Hi Chow people:

I'm trying to make a replica of a mango-passionfruit mousse cake I got from a local bakery and can't quite get the consistency of the mousse right. I've tried this recipe (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...) thus far and the mousse turned out too heavy - the whipped cream flavor overpowered the mango flavor. The restaurant version is smooth, firm, and rather light -I'm wondering if I should double the gelatin, cut back on the whipped cream, and add lime or lemon for tartness. i found passionfruit concentrate at a local Mexican mart but was unable to find fresh ones.

This is my first attempt at perfecting a fruit mousse cake. Any suggestions for general mousse-making principles? I'd like to adapt one recipe to whatever fruit is in season in the future.

Just did this search myself. Mi Pueblo stores in the East Bay have Passionfruit concentrate in the Central American foods section ("dafruta" brand). It's around 4 bucks for a medium size bottle.

Creampuffs, zabaglione, tres leches cake, indian kheer, custards.

Ice cream can be made without an ice cream maker. If you have access to fresh herbs, I would make some whacked out flavors like basil, fresh mint, cardamom and rosewater, etc.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Ice-Cream

By the end of making all that ice cream by hand, you'll have burned enough calories to eat most of it!

Great list. I was about to search for LA recs when I came across this thread. More recs than I can shake a stick at!

My own rankings would be Ihaw Ihaw, Ongpin, Tribu, Toppings, Gerry's Grill. My own preference is for a lot of onions, jalepenos, and vinegar to cut the pork fat. A lot of restaurants serve a plate of fried pork sitting in grease with a sprinkling of lemon. We went to Ongpin last month and the pork sisig was the one standout dish there - most others were unremarkable.

I know this a little off topic, but where might I be able to find decent standing liquor cabinets able to hold 80 - 120 bottles of spirits? I used to live in a place with sliding wall storage that I turned into a wall of liquor, but moved and now need a free standing unit. I'm hoping to avoid getting custom cabinets made. I haven't seen anything at IKEA that really fits the bill. Most liquor cabinets I've seen in Cost Plus and such are designed to hold at most 10-20 bottles.

A bonus would be if the shelves had raised lips to prevent bottles from jumping out in a mild earthquake (as you can guess I'm in CA).

Try the Venezuelan rum Diplomatica Reserva. I brought a bottle to a dinner birthday party, and once a few people had tried it neat the rest of the bottle evaporated quickly. This was in a mixed crowd of mostly non-spirits drinkers.

I hated Pyrate OX. Appleton's wasn't compex enough to drink neat.

Get Russian deli takeout at Gastronome and have a picnic at the Legion of Honor if time permits. Get some blini then fill them with caviar and sour cream, with a nice beet salad on the side.

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Gastronom
5801 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA

Just went to Ihaw Ihaw in San Bruno last Friday (a block away from Kuya's). We tried chicken tinola, grilled bungus, and Tortang talong (eggplant omelet with ground beef). Everything was delicious - the chicken tinola was the star of the show with crisp ginger taste and a good amount of marrow flavoring the soup, which had tons of meat. The grilled bangus was blackened on the skin side and perfectly cooked inside, moist and flavorful. The tortand talong was not greasy in the least, which was a worry since I'm not a fan of ground beef. It was served with banana ketchup. We ate at Ongpin a few weeks ago and Ihaw Ihaw was definitely much better.

La Loma Produce No 14 had some good cherimoyas, but we had to settle for some more sedate fruit from the other stands.

Also tried candied pumpkin - I believe it is called calabazate. A sugar bomb but interesting nonetheless.

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La Loma Produce No 14
3052 16th St, San Francisco, CA

Just saw this myself. I'd tried and loved Jepson after my local spirits store recommended them a few years ago, then saw it at TJ's for a steal last week. This is a great beginner brandy for those who want to try out brandy-based cocktails without breaking the bank. It's also fairly nice neat.

Dear Chowhounds:

What fruterias would you recommend on the basis of best selection and quality of fruits in the Mission? I'm looking for fresh fruit not juice.

I'm interested in guava, nance, cherimoya, guanabana, sugar apple, atemoya, and anything else I haven't tried yet. After paging through The Fruit Hunters (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/boo...) I'm planning to do a strange fruit picnic and would like to know which fruit stands you would recommend. Are some stands more focused on Central American fruits and others on Mexican fruits?

A couple of places I'm planning to hit:
Casa Lucas Market
El Chico Produce Market #4
La Loma Produce No 8

Any thoughts?

Thanks for the update on Sinugba - I'd been there a few years ago when it was open late and was recommended only for late night drinking food. I'll have to give it a try again.

I've been - Tribu is a good place to go for fried food, fish, and meats but the noodles and vegetables have been hit or miss in the past for me.

I've been to Kuya's, Max's, and Sinugba as well. How is Ihaw Ihaw or Ongpin? Ongpin seems to get good reviews elsewhere as a no-nonsense good food place.

I was looking for a nice dinner spot with good Filipino food. I tend to eschew places where the food is overtly greasy, which is a problem at many of the Filipino restaurants I've tried.

I've been to Alimango (also in San Mateo), which is my current favorite. Went on a weeekday, and the coconut crab was delicious - the coconut flavor did not overpower the delicate crabmeat flavor. Bangus was nicely done with dried egg slices on top. Pinakbet was delicious and probably the best I've had thus far in the Bay Area outside of someone's house. Pork sisig was not a standout but adeqately done with an egg cooking on the hotplate to cut the pork grease. I've gone back a few times and the food was worse on the weekends - I don't think they are adequately staffed for weekend crowds.

I've eaten at Patio Filipino a few years back but don't remember it being outstanding. Toppings Too in Union City has great food but it's more of a takeout place. I've been a fan of Bistro Luneta in San Mateo previously, but the food didn't have the same pop and fresh flavors last time I went. Gerry's Grill in Union City was ok for a lunch spot but not really worth the price for supper.

Obviously I have not explored Daly City very much. Any thoughts on your favorite Filipino food places?

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Bistro Luneta
615 3rd Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94401

Patio Filipino
1770 El Camino Real, San Bruno, CA 94066

Gerry's Grill
31005 Courthouse Dr, Union City, CA 94587

Alimango
3708 S El, Camino Real San Mateo, CA

Toppings Too Restaurant
3910 Smith St, Union City, CA 94587

Try The Ravioli House for lunch. Great sandwiches, I believe they are only open 10am - 2pm on M - Sat though.

The Ravioli House
505 S B St
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 344-7433

Thanks for the tips - I'll check out Beltramo's and D&M. Just checked again on the BevMo site, no dice. They do not list it as an out-of-stock item either, so perhaps it has been discontinued (or the web site is incorrect). Beltramo's also has Gran Duque D'Alba Jerez Brandy, which is next on my list to try.

The D&M buying club also looks great, thanks again!

No luck, they carry only wines. I'll try a few more liquor stores and report back if I find any.

Hi Chowhounds:

I'm looking for a bay area liquor store that has Cardenal Mendoza Spanish brandy. K&L and BevMo don't seem to stock it. I'd like to start trying out the Jerez brandies, had a delicious few glasses in Costa Rica during a recent vacation. Any tips?