spicetart

Business and pleasure

It was a hectic week, and definitely lacking in many food related goodness.  I can't even remember what I ate.  I did have one memorable night out, however, at Jack Falstaff, to give a Bay Area "Welcome and what are you doing to dig our party out of the dump" to visiting Senator Joseph Biden.

My place of work ("POW") sponsors many fundraisers and get togethers for some very interesting and influential people, and I was looking forward to meeting the Senator while having the chance to check out Jack Falstaff.

The front of the restaurant, outside, had been set aside for us to have some cocktails and appetizers and listen to Biden.  Even though there was plenty of room, everyone congealed around the bar (go figure) where they were pouring a 2000 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon.  Now that's my kind of meet and greet.  The appetizers started to appear, including some delicious seared Tombo and spicy shrimp (with the heads on - ew- eyes), and then Biden arrived.  He took the time to walk around and shake everyone's hand and then started speaking about his thoughts on the war on Iraq and the troubles in the Democratic Party here at home.

Enter Gavin Newsom.  This party just got a whole lot better. He had a couple of exchanges with Biden regarding how wonderful the Senator is, yada yada yada, no you are wonderful blah blah blah, let's get to the point: 

NEWSOM 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020,...

He's got my votes.

I did have a chance to check out Jack Falstaff.  I thought it looked like a nice intimate place to have dinner, I was actually surprised that it was so small, and I hear that the food is decent.  Though I image it is full of the see and be seen types on most weekend nights, it might be worth checking out.  And who knows, Gavin might be there...

Jack Falstaff
598 Second Street (at Brannan)
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-836-9239 TEL

Michael Bauer review of Jack Falstaff 2/27/05

Note to self...

Write in your blog.  That's the point of it.

I shall return...

...tomorrow.

Icing on the Cake 2

First, go see the incredible pictures in my photo album.

My mom and I took a trip to Copia to view the new exhibition of "extravagant confections inspired by architecture, art, animation, pop culture and imagination". We also read that there would be decorating demonstrations by the cake artists from the exhibition so that (and the free champagne) sounded like a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

We sat in on a demonstration by Beryl Ann Byrd of Just Fabulous Pastries where she showed how to roll out fondant and use it for unique cake embellishments. The cakes looked amazing, but I have no idea how they tasted. Fondant can be used to create a multitude of beautiful and unique designs, but frankly, it looks like it tastes nasty! After all 5 demonstrations were finished, the 5 artists stacked their cakes together to create a tall mismatched but lovely layered cake.

The cakes displayed in the cases were amazing, as you can see from the pictures.  Beryl took a moment to talk about her cake and how she made some of the decorations, like the tiles and the columns, and also shared with us her inspiration.  She modeled the cake after the art of Niki de Saint Phalle who died in 2002.  Beryl said that she likes to think that her cake is the kind of cake that Niki would have designed.  And after seeing Niki's Tarot Garden, I see exactly what she meant.  It was a touching tribute.

There was then a little lesson in the art of sabering a bottle of champagne, in this case, a Mumm’s Cuvee M, by a French Mumm's employee with a large sword. Basically, one runs the dull edge of a saber up the neck of a champagne bottle and when it strikes a weak spot it breaks the bottle’s neck cleanly while leaving the champagne safe to drink.  Leave it to the French to open a bottle of champagne in such an enthusiastic way. Our saberer explained that this tradition dates back to back to the 1800s, and it was the way that soldiers in Napoleon’s army would open champagne after a victory. A little research on the net revealed some details of this legend which is said to involve a test of Napoleon’s new officers: "Each assignee was given three horses, three bottles of champagne, three "willing girls" and three hours in which they needed to drink the champagne, have their way the girls and traverse a rugged, 20-mile course. "Sabering" the bottle while on horseback could save precious minutes for other tasks. The victory cry of Napoleon’s cavalry became "Sabre le champagne!" Hmmm, I call "Bullshit".  But still, that story is way more interesting than what I heard at Copia! Of course I missed the actual event because I was standing behind a pillar, but I did see the cork fly out over the lawn, heard the ooohs and aaahs and saw the cut bottle from which people were indeed pouring some bubbly. 

We lunched at Julia's Kitchen which was pretty good.  We had a very, very nice Nicoise Salad, an overcooked, uninspired Pork Chop, two well-matched wine flights and a generally nice meal.  I'd go back again for lunch, the service was friendly, the ambience was hospitable, and I like that it overlooks the lovely gardens.  I also really enjoyed the amuse-bouche, which is the kind of little touch that makes me want to give it a second chance.

The Icing On the Cake 2 exhibit runs until July 4, 2005.  Check it out.

Copia
500 First Street
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 259-1600

A Townhall Valentines Dinner

We got to Townhall a bit early for our 8:00 reservation, enough time to appreciate the decor, order a drink and see what Townhall had to offer in the Sidecar category. Conclusion: Unusual in that it was made with Calvados and a bit of apple juice, generally good but a bit too sweet. Chris’s Sazerac (whiskey, sugar and two types of bitters) was very tasty, like a spicy fruit cake but not sweet. Once my sister Erin and brother-in-law Gary got there, they generously treated us to a delicious bottle of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut, which was beautiful and dry and with some strawberry fruitiness.

There was no special Valentines Menu, which was just fine by me, I'd rather order off the regular menu to get a feel for a place.  For dinner I decided to go with a series of appetizers. I have been finding lately that I just want to try a few small things rather than one large. First, the four of us just HAD to share the Dungeness Crab and Cheddar Fondue with Broccoli, Potatoes and Andouille Sausage for dipping. So rich and delicious, I think we all could have eaten about 4 more of those.

Cream of Celery Root garnished with Duck Confit was creamy and smooth and perfectly salted which I find is always a problem with soups. I swear I have eaten more duck confit in the last month than in my whole life. Duck confit is the new black.

Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleon - One of my all time favorite combinations, this version was ruined for me by the fact that it rested on a mustardy mayonnaise sauce.  Two things I DO NOT EAT, mustard and mayonnaise, ruined an otherwise good dish.  I am sure others would find it more appealing than I.

Roasted Veal Meatballs with Potato Puree and Green Peppercorn Sauce - can you say WOW?  I am on a hunt for the best meatballs ever, and these are definitely in the top 5.  Rich and moist but not greasy and heavy.  I almost never eat veal but this seemed like a good time to do it. 

My people had the Lamb with Nicoise Olive Sauce, a Peanut and Tasso Encrusted Pork Chop, and the Ribeye with Crispy Potatoes.  All looked and tasty yummy, though the lamb was really outstanding and I would even think about ordering that if I go back and they have it again.  Again the lesson here is: ALWAYS ORDER THE SPECIAL.

Wine was a delicious bottle of Etude Pinot Noir, Carneros, which had rave reviews from my sister and she was absolutely right.  Ripe raspberry and a tad smokey, it paired well with practically everyone's food, and I savored every sip.

The highlight came at dessert.  This thing should be illegal: Butterscotch and Chocolate Pot De Crème with a Layer of Buttercrunch.  Trying to kill me much?  I'm still dreaming about that dessert, and I am sure that they have other great desserts but I will never know.

The Rosenthals have really created a beautifully lit, modern, arts and crafts warmspace to gather, and at pretty reasonable prices; the meal cost us about what Chris and I usually pay alone for this type of meal (not including the champagne).  We also had good service and really just enjoyed the space and the environment, never found the noise or service distracting and felt well taken care of.  Check it out.

Townhall
342 Howard Street at Fremont
San Francisco, 94105
(415) 908-3900
Reservations can be made on OpenTable

Great Time at Luka's Taproom

When I heard that there was a new restaurant in the wasteland of Downtown Oakland, I was excited and skeptical at the same time.  Let's face it, Downtown Oakland is not exactly a destination one goes to on purpose, unless you need to go to Court or jail.  Growing up, we passed through Downtown on our way to other places, like Alameda or Jack London Square, but it appears the gentrification of Oakland has finally passed the Lake Merritt boundary.  Good or bad, it means that Luka's Taproom was packed on a Saturday night with people from all walks of life.

In the former Hofbrau location (RIP 1951-2003), Luka's Taproom is decorated bistro style, a long bar, bar tables for two with tall stools, and plenty of standing room.  The main dining room is quite small, with booths for four, and which is the entrance for one of the backrooms, complete with pool table, jukebox and various signs and other leftovers in homage to the Hofbrau.  In the other back room, is Luka's Lounge, with low, soft chairs, a DJ booth and space for groovin'. See the schedule for the haps for the Lounge.

I started with a lovely Sidecar, very good and a generous pour.  I moved on to trying a Belgian Ale, since that's basically what they are all about and WOW did I have a wonderful beer, Duchesse de Bourgogne.  Is it even in the same category as beer?  It had almost a tamarind cherry cola flavor but wasn't too sweet, and since I like sweet beer, I was in heaven.  We were informed by our server that they pour a lot of this beer, and I can see why. Yum.

Our starters were very good, a nice Duck Confit Salad paired well with Pomegranate Seeds and a Tuna Carpaccio (Ahi and Hamachi) with Arugula, Preserved Lemons & Black Olive Oil (and pickled red onions that were delicious).  The Ahi was great, the Hamachi was mostly flavorless, but we still enjoyed the dish.  The real winner was the Hamburger and Fries with an herbed Aioli, perfectly seasoned, and actually cooked the way we requested (medium).  I would go back just to have the hamburger and the perfect fries.  Dessert was a scrumptious Pineapple Upside Down Cake and a mediocre Cheese Plate that needed way more love or to remove it from the menu altogether.

Overall, I love this place and will likely go back very soon to eat a Hamburger and get my groove on.  Check it out.

Luka's Taproom
2221 Broadway at West Grand
Oakland, CA 94612
510-451-4677

Take that, McHeartDisease.

OK, so $7 million is a pittance to McDonald's Corp, still,

"I'm lovin' it!"

Disclaimer: Yes, I see the irony, and some may say hypocrisy, of this post being above the cheese and sour cream delivery system pictured below, No, I do not think it's the same thing as I will defend the fat filled eating of whole foods as opposed to gunky preservative scary mega heart stopping gloop.

Super Super Bowl Chili

Because I had $40 riding on it, I was determined to watch the Super Bowl last Sunday.  No I didn't win, but I did drink two Budweisers and ate some pretty awesome chili that I whipped up.  How American male of me! I decided that while the game was on I needed to be entertained, so when I asked Chris what I should cook, he said "I always eat chili during the Super Bowl."  Funny, because Chris wanted to go to a movie instead of watching the game, so the term "always" was a bit suspect, but I figured I'd humor him and make some chili.

I have made chili before and it was OK, but I wanted to do something different.  I checked out a basic chili recipe in How To Cook Everything and then thought I'd see if Rick Bayless had any advice.  Now, I have been suspicious of Bayless ever since the Burger King commercials, but he came through with a great recipe from my falling apart older edition Mexican Kitchen- Smoky Pasilla Chili (not his name for it).  He suggests making a paste out of chiles, garlic and spices and adding that to the meat/beans instead of the traditional two tons of chile powder.  The paste makes a rich, smokey chile flavor that beats ANY chili powder I have had.  And the response I got from Chris "This may be the best chili I have ever had".  Sweet.

Why You Should Go to the Ferry Building

I am always a tad behind when it comes to experiencing anything new and exciting, usually I get around to trying it a year after it first comes out. Visiting the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco was no different, except that it took me almost two years to get there after its initial opening. On my second visit, Chris and I decided to eat at Hog Island Oyster Company. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, we got a great table by the window where we could enjoy the absolutely most perfect day ever in San Francisco (see picture - fun with Picasa 2 and although I always seem to do this right after Sam has, I swear that she just beats me to it, or how about imitation is the highest form of flattery? either way, she has been an inspiration - sheesh, I'm going to cry over here - sniff, sniff) and our Hog Island Sweetwaters, 6 raw and with a mignonette with cilantro, and 6 Oysters Beurre Blanc, clam chowder piled HIGH with probably 20 or more Manila clams, and fresh bread for the sopping (of the beurre blanc, of course, can’t waste a drop of that scrumptious stuff). We also had some wine but indulged in only a glass as we planned on going to my favorite Ferry Building destination, the Wine Bar.

The Wine Bar is such a great way to spend a couple of hours on a weekend afternoon, though I imagine going during the week wouldn’t be too bad either (damn working). Having tasted nearly everything on the menu the last time we were there, I tasted a couple and then had a glass of my favorite, a Hungarian white, an Oremus Tokaji Furmint, which meant I learned many things that day since I had never heard of that wine and had never tried anything from Hungary. This is why I love the Wine Bar...who else pours stuff like that? Chris had the Ridge flight which tasted 5 of their Zinfandels side by side, in which Chris decided that the Lytton Springs is still his favorite.

What a perfect day!

Music in my Kitchen: A MEME

Yea! My first blogging chain letter meme thingy! I’m a dork because I am excited that Amy sent this to me. I’m a doodie. A dork foodie. Usually the music I like most in my kitchen is the lovely humming of my food processor and kitchen aid (not really)...

What is the total number of music files on your computer?
3064 songs on iTunes, probably 7000 on my computer because Chris has all of his music there too.

The CD you last bought?
I downloaded Death Cab for Cutie - The Photo Album, Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days, Snow Patrol - Final Straw, and Jill Scott - Beautifully Human Words and Sounds, all at the same time from iTunes because I am now an iPod junkie.

What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
Biscuit - Portishead, I am listening to all my songs alphabetically and I’m only at "bi"

Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
1- Warning Sign - Coldplay
2- American Dreaming - Dead Can Dance
3- Title and Registration - Death Cab for Cutie
4- Walking Wounded - Everything But the Girl
5- So Real - Jeff Buckley

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?
Um, who’s left?