Saturday, April 24, 2010

Muddled Kumquats

Andy and I decided that should be the name of this blog entry. It refers to my summery, dreamery cocktail at Marzano in Rockridge. With a name as sophisticated as The Novelist, you hope for great things from a cocktail, and in this case, you are rewarded with an icy mix of gin, lime juice, a touch of absinthe and the aforementioned muddled fruit. And since we'd been hanging out in bookstores before dinner, drinking The Novelist seemed very apropos.
Also on the table: arugula salad with almond slivers and juicy bits of orange; wonderful braised greens, rich with olive oil; and our super-thin-crust Napoletana pizza with olives, capers, chili flakes and anchovies.
After dinner, on a warm night, you can make your way slowly up College Ave., thinking how very lucky you are. Life may be muddled, but it's not so bad when you have your friends, good food, your health.
Get well soon, Michelle.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

But...but...it tastes good

OK, my nosh of the day is kinda embarrassing. Don't hate on me, but it's...Tuttimelon.
I know, it's a chain, there's frogurt everywhere, blah blah blah. But we now have a Tutti in our 'hood, and I have to admit, their plain frozen yo is awfully good. It's a wee bit tart, not much, nor is it too sweet. There's a Goldilocks sort of thing going on. And it's fairly addictive, even if you don't stir in all kinds of sweet stuff, which really is unnecessary. A cup of plain is a perfect dessert on a warm SF night, so scoff if you must but I think I see a habit forming.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Blues and Germs

Today, a new breakfast spot: Stacks on Hayes. New to us, anyway, and like the name implies, they have pancakes. I happen to love me some flapjacks, but cannot seem to find any (excepting Chloe's only-every-so-often blueberry or pumpkin) that measure up to my lofty standards. So to Stacks we went, and while we waited, I got us some fine New Orleans iced crack at Blue Bottle, a few blocks away.
My pancakes were the Blues with Germ, i.e., wheatgerm. They were pretty good; the germ adds a nice pebbly texture, akin to cornmeal, and they didn't use those awful frozen berries. Although the place charges a hefty fee for real maple syrup (treason!), these 'cakes came with a ramekin of blueberry compote, so I didn't have to use the fake stuff. And a short stack was huge; JP had to help me, and we still didn't finish the whole thing. My side of scrambies was commendable, as was JP's chorizo-egg scramble in whole wheat tortillas. I still crave Portland pancakes, but when the sun's out and Alla Prima is just a few doors down, you can't complain.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

It's ALIVE

Today, sunny and perfect. Went down to the Ferry Building to buy produce, drink iced coffee and, best of all, get me a peek at some baby goats.
It was the Goat Festival, celebrating things like goats' milk, cheese, ice cream and...babies! In a pen full of straw, four baby goatses reclined or wobbled around, sleepy and painfully cute. I got to chat with a guy from Redwood Hill, who picked up a baby so I could snorgle it. It reached it's little snout toward me, and I gave it several kisses, also petted its soft fur. Ahhhhhh.
Next to that, food is an afterthought. But I did buy a nice spicy Korean wrap at Alive, the raw foods vendor. It's a big leaf of pickled kale wrapped around sprouts, chopped veggies and avocado with a dollop of spicy chile sauce. Makes you glad to eat vegi, especially after nuzzling a sweet baby animal.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Muffin Accomplished

Today it rained again. Just like last Sunday. Wet, windy, cold and...well, not much to recommend it. Except that we stopped at Arizmendi and I snagged myself a blueberry corn muffin. Lordy me, no one makes muffins like the Arizmendi folks. There's a light crust to the top, but inside is moist from the berries and cakey...Cornmeal adds a tiny bit of crunch. For a few moments, I was floating on a cloud, not being drenched by one.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Ante Up

When the Geezer and I met for dinner this week, I was a happy lady. First, because I love the Geezer and don't get to see her nearly enough. Second, we met at Dosa on Fillmore, which has some top-notch Indian food and good atmo'. Since I arrived first, I settled in at the bar and promptly ordered a spectacular cocktail: the Ginger Ante. Not too distantly related to my beloved Dark and Stormy, it includes Gosling rum, ginger ale, lime, and something that goes by the fanciful name of ginger jaggery nectar. All decked out with a sprig of rosemary, this drink put a big smile on my face. It also went well with our spicy food: dosa, curried veggies with coconut rice, and a non-spicy salad with goat cheese, mango and hazelnuts.
Next time, I'm gonna try to branch out and try the Beet Box. But if you don't want beets in your cocktail - and I know at least one person with the initials J.P. who's shuddering at the thought - get yourself an Ante. Or, you know, two.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Catfish Got Yer Tongue

Well it might, my friend, if you drop by Tin, the new Vietnamese restaurant on Howard Street.
Kimster and I had dinner there before seeing The Runaways (it's good, see it). It's a smallish place but neat and modern-looking. We shared the vegetarian bun, rice vermicelli with fried peanutty tofu, herbs, lettuce, sprouts; stir-fried broccoli with lots of garlic; and our favorite, the caramelized claypot catfish. That's a mouthful of C's. And it's a mouthful of tender, sweet fish that falls to pieces as you scoop it into your mouth. The sticky sauce over steamed rice is a good consolation prize once the catfish is gone, which won't take an awful long time. And I gotta say, catfish claypot for $8? Read it and weep, Oh Slanted One.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Noshing Inside of the Box

Add to the list of places I've waited far too long to try: Boxed Foods Company on Kearny. It's not that far away from work. The food is organic and creative, and vegi-friendly. Not even that pricey. Luckily my pal Lara dragged me along and I had a box of tempeh. Well, a tempeh sandwich, which was shaped like a burger and came in a very good whole-wheat sesame bun. Spread on the bun was a tangy sundried tomato tapenade, then a healthy dose of grilled red peppers and onions. The tempeh was sprinkled with shredded Asiago, which could be left off for the vegan set. Alongside, a cute little pile of baby greens and a micro-cup of citrusy vinaigrette.
Sing it with me now:
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky...

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Jantje Won't Like It

In the interest of being even-handed, I shall now glorify a food product that Kim's better half will not touch: pesto.
Jantje, it must be said, has a very good reason. Pinenuts send him into anaphylactic shock.
But man oh man, that was some crazy-good p***o down the street at that place-with-a-famous-chef-that-I've-mentioned-before. I saw it on the menu posted outside, so JP and I went in and snagged a barside two-top. First, we shared a salad that sang of spring: shaved ribbons of asparagus; thin radish coins; snips of sorrel and its flowers; and shaved over all, bottarga, a dried fish roe sort of thing that added a nice brininess to the mix.
My dish, though, was heavenly. The pasta is called strozzaprete, and it's made in-house; little twists of dough that hold sauce in their crevices. Sauce made, in this case, with broccoli rabe, olive oil, and pine nuts...maybe some other things, I didn't ask because my mouth was full. And to gild the lily, fresh dabs of ricotta. It's a dreamy dish, so if you're not Jantje or Kimster (who abstains so as to avoid the Kiss of Death), figure it out and get on down there...before the menu changes.