Chowsmurf's Profile
Horrible taste from Lodge individual cast Iron casseroles
I bought a set of Lodge individual casseroles a while back. They come "seasoned" from the company, but I also baked and oiled them prior to use. I have made a bread pudding, a macaroni and cheese, and a fruit crumble in them and everything I make tastes HORRIBLE like mix of irony-chemical and almost burnt-plastic. If I wipe down the inside with a paper towel after rinsing, the paper towel turns grey/black. I hadn't used them in a while and made the fruit dish last night and thought "My bad, I shouldn't have put fruit in there- too acidic!" But then I realized people make pineapple upside-down cake in cast iron skillets all the time.
What do you think? Toss 'em? I think I got them on sale, but they are darned cute, so if it's just a matter of doing something to reseason them it might be worth the effort.
Bar Tartine's Artichoke Soup- Question
In the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup at BT, what is the oil they drizzle over? It is green in color and I didn't taste any overwhelming flavor from it, but I am trying to recreate and wondering what it might be. This is the soup that also has the pancetta "chip" in it. Totally forgot to grab a menu and write it down and it's not on the MenuPages version of the menu.
Thanks in advance!
Home-curing Corned Beef- ? and Nitrates/Saltpeter
My local buter shop, Avedano's in San Francisco, does not have. They are also the ones who suggested I make it without.
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Avedano's
235 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
Home-curing Corned Beef- ? and Nitrates/Saltpeter
Thanks all- I am leaning 90% towards not using it. I spoke with the folks at my neighborhood meat shop and they suggested I try it without. Does anyone know where to get it non-mailorder? And I'd rather not go to the hardware store and buy a box of "Stump Remover" to put in my meal, because that just feels filthy.
Home-curing Corned Beef- ? and Nitrates/Saltpeter
I am going to try my hand at home-curing some corned beef for my boyfriend's birthday celebration. I am seeing a whole lot of back-and-forth on the situation with including sodium nitrate. I understand it will keep the pink color, but, my question is this: Some "natural" producers that I have seen around the web have pink corned beef. Is there another way to keep it pink? I know that sodium nitrate is pretty much naturally-occurring, so I assume you can be BOTH organic and have nitrates? Anyone have experience with using it or curing your own corned beef at home?
Outdoor Afternoon Cocktails- Awesome View of Blue Angels- Recs needed
We ruled out Medjool because my boyfriend had been there once on a weekend night and didn't like the crowd and felt the roofdeck was unsafe. (I guess there was music and people were jumping up and down and he could feel the whole roofdeck move with the weight of the people- in addition he saw the "capacity" sign and they were WAY over.) I assumed it would be a mess for the Blue Angles, since I remember some people saying they watched from there last year. When we weren't able to find anywhere else to go, I said, "Look, let's swing by at about 3; I'll hop out of the car and have a look; Worst comes to worse, we can drive up Bernal Hill." I ran up to the deck, and it was gloriously empty!
Outdoor Afternoon Cocktails- Awesome View of Blue Angels- Recs needed
We ended up at Medjool's Sky Terrace, and it it was pretty awesome. Not crowded at all, several nice flybys, tasty drinks... but I have to say, the marinated olives were WAY oversalted!
Best Cozmodeck Restaurant for Dinner with Mom
My mom is coming to town to meet ye olde relatively-new boyfriend this weekend. We were thinking of picking a new place out of this Cozmodeck thing that we have (a deck of cards that are worth $15 off, but really we bought it as something to force us out of our rut.)
Obviously, want something fun and adventurous, but where we can still carry on a conversation, and wouldn't feel bummed that mom was tagging along vs. enjoying it just the two of us. Despite being guided by what is essentially a coupon, we're not concerned too much about price. Would love your recs!
Here are a few that looked interesting to me:
Fringale
Iluna Basque
Mangarosa
Barracuda
El Raigon
Here's the full list:
415 (closed, I think)
Ace Wasabi
Andalu
Anzu
Bambuddha Lounge
Barracuda
Bistro 1689
Bistro Boudin
Brick (Went here with mom last time she was in town)
Cha Cha Cha (No, thanks)
Deep Sushi
Destino
E and O
El Raigon
First Crush
Fringale
Garibaldis
Globe
Hana Zen
Home (Mom's been here)
Iluna Basque
Levende Lounge
Luna Park (Used this one)
Maharani
Malacca
Mamacita
Mangarosa
Mecca
Medjool (No, thanks)
Mochica
Nectar
Nihon
Paul K (We go often, mom's never been)
Saha
Sky Terrace (Used this one)
Solstice
Spanish Fly (closed, I think)
Sparrow
Tokyo Go Go (We go often)
Tres Agaves
Tsunami
Velvet Cantina (Used this one)
Yabbies
Zuppa
Outdoor Afternoon Cocktails- Awesome View of Blue Angels- Recs needed
Hmm... maybe Presidio Social Club might have some sort of outdoor space, but that might be walking a fine line of getting way too close into the traffic and folks headed to watch from the Bridge, Wharf, etc.
Outdoor Afternoon Cocktails- Awesome View of Blue Angels- Recs needed
Thanks for the recs, gang- we've got loads of friend's houses and such that we could beg borrow or sneak our way onto, but really wanted to find a restaurant with outdoor seating and cocktails (a la the roof terrace of Medjool in the Mission, which doesn't take reservations for the deck and is likely to be a madhouse this weekend.)
Outdoor Afternoon Cocktails- Awesome View of Blue Angels- Recs needed
Hey Chowhounds,
Have any of you either intentionally sought out or accidentally happened upon an outdoor restaurant/bar for snacks and cocktails with great fly-bys of the Blue Angels during Fleet Week? Prefer someplace that's not down by the wharf. And Medjool is not an option. Thanks in advance for any ideas... this is for Saturday, if the date makes a difference.
Dark Dining at Fort Mason- Any Reviews?
Tried doing a search, but turned up no results. Has anyone been? Reviews? We're getting some mixed reviews and trying to decide if it's worth the $95.
Cape May- Would love some more detailed recos
Thanks, everyone, for your input! I am leaning towards the Black Duck (my hotel is technically West Cape May....) or the Chalfonte. I love "hasn't changed in 50 years." The Tadich Grill and Original Joe's remain some of my favorites in SF for ambiance and food, and I am looking for the Cape May equivalent of those experiences, I suppose. Crusty waiters and all :) Then, I think I may hit up Coconuts.
Cape May- Would love some more detailed recos
I have never been to Cape May, so looking over the posts that a search comes up with gives me a bit of vertigo. I am heading to Cape May (Near the Willbraham Mansion) for a wedding this weekend. I have Thursday night to explore the town solo, including dinner and hopefully some after-dinner cocktails. Here in San Francisco I eat out alone not entirely un-often. I generally eat at the bar or outdoors. I can do a higher end place or a more casual, no matter to me if the food is remarkable. I would love to try out some local seafood, but if something is stellar and not from the sea, I'm a very adventurous eater, so I won't set "seafood" as a requirement.
So, solo, adventurous, omnivorous San Franciscan in Cape May who prefers to walk to dinner... where would you send me? Will I need resos? Anyplace I should avoid despite well-wishing B&B hosts telling me otherwise?
Random SF DAT Review Trivia Question!
Yes! It was the dining room at the Ritz with the quail egg. Thanks so much!
Random SF DAT Review Trivia Question!
I have searched every which way till' Sunday for the answer, but it has proved illusive.
A restaurant this year served a course of something pretty minuscule with a cup of smoke trapped in a shot glass on the side. What restaurant was it?
Worth a trip to Alameda?
Not really food, but I have on good authority that Forbidden Island is a great place to get your buzz on some Sunday afternoon. I have friends to head over from San Francisco specifically for it.
Small Kitchen DIY Fixes: Submit Your Stories
My Smurf-sized kitchen photos are enclosed. Please note that I rent, so all these solutions were concocted because remodling to add a different fridge or better cabinets wasn't possible.
Let me see what tips I might be able to offer:
- The biggest tip is KEEP IT CLEAN. I finally realized that, as much as I am remiss to throw them away, I simply can't be keeping all the plastic grocery bags I bring home from the store or every Whole Foods soup tub. I either bring a canvas bag to the store or ask for paper so that I can reuse the bags for taking out recycling, storing mushrooms, draining fried foods, etc. When in doubt, throw it out. I did a ruthless kitchen purge this weekend and actually got 3 black trashbags out of that space, believe it or not.
- I got the kitchen cart/table because I didn't have enough space to work- I thought it would just be an accessory/sometimes workspace when entertaining, but it is the ONLY counterspace I use. When I have big jobs to do, I also have a behemouth plastic cutting board that can go over two burners of the stove to serve as extra space. The kitchen cart also has a wire drawer that is perfect for produce, so it's served as really useful extra storage.
- Think up! I have high ceilings and a ledge above my cabinets, so I store everything I need for entertaining, as well as Costco items up top. Just put them in matching cloth bins (The Container Store) and they don't look out of place. Also, matching canisters are a joy! I keep all my Indian cooking herbs in one, my Italian herbs in another, etc... this way, I don't get Cardamom pod taste in my dried goods or other herbs as can happen with small cabinets. Also, not having the little baggies and canisters of herbs is a huge help and i don't have to dig when I want to make an Indian dish. I rarely keep things in the original packaging.
- I have an old ironing board nook built into the kitchen that someone turned into the perfect shelving for all my spices. I love it!
- I have a fold-away dishrack (Grundal by Ikea) that allows me to use the tin draining board for other things/counterspace. This also has hooks on it to store oft-used utensils like tongs.
- I put my most-used dried herbs in magnetic canisters on the side of the fridge- right next to the stove, convenient!
- Many of my cabinets are vintage glass-fronted (My place was built in 1906 and my apartment was originally the servant's quarters/house kitchen to an adjacent grand flat that was split into several apartments. It has the original concrete sink under the tin drainboard. Which is awesome, I suppose, if you ever find yourself on your back in the kitchen looking for vintage touches. Otherwise, it just takes up precious under-counter space.) At any rate, I was pretty insistent on being matchy-matchy with things like my small appliances (all red) and dishware, so that the storage doubles as decorative. Note the collection of vintage Taco Bell Smurfs glasses.
I, to, use other tricks like the file-storage-potlid-rack and over-the-sink drainer for prepping veggies (though my sink is not in any way standard, so it doesn't stay put. My sink, in fact, has a bathtub drain. How's that for a pain?)
I also have no Dishwasher but found that the Scotch Brite scrubby-sponge-on-a-stick-with-soap-filled-handle makes dishes totally bearable.
Edit! Another tip: I had printed out, scribble-on magazine clippings and random recipes coming out every nook and cranny of the kitchen. I finally bought an in-notebook three-hole punch and notebook to keep them in. Sure, they're not organized alphabetically in plastic sleves with colored dividers, but at least they are out of the way and accessible.
Best herbal tea to drink cold and unsweetened?
Wanted to update this post with news that Costco is now selling the Good Earth Tea! 3 packs for about $10, much better than nearly $5-a-box at Whole Foods and elsewhere.
Mission Pie Open
Wanted to weigh in- we discovered Mission Pie somewhat by accident this weekend while looking for someplace to have a proper breakfast. Liked the look of it and wandered in. My dining companion had the Pear Raspberry pie and a mocha. I had a mini-Walnut tartlette and a Chai Latte (Nonfat milk.) The pies were both delicious and the Pear Raspberry was served with fresh whipped cream (as was the mocha.) Not too sweet, which I liked. Fruit cooked to perfection. The walnut pie was delicious as well. They got the chai tea right, nice and spicy and not too sweet.
They have swapped Pumpkin out for Sweet Potato, and plan to change the pies out as new things come into season (eg. strawberries!) The woman working, who is one of 3 non-management, non-student employees that run the shop in the mornings, wasn't sure what the next pies would be. She also said next for the company is to move into the space they also occupy with an entrance on Mission St. (which is their official address, so if you see a Mission St address listed for them, ignore it at this time and enter on 25th St.) There, they will bake on-site and likely expand offerings.
In all, a great slice of pie ($18 for whole pies to go), great for coffee drinks, nice ambiance, great cause, good people. I wholly support Mission Pie! It was the perfect tide-me-over to a late lunch.
It's been a while since the Downhill Alert- Gingerbread House in Oakland?
So, we had a pleasant time at the Gingerbread House. The woman who owns it is a wingnut, in a good way. We were there early, so she gave us lots of attention and was a hoot.
The food wasn't much worth writing home about, but tasty. The star of the night was the cornbread and the shrimp stuffed sole. That sole was tasty. I got the rabbit. Wish I'd gotten the pheasant. The cherry duck was tasty. I've had better jambalaya, though they make their own hot sauce, which really kicked the dish up.
The best part of the night was the gingerbread chocolate chip cookie with ice cream. I would go back just for that!
Best herbal tea to drink cold and unsweetened?
Yes! I had forgotten all about it until I found a box in my boyfriends cupboard and nearly swooned with delight. I buy it now at Whole Foods. I understand that the restaurant is now defunct, but they also had the BEST poppyseed salad dressing and a black bean taco salad on a sprouted wheat tortilla that I still often dream about.
Best herbal tea to drink cold and unsweetened?
Definitely Good Earth Brand tea! You won't miss the sugar at all, and it is great cold.
It's been a while since the Downhill Alert- Gingerbread House in Oakland?
Yeah, I guess the woman hosting us is having us all order on Thursday. So I have a day to make up my mind. :)
It's been a while since the Downhill Alert- Gingerbread House in Oakland?
Then I might just cut my losses and get something I wouldn't every really have otherwise. Like the rabbit. I can get mediocre jambalaya at Whole Foods just a block away.
It's been a while since the Downhill Alert- Gingerbread House in Oakland?
We have ressys to go with some friends on Friday, which means I need to be ordering here soon. It's the friends who want to go, so "go somewhere else" isn't an option. Would love to know what to expect as far as recent experiences go. And, also, has anyone tried anything on the current menu other than the spoon Jambalaya, which is the only think from the current menu I saw mentioned specificaly?
Current menu: http://www.tjsgingerbread.com/tjsdin.html
I am leaning towards something "experimental" like the rabbit, pheasant, quail... no lamb or crab.
Best Italian in San Francisco
We just chatted about this last night! My dining companion and I both think the best new-school Italian is Via Veneto on Fillmore. For big-portions-gooey-cheese-tasty-sauce old-school is Original Joes on Taylor.
So, the B-Day Party went off without a hitch!
Here are the obnoxious details:
What a great weekend! The big three-five for Rob!
Thanks to everyone who came out the b-day party, and especially to Muppet for talking me off the ledge first thing in the morning (and Darci and Sherri for being so sweet after I hit the ledge again at Encore. :)
Here is the menu and a few recipes and stories, if anyone would like them:
Taqueria Can-Cu´n Salsa Verde and Fresh Tortilla Chips
Caprese Salad Skewers
Poached Mozzarella in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Roasted Garlic
Acme Bread
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Mini Chicken Pot Pie
Chinese Dumplings- Vegetarian Mushroom, Chicken, Pork
Escalante's Famous Macaroni and Cheese
Wagyu Beef Mini Cheesesteaks with Crispy Shallots and Black Truffle Oil
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Tiramisu and Select Italian Pastries
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Rob T&986zzi's "The Punch" with Rum Fireballs
OK, let's start at the top- Tac Can Cun makes this amazing Salsa Verde that has some avocado in it, so it's like a salsa verde/guac situation. It's awesome! Locations at Mission and 29th and somewhere else in the Mission... Google it... Whole Foods made me wait about 30 minutes so they could find the code for fresh tortilla chips, which they swore were flour, not corn. I acquiesced and thought flour might be fun, so I was fine with it. They handed me the bag at the end of the wait, though and I could clearly see that there were corn kernels in the jazz. Dumbfucks.
Caprese Salad Skewers- (Vegetarian) This was a product of rethinking something Rob loves. Both he and I could literally live on caprese salad in the summer when the tomatoes are ripe and juicy and you can get a bush of basil the size of your head for a buck. These were mini sweet-pear tomatoes with small fresh mozz and basil (from Trader Joes, so not local.) My favorite family-olive-oil-farm, Bairani, started making a balsamic, which I cooked down to a glaze. I made the skewers (tomato -> basil -> cheese) and stuck them into the business end of a napa cabbage (which I also used for the dumplings) and drizzled with the balsamic and olive oil.
Poached Mozzarella. (Vegetarian) So, as Muppet knows, I made this for two reasons only-- one, because I have a nifty tea-light fondue dish I wanted to use, and two, because Rob is Italian and nothin' says Italian like bread and sauce!! This was some chopped garlic (OK, a lot) and fresh Olive Oil (Bairani Family Farms) with Muir Glen chopped tomatoes and a ton of nicoise and calamatta olives from Whole Foods' fresh bar that I seeded myself. I added in about a head of garlic that had been baked at 350 for an hour or so in salt, pepper, oil and crushed red pepper. Whole. Added lots of crushed red pepper and a splash of balsamic, poured over a ball of fresh mozz and served with Acme Bread. I tried baking this goo to loosen up the cheese, but found I needed to nuke it for about 4 mins and then add an extra candle to the fondue set so that the pot got warmer. This is also great with goat cheese, but b-day boy hates such things.
Acme Bread- Well, this is easy. I could have gotten it from Whole Foods or the Good Life Grocery in Bernal, but I was at the ferry Building buying the meat, so I got it there. I have a half loaf left which will be made into the best croutons EVER tonight!
Mini Chicken Pot Pie- OK, so good- this was the sleeper hit of the party. Two nights before (easy pre-prep!) I poached a half a chicken in chicken stock, garlic and rosemary. Took the meat off and shredded. Next night, I got some button mushrooms and sautéed in butter and garlic. Added pearl onions. Cooked until caramelized. Deglazed with dry vermouth. Added celery, frozen veggies (green beans, carrots, peas, corn, etc) Fresh rosemary and thyme, and- this is important... salt it with CELERY SALT! Push aside the veggies, add a good sized pat of butter. Let it melt. Add a tbs or so of flour and let it cook in the butter for 2 mins or so. Add Chicken stock (free range organic, if possible, but definitely STOCK or well-boiled-down broth.) and half and half. Keep adding each until thick enough to stay in a spoon, but not dry. Taste it. You want it to be quite celeri-tastic, so if you need to salt it, salt it with celery salt again. Pepper, that kind of thing. Get yourself some puff pastry and the sharpest, whitest, driest cheddar you can find. It should look more like a parmesan than anything. Let the pastry defrost (~2 hours) spread it out and dump the shredded cheddar on it. Roll the cheese into it-- a nice generous sprinkle. Cut into appropriate shapes and spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 or so for about 20 minutes until puffy and nicely browned from the cheese.
Put the cooked chicken mixture into a small heat-resistant container (I used porcelain Asian soup spoons) and top with puff pastry-- I used diamond-shaped pastry.
Chinese Dumplings- Step one, get you some wonton skins and some steamer baskets.
I got mine for 50 cents each at this great place on Mission and 17th. The recipe is the same, more or less, for the chicken and the pork. I made the chicken and pork in a food processor since I started with deboned meat from the other half of the whole free range chicken from the pot pie (recipe above). Raw meat -Chicken or Ground Pork- Add: 1 tsp fresh ginger, 3-4 cloves garlic, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1tbs sesame oil, 2 tbs water chestnuts, 2 tbs chopped or whole peanuts, 1 tsp vermouth, 1 green onion, dash salt, 1/2 tsp sugar. Pulse until it comes together. It should be chunky. For the veggie (VEGAN) ones... about a cup of frozen wild mushrooms. 2 slices of nappa cabbage, a tsp of black bean paste, a dash of rice wine vinegar, a dash of vermouth, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 inch cube ginger, a small handfull peanuts... Let each mixture sit for about an hour in the fridge and then put into wonton skins. (My understanding is that these are vegan, but check the package to be sure there is no egg in the skin if you are doing the vegan mushroom ones.) I am not going to explain how to roll them here, but look it up- there are great resources online. Line the steamer baskets with napa cabbage and cover with aluminum foil. Fit over a pan with about 2 inches of water and steam for about 20 mins. Check the water often. Serve with a sauce of 1:1 soy sauce and rice wine vinegar with red chili flakes and chopped ginger/garlic. and several slices of scallion. If you have ready access to a fry pan, I would fry them in peanut and sesame oil first until brown bits form and then put them in the steamers--- or simply dump water into the pan and cover for a few minutes. I didn't want to do that much cooking at the host house, though.
Escalante's Mac and Cheese- I'm sorry. Cannot. Give. Details. *arrrgggghhhffff...*
Wagyu Beef cheesesteaks- So easy! Find a place that sells Wagyu beef or "American Kobe" near you. Buy a fatty cut and expect to pay about $40/pound. (Remember, you'll be cutting it thin!) Get a quality bread- I got Acme sweet batard. Slice into 1/2 inch slices and toast. Put a scant slice of fontina on top, toast again. Finely slice some shallots and toss in a pinch of salt then add flour, cayenne and fresh ground pepper and put it in hot smoking olie oil (an inch or so) in a deeper pan and fry, flipping, until golden, like an onion ring or onion string. Drain on paper towels or brown bag. Salt your meat-- pepper it, rub it like you love it! Put it in the hottest hottest oh- my-god-sohotsohotsohot-glowing-hot cast iron pan (greased with olive oil or, better yet, bacon grease) you can find. Sear each end. You want to do this like you would a seared tuna. Blaring blazing on the outside and quivery raw inside. Drizzle each browned cheesy toast with black truffle oil. Add a thin slice of (rested) meat. Top with crispy fried shallot and serve.
Tiramisu and Italian Pastries- Go to Dianda's on Mission and 24th. Point at stuff. Buy it. Eat things.
Rob T***'s "The Punch" with Rum Fireballs-- Buy Cherries (I had to do frozen.) Soak in 151 and cinnamon schnapps for 2 days or so. Pour white rum into a bowl. Add mixed fruit. Add ice. Add rainbow sherbet (I used organic raspberry and mango sorbet, since I couldn't bring myself to use sherbet.) A a bottle of lemon lime soda. Add Kool Aide to taste (tropical, again, I couldn't do this step.) Serve with soaked cherries.
So, the B-Day Party went off without a hitch!
Here is menu and notes for those who were helping me. Unfortunately, no photos, as I was running around like a Rocky Free Range sans cabeza!
Taqueria Can-Cún Salsa Verde and Fresh Tortilla Chips
Caprese Salad Skewers
Poached Mozzarella in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Roasted Garlic
Acme Bread
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Mini Chicken Pot Pie (I ended up using Puff Pastry and sharp white cheddar. These were the sleeper hit of the party! They were awesome!)
Chinese Dumplings- Vegetarian Mushroom, Chicken, Pork (These were ugly- I prefer mine pan fried then steamed, but people ate up the pale, doughy glumps!)
Escalante’s Famous Macaroni and Cheese
Wagyu Beef Mini Cheesesteaks with Crispy Shallots and Black Truffle Oil (These were gone before I even left the kitchen, though I must say the meat from GG Meat Company in the Ferry Building was not at all the quality I expected. Thankfully, it was also cheap ($35/lb) but I really would have rather had half as much of a true,. true marbled 'Kobe")
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Tiramisu and Select Italian Pastries (From Dianda's at Mission and 24th. Truly awesome, just so great, esp the "rumball" cream puffs!)
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Rob TXXXXlizzi's "The Punch" with Rum Fireballs (This was good, but responsible for me being dead asleep at the karaoke bar at about midnight. Rum, 7-up, sherbet (sorbet, actually) fresh fruits, etc. With cherries soaked in 151 and cinnamon schnapps.)
Where to buy Wagyu Beef in San Francisco?
Thanks for these links, Eugene.
The last Wagyu I got was from either Cal-Mart or Bryans, I forget which, and not discernibly more marbled than Niman Ranch or other prime meat. The gentleman at Golden Gate Meats was very helpful and told me theirs regularly rates about an 8 on the marble scale (which I looked up online to see what that meant), so I have a good idea of what it should look like when I get to the shop tomorrow. If not, I might head back to Bryan's or Little City Meat.
I also learned more about prepping it in my online research- I will definitely be bringing my cast iron skillet to the party so I can do it "Pittsburgh Style"-- seared to bloody blazes outside and quivery inside.
