weinoo

Crab cakes? Crab Louie? I had a very good pasta (that picture is coming) at a very good restaurant in San Francisco (that report is coming) which included Dungeness.

the thing that bothers me the most is that you’re having fresh Dungeness tonight, Dungeness that your husband caught!! I left another 10% on top of the mandatory.

That one was a ginger vinaigrette, probably by simply adding some ginger to Alice's classic Banyuls vinaigrette. https://www.saveur.com/story/food/fanny-singers-litmus-test-for-good-restaurant/

After doing this last night, had plenty of leftover chicken for chicken salad. Chicken salad sandwiches, on sliced country loaf from Pain d'Avignon. Potato salad from leftover roasted potatoes. Crudité and cornichons.

First dinner cook at home in over 2 weeks: Whole chicken, cut up and roasted with small potatoes, carrots, lemon. Leaving the breast whole like that means I hopefully won't overcook it (I didn't). Plated for SE: Sliced breast + skin, roasted vegetables, sautéed broccoli rabe.

Significant Eater and I recently spent about 10 days in California; the first 4 were in Healdsburg, and the remainder were spent in San Francisco. Flying into SFO, we rent a car (as we usually do - it's California, after all!) and drive straight up to Healdsburg, which takes about two hours (after a pit stop at a dispensary in Santa Rosa). In Healdsburg, we stayed (for the 2nd time) at the historic Camellia Inn. Strangely, the Camellia Inn is known for its...camellias...there are alleged to be over 80 camellia plants on the property: On the corner, and basically everywhere one looks in Healdsburg, there are citrus plants and trees: The following posts will not be in the chronological order of our trip; I'm too lazy to do that! I'm hopping over to the San Francisco portion, where on our first night back in the city, we met a friend for drinks and dinner at Tadich Grill. Tadich is one of the oldest, continuously operating restaurants in the country (for this trip, I focused on dining at some classic San Francisco restaurants, with one trip to Berkeley). And Tadich Grill is classic. We even got to take MUNI there. The Martinis are very good, and I like the bar... The food is...ok...especially sticking with a few standards (e.g.: Petrale sole, simply grilled, for my main). So a Dungeness crab salad, and some marinated squid: I am now the proud owner of a Tadich Grill swizzle stick. The day after we arrived in San Francisco, it was Significant Eater's birthday. We did a double header, starting with a drive over the Bay Bridge, and up to Berkeley, for lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe. (I did have some second thoughts, as we drove right past one of my favorite BBQ places right on San Pablo, the great Everett & Jones. It was never passed by during my 16 years living west, after a concert at the Greek, or anywhere else nearby). But Chez Panisse it was. There really is nothing (in my opinion) quite like the salads in California. And Chez Panisse does an exemplary job. Healthy start: Star Route Farms greens with avocado, blood orange and grapefruit. And hers: Which included baked Andate Dairy's goat cheese. And which was quite splendid spread over Acme Bakery's sourdough. (And look at that chervil!) Chicken al mattone (moist and juicy), served not with the sides it was menued with, but with the sides for the pork loin (yeah, I'm a pain in the ass). Potatoes gaufrette and sautéed greens, carrots that taste like carrots. And fried sage leaves. Sig Eater wants and needs pizza. I should argue? Olives, anchovies - what's not to like. We eschewed dessert - as mentioned, we were playing a double header. Which meant a revisit (for the 3rd or 4th time) to a slightly freshened up Boulevard, in the city. Our first meal at Boulevard was 26 years ago, on our honeymoon. I'm such a fucking romantic. And classy that I am, we once again rode MUNI. Our usual schtick - a drink at the bar before sitting down for dinner (cause the cocktails are always better at the bar than by the time they get to your table). Also - the bar at Boulevard is beautiful. I'm at Boulevard - and having a Boulevardier. My lovely wife - a Perfect Manhattan. Here's where the crab amped up: My Dungeness, with "valentine" pomelo, kumquats and the usual Cali stuff, like the flower thing. This was great, the dressing puddled at the bottom to be mixed, or not, as you wish. The Dungeness - simply perfect. And for she... A gorgeous pea soup, King crab, and a lemon souffle! Plus...flowers. Sig Eater wanted, and got, beef. I wanted more... It wasn't all about these huge scallops, which I'm guessing flew 3,000 miles, yet were still fine. That little lasanga - sorry, lasagnette - stuffed with Dungeness - was really great. Plus...lotsa flowers. And those teeny turnips. She enjoyed her birthday greatly; it was a big one! Oh - why can't more restaurants do this? Full page of red half bottles. There was another page of whites by the half bottle. The wine list at Boulevard is comprehensive.

Simple solution…don’t purchase that shit. Tyson chickens taste like crap anyway. Chick whatever is a horrible company. Etc.

What's your recipe?

Here's an interesting method from Jacques:

I do the same for Japanese curry paste.

My guess is that the thermostat probe heats up pretty quickly, as opposed to the oven interior itself. Similar to regular sized ovens; I always preheat the small oven for a good ten minutes, the large oven for 30.

You mean the article I linked to here..

Nice job!

This is the one I used last night... It's most likely the 34cm paella. Which is certainly not too small for feeding 2 people. As a matter of fact, we'll have the leftovers steam re-heated, for lunch. I've also used two larger sizes to make paella for gusts, with no problems. Either by attending the pan and/or by using it over 2 burners. It's called understanding your stove and pans.

I find it no problem at all.

My bubbe was making chou farci way before it became the darling of the French bistro. Along with being a tyrant, she just called it stuffed cabbage.

It looks good enough to eat. Here's how jerk chicken is cooked by one of my favorite, delicious jerks... Many barbecues... Much smoke... Delicious chicken and pork... What do kids know, anyway?!

I've tried two of the products (wild mushroom ravioli and 4 (or 5) cheese tortellini), and I can't see these products becoming part of my larder. Last night I made the tortellini, and the first thing Sig Eater said after her first bite was: "these are mushy." I have to agree with her. Indistinct fillings.

Hey, Kim Severson and the NY Times are ON IT! The Coolest Menu Item With no props to Marcella, of course.

Probably not.

This morning... Somewhere in between a Spanish tortilla and an Italian frittata. Torttata? Frittilla?

I'm sure you've seen Kenji's Serious Eats post about his allegedly supernal Bolognese. (I wonder if the harder and chewier bits were perhaps bits of bone that got ground along with the meat Or hoof. Or ear.). I have this book.. Purchased in Bologna. I know it can be translated, just not by me, right now. Appears there is plenty of pork in the ragu, however.

Yet you write you gave up on that one, no? I use a small enameled steel paella only when I'm making a small amount of paella for the two of us. But I use a classic paella otherwise... Of which I have 2 (or 3) sizes.

For paella, why not use a paella…from Spain?

I think the farmers' markets are the one true way to make sure we're getting "heirloom" jalapeños; there is a vendor at Union Square every year who has some of the real deal chili peppers. But, as with everything else we want or expect to be "like it used to be," they're very seasonal. So, buying peppers in the middle of the winter may well be a crapshoot.