mixmaster b

That article is amazing! Makes me want to move back to SF. Of all the places, I have eaten at only 2: Thep Phenom and Ti Couz. Both are fabulous, and good values. Thanks for that link, tb!!!

Good advice on all counts. It is a little scary but worth it if you are brave. If you go there you have to have the fried noodle dish with veggies on top. Soooo Good. I have said it a few times before, but Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Columbus and Union) is yummy, fun and cheap. A real find in North Beach, which can be touristy. (Rose Pistola is great but can be spendy.) Watch out around Union Square, as that also features many tourist spots. (A decent standby, if it is close to your hotel, is Kuleto's on Powell. Sit at the bar and have some appetizers and drinks.) You can walk to SoMa (South of Market)--go down 4th or 5th, to Folsom/Harrison etc. That is where Lulu's is. I lived down there years ago, and a bunch of wothy places have opened since I left. In general if you avoid Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Union Street, and be wary in North Beach, you will do well in SF, as the general level of food is really high. (Lots of places close early, though.) Neighborhoods like the Mission, Potrero Hill, SoMa, and Chinatown have many great options. This is lifted from another thread, but seems like great advice from Tanabutler:

Edit: Posted in error. Sorry!

Sona has a very food-centered vibe, and is usually quiet. I love the food. It is very personal, very interesting. There are sometimes misses, but it all seems worth it in the end. And the desserts are wonderful! I am no wine expert, but I think they have some trouble in that area. I have had 2 tasting dinners there with paired wines, which were good but not really on par with the food, IMO. I have heard that the list is good; next time we will chose our own wines. Here is a Sona thread. AOC is much more of a scene, and can get loud. It is sophisticated (bith the food and the vibe), but still casual and fun. The food is boldly flavored, Mediterranean style with an emphasis on cheeses and charcuterie, with tapas-sized portions and many wines by the glass. I like the food very much, escecially the parmesan-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and grilled. (bacon.....) The same chef and manager also run Lucques, which is a bit more grown up. I have had some good meals there, but lately I think they are paying attention to AOC and Lucques is suffering a little. Grace is fun, too, and a bit of a scene. I had one good/very good meal there. But the level of cooking at Sona is more subtle and more carefully considered, IMO. I also have to recommend Mori Sushi on Pico at Gateway. I just had another MIND BLOWING omakase dinner there on Wednesday night. Mori is a master. I have raved about this place on a few threads, here is one. I have not yet been to Alex or Bastide, two of LA's other new "fine dining" spots. I have heard mixed things about both. Re: Rockenwagner, I also think he is underrated. I have not been the the restaurant on Main St. in a while, but I used to enjoy it when I lived in Santa Monica. I think the Marina Del Rey location Roc, closed. It was a very casual place, really wild decor and a pizza/salad influence. Best of luck in picking a spot!

I love Food Zealot's idea of doing a printed menu! They are easy to do with an ink jet printer and some decent card stock, and they are great for making things seem more special. Kind of fun and slightly over-the-top. Do you know if there will be any non-meat eaters? I would suggest doing a half-dozen roasted portobellos and a simple veg sauce (mushroom/cream) to have on hand in case you are surprised by a vegetarian. You can easily sub them for your meat. Another random suggestion: Champagne cocktails. A good one (like french 75 or a champagne julep) is a real treat, and dresses up a Proseco (or--shudder--Korbel) nicely.

SethG- Well done! It sounds like the plans are coming together. On the rentals/service stuff, it is awesome that you have the inherited stuff, but make sure there is enough of everything. The last thing you need to be doing is scrounging for dessert forks or washing plates halfway through the dinner. Make sure you are covered on glasses/flutes as well as linens. I would also suggest making a station somewhere outside of the kitchen where you can bus dirty dishes to. A big trash can, a table, and a bunch of plastic bussing tubs in a back room will keep the kitchen less chaotic. For the service, you will also need to figure out where you can plate the food. Spreading out so many plates at once takes up a lot of space, even if you go in rounds. (You could forgo plating and serve everything family style, but that has its own set of problems.) For the apps, nothing hot is needed. And I would keep it to just a few choices so people don't fill up befor dinner. I love the gravlax, some crudites, and maybe the crostini with a few toppings. On the main, there is no reason you have to do a beef tenderloin! They are expensive and a little predictable, as you said. (I happen to love this dish, but there are other options.) I would stick with a rustic French or Italian theme after the tarts. Here are some random thoughts--some things I have made and have recipes for, others are just ideas: -Pork tenderloins wrapped in prosciutto (don't overcook them and they will be super), sautéed bitter greens (like broccoli raab--this can sit for a while), potatoes roasted with rosemary or an orzo/mushroom pilaf for the starch. Follow with Italian cheese, dessert could be red wine baked pears a la Mario. Chocolate truffles and coffee, if you feel like it. - Braise something--this improves if done ahead and will hold--also cheaper cuts work great. Braised short ribs in red wine (finish sauce with brandy and butter) or maybe osso bucco, polenta, braised endive or celery could go well with this. Skip the cheese after a heavy dish like this. A fruit tart would be nice for dessert. (Pierre Herme's strawberry and rice pudding tart. mmm) - Rack of lamb (this can be pricey but probably less than beef loin), roasted--this would want some sort of sauce. For the veg, you could do parchment packets--put in some trimmed green beans, parboiled baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, parboiled baby carrots, top with butter, herbs/lemon zest/s&p, and bake. These could be made up in advance but would have to be baked at the last minute. Cheese plate. Flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream and halved cherries for garnish. - Stuffed roast of some type (veal or pork?) could be very special, served with a puree of white veg (potato, celery roof, parsnip, turnip--Alice Waters recipe). This will also want a sauce. Follow this with a fairly light fruit dessert. Another dessert idea is a pavlova. These are so easy and people love them! Disks of meringue can be made ahead then topped with a berry mixture and loads of sweet whipped cream. I like these best when they are not too manicured--poufy meringue is best! Let me know if you want more specifics on these ideas.

The soup sound good! I would think a light salad would be nice with such a rich-sounding dish and the accompanying chheses/meats. Maybe Boston lettuce with handfuls of minced fresh herbs (dill, chervil, basil,marjoram, chives, tarragon, parsley) dressed with a lemon vinaigrette? I would stick with a fairly simple salad with clear flavor.

Excellent, thanks! I am looking forward to it.

Col- Have you described the smoking method elsewhere? Could you provide a link? Sounds lovely!

All this turkey prejudice!!!! I am shocked! I have made a turducken from scratch. It was really fun and came out very well. I would do it again if I was feeling ambitious and had some helpers. Sampling a storebought version holds no interest for me. While I feel fine about storebought bread and other staples, I avoid storebought prepared foods, as I think homemade is much better. (Plus, a turducken calls for at least a pound of butter, and I bet a storebought version would have margarine subbed, and I have a big problem with margarine!) I deep fried turkeys 2 years in a row, and they were also very very good, not greasy, just moist and delicious. You do need to think ahead and have an extra turkey carcass or lots of turkey pieces so you can make stock for gravy. But that adds to the fun. And as for brining, a turkey should never be roasted unbrined. If you are going to roast it, brine it first!!! (You get juicy inside and crispy outside.) I have not grilled a turkey, nor have I smoked one, but I would love to sample either method, and might this year. There are many ways to cook a turkey, as there are many ways to cook a chicken or any other thing. Most methods can yield wonderful results is done well, and all methods can be disastrous if poorly handled. Who give a crap if the method is "sooo last Thankgiving", as long as you like the results?

I love Mario!!! I just hope this show does not feature that sidekick from Mario Eats Italy--I don't think Mario needs comic relief. My fave is Molto Mario, where is just cooks. I hope the new show has some substance.

SethG- You are very generous to help your friends celebrate! Last year, my fiancé and I did a similar thing for an engagement party of some close friends. It was a cocktail party theme with heavy hors d'oeuvres. But it was similar in that we are home cooks and we prepared all the food ourselves. So much work but SUPER fun in the end. I unearthed the post below to show you what we did. A lot of these items could be done as main course buffet dishes. You can do a buffet and make it quite elegant. It would get you off the hook for perfect timing needed for sit down. You could start with some passed hors d'oeuvres, then do a buffet for the main, and have a separate dessert table. Since it is a wedding feast, some wedding-like elements, like a champagne toast or a wedding-like cake, could be a nice touch. BTW, I like the leek tart idea very much. If you did the buffet, you could easily offer two kinds of tarts along with your mains. Where are you located? Will the weather be fall-like and crisp by then, or are you likely to be in the midst of an Indian summer? That bit of info would help me visualize more ideas for your mains. Try to fill in a bit more in the way of specifics (budget, theme, where you need to cook, as mentioned above) and I am sure you will find more suggestions forthcoming.

I bet the most popular meat in the US is chicken breast. Lamb is kind of the opposite, very flavorful, and soooo cute, as noted by the posters above, too challenging for many Americans. Go figure...

But how can you make a gin and tonic without it? I don't like tonic much either, but gin and lime do a lot to improve its faults...

My sweetie has been sick so we have been eating lots of soup: Thursday was white bean, tomato, broccoli raab, with leftover pork loin added in. Last night chicken tortilla with lots of lime. Tonight he is up for solid food, and I have been on a bean kick, so I think dinner will be along these lines: Marrow beans Sauteed shrimp Sauteed treviso with pancetta Some peach item for dessert, if I feel inspired.

I am interested for sure...But it is a bit of a trek for me and I'm traveling a lot in upcoming weeks. Please post the particulars when you decide and I will try my darndest to make it. I love espresso...

What constitutes underdone? I have been doing pork loin and chops medium/ medium rare lately, and the result is much better than old-fashioned overcooked. The risk of trichinosis is much less than it once was, and most agree that cooking meat to 137-140 degrees kills trichinosis on the unlikely chance that it is present. More info here. Chicken, on the other hand, should be cooked through. But again, just cooked, so the flesh is no longer pink. I don't think it needs to be tough and stringy to be safe.

I suffer the same dilemma! Yesterday I was in the Beverly Center running an errand, and I spotted the little See's Candy store that I have had the fortitude to avoid for years. Thanks to this thread, I went right in and got a lovely little baggie of bordeaux (milk, for me), CA Brittle, and chocolate covered ginger. The sample was a Toffee-ette (sp?), another winner. My day was brightened immesurably!!

Along with all the excellent advice given above, I would add Hess Winery on Mt Veeder in Napa. Go if you like contemporary art; they have a relly impressive collection which is an enjoyable break in a wine & food day. The wine is pretty good, too. In SF, a great lunch or early dinner can be had at Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store In North Beach. Really delicious meatball or sausage sandwiches on focaccia, good cheap wine & food. Maybe a good spot for your Fisherman's Warf day. Also, re Chez Panisse, I lean toward the downstairs restaurant. As everyone says, only do this if you are not set in your ways in terms of what you like to eat. But I find it more romantic, quieter, and more special than the Cafe. (Don't get me wrong, the cafe is great, too. As a person who grew up in Berkeley, Chez, upstairs or down, is one of my favorite restaurants.) And for the Napa dinner, Bistro Jeanty has gotten such consistant praise from so many of e-gullet's gastromes that I would rush there if I were going to Napa.

Wow, Chris! Great site! BTW, What's a Hawaiian breakfast?

I am obsessed with the Bordeaux. It's like a Three Musketeers after a makeover. MMM!

Jim I would like to explore your idea further. One of the reasons why I like Campari and soda so much is that it is not sweet. How much sugar do you use in your limoncello? Does it make the Campari drink sweet? It's not that I don't like limoncello having spent time on the Amalfi Coast where it is almost compulsory. I had forgotten about this thread and am so glad it resurfaced! I tried Jim's cocktail and find it quite delicious. It is a bit sweet, so I added a nice lemon wedge as garnish and that evened things out. The drink is sweet at the start, but then you get the bitter at the end. And the extra boozey/herbal kick from the Limoncello also seems to add some dimension. Thanks to Jim for another great recipe!

mmm...fresh pasta... Okay, so you will all be very proud of me. Last night, pan-grilled a decent piece of tuna til med rare, made a quick lemon compote (thin sliced 1 lemon, boiled with a bit of water, tots of sugar, lots of salt,removed from heat, added a clove of minced garlic and the pulp and juice from another lemon), heated up some white beans (made by the SO over the weekend) with some thyme, sautéed a big bunch of broccoli raab with garlic and red pepper flakes. Damned good, under 20 minutes. And I had the sense to grill extra tuna, which will go into some sort of salad or maybe a pasta dish tonight.

Vegetables that are not from the farmer's market. Really humiliating at this time of year...

The French Laundry Cookbook has a page on beurre monte (p135). You take a tbs of water, heat it a little, and whisk in a tbs of cold butter. You then add as much butter as you want, and as long as the temp stays below 190 degrees (interesting that Keller differs from McGee by so many degrees), the butter is a lovely, emulsified whole, and does not separate. I like this with steamed artichokes, but Keller talks about using for everything from poaching to holding cooked meat (!) to finishing sauces. Is this emulsification the same thing that happens when you finish a pan sauce with butter? I guess you would need to cool the pan sauce and keep it at a low temp while adding the butter. What about the amount of fond? I would guess the end product would have more body, as well as more flavor, if the balance between liquid and fond was correct, as Suzanne F suggests.