kalypso

I don't think Bite is higher end than either Costa Brava or The Fish Market. I think if you eat early you'll be okay. If you're concerned call the restaurant and ask. Or, if you show up and get attitude, you can always decamp for Mama Testa's which is literally right next door and kids of all ages are always welcome there

Caffe Calabria - North Park Pannikin - La Jolla Zumbar Coffee - Sorrento Valley Cafe Virtuoso - mainly a roaster by they also sell their brewed coffees at the Little Italy farmers market on Sat. mornings.

I don't disagree with you on the abundance of Rick photos...shameless self promotion on his part. But...I also know you are way into Mexican and Latin music and that your knowledge of it runs pretty deep. I can see where you might think his play lists were shallow. OTOH, most likely the vast majority of people cooking out of this cookbook probably don't have your level of experience with Mexican/Latin music and may appreciate the suggestions. Yeah, some of them are somewhat trite, but hey, it's his party and most of the suggestions are readily available. The recipes themselves all look pretty solid. I can hardly wait to try the Mezcal or Champagne Margaritas. TGIF I also don't think we should hijack G-Rats party thread.

Big - BIG - B-I-G second to RGs suggestion. I received this book in the mail earlier this week and finally had some time last night to sit down and go through it. All I can say is WOW, I think Rick has outdone himself with this book. It's smart, sophisticated, witty and the recipes made me want to start cooking right away. Loved some of the ideas for melding Mexican flavor profiles with contemporary dishes and trends. I also liked that he included a music play list for most of his fiesta menus.

G-Rat, what a great menu, wish I was coming to dinner. I agree with Chris' point about the tacos and I think Jaymes' suggestion for Pescado Veracruzano is excellent...in fact when I read your thread yesterday afternoon, that's exactly what I was going to suggest. Doing a whole fish makes a great presentation. If you're not up for doing that, you can use almost any firm flesh fish with the sauce. I also have a couple of other suggetions for you in the entree category. You mentioned Zarela Martinez, if you've got her Veracruz cookbook there are a couple of recipes in there that are really good...well, actually, everything I've cooked out of that cookbook has been good, but I think these two would fit your bill nicely. One is easy the other is easy but requires some time and a little skill with Mexican techniques. Check out the Mole de Xico recipe. It is absolutely fabulous and it's vegetarian, or can be made vegetarian pretty easily. I served it to a vegan this past weekend. The recipe is time consuming, no doubt about it. I made it earlier this year and it took 4 hours from start to finish. When it's done you've got a mole paste, tho' for your purposes, you could probably use it before it cooked down to that consistency. You can split the sauce and use some of it with chicken or pork for the meat eaters, and use the other part of the sauce with an assortment of steamed vegetables (chayote, carrots, green beans, potatoes) for the vegetarians and it will even work for vegans if you don't use lard to fry the ingredients or chicken stock as added liquid. This is a really good mole recipe, it's very regional and somewhat sweeter than moles from central Mexico or Oaxaca due to the large volume of fruit used in it. It is well worth the effort to make. What you don't use freezes extremely well and will hold in the freezer for a long time if well sealed. The easier recipe is Pebre de Pollo, which appears to have some antecedents in the Spanish/Moorish culinary tradition. Like the Veracruzana sauce for fish, this one uses stuffed olives and capers, but veers off into a much different flavor profile with apples, onions and other savory ingredients. The thing that impressed me with this recipe was how well balanced the sauce was. All the ingredients really came together to create something delicious and unique with no single ingredient or flavor standing out or over powering the others. Good luck with your cooking and your party. Sounds like you're on the right track

Has anyone had any experiences with Randell refrigeration equipment, specifically reach-ins? The kitchen designer doing a new unit for us has speced a Randell single door reach-in for a small, satellite catering prep space. I've been purchasing refrigeration equipment for a number of years and this is a new manufacturer to me. The kitchen designer says it "gets good reviews" which tells me he hasn't done much work with this brand, or enough work with it to get feedback from other clients, or doesn't have much experience with it. It's been speced because it is cost effective. Before I say no to it and go for the Traulsen, I'm trying to find people to talk to that have had experience with Randell refrigeration. I'm concerned about repair record and their life span. I've got multiple Traulsens right now that are 35+ years old and while not the most energy efficient units, they are exceptionally reliable and don't require much other than some routine servicing once or twice a year. Thanks

I think the show was Food Jammers. I saw the soda episode on Monday. They were mildly amusing but like you, I quickly lost interest. I'm not in their targeted age range (i.e. YOUNG) and I am not especially engaged by stoners/hosers (literally in this episode) trying to be cool only to come off as contrived. For me it was kind of like the geeky version of "hey kids let's put on a show" but a lot less entertaining. There was a point in my 20, and even early 30s where the fun and novelty of this concept would have been appealing to me, not so much any more.

Because right now, all it is is retread of chefs that can cook Mario, Sara, Julia, etal can actually cook. Caught a couple of the foreign import shows (Italian and Australian) earlier this week. Not bad, but the whole format is tired.

I live in San Diego. New and newer construction is more likely to have gas, it's not that uncommon here. Condos are going to be more likely to be gas than apartments. Some of the bigger apartment complexes catering to young professionals are going to have gas. At the risk of incurring the ire of eGullet, you're probably going to get more help on San Diego specific questions on Chowhound. There is a San Diego board that is very, very active. Unfortunately, the CA board here on eGullet tends to go in spurts and the information specific to SD is pretty sparse. I have to say the people are nicer on this board, but you'll get more answers to your San Diego specfic questions here at this link

I have not experienced bitter crema and I usually have a jar of it in the fridge. The 2 most common brands in my area are Cacique and El Mexicano. I prefer Cacique, but I've never had bitter product from either of these two companies. My experience has been that commercial crema has a very long shelf life and is good for weeks after the "use by" date. Most of the crema I've purchased has ranged from sweet to somewhat sour like a mild sour cream. When in doubt, throw it out...or in this case try and return it.

Franci I really have to echo FrogPrincess, San Diego has some exceptional farmers markets. Right now Little Italy or Hillcrest are the the 2 heavyweights. Both of them have highly regarded and respected local farmers, and producers. Little Italy also has a vendor selling locally harvested sea urchin, which is acknoweledged to be some of the best in the world. LI also has a meat vendor selling locally grown, grass fed beef. You can find at least 2 of the better local cheese shops represented as well as several bakeries and olive oil produced by Italians. Here's the link to the list of local farmers markets For fresh fish you've got 4 options Catalina Offshore Point Loma Seafood Blue Water Grillwhich is a combination restaurant and fish market. I've never purchased a bad piece of fish from them and they will gladly prep the fresh fish however you'd like, i.e. boned, skinned, fileted, etc. The 4th choice would be either Whole Foods in Hillcrest which has a great seafood counter,tho' it is very pricey, or the 99 Ranch Market on Clairmont Mesa Blvd. The later is an Asian grocery store chain. They've got tanks and tanks of live fish and shellfish at very good prices. They'll also clean and prep the live fish to your specifications. I usually do not purchase fresh fish from them on weekends because they super stock the tanks and I think they are overcrowded. You will have some difficulty sourcing good Italian products. Even though SD has a neighborhood called Little Italy, SD never had a large Italian population to begin with. That which it did have has been pretty well assimilated into the overall community. Your two best bets are probably Assenti's Pasta Mona Lisa Both are in Little Italy. Hands down the best gelato in town is at Papplecco and there are a lot of Italian ex-pats and Italophiles that hang there. The Italian Cultural Centeris very active in SD and would be a good resource for you in finding particular items in SD. San Diego has a reasonably sized Asian population. Most of the restaurants and stores are located on Convoy St. in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood. You will find Vietnamese and Japanese markets to be partciularly well represented. Geographically, San Diego covers a large area. Do you know yet in what part of the county you'll be living. That will make some difference as to what's readily available (i.e. you don't have to drive a long way to find it)and for what you're really going to have to travel. The links I've provided above are for purveyors in the central part of San Diego, if you are in North County, they would be at least 30 mintues away from there. And finally, I can't close without recommending one of the best kept grocery secrets in San Diego - Northgate Market on 43rd St. This is the Disneyland of Mexican markets. While the Asian influence is strong in SD, the predominant influence is undeniably Latin, and in particular Mexican. Mexican markets are good sources for a lot of things, particularly produce. Northgate has an enormous produce department and the quality is better than anything in the local grocery stores and in some cases equal or better than what you can get at a farmers market. Their in-house bakery is very good. Bolillos, very, very similar to french bread and baguetts, are sold hot from the oven 4/$1.00. Quality is good. Even if you don't shop there regularly,it's worth a visit just to check it out, particularly on a Saturday when they're firing on all pistons and have lots of sampling going on. Don't worry about sourcing products in San Diego, that you will be able to do reasonably well once you get settled in and know your way around. What will be much harder will be adapting to the local restaurants which are decidedly casual and not all what you're used to. Welcome to SD!

So, did anyone watch this channel yesterday in it's premier? I caught the end of a Food Jammers episode and was amused for a couple of minutes, but I am definitely not their target audience on this one Also caught 2 episodes of Drink Up. One I enjoyed the other was pretty good too. Was not so impressed with Foodography on ice cream, major snooze for me. I've looked at their programming for the rest of the week and there do seem to be a few promising shows that I may end up checking out. But like FTV, it seems that their target audience is the 18-35 year old. They're missing the boat on that one. Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods the local PBS station runs very few cooking programs. I wish, I really, really wish that Scripps would model this channel after El Canal Gourmet in Latin America. Fabulous programs covering all bases form wine to dessert and literally everything in between, not just a few specialized niche markets.

How old, and how much "alternative lifestyle" do you want to expose them to? Remember Bite is in the heart of Hillcrest and pulls much of it's clientel from the surrounding community including some of the more flamboyant parts Your children may be the best behaved people in the place. Expect waiters with multiple piercings, multiple tats, Doc Martens, and the occasional whacky hair cut. Patrons are less colorful. Their customer base appears to be a pretty even mix of straight and gay, usually well dressed, usually on a date or for a small celebration. I think older (i.e. not under 10) kids would probably be okay, especially if you were willing to eat early. Bite sites right in between Mama Testa and Baja Betty's. It's pretty much the antithesis of BB.

I've eaten at Bite. It's good to very good. I like it. I don't know that I would do the Prix Fixe, tho'. I prefer to just use the menu and start with a dish or 2 that looks interesting and then build from there. Almost everything I've had there has been well prepared and flavorful. As small plates is the concept here, portions are kept small on most things so that you can order more than 1 or 2 items and try a nice cross section of the menu. Service can be a bit casual but is not inattentive or careless.

I'm late to the party here, but RG, thanks for posting. Your photos are great and I could not agree more with your sentiments.

You got Rick right. What he does cook, even though it may look contemporary, is really rooted in tradition. Now, as to that Capuccino de Sopa de Flor de Calabasa...rooted in tradition or not, it is one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. As I understood the concept, the dish was developed to activate all 5 senses, well at least 4 of them, unless it was sizzling soup I don't see how it touches the sense of hearing. Anyway, the soup is presented in a clear double old fashioned glass (or at least it was when I had it). The color is vibrant and really captured the beautiful intense yellow/orange of very fresh squash blossoms. The soup itself was quite delicious and extremely rich. Many Mexican "cream" soups don't really have cream in them at all, that texture and mouthfeel being created by pureeing and straining vegetables. I wondered if this soup was created that way or if it had a decadent infusion of butter. I'd bet on the butter but you never know. The sopa is topped with a coconut foam to act as a counter balance to the richness of the sopa (which it did, along with some nice sweeetness) and it adds visual interest. The foam is garnished with gratings of fresh nutmeg so that when it is presented to the diner, there is an aroma to the soup to activate the sense of smell. And finally the utter richness and velvety texture, coupled with the coconut counterpoint really explodes in the mouth engaging both the sense of taste and touch, as well as ramping up the sense of smell. I had this dish in 2004 or 05. I had no expectations when the glass with the sopa was set in front of me. Yes, I got some wiffs of nutmeg mingled with faint scents of coco. But I still remember how luxurious the soup felt in my mouth, as well as being surprised at how balanced the flavor was in maintaining the delicacy of the squash blossoms while still having a fairly intense flavor. You can see how well I remember it 5 or 6 years later. I've wanted the recipe for years, not so much so I could make it, but so I could see how it was done. My first thought was that there had to be so much better in the soup to get that degree of texture, richness and mouthfeel. But, Mexican techniques are different and they don't rely on European ingredients and techniques to achieve similar results. As you well know, EN, roux thickened sauces are not common in Mexico. My question was and still is, was the sopa de flor de calabasas portion of the dish created using a blend of European and Mexican ingredients and techniques or Mexican ingredients and European techniques or Mexican ingredients and Mexican techniques. No matter it's origin, it is a very contemporary dish.

If you're looking for something to do the first week of June, let me suggest FISH!Week, brought to you by the chefs of ChefsConfab We all know SD is the craft beer capital of the Universe these days and that Beer Week is a great success. Chef Andrew Spurgin of Water's Catering came up with the super idea of bring attention and awareness to the issues surrounding sustainable oceans and seafood by creating FISH!Week as a fun and very tasty way to get the community educated. Check out their web page here - http://cooksconfab.com/Coming_Up%21.html Lots of events during the week. Prix Fixe seafood dinners at the restaurants of the CooksConfab chefs. A great "meet & greet" type of event on June 1st designed to open the discussion and themind. It all culminates with another great CooksConfab dinner - FISH!Dinner - on June 6th at 1500 Ocean, which will include a panel discussion of sustainable oceans and seafood with all sides at the discussion table. If you've ever wondered, or been confused, about sustainable seafood, the state of our oceans and fisheries and eating which fish does the least damage, this is the week for you! There are events in all price ranges, but mostly this is one great big opportunity for us here locally to learn and get educated. I am not connect with this event, I am posting it because it's local, I think it's a great event and I'd like the CooksConfab to have much success with pulling this event off.

IIRC, this book came out not too far in advance of the first One Plate at a Time. I think it kind of fell through the cracks because it wasn't a big flashy book. This is by far the best cookbook for someone just getting started on cooking Mexican cuisine (which can be terribly laborious) at home. But because of the way it's structured, even old-hands at Mexican cooking can find interesting and delicious things to make as well. It's definitely not dumbed down Mexican. I've been cooking my way through Zarela Martinez's Veracruz cookbook off and on over the last couple of years with great success. Haven't made one recipe yet that was a dud. It's another option for the OP. Rick's Everyday Mexican is also a possibility. I've cooked a lot out of that with good success. The first part of this one has a bunch of pretty interesting salad dressing recipes, not something you see in most Mexican cookbooks

Ditto. Marie's recipes are always so well done and easy to use. Loved the Egg book.

You've gotten a lot of suggestions for Italian cookbooks to cook through, I'd like to suggest a Mexican one. Salsas That Cook by Rick Bayless. It's still in print and easily acquirable on Amazon. Here's what I like about this cookbook. The first chapter contains 8 different basic salsa recipes. Each recipe is scaled for 3 different yields and each recipe also contains suggestions for chile substitutions if the ones specified aren't available in your area, or you simply want to change up the flavor profile of the salsa. The remainder of the cookbook contains 50 recipes (everything from sopa to postre) using one of the 8 basic salsas. The one thing about Rick's recipes is that they almost always work, they're structurally very sound. You'll learn some technique working your way through the book, most of the ingredients are fairly easy to source and won't cost you an arm and a leg, and it's small enough that the task of cooking through a cookbook won't seem so daunting. Good luck

It saddens me I don't still live in the Bay Area to be able to take advantage of this restaurant

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/school-lunches-pose-national-security-threat-ret-military/story?id=10424313 School lunch a threat to national security? You decide

Chile Ancho = Poblano when fresh Chile Pasilla = Chilaca when fresh The two are often mislabeled and frequently confused. The ancho will be wider across the shoulders, think of a heart. The pasilla is longer and narrower. Another way to tell the difference is to slit them open and hold them up to a light. The ancho will have a deep red, burgundy color, while the pasilla will appear darker, brown to black. I think you can probably use just about any combination of chiles to get your adobo modified to suit your tastes. I would not eliminate the guajillos as they provide a good base for many sauces. If you use chile de arbol or japones you're really adding more heat than the savory flavor you're seeking. I think the chile you really want is the chile cascabel or catarina chile. I'm in CA too, and they are not particularly easy to find here; I've never seen the catarina in CA. I grew may own cascabels last summer. Very easy and very prolific. They've got a nice nutty flavor with gentle heat. If you've got a produce distributor near you , give them a ring, some will sell to the general public and they almost always have the odd ball chiles for the restaurant trade. Two other chiles you might want to consider would be the generic New Mexico chiles you can get at most grocery stores in the bag (I think the brand is Mojave). Those are actually dried Anaheim chiles. The other chile is the dried chipotle, often labeled chile seco or chile meco. They look like shriveled up pieces of bark or wood. All you need to do is rehyrated and use. You can rehydrate in a diluted vinegar solution, using a mild fruit based vinegar like Bragg's apple cider vinegar. Also take a look at adobo recipes in Diana Kennedy's books. They'll be similar but could give you other alternatives. Or, if worst comes to worst, simply take what you like about the Bayless recipe and what you like from a Kennedy recipe and weld the two together. I did that with a pibil recipe a few years ago - I didn't like the whole recipe form either author - so I took a little of this and a little of that from each recipe and ended up with something really good that friends and family all liked.

I take very little personally any more especially where it concerns school lunch. I've been happily out of that segment of the industry for a while now. Making the budget work is all that it's about. All that matters to administrators and the board of education is that the food service program does not infringe on the general fund. And they make no bones about telling program that if it does infringe, it's taking money out of the classroom. It's all about budget.

Pretty hard to get a handle on those numbers; they could be a lot of money, or hardly any at all. For example, what increase in fees/taxes (or however those places pay for school lunches) would that correspond to, percentage wise, per tax payer? Or how much is it per student? Or, at the very least, what percentage change is that in the lunch budget? The District's on the grid are all big districts. Try thinking of it this way...for most District's their major source of funding for the school lunch program is from Free and Reduced price meals. Paid meal - those students paying full price - generally make up less than 10-15% of the revenue generated by a school lunch program. The Federal reimbursement for a Free Lunch is $2.78 per lunch, from that the District must pay salary and wages, which is probably going to eat up somewhere in the range of $1.60- $1.75 of that $2.78 reimbursement. Typically, wages and benefits make up about 60-65% of a school lunch budget. Some Districts charge their school lunch programs other overhead fees to cover administrative and custodial costs. So, out of that $2.78 reimbursement $.85 or less is going to actually pay for the food that is served. USDA commodities will greatly stretch that $ .85 but commodities won't cover the whole menu. One of the examples was switching to fresh green beans rather than canned one, which would increase costs $5,500 each time it was served. If the District served fresh green beans twice a month, the cost to purchase that item would be $11,000, serve them twice a week for 7 out of the 10 months school is in session and that adds $77,000 to the food budget for one item. The juice example would add $133,000 annually to that District's food budget. It doesn't really matter what percentage of the total budget that would be. That's only 1 item and not many District's can absorb that kind of cost increase for 1 item. To put it into perspective. I was the Director of Food Service for the San Francisco Unified School District in the early to mid-90s. My budget was about $13 million. Of that, $8.5 million went to pay wages and benefits right off the top. About 3-3.5$ went for food purchases, including paying for commodity products and commodity processing, the rest of the budget covered other expenses and overhead. We had 120 schools and/or serving sites, did just under 20,000 breakfast daily and I think around 40,000 lunches daily. Having to absorb $133,000 annually for juice doesn't work when your total food budget is $3.5 mil. Nor does spending $5,500 a day for fresh green beans. When you're feeding numbers like that, making just a few changes at a high cost tend to add up very quickly, there are usually no additional sources of revenue to offset the increases. Hope this helps a bit How do you make the changes affordable for the programs offering them?