Carolyn Tillie

All metal - will try and report back!

I am thrilled that new business deals are requiring me to explore other parts of San Francisco; namely, the Financial District. An extended business meeting was called for and having carte blanche for deciding where our meetings take place, I insisted on Piperade as I am still work my way through the must-eat-at-restaurant list... I understand service has been a major complaint about Piperade in the past, and perhaps it is an issue more at dinner if the restaurant is trying to turn the tables faster. But for lunch, service was unrushed and extremely pleasant. One the table for shared starters was a tartare of bacalao and oysters, a garlic soup, and a French onion soup. The garlic soup was easily the favorite, but I convinced everyone to leave some as I knew I wanted to take some home for a late-night snack. This was all consumed with a Tablas Creek Roussanne which worked quite well. Kevin chose as his entree lamb chops served with Manchego potato gratin and I opted for rarely-seen veal cheeks with fava beans and cepes. Our guest was dieting and opted for a butter lettuce salad. Both our entrees were astonishingly good but the veal cheeks, undoubtedly a sous vide preparation, melted in the mouth. We had as a second pairing a Guelbenzu blend that consisted of a cab-sauv/tempranillo blend which worked quite well. Being a business meeting, more time was needed for negotiations and dessert was ordered... a cheese plate and port for Kevin, a Gateau Basque for me, and our guest (then realizing how great the food was and foregoing the diet) ordered an apple tart. At one point during the discussion, I mentioned in passing to our guest that Kevin and I were experimenting with making cheese but were struggling with finding goat's milk that is not ultra-pasteurized. While clearing plates and overhearing this remark, our server brought a large hunk of goat's milk cheese from Petaluma for us to try. It was a simple gesture, done without largesse and was well-appreciated.

Assuming you put this entire charge on your credit card, immediately dispute the charge with your credit card company while you negotiate with the owner. In many/most cases, the credti card company will act as a mediator if discussions with the restaurant owner break down. This is a valuable resource that credit card companies offer that I believe many people forget they can utilize. I purposefully use credit cards for this very reason for interpersonal transactions as this is a form of insurance policy if things go wrong (like exactly what you are going through).

Corrected Link to The Roving Feast. Only because I always look forward to Marlena's articles via this forum...

So now, here's a related question... We used our fancy-schmancy antique martini shaker to mix these puppies up. Then we had dinner and wine and dessert and promptly went to bed. The next day (and now, almost four days later), I can't get the top off my shaker to clean it. I have soaked it in warm water and cold water, but I'm thinking the combination of eggwhite and cream has sealed it pretty good, but if anyone has any ideas on opening this thing, I'd love to hear it!

Uh, hello???!!! There's a steam table of "oriental" food at the Raley's grocery store! And if I'm not mistaken we have the world famous Panda Express!!!!! ← I actually think I ate at EVERY ethnic restaurant in the Napa valley (and apologize I don't remember any names)... The Japanese restaurant in the outlet mall was easily the worst I've ever eaten in my life. The sushi restaurant in downtown Napa only marginally better but pretty hideous by San Francisco City standards. There are five Chinese restaurants in Napa by my count; three in downtown (two of which are both on Main, sort of sandwiching Zuzu oddly enough), one on Lincoln, and one on Trancas. I used to frequent the one on Trancas only because it was close to my home and I was occasionally desperate, especially when I was sick and just wanted Wor Wonton Soup. Another is also another one in St. Helena that is -- well, just there. There is also a Thai restaurant on Trancas that is unmentionable. Right as I was moving, Analien (Thai? Korean?) was opening in downtown and getting pretty decent reviews. There was a Thai restaurant in St. Helena but I think it has closed. For me needing ethnic, it was easier to drive to Fairfield which is really less than a 30 minute drive in decent traffic (NEVER go on a Friday evening!). I also sufficed with Nepalese and Portguese food from Sonoma, also a 30-minute drive, for an ethnic fix.

Carolyn, Your link was to the Hotel Monaco and Grand Cafe. As you call it "Cafe Monaco" is this a different restaurant? It just seems out of character that the food would be so bad. ← Inside the hotel is a formal restaurant known as the Grand Cafe. But just inside, where the bar is located, is what is known as Cafe Monaco that serves bar food. I have not eaten at the sit-down restaurant, but was dining off their Cafe menu which includes a charcuterie plate, French onion soup, my aforementioned tartare and escargot, burgers, and other nibbles. I agree and was astounded that the food was so bad -- I have wanted to dine at the restaurant but am reluctant to give them money if their simple cafe can't perform.

It started as an attempt to run some errands -- a dash up Geary to acquire some beer-making and cheese-making supplies and sausage casings. But then we spotted an Irish bar on Geary and 5th with a pool table and Friday afternoon was spent irresponsibly drinking Poor Man's Black Velvet (half Guinness/half Wyder's Pear Cider) and shooting pool. By 6:00, I insisted on a little nosh and the throaty brogue behind the bar suggested a one-block jaunt towards Clement, known as the Inner Richmond neighborhood (I'm still learning where the neighborhoods are). Peppered with Chinese restaurants, it was a sign for Turkish food that grabbed my attention as Kevin and I stepped into Troya (349 Clement, corner of 5th). Walls painted in rich brick and warm mustard tones, the black tables and chairs and long inviting bar seemed just the perfect spot. We were immediately served pita and sesame bread with house-made yogurt spread. Wanting to try as much of the offerings as possible, we ordered a sampler meze that included hummus, two dolmas, baba ghanoush, a mint and bulgar salad, and roatsed pepper spread. All were quite good and fresh but the bulgar stood out as the most flavorful. Both of us liking liver, we ordered a "traditional Turkish" dish that was nothing other than fried bits of beef liver with sliced pickled onions. Still, they were tender and fresh and worked well with the various dips. The shared kebab sampler plate included veal, lamb, and chicken with some rice and salad. All of the meats were fresh, very well prepared, and quite succulent (fearing dry chicken, this was intensely moist). Needing to dash off for an evening appointment, I took home a Kunefe dessert; a sweet cheese pastry that looks like a large, round shredded wheat biscuit. Wrapped in filo dough and baked, it is normally served with rose syrup but that was given on the side and I ended up just eating the pastry for breakfast like a Danish. Nothing on the menu seemed very exotic or out of the ordinary, but the service was remarkably attentive (a waiter passing by heard Kevin's fork hit the floor and before we could ask, he swept up the dirty victim and deftly replaced it from a nearby table in one fluid, ballet-like movement). Everyone was extremely personable as I was leaving, a passer-by asked if I had the falafel, indicating they were the best in the city. Now that I have a great bar to shoot pool in, I will have no hesitation in heading back to Troya as well.

I found this thread very intriguing -- so much so that Kevin and I decided to mix up a large amount for guests on Saturday. Unfortunately, I only had Middle Eastern-brand orange blossom water which sadly completely overwhelmed the drink. I would love to try it from the hands of a true mix-master but we all took a sip and trashed our version. Shouldn't have wasted four eggs...

Take the bus to Japantown. Walk down the street (down the hill) to Fillmore and turn left. Two doors down from the Fillmore is a pretty amazing Korean restaurant called Won Mi at 1545 Fillmore. Known for being open VERY late (4:00 a.m. and later). Honestly, the place is entirely empty almost all evening long but is packed in the middle of the night. This whole neighborhood is peppered with Korean restaurants and Japantown is mostly owned and operated by Koreans now so much of the Japanese restaurants have a Korean twist to them (read my post on Juban, an erstwhile Japanese teppan restaurant that did not serve tsukemono, but kimchi).

I found some on the riverbank in Napa a few years ago. The stuff I picked was far too large resulting in a VERY fibrous, woodsy vegetable (i.e., inedible). Also, the flavor itself was extremely bitter and sharp. Fennel is best picked young (like many vegetables). Unless you have spotted some relatively small sprouts, I wouldn't bother.

Surprisingy me, the product is from Canada (I'm used to Sonoma or Hudson Valley foie gras). At 1.62 pounds for Grade A for that price, it is well worth it. I haven't thawed and cooked mine yet, but it LOOKS good (no mottling on the color, firm, good size, etc). On the Wagyu, I ordered the tongue and it looks fabulous as well; an obviously young offering with good color. Totally undecided what to do with it but am tempted to get my meat slicer out of storage and make carpaccio...

I totally don't get the green bell pepper thing in California wines -- to me this is poor craftsmanship on the part of the winemaker, often showing the grapes having been picked too early. I find it most often in wines from the Stags Leap district and is close to where Crocker & Starr's vineyards are (Yountville). My latest favorite CabFrancs are coming from William Harrison and Ehlers Estate Winery, having acquired a case of Cab Franc from each of these producers.

Very important concept in teaching cooking classes: Mise en place! Meaning, having EVERYTHING pre-cut and pre-measured. Get to the point where literally the ONLY thing you are doing in the class (while you are talking) is assembly and heating. Most people aren't taking a cooking class to learn how to chop vegetables -- they already have their own method so why waste their time doing prep? Sounds like you are being ambitious with four courses and if you need to wait for folks to prep their food, it will actually take considerably more time than you are anticipating. If they come in with some basic ingredients already prepped for them, you can get right to cooking and instructing them on technique and recipes. I am just thinking about the one-off classes I've attended and taught, versus the on-going classes I've attended and taught. If you have a series of classes set up and you are going to see these folks every week for four or six weeks, then spending time teaching knife technique would be important. But for a single experience, I would suggest sparing your attendees the prep-time.

My box arrived today and I couldn't be happier -- the only difficulty being that I ordered a veal loin and a lamb loin and neither are labelled (although I am guessing that the veal loin is the lighter colored meat). Well-packed and everything frozen quite solid. We are starting by thawing some boar kebab and venison stir fry meat; purchased deliberately to grind for a terrine! Only sorry I didn't order more!

Stupid me - I totally missed that!!!!

I did some freelance work for the mag and never got paid -- the amount was too little to warrant me spending much time going after it but it explains a great deal.

I spent last Saturday wandering Westside Road in Healdsburg (almost felt like it did when I was blogging wineries every bloody weekend!). I hit Roshambo, Rabbit Ridge, Potters Creek, Alderbrook, Belvedere, Rochioli, and Arista. Of all of them, Roshambo was the biggest hit for me (in fact, I joined their wine club -- something I haven't done in over a dozen years!). I really liked everything they had to offer, especially their Roussanne. From Belvedere, I picked up some great Sangiovese. Potters Creek was good for both a Carignane and Syrah and Rochioli is always good for Pinot (although not their famous vineyard-specific bottles which require being on a list for six or eight years). I bought a few syrah from Rabbit Ridge but regretted it when I got to Roshambo and Potters Creek. Arista is the new one on the block and worth the visit just to see the garden fountain. Picked up a couple of their vineyard-specific pinots which Kevin liked a bit more than I did. You can have a great day on this road, hit some fabulous wineries, and be within ten minutes of downtown Healdsburg. Alternately, if you want to avoid the drive, downtown Healdsburg is also home to a handful of tasting rooms from nearby wineries like La Crema, Lake Sonoma, Selby (another fav!), Simi, Toads Hollow, and more...

On the far right drop-down Categories menu on the top of the page, Freezer is the option just under Specials. The items in the freezer section are significantly cheaper than everything else on their site but doesn't actually indicate it is a sale -- it is just something that isn't there everyday of the week.

For those folks living in New York, you can go and pick up your selections personally, but living on the other coast, participating in the D'Artagnan Freezer Sale proved quite fun. If you buy more than $250, they will ship it for free (how could I not?). When all is said and done, I'm getting close to 40 lbs of meat for around $6.50 a pound -- selections in my order include Wagyu beef, buffalo, boar, venison, lamb, duck, rabbit liver, and much more. Killer deal!

In Healdsburg, I am a huge fan of both Manzanita and BarnDiva. Willi's didn't thrill me (minimal amount of lobster with lots more filling than seafood). Down the road a bit, in Windsor, is Mirepoix which is great for small plates.

Joaquim Splichal and Nick Valenti are going to head up this new independent group and expand the Patina brand name to different locations. Does anyone here have any more details about this development? ← When I worked for the Patina group over three-and-a-half years ago (jeez - has it been that long?!?!?), there was gossip that the Patina Group/RA affiliation was not all it was cracked up to be. I think even then Joachim regretted his partnership with RA so it looks as though a new deal was made to give him a bit more autonomy and room to see his vision more fully realized.

Of note - the timing of service is decidedly better at the St. Helena location; as soon as the drinks are ready, they are served. There is no waiting for your food to be ready to be given your shake or float. Also, I believe the costs a bit lower. The Ahi Burger is my favorite (along with the onion rings which are just about the best I've every had) but the last time I ordered it in St. Helena, paid nine or ten dollars -- not fourteen.

I was spending a ton of money on POM (not liking the TJs brand as much) for mimosas and vodka mixers. One day, perusing Trader Joe's shelves, I stumbled on a *new* juice they are offering: Aronia Berry. It is BETTER than POM and very similar in quality, concentration, and effect as a mixer. Also, very high in antioxidants...

A couple quick notes... a quick peruse through the latest California posts might disuade you from Slanted Door -- overrated. Simple noshing through the Ferry Building for lunch could fill you up very nicely. Second, Koi Palace over Yank Sing any day of the week. Amen. Hallelujah. Third: Your entire progression seems a bit over-wrought with haute cuisine. Give yourself a little room for serendipity. I've dined at the restaurant within the Vitale and had a wonderful meal. Consider wandering Chinatown for fabulous, authentic Chinese or Little Italy for Cioppino. I've lived here a whopping three months now (after moving from Napa). I'd take mussels at Plouf with a great bottle of Muscat anyday over the contrived menu at Danko... But I'm getting tired of haute and enjoy everyday, great plain cooking with perfect ingredients.