mikeczyz

No. Edit: While I don't believe that one can conclusively state that a restaurant is good or bad in one visit, i do believe one can learn many things, just as hearing a violinist in concert, even on an off night, one can learn a great many things about the performer. mike

Jinmyo- I DID take my generic squash soup and played around with it. In addition to the recipe i described above, I took one batch and pureed some spinach in it (cool color, spinach didn't really add much to the taste tho), and the other batch was made by addign a little bit of soysauce and rice vineagar. Both yielded unsatisfactory results. I decided to have the remaining batch as a garnish to some pungent, flavorful sausage which will be nice i think. Jaymes- I really like your idea for stuffed squash. I've had squash just baked sith butter and brown sugar, but am not so fond of it. Stuffed sounds delicious. Is it one of your recipes? mike

anybody have any ideas on what to do with squash? i received two good size, pumpkin colored, long squash as a gift from my gf's dad, and i had no idea on what to do with them. i remembered an old recipe for butternut squash soup, so i split them in half, baked them to soften the flesh. i removed the flesh and pureed it. added some heavy cream, some chicken stock, s&p, a little lemon juice, allspice (i wanted nutmeg, but we're out), and some butter. it was pretty gross. i put it in the fridge hoping it tastes better tomorrow. so i need some ideas in case i get some more. any ideas? mike

Can anybody tell me how to identify a female lobster vs. a male one? a fishmonger once told me something about little feelers at the front end of the tail, but i can't remember exactly. thanks mike

SA Do you like mexican food? When I was at GD in December, I found the food to be tasty and nicely presented, but it was the service that left my jaw on the floor. The servers are the ultimate professionals. If you can't get a rec, you can always eat at the bar. THe full menu is available there. I don't have much else to say, as my dining experiences in SF are limited, but I hope i've been helpful. Have fun. Mike

apps411 We were thinking about BOulevard, but the fact that they didn't serve lunch on saturday, and that my girlfriend is a seafood freak ruled them out. I'd like to go sometime tho, i got a menu in the mail and it looked interesting. it looks a little complex tho. i really liked chez panisse for the simplicity of the dishes. are you in the industry? did you visit boulevard on a visit or are you in the area? mike

SA- Have you considered Gary Danko? 74 dollars for a five course, and their menu is exceptionally flexible in what they can allow you to order. you would have to get a reservation in advance as they're usually booked up pretty well. www.garydanko.com I also just got back from La Folie a couple nights ago. I don't know how much food you eat, but for 85 dollars you can get a five course menu. He serves generous portions which is why I included the warning about your appetite. Are you interested in non french food? Is it just chinese and japanese you're not looking for? How about greek food? I've heard lots of good things about kokkari estiatorio. mike

Hollywood. No chance at Fleur de Lys. It's a little too expensive after all my spending this weekend! And we're out of teh bay area too. We drove back to Sacramento on saturday afternoon after lunch. We are plannign to go back to Farallon for lunch if we can get our waiter. He's that good. mike

Farallon- This was a fun restaurant. The decor, for those of you who don't know, is simply amazing. THe whole interior looks like an undersea playground. I can't describe it, it must be viewed with the eyes. We walked in for Saturday lunch and were seated no problem. We later learned that this was slow for a lunch. I'm not very good at conveying ambiance and all that so i'm just gonna get straight to the food. I decided to go with the lunch five course tasting for $38 dollars. My girlfriend decided to do the lunch three course for $19 and toss in the softshell crab main course. Needless to say, all the seafood was exceptionally fresh. Hawaiian Ahi Tuna Tartare with blue lake beans, nicoise olives, orange, quail egg. I'm a huge fan of fish tartares and this reminded me why. The tuna was cut chunky as opposed to the fine mince job lots of places do. I like to be able to sink my teeth into a piece of fish and chew it up. The olives were a nice touch. They were pureed and small drops were placed around the plate. I didn't much like the raw egg. The yolk was nice, but the egg white just added a gooey sliminess. The presentation was a bit sloppy. The tartare was served in the typical cylinder shape, but it wasn't as 'tight' as I've seen it at other restaurants. Great dish to begin lunch with. My girlfriend got a sweet corn soup with lobster oil and tarragon. I thought this was a bit salty on my first spoonful, but once I had a bite with kernals of corn, the sweetness of the corn tempered the salt to a certain extent. very rich soup. Osetra caviar ontop of sweet corn ravioli, truffle jus. A single round ravioli filled with sweet corn (i think there might've been a touch of crab in there too?) sorrounded by truffle broth with a bit of chopped truffle in it. The pasta was a little too al dente for me but maybe I'm just used to overcooked, flaccid pasta. This was my first time eating truffles. Kinda gamey. Not in a bad way tho. Interesting flavor. My girlfriend sat this course out, as she had a total of four as opposed to my five. Seared Mediterranean Rouget with lobster mushrooms, cranberry beans, torpedo onion soubise. The filet of rouget was the smallest fish I've ever seen. Literally, it was the size of my thumb. THe soubise was terribly salty So were the beans. I don't recollect much else about this dish. A little disappointing. My girlfriend got her Chesapeake Bay Softshell Crab with potato gnocchi, toxbox tomatoes and tarragon. Another first, softshell crabs. It was breaded in cornmeal, and fried. These things are really good. It was a nice textural contrast with the fluffy gnocchi. Can't say much more as I didn't have all that much. Tender Shortrib of Beef with black truffle macaroni & cheese, watercress, natural jus. THe beef was really solid. It had that gelatinous tender texture I love. The red wine flavor in the beef was a little too pronounced. It could've been a bit more subtle. The mac and cheese with truffle was more like mac and cheese with the truffle broth from the aforementioned ravioli dish. Loved the beef tho. The gf got an amazing roasted local king salmon with baby roasted fennel, cranberry beans and aioli. The fish was perfectly done. Seasoned on both sides, perfect crackly skin, and the interior was a little rare just the way we like it. The aioli was nice, and I loved the baby fennel. So sweet! The accompanying liquid at the bottom of the bowl was a little salty tho. All in all, I really enjoyed this dish. Verbena Panna Cotta with figs and almond raspberry biscotti. I was supposed to get the Plum Upside Down Cake with pecan praline anglaise, and black plum ice cream, but I told the waiter I wasn't the biggest fan of plums and he arranged it so I could order whatever dessert off the regular menu I wanted. The figs were terrific. I had never had a panna cotta either. I dunno how to describe it. Really really really creamy. I assume it's italian. Biscotti were wonderful dipped in coffee. I couldn't taste raspberry at all, but I think i noticed some fennel seed. My girlfriend got the summer berry pavlova with strawberry sorbet, mixed berries and vanilla anglaise. The waiter we got was extremely friendly. We were the last one's in the dining room, so he chatted with us for a while, and he even brought over a copy of the restaurant cookbook for us to flip through. Just a real standout. If we ever go back, which we probably will, we're going to try to request him. Any questions? mike

Onto La Folie. We went for a Friday night birthday celebration dinner. We arrived early for our 8:15 reservation and were promptly seated. For those who don't know, La Folie is a family run restaurant on Polk Street. Roland Passot is the head chef, Georges is the sommelier, and Roland's wife is the hostess. The room was packed and I mean packed. Tables are close together, and the noise level was distracting at time. We started with two glasses of Laurent Perrier Brut champagne while we looked over the menu. I was already familar with most of it because I had been having the restaurant send a few copies to my house over the course of the summer. La Folie has a deal where you can order a four course, or a five course meal for a set price. The four course consists of soup, appetizer, a fish or a meat course, and dessert for $75.00. The five course is the same with the difference being that you get fish and a meat course. The most difficult decision I had was in choosing my appetizer. So many things to pick from. I should say that I was determined to try some different foie gras preparations at this meal so that influenced my decisions. Duck and Oxtail Consomme with a Foie Gras Flan and Seasonal Vegetables ($12.50) I've included a la carte prices for those who might be interested. The bowl was brought to my table with a little ceramic lid. The lid was removed to reveal some baby carrots, beans, baby turnips (I think), slices of oxtail, and the foie gras flan. The broth was poured over the solid items. The consomme was nice and clear with a pronounced duck flavor. Vegetables were not cooked to my liking. Too crunchy. I think raw vegetables should be crunchy, and cooked vegetables should be a little soft. This was a problem throughout the evening. Foie gras flan was interesting. When I first placed it into my mouth, I just noticed the spongy texture. It wasn't until after I swallowed that I noticed the flavor of the liver. Nice dish. I like starting out with soup. My girlfriend got the Parsley and Garlic soup with a Ragout of Snails and Shiitake Mushrooms ($12.50) I really liked the garlic flavor but it was a bit too creamy. Nice presentation tho. Foie Gras Terrine, Housecured Duck Ham, Tomato Raisin Chutney, Sauternes Vanilla Reduction ($21.50) For me, this, along with dessert, was the dish that made the evening. There was a slice of the terrine of the left side of the rectangular plate, a drizzle of the reduction in the middle, a dollop of the chutney, and on the right side was 5 little slices of the duck with a tiny bit of micro greens on top. It was served with toast. The duck wasn't too great. I found it kind of irrelevant. The terrine smeared on the toast with the chutney was sooooo delicious. Bright red tomatoes with golden raisins. The vanilla reduction was good too. Pale off white, with flecks of vanilla bean. Really great. My girlfriend got the duo of lobster and albacore, citrus lobster salad with shaved fresh hearts of palm and micro greens, albacore tartare on a fennel apple salad ($24.00) It was really two appetizers in one. On the left was the tartare, the right was the small salad. She really liked it. Other appetizers I considered were the roast quail stuffed with foie gras with hazelnut vinaigrette salad, wild mushrooms and garlic jus for $23.50, and the seared hudson valley foie gras with figs and szechuan peppercorn in an aged balsamic vinegar sauce ($22.00). Sauteed "Loup de Mer" Mediterranean Sea Bass with Summer Truffle Gnocchi, Chanterelles & Fava Beans, Jus de Poulet ($40.50) The jus was far too salty. The bass was nicely cooked, crispy skin. Gnocchi were soo delicious. Just slightly crispy on the outside. Fava beans were mealy and unappetizing. There were morels along with the chanterelles. All in all, an okay dish. Not particularly interesting. I love fish, so it was okay tho. My girlfriend got the "Spiced Butter" Poached Lobster on Confit Tomatoes, Peas and Fava Beans, Citrus Beurre Fondue ($43.50). THe lobster was delicious, vegetables were undercooked. Annoying. I didn't have too much so I'm not going to comment. Trio of Rabbit (Loin, Rack and Braised Leg) roasted with Spring Vegetables, Roast Garlic Natural Jus ($36.50) I really liked the loin and leg components of this dish. THe loin was made into a sausage like item. Rabbit skin encased a cylinder of loin and vegetables and garlic. Leg was also well done. It was stuffed with morel mushrooms. Rack was soo annoying to eat. They left the rack whole. There was so little meat to eat. I wish I could've picked up the rack and started sucking the meat off the bones, but not in the formal setting of a restaurant. Undercooked vegetables. MY girlfriend went with a cheese plate. Five different french cheeses, garnished with fig bread, honey, walnuts glazed with anise, grapes, and apples. Really fun to mix and match cheeses. I regret that I do not remember the names of teh cheeses, but there was a brie, blue cheese, a goat/cow milk cheese, a sheeps milk cheese with herbs and some funky really smelly cheese. This was available for a five dollar supplement. Desserts were fun. I got coconut tapioca with passion fruit sorbet, coconut tuille and basil infusion. Mind boggingly good. The basil really worked well. The girlfriend got a mixed berry terrine with balsamic soaked strawberries and mascarpone cream. I swear to god they used jello to hold the terrine together. Okay, what else. Umm, they served tomato consomme with goat cheese for the amuse. I could've swore there was some smoked meat product flavoring the liquid. For a palate cleanser before dessert, they served mint and lime granite. I think there was also a liberal helping of basil in there too. They also gave us petit fours, blueberry scones, chocolate hazelnut cookies and some cherry square. It was like a square of fruit essence. Kinda jelly like. My favorite tho. I should mention there was a truffle option. For 25 dollars an ounce, the chef would shave truffles over a dish. They brought a giant basket of truffles to the table to show us and to let us smell. Pacing was slow. This was good to let us rest our stomachs between courses. There was a lot of food to be eaten. Didn't really like our waiter too much. He always seemed to want to be somewhere other than helping us out. I liked the busser Jorge tho. He was a nice guy. I don't know what else to tell. Any questions? I'll get to Farallon later. mike

Okay, my first review. Since it's late, I'm only going to cover Cafe Panisse tonight. First off, parking in Berkeley is horrid. I would suggest that if you do go to visit, make sure you plan for it. We did, so we arrived 10 minutes early for our 11:30 lunch reservation. We sat in the wooden benches and watched the crowd gather. The doors opened on time, and we walked up the stairs to the cafe. We were seated at the far end of the cafe overlooking Shattuck street. There was a gently breeze to cool off the torrid heat, and we admired the restaurant. Lots of wood, not exactly fancy, but rustic. It's definitely in line with the cooking being done. Cherry tomato soup with creme fraiche ($6.75) Orangish red color, dollop of creme fraiche in the center of bowl. Great soup. I wished the soup could've been cold, as it would've been really refreshing considering the heat. It was very tomatoey, but i think a little more could've been done to accentuate the sweetness of the tomatoes. IT was also a little too creamy for my taste. Albacore tuna and tomato salad with paprika, capers, and marjoram ($9.75) My girlfriend ordered this. Man, was it amazing. To me, this dish, along with the fresh peach dessert really defined Cafe Panisse. Deceptively simple and all the flavors sang out. The tuna was cooked confit style and little shreds of it was mixed with the chopped, assorted tomatoes. Astounding. The whole thing was dressed with a Tuscan olive oil. Little bits of capers were tossed in along with a hint of paprika. Girlfriend said that it got a little too spicy for her after the whole plate, but we still smeared the bread (sourdough) and soaked up all the remaining oil. Probably the greatest dish I ate on my trip. Eastern skate with romano beans, beets and chive mayonnaise ($18.50) This was my first encounter with skate. It's kinda hard to describe. It's not the firmest fleshed fish I've ever eaten, but it's not soft and mushy either. I believe it was half a skate wing. It was coated with lightly seasoned flour, and then pan fried. Beets were roasted, then cut into slices. These were sooooo delicious especially considering I roasted my first batch of beets a few days earlier and I could really appreciate how perfectly they were done. Beans were fresh, and I think i tasted a hint of lemon juice. Skate was garnished with the chive mayonnaise. They served too much of the mayonnaise with the skate. Maybe some people don't like to taste the flavor of the fish, but I do. I used it sparingly and found they really matched well. Very tasty. The ingredients were prepared simply and I think that was the right choice. Crostata di Perrella with goat cheese, mozzarella, prosciutto, garlic, and herbs. ($17.00) Think pizza with a lid. I didn't have too much of this, but what I did have I found a little salty because of the goat cheese. THe crust was really good tho. A Dry Creek Farm white peach and Bob's raspberries. ($6.50) The peach was stunning. Perfect. It literally just gushed juice when I put it into my mouth. Nothing more to say. Raspberries were very disappointing. They had no flavor. I thought it was just me, but my girlfriend said the same. They tasted like nothing. I was really confused considering the reputation Chez Panisse had for getting perfect produce. The peach was sure good tho. It was served on a copper pedestal, with a leaf under the fruits. Rio Oso Gem peach and mulberry tart with vanilla ice cream ($8.50) Didn't have too much, I was too busy savoring my peach. Service was very friendly. Very low key, easy going. All my questions were answered satisfactorily. When i asked what kind of olive oil was used to finish the tuna, a young man brought out the bottle, explained, and told me where to find it in berkeley. I don't remember exactly what it was, didn't take notes, but i could recognize the bottle if I had to. We didn't drink much, just a couple glasses of 2001 Navarro Gewurtztraminer grape juice ($4.25 a glass). Thick, syrupy, I think i tasted a bit of tropical fruit. Coulda just been my wacky taste buds. I also had a glass of 200 Sancerre, Domaine des Vieux Pruniers ($8.25). Can't really say too much. I'm not much of an oneophile. Sorry. :-( Kitchen was even nice enough to make me chocolate milk! And for free! That's about it. Any questions? I'll try to put up La Folie and Farallon tomorrow. mike Have to add, I have trouble saying that this might've been my favorite meal considering it was the least expensive, but the two of us agreed that this was our favorite. Oh, and prices include tip.

For a wonderful 40 dollar tasting menu, head to Cafe Atlantico. Latin inspired food. Terrific. For a nice 30 dollar lunch, head to Gerard's Place. Three courses, two choices per course. I had a asparagus veloute, lamb steak with baby root vegetables, and strawberry and rhubarb soup with white chocolate mousse. great stuff. for five dollars extra, you can get a glass of wine. Granted, it's not the most hip place, but you get good food there, in my opinion. mike

okay I just talked to my mother and got her recipe. Sorry for the lack of definite amounts, my mother doesn't usually measure things. Start with a whole chicken, spread approximately 3 tablespoons of salt over the surfaces of the chicken (unsure as to whether this means the inner cavity as well) and refrigerate overnight. Next day, bring a generous amount of water to boil while you rinse off all excess salt. Before boiling, my mother said that some people like to stuff the inner cavity of the chicken with some ginger and green onion. Boil the chicken for a while, until well cooked. While hot, cut the chicken into pieces. Place the chicken pieces into a bowl and cover with a mixture of xiaoshing wine and the chicken boiling liquid. Measurements are unknown. My mother didn't specify. She couldn't even tell me a approximate ratio. She just said that she usually uses a full cup of wine, and pours enough cooking liquid to cover the chicken. After that, it's just a matter of refrigeration. THat's it folks. Enjoy... mike

from a quick comparison of about 10 recipes, drunken chicken seems to be prepared by boiling a clean, whole chicken in a mixture of water, stock, optional aromatics (most commonly ginger and/or scallion), and salt. some recipes call for steaming the chicken. after this cooking stage, the chicken is chopped up and soaked in a combination of the cooking liquid and alcohol. the alcohol is most often sherry. sometimes rice wine, white wine, or shaoxing is called for. i think i'm gonna call my mom and ask her how she did it. so delicious. mike

caped chef- while that recipe might sound reasonable, i know for a fact that my mother didn't go through that much trouble for the chicken. fat guy- thanks for the heads up. you're right, there were tons of hits. will start to check through them. thanks ~mike

well, obviously chicken. chicken was still white, so no soy sauce or anything color imparting ingredient. xiaoxiang (i think that's hwo you spell it) wine i think was used to impart the alocoholic flavor. there was a clear gel that covered the chicken from what i remember. my mother served hers cold. parts of teh flesh were still pink. chicken was chopped up into pieces. i believe part of it might have been steamed. thanks mike

I'm trying to figure out how my mother used to make this stuff. The aroma that filled your head as you ate it was soooo good. mike

i had it once served with dosas. it was kinda sweet, a little savory. i swear i tasted a bit of ginger in it. it was delicious though. i usually hate coconut, so this was a nice change of pace. is there a good book available about chutneys? there seem to be so many different variations. mike

any ideas on how to make it? fresh coconut? what is it ususally served along with? what purpose to chutney's serve? calm down spicy foods? mike

what kind of potatoes are indiginous to india? can those varieties be found in the u.s.? can you tell me about baltibotikabob? i think i remember that it was from the western regions of india but that's about it. it was the first time i had encountered it. are there many regional differences in indian cuisine? fundamental differences such as how the lower you go in italy, the more prevalent olive oil is as compared to lard/animal based fats in the northern regions? thanks mike p.s. probably will not have time to cook until saturday or so. will post on those experiences then.

i found the aloo methi in a restaurant in baltimore where i was attending school. mughal garden was the name of the joint. really tasty food. what's fenugreek? what other things went into aloo methi? i love vindaloo also. pretty much anything that said methi or vindaloo at the end was enjoyable. mike

hmmm, as for dishes i remember enjoying, samosas (vegetable) and lamb baltibotikabob. i think that's how you spell it. it was served with a coconut chutney. i think the chutney had ginger in it from what i remember. i love curries. saag paneer. alu methi. umm. this is it from the top of my head. i love dark, savory dishes. thanks mike

Hello Anybody got any ideas for my first time trying to cook indian food? any easy dishes to start with? i eat just about anything, so feel free to toss out the ideas! thanks mike

after thinking further, i would like to retract my statement about art not existing until essential needs are met. while it does apply in some cases, i've got a lot more thinking to do before i jump to any conclusions. just the product of an overeager 22 year old. sorry mike

Bux- I would wholly agree when you say that "Some of each is art for me, much of what falls in each category seems like less than art." Am I to assume that you believe that some food is art? I wonder because I was reading a cooking related book ( i think it might of been Dornenburg and Page's Becoming a Chef), whichever book it was, one chef said cooking was not a art and stated flatly that cooking was a craft. maybe it was bourdain who said this. i don't remember. i'm just looking for a few more opinions. mike