annachan

The meal looks great! $175 for 14 courses is more than reasonable.

Butter milk - I have seen it, either at Woolies or Coles, or both.

I've been wanting to make wonton broth like the ones back in Hong Kong. I found some dried stockfish (Dà dì yú - 大地魚), which is what is used in stock if I remember correctly. However, in one of the sealed bag, there was a black, fuzzy caterpillar like bug crawling inside. That freaked me out a little and I just didn't want to get any from that brand, which was the only one available. So, I am thinking maybe I can make my own dried fish. I believe it is flounder I need to start with. I was thinking of just getting one fresh, clean it and then stick it in the dehydrator. Anyone tried that before? Also, in the bag that I didn't purchase, were quite a few star anise. Not sure what they were doing there. Perhaps store together to give the fish flavor. Anyone know?

Beef cheek and long bean stir fry. It didn't start out as a Chinese dish. But I had two cheeks confit and wasn't sure what I want to do with it. At the last minute, I decided to cut them up into chunks and add long beans to it. For the sauce, I went with a basic mix of soy, sugar, Chinese wine, garlic and chili.

That's my thought as well. I love pork belly, but wouldn't recommend anyone who has not eaten meat for 5 years to start with that. If you start with some of the rich dishes posted here, you may end up not feeling too well.

Try Patisserie Philippe. Maybe Miette. There is also Chantal Guillon Macarons, which used to be Paulettes when I went a few years ago.

Grits! I miss me some grits, especially with some cheese in it. 2 if by land sounds really, really good!

I've make it with only goats milk and only regular milk. The goats milk definitely gave the dulce de leche a tang. It does have a goat cheese like after taste to it.

I worked in a school last year and was in charge of quite a few teas. Though people love sweets, the savory items were usually the first to go. Here are some popular items: *Tea sandwiches - chicken salad and smoked salmon with cream cheese are good. For vegetarians, maybe a grilled vegetable. *Quiches/frittata *Mini sausage rolls/pies *Savory bread rolls/pull apart bread - bacon and cheese, spinach and feta, etc. *Cheese and crackers *Dips and vegetables *Guacamole/salsa and chips *Cheese straw/pinwheels *Sweet of just about any kind (just thought, mini cheesecakes/fruit tarts would be lovely) Rice bubble treats without marshmallow: http://www.food.com/recipe/crunchy-chewy-milo-slice-224560 Instead of dried fruit, I use shredded or dessicated coconut (try both as they give you different texture and you may prefer one over the other). Also, I find the recipe too wet so I generally add some more rice bubbles. I know it's hard to get graham crackers here, and the ones at USA food is ridiculously priced. I did come across this recipe: http://www.kitchenkonfidence.com/2012/02/homemade-graham-crackers/ Haven't tried it yet though

You know all of those "I left my heart in San Francisco" sweatshirts you see on the street? They should say, "I left my warm clothing in St Louis." We could always spot the out of towners: shorts with some sort of SF fleece jackets, which the tourist shops sell a lot of....

Some feedback from my super-foodie friend about food trucks. She highly recommends the pork belly steamed bun at the Chairman Bao truck. She also says the 510 Burgers truck and the Taco Guys truck are good. Trucks vary in popularity and quality. The ones with the long lines are, you guessed it, probably the best. An update on Off The Grid at Fort Mason: it will start again on March 23, supposedly. My friend forwarded me an email newsletter with that date. As I mentioned above, check before you go to Fort Mason. Don't just go by the lines. It indicates popularity, not always what's best. Last time I was at Off the Grid, Chairman Bao had a long line while Taco Guys had no one in line. I usually make a round to check out the menus before deciding on what I get. That also allows you to budget yourself as the food isn't that cheap and you can easily spend more than at a casual restaurant. I hope Fort Mason is on when you get there. That is the original location and the one with the most number (30 or so) of trucks/food stalls. The other locations don't come close to that.

If you go to Napa, definitely get some baked goods from Bouchon Bakery. Oh, how did I forget to mention Patisserie Philippe in SF? You can't get better French pastry in SF. Quality is on par with Bouchon. Swan Oyster Depot has been around a long time, an old fashioned place. Great for oysters and other chilled seafood. You can spend a good amount of money in there if you let yourself go. It can be a little dangerous for someone on a budget. You can get cheap accommodation at Napa if you want to stay overnight. Look for budget hotels. You are some located in prime areas that are quite reasonable.

I miss Miette....those old fashioned cupcakes....and the fancy flavor cotton candy from their Hayes store....

One thing you do have to factor in is tax and tips. Tax is not included on prices on menus, so you need to add about 9% on top of the menu price. If you go to a sit down place, tips are expected. Generally, 15% - 20%. Some place may even add a health tax, somewhere around 4%. Now, there are still plenty of great places for under $20: *Burmese - Little Yangon in Daly City (take BART to Daly City station and walk about 3 blocks). You can get some really authentic stuff there and prices are great. I prefer it a lot more than Burma Superstar (pricey, food that is more Americanized). *Mexican - tacos, burritos, you can fill yourself up silly for $20. El Burrito Express (2 locations) is one of my favorites. *Ike's - the sandwiches are well worth the price and the wait. *Cotogna - one of my favorites, but $20 is tough, even $30. I do love that place though. *Il Cane Rosso - you can't go wrong with breakfast or lunch there. *Food trucks - like someone mentioned before, Off the Grid is where you want to be. It's a weekly gathering of food trucks and food stalls. Go to the one at Fort Mason Center. The last time I went (October 2011), there were at least 30 trucks/stalls). *El Huarache Loco (food stall) - they are sometimes at Off the Grid, always at the Alemany Farmer's Market on Saturdays and I think they've opened a restaurant in the North Bay. Anything with alambre, the pambazo, the huevos divorciados, etc. God I miss that place! When we lived in SF, we got food from there weekly. *Choice Yakiniku - this place is tuck in the middle of a residential area, up in Diamond Heights. The owners are Korean but the menu is mainly Japanese and diner food, with a few Korean dishes mixed in. Surprisingly, the burgers are great (big and juicy) along with perfectly cooked steak fries (under $10). For the Japanese fare, I like chicken katsu, stuffed jalapeno tempura (stuffed with beef and very spicy) and the calamari tempura. I also like their tofu soup (stew). You have a choice between beef or seafood (calamari and shrimp). I always ask for beef and calamari. Ask about kimchi and pickled jalapeno if you like spicy stuff. They know me there so they give me a bowl of that stuff no matter what I order. Even with tax and tip, you shouldn't have a problem eating for under $20. Oh yeah, portions are large. *King of Thai Noodle (Taraval location - the only location I can recommend) - lots of good, cheap noodles here. Love the chicken noodle soup (with lots of chili), curry fried rice and some of the stir fry noodle dishes. If I remember correctly, items are mostly under $10. *Arizmendi - it's mainly a bakery. You got to try a cheese roll. Breads and baked goods are generally fantastic. Daily pizzas are available during lunch. *PIQ - if you're over in Berkeley, you have to try this place. It has beautiful breads (I dream about the mushroom bread!), wonderful sandwiches and calzones, and lovely desserts (the sfogliatelle is a must!). The egg panini is perfect for breakfast. $10 should be more than enough for a meal, maybe a few dollars more if you add in a drink and dessert. *Farmers markets - Alemany, Stonestown and Ferry Building all have great food stalls. *Hard Knox Cafe - great Southern food at great prices. You can't go wrong with the fried chicken (I generally request all wings) and the oxtails are good. Portions are huge, you get 2 sides and corn muffin with your meal (except for burgers/sandwiches) and mostly under $15. It has 2 locations and both are good. *Bisou - this is more the $30 meal. French bistro food for really good prices. Prix-fixe menu from 5:30-7:00, 3 courses for $26. It is one of the best deals in town. Oh, during brunch, $10 will get you bottomless mimosa and bloody mary. Say hello to Nick (the owner) if you're there. He's just the friendliest guy around. I'm sure there are more, will post when they come to me. I know you'll have a great time there.

So, what price range are you looking for? A meal for under $10? $20? $30? Also, what type of seafood are you looking for? Sushi/sashimi? Oysters? Crab? SF has a lot of options....

Rice flour - keep buying them thinking I will get to them someday....still sitting here after a year.... And random things I might have seen when looking for recipes and then see at the store. Last time, it was a jar of Korean shrimp. Sat in the fridge for a year and finally had to throw it out because we're moving. I have a few more of those types of items in the pantry still.

I fry the rice for a while because I like the crisp.

There aren't any particular ones I follow, but I do find them helpful. I generally look for a dish and end up finding websites that tried out certain recipes and give the pros and cons.

I so love Guy Savoy. Glad that it is still good place to grab a bite.

I also love the griddler. I gave it to a friend when I moved from the US. I want to replace it here but it's almost 3 times the price! Love that it now also has a waffle maker insert. As for that grill/griddle thing. I had one a while back. It was such a pain to clean that I ditched it after a few use. That's when I got the griddler....

So, I guess friends and families aren't willing to go through the stuff? If someone can help sort it first, then it may be able to go to a charity that his late spouse was fond of.

You can use the oven as storage space. You can't use your drawers/cabinets as an oven. To me, it isn't about if you use it often or not, but will you ever need to use it. If you don't put one in and then decide you need to use it for something, then what? Yes, there are alternatives. But will they end up costing more or taking up precious counter space? The way I see is, if you can absolutely live without one, then don't put one in. If you think you will need it once or twice a year, put one in.

The intense flavors have to come from somewhere. When I think of rich, intense flavors, fat is often involved.

We've been busy settling in so haven't really explore much other than the large markets. Will definitely need to start exploring this and other nearby neighborhoods soon. There is just so much around here that it will take me a while to get try out all these places. But that will be the exciting part. Restaurants, yes, we will have to do more exploring. Haven't been going out much as we had to watch our spending. But now that I have a job, no doubt we'll be going out more.

What is a little frustrating is that menus aren't posted for many events. How do I know if I want to spend $200+ a person if I don't even know what's being served?