Squeat Mungry

First choice: "frites met"! That is, "frites with". This is the way one orders frites with mayonnaise in Holland (where mayo is otherwise simply known as "frites saus" -- "frites sauce"). Second choice: "frites met pindakaas". "Frites with peanut-cheese" (i.e. peanut butter). Another popular Dutch choice. This sauce is actually a bit thinner than regular peanut butter. NB: This is not a sweet sauce! Third choice: malt vinegar or mustard. No ketchup. I hate ketchup!

If by more interesting you mean grosser and more disgusting, I could not agree with you more. I live a block away and have given them a few tries, but I won't go back. You may not have noticed the smell of burning rancid fat/oil that emanates from that place, but that might only be because you don't walk by it every day trying not to gag. (Oh, and actually it's between 14th and Church. Mecca is between 14th and Dolores and is a horse of an entirely different color.) On this we are in perfect accord. Mmmmmmm.... Top Dog!Cheers, Squeat

It's delicious stirred in at the end of a mushroom risotto.

Wow! Beautiful soup and great blog, lmf! Thanks a bunch for bringing us with... I have been vaguely considering a trip up to Seattle just to visit Salumi, your pictures and descriptions have moved that idea firmly into the definite planning stage. Keep up the good work! Cheers, Squeat PS Is that a waiter playing the violin on your EVOO?

There's a great write-up of Mr. McGee by Carolyn Jung in today's San Jose Mercury-News. Cheers,Squeat

Ahem. I think that if American cities besides New York (i.e., Chicago, New Orleans and, um, Los Angeles) are being mentioned, one has to at least include San Francisco as a contender. Especially if the entire metropolitan Bay Area is considered. Cheers, Squeat

Doh! Sorry. Thanks! Original post now includes a link.

Eric Asimov looks for unpretentious Napa restaurants serving good food: For the most part, he likes what he finds. Article here.Any eGulleteers been to Stomp yet? Cheers, Squeat

Back in my bar days, it was a constant and losing battle trying to stanch the flow of our glassware out of the swinging doors in our patrons pockets, bags, sometimes even just in their fists. I think the weirdest instance of patron theft (employee theft is a whole other kettle of fish) I know of happened the last time I ate at the now-closed Meetinghouse restaurant here in San Francisco. About halfway through our meal, my table-mate and I noticed a little subtle commotion at the back of the dining room. A bit later, on my way to use the restroom, I asked one of the waiters what had happened. Turns out someone had stolen the wastebasket from the restroom by shoving it out the window into the alley! The earlier activity had been staff making the discovery (a busboy actually saw the thief making off with the wastebasket through the restroom window), then scrambling around to find a replacement. Cheers, Squeat

I have a Mexican friend (an excellent cook) who insists that key limes are the only limes to use in cebiche. My cast aluminum lime press is a little more rustic looking, like this one, but it works fine and only cost me like 5 bucks at the Mexican grocery!

I watch Jeopardy every night and try to yell out the questions (answers) at the TV before the contestants do. (I know: Dork.) Last night I yelled, "What is FAKE CARBONARA, Alex?"

For carbonara, I use guanciale if I have it, otherwise pancetta. A mix of parmigiano (or grana padana) and pecorino. No onions. No cream. Above all, NO PEAS!! (Who the hell came up with that one?) Squeat Edit for completeness: Yes, loads of fresh cracked black pepper. I usually use a combo of whole eggs and yolks. If it's just me, it's one egg and one yolk.

Laurent Manrique left Campton Place early in 2003 to take over the helm at Aqua, which had been without an exec chef since Michael Mina left. I haven't been to CP since Daniel Humm replaced Manrique, but have heard conflicting reports. I think part of the reason there is less buzz about CP these days is that Humm arrived here fresh from Europe, and therefore without a local reputation.I miss Elisabeth Daniel, too. There is a review and a thread on Daniel Patterson's new Frisson here. The old Elisabeth Daniel space has been smartly remodeled and now houses Tartare, headed up by chef/owner George Morrone, formerly of Aqua and Fifth Floor. I haven't been yet, but have heard good things and hope to go soon. Esquire magazine just named it the top new restaurant in San Francisco for 2004. Oh, and definitely don't miss Quince when you're out here! Cheers, Squeat Edt: speling

Thanks for that link marie-louise! That place looks great. I love Mendocino. My ex and I use to go up all the time. We used to call it "Cutesie-ville" though, because of all the victorian frills and gingerbread and frous-frous everywhere! I have to agree that the dining scene is pretty drab. Cheers, Squeat

parmigiano reggiano

If it's really bad and spurting and direct pressure doesn't stop the bleeding after four hours or so, you can do what I did last month and walk up the hill to the emergency room. Where, if you don't have medical insurance, as I didn't, it will only cost you approximately $750. Cheers, Squeat

Apparently, not only have I stayed up too late, but I may have lived too long. Whisky and Safeway brand tater tots, here, with a dash of despair. The good thing is I've confirmed a theory: let tater tots = chickenwings; let worcestershire = tabasco; let butter = butter (Laurie Anderson is smiling now). I'm Squeat Mungry and I approve this combination!Cheers, Squeat Edit: To be clear: combine butter with worcestershire. use as sauce for tots. Let Ohio = Florida?

Niji's Japanese Grille - Meh. Disappointing Japanese in the Crocker Galleria. My software engineering team just "spun ourselves off" from our former parent company and moved into our own offices about a block from Crocker Galleria downtown. Since I was in the mood for teriyaki for lunch today, I thought I would give this place a try. I won't be in a hurry to go back. I ordered beef teriyaki and horenso goma ae. The teriyaki sauce was okay, but a bit too sweet for my tastes. They claim the beef is "ribeye", but whatever the cut, this was inferior meat. Much of it contained too much gristle to eat. The horenso wasn't stacked into those cute little packages, and there wasn't enough goma ae! Well, now I know. The "e" in "Grille" should have tipped me off. Definitely not worth spending 11 dollars for a workday lunch! Gambino's New York Subs - This is a new deli/sub joint in Embarcadero 1. I'm very impressed with them. Cold and hot east-coast style subs. They'll dress your sandwich either "east coast style" with oil, vinegar and herbs, or "west coast style" with mustard, mayo, pickles. I've been there about a dozen times now and every sandwich I've gotten has been really good. The bread is excellent. Now, if you're from New York or Philly, no, it's not going to match your favorite sub shop back east, but it's the best approximation I've ever had on the west coast. One of my favorites is their "Ultimate Cheeseburger". It's not a cheeseburger and it's kind of hard to describe. As their menu says, "trust us!" Prices are right, too. Original Joe's - God I love Original Joe's! It's been there on Taylor Street in the Tenderloin for 60-some years and so have its bow-tied waiters. Their excellent steaks are butchered and aged in-house. If you're solo, sit at the counter and watch them prepare your meal while you have a classic martini or scotch on the rocks. (This is where I go when I want to feel like I'm in a Raymond Chandler novel.) Or take a date and slip into one of the red naugahyde booths. Read a great article from the Chronicle about Joe's here. Did I mention I love Joe's? Cheers, Squeat

Oh man. This is going to be so cool!. Thanks so much to both of you!

When I was a kid I'd make butter and salt sandwiches. Haven't thought about it in years... mmmmmmm, butter and salt sandwiches........! I was actually in a Wonder Bread commercial when I was in kindergarten. I'm pretty sure my mom was embarassed about it, since we were never given Wonder Bread, but it was part of a field trip our class took to the local Wonder Bread factory. I still remember the little miniature loaves of Wonder Bread we were each given after the tour! I only saw the commercial once; I think it only aired (locally in Washington, DC) a few times. Later, I think Wonder Bread had to admit they couldn't come up with 12 ways it "helped build strong bodies"! Cheers, Squeat

They're also perfect in a falafel/lavash sandwich with tahini and hot sauce!

Another dissenting opinion, here, but for a different reason. Every single package of Tim's I have ever bought has had a slightly off flavor as if of rancid oil. I kept hearing raves about them, and kept thinking I must have just had bad luck, but as the count grew towards a couple dozen, I finally gave up. Maybe it's just me. My objection to the Kettle chips is that the packages are almost physically impossible to open -- at least without crushing the contents!

Actually managed to do pretty well tonight, despite an insane work schedule: Flank steak marinated in and served with an impromptu chimichurri sauce, along with roasted fingerling potatoes and braised leaks. Appetizer was a delicious pumpkin soup courtesy of my neighbors. Cheers, Squeat

Okay, I almost posted about this on the store brands thread, but as long as we're outing ourselves about Tater Tot usage... for those with Safeways (and I assume Von's) in the vicinity, try the house brand 'Tater Treats'. Much better than the 'original' Ore-Ida product, which underwent some kind of change some years ago and since then has been noticeably deficient. This is one of the few actual 'food products' I buy at Safeway. Like Brooks, I don't eat these every day. But I do try to keep a supply on hand in my freezer for when the fancy strikes. Do yourselves a favor and do a side-by-side taste test. I'm pretty sure you'll agree the Safeway product is superior. Cheers, Squeat

Wow, thanks! It DOES sound like that treatment could turn one of those supermarket hams into a tasty hunk of meat!