sausages; all very nice.

Next up were the Patatas Alioli (Crisp fried potatoes tossed with a traditional alioli sauce) and Gambas al Ajillo (Prawns sauteed with garlic, parsley and white Rioja wine).

Before they served these two dishes, an interesting thing happened. The waiter whisked away our plates. He returned promptly with clean ones. Why? It’s not like we were switching courses as we had ordered a variety of tapas. Odd. Next, when he placed the clean plates before us, he did it with such flair and flourish that we were somewhat nonplussed.

The two dishes themselves were fine. Crispy fried potato cubes in a nice alioli. Suzanne was right when I ordered them: they were much like fries/hashbrowns. The sauce was really nice though, which elevated them from mere fry-dom. The prawns were prawns, a touch overcooked I thought, and only mildly garlicky.

Next up (with no changing of the plates) was Empanadillas de Carne (Spanish style turnovers stuffed with beef, green onions, olives, raisins, and herbs). These were quite tasty. Hot and crisp.

We finished off with Mejillones Alegrias (Steamed mussels in a white Rioja wine, garlic, and parsley sauce). I’m not a great fan of mussels, finding them to taste too much of the ocean. I had a few, though, and Suzanne enjoyed them.

So in all, not a horrible meal, having definite high points (the Escalivada in particular). However, between the service oddities, and some lackluster dishes, and general low value for the cost, I can’t see us bothering to return any time soon. Not for tapas, anyway. I might be interested in trying their Paella, though. For vegetarians, it’s worth noting that their menu flags dishes that have no meat of fish.

We went to Blowfish Sushi for dinner recently. Suzanne had been there before but I hadn’t … and I’ve been jonsing for some sushi for a while.

I was not disappointed. We started out with drinks. A Lychee Sidecar (kan no ko Japanese whiskey, orange liqueur, fresh lychee & lemon juice) for Suzanne and a Hitachino Red Rice Ale for myself. The Ale was nice, not too beery tasting, and pleasantly creamy:

We started the meal with Seaweed Salad (mixed greens, marinated seaweed & cherry tomatoes with a creamy carrot dressing) and tempura. Alas there is no pic of the tempura. But it was tempura, it looked like any other tempura I’ve had.

The salad was nicely done. The tempura, however, was a bit heavy & greasy. It lacked the light pleasantness that tempura aspires to.

Having finished our cocktail & beer, we had saki. Specifically, Murai Family Nigori — Genshu (tones of pineapple, coconut & vanilla). This was a very nice cloudy sake, served cold. Very refreshing.

Next up was the Sushi! A Dragon Roll (tempura shrimp, cucumber topped with unagi & avocado) and Spider maki (soft-shell crab, masago, shiso, avocado, sprouts).

Also up was a plate of various nigiri sushi.

Clockwise from the top left: Inari (sweet tofu wrap), Yaki Hotate (seared scallop), Hamachi (yellow tail), Tamago (egg cake), Uni (sea urchin), Tobiko (flying fish roe), Maguro (tuna).

All the sushi was just great. I will go back on the strength of their sushi. I probably won’t bother with the tempura next time, and I’d probably got straight into the sake, but I’ll certainly dig into the sushi. Staff was friendly. Service was good. You won’t get out with a cheap meal, but sushi isn’t cheap to start with and this was good sushi.