Bay Area Bites

Cesare's Salad: Tossing My Own.

Michael Procopio — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:51 +0000

I'm a sucker for a great Caesar salad. Call me old school, but there are few things that can beat it in my book. Garlicky, lemony, cheesy, and anchovy-y, if there is such a word. If there isn't, there should be.

Sadly, a great restaurant Caesar salad has eluded me in this city of ours.
... [visit site to read more]

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Pecan Shortbread Crust

Denise Santoro Lincoln — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:36 +0000

But pumpkin pie can be more than the standard fare of pureed pumpkin mixed with cream, sugar, eggs, and spices in a butter or graham cracker crust. I mean, honestly, do we all need to make the same pie every year? So this holiday, after a lifetime of eating traditional pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, I decided I was in the mood for something a little different. ... [visit site to read more]

Vietnamese Coffee: In Pursuit of the Perfect Cup

Stephanie Im — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:03:19 +0000

Like espresso, Vietnamese coffee is deep and rich, and a little goes a long way. What makes it really stand out though is its incredible buttery aroma and flavor. Add a generous drizzle of sweetened condensed milk and you have a habit that will be hard to shake. ... [visit site to read more]

Chilaquiles in the Mission District

Andrew Simmons — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:33:00 +0000

Sometimes, the homiest dishes -- foods without pretense or artifice -- are most revealing about the cultures from which they spring, and inspire the most debate amongst their devotees. However, from countless regional Mexican renditions -- like white sauces in Sinaloa and Guadalajara's polenta-like cazuela cook-downs -- to American adaptations that echo Tex-Mex migas, all chilaquiles aim to soothe -- regardless of a particular variation's provenance and claims to authenticity. ... [visit site to read more]

Day Trippin' to Boonville

Megan Gordon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:17:51 +0000

I'd driven through Boonville with my Dad and my sisters once, all too briefly en route to Mendocino. We stopped at the Boonville General Store for a sandwich and sat outside admiring the coolness of the little stretch of road and the delightfully slow pace of life. All along Hwy 128 there were orchards, farm stands, hidden hiking trails, and--of course--vineyards. I vowed to come back and do some exploring. ... [visit site to read more]

Primal Napa

Stephanie Rosenbaum — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:16:31 +0000

The lamb brains, I was told, were simply smashing. Like meaty custard, in the best possible way. But the lamb brains weren't the half of it. The outdoor tables at last weekend's first Primal Napa event were a head-to-tail, guts-and-all celebration of going deep with meat. ... [visit site to read more]

Sweet Potato Gratin

Stephanie Im — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:17:12 +0000

Turkey season is upon us, and for me, that means sweet potato season! I love sweet potato in pretty much any form -- baked, fried, pie'd -- but in this gratin form, it is savory-sweet bliss at its finest. ... [visit site to read more]

Persimmons: Fu. Yu.

Michael Procopio — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:17:47 +0000

If you think these fuyu persimmons seem to be looking wide-eyed off into space, you're wrong. They're looking into the future-- namely, theirs.

Shortly after this photo was taken, they were mercilessly vivisected and consumed by me, the author of this post.

I shall be doing the same to their brethren soon on that greatest of all American days of sharing and feasting-- Thanksgiving. I like to think of this as a small step in personal growth. For me, not for the persimmons.
... [visit site to read more]

Lasagna Illuminated

Denise Santoro Lincoln — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:34 +0000

Never in my life had I experienced such perfect lasagna. The once-forgotten dough that had languished on the counter all day was transformed into a thing of beauty when combined with the meat filling and sauces. And that ragù! If we had used ricotta and mozzarella with it, the cheeses would have blanketed our taste buds with their creamy flavors and textures. Without them, the ragù was the diva of the dish -- capturing our attention and mesmerizing us. ... [visit site to read more]

Thanksgiving: Turduck' and Cover

Andrew Simmons — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:17:56 +0000

Enter the turducken. Despite its cultish presence in the cozy Thanksgiving lexicon, the turducken is aggressively weird, an unnatural, misshapen, stitched-up Frankenstein-like thing -- something that perhaps resembled a "sneetch" in life -- prior to being butchered and baked. ... [visit site to read more]