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Breakfast Sandwich @ The Fremont Diner.
Working nights in the kitchen can have its perks, such as being able to go out for breakfast any day of the week. With an old college buddy visiting the Napa Valley recently, a morning session at the Fremont Diner presented the obvious choice. Personally, I’ve already covered most of the Fremont Diner’s menu over the past couple of years, but it’s always fun to see someone marvel at all of the restaurant’s great, down-home selections. Besides that, I hadn’t been to the Fremont Diner in a while, so I was actually [... read more ...]
Lobster Russian Style: Garnished with hard-boiled eggs and black truffles, though the book allows black olives as a substitute for the latter.
I meant to snap some food pics from Berkeley and the East Bay this week, but my camera battery was drained. Among the missed opportunities: a grilled bockwurst from Top Dog, a falafel pita from Fa-La-La, and a plate of yellow curried rice from Bua Luang. On the upside, I did find several great used cookbooks at Pegasus Books, including “Everyday French Cooking” by Henri-Paul Pellaprat. Originally published in America in 1966, Pellaprat’s book is an [... read more ...]
Ramen Halu: Making pho look quaint in comparison.
After a complete three-year absence from professional cooking, I’ve decided to return to the kitchen in just two short weeks. That’s right. I’ll soon be cooking dinner service full-time at one of the Michelin-star restaurants here in the Napa Valley. Personally, I can’t wait to get back behind the stove again, though I really don’t expect this news to have any direct effect on this blog. We’ll just have to see what happens. As it is, my self-appointed mission to suss out the most interesting comfort foods in the Bay [... read more ...]
The Cheeseburger @ Port of Call: For me, a trip to New Orleans just isn't complete without a visit to POC. Known for its large tropical drinks and its scaled-down menu, Port of Call offers only burgers and steaks, although I've only ever ordered the cheeseburger. Fries are not an option either — just baked potatoes. I could criticize the fake bacon bits, but they serve as part of the charm for me. Plus, the vibrant contrast of yellow and red give the plate a distinctly feng shui appearance.
If you still have a dial-up connection, [... read more ...]
Pork Ribs @ The Brown Sugar Kitchen, West Oakland.
I’ve often turned to the Brown Sugar Kitchen for the smoked chicken gumbo and the fried oyster po-boy; both dishes would easily meld into the culinary landscape of New Orleans, the gumbo especially. However, having eaten maybe six or seven po-boys while I was recently in the Crescent City, today presented an opportunity to expand my horizons and to cover some different items on the BSK menu. I decided upon the pineapple brown sugar glazed ribs, just because I’d never ordered them before. As I’d hoped, the ribs proved [... read more ...]
The First Course: Wow, once I noticed that the pate de champagne offers no less than six condiments, I knew that I was in for something memorable. That's a bacon marmalade at 12 o'clock, and a strawberry marmalade at two o'clock. Not pictured, toasted brioche.
Perhaps it was fitting that my last meal in New Orleans was a quick Thursday lunch at Restaurant August. The lunch itself was unlike anything else I had during my 10-day visit in the Crescent City, where I had spent most waking hours trolling for the classic Southern comfort foods, such [... read more ...]
More than just ham and cheese.
I’m on the road to New Orleans at the moment, but I’ll leave you with the Monte Cristo sandwich at Mama’s in San Francisco. My introduction to the Monte Cristo sandwich itself was at the Blue Bayou Cafe at Disneyland. I was maybe nine years old, and I ordered it at the suggestion of my grandfather. A ham and cheese sandwich that had been batter-fried and dusted with powdered sugar? It was a revelation.
Mama’s on Washington Square is the model of breakfast efficiency, and the folks at Mama’s manage [... read more ...]
The Mother of All Tortas: The Torta Cubana.
In the spirit of late-night eating, Bistro Sabor’s torta cubana has been carefully constructed: Ham, carnitas, frijoles, cheese, pickles, onions, mustard. These aren’t bashful flavors, by any means. The sweet potato chips, paper-thin and perfectly fried, offer a delicate counter-point to the dish, and although this sandwich can make for a terrific lunch, the torta cubana can sometimes gain its appeal as the night progresses (as comfort foods tend to do). Not to worry, on Fridays and Saturdays, Bistro Sabor is open until [... read more ...]
Chicken & Waffles @ the Boon Fly Cafe (blue plate) and the Fremont Diner (white plate): It's always nice too see an upward trend in the Southern-fried sector. Images can be super-sized with a click.
Unless I’m missing something, the Napa Valley offers just two reliable versions of chicken and waffles, both of which are located at the very southern end of the valley, along the scenic Carneros Highway, separated by just a few miles of rolling hills and perhaps one or two stoplights. Of course, the Boon Fly Cafe and the Fremont Diner are the two restaurants [... read more ...]
"Garçon" means boy; "cochon" means pig.
Question: How have I not already stumbled across this jaw-dropping, early-20th-century French advertisement? Wow, the ticklish glee of the pig’s smile really says it all: Fresh, delicious sausage, happily sliced to order. When you’ve got it, flaunt it. There’s certainly no shame in acknowledging the source of your food, and besides, what a splendid way to ward off vegans and vegetarians. Bon appetit!
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