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.
|
Brought to you today by the letter R: Two dozen Chelsea Gem oysters.
Maybe it was because it was happy hour, or maybe San Francisco just loves oysters, but Hog Island Oyster Company was doing brisk business on Monday at the Ferry Building. Sam and I were lucky to grab a seat at the bar when we did, and it was her idea to sip some Cava until the oysters went half-price at 5 o’clock. Sancerre and Muscadet followed and flowed. If you consider the old rule of thumb — that oysters are best in months that contain [... read more ...]
Fresh Spring Rolls with Pork @ Sa Wad Dee Thai Restaurant, Richmond.
This summer, I’ve become enamored with San Pablo Avenue, especially the eight-mile stretch that connects Richmond, El Cerrito, Albany, Berkeley, and Emeryville. I really enjoy the character of these neighborhoods, and being the major thoroughfare that it is, San Pablo Avenue offers so much of what makes the East Bay unique. For those of us who typically plan dinner during lunch, San Pablo Avenue plays host to a handful of noteworthy Asian restaurants, while also providing the culinary home to several East Bay institutions, including Everett [... read more ...]
I thought this was an interesting snippet from one of Jonathan Gold’s latest columns in the LA Weekly, regarding the prevention of culinary espionage among some of Koreatown’s most venerable cold noodle joints:
“As generations of K-town denizens have discovered, it may be easier to steal gold from Fort Knox than it is to smuggle naengmyon out of the Corner Place: Nobody is going to reverse-engineer the broth on Corner’s watch. Chil Bo Myun Ok, the other famous Koreatown naengmyon specialist, also forbids takeout orders of the noodles — the last time a friend tried, I was sure that [... read more ...]
Before last month’s trip to Los Angeles becomes as hazy as when I actually lived in Southern California, I need to address my sojourn down to the 405 and the 10. I’ve been dragging my feet far too long on this one, so allow me to begin by stating that I once enjoyed a 10-year, love-hate relationship with the L.A. Westside, at the end of which, I had finally had enough. But there were definitely some good times along the way, which is why I tell people, “It’s still a great place to visit.”
My advantage as a visitor [... read more ...]
Although the “language” of cooking is essentially universal, the “vocabulary” itself can be very different. As a born-and-raised Westerner, some of the fundamental ingredients of Asian cuisine remain exotic to me, although cooking professionally and living in California have certainly both helped to foster my assimilation. Even so, I didn’t grow up in a household where shrimp chips and salty plum candy were the norm — it was more like Cheetos and chocolate chip cookies for us. I may have mentioned this anecdote here before, but my very recent appreciation for red miso paste actually began with a lemon-miso [... read more ...]
I had a fantastic dinner at Boulevard last night, which is what I’ve come to expect from this perennial San Francisco favorite. The foie gras appetizer, in particular, was extremely well-executed, with components such as vanilla sour cherries, root beer jelly, and candied nuts. Without a doubt, this dish is going to remain in my memory for quite some time. Everything on the plate worked in terrific harmony, great flavors and textures, and the foie gras itself was a generous portion, pan-seared to a perfect shade of mahogany. But I have already digressed.
Before my [... read more ...]
|
|
|
