SobaAddict70

When I get to SFO, I'm probably going to have other things on my mind apart from eating. Call it a hunch.

We went to Tartine and didn't bother taking pix because of the monumental attitude that seeps from its pores. But the cake we bought sure tasted good. If only they would have cut a slice for B when asked instead of saying "we don't do that". There was a sign that stated just that (that slices were okay), however there was only one such cake left and it was the one on display. We ended up buying something else iirc.

I have a morning flight tomorrow ... what possessed me to buy those tix six months ago for a flight that early? I think it's something like 8 am. It means I have to get up at the ungodly hour of 4 am and be out the door by 4:30 so I can get to the airport and be past security (I hate waiting in line which is, despite what people will tell you, the unofficial sport of New York City). So much for being able to buy your own food to take it on the plane; I won't have time. More later....

I'm interested in hearing if you have any recs for Filipino and Vietnamese food in SF.

Now that I've seen pix of the exterior, it was Parada 22. We'll have to go there for lunch, I think.

1. We didn't think to do so at the time. A minor quibble to an otherwise great experience. 2. I've never seen something like that, so that was a new experience to me. It might be common in China but it's not so common where I live, in the places I tend to frequent. 3. I'm sure the Mission is full of places to explore but since it's my third trip to the City, give me time. I'll get to them eventually. I prefer to discover things organically than have a plan, particularly when traveling. Thanks!

Magic? I might have time to make the roasted cauliflower salad tomorrow night depending on whether I manage to finish some leftovers tonight.

It's not a nabe we've explored much. Maybe this time will be different.

I don't remember, only that it was on the same street as this mural: There were a number of things on the menu that I very rarely get the chance to eat, like pasteles. Hopefully it's still there and not driven out because of high rents.

Yes, actually. It's a very well-equipped kitchen. Definitely a keeper, just like B.

So, many of you have seen my kitchen which I affectionately call my "hobbit hole". But for those of you who haven't, here's another pic: It's a room that's roughly 6' x 7'. To the left is a small nook that contains a garbage pail and a window sill atop which has part of my cookbook collection. On the other hand, THIS is what B's kitchen looks like: It's such a dream to cook in. He even has a Kitchen-Aid mixer on top of one of the cabinets. (*sigh*)

We didn't have the chowder, but I imagine it's in a bread bowl. The RG store is fun; I have to physically restrain myself from spending too much money while in there. We have no plans, but I know I want to explore some of the cheaper/"ethnic" places in San Francisco. There was a nice Puerto Rican restaurant I noted when I was there in August, in the Haight. I also want to wander around Chinatown for a bit. Thursday (June 26), I'm taking B to Kin Khao for dinner. There'll also be lots of cooking pix, naturally, and get-togethers with friends. My next trip after this one will be in December.

Some more pix from my January trip.... A bread vendor in the Ferry Building Weird fruit (?) I should have bought some chocolate. Maybe I will this time around. Closeup pic of mushrooms at a vendor in the Ferry Building. Since it was late January/early February when I was there last, it was the height of crab season in the Bay Area. This pic was shot at Fisherman's Wharf. You can tell by the schlock. NATURALLY there's an Applebee's. (*gag*)

yup, that's a brunch menu Crispy oyster, bacon and scallion scrambled eggs, with cheddar cheese grits and buttermilk biscuit Andouille sausage and cheddar omelette, cheese grits and buttermilk biscuit Beignets. These had molten Ghirardelli chocolate sauce inside. Not something I would order again, although they made for mighty fine eating the day after (for breakfast). I have a new camera now, as you know. The one I was using to take these pix died in April, so you can expect better pix this time around.

And you know, I just couldn't visit San Francisco and not eat at Chez Panisse, which might as well be the castle where the Holy Grail of seasonality is kept. Chez Panisse 1517 Shattuck Avenue (Vine Street) Berkeley We had: Rocket, with marinated beets, preserved lemon and mint Perfectly dressed, as expected. Beet, red cabbage and potato soup, with horseradish cream. Not exactly your bubbe's borscht. Grilled chicken breast and leg, with pancetta, rosemary, cannellini bean purée and escarole. B pronounced this excellent. Provencal fish and shellfish stew, with wild fennel, aioli and saffron. Someone in the kitchen has a heavy hand with salt with is regrettable, because the salt totally overpowered the delicate flavors in the stew. Beautiful presentation however; sorry for the poor pic quality. There's a reason why I don't do restaurant food photography anymore. Pink Lady apple and sour cherry galette, with crème fraîche.

And some pix from August 2013: Would you believe that photograph of a bunch of grapes sells for $175? After I shot that photograph, B took me to Sur La Table. My kind of place. Looking forward to more...

I call it a "saga" because my partner, let's call him "B" for now, lives in San Francisco. We see each other every few months and keep in touch with each other via the power of Greyskull the palantír of Isengard the wonders of modern technology. I'm flying out to San Francisco in a few days, but in reality it will have been my third trip out in the past 12 months. I figured I'd start this thread so I can update all y'all on my foodie adventures in the City. Some pix from last time (in January 2014): A mushroom vendor inside the Ferry Building. Someone on Facebook said that this was a boring menu. What do you think? Brenda's 652 Polk Street (Eddy Street) The Tenderloin We had brunch at Savor. Savor 3913 24th Street (Sanchez Street) Noe Valley Below: Crab cakes on english muffin with poached eggs topped with spicy cajun hollandaise; home fries; fruit cup. Grilled pork loin with basil, cilantro, cucumber, tomatoes & jalapeno Dijon aioli on a French roll; beer-battered french fries; mixed green salad. Chicken breast on sourdough with smoked bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes & mayonnaise. Never been in one; have to check them out eventually. Would you pay $32 for a bowl of cioppino even if it had crab in it? There was brunch at Greens -- better known as the restaurant that Deborah Madison opened in 1979 after her stint at Chez Panisse. Greens 204 Bay Street, #A (Powell Street)) Yellow Finn potato griddle cakes with leeks, manchego, parsley and chives; romesco, crème fraiche and herb salad. Corn tortillas with roasted butternut squash, poblano chilies, peppers, grilled onions, Rancho Gordo beans, cheddar, cilantro, napa cabbage, avocado, tomatillo salsa and crème fraiche. Quivira Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Dry Creek Valley Wild mushroom and leek pizza with asiago, grana padano, thyme and arugula Warm cauliflower salad with crisp capers, pine nuts, mint, tarragon mustard vinaigrette and shaved pecorino fiore sardo. Orecchiette with Knoll Farm rapini, Juliet tomatoes, spring onions, green garlic, olive oil, pepper flakes, bread crumbs and grana padano Butterscotch pot de crème, with whipped cream and pecan shortbread cookies. Flourless chocolate torte, espresso ice cream, cocoa nibs There was also a visit to an izakaya for dinner near the end of my visit. Oyaji 3123 Clement Street (33rd Avenue) Outer Richmond Hijiki Motsu-ni -- Pork intestine braised in miso, with tofu, daikon and carrot Grilled salmon onigiri Grilled pork tongue Grilled pork belly Hoshiebi kakiage -- deep fried vegetables and dried shrimp cakes in light tempura batter Fried smelts

Try these: http://food52.com/blog/9814-9-curry-recipes-to-spice-up-your-winter-routine When I cook Indian, it tends to be vegetarian or vegan. I won't bother with those. Some more ideas: Pork vindaloo: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/69386-pork-vindaloo/?hl=curry Chicken makhni: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/25552-makhnibutter-chicken/?hl=curry#entry353971 (you'd have to use tinned or canned tomatoes here) Kori Ghashi: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/118504-madras-chicken-curry/?hl=curry#entry1600494 (scroll down, the OP has three different chicken curry recipes) Those should be enough to get you started.

I adore short ribs but it's something I don't eat all that often. Reminds me of some short rib empanadas I bought from a food truck last week. Was the pie crust from scratch?

Sunday -- dessert. Apart from the parameters in your original post, are there any preferences? Pastry? Chilled desserts? Simple or slightly more complicated? Fruit/chocolate/nuts? Anything that involves dairy? I'll have a list later, and also this might help folks who chime in with ideas of their own.

It doesn't have to be wine. If you're using broth, make sure it's good quality broth, preferably made from scratch. Water is fine.

Okay. "Curry" is pretty broad. Does it have to be a particular type of curry or can it be any style? Indian? Thai? Japanese? Caribbean? The reason why I ask is because I have a few resources I can pull from, but I need a little more information so I know what direction to go.

for the ground beef, there's meatloaf. here's a thread that gives you all sorts of ideas. sausages -- try roasting them with sliced sweet peppers and roasted potatoes. another idea is this recipe on my blog: http://kitchenseasons.com/2013/06/25/italian-sausage-with-green-grapes/ (sub the sausages you have for the italian sausage in the recipe.) salmon -- broiled, with salt and pepper and a little bit of oil; or poached in broth and a little white wine, with herbs (reduce the poaching liquid with butter to make a simple pan sauce). another idea are these recipes on Food52: http://food52.com/recipes/search?q=salmon for Saturday, does it have to be curries? because if not, I can think of A LOT more options.

one favorite is green beans with anchovy and lemon. trim the beans by snapping off the tips, particularly the stem end. bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, then add the beans and cook until they're bright green and crisp-tender. drain, then shock in ice water. next, take each bean and split them in two by slicing them lengthwise. this can be a little tedious, depending on how much you have. if you have help, it takes less time of course. warm a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, along with a couple of crushed garlic cloves. if you add the cloves to the cold oil, the garlic will infuse the oil with its flavor than if you had warmed the oil without the cloves. fry the cloves until they turn color, then remove them from the oil. add an anchovy fillet to the oil; mash the fillet with your spatula or the back of a wooden spoon. the anchovy will disintegrate into the sauce. add thinly sliced lemon (about 1 lemon is fine), as well as 2-3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley. cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. add the beans to the skillet. toss the beans, making sure they're well-coated by the flavored oil, the lemon and the herbs. cook until the beans are warmed through. taste for salt and pepper, then serve at once.

I don't think you necessarily need ancho chile; if you can source some kind of dried chile pepper in China that's relatively mild and sweet but has a touch of heat, you should be okay. The paste is wonderful in all sorts of things. Besides the fried tomatoes Patrick mentions and the carrot salad in the Jerusalem thread, I used a scant teaspoon in the chicken with onion and sumac pictured in last night's dinner post. It also appears in tonight's stufato di verdure. This version of stufato features Moroccan oil-cured olives that I marinated in lemon juice, fennel seed and a teaspoon of filfel chuma for a couple of days.