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.
|
Team Perbacco: Photo poached and cropped from Eater SF
While I was down in Los Angeles visiting my old haunts, chef Staffan Terje of Perbacco Ristorante walked away with first prize at San Francisco’s Cochon 555 competition. I’ve had some great meals at Perbacco, though I’ve never reviewed the restaurant officially, since I have some personal ties to the kitchen. Two of my ex-Martini House colleagues (and Pancha’s co-conspirators) are sous chefs at Perbacco (Jimmy Serlin and Karl Holl are pictured left to right, behind chef Terje, and also wearing blue aprons). As a matter of fact, I [... read more ...]
In New Orleans, po-boys are very serious business, and while I was cooking professionally in the Crescent City a few years back, I had the envious opportunity of sampling sandwiches from all of the city’s most legendary spots, from Mandina’s down on Canal Street to Gene’s over on Elysian Fields Avenue. I tasted them all, and then I revisited these restaurants many times over, especially as out-of-town guests would stop through to visit. As most New Orleans locals will tell you, the foundation of any authentic po-boy is a signature Leidenheimer Baking Company roll. Founded in 1896, the Leidenheimer [... read more ...]
Don't get me wrong, I'll take a little more.
Ever since the San Francisco Giants found a new home outside of Candlestick Park, I haven’t had much reason to journey down to Hunters Point anymore. But chicken and waffles is motivation enough to make the trek, and I was interested to follow up on a tip that I had heard about Auntie April’s Chicken n’ Waffles on 3rd Street. The waffle, compared to the one I most recently tasted at the Brown Sugar Kitchen, didn’t have the same character or panache, but that said, it did arrive hot [... read more ...]
The #16 at La Morenita Taqueria in Napa. Aside from the rice and beans pictured, this whole fried fish comes with a side of corn tortillas. Deconstructing the pescado might require some effort and patience, especially from those who may not be used to dealing with whole fish (and the presence of pin bones). You really have to want it, I suppose.
• • •
My springtime gardening project has occupied much of my free time lately, as I’ve slowly reclaimed the backyard from a winter’s worth of weeds. I’ve purchased five or six [... read more ...]
Could it get any more Southern?
Earlier this week, I had planned to visit Brenda’s French Soul Food for a bowl of grillades and grits, having recently emailed a friend about a memorable version of this dish that I once tasted at Cafe Degas in New Orleans. That email awakened a latent craving, and naturally, I thought of Brenda’s as the best and only choice for authentic Cajun cuisine in the Bay Area. Fast forward to yesterday: I left Napa shortly after the morning rush hour, and 50 miles later, I was standing on Polk Street, waiting for [... read more ...]
Looks great, even though the bacon marmalade is totally hidden
I tasted through about five dozen Riojas this afternoon at the Palace Hotel, and by the end of this four-hour drinking session, I needed lunch in the worst possible way. Of course, I knew this was going to happen, which is why I had already formulated a plan: blissfully full of moderate-to-good Tempranillo, I took a leisurely four-block stroll to RN74, the latest installment in chef Michael Mina’s restaurant empire. Although RN74 is officially billed as a wine bar (borrowing its name from Route Nationale 74, which runs [... read more ...]
Kau Soi: The chicken, noodles, and coconut sauce lurk underneath…
I’ve had some rotten luck on Clement Street over the last few weeks, thanks mostly to my own poor planning. I’ve definitely fallen into the “closed-on-Monday” trap recently, which can certainly sting when you’ve driven 50 miles from Napa with dim sum on your mind. But, when you make assumptions and simply hit the road on a weekday, it happens (or as we used to say in the Martini House kitchen, “Sh’appens”). Just last week, I attempted to visit Burma Superstar on a Tuesday (they’re normally open seven [... read more ...]
Note to Gussie: The lettuce leaf and the orange slice have no business in this particular context.
When I was producing a radio show back in my early days in Los Angeles, a stop at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles became a weekly Sunday night ritual. Having Roscoe’s as a late-night option was truly a godsend, especially since the Pico-La Brea location was midway between K-Town and the Westside. With four other locations in Southern California, Roscoe’s is legendary, and rightly so. The place is the model of consistency — always perfect — with devastating fried chicken. The waffles [... read more ...]
Pizza Margherita: All toppings, no matter how meticulously sourced, are merely condiments for the crust.
Traffic here in the Napa Valley has suddenly become a lot worse, as scores of rumbling 18-wheelers, loaded to the hilt with freshly picked grapes, have begun to clog Highway 29. Although producers of sparkling wine had already begun their harvest two or three weeks ago, it seems as though the rest of the wineries have finally begun their crush as well. Within a week or so, every single winery in the Napa Valley should have something percolating, and the area will be [... read more ...]
I’m slightly skeptical of “chipotle” anything these days. To me, this pepper was arguably THE ingredient of the 1990s, as smoked red jalapeños began to officially hit the American mainstream. Not only did a burrito chain emerge from Colorado emblazoned with this very name, but television chefs such as Bobby Flay seemed to be infusing chipotle peppers into every recipe imaginable. These days, you can order a Chipotle Chicken Ciabatta at Jack in the Box or a select a packet of Ancho Chipotle Ranch Dressing for a Wendy’s salad. From my perspective, now that [... read more ...]
|
|
|
