a n h - m i n h . c o m

On Saturday, we made good on our holiday gift coupon for my nieces. First, Jon and I took them to "Behind the Emerald Curtain," a behind-the-scenes look at "Wicked." The girls saw the show in London last year — lucky them! — and the older of the two is getting involved in drama department things in school. So we thought it would be the perfect outing. But we weren't really sure what to expect. Would there be 10 people? Or 100? Well, the usher said they were expecting 140 that morning. (Who knew it was so popular?) Here are a couple of the costumes that we got to see up close:

When you find out that some of the costumes weigh 20 pounds, it makes it that much more impressive that the performers can sing and dance and run around the way they do!

After "Behind the Emerald Curtain," we headed to The Slanted Door for lunch. Yum.

Although this dessert was described on the menu as "chocolate angel food cake," um, it's clearly a giant Ho Ho, right? And by the way, that peanut swirl ice cream was ridiculously good.

Posted at 08:21 AM | Link | Comments (1)

Yesterday, after a delicious lunch at Boulette's Larder, Grant introduced me to two neighboring Russian Hill spots: Loving Cup Cafe (which serves yummy rice pudding) and Homme (which, coincidentally, was written up in Daily Candy yesterday).

The latter was actually closed when we arrived, but as we were about to leave, owner Michelle Homme pulled up in a U-Haul. She had just come back from a buying trip in Southern California. Although the goods that were in the truck aren't on her 1st Dibs site yet, I already know I'm going to love them if her current inventory is any indication. Look at these arrow side tables!

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Since this blog serves as a reminder of things I did — as I get older, I can't rely on my memory as much! — I thought that in addition to the Year in Cities post, I'd write one about the best places I ate during 2009. Food-wise, it was a pretty phenomenal year. (This list is in no particular order.)

• Every meal we enjoyed in Italy. Seriously, I think I gained 10 pounds while there. For the first time in my life, I had pants that I couldn't zip up anymore.
• Alinea in Chicago is a total experience. I dined there once before, but this time, it was even more over-the-top, with Chef Grant Achatz coming out to create this crazy (in a good way) dessert on top of our table to end the meal. I could not have asked for a better birthday dinner.
• I've been going to The Slanted Door since its early days on Valencia Street. I know a lot of people complain that it's not authentic Vietnamese or it's way too pricey. But I don't care. I love this restaurant, and always enjoy a great meal and have a good time when I'm there.
• I read some awesome reviews about Cyrus, but this Healdsburg restaurant still surprised me with just how wonderful it was. Our anniversary dinner started with a caviar and champagne bar, and ended with a candy cart where we got to pick whatever we wanted. And whatever sweets you can't finish that night, you can take home in a little favor box.
• My sister and I first visited Yakitori Totto years ago and now, every time we travel to NYC together, we have to squeeze in a dinner there. (If you go, call ahead for a reservation; the wait can be long.)
• My mom was responsible for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve dinners this year, which she hasn't been for a loooong time, and both were delicious. She usually cooks the traditional holiday foods, as well as a few Vietnamese dishes that my siblings and I love.
• Macarons from Paulette in Hayes Valley.
• Cookies from Anthony's in the Mission.
• For Jon's parent's anniversary and his dad's birthday, the four of us ate at the chef's table at Marinus, the restaurant at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel. Eating in the kitchen and interacting with the chefs is always such a cool experience.
• The lobster rolls at Neptune Oyster in Boston. (Locally, I like Old Port Lobster Shack for lobster rolls.)
• Since our trip to Italy (it was my first time there), I often crave fresh, homemade pastas. Quince and flour + water are a couple of local places that have successfully satisfied this craving.
• Another fantastic spot for pasta: Oliveto in Oakland.
• I never visit Hilton Head Island, SC, without going to Captain Woody's at some point and ordering the hush puppies with honey-butter.
• Momofuku Milk Bar in Manhattan. (You can now order their cookies and Crack Pie online.)
• The Village Pub is, hands down, my favorite restaurant in the Peninsula.
• Hot Doug's in Chicago.
• Little Skillet, which is located in an alley in San Francisco and has no tables or chairs, serves up yummy chicken and waffles.
• Every year, Michael Bauer — the food editor at the SF Chronicle — hosts a party for his staff and freelance writers. Since he is now in charge of the Home&Garden section, as well as Food and Wine, I was able to attend last month's shindig. I am pretty sure I consumed about two dozen of those tasty pigs in a blanket. (It's sort of a dream of mine to be able to tag along during one of his visits to a restaurant. If I wasn't writing about home/design, I would love to review restaurants.)
• And then there was the French Laundry. What can I say that hasn't already been said about this place? It definitely lives up to the hype. (We recently received a copy of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook, and I may have to resolve that in 2010, we cook a meal from it.)

I'm not sure how I'll top this list in 2010, but I'm sure gonna try.

Posted at 10:47 AM | Link | Comments (4)

I did absolutely no cooking this Thanksgiving — not even re-heating of leftovers. Jon and I went to my parent's house last Thursday, and the following morning we hit the road. Destination: Yountville, where we accomplished the Thomas Keller trifecta.

That's right: Dinner at Bouchon on Friday, dinner at French Laundry on Saturday, and brunch at Ad Hoc on Sunday.

Mmmm. Lobster. Bacon. Truffles.

I am pretty sure I gained about 15 pounds this weekend. And I didn't get any holiday shopping done. Thank goodness for this Cyber Monday thing and all of the great discounts that go with it. (Did you hear that the Gap is offering 20% off all of their brands + free shipping today?)

Posted at 07:49 AM | Link | Comments (0)

During our wedding-planning years, Jon and I frequented Flax Art & Design for all sorts of stationery needs. We could never go there without first stopping in for breakfast at neighboring DeLessio Market.

On Saturday we went to Flax to look for gifts for my nephews and, of course, went to DeLessio. It had probably been at least a couple of years since we last ate there, so the chalkboard-covered walls were new to us.

I loved the old bright yellow and red interior, but thought the chalk drawings were pretty clever.

Posted at 07:51 AM | Link | Comments (4)

For our anniversary this year, Jon and I headed north, spending one night in Santa Rosa (Jon rode in Levi's GranFondo on Saturday) and two nights in Sausalito. The weekend's dining highlights — of course there had to be some dining highlights! — included Cyrus (that place is amazing) and Murray Circle (loved the "Elvis" dessert with pancetta ice cream).

We also made a trip to the Heath Ceramics factory yesterday. And today, I got another ceramics treat: Meeting Emily Brown of Emilia Ceramics. I am smitten with these lamp, which come in three colorways, and am trying to figure out where I can put one in my house:

 

Oh, my least favorite part of the weekend? Getting a parking ticket today in San Francisco. Boo.

Posted at 05:23 PM | Link | Comments (0)

Jon and I spent most of 2002 living in Oakland, directly across from the Rockridge BART station. Our bedroom window provided an awesome view of the Albertson's loading dock (it's now a Trader Joe's). The mice and termites eventually drove us out of the apartment. Still, we've maintained a soft spot for that neighborhood.

These days, we don't spend much time in the East Bay. But this weekend, we had a couple of great excuses to head over the San Mateo Bridge. Yesterday, we saw the matinee show of "American Idiot," which was a lot of fun. (The music is great, but there isn't much of an actual story.) Then we met up with my brother and his family for a delicious dinner at Wood Tavern.

Before dinner, Jon and I were strolling along College Avenue and happened upon Cupkates — a mobile cupcakery!

Yum. I hope the mobile food craze makes its way to the Peninsula soon. (So far, I've only seen taco trucks parked during lunchtime in front of the construction sites for several ridiculously large homes being built in Woodside.)

{Photo from the Cupkates website}

Posted at 07:37 AM | Link | Comments (2)

Pie on a stick = seriously awesome idea.

Instructions over at LuxiRare, via Shelterrific.

Posted at 02:15 PM | Link | Comments (3)

Last month, Jon and I went berry-picking at Webb Ranch in Portola Valley. We decided that it was something my six- and eight-year-old nephews would enjoy, too. So on Saturday morning, we got up bright and early to pick strawberries with them.

Although the strawberries were small, they were sweet and juicy. When we got back to our house, we made waffles and topped them with the morning's haul. Delicious!

Posted at 08:37 AM | Link | Comments (2)

Jon and I took a couple of days off work and spent a long weekend in Chicago. It was fantastic. Everywhere we went, Chicagoans seemed sad that it was so cold for July (mostly in the 60s), but we thought it was just perfect for walking around and enjoying the city.

We went to the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science & Industry (mainly for the Harry Potter exhibition), the building formerly known as Sears Tower (had to check out the new Ledge),* the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Institute (the new Modern Wing is so cool). But you know where we stood in line the longest? Hot Doug's. That's right. We waited 2.5 hours for hot dogs. But not just any hot dogs. I tried the foie gras and Sauternes duck sausage with truffle aioli, foie gras mousse and sel gris. AWESOME. I also had a few bites of the merguez lamb sausage with spicy harissa and goat cheese. Delicious. (The duck-fat fries were a bit of a disappointment. The ones at Spruce are way better.)

In other food news, we had the best dining experience on Saturday night at Alinea. And I do mean THE BEST. I've had the pleasure of eating at some amazing restaurants in the past — including at Alinea once before — but this weekend's meal was ridiculously good. Grant Achatz is a culinary genius. It's hard to describe this place; it's the kind of restaurant you just need to try for yourself. Photos in the restaurant are tricky without the flash, but here is the brilliant chef himself, assembling one of the 22 courses on our table:**

* The wait at Sears/Willis Tower would have rivaled Hot Doug's if we hadn't purchased the Fast Pass tickets ahead of time. Seriously, they were worth every penny. Otherwise, I think we would have been in line for 2-3 hours.

** Some of the 22 courses are just a single bite. And yes, I said on our table. We actually ate off the table; a silicone tablecloth was laid down before the chef prepared the big dessert course.

Posted at 08:17 AM | Link | Comments (5)

When we were in Italy in April, we took a cooking class in Tuscany. I was in charge of jotting down notes because, seriously, no one wanted me actually participating in the preparation of food that would eventually be our lunch. (I'm a terrible cook!) I also took a ton of photos because I knew I'd eventually put everything together in a Blurb cookbook.

Since the recipes are pretty simple — I love that about Italian meals — the book has way more photos than text. Which I think actually makes it an even better memento from our trip. (My nephews were super cute in the kitchen.)

Posted at 08:51 PM | Link | Comments (4)

A couple of years ago, we spent our anniversary in Napa and dined at Ad Hoc, Thomas Keller's casual eatery in Yountville. The experience was a bit mixed. For example, Jon wanted a vegetarian meal and the server basically harassed him with enough questions that he finally gave up and agreed to that evening's poultry entree. And we waited a ridiculous amount of time for our food — which didn't seem to make sense since the restaurant prepares the same meal for everyone.

Anyway! Despite that not-so-stellar experience, I've been wanting to go back for the fried chicken. Now, we may not have to: Williams-Sonoma carries an Ad Hoc Fried Chicken Kit! And a selection of dressings as well.

The Chronicle food staff tested the Ad Hoc products; you can read their review here. Even though I've been freelancing for the paper for a few years now, I've actually only visited the office twice. But I would have loved to have been there the day they were trying out the fried chicken mix!

Posted at 10:26 AM | Link | Comments (0)

I used to keep a separate food-related blog, but have been neglecting it for a while now. So from time to time, I like to post here about local restaurants.

One of the things that I've long thought was missing from the mid-Peninsula was a really good bakery. So whenever Jon and I were in charge of dessert for a family dinner, we would usually drive up to San Francisco to pick up sweets. But with the recent additions to Palo Alto's Town & Country, that has changed.

Last weekend, we picked up mini-cupcakes from Kara's, cookies from Mayfield Bakery, and a few more treats from Calafia. They were a hit, so now we can save ourselves the trip to SF for desserts! (Although I admit that Tartine is worth the drive up 280.)

We also recently checked out Madera restaurant in Menlo Park, which opened about two months ago. We totally enjoyed our meal; dessert was my favorite course. We ordered the beignets and strawberry-rhubarb cobbler off of the restaurant menu. And we couldn't resist the caramel popcorn — with salted almonds, macadamia nuts and cashews — from the lounge menu. We'll definitely be back. Next time, we may just hang out in the bar area with a bowl of popcorn (served in pretty Heath ceramics!).

Posted at 11:03 AM | Link | Comments (4)

After reading Abbey's post about framing Gourmet covers in her kitchen, I went over to the magazine's website to see if they sell back issues. I got all distracted and hungry because I saw this:

Look at that glorious plate of chicken and waffles! It turns out, the restaurant featured in the Gourmet write-up is right here in the Bay Area! It's Brown Sugar Kitchen in West Oakland.

I want to go to there.

Posted at 09:56 AM | Link | Comments (6)

Living in the Bay Area, you get spoiled on so many fronts. Like eating out. There are so many excellent restaurants serving all sorts of cuisines, no matter what your budget or what ambiance you're after. This weekend, we enjoyed two exceptional dinners (both were a bit of a splurge):

• On Friday night, we met up with friends for dinner at Quince. It was our first time there and, hopefully, it will not be our last. I thought the pastas were especially good; they gave me flashbacks of our recent trip to Italy. My lamb dish — the meat was served four ways — was another standout. Given all that we had to celebrate that evening, and the company we were in, it was about as perfect an evening as you could ask for.
• The next night, we went south to Los Gatos to Manresa. We dined there a few years ago and, during that visit, opted for a three-course dinner. This time, I wanted the full David Kinch experience, so we ordered the Tasting Menu. With the exception of the chicken (which apparently was a new dish they were trying out) and the salad (I'm just not much of a salad eater), I thought all 8+ courses were divine. After our four-hour meal, we were offered a tour of the kitchen and then sent home with sea-salt caramels (which were great with coffee the next morning).

Driving home from Manresa, I commented to Jon that it would be hard to follow up these two dinners. What would we do on Sunday? He ended up making a stop at the Dutch Goose last night and picked up some food. Sure, Quince and Manresa were awesome, but those spicy deviled eggs from the Goose are hard to beat.

Posted at 08:59 AM | Link | Comments (0)

I was doing my regular clean-up of my Photo folders and came across this picture I took of the coffee set-up in chef Tyler Florence's kitchen:

We've got enough counter space in our kitchen to do something similar. In addition to an espresso machine, we've got a pod coffeemaker (good for houseguests to use) and hot-chocolate maker (possibly my favorite kitchen appliance) to add to our at-home coffee bar. But I have a feeling Jon's going to deem this idea too cluttered.

Posted at 01:33 PM | Link | Comments (7)

Every year, the SF Chronicle comes out with its list of Top 100 restaurants. And every year, I am so sad to see how few eateries in the Peninsula and South Bay make the cut. So, in case anyone reading this blog lives in the (650), I decided to put together a list of my favorite restaurants around here. Keep in mind, I'm no food expert; these are just places that I happen to love because of the food, service and ambiance.

Continue reading "Peninsula Restaurant Picks" »

Posted at 02:47 PM | Link | Comments (6)

Shooot. I was just in Hayes Valley on Thursday and did not realize that Paulette Macarons opened just a week prior.

On my list to try: caramel, Colombian coffee, Sicilian pistachio and Jasmine tea. (For those outside of the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, Paulette has an online shop.)

Posted at 12:00 PM | Link | Comments (12)

With the Lunar New Year celebrations underway, the SF Chronicle's Food section has published a guide to dim sum.

The photos are making me very very hungry.

Posted at 09:29 AM | Link | Comments (1)

During the Thanksgiving weekend, I picked up some dark chocolate-covered Rice Crispies and Candied Macadamia Nuts at Jin Patisserie. They were both so good, I have been craving them all week. Given my limited culinary skills, I could only figure out how to easily replicate the Crispies. So while at the store last night, I picked up a bar of Scharffen Berger dark chocolate and a box of Rice Krispies. Within half of an hour, I had several dozen of my own little crispies chilling in the fridge. Yum.

(They're so easy to make, you don't really need a recipe, but Cooks.com has one.)

Posted at 08:26 AM | Link | Comments (0)

I met up with Christiana yesterday for brunch and shopping. Things worth noting from our outing:

• The "Pop Tarts" at Foreign Cinema = seriously good. And the slow-cooked brown-sugar smoked bacon is just as awesome as it sounds.
• One of my favorite shirts is the Emma button-down from Sunhee Moon. It fits me perfectly (must be the touch of lycra!) and is so easy to wear (meaning, I can pair it with practically anything, from casual to dressy). So I was thrilled to see that they are on sale right now. Since the style will be retired — at least temporarily — I *had* to pick up a few in different colors.

The rest of my weekend was spent watching the Olympics, unpacking more boxes, hanging out with Jon and his college friends, and removing the last few pieces of furniture from our old house (okay, Jon actually handled this task).

After stressing for weeks about the sale of our house, it turned out, there was no reason to be concerned. The house hit the market on a Friday and by the following Wednesday, we had a deal. As expected, the realization that the old house — which was our first, the house we purchased just one month after getting married — is not really ours anymore was a bit emotional.

Posted at 03:23 PM | Link | Comments (3)

When it comes to sushi, Hotaru's spicy tuna rolls are at the top of my list. But coming in second might be newcomer Domo's jalapeno hamachi roll.

Yesterday marked my first visit to the Hayes Valley sushi restaurant, but I have a feeling there will be many repeat visits.

Posted at 08:36 AM | Link

At the bookstore last night, I spied this neat kit:

"Pretty Pantry Gifts" includes recipes, cellophane bags, fabric jar toppers, gift tags and other supplies needed to assemble your own batch of homemade jams and sauces.

P.S. The Chronicle ran a great article in last week's Food section about the "fresh wave of home canners."

Posted at 07:37 AM | Link

It's no secret that I don't really cook or bake much. But one of the few things I like making in the kitchen is granola — specifically, Alton Brown's granola. (I have Kim-Anh to thank for bringing this recipe to my attention.) I usually omit the coconuts and substitute the raisins with dried cranberries. Delicious.

P.S. That's the Heath "Coupe" dessert bowl in Persimmon/French Grey. It's the perfect size for snacks, as well as desserts.

Posted at 08:29 AM | Link

Two more reasons to love living in the Peninsula:

• I just overhead someone at Beard Papa mention that Pinkberry is opening its first Northern California location. At Stanford Shopping Center. It probably won't displace Fraiche as my favorite, but I'm looking forward to this opening anyway.
• Sprinkles (!!!) is also opening at Stanford. This summer.

I gave up on the whole personal trainer thing. But with Sprinkles opening soon, I may have to get back on that.

Posted at 01:32 PM | Link

Make that: the Girl Scout Cookies. The Tagalongs were once my absolute favorites, especially frozen. But they have now been replaced by the Lemon Chalet Cremes. They are best eaten as follows: Separate the sandwich-style cookie (like you would an Oreo) and eat only the biscuit that is topped with the yummy lemon creme.

The other biscuit, now lacking any creme? In our house, that goes to Jon. Because this is how a partnership works, people.

Posted at 08:15 AM | Link

If Jon would allow us to, we would be eating out seven nights a week. I'm just not one of those people who finds cooking to be enjoyable, relaxing, cathartic, etc. I have tried and tried, but it just feels like work to me. And I already do enough of that during the daytime.

So any weekend that involves good meals out = a good weekend to me. Some of the highlights from the past 2-3 days:

• Post-dinner yogurt at Fraiche on Friday and Saturday. No, I'm not addicted. But close.
• A gigantic bowl of Vietnamese porridge for breakfast on Saturday from Out the Door. It had been ages since I'd last enjoyed this classic comfort food. (My mom used to make it a lot when we were growing up.)
• Donuts and a Dutch pancake from Citizen Cake just a few hours later.
• Saturday night dinner at a new-to-us restaurant: Mantra.
• I was jonesing for some of their spicy deviled eggs, so we went to the Dutch Goose last night.

As if all of the above yumminess wasn't enough, we also snacked on all sorts of Miette treats throughout the weekend.

Yes, it's a good thing we're both seeing a personal trainer these days.

Posted at 07:28 AM | Link

• Friday night, I dragged Jon up to SF for a delicious dinner at Farina. The sweet fried milk dessert that I love so much was not on the menu. But what's that they say about asking and receiving? Our server checked with the pastry chef and they whipped up a plate just like that. After dinner, I checked out the Something's Hiding in Here show opening at Rare Device. (Of course, I couldn't walk away empty-handed: I picked up a music box and a plaster heart.)
• On Saturday morning, I had my first official work-out with the personal trainer. And I am happy to report that, nearly 48 hours later, there is no soreness. But I guess that means the next work-out will be a little tougher. Jon rewarded me with a yummy lunch at Chris's Fish & Chips afterwards. (The trainer said I could eat whatever I want as long as I continue to see him.) That night, since Jon was craving a good burger, we went to one of my favorite restaurants: The Village Pub. Usually, I have a hard time resisting their beignets and chocolate soufflé. But we decided to try the apple crisp and carmelized banana/chocolate tart on Saturday night. Both were SO GOOD. I also liked the little Staub mini-dish that the crisp was served in.
• Sunday morning, we started the day with a trip to Fraiche for some fresh yogurt (I like the frozen better) and Blue Bottle coffee. Yum. Then we tried not to eat much the rest of the morning/afternoon, in preparation for a Super Bowl gathering at my sister's house. The fourth quarter of the game? Daaaamn. I love watching that Manning escape/Tyree over-the-head catch — and I must've at least two dozen times last night in the post-game wrap-up shows. (Jon is from NY, so we were rooting for the Giants. Besides, doesn't everyone love an underdog?) I wasn't that impressed with the Super Bowl ads though. There were only a handful that I thought were clever or funny.

And now I've got a case of the Mondays.

Posted at 07:40 AM | Link

How did it get to be so long since our last visit to this place? So long, that since Jon and I last dined at the Redwood City location, they've opened up two more establishments — one in San Francisco (North Beach), the other in Napa. Now, no matter where you live in the Bay Area, there's no excuse not to try this place! Jon eats here even though he doesn't usually eat shellfish (let alone shellfish in a strip mall restaurant).

We went last night and the Lobster Rolls are just as good as we remembered. We ordered way too much food, but everything was so tasty ... the fish'n'chips, the New England clam chowder, the fried oysters, the blueberry pie ... Okay, we had to order the dessert to go.

And I have to say, it tickles me to see the little ol' review from my deeply neglected food blog on their "Reviews" page.

Posted at 07:48 AM | Link

This weekend, we visited two new-to-us restaurants:

• jZCool Eatery and Wine Bar, Menlo Park
Jon and I are big fans of Jesse Ziff Cool's Flea St. Cafe. So when we heard that she had revamped her downtown MP outpost, we had to check it out. The food was delicious, especially the blood orange angel food cake. I thought the jazz band was good, but could do without the live music. In such a small space, it was super-loud and made any dinner conversation a real struggle. So we'll definitely return, but not on a Wed-Friday night.

• Pizzeria Picco, Larkspur
Really yummy Neapolitan-style pizza. We shared one at the restaurant ("Seven") and took home several flash-frozen ones as well. Kinda cool that most of the pizzas are named after cycling companies. There's not much indoor seating — less than a dozen — but thankfully, there are tables and heat lamps outside. Be sure to leave room for the soft-serve! Jon loved the texture, but could do without the olive oil and sea salt toppings that I ordered. I thought it was tasty, but probably don't need to try that again. They also have more traditional toppings, like hot fudge and caramel.

Posted at 08:01 AM | Link

So last month, while in NYC, my sister and I ate at a couple of restaurants we know and love. We also made it a point to try two new-to-us places: Billy's Bakery and Pinkberry. The latter has amassed quite a following all over NY and Southern California. But for some reason, there are no locations in Northern California. Thankfully though, we have Fraiche. (Or at least Palo Alto does.)

We popped in last night after dinner at La Bodeguita del Medio (which is awesome, by the way) so I could do a comparison between Fraiche and Pinkberry. I even ordered the same toppings: diced strawberries and mangoes. The verdict: I prefer Fraiche because it's not quite as tart as Pinkberry. Plus Fraiche carries Blue Bottle Coffee — extra points for that.

Posted at 04:42 PM | Link

Wow. Those ladies at Rare Device sure know how to throw a party! It was so fun and so crowded, I did not take a single photo. (Sorry!) I seriously don't know if I could even reach into my purse for my camera. I certainly would have only gotten a shot of the back of someone's head. The room was packed, I tell you. I'm pleased I finally got to meet so many people whose names and writing I've become so familiar with on the Internet. And I'm looking forward to many return trips to RD so I can fully appreciate the great artwork and merchandise that Lisa and Rena have assembled. (There's one Kelly Lynn Jones piece in particular that I can't get out of my mind!)

So how do you follow up a super party like that? Head over to Farina for dinner. Evo, my dining companion, mentioned that the restaurant had undergone a $5 million renovation. Insane, right? It is quite a cool space though (used to be Anna's Danish Cookies). And I love the penny-round tiles in the bathroom. In addition to spending a bit of time checking out all of the details in the space, we did enjoy a wonderful meal. The highlight was dessert. Not that the other two courses weren't tasty. It's just that the desserts were divine: Sweet. Milk. Fritters. They were sooo good. And the panna cotta with strawberry coulis ... mmmm.

P.S. Last night, in addition to picking up some items at Rare Device, I made a quick shopping trip to The Curiosity Shoppe. This weekend, I'll try to photograph some of my new goodies so I can share (not all of it is on the stores' web sites yet).

Posted at 08:03 AM | Link

Photographer Melanie Dunea has a new book out called My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals. What a cool idea! So cool, I thought I'd open this one up to comments.

Tell me, please — what would you order for your last meal?

I think I'd opt for the tomato soup with puff pastry from Bistro Jeanty, followed by Ladurée macarons in every possible flavor.

Posted at 02:44 PM | Link | Comments (5)

Today's Oregonian includes an article about the Ladies Pie Society at Reed College:

Bakers navigate an obstacle course of 50-pound flour and sugar bags, industrial-sized tubs of Crisco and half-empty beer bottles. Six pumpkin pies waft autumn into this Southeast Portland home; seven peach-apricots wait their turn. A couple of dozen young adults chat about summer internships and reminisce about holiday cooking adventures, over the thump of hip-hop from the stereo.

This evening seems to be another success for the Ladies Pie Society, a wacky philanthropy of twentysomethings who give away pie — just because.

What a cool idea. You can read the rest of the story right here.

Posted at 06:16 PM | Link

Of food blogs with lovely photography: Athena has started documenting her meals! Check out Athena Eats for pretty pictures like these:

Oh, and she also includes recipes. Nice.

Posted at 09:51 AM | Link

I know I've mentioned the SBB before, but I just need to say: I am so envious of people who can style and snap such wonderful photos. I am a horrible photographer. Seriously bad.

The only problem with clicking over to SBB every morning is that it makes me wish I was at home cooking up a yummy breakfast like this:

Image: Tuesday's post on the Simply Breakfast Blog

Posted at 09:20 AM | Link

Today's "Between Meals" post covers a topic that is dear to me: french fries. Check out Chron Food Editor Michael Bauer's top picks in the Bay Area:

Best thick fries: Nopa, which also uses the Kennebec potatoes and make the best thick-cut fries I've tasted.

Best flavored fries: The Parmesan truffle fries at Bungalow 44 in Mill Valley.

Best fries with non-traditional accompaniments: Cortez,where the stellar fries are accompanied by both harissa and a za'atar spiced aioli.

Best fries with "everything": The thin fries at Absinthe stacked in a cone and served with aioli, mustard, malt vinegar and ketchup.

Best double-wide fries:The thin ribbons served at Cesar in Berkeley.

Best "mussel" fries with mussels: Plouf's version can't be beat, with or without the shelfish.

Best duck fat fries: Boca in Novato.

I don't like thick-cut fries and haven't tried the restaurants in Marin County, but I totally agree with his other assessments. If there was just a plain ol' "best fries" category, I would go with Absinthe.

Posted at 08:11 AM | Link

Any guesses as to which hip dining establishment is shown below?

This is the McDonald's just off Pushkin Square in Moscow. I'm slightly embarassed to admit that our first meal in Russia was here. But isn't it THE nicest McDonald's you've ever laid eyes on?

Let me back up a bit and explain: Our flight landed in Moscow at 6pm and we had 8:30 reservations that evening at a perfectly good restaurant (Turandot). We took our position in one of the half dozen or so passport lines and were fairly confident we'd be able to get out of the airport, check into our hotel, change our attire, and walk from the hotel to the restaurant in 2.5 hours.

We were wrong. The passport control area became insanely busy as more flights arrived. And what did the powers that be decide to do? SHUT DOWN two lines. Seriously. "Welcome to Russia!" people joked. But no one was laughing. Especially those poor people who were in the two lines that were suddenly closed. And yes, two of those poor people were named Jon and Anh-Minh.

Two hours into the experience, we finally got to The Booth. The lady in The Booth seemed to have a problem with my passport, as she motioned for me to step back and wait. And that was all the information I was given for the next 20 minutes. (At least Jon got through without incident and was able to secure our luggage.) My mystery situation was eventually resolved, so we went off to meet our car service. Which was no where to be found. One story was that the driver went to the car to get something and would be back soon. Another story was that he gave up on us and left and was stuck in traffic and wasn't sure how long it would take for him to return. We finally connected with him (after $40 worth of cell phone calls!) around 9pm.

Which meant that 8:30 dinner wasn't happening.

By the time we checked in and the hotel did whatever 30-minute thing they needed to do with our passports, we were starving. In the car ride between the airport and hotel, we had spotted a McDonald's. And we knew for sure that, no matter what language the person behind the counter spoke, s/he would understand a few magical words: Happy Meal. Big Mac.

So at 11pm, we walked into the very crowded McDonald's and had ourselves a good ol' American fast food meal.

Welcome to Russia!

P.S. In the photo above, there are no lines at the registers because this is one of two register areas in this McDonald's. The other set of registers was packed, even though the restaurant was closing at 11:30pm.

Posted at 09:03 PM | Link

Roast chicken flavored chips. Or flame-grilled steak chips. Is that something you might be interested in? (These were found in a St. Andrew's-area grocery store.)

In Bucharest, apparently they prefer their chips to taste like original bacon or paprika. (The latter, by the way, are like a mild-flavored BBQ.)

Speaking of flavors! Check out my $20 worth of Ladurée macaroons: salted butter caramel, raspberry, vanilla, chocolate, rose petal, icy mint, pistachio and lemon.

And here's me with the "twin scoops" of ice cream mentioned in my previous post:

Posted at 09:23 PM | Link

I love perusing Trader Joe's snack aisles. Recently, I came across the dried versions of two fruits that I'm more accustomed to seeing in the Asian supermarkets: lychee and dragonfruit.

The Verdict: The dragonfruit is disgusting. Like, spit-it-out-right-away and wash-it-down-with-eight-ounces-of-water disgusting. The lychee, however, is delicious. Sweet, delicate and fragant, it's such a nice snack to dig into when I get home from work. Of course, it's not as refreshing as fresh lychees, but pair a handful with a pot of tea, and I'm good.

Posted at 02:17 PM | Link

Amai Bakery — makers of the delicious Tea Sweets that I cannot get enough of — is now offering Botanical Brownies! And, as of last week, you can buy directly from Amai's web site, instead of tracking down their goods through various other outlets (as I have been known to do).

I'm also looking forward to the Champagne Brownies being available again this December, as I missed out on those last year.

Posted at 10:30 AM | Link

I do not like the smell of rain, nor do I enjoy driving on slick roads. But I do like that rain makes for perfect tea weather. And one of my favorite souvenirs from last fall's trip to Tokyo is this insert tea strainer:

Posted at 02:42 PM | Link

Meg and I met up for brunch yesterday at Citizen Cake, and now I can't get their creamy polenta off of my mind! It was served hot in a bowl — topped with melted white cheddar, a soft egg yolk, and scallions. Three crispy strips of bacon were on the side.

Now I'm thinkin' I need to get myself an egg separator so I can start replicating this dish at home. I like this Typhoon one, but it's currently out of stock. Shooot!

Posted at 04:18 PM | Link