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ScorchedPalate

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Posts posted by ScorchedPalate

    Kitchen Sinks - Single or Double??

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    I am (vehemently) in the 1-bowl camp for the reasons you describe, but I also think it would be nice to have another smaller sink for those times when you want to, say, chill a pot of stock at the same time as you scrub potatoes.

    I guess those sinks with one narrow side and one wide side would be a good compromise. Myself, I would put the disposal on the small side, but there are probably good reasons for doing it either way.

    A16 or Incanto?

    in California: Dining

    Posted · Edited by ScorchedPalate (log)

    We tried A16 in mid-August. We had reservations, so we were seated promptly despite the mob-scene at the door. That was the last good thing that happened all night.

    The menu was brief enough that we both had a hard time finding more than one thing that appealed to us. We split an order of roasted red peppers to start. The fresh sardines garnish was good, but the peppers themselves weren't peeled (possibly intentional?) or seeded...very unappetizing.

    Cameron ordered the pizza margherita -- it was decent, but not actively good. The crust was too thin in the center, not crisp, and too thick at the edges. I ordered the pizza verde... unlike Ludja's, mine was a train wreck. Crust was sprinkled with red chile flakes (good), a little bit of olive oil (not enough), 4 or 5 small slices of cheese (good, perhaps not quite enough), and something like 2 cups of sliced sweet italian peppers (also not skinned or seeded). Even for an American-style pie, this overdose of topping would have been unappetizing... for an Italian-style pizza, it was a disgrace. There was literally 3/4 of an inch of solid peppers burying the crust.

    Service was sloppy: We were done with our appetizer before our wine flights came, and the waiter dropped scraped-up food from another table onto ours when clearing our plates... eww.

    All in all, it seems like a pretty serious case of hype. Reading the reviews on CitySearch, it seems we got off easy: There are numerous posts of people waiting 45 to 90 minutes past their reservation times, and more than one where the waiter (apparently intentionally) decided to serve something different than the guest had requested!

    Edited to add: I haven't been to Incanto for more than a year, but I recall it being a cozy, welcoming neighborhood place that exceeded my expectations for neighborhood-place food.

    Incanto got some nice mentions in last week's Chron story about house-made salumi... whereas the A16 guy came off sounding like snob:

    At A16, Appleman won't serve more than one meat at a time.

    "Too many is too much," he says. "They're extreme flavors, with tons of salt."

    Uh, yeah... That's why they never offer mixed salumi plates in Italy. :rolleyes:

    Transplant looking for some Bay area benchmarks...

    in California: Dining

    Posted

    Dim Sum: Don't bother with Yank Sing if you have other options. Very pricey and not all that. As for Koi Palace... Parking is as bad as everyone says, but the wait isn't bad if you time it right. The last time we went, we got there at 9:45, and although the dining rooms were full, we were the only ones waiting. In fact, we could have had a table within 5 minutes if the rest of our party had been there. In all, we ended up waiting about 15 minutes before we were seated. By 10:10, though, the lobby was packed.

    Thai: After many years of trying other possibilities, our favorite remains Thep Phanom, on Waller between Haight and Germania. Favorites here include Crying Tiger salad, yok-yor, basil chicken with crispy basil, and anything off the 'specials' menu/boards. Reservations recommended.

    Too much thyme on my hands

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I find fresh herbs don't freeze very well. I usually air-dry thyme stems on a cooking rack over a cookie sheet (goes fast if you have a convection oven with a fan-only setting) and then remove the leaves from the stem for storage. Then you can use it as a fresher-tasting alternative when recipes call for dried thyme.

    ~A

    So I want to cook some old fashioned casseroles

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I heartily second (third?) the idea of making your own velouté- or bechamel-based mushroom-soup equivalent. I've gone through a lot of my old family favorites and replaced the canned and bottled (orange 'french' dressing, anyone??) with reverse-engineered sub-recipes, too.

    I have a copy of The Best Recipes: Cover and Bake (ISBN: 0-93618-4809) from the editors of Cook's Illustrated. It has recipes for all of the old favorite casseroles, and plenty of new ones as well... plus other one-dish meals like coq au vin, mac and cheese, etc. I'd highly recommend checking out a copy from the library to see if you like it. I am guessing you will... it's very hard to find a used copy, which generally means people are hanging on to it. :)

    Making Limoncello

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    A little Star Anise is a really nice flavor combination with the flavors of the blood oranges.

    OK, that's kinda creepy. Did I mention that I added a very quick infusion of star anise to my blood-orangecello in an effort to give it some oomph? I agree, it's a nice combo.

    ~A

    Ferry Plaza Market, San Francisco

    in California: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Well, for me the Ferry Plaza market is a godsend, since I don't own a car. To get to the Alemany market on public transportation is nearly impossible. I would have to walk 7 blocks to the 16th St BART station, take BART all the way out to Glen Park(!), then take the 44 Muni bus all the way back around to Silver & San Bruno, THEN walk 5 more blocks under all the freeways. At least a 45-minute trip, probably more like an hour.

    Only a year late on this, but Squeat can actually take the 23 Monterey from Glen Park BART all the way to the market. If you time it right, it's a 15-minute trip from 16th & Mission to Alemany & Crescent. I take the 23 every day on the way from work to home, about 6 blocks from the market. This route is much, much quicker than going to 24th Street and taking the 67 Bernal, which goes over hill and down dale before eventually making its way to the market.

    Despite my proximity to Alemany -- where I found green walnuts this spring, when they were absent everywhere else -- Steve and others here can attest that I still find plenty of good excuses to visit the Ferry Plaza Market on Saturdays. My CSA box takes care of most of my needs, but who's to argue with finding buddha's hand, huitlacoche, the city's best chilaquiles, and fresh masa all in one place?

    Making Limoncello

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    I made a blood-orangello a few months back that was OK, but nothing special. My bergamocello (made with bergamot oranges) is one of the most amazing things have ever tasted (she said modestly). Details and photos are over on the limoncello thread.

    I'm doing a buddha's hand infusion right now, which I may or may not turns into a 'cello.

    In general, I would say that you want oranges with interesting-smelling skin (preferably as soon off the tree as possible), rather than those with good-tasting fruit.

    ~A

    Pork sausage in Kosher-themed Noahs Bagels

    in Pacific Northwest & Alaska: Dining

    Posted · Edited by ScorchedPalate (log)

    The one at U.Village is kosher in the traditional sense of the word. No meat products are sold, and they do have the sign Dandelion mentions.

    Edited to add: the SF Bay Area stores have sold the BagelDogs for at least the last few months. Here they're kosher beef hot-dogs and (beef) Polish sausages, or Aidell's sausages: Chicken-Portobello, Cajun Andouille (pork), and Artichoke/Garlic (chicken/beef). They also sell a number of panini and some hot and cold sandwiches.

    And yeah, their bagels aren't very bagel-y. But if you think of them as spherical bread, they're not half bad. :raz:

    Mass-Produced Rarities

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted

    How do these products survive if you can't find them at your local grocer? 

    I suspect that many of these products survive in select regional markets. Like top-slice hotdog buns, which are unheard-of in the west. There are a number of Lawry's products that are commonly found only in California.

    ~A

    Staying with your restaurant

    in Louisiana: Dining

    Posted

    Well, if anyone is still in NO, they have to leave now..the town is under mand. evac orders and Martial Law is in place.

    Not entirely true, at least according to this excerpt from Salon

    We walk half a block down Royal Street from the Eighth District headquarters and come upon Brennan's Restaurant, one of New Orleans' most venerable dining institutions. The Brennans are a high-profile family of restaurateurs and run several of the highest-end eateries in town. Jimmy Brennan and a crew of his relatives are holing up in the restaurant along with the chef, Lazone Randolph. They are sleeping on air mattresses, drinking Cheval Blanc, and feasting on the restaurant's reserves of haute Creole food.

    The atmosphere in the French Quarter, while relatively quiet, is decidedly tense, but Brennan isn't worried. "We're not too concerned. The police let us go over to the Royal Omni, to take a shower, freshen up, and we cooked them some prime rib. We take care of them, they take care of us," says Randolph. Two Brennan emissaries whisk past, bearing multilayer chocolate cakes, headed toward the precinct. "This has been working out real well for us," says Jimmy Brennan.

    Contrary to many reports, the French Quarter remains undamaged by flooding. The streets are dry and damage to the 18th and 19th century buildings appears to be minimal. Heavily pierced French Quarter denizens are emerging slowly, almost groggily, and some are looking to evacuate. One woman, wearing a black lace slip and fanning herself with a souvenir fan from a production of "Les Miserables," makes her way toward the Superdome, carrying no luggage.

    "The Quarter always survives!" declares Finnis, the owner of Alex Patout's restaurant on St. Louis Street, who declined to give his last name. Standing in front of his restaurant, he sips champagne with several friends, insisting that his restaurant's gradually warming walk-in fridges will provide them with sustenance for up to a month.

    Indeed, food doesn't seem to concern those who intend to stay through the rebuilding process. Back Uptown, Jerrell and her sons will avail themselves of the local A&P, which has long since had its doors broken off. It will be a long time before it reopens, and until then its shelves will be a lifeline for many.

    Babies and Barrooms

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted · Edited by ScorchedPalate (log)

    No, but some might make an exception for a baby...i.e., someone who clearly won't be drinking or breaking any laws.

    Are we talking "they" the establishment, or "they" the authorities? In my experience, governmental agencies have little wiggle room for that sort of thing. Where would they draw the line? I think there are legitimate child-welfare reasons for keeping kids out of bars other than their own drinking.

    Edited to add: Not that a visit to place like Pegu is going to corrupt the little ones for life, but legally it would be impossible to make the distinction between someone bringing their infant to a classy cocktail lounge, and someone else dragging their 6-year-old to the skeezy corner tavern every night.

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