tatertot's Profile
Pumpkin recipes (canned or fesh)
I was pointed to this savory pumpkin cheese bread recipe recently:
http://melt-in-the-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/pumpkin-cheese-bread.html
I made it for a party and it was such a huge hit it'll be my go-to holiday dish this year. it's great with a little butter and even better toasted with more cheese. Mmmm, just thinking about melting brie on top of this bread.
The recipe is originally from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook.
What's for Dinner? #109 [old]
I need to use up the tomatoes growing out of control in my garden. Tomato salad with basil and olive oil. And then maybe a grilled cheese sandwich with a big slice of tomato and mayo?
Late Happy Hour in Financial District?
If the weather is nice I like sitting outside for Chaya's happy hour (available at the bar and outside).
I think the specials are $5/6 cocktails and beers and appetizers specials.
Chaya
132 The Embarcadero
(between Mission St & Howard St)
San Francisco, CA 94105
Lasagna at a cocktail party
How about lasagna made in cupcake tins?
http://framed-mylifeonepictureatatime.blogspot.com/2010/08/lasagna-cupcakes.html
Everyone in my family needs something different from their diet, but I don't want to cook multiple dishes for each meal!
I follow a mostly vegetarian + seafood diet and my boyfriend is a meat eater but we try to cook together. Lately on the rotation has been stuffed peppers. I use anaheim peppers for a little spice. He made a philly cheese steak filling and i used the same ingredients substituting tofu for the meat. You can vary the amount cheese and fillings per pepper. Bake for about half an hour.
yummy gourmet vegetarian chili
It's textured vegetable protein. I've used it sometimes if I crave some texture to some of my veggie dishes. I've started using red lentils or bulgur instead as a substitute for tvp in my veggie chili.
Restaurant to buy out for rehearsal dinner?
I went to Mercedes in the Financial District for a wedding reception. The bride and groom had rented the whole restaurant out on Friday and the event went over very well. Casual and festive. The staff was very accommodating. Food was buffet style.
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Mercedes Restaurant
653 Commercial St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Tortas Y Taqueria Los Picudos, Richmond
Good to know. Recently moved to the area so adding place link.
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Tortas Y Taqueria Los Picudos
13830 San Pablo Ave, San Pablo, CA 94806
Bistro 1491 on Solano
I met a group of friends there a couple weeks ago. Our group breakfast grew to 11 (including a toddler) and they were very accommodating even though we didn't have a reservation. There were only a few other occupied tables.
The menu has something for everyone from vegan tofu scamble to duck confit hash. I liked my smoked salmon benedict enough to go back but wished there were some veggies to accompany it. The hollandaise sauce was good, smooth with a light consistency. A friend who had a frittata thought it was slightly overcooked. I forgot what they called it but my boyfriend really liked his benedict where they poached the egg, rolled it in panko and briefly fried it. The service was friendly but a little erratic given our large group.
Beginner Gardening Books
This book is really helpful! I'm in El Cerrito so I'll have more sunny days than I used to living in SF. I'm excited about the potential to have a year round garden. Thanks for the recommendation and suggesting the master gardening websites.
California Master Gardeners County Links: http://www.mastergardeners.org/
Contra Costa: http://ccmg.ucdavis.edu/
Alameda: http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/
San Francisco/San Mateo: http://groups.ucanr.org/sanmateo/
Beginner Gardening Books
We're buying a house in the Bay Area (California) and the previous owner has planted a large organic garden. I don't have any experience with gardening and am hoping I can keep the plants alive and have a great harvest. There are at least 30 plants (mainly tomatoes, peppers, corn, lettuce, squash). The temperature for the summer ranges around 70-90 degrees and dry. It'll get full sun for most of the day.
Can anyone recommend a good book or online resources for a new gardener?
I have a lot of brie wedges
Wow, that looks absolutely delicious!
Nothing original but I like brie burgers with mushrooms and caramelized onions or brie wrapped in phyllo dough, then served with apples, grapes and bread.
Where to get stinging nettles before Sunday?
I recently tried nettles too and know how you feel. I had to find some so I could make them myself. Sorry, SF location, but I got mine at the Ferry Building farmer's market from Heirloom Organics. Here's a link to their schedule: http://www.heirloom-organic.com/contactinfo.html
You have to ask for them and they're pre-bagged.
Btw, they're pretty time consuming to prepare. You have to wear gloves and remove the leaves from the stems.
Okonomiyaki at Saturday Ferry Building farmers market + any must-try vendors?
I noticed that the Cherry Blossom festival is coming up in Japantown. I've never been but maybe some food vendors will be serving okonomiyaki. Saturday and Sunday, April 10 & 11, 17 & 18, 2010
Escargot in SF?
You could try the Escargot puff from Chez Spencer's take away truck. http://spenceronthego.com/home.html
There are a couple buses near Union Square that can take you to Bistro Central Park too. It'd probably be about a 15 - 20 minute bus ride.
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Spencer-On-The-Go
300 7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Bistro Central Parc
560 Central Ave, San Francisco, CA 94117
Too many dining options and not enough time! Help me refine my weekend itinerary.
If you're going to be near San Tung I think it'd be worth going. My boyfriend and friends are addicted to the dry fried chicken wings. I mostly eat a seafood/vegetarian so I haven't tried it myself. The sauce is pretty good but I haven't found any other dishes that I would go out of my way for.
Also, it does really chaotic and busy so I would try to go for an early dinner if you can.
Four decades later: SF with the parental units
Have you considered going to the SF MOMA? They are having a 75th Anniversary show and they recently opened a rooftop coffee bar that serves Blue Bottle Coffee (accessible with admission to the museum, closed Wed.).
Jai Yun now on Restaurant.com
Gratuity is not included in the minimum you have to spend. The restaurant usually adds 18% + tax to the pre-discount rate.
There's an 80% off code right now - INDULGE, expires today, 1/19/10. You can easily find coupons by doing a google search ("restaurant.com" + "coupon code").
Looking for lunch
The Sentinel has great sandwiches. Note that some sandwiches have a lot of mayo, that might not travel as well. It's just a couple blocks from Yank Sing.
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Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St Ste Stlv, San Francisco, CA 94105
The Sentinel
55 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Take-out in Pacific Heights or Russian Hill?
I like Za too. For Chinese, we usually order from Tai Chi. We ate at Helmand Palace for Afghan food and I saw paper menus so they probably do take out.
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Helmand Palace
2424 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94109
Tai Chi
2031 Polk St, San Francisco, CA
Good dim sum near downtown SF? (other than Yank Sing)
Sounds like a great place. I look forward to taking some out of town guests there. They've never tried dim sum and I think it'd be especially fun the 8-year old.
Hyde Street Bistro vs. 1550 Hyde
Thanks for all your recommendations. We ended up going to 1550 Hyde and I definitely wasn't disappointed. It's a great casual spot but as escargot3 said, the food isn't casual at all.
I got the beet salad which I thoroughly enjoyed and the ono fish for my entree. It's a "meatier" fish that was well cooked. The menu changes so I don't remember what side I had with the fish, just that I ate everything on my plate. My boyfriend ordered the bruschetta with mushrooms. cheese and caramelized onions and the Kobe beef brisket with spatzle. He loved the spatzle but thought the brisket was a little too dry for his taste. He wished he had ordered the chicken. We split the banana bread pudding with a scoop of three twins vanilla ice cream. It was a great end to the meal. Oh, the service was excellent too. Our waitress was completely unobtrusive yet was always there when we needed her. We brought a bottle of wine with us and the total bill was just over $100 + tip.
I like Zarzuela and Pesce too but wanted to try something new. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go to Hyde Street Bistro as well.
What Ingredients Have You Substituted That Was Better?
I substitute coconut milk for milk or cream for my vegan friends. It worked really well for the sweet potato casserole and corn pudding I made for Thanksgiving. It really bumped up the flavor. I used to use rice milk but that gave some recipes an unsavory gray color.
Hyde Street Bistro vs. 1550 Hyde
My boyfriend is taking me out to dinner on Thursday to make up for all the time he spent watching football this past year. I want to stay within our neighborhood so I narrowed it down to these 2 restaurants. Which one has better seafood options? How about the desserts? Also are they both fairly casual?
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Hyde Street Bistro
1521 Hyde St., San Francisco, CA 94109
1550 Hyde
1550 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Need Dinner Rec within a Cable Car (or quick cab) Ride from Argonaut at the Wharf
There's also a few restaurants on Polk street, 2 blocks away near those options too. I like Pesce. A little bit of a hike up the hill from the Hyde cable car is Allegro Romano, a neighborhood Italian restaurant.
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Pesce
2227 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Frascati Restaurant
1901 Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Hyde Street Bistro
1521 Hyde St., San Francisco, CA 94109
1550 Hyde
1550 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Luella
1896 Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Amarena Restaurant
2162 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Zarzuela
2000 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Allegro Romano
1701 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94109
pre-concert at Palace of Fine ARts
How about the Presidio Social Club? I wouldn't say the service is particularly speedy but I think we were in and out of there in an hour or so. Nice atmosphere and great cocktails.
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Presidio Social Club
563 Ruger St., San Francisco, CA 94129
Best Gnocchi in SF?
I haven't tried gnocchi at too many restaurants but I really enjoyed the one at Allegro Romano. It was definitely a guilty pleasure, firm but not too heavy gnocchi with rich gorgonzola sauce. I wouldn't say mind-blowing though. I'll have to try Da Flora next.
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Da Flora
701 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
Allegro Romano
1701 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Banh mi near ballpark / Caltrain?
This place is a few blocks over on Howard between 5th and 6th. I haven't tried it though.
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Pho Ha Tien II
937 Howard St, San Francisco, CA
Drink and Appetizers, start from Hotel Vitale
Chaya has a good food & drink happy hour 5-8pm M-F.
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Chaya Brasserie
132 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105
