Squeat Mungry

andiesenji, in case you haven't seen them, I made a few comments on this thread on how my sense of smell has increased since I quit smoking three weeks ago.

Jason, thanks so much for this. I can't wait to see it!

Never mind. Above all have a good time.

Okay, out of fairness to KQED, here is their reply to my email protesting the fact that they didn't take advantage of the opportunity to air the Julia Child episode of the "American Masters" specials series: So I guess I'll have to wait until next year sometime to see it. And I guess I'll keep giving the station my money, since when they're not showing the pledge drive junk they actually do a pretty good job. And, like Julia, I really do believe in supporting public television! Squeat

Oh MAN, I want this book! Do you mind saying where you found it, and how much (yikes!) you had to pay for it? Thanks, Squeat

If you're into Italian, you might want to try some while you're in San Francisco, because I think you'll find it different from what you may be used to in Philly. San Francisco's Italian population has historically been predominantly from northern Italy, and even though you'll find countless restaurants in North Beach and around town producing mediocre southern Italian and Sicilian-style food, the best Italian food in San Francisco has always been in the northern Italian regional traditions. I'd recommend Delfina or Acquerello. Just a thought. Squeat

Fifi: beautiful story, thanks! I am still livid at KQED for not airing this episode of American Masters. Here is the text of the email I sent them this evening under the subject line "American Masters Julia Child Documentary": I really have been donating to KQED for several years, largely because of Julia's devotion and contribution to public broadcasting. I have pretty much decided not to donate any more money to this station. I'm not kidding: they are broadcasting absolute drivel tonight as part of their 'pledge week' instead of this tribute to a champion of public television!

Abra, absolutely amazing! Thanks so much. Such an inspiration. And 54? Unbelievable. Must be the island air and all that gorgeous food, combined with the happiness of loving what you do and what you have made happen for yourself! Gives me hope. Cheers and thanks again for everything, Squeat

Eos was my first thought, as well, but I've never been there, so can't give a first-hand recommendation, either. Lord knows it's true there's not much on Haight. They can get to a lot of stuff on public transportation. Trouble with that is, if they're unemployed, they'll probably have to rely on public transportation rather than a cab to get home, and that can really harsh the buzz of a nice evening out. I'll keep thinking... I'm not stumped yet! Cheers, Squeat (That street running south of the Panhandle is Oak, by the way. Come to think of it, they can walk to Hayes Valley! Okay, I'll definitely be back with more suggestions. I'm so hungry I can't think right now)

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- August 18, 2004 Olivia Wu celebrates the wonderful heirloom tomatoes that are pouring into the markets like manna from heaven. She talks to several Bay Area heirloom farmers and chefs about these delicious gifts, and provides details on three separate upcoming tomato festivals. Recipes for Roasted Tomato Bisque, Heirloom Tomatoes With Summer Squash Ravioli, and Japanese Cucumber & Heirloom Tomato Salad With Shiso-Mustard Vinaigrette. Scott Hocker runs down Oakland's soul food renaissance, with recipes for Heirloom Tomatoes With Black-Eyed Pea Relish & Basil Dressing and Red Beans & Rice -- get ready for some serious chin-wipin'! Karola Saekel pens yet another touching memorial to our beloved Julia, citing familiar Chron Food contributors on their personal takes on this unique woman, culinary phenomenon and humanitarian. Marlena Spieler: Carol Ness has more Bay Areans' memories of Julia. Boulevard's Judy Rogers: The Castro's Home spawns two new restaurants; the classic Sear's Fine Foods is back, this time with dinner, too; even more in What's New. Linda Furiya reminisces with Olympic memories of a stand-by San Francisco favorite snack, and even includes a recipe for making your own Wasabi Peas. Wow. After 50 years and two incarnations under the Cipollinas, the North Beach institution U.S. Restaurant has been sold to Trinacria Corp., to reopen with little refurbishing, except for some Sicilian additions to the menu. Former manager and Cipollina-family-member Alberto says he can no longer stand 18 hours a day after his recent accident. As always, GraceAnn Walden has more in The Inside Scoop. Finally, and against what even she thought were all odds, Karola Saekel's recipe exchange has yielded a definitive recipe for Nanaimo Bars. There's more advice and tips from this interactive feature with readers who both think and cook. Cheers, Squeat

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- August 11, 2004 Janet Fletcher takes an in-depth look at feta: Greek, Bulgarian, French, Israeli -- it's all good! Recipes included for Spicy Whipped Feta (Htipiti), Beet Salad With Arugula, Feta & Walnuts, Roasted Feta With Sweet & Hot Peppers, Greek Bread Salad, and Bulgur With Chickpeas, Tomato & Feta. Tara Duggan, The Working Cook, reconstructs Chinese Eggplant with Garlic in a "fast and fresh" version of the restaurant dish for home cooks using less oil. She throws in a "now and later" recipe for Vichyssoise. Diane Teitelbaum has Wine Recommendations Judy Wu reviews The Sustainable Kitchen: Passionate Cooking Inspired by Farms, Forests and Ocean, by Stu Stein with Mary Hinds and Judith Dern, and wonders how sustainable their guidelines are for wallets and pocketbooks. Recipes for Olive-Orange Salsa and Crisp-Skin Breast of Duck With Watercress & Olive-Orange Salsa. Amanda Berne reviews Geranium, the new Bernal Heights vegetarian opening. Two stars overall, but just one and one-half for the food, which along with the service, lacks "polish". Chez Panisse turns 33. Daniel Patterson, formerly of the defunct Elisabeth Daniel, opens Frisson: small plates in Jackson Square. This and more in What's New. Finally, the the Tasters taste packaged bagels. Guess what. Cheers, and sorry this one's so late: last week was a killer. Today's digest coming up. Squeat

Wow. Sorry I missed this, too. Moose's has been a solid neighborhood restaurant for years, although it has been a while since I've been there too. Moose's has been going through a lot of changes, and its future at the moment is uncertain. Ed Moose had been trying to sell the place, but the deal fell through and he hired Joanna Karlinsky (of the much-missed Meetinghouse in the space Quince now occupies) as General Manager. Rumor has it Karlinsky may be trying to buy the place. Plus there is a relatively new Executive Chef, Morgen Jacobson, who replaces Jeffrey Amber. That said, the few times I have eaten there, I've had a good time and a good meal, and the atmosphere is quite charming. Hope that helps some, Squeat Edit to make clear that I have NOT been since Karlinsky and Jacobson came on board.

And this one and this one for ideas in San Francisco. Let us know if you have specific questions. Cheers, Squeat Editing to add this one for breakfast and this one for dim sum.

And for those us of who live in the LAME part of Northern California, the only PBS station showing it is out of Sacramento!!! Man, am I ever pissed! Yeah. Apparently KQED Channel 9, the San Francisco Bay Area's major PBS provider, cannot interrupt its fascinating Pledge Week infomercials and craputainment ("Peter, Paul and Mary: Carry It On", "Healthy Aging: The Perricone Prescription" -- who watches this rubbish?) to honour one of public television's most staunch supporters. A pox on them. However, in searching their site for it, I did find this memorial to Julia on the station's cooking page, which also includes a link to eGullet (scroll down).

I too am eager to hear anything and everything about Oaxaca City, and the state, as I am now in the planning stages of a vacation there in late November. Especially interested in hearing about cooking classes. Thanks for posting this thread! Looking forward to it. Cheers, Squeat

I might as well admit it on this thread, since I think I've already outted myself elsewhere on eGullet, and haven't been kicked off yet: I hate chocolate. Yuck. The only exception I know of is in savory preparations where it is not the main flavor, like mole. Chocolate alone or chocolate with sugar makes me gag. Cheers, Squeat the Chocolate-Hating Freak

The bar I worked at for years was a no-nonsense neighborhood dive that was usually quite busy with its working-class regulars, but we prided ourselves on classic, well-made cocktails, and most of us behind the bar were fairly well-versed mixologists. Because of the bar's location, however, it attracted lots of tourists, bridge-and-tunnelers and wannabe hipsters, especially on weekends. Stump the bartender was not appreciated under those circumstances. If a drink outside the standard canon was ordered that I hadn't heard of, I'd ask how to make it if I had the time and it sounded interesting, but usually directions were given to the nearest trendy see-and-be-scene flavor-of-the-month joint. (People ordering Bloody Marys when I'm obviously in the weeds were also often invited to imbibe elsewhere -- we were famous for them, but weekend daytime, please. Obnoxious frat boys from out of town asking where they could pick up chicks were given specific directions to the nearby butch-boy gay bar.) We did pull Guinness, but no shamrocks or hearts or flowers on top. Cheers, Squeat

Abra, thanks for the fantastic blog! I'm not a personal chef, but I have considered it. As someone who does most of his cooking in other people's kitchens, my first rule now is to always bring my own knives. After that, it seems to be a matter of getting to know the advantages and failings of each kitchen. If I'm lucky I'll remember beforehand what the biggest void is in the particular place, and manage to compensate for whatever is lacking. More often than not, though, I still end up winging it (I even forgot my knives last weekend, much to the detriment of my left thumb), which is a big part of why I haven't tried to do the personal chef thing the way you have: I simply lack the organizational discipline! I am, however, having a great fantasy life through your blog! Thanks again and cheers, Squeat

to each his own, my dear squeat. If everyone liked the same things I do there wouldn't be any left for me. It's for the best really. I couldn't agree more, my dear pim. We are truly blessed with something for everyone, and you and I seem to be doing each other a favor. I love this town!

To be fair to 1550 Hyde, I would place it more toward the "unremarkable" than the "quite bad" end of that spectrum. There was nothing in my experience there that would make me cross town to go back. There are plenty of other options where the food is prepared just as "gently". If it were in my neighborhood, I might give it another chance, though I do think it is overpriced for what it is, and -- on the night I was there, at least -- the service was indifferent, bordering on downright shoddy. But anyway that was my point: not in the same league, therefore no comparison. And to jump on the snark train, my opinion of Boulevard and Nancy Oakes' food may cause you to question my recommendations, but enough (in my opinion) quite discerning people have shared that opinion over the years that I will lose neither sleep nor appetite over it. I'll continue to enjoy my meals there with unshaken confidence in my acumen. But that of course is just me (and all those other folks). Cheers, Squeat

Touche! For clarity, I should not have included Zuni in that list. I'd put it and Boulevard (where I have indeed had consistently good meals) in the same league, however. I do think both restaurants are at least a cut above the experience I had at 1550 Hyde.

The Monday dinners downstairs are also a real bargain at $50 prix-fixe.

Cab fare from the City to Chez Panisse and back will cost you as much as if not more than the meal. However, it is a breeze to get to by BART. Top of the Mark will be easy to reach no matter which hotel you choose. You can take a cable car there! Admittedly based on only one visit, but I'd put 1550 Hyde in the "quite bad to just unremarkable" category. Nowhere in the league of Quince, Zuni, Danko, CP, etc. Squeat

I was curious, too, since I had never heard of these "gourmet" fast food places. Googling "gourmet McDonald's San Diego" turned up this article. Cheers, Squeat

You'll find lots of suggestions and discussion on this thread. You can't go wrong at any of the three restaurants you mention (though I have not been to Aqua for some time). You might add Gary Danko to the list, and Oliveto in Oakland. Zuni Cafe is a uniquely San Francisco experience you might consider, possibly for lunch. Since you say you enjoy Italian and French, at the risk of sounding like a broken record (anyone remember those?), I'll again mention that my current favorite dining experience in town is at Quince. Very romantic and charming room with excellent and creative Mediterranean-inspired food (including some amazing housemade pasta dishes) and terrific service. Other eGulleteers who have been have also given favorable reports. (If you decide to go to Quince, reserve early. The dining room is tiny and books up well in advance.) Katie's suggestion for sunset cocktails at the Top of the Mark is an excellent one. Cheers, and enjoy your visit to San Francisco! Squeat