I love eating in the summer. Hell, I love eating during each and every season, but the fresh produce and the warm air of summertime lend themselves to good eating weather. Last weekend I headed up to Inverness to spend the night at a beach house rented by my good friends, J. and E. The house was amazing and they didn't ask me to chip any money in for my stay, so I decided to repay them in fine food. I packed up the car with a cooler, some bags, and three bottles of wine, and headed for the ocean.
I decided to make my olive tapenade, which is actually Thomas Keller's tapenade, but it is the best one I have ever tasted. I love it because the flavors are so fresh, and if you use good quality olive oil it is so delicious. This is great as a sandwich spread, on crackers or veggies, or on fresh bread with cheese. I don't want to post the entire recipe here since I'm sure it is copyrighted - but if you want to shoot us an email at lawyereats@gmail.com I might be persuaded to send it to you ;). The big difference between this tapenade and others I have made is that he makes a garlic confit first - he boils garlic in canola oil for about 40 minutes, at just a tiny boil, until the garlic is soft and infused with the oil. Then he mixes a tablespoon of that, chopped up, in with pitted nicoise olives, some anchovy (I use paste), a little dijon, and olive oil, processes it, and then stirs in more olive oil along with fresh parsley and chives. I use less olive oil then he asks for. It is simple and OH so delicious.
Next I made one of my favorite appetizers, suggest to me by someone over on the Cooks Illustrated board (though it is not a CI recipe). The recipe is Spicy Shrimp Remoulade on Molasses-Buttered Toasts, from Epicurious. The key to this recipe is finding the westphalian style pumpernickel bread, not spreading too much butter on them, and not baking them too long. If you cook them too long they become SUPER toasted and they are inedible - I have made this mistake once. I made the toasts ahead of time, along with the sauce, and mixed fresh beautiful shrimp into the sauce day of before I left for the ocean. I just cooked my shrimp in a little hot water in skillet until it was pink. I think this recipe would taste almost better with lobster but I've never tried it......
Spicy Shrimp Remoulade on Molasses-Buttered Toasts
Bon Appétit July 2005
Molasses butter
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons light molasses
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Remoulade sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 1/2 teaspoons drained prepared white horseradish
2 teaspoons minced shallot2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
24 1 1/2-inch rounds or squares cut from Westphalian-style pumpernickel bread slices
8 ounces cooked peeled medium shrimp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
For molasses butter: Using fork, mix all ingredients in small bowl to blend.
For remoulade sauce: Mix first 12 ingredients in medium bowl.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread molasses butter lightly over bread; arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Bake until bread begins to firm up, about 10 minutes. Cool.
Mix shrimp into remoulade sauce. Top toasts with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with chives. Place toasts on platter.
-----
Next I made a family recipe, roasted peppers with olive oil and parmesan. I buy bags of small sweet peppers at Costco, though I've seen them as well (for an INSANE price) at whole foods. Basically they look like little red, orange, and yellow jalapenos but they aren't hot at all. The secret to this recipe is to buy as many orange/yellow peppers, and as few red peppers, as you possibly can. For some reason the orange/yellow peppers roast MUCH better than the red ones. I find that the red ones are almost impossible to peel. Get them home and spread them on a cookie sheet. Turn the oven up to 350/400 - and roast them until they are soft and the skin begins to blister. Then throw them all into a paper bag for about a half hour, with the top closed. This will help the skins to release and will make them easier to peel.
Peeling the peppers is really the most painful part of this recipe - but it is so worth it. I get a bowl and a spoon and pour the peppers back onto the baking sheet. I find the easiest way to peel them is to get your thumb inbetween the skin and the pepper in one area and work your way over the whole pepper, then pop the skin off in one piece. Getting the little peels off one at a time is too much of a pain. Use the spoon to scrape the seeds out of the inside of the pepper, as they are bitter. Once you have them all peeled, run a knife and fork through the bowl a few times to get them all into bite-sized pieces.
Next I mix in the tasty ingredients. I just guess on this until it tastes right, so these are estimates - I would say for one cereal bowl of peppers, add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 1/4 a cup of olive oil, a tiny clove of garlic crushed or minced, three tablespoons of grated/shredded parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. You can add more olive oil if you think it needs it. You can also make this with your favorite jarred roasted peppers, but really nothing tastes as good as the freshly roasted sweet peppers.
To go along with all of this I made a quick crostini - a big loaf of Acme bread, sliced thin, with garlic infused olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan on top. I stuck them in the oven until crisp and then put them all in a big ziplock bag. I also brought along two hunks of good cheese - humbodlt fog goat (my favorite!) and a super-sharp gouda. Lastly, I threw in a salami and a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans into the mix.
Needeless to say we all ate and drank well that night, and I've been munching on the leftovers all week. Three cheers to summer time eating!!
Emilia
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Sushi 101 - What is Fresh Sushi?
As some of you may know from reading my posts, I am a sushi FIEND and aspiring sushi connoisseur. I have been a fan for a few years now, but my obsession was sealed by my trip to Japan last fall- ten days in Tokyo and Kyoto which included a visit to Daiwa at the Tsukiji fish market in the wee hours of the morning, the highlight of my sushi life (and even better than the $250-a-head omakase we had at a very fancy sushi place at the New Otani hotel in Tokyo, which I will write about at another time). As my Sasabune review shows, though, I have very little tolerance for bad sushi. I find it very depressing and sad that many sushi fans lavish praise on places (and therefore, lead me to go drop bank on these establishments) that have crappy, soft, unfresh, unyummy sushi that is way overpriced and way overrated. (When people say the sushi somewhere is awesome because it is buttery, soft, melts in your mouth, or similar descriptions, I get very suspicious that they are talking about such a place-- and very often, they are!)
A photo from my visit to Daiwa.
So, I am on a mission to spread the word on what makes sushi good, how you can tell when it's fresh and high quality or not, and where to go to find the best options in LA and wherever else I have occasion to eat my beloved sush. I don't have all the answers-- I am a student, not a master. But I hope that as I continue to learn and explore you can come along for the ride.
Part of the mission includes scouring Yelp to find promising options. Upon reading reviews of The Hump, a place in Santa Monica one of my Japanese sushi maven friends swears by and which I am filling my piggy bank for, I happened upon an incredibly knowledgeable review (excerpts of which are posted below) and immediately contacted the author to ask his permission to share it with all of you. His name is Michael, and by some strange coincidence he, too, is a lawyer. He became a fish expert when he used to work at the Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley, California, where he cut, bought and sold fish professionally. He is also a fisherman.
A few weeks ago Michael and I got into an email conversation about fish that has continued to this day. Michael also went to Daiwa in the fish market in Tokyo in the early hours of the morning and agrees that it's the gold standard. He has also given me a tip-- tell sushi chefs at nice places you've been to Daiwa, and they give you a respectful nod (and extra attentive bites, perhaps?). Oh yeah, and he totally agrees with me about Sasabune- which was a relief since I thought I was the only nut who didn't like it. I hope to continue to ask his opinion, which is much more expert than mine, on sushi places I frequent and share his thoughts with all of you on an ongoing basis.
Educational Excerpts from Michael's Review of The Hump (from Yelp)
"So, I went to the Hump...Coincidentally, Brian, the owner, had just come back from Japan, bringing a huge purple chunk of Himalayan rock salt (Japanese chefs love weird salts) and would be sitting for dinner. We chatted briefly - because we were there by ourselves - and Melanie [the hostess] said that we would be sitting next to each other.Over the course of the evening, I discussed with Melanie and Brian the following:
1. Proper handling of fish is of paramount importance to fish
2. Fresh, unfortunately, does not equal properly handled
3. Live fish that is quickly killed is best
4. Fish that has not gone into rigor mortis is not firm, and thus gummy and rubbery
5. Tsukiji's Bluefin Tuna Auction (been there and it is an amazing thing to see)
6. Daiwa Sushi, considered by some to be one of the best places to eat sushi in Japan because it's IN Tsukiji, (and sushi in general in Japan) is not served with overly warm rice or loosely packed rice
7. There are a lot of mediocre sushi bars now
8. Most Bluefin Tuna is coming from Spain because they're harvesting spawning tuna in the Mediterranean Sea and pen raising them off the coast of Spain
9. The Hump pays for top quality, carefully handled fish
10. The Hump keeps a number of its fish live in tanks
While Brian disappeared for a bit, I was seated at the end of the bar. What followed next, I can only describe as a revelation. Most fish sold to sushi bars are sold dead. That's not news to most of the world. And all the talk of eating "live" sushi? It's straight BS unless the fish is still breathing (the Hump serves that here too - I saw a breathing okoze (sculpin) cleanly filleted for live sashimi).
What is news is how poorly fish is treated once it's caught (like the news about how Chinese fish oftentimes does not pass USDA standards because it's filthy). Fish, like all living animals, goes into rigor mortis soon after it's dead. As time passes, the meat will relax and become softer. However, when the fish is well taken care of, and not handled like junk, the meat will stay firm for several days. Handle it like crap, and it will become soft very quickly. (At almost all sushi bars, you're most likely not getting fish that's so fresh it hasn't gone into rigor mortis. So, if you're wondering why a piece of fish is soft, it's because it's OLD.)
The Hump's fish is REALLY fresh. It's rigor mortis fresh. It's so fresh, that the texture of some of the fish, I can almost describe as "crunchy." I primarily had Shiromi. I started off with Tai and Hirame, then had Sujiara, Nodoguro, Managatsuo, Konbujime Ayu, Sanma, Tairagai and Uni. The Tai (with lemon juice and salt) was very good. It was rich and fatty; very rich for a summer fish. The Hirame (with ponzu, momiji oroshi and green onions) was an indicator of things to come. The flesh was firm, much more firm, sweet and substantial. The Sujiara (aka Kue, or Coral Grouper), had a rich, strong, flavor. The flavor got stronger as you chewed on it and it was so firm, it felt so much more substantial than your ordinary white fish sushi. Some people would consider the flesh "hard." But it really is a sign of true freshness. And the flavor was tremendous. The Nodoguro (a perch), also had firm texture, mild sweetness and excellent flavor. The Sanma was rich and oily and firm. (Get the picture?) The Tairagai was simply the best ever. So firm, sweet, and rich. It was amazing.
These fish were so firm and meaty, they were completely different than any place that I've had sushi in LA. I wish I tried more. Brian came back, asked for one of the chefs to use the rock salt he brought back for something. Well, the chef served him up some usuzukuri sujiara, with the salt shaved onto it. It looked fantastic. I thanked him for a great meal and great fresh fish. Brian's a warm and charming owner, who takes real pride in what the restaurant is doing. This shows everywhere. The staff is well trained and very attentive. The chefs care about the work they do and take great care.
So F serious sushi bars. F anyone who claims to know what "truly fresh fish" or who is a "expert on sushi" who hasn't gone fishing, can't fillet, doesn't know that freshly caught fish that hasn't gone into rigor mortis is going to be like chewing something with only slightly better texture than rubber. Stop the BS. Stop the trendiness. Eat really fresh sushi. Eat at the Hump. (It'll be #1 on my list if it's this good all the time.)"
Thanks, Michael! :-P
A photo from my visit to Daiwa.
So, I am on a mission to spread the word on what makes sushi good, how you can tell when it's fresh and high quality or not, and where to go to find the best options in LA and wherever else I have occasion to eat my beloved sush. I don't have all the answers-- I am a student, not a master. But I hope that as I continue to learn and explore you can come along for the ride.
Part of the mission includes scouring Yelp to find promising options. Upon reading reviews of The Hump, a place in Santa Monica one of my Japanese sushi maven friends swears by and which I am filling my piggy bank for, I happened upon an incredibly knowledgeable review (excerpts of which are posted below) and immediately contacted the author to ask his permission to share it with all of you. His name is Michael, and by some strange coincidence he, too, is a lawyer. He became a fish expert when he used to work at the Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley, California, where he cut, bought and sold fish professionally. He is also a fisherman.
A few weeks ago Michael and I got into an email conversation about fish that has continued to this day. Michael also went to Daiwa in the fish market in Tokyo in the early hours of the morning and agrees that it's the gold standard. He has also given me a tip-- tell sushi chefs at nice places you've been to Daiwa, and they give you a respectful nod (and extra attentive bites, perhaps?). Oh yeah, and he totally agrees with me about Sasabune- which was a relief since I thought I was the only nut who didn't like it. I hope to continue to ask his opinion, which is much more expert than mine, on sushi places I frequent and share his thoughts with all of you on an ongoing basis.
Educational Excerpts from Michael's Review of The Hump (from Yelp)
"So, I went to the Hump...Coincidentally, Brian, the owner, had just come back from Japan, bringing a huge purple chunk of Himalayan rock salt (Japanese chefs love weird salts) and would be sitting for dinner. We chatted briefly - because we were there by ourselves - and Melanie [the hostess] said that we would be sitting next to each other.Over the course of the evening, I discussed with Melanie and Brian the following:
1. Proper handling of fish is of paramount importance to fish
2. Fresh, unfortunately, does not equal properly handled
3. Live fish that is quickly killed is best
4. Fish that has not gone into rigor mortis is not firm, and thus gummy and rubbery
5. Tsukiji's Bluefin Tuna Auction (been there and it is an amazing thing to see)
6. Daiwa Sushi, considered by some to be one of the best places to eat sushi in Japan because it's IN Tsukiji, (and sushi in general in Japan) is not served with overly warm rice or loosely packed rice
7. There are a lot of mediocre sushi bars now
8. Most Bluefin Tuna is coming from Spain because they're harvesting spawning tuna in the Mediterranean Sea and pen raising them off the coast of Spain
9. The Hump pays for top quality, carefully handled fish
10. The Hump keeps a number of its fish live in tanks
While Brian disappeared for a bit, I was seated at the end of the bar. What followed next, I can only describe as a revelation. Most fish sold to sushi bars are sold dead. That's not news to most of the world. And all the talk of eating "live" sushi? It's straight BS unless the fish is still breathing (the Hump serves that here too - I saw a breathing okoze (sculpin) cleanly filleted for live sashimi).
What is news is how poorly fish is treated once it's caught (like the news about how Chinese fish oftentimes does not pass USDA standards because it's filthy). Fish, like all living animals, goes into rigor mortis soon after it's dead. As time passes, the meat will relax and become softer. However, when the fish is well taken care of, and not handled like junk, the meat will stay firm for several days. Handle it like crap, and it will become soft very quickly. (At almost all sushi bars, you're most likely not getting fish that's so fresh it hasn't gone into rigor mortis. So, if you're wondering why a piece of fish is soft, it's because it's OLD.)
The Hump's fish is REALLY fresh. It's rigor mortis fresh. It's so fresh, that the texture of some of the fish, I can almost describe as "crunchy." I primarily had Shiromi. I started off with Tai and Hirame, then had Sujiara, Nodoguro, Managatsuo, Konbujime Ayu, Sanma, Tairagai and Uni. The Tai (with lemon juice and salt) was very good. It was rich and fatty; very rich for a summer fish. The Hirame (with ponzu, momiji oroshi and green onions) was an indicator of things to come. The flesh was firm, much more firm, sweet and substantial. The Sujiara (aka Kue, or Coral Grouper), had a rich, strong, flavor. The flavor got stronger as you chewed on it and it was so firm, it felt so much more substantial than your ordinary white fish sushi. Some people would consider the flesh "hard." But it really is a sign of true freshness. And the flavor was tremendous. The Nodoguro (a perch), also had firm texture, mild sweetness and excellent flavor. The Sanma was rich and oily and firm. (Get the picture?) The Tairagai was simply the best ever. So firm, sweet, and rich. It was amazing.
These fish were so firm and meaty, they were completely different than any place that I've had sushi in LA. I wish I tried more. Brian came back, asked for one of the chefs to use the rock salt he brought back for something. Well, the chef served him up some usuzukuri sujiara, with the salt shaved onto it. It looked fantastic. I thanked him for a great meal and great fresh fish. Brian's a warm and charming owner, who takes real pride in what the restaurant is doing. This shows everywhere. The staff is well trained and very attentive. The chefs care about the work they do and take great care.
So F serious sushi bars. F anyone who claims to know what "truly fresh fish" or who is a "expert on sushi" who hasn't gone fishing, can't fillet, doesn't know that freshly caught fish that hasn't gone into rigor mortis is going to be like chewing something with only slightly better texture than rubber. Stop the BS. Stop the trendiness. Eat really fresh sushi. Eat at the Hump. (It'll be #1 on my list if it's this good all the time.)"
Thanks, Michael! :-P
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Goat Hill Pizza - Sourdough Crust and City Views!
Goat Hill Pizza is another great place in my neighborhood, but it is also somewhat of a San Francisco institution. Its been around for....a long time. The original location is near me on Potrero Hill, but there is also a newer location in SOMA, which delivers.
There are so so many things I love about Goat Hill. First off, the pizza is delicious. I am crazy about sourdough, and their crust is sourdough, so its a match made in sourdough heaven. The crust is not too thin but not too thick - just right, crispy, with lots of flavor. Second - the toppings are terrific. They have pretty much everything you expect from a pizza place, plus some varied meat toppings and different sausages. I love that they have red and green onions. My roommate and I also adore the pesto pizza, where they swirl regular marinara with pesto. I like mine with sausage, feta, sundried tomatoes, red onions, and olives - yum.
Goat Hill also has pasta and sandwiches and salads. I have sampled the salads and they are basic pizza-place salads, with antipasti on top - nothing wrong with that. My dad had a big baked sub once and he seemed to enjoy it. The garlic bread is good and soggy and crispy all at the same time. Also Goat Hill has great, slightly cinnamony, iced tea. And rootbeer!!
The thing I really really love about Goat Hill is Neighborhood Night. Every monday evening from 5 until close is all-you-can-eat neighborhood night. You come in and sit down, order a drink, and then head over to a make-shift salad bar for a big salad with all the fixings. Then you sit and eat while waiters bring around many many varieties of pizzas - maybe a new pizza every five minutes or so. You take a piece when you want one and don't take one when you don't, and you can take more than once piece of a favorite if you like. My roommate and I are big fans of neighborhood night and go often. One thing I love about it is that the pieces they bring around are really small, so you can try quite a few different things. Its only about 10 dollars per person and I think it is soooo worth it. Just expect to wait in line if you get there after 6 - by 7:30 there will be a huge crowd and a long wait.
All in all, Goat Hill is a great neighborhood pizza place. And as all good pizza should, it almost tastes better cold the next day.
Food - (3.25)
Experience - (3.25)
Overall - (3.25)
For an explanation or our ratings system, CLICK HERE!
For yelp reviews of Goat Hill - CLICK HERE!
Emilia
There are so so many things I love about Goat Hill. First off, the pizza is delicious. I am crazy about sourdough, and their crust is sourdough, so its a match made in sourdough heaven. The crust is not too thin but not too thick - just right, crispy, with lots of flavor. Second - the toppings are terrific. They have pretty much everything you expect from a pizza place, plus some varied meat toppings and different sausages. I love that they have red and green onions. My roommate and I also adore the pesto pizza, where they swirl regular marinara with pesto. I like mine with sausage, feta, sundried tomatoes, red onions, and olives - yum.
Goat Hill also has pasta and sandwiches and salads. I have sampled the salads and they are basic pizza-place salads, with antipasti on top - nothing wrong with that. My dad had a big baked sub once and he seemed to enjoy it. The garlic bread is good and soggy and crispy all at the same time. Also Goat Hill has great, slightly cinnamony, iced tea. And rootbeer!!
The thing I really really love about Goat Hill is Neighborhood Night. Every monday evening from 5 until close is all-you-can-eat neighborhood night. You come in and sit down, order a drink, and then head over to a make-shift salad bar for a big salad with all the fixings. Then you sit and eat while waiters bring around many many varieties of pizzas - maybe a new pizza every five minutes or so. You take a piece when you want one and don't take one when you don't, and you can take more than once piece of a favorite if you like. My roommate and I are big fans of neighborhood night and go often. One thing I love about it is that the pieces they bring around are really small, so you can try quite a few different things. Its only about 10 dollars per person and I think it is soooo worth it. Just expect to wait in line if you get there after 6 - by 7:30 there will be a huge crowd and a long wait.
All in all, Goat Hill is a great neighborhood pizza place. And as all good pizza should, it almost tastes better cold the next day.
Food - (3.25)
Experience - (3.25)
Overall - (3.25)
For an explanation or our ratings system, CLICK HERE!
For yelp reviews of Goat Hill - CLICK HERE!
Emilia
Monday, August 27, 2007
Badda Bing - Squid Vicious!!!
So two Fridays ago I went to the Badda Bing class at Hip Cooks. As usual, it was totally fun and I had a great time making conversation with my classmates and perfecting my knife skills. The menu was not my favorite, though. The first course, watermelon, feta, cilantro and olive salad, was fabulous. It's super easy too. Just cut watermelon into chunks, sprinkle on the feta (or just put chunks of it on top), add fresh cilantro, fresh mint and a few pitted olives on there in an artful fashion, and then put a bit of salt and a dash of olive oil and/or balsamic reduction which you can buy at TJ's. It was really delicious and very pretty.
The squid stuffed with squid ink risotto in roasted pepper marinara sauce was not as great, largely because it was a case of "too many cooks spoil the broth". Risotto takes a lot of patience, and by the time we started on it we all had a glass of wine and were chatting and making conversation, and three people took turns stirring the risotto over each pass of adding liquid, and I think the focus risotto requires just wasn't there. So it wasn't very creamy or dreamy like the risotto I had at Farfalla last week. The squid ink was interesting though and I am now not afraid to make squid. It's really easy if you buy it pre-cleaned and poach it in any sauce you like, and you can easily stuff it with rice or whatever, too. The reason I went to this class was to learn how to cook squid since I'm such a fan of it, so that mission was accomplished. And the main course was not unedible by any means-- it was tasty, I just think the texture of the risotto could have been better.
The dessert was also not my cup of tea- a chocolate polenta cake. I am not a big polenta person and the grittiness of the polenta was unappetizing to me.
For wine, we drank Pinot Grigio as I had predicted. It was nice and went well with all the food.
All in all, another great time at Hip Cooks and a great learning experience. I now feel empowered that I can easily go buy some squid at Fish King or Whole Foods, whip up a delicious marinara sauce, poach the heck out of those squids, and serve a delicious and impressive dish-- all without looking at a recipe. I love that feeling-- empowered to just use ingredients and make good food in a no-stress fashion. One of these days though I'll have to suck it up and buy a good knife. Sigh!
By the way, I heard that Hip Cooks is opening a new site on the Westside, so all of you West L.A. folks will be able to gain easier access to my favorite cooking school.
Really excited to hit up Thrill of the Grill 2 with Emilia in a couple of weeks!
:-P
The squid stuffed with squid ink risotto in roasted pepper marinara sauce was not as great, largely because it was a case of "too many cooks spoil the broth". Risotto takes a lot of patience, and by the time we started on it we all had a glass of wine and were chatting and making conversation, and three people took turns stirring the risotto over each pass of adding liquid, and I think the focus risotto requires just wasn't there. So it wasn't very creamy or dreamy like the risotto I had at Farfalla last week. The squid ink was interesting though and I am now not afraid to make squid. It's really easy if you buy it pre-cleaned and poach it in any sauce you like, and you can easily stuff it with rice or whatever, too. The reason I went to this class was to learn how to cook squid since I'm such a fan of it, so that mission was accomplished. And the main course was not unedible by any means-- it was tasty, I just think the texture of the risotto could have been better.
The dessert was also not my cup of tea- a chocolate polenta cake. I am not a big polenta person and the grittiness of the polenta was unappetizing to me.
For wine, we drank Pinot Grigio as I had predicted. It was nice and went well with all the food.
All in all, another great time at Hip Cooks and a great learning experience. I now feel empowered that I can easily go buy some squid at Fish King or Whole Foods, whip up a delicious marinara sauce, poach the heck out of those squids, and serve a delicious and impressive dish-- all without looking at a recipe. I love that feeling-- empowered to just use ingredients and make good food in a no-stress fashion. One of these days though I'll have to suck it up and buy a good knife. Sigh!
By the way, I heard that Hip Cooks is opening a new site on the Westside, so all of you West L.A. folks will be able to gain easier access to my favorite cooking school.
Really excited to hit up Thrill of the Grill 2 with Emilia in a couple of weeks!
:-P
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tips!
Indeed! And I must say, this little webspace was meant to be a wonderland of all things gourmet/foodie/etc. in Emilia and Patch world, a world which is abundant with aforementioned things gourmet/foodie/etc. Never was it meant to solely be a vastly superior version of Zagat! ;-) I know, I know that's what it seems like, but you have to trust me on this. Especially the vastly superior part. Just kidding. Zagat provides a fine service that I have utilized in the past.
On that token, I have a great tip, too, which my mother taught me. If you need to chop fresh spices up quickly, put them in a little cup or glass and use scissors to quickly mince them up. Then use your hand to scoop them out. Quick and easy. I do it on fresh basil leaves all the time. As always, your hands have to be clean.
:-P
On that token, I have a great tip, too, which my mother taught me. If you need to chop fresh spices up quickly, put them in a little cup or glass and use scissors to quickly mince them up. Then use your hand to scoop them out. Quick and easy. I do it on fresh basil leaves all the time. As always, your hands have to be clean.
:-P
Quick Tips
Patch and I thought that a post one of our favorite quick cooking/kitchen tips might be a fun break from the reviews....
If you have leftover wine, instead of just sticking it in your fridge, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Then when it is frozen, pop the wine cubes out into a plastic bag and throw it back in the freezer. Then when you need a tablespoon of wine for a recipe, you can just grab one and toss it into your dish. This also works well with broth, tomato sauce, and pesto.
Now you won't waste the other half of that bottle you couldn't finish!
Emilia
If you have leftover wine, instead of just sticking it in your fridge, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Then when it is frozen, pop the wine cubes out into a plastic bag and throw it back in the freezer. Then when you need a tablespoon of wine for a recipe, you can just grab one and toss it into your dish. This also works well with broth, tomato sauce, and pesto.
Now you won't waste the other half of that bottle you couldn't finish!
Emilia
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Bar Bambino - Mama Mia!
Stupid title, I know. I'm tired today!!!
Bar Bambino is a new wine bar/restaurant in the Mission district of SF. Many of you may know that the mission is my favorite place to wine and dine, so when I heard of this place opening I immediately scheduled a date with another lawyer galpal to hit it up.
Located at 16th and Mission, it is not really an ideal part of the neighborhood for an upscale wine bar. For example, it is across the street from burger king. However I am of the mind that one restaurant can change a neighborhood, and it is right next to the bart station, so bravo Bar Bambino for picking this location.
The inside is very european - tiny tables, lots of people smooshed together, but its a fun atmosphere. P. and I were seated shortly after arriving on a Tuesday, though I imagine it is a lot busier on weekends. It was still packed the whole time we were there.
I started off with a glass of La Braccesca Rosso di Montepulciano Sabazio2004 Toscana. I wish I could tell you what this is, but I have no idea. I got it because I liked the name. Turns out it was a great choice - very bright, fruity, but also smooth. It didn't have much of a bite to it, which I prefer. I had two glasses over the course of the night and put it on my list of things to buy a bottle of sometime soon.
Next we moved on to eats. We started with a little plate of delicious olives. Both green and black, they were marinated until soft and served warm, covered in herbs and really flavorful olive oil. They were absolutely delicious.
Next we had a bruschette - huge slices of grilled bread covered in more of that olive oil, and served with a fresh salad of chopped-up heirloom tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Oh man. This was so simple and SO good - the combo was just the perfect summer meal. It was so good that I went home and re-created it for dinner the next night using tomatoes from my garden. Seriously delicious.
We moved on to Polpette di melanzane - Small balls of eggplant, pine nut with a touch of raisin; finished in a light tomato sauce. This was a dish Michael Bauer raved about in the Chron, which was why we ordered it. It was really good but I didn't think it was served hot enough. The little balls were very tasty though; this is on my list of things to try and re-create at some point.
We finished off our meal with a cheese plate. Unfortunately I can't tell you what we had because we just let the cheese dude pick it out for us, but they have an extensive cheese list, and you can create your own plate of 2/3/4 cheeses for a pretty reasonable price. They served it with more grilled bread and a chutney - very good. We also split a dessert, which was unlike anything I have ever had. It was a strawberry shortcake - but it was actually a dense shortbread cookie, with strawberry glaze and fresh whipped cream. VERY good and the perfect end to this meal. We washed it down with a lovely glass of Moscato d'Asti - the best I've had outside of my monthly wine dinners.
All in all it was a really nice meal. I like the ambiance at this wine bar much better then the crowd at District, and they serve more substantial food than at Yield or Hotel Biron. I will definitely be back there soon.
Food - (3.25)
Experience - (3.25)
Total - (3.25)
To view an explanation of our ratings system, CLICK HERE!
To read yelp reviews of Bar Bambino, click here!
Cara mia, Bar Bambino!
- Emilia
Bar Bambino is a new wine bar/restaurant in the Mission district of SF. Many of you may know that the mission is my favorite place to wine and dine, so when I heard of this place opening I immediately scheduled a date with another lawyer galpal to hit it up.
Located at 16th and Mission, it is not really an ideal part of the neighborhood for an upscale wine bar. For example, it is across the street from burger king. However I am of the mind that one restaurant can change a neighborhood, and it is right next to the bart station, so bravo Bar Bambino for picking this location.
The inside is very european - tiny tables, lots of people smooshed together, but its a fun atmosphere. P. and I were seated shortly after arriving on a Tuesday, though I imagine it is a lot busier on weekends. It was still packed the whole time we were there.
I started off with a glass of La Braccesca Rosso di Montepulciano Sabazio2004 Toscana. I wish I could tell you what this is, but I have no idea. I got it because I liked the name. Turns out it was a great choice - very bright, fruity, but also smooth. It didn't have much of a bite to it, which I prefer. I had two glasses over the course of the night and put it on my list of things to buy a bottle of sometime soon.
Next we moved on to eats. We started with a little plate of delicious olives. Both green and black, they were marinated until soft and served warm, covered in herbs and really flavorful olive oil. They were absolutely delicious.
Next we had a bruschette - huge slices of grilled bread covered in more of that olive oil, and served with a fresh salad of chopped-up heirloom tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Oh man. This was so simple and SO good - the combo was just the perfect summer meal. It was so good that I went home and re-created it for dinner the next night using tomatoes from my garden. Seriously delicious.
We moved on to Polpette di melanzane - Small balls of eggplant, pine nut with a touch of raisin; finished in a light tomato sauce. This was a dish Michael Bauer raved about in the Chron, which was why we ordered it. It was really good but I didn't think it was served hot enough. The little balls were very tasty though; this is on my list of things to try and re-create at some point.
We finished off our meal with a cheese plate. Unfortunately I can't tell you what we had because we just let the cheese dude pick it out for us, but they have an extensive cheese list, and you can create your own plate of 2/3/4 cheeses for a pretty reasonable price. They served it with more grilled bread and a chutney - very good. We also split a dessert, which was unlike anything I have ever had. It was a strawberry shortcake - but it was actually a dense shortbread cookie, with strawberry glaze and fresh whipped cream. VERY good and the perfect end to this meal. We washed it down with a lovely glass of Moscato d'Asti - the best I've had outside of my monthly wine dinners.
All in all it was a really nice meal. I like the ambiance at this wine bar much better then the crowd at District, and they serve more substantial food than at Yield or Hotel Biron. I will definitely be back there soon.
Food - (3.25)
Experience - (3.25)
Total - (3.25)
To view an explanation of our ratings system, CLICK HERE!
To read yelp reviews of Bar Bambino, click here!
Cara mia, Bar Bambino!
- Emilia
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