annachan

I just came back fom Australia yesterday. After having been to Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, Melbourne gets my vote. My husband and I are also seriously considering relocating there. To us, Melbourne is the most like San Francisco, in terms of weather, diversity and the food scene. The central business district also reminds us of Hong Kong. Personally, I didn't find Melbourne to have a "big city" feel to it, like New York City. We have yet to visit Sydney, but have been told it's like a bigger version of Melbourne. The only "problem" we would have with Sydney, based of what we've been told, is that it's quite expensive to live there. We don't really want to move from a place in which we can't afford a home to another that we would face the same problem. Again, this is what we've been told, so if it isn't accurate, please let me know. We had some amazing food at Urbane in Brisbane. The chef is said to have worked at French Laundry and Per Se. Though this one restaurant was excellent, I didn't feel that the restaurant scene here is as established as the one in Melbourne. This may or may not be good for you. One thing I cannot stand about Brisbane is the weather, way, way too hot for me. As for Adelaide, the food scene was a bite behind than the other two cities. We visited the Barossa Valley (wine country) and there's really not much there. Because we're visiting during the week, locating a restaurant that's open for dinner was difficult. Loved the B&Bs there, but that was about it. We did not have much time there so we did only see limited part of each cities. So I love to hear some more inputs from the locals. Love Australia, by the way.

Last holiday season, we put a layer of peanut butter between two layers of homemade marshmallow, cubed it, then dipped it into E. Guttiard dark chocolate. It made some lovely gfts....

Yeah, that's the tea of choice for my husband, the Brit. Glad you had fun in our town. Come back and visit again soon!

You're welcome! Yes, you should check it out. The atmosphere was quite pleasant, and the food and service were good. ← I haven't been to that place for years! (And I live within walking distance....) I used to be very fond of Old Krakow but it went down hill after an owner change (years ago) and the food wasn't as good. But I've been hearing good things lately, so maybe is time for another try. Thanks for the great report!

I found this recipe from a candy making book. I haven't tried it out but you're welcome to: 8 lbs granulated sugar 1 qt water 1/2 oz citric acid or the juice of 4 lemons Combine all ingredients in a heavy 8-qt kettle. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly so mixture does not scorch. Lower heat and simmer for 1/2 hour, stirring constantly. Makes approximately 8 lbs.

I love to make Asian style pickles when I feel like pickle. Here's my version: Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, then into 1 inch hald moons. Salt the cucmber and let drain for a few minutes. In a bowl, I put in seasoned rice vinegar, white vinegar, sugar, fish sauce and red pepper flakes. (Everything is to taste, just remember that the red pereper flakes will give out more heat to the liquid as it sits.) Add cucmber and refrigerate. I usually let it sit for a few hours before snacking on them. If I make a larger quantity than for just a couple of days, I put it in a jar to store in the fridge.

In the Chinese soups I've seen, chicken is usually pair with another meat in the soup. I often find that there's either meaty pork bones (leg bones with marrow is my preference) or chicken.

No, you're right. What you mentioned is the traditional raclette. Since most people don't eat enough to get a whole wheel of cheese, the raclette set mentioned here is made for melting a small amount of cheese in small, individual trays. Here's an article on the local paper where I read about it.

One place I've been able to get asada (beef or chicken) is at Trader Joe's. I've also discovered that they have thinly sliced beef for cheessteak sandwiches. Both would be great for the grill!

I've been to their site and love the stuff. However, it asks for your SSN or IRS number for US customers. I'm not sure I want to provide them with either of those things. Unfortunately, I'm a little too far for a road trip to Montreal.... ← I emailed them about the request for SSN or IRS number when I ordered a book from them a few weeks ago. They responded that it helps clear the order through customs but is not required. I omitted it and my order came through just fine. My advice is to leave that blank. ← Thanks for the tip. I guess it's time to do a little shopping!

You mentioned you used the SWAD curry mix. Is that dry or wet? And how much did you add? I love to try a batch the next time I make marshmallow....

Kerry, those nougats looks yummy. Got a recipe for me to try?

I've been to their site and love the stuff. However, it asks for your SSN or IRS number for US customers. I'm not sure I want to provide them with either of those things. Unfortunately, I'm a little too far for a road trip to Montreal....

I do use sugar scrubs at home to make my hands softer.... Keep us posted on the next batch. Would love to get a successful recipe and some good techiques from you.

To my surprise, there were several tables with kids (one w/ a toddler) at Cafe Jacqueline last night.....

Many places with great views don't necessary serve great food, such as the Carnelian Room, Julius Castle, Slanted Door, Beach Chalet and the Cliff House. One suggestion I have is to pick a restaurant with great food, regardless of the view, and then stop by a place like Top of the Mark or the View Lounge (Downtown Marriott) for a drink afterward for the nice views.

Since you'll be staying in SF for a few days, another option for breakfast is to stop by somewhere outside of SF and closer to the airport. We just went to Peter's Cafe this morning and had a nice breakfast. It's just on the other side of the freeway (101) from the airport. One thing they specialized in is their apple "pancake". (The "German Baby" is the same thing without apples.) It's not really like a pancake, more like a souffle, but more dense. It takes about 30 minutes to get your pancake as it's cooked to order. An order of that is enough for two for breakfast - it's the size of a pie! Also, it's open 24 hours.

To be honest, there aren't too many places in SF that I would feel comfortable parking my car and sleeping in it. Maybe at Ocean Beach.... As for breakfast, there are many neighborhood places that are open early. If you want something closed by the Ferry Building, you can try Red's Java House on Pier 30. It's a small place that serves no thrill breakfast (bacon, eggs, etc.). There's also Town's End. The food range from good to average, depending on what you order. The prices are a little high, but not way out of line. It's a more comfortable setting than Red's. Another option is just to go to the Ferry Building early. Some food places are open early, such as Acme Bread Company, Peets, and Lulu Petite. Enjoy your visit here. I'm sure you'll have a great time!

If you're in the Napa, La Toque is a great alternative to French Laundry. If you are coming to San Francisco, you will have lots to choose from. However, it's hard to recommend places unless you can give us more details such as the type of cuisine and price range. The wine country has a lot of B&Bs and Inns; not so much in San Francisco. I don't know how long you plan to stay at one place, be aware that many B&Bs and Inns in the wine country require multiple nights stay. Please give us more details so we can be more helpful. congrats!

alecymoy, check out the cooking section at sfgate.com. You'll probably have the archive to find an article about the adopt-a-grandmom program. I believe you have to contact them and let them know what you're looking for (cuisine wise) and the staff will try to match you up with a grandmom for some cooking lessons.

Good news! There will be a Beard Papa opening in August in Redwood City's On Broadway Shopping Center and one around SF Center in September (just a few blocks away from the Yerba Buena one).

The "red" label, as in most cultures, means "unsafe to eat" or "eat at your own risk"! ← I really can't tell you which is the red label and which is the blue one. When I buy it, I just take a look and compare the jars. I like the fried one and it's usually darker in color and looks "fuzzier".

Do you have a tureen or some other suitable serving dish for soup on a buffet? Will you be serving the soup hot or cold? Will your guests have to walk more than ~10 ft or 3m with the soup? Pre-portioning the soup may also work. The soup strikes me as something meant for a plated meal tho, rather than a buffet. (that's not to say a soup can't work, but this sounds very much like it's *intended* to be presented as single servings, and much of the balance and effect may be lost if it's not). ← I think it'll be fun serving soup in small cups (espresso size) or shot glasses.

The fried rou song tends to go off quicker than the non-fried one. It's not meant to last a long time since it can go rancid - mom always warn me about that. I'm not a good person to give an estimate on how long it will last since rou song doesn't stick around very long at home (between the husband, myself and the cat....)

To better answer your questions, here are a few things I like to know: Are you only doing dessert? If you are, is someone else doing other food such as sandwiches or is this a dessert only event? What time is the event and how long for? Do you know if the guests will be going out for dinner afterward? Or will they have had lunch before this event? How much food you make will depend on those factors. I think for 20 people, you are planning more than enough sweets. Looking at your menu, you have 11 items on there, which is a lot, especially almost all of them are sweet and there are more substanial items such as scones and cupcakes. For more tradtional afternoon tea, I would say go with the scones and skip the cupcakes. As for the one larger item you want to make, maybe make a large fruit tart (or 2) instead of the individual tartletts. Or maybe an English trifle. One thing I would suggest is to take a look at tea menus online and see what other people serve and charge. Here's a link to a local tea room, Lovejoy's. I've seen places that charge from about $20-$50 for scone, tea sandwiches and an assortment of sweets (cookies, tarts, cakes, etc.).