The Asian Culinary Forum is hosting a panel discussion with a group of celebrated San Francisco chefs. They'll share how they developed their signature styles and how their personal and professional experiences have shaped their vision of Asian cuisine. Learn about Asian flavors and how local chefs successfully challenge public expectations.

The panelists are:
Kelly Degala, executive chef, Pres a Vi and Va de Vis
Eric Gower, personal chef and author Breakaway Cook
Michelle Mah, formerly executive chef, Ponzu
Kirti Pant, executive chef, Junnoon
Charles Phan, executive chef, Slanted Door Slanted Door
Linda Carucci (moderator), chef director, International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California -- San Francisco

What: Are You What You Cook Panel discussion and wine reception. Slanted Door and Va de Vi will provide a light buffet of savory appetizers. Elaine Villamin, Eden Canyon Vineyards’ owner and winemaker, will be pouring tastes of her family’s fine Cabernet blend. Cookbooks written by the chefs will be available for purchase on-site from Book Passage, and the chefs will be happy to sign copies following the evening’s discussion.
Where: One Ferry Building, 2nd Floor, San Francisco
When: 6:00pm-8:30pm, Monday, July 21, 2008
How: $35 general admission, $25 restaurant trade or full-time student (with ID) Register to attend.
Why: What's particularly compelling about the panel is the amazing diversity of their backgrounds and styles of cooking. For example, consider Eric Gower, a chef we interviewed on Bay Area Bites last year. We also reviewed his latest book, the Breakaway Cook. His experience living in Japan and curiosity about Asian ingredients have inspired a unique perspective and cuisine.

Here's an example of his style of cooking. This recipe comes from The Breakaway Cook and is perfect for Summer.

Moroccan Morokyu

2 (or more) fresh cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and sliced into spears about 3 inces long and 1/2 inch thick
1 Tablespoon yellow miso
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

Arrange the cucumber spears on a plate. Mix together the miso and pomegranate molasses in a small bowl and place the bowl on the plate to serve.

No matter where you are in the nation, summertime is the perfect time to consider eating more locally grown food. It's good for your local economy, good for the environment, and good for your families. Besides all of that, it tastes great.

When I began the Eat Local Challenge in 2005, it never occurred to me that it would become such a part of today's conversation. At that point, it was just a few of us around the country banging the drum for the importance of supporting local farmers and artisans.

Then came the influx: the eat local movement has been discussed in virtually every major newspaper and magazine and continues to be a top discussion nationwide. I never thought I'd see Wal*Mart saying "buying local can be a great thing for the planet." While the proof will need to be in the pudding before I start shopping at Wal*Mart, it's still a very interesting and exciting feeling when large corporations start talking about eating locally.

If you're interested in brushing up on your eat local news, the New York Times has published an on-line, comprehensive guide which has an archive of all NY Times articles and links to many eat local discussions.

If you'd like to watch an Eat Local Challenge take place in a practical manner, the One Local Summer challenge is occurring as we speak. One Local Summer challenges folks around the nation to cook, and write about, one entirely local meal each week through the summer. It's been a joy to read along as people from all reaches of the country report about their local meals.

Each year, the Eat Local Challenge website hosts a month-long challenge which asks people to consider eating locally grown food for the month. The challenge can be what you make it -- either eating entirely local food, or just committing to shopping at a farmers market each week, or having a party with all local food at some point during the month.

For the first time publicly, I'd like to announce that this year's Eat Local Challenge will be in the month of October, and we are joining together with several local groups to bring you some interesting events and exciting on-line challenges during that month. I'm more excited for the Eat Local Challenge this year than any of the previous three years, and hope that you'll keep an eye on the Eat Local Challenge website in the upcoming months to find out how you can participate.

What does an energetic, intrepid cook do with her anger about an unfair world? Just ask Colleen Hubbard later this week…over a slice of her pie.

On Sunday, July 13, Colleen and her friend, David Pistrang, will be serving up dish after dish of their favorite homey dessert at the Women's Building. It's a Pie Social, their grassroots and very delicious way to raise money for Equality California's fight against the November ballot initiative that would nullify gay marriage. Conservative groups have already rallied and pumped money into their coffers.

As Colleen and David's Facebook invitation says: "Whether you're gay, straight or only have love for your cats, we can all say "Boo!" to that." So they're pushing back their sleeves, reaching for their rolling pins, and preparing for a long weekend -- of baking.

Bringing together like-minded folks over sweets and coffee, chatting up the politics in a neighborly way (no speechifying, she promises), promoting tolerance, and reviving the art of flaky crust are all part of Colleen's vision of community. It's not a surprising combination coming from a small-town girl transplanted to San Francisco.

As for the stars of the party, the pies themselves, Colleen and David will receive fruit donated from local farmers market vendors. Strawberry and stone fruits are good bets for the line-up. They'll be baking them up at La Cocina's incubator kitchen, where Colleen works regularly as a volunteer.

A Midwesterner raised by pie-lovers, I couldn't resist asking her about her philosophy of crust. Although she appreciates the power of lard, she prefers an all-butter crust for both flavor and wider enjoyment. I'm a part-lard gal myself but certainly can't argue with the powers of deliciousness and friendliness.

We both agree, however, that making pie is nowhere near as difficult or scary as many think. Other lost arts -- such as putting up jam -- are also on Colleen's revival list. You can read about her seasonal jam-making sessions at Delights and Prejudices. Stop by the Pie Social to meet Colleen and to ask her yourself about the art and politics of pie.

PIE SOCIAL
Sunday, July 13, 2008
1:30 - 3:30 pm
Suggested donation: $20 - $50 (to benefit Equality California)

The Women's Building, Audre Lorde Room
3543 18th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Google Map

In celebration of our most patriotic holiday, I am declaring my own independence from what I consider one of the most irritating sites on the internet-- Yelp.com. Even the name causes me to chafe.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word "yelp" means:

1. Noun: a sharp shrill bark or cry (as of a tog or turkey); (see) also squeal.

2. Intransitive verb: To utter a sharp quick shrill cry.

At least. they've given themselves an accurate name.

Perhaps it is my own, personal distaste for democracy, especially in terms of voting for, say, restaurants (think Zagat), pop singers (think American Idol), or even presidents (think about whomever you wish) that makes me dislike sites such as Yelp. Before your underwear gets anymore bunched in places, I am hardly un-American. I am a firm believer in our particular form of government, which happens to be republican, rather than democratic. And before your y-fronts become irretrievably lodged, I am referring to systems of government, not political parties. For the sake of argument today, I shall limit my discussion to restaurant commentary.

It seems that anyone with access to a computer today can write a restaurant review, myself included. But is everyone's opinion worth reading, let alone writing? That is certainly debatable. I for one, don't think so.

Call me a snob. Call me an elitist pig. I've been called much worse.

Of course, I believe that everyone is certainly entitled to his or her opinion, but many opinions expressed on sites like Yelp are neither well-informed nor, as is more often the case, well-written.

For example, I've chosen three reviews of Brenda's French Soul Food on Polk Street, which has, as of this posting, 338 Yelp reviews. This is from a four yelp star rated piece:

"I enjoyed this place a lot. We found parking right on Vaness. Our wait was about 20 minutes. We arrived at 11am I think. It will seat about 20 people-30people. I did not see Brenda though."

"My first time eating beignets -- I did not know it came in threes, I should of ordered one of each. We got three apple ones. It was gooood and fattening."

"I ordered the bowl of gumbo (dark gumbo). I am use to the tomatoey colored gumbo but it was pretty good."

"Also got an entree of the Harrytown special which includes oysters, grits and biscuits."

"I loved the biscuits."

"Cute little place to revisit or bring out of towners."

Harrytown Special? I can only assume she meant Hangtown Fry. With testimonials like this, it's not surprising the restaurant sustains such long lines out the door. Are reviews such as these typed on a texting keypad, rather than at a keyboard? That would be a charitable explanation of such short sentences. It's like some unevocative, bastard form of haiku. It horrifies, but that's just fine, since I tend to savor crappiness. The only point it serves, in my book, is as the object of mockery.

Now here is an excerpt from a not-so-good (two yelp star) review:

"Just before we passed out from hunger, they brought over our beignet flight which was good, our favorite beignet was the crawfish. The only other compliment I have is for the coffee. The breakfast plates were mediocre. My friend, who was starving, took 5 bites of her omelette and left the rest."

She certainly has a flair for the dramatic. If one decides to set out and review a restaurant, whether one has enjoyed the experience or not, one should, to the best of one's ability, explain why. What made these crawfish beignets good? What could possibly compel a starving woman to take only five bites of an omelette? These are things I want answered. If a reviewer cannot accurately describe her experience-- the food she ate, the service she received, or her surroundings-- she has no business wasting anyone's time with her fourth-grade writing skills. Make that third grade-- I know a couple of nine year-olds who write much more vividly.

And, finally, here's a rather terrible (one yelp star) piece:

"I am as honest as a heartbeat, so believe me when I say that this spot is highly overrated. I just have no desire to come again-- wait or no wait."

"I had a bit of all four of our plates and the sampler benettes, so here goes my opinion..."

"My dish-- The Shrimp and Goat Cheese Omelet Grits and Cream Biscuit-- The shrimp was not devianed and thus flavorless. I opted not to have the bacon relish on top so I will be fair and refrain from further commenting about it. I like my gritts creamier than it was but it was tastey and the buiscutt was pretty good."

"Watermelon Sweet Tea-- Free refills, but they don't really tell you that. liked it because it was not sweet, and I like water. It was also luke-warm."

"The Chalkboard Special, Shrimp Pot Pie- The shrimp was overcooked and rubbery, and the veggies were overcooked and mushy. Boo Hoo!"

Honest as a heartbeat. Perhaps she should have her cardiologist examine her for arrythmia. I don't trust anyone starts off by telling me how honest she is. It was a bad review on a number of levels, star ratings aside. I do, however, admire her creative spelling, the fact that she feels shrimp proto --intestines are where all the flavor is, and that she can't tell the difference between a mirror and a chalkboard. I read the bit about why she likes the Watermelon Sweet Tea about ten times.

If you're interested in reading about her bikini waxing at the Pink Cheeks Skin Salon in Sherman Oaks, I will happily email you her yelp profile.

I had hoped the members of Yelp Elite might be a little more helpful or, at least, better writers, since the elite page states:

"...Yelp members who get in are known for having reviews that are insightful, irreverent and personal (aka useful, funny and cool!)."

Of course, it also requests that Elite members have:

"Personal pizazz! Even after all this, we look for a certain je ne sais quoi—we call it Yelpitude. To paraphrase Supreme Court Justice James Stewart when defining pornography in a case about obscenity, 'Yelp Elite is hard to define, but we 'know it when we see it.'"

Perhaps I should have sensed trouble when I realized the Yelp Elite squad (or, at least, the person responsible for writing the copy) had mistaken a much-beloved Campbell's Soup-hawking actor for Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.

The first elite reviewer I read was a young lady named Beverly. She went on and on about her experience with a DAT date to Frisée Restaurant in the Castro. I hope that by DAT she meant "Dine About Town". Please read:

"Sidenote: It was cramped as s**t. We sat upstairs and the ceiling was like 6 feet high and we sat at a tiny itty bitty table next to a tiny itty bitty walk way. Oh and the service. SLOW AS S**T. I want to minus stars for the service but the food was so good I just can't bring myself to do it."

What is it about her personal writing style that led her to become part of the Yelp Elite? Was it her penchant for using fecal terms when describing her experience? Perhaps it was her photos (which are required of all Elite members). Maybe her two lip rings at the right-hand corner of her mouth catch enough food so that she might savor it more thoughtfully upon her return home from dining, quill pen in hand and that deep-in-thought dreamy look that only fake, blue-tinted contact lenses can properly convey. Does she have "that certain je ne sais quoi"? I'm thinking it's more like elle ne sait rien.

Well, I've had my fun at Yelp's expense today, but to be fair(ish), I must say that, in browsing the site for several hours this week, I have come across some people who do offer thoughtful-- and fairly well-written-- reviews. Case in point: Kerry "Tempura Assassin" K in describing her experience at Burritoville in San Anselmo:

"[My husband] was a little more offended at the sight of iceberg lettuce on his carne asada taco ($2.95) than I was. Granted, yes, iceberg lettuce in a Mexican restaurant is an insult to my intelligence, I was able to forgive. This was largely due to the chips, which were thick, crisp, and toasty as well as a lovely salsa bar, friendly and welcoming service, a clean environment, and a buy 9 get 1 free taco card."

"Caveat lector: on the back of the frequent buyer card, it spells out the number of tacos in spanish, "uno, dos, etc." After the 9th one it says "bingo gringo". Gringo eh? That must mean that either Latinos and Chicanos don't eat here or the food isn't real Mexican. So perhaps my taste can't be trusted with this review. If you keep reading, read on with that in mind."

Finally, someone who notices and describes those little details that make a review worth reading. That, and the fact that she used the term caveat lector correctly (or at all). A bright, shining tablet of antacid to save me from so much Yelping bile. I'd really like to hug her. If elite membership could be limited to the likes of Kerry, I think I might have a little more faith in the website. Otherwise, what is the point of creating an elite class, if it is open to, well, everyone?

If you accused me of elitism, you'd be absolutely correct in doing so. Why should I waste my time reading the average person's average review? I don't want an average guy running my country, building my home, or giving me a colonoscopy. I want experts. I want smart people. Same goes for my restaurant reviewers. If all you can give me in describing a gumbo is "OMGITSAWESUM!!!", perhaps you should just keep it to yourself. The world beyond your Myspace friends list is not ready for you.

The 4th of July is a huge event in our house. My daughters classify it as the third best holiday, after their birthday and Christmas. Yes, I realize their birthday isn’t a holiday, but try telling that to them.

My daughters’ enthusiasm is due in large part to the fact that our city, Piedmont, goes a bit nuts on July 4th. The day starts off with a pancake breakfast hosted by the fire department (which actually we’ve never attended, but it’s there for all to enjoy). Later, we have a homespun parade, complete with Scottish Highland bands, dog brigades, soccer teams marching, and the Oakland Raiderettes. There’s then a big party in the park with a band, hot dogs and shaved ice. Later in the day, the small streets of Piedmont become no-traffic zones as the majority of neighborhoods settle into their annual block parties.

Each neighborhood’s party is a little different -- there are those with bounce houses for the kids, while others have potato sack races -- but the common denominator for all are hordes of kids running, scootering, and cycling around what becomes a parking lot of garden chairs in the road filled with adults of all ages. Some may think our parties are a bit hokey, and they may be right, but there’s really something to be said for breaking bread (or rather a hot dog roll) with your neighbors at least once a year.

My favorite part, however, is that there is serious food to be had. Although the parties offer the standard hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers you see throughout America on July 4th, this is by and large a potluck affair where every family brings a dish. I love scoping out the tables to see what everyone has brought. Sure, some people bring the Safeway platter of cut fruit, but more often than not, my lovely neighbors bring something homemade, which warms my heart and makes me feel less irritated later in the year when I hear their dog barking all night or when a buzz saw wakes me up at 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday because someone has decided to put in a new planter box (Oh wait. That was my husband.).

As our neighborhood’s party just happens to land right on my doorstep, I’m lucky to have the main food table literally touching my front yard. I love checking out the selection and finding out who brought what. We start with the appetizers, brought by families with last names from A-G. These usually include some freshly made guacamoles and salsa, deviled eggs, and prosciutto and cheese plates. Each year, a mother and her daughters bring homemade lychee, maraschino cherry, and lime gelatin in Dixie cups. I barely know this family, and I’m not a big fan of gelatin, but I admire their spirit of culinary experimentation. When I catch a glimpse of them throughout the rest of the year, I fondly recall that they’re the Jell-o family.

H-O families then bring the salads. There’s usually a great range of these, from Capreses and mixed greens, to taco salads and Asian cole slaws. I find it impossible to choose only one or two and so usually opt for small tastes of each.

Finally, the P-Z families bring the desserts. Homemade berry pies are the real stars here, although I am also quite partial to the coffee cakes with brown sugar toppings and freshly baked cookies as well. Sure, some people bring see-through plastic containers of hydrogenated store cookies, but these are always left to linger while the neighborhood discusses recipes and unabashedly debates which dessert is the best.

I am technically an “L,” and so therefore should bring a salad. But, for many years I was an “S” (as in Santoro), and my signature block party dish was always my peach crisp with vanilla ice cream. When I got married, a neighbor asked me to stick with dessert because she looked forward to eating my crisp each year. Since then, I have brought my crisp, even when I had infant twins and just wanted to sack out in a garden chair.

I love this crisp recipe because it’s huge, feeds a crowd, and is ridiculously simple to make. You will see that the directions are a bit vague, but that’s the beauty of this dessert. It’s something you throw together and then share with the neighbors, much like we do with ourselves at the block party.

Block Party Peach Crisp

Serves: 10 people (or thereabouts)

Ingredients:
Filling
4 - 5 pounds of peaches or enough freshly sliced peaches to fill a 9x13” baking pan
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour

Topping
1 cup flour
1 cup Instant oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter

Preparation:

1. Slice enough peaches into 1/4 inch slices to fill a buttered 9/13” baking pan to the top
2. Mix in sugar and flour
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal and brown sugar.
4. Incorporate the butter until it is broken into small chunks (you can do this in a food processor, but I think it comes out better if you just squish the butter with your hands)
5. Set the topping on top of the filling in the pan, spreading evenly.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until the topping is browned and you can see the peach filling bubbling inside.
7. Set aside to cool a bit and then serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Sake is a popular beverage but how it pairs with food is still a mystery to most of us. While many people first encounter sake on sushi menus, where sake really shines is with izakaya or tavern style Japanese small plates. Izakaya is getting more and more popular in San Francisco. Great places to try izakaya dishes include Hime, Oyaji and O Izakaya Lounge.

Here's another great opportunity to try izakaya style cuisine paired and sake. The Japan Society of Northern California, in cooperation with Sozai Restaurant and Sake Lounge and True Sake, presents its next Japanese Language & Cultural Experience Workshop: Sake Appreciation.

Matching food and sake is just like matching food and wine. It's a fun, imprecise process that largely depends on your own unique taste buds. What's a perfect match to one may be the ultimate mismatch to another. The important thing is what's delicious to you!

What: Sake Appreciation
Where: Sozai Restaurant and Sake Lounge, 1500 Irving St., San Francisco
When: 6:00pm-8:00pm, Tuesday, July 15, 2008
How: $30 Japan Society Language Students, $35 Japan Society Members, $45 Non-Members, Space is limited; please RSVP by Friday, July 10th.
Why: This informative tasting workshop will detail different types of sake and answer questions about the intricacies of food pairing. A variety of seasonal delicacies will be served during the tasting, pairing each sake with traditional and contemporary Japanese tapas, all created by Chef Mari.
Note: Although this is a language workshop and some sake-related vocabulary will be introduced, all Japanese language levels are welcome to participate.

Lotus of Siam, a Thai restaurant in Las Vegas, has been lauded as the best Thai restaurant in the country by some of the most well-known critics around. It is known for it's excruciating attention to detail with sauces and depth of flavor, its expansive German wine list, and its low-key, unpretentious approach.

I'd been aware of Lotus of Siam for years but it didn't come to the front of my consciouness until recently when it seemed that everyone around me was talking about LOS.

Most notably, I have a good friend who went to Las Vegas solely to eat at LOS. She ate there five times in three days, then happily returned to San Francisco raving about the food and the wine list.

And last week I thumbed through Jay Rayner's new entertaining book The Man Who Ate the World. In his chapter about Las Vegas, he explores the question of whether Lotus of Siam is the best Thai restaurant in America. His conclusion:

"Either Thai restaurants in the U.S. are staggeringly poor, or Lotus of Siam, an admirable restaurant serving very good food at reasonable prices, had been hyped beyond all human understanding. I tend toward the latter." Rayner continues on to say that nevertheless, he enjoyed his meal at LOS more than any other in Las Vegas.

Obviously, Lotus of Siam incites very strong feelings among food lovers and I put it at the top of my list when going to Las Vegas last weekend. While a group of girlfriends were shopping and laying by the pool, I grabbed a cab to Lotus of Siam, located in a strip mall about $10 away from the strip.

At lunchtime, LOS offers a buffet which I bypassed and asked for a menu. Armed with advice from others, I ordered the Northern style pork larb, the nam prik noom (a mixture of chilis, garlic, onion and tomato made into a dip for veggies and pork skin) and the Northern style tom kah kai. And just when I thought I couldn't eat anymore, I ordered the mango sticky rice.

The dishes that came out of the kitchen were outstanding, and I would return in a minute. The flavors were bright and amazing, and I enjoyed every bite. There were a couple of things that I would do differently, however. Next time, I will go with others so that I can taste many more dishes. And next time, I will have a conversation with the server about the spice levels. When at most restaurants, I make sure that the server knows that I like spice, and that even though I have a "vanilla face" I like things hot. But here I didn't do that -- I let my guard down and the food didn't come out spicy enough for me (it was too spicy, however, for a friend who ate my leftovers and had to gulp down gallons of water afterward).

Is this the best Thai restaurant in the country? I have no idea, and am in no way qualified to answer that. Will I go back? In a heartbeat.

Reasons to go to Lotus of Siam when in Vegas:

1) It's off the strip, inexpensive, and a good respite from the chaos.
2) The wine list is enormous and a rare exploration into German wines.
3) The depth of flavor in every dish is well thought out and wonderful.
4) The mango sticky rice. Next time I'm in Vegas, I will go there just for this dish.
5) Rare dishes that are hard to find in North America, with a focus on Northern style, Issan dishes.
6) Enormous menu that guarantees you can eat differently many many times. Any level of Thai eater will be happy -- beginner or expert.

Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave, Las Vegas
map
702.735.3033
Open for lunch Monday - Friday