Jack Boulware came to San Francisco in 1983, where he started a small magazine and "washed dishes in exchange for room and board." He later founded The Nose magazine, and worked as writer for San Francisco Weekly, Playboy, Wired, Salon, and the New York Times. Boulware is the author of the book Sex, American Style, and co-authored the punk rock history book Gimme Something Better with Silke Tudor. He lives in the Mission District with his girlfriend, Christie Ward.

Boulware is also widely known for helping create one of the most successful lit events in the Bay Area. In 1999, he and Jane Ganahl co-founded a literary festival that eventually became known as Litquake while drinking beer at The Edinburgh Castle. Today, Litquake has grown into the largest fest of its kind on the West Coast and will feature more than 500 authors during a nine day run that starts on October 1st. Programming includes local and international writers and poets, youth programs, and topics ranging from science, religion, surf lit, "Hollywood Hell," and the intriguingly titled Fairy Tale Noir. There is a lunchtime "delicious" event called Litquake Bites on October 7 at the Book Passage Store in the Ferry Building, starting at 12 noon. Sarah Billingsley, Gordon Edgar, Steve Sando and Amy Treadwell will discuss local food and books.

Boulware shared his picks for food spots, while asking folks to not visit his favorites:

"I cannot stand waiting in line. Who does, really? So if you are reading this, please, please do not frequent the places I'm listing. Or we'll both have to wait in line." He lives near the Liberties Pub on Guerrero and 22nd, and says he goes there "because they’ve got the mighty Smithwick’s on tap." Edinburgh Castle Pub has been home to many Litquake meetings and events, and Boulware also appreciates it for “the Scotch selection, of course.” Also in the Tenderloin, Boulware favors “Chutney on Jones St., reasonably priced Indian food without the tourists. Again, do not go here."

His assessment of Peruvian Limon Rotisserie on South Van Ness is funny and frank: "The roasted chicken will make you take off your clothes and run naked down the street." For a more upscale dining spot, Boulware heads to Tadich Grill because it is the "oldest restaurant in the city -- your basic surf n turf and baked oysters, but the benefit of an old-school staff of scowling Eastern Europeans."

Julia Child also loved Vietnamese dive Tu Lan, which Boulware says is "in the hellish Market/6th corridor. Excellent spring rolls and lemon beef salad, accompanied by random schizophrenics and cockroaches, and an 89-year-old man upstairs, carefully making the rolls by himself." When shopping for ingredients, Boulware checks out Bombay Bazaar, which is "a great place to buy spices in bulk, even if you don’t know how to use them. Plus there’s the stacks of 1980s Bollywood VHS tapes. And the cardamom ice cream next door." Boulware’s guilty local food pleasure is "The infamous heart-clogging Mission burrito, carnitas and super, of course, but only once in awhile. Gotta let the arteries recover." Note he would not share exactly where he gets his belly bombs.

Date night is an order-in affair, with Zante’s Indian pizza in the outer Mission. "But get it delivered and order extra meat. Also their chicken korma is really great." This writer has spotted Boulware at Beretta/The Last Supper Club for weekend brunch. Boulware also is partial to Farmer Brown, for "Sunday jazz brunch buffet. What else do you need to know? Superb bloody Marys also." Cheers to that.

Mary Ladd has volunteered and done event work for Litquake, and has a husband who is on the Advisory Board.

Photo Credit: Silke Tudor

Sticky Rice Bowl

This is my idea of Chinese comfort food. Naw Mai Fan is a dish of sweet sticky rice and a number of dried Chinese ingredients -- shitake mushrooms, goji berries, dried scallops -- that have been rehydrated and stir fried fragrant.

Ingredients for Naw Mai Fan

This rice dish is often served at dim sum restaurants, but it is easy to make at home as well. The hardest part is finding all the ingredients, but one trip to Chinatown can take care if that -- look for a grocer that has packages or bins of dried goods on the shelves, and you'll likely find everything you need there.

Secret Ingredients

For the rice, I like using a Sho-Chiku-Bai Premium Sweet Rice by Koda Farms. It cooks up nice and soft with a wonderfully chewy texture. The other secret ingredient here is Maggi Seasoning. It is a kind of distinctly flavored soy sauce...we always had a bottle of this in the pantry growing up, it's like the ketchup of the Chinese household.

I love all the different flavors and textures in this Sticky Rice Bowl. The mushrooms add an earthy meatiness to the dish, the scallops bring in some savory saltiness, the goji berries a touch of sweetness, and the rice is just so satisfying.

This meal takes a little planning ahead because of the time it takes to soak the dried ingredients, but after that, it's a quick stir fry in the wok and it's done. Serve with some kailan greens or bok choy and you have yourself a satisfying, homey, authentic Chinese meal.

Sticky Rice Bowl (Naw Mai Fan)

Makes: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:
¾ cup Sho-Chiku-Bai Premium Sweet Rice (recommended brand: Koda Farms) -- this is a sticky glutinous rice
2 sticks cured Chinese sausage (lap cheung), about ½ cup when cut up
½ cup dried shitake mushrooms
¼ cup goji berries
4-5 pieces dried scallop
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons Maggi seasoning (or more light soy sauce)
White pepper

Preparation:
1. Rinse rice a few times. Place in rice cooker with about ½ inch water sitting on top of the rice. Place sausages in with the rice and steam all together until rice is cooked. Lay the rice out on a foil-lined sheet pan and let sit for 30-45 minutes.

2. Soak mushrooms, goji berries, and scallops in hot water for at least 1 hour, until softened. Drain water.

3. Remove stems from the mushrooms and slice the caps into small pieces. Break apart the scallops into chunks. Stir fry mushrooms and scallops in a hot pan with oil. Add soy sauce and Maggi seasoning.

4. Cut up the sausage into small pieces and add to the stir fry mixture. Add rice and goji berries, stir to combine. Add white pepper to taste.

5. To plate, spoon into a bowl, pack it down. Place a plate on top and invert the bowl so you end up with a nicely molded round of rice on your plate.