Carolyn Tillie

I have become a broken record on the state of Yakitori in San Francisco; you can't throw a dead cat in any neighborhood of that illustrious city and not hit a Japanese restaurant, yet there is a not a single yakitori establishment anywhere in it's small confines. Yeah, I have heard of a few in South San Francisco or down on the peninsula, but in San Francisco proper, there is nary formal barbeque utilizing the essential Kishu Binchō-tan, or charcoal wood. This means my occasional trips to Southern California always necessitate a visit to a Yakitori restaurant, of which there are a plethora (go figure). Shin-Sen-Gumi has been my go-to yakitori for years but on the occasion of hitting L.A. for my birthday, old friend and local food writer Richard Foss suggested a new joint he had heard good things about, Yakitori Bincho in Redondo Beach. It was slightly surreal because Redondo was where I called home for almost a decade and left over seven years ago for the wiles of Napa (eventually decamping for San Francisco). Odd to walk the boardwalk, hear the Saturday night mating calls from nearby Naja's, a local watering hole, and see the changes in a neighborhood I had known so well... We arrived to this tiny, 24-seat establishment to see "Reserved" signs all over the restaurant. Okay, so it must be popular. Snagging a seat at the bar, we got to watch husband-and-wife team, Tomo and Megumi work the entire restaurant. With strains of industrial shamison music in the background, Tomo is the master of the charcoals and moves with the speed of svelte leopard. Megumi, his wife, elegantly clad in kimono and obi, acts as waitress, hostess, server, and dishwasher. When we indicate that sake will definitely be ordered, Megumi presented us with a basket of glass cups from her refrigerator; pre-chilled, we get to choose which cup we wish to drink from. Of course wanting to eat as many different flavors as possible, we ordered the "Bincho," the largest chef's selection of ten skewers for $25.00. We let Tomo know that challenging meats were definitely acceptable. While Tomo was preparing our skewers, Megumi started us out on our sake as well as some edamame and cabbage salad. He double-checked, "You sure? It is stuff like liver and gizzards..." You betcha, Tomo! Our skewer selection was as follows: * Meatball (better than Shin-Sen-Gumi's!!!! Could it be true?) * Thigh with leek (I adore leeks) * Thigh with chopped onions (might have been my favorite chicken dish of the evening; complex and rich and we wanted to eat every single bit of onion after the meat was gone) * Wings, flattened with a crispy exterior (a tad salty, but tasted great) * Thigh with cheese (the least successful of the night -- well, just plain wrong actually. The grilled meat, dipped in teriyaki sauce, is then topped with a slice of plastic-wrap cheese-like-product until melted) * Thigh with perilla leaf (complex and elegant) * Cartlidge (deep fried and very fresh tasty with its chewy interior contrasting the light crunchy breading) * Liver (oh yeah, baby, it is getting good. Even Mr. Rick who is not a liver fan ate more than a single bite) * Hearts (so tender and interestingly served fileted instead of served whole as I am accustomed to having them served) * Gizzard (I am giddy at this point) Knowing we were going to want to taste other bits on the menu, we also ordered the shiitake mushroom skewer which is stuffed with chicken meat and served with ponzu sauce. Another dish was eggplant soup, tender chunks of eggplant fried and served in a rich broth with a ton of green onions and topped with grated pickled daikon radish. This was an incredibly rich, complex soup despite the limited ingredients. We also ordered a skewer of ginko nuts and a rice ball, but at this point in the evening, the restaurant was packed and it was obvious that Megumi and Tomo were a tad overwhelmed. With a bit of a delay, our meal had settled sufficiently to where we realized we didn't need more savory. Canceling those last two dishes, I did order dessert, a final skewer of grilled marshmallows. Cheeky and a bit unorthodox, I'm sure. I didn't care. It was a charming, fun finish to a delightful evening. It might actually make me considering moving back to my old home... Pics on the Blog

From today's Chronicle So sad and a great loss to Napa. But a reason for me to go visit Santa Barbara.

So SoCal'ers... I'm heading back down this weekend but will be spending most of my time in the Irvine/Costa Mesa/Laguna Hills area. Marche Moderne? Is driving over the hill to Laguna's Sapphire a better bet (remember, I loved that place!) Anything special or out-of-the-ordinary? I'll also be hitting Urasawa one night so I will have a great report, I'm sure, when I get back!

Interesting -- I was under the impression that when they closed a year or so ago for several months, it was to install air conditioning...

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you. Like I said, I would call them omake, but serious collectors like you wouldn't want to use that word! (Note that there are serious omake collectors in Japan.) So, probably for those particular items of that manufacturer, petit sample should be the right term. ← Thanks -- is there a Japanese term or do they use the English? I actually prefer omake. The reason I'm asking is that I am going to be using the pieces to make jewelry, like this ring, and want to make sure I'm using the right vernacular!

I am slightly confused because as opposed to display items being made for restaurants, I am talking about those miniature versions that are sold in gum boxes. I assume they are being marketed for the maniacal collector so when somebody collects those miniature food items, do they say they are collecting "omake"?

Years ago, I bought a bunch of these boxes of gum which have the really cool miniature food stuffs inside them. I am looking at an art project which very well could get published and I'd like to know.... Do these little boxes actually have a name? How do you guys refer to them, culturally? I just call them "those little boxes of miniature Japanese food," but what can I call them on an art project? (Actually, I'm making jewelry with them...) THANKS!

My visit to Charleston, South Carolina was a very quick one – barely two days. But there were two very specific things I wanted to experience whilst in Charleston; true southern barbecue, and McCrady’s. I’m not sure where I first heard about McCrady’s, but when I suggested to my friend that this is where we were going on my last night in town, she quickly assented and confirmed it was well-regarded in town. We arrived early and admired the elegant dark wood interior as well as the numerous paintings on the wall. Being a tad parched, we started at the bar with a few house specialties. All I remember now is that one was made with house-made limoncello and was a bit too strong for both of us while the other, gin-based drink was nice but we were too anxious to move onto wine so neither drinks were finished. The first course came out with a bang; Country Pâté, Frozen Mustard Pearls, Cornichon served with Pinot Gris Rose, Domaine de Reuilly, Louire, 2006. The very tasty house-made pâté was centered with a small round of truffle-wrapped foie gras but the brilliance lied not only in the delectable terrine, but the Dippity-Dot creation of mustard – tiny little frozen pearls of mustard essence which melts delicately on the tongue and entices against the richness of the terrine. We were truly marveled and giddy at the experience. Next was Marinated Scallops with Mango Vinegar, Avocado, Crispy Rice, and Chamomile served with Txakoli, Gurrutxaga, Bizaiko, Spain, 2006. Served ceviche-style, the three slices of scallop were topped with a lovely mélange that accentuated the freshness of the fish which was complemented well with minerality of the wine. Being overly enthusiastic about the pâté, our waiter surprised us with an extra course from the chef, a selection of his house-made charcuterie. As I had been telling my friend about my own endeavors in sausage making, our waiter informed me that the chef was enthusiastic about someone who appreciated good charcuterie with the platter which included braesola, lenzino, duck prosciutto, finocino, pepperoni, noisette du Beaujolais, rosette du lyon, and sopresetta, The accompaniments included pickled quail egg, ramps, turnip, cauliflower, and mustardo. Our giddiness continued at the surprise gift which was heartily enjoyed. We were then presented with our first and only “interactive” course, a Himalayan salt rock that had been heated to 500° and given the course of Hawaiian Tuna, Pineapple, and Miso Butter. We knew it was going to be fun when a delicate set of tweezers were placed and we were instructed to sear our tuna on the salt griddle to our liking. The miso butter was unctuous and rich and paired with La Paradou Viognier from Provenece, 2006, could have easily been overwrought with unnecessary ingredients. The brightness of the pineapple was tamed with the butter. Stunning. Getting more complicated, next came Colombia River Sturgeon with English Peas, Morels, and a Truffle-Emulsion served with a 2006 Costa de Oro Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Having gone down the Molecular Gastonomy path with the frozen mustard pearls, I was not surprised to see the first introduction of foam. My non-mushroom-loving friend was entranced with the morels (as was I) but I was more in love with the sturgeon which is a fish I feel does not see enough menu time. Our foie gras course came next; what the chef jokingly calls “Liver and Onions,” the roasted foie was served with three accompaniments, thick slices of roasted sweet white onion, a slaw of pickled onion, and a crouton studded with onion essence. The fabulous wine pairing came in the form of a Leon Beyer Gewurtztraminer from Alcase, 2005 which proved not too sweet or cloying as so often foie is served as an intermediary with a sauterne, thereby offering an unnecessarily jarring sweetness in the middle of a dinner. This way was superb. The next course was another additional one that I had requested from the menu, Forest Mushroom and Pine Nut Stew topped with Celeste Alber’s Poached Egg and Parmesan Crisp. This was paired with an Azura Estate Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, 2006. Shame on me for asking for something outside the prescribed tasting menu as this was the only misstep of the evening. The broth was a tad too salty and the existence of the egg, which when broken would have made the sauce creamy, was poached a bit too hard to give the requisite runny yolk. There just was not an overwhelming cohesiveness. Also, the wine was a bit too bold and redolent of cranberry to give the classic earthy pinot quality which usually complements mushrooms so well. Getting back on track, our meat course was next, Beef Shortribs with Carrot Confit, Celeste Alber’s Potatoes, and Truffle Jus paired with Ey, “Vigne Las Collas” Côtes Catalanes Grenache from 2004. Cooked sous vide, the shortribs were perfect but it was the carrots that wowed me. A cheese course came in the form of a single bite, ColoRouge with light garnish of Smoked Grape, Saba, and Herb Salad. Served with a 20-Year Tawny Warre’s Port. Creamy and rich, the light garnish worked well with the port and the cheese. It was just enough and a great presentation. Another surprise came which differed from the printed menu that evening, two desserts, both served with Elio Perrone’s Italian Moscato d’Asti. The first was a Meyer Lemon Curd served with Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, a Compressed Strawberry, and a Triangle of White Chocolate. The curd was perfectly creamy and the combination of flavors were bright and clean. The second dessert was the show-stopper as we were presented with a platter that contained a rectangle of Soft Dark Chocolate, Mascarpone Cheese Yogurt, Chocolate Rice Krispies, and then the piece de resistance, nitrogen-frozen, dehydrated Strawberries served tableside. We were giggling again as what we were eating was akin to an adult’s version of cereal with the crispy strawberries similar to what we ate as Frankenberries as a child and an adult-version of cocoa crispies. Overall we were presented with an exciting evening full of inventiveness and imagination. The missteps were few and far between and the highlights were so superior and memorable as to easily make the meal memorable for a long, long time. Pics on the blog.

Here is a report I wrote in January of 2007 on Texas Smokehouse BBQ [1091 S. Capital Avenue, San Jose, 408.926.2829]. I still think about it...

I go about once a month and usually only call a day or so in advance. Then again, I rarely eat there on Fridays or Saturdays so that might take a *bit* more work, but it isn't that bad.

Great report -- and if I had known, I would have advised lunch at Zuni on one day; THAT is where the Deco dealers are now, right near the Castro!

Joe's in Venice; either brunch on Sunday or your Memorial dinner. You won't be disappointed.

Despite it being mere steps from where I live, I had not dined at Cafe Kate before. It was not because I hadn't *tried* though! A year or two ago, I sat down on two different occasions and ultimately walked out due to poor service (on one occasion, I sat alone for a full 20 minutes waiting to give my order while waiters buzzed around me). On this night (last Friday evening), I had two friends who had locked themselves out of their apartment and were looking to kill some time and get some food. Being very hungry, we agreed we would sit down and eat at the first restaurant that could seat us. At 7:30, Cafe Kati surprisingly had backroom tables available and the three of us entered. To their credit, the service was considerably better than my previous two visits. However, the food we got was far from memorable and was garnished with so much shredded beets and carrots to become a joke. We started with ginger potstickers. Had this been the only example of the bounty of shred, the rest of the evening might have been The dinners ordered were the pork belly, the cod with miso broth, and the chicken skewers. The pork belly actually tasted good, once you scraped aside whatever bizarre doughy coating surrounded it. We honestly weren't sure what it was. The grilled cod itself was flavorful, but the broth, noodles, and massive amount of shredded greens did little to complement the cod. The broth was insipid and the noodles rather gummy. I didn't taste the chicken skewers, but the gentleman who ordered them only ate one and didn't want to bring the others home with him. And the huge tangle of red beets was prevalent as an unnecessary garnish on EVERY PLATE. Variety, people! We didn't bother staying for dessert. For entrees north of $25, this place is a joke and I won't bother returning.

I had dinner at Cortez on Thursday and when I arrived, the bar scene was quite active and the two cocktails I ordered were amazing; "The Journalist" Distillery 209 gin, cointreau, red & white vermouth, lemon juice and bitters, and lemon twist and "The Bossa Nova" Rum, walnut liqueur, and bitters. I would definitely return if only for the cocktails.

I was thinking of having sushi for dinner, but I may have to go out for Vivande pasta now that I have re-read this thread...

Wow, that is kind of shocking, but we didn't get to eat there, so no first hand experience. ← Sad, but true. Examples: This report, "the entrees were not good until recently and the pastas had a tendency to be very overdone. I had the first really al dente pasta there last week--spaghtetti cacio e pepe. Before that, I told the staff there that there pastas were mushy." And this: "I don't think their pastas were ever consistently good. The one really unsuccessful dish I had there was a baked lasagne casserole in mid-November: watery sauce, overcooked pasta, undersalted. I loved the flavor of the rigatoni alla carbonara, but totally understood other people's complaints about the texture being wrong due to the guanciale being in strips instead of diced." And another: "The appetizers were good (braised chard, calamari, chicory with anchovy) but the pastas weren't as good as I'd expect. The linguine and clams suffered from gummy, oversalted pasta."

can we take a cab there? What should we expect the the round trip to cost? ← At least $40 each way, plus tip = about $100.00 Although it *is* on a major BART line (Rockridge exit - about 100 yards to walk to the restaurant from the BART station), I am an Oliveto detractor -- it is good, but not worth the effort of the trip, in my opinion.

Weinoo, shockingly, I think SPQR's pasta is their weakest offering and many on other boards have confirmed similar sentiments. I have continually suggested that folks walk a block beyond SPQR to Vivande for the best fettuccine in the city -- it is made throughout the day and when you dine at lunch, you can see them working on in the open kitchen. I'll maintain that it is the best I've had. Others are very, very fond of Quince which is a few steps above Vivande in service, ambience, and cost. Vivande has a piece of butcher paper over the tablecloth while Quince is close to white-glove service. You can get into Vivande practically every night but a reservation at Quince takes some planning. But my go-to, pasta-craving moments, I head to Vivande.

Make sure you never come with that particular person to London. All our worst restaurants are conveniently located for those following the tourist trail. ← Actually the whole trip started in London -- but there we had mostly business meetings so the restaurants were chosen by others; Rules, Papillon, Anchor & Hope, and (me alone, yeah!) St. John. We did also go to a rather horrible Indian restaurant, Red Chilli's.

Exactly. Had I had time to pre-research, I *would* have avoided it... but the restaurants was wholly and entirely stumbled-upon and I was with someone who does decidedly not like going out of one's way to eat and prefers to eat when and only if convenient. Annoying, but true.

As I learned last Sunday, most restaurants are closed. I would recommend Paul Bocuse's L'Est.

I think a lot of things are going to change in four years... Kinda early to be asking these sort of questions.

In a follow-up report, with a single 18-hour return expected for the evening of 9 April, Ms. Tillie, concerned for her welfare, has decided to confine herself to a local McDonalds maintaining "at least with a Big Mac, I'll know what to expect."

Here is EXACTLY what happened: I'm wandering around near Tower Bridge at 6:00 p.m. -- the adjacent walkway on the Thames. I get a phone call from the guy who lives in London (transplanted from France two years ago) who says "we are all going to meet at A&H at 7:00 -- the first one to get there should snag a table for all five of us." The four guys were busy driving around London in an NYPD police car, showing off the car (search Flickr - you'll see some pics). This is how the restaurant/pub is recommended to me -- I had not pre-researched it and only read of its "intricacies" after the fact. I went in blind. I took his instruction to mean that HE had called and made a reservation for approximately 7:00 and that the first of us to arrive should sit down. I tube over and am the first to arrive at about 6:45. It was then I was told that a table would not be ready until 8:30 at the earliest. I phone the guys to say that I am going to walk the neighborhood (gee, I see a bookstore - looks good to me!) and when they arrive, tell me they are at the Wellington. So, silly lemming that I was, I just followed along. Nope, I did not understand the restaurant's policy and was surprised they would not take my phone number when told there was an hour-and-a-half wait. I've never been to the area before. Not wanting to SIT for an hour-and-a-half and just wander to see what is around should not be considered unusual for a tourist. I have some great pics of Kevin Spacey going into the Old Vic and I bought a good book at the store across the street. My friends saw the end of some game at the Wellington and I also got some interesting pictures of food products in the grocery store next to A&H. That's it. That's all she wrote.

With all due respect, We don't ALL know it. Some of us are tourists who are recommended to the pub and do not know its intricacies. My post makes a very good point that there was no way I could know food would run out or that some dishes require an hour+ preparation time. In fact, the chick that took our name handed me a menu so that I could start to choose what we might want; she had a perfect opportunity at that point to tell me that by the time we sat down, some dishes might not be available. That information was not provided. Again, there was NO ROOM (get it? NONE) for five of us in the bar area except to stand with our backs to the wall where people were trying to walk in and out. And, being a tourist, wanting to explore the neighborhood (you know, explore the country in which we are visiting?!?!) is not unusual. ETA: Yes, that is a correct statement. But, sadly for me, being only one of five and a minority voice, I had no choice. I am simply stating that the hostesses and servers at the pub DO have a choice. They could have told me we risked loosing our table instead of saying it WOULD be ready. They could have taken our number since we said we were just going to wander the neighborhood. They could have let me know that because of the long wait, there MIGHT not be any food left. They could have done a lot of things to make the experience better than it was and chose not to...