Jalapeño Girl

Hot Stuff Food Blog Round Up

Check out the latest food blog goss on SFist.

I'm working on a tea piece for the San Francisco Chronicle/SF Gate/SFiS.

18th Street Block Party this Saturday afternoon

Happy Birthday, Bi-Rite & Delfina! I did prep work today for the upcoming 18th Street Block Party, happening in SF on Saturday. Jennifer Biesty was the boss, and we worked at Charles Phan's new gorgeous and huge commissary kitchen. 18th Street Block Party food includes pig, chicken, corn, beans, hot dogs, paella, sandwiches, smoothies, watermelon agua fresca, lemonade & more. There will also be booze, music, and wonderful weather. The wine and beer garden make my mouth water already.

To purchase advance meal tickets, call Christie Ward at 415-971-7291 or email PARTYBLOCK18@gmail.com.

I wish I could work on this bash, particularly to get the chance to work on a roasted pig. But. We are leaving early tomorrow for a wedding in Sebastopol.

Slow Food Nation Taste Pavilions

Slow Food celebrates "food that is good, clean and fair." These honey samples looked and tasted good. Other foods on offer at Fort Mason today at times took as long as forty five minutes to get. Thankfully, the Native Foods tent had a shorter line, and we gladly tried all three items on offer: bison chili (rich, thick, meaty, clean tasting), hominy, and wild rice cakes with a spicy kick. While I was happy to try something that reminds me of my Dad's Kwakiutl Native American heritage, I also found myself hoping that the cooks there would have a steady stream of customers all day. I had time to mull it over as we sat on hay outside, people watching, eating, drinking and talking.

It's great to have face time with the makers of these foods and drinks, sure. But it would've been a more satisfying event if the lines were not so long and slow.

Share Our Strength NYC events in October

Celebrate Big Apple's Culinary Might, Help End Childhood Hunger

Share Our Strength is excited to announce that it is one of two charities that will benefit from the first Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine and Travel & Leisure. And we knew you'd want all the delicious details.
It runs from Friday, October 9 - Sunday, October 12, primarily in NYC's fashionable Meatpacking District

It brings together global culinary icons and America's most beloved TV personalities.

It's the brainchild of Lee Brian Schrager, who created the wildly successful Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival

50-some sensational events including tastings, demonstrations, book signings, dinners, live interviews, plus special menus at Meatpacking District restaurants...check them out here

Share Our Strength and the Food Bank for New York City will share 100% of all funds raised

An online auction of luxury items including gourmet dinners, rare wines and extravagant travel will run September 15 - October 15-you can make donations through August 27

Look for these and other chefs who have supported Share Our Strength over the years as they host events, and participate in live interviews and TV show tapings, burger competitions, dessert tastings, wine dinners and the Grand Tastings: Alton Brown, David Burke, Tom Colicchio, Todd English, Guy Fieri, Duff Goldman, Rachael Ray and more.

This is simply too grand an event to miss and what better way to help end childhood hunger than with thousands of fellow food-and-wine-loving friends.

Make your plans today!

Litquake Smut tribute event menu and pics

Work Date of Sunday, August 3, 2008

Event Description:    Litquake fundraiser with light refreshments for approximately 200-250 guests. All food to be served at room temp until 10 p.m. or when food runs out. Guests arrive at 7:00 pm, show begins at 8:00pm.

Menu:          Steamy & Saucy BBQ Pork Sliders, Creamy & Sexy Petite Quiches,  Sinful Assorted Cheese and Fruit, Gotta Have It Chocolate Covered Strawberries (dark chocolate with white chocolate drizzles).

Dirty Words: Litquake's Tribute to SMUT!

I'm catering some naughty eats for Litquake on Sunday, August 3rd. Text below is directly from Litquake.
------------------------------------

Sexiness! Ribaldry! Corsets! Books! All for $25.00 with two drinks included!!!

Starring: *Daniel Handler * Ellen Sussman * Michelle Richmond * Helena Echlin * Stephen Elliot * Kirk Read + a fashion show featuring corsets from Stormy Leather and some naughty fun with the Twilight Vixen Review

****
Litquake season is coming up, and this is our last fundraiser of the year. So, we want you to come join us at CELLspace on August 3 for Dirty Words: Litquake’s Tribute to Smut.

It will be a giddy Sunday night homage to titillation and obscenity starring Daniel Handler (as himself rather than alter ego Lemony Snicket, reading from Watch Your Mouth, a dirty little comic novel), Ellen Sussman (editor of Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex), Michelle Richmond (author of No One You Know), Kim Addonizio (My Dreams Out in the Street), Helena Echlin (charmer of snakes and author of Gone), and Stephen Elliot (author of My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up and editor of Sex for America).

Emcee Kirk Read (creator of performance piece This Is the Thing and author of How I Learned to Snap) will be on hand to keep things spicy. SOMA-based Stormy Leather will present a naughty fashion show with the buxom and beautiful gals from Twilight Vixen Review doing cabaret and burlesque.

What more do you need?

What: Dirty Words: Litquake’s Tribute to Smut
When: Sunday, August 3 – Doors open at 7 p.m.; readings and show begin at 8 p.m.
Where: CELLspace 2050 Bryant Street (between 18th and 19th streets), San Francisco
Tickets: $25.00 admission includes two drinks and light refreshments; in addition, alcohol will be available for purchase during the evening. Tickets available online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/38342. Tickets also available at the door. 21 and over.

Special support from Distillery No. 209, Vine Connections, and Flora Grubb Gardens.

Wine.Dine.Donate SF benefit on July 30

Not sure I'll be attending, but this sounds like a worthwhile cause. If you've got the coin.

--Help Feed Thousands By Attending Epicurious.com's Special Farm-To-Table Event--

Join Tanya Steel, editor-in-chief of Epicurious.com, celebrated chefs, and select local farmers and purveyors for an evening of fine wine, delicious farm-fresh creations, and the company of your fellow foodies. Your ticket price will help feed the hungry as proceeds from these events benefit America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest network of food banks.

Wednesday, July 30th
ACME Chophouse with Chef Traci Des Jardins and Citizen Cake's Elizabeth Falkner

Address: 24 Willie Mays Plaza
Time: 6:15 reception, 7:15 dinner
Price: $125

Go to Epicurious.com for more information and to buy tickets

Party Time: Meatpaper & Gastronomica present...

Meatpaper and Gastronomica, two independent-minded magazines exploring the intersections of food and culture, invite you to celebrate the publication of their summer issues with a lively evening of artistic food and food-centric art at Perbacco Restaurant in downtown San Francisco. This event will feature tastings from local chefs, as well as cocktails, an art exhibition, and live music.

WHEN:
Sunday, July 20th
6pm to 9pm

WHERE:
Perbacco Restaurant
230 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
tel: 415-955-0663

TICKETS:
$25 per person, may be purchased online via credit card or PayPal.
A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door.

FEATURED SPONSORS:
Chef Staffan Terje (Perbacco)
Chef Leif Hedendal
Chef Chris Kronner (Serpentine & Slow Club)
Chef Scott Youkilis (Maverick)
The Fatted Calf
Prather Ranch Meat Co.
Verge Syrah
La Fee Absinthe
Rhum Clement
Bluecoat Gin
Trumer Pils
and more

PHOTOGRAPHY BY:
Charlie Grosso

MUSIC:
Gaucho

ABOUT MEATPAPER:
Founded in 2007, Meatpaper is a quarterly print journal focused on art and ideas about meat. Inspired by the current "fleischgeist" that is sweeping the country, Meatpaper publishes lush visuals, provocative articles, and timely reporting. Neither pro nor con, Meatpaper's ambidextrous approach and innovative style have generated international press.
www.meatpaper.com

ABOUT GASTRONOMICA:
Since 2001 Gastronomica has been feeding readers' sensual and intellectual appetites by offering food-focused scholarship, fiction, poetry, humor, and exciting visual imagery. With its diverse voices and eclectic mix of articles, Gastronomica provokes discussion and encourages thoughtful reflection on the history, literature, representation, and cultural impact of food.
www.gastronomica.org

Forward this to a friend

illustration by Marco Marella © 2008

 

Hot Stuff Food Section Round Up

Grilling and other noshes on this week's food section round up on SFist.

CCA President responds to questions on tipping

Salad pic from last week's visit to the Careme 350 Restaurant at the California Culinary Academy.

Hello Ms. Ladd,

I am so glad that you enjoyed your experience at CCA’s new restaurant.  The students running the kitchen and dining room were excited to hear such great feedback about their work.

To address your concern about how we handle gratuities at Carême 350, I thought I’d offer a brief explanation.  As you know, CCA is a culinary school whose mission it is to train students in the culinary arts and hospitality fields.  Our student-run restaurant exists to provide a real-life laboratory for these students and those who work there are actually doing so as part of the curriculum.  This six-week course teaches students how to operate in a real restaurant environment, with 3-week rotations in each the front and back of the house.  The students working in our restaurant classroom are just learning the skills necessary to serve clientele in a fine dining establishment and therefore leaving a tip is not required at Carême 350.  Still, some patrons choose to do so, which led us to come up with a way to see that those funds ultimately benefit our students, but in a manner that doesn’t taint the learning environment we strive to maintain.  Therefore, all gratuities at Carême 350 are donated to the institution’s scholarship fund.

Periodically, we must hire additional students to fill in when a class is too small to keep the restaurant running on its own.  To make up for the fact that tips are not part of their compensation, we pay such individuals at a rate approximately 50% higher than the hourly wage of the average restaurant server in San Francisco .

I hope I’ve been able to clear up this issue for you and look forward to welcoming you back to Carême 350 in the near future.

Sincerely,

Jennifer White

President

 

 

Jennifer White | President

California Culinary Academy| Le Cordon Bleu

350 Rhode Island Street, San Francisco , CA 94103

Careme 350 lunch for $3.50

Yesterday's bargain lunch-three and a half courses for $3.50-at the California Culinary Academy's Careme 350 restaurant was a winner. The food was made and served by culinary students. There were some glitches; our bill was presented before we ate dessert, and sometimes we were waiting for utensils or food, but the light filled room and tasty fare worked. Everything looks clean and new at Careme 350. There  aren't defecating vagrants, smoking students in uniform, or flashing prostitutes outside the building, which was an issue at the CCA's old Polk Street campus.

Other diners included construction workers, office peeps, and a few grey haired senior citizens. The place was about 80% full and capacity is just over two hundred people. Nothing felt rushed, and the mood was happy. The $3.50 promotion was for both lunch and dinner yesterday, and included three and a half courses.Two senior CCA staff members visited tables to make sure customers were happy.

Le Menu was as follows:

Amuse Bouche
Spicy mini shrimp cake with lemongrass & chervil

Appetizer (choice of 1)
Sauteed portobella and oyster mushrooms, shallots, frisee and watercress with Jeres Spanish vinegar

Homemade pasta Greek style, with fresh oregano, feta cheese, Kalamata olives and Extra Virgin olive oil

Entrees
California Ling Cod gratinee with a Dijon mousseline served with steamed Tournee potatoes. 

Roasted leg of lamb with garlic, baby Lima beans and Linguica sausage.

Dessert
Chocolate tart with mango sauce

Almond cake with whipped cream, raspberries and strawberries

We did wonder about one thing: is it right (or even legal) for the Careme 350 to use "all gratuities" for their "scholarship fund"? I like the idea of helping with scholarships but don't feel this is the right way to do so. I'd rather the money go directly to the dining room and kitchen crew, as is the case at other restaurants. It's been some time since I studied restaurant law, but the Careme 350's policy seems unfair at first glance.

Beretta

When I learned The Last Supper Club (TLSC) was morphing into Beretta, I was a little peeved. I liked TLSC’s pasta, good wine list, and convivial party vibe. One sweet touch TLSC had was to include a pesto for each table’s bread basket, which always tasted better than plain butter or olive oil. I needn’t have worried. The new restaurant, Beretta, still has a fun setting, interesting Italian food, with smashing drinks and affordable yet good wines.

Dare yourself to try Beretta’s specialty cocktails, with ingredients like Benedictine, tia maria, absinthe and Dubonnet. The improved whisky cocktail is potent and balanced, with rye, bitters, dubonnet, absinthe and a touch of maraschino. Think smooth and sharp. Wine by the bottle is an affordable and pleasing pairing with food, and decent bottles can be had in the thirty dollar range.

Beretta’s Italian food is skillfully prepared, and the cheery and hip wait staff does a great job at pacing. Highlights included a mixed meat antipasti platter with lardo, which is white fat from the back of a pig, peppery soprassata, and artisan salumi with giardiniera, otherwise known as pickled carrots and cauliflower. The arugula & fennel salad with shaved parmesan, also pictured above, is tender greens with a nutty flavor. Pizzas are a specialty, and are of the blistery thin type. Winning flavor combinations include: potato, rosemary, radicchio & gorgonzola; and prosciutto, tomato, arugula & mozzarella. It would be nice if the arugula was slightly more wilted, but that is a small quibble.

Beretta
1199 Valencia Street (at 23rd Street)
SF, CA 94110
415.695.1199

Party Platter Panache

Edible party platter garnishes are all the rage. It’s a great rule to follow in case one of your guests decides to help themselves to the garnish. Edible flowers, fruit, vegetable carvings, and fresh herbs make things look pretty and yummy. Sliced fruit (orange, lemon, and lime, alone or in a combo) also punches up a platter’s edge. Slice the fruit and lay on the platter. If doing a citrus combo, try and lay the slices on top of slices that are similar in size. That will look best to the eye.

Don’t forget to keep party platters clean during your event. I’ve learned from many catering companies that the best way to clean up a platter is to use a white vinegar and water mix. To do this, combine two parts water with one part vinegar in a squeeze bottle. (Not to worry if you go overboard on the vinegar.) If you don’t have a squeeze bottle, put the liquid mix into a bowl. Use a kitchen side towel to dab at the platter, cleaning away any leftover food and sauces. The vinegar cleans up gunk quickly, and leaves the platter looking clean and fresh. Add more food and get the platter back out to the party, stat!

Hot Stuff Food Blog Round Up

See ya over at SFist for this week's food blog round up.

R.I.P., California Culinary Academy Careme Room

"This is a funeral," one chef instructor told me. "I wore black," he added. We were mourning the last buffet dinner at the historic Careme Room at the California Culinary Academy, in San Francisco. The Polk Street campus will close this summer, after decades of food, learning, and enjoyment for culinary students and the public alike. The building is over one hundred years old, and used to be a German social club, bowling alley, and performance venue for Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, and Janis Joplin.

The occasion felt mostly happy, perhaps due to an open bar and generous wine and champagne pours at the tables. There were lots of hugs and folks reuniting and catching up. All guests were comped for the event, which seemed like a nice gesture. I've heard that the price to attend the CCA is now over sixty thousand dollars and that enrollment is down, which is one reason the Polk campus is closing. My thirty five thousand dollar culinary education now sounds like a relative bargain compared to that steeper cost.

It would've been fun to see more fellow CCA alums in attendance. Guests included: Julie Tan, Roy Salazar, Herve LeBiavant, Serge Bled, CCA President Jennifer White, Tim Grable, Mike Weller, Chef Leo (recently retired after teaching eight thousand students!), Stephen Gibbs and Molly Fuller, Holly & Jean Yves LeDu, Emily Adams, Francesca Perata, Larry Michaels, Michael & Rose Rech, uber food blogger Amy Sherman (who had returned from a trip to Italy that afternoon), Beth Klein Seligman. Invites were sent out only seven days before the event, and what cook is able to escape work on a busy Friday night on a holiday weekend? Buffets were set up, but the room only seemed to have a third of its usual buffet contents. There seemed to be too much pates and meat, with a smidgen of Ceasar and fruit salads. I looked for endive appetizers, which were a buffet standby when I was a student. No go.

The menu: charcuterie, assorted smoked meats and fish, gallontines, ballotines, assorted pate and salads, fresh (moldy tasting) seafood selection, cheeses and fruits, hot entrees including prime rib, kobe beef, and trout. Desserts were flaming crepes, giant flaming Baked Alaska, chocolate and cheesecakes, and mini fruity/creamy pastries. Perhaps the best part was watching the teen aged daughter of Larry Michaels easily slice off the cork of a champagne. Chef Herve LeBiavant had a bigger sword, and took three tries. Next came the flaming Baked Alaska, which looked more than thirty feet long.

  Baked Alaska, anyone?

The Spices of Campton Place

Swanky Campton Place has an interesting hook on spices. I never realized tamarind can be hard green pulp. In the Mission stores, the ripened fruit is reddish brown inside. It makes a great marinade or tart and tangy drink, rich in Vitamin C. Tamarind pods are pictured above. The following list of spices is a sample of those used in the recipes of Chef Srijith Gopinathan:

The Spices of Campton Place Restaurant
Spice: Cumin
Country/Region of Origin: East Mediterranean to East India
Uses: Cumin can be used to season many dishes, as it draws out their natural sweetness.

Spice: Ginger
Country/Region of Origin: China then spread to India and Southeast/Southwest Asia
Uses: Fresh ginger is one of the main spices used for making pulse and lentil curries and other vegetable preparations.

Spice: Cassia
Country/Region of Origin: Arabia
Uses: Cassia is a close relative to the cinnamon, and has an intense flavor and aroma to desserts, baked goods, curries and meats.

Spice: Saffron
Country/Region of Origin: Southwest Asia
Uses: Gives food a rich, golden yellow hue and has a taste reminiscent of metallic honey with grassy or hay-like notes.

Spice: Tamarind
Country/Region of Origin: Africa
Uses: The hard green pulp of a young fruit is very tart and acidic and is most often used as a component of savory dishes. The ripened fruit is sweeter, yet still distinctively sour, and can be used in desserts and sweetened drinks, or as a snack.

Spice: Garlic
Country/Region of Origin: Southwest Asia
Uses: Has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking.

Hot Stuff Food Blog Round Up

It's not high brow, but frank and beans are darn tasty. Or maybe you want a serving of kohlrabi with salad? It's all there on this week's food blog round up.

I'm off to El Metate, in the Mission.

Hot Stuff Food Section & Book Round Up

Book tidbits and food section round up is on SFist today.

With the world's spotlight on China, Fuchsia Dunlop's new book Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: a Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China hits the spot. Her tales of eating and cooking are enticing. I can't stop thinking about her time in China, and how she pushed her way into kitchens and restaurants, to find out how to cook her favorite dishes. She eventually came to love the taste and texture of chicken feet, and other dishes that take some mental work for a non-native. She feels that learning to appreciate these weird textures are critical to truly enjoying Chinese food. I only wish she had included hints or even stories of love interests. It seemed odd to not know who she liked and loved during her fifteen year journey to China.

Bob Spitz's The Saucier's Apprentice is another interesting travel/cooking/eating memoir. He decides to pack up and learn to really cook after finishing a book on the Beatles and going through a divorce. Smart move. His journey to some of the finest cooking schools in Europe is funny, tasty, and touching. The characters-from fist fighting cooking school guests to hostile women folk are hilarious. Spitz experienced first hand that not every cooking school is worth shelling out money for, but he ultimately finds the recipes and knowledge, along with self acceptance and love, that he is seeking.

HDO me

HDO is short for Hors d'Oeuvres, which are passed "butler style" by waiters at events. I love servers who offer to clean the platter (using water and vinegar) when they return to the kitchen. That's much better  than handing it back all smeared and messy. I notice and appreciate the help; sample nibbles for you, good server!

Here's a recent sampling of HDOs served at a Bay Area event:

Endive & asparagus spears with dijon sauce

Butter lettuce with shrimp, toasted coconut, shallots, ginger, lime, peanuts, and a smidgen of jalapeno

Artichoke cake with sharp cheddar and onions, baked

Ancho Chili Chicken Skewers with guac dip-the leftover tasted great the next day.

Dining Out For Life in SF

Dining Out for Life takes place April 24 at various San Francisco restaurants, during lunch and/or dinner. Twenty five per cent of the food sales go to the STOP AIDS project. Last year, over 200K was raised.