annachan

In Northern cuisine, there is this stirred fry potato dish with vinegar. Instead of the usual texture we're used to, the potatoes retain some crunch. As a kid, my grandmother sued to make a dish with potatoes and beef. The potatoes were sliced and beef cut into small pieces. She generally marinate the beef in soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and oil. She cooked most things in the wok so I assume she stirred fry this dish. The potatoes were cooked through with the outside being mushy, creating kind of like a thick sauce for the dish. Other than that, we usually have potatoes added to soup and curry.

We just had a really interesting pasta dish at a restaurant the other night. Its pan sauteed trenné pasta with braised prime rib eye, Tuscan black kale & shaved parmesan. I had no idea what trenne was and it turned out to be a triangular penne. What is different about the dish is that the trenne was sauteed till crispy on one side. The texture was just wonderful along with the beautiful shredded meat. I think I may try to duplicate this one at home, maybe using short rib instead of rib eye.

Pancetta, onion and peas - put diced pancetta in pan to render the fat. If you want your pancetta to be crispy, remove from pan and set aside. If you want them more meaty and chewy, leave them in the pan. Add sliced onion and salt and cook till caramelized. Add thawed peas and cooked pasta. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Put in some pasta water if it's too tight. Add cheese if you want.

Tonight, we had a very easy and quick pasta. Started with some fresh lemon fettuccine (from Farmer's Market), toss with a little black pepper, some Parmesan cheese and some toasted breadcrumb. Topped it with a fried egg with runny yolk. It's so simple but so good. Another healthier pasta dish we've been making is with kale. I cook some onion and garlic in a saute pan, seasoned with salt and red pepper flakes. Blanch kale in a large pot of salt water. When onion has soften (can be caramelized if you like), add the blanched kale. Using the same pot, cook the pasta. When pasta is done, save about a cup of pasta water and drain. Add pasta to kale mixture and add some pasta water to give it a little sauce. When everything is tossed together, turn off the heat and toss in some Parmesan (or like). And of course, you can always make some a cream sauce or pesto.

Recently, there has been lots of openings in SF. 2 really high profile places are Wayfare Tavern (by Tyler Florence) and Prospect (by Nancy Oaks). I haven't been but there has been some great reviews. Other new(ish) places with buzz: Frances, Thermidor, Cafe Des Amis, Morimoto Napa, Zero Zero, Marlowe, Mission Chinese Food, Skool, American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, Another Monkey, Spice Kit, Unwind on Union, Lafitte, Sons & Daughters, 54 Mint.... Depending on when you'll get here, Benu (by French Laundry chef de cuisine Corey Lee) will be opening soon. For now, the opening date is August 10th. If you're here on a Friday, check out Off the Grid over at Fort Mason in the evening. It's a gathering of some really great street food vendors. It just started recently and it's been growing weekly. You'll find some wonderful traditional food (the Alambre tacos from El Huarache Loco is not to be missed) and fusion food. If you're here at the last weekend of August, the East Real Festival is happening. Some favorite casual places in SF: *Il Cane Rosso - if you're visiting the Ferry Building, stop by here for breakfast, lunch or dinner. *Outerlands - it's in the midst of a residential area. Brunch items are great and it's a locals joint. *Ike's Place - this is the place in SF to get a sandwich. You will have to wait in line and then wait some more to gt your sandwich, but it's worth it. *Kappou Gomi - authentic Japanese. The salmon hot pot w/ miso butter broth is divine. When you're done with the salmon and fixings, order some ramen to be cooked in that broth. Dinner only. *Arizmendi Bakery - it's close by Golden Gate Park. For breakfast, the cheese roll is my favorite. For lunch, get some pizza. *Art's Cafe - also by Golden Gate Park. This is the local's favorite hole-in-the-wall diner. The hashbrown sandwich is their specialty. Breakfast/lunch. *Swan Oyster Depot - it's somewhat an institution in SF. It's a small place where you just grab a seat at the counter and stuff yourself silly with oysters and whatever seafood is fresh that day. *Shin Toe Bul Yi - Korean Some favorite higher end restaurants: Coi (Californian), Quince (Italian), La Mar (Seafood, Peruvian), Boulevard (American), Kokkari Estiatorio (Greek), Bushi-Tei (Japanese-French), Dining Room at the Ritz (French - great tasting menu). I'm sure there are more, but that's what I have for now. Have a great time here!

I think I'm going to browse the books at some bookstores tomorrow. I hope to be able to check out some of Kennedy's book. Since Rick Bayless also has several books, anyone know if there are any overlap in them? The Salsas That Cook book sounds right up what I'm looking for.

Thanks! It see several cookbooks by her on ecookbooks. I do have a question about her book, "Essential Cuisines: Revised and Updated Throughout." The description said "Diana has combined her three classic books in one volume...." Any idea what are the 3 books mentioned? I get don't want to end up getting books that are duplicates.

I'm been interested in Latin American cooking lately. This has been prompted by watching Rick Bayless and enjoying a variety of really good food from the street food scene. I want to pick up several solid cookbooks and maybe some good books about ingredients. I'm more interested in traditional recipes/cooking methods. I'm a pretty good cook but I am new to cooking this type of food at home. I like to have books that include the following: *Cooking meats like al pastor, carne asada, carnitas, etc. *Soups and stews *Different types moles, salsas and other sauces *Empanadas *Pupusas *Tamales - love to learn the different types *Alfajores Thanks!

A fresh Bob's donut is just the best. Donuts are fried between approximately 11:30pm to 1:00am. Now I want one of those right out of the fryer chocolate French....

If you happen to be here on a Saturday, go over to the Ferry Building in the morning to check out the farmer's market. You'll find a variety of good eats (some Mexican options) there at the market and inside the Ferry Building itself. It's a good, safe place to go with the kids.

I would normally agree, but a visitor from another country is unlikely to want to rent a car when this is such a walkable city. They are much better off going to Larkin Express Deli for Burmese since it is only a few blocks away from Union Square. I prefer LIttle Yangon, but I would never recommend it to tourists as it involves so much travel time and a vehicle. Little Yangon is a little out of the way, but it does NOT require a vehicle. It's about 2-3 blocks from the Daly City BART station. The time it takes on BART from downtown SF to Daly City isn't any longer (probably less time) than taking MUNI to go from one end of SF to another.

If you're looking for authentic Burmese, skip Burma Superstar. Little Yangon on the border of San Francisco and Daly City is where you want to go. The best time to go is on weekends since some of the specials are only available then. It's a total no thrill place but the food is spot on. Unlike Burma Superstar, which is filled with non Burmese customers, Little Yangon draws in the local Burmese folks. For the best Mexican/South American around, go to the Alemany Farmer's Market on Saturday. The line is long at El Huarache Loco, but the Alambre taco (or Alambre anything) is so worth the wait. A few stands away, Estrellita's Snacks offers fresh, handmade pupusas. You can also pick up some plantain chips to snack on later. For something sweet, alfajores (shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche) from Sabores del Sur is simply divine.

I'm a regular on Yelp. I think as you get familiar with the site and the reviewers on the site, you do get a sense of who's reviews are more reliable and who's aren't. All restaurant reviews are subjective, be it by a yelper or a professional food critic. People's tastes are different and their perspectives are different. If your taste happens to be more similar to a particular food critic than to a particular yelper, than you'll find the food critic's review more useful. If the opposite is true, than the yelp review is more helpful to you. Like all review sites, you can't go by everything that's posted. You sift through the junk and pick up sound opinions and hope that will be helpful to you.

There are lots of places I want to try....but El Bulli is definitely on the top of my list. I read somewhere that it will be closing, but there are plans for it reopening as well. I hope it does!

I do LOVE Coi. It's one of my favorites in the city. The menu is a limited though, so make sure you check it out before you make reservations. Another favorite is the Dining Room @ the Ritz. It's more of a splurge but totally worth it. Here are some more favorites: Contigo - great tapas Starbelly - wonderful small plates and pizzas Incanto - great for the more adventurous diners Waterbar - not only does it serve up great seafood, there's a great view to match Matterhorn - Swiss food; great fondues and other Swiss specialties Ike's Place - IMHO, the best sandwiches in town Kappou Gomi - fine Japanese food; salmon in miso butter broth (hotpot) is a must, along with an order of ramen to be cooked in the broth Katana-Ya - no nonsense Japanese restaurant centrally located downtown; great for grabbing a quick bites, especially ramen Farina - handkerchief pasta with pesto is one of the best pasta dish ever Chouchou - my local French bistro with great food and service Tony's Pizza Napoletana - if you like pizza, you must try this place; Tony has won many awards, beating out the Italians Cafe Jacqueline - souffle only; expect a long dinner as Jacqueline lovingly prepares each souffle to order by hand - it's worth the wait Amelie - my favorite wine bar with the best raviole with truffles; music is loud though B44 - great Catalan food; fideau negre (noodle paella) is delicious

I actually love some plain rice with my steak. I love it when the rice soaks up the beef juices. Spatzle or couscous will go well, too. Roasted vegetables are great - tomatoes, zucchinis, cauliflower, green beans, etc. As for potatoes, I roast them (season with cumin sometimes) when I want something quick and easy. But gratin is my favorite.

We've been there twice and loved everything we had. From sashimi to grilled duck, everything was delicious. The star of this restaurant is the salmon hotpot in the miso butter broth. After you're done with the salmon and vegetables, get an order of ramen to be cooked in the same broth. OMG! It's just heavenly!

That is great for clay pot rice along with some Chinese sausage and cured duck. I also like to slice it thin and use it in stir fry. It's great with cabbage as well as long beans. I put the cured pork belly in the wok dry and let the fat render out. Then it's a lot of chopped garlic and then the vegetable. Season with soy and a little sugar. Add some garlic chili sauce if you want spice.

I'm a fan of Incanto. But I gotta say, it isn't for everyone. A co-worker really hates it.

I love it on its own. I want to taste the wonderful flavor. I think if I have to have something with it, just some good quality bread will do.

Forget Michael Mina, the Dining Room at the Ritz is so much better.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana is great! Owned by Tony Gemignani, who also runs a pizza school there. Hours for the restaurant aren't posted on the website, but I called and was told that it's closed Mon and Tues, open from noon until the crowd clears out (around midnight) on other nights. 4 distinct styles of pizzas are offered along with other goodies. The meatballs are the best deal in town. 6 juicy, golf size meatballs for $5. Other favorite pizza places: Pizzeria Delfina, Pizza Nostra, A16 (focus is on Italian, not pizza, however, the pizzas are great) Gialina also has good pizza, but I find their prices quite high, especially for a casual neighborhood joint. Flour + Water is a newer joint that's quite popular. But I find their pizza to be just ok. A little soggy the time we ate there.

That looks like a celery root to me....but the color....maybe a rhubarb root?

South Food + Wine - Australian Fringale - French

Another reason to use ginger is to "balance" the dish. We use ginger with lots of vegetables because vegetables are "cold" and need ginger (hot) to balance the ying and yang. At least that's what grandma said. I prefer to use garlic without the ginger myself when it comes to stir fry. I do wait for the wok to get hot and then add the garlic. I also always have the next ingredient right next to me so I can add it in right when the garlic is golden so it won't burn.