delectation

In Autumn, one's thoughts turn to dreams of...

Pumpkins

Not only did we have a veritable pumpkin-carving extravaganza this past weekend, we also ended up with several pounds of fresh pumpkin flesh to be made into all sorts of goodies.

We purchased 6 small pumpkins from Clancy's Pumpkin Patch on &th & Lawton -- we were told that the smaller ones with the delicated spiderweb-like traceries on the skin made for good cooking.

Danny was in charge of the cooking, and took it upon himself to hollow out the pumpkins, cleaning out the stringy pith and oodles of pumpkin seeds....

The trusty food processor is a friend indeed. We also used these handy directions for fleshing the pumpkin...

Danny finished these honey-pecan pumpkin pies around 1am, then proceeded to prep for the morning's brunch until he finally collapsed close to 3am...

Christine's pumpkin bread with dried cranberries, pecans & walnuts.

Danny's amazing pumpkin waffles topped with freshly whipped chantilly creme and a dried-fruit syrup (peaches, apricots, butter, honey & maple syrup).

Cha-Cha-Cha

Cha-Cha-Cha in the Haight has always been a favourite of mine. It's loud, both in sound and decor -- and it serves up some of the best fingerfood in the city -- Caribbean-style tapas. As you can see from the picture above, these are my friends Looby and Brian having a marvelous good time. As usual, I am late in posting -- the last time I was at CCC was on the MLK Day Holiday, nearly a month ago.

CCC has marvelous good sangria, but as I had consumed a not-insignificant amount of alcohol at Destino and the Madrone Lounge the night before, I think my body was somehow subconsciously rebelling against the intake of more. I couldn't handle more than a glassful (perhaps it was also the time of day -- I am definitely not used to drinking at noon) despite its beautiful ruby red tastiness...
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But perhaps the crowning dish, imho, is the calamari; indeed, I can devour most of an order of this by myself, if left to my own devices. It comes in a generous portion, however, definitely enough for 3 or 4. It's served with a dollop of rich, lemon garlic aioli and lemon or lime wedges on the side.

I am not a fan of plantains (indeed, I just overcame a huge distaste for bananas a few years ago); but Nora is, and I can enjoy the fried platanos maduros at CCC, though not in the way I can consume a whole order of calamari. The plantains here are served with black beans drizzled with sour cream -- it seems like a very odd combination, but the plantains actually taste better (at least to me) eaten with a dollop of those beans and cream. Across the way from us sat another couple who (it seemed to me,) didn't quite understand the concept of ordering multiple dishes to share. He had a sandwich with some salad and She was making her way through one whole order of plantains. But then again perhaps they did understand and she just wanted those plantains in the way I desired my own platter of golden fried squid... at the time it just didn't make sense to me and I couldn't fathom the concept of consuming that one dish.

Next to the plantains are the potatoes, which are usually exceptionally wonderful, golden and crisply perfect on the outside, fluffy-creamy hot on the inside, but today were just a tad... soggy. They're accompanied by a good chile aioli.

Another dish we enjoyed was the mussels, which comes in such a light, good-smelling saffron broth with tomatoes, garlic and onions that you can either slurp away at it like soup or sop it up with the slices of baguette provided in good, generous quantities.

And last, but not least came the warm Spinach salad (so the greens are slightly wilted), tossed with their special, tangy dressing and sprinkled throughout with bacon, shallots and mushrooms. Other dishes I enjoy but didn't order on this round: the chicken paillard -- grilled strips of chicken breast in a creamy dijon sauce, the sauteed mushrooms with sherry, garlic, and olive oil; and the Jamaican Jerk Chicken: baked with Scotch Bonnet peppers, raisins, garlic and tomatoes, a really spicy dish but so delicous and served atop fragrant white rice.

We were at CCC for brunch that day and before that, for an early 5ish dinner. Otherwise, I do not attempt to get there during regular dinner hours unless I've got 45 minutes or an hour to spare for waiting. They don't take reservations at the Haight St. location (Mission accepts them for parties of 8 or more, but with a 2-hour stay max) unfortunately... At least Amoeba Records is right next door, if you've got friends who don't mind waiting for you, or at least waiting in shifts.

411
2 locations:
Haight: 1801 Haight at Stanyan
Mission: 2327 Mission at 19th
website: http://www.cha3.com
parking is difficult at both locations and on the weekends, be prepared for long waits.

Destino

My dearest darling friends Nora & Brian chose Destino on Market at Valencia, for a belated birthday dinner on the 20th. Secrets are indeed hard to keep when dealing with large groups... I had initially thought it was a dinner between Snores, Brian & I, but by Friday night knew that the Capoeiristas had been invited as well. It was a funny little comedy of errors as a couple of people called me and wished me a happy birthday, or mentioned something about "your party on Sunday."

Destino is a great little spot on Market between Valencia & McCoppin. It's a small, longish narrow room with deep burnt-sienna red walls, gilt mirrors and fresh art on the walls. I unfortunately was a little too distracted to do justice to the restaurant with my camera, but I did get pictures of the food! Once again, Brian helped us out by ordering for the table -- Destino is known for its Latin fusion, offering a Mexican-inspired Ceviche here; a Columbian entree there. There were about 12 of us, and so we shared a series of small plates, ordering 2 of each, to split between the tables.
]]> Platos Pequenos

Ceviche: (Marinated Fish Salad) Ahi Tuna: Mexican Style with Avocado, Red Onion, Diced Mango, Achiote oil

Ceviche A la Peruana: Sea Bass, Red Onion, Aji Amarillo, Cilantro & Canchas (giant roasted corn kernels).

Arepas de Queso: Venezuelan Cornmeal Biscuits, filled with Fontina Cheese, Grilled Corn and Tomato Salsa (buttery, chewy, with a very nutty corn flavour.)

We ordered the two kinds of Empanadas offered: Pork Picadillo, Pimiento Stuffed Olives, and Cinammon Mojo; and Shredded Chicken, Queso Fresco, with Aji Huacatay Sauce.

This was my favourite dish, but it was ultra rich with all the butter & cheese: Conchitas a la Parmesana - Broiled Day Boat Scallops Blanketed with Garlic-Butter and Parmesan Cheese. We also ordered some yuca fries (pictured with the chicken plato grande). The sauce from the Conchitas made for yummy fry-dipping afterwards.

Pato del Caribe con Mofongo: Robust Blackened Duck Breast served over sweetened plantain puree, sauteed onions and Aji Amarillo. This unfortunately tasted a little off -- the duck had a startlingly sourish taste that was unexpected. I ate it with the plantain puree (thankfully not all that sweet or plantain-y tasting) and the flavours blended better.

The picture at the top of this post was of the Chile Relleno: poblano pepper filled with ground sirloin, sharp cheddar, chipotle salsa, guacamole & citrus creme fraiche.

Platos Grandes

Aji de Gallina: rich & creamy shredded Chicken mixed in Hot Pepper Cream Puree, served with Yuca Fries. This dish was not as "hot" as the description implies. Definitely more creamy than spicy, and the yuca fries were sooo terribly good -- something one can't stop eating.

Salmon Marinado en Panela: Caramelized King Salmon with Squash-Goat Cheese Puree, and Sauteed Spinach and Medjool Dates. "En Panela," is, from what I can gather via a quick Internet search, some kind of brown sugar molasses. This was another dish that didn't taste so good to me... I am not necessarily fond of a sweetish seafood dish.

N&B got me a delicous strawberry buttercream white cake, and that was what we had for dessert. The cakeage fee was $2. Finally, I need to plug their exceedingly tasty cocktails -- we were particularly enamoured of their caipirinhas (traditionally made of cachaca -- Brazilian Rum -- lime juice and sugar). They were wonderfully refreshing, more sour than sweet (the way I like my frou-frou drinks). I had 3; Looby had 4; the rest of the table had 4-5 more... Though they ran out of cachaca midway through our dinner, the ones made with vodka were just as tasty.

411
Destino
1815 Market St. (at Valencia)
Phone:(415) 552-4451
Hours: Dinner 5-11 p.m. Monday- Saturday. Full bar. OpenTable reservations
http://www.destinosf.com

Luna Park

Luna Park has always been one of my favourite restaurants, even before I discovered that my girl Sarah G. worked there. I'm particularly fond of stopping by at night, hanging out at the bar, and drinking the tastiest mojitos in the city. And, I've got a particular weakness for their tuna poke -- fresh as fresh raw tuna, marinated in sesame oil, mirin, a little soy, mixed up with some cucumber, tomatoes and macerated soft onion, and topped with black sesame seeds and chives. It's served alongside fried wonton chips, and I swear to god, I often don't feel like sharing... but I do, as I'm usually with a friend or two.

I was there with Davey Dave before New Year's, right before I purchased my new Canon 20D. I had asked to see his new home, his Canon EOS Rebel, and all his accountrements: lenses, extra battery, etc. In exchange for letting me pick his brain about cameras & accesories, I bought him dinner.

We had Tuna Poke, of course, although I am also quite fond of their warm goat-cheese fondue served with crisp green granny smith slices and grilled bread.
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Dave ordered the oven roasted sea bass with roasted broccoli rabe, garlic and chile flakes, and I opted for a standby: the breaded pork cutlet stuffed with mushrooms and gruyere, served with mashed potatoes, string beans and apple-cranberry sauce. It was rich and heavenly, but just the teeniest bit too greasy this time... (when I've had it in the past, it had been perfect).

For dessert we had tried-and-true creme brulee, served with some buttery shortbread cookies.

It's a lovely restaurant, with a rich warm interior of deep red walls, darkish wood tables and benches, and gorgeous Damon Soule pieces on the walls...

411
694 Valencia St, right at 18th
San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: (415) 553-8584
OpenTable reservations
www.lunaparksf.com

Studio at Montage

On the day after Christmas the family went to the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach for dinner at Studio, the resort's signature restaurant. It sits on a bluff and overlooks the ocean, and boasts 280-degree views from inside the restaurant. Unfortunately, we arrived at dusk, and only managed to catch the last few seconds of light as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. Inside, it was dim and dark and warm with earthy tones. The tablecloths were a golden mustard-brown, which made for better food photography, I happily noticed. White plates on white table linens + a flash often leads to very bright, overexposed shots.
]]> Dad decided to get the chefs's 5-course tasting menu while Mom, Marjorie & I opted for just appetiser, entree & dessert.

Our amuse bouche was a tiny epresso-cup of cream-of-cauliflower soup, served on this magnezied cup-and-saucer. The magnet lies in the middle of the saucer, and holds the cup with a decidedly firm grip, so much so that I pulled a little too softly, then a little too vigrously, and made a bit of a mild clatter as the saucer dropped a few millimeters back onto the serving plate.

Appetizers

Marjorie chose a lobster appetizer served with mandarin oranges, avocado and frisee.

Mom traditionally doesn't eat very much, but this time let Dad order her an appetizer so we could make the most of trying out the restaurant's offerings. She got a dish of Maine Diver Sea Scallops with spicy red cabbage ravioli, spanish chorizo and mustard greens. If you peek at the picture you'll see the miniscule amount of greens nestled beneath the scallop.

And I, I chose the Roasted La Belle Farms Foie Gras, served with crisp pork belly, cipollini onions and ni�oise olives, apple-anise honey.

My appetizer was magnificent. The foie was about 3.5 inches long and about 1.5 inches wide, and rich rich rich -- served over the sweet cipollinis and salty nicoise, with the occasional heartiness of tender-soft pork belly bits. I think I could have been satisfied with just that and perhaps a salad, but we had the main courses to go.

Dad had already had a salad of mixed greens with cranberries, pecans and goat cheese, and was now tucking into his gnocchi with truffles and mushrooms.

His third course was the dish pictured at the top of the post: a seared fish filet (I don't remember what kind) with pea tendrils, fava beans, pea puree and crabapples.

Main Courses

I chose the Loup de Mer with black trumpet mushrooms, a puree of english peas and slices of fingerling potatoes. From the get-go we noticed that the fish dishes were not so well done. Dad's was a little dry and tough and mine had a bit of fishiness that was only masked by eating each bite of fish with some of the puree and/or trumpet mushrooms.

Mom chose the Medallion of milk-fed Veal served with a cannelloni of osso buco and gremolata jelly, drizzled with red wine sauce.

Dad received a dish of duck breast served over polenta, spinach and mushrooms.

Marjorie chose the grilled tenderloin of vintage beef, with herb potato gnocchi, creamed mushrooms and spinach. She was in ecstacies -- saying that it was wonderfully tender and flavourful...

Desserts

Clockwise from the top left: chocolate fondant cake with creme fraiche ice cream and candied pistachios; creme brulee with biscotti and sugared fruit; our plate of cookies; some random chocolate dessert that was part of Dad's tasting menu. It was the only other off-note in an otherwise wonderful meal.

411
Studio @ Montage
30801 South Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
866.271.6953

Christmas, 2004

Alas, I've been neglectful of delectation. A concatenation of forces, like my other obsessions: photography, street art; a plethora of art shows; the madness at work; and training in full force with my capoeira group (M, W, F, Sat) and Loose Change (Tu/Th), have somehow conspired to keep me more than a little busy. Hence, the lack of posts.

So it's now been some 2+ weeks since Christmas, and it's now that I'm realising that I've got a bunch of holiday food happenings to commit for posterity.

A large package arrived on the afternoon of the 25th. When unwrapped, it looked like this:
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Yes -- a large lechon, or roasted pig, a classic Philippine party offering, not one for the light-hearted, or stomached, for that matter. I guess the parents found out about a place in Little Saigon that provided this invaluable service. We served it up, of course, with some Mang Tomas -- spicy and sweet versions. The last picture above is of Dad. He is, bar none, a Master Carver. I need to sit still for once and watch him do it. Slow, steady, with surgical precision...

Mom did not feel like cooking this year, so most of our holiday food ended up being take-out; or "catered," as the parents prefered to call it. We got a huge box of savoury pastry: BBQ pork (char siu) tarts, and curry chicken turnovers. That's my lil'sis making the presentation pretty.

In addition, Dad purloined a large, whole ham, which tasted ever so much better from the knowledge it was obtained illegally... Just kidding!

As usual, we got the pancit palabok and que-kiam/ kikiam, as well as a large deep-fried turkey, from the same place we ordered the lechon. It tasted like it had been marinated in 5-spice powder, the skin brown & delicious, with hints of anise.

The only home-made dishes were mine -- I was prevailed upon to do a vegetable dish, and so I whipped out the brussels sprouts, and made two apple pies lickety split. The easy recipe comes courtesy of Epicurious -- ready made pie crusts makes even baking super fast and easy. Oh, and I helped Mom toss the salad and made her a dressing. ;)

One more shot of the spread...

In addition to the apple pies Dad as usual had to provide some other desserts -- mini lemon cakes and tiramisus and fudgey-chocolatey things...

The holidays were wonderful this year. Each year I realise more and more how blessed I am with my amazing family.

Tomodachi Sushi & Diddy Riese: Los Angeles

The 23rd began at 8:30am, when I & my lil' sis left the house for our Los Angeles adventure. She had a brief audit to make in Torrance, then we planned to stop off at Westwood for some lunch before heading to see the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. Finally, we hoped to hit up either the Belmont Art Park or the Venice graffiti pit before meeting our parents for Cavalia in Santa Monica.

The audit, which was supposed to take an hour, lasted 2 and a half. We were ravenous by the time we reached Westwood, and ready for lunch. We didn't really know where to eat -- Marjorie had suggested Westwood since she had wanted to buy some cookies at Diddy Riese, world renown for selling fresh-baked cookies and quality ice cream at Depression-era prices. So walked around and chose Tomodachi sushi. We chose well. They have a fantastic menu with helpful and mouth-watering pictures and descriptions, and the food came out looking more or less like the pictures, and tasting even better.
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We started out with some edamame, and fresh nigiri: Marjorie is a fan of hamachi; I of sake, and so we ordered 2 sets of both. I made quick headway with the salmon before remembering to take out my camera.

We proceeded with two rolls: the Salmon Bomb roll in the background: Salmon, avocado, asparagus, green onion, sprinkled with tobiko. The roll in the foreground is the Mango and Tuna roll: Tuna, cucumber, avocado, mango and tuna.

Everything was absolutely fresh and delicious. The manager came up and starting chatting us up, asking us where we were from, he noted that he was familiar with most of his customers, who were regulars.

Our third roll was the Dynamite roll: a melange of assorted chopped fish cooked in a delicate mildly sweet brown sauce over california rolls. Absolutely tasty, but it was the one thing we couldn't finish since we were so stuffed.

We walked around Westwood a bit more, made some holiday purchases at Peet's before heading over to Diddy Riese. Perhaps it was because of the holidays, we didn't have to endure the infamous lines stretching out of the door ... or perhaps it was because I had taken a side detour into another shop that by the time I reached the ice-cream parlour, Marjorie was at the front and quickly asked me what I wanted.

I opted for a vanilla ice-cream and white-chocolate and macadamia-nut cookie sandwich and Marjorie chose a bright green Pistachio between M&M cookies.

The price you see on the sign is correct: $1 for an ice cream sandwich. I think Marjorie spent $6 for her 3 dozen cookies. While I was not blown away, the novelty of spending so little for such a dessert helped make the experience highly enjoyable. And I thoroughly enjoyed getting in some quality time with my lil'Sis.

We proceeded to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and it was everything I expected and more (see pictures here), but we didn't get to see much graffiti that day as soon after the Disney visit we had to get down to Santa Monica to meet our parents. All in all a hugely satisfying, full day.

411
Tomodachi Sushi
10975 Weyburn Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 824-8805

Diddy Riese
926 Broxton Ave, cross LeConte
Los Angeles, CA 90024-2802
Phone: (310) 208-0448

Seafood City

I haven't posted in forever and a day, but I'm back... Happy New Year to everyone!

In sleepy Orange County, there aren't many restaurants beyond your standard Norm's and Denny's that are open past 9 or 10pm on a weeknight. On the 22nd I arrived at the John Wayne airport from San Francisco around 10pm, waited about half an hour to get my luggage, and drove off with Dad to Seafood City in Westminster, near Little Saigon.

We arrived around 11pm, and headed into the brightly-lit restaurant. It's nondescript -- your average hole in the wall, with large fish tanks everywhere. Yes, they are known for their fresh fish, crab and lobster. Still more people arrived after we did, including a large group of ten young kids who looked fresh from their college finals.
]]> Dad ordered a lot, even though it was just the two of us. Around the holidays Mom cooks less, in anticipation of the big dinner to come. We rely on a lot of take-out to get us through the week until the big day on the 25th.

Hot-sour soup - a nice vegetarian version that on this night was a little too peppery for our taste. We had to let it cool to a comfortable lukewarm in order to fully enjoy it.

Salt-and-pepper fried pork chops - savory, delicious, but a tad too salty and best accompanied with white rice.

French-style beef served over lettuce. After the strong flavours of the soup and pork chops, the beef was nicely even, and just the slightest bit sweet, but laced with soft-but-still raw slices of onion. After a while, I had to pick some of the onion out to temper the bite they imparted to the dish.

And of course we had to order some greens -- here is your standard kang-kong, or ong-choy, stir-fried with garlic. This picture is only about half of the dish... I almost forgot to take it!

All in all, a nice place to have a late-night meal if you're not quite in the mood for American Diner-type food. They also make a fantastic salt-fish-and-(real) crab meat fried rice. We ordered that, too, to take home.

411
9253 Bolsa Ave., cross Newland
Westminster, CA 92683
(714)894-1986

Alma

I always need to remember -- when planning a party, and especially a dinner party with a largish number of people (anything over 3 or 4) -- to always set the start time at least 1/2 hour earlier than when you actually make the reservations. For Nora's birthday dinner on the 23rd of November, only 2 of us were on time; the rest trickled in anywhere from 15-30 minutes late. But the staff at Alma was exceptionally gracious and welcoming, and didn't complain once nor slight us in any way for our (technically speaking) rude tardiness.

Overall the experience was simply lovely -- fantastic food, a great, attentive staff, and warm surroundings. I'm definitely returning someday...
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Our amuse bouche: a small dollop of crab salad and cucumber atop a tortilla chip.

As usual, Brian took charge and ordered the table a series of appetisers to share. Clockwise from the topmost left:

Wild striped bass (ceviche) with mild green chilies & red onions, champagne-grapefruit marinade
Ceviche caliente- Crimson Snapper cured with Seville oranges, & quickly fried
Butternut squash & queso fresco empanadas with guajillo chile sofrito
Achiote roasted chicken tamale with tomato pico & cumin- lime crema fresca

Churrasco style pork chop, garlic-scallion potato mash, jicama cabbage slaw & smoked chili jus
Grilled ribeye steak with papas a la "pampa" & sungold-habanero hot sauce "on the side."

The pork chop and steak were exceptionally popular as main courses -- perhaps because there were slightly more guys than dolls at the table that evening...

For her dinner Julie ordered 2 of the same appetizers we had already ordered, and an additional dish of Quinoa & purple potato gratin with poblano cream and queso casero.

Dave C. came after night class and ordered a light dish of the "Almejas"- steamed clams with garlic, white wine, linqui�a sausage & roast gypsy peppers.

And I -- I ordered the Sonoma duck with camote fries, braised greens and Fuyu persimmon mole. Absolutely fabulous!

We ordered Nora an After Midnight Chocolate Cake, one of Citizen Cake's signature offerings. "Chocolate devil's food, Scharffen Berger dark and El Rey milk chocolate glazed with chocolate ganache. Finished with chocolate shards, straw and edible gold leaf." It was exceedingly beautiful, exceptionally rich and obscenely decadent. There's a $15 cakeage fee, however...

All in all, a wonderful evening. Go. Alma's fantastic.

411
1101 Valencia St., corner 22nd
Dinner: Tu-Th 530-1030pm; Fri-Sat 530-11pm;
closed Sunday & Monday
Phone: (415) 401-8959
Fax: (415) 401-8960
website: almacomida.com

Reid's Bread Pudding

This is my attempt at Reid's (of 'Ono Kine Grindz) yummy bread pudding, posted last week. Reid's recipe makes the pudding more custardy, but I wanted mine with a little more bread.
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I couldn't find any Portuguese sweet bread and so just picked up 2 kinds of rolls I found at my favourite Asian market. One package was labeled Quiapo brand Pan de Leche. Quiapo is a district in Manila that's dominated by a huge 16th-century church. In the church is a large statue of Jesus that is rumoured to be miraculous so that supplicants often approach the altar on their hands and knees. Quiapo is also a popular shopping district with a huge market and is the site of several colleges, a mosque, and other cultural landmarks. Just seeing the name on the label brought back waves of childhood nostalgia. The other bread I purchased was Vietnamese -- sweet dinner rolls from the Bui Phong Bakery. I thought the latter tasted better, but using two kinds of bread made for a pretty contrast in the casserole dish.

Because I used more bread I used 2 cans of evaporated milk (Reid's recipe calls for 2 cups), 6 eggs (vs. 4), 1 whole stick of butter (rather than 6 T) and 3/4 cup of sugar (1/2). I also played fast and loose with the vanilla, cinammon and nutmeg, and sprinkled the pudding liberally with raisins and chopped, toasted pecans.

It was perfect. Soft and slightly custardy, even a little silky, but with a little more substance and texture thanks to the raisins and nuts. This was a really easy and fun dish, Reid, thanks so much! I'm going to make this for my family when I visit them for the holidays in a couple of weeks.

Thanksgiving

I know Thanksgiving Day's long gone, but in keeping with my tradition of being a couple of weeks late with my postings on delectation, here's my little summary of the day, with selected pictures:

I always use a big holiday as an excuse to go all-out on mushrooms, and in this case, I was making recipes that called for an inordinate amount of the fungii -- this year I got no less than eight kinds: regular crimini (also called baby bellas, since they are small portabellas); tender shiitakes; regular umbrella-like portabellas; copper tops, rounded and burnished; golden chantrelles; oysters, pale and ethereal; rugged-looking hawks wings; and finally, some dried porcinis...

Among the dishes I planned to make: mushroom stuffing (rosemary bread, shittake, criminis, dried porcini) with accompanying gravy (mixed wild mushrooms, cream, marsala, thyme, sage), and a yukon-gold potato, gruyere and mixed wild mushroom gratin.
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My amazing roommate Bert not only made these two -- pumpkin topped with toffee and walnuts and mixed berry pie -- but she also threw together a latticed apple pie and a rich rich rich chocolate-orange bundt cake!

Brussels Sprouts, before and after... the pine nuts in the pie picture above gets sprinkled on the sprouts before serving.

One of these days I might try another recipe for Turkey, but for now, I still love Mom's, which she got taking cooking lessons from Ninoy Aquino's sister-in-law, Ma-ur, back in the Philippines. The trick is to inject the turkey liberally with a mixture of melted butter, honey, and soy sauce.

Ma-ur's recipes are Western with a Filipino bent -- she substitutes ingredients that are usually found in the States with those that are available in the Philippines. The stuffing reflects this:

Stuffing:

1 cup ground pork
1/2 cup Chinese ham
1 can Vienna sausage (mashed)
1/2 cup liver sausage (aka Braunschweiger, mashed)
1 can Chorizo de Bilbao (chopped fine)
4 T maggi seasoning
2 T Worcestershire
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/3 cup chopped raisins
7 cups white bread cubes

As I could not find the tinned Chorizo de Bilbao packed in lard that's sold in the Philippines, I used Portuguese linguica instead. I think it's rather funny that I now have to find substitutes for Filipino ingredients... On the other hand, readily available here is Maggi seasoning, another sauce from my childhood. There was a time when I was absolutely crazy over it, and used it in most everything I ate: over eggs, on rice, in spaghetti... Mum eventually stopped buying it since she feared I was consuming too much sodium.

Some shots of the rest of the dinner (note Nora's yamallow and pineapple souffle in the bottom right -- Philly traditions)... I was having a tussle with the camera, and more than a wee bit distracted, so I didn't end up taking that many inspiring shots. We also did not plan that well and there was definitely a surfeit of comestibles, but guess that too much is to be infinitely preferred over too little. The party was loads of fun, and we had a crazy mixture of "orphaned" friends and friends of friends who kept asking, "So, are you from the lindy scene or the capoeira school or the Philly crew or the hiphop group or....?"

Back in the Kitchen

Everytime I think I'm completely uninspired and don't know what to cook, all it takes is a quick surf to my favourite food blogs to make me think that the weekend can't come soon enough so I can start cooking again. Here are my favourites that I want to try (not sure if it'll be accomplished this weekend, but I'm going to attempt at least a couple...).

First since I want to try no less than three of his posted recipe are Reid/ Ono Kine Grindz's Bread Pudding, Kang Kong Blachan (Kang Kong with shrimp paste); and Portuguese Sopa de Feiojao
From Renee of Shiokadelicious - a lovely simple green bean omelette which reminds me a little of the oyster omelettes I used to eat when living in the Philippines.
From Stel of Baby Rambutan - Paksiw na lechong pabo: a sauce, usually served with lechon (roast pork) for leftover turkey!
Sassy at the Radical Chef recently tried out a recipe that seemed like a wesernized version of the filipino kare-kare: Potato, Beef and Peanut Pot.
Becks N Posh's Sam recently made a gorgeous kuchen from the French Laundry Cookbook
And clever Santos took a peek at a Williams-Sonoma brining mix to inspire her own soaking mixture for some lovely roasted citrus herby game hens...

Can't wait to fire up the ovens! After this past Thanksgiving, I didn't think I'd be cooking for a while, but now it seems like last weekend was just the beginning...

Mangarosa

Susan had optimistically made 1030pm reservations at the new Brazilian place in North Beach -- Mangarosa -- for about 15 of us who had performed at the San Francisco Hiphop Dance Festival 2 weeks ago. I say "optimistic" since the performance started at 8pm, and ended just a scant minute before 10pm. Dancers and Capoeristas* are all alike -- it's like herding cats to get us out of one venue to the next. Inertia, and the desire to socialize, will wreck the most assiduously-laid plans.

Most of us finally arrived around 11-1120pm, I think, and the proprietors were surprisingly forgiving and gracious. Perhaps it was because they were not that full at that hour. Perhaps it was because the owners have Brazilian backgrounds, as reported in the SFGate review. Whatever the reason, they treated us fairly well despite our lateness and our boisterous rowdiness (Capoeiristas with alcohol? Fugheddaboudit!).
]]> Susan instructed us to order only a few large plates and share a bunch of the smaller plates and appetizers. I think she had read the description of the steak rechaud (grilled steak, brazilian style, first picture above) -- served at the table with its own grill so you can finish cooking the meat to your desired doneness -- as applicable to all the main courses. The rechaud ($28) was indeed big enough for two. I was not that impressed, however. After countless BBQs with Brazilian Mestres (Capoeira Masters) manning the grill, after being used to the taste of steak, fresh off the coals, marinated in nothing but rock salt (the kind you use to make ice cream and de-ice your driveways), and served up with a drizzle of lime juice, this version definitely paled, flavourwise, in comparison. Most of the other main courses are suitable for one.

Many of us started out with the Caipirinhas -- a traditional brazilian drink that's usually made with nothing but cachaca (Brazilian sugar rum), sugar and a little lime juice. Susan tried to caution us, but we ended up ordering a bunch of appetizers: at midnight, we were all starving.

Appetizers

Pao de Queijo - I didn't get a picture of this one, but it's a cheese bread "served in the brazilian style." It was a small cluster of around 4-6 (?) small, doughy, cheesey bread-balls that were tasty enough, though someone grumbled at the $7 price for something you could buy on the streets of Sao Paolo for about a nickle.
Calamari - good calamari; but not the greatest. A little bland, but when one is starving, one is not that picky.
Marinated Ahi tuna - Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, italian sea salt and pickled red onion. I didn't get to try this dish, but Suzie sitting next to me pronounced it very tasty.
Filet mignon espetinho - "espeto" is skewer in portuguese and an espetinho is "little skewer." I think I liked the taste of the meat in this kebab better than the rechaud.
Scallops and ...?... - I can't remember the name of the cured meat that comes with this appetiser, but it was good. This was the tastiest selection by far...
Butternut Squash Soup - Sarah G. ordered this, and we all shared little sips -- 'twas a little too sweet for my liking. The breadstick was studded with little peppitas (sunflower seeds).

Entrees
For my "entree" I chose a series of small dishes -- the foie gras-topped brioche sprinkled with mango; the spinach salad with fried polenta squares and goat cheese; and two side dishes -- one of mixed, roasted root vegetables; the other of roasted or roasted mushrooms.

The foie was (imho) the best plate there -- it was ultra rich, served on top of crunchy brioche, with a heavenly sweetish sauce that carried hints of sourness -- perfect for the dish. Really yummy, and best taken in small increments or nibbles.

The spinach salad was very good as well, but it could have done with a little less dressing, and a bit more goat cheese and polenta squares. And I was not too fond of the roasted root vegetables (turnips, parsnips, carrots). If it hadn't been for Salsicha, Mr. human vacuum cleaner, it would have been the only dish left over.

The mushrooms, though, were quite good.

Other dishes included the sea bass with lemon, olives & mangos (Brian's pick). Just as the SFGate review indicates, it was a little dry and overcooked.

Salsicha ordered the grilled lamb chops dotted with pomegranate seed and served with roasted figs and a pomegranate juice-based sauce. I'd dub this the most delicious entree of the evening.

All in all, a good night out -- the bill for 15 came out to around $750 -- not bad, but for the price, and for a bunch of hungry Capoeiristas (many of whom don't have regular jobs, such is the life of a performer), we might have been better off trying the $35 all-you-eat Espetus Churrascaria on Market St.

411
Mangarosa ("Pink Mango")
1548 Stockton St.
(415) 956-3211
Open Table information

*a side note. I think I might have mentioned Capoeira, or Capoeiristas in the past on this blog, but have never really explained it. Capoeira is 400-year old Brazilian art form that combines elements of the martial arts, acrobatics, dance, and music. (Capoeiristas are those who practise the art.) Created by African slaves brought to the new world by the Portuguese, it was a fighting form disguised as a dance since slaves were prohibited from learning or possessing anything that could be construed as a means to self defence. I've been playing Capoeira for a little over 2 years now, having discovered it as a Hip-Hop dancer in the late 90s.

Piperade

Last Monday I had dinner with my girl Anna Marie, who was in town for a 3-day work-related training. I made reservations for an early dinner at Piperade -- 5:30pm (at that hour, they were not really necessary, but it helps me rack up Open Table points). We were the first ones there, and in essence "opened" the restaurant, though the hostess assured us that they still got the occasional complaint about not being open earlier...
]]> Piperade is on Battery St., between Union and Green, near the Levi Strauss Plaza along the Embarcadero. On a Monday night, the area is quiet, and street parking is relatively easy; weekends may be another story. The restaurant is beautiful, white linen on the tables, soft, diffuse but fairly bright lighting (a good thing for food photographers). I liked the rustic, seemingly rough-hewn community table in the middle of the restaurant.

As I was going to Capoeira class later on that evening, I tried to keep it light, and chose a shared appetiser.

We ordered from the tipia (small plates) to start, the Dungeness crab salad "txangurro" with mango and red pimento salsa (top picture): little golden phylo(?)-wrapped pockets of the most heavenly crab salad, the richness cut perfectly by the sour-sweet crunchiness of the salsa.

A-M ordered another tipia of huge jumbo scallops for her entree... I can't remember the description, so hopefully if she gets back from her business trip and gets around to reading this she can chime in with her account...

I chose from the list of Euskaldun -- daily Basque classics which on a Monday night means braised veal sweetbreads with Madeira. Out came a rather large bowl of the yummy stuff, slow-simmered and tender, not overpoweringly sweet, and dotted with carrots and bits of wilted but still-vibrant baby spinach. I didn't let myself finish and had to take about 1/3 home.

We could not resist dessert, and had to share at least one. These are the ravages of the warm apple tart which was, simply, absolutely, perfect.

411
Address: 1015 Battery St. Icehouse alley (btw. Union & Green and Sansome & Battery ),
near Levi Strauss Plaza along the Embarcadero
Hours: MON-FRI 11:30 am-10:30 pm; SAT 11:30 am-10:30 pm
Phone: (415) 391-2555
http://www.piperade.com
SFGate -- Reviews and links; Piperade has made the Chron's top 100 two years running

Quickest Lightest Meal, Ever!

This is something fast I threw together one evening -- I saw the recipe in a Martha Stewart Living magazine and it seemed so terribly easy and simple. You need about 1/2 a cabbage -- I used savoy snce I like the crinkly, ruffly leaves. Chop that up with the white and pale green parts of a leek, rinsed really well. Sautee the lot with some garlic and shallots if you have them, olive oil and a little butter, and a little chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove when the vegetables are sufficiently tender. While the greens are cooking, drizzle the scallops in some olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat up a heavy skillet with some more olive oil and cook the scallops for about 3 minutes on each side, or long enough so they gain that lovely golden crust. Serve atop the cabbage and leeks.