The Culinary Timeline is a side-project that I've been working on since October. I'm hoping to have most of it complete by the end of January, with any luck. Until then, updates around here will be weekly, rather than twice weekly. Do stay tuned.
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Gateway Market, Emeryville: Adorned with a fantastic mural alongside its parking lot, the Gateway Market is tough to miss on San Pablo Blvd. The artwork has a definite graffiti vibe, but the details are fantastic. Luckily, it hasn't been tagged over. The "W" in Gateway is pictured above (each letter has its own theme). Click on the photo to reveal all of the great flourishes.
Most of these pictures have never appeared on this site, although a couple did appear a few years ago, long before I sharpened my photo-editing skills. Many readers have emailed me about my [... read more ...]
Stay Golden. The Pan Dore @ Mama's on Washington Square, San Francisco: Sourdough French toast, thinly sliced apples, and a sweet lemon-butter sauce.
Although my kitchen Spanish is pretty sharp these days, I’ll admit that it took some googling to decode the etymology of Mama’s delicious pan dore, pictured above. The word pan, of course, means “bread” — I did know that much already — but the word dore had me stumped. I eventually concluded that the dish must take its name from a conjugation of the Spanish verb dorar, to gild, or in the culinary realm, to [... read more ...]
The Torta Cubana @ That's It Market: Chorizo and Egg, Breaded Beef, Hot Dogs, Bacon, Ham, Queso Fresco, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickled Jalapeño, Guacamole, and enough Mayo to bring it all together.
A couple summers ago, Anthony Bourdain profiled That’s It Market on “No Reservations,” a culinary endorsement that must have provided an amazing windfall to the tiny corner store (no doubt, the “No Reservations” logo still appears on the market’s menus). Two years later, That’s It continues to earn high marks for its well-known torta cubana, a catch-all sandwich of profound proportions. Being in the mood for this [... read more ...]
Three-piece Chicken and Waffle @ Little Skillet, San Francisco. Seven packets of Crystal Hot Sauce is the perfect amount for this scenario: Two for the leg, two for the thigh, three for the breast.
Since I’ve recently taken up golf (again), many of my weekends have been spent out burning up the links, rather than trolling the Bay Area for choice eats. But let’s face it: Mark Twain might’ve said it best when he quipped that golf was a good walk, spoiled. Either way, I needed more of a sure thing, and an excursion into San Francisco had [... read more ...]
Pollo a la Brasa: One of the few rotisserie chickens that can actually compete with fried chicken. The bird is incredible on its own, although the trio of sauces (partially pictured in the upper left) take the dish in additional directions.
I’ve always had terrific meals at Limon Rotisserie in San Francisco. If I actually lived in city limits — and if I wasn’t always trying to visit new and different places — I’d probably eat there every week (I felt the same way about Versailles when I lived in Los Angeles). I’m totally sold at this [... 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 ...]
A friend recently informed me of Mr. Pollo in the Mission District, although I understand that this restaurant has also been featured on the “Bang for the Buck” episode of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” (as chef Chris Cosentino’s selection, Episode #3.13). Sorry for the late pass, folks. Given my own first impression, Mr. Pollo is certainly an enigmatic entity, the spirit of quasi-haute cuisine, shoe-horned into a tiny storefront on Mission and 24th, and surrounded by a bevy of taquerias, fast food joints, and one of the Bay Area’s dodgiest BART stations. Aesthetically, Mr. Pollo blends into [... read more ...]
We’re already two weeks into 2011, and I haven’t even discussed wine yet this year. That will all change very soon: I’ll be attending the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Tasting in San Francisco next week. Of course, I’ll put together a list of my top 20 wines, and then I’ll report back here. If you’re attending any of the events scheduled below, please check back to compare notes!
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Fit for a king: Chicharron de Pollo @ Limon Rotisserie.
I first visited Limon Rotisserie a few years ago, shortly after the restaurant had opened (back then, Limon Rotisserie was the new spin-off of Limon, San Francisco’s wildly popular Peruvian restaurant, also located within the Mission District). I ordered the ceviche de pescado and the chicharron de pollo; the former dish was awfully good, but the latter dish marked a small revelation. Who knew that fried chicken could take such exotic directions, but still maintain its inherent deliciousness? Pictured above, the chicharron de pollo offers exactly what its [... read more ...]
Although the panko-crusted pork cutlet has captured the spotlight, the show-stopper is the rusty-red curry sauce itself, pictured at the upper right.
When I used to live in West Los Angeles, I learned to take full advantage of the wonderful Japanese eateries that dotted Sawtelle Boulevard (additionally, I was no stranger to Sawtelle’s all-night karaoke scene). Among my favorite restaurants, Hurry Curry of Tokyo offered a terrific pork cutlet, and this dish soon became a weekly staple during my post-college years. Although curry finds its true roots in India, curry was first introduced in Japan by the British [... read more ...]
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