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In San Francisco, I really enjoy the Noe Valley Bakery on 24th street and Arizmendi Bakery on 9th Avenue. Both have really outstanding breads. If you like Indian food and bread, don't forget Breads of India, on Sacramento at Dwight, in Berkeley. Tiny place, great prices and great food. Ate at A16 a while back, and everyone at the table was struck by the quality of the fantastic appetizers, salads, and sides. Definitely going to have to get back another time and try some of the meat and pasta dishes. -Erik

I usually use a light bechamel for casseroles. In a big saute pan, I will start my mushrooms, onions, and whatever else I am going to add. In a 2 quart sauce pan, I'll use 2 TBSP butter, enough flour to make a stiff roux. 1 Cup Milk, 1 Cup Chicken stock heated to close to boiling. Add liquid to roux, stirring quickly. Little nutmeg, bay, little cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Deglaze vegetables with a little wine, mix in the bechamel and whatever other ingredients don't need cooking (tuna, chicken, peas...). Pour the combined sauce goods over a half a pound of cooked pasta or so, mix, and dump the whole thing in a casserole. Cover with bread crumbs and brown in a hot oven. -Erik

Japanese Mountain Yams are also true yams. Botanically speaking, they are Dioscorea japonica. There are true yam species native to both Asia and Africa. -Erik

Well, as long as you don't tell me you started sugar plum and dapple dandy pluot liqueurs this summer, I will just chalk it up to great minds thinking alike. I know you also did a Nocino or Vin de Noix. We might have to have a neighborhood home made liqueur taste off! Pomegranates just started showing up last week, so that is my next target...Gotta get some more jars, though. -Erik

I know I don't really notice the smell of garlic that much anymore. I know some people at work who are concerned about eating garlic, onions or curry for lunch or even the night before. I just think that is silly. I much prefer the smell of garlic or onions to some of the hair products or perfumes I smell on other commuters in the morning. As far as commercial strains being milder, I guess it wouldn't surprise me. I grew "Persian Star" garlic from Seeds of Change last year, and it has a much stronger flavor and smell than most grocery store garlic. We tried some before letting it dry for a couple weeks and it nearly blew our heads off. -Erik PS. Just about time to plant your garlic cloves, if you want to get it in this fall!

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Section for Thursday, September 8, 2005 10 Tough Matches, Lynne Char Bennett Bargain Wines: White After Labor Day, W. Blake Gray Beer of the Month, Linda Murphy A comparison of West Coast Wheat Beers just in time for our Autumn "Summer". Pairings: Shrimp Dish Shells Out Plenty of Flavor, Lynne Char Bennett Pairing Curried Shrimp with Pinot Gris. Recipe: Curry-Dusted Shrimp with Slaw The Cheese Course: An Irish sea breeze delivers what Gubbeen needs for flavor, Janet Fletcher Whet your palate with a Bob-Tailed Nag, doo da, doo da, Gary Regan Recipe: Bob-Tailed Nag, Adapted from a recipe by Jonny Raglin of Absinthe Brasserie & Bar in San Francisco.

Liqueur traditions are so confusing. For me one of the big distinctions are those that sweeten while infusing and those that sweeten after. French, English, and American liqueurs almost always add sugar during the fruit infusion process, while Italian liqueurs almost always do not. Ratafias fall among those that are sweetened while infusing. They are whole fruit liqueurs which are sweetened during the infusion process and are usually spiced. So a typical citrus ratafia would be citrus juice, citrus zest, alcohol, sugar, and spices macerated for a couple months, filtered and then bottled. If you search for Clementine Ratafia on the internet you will certainly come up with the recipe I found.

I made a blood orange ratafia based on a Clementine Ratafia recipe I found on the web. It was quite nice and very attractively colored. A little Star Anise is a really nice flavor combination with the flavors of the blood oranges. However, it went off rather quickly after making, so I don't think I got the alcohol where it needed to be or perhaps wasn't careful enough in my sterilization. Vin d'orange, also where you use the juice of the fruit, might be interesting with Blood Oranges. The skins of Meyer Lemons are interestingly scented. Kind of musky and thyme-like. I may try a limoncello with them this year. -Erik

Just last week I was trying to convince my wife to buy some fresh figs for liqueur; but, she said it was a waste of good figs. <sigh> Well, plus, I have filled all my luminarc jars with various macerating fruits and aging liqueurs already. I guess I'll try to hold out until pomegranate and maybe quince season for my next liqueur endeavors. binkyboots had a what sounded to be a tasty recipe for dried fig liqueur in this post. -Erik

I haven't seen pomelo at the farmers' market yet this year here in CA. We're just heading into the citrus season, and about the only local stuff available in any volume are valencia oranges. -Erik

The Lello Gelato 4070 has worked well for my home use so far. It's done a good job with everthing I've thrown at it, from rich custard based ice cream to sorbets. Complaints: The paddle and other parts are plastic and seem somewhat flimsy. The bowl lid is attached to the motor arm with two screws. To clean the lid the screws must be removed with a screw driver. The "ingredient chute" in the bowl lid is so small it is nearly useless for anything other than liquids. Not really a complaint; but, it is pretty big and heavy. About 1.5 to 2 times the size of my electric rice cooker. Unless you have a lot of counter space and make ice cream frequently, it's probably not something you're going to leave sitting on the counter. -Erik

I've been to Memphis Minnie's a few times. Being originally from the midwest, I'm also far from a BBQ connoiseur. If I remember correctly, as far as the meat goes, my BBQ loving friends from Georgia enjoyed it while the ones from Houston were a bit disappointed. It helps to have a few beers at Toronado or Mad Dog before heading over. Personally, I've been disappointed with the quality of their sides. Nothing really rises above the quality of, say, a side from a grocery store frozen entre. Service is also usually pretty bad. I get the feeling from the cash register people that they resent having to hold down a job and take it out on the customers. We're cutting into the time they could be at burning man or out getting tatoos. -Erik

Why are you concerned about your marmalade? Just because they haven't set? That sounds like more of a pectin or sugar level problem than contamination. As long as the lids are staying sealed, you should be fine. The bacterium which cause Botulism poisoning (Clostridium botulinum) prefer low acid environments, so the odds of them enjoying life in Marmalade are pretty slim. -Erik

Some people start an old-fashioned by muddling half a slice of orange or even just an orange rind with the bitters and sugar (or simple syrup). I really like the extra kick the aromatics give the drink. Other people prefer their fruit unmolested and their bourbon uncontaminated. -Erik

Hmmm...Yeah, it's funny you'd think something as easy as equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and campari would be easy to get right. I've been ordering Negronis as my before dinner drink for about 6 months now and it's interesting the variety of cocktails I've received. Some on the rocks, some up, some with a splash of orange juice or soda... I didn't see the bartender pour the most recent one at Joe's of Westlake; but, I think she must have used all dry vermouth instead of sweet or perhaps gotten the proportions very wrong. Something was definitely off. At least the waitress asked if I wanted it up or on the rocks. I think our next restaurant outing will be to the Tadich Grill. It will be interesting to see how those old school bartenders interpret it. At home I favor equal parts Plymouth gin, Noilly Pratt sweet vermouth and Campari. I will have to try the addition of orange bitters, though. That sounds nice. -Erik

Oh, you're right. Well, perhaps I will have to try the cocktail with both, in the spirit of Dutch experimentation! I enjoy the Jonge Boomsma, too. I haven't done a side by side taste test with other gins, but I really enjoy it in a Vesper. I thought I remembered a cocktail that recommended Oulde Genever. Perhaps it was one of the Cocktailian newspaper columns? I'll have to check. Ah, yes, The Rembrandt. Don't have Drambuie, though. Perhaps I could substitute Benedictine? I did also recently notice the Zuidam he mentions in the article at some Bay Area Liquor stores. I knew it seemed familiar, but had forgotten from where until I re-read the article. -Erik

One of the smaller liquor store chains in SF (PlumpJack for those of you in the area) has started carrying the Boomsma Oulde Genever along with the Jonge. It is really interesting stuff. It really does remind me more of a Bourbon than the flavors I usually associate with Gin. Color is tan and the flavor is smooth, mellow and sweet. Smell reminds me of cranberries and vanilla. Quite enjoyable on its own, at some point in the near future, I will have to investigate the Improved Holland Gin Cocktail. -Erik

What a week. New job, bad news from parents, garden falling to pieces, etc. The only thing for it this Friday was Unibroue's "Fin du Monde". My those Quebecois make a fine Belgian style ale. I hope things improve next week, or it's going to be Maudite all around. -Erik

I do most of my booze shopping at the Bayshore BevMo, unless it's something I know they don't have. In which case I end up at any one of several other smaller specialty shops. I know BevMo generally has the Falernum and Torani Amer. For some reason they don't stock Marie Brizzard Apry (though they have their anisette, blackberry, cassis, Parfait Amour...). BevMo's restocking can be pretty haphazard, especially for lower volume items. John Walker and Co. is pretty good for most high end booze, and they are very friendly folks. However, they seem to keep a pretty small inventory on hand, so it would probably pay to call ahead. Just last week I had it in my head to get some white Rhum Agricole and discovered only after taking the BART into town that someone had purchased all their stock the day before. They do carry a full selection of Fee Brother's products and have a nice selection of liqueurs. It may not matter if this is a business trip; but, their prices can sometimes be a little out of whack. Parking and driving downtown is a royal pain. -Erik

This week's Friday Night Belgian was Fantome's Black Ghost. Poured a medium reddish brown with little head. A bit of tart flavor similar to a Geuze with a dry finish of well toasted barley. Really showed its sweet complexity as it warmed up. Delicious.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section for Wednesday, August 17, 2005 Celebrating Aioli in a Grand Style, Georgeanne Brennan Menu: Toasted almonds Blue Cheese & Walnut Puff Pastries Mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes Mixed olives Aioli Potatoes, carrots, beets, green beans and hard-cooked eggs Poached salmon fillets Fresh fruit and cookies Fill 'er up means more than gas at quirky mountail Mobil, Carl T. Hall Bay Area women harvest memories of summers past, GraceAnn Walden Recipe: Pat Summers' Mushroom Salad What's New: * Cowgirls make panir * Energy bars with a cause * Vegetarian food as Medicine * Coffee That's Good for the Stomach Taster's Choice samples Toasted Sesame Oils, Carol Ness No-bake way to tart up some great August fruit, Flo Braker A Roundup of Dining Around the Bay Siam Royal in Palo Alto Olivia in Berkeley La Beau's Kitchen in Martinez Cafe de la Presse to Reopen as a Bistro, GraceAnn Walden Laurent Manrique, Charles Cody and a group of anonymous investors to reopen Cafe de la Presse as a French style bistro...Gira Polli sold to new owners...Goood Frikkin' Chicken expands...GGRA to offer English as a second language classes at City College...Eric Torralba (ex of Antidote fame) new executive chef at Tra Vigne...Giovanni Perticone of Splendido passed away in his hometown in Italy after a long battle with cancer. Blanching locks in flavor, freshness, Thy Tran

Darn it, that trick doesn't work for me, so I can't entirely read that recipe. However, Mexican, Phillipine, and Spanish Adobo sauces may be sorta similar; but, you're looking for the Mexican one. It should look something like this one from the big green egg site. Adobo Sauce for Carne Adobado

Harry Denton's Starlight Room now has a pretty serious "master mixologist" in Jacques Bezuidenhout. They've recently been in the news as Bezuidenhout has created a new suite of incredibly expensive cocktails. This SF Chronicle Article has some details.

Infused vodkas are one of my new pet peeves. I've been making liqueurs for a while now, and lately, everytime I tell someone about my newest experiment they say, "Oh, you mean infused vodka!" Drives me nuts. I try to explain I'm making a liqueur based on a traditional Italian or French recipe. Then they ask, "If you're not making infused vodka, what's the difference between what you are doing and an infused vodka?" I still haven't come up with a satisfactory answer for that second one. Filtration? Following a traditional recipe? Sweetening? It's enough to make me choose a different base spirit. Maybe my question back should be, "Infused Vodka, what's that? Is it sweetened and thus some sort of liqueur? Is it re-distilled and so some sort of Eau de Vie? Do they use glycerine? What else is in it?" Given the number of bars which are now making and serving infused vodkas, I guess Modern Spirits are hoping there is a market for a pre-made high quality consistent product. I enjoy experimenting myself, so I wouldn't run out and buy them. Though, with experimentation, you do always run the risk of having to pour the whole batch down the drain. I also suppose some things might also work better with larger volumes. -Erik

I really enjoy the Chow restaurants. Honestly, I can't think of one time I've had bad food or service. And it is really tough to beat them in value for your dollar. One thing that always amazes me is how long the staff seems to stick around. I've been going to the Church Street Chow since it first opened and it seems like some of the wait, bus, and cooking staff have been there nearly that long. They must be doing something right for their employees as well as their customers. -Erik