lawrence's Profile
How long does it really take to braise short ribs?
thanks megiac. good to know. i now know i prefer a thick sauce over thin broth. =)
How long does it really take to braise short ribs?
i've done this recipe once, to rave reviews from my dining group, and didn't have too much an issue with the tenderness although it wasn't totally fork tender. but, i did keep cooking the ribs, covered tightly with foil in a roasting pan, until they more or less passed the fork test. the ribs had shrunk considerably on the bone too. i think this was more 3+ hrs in the oven...
pic: http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2000472987147753940
my issue with the zuni recipe is i couldn't figure out how to get the braising liquid to reduce correctly. i think i added way too much liquid. it was nowhere near what i'd call a sauce even after 20 min of reducing. oh well.
i just tried boneless short ribs braised in guinness last week, which turned out great. i will say that if you leave the ribs in the fridge overnight and reheat them the next day, they are fork-tender and flavors are incredibly focused. maybe the "rest and reheat" period is the key, as jfood mentions below.
pic: http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001000565638716923
Hot weather dinners: your faves?
too funny. i had middle eastern/mediterranean today for lunch at the crocker galleria in downtown sf. weather was scorching hot and my veggie combo was perfect for it: refreshing, tasty and spice-y, nothing heavy or too filling. the combo plate had tabouli, lentil salad w/mango, hummus, baba ganoush (sp?), dolmas, and falafel! and all for less than $7. =)
i think the worst thing you can do in weather like this is turn on the oven or make a stew or braise. need to stick to the light and refreshing preparations.
The Front Porch any recent visits?
i've been to the front porch 3 times in the last 4 months and love it. last time i had the chicken liver on brioche (with extra pan sauce) and the special, corned beef hash using sweet potatoes instead of russets. all very good and well seasoned.
my one complaint is their portions tend to be small. when i think of soul food, i think 2-3 helpings. =)
Upscale Lunch venues in downtown SF
oh yes. the pork shoulder braised in milk was to die for... perfect with buttery savoy cabbage and creamy thick polenta.
i was disappointed by the sea scallop crudo with pomelo and pomegranate. the vinaigrette totally overpowered the delicate sweetness of the scallop. perhaps their other crudo fare better?
$12 Tuesday at 2223
there were at least 4 tables open when we sat. i still think an hour wait for your entree is a bit excessive. but oh well. the food was good. we were just starving to begin with.
$12 Tuesday at 2223
haven't been there for $12 tuesdays, but i have to agree the food is great. and the portion sizes... omg!!
my only complaint is service is awfully slow. from the time we sat down to the time our entree arrive it was just over an hour. i was there on a friday nite with an almost full house. it was incredibly noisy as well. did i just hit a bad nite?
Dining alone near Marriott on 4th
i second the rec for ame. they've got some very interesting crudo (i had the marinated trout) and the spaghetti "crab"onara was quite a different take on the standard. portions are a little small though. service is excellent.
lulu's is a good place as well. they have daily specials from their brick oven like roasted leg of lamb sandwiches. hefty portions too.
Upscale Lunch venues in downtown SF
i'd second perbacco. great pastas and impressive service.
Recommended cooking classes/Valentine's weekend?
i'd second ramekins in sonoma. i was just there earlier this month with my friend who enrolled us both in a cooking class as my christmas present. we took "great pork dishes!" with chef cindy race who was extremely fun and witty. we had a rather large class of 25 or so, so about 5 people were placed on each pork dish made (5 different recipes).
everyone seemed to have a great time and the food afterwards was pretty good, especially a grilled, spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with argentine chimichurri sauce. i was on the pork and three chile stew with hominy and handmade tortillas team which was very fun and tasty. never knew how easy it was to make tortillas from scratch!
i will say that with such a large class, your interaction with the chef is not as much as one would want, but she was approachable and energetic. there are other hands helping out each station as well.
i happened to grab their schedule of classes and they do have a class called "romantic dinner for two" with nicole kollock on sun, feb 11th from 5 - 8pm, $85/per person. no classes on feb 14th. otherwise there's a sausage making workshop on feb 15th haha...
have fun. just the drive up to sonoma is worth it if the weather is fine. =)
Short Ribs
i've only made the zuni cafe version (see bottom of thread) and that came out pretty good. but yes, these dishes are time-consuming. whoever said there could only be 24 hrs/day sucked.
"Cooking Class party" caterer
awesome. glad your experience turned out great with them! the things i liked about them the most were the easy planning and coordination as well as the quality of the staff.
gnocchi huh? sounds tedious but i'm sure the wine helped... =)
Crazed dinner party
bravo! 11 dishes for a party of 6?? i usually have the same issue, getting crazed over wanting to make everything myself from scratch. anyway the eggplant and red onion relish looks fantastic. i'll have to try that someday...
Short Ribs
i just made the zuni cafe cookbook recipe for short ribs braised in chimay ale last night. pretty tasty and extremely tender. they only thing i couldn't replicate was the "syrupy" consistency of the pan juices, similar to what Goldfish wrote above.
the recipe is similar to those above. but zuni calls for pre-salting the meat a day ahead using about 3/4 teaspoon a pound. it may seem a lot, but allowing it to salt a day ahead seemed to season the meat throughout without making it taste salty. you also brown the meat on all sides and add equal parts chimay ale and chicken broth, along with lots of sliced onions, a couple bay leaves and white peppercorns. braise in the oven at 300* for 2 hrs or until tender. you then smear dijon mustard on the top of each rib and glaze under the broiler until golden brown. a very tasty addition.
again, my only issue is how to reduce the liquid quicker without having to do it on the stovetop. perhaps by removing the foil the last 1/2 hr of braising?
good luck with your ribs and report back!
"Cooking Class party" caterer
ooo... i hope it goes well! tell molly and stephen that lawrence from cnet says hello if you get the chance. =)
Vallejo - La Tapatia Market & Deli - $1.25 carnitas taco with 2 salsas, pickled carrots, hot chips & all-u-can-eat guacamole
hey rworange - i went to a "la tapatia mexicatessen" in south san francisco last week to pick up mini corn tortillas for my party. could this be related to the one in vallejo?
i got there right as they were about to close so i didn't have time to really check things out, but they had a meat counter and a grill at the back where i ended up getting a super burrito al pastor. good tasting, but just too mushy in texture with all the beans, cheese, sour cream, etc.
last night a TJ's saved my life
sorry, couldn't resist the reference! anyway, threw an hors d'ouevres party sat night for 25 and found some great items/deals at my daly city trader joe's. pomegranate glaze (for roasted figs and stilton), pomegranate vinegar (for roasted beet salad), roasted walnut oil for $2.99, spanish saffron for $2.99, red and yellow belgian endive (3 for $1.99!) and a box of microgreens for $1.99 (had trouble finding elsewhere)!
great deals and hard to find items. sorry, just had to share. it was nice to find so many random items at one store. =) thanks TJ!!
Small dinner party | Southern style menu | Need app & sert & drink ideas???
yum! glad it worked out. i made a slow-braised pork this weekend too and it turned out fabulous. =)
need to find figs
thanks everyone for the suggestions. i ended up getting the figs at the alemany farmer's market on saturday. only $1.50 per basket (about 12 medium sized)!! what a steal. as for what i used them for, i roasted fig halves with some stilton, proscuitto, and pomegranate glaze from TJ's. they were a hit at the party! thanks!
What would you prepare with 1 lb. of ground pork?
what about something like a stuffed squash? you could cut the top off of the squash, deseed, and scoop out most of the flesh leaving the shell for presentation. then combine your pork with diced onions, celery, carrots, seasoning (chipotles?) and a slightly drier polenta made from the corn meal and stuff the kabocha with the filling. roast until cooked through.
never tried it, but that's what comes to mind. good luck!
where to buy mini corn tortillas?
just got back from la tapatia and yes, they had the mini tortillas. they're located in the back behind the grill and are packaged 3 dozen to a bag for only 95 cents/bag! i picked up 2. =) each corn tortilla is just under 4" in diameter and appear pretty fresh. they'll be perfect for my mini tacos. thanks margret and RWC for the tip!!
on a related note, i picked up a super burrito al pastor on my way out. just couldn't resist. for $5.20, you get a colossal, fat burrito with meat, beans, cheese, rice, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and hot sauce all rolled up in 2 layers of aluminum. the seasoning was pretty good but everything was just a lil to mushy for me. i like having some texture to my burrito.
anyway i think the thing weighed 5 pounds. i can't believe i ate the whole thing...
Small dinner party | Southern style menu | Need app & sert & drink ideas???
mmm... i'm doing a slow-cooked pork shoulder this weekend too, but with cuban spices. as for your request, not sure how fancy or involved you're trying to get, but how about:
non-alcoholic beverage - sunset - fill 1/2 a tall glass with fresh squeezed oj and ice, then float fruit punch on the top half. fun and what i usually get when i go to roscoe's ;)
appetizer - i'm inclined to say a fresh salad since your main and sides are so heavy and rich. or maybe something with roasted beets and watercress or a bean salad.
dave lieberman's young & hungry cookbook has a very interesting salad of watermelon and baby tomatoes with balsamic, basil and mint.
dessert - sweet potato pie... =) or pecan pie!
report back what you did and how it went if you can!
need to find figs
anyone know if i'll be able to find the big black mission figs at the alemany farmer's market this sat (oct 7th)? the ferry building market is another option, but i hate finding parking around there...
where to buy mini corn tortillas?
great idea for the leftovers... i'll remember that.
also, what would be the best way to prep tortillas? mine always turn out dry and will crack when folded up.
where to buy mini corn tortillas?
hey hounds. i'm looking for a market or similar that sells the mini corn tortillas, about 4" diameter. i'm throwing a cocktail party this weekend and need about 60 pieces for small bites (doing a braised cuban pork with chunky red onion guac) =) i saw an old post for la palma but maybe people have other recs? i live in daly city so somewhere close by is good, as far as mission is ok.
i'd use a cookie cutter on the larger corn tortillas but that seems like such a waste of scraps...
thanks!
Tasty Korean in SF?
doesn't that imply you'd prefer it to have more spice? if your stomach's korean, it could handle "more?"
Tasty Korean in SF?
update on a recent visit to han il kwan last weekend...
4 of us arrived on a sun evening around 8pm to a pretty open restaurant, only 2 or 3 tables but a large party in the private room. we opted to bbq at the table (i like to come out smelling like meat;) ) and ordered a plate of galbi and daeji bulgogi, the cod fish jigae, and chop jae. i think i counted 12 or more dishes of panchan, the fishcake and marinated cucumbers being the favorites of the night.
the galbi was good, the rib bone even better, and while the marinated pork was fine, it lacked some assertiveness in spices compared to K-town examples. then, the waitress brought out, on the house, a small, piping hot clay pot of egg custard! she said it'd be very good over our rice and indeed it was. nicely seasoned and so fluffy. who knew you could cook eggs like that?
then our cod jigae arrived, bubbling over its dark clay rim. the broth was pretty tasty but missing a few notches of hot spiciness. all the vegetables and tofu were fine, but the cod unfortunately was tough and overcooked. most likely frozen vs fresh. i'd say go for another jigae version on the menu.
our chap jae still hadn't arrived and by the time we got through the jigae, we were so stuffed we told the waitress to cancel it if they'd forgotten. they had, but we shrugged it off since we were so stuffed from the meat, jigae and abundant, bottomless slection of panchan.
we finished off with a small serving of sweet rice water with toasted pine nuts, which i find a refreshing way to rinse out that heavy, greasy meat taste with something a little sweet.
all in all the bill came out to $$64 w/tax and tip - only $16 pp! my friends had a great time and while this isn't as great as some places in k-town, i'll be happy to return. service is very pleasant and generous (minus the fact they forgot a dish but they apologized profusely). now if only they could do something about that richmond district parking...
25th & Clement
love that area. my friends lives right there. there's a lot of good places to eat. formosa cafe on 26th and clement serves taiwanese dishes that generally are good. just don't order from the chinese side of the menu.
as for sushi, my favorite place in that area is cocoro on 23rd and geary. good quality and friendly service. you can see my last visit here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/323117
shimo on clement and 26th also looks like it has high quality/quanity sushi too, although i've only tried non-sushi items there. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/325145
kirin and mayflower on geary still get solid reviews on this board and are great for chinese banquet style dinners (or for a casual dinner too).
there's also a vietnamese restaurant on geary and 21st (i think) that serves pretty good chicken pho.
Amount of food in Omakase? Long post. [moved from L.A.]
this is a very interesting topic. i've never used the word "omakase" at a bar before but my recent visit to zushi puzzle in SF was pretty much that. we told chef roger what we wanted to start off with and after he saw what we had ordered for the first few and that we were serious sushi eaters, he took over for us. whenever we were ready for more we asked, "what else is good?" and he'd fire away with another 3 or 4 selections. very fun. so it was more of a culinary dialog vs an unspoken, on the fly menu. but we very much felt it was up to the chef where to take us next and trusted him.
i think the advice given in this thread is spot on and most chefs i've eaten with are patient and happy to serve.
my post on zushi puzzle (long):
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/319352?user_name=&query=zushi+puzzle
