Squeat Mungry

Maggie, I would add my vote for a Rijstafel, as well. I lived in the Hague for two years, and I know that (at least back then -- I graduated High School there so it was a loooong time ago) when Dutch people think of a celebratory dinner they think Indonesian. The only problem I can see with a full-on Rijstafel is that it's awfully labor-intensive. Will you have help? A typical Rijstafel is several courses with several dishes in most of the courses. I do have some recipes somewhere, but they are in Dutch. If you like, I can track them down and translate for you... Cheers, Squeat

Here's what I do on weekends (I don't eat in the morning during the week): Make the toast (usually ciabatta or sourdough). Spread with butter, then with cream cheese. Top with lots of grated parmigiano reggiano. Lots of salt and pepper on top.

I agree that Cooking by Hand is a fantastic resource. I was lucky enough to receive a signed copy as a gift from a friend who is a server at Oliveto, but I notice that Amazon has it on sale right now for $28.00 and free shipping. Even better, you can buy it bundled with Paula Wolfert's The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen for $51.07! Cheers, Squeat Edit to add that you need to click the title on the page I linked to see the Wolfert combo deal.

Another for me: New Southern Kitchen -- Damon Lee Fowler

Thanks, Hiroyuki, that is it! Myouga! Mine is more purple than those pictures but it is definitely the same thing. And thanks for the link to the other thread... I think I might try tempura with the rest of it. Cheers, Squeat

snowangel I am so jealous of your peaches because I can't believe I forgot to buy them at the farmer's market today! I was even staring at them, and now I'm craving them and don't have any. Anyway, I've been absolutely adoring your blog, and the peaches aren't the only reason I'm green with envy: those tomatoes look awesome! Cheers, Squeat

I was at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market this morning when I ran across a product I had never seen before. It is the flowerbud of the ginger plant. Of course I had to buy some, and now I have several questions. First, what is the Japanese name for this flowerbud? I know it was on the sign, but I was too excited at the sight of a new find to file the Japanese name in my memory! I was more interested in asking the guy at the Happy Quail Farms stand (where I saw it) how to use it, which leads me to my second question: How is it used in Japan? The Happy Quail guy told me to slice it up and use it like scallions in a salad, which I did, and the flavor was amazing: definitely ginger, but soooo mild and fresh! It absolutely seems to be to ginger root flavor as scallions are to onion flavor. What I am wondering about now is how is this flowerbud used in the classical Japanese culinary tradition? I asked the Happy Quail (I love the name of this farm!) guy how to cook it and he said not to. He said it would probably lose its delicate flavor if cooked, but I am wondering if it's not used in a similar way to shallots (which it also reminded me of, in a gingery way) in some Japanese preparations. (To make it clear, I am a complete idiot about Japanese cooking, though I do love to read and learn about it!) Any information is greatly appreciated, since I still have some, and would love to experiment with some traditional uses... is it usually a garnish, and that's it? Thanks, Squeat Edit to explain why I posted this in the Japan board: the HQ guy said that the only reason they had it was that the mother-in-law of one of the guys whose fields he grows his stuff on grows and harvests these ginger flowers for her own use. She is Japanese, and the guy said apparently this product was readily available in Japan.

I had been working at United Way of America's headquarters in Alexandria, VA for about a year and a half just before the events Rail Paul recounts. Appointing longtime trustees to newly available chairs and offices is not going to solve the JBF's problems. Accountability is the issue here, as it was at UWA, and nothing will be solved until they at least address the points articulated in Rail Paul's post, which, at least to me, that press release does not do. Just my opinion, Squeat

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- September 8, 2004 Sorry again, folks. Ach, this week! Olivia Wu continues the Chron's Rent a Grandma series. This time she looks at the preparations for the High Holy Days and Rosh Hashana, profiling three women, only one of whom is a 'real' grandma. Nevertheless, they're not fooling around in their holiday preparations: recipes for Blintzes, Roasted Carrots in Honey, Potato Knishes, Rugalach, and a terrific-sounding Potato Kugel. L'Shana Tova! Kim Severson looks at Bill Niman, who is looking at Wisconsin to expand his production of quality, cruelty-free and sustainably raised veal, and rescue the product from the bad name it has acquired in recent years. Believe it or not, people buy sushi at Safeway -- and Andronico's and Trader Joe's, among other surprising places. Carol Ness and the Tasters explain all. Hilary R. Ball has a review of Tabla in Larkspur, where chef Kyle Fehr is throwing down with some pretty interesting seasonal stuff from the looks of it, like the Lamb and Pear Tagine for which Ball includes a recipe. Fehr comes to the Bay Area from New Zealand, after eight years in Washington, D.C. GraceAnn Walden, as usual, has the Inside Scoop on all the latest culinary happenings in the San Francisco area. Just follow the link, since she's so much better at this hot stuff than I am. As discussed elsethread, the Chronicle Cooking School has a new home in the Ferry Building. Follow the links for more info. This is kind of a cute idea. I'm all for efforts to preserve and record culinary information and experiences! Kudos to the Chron for this. (For all their faults, you can see why they win prizes!) Amanda Berne visits Miller's East Coast West Delicatessen on Polk Street. Oy. They're boiled and baked. She says they're bagels. Cheers, Squeat

My very first post to eGullet, from an earlier joke thread: Squeat

This is actually a separate policy known as "tipping out", at least in the bars I have worked in. It is a way of helping to compensate workers such as barbacks and door-staff who do not recieve tips directly from customers. Both tip pooling and tipping out can be implemented separately or in combination. At the bar I worked in the longest, tip pooling was not an issue during the week, when there was only one bartender on duty. Tips were pooled among the two or three bartenders who worked on weekend nights when we were slammed, but it was always done amicably, and the barback and doorman were tipped out from the pooled tips. Cheers, Squeat

Hmm... well, that's news to me, citysearch.com, sfstation.com and google.com. Still, I had a great time there with my friends when we got back to town after a recent road trip! Cheers, Squeat

Maggie, I think you're right about MFK, but there is something about her brand of melancholy that appeals -- and then there's the elegance of her expression. In my opinion, the Amises pere et fils are worth reading, but I have not yet run across "On Drink". It's now on the list. Thank you. Cheers, Squeat

"Meltdown".

Good question. I think it's a combination of the factors you mentioned. Personally, I've had trouble choosing from the many classes available. Also, I have only a very limited amount of expendable income for that kind of thing, and when it has come down to it, travel and dining opportunities have often trumped out. I predict that the Chronicle classes will be more successful in the Ferry Building due not only to the attractions of the location, but also simply to better exposure. I think many people are not even aware that the Chron offers the classes. I know I wasn't until a few months ago, and I read the food section! (Okay, admittedly I read it more thoroughly now that I'm doing the digest, but still.) I agree that shopping for fresh ingredients is an attractive feature in a class, at least to me. I'm planning a vacation to Oaxaca in November and am trying to choose from several cooking classes offered there. It seems that all of them start with a trip to the market in the zocalo, the central town square, which makes them all the more interesting, I think. I'd also like to hear from people in the Bay Area who have participated in cooking classes of all kinds. I think we'd all like to know about your experiences, and get your opinions and recommendations. Cheers, Squeat

Susan, You are so lucky in Florida to have both of these so late in the season! If your artichokes are truly "baby" and nice and tender, there is a great way to prepare them with favas. As I posted (back in the spring) on the dinner thread, I believe this idea came from Chez Panisse Vegetables, but I could totally be making that up. Essentially what you do is fry the trimmed babies in olive oil (don't bother with extra virgin, and don't even blanch them if they're truly young -- that's the beauty of this preparation!) while smashing them with a spatula into little dish-like units (brown 'em 'til they're crisp on the edges) which you then top with the favas which have been separately sauteed in OO and/or OO/butter (and maybe some shallots or something, but not at all necessary -- now I remember I like to use green garlic: don't tell me you have that now, too?!?) and then mashed right in the saute pan (I use a potato masher -- a fork would do). I make this in spring with young lamb, and it gets raves. I'm sure there are mains you could serve this with where you are now that would complement. Cheers, Squeat

New places I hope to get to soon: 1. Tartare 2. Frisson 3. Restaurant Michael Mina All in San Francisco. Places I hope to return to soon: 1. Quince (San Francisco), don't know if I'll ever grow tired of this place 2. Bistro Clovis (San Francisco), of the foiled birthday outing 3. Antidote (Sausalito), just curious (oops, I haven't been to Antidote yet, so make that number 4, above.) Cheers, Squeat

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- September 1, 2004 This week, Karola Saekel takes a close look at that picnic staple, potato salad, offering five different recipes for different styles. Marlena Spieler is off to Versailles, where she and her husband indulge in a little old-fashioned San Francisco-style cross-dressing. She offers two recipes from their lunch: Tarte a la Moutarde and Leeks With Tarragon-Beet Vinaigrette. Announcement: The Chronicle Cooking School moves to the Ferry Building next month. A partial schedule is provided. The Tasters brave packaged sliced ham. If you need it for school lunches, check out their comments and caveats. Pascal Rigo expands his Bay Breads with Rigolo in Laurel Village. Yountville's Diner is replaced by Michael Bilger's eclectic Wine Garden. All this and more is What's New. Hillary Ball reviews Cook's Illustrated's Steak, Chops, Roasts, and Ribs and offers their recipe for Beef Chili With Kidney Beans. Karlinsky's out at Moose's after only a month, and Ed's next move is anyone's guess. Der Bingo lives on in a new restaurant in Walnut Creek. I'm not making this up, folks. GraceAnn Walden, as ever, has it all in her Inside Scoop. Cheers, Squeat

Just to record some synchronicity (and shamelessly promote the Northern California board), smoked hot paprika from Spain was prominent among the many culinary subjects discussed at Saturday's Northern California eGullet picnic in Golden Gate Park. Really enjoying the blog, Danielle, and those are some mighty pretty figs! Cheers, Squeat (who used to climb the fig trees on his college campus and pluck and eat the figs sitting right in the tree, making various "I'm a dangerous lunatic" noises at anyone who happened to pass by in order to have them all to himself!)

jschyun, the actual name is even more generic: "U.S. Restaurant". It's not great, but some of their stuff is pretty good for the price. It's been run by the Cipollina family for 50 years, but as of September 1 has been sold to some corporation. Edit to add that I always thought the family name was pretty cool, since "cipollina" means "little onion" in Italian!

Longest ago to most recent: 1) Gary Danko 2) Chez Maman 3) 2223 Market All in San Francisco. Cheers, Squeat Edit 'cuz it's really Chez Maman, not Chez Mama!

Hey, I'm reading this right now, too! Lots of fun. Thanks for spoiling the ending. (Just kidding -- he mentions it in the dedication. ) Cheers, Squeat

Woohoo! Score! I knew if I made people feel sorry enough for me I could get some goodies out of it! In addition to getting to freeload at the picnic. They better make it to the park, too, jschyun! Everyone knows that people who willingly spend more than half their time in that part of the state are inherently untrustworthy. Squeat

Walt, I'm pretty sure jschyun said she'd be going to the market before the picnic. I'd help you out, too, but I'll be contemplating my navel in the park.

I wish I had some information to the contrary but, alas, this is true. Just wanted to add the name of the 16th St Pak-Indian place: Pakwan. Their naan is really good. There's one in the 'Tandoor-loin' as well on, I believe, O'Farrell. Another newish place for Pak-Indian which is getting a lot of good buzz, though I haven't been, is Rotee on Haight St in the Lower Haight. I have had some delicious meals at Breads of India in Berkeley, where the menu changes daily, and the chef is known for his regional eclecticism, but I have heard some disturbing rumors lately that they have gone downhill. Certainly the best South Indian food in the Bay Area is south of the City proper. Cheers, Squeat