Bay Area

Sure, I may be predictable in what I like. But every time here it’s different, yet so good! smoked duck, really good parsnips, kale: a mint pasta, with tiny radishes and clams: Not shown, but my favorite: pepper-infused pasta, braised pork, meyer lemon! I like sitting right by the kitchen and watching the sous chef triage orders and yell “fire the ____!” every few minutes. This sort of pine-y vermouth was amazing (with a black pepper and pine nut shortbreadish dessert) ...

Fish at the informal yet favorite sushi place* was in top form! The hamachi, albacore, and fresh scallop in particular. Sashimi plate (and the embarrassment of using one of those “retro camera filter” programs): Hamachi kama: Not shown: asparagus-shiitake stirfry, tsunomono (paper-thin cucumber slices, sliced octopus, vinegar, spicy sprouts), and one concession to rolls: crunchy fried salmon skin. \* I’ve vowed not to publish its name, because it doesn’t need any more customers (you have to get there 45+ minutes before it opens to get a seat, or tonight: 80 minutes)… but if you know me, I’m happy to take you there in person some time… ...

I’ve had a few decent meals out and at home recently, but the Hungarian-inspired brunch at Bar Tartine was really excellent. The Smørrebrød (smorgasbords?) on hearty rye bread were a great start, especially one with roe, avocado, and citrus. Also quite good was a blood sausage with sauerkraut, mushrooms (hen-of-the-woods?), apple, and a really great spicy broth (w/ bread to sop it up). We also got the escabeche pickles (spicy pickled hot peppers, carrots, and probably other vegetables), and the buckwheat spätzle with soft egg – both good. ...

My first time back to The Trappist (which just got an SFgate writeup) in a year. Two highlights I hadn’t had before: Petrus Oud Bruin – tart, slightly sour, but mellow after the first few seconds (oak-aged) Mikkeller Sur Monk -- a blend of a belgian quad and a sour beer… and it works. A big difference between the smell (strongly tart) and taste (rich, strong, slightly sweet, slightly tart). And labeled as 9.99% ABV – how cute.

For New Year’s Eve, I wanted to eat a series of delicious little dishes and drink some excellent beer with friends, without going out to a crowded restaurant. So four of us hung out at an apartment in the Mission and shared the Osechi (New Year’s Bento) made by Peko Peko Catering*, a mix of traditional Japanese foods and California interpretations with local ingredients. We also each brought some special beer, and spent plenty of time geeking out over what beer went well with each course (it wasn’t always what we expected, so at times we’d have three half-glasses of different beer, trying them with each new dish). It was a great evening. ...

I took a bike trip up to the Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa for the first time. While you can get most of their beers at City Beer Store, they had a few there I’d never heard of: We started with the 18-beer sampler: My favorites were mostly ones I knew I liked: Damnation 23 (golden color, strong, a bit sweet (like a belgian tripel?), aged with oak chips). I’ve bought it a few times, but didn’t realize until this trip that it’s 10.5% ABV. Whew. Consecration (sour dark beer aged in red wine barrels) Supplication (sour brown ale aged in pinot noir barrels with sour cherries) Perdition (malty blonde?) A few others I liked: ...

A good Christmas Eve for food and beer. 4505 Meats duck confit plate with egg and pickles: San Tung “dry-fried” chicken wings for a crowd of 14. The shrimp-leek steamed dumplings were also worth it: Amsterdam Cafe, had an interesting beer selection. Highlights included Oskar Blues Ten Fidy and Stone Vertical Epic 11 on tap, a lot of unusual Mikkellers, and a long list of holiday beers. Their holiday beers (click through for a high-res image): ...

very good.

I’ve been to a few underwhelming restaurants in the past few months that I won’t bother to write about, but I went to Sol Food\* in San Rafael for the first time a while back, and it was quite good– especially the three types of plantains I had: Tostones (shown below): green plantain fried, smashed into a patty, fried again until slightly crispy, and served with olive oil and garlic. Mmm. Maduros: sweet fried yellow plantains, very soft. Mofongo: shredded green plantain, fried with some olive oil and garlic, but a texture much more like rice than the Tostones. ...

Freshly-made Boudin Blanc, the white pork sausage made with cream, twice in one week? Once by Christopher Lee at an outdoor wine event, and once by Russell Moore at Camino: The former was served with Acme bread and sauerkraut, and was a bit more meaty in flavor, while the latter was a chicken-pork Boudin Blanc (as praised by Bakesale Betty’s Alison Barakat) with an especially fine-grained texture, and an almost nutty flavor (caramelized onions? the taste of the fire pit?), served with duck fat potatoes, beets, red sauerkraut , and a kabocha-radish salad. Both were delicious. ...

I’m more into beer, but an A+ cocktail at Millenium: “House Infused Manchurian Crabapple & Chipotle Tequila, Makrut Lime, Pomegranate, Cane Syrup, Peychaud’s Bitters”. A tart and smoky slow burn. Cue grainy cell phone photo:

The release party for the Almanac Beer Farmhouse Pale w/ Plums was a very nice dinner and beer pairing at Bar Tartine with food by Hapa Ramen: amuse: lardo, cauliflower with almonds and lemon, and a cup of ramen broth. I tried two beers, an Oud Beersel Oude Geuze, and a German Gose. swordfish crudo with a bit of spice, well-paired with Telegraph Reserve Wheat, a sour, slightly citrusy beer. ...

The Primavera stand at the SF Ferry Building market on Saturday continues to have one of my favorite bay area breakfasts (their addictive chilaquiles):

Finally posting the menu from an excellent many-courses-of-autumn-vegetables dinner a few weeks ago at the new 18 Reasons space, cooked by Nicole LoBue. I loved the radicchio with unusually good frisee, kale with fennel pollen (!!), fresh beans with tiny radish-size tokyo turnips, and the chanterelles with two kinds of roasted grapes.