SobaAddict70

I thought this was taken out as a result of Vatican II, along with saying Mass in Latin. Maybe that would explain why the food service in our cafeteria at work serves fish on Fridays. (The food service is run by Marriott, a corporation that's backed by Mormons, so go figure.) I could be wrong however... SA

eeek! SA

More like a Japanese version of Chinese fish balls. Gefilte fish and pickled herring are two things I try to stay away from....ESPECIALLY the herring. (Em, disgusting comes to mind.) SA PS. they had fresh wasabi, which was NOT added to our bill. also the sushi is handed out piece by piece, as opposed to all at once -- unless you're NOT sitting at the sushi bar (in which case it comes out all at once). This is a distinct change from their previous arrangement. JB is a very good value for the amount of money we spent last night. Its Sushi Heaven to me as far as I'm concerned. I like the ambiance, the attention to detail and the initimate quarters. The food speaks for itself. But I suppose its not for everyone. *shrug*

Ahhhh (a sigh of contentment).....I think that if I could eat at one restaurant, once a week, for the rest of my life, it would probably be JB. Dinner tonight, at JB with g. and yvonne johnson. We sat at the sushi bar. JB has rearranged their omakase menu since the last time I was there. Now there are two levels, one at $50 and up -- just sushi or sashimi, and one at $75 which is the chef's omakase tasting menu. We chose the latter option, so without further ado, here's a recap: 1. enoki mushroom caps in gelee, shiso leaf garnish 2. salad of arugula, chives and greens, wild mushrooms, cha-soba noodles 3. o-toro tartare, osetra caviar, avocado topping (radish and kirby cucumber garnish) 4. wild herring roe sashimi, with seaweed (topped with bonito flakes); jellyfish sashimi, with seaweed, served in a cup (topped with gomasio) 5. yuzu-infused broth, scallions, ground yellowtail dumplings (slice of yuzu floating in the broth) 6. sashimi 7. sushi (in no particular order): a) toro, marinated in sake for three hours, topped with grated ginger; b) parrotfish, sauced with soy glaze and yuzu pepper; c) amberjack, sauced with a soy glaze; d) ground mackerel, topped with minced ginger, scallions and gomasio; e) white sweet shrimp ("sweeter than your normal ebi", according to the chef); f) giant clam sushi; g) anago (sea eel) sushi -- think of unagi, but without the customary soy/mirin glaze and uncooked; h) enoki mushroom sushi -- enoki mushrooms, broiled for a few minutes; i) seared o-toro sushi (this was seared with a blowtorch; the experience was like eating silken butter -- to die for); j) King River salmon (from New Zealand); k) Japanese grunt fish. 8. Coconut-litchi sorbet. 9. Dessert by Francois Payard -- green tea meringue, enclosing an exotic fruit filling. Accompanying this feast was a sake tasting (although yvonne and g. can probably attest to this as I declined, noting my notorious alcohol sensitivity). Of particular note is the special dessert sake, which is an ume plum sake (according to Jack, a "rice vodka"), but I'll let the johnsons describe THAT set of experiences. All told, a wonderful evening (both dinner and company). SA edit: added mention of grunt fish.

I recommend Goya, also for kidney beans. SA

2k situps? No crunches? I'm impressed, stranger. emmm, I'm not *quite* up to that level of punishment yet. more like the far outer fringe. heh. SA

Shredded duck meat and skin from a local takeout Cantonese palace, shredded red cooked chicken (homemade, btw) -- stir-fried with veggies (carrots, broccoli, choy sum, straw mushrooms, reconstituted Chinese black mushrooms, onions, ginger, garlic), mushroom soy,a little of the mushroom soaking water, chicken stock, arrowroot (I use arrowroot in place of cornstarch.) Sprinkled a little sesame oil, added a pinch of five-spice powder, added minced scallions at the end. Steamed rice. Szechuan pickled turnips. Jasmine tea. Clementines. SA

If nothing else, the word "bread" alone would make for a very interesting restaurant name. I'm assuming its never been done before. hm, if things go well this time around, I'd like to participate. (I suck at baking, but I can cook something. Bruschetta topping, maybe.) SA

sauteed scallops in unsalted butter, lime zest (reduction of lime juice, unsalted butter, salt and white pepper) roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts, drizzle of EVOO couscous (chicken stock, chopped herbs) Evian. Roasted bananas, black pepper, Haagen-Dasz vanilla. SA

This is one of those "I don't know the name of the restaurant but I know where its located". A Vietnamese place on Divisadero one block away from Gamescape. (Gamescape is a game/hobby shop between Oak and Page on Divisadero.) Its on the SE corner of Divisadero and Page, I think. A Vietnamese/Thai place on Larkin, within 3 blocks of Geary, on the left side of the street as you're heading towards Market. I highly recommend it for their pho and jap soi (sp). Can't think of others right now, but I'm sure something will pop up eventually. SA

Heh, touche. I thought FW had something like tall ships (SS has a couple docked, so I was expecting something along those lines). But that's just my opinion. I may be wrong, but that was my perception of the famous FW -- all myth and no substance. I like my crabs in a heap, on top of lots of newspapers and with bibs and crab picks provided. Best like they do it down South (although they also do it in Chinatown and in the Philippines and elsewhere.) We won't go into what makes me happy. SA

Maybe you're easily impressed, Jason. I wasn't. My reaction: Is that all there is? I was expecting so much more. Quite a let down if you ask me. As for fucking crabs, etc., let's not go there, ok? hehe SA

Having seen FW first hand, I can personally attest to Dstone's view. It's even less than that. Think of a group of loud, obnoxious smelling seafood stands with shrimp, shellfish and fried stuff catering to out of towners and a few shops selling schlock. Throw in a seal sanctuary (for real) and that's all you get. Actually, the seals are the best part. Everything else (seriously...) is just for show/tourists. Dstone, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the seal sanctuary slightly outside FW? My sense of geography isn't up to speed. Thanks. SA

Unless you're like me in which case, I eat all the carbs I want and I still have a 29" waist. (Yeah, ppl, its not true that once you turn 31, things go to hell....only if you're an ectomorph like me. heh. so maybe in your next life, if you happen to have the right parents, you won't be in the position you're in now.) Life without carbs = pure hell. Yay. SA

Oh, really? The New Yorker article also delved a little into the inner workings of the Babbo waitstaff if memory serves. It's not terribly pretty. Wise is the waitperson who realizes that your continued goodwill depends on his continued attentions. Sorry it didn't turn out like that. I'm not a wine drinker so I'll have to take your word for it. ::nudge:: That said, I don't remember much about the sommelier at the last dinner we had (Wilfrid, help me out a little), although I did find the "priming of the wine glasses" to be VERY gimmicky. (But what do I know?) SA

Thank you phaelon. What he said. (For the record, my inability to successfully enjoy alcohol stems from genetics as well as a lacking personal track record. Hence, the "horrendously overpriced mineral water". If only more waters were like Evian... *sigh*) SA

Tuesday: broiled chicken breasts (marinated in garlic, yogurt, zaatar and a little garam masala). lemon rice. plum chatni. cauliflower, tomato and paneer with spiced yogurt sauce. Cinnamon lassi. SA

grated or sliced ginger? thanks. will probably try to dupe it at home. SA

Grits are wonderful, especially when eaten with jambalaya or Cajun spice-rubbed broiled pork chops, smothered in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, andouille sausage, onions, garlic and spices. I wonder if you can substitute them for hominy in posole. (Probably not though.) SA

Jin, for the sardines, how much ginger in the cavity? the gohan with nori sounds great. method please? thanx, SA

Taking a break from other threads, and while eating: Tonight (Monday): Spicy carrot potage: sauteed onions and leeks in unsalted butter, added sliced carrots, and a medium peeled red-skinned potato. Homemade chicken stock. Simmered for a bit, pureed in a blender. Returned to pot, added heavy cream, salt and pepper, garam masala, a T. of orange blossom honey. Simmered for a few minutes. Topped with slices of roasted carrot which had been tossed with a little honey and a splash of orange flower water. A baguette, a green salad (assorted greens, sliced tomatoes, red onion rings) w/ a white wine viniagrette. Iced green tea w/ honey and lemon. Later on: Orange sections macerated in simple syrup and a splash of limoncello. SA

My god, are you going to parse everything I say too? Obviously Babbo isn't on your "I like x" list. So it isn't too much to say that you "don't like Babbo" or that you "don't care for Babbo". Of course you didn't say that you "don't like Babbo". But it was implied. Also, in point of fact, you didn't answer the question of whether or not you like Po, only that you've eaten there a certain number of times. Babbo is a direct derivation of Po, and like it or not, the two places are very similar, right down to the flavor concept behind several dishes and the dishes themselves. The steamed cockles with Thai basil is an indirect derivation of the pasta with clams and chiles that is sometimes on Po's menu. Ditto for the lamb chops. The mint love letters are on both Po's and Babbo's menu. The two are not that very different so I was wondering why SteveP had a better experience at x and not at y. As for the pc being inedible, I never said that it wasn't eaten, only that this is a dessert that's hard to mess up. You can read into that any number of things... SA

I remember B&B from years past. Those were the days. On Babbo, the cuisine is such that either you like it or you don't. I prefer to stick to an app, a pasta and a dessert. I don't really much care for Batali's sometimes overbold flavors when it comes to his mains, but that's more my preference than anything else. I tend to go for the simpler desserts (i.e., berries with balsamic vinegar and pepper). Its surprising to me that the panna cotta was inedible, but oh well. PC is one of those desserts that's hard to mess up -- all it is is milk, sugar and gelatin with the addition of saffron, cardamom and glazed pears. Maybe it was an off night. Its interesting to note that SteveP mentions he liked Po but not Babbo, so it begs the question of did he like Po while Batali was there or Po after Batali moved on, because some dishes at Babbo are derived from Po's menu, and the same flavor theory works either way. (Actually, IMO, Po has degenerated since Mario left, but that's another story entirely.) Regardless of how people feel about Babbo on this site, it remains one of my favorite restaurants (the spring menu has a sweet pea flan that is to die for). In fact, a few egulleteers and I have a reservation there in early January. SA

Including making their own wonton wrappers? Well, then have you ever heard of such a place? SA

I once heard of this restaurant via Gourmet magazine (pre-Ruth Reichl of course), but I've never gone there. Supposedly, Chiam is famous for making everything from scratch, right down to their roast pork. They never use anything substandard (i.e., canned water chestnuts or bamboo shoots), and they believe in pairing French wines to Chinese food. I'm not sure if this place is still in existence or if its still up to the level of its Gourmet review, but I would appreciate your thoughts about this. FYI, Chiam is located (or perhaps, was located) in the midtown area, on the east side. SA