FrogPrincesse

@gulfporter You are welcome! I wish you both a wonderful anniversary & birthdays!

There is also a video version of the recipe that is available online and has a few good tips.

Spiced, braised short ribs with creamy potatoes from nothing fancy (similar recipe here) With the weather turning (ever so slightly) colder in San Diego, I was in the mood for short ribs and decided to try this recipe. It's a pretty standard process - brown the ribs, remove from the pot, cook the aromatics and spices, deglaze the pot & create a flavorful liquid to braise the meat in, braise in the oven, raise the temperature at the end (with the lid off) to brown the meat further. In addition to onions, garlic, and tomato paste, the liquid (which is broth - I used water + demi-glace - and white wine vinegar) contains a lot of spices which are an interesting departure from the mostly French or Italian short ribs recipes I have tried in the past (it's worth pointing out that it doesn't contain wine or beer, unlike the vast majority of short ribs recipes I have seen). Spices are cumin, fennel, coriander, a touch of cinnamon, and chiles, which leans towards middle eastern. The flavors were actually quite intense due to the large amount of spices used, and the inclusion of chopped lemon (preserved lemons can also be used) both in the braise and as a garnish. The online recipe also includes fresh cilantro as a garnish which I thought was a good addition compared to the book version of the recipe. I also like the potatoes in the dish, which makes it a true on-pot meal. The potatoes stay intact for the most part, and the little bit that sort of melts into the dish thickens the sauce. It's a good recipe and quite easy. The short ribs were bought at Whole Foods and were good quality (very tender which isn't always the case - I found that the quality of the meat is very important with short ribs recipes in general). Before going into the oven... ...and after Plated The leftovers will go into tacos!

I think you may be missing anchovies in your list of ingredients. It keeps for a few weeks in the fridge with a bit of olive oil on top.

Agree, I have taken these Harvard food sciences courses on edX and they are great (and free)!

That is a very specific list, @gulfporter! At least you are clear on what you are looking for. San Diego is famous for its Mexican cuisine, but obviously you have plenty of that in your village, and also its vibrant Asian food scene (in Convoy neighborhood, see here). Some of the cuisines you listed aren't especially common in SD but I will do my best to help, as long as you promise to share your impressions after your visit 😉. Jamaican (including goat): Rock Steady in Grant Hill (east of downtown) Afghan and Persian cuisine: Khyber Pass in Hillcrest Indian: the place I liked in Sorrento Valley changed hands during covid and I don't have a go-to at the moment. SD Magazine recommends the following: Bhojan Griha (critic's pick), Curry & More Indian Bistro (readers' pick), and Charminar (see here for more of their recommendations). Moroccan: the only Moroccan place I am aware of is Medina which does Baja-Moroccan fusion and is quite good New Mexican: Wolf in the Woods is excellent (reservations are a must) All of the above are extremely casual, with the exception of the last one which is nice-casual (you'd be hard press to find anything that isn't casual in SD). In addition, the linked thread has some recommendations that may work for you (most are older posts, but some of these restaurants are still around), so I recommend going through it. Also it's worth checking out Kirk's blog mmm-yoso which has a lot of ideas for hole-in-the-wall restaurants that you can filter by cuisine. Lastly, Eater has a few lists as well that can be helpful (see here, and here). Enjoy your visit!

I treated myself to this nice campfire harbison cheese (like the original, but lightly smoked) from Jasper Hill farm. (Also some Humboldt fog for good measure.)

Inspired by @C. sapidus, I made this delicious lunch of zucchini with mojo de ajo. So good! I added a little sprinkle of outrage of love (which seems to be Penzey’s take on tajin).

I finally opened these beauties from la belle-Iloise. And they are as good as I remembered! Also look at them all pretty and intact in the tin. I had them on bread soaked in a little bit of the olive oil from the tin, with good butter, slightly smashed, more olive oil on top and a squeeze of lemon juice. Perfect! From their website:

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Staff note: This post and the response to it have been moved from the Bulk Buying Bunkum discussion, to maintain topic focus. It’s interesting that you use Belgian apple lambic beer to make moules “marinières”. I have made them of course the traditional way with white wine, and also with dry vermouth (delicious). I can see how it would work with beer in general, but why pick an apple beer specifically? I guess maybe it’s a bit like moules normandes with cream and a touch of calvados or apple cider? I cannot comment on the bulk buying aspect; if it were me I would make them a different way each time because it’s more interesting.

I haven't been there in a couple of years so I am not up to speed on SB's dining scene, but Eater generally has good recommendations. Here is their latest list from August 2024. Not directly in SB but in nearby Los Olivos, I highly recommend Bar Le Cote. Great place to have lunch while visiting the local wineries.

Some additional details in this article. It’s quite horrifying. https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/08/blood-puddles-mold-tainted-meat-bugs-boars-head-inspections-are-horrifying/

From earlier in the week, grilled lamb chops scottadito (following a recipe from Babbo). The lamb chops are rubbed with a mixture of fresh mint, lemon zest, sugar, salt, and pepper. I served them with cumin yoghurt on the side, and some grilled zucchini.

Spaghetti alla chittara with wild cockles (with dry vermouth, shallots, garlic, aleppo pepper, and plenty of parsley). So good! The cockles were very sweet and delicate.

Dominique Crenn posted this hilarious clip for the 20th anniversary of Julia’s passing.

Looking for an alternative to shrimp scampi, a favorite in our household, I found the recipe called "shrimp in the shells with lots of garlic and probably too much butter" in dining in. It's similar with the addition of tomato paste which is caramelized in butter and olive oil. I used high quality shell-on shrimp from my local fish market, Catalina Offshore, and served it on organic pappardelle pasta from Trader Joe's.

Picard is back at it with the new edition of their catalog called "Viva La Vida*" (*Vivre La Vie). Not to be confused with Godard's classic, Vivre Sa Vie. It's pretty entertaining, especially viewed from San Diego. Fascinating hodgepodge of authentic looking dishes and some interesting creations. https://catalogues.picard.fr/picard-pros#1

@mmlstarr I have not but some people have left their impressions and notes on EatYourBooks (link).

Za'atar chicken with lemon yoghurt (from Melissa Clark's Dinner: Changing the Game). It was pretty nice! I did it on the grill.

I made choux filled with taramasalata for a Silver Palate-themed gathering. Choux are a great vehicle for mousses etc and they make the perfect bite!

For those of us interested in the origin and evolution of the Mai Tai recipe, below is a link to a presentation that was given at Tiki Oasis last week on the topic. tldr: original recipe called for W&N 17. As that rum became scarce, it was replaced with a mix of W&N 15 with Coruba, then a mix of Jamaican rum (Trader Vic 15 or 8 ) with a rum from Martinique (St James), in order to try to match the flavor of the original rum that the recipe called for. (Nearly) Everything You Know About Rum in a Mai Tai is Wrong

The NYT times article 36 hours in San Diego that was just published in July includes the list of recommended restaurants and bars below, plus a few more in the body of the article. Some good picks in there.

A few simple dinners. Cheeseburgers on brioche buns with ground beef from my local butcher shop, grilled onions, and Swiss gruyere. Harissa chicken a la Melissa Clark, very simple and tasty one sheet-pan dish. Grilled brats & asparagus. The brats were from Whole Foods and the seasoning was off - way over-salted. Shrimp scampi with squid ink linguine