Trying to Shake Up the Neighborhood 1817 Market St. (at Pearl), San Francisco Lower Hayes Valley PH: 415.874.9951 Open Monday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight (till 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday) Major credit cards accepted Web site
My favorite drink right now is the Pisco Sour, the ubiquitous drink of Peru. I read about it a few years ago when I was first introduced to Peruvian cuisine, but it was difficult to find the drink in the United States because pisco (a kind of brandy) wasn’t widely available.
But in the last year, pisco has made a big return to California (it was popular during the Gold Rush) and now there’s even a bar bearing its name.
Pisco Latin Lounge opened last year right next door to the popular nuevo Peruvian restaurant Destino. (It’s no coincidence; they’re both by the same owners.) I dropped in recently to check out if they had the best Pisco Sour in town.
The long, narrow space had a mix vibe of Latin lounge and neighborhood bar. While the sun is still out, the natural light sparkles near the front where people can lounge on comfy sofas. Towards the back, there’s a tiny platform area called the “pagoda” that provides a more intimate gathering. (You can reserve that area if you have a large group.)
From 5 to 7 p.m., Pisco Latin Lounge offers special $6 drinks. The night I was there they had a special cucumber martini and a mulled cherry drink. But I was there for the Pisco Sour ($9), so that’s what I ordered.
I failed to mention that I visited on a Friday night. I remember now because the photo shows my Pisco Sour—which traditionally made with foam of egg whites and topped off with Angostura bitter—came with a happy face that my bartender made using the bitters. He was so happy that it was Friday.
It was a bit weird drinking my Pisco Sour with the happy face because it was like I was kissing the drink every time I took a sip. (The happy face never disappeared because the foam stayed thick till the very end.) The overall drink felt like it had too much foam and too much Pisco because it tasted strong.
The bar menu contains several interesting Peruvian-influenced dishes, so I decided to order the Camarones ($10.50), which was the tiger prawns with goat cheese salsa. The prawns looked like perfect bar bites when they arrived because each prawn sat on a maseca chip. So you could pick them up and pop them in your mouth. But I have to say that the overall look, while convenient for eating, did seem a bit rough around the edges. It didn’t look refined. And the taste was lackluster, partially because the maseca chip became soggy from the shrimp juices and salsa.
As more people started arriving and the music pumped up, I ordered the Pisco Negroni ($11) just to see if I could find another pisco drink to like. Made with pisco, sweet vermouth and Campari, the drink was definitely pretty in color but packing a lot of punch. Not sure if it was the different variety of Pisco used or the combination of vermouth and Campari?
Service at the bar was mixed. A couple of servers were friendly and engaging, while my main bartender was more flirty with the girls down the other end of the bar than attentive to the rest of the guests. It’s rare that I sit at a bar and not have a bartender ask me if I need another drink, but that’s what happened as I often emptied my glass and not have anyone push another one on me.
Pisco Latin Lounge seems like a fun neighborhood hangout, but the food and drinks don’t provide any sparks to heat up a hot night.
Note: I’m not giving a rating since this is not a full restaurant. It’s a nice place to drop in if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.
I wouldn’t say Pisco Latin Lounge made the best Pisco Sour I’ve ever had. So now I’m in search of the best in town. Where do you think serves the best Pisco Sour?
Getting together with your bros or hanging with the boys is often referred to as some good old fashioned male bonding. And the great thing about male bonding is it never goes out of style! So suck on that trend setting, fad following, overly fashion conscious women! No matter how hard you try, you can’t change everything about your man. In fact, over time you will realize this and either move on to another "project" man to mold, or you will learn to embrace your current boyfriend for all that he already is. It’s sort of like how for years women have been trying to get guys to throw out their most comfy, holey jeans and threadbare, tattered tees, but as men we held onto these items with such a death grip that you were powerless to pull them from the sweaty clinches of our fists. So instead, you learned to accept with open arms. You accepted them so lovingly that you allowed them to grace the pages of your God - Vogue magazine. Yes, you made the very outfit we loved to kick it and chill in on a Saturday afternoon a thing of fashion beauty. Yes, we men manipulated you into seeing it our way. And you women fell for it - hook, line and sinker!
Of course there are things women manipulate men into liking too, take wine for example. I’ll admit that if it wasn’t for women, I might have never become a wine drinker. (Red wine that is, only women and gay men drink white wine.) But when I’m with my boys, it’s beer. Domestic, import, lager, ale, bottled, canned, home brewed or fresh from the tap. It doesn’t matter. It’s all good, because it’s not really about beer. It’s about the camaraderie. It’s about the male bonding. It’s about the unspoken, yet understood, platonic love that man has for his fellow man that seems to only exist in the presence of cracking open a cold one. How a simple beer has the power to smooth out any riffs and calm any waves between a couple of dudes. A yeast, hops and barley miracle worker! Simply put, beer fixes everything.
Male bonding is a term that is used in ethology, social science, and in general usage to describe patterns of friendship and/or cooperation in men. The exact meaning of the term differs across contexts. In the context of human relationships, male bonding is used to (sometimes jokingly or informally) describe friendship between men, or the way in which men befriend each other. The expression is sometimes used synonymously with the word camaraderie. Friendships among men are often based on shared activities (read drinking beer), instead of emotional sharing, which is more typical of women's friendships (though this is not always the case). Now someone created a Wikipedia page for the term "female bonding," but if you ask me, such a term doesn’t truly exist.
Although, I suppose one could argue that female bonding could be defined as going to the beauty salon with your closest gal pals to get your hair done. Perhaps a Girl’s Night Out giggling over martinis, or wasting away an afternoon gossiping over capuchinos then indulging in some high calorie/high fat chocolate delicacy would define female bonding as well. Scheduling mani-pedis and facials, followed by shopping afterwards, would probably be labeled as female boding too. Of course the main difference between female bonding and male bonding is that women need an activity to do when they get together. Men just need a beer. Sure there may be other activities going on while drinking beer, but the main focus is the beer. Think about it. Guys playing golf + beer. Guys going camping + beer. Guys going to the game + beer. Guys gathering around an outdoor picnic table to discus racial profiling at the White House with the President + beer. See the connection here? They all have one common factor - beer.
As you know, today is Thirsty Thursday. And in celebration, the Pres is holding a kegger! That’s right, there’s a real beer bash going down at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. So grab that red plastic cup and call up your frat brothers because it’s happening this afternoon! I believe the beer pong table is being set up as we speak, while our party animal President is tightening up his ankles for the keg stand and relaxing his throat for the beer bong! Ok, I kid. It’s not going down exactly like that. Most likely, it will be a much more dignified and sophisticated meeting of the minds between black Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the white arresting officer, Sergeant James Crowley. The diplomatic in the middle, President Barack Obama...and of course beer.
There are tons of questions being asked, like what kind of beer are they serving and does the White House only serve American beer? Of course this big question today at the Suds Summit is...Can sharing a beer solve race relations? I haven’t a clue, but I think it’s worth a shot!
We all know that too much beer can lead to beer muscle, which then leads to a drunken brawl. Although the great thing about guys is that, unlike most women, we get it out of our system. If we don’t get along, the bar fight ensues. Then when we are thrown out into the street, we’re cool. It’s all over. We can then shake hands and walk away. Whereas women tend to let things fester and hold these grudges against other women often for years! Personally, I think they should follow the ways of their male counterpart. Let a beer be the diplomat. Seriously, who doesn’t feel better about a bad situation after a good beer? And if they still feel some hostility, then slug it out if need be. Besides, chick fights are always highly entertaining!
While someone is sure to scream that physical violence is not the answer and drinking alcohol only fuels the fire, the President is hopeful that sharing a beer will sooth wounds and perhaps mend years of hatred between two races. It’s true that while one consumes beer, physical violence can sometimes find its way into the male bonding session. However, just the right amount of beer leads to hugs. It leads to the happy drunk, that "I love you man" slurred speech paling around that is quite common in the male species. A Coke and a smile is for kids. A beer and a bromance is for men.
Single Guy has been in a funk. I’ve been eating out so much that I haven’t really had time to check out food events because I mostly just want to stay home and digest. I don’t think I could be a full-time food critic because I would never want to go anywhere other than the restaurant and back home.
Hopefully, some of these upcoming food events might pull me out and get me to do something other than eat. Maybe you’ll be there too? I think I need a food intervention.
August 1-2, Saturday-Sunday. First Vegan & Vegetarian Food Festival in Sonoma. Tofu and bean lovers unite for this food event in the La Plaza Park in downtown Cotati. About 15 restaurants and vendors will showcase vegan and vegetarian fare from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information call 707.591.1786 or check out the Web site.
August 3, Monday. First week of Go Game Street Food Adventure. OK, this is different — a month-long street food scavenger hunt! It’s all part of the San Francisco Street Food Festival, which actually takes place on Aug. 22. But before then, the people behind Go Games will be challenging teams to find the hidden treasures of the city’s street food scene. The team getting the most points wins (not sure what but I’m sure it’ll be tasty)! At work our department used Go Games once for a team-building event and those guys are a lot of fun and creative. So check out their blog to find out more about creating a team and playing. If you’re not into the games, then you can always check out the street food festival, which is part of the Eat Real Festival at the end of August.
August 3, Monday. Mozzarella and Heirloom Tomato Tasting Class at 18 Reasons. This Mission neighborhood community food tank features a demonstration of making fresh mozzarella by cheese buyer Anthea Stolz and tastings for heirloom tomatoes by farm manager Simon Richard, both from Bi-Rite Market. Class runs 7 to 9 p.m. and cost $20. If you can’t make it on Aug. 3, the class is repeated on Aug. 24. Click here to purchase tickets.
August 6-9, Thursday-Sunday. SF Chefs.Food.Wine. An all-star cast of chefs in the city will be featured in this weekend event presented by Visa Signature. There will be special dinners and tasting tents and demonstrations in Union Square but you can expect to pay a pretty penny for admission (tickets range from $90 to $150). Click here for the schedule.
August 15, Saturday.Fig Festival at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. It’s nearing fig season and this fruit is one of my favorites to photograph because it’s so luscious. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) will be hosting a fig education booth to learn about different farmers and different varieties. Featured food demo that day at 11 a.m. will be Marie Simmons, author of “Fig Heaven.” Event is free except $1 donation suggested if you eat a fig bar. For more information, go to the Ferry Building Web site.
And don’t forget that next week (Aug. 2-8) is National Farmers Market Week, so go out and check out a farmers market near you!
Rustic Elegance in a Home 1005 Brown Ave., Lafayette Downtown PH: 925.962.0882 Lunch Tue.–Fri., 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; weekend brunch, 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m., dinner, 5:30–9:30 p.m. (until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday), closed Mondays Reservations, major credit cards accepted www.artisanlafayette.com
LAFAYETTE Lately I’ve been having a lot of fun venturing outside my typical San Francisco and Oakland jaunts because of some fortuitous access to wheels. One was a trip to Contra Costa County when I got an email awhile back from Foodhoe Foraging who suggested we check out the relatively new Artisan Bistro.
Opened in March, Artisan Bistro has a “stimulus menu” promotion running till the end of August. A lot of restaurants these days are offering up specials because of the economy, and Artisan Bistro’s mini stimulus package is a “Dinner for Two” for $75, available every Tuesday and Wednesday.
So Foodhoe picked me up at the MacArthur BART last Tuesday and we headed through the Caldecott Tunnel for some East Bay dining, guided by her talkative GPS navigator.
Artisan Bistro took over what was previously an Italian restaurant, but it really looks like it’s in someone’s home because the structure was probably a former single-family home. But that’s OK because I often love the charm of dining in a refurbished home—it just adds to the coziness.
But what’s confusing about the home layout is that—to optimize floor space with more tables—the traditional foyer area had been transformed into a seating area. So the front door was closed shut, causing a lot of people to walk up the front steps and realize that they can’t get in. You actually have to enter through the garden. (Foodhoe wanted to sit in the garden for optimal lighting, but it was a bit windy and I don’t like things flying into my food.)
Another reason why I agreed to follow Foodhoe all the way to Lafayette was to check out the chef, John Marquez. Chef Marquez has a very impressive resume, working at such fine dining establishments as the former Elisabeth Daniel, the French Laundry, Per Se, and most recently chef de cuisine at Coi.
The stimulus dinner had changed a bit since Foodhoe first read about it. The dinner for two was now just a prix fixe menu of $30 per person (no wine). Anywho, there were still some very interesting offerings.
Foodhoe started with the Baby Spinach and Bacon Salad, which was a large plate of greens topped with white anchovy, red onions, parmesan and croutons. It looked like any other salad to me, but Foodhoe said she really liked the red wine Caesar dressing.
I got the Steamed PEI Mussels that was a heaping helping of fresh mussels dressed with shallots and sherry vinaigrette. The vinaigrette gave a nice twang to the mussels, but the aroma of bits of fried garlic is what really made this dish stand out. I was really happy with this starter.
For our main courses, Foodhoe was gracious enough to order the Flat Iron Steak Frites because she knows I don’t eat fried foods and the plate came filled with French fries. The steak was topped with caramelized onions and served with some spinach. Foodhoe liked it but the meat was cooked more done than the medium she requested. I took a bite and thought it was good, but nothing special.
I got the Alaskan Halibut served with maitake mushrooms and a black eyed pea ragout. The halibut filet had a nice golden brown sear to it, but I felt it was slightly overcooked. The ragout was nice, but one dimensional in flavor. There wasn’t enough complexity to add to the overall dish.
Our final course was dessert, and Foodhoe got the Cherry Bread Pudding served with whipped cream and a spiced chocolate sauce, and topped off with a chocolate-covered cherry. The presentation was beautiful but the bread pudding, to me, tasted a bit like pie and less like bread pudding.
I got the Tiramisu, which is one of my all-time favorite desserts. At Artisan Bistro, the tiramisu is served with a banana cream and white chocolate-espresso sauce. The banana cream had a nice banana flavor, but I thought it overwhelmed the coffee taste of the traditional tiramisu when blending the two together. Plus, my tiramisu was way soggy from being drowned in espresso. So instead of feeling light and airy, it felt wet and cheap.
The service was very friendly and professional, and Artisan Bistro seems to be garnering attention because of Chef Marquez’s previous employment. But it’s because of his resume that I found this dinner to be lacking. I expected more, and I was surprised that the quality of the dishes lacked finesse. Where was the creativity or imagination?
Artisan Bistro might fit well in the Lafayette dining scene, but you would think this city deserves more than just what might be considered an average dinner in San Francisco. Who knows, maybe Chef Marquez might get more creative or challenge himself more after settling into Lafayette. Let’s hope so.
Single guy rating: 3 stars (Pleasing but no surprises)
Explanation of the single guy's rating system: 1 star = perfect for college students 2 stars = perfect for new diners 3 stars = perfect for foodies 4 stars = perfect for expense accounts 5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner
I can’t give it away just yet - the BIG news! I want build up the anticipation, make you beg for it like a dirty pornstar down on her knees. Afterall, I had to wait for nearly a decade for this moment! So it's only fair I make you wait at least until August...which is when I plan on revealing the mystery, which is also when the full story will reveal itself to me. August 2009 is when it all unfolds and the story will be told. Until then, I have just as many, if not more, questions than you do. There is lots of uncertainty and plenty of doubt. But there is also hope. Always hold onto hope. And I am hopeful. Very, very hopeful. Perhaps foolishly hopeful, but nevertheless, hopeful.
I'm going to follow a "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" policy here, but I suppose alluding to the secret a little never hurt anyone. So I'm going to give you a hint, just one hint. You may never see me the same after this. You may view me as low and disgusting, or maybe you already see me as that? If so, then nothing will change. But if you see me in a heavenly glow, then brace yourself. I may very well shatter that beautiful image.
Sorry to be a tease, but there is fun in the unknown and yet to be discovered. And if you thought my Prop 8 post was controversial, you ain't seen nothing yet!
For now, I have my eye on the prize and I won't lose focus or determination. Stay tuned.
Previously: Melissa the Mom is frantic so she develops a strategy to speak slowly. Jeffrey gets bumped on the head with a boom mic but still comes off as vanilla. Jamaican Jamika is pissed and Bobby Flay wants capers. Then it’s goodbye to Jamika and her winning smile, which apparently didn’t work this time.
In this episode all the environmental shots are moving so fast, it’s like the editors are on speed. Jeffrey’s hair is especially bushy this morning as he takes his place on the hotel balcony to look contemplatively out at the beach. Melissa says she’s out-cooked everyone, but she still wonders if she can win. Um, Melissa, if you out-cooked everyone, then there’s no one left.
In reality, we’re at the final three, so it remains to be seen if Melissa can out-cook tall Jeffrey and Seoul2Soul (or is it Soul2Seoul?) Debbie. The three arrive at Emeril’s Miami Beach restaurant and act all surprised that Emeril shows up, which doesn’t really surprise me because, doh, his name is on the restaurant.
Emeril explains the challenge and, let me just say, this is the biggest product placement for the overly hyped “Julie & Julia” movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. Any one who reads anything related to food has probably seen a mention of this upcoming film or seen the commercial or even maybe already went to one of the screenings. (I’m interested in seeing the film, but geesh, do I have to hear about it every day?)
So Emeril talks about his great friend, Julia Childs, and they show a clip of her on his show. He tells the finalists that the film is about one’s dedication to a dream or passion. With that theme, the challenge is to come up with a three-course dinner that represents their passion. They have $1,000 to shop and will be assigned a sous chef. They also have to present a live demo during dinner.
For inspiration, they go to a private screening of “Julie and Julia.” The three talk about how they can relate to the characters in the movie. Debbie connects with Amy Adams’ character, saying she was also in a dead-end job (aren’t we all?) until she decided to quit and run her own restaurant. Melissa the Mom compares herself to the great Julia Childs, saying they’re two peas in the pod because they both were Americans living in Paris, and they were both underestimated by those around them. Jeffrey relates to the movie because it talks about Julia Childs going to culinary school and Jeffrey loved learning about food at culinary school. He is vanilla, yeah?
They head off to a local market and start buying ingredients to craft their passionate dinners. Melissa is doing a French-inspired dinner with a lot of puff pastry while Debbie is going Seoul2Soul with braised Korean-style short ribs.
Jeffrey doesn’t really have a theme to his dinner, but it’s mostly seafood with some Mexican flavorings. He goes to the checkout worried he might be over his $1,000 budget and the total comes to $317. What’s sad is even after he realizes this, he’s not allowed to go shopping for more. I guess time ran out, or I guess once you check out you can’t go back in. So now he’s worried that his food might not be elegant or sophisticated enough because it’s cheap. BTW, Jeffrey’s hair always looks wet in this episode. It must be hot in Miami.
Commercials. Wii Sports. Why can’t you just go to the playground?
The finalists arrive at this beautiful private beach home. Looks like someplace P.Diddy once used as a changing room before heading to one of his famous South Beach parties. In the center of the huge empty room is a minimally dressed table, and the three go snooping to see who’s coming to dinner. There are many recognizable names like Chefs John Besh and Rick Bayless, and a plethora of B-list Food Network Stars like the Neelys, Sunny Anderson, and that spiky hair blond woman who’s always trying to teach you the secrets of a chef. The Food Network wattage gets amped up a bit with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto (you know he’s only going to say one word) and Ty-Flo.
The three head to the kitchen and standing there are the three latest rejects, aka their sous chefs. They’re each holding up the name of who they’ll be working for so Michael a Go-Go™ is there for Debbie, Health Nut Katie is there for Jeffrey and Jamaican Jamika is back for Melissa the Mom. There’s a lot of hugging and screaming, and mostly coming from Debbie.
Everyone starts getting down to prepping and Melissa gets busy making pastry dough for two of her courses. Then she channels Julia Childs again.
Katie asks Jeffrey how much he spent and after he tells her that he only spent $317 of his $1,000 budget, she tells him that maybe he can give them tips on throwing frugal dinner parties. Debbie is making her short ribs and Michael is worried it won’t be tender, but Debbie says to the camera that Koreans like to gnaw on their meat. And I have to say, this is why I’m not a fan of the kal bi because of the tough meat and the bones.
Debbie also focuses on Jeffrey’s risotto, saying it’s a risk because that’s the kind of dish that needs to be served up immediately. There’s a chance it’ll sit for awhile, but Jeffrey says he wants to go out of his comfort zone.
On Melissa’s side, it looks like she has a few mini crises to deal with as her orzo is super salty (and it looks like it was Jamika who salted it) and her potato tortes aren’t really golden brown so they could be undercooked. Hmm, wonder what Julia Childs would do now?
Commercials. Bush’s Baked Beans has that creepy commercial with the talking dog. Is this 1959?
The chefs and guests arrive and that Francois Payard looks really angry. Don’t they know they’re being filmed? Melissa is up first to present her dishes and do her demo. I have to say, Melissa looks really good with makeup and her hair looks fantastic for TV. She looks very sophisticated, matching the settings and elegance of the dinner.
She starts telling a story about cooking with her mom and her culinary dream, and she’s very composed and the story is well thought out. Then she drops in that her mom committed suicide and I’m like, woah, and she just goes on like she just mentioned that she got carded at a bar when she was only 16. Everyone is captivated by her story and a couple of them are dabbing away tears. This is such an Oprah moment.
Bobby Flay is impressed and says she’s like a different person, almost poetic. Then she talks about her first course, which is a ratatouille. One of the Neelys liked the texture and the vegetables were nicely seasoned.
For the main course, she serves her brick chicken with potato torte. This is the course she does her demo and she starts cooking her chicken using the bottom of a skillet to weigh it down instead of a brick. Rick Bayless thought she did a fabulous job with the demo, but the angry-looking Chef Payard says his chicken didn’t have the crispy skin and it was still overcooked. Sunny Anderson also held her hand up and said her chicken was dry too. Everyone loved the potato torte though.
For dessert, Melissa serves up what she says is her mandatory dessert at home: cheese with a green salad. This sounds really simple and not very creative, but she saved herself by adding an orange-cream porchette, which is like a pastry roll, and even Payard liked it. Sunny called it “banging” and John Besh calls her an artisan, which is high praise. Maybe she is Julia Childs reincarnated?
Commercials. Fruit 2 Day says it’s the new way of eating fruit. Yeah, if you like pulverizing it and shoving it into a weird hourglass-looking plastic jar. Me, I like my fruit straight from the farmers’ market!
We’re in the kitchen and Jeffrey is searing his scallops, and the sear looks really brown to me. Debbie is plating up her dishes and her catering experience is showing because everything looks perfectly uniformed. It’s her turn to present and for some reason she decides to come running out of the kitchen doing her two-hand wave.
Debbie launches into her story about parents immigrating to the South and learning to make Southern food and then how she learned Korean cooking from her grandmother. She’s always personable and gets a laugh from the crowd. Then she serves her first course, which is a chili-rub shrimp over a savory Southern corn salad. Rick Bayless wonders how the Korean side of things was blended into the dish, and Ty-Flo felt like it was something he’s had before. I guess it wasn’t the ultimate shrimp and corn salad dish.
For her second dish, Debbie serves up her Korean braised ribs over grits. Gina Neely says it tastes bland while some complain that the ribs are not tender. Chef Bayless says he doesn’t mind that it wasn’t fall-off-the-bone tender, and that saves Debbie for now.
She decides to demo her dessert, which is a deep-fried Asian pear egg roll. She demonstrates how to fold the egg roll and then fries it up, finishing it off with powdered sugar. People felt she rocked the demo but Chef Marcus Samuelsson points out that the dough in his egg roll was raw, which must have been so gross to eat. (I’m not a fan of raw dough, which is why I never grew up eating cookie dough.)
It’s Jeffrey’s turn to present and he looks really tall and handsome. I think he’s lost some weight while on the show. He talks about his passion and tries to talk about eating raw scallops for the first time. Then he demos the first course of seared scallop and to me it seems so elementary. I would be embarrassed to teach this crowd how to properly sear a scallop. But they’re all very attentive and give him good grades for making the demo simple and energetic.
Then Jeffrey serves up his risotto, and John Besh is already making a funny face when the plate is placed in front of him. Jeffrey talks about traveling to Italy with his wife, trying to make a personal story out of risotto, and all the guests are making weird faces. Ty-Flo takes one bite and has a shocked look on his face. Then the comments. Angry Francois Payard must be more angry after eating the risotto because he called it the worst he’s had, and that it was like soup. To him, he said it was like killing Italian cooking. But the worst comment comes from Chef Samuelsson who says it was like disrespecting Italy. He’s talking the entire nation of Italians coming after Jeffrey for making such a failure of a risotto dish.
To add fuel to the flame, Bobby Flay asks Jeffrey how much he spent out of his $1,000 budget and Jeffrey tells him $320 (he rounded up from $317 to make it sound more) and Bobby shakes his head in disappointment.
His final dish is his chocolate mousse dessert. Chef Alex with the long last name (starts with G) says it was delicious and in the end Tyler Florence says Jeffrey is easy to watch and he’d like to watch him cook.
The other guests give more feedback, with a lot of people feeling like Melissa served up the best food. Chef Morimoto, like I said, adds just one comment and that was that he liked Debbie. John Besh also likes Debbie’s personality.
Backstage, Jeffrey is squirming already because he’s still feeling the anger over his risotto. Too bad. I love risotto.
Commercials. Brooke Shields says she’s growing lashes but it totally looks like false eye lashes. If she’s really growing her lashes, she should show them without mascara so we can see for ourselves. But I have a feeling her lashes are always long.
It looks like the next morning and the three finalists are all dressed up waiting to go to judgment. When they walk in, there’s more talk about the “Julie and Julia” product placement. Then the critique:
Melissa: Her pastries were the best thing they ate all night, but Bobby wanted to see more in her demo. She admits that she gets intimidated and that frustrates Bobby even more because he thinks she has so much to offer but she holds back.
Jeffrey: He did a great job with his presentation but the seafood risotto just didn’t work. Susie asks why he didn’t spend all his money, and really, Jeffrey has no answer. His predictability may be his downfall.
Debbie: She comes off comfortable and energetic, but her food had issues (ugh, uncooked dough) and not much flavor. Bobby wants to taste more Seoul2Soul than just hearing about it.
Commercials. The Food Network just showed a promo on “Julie and Julia” and then it was followed by a commercial of the same movie! Now I may not watch it out of protest over this over-saturation!
Back in the judgment room, Bob Tuschman asks each finalist to say something about themselves that the judges might not know but might help them in sending them to the finals. Melissa says she gives instant credibility to the working mom market (she already said that), Debbie says she’s human and she understands the entire population of America (then she should run for president) and Jeffrey says he’ll always deliver on good food.
The three are excused and the judges talk. And of course, since we’re one week from the finale, they’re all talking about how difficult a decision this is. And I guess it is a tight race, and maybe they should just leave it up to America like American Idol. But now, they talk some more about Debbie and Jeffrey starting out strong and staying strong, but Melissa the Mom has shown the most improvement over the course of the series.
Then they bring the three back, and without much fanfare or back story, Bobby Flay sends Melissa the Mom into the finals, and of course she’s excited and grateful.
So it’s either Debbie or Jeffrey, either a girl-girl finale or a boy-girl finale. Susie sends Jeffrey to the finale and Debbie is out, and you can tell on her face that she felt cheated even though she thanks the judges.
Debbie packs up and then hugs the two finalists who stole her spot, and she says that she showed the real Debbie. And as she turns to leave and partially cries at the same time, she waves with just one hand this time because the other one is holding her broken heart.
Next time: They’re back in New York for the finale and they each have to produce their own pilot. Melissa gets confused about which camera to look in and Alton Brown gets snippy when Jeffrey calls a tomato an onion. Who do you think will BE the next Food Network star? Here's a promo of the finale episode:
The Next Food Network Star airs 9 p.m. Sundays (and repeats at the same time Thursdays) on the Food Network. Check your local listing. Photos courtesy of the Food Network Web site.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the Fourth Street shopping area in Berkeley to look for some dishware at the Crate & Barrel Outlet Store. When I arrived, I literally landed in hog heaven.
There were thinly sliced salumi from Fra’Mani, salame from Creminelli, nduja and more from Boccalone, and a range of prosciutto, coppa and speck from La Quercia. My cholesterol never took as big a hit in one afternoon as it did yesterday.
And these days, you can’t have a pig event without an appearance from Ryan Farr of 4505 Chicharrones. Here’s a blurry shot of him as he passes out samples of his popular chicharrones, or pork rinds. I typically don’t eat fried fat, but I tried just one to see what all the fuss was. It did melt in my mouth, but it wasn’t as crisp as I thought it would be.
So to demonstrate how I’m so easily influenced by the grill, I had just come from eating lunch (a large bowl of ramen plus a rice ball) but still got tempted by these sausages.
I ended up getting one of the freshly made chicken sausages from the Pasta Shop’s Chef Scott Miller. I really loved how the meat was nice and succulent and not densely packed. It tasted fresh and delicious, but it was a bit difficult to eat with all the grilled peppers and tomatoes on top. But when in Hog Heaven, sloppy is the norm of the day.
Dim Sum that Offers Few Jewels 3288 Pierce St., Richmond Inside Pacific East Mall PH: 510.526.6800 Open daily for lunch and dinner Major credit cards accepted, reservations for large parties
My friend Vera has been wanting to try the dim sum at Asian Pearl Seafood Restaurant for awhile. Inside the popular Asian mall known as Pacific East Mall off I-80 (where there’s a Ranch 99 market), this dim sum place attracts regular crowds and on weekends get so packed they literally set up tables outside the restaurant in the hallway of the mall. (They do put up wall dividers for some privacy.)
So when she asked if I wanted to tag along with her husband, Ray, I said sure and off we went to Richmond.
We arrived fairly early on a Saturday, so our wait was a matter of minutes. The restaurant actually didn’t seem that big. It was nearly full, but not overflowing, so no tables were set up outside yet.
Like several dim sum restaurants, Asian Pearl specializes in seafood at night. So when you walk in, you almost feel like you’re at an aquarium or fish store with all the tanks of seafood. Want a crab for a pet?
The dim sum comes out via carts. Asian Pearl’s dim sum may be popular because it’s among the cheapest in the Bay Area, with prices ranging from $2.60 for a small plate to $3.80 for large plates. (There are also special plates for about $5.50 or $6.50 but we didn’t order any of the specials.)
The first cart that arrived had the cheong fun, or flat rice noodles rolls usually stuffed with chicken beef, shrimp or BBQ pork. Vera ordered one of the shrimp and pork. The noodles seemed fresh and the filling was just the right amount, but the tastes of the filling didn’t stand out.
Then we got a bunch of steamed items, including a tofu skin roll and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves. The tofu skin roll is filled with vegetarian ingredients like bamboo shoots and mushroom. My mom loves to order this because she thinks she’s off-setting all the other fat she eats in other dishes, but I’ve generally avoided this. But I have to say Asian Pearl’s version was quite delicious because the tofu skin was tasty and the ingredients inside were finely chopped.
The sticky rice in lotus leaves, however, wasn’t as successful. This is one of my favorite dim sum dish, with sticky rice filled with an assortment of meats, usually Chinese sausage and chicken. But Asian Pearl’s version seemed lackluster, with minimal ingredients. It also seemed like the tastes didn’t blend well together, and the shape of the sticky ball could be called rustic when it plunked out of the lotus wraps in a deformed ball.
We also tried some of the often-ordered dim sum dishes to see how Asian Pearl lived up to the standards that we have for dim sum. So classics likes siu mai (the ground pork dumplings with shrimp), wu gok (deep-fried stuffed taro) and low bok gou (pan-fried turnip cake).
The siu mai was crudely made, almost too much of the ground pork and packed so dense that it didn’t feel like a dumpling and more like a hockey puck. The wu gok had just come out of the kitchen so it was hot and had a beautiful flakey skin from the deep-frying (yes, this is one of the few deep-fried things I eat, but I rarely go for dim sum so don’t call me out). But it had very little taste and I suspect the taro batter was more potato than taro.
The low bok gou had nice crispy edges from the pan-frying, but it was just average. The ingredients didn’t taste necessarily fresh.
We also tried the Shanghai dumplings, which is the popular soup dumplings where a tiny bit of broth is inside the dumpling and bursts into your mouth as you bite in. At Asian Pearl, they decorated it with some kind of orange thing, my guess is shrimp roe. It tasted fine but it didn’t have any soup inside, so it didn’t seem authentic.
Much of the dim sum coming out in the carts seemed pretty average, and there weren’t anything surprising or different that caught my eye. The only thing that was unusual was Asian Pearl’s steamed custard buns. This comes either steamed or baked (I liked the baked better) and the filling is a sweet custard, which makes this so heavenly. (Koi Palace in Daly City makes the best I’ve had.)
The server at Asian Pearl says their version is slightly different. Vera asked how but we couldn’t really understand what she was saying. When we tried it, we all recognized immediately that there was a salty-sweet thing happening in the custard. My guess is they mixed in bits of salty duck eggs, which is a popular but expensive filling for Chinese desserts just because of the labor of preserving the duck eggs.
Ray liked the salty-sweet combo, but I wasn’t blown away. Plus, I felt the texture of the custard has some crystallization of the sugar, so it wasn’t as creamy as I would have liked.
Asian Pearl doesn’t really have a whole lot of dessert-type dim sum either, so we ended up just getting the classic custard tarts, or dahn tats. These were also piping hot from the kitchen, but the crust wasn’t flakey enough and was a bit too thick to really enjoy the custard filling. And one of the last dishes we grabbed was another one of my favorites, the char siu (BBQ pork) baked rolls. These were fresh and good, but we were stuffed by now.
Even before we finished everything on our table, Vera was already planning our next dim sum adventure, going over other possibilities in the Bay Area. So that wasn’t a good sign for Asian Pearl because if it were really amazing, she would have been talking about our next trip back.
Overall, Asian Pearl offers up decent dim sum but doesn’t really stray far from the classic offerings like siu mai and har gow. I can see why it’s popular because there’s no other decent dim sum tea house in the near vicinity (the closest would be the pricey East Ocean Hong Kong in Emeryville) but I don’t know if I’d be all too happy to wait for an average 40 minutes on a busy weekend. Go early or don’t go at all.
Single guy rating: 2.25 stars (Reliable but Basic)
Explanation of the single guy's rating system: 1 star = perfect for college students 2 stars = perfect for new diners 3 stars = perfect for foodies 4 stars = perfect for expense accounts 5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner
I can't relate to the "only child." Their upbringing was nothing like mine. They didn’t have to share their toys, wear hand-me-downs, fight over who gets the last Oreo, call shotgun, engage in tattling, or even compete for their parents love and attention. They didn’t have to deal with the daily battles and the emotional roller coaster rides that the rest of us who grew up with siblings had to deal with. I’m part of a trio. I had two evil, older sisters. And then there was innocent me, the baby of the family. Or at least that is how I saw it at age 8. Even as a young child, I knew my role. If you have brothers and sisters, you know what I’m talking about. Every sibling has a role and it’s important you know it. Sure you may not like your sibling role and you may even want to break free of the mold, but it’s imperative to your survival that you learn to embrace this appointed position and use it to your advantage. Your job as a kid is to do the bare minimum that is expected of you (in your sibling role) and then fly under the radar when it comes to the rest...AKA, pass the buck. Your parents say they have high hopes for you, but deep inside, they are aware of your shortcomings. They know where every one of their sons and daughters stands in this world. I knew where I stood. And today, I still stand there.
My oldest sister was the brains in the family. She was creative in writing and in art, a crafty kid. She was also the diplomat and the bossiest thing you’ve ever seen! A bit of a goody two-shoes and kind of a band nerd. She was the last to be picked in gym class and often teased by my other sister and I that she was the milkman’s daughter because she looked nothing like us. My second oldest sister, the middle child, was the attention hog. Somewhat of an airhead, but nobody seemed to mind because she was the "looker" in the family and often got her own way based off her good looks alone. She couldn’t hit a volleyball to save her life, but always managed to get picked early by the gym class captain (who was also the school’s star quarterback) simply because she was dating him. Blessed with beauty in every area and the most popular girl in school, it was enough to make anyone sick with envy.
And then there was me, the youngest. The clown and the athlete. I excelled in sports and excelled in getting laughs from my classmates, which of course landed me in the principal’s office on more than one occasion. The badboy and the daredevil who had to fight from under the shadow of his sister, Miss Popular, and form his own identity. I enjoyed pushing the limits and found the mundane mind numbing "education" or lack of "education" that high school delivered to be a bore. The absence of mental stimulation frustrated me to the point where I no longer cared about school. This of course was misinterpreted and I was seen as being a lazy slacker, when really I was just bored out of my f-ing skull and needed challenged! The only reason I even bothered keeping my grades up was so I wouldn’t be kicked off the basketball team. Inside of me and behind closed doors was a kid bursting with potential. I took an interest in writing, art and music - writing lyrics, not playing it. Of course no one would ever know about these interests/talents because I was far too insecure to let the real me shine. I was much more comfortable in my appointed role of clown and athlete.
There are numerous studies out there that talk about the importance birth order plays in the development of a child. These include their interests, talents, career choices, personality, etc. As a general rule of thumb, the oldest is said to take on a parental role to the younger siblings. The middle child constantly feels they are being overlooked. And the youngest is said to be babied too much. According to these studies, as the baby of the family I would be labeled as being a bit spoiled. The baby is used to getting what they want. However, they always feel they have something to prove. They were brought up with not a lot of expectations placed upon them. So they place expectations upon themselves, unrealistic expectations they most likely will never reach. I am very much like this. Then combine it with the fact that I'm a competitive freak and you can see how this can lead to a life of self-torment. I place an enormous amount of pressure on myself to not just succeed, but to excel far beyond others expectations of me and far beyond even the expectations of myself! It's a game that no matter how hard I play, I will forever lose.
I love my sisters and I want nothing but the best for them. However, when I compare myself to them, I feel instances of inadequacy and moments of self-doubt. In my childlike mind I want to be bigger, better, faster, stronger. I want it all. I want the power, the money, the fancy car, the lush life. There is nothing they have that I don't want. Maybe that's extremely materialist, shallow and wrong. Or maybe that’s all just a part of sibling rivalry. There are some things we never outgrow, sibling roles included.
***NOTE*** You can also see this post featured on the frontpage of BrazenCareerist.com
Summer is the best time for salads because the warm weather makes it perfect for a light meal. But it’s also because this time of year there’s a variety of ingredients that you can use to build your salad with.
One of my favorite salads (although I don’t eat it that often because of the bacon) is a Cobb Salad. I love it because of the presentation, with all the chunks of ingredients before you like a rainbow. And it’s a very hearty salad that can really feel like a meal worth biting into.
I decided I was going to build a Cobb Salad with ingredients that I find at my local farmers’ market. Right now, we’re seeing an abundance of produce at the markets so you can get really creative building a salad from what’s fresh and in season.
This past Sunday I went to my local farmers’ market in the Temescal neighborhood. This is one of the smaller markets in my area (but most convenient because I can walk to it) so it was a challenge trying to get ingredients close to a traditional Cobb salad. But I think I did pretty well. Here’s a look at what I bought to make my salad:
A. Prather Ranch’s Whiskey Maple Sage Sausages, $7 B. Flame and Black Prince varieties of heirloom tomatoes, Lucero Farms (Lodi, Calif.), $2.99/lb. C. Avocado from a farm in Temecula, Calif., $1.50 each D. Cowgirl Creamery Herb Fromage Blanc cheese, $6 E. Red Leafy Lettuce and a red bell pepper, Pinnacle/Phil Foster Ranch (San Juan Bautista, Calif.), $3.50 F. Honey Wheat Bread from Feel Good Bakery (Alameda, Calif.), $5 G. Organic feta cheese from Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, $4.94 H. Golden beets from VB Farms (Watsonville, Calif.), $1.75 I. Lemon cucumbers and chives from Happy Boy Farms, $2.50 J. Half a dozen large brown eggs, Glaum’s Organic (Aptos, Calif.), $2.25
Once I got those ingredients out of the way, everything else was simply just washing, rinsing and cutting into chunks. (If you’re keeping track, the rest included lemon cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, red bell pepper, avocado, the leafy lettuce and feta cheese. A traditional Cobb Salad would have roquefort cheese, but none of the cheese mongers had that.)
For the dressing, I did have to go to Safeway to buy some low-fat buttermilk to make a Ranch-style dressing. So I started with ½ cup of buttermilk and whipped in the amazing Herb Fromage Blanc I got from the Cowgirl Creamery booth (this is optional but I took a bite and couldn’t resist buying it) and a tablespoon of finely chopped chives. I tossed in a pinch of salt and that was it. If you like, you can thicken the dressing more with either some mayonnaise or sour cream. Add a little at a time until you get the consistency you want.
I assembled my Farmers’ Market Summer Cobb Salad and then served it up with some slices of the wheat bread. It was quite a filling lunch.
So this weekend, go visit your farmers’ market and get creative in making up your own Cobb Salad! Enjoy!
Trying to Shake Up the Neighborhood
The long, narrow space had a mix vibe of Latin lounge and neighborhood bar. While the sun is still out, the natural light sparkles near the front where people can lounge on comfy sofas. Towards the back, there’s a tiny platform area called the “pagoda” that provides a more intimate gathering. (You can reserve that area if you have a large group.)
It was a bit weird drinking my Pisco Sour with the happy face because it was like I was kissing the drink every time I took a sip. (The happy face never disappeared because the foam stayed thick till the very end.) The overall drink felt like it had too much foam and too much Pisco because it tasted strong.
As more people started arriving and the music pumped up, I ordered the Pisco Negroni ($11) just to see if I could find another pisco drink to like. Made with pisco, sweet vermouth and Campari, the drink was definitely pretty in color but packing a lot of punch. Not sure if it was the different variety of Pisco used or the combination of vermouth and Campari?
Note: I’m not giving a rating since this is not a full restaurant. It’s a nice place to drop in if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.
