Squeat Mungry

Hey, Al, If you want to take your girlfriend out for a great dinner in a romantic atmosphere at a place that's quintessentially San Francisco, you should consider Quince on Octavia Street in Pacific Heights, in the space where the Meetinghouse used to be. The Chef, Michael Tusk, is an alumnus of the kitchen at Chez Panisse, and before he opened Quince last December was Chef de Cuisine at Oliveto's under Bertolli for several years. I'm really impressed at what he's doing there. The room is quaint and charming as well -- an old apothecary -- and the service is first rate. It's not super cheap, but certainly not as expensive as the Fifth Floor or the French Laundry. Their own website is just a placeholder right now, but I found a review from February here. If you do decide to go here, be sure to reserve well ahead because it's a tiny room and word is beginning to get around among the locals! Some others to consider: Zuni Cafe, especially if you've never been before -- Civic Center Delfina, great northern Italian -- Mission District Limon, delicious Peruvian cuisine -- also in the Mission Chapeau!, charming bistro -- Inner Richmond I can also second ludja's recommendation of the Bonny Doon vineyard. If you have other specific questions, feel free to PM me or post here. And, sure... I'd be up for a drink when you're in town! Cheers, Squeat

Then there was the time I was at the cashier ordering at a sandwich shop near my work. The young woman in the middle of taking my order at the register hears her cell phone ring and proceeds to answer it. About a minute and a half into her conversation, she suddenly seems to remember me, and solves the problem by ducking down behind the counter to continue her conversation, as if that action would somehow put me in a state of suspended animation because I could no longer see her! When I recovered from my shock and realized she had no intention of cutting her call short, I left. Cheers, Squeat

For me, fried chicken is the consummate picnic food: travels extremely well, and is just as good cold as hot. Squeat

It's hard to pick favorites, but if I had to, I'd say Laphroaig among the Islays, and Oban among the Highlands. Cheers, Squeat

Those egg tarts are simply amazing! At my last job, in Oakland, there was a Chinese guy working as a tech who would occasionally take his entire lunch hour to BART into the city for GG Bakery egg tarts and bring them back to share with the office. Man, I loved that guy! My new job is back in the city on the edge of Chinatown. I'll have to remember to hike up to GG one of these early days and get me some tarts. Thanks for reminding me! Squeat

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- June 23, 2004 Java: No Jive! Carol Ness headlines with a look at home coffee roasting in the Bay Area. She talks to several Bay Area home roasting enthusiasts: A sidebar walks through the steps of home roasting and takes a look at some of the equipment available. Recipes are included for Judy Rodger's Espresso Granita with Whipped Cream from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, and Coffee Cake with Cracked Coffee Beans. Self-proclaimed "strawberry girl" Marlena Spieler is more than willing to switch when summer's blackberries arrive. Along with her paean to these "dark little jewel", she gives a list of ideas for using fresh blackberries, and offers recipes for Fromage Blanc with Blackberry Coulis and Spice-Marinated Duck Breasts with Blackberries. Olivia Wu proclaims good news for wild salmon fans. Not only is the quality of this year's salmon as good as or better than last year's, but anticipated larger catches are likely to lower the price. She gives recipes for Cold Cured Salmon (Gravlax), Gravlax & Salad, and Cured Salmon Over Cold Buckwheat Noodles. Karola Saekel gives Patricia Wells' latest book, The Provence Cookbook a favorable review, and excerpts recipes for Tuna Fillet with Meyer Lemons and Summer Savory, and Potatoes with Olives, Herbs & Bacon. The Taster's Choice crew chose Safeway Select as the best brand of barbeque sauce. Flo Braker, The Baker, takes a new look at a classic dessert with her innovative Banana Split Cake. Amanda Berne reviews Chouchou in Forest Hills, and awards it 2 1/2 stars. And finally, the 23rd annual Mill Valley Wine & Gourmet Food Tasting is scheduled for this coming Sunday afternoon. Cheers, Squeat

By the way, Amanda Berne offers a review of Chouchou in today's Chronicle food section. (Digest to be posted later.) Squeat

I agree with pim: I can't think of any place around the Ramada where I'd like to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. Here's another idea: Your friends could stroll from their hotel up through Union Square and meet you at the Cafe de la Presse at Bush and Grant. You could take the California St. cable car as suggested, get off at Grant and stroll two blocks south (downhill!) through Chinatown. Afterwards, you could continue walking down Bush (again downhill) to Market and on to the Ferry Plaza. Cheers, Squeat

tana, one place you might consider is Bistro Clovis on Market. In fact, I'm going to have dinner there on Friday to celebrate my birthday! (Assuming that the horrible flu I've had for the past week clears up sufficiently.) When my friends asked where they could take me for my birthday, I remembered that I had been meaning to try this place for dinner (I had several great lunches there years ago when I worked nearby). I have heard only good things about it, and the prices are reasonable. Their selection of wines is supposed to be especially good, and the room itself is quite charming in an informal sort of way. Of course the Chronicle hasn't reviewed it since 1990! Anyway, hope you have a great time wherever you end up, and Happy Birthday to your friend! Cheers, Squeat

With apologies to the Marx Brothers, and to everyone else. Thanks, Mongo! Squeat

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- June 16, 2004 Let's go get stoned! Yes, due to the freakishly warm spring weather, the stone fruits are already rolling into the markets. Headlining today's Chron food section is Janet Fletcher on (my favorite) Blenheim Apricots. Also known as 'Royals', they may soon join other lines of royalty in extinction (at the markets at least) and become home-garden 'heirlooms'. These fragile little guys (hard to transport, so look for them at farmers' markets rather than supermarkets) may be ugly ducklings to look at, but they are prized swans of flavor. Get 'em while you can. Recipes are included for Blenheim Apricot Sorbet, Apricot Frangipane Galette, Apricot Almond Upside-Down Cake, Apricot-Cherry Cobbler and Brandy Apricot Sauce for Ice Cream. It's goodbye to Timo's and La Tasca, reports GraceAnn Walden in Inside Scoop. Timo's owner Carlos Corredor is moving on to open a fast-service tapas place called Taperia. I (and apparently GraceAnn) have fond memories of the La Tasca space when it was Carta, featuring a different global cuisine each month. She's got other dish as well, including what's going on at Nordstrom. Returning Japanese: Linda Furiya reminisces on food, family and communication in a touching recipe for Jya-Jya Men, Sauteed Ground Pork & Green Bell Peppers over Linguine. Cosmic Cukes win the Taster's Choice for dill pickles. Tara Duggan reviews The Working Parents Cookbook and, as a working mom herself, finds the recipes and advice worthwhile on the whole. And Karola Saekel visits chef Victor Scargle at Copia, and shares his recipe for Garden Beet Salad with Dry-Aged Goat Cheese & Mache. Cheers, Squeat

Can I just say (in a low key sort of way) that I find this very exciting? I don't think I could have imagined a more desireable 'pairing'. I am very much looking forward to hearing about (and, I hope, experiencing) the results of their collaboration. I hope I speak for all of Keller's fans in California in congratulating him on another excellent decision, and in welcoming Psaltis to the left coast.

Okay, JAZ, which place? Come on... fess up! My favorite for juleps is not crushed but shaved ice. Cheers, Squeat

Thanks again, mongo. The nephews are cute, and the luuchi look delicious! They seem similar to what I (perhaps mistakenly) think of as poori. Squeat

mongo, thanks for the excellent reply! Poking around on the 'Gullet, I found two great-looking eGCI courses for others who may be interested in Indian breads: A Sampling of North Indian Breads, and A Sampling of South Indian Breads. Mmmmm, more reading: looks like my prognosis might be getting worse! However, neither of them seems to mention luuchi, of which I have never heard. Can you describe it? Then I'll shut up and get back to goofing off. That curry is making me hungry. Squeat

mongo, Lately work has been interfering too much with my eGullet time, so I called in sick today for the express purpose of catching up on this blog. I have been well-rewarded. Thank you so much! I am just beginning to dabble in Indian food, and am loving the look at home vs. restaurant foods. When you have a moment, could you talk a bit about the various breads? Do you make bread at home? Is a variety of good Indian breads generally available in Boulder? Now I'm off to spend the rest of my 'mental health day' poking around the Indian threads. Cheers, Squeat

About five years ago I travelled to Portland over Christmas with three het couples and one gay male couple, one partner in which was starring in a play there. One night we decided we wanted to fine dine, and asked the hotel receptionist about a posh-looking place across the street. She replied that it was considered one of Portland's finest restaurants (sorry, but I can't remember the name of either hotel or restaurant), but then asked, in a very serious and concerned tone, "You do know that that is a 'gay establishment'?" We hadn't, but all nine of us burst into laughter, which seemed to bewilder the poor girl until one of us explained, "We're from San Francisco! It couldn't possibly matter less to us!" After that she cheerfully booked a table for us, and that evening we enjoyed some very fine traditional French food and service. Cheers, Squeat (located half a block away from the afore-mentioned and aptly-named Mecca)

Right on. I annually don't read To Have and Have Not and The Old Man and the Sea, but I'm more than willing to add For Whom the Bell Tolls! Just let me know when you think you might be able to get up here for Habana. But now that you've got me going, I'm not sure I can wait!

Cool! When were you thinking? (By the way, when I was in Havana I had mojitos at the little bar La Bodeguita del Medio, where they were supposedly invented and daiquiris at La Floridita, where they were supposedly invented! Both bars also play up the fact that Hemingway hung out there, but not being a fan, I was more interested in the cocktails!)

Tana, your friend is correct. The restaurants in Havana (with a few exceptions) by and large serve mediocre to terrible food. The way to go is to find a 'paladar', an 'unofficial' dining room in a private home. When I was there in 2001, some discrete questions asked of our hotel staff (I had been tipped off) led us to some really terrific cuban cuisine. One memorable meal was in a home not too far from our hotel in old Havana: when we arrived we were greeted by wonderful aromas emanating from the kitchen. We were all nervous about the situation (this was our first 'paladar'), but were instantly put at ease by the matron of the house, who showed us her kitchen and the different dishes she had underway. She told us her daughter brought the vegetables from her own garden in another part of the city. Her charming family served us graciously throughout the meal. We dined on terrific ropa vieja ('old rags' of shredded beef) with rice and beans, served in one of two converted dining rooms overlooking the promenade through bay windows ornamented with a most beautiful wrought iron balcony. Havana is a beautiful city with charming people. Another fond memory is a most delicious coffee on the patio of the Hotel Nacional while watching the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. Thanks for bringing back these memories. I am definitely going to check out Habana in the very near future. Cheers, Squeat Edit: I CAN SO spell 'cuisine'!

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- June 9, 2004 This week Karola Saekel headlines an introduction to Portuguese island cuisine. She focuses on annual northern California festas (traditional Azorean community food celebrations) and profiles cookbook author and Palo Alto resident Deolinda Avila. Recipes in the article include 'Holy Ghost Soup' (a typical 'sopa' of beef and cabbage) and Fava Bean Stew with Linguica. A sidebar lists a schedule of this year's annual northern California festas, and a separate sidebar cites Bay Area sources for ingredients. Kim Severson reports on the 'celebrity-chef' brunch Monsanto, Dow et al. congratulated themselves with at the beginning of the week to kick off the bio-tech trade show, BIO 2004, featuring (or trying to feature -- see article) genetically modified or otherwise scientifically 'enhanced' foods. (Over 100 protesters were arrested at the show.) Ron Siegel leaves Masa's for the Ritz. Rocco de Spirito bails on Napa's auction and no one cares. GraceAnn Walden has this and more in the Inside Scoop on Bay Area chefs on the move. Amanda Berne reviews Pizzetta 211, granting the Richmond district pizzeria 2 1/2 stars. In the print edition, a 'roundup' gathers recently-published reviews from the Chron's various Bay Area regional editions, including looks at Oakland's Parkway Theatre and First Crush bistro/wine bar in Mill Valley. The Taster's Choice group checked out cheese-garlic croutons this week. If you're going to buy these, they say Whole Foods' Chatham Village Large Cut are the way to go. In What's New, Kim Severson, Linda Murphy and Amanda Berne report on three new Bay Area openings: Roe in the City, featuring whatever Asian/fusion is called these days; Monti's in Santa Rosa; and John Bentley's Redwood City offshoot of its Woodside original. In addition, Carol Ness gives a list of what to look for in the markets as a result of this year's unusually early warm weather. Finally, Marlena Spieler walks a Paris market with local Parisian culinary educator Paule Caillat, sharing recipes for a Pear, Cheese and Cumin Tart; a Paris Springtime Appetizer of radishes with butter, salt and green onions; and 'Pate Caillat', a simple and forgiving pastry shell. Cheers, Squeat

Add two more for me, Maggie: Fergus Henderson' The Whole Beast: nose to tail eating. And I finally got around to picking up Paula Wolfert's The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen. Cheers, Squeat

From the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market yesterday (shopping with Carolyn Tillie and her SO, Shawn): Garlic Scapes Watercress French Breakfast Radishes Lemon Cucumbers Lavender From Cowgirl Creamery: Parmegiano Reggiano Uplands Cheese Co.'s Pleasant Ridge Reserve Gorgonzola Dolce From Acme Bakery: Ciabatta Cheers, Squeat Edit: How could I have forgotten the beautiful fresh porcini?

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- June 2, 2004 [Note: Since the last digest post, the SF Chronicle and Food Editor Miriam Morgan won the 2004 James Beard Foundation Journalism Award for Newspaper Food Section. The Chronicle's Kim Severson also won for Newspaper Feature Writing Without Recipes for her article "A Lot of Cooks in the MRE Kitchen". Congratulations!] Feeling dull? Sharpen up with Janet Fletcher as she goes through the basics of choosing and maintaining kitchen knives. And if you "Shun" the ordinary, Olivia Wu walks you through the cutting edge of high-end and limited edition artisan knives. Creative chef Eric Torralba gets ready to cure the Bay Area with Antidote in Sausalito; everyone from the WashBag to Roxanne Klein is coming up with wallet-friendly deals; and the newly-tabloid Examiner's makeover apparently includes an eponymous restaurant! Check it all out in GraceAnn Walden's Inside Scoop! Kim Severson tells us what's new, including Clementine's baby Bistro, yet another attempt at NY-style pizza (this time in Berkeley), and a whole pound of fat-and-calorie-full beef in one burger, courtesy of Carl's Jr. The tasters of the Taster's Choice feature try their buds on, er... canned chicken, a product yours truly had been blissfully unaware of heretofore. Their mileage varied. Tara Duggan, The Working Cook, explores quinoa and lentils, including two recipes complete with wine pairings. In the "Seasonal Cook" feature, Carol Ness digs up the dirt on one of my favorite veggies ever, French Breakfast radishes, along with other varieties, and offers a recipe for a delightful-sounding spring minestra. Finally, Amanda Berne gives the low-down on the low-carb recipes in The South Beach Diet Cookbook. Not surprisingly (to me at least), not all of them work out so well, but she gives tips on finding the ones that do, and even includes one for a tasty-sounding Bolivian Spiced Pork Chop. Cheers, Squeat

I always think of it as "Beam-eye Baby", imagining some super-powered infant with magical laser-eyes. Go Ronettes! Thanks, SethG, for the enchanting blog, and my best to you and your family! Cheers, Squeat