As food justice advocate Joy Moore pointed out to a room full of mostly white folks in food and farming: When you hear "urban" and "youth" in the same headline it's never good news. It's usually something negative associated with drugs, violence, and crime, right?

But at the annual EcoFarm Conference at Asilomar in Pacific Grove on Friday Moore, who teaches cooking and gardening to Berkeley youth, moderated a panel where young city dwellers received top billing to showcase some of the positive programs they're helping to run in their communities.

So we meet Tenise Murphy, a farmers' market coordinator for Farm Fresh Choice, a program of Berkeley’s Ecology Center, begun by Moore and other food activists, to get fresh, organic, sustainable, and affordable food to low-income residents.

We meet Jamila Chandler who walks us through a slideshow of the work done by Urban ReLeaf, a non-profit that has planted and maintains 8,500 trees along median strips and public sidewalks in otherwise barren neighborhoods in Oakland and Richmond.

Chandler gives a shout out to fellow panelist (and her mom) Kemba Shakur, a former corrections officer, who started Urban ReLeaf because she wanted to find ways to both beautify and improve the health and environment in blighted urban enclaves surrounded by freeways and pollution — as well as employ black youth after seeing so many of them in jail in her former job.

And we meet Paul Walker, the self-appointed smoothie maker who helps run the Purple Lawn Cafe in Oakland. Heads up: it’s not purple or a cafe but it is a mobile food booth serving hot, healthy, affordable eats in an an area not known for such offerings.

Walker works with ex-Air Force man Jason Harvey’s non-profit organization Oakland Food Connection, which builds school and community gardens in East Oakland and runs a farmers’ market every Saturday on MacArthur Boulevard in the Laurel District.

Harvey provides a personal perspective on African Americans' roots in both farming and food production. Harvey was raised among elders who knew how to grow food and canned and preserved. And he notes that the Black Panther Party of the mid-1960s and early 70s introduced a free breakfast program for children, which helped spawn the federal government’s school breakfast program that continues to this day.

Fast forward a couple of decades and many urban, low-income communities of color are riddled with corner stores selling mostly junk food or liquor — and their residents are struggling with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, while also dealing with hunger and malnutrition.

Oakland Food Connection, working in collaboration with like-minded groups such as People’s Grocery, Mandela Marketplace, and City Slicker Farms, is part of a growing movement to bring good grub to so-called food deserts in East and West Oakland.

Murphy is part of an umbrella organization known as Rooted in Community, a national grassroots network that seeks to encourage youth to take up leadership positions in food and farming in their neighborhoods. Kim Allen, the garden program manager for Berkeley Youth Alternatives, was on hand to spread the word about the worthy work of Rooted in Community.

There’s nothing like the enthusiasm, optimism, and idealism of the young to make a room full of adult conference attendees sit up and pay attention.

This is the second conference I've attended in the past few months where urban youth wowed the crowd.

In October last year the Community Food Security Coalition Food, Culture, Justice Conference held in New Orleans highlighted the food and farming work of youth in the town devastated by Hurricane Katrina. We took a tour of school gardens in various stages of development, including a local Edible Schoolyard affiliate where gumbo is on the menu and a line on the kitchen classroom wall marks how high the water rose during the storm.

At a panel discussion we met poised and articulate students from The Rethinkers, who pushed to improve lunch in cafeterias in several schools. And we also heard about a novel education experiment from youth living in the impoverished Lower Ninth Ward who are part of an inspired garden program run out of a former corner store known as Our School at Blair Grocery.

There, Nat Turner and his small team of staff work with youth in an alternative school setting to grow micro-greens that are snapped up by the town’s leading chefs, including John Besh, who owns culinary hot spots Luke, August, Domenica, and La Provence.

It's not just Oakland, Berkeley, and New Orleans. Across the country — as the national membership of Rooted in Community reveals — innovative food and agriculture projects created for and run by the next generation of farmers are sprouting up all over.

And collectively they have a simple message they want to convey about what we eat: Everybody has a right to good food.

Tet (the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration) officially kicks off on February 3rd, but the Vietnamese Community Center of San Francisco will be getting the party started early today with its 15th Annual Tet Festival taking place in the Tenderloin's Little Saigon (Larkin Street, between Eddy and O'Farrell). There will be firecrackers and lion dancing, games, arts and crafts, and of course, food.

For those celebrating in the South Bay, the massive Tet Festival in San Jose will be held February 5 & 6 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.

This year is the Vietnamese Year of the Cat (the only animal symbol in the Vietnamese zodiac that doesn't match the Chinese zodiac). Tet is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year, and many of the traditions are similar. People travel home to celebrate with their family, houses are cleaned, lucky money is given to children, and special dishes are cooked.

In honor of Tet, here's a list of some of our favorite Vietnamese Eats in San Francisco:

1) Whole Roasted Dungeness Crab & Garlic Noodles (Crustacean)

Roasted Dungeness Crab, Crustacean

The An family fled Saigon in 1975 and settled in San Francisco. Since then, their two restaurants Thanh Long and Crustacean have been delighting the Bay Area with their well-guarded family recipes. The restaurants even have a secret kitchen, a small windowless room within the main kitchen, where only family members are allowed to enter to prepare special signature sauces and dishes like their famous Whole Roasted Dungeness Crab and Garlic Noodles. The crab is succulent and blooming with roasted garlic and fragrant Vietnamese peppercorns. The garlic noodles are addictively good. However, vampires (and first dates) beware, the abundance of roasted garlic in these noodles will stay with you all night.

2) Beef Pho Tai (Bodega Bistro)

Pho Tai, Bodega Bistro

The Beef Pho Tai at Bodega Bistro is one of my go-to comfort meals in town. The broth is rich and flavorful, the strips of rare steak are tender, and best of all, the thin rice noodles have a wonderful spring to them. No soggy noodles here. Bodega Bistro cooks them perfectly al dente. The style of pho here is typical of southern Vietnam, which means each bowl is served with herby fresh greens like green onions, cilantro, Thai basil, and crunchy bean sprouts. Squeeze some lime to brighten up the broth, mix up some hoisin and sriracha for your beef, and slurp away.

3) Chicken Pho Ga (Turtle Tower)

Pho Ga, Turtle Tower (Photo Credit: Jo Boston, Taking Over the World One Bite at a Time)

For a taste of northern Vietnamese-style pho, check out Turtle Tower. Flat, wide noodles, a cleansing broth, topped with only green onions and cilantro (no bean sprouts, basil, or hoisin). The Chicken Pho Ga is made with free-range chicken and features a light simple broth. If you're feeling under the weather, this nourishing bowl of goodness is a godsend.

4) Bahn Mi (Saigon Sandwich)

Bahn Mi, Saigon Sandwich (Photo Credit: Kat Lin, Kat's 9 Lives)

You can't walk through Little Saigon during lunchtime without noticing the perpetual line outside the unassuming Saigon Sandwich. The good news is that the line moves at a reasonable pace (thank you friendly Vietnamese ladies for having fast nimble fingers). The better news is that your patience will be rewarded with one of the best Vietnamese Sandwiches in town. Crusty, crackly French bread, slathered with mayo and a mystery meat sauce (tastes better than it sounds), stuffed full of meat, pate, pickled carrots and onion, cilantro and jalapeno. You can have your Bahn Mi made with grilled pork, chicken, "fanci" (steamed) pork, cold cuts, tofu, or the cult favorite, meatballs (The Xiu Mai Bahn Mi). At prices ranging from $3.50 to $4.25, this is one delicious steal of a meal.

5) Vietnamese Drinks (Lee's Sandwiches)

Rainbow Drink (Chè Ba Màu), Lee's Sandwiches

The Lee's Sandwiches on Larkin Street is part Vietnamese fast food, part mini-mart. They keep a good stock of authentic Vietnamese snacks and baked goods, but my favorite reason to walk into Lee's is the expansive beverage selection. There is Vietnamese Iced Coffee (café sua dá) of course, dripped strong, mixed with sweetened condensed milk, and poured over crushed ice. But there are also more exotic offerings like Rainbow Drink (Chè Ba Màu), a sweet, icy, colorful drink made with red azuki beans, a green pandan jelly, and buttery coconut milk. And, if you see a container of what looks like tadpoles sitting innocently next to the bottled water, don't freak out, it's just Pennyworth Drink made with basil seeds.

6) Pork Belly (Le Colonial)

Thit Kho Chien, Le Colonial

Sumptuous and elegant, you feel instantly transported to 1920's French Vietnam when you walk into the breezy dining room of Le Colonial. Chef Joe Villanueva's Thit Kho Chien is one of the best pork belly dishes I've ever tasted. It is a confit of Berkshire Pork Belly that is masterfully prepared -- with a delicately crispy, caramelized crust, and a melt in your mouth texture. It is served with pickled bok choy, Hosui pear and quail egg segments, and drizzled with savory caramel sauce and truffle oil. Simply divine. In celebration of Tet, Le Colonial will be featuring some special dishes on Thursday 2/3.

Related Story from KQED Radio News:
Vietnamese-Americans Celebrate Lunar New Year
This week marks the most important holiday of the year for Vietnamese-Americans. It's the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, and it's celebrated around the Bay Area at the annual Tet Festival.
( *first audio story is: Many Californians Await News of Loved Ones From Egypt)

The price of Pixie tangerines. Contamination dangers for organic dairies from GMO alfalfa. The safety of tractor tweeting. Veterans transitioning into farming, pastoralism and grassland management, the cave paintings of Lascaux and sustainable meat production, the future of CSAs, hot heritage breeds and much, much more.

Such were just a fraction of the topics buzzing through the first day of the 31st annual EcoFarm Conference. It's Davos for organic farmers, where hundreds of forward-thinking, change-making ranchers, farmers, wholesalers, seed-company founders, and advocates for sustainable agriculture and food justice converge for 3 days of workshops, presentations, meals, and talk--lots and lots of talk, spilling over through panel discussions, cheese tastings, workshops, lunch lines, morning yoga and evening movies.

There's so much to discuss, after all, here at the forefront of the sustainable-ag revolution, where muddy boots and sun-creased foreheads tell the stories of decades spent cajoling balky tractors, hauling irrigation pipe, praying for rain or praying for sun, battling aphids in the Brussels sprouts and codling moth in the apples, and not least of all, convincing skeptical customers to try a purple carrot or a white beet.

And for once, Mother Nature has given her servants a gift: unheard-of sunny skies and summery, beach-basking temperatures, instead of the EcoFarm tradition of fierce winds, blustery rain, and January gloom. For once, the farmers who trekked in from the snowy reaches of northern Vermont or upstate New York are getting a real California vacation.

On Wednesday night, capping a day of "Farms with Barns" pre-conference events about sustainable animal husbandry, Nicolette Hahn Niman, author of Righteous Porkchop, advocated fiercely for a return to pre-CAFO systems of ranching. Armed with then-and-now photos and armfuls of statistics, she made a passionate case for the environmental benefits of raising (and eating) animals fed exclusively on pasture, the way she and her husband, Bill Niman (founder of Niman Ranch, although he's no longer associated with the brand), do in the green and pleasant land of West Marin.

It's hard not to get platonic crushes on favorite farmers when you shop the Bay Area's farmers' markets, or at least to see them as rock stars of the vegetable world. And here they all are: white-haired David Little, Marin's king of dry-farmed potatoes; smiling Dru Rivers and Judith Redmond of Full Belly Farm, Jim Cochran of Swanton Berry, Tim Mueller and Trini Campbell of Riverdog Farm, Albert Straus of Straus Family Creamery, and numerous others.

And more and more, they're getting the word out about their farms, their concerns, and their lives on and off the tractor through the same social-media outlets the rest of us use for cute-kitty videos and complaints/brags about kids and jobs. In a workshop about Social Media for Farmers, Greg Massa, a 4th generation organic rice, almond, and grain farmer for Massa Organics along the Sacramento River, admitted to tweeting from his tractor. (Although, as he pointed out, "If you've ever seen one, you know there's not a whole lot in a rice field you can hit.")

As a smaller-scale farmer carving out a niche, Massa found that as his company grew, he had to find a way to maintain the farm's personal connection to customers, once he was no longer able to be the face of the farm at every farmers' market. The answer? Facebook and Twitter. Customers (and fans) can find out what will (and won't) be at his market stands each week, including his newest item, whole-wheat tortillas made from farm-grown wheat. (He also raises a couple hundred ducks in the fields, selling them as meat for a short time in the fall.) They can also share in the trials and delights of the farm, whether it's a rice-loaded truck stuck in the mud or a chicken laying an egg in the pickup's cupholder.

After several years of ignoring social media, this year's conference was tweeting with a vengeance (#EFC11). Naturally, this made Farm City author (and proud typewriter-using Luddite) Novella Carpenter say, in a later panel about Women Writers & Farmers, "I hate Facebook, I hate all that crap. I could pet a goat or I could stare at a computer--fuck that!" She did admit to using Twitter for spur-of-the-moment commerce, like the frequent sidewalk farmstands she throws together in Oakland.

"Everything I do is illegal, basically, so I use it for that." It's part of the benefit of being a best-selling author, she pointed out. "The book took me 3 years to write, so I probably made about 10 cents an hour. But I can sell chard like crazy."

EcoFarm (Ecological Farming Association)
EcoFarm blog
Twitter: @Eco_Farm
Follow the conference on Twitter: #EFC11
Facebook: EcoFarm

John Clark and Gayle Pirie. Photo: John A. Benson Photography

This is the first week of weekday breakfast offerings at Show Dogs, the Civic Center sausage emporium serving up meaty numbers of quality from Golden Gate Meats, 4505 Meats, Fatted Calf, and Let's Be Frank. A breakfast at Show Dogs includes dishes and drinks priced from $4 to $12.95, and the food is from one of San Francisco's best cooking couples, Gayle Pirie and John Clark. The couple resides in the East Bay and together have over two and a half decades of cooking experience including working as co-chefs at Zuni Café and being co-owners and chefs at Foreign Cinema. Their new breakfast menu—with Chef de Cuisine Seth Carter--is inspired by brunch at their ever-popular Foreign Cinema, and from their book, Country Egg, City Egg.

Chef Pirie said via phone interview that when creating Show Dogs, she and Clark tried to “think of the history of Market Street and create a fine food emporium. [We wanted to] make it inclusive of all three meals, and had dinner, lunch and happy hour already.” Offering breakfast service at Show Dogs is “harkening back to the turn of the century, when you had food all day.” Brunch will launch on weekends soon -- view the full menu at showdogssf.com.

Croque Madame. Photo by Mary Ladd

Show Dogs morning fare is sophisticated yet comfortable, with fun twists on the Croque Madame (with succulent pulled pork, Gruyere & béchamel), pancakes (corn cakes with molasses syrup and apricot preserves spiked with Serrano chiles), and Huevos Rancheros (white beans, bacon, cheddar and tomatillo salsa). Sausage fans can indulge with the Sunrise ShowDog plate of maple bacon on a soft Acme bun, scrambled egg, piperade, arugula and a side of celery root hashers. Chef Pirie said she is “real partial to sausage with eggs,” making the Sunrise ShowDog plate her top pick.

The house coffee is from Four Barrel. Belly up to an eye opener with a Lagunitas Espresso Stout, served warm. Other adult beverages include: Bloody Marys, Mimosas, or Bloody Beer. Fire-eaters can up the heat level on their food with hot sauce, provided on each table. Music includes Brazilian sambas and French jazz. The space is sun-filled and tidy, with wide window views of the unfolding morning activity.

Sunrise ShowDog. Photo by Mary Ladd

SHOWDOGS SUNRISE SHOWDOG
Chef/Owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark
Chef de Cuisine Seth Carter

Ingredients:
Note: made with as many organic ingredients as possible

2 T diced red pepper
1 T diced onion
4-5 leaves of arugula
2 T sharp cheddar
1 Egg, scrambled
1 T Butter
splash of sherry vinegar
pinch of cayenne
salt & pepper to taste
1 hot dog bun
1 pork breakfast sausage

Method:

1. Cook sausage in a fry pan or preferably, on a grill until browned on both sides and cooked through.
2. While sausage is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small fry pan.
3. When butter is melted, sautee peppers and onions in butter until cooked through.
4. Add a splash of sherry vinegar and cook for another minute or so, then add a pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper.
5. Add the eggs, arugula and cheddar.
6. Continue to mix the scramble egg mixture until egg is mostly cooked but still a touch wet. (egg will continue to cook for a few seconds)
7. Place the cooked sausage in the hot dog bun and top with the scrambled egg mix.
8. Serve with your favorite hash browns or country potatoes.
*For a bit more texture, toast the hot dog bun in a 350 degree oven for 3-4 minutes to crisp the outside.

Show Dogs, Fine Sausages
Location: Map
1020 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.558.9560
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat: 11am-12am, Sunday: 12pm-6pm

Twitter: @ShowdogsSF
Facebook: Showdogs
Foursquare: Show Dogs

Winter has always been an ideal time for making a big pot of chili. Full of spices and served hot, it's the perfect anecdote to a chilly day. It's also the ultimate dish for a large group, whether you're having a big family dinner or a Super Bowl party.

I used to think chili had to have meat in it to be interesting. I figured the slow roasted beef in my recipe provided the stew's deep and substantial flavors. So I was surprised to find that a vegetarian chili I recently made had its own robust complexity that was just as satisfying. And, unlike meat chili, the vegetarian variety only took an hour to prepare and cost less than $10 to make for a family of four.

Now I do love my meat chili, but because it uses beef chuck, it takes hours to braise, so making it is a bit of an event. Three-bean chili, on the other hand, takes little more time than preparing a standard weekday dinner if you use canned beans. And, if you want something really special you can start your preparations the night before and boil up a batch of dried beans.

Preparing vegetarian chili is a bit like planting a flower garden. You want it colorful and lush without being overbearing. Using a variety of chilies, from fresh to canned, dried and powdered, is the key to achieving something that is smoky and deep with just the right amount of heat. And while some recipes I've seen out there call for a hodgepodge of vegetables, I try to avoid making my chili look like a version of vegetables on parade. Instead I like to partner my beans and the various chilies with other ingredients that will accent their flavors, like beer, coffee, corn and Mexican chocolate. Simmered together everything coalesces into a rich and hearty whole.

So whether you're making a weeknight family dinner, or in need of a dish that will satisfy a crowd, it's a good time to enjoy a pot of chili.

Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili

Makes: Enough for 5-6 people (can easily be doubled)

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable or corn oil
3 cans or 6 cups homemade cooked beans (pinto, kidney, black or some of each)
1 large onion chopped
2 Anaheim peppers chopped
1 small or a ½ large jalapeno pepper
1 carrot diced
2 medium or one large bell pepper (I use red or orange but green is also fine)
½ can tomato paste
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup medium-body beer (I like Negro Modelo)
½ cup brewed coffee
2 Tbsp chili powder (mild or Chipotle)
1 Tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried and ground coriander seed
2 Tbsp dried Mexican or regular oregano (crushed between your hands)
1 tsp salt
1-2 chilis from a can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (depending on how spicy you want your chili)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernals
2 Tbsp masa harina or finely ground corn meal (optional)
2 tsp grated Mexican chocolate or cocoa powder (optional)

Note: you can just freeze the chipotle chilies you don't use

Possible Toppings
Sour cream
Diced white or spring onions
Grated cheese
Crumbled corn chips
Olives
Corn nuts

Preparation:

1. Heat a large heavy pot (I like to use a cast-iron Dutch oven) on medium high heat. When the pot is heated, add in 1 Tbsp oil and then add in your chopped onion, jalapeno, carrot, and Anaheim peppers. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until onions are translucent.

2. Mix in the tomato paste along with the chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, salt and oregano. Let cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add in the beer, diced tomatoes and chopped bell pepper. Stir and then mix in the beans, coffee and chipotle chili in adobo sauce.

4. Bring the chili to a soft boil and then cover and set the burner to simmer. Cook for at least 45 minutes to one hour, stirring every so often to make sure the chili doesn't burn on the bottom of the pot.

5. Once all the flavors have melded, stir in the chocolate, corn and masa harina.

6. If the chili seems too soupy, or if it's a little too spicy, add another tablespoon of masa harina. Mix in thoroughly.

7. Simmer for another 10 minutes and then serve with your favorite toppings and cornbread.

Fried Chicken Bucket, Front Porch

Fried Chicken. What's there not to like? Crispy golden skin. Juicy tender meat. Finger-lickin' goodness. Apparently, the restaurants of the Bay Area seem to agree. Fried chicken is all the rage, and everyone seems to have a riff on this comfort food favorite: Farmer Brown serves it classic Southern-style, with hamhock greens and mac n' cheese; Namu makes it Korean Fried Chicken with spicy slaw and pickled daikon; Zero Zero goes thighs-only for its gussied up Chicken and Semolina Waffles with Chestnut Honey Butter; Front Porch uses a cornmeal crust and serves it in a popcorn bucket.

Once you've set upon the path to finding the "Best Fried Chicken" it's a quest that can easily obsess. And, it has its hazards…you know, it's not quite as artery-friendly as say, a "Best Salad" quest. By no means have I sampled it all -- for example, I have yet to try Casa Orinda's fried chicken, which Michael Bauer swears by, and I'm still dying to try Brown Sugar Kitchen's Chicken & Waffles -- however, I have taste-tested my fair share, and well, someone should benefit from my "research."

Best Destination Fried Chicken Orgy: Ad Hoc (Yountville, Napa)

Fried Chicken Night, Ad Hoc

The greatness of this fried chicken has taken on almost mythical proportions, with cult followers calling Fried Chicken Night at Ad Hoc a religious experience. Is it as good as everyone says? In one word: yes. One satisfying bite into a hunk of their Buttermilk Fried Chicken and you'll be born again. It's not just that the skin is perfectly crunchy and substantial, or that the brined meat is juicy and flavorful, or that it all comes family-style in a big oversized bowl brimming with indulgence. At Ad Hoc, it's the sum of all the parts that make this a destination dining experience. Your entire meal is orchestrated without the slightest bit of effort from you. Even the drive up to Napa adds to the delicious escapism of the evening. Fried Chicken Night is every other Monday; for an incredibly convenient schedule of exactly which Monday it falls on, check out Inuyaki's custom FCN-stalker calendar.

Best Hangover Fried Chicken: Little Skillet (Soma, SF)

Chicken & Waffles, Little Skillet

There is nothing like some Little Skillet Chicken & Waffles lovin' to soothe your soul after a big night out. A little grease. A jolt of sugar. Yes, please. If Cento is open next door, even better, you've got your caffeine kick to boot. The skin on Little Skillet's chicken is on the thinner side if you're into that. I have found that that the juiciness level can be inconsistent -- I've had the most luck during peak hours. On a sunny day, that concrete loading platform across from Little Skillet's order window (a.k.a. their outdoor "seating" area) is where I want to be -- sweet and savory on my tongue, and maple syrup dribbling down my chin.

Best Home-style Fried Chicken: Firefly (Noe Valley, SF)

Fried Chicken of Your Dreams, Firefly

Firefly knows how to do homey. Their menu changes regularly, so keep an eye out for this nostalgic gem, The Fried Chicken of Your Dreams with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Peas & Carrots and a Damn Fine Buttermilk Biscuit. Yes, that is what it's really called. The chicken is tender and well-seasoned, and the skin has that magic quality of sticking to the meat so that you get a mouthful of crunchy goodness in each bite. The sides are classic wins, and the biscuit served with local honey is damn fine, just as advertised.

Best Fried Chicken Sandwich: Bakesale Betty (Oakland)

Fried Chicken Sandwich, Bakesale Betty

It's not often I venture to the East Bay…but Bakesale Betty's legendary Fried Chicken Sandwich is worth the shlep. The line will likely be out the door, if the wait is really long, the kind folks at Bakesale Betty's have been known to bring out samples of their heavenly, chewy cookies. But I digress. The star of the show is this gorgeous hunk of a sandwich made with two generous pieces of chicken breast, double-dredged and fried, topped with a spicy slaw of cabbage, red onion, roughly chopped parsley, and a Dijon mustard-red wine vinaigrette (the key: no mayo). It's all stuffed in between an Acme torpedo roll and quickly wrapped up before it has a chance to escape. Don't worry, it will explode into a delicious mess when you open it, but that is part of the joy of eating one of these sandwiches. The balance of the buttermilk fried chicken (with lots of thick, crispy skin), and fresh crunch and vinegary tang of the slaw is fantastic.

Best Fried Chicken Value Meal: Hard Knox Cafe (Dogpatch, SF)

Fried Chicken, Candied Yams & Collard Greens, Hard Knox

Three big-boy sized pieces of Fried Chicken plus your choice of two sides and corn muffins, all for a mere $11. Now that's a bargain. The seasoning is a bit heavy on the salt and garlic, but for the value and portion, this is a steal. Also, the corn muffins are almost worth the trip themselves -- sweet and light, more cake than bread, with a crunchy top that could inspire a "just the muffin top" shop.

Homemade Fried Chicken

If you're fixing to tackle some homemade fried chicken, there are some key questions you need to ask yourself. To brine or not to brine? Buttermilk bath or no? Single or double dredge? All purpose flour, rice flour, or cornmeal crust? Vegetable oil, peanut oil, or straight up lard? And then there is the question of what style of fried chicken you're after.

I've noticed that there are two distinctly different styles. There's your classic Southern-style fried chicken with buttermilk bath and thick, crunchy skin. And then there's an Asian-style fried chicken seasoned with salt and garlic, and featuring a thin, super crispy skin.

For the former, Thomas Keller's recipe is great, although a bit fussy with the brine. The brine however, is key in infusing the chicken with lovely lemon and herb notes, and also in making sure the meat is really juicy. Then there's the buttermilk bath, and flour seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and salt. The result is a fried chicken that has complex layers of flavor.

In the Asian-style chicken my father-in-law makes, he trades in the brining method for a simple rub of salt, garlic, and ginger. By seasoning the meat really well, allowing it to soak in the flavors overnight, the flavor of the chicken really shines through from inside out. A quick coating of egg white, cornstarch and flour and that's it. The result is a no-frills, tasty fried chicken that's clean and simple.

Asian Fried Chicken

Whatever your chicken of choice is, here are a few tips to get the best fry possible:

• Season your meat (either by brining or salting). According to Fry Master Flava Flav, that's the key to "blowin' up your tastebuds."
• Make sure your pieces of chicken are similar in size. This ensures that they fry up evenly. For larger breast pieces, cut them in half.
• If you're butchering a whole chicken, choose a young chicken (about 2 pounds).
• Make sure the chicken is at room temperature before frying.
• Don't crowd your pan/dutch oven/whatever vessel you're frying in. If you place too many pieces in at once, the temperature of the oil will drop.

(Skip to 3:43 for a real treat)

*****
Daddy Hua's Crispy Fried Chicken

This Asian-style fried chicken features a simple rub of salt, garlic, and ginger, and a quick coating of egg white, cornstarch and flour. The result is a no-frills, tasty fried chicken that's clean and simple, with a dynamite crispy thin crust.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
2 drumsticks
2 wings
2 thighs
2 garlic cloves, minced
A few slices of ginger, julienned
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg white
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup all purpose flour

Preparation:

1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken.
2. Toss the chicken pieces with the garlic, ginger, and salt. Mix well and let marinate at least 6 hours, or better, overnight.
3. Let the chicken come to room temperature. Brush off the garlic and ginger pieces. Coat the chicken in egg white.
4. Mix together the cornstarch and flour on a plate. Dredge the chicken in the mixture, coating both sides. Shake off the excess flour and let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 250 F.
5. Meanwhile, in a large skillet/wok/dutch oven, heat up about 2 inches of oil. A good way to test when the oil is ready is to throw in a small piece of bread. If it starts to bubble right away and brown within a minute, the oil is ready.
6. Fry the chicken 1-2 pieces at a time, skin side down first. Flip and brown the other side. Repeat until all the pieces are done. Place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet so that any excess oil drips down. As you work through the batches, keep the done pieces warm in the oven.

I’ve been waiting for Straw to open since the Holiday Block Party this past Christmas in Hayes Valley where they handed out samples of truffle oil popcorn and lavender lemonade. After months of waiting (including a contest for guessing their opening date with the prize of a month of free meals), this carnival-themed restaurant opened its doors and moved into the Hayes family.

Dinner menu welcomes all.

This small space near the corner of Octavia and Page is not only chock-full of carnival-themed paraphernalia, it’s also cozy, friendly, and inviting. And the attention to detail is impeccable. There’s an antique tilt-a-whirl used as a booth, old signs saying things like “winner every time” and “3 balls $1.00,” and fantastic black-and-white photos of carnival goers. There are complimentary jawbreakers on the table and tiny candy packages for the taking in the box you get your check in. The menus are covered with the bindings of old books, and the contents of those menus contain some of the most creative dishes I have ever seen.

Old book bindings are used for the menus.

Being a vegan, when I first heard about Straw, I assumed it’ll be a cool place to go with friends but that I would definitely have to pre-eat. Just to give them the benefit of the doubt, I emailed them to ask about vegan options, and to my happy surprise they replied that they actually have both a vegan and gluten-free menu available for guests, because, as the front page of their menu states “everyone should enjoy our carnival.”

Gastro Gypsy Sandwich

My husband and I were the fifth party on their opening night and we were promptly handed vegan menus upon mentioning our dietary choice. It was so nice not to do the oft-performed dance of “well… this COULD be made vegan if you take everything off the plate and leave just the lettuce.” I opted for the Gastro Gypsy sandwich made with Moroccan carrots and olive tapenade, and my husband chose the Grilled PB&J. As a side we got the sweet potato tots with blackberry BBQ sauce.

The Gastro Gyspy had sweet and spicy roasted carrots with a tangy green olive tapenade. The vegetarian version of this sandwich includes chevre and, although the vegan version was delicious, I did miss having a third (creamy) ingredient in there. Perhaps Straw can learn the surprisingly easy art of making cashew cheeses; they’re already so creative, I can totally see them taking on a challenge like that. The PB&J was warm and satisfying with the nice touch of adding apricot preserve instead of the usual berry or grape jam.

But the tots—oh the tots! I’d go back just for those. Homemade crispy, bright orange-centered sweet potato nuggets dunked in tangy blackberry BBQ sauce. I seriously could make a meal out of those.

Sweet Potato Tots with Blackberry BBQ Sauce

Unfortunately the dessert options they had that night were not vegan, but I've heard talk of orange blossom cotton candy that I plan to try as soon as the machine is up and running.

Now, I know that Straw is not a vegan restaurant (and their non-vegan fare is mad extensive, even featuring specials inspired by the New Orleans Jazz Festival), but the fact that they make the effort to have menus for people with alternative dietary ethics or health requirements, makes me have a lot of respect for them. In fact, they seem to make an effort to acknowledge their community in multiple ways, by sourcing from local farms, and giving 10% of each Monday’s proceeds to a local charity or organization (this week went to neighbor Hayes Valley Farm).

Something sweet to take with you.

I also have faith that as soon as they get in their groove, they’ll start offering some vegan entrees and desserts, in addition to the sandwiches and salads. Or even brunch options—I'm dying for a great tofu scramble at somewhere other than The Plant.

And I have faith that once their liquor license kicks in, these guys will come up with some crazy-interesting and yummy cocktails. I’m thinking a kettle corn Manhattan or a fried pickle dirty martini…

Straw
203 Octavia Street (at Page)
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-971-5653
Twitter: @sfstraw
Facebook: Straw SF

Curried Quinoa Salad

In a world where rice and wheat reign supreme, sometimes you want something more. Maybe you have a food allergy, maybe you have special health needs that your regular diet just isn't meeting, or maybe you just wanting more exciting than the status quo. Regardless of your reasons for upgrading your grain options, you've got an entire rainbow of whole grains to choose from besides rice and wheat.

Take, for example, the humble millet. Often thought of as only bird seed, millet is actually very much edible by humans. Mentioned in the Bible, people have been eating millet for many thousands of years in countries such as China, India, and Africa. What's so great about millet? Well, first of all, it's not acid-forming and is known for being easy to digest, so those who deal with any number of digestive ailments can usually enjoy millet without aggravating their GI. Taste-wise, Millet is mildly sweet with a nutty flavor and contains many beneficial nutrients, such as protein, fiber, B-vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, and more.

Another alternative grain you might consider is quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah). Another old-world grain, quinoa has also been cultivated for thousands of years in South America. The Inca revered quinoa as a very important part of their culture, and used it to make breads, cereals, and other dishes. Not technically a grain, quinoa is actually a grass seed, much like buckwheat.

Quinoa has a nutty, hearty flavor that makes it ideal for both savory dishes and sweet breakfast recipes. It is high in protein, calcium, iron, vitamin B, and vitamin E. The protein in quinoa a "complete protein" due to the presence of all eight essential amino acids, something that's not often seen in cereals or grains. Note: Before being eaten, quinoa grains must be rinsed to remove its bitter coating, called saponin. When rinsing quinoa, be sure to keep the water flowing until there are so soap-like suds when you agitate the seeds with your hands. Once the water runs clear, the saponin is gone.

Where can you buy millet and quinoa? You'll be happy to hear that both grains are readily available at health food stores, and if you like, you can even buy them online. While you can buy boxed millet and quinoa, you'll usually find them cheaper by shopping in the bulk section of your local natural foods store.

You can buy millet and quinoa in several different forms, as well:

• Puffed Millet Cereal
• Quinoa Pasta
• Quinoa Flakes for Hot Cereal
• Millet Flour for Making Bread

To get you started, here are a few recipes for these awesome grains. Once you give them a try, they might just become your new favorite carb!

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Nutty Millet Porridge

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup raw millet
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 teaspoons butter
6 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup fresh blueberries or dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add millet, stirring grains until they become fragrant. Add water and salt, and bring to a boil.

2. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until millet if soft like oatmeal. Add butter and honey, stirring well. Serve hot, topped with fruit.

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Curried Quinoa Salad

Serves 6 as a side or 4 for lunch

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups uncooked quinoa
4 cups water
2 mangoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/2 cup salted roasted cashews or peanuts, chopped

Preparation:
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, lime juice, curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking until fully combined.

2. Rinse quinoa in a bowl for 5 minutes, using fingers to agitate grains and the water runs through it. Agitating while rinsing will help remove the bitter saponin.

3. In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil with a few pinches of salt. Add quinoa to boiling water and cook for 15 minutes, until grains are almost completely cooked through but still just a little crunchy. Strain and rinse with cold water. Let sit to drain for 15 minutes.

4. Mix quinoa with curried yogurt and stir well. Stir in mango, bell pepper, Serrano chili, mint, and nuts. Serve at room temperature.

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If you like these grain recipes, check out these other healthy, protein-rich posts:

• Peanut Butter Quinoa Cookies
• Quinoa Salmon Burgers
• Perfect Coconut Millet
• Millet Flatbread Tortilla
• Chickpea Spinach Curry Recipe
• How to Cook Dried Beans When You Don't Have Time to Cook Dried Beans

There's a lot about this post that feels a little self-indulgent largely because I'm writing it and it's all about my new baking business, Marge. I've been waiting for the right time to announce it here on Bay Area Bites, and now seems as good a time as any. Although really this post is more about launching a small business without a storefront in the confusing (and expensive!) world of health permits, legal documents, licenses and occasional slammed doors. So without further ado, meet Marge.

The idea for Marge began last spring. I decided I'd open a bakery. I've always loved baking, had signed up to study at San Francisco Baking Institute and mentor at Comforts in Marin. I was already baking for private clients at the time and knew that what I really wanted out of a career was to work for myself. It wasn't important to me to have enough expendable income to fly to Hawaii every Christmas, but being able to support myself selling pie sounded pretty darn good. So begins the fun part. Real estate! Vintage wallpaper! Pretty display cases with distressed wood! And that lasted all of three weeks. Three glorious weeks, but three weeks nonetheless. And then reality hit. Those of you who have built-out a kitchen from scratch (or know someone who has) know how expensive it is. And for those of you who have ever looked for a charming, affordable retail space with a lovely pre-existing kitchen all ready and waiting for you-- you know they're a rare (read: almost never) find. So I regrouped.

I decided I needed a business license. It seemed like a good logical step and you basically just fill out a form, write a check, and 'Bam' you've got yourself a business. Perfect. Or so I thought.

My visit to City Hall went something like this:

Clerk: Ma'am we're confused about the category of your business.
Me: It's a baking business. We'll have a storefront someday, but right now we're going to do pop-ups, deliveries, catering--you know, keep it casual.
Clerk: Ma'am, there's really no category for "casual."
Me: Look, I don't know. Call it whatever you want.
Clerk: Ma'am you need to choose a category.
Me (flustered, confused, wishing I could coerce him with pie): I understand. I just need a business license in order to get a health permit in order to get my commercial kitchen in order to get my business bank account. Can you just help me out a little here?
Clerk: Well we need a physical address.
Me: O.k....
Clerk: Why don't you put down the location where your accountant and bookkeeper do the books.

I stood there smiling and thinking to myself, "If you only knew that you're staring right at the accountant and bookkeeper, the owner and the baker."

And so began all the legal/totally unfun stuff. It's all very cart before the horse: you need one document before you can get another but the timing doesn't work and none of the agencies talk to each other and you lose a little sleep. And some nights, a lot of sleep. This was nothing like picking out vintage wallpaper. Instead, it involved health inspections and a lot of bureaucracy. Even for a small business like Marge, inspectors often come to check out your kitchen, where you store your ingredients, and your processes for packaging. It's daunting when you're not quite sure what all your processes are yet. And it all seemed a little odd because I still wasn't quite sure how I was defining the business. I now had all of these forms in place but nowhere to actually sell my product.

Then I decided that I may not have a storefront, but people have got to try what I'm baking at Marge or the word will never get out. I brought around samples to businesses, farmer's markets, and folks in my neighborhood. I got a business cell phone. When it rang two days later, I literally dropped it in the sink and missed the call. Orders started coming in around the holidays despite my temporary website. I did the SF Underground Farmer's Market in December -- our first public event-- and it was awesome. The pop-tarts and apple pies sold out, lots of friends came out to support Marge, and I met some great food folks starting their business in a similar fashion. And then I got a call from the new Marin Country Mart farmer's market (a quick ferry ride from the city, by the way) that they'd love to have Marge as a permanent staple on Saturday mornings. I can't tell you how thrilled I am: my weekends are now one big ol' bake sale and I can't imagine anything better.

So my strategy for now: get out there in other farmer's markets throughout the spring and summer and do local events that I'm excited about. Start getting Marge products out in local coffee shops and cafes and spreading the word about old-fashioned pies and nostalgic desserts. Make new friends. Meet new people. Forget all about vintage wallpaper (for now). And see where that takes us. Who knows? Maybe I'll be back here in the fall chatting all about our cute storefront. But for now, it's all good.

To get the latest on Marge, sign up for the newsletter and check out the website for the seasonal menu, contact information, and the full scoop on Marge. You can follow Marge on twitter @MargeBakery and on Facebook to learn about new events and markets we're doing. Come and visit us at the Marin Country Mart Farmer's Market, and of course, we deliver and cater as well. Pie is good. Having someone make it for you is even better.

Achooo! Is that you? Yes, despite the last few days' balmy temperatures, the winter sniffles, sneezes, and sore throats are here, and with them come the homemade remedies to cure them. First up, of course, is a daily shot of Fire Cider, if you took my advice and made a batch back in October just for this very moment. I must say, having taking my first dose last week during my own star turns as Sneezey and Dopey, that it's is not for the faint of palate. (Whiskey chaser: a very good idea.)

What you need next is something hot and steamy to warm you up, inside and out. Got a backyard Meyer lemon hookup? Then hot lemonade will soothe you. Squeeze the juice of a couple of lemons into a mug. Stir in a couple tablespoons of honey and add a cinnamon stick. Slice up another lemon and drop the slices into the mug. Top with hot water, stir, and sip, adding more honey if needed. (Plus, perhaps, a tot of rum to help you sleep.)

And then, bring out the big guns. Steph's Spicy Soup, as it's known around these parts, is inspired by tom yum goong, the clear, spicy-sour soup found on every Thai menu (no, not tom kai gai, the coconutty one everyone but me loves, but the other one). It started out based on the tom yum goong recipe in The Original Thai Cookbook by Jennifer Brennan, but has since evolved into a freewheeling kind of broth whose only constant characteristic is that it's very spicy and very sour, and will absolutely clear your sinuses and make you feel magically better.

Thai red chile paste, available in little glass jars in the Asian section of most supermarkets, is a fabulous condiment that lasts forever and zings up just about anything. I use it for this soup more than anything, but it's an excellent thing to have on hand.

As Laurie Colwin writes in More Home Cooking, "I do not recommend this to anyone who does not like things hot. This stuff is fire. It is also delicious and a surefire cure for colds, flu, and general weakness." She then goes on to say she only uses it one way, adding a tablespoonful to a quart of chicken stock, the juice of 2 lemons, some jasmine rice and scallions. As she writes, "You need to drink large quantities of water with this, but it is good for you, I swear."

Also, even if you're feeling rotten, it's worth tracking down the lemongrass here. It adds a certain herbaceous lemon-limeyness that can't be achieved by mere lime zest alone. Oh, and any kind of lime will do--regular Persian limes, our local Bearss limes, even small key (or Mexican) limes.

Adjust the hotness and sourness to your taste, but definitely make it as spicy and tart as you can. And don't forget the tissue box. If it doesn't make your nose run, it's not doing its job.

Thai-Inspired Soup for Sniffles
This soup can be changed to suit your taste in many ways. Love coconut milk? Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk at the end for creaminess. Adding shrimp, tofu, light or dark-meat chicken makes it more of a meal. I like a big spoonful of cooked rice in my soup, but you could also add some thin rice noodles or bean-thread noodles.

Ingredients
4 cups vegetable stock or chicken broth
1 stalk of lemongrass, trimmed and roughly chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp Thai red chile paste, or to taste
2 tsp Thai fish sauce, or to taste (optional)
2 limes
1/2 lb shrimp OR tofu OR skinless chicken breast OR chicken thigh
1 cup thinly sliced bok choy
1 cup spinach leaves
2 fresh green or red serrano chiles, sliced
6 scallions, trimmed and chopped
handful of cilantro, stems removed
2 cups cooked jasmine rice or cooked rice noodles

Preparation
1. In a large pot, combine broth, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, chile paste, and peel of 1 lime (in large strips). Bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer gently over medium-low heat.

2. If using chicken, chop into bite-sized pieces. Add to soup and poach, stirring frequently, until cooked through and opaque, about 5 minutes.

3. Add bok choy, spinach, and shrimp or tofu, if using. Cook, stirring, until shrimp is opaque and bok choy is tender (2-3 minutes).

4. Add 4 chopped scallions, sliced peppers, and juice of 2 limes. Stir and taste for seasoning. Add cooked noodles to pot, if using.

5. Ladle into bowls. Add a scoop of jasmine rice to each bowl, if using. Top each bowl with scallions and a shower of cilantro leaves.