weinoo

Frittata with onions, potato, feta, parsley.

Penne with porcini and cremini mushrooms. Salad.

I wonder if a really good pepper grinder isn't the answer? I have one of these but it's up in a closet somewhere... https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/finamill-spice-grinder

Has anyone tried this Microplane? Serious Eats

My fisherman friend, who co-owns Cafe Katja and with whom I've fished for striped bass off Moriches and the Hamptons, often catches bluefish. Immediately bleeding and icing is of necessity, and he does a smoked bluefish paté that is excellent.

The most decent Kouign Amman I've had here in the city is from Pain d'Avignon, at Essex Market. Never wait on line for bagels! Which you probably didn't...at 7:30 AM yesterday. My more liked bagel places (in Manhattan) are Utopia Bagels, with a new branch at 34th and Lex, and Bagel Bob's, kind of in @KennethT's 'hood (University and 10th). The new hipster bakery is down in my neighborhood...Elbow Bread...but, tbh, it doesn't move me. When I'm looking for what I feel is the best baguette in town, and some other French goodies, I head to Le Fournil, on 2nd Avenue and 7th St. Los Taco's #1 is a place we hit often when over in that part of town...but even better is its sister restaurant right next door, Los Mariscos #1, where they even make good margaritas!

Poached gulf shrimp, Hokkaido scallops and wild sockeye salmon. Ikura and avocado. I use this stuff (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) to fancy up the rice itself...

That just looks like something I would be loathe to use. For any reason.

In your walk-in?

Made a nice batch of granola yesterday. Oats, pistachio nuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried blueberries, dried currants and golden raisins (dried fruit added after cooking the granola).

I didn't use seltzer or baking powder, nor did I do anything like whip the egg whites. I've decided the key is how moist the mixture is; as I mentioned, this mixture was very wet, barely able to hold it's shape until it hits the simmering water. Also, the longer the initial cook is (these were poached, covered, for almost an hour), seems to be another hidden trick.

Start now.

Feta and pasta frittata. Avocado toast.

I'll throw a few more articles into the mix, as I just read them today... The Unlikely Inventor of the Automatic Rice Cooker A Japanese housewife’s experiments cracked the code of perfectly cooked rice And, from back in 2018... The Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame: Zojirushi Micom Electric Rice Cooker/Warmer

In these potential end of days, I turned to some comfort food last night (and not much different than @Ann_T's above). Chicken soup...with dumplings matzoh balls. One of my better chicken stocks from frozen parts and an old hen (in my market, called a gallina). The matzoh balls were light as a feather. Initially, I thought they would fall apart, as they were so moist, even after resting in the fridge for an hour or two. But I was able to form almost balls, and they held together beautifully, and practically melt in the mouth. Cooked in salted water with a touch of saffron.

In my pastry classes, a whisk was most often used.

If you can sell all that Italian wine in Olney, it's probably not too much.

Yes. But when they do an in-depth on something like room humidifiers, they do a decent job. Especially if you also take a look at some of the other somewhat trustable sites. As for the "devices," I prefer hands-on experimentation!

And this is why Wirecutter is terrible at ranking any foods or food related products.

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, but seems like you've got it all figured out. When I get my next Hasegawa board, I won't be putting it in the dishwasher, as I think that is what probably caused the slight warp my board developed.

https://www.regalisfoods.com/collections/2023_category-specialty-meat/products/berkshire-pork-cheeks https://wildforkfoods.com/products/pork-cheeks-iberico/

Been doing this with mustard jars since Jacques Pepin taught me this trick 40 years ago.

Who goes to Oakland? Not even the As at this point! Loma Prieta was indeed in the glorious month of October. But, yeah…

The somewhat abrupt ending of the post above? I forgot something was on the stove, almost boiling over. As a solo diner, I hit Yank Sing one day for lunch, and had a nice assortment of dim sum. The caveat at Yank Sing? Don't order everything from the first cart that comes your way...they're pushy! My other solo lunch was at old favorite, after wandering North Beach a bit (and popping into City Lights)... And having an old-school espresso at Cafe Grecco, wasn't here... But here... (Y'all thought Sam Wo, huh?). No, Brandy's, along with Henry's Hunan, was where my first exposure to Hunanese food in the US took place. Both restaurants were around 35-40 years ago, and visited extensively. On this gorgeous SF day, I had the lunch special... Which included the starters above. Hot and spicy soup, cold noodle and cucumber salad, and a fried big dumpling...followed by a spicy stir-fry. All in around $20. After lunch, I walked to San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (reciprocal entry with Whitney Membership!). They have a nice Warhol collection, including this Dolly: A Brancusi... Quite a few Calders: And a Robert Arneson, a local Bay-area artist, and a leader of the Funk Art movement. That one is called Smorgi-Bob, The Cook. And I thought it apropos. Our final dinner - thanks to @Margaret Pilgrim, was at a place in Dogpatch - Piccino. Dogpatch might be a little out of the way if you're staying out in the Richmond or Sunset or Noe Valley, but it's practically a hop skip and jump from where we were on the Embarcadero. A nice California melon salad, with obligatory flowers. House-made pasta with sausage and greens was good (I might've cut back on the bread crumbs), and should've been shared. Oat and berry crumble desert topped it off just right. Lovely meal, another place with lovely service as well. Early flight home the following morning...

Significant Eater had a business trip to San Francisco recently; I decided to tag along, and we went a couple of days prior, which gave us nearly a full week. First couple of days were AirBnB'ed in the Castro, then moved over to a hotel just off the Embarcadero. Had a couple of old-fashioned breakfasts those first couple of mornings... Orphan Andy's, followed by the following morning at The Cove. Both fine for breakfast. Took a drive out to Tomales Bay/Marhall for lunch with a friend: Northern Cal's best. Tomales Bays and Humboldt Bays, at Hog Island...via Tony's seafood. First two dinners: one at Delfina, the night was arrived, was okay. And easy. Then State Bird, which is really good (and which I probably posted about previously). Met a friend there, and cranked up the bill. Some nice wines, some excellent food, and the sweetest service west of the Mississippi; I love that staff. Our final night in the Castro, a nice find, recommended here or by previous hosts, was this place on Castro St. No res - we waited about an hour after writing our name on the white board - and they close early (like 8?). It's just the kind of food I want to eat when local... Crab. Just...crab. A really excellent wild shrimp dish. Which may have been a special, or based on the entree? Main course was a special: a piece of local rockfish of some sort, mash, butter, lemon. Kind of a perfect San Francisco meal for me, with sweet service, easily drinkable wines, and 2 blocks from our AirBnb. The Castro could turn into my favorite neighborhood in San Francisco. Moved to a hotel for her work related trip - view from our barely openable window on the 8th floor: Once Significant Eater started dealing with work, I was able to go off on some adventures. I climbed the fucking Filbert Steps. I'm old. I hadn't climbed the Filbert Steps in a decade (or maybe more). It was warm, as the most beautiful time of year, at least in the Bay Area, tends to be the beginning of football season, and for the next month or two. Above - iykyk. Climbing to get here... For some pictures - the fog cooperated: In every which way. Our hotel was just off the Embarcadero, around the corner from Boulevard, where I'd reserved the bar area. The menu is a la carte, and the food is good. Especially the California Abalone Roll: Sig Eater's first night was a work dinner, so I met a friend at Angler...this took place before the above dinner at Boulevard. We shared: The whole wood-oven roasted chicken. Perfectly brined and a delicious bird, along with that Carolina-style vinegar and mustard barbecue sauce. More to come.