Thanks, suyee for the suggestions! I've heard of Elixir for a while and I'm penciling that down.

I was thinking there might be a few that might close during that weekend. Thanks for the tips!

Thanks everyone! I'll look into them (and the suggested coffee spots)!

I'll be in Philly during the July 4th weekend. Hopefully, they're all open then. :)

Thanks for the suggestions!

Speaking of coffee, do you know of any good third wave coffeeshops? I know La Colombe (they have a few outposts in NYC) but is there any others?

Thanks again!

Tina
http://thewanderingeater.com

Hi,

I'm a first time visitor to Philly and I'm driving down from NYC. I'm not sure what bakeries are considered very good to great in your city?

What I consider good/great bakeries in NYC would be Dominique Ansel, Bread's Bakery, Epicerie Boulud, Balthazar, Bouchon Bakery (not their macarons), Bien Cuit and SCRATCHBread (the owner for the latter has some crazy versions of classic bread that I adore).

Please assist and thanks in advance!

Tina
http://thewanderingeater.com

Personally, I adore his cannele (closest to the ones I had in Paris). The DKA is pretty darn good (it's an interpretation of the Kouign amann) and if you love intense, over the top chocolate, the freshly baked flourless chocolate cookie is hard to beat.

Btw, if you haven't been to Payard's patisserie (not sure if you were around when he had his Lexington Avenue bakery/restaurant), he did set up shop in the UES again and the pastries are gorgeous and delectable.

Tina
http://thewanderingeater.com

Technically, anywhere within SF.

Thanks for the suggestions, Melanie & srr!

Hi 'hounders,

I'm flying in to SF this Friday (flying out on June 6th) and would like to know where to find (便當; phonetically biàndāng) or literally translated from Cantonese "boxed rice" in Chinatown?

Basically, it's a takeout style kind of meal that is boxed with rice, a type of meat (may be roast BBQ pork, roast duck, or even chicken) with a vegetable side or two and my parents are craving a good one.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks, Robert!

I think you (and possibly a number of others) are misunderstanding me. I'm still figuring out where I *really* am going.

The only definite things I have that's set in relative stone are my dinners at Atelier Crenn and Manresa (with the farm tour at Love Apple Farms prior to dinner).

Noted that the wine country is relatively huge and that SF is not like Paris (re: Mondays). I want to know my options and over time, hopefully within the next few weeks, I'm whittling it down to a manageable itinerary/agenda. I need options because my family's taste doesn't necessarily go along with everything what I would like (obviously).

I'm trying for 2-3 wineries and figure a lunch around the Sonoma region. Dinner at SF is still up in the air. (I haven't gotten a chance to look at the list yet.)

I do hope to come across a farm not really to walk around and explore, per se, but to get a chance to see, touch, taste and feel California fruit on a farm for the sake of that old (powerful) moment. I'm not trying make an effort to drive to "Farm X" there but would be great to know there's one somewhere along the way.

Thanks for the tip!

Prior to Manresa we're planning to stop by Love Apple Farms to see the produce and animals the restaurant uses. I haven't Google Map it yet but I'm presuming it's a similar route?

I am thinking of going to Round Pond Olive Mill/Winery in Napa. I'm still thinking where else to hit up around Sonoma (even though it's quite a drive).

Relating to this particular trip, I remembered way back when my parents drove through Sonoma Valley we randomly stopped at a roadside farm stand to buy a couple of oranges - and it blew my mind. Tasted like warm, happy sunshine and it's very sweet. I still remembered that experience to this day.

Do you know of any particular farms that have a great fruit grove or farmstand around either areas? Thank you!

So after some discussion (with my family) and lots of internal flip-flopping about the tasting menu restaurants, I have some vague notion of what we are doing but still have lots of gaps since it's still 2.5 months left until we fly over to SF.

Please critique or any suggestions to this very rough itinerary is appreciated:

Day 1 (Friday): We're landing at SFO at 3 PM and plan to head directly to Golden Gate Park just because. I'm planning to skip any snacking of sorts because I've booked a table to Atelier Crenn for the tasting menu. Issue is: Where to send my family for dinner?

Day 2 (Saturday): Still figuring it out but probably head out for either dim sum at Yank Sing or to the Farmers' Market at the Ferry Building and graze through (I'm eyeing on 4505 Meats' burger).

Dinner - I'm still thinking.

Day 3 (Sunday) - I don't know where to go to breakfast but as a family, we're trying to be careful because we're all going out to have dinner at Manresa to celebrate my dad's birthday.

We might consider visiting Love Apple Farms prior to dinner. Does anyone know if they do permit people walking around their grounds?

Day 4 (Monday) - Most likely heading out to Napa/Sonoma Valley to check out some vineyards and olive groves.

Dinner related side note: I found out many restaurants in SF aren't open on a Monday... We might be considering having a Chinese (Cantonese) banquet-style dinner.

Last Day or Day 5 (Tuesday): Head out to Oakland for Blue Bottle's Roastery. I love coffee and even though there's 3 outposts in NYC, I want to see the original place. Suggestions for eats for lunch around there?

Even though I haven't really set dates, I'm thinking of having a lunch at Cotogna (heard the pizza is good from around this board and from a friend of mine), ice cream at Bi-Rite and/or Humphrey Slocombe, and maybe eat at Swan Oyster Depot and AQ. I am thinking of trying out Four Barrel coffee as well.

Other questions in mind:
1. What are your favorite bakeries? Besides Tartine and Acme for bread, who else do you like?
2. Who do you like for upscale-ish pastries and cakes? If you want an idea, I'm thinking in terms of style to Dominique Ansel in NYC (link: http://dominiqueansel.com/ )

Since I'm not familiar with the Oakland area, if I choose to dine at Commis, where should I send the rest of my family in regards to dinner that's nearby?

Thanks, Dustin_E!

I would compare Crenn (from photos I've come across food blogs) more akin to Alinea (I ate there this January) than WD50, I think...

I was referring to Benu for a la carte, not Crenn.

As for Commis, I heard of good things too. I know I'm going to be comparing many notes and thinking about it for the next few weeks about the splurge meal. But thanks for reminding me about this restaurant.

Frankly, I don't mind buying a huge loaf of bread and lug it home if it's really *that* good. :)

In regards to Tartine, is there a particular favorite bread that you favor or all breads in general are very good?

Thanks for the input on high end dining, goldangl95!

I'm more into creative food.

Reading over your thoughts between Crenn, Benu, and Saison. It seems Crenn has a slight edge over Benu. If somehow I can persuade my family to go to Benu how much would you figure to spend if we ordered a la carte?

I know I'm confusing myself even further about the splurge meal, but what do you (or anyone else on this board) thinks about Manresa and Coi?

The emblematic SF restaurants I meant are the kind of restaurants that I will never find in NYC, especially the kind of food and experience that makes it SF. Say for example in NYC, I suggest to certain people to try out Katz's Deli, Momofuku Ssam Bar, Keen's (for steak), Shake Shack (well, it's not really NYC anymore since Danny Meyer is doing a global expansion with this brand), etc.

Thanks, tre2012 and Dustin_E!

Sorry to hear/read that Chinese food isn't what it used to be. I guess I should have broken down the multi-question post into smaller posts until I come up with the major critique instead.

The ideal spending isn't entirely restricted but we certainly don't want to go $100 pp unless it really warrants it.

Yes, my parents are from Hong Kong. My mother is more open-minded to other cuisines, unlike my father who doesn't care so much about other SE Asian cuisines. The dumplings might appeal to them as a simple lunch.

Are there good lunch prix fixe options in SF like NYC?

Hi SF 'hounders,

I'm from NYC and it's been nearly a decade since I've been to San Francisco. I've been reading and salivating over the years of the food scene in SF. Advance warning: I will be a bit all over the map as to what I really want to ask and plan from this posting.

I will be traveling to SF on 6/1 and depart on the late evening of 6/5. I will be traveling with my family (my parents and my sibling - we're all adults) and we're ethnically Chinese. I haven't really mapped out where or what we're doing yet but am willing to plan the activities around based on where we're eating. We are traveling around in a rental car.

Need suggestions:
- Good Chinese food (sadly, Chinese food in Manhattan's Chinatown is not as good as it used to be. Flushing is a different Chinese culture) but we don't really care for Taiwanese food

- Chinese bakeries (heard/read good things about Golden Gate Bakery for dan tats; I remembered enjoying Kee Wah Bakery (I also went to their shops in Hong Kong) and Sheng Kee Bakery)

- American/French-style bakeries (I really want to go to Tartine and eat their bread)

- Emblematic casual restaurants of San Francisco*

- Other notable casual restaurants (any cuisine but Indian/Middle Eastern - parents do not care for them, unfortunately)*

- Sushi restaurants

- A Mexican restaurant (Mexican food in NYC is pretty lackluster, imo)

- High end dining - I have some vague notions as to where I want to eat but not sure where to really allocate my time and money for this since I have one real splurge meal for myself (my family will be eating somewhere else since they don't really have the same obsession as I do for food). The ones I've been thinking about are Atelier Crenn, Benu, Saison, Coi, and French Laundry. Price isn't an issue and I'm not planning to pair with wines or any beverages. I just want creative, delicious food but not sure what are the differences of cooking styles between each restaurant except for Crenn (more molecular/Modernist I remember reading) and Saison (ingredient driven sort of like Roberta's in Brooklyn, NY).

*Ideally, we're looking to spend no more than $30-40 pp and not including drinks, tax and tip.

Any suggestions would help since, as you can tell by reading my lengthy request, I've been out of touch with the dining scene.

Thanks in advance,
Tina

Thanks for the extensive reply, nsxtasy!

I'm definitely jotting down your list.

Hi,

I know my question/request is very vague but where and what are the good to great bakeries in Chicago? The two types I'm looking for are places that bakes great bread and the other would be fancy but delicious pastries.

Please advise.

Thanks in advance.
Tina

The most recent experience I had at Corton was earlier this month (on Nov. 2nd), as seen on my blog:

http://thewanderingeater.com/2011/11/06/corton-an-extended-tasting-menu-for-my-birthday/

My main waitress/captain was very detailed explaining to me what's been served and had no issue with me asking her many questions what are the minute parts of the dish.

The other waiters (as in those who brought out large silver platters displaying to me what will be served soon) sort of mumbled what's is displayed in front of us but generally, my friend and I understood at least the main part of the course.

Tina
http://thewanderingeater.com/

-----
Corton
239 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013

Dear 'hounders,

I'm planning to bake a whole lot of macarons from Pierre Herme's book for friends, family and myself. One of his macarons - Jasmine - requires titanium oxide powder for the shell. Where the heck I buy this ingredient besides online?

Thanks in advance.

Tina
http://thewanderingeater.com

I agree with you there (re: stock market).

EMP and its cookbook are stunning. Certainly no disappointment there. Hope you'll enjoy it soon!

Tina
http://thewanderingeater.com

If you're referring to the rolls made of Cayuga flour, it is not in their cookbook. :(
I flipped to the index and it's not listed there. (Seen a few variations of brioche to pair with their savory courses and a bread tuile.)

There were a few recipes I would love to get from the book (or even from the chefs/staff at EMP) but they're not in the book since they're too new(?) after publication. I would be a happy clam if they would divulge how they made that mushroom truffle tea.

Thank you both for the compliments! :)

Tina
thewanderingeater.com

I understand why a few people are weary EMP lauding reviews. Yes, we talk about it a lot but there are a good reasons for that as I've probably written above in length. But there aren't that many inexpensive places any more that are good inexpensive finds that you've indicated, IMO. Most of those places migrated to Brooklyn and Queens partially because of expensive real estate.

Thank you, ellenost!

The duck was indeed gorgeous. A friend of mine who saw the duck photos almost made her think of peacock because of the beautiful lavender flowers sticking out. Haha.

Tina
http://thewanderingeater.com

Thanks for the compliment!

The lavender flavor was very subtle (to me at least). I tasted more caramelized honey than floral essence of any kind. I understand your hesitation for lavender, as I have encountered dishes in the past (not at EMP) that were overwhelmingly floral tasting like potpourri.