cookingwithamy

Thanks for mentioning my blog as a favorite! I just posted about cardoons this morning... Some of my recent favorites are written by folks in the food biz: David Lebovitz In Praise of Sardines MattBites Happy to talk to anyone about my blog or any of the other excellent ones out there cheers, Amy Cooking with Amy

Boulevard is a good place to order meat dishes, even simpler things like pork chops really sing. I would skip the fish dishes (other than the tartare). That said there is always a version of tuna tartare appetizer on the menu that is worth ordering. Foie gras is good here too. The desserts are great--especially anything with caramel. The menu changes all the time so it's hard to say for sure what will be available. I haven't been since last November.

In addition to Izakaya Nonbei, Imanas Tei was one of my favorites--also Momomo

There was a wedding reception happening at Mariposa when I ate there a couple of weeks ago, it's a gorgeous room and the food and service is terrific.

If you sit at the bar and order "omokase style" from Jason the sushi chef, I think Okoze on Union at Hyde is the best around. Kabuto on Geary gets very high marks as well.

I would suggest Boulevard. It's pricey but it's excellent and will really give you the California experience. That said, Gary Danko is also very good. Neither are as innovative as French Laundry, but you'll have a memorable meal at either place.

I'm going! It's a lot of fun. I always try to write a review of the show and the trends I see on my site. You have to be careful not to eat everything in sight because not all of it is that great to begin with and eating mustard + chocolate + olives + jam + cheese + vinegar = tummy ache! I find it best to eat only the savory stuff then go back for the sweets. Also if you are not an exhibitor you are prevented from taking samples off the show floor so you have to be very sneaky if you want to smuggle stuff home!

I have agree with Krys. I ate at 1550 Hyde last week for the first time and did not order the Dine About Town menu but my husband did. We were blown away by the meal. I will try to reconstruct it and blog about it soon but I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Briefly, we had the liver pate, split pea soup, the chicken roasted under a brick, the rabbit, and shared the carrot cake. The quality of everything was wonderful and I have to admit my expectations were rather high since so many people have raved about this place. The portions were very large and everything had a unique quality to it that made it feel special and unexpected, such as the split pea soup which had a nice smokiness to it or the carrot cake with pine nuts and when was the last time you had carrot cake served warm? Even the polenta was special--it had a rustic rosemary flavor and fluffy texture as opposed to the super-creamy type I am used to.

I've had only good experiences at Hayes Street Grill. Swans is excellent, but only if you are interested in the limited things they do--oysters on the half shell, seafood cockatils and salads. Chowder is ok, but that's it. I'd also add Lulu for seafood, their mussels are outrageous as is the fish, whatever the preparation. Lulu has been around a while, but I've never been disappointed, the only downside can be the noise level.

I'd add Aqua, very good and elegant. Farallon has gone downhill from what I've heard though in the past it was terrific. Kabuto and Ino are great for sushi. If you go to either try ordering omokase style where you let the sushi chef order for you. Also if you want a great Chinese seafood dinner try Happy Garden on Clement, under the radar but excellent and cheap. I wrote a review of it a while back Happy Garden post

Swenson's on Hyde also makes homemade eggnog this time of year and some "seasonal ice creams" such as a spicy pumpkin and rum raisin, both worth seeking out. The Swenson's on Hyde is the original one and not part of the chain, btw.

I'm just glad all that low-carb crap can't be pinned on us! It's a NY Atkins South Beach thang...but in regards to the Southern California culinary scene there are plenty of good places to eat and interesting trends coming from there as well. I also think the LA Times food section is excellent, and a reflection of the local appetite.

I'm curious, has the book actually been banned or is it just destined to be banned? The quote from Bourdain speaks about articles being cut, not libraries. Just wondering here...can anyone confirm?

I'll be in Seattle on Wednesday and will hit the market (Pike Place) I plan to stock up on chanterelles to take home to the Bay Area. While I hope to do the whole market, any particular vendors to seek out? Also any other top picks? Isn't there a good spice market too? Much appreciated!

You can get authentic NY H&H bagels at Crossroads Cafe in South Park/Embarcaqdero. They are very good. The SF Chron wrote something about the bagels at Miller's East West on Polk being expensive ($1 each) but also being authentic and good. Happy bagel hunting!

Just went this weekend so they are still serving. Perhaps it is technically brunch since they serve until 2pm. Good for late risers! Another good Latin American place is Chavo's for yummy machaca breakfasts. Not much atmophere but good breakfasts...they moved to Mission street a year or so ago.

Chaat Cafe is very good and has locations in SF and Berkeley you can check out the menu this is just a sample and not the complete menu by the way

This thread seems to have veered off from the breakfast theme, but I have to mention that I just had breakfast at Miss Millies's on 24th St in Noe Vallley and it was obscenely good. Here are the mneu descriptions of the two items we had: Dungeness Crab Hash with roasted potatoes, Cipollini onions, spinach, a trio of peppers and peas topped with poached eggs, a mellow pepper sauce, creme fraiche and sourdough toast Roasted Poblano Peppers filled with chorizo, potatoes, Manchego and Jack cheese, onions and jalapenos, served on tomatillo salsa with Spanish scrambled eggs with cilantro, scallions and chili sauce topped with chipotle crema.

Too funny! I'm glad to see more and more people are discovering blogs and bloggers and that wonderful writers are surfacing. I just think blogs are one more interesting outlet for people who want to share their thoughts and experiences about all things culinary. eGullet, craigslist food forum, they all make life more interesting...

Within walking distance is Russian Hill Bookstore 2234 Polk St. (Polk @ Vallejo) phone: 415.929.0997 They have a surprisingly good selection of used cookbooks. Have fun on the search!

Went to hear Fergus speak yesterday as part of his book tour at the San Francisco Sur La Table (which is at the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace) His whole tour schedule is posted on this site http://www.harpercollins.com/catalog/book_...isbn=0060585366 He was very entertaining, so I went ahead and blogged about it at on my site Cooking with Amy http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/

I could never get past his smarmy patronizing manner. I was creeped out by him long before the charges came to light. I still haven't seen anything posted here that changes my mind about him. He was no culinary genius but if people learned from him, fine.

Wondering which blogs are favored among egulleters, and any other top pick lists, in addition to the ones listed that received notice in Forbes best food blogs and Gourmet of course. Personally some of my favorites are: http://101cookbooks.com/ For the Forbes and Gourmet list: http://www.forbes.com/technology/2003/09/3...d_0930food.html http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/i...rmetarticle.jpg

While it sounds great: Masa's Kaiseki Menu (offered January - May 2004) -Sample Only, Changes Daily- Scrambled Eggs black truffles, santa barbara sea urchin *** Matsutake Soup shaved matsutakes, yuzu essence *** Sashimi of Toro osetra caviar, cucumber gelee *** Grilled Big Fin Squid soba noodles, spicy chicken broth *** Poached Sea Bass chanterelle mushroom ragout, geoduck clams, fresh wasabi *** Steamed Maine Lobster seasonal mixed greens warm meyer lemon vinaigrette *** Shabu Shabu of Beef Ribeye melted foie gras, glass noodles, ponzu essence *** Black Truffle Risotto shaved black truffles, diver scallops *** Pear Aspic poached pear pearls, jasmine tea *** Tangerine Charlotte candied yam, tangerine sherbet For $150 per person it's well beyond my price range for a birthday dinner.

Delighted indeed! Kappa was nothing short of amazing. The menu was very limited so I have no doubt there are other things available you have to ask for. There were a few things not written in English but the listings included sashimi, fried pork, simmered sardines, grilled chicken wings, grilled fish, grilled unagi, and sashimi. The plates are very small so it would takes quite a few to make a meal. There were no fewer than 15 diferent sakes available. We had the prix fixe meal which cost $75. Can't even remember all the small dishes they brought out but I'll try--monkfish liver with various garnishes and and a spicy ponzu type sauce, bamboo root with pepper miso, homemade egg tofu with crab and lime zest garnish, large slices of pickled radishes from Kyoto, to-die-for sashimi--the kind that melts in your mouth one slice hamachi, two slices tuna belly I think, super high fat content, a slice of clam, and the sweetest freshest uni I think I've ever had all served with fresh ground wasabi real not bright green reconstituted powder. One plate of assorted bites that included asparagus in a sesame paste, surimi in daikon and shiso, a homemade unagi with a fresh shiso leaf, a large poached shrimp with some kind of sauce and a mini piece of mochi stuffed with red bean paste. After this came a piece of glazed rock cod perhaps with sake lees? and three fried treats--a panko encrusted piece of halibut, a fish cake and a breaded shitake mushroom stuffed with shrimp paste. For dessert some agar, red bean paste and green tea ice cream and cups of green teas. Other than the fact it wasn't particularly seasonal, it felt very similar to a kaiseki meal. The evening went by leisurely and the chef/owner and his wife seemed to take real pleasure in being there smiling and bustling about serving the rest of the folks at the bar. It really felt like being in Japan again. Very little English spoken, a self-contained Japanese environment hidden away at the top of the stairs above the Japantown Denny's of all places with not even a sign in English. We polished off two large hakkaisan sake so the bill with tip and tax was $230, Well worth it for such artistry.