PersnicketyChicky's Profile
stir-fry ... why the rice?
Part of the nutritional reason aside from what others have mentioned would be to stretch out the meal. My suggestion would be that if you want or feel that you need something to go with the stir fry, to experiment with other grains or pastas. I will often pair my stir fries with quinoa, wheat berries, millet, buckwheat noodles or whatever I have in the cupboard such as polenta. If you're looking for a lower glycemic index food, a few of these would work well and there's also other pastas (spelt, kamut) that aren't as sugary/starchy as traditional wheat pasta.
Jet Lag..any food or drink that help you recover?
Hey Beach Chick, did you go to one of the Hawaiian Islands, by chance? When I visit there, I always try to make sure I hydrate -with water and only water despite my craving for cocktails to celebrate my vacation- on the plane, nap as much as I can and then eat a comfort food meal (plenty of carbs, alcohol) once I am down on the ground, then sleep and I am fine the next day. I have had friends who swear by staying up all night, drinking or eating whatever they feel like and letting themselves get exhausted is the best method, To each his or her own, I suppose. For me, the water is important because the air in the plane dries one out so. Hope you are enjoying/did enjoy your trip.
Pepples Donuts at the Ferry Plaza - a full review
As I was in the Ferry Building researching Recchiuti chocolates for a gift purchase (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/721214?tag=main_body;topic-721214) and my curiosity had been piqued by this excellent and entertaining report, I bought two ($5) to sample a taste and take home for my roommate to have the rest. Note: I am not a regular sweets eater, although I enjoyed more than my share back in the day can appreciate small doses in the present. I admit I don't find the Pepple's location very inviting or eye-catching and the lone employee appears bored and isolated. The Ferry Building was crowded yet most people walked by without even glancing at the booth. One could easily overlook the whole operation, don't you think? I scanned the ingredients list, which is a general list encompassing all the flavors, not donut by donut, and asked the employee which one contained Rosemary because I thought that might be an interesting flavor to try. She did not know, and after returning home and looking at the website, I can understand why, because the online ingredient list doesn't indicate they have a donut with Rosemary at the moment.
Upon arriving home, I tried a small portion of the Kaffir Lime and Blueberry. My initial impression was, as others have stated, that you would never know they were vegan. Both were moist, not heavy and flavors of the cake itself were adequately flavorful, mouth watering and not too sweet. The cake pulled apart easily and did not crumble into a mess on the plate, but the icing did scatter everywhere. Unlike Carrie and her volunteer taste testers, I found both Kaffir Lime and Blueberry flavors to be strong enough. However, they were both a wee bit oily (but not soaking the bag oily) and the glaze too abundant and too sweet for my taste. My roommate, a daily sweets consumer, enjoyed both, not knowing or caring they were vegan and did not think the glaze was too sweet although his opinion was they were too expensive to enjoy on a regular basis. Overall, I appreciate that these donuts are vegan and that the company is committed to striving for quality and constantly improving their ingredients and methods. In my younger days, I would have been happy to shell out the bucks for these tasty morsels as opposed to an overly sweet deep fried donut with neon yellow jelly filling, although those are completely appropriate at times.
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Recchiuti
1 Ferry Bldg # 30, San Francisco, CA
Current chocolatier recommendations?
Reporting back on my first venture out into the world of chocolate: I visited Recchiuti at the Ferry Building the other day to study the goods and observe what others were purchasing. The booth was consistently busy, so I took advantage of a lull in traffic to speak with an employee. I was disappointed to find they would not sample the ganache filled chocolates and further disappointed to learn they did not recommend shipping to tropical climes at all given the current temperatures and time for shipping. But, they were correct and I had to re-think my purchase ideas. I was offered a piece of Passion Fruit pate de fruit (quite tasty and tangy, very sweet but would also not be recommended for shipping in hot weather) and a sample spoon of extra bitter chocolate sauce. With their blessings I decided a jar of the sauce would have to do for now as it will not suffer from being shipped. I will continue my exploration of Bay Area chocolatiers in hopes of shipping a box in late December or early January to my relative instead. Unfortunately, Ruth Lafler and Stephanie Wong's (great chart, by the way, from See's, Stephanie; good to know the shipping cost before you buy) idea of cold packs or express shipping would not apply in this shipping situation. Over the years I have attempted to send express mail through several methods and it arrives no sooner than regular mail; life moves at its own pace there, guarantees or high cost of shipping be damned, so the best tactic has been to plan ahead and go with the flow.
I wish to thank everyone who added comments. Although I have lost my sweet tooth, I have a strong enough memory of it and my relative's to say we would not prefer See's. I get the feeling either one is a See's fan or one isn't. For us, See's is too sweet, dark chocolate is not dark/bitter enough and buttercreams are not the preference, as jsaimd noted. When I get the chance, I will continue my research by going across the Bay to visit Chocolatier Blue and to contact Dennis at Coco Delice as suggested by judyn and recommended by BigWoodenSpoon, as these appear to be the best options aside from Recchiuti that meet my criteria.
As I was in the Ferry Building and my curiosity had been piqued by Carriewas218's recent report on Pepple's Donuts, I bought two ($5) to sample a taste and take home for my roommate to have the rest. My brief assessment of these donuts can be found here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/722944?tag=main_body;topic-722944
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Recchiuti
1 Ferry Bldg # 30, San Francisco, CA
Pepples Donuts
6037 San Pablo Ave, Oakland, CA 94608
Chocolatier Blue
1964 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94701
What's Up With Crepes in SF?
Yes, Ruth, and vive la difference! While nobhillbilly will not be likely to find Parisian style crepes here, neither will they find (debatable, I know) New York style pizza, Philly style cheesesteaks, east coast style bagels or L.A. style burritos among other treats. Instead of seeing it as a lack of quality, keep an open mind when exploring the food options here and you'll be bound to find some things to enjoy and appreciate. Then when you visit Paris again, you can, for example, try an ice cream and think of how it just isn't the same as your favorite cone from San Francisco. We have a lot of great food here. Welcome to the city, and happy exploring.
Nobhillbilly, I have seen people milling about Sophie's Crepes on the second floor of the Japantown Center holding crepes in paper cones. I cannot vouch for quality or flavor, but they do meet your hand-held criteria.
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Sophie's Crepes
1581 Webster St # 275, San Francisco, CA
Current chocolatier recommendations?
Thanks, Ruth, for bringing up another issue I hadn't considered before, having the chocolatier ship for me. I am planning on visiting Recchuiti first because it's in San Francisco proper and therefore easiest for me, and as backup, going to Chocolatier Blue and The Xocolate Bar, which all sound like perfect candidates. I also appreciate jsaimd's comment that soft caramels should be no problem for teeth. Wonderful advice, everyone, and most appreciated. I will report back in mid August to let everyone know what she thought of the chocolates.
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The Xocolate Bar
1709 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707
Chocolatier Blue
1964 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94701
Current chocolatier recommendations?
jsaimd, her traditional favorite from the past was Godiva, but I do know that before she moved overseas she found the quality to have declined. You brought up something I hadn't considered until just now, which is that she can't eat caramels, unfortunately, and probably not toffees if they might stick in the teeth. But other than that, fillings, ganache, any nuts are OK, and as I said before, preferably dark chocolate. I am narrowing down my list now, leaning heavily towards Rechuitti (Thanks, kattyeyes!) or Chocolatier Blue. Cocoa Delice's website looks good, but they have no storefront of their own from which to purchase the goods and having formerly worked at Whole Foods, I am disinclined to purchase them there or from any other grocery store. I appreciate the good thoughts from everyone so far.
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Chocolatier Blue
1964 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94701
Current chocolatier recommendations?
Thanks, Michael. I don't know if my relative would like bars over filled assortments, but http://www.tcho.com/store/bars/tcho-a-day-30.html the healthy prescription for chocolate on their website looks interesting. I will have to check them out.
Current chocolatier recommendations?
Thanks, milklady. While Chocolatier Blue's website does look amazing and impressive, I am afraid it wouldn't be easy for me to get there. I should have specified that I am looking for San Francisco proper chocolatiers, although if it comes down to the wire, I might be able to get across the bay.
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Chocolatier Blue
1964 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94701
Current chocolatier recommendations?
I am on a quest to purchase a box of chocolates for a dear relative's birthday. Said dear relative lives overseas, in an area where no fine chocolates can be found and is a chocoholic, so I am hoping to find the perfect gift for her, not a fine imported Belgian chocolate that will likely be stale by the time it reaches her. I am looking especially for freshness, as the gift will be shipped which will take time and diminish fresh qualities of any chocolate, so I am hoping for locally made. Last year I tried Saratoga, which did not quite meet the standards. Does anyone have an opinion about Recchiuti, TCHO, Christopher Elbow or Charles Chocolates? Are there any newer manufacturers that I might be missing? Although I am willing to sample chocolates, I no longer have a sweet tooth, so I am depending on the opinion of those who still do to help out a fellow sweet tooth, my gift recipient. I am looking for a box of assorted. She prefers dark chocolate, fillings such as raspberry, lemon, strawberry, coffee or truffles, for reference. TIA.
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Recchiuti
1 Ferry Bldg # 30, San Francisco, CA
Christopher Elbow
401 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA
TCHO
17 San Pier, Francisco, CA
How, and how long can I keep corn tortillas fresh?
As a single person, I always freeze fresh corn tortillas or they would go bad before I could use them all. I don't even bother to defrost them, just separate them out of the freezer bag, toss into a hot pan one at a time with bit of water for steaming (or a steamer would also do the trick) to re-heat and then keep warm under a clean towel in the oven. Tamales also keep very well in the freezer. All you need to do is steam them, at times up to an hour depending on the filling. I would never microwave either. Steaming works the best.
What kinds of cheeses do not require refrigeration?
I would agree that whole Brie and Camembert type cheeses will be OK unrefrigerated, but would not recommend cut pieces be left unrefrigerated for too long. Any aged cheese, cut or whole, will keep safely for quite a while unrefrigerated. You do not say if this gift basket will be shipped or merely transported for a day by you. If you're shipping, keep in mind that boxes might sit in a hot truck for hours. If that is the case, there are some cheeses with a wax coating that would not be ruined, such as Grafton Village cheddars from Vermont, Baybel young goudas or even something like Gjetost which is often taken on ski trips. If you're only transporting the basket yourself, any cheese should be fine, and will be the perfect temperature for eating immediately when it arrives.
The Holy Grail: Does anyone make a good fat-free salad dressing?
One I like to make has no oil. I use either Dijon or stone-ground mustard mixed with cider vinegar and then grate a clove of garlic and shred a few carrots to mix in with my lettuce. This salad is very flavorful and the dressing is so creamy, most guests don't even notice there is no oil. Another I have made without oil uses tahini, but I am afraid that might be too high in fat for your needs. If you have fresh lemons available, often a salad will taste great with just a squeeze of lemon and some spices if you prefer. Best of luck; wish I knew some more.
Any way to stop seeing the video of that kid poking that girl...
barryg, I do the same and cannot understand, for the life of me, why more people don't download these free and simple add-ons to block ads. There's Ad Block Plus and Ad Block Pro. Both allow you to choose which sites you want or don't want to block ads. It rarely interferes with looking at a site, and if it does, you can easily turn it off. It has preserved my sanity and allowed me to continue to look at sites such as Chow without suffering. I dislike ads on TV, before movies...any time. Yes, siteops...many of your loyal site visitors do not like these obnoxious ads, just so you know.
What should I use to clean my fridge?
Shake some baking soda onto a double-sided sponge, the kind with an abrasive surface on one side, and add a little hot water to make a paste. Sprinkle some white vinegar onto that mixture (It will foam impressively.) and wipe onto the dirty surfaces or scrub with the rough side of the sponge. When you're finished, rinse off the sponge and wipe down the fridge again with a sponge filled with hot water. If it needs further sanitizing, diluted bleach would be the next best thing, but usually hot water, baking soda and white vinegar can tackle any dirty fridge cleaning job.
Canned beans (moved from Ontario board)
Whole Foods Market will definitely have Westbrae beans, as should any market which advertises itself as healthy, organic or having natural food items.
Canned beans (moved from Ontario board)
Apologies in advance, as I do not know the availability of US products in Canada, but I have always found Westbrae (from Boulder, Colorado, USA) to be the best canned whole beans. I've never encountered a squishy, mushy, rotten, tasteless or bad whole bean with their products.
Spanish Cheese: What are some good shops?
In San Francisco proper, Rainbow Grocery has the best selection of Spanish cheeses I have encountered. They take good care of the cheeses and have containers of membrillo right there in the cooler, marconas nearby. Honey and olives would also be good for the plate, depending on which cheeses you choose.
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Rainbow Grocery
1745 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Champagne tastes with beer money from Boston
I heartily second abstractpoet's suggestion of including Zuni in your schedule. Not only is it a very dependable restaurant, it usually seems to wow out-of-town visitors. Your Day 2 Saturday Ferry Building farmer's market plan sounds great.
I would add, if I may, mods, to make sure you leave plenty (and I mean plenty) of time on Day 6 to stand in line at the Academy of Sciences. Be sure to get there well before opening time and be prepared to wait in line. Out of all the museums/attractions, this is notorious for the longest wait on free admission day. It is well worth it, however.
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Zuni Cafe
1658 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Looking for seitan ideas
Glad there was some interest. It's a fantastic recipe, best for winter or entertaining people who don't usually like vegetarian food. It is labor-intensive, but if you are a creative cook/shopper, you can find ways around some of the issues. As per the CH rules, I am only posting the ingredients as I tweaked it a bit but the original recipe is from a cookbook. I could not locate the original recipe online anywhere. Have fun with it.
For the garlic mashed potatoes, which you can make ahead. The garlic cloves are simmered with the potatoes and don't end up with an overpowering taste, for those who worry about such things:
2 lbs. potatoes, quartered
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 sprig fresh rosemary
sea salt/freshly ground black pepper
5 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 C. - 3/4 C. potato cooking water if needed for proper consistency
For the pie filling:
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 C. chopped onion
2 carrots, diced
12 oz. white or brown mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 1/2 C. string/green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths
2 tsp. fresh thyme (or a bit less if dried)
2 tsp. fresh sage (I find it important to use fresh sage)
1 14 oz. can tomatoes (whole or diced, your choice, but you will have to dice if you buy whole)
1 lb. seitan, cut into 1/2" chunks
1/2 C. water
1 Tbs. tamari (or soy sauce)
This makes a large amount of filling, so you could bake it in a large casserole dish or an extra large pie plate.
Looking for seitan ideas
Seitan is as versatile (for a vegetarian's tastes, that is) for use as a substitute in chicken or certain beef recipes. Although I haven't used it in this way, I have friends who make Jamaican jerk seitan, seitan tacos (with soft corn tortillas) or burritos, use it in Thai curries or in cold pasta salads (seitan/broccoli/veganaise with penne or fusilli). One of my favorite recipes to make for guests in winter is a seitan shepherd's pie with garlic mashed potatoes on top, adapted from the Modern Vegetarian Cookbook. It has fresh green beans and sage and makes the house smell wonderful. If you or any others would like the recipe, let me know. If you're still looking for other ways to use seitan, consider any of your favorite recipes if you ate meat previously and think about how you could adapt them. They won't be the same, of course, but it's fun to try.
Small Plates, Harvard Square - Needs to train waitstaff
So sorry about your poor experience at Small Plates. I like the atmosphere a lot, myself, but was also disappointed by the sangria. However, the food was wonderful, at a very reasonable price. I am vegetarian, and I had the spring Napoleon and a wild mushroom app., which were so filling and satisfying, honestly, along with the fresh-out-of-the-oven bread which was filled, gratis, over and over, that I was quite full by the end of my meal. From other reports, it seems that one must be selective when ordering at Small Plates, but I was happy, overall. Stick with the veggies, perhaps (weak smile implied?.
Chez Henri veggie Cubano
Although I am a vegetarian, and therefore quite out of place in this "city of meat," I recently tried the veggie Cubano and found it not only a great pressed sandwich, but also a very nice meal all around, and a very reasonable price. Although it does not state online, the veggie Cubano (lovely grilled vegetables with Gruyere cheese) comes with some house-made plantain chips and a small mixed green salad, delicately dressed. I had mine with a few Periodistas, and it was very satisfying. I would heartily give it the "two thumbs up" for vegetarians or meat-eaters alike. Sure, it's not a "real" Cubano, but it is very good.
Silly Eating Habits
Wonder if anyone else has this habit. Haven't found anyone else yet! It developed later in my life (30s), but when I'm at home, I eat almost everything with a spoon. I have a bamboo spoon that I use because I dislike the sound of metal scraping on ceramic. I eat my meals in a bowl. One of my favorite breakfasts is to make some home fries or tater tots, which go in the bottom of a bowl, and on top I put black refried beans with a ton of hot salsa and two over medium eggs. I eat this with the spoon.
Also, due to many years of not having enough food, I clean my plate very well, even in restaurants, wiping it with bread or tortilla or scraping with spoon or fork until it almost appears to not need washing. This habit has stuck with me even though I am not in such poverty any longer. Musing on bread eating habits, I eat every bit of bread, ends and all, so as not to waste it. I am not ashamed!
"Preserving the Organic Integrity of Food" - Tell me why I shouldn't snicker.
I have known quite a number of people who have, mostly for health issues, purchased only organic food and went to the extreme of even laying their own bag or jacket onto the conveyor belt at the checkout so their food would not be sullied. They believed any contact with un-organic goods would taint them with pesticides, bad vibes, etc. (Evidently they never thought about what happened before it reached the special section in the store.). While I was tempted to snicker, myself, they believed they were doing something that would help cure them of truly awful problems that western medicine had not been able to cure, and this is a growing problem. Sometimes you do what you think is best, even if it is not scientifically sound.
Other than this kind of extreme behavior, I believe that places that segregate organic and non organic food so rigidly do this at the request of the customer who is paying more for the organics and wants to be assured they're getting their money's worth, to some degree.
What is worse, in my opinion, is the practice of pulling and trashing items that have gone out of date, whether or not they have gone bad at all. I would be perfectly happy to pay less for something that was still edible but out of date and take the risks (vegetable/fruit/bread only).
Best fun restaurant for $50
BigCat, assuming you are from out of town, please reconsider your price range. A grilled cheese, no matter how good, is not what a vegetarian should be having for a nice meal on a vacation/visiting a new city, etc.! My recommendation is to put this one meal on a credit card and enjoy something great that the city has to offer and you will not regret it. If you do a search on the Boston board, you will find many veg and non-veg restaurants meeting your criteria other than price.
BYOB in MA
Pasta Lina (or Pastalina, depending on which sign you're reading) in Medford is BYOB. I would recommend calling ahead of time to see what's on the menu, though. Last time I was there, for example, the owner/chef (who makes everything except desserts from scratch each day) had not made pesto or a few types of pasta, and had not had time to fetch dessert. I am always up for a surprise and trying new dishes, so it didn't bother me, but I know a lot of people want what they want and nothing else. Also, calling ahead would help you decide which vino to bring along. No corkage fee, either!
New Medford Whole Foods
WF Medford will not be selling alcohol. If you're worried about the parking, there is more on the other side of the Starbucks, so if you are willing to park to the side rather than right up front, there should be plenty of room.
Tu Y Yo next week
I was there last night (a Friday) from 6:30-7:30 and the place was never even half full the whole time, which really surprised me considering the day and the hour.
Fresh Mangosteen?
I saw fresh mangosteen at the Super 88 in Malden several weeks ago, along with many other fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and fish one doesn't find at Super Stop and Shops in this area. Once you try mangosteen, who knows what could be next...durian?
