Earl Grey's Profile
Help me identify tiny beans and chiles purchased in Yucatan!
When I bought those beans they were called Rice beans. I think they are not native. they have a rather thick skin and starchy texture but they cook fast.
Oaxaca - Itanoni, a celebration of corn
It's within walking distance of the bus station.
Cannelini vs. Great Northern beans
Rancho Gordo only has Runner Cannellini, a different bean altogether.
Santa Rosa: Tierra Farm Stand – Badda Beans, plus Valentine’s Day Hopi Pink, Oaxacan Green, Hopi Blue and Bloody Butcher red corn meal
Just for the record, Rancho Gordo beans are not "brokered". They are grown on one of four farms in California FOR Rancho Gordo from Rancho Gordo seed.
Tierra is terrific and I can't see not liking it if you love chiles and beans or any of the other products they grow.
Review w/ photos: Izote de Patricia Quintana
I've had more than my share of sangrita and as with most things Mexican, it's not wise to speak in absolutes. I've had it with tomato juice as often as not.
Jalos in American Canyon
This wasn't overflowing but the same idea. I've had them in Mexico and it's a pretty fun way to eat and I wonder if it wasn't the inspiration for fajitas.
Jalos in American Canyon
My enthusiasm for this place may be in response to my horror at Frida's Mexican Grill in Napa, but I've been twice and it's worth the trip. The last time we went was on a Sunday night and a good Norteño band was playing and the food was very good. It was the first time I've seen molcajetes served in the US. They take the lava mortar bowl and heat it to ridiculous heights and the throw in nopales, shrimp, chicken and a tomatillo sauce that all cooks in the molcajete. It's still bubbling when it reaches you tableside. I've had these in Jalisco and Guanajuato and this was pretty darn good. Everything else was good and the flan was rustic and tasty.
I later asked a friend from Michoacan where her would go to eat Mexican in the valley and his reply was "My mother's house." I pushed and he said Jalos!
Frida's Mexican Grill in Napa
I should have known.
This is well-intentioned bad resort-style Mexican food at resort prices.
The room is bright and brighter with a superficial tribute to Frida Kahlo. Why not really make it a real tribute and go a little deeper like exploring and decorating with Frida's love of the Tehuantapec or even DIego Rivera's love of meso-Americana?
The food is bright and big and very average. I had something called Pollo al Pastor, which would have made me think it was a more BBQ dish, but it was an achiote sauce on what seemed to be steamed chicken, almost like a mixiote, but with little flavor. It came with a good, creative twist on a Cesar salad and an inedible ear of corn that was old and burnt.
The other dishes weren't much better.
If this were 2o years ago, I could deal with it but with so many Mexicans in the valley and with so much access to great food, I don't understand why anyone would bother with this. We already have the Red Hen.
What to do with extra hominy/posole?
Puree it and then saute w/onion garlic and finish with cheese. Groovy grits!
Napa Valley Taco Trucks
I think the Michoacan trucks are excellent.
If you want to drive a bit, the Dos Hermanos truck in Vallejo is sublime.
Slow Food Nation not-to-miss?
I just asked where the money goes, which is a valid question considering all the volunteers and corporate sponsors and how expensive everything SF does seems to be.
I was poking fun at the Golden Glass because for the life of me, I don't see how an all-Italian wine expo helps spread the word about local, sustainable food. It's why Slow Food has the rep it does. I don't know about the Family WInemakers event but it sounds like it makes more sense.
Slow Food Nation not-to-miss?
What is the cause it supports? Italian wine trade shows like the Golden Glass?
Slow Food Nation not-to-miss?
I assume the "taste partners" had to pay to be there and supply the masses. Or did Slow Food pay for the tastes?
Saturday SF Ferry Farmer's Market - What not to miss?
As a huge Mexican fan, I would agree. If you've had a lot of chilaquiles in your life, I wouldn't bother. It's a nice, fresh, filling variation on a classic. I think those breakfast soups or whatever they are at Out the Door are nothing short of amazing and a better bet.
The Problem with Boccalone
So much of this is subjective but it's nice to see I'm not alone in wondering what all the fuss is about. It's not garbage but it's not quite living up to the hype, either.
The Problem with Boccalone
I've found mostly the same thing.
I've assumed it's my taste. I'm glad to know someone else has problems.
The salumi are ok but the fresh sausage are inconsistent and occasonally disgusting, due to overspicing or gristle.
Birria at Mi Favorita in Napa
I totally forgot about your post. Sorry. I even have it printed out. But all the markets here in Napa seem to make generic Italian style sausage and not much else. Sometimes you get what I might call "breakfast chorizo", like the very good stuff at Fatted Calf, but not much else. So this was a treat for me.
Birria at Mi Favorita in Napa
Be still my heart. I went back today for a birria burrito (I was feeling needy!) and I noticed a bunch of dried sausage hanging in the back. I asked the butcher about it and he gave me a taste. it was great! I asked him about it and he said it was from Jalisco. The cashier heard him and said she thought this style was from Michoacan and he laughed and said "I'm from jalisco and I made it, so it's from Jalisco!" I do't know but it was so great to see they make their own sausage and it's not the same old chorizo you see everywhere. It wasn't as fine as Spanish chorizo but it was really good.
Slowfood Nation
Then why pick on the very people they look to for the bulk of their support? Picking on a successful market (with MANY flaws, granted) doesn't make them look better, just petty. And I'm over 35 and poorly dressed. I'm not sure if I can go!
Slowfood Nation
This is what stuck out for me:
“It will be a failure if it is only well-dressed people over 35 from the Bay Area treating it as if it’s another Ferry Plaza Farmers Market” - Corby Kummer
Excuse me? How offensive is that? Who cares how old I am or what I have to wear?
03/08 Ubuntu: From The Same Folks That Sold You Bottled Water
I'm bad at this kind of thing and tend to live in the moment and then forget, which is bad for these boards, but the starters were the almonds, olives in a pea-basil sauce, I think. The olives were too strong for the sauce to make much of a difference but they were good olives anyway. The chick pea fries, the music thingy, which is just flatbread with a chick pea puree and bitter greens. It was fine but I don't get the fuss for that one. Plus our waiter kept referring to chichis (which are bosoms) instead of ceci, which are garbanzos. The cauliflower was better than good. The watermelon, lemongrass and coconut soup was the moment I decided I was in love with the place. the entrees were fake grits from rice, a farro dish and a potato dish. I'm sorry i'm so bad at details. it was early summer. Still lots of peas, some basil but no tomatoes, that I remember. All were great and very complicated.
I should add I went with the ultimate meat eater who would never have chosen Ubuntu and would much prefer a big juicy chop from Coles and she was thrilled and satisfied.
We ordered almost everything (no dessert, though) and it was about $70 each with one one bottle plus one glass of wine. I wish we hadn't tipped 15%.
Birria at Mi Favorita in Napa
This is a small new store on California Way, near the Chinese restaurant on the strip that used to start Calif Blvd. They have a fair produce section but a very well stocked butcher with all your necessary Mexican cuts, but the prepped food includes really good birria, every day. I had three birria tacos with generous portions of gaot meat and it made an excellent lunch. They are very slow but I think it's worth it. Not a destination but if you're in North Napa and can't bear the thought of another Michoacan burrito, excellent as they are, this is a nice change.
Their English in the butcher area is limited but they're sweet and you get to practice your Spanish at no extra cost!
03/08 Ubuntu: From The Same Folks That Sold You Bottled Water
I ate there for the first time last night. As a local, who shops Target, Raley's and Wilson's Feed Store along with our farmers market and a rare dip into fine dining but mostly lives for the taco trucks, I was expecting the worse. I hate the Yoga connection and I used to like the furniture store that was in the space. I love Cole's but normally feel like I can't afford it. I wasn't looking to Ubuntu with an open mind. Well, it's great. If you didn't like it, I think it's a matter of subjective taste, not a poorly conceived restaurant. I don't "get" Don Giovanni and at some point have to think it's me because they're so popular.
Almost all the dishes were wild and new and delicious. The constant was that the flavors came in waves. The first bite tastes like one thing and as it lingered, it would become something else.
I thought it was just great. Expensive, but I'd go again.
Service was a real joke however. They need to address that ASAP.
If you're curious, I'd say go.
Napa Locos Tex Mex --Have you tried it?
My hunch is that if you're a fan of Mexican or Tex-Mex, you'll be a little confused and disappointed. Location is nice and staff is friendly.
My dinner at ad hoc
I agree that it's nice to let the chef design the menu. We think we want more choice in life but we really want good food!
Help me solve a Poblano mystery (pepper related) [Moved from Mexico board]
Jacqueline Higuera McMahan talks about steaming in her book 'California Rancho Cooking'. Apparently it's an old Californio technique.
Personally, I haven't found a problem with the soaking method, especially if it's for 15 minutes or so. I don't use hot tap water. I put a pot to boil while I'm toasting the chiles and by the time I'm done, the water is plenty hot for soaking. I just turn off the heat and let them rest.
Markets of Mexico DF
I think it depends on your interests. Even if I can't shop to cook, there's nothing I'd rather do than visit a market in Mexico. I've been to hundreds and it would need to be pretty sad (like the one in La Paz) for me to feel like I've wasted any time. And almost always, there's a vegetable or clay pot or herb I'm interested in, especially from the older Indian women who sit with their wares on the outskirts. I'm getting ansy and thinking I need a trip soon just thinking about it.
Natural/MSG-free in Mexico City
Isn't MSG natural? I thought it was.
There is a lot of instant bullion used in lots of fresh, made from scratch sauces so I think you are going to have a miserable time.
the GOOGLE company /employee cafeteria
The thing you don't tend to hear is how unattractive and makeshift the environment at Google is. The food is great and the cooking is good but the atmosphere is one short step above eating in your cubicle from the 5 eating spots I saw.
It was a lot less of a crowd, but eating at the Esprit corporate cafe in the 1980s (not Cafe Esprit at the outlet, but the employee cafe) was tops on all accounts.
