Last Friday we got a taste of San Francisco’s underground food culture. The folks at ForageSF.com put on a dinner of foraged/gleaned/found ingredients on occasion. ShazamSF’s already written about the amusement provided by our table-mates.

The whole thing was a blast: from sending out the location the day of the dinner, to the dessert sorbets. It was a leisurely eight course meal over about 4 hours. The lighting was low, provided by candles on the tables, so there are no pictures. I should get an iPhone 4 sometime for this sort of situation.

Amuse Bouche: Bay butter on crustini

Simple and elegant. Baguette rounds toasted with a butter made by steeping bay leaves in melted butter.

First: Local Wild Nettle Soup with Cowgirl Creme Fraiche

Beautifully done and delicious .. nettles, who’da thought?

next: Fresh Mendocino Porcini Polenta with Heirloom Tomatoes and Basil

Creamy, tasty polenta. Incredibly good tomatoes, cooked just enough.

next: Local Yellowtail Sashimi with Tempura Fried Seabeans and Oven Baked Wild Nori

The sashimi and nori were good, but the seabeans were excellent! The saltiness of the beans cutting the fry-ed-ness of the tempura.

next: Roasted Marin Sun Farm Bone Marrow with Pickled Wild Radish Seed Pods, Sea Beans and Flowers

I wasn’t sure about bone marrow. But I gave it a try. Buttery, mild, decadent! I can’t say that I fell in love with it, but it was ok. I found it to be a bit on the rich side. ShazamSF was happy to finish what I left.

next: Local fresh Ricotta and Gleaned Figs with Wild Fennel Pollen Dusted Fava Beans

Wow. The ricotta was incredible. Creamy and delicious.

next: Squid Ink Rissoto with Smoked Black Cod with “Wild Radish Rabe”

This was really good. The Cod was deeply smokey, a great counterpoint to the delicate risotto.

next: Salad of Quick Fried Wild Radish Seed Pods with Spring Greens, Wild Radish Flowers, and Roasted Beets in a Tart Champagne Vinaigrette

It was a salad. Quite nice though.

last: A Trio of Gleaned Fruit Sorbet: San Francisco Plum, Berkeley Loquat, North Bay Blackberry

YUM!

Especially the Plum … punch you in the face flavor. There wasn’t a blackberry one, something else was substituted which was subtle and mild. The Loquat was clean and made for a perfect finish to the meal.

Eight courses over about four hours. It was a great meal, and we had a wonderful time. It was a great start to what was an exquisite night. But then, every night with ShazamSF is exquisite.

Suzanne and I took my buddy Sam out for dinner to celebrate his birthday. Suzanne suggested Range, and since she has yet to steer me wrong, that’s where we went.

We started with cocktails. Suzanne had a Bottle Rocket (pueblo viejo tequila, strawberries, chile, ginger, yellow chartreuse, lemon). Sam and I had what ever the special cocktail was … so I don’t have a reference as to what was in it. I recall rum & pineapple juice. And there was a dusting of nutmeg. It was tropical, spicy, and good.

On to appetizers! I had seared massachusetts dayboat scallops with cactus gazpacho, mint and olive oil. Nicely done. The cactus gazpacho was brilliant.

Suzanne chose the cured steelhead with crème fraîche, fennel and chioggia beets.

And Sam had a goat cheese ravioli.

Entres. I kept with the seafood theme and had california bass with corn chowder, pancetta, fingerling potatoes and chives. This was fall apart tender and good. The chowder is velvety and rich. Suzanne noticed that someone at a neighboring table had this dish and just ate the fish, leaving the chowder. What a sin … it was at least as good as the bass.

Suzanne opted for the slow cooked duck breast with creamed hominy, dino kale and marinated spring onions. The waiter commented on it being done in a sous vide style. Indeed, it was moist & oh so tender.

Sam had fava bean cassoulet with lentils, arugula, meyer lemon and pistachios which we didn’t take a picture of as the dish was served topped with greens, and so looked rather like a salad before digging in.

I was told that a meal at Range was not considered complete without staying for dessert. And so we we did. I had cornmeal crêpes with roasted strawberries, crème fraîche ice cream and pistachios. I love crepes, and while quite different than the classic French version, these didn’t disappoint. Crisp and sweet, they complimented the blackberries so well. Just delightful.

Suzanne had a classic, but extremely well executed strawberry shortcake.

Sam’s dessert was quite nice looking: raspberry ice cream puffs with regina peaches. Thanks to Sam, by the way, for thinking to use the candle to light the dessert photos, as the light was waning by this point and my iPhone is a pre-flash model.

In summary, Range was a big win. I’d love to go back. It’s definitely not cheap, earning it’s Yelp! rating of $$$, but the food and experience is top notch if you’re looking for casual, comfortable fine dining.

In an earlier post about my visit to Avec, I said I was going to try to replicate the Chorizo stuffed dates at home. Well, I did the following weekend. I picked up chorizo, dried medjool dates, and applewood smoked bacon at WholeFoods. The piquillo peppers proved more difficult. I live in a largely Latino area of San Francisco so Mexican chilies are easy to find. Spanish chilies, not so much. I ended up substituting canned chipotle chilies in adobo.

Ingrediants:

• Dried medjool dates
• Chorizo
• Smoked bacon
• Tomatoes, finely chopped
• Onion, finely chopped
• Chipotle chilies in adobo, to taste, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 320F.
2. Split the dates end to end along one side. Fill with chorizo and close the date. Wrap in a slice of bacon. Place on a baking sheet with the end of the bacon on the bottom. Repeat for all the dates. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
3. While the dates bake, saute the onion until softened. Add the chili and tomato. Saute until everything is well softened. Blend into a smooth sauce. Keep warm.
4. When the dates are finished baking, place the sauce in a baking dish. Sit the dates in the sauce and serve.

We’ve been cooking up a storm lately!

Inspired by one of the challenges from last season’s Hell’s Kitchen, I made a savory & sweet crepe for Saturday brunch. This was a bit of work since the two batters are a bit different. We ended up doing brunch in two stages, with some idle time while I made the sweet crepes. It made for a leisurely, decadent brunch.

We started with a take on bacon and eggs.

1. Fry bacon, taking it out of the pan and setting it aside. Later, when it cools, crumble it.
2. Scramble eggs in the still hot bacon grease, along with some finely chopped onions and sweet peppers.
3. Once that’s done, take it off the heat and stir in a dollop of creme fraiche, some grated aged gouda, and the crumbled bacon. Season as desired.
4. Use this mixture to fill a couple of fresh savory crepes.

Next up was a sweet berry crepe. There were some fresh, local strawberries and blueberries in our produce delivery last week. That’s always great with a sweet crepe.

1. Make sweet crepes. Let them cool before using.
2. Melt a bit of butter in a saucier. Add sliced fresh strawberries and whole blueberries, reserving a few of each for garnish. Simmer until they are sofftened. Add a touch of vanilla extract (I used homemade extract made with a nice brandy) and some Grand Marnier. Simmer briefly, the stir in a few tablespoons of heavy cream or creme fraiche.
3. Get the cooled crepes. Fill each with mascarpone (I usually pipe in the filling). Spoon the hot berry sauce over top the crepes. Top with a large dollop of creme fraiche and the reserved berries.

I’d heard about Avec quite a while ago and have been thinking of checking it out sometime. I finally had the opportunity, though by a somewhat circuitous route. A foodie friend and I had planned to have dinner at Frontera. However they were closed while Rick Bayless had his staff in Mexico, so we thought we’d check out the new Girl and the Goat, Stephaine Izard‘s new restaurant. Stephanie was winner of season 4 of Top Chef and has just recently opened Girl and the Goat. But it was not to be. They were closed for a private event that evening. And so we decided to go to Avec, which we knew was open as we’d walked past it on the way.

Avec is long and narrow, extending from the street back, into the the building. the walls, floor, and ceiling are paneled with a rich, brown wood. Dining is either at the counter or an communal tables.

We decided to share a selection of small plates to maximize our experience. We selected four dishes, all of which were a complete WOW!

Tuna tartare with housemade squid ink and olive pasta, house giardinara and sesame bottarga vinaigrette

The giardiniera was brilliant combined with the tuna. The heat and the crunch from the vegetables combined with the silky smoothness of the raw tuna to very nice effect. And the tang from the vinaigrette complimented the fish perfectly. The pasta filled out the dish nicely. Squid ink pasta is always cool.

Couscous salad with Werp Farms mustard greens, grilled eggplant and asparagus

Nicely browned cheese and beautifully roasted eggplant: smoky and creamy. I love Israeli couscous, and this was done to perfection.

Beet crustini

One word: Yum. I’m a huge fan of the beet. If you, too, are a beet lover be sure to read Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins, if you haven’t already.

This dish included a mix of red and yellow beets as well as a beet puree. This was heaped on top of crunchy bread, topped with some kohlrabi shreds for a nice crunch. A touch of black pepper gave the dish a bit of zing.

Chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates with smoked bacon and piquillo pepper-tomato sauce

This was a run away hit. Definitely the star of the evening. No wonder it’s a favorite of several foodie friends.

The sauce was sweet and smoky. Date, chorizo, bacon: a brilliant mélange of flavor, sweetness and heat. Let’s get serious: chorizo and bacon in the same dish … how could it not be amazing. I’ll be trying to replicate this in my own kitchen.

Finally, some of the dishes came with a delicious warm fresh bread for cleansing the palette and, maybe more importantly, soaking up sauces.

I was impressed: woodsy decor, great service, good wine & beer selection, and awesome food. I’ll be back for sure.

After taking in some of the San Francisco Pride parade, Suzanne and I headed home. We we getting quite hungry by that point and our first destination, Tu Lon, was closed. We thought Basil might be a good choice, but alas, they were also closed. Now that we were on Folsom we decided to head back into SOMA and find something that was open. We happened upon Triptych, which neither of us had been to before. That and the fact that they were advertising brunch was plenty for us to decide to give it a try.

We settled into a bright window table and Suzanne went in search of the restroom. When she came back she suggested we reseat ourselves on the patio in the back. And we did. The walk to the back of the restaurant had a bit of a “cutting through the kitchen” feel to it, but there was some interesting art on the wall to be perused on the way.

While the main dining room looked fine, the “patio” left something to be desired. It looked like they ran out of funds when they got to the back of the restaurant. The “patio” was a fenced off area with a raw concrete floor, and a standard blue plastic tarp stretched overhead. The steps down to the patio were a couple of pallets with loosely covered with plywood. Other than a nice selection of plants along the walls, the overall effect did little to make the space cozy or inspire confidence. That said, the effect on that afternoon was nice, the plants, the shade from the tarp, and the quiet from being away from the street did make it a pleasant enough space in which to share brunch. It could be a really pleasant space with a bit more money and work.

Service, however was not great at all. There was an overall feeling of haphazardness to it. We noticed that we had received different menus than the next table, and they soon had their menus replaced. Also, it had taken far too long for us to receive our menus. Then it took far too long for someone to come along to bring us water, or take our order. While we were waiting, Suzanne suggested I check out the restroom. I did. It was a homage to the 80s & the disco era:

We eventually had our orders taken. We asked for the crab cake (mini crab cake with spicy dipping sauce) as an appitizer. I ordered a Club Sandwich (grilled chicken breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado) with a side salad, and Suzanne had the Fritatta Blanc (egg whites, mushrooms, roasted tomato and onions, spinach & avocado cream). In time the entrees arrived. When the server returned (eventually) we commented that our appitizer was missing. It eventually (notice that word seems to be a theme) arrived, after we had finished the rest of the food. Since I’m talking about the crabcake now, I’ll comment on it here. It was too greasy, and the serving size was barely enough as an appetizer for one. I was not impressed, but to be fair, my initiation into crabcakes was in D.C. at the famous Market Lunch.

The entrees were passable. My sandwich was fine, with a nice side salad or mixed greens. One thing I found odd was that in contained only two slices of bread, whereas a club sandwich, by definition, involves 3 slices. Suzanne’s “Fritatta” was more like an open-faced omelet: essentially some fried egg white with sauteed vegies and such piled on top. Like my sandwich (which I shall refrain from referring to as a “club”), it was tasty enough, but was not quite what was expected from the description on the menu.This kind of bullshit really bothers me at a restaurant. It makes me think that they simply don’t know what they are doing.

In summary, the place was physically sloppy, service was very poor, and the food was mediocre and didn’t well match what was on the menu. I doubt very much that we’ll be back, given that there are so many better places in the area, and in the city in general. It’s definitely not worth going for the food, though maybe to check out the 80s restroom.

Friday morning of Suzanne’s visit to Chicago we went to Xoco for brunch. We didn’t get there for their breakfast service, and arrived early in the lunch service. There was already a long line, which we joined, giving us time to puruse the menu.

Xoco is one of Rick Bayless‘s trio of Mexican styled restaurants at the corner of Clark and Illinois, the other two being Frontera Grill and Topolobampo. Xoco is billed as focusing on “contemporary expressions of Mexico’s most beloved street food”.

As is our habit when dining out, we picked a couple things that we would both like to try. One of Xoco’s specialities is tortas (Mexican sandwiches). There was a nice variety to choose from, but we finally settled on a Choriqueso (Homemade chorizo sausage, roasted poblano, artisan jack cheese, tomatillo salsa) and a Pepito (Braised Tallgrass shortribs, caramelized onion, artisan Jack cheese, black beans, pickled jalapenos). Both sandwiches came with a small dish of tomatillo salsa that was very tasty. The rolls they used for the tortas were great, crunchy and tasty.

Choriqueso

Classic chorizo, spicy, greasy, red, and yummy. Suzanne liked this one, though I thought it lacked character. It tasted like chorizo. ‘nuf said.

Pepito

I really liked this one. Shortrib meat, reminiscent of pulled pork: tender and delicious. The peppers and onions were mindblowingly good when you got them in a bite.

In summary, we were very pleased with our meal at Xoco. I look forward to dinner at Frontera on my next visit to Chicago. I also want to make a point of getting there for breakfast and some of their great sounding hot chocolate.

I’ve been spending some time working in CHicago, and recently Suzanne joined me for a weekend. In coming posts I’ll be writing about some of the restaurants we went to.

• Star of Siam
• Xoco
• The Melting Pot
• The Bourgeois Pig
• Jam
• Fogo de Chao
• Big Bowl

While I’ll be focusing on the food we encountered during her visit, You can read more generally (and more NSFW) about Suzanne’s visit on her blog: 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st.

El Majahual on Valencia just north of 24th is a quinticencial hole in the wall. It has absolutely no ambiance. But The food will keep me going back. I went in for lunch on a Wednesday and the place was busy, with people eating at the mishmash of tables as well as getting food to go. The menu is split between Salvadorian and Columbian. I had noted previously that this place served pupusas, so I ignored the Columbian section this time.

I ordered the 2 pupusa combo lunch: 2 pupusas, rice, and beans. There was a selection of pupusas available, and I opted for a pork and a pork/bean/cheese. I thoroughly enjoyed them. While I didn’t have any personal frame of reference (this being my first pupusa experience), I had done some research on Yelp of some other pupusa options in the area. These didn’t have any of the shortcomings I saw in some of Yelp!. These were hot, well cooked, and flavorful. I thought they were delightful.

The rice was plain white rice. It provided a good palette cleanser. The beans were pretty standard refritos. The slaw, on the other hand, was quite surprisingly good, as was the salsa.

The food was good, and the prices were reasonable. Not a place to go to for atmosphere, but definitely a place to go for food.

For our April dinner party (yes, it’s officially “our” dinner party now) Suzanne made Tortilla Soup.

Compared to our previous dinner parties, this was cheap and simple. I believe the ingrediants came to around $30 at the corner Mexican market (one of the many advantages of living in The Mission). It did take Suzanne all afternoon to prepare everything, though.

The idea is that you make a simple broth, and an assortment of things for the diners to put in their bowls. We had plenty of options, including:

- passila chilis (julienned and fried)
- jalapenos (julienne and fried)
- corn on the cob (boiled and sliced into rounds)
- cilantro (coarsely chopped)
- tomatoes (chopped)
- tortilla strips (fresh fried)
- queso fresco (crumbled)
- white onion (finely chopped)

Start by making a simple broth however you like. Ours was a vegi broth. Be to throw in some Epazote.

Here are a couple of the results: