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Brett Emerson

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    http://inpraiseofsardines.typepad.com/blogs/

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    San Francisco
  1. Never mind. I found out the answer to my own question.
  2. This isn't exactly a dining question, so I apologize in advance (although if anyone can recommend a good restaurant in or near Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, I'd be very appreciative). I'm looking for a good Cava producer to make and bottle a house-label Cava for my upcoming Spanish-inspired restaurant in San Francisco, Contigo. Thanks!
  3. Does anyone know which Cava producer bottles the house-label Cava, "Cava Mono," for Casa Mono?
  4. Of Abac, Alkimia, Hisop, Sauc, Ot, and Gresca, does anyone have an opinion which is best and not to be missed? How do they differ from one another?
  5. I'm heading to Barcelona for a week at the end of September. It's a last minute trip before I open my Cal-Spanish restaurant, Contigo, in San Francisco. By Cal-Spanish, I mean the menu is ingredient driven. I'll be honest, I don't have too much time to read up on what's new or what's still worthwhile. I'm turning to the always trustworthy opinions of my fellow eGulleters. Basically, I'm looking for recommendations in two categories. First, informal tapas style places. Second, the small "bistronomic" chef-owned restaurants. In the first category, I'll visit old favorites, like Quimet i Quimet, Cal Pep (I know, not everyone likes it), and the various kioskos in la Boqueria (Pinotxo, Universal, and El Quim). I'm excited to try: Bar Inopia (of course) Paco Meralgo And I hope to visit less expensive joints like: Bar Tomas for patatas bravas la Cova Fumada for la bomba Mam i Teca. I'd appreciate other recommendations for other informal places not on my list (even places that are only known for one typically Catalan dish). In the second category, I'm thinking Cinc Sentits and maybe one or two other places. Possibilities I've read about before include: Hisop Abac Alkimia Sauc Ot Are the above still good? Which would you rank as the top "must visit" places? Are there any newer bistronomic restaurants not on my list? Lastly, what's the best place these days for Sunday suquet/fideus/arroces in Barceloneta? Many thanks in advance!! P.S. Can't wait to visit Pedro's and SD's Pazzta920 stall and buy mushrooms at Petras' stall! And Jamonisimo! And a blow out seafood orgy at Rias de Gallicia (if I can afford it).
  6. I'm coming to Barcelona at the end of September and I'll be sure to drop by your stall.
  7. This looks like my kind of place. To think the meal followed lunch at Ca Sento and breakfast at the Mercado Central... wow. Sounds like the perfect day. You're right on when you wrote: "what may have been the single best day of eating from morning to night of my entire life."
  8. Thank you everyone for all your help! I've forwarded the information to the person who wanted to buy the salt cod tripe for the upcoming Worlds of Flavor conference. Also, thanks for teaching me the correct word for what I was asking for: callos de bacalao.
  9. Hola Chef Andrés, every time I am in Spain I am amazed at the pristine quality of the fresh seafood. We also have great seafood in the US, especially in the Chesapeake Bay region near your restaurants. Would you be willing to share some of your sources for excellent seafood? Another specialty I miss from Spain is top quality bacalao, from the lomo to the tripa de bacalao. I am always disappointed in the quality that I find, at least here on the West Coast. If you are willing to share, I'd love to know who provides your D.C. restaurants with these difficult to find products? Thanks so much!
  10. Thanks, Butterfly. I had a feeling it was too different. I've been trying Italian and Portuguese stores and fishmongers, but none of them seem familiar with tripa de bacalao. Where do you buy tripa de bacalao in Madrid? (If my memory serves me correctly, pretty much any bacalao specialty shop within a market also sells the "tripa.") Do you - or any Spain-based eGulleters - have any contact info for shops that may sell tripa de bacalao?
  11. Actually, if I'm not mistaken, sharks (and rays) seem to be one of the few fish that don't have a swim bladder or maw, the inflatable bladder that enables fish to remain bouyant. As far as I can figure, most Chinese fish maws come from eel-like fish, like the conger pike. Dried maws from cod are sometimes sold at Chinese stores, too.
  12. This is actually very helpful, Rogelio! With a few Google searches, I learned that the natatory (swimming) bladder is also called the gas bladder or fish maw. I know that some specialty Chinese stores in SF's Chinatown sell dried fish maw, some even from cod. I don't know if the Chinese product is salted first. I'm not that familiar with either product, the Chinese or the Spanish. Does anyone know if the Chinese dried fish maw could be used as a substitute for the salted tripa de bacalao of Spain? Maybe I should consider moving this to a more general food topic?
  13. Chef Andrés, I recently bought some of the excellent chorizo ibérico de bellota from La Tienda and noticed that your name is on the package. Can you share with us the story of your involvement bringing the legendary ibérico pork products into the US?
  14. I'd love to see calçots, too, so that we could celebrate a calçotada. I brought some piquillo pepper seeds back last year and asked a local farmer to grow them in our northern California soil. The result was fantastic (although a lot more work than the excellent canned peppers from Lodosa!). The same farmer also grows excellent pimientos de padrón. My next project is to find a farmer to grow some piel de sapo melons next year - I brought the seeds back from my latest trip in August. Chef Andrés, are there any other fruits and vegetables that you miss from Spain that you would like to see grown in the US?
  15. Thank you for your reply. I'd love to know more about how you adapt the long cooking times in your restaurants? If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious if you only fire the dish after it is ordered or do you cook a few ahead based on experience?
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