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TrelayneNYC

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Everything posted by TrelayneNYC

  1. Bucatini with onion, anchovy and herbs Sorry, no pic of the final product
  2. Veal and pork meatballs braised in tomato sauce Skillet cauliflower Stone fruit and bananas with Madeira
  3. I told my hubby that I want to go to Benu for my b'day dinner this year. Major food porn at the link below. "Top 100 Restaurants 2018" by Michael Bauer on projects.sfchronicle.com We've been to quite a few: B. Patisserie, Cala, Californios, Chez Panisse, Frances, Gary Danko, Kin Khao, Kokkari Estiatorio, La Ciccia, Lord Stanley, Nopalito, Petit Crenn, Prospect, Yank Sing and Zuni. Maybe this will be of some use to you.
  4. I've been working a lot for the past few weeks, so tonight was the first dinner I've cooked in quite a while. It'll be the last one for the next couple of weeks b/c on Thursday, we fly out to Austin, TX for a week, and then to New Orleans for another week. We're having dizi (Iranian lamb stew with cinnamon, chickpeas, sumac and dried lime). Contains a base of olive oil and lamb fat, to which was added lamb, onion, cinnamon, dried lime, sumac, turmeric, salt, water, then chickpeas, white beans, potatoes and crushed tomatoes and stewed for 2 1/2 hours. This will be served with an herb plate (parsley, mint, cilantro) and pita bread.
  5. We went to SPQR for dinner last night. It reminds me of a revamped Babbo, right down to the rock-and-roll blasting from the speakers. Sweet corn and quinoa "frittella", smoked trout, roe and red onion crema fresca. I wanted to like SPQR especially since I'd heard so much about it. Style is "nuevo Italiano" and left much to be desired. Also not every day you're served a dish with a sauce that reminds you of Pepto-Bismol. The "frittella" was fine and the goo inoffensive. Sicilian artichoke, romano bean and kohlrabi salad, smoked wagyu beef, pecorino. Take away three ingredients on that plate and you've got a great salad. BTW the artichokes tasted like they were canned. Wild rice stuffed quail, creamed greens, heirloom apple. Their secondi were a bit more imaginative. The quail was perfectly cooked and the greens in keeping with the season. There was some sort of demi-glace-based sauce poured over the quail. Again, too many elements on the plate. Tasty though, for what it's worth....B liked it. Squid ink spaghetti, red wine braised octopus and mussel "puttanesca", black olive crumb. They redeemed themselves somewhat with the pasta. I suppose if I were to return here, I'd start with their primi instead. Chestnut clafoutis, black truffle gelato, honey ($22). Served with a glass of passito moscato from Cosenza, Calabria ($15). This dessert was the best thing I ate all night, and that says something. Very flavorful and everything complemented each other. Meyer lemon goat yogurt, lime honey, grapefruit sorbetto. Was pretty good. Would I return? Maybe, if I didn't have any other options. You can do better in San Francisco. SPQR1911 Fillmore Street (Wilmot Street)Pacific Heights
  6. We went on Saturday. Chicken gyoza Tuna, yellowtail, scallop and halibut sashimi over Japanese rice, served with shiso and wasabi Miso shiru with Manila clams Left - carrot and wasabi pickles Right - long-cooked flaked tuna with lemon zest Left - turnip and asparagus with Japanese mustard spinach Right - deep-fried anchovies with pickled onion and carrot B had the same set up except his main was a bowl of oyakodon (chicken and egg over Japanese rice
  7. I belong to a cookbook club here in San Francisco. Our first dinner is in two weeks. It's kind of like a potluck and social thing: everyone cooks from the same book, then on the big day, brings the dish to someone's house for a get-together. It's about cooking, entertaining, belonging and making new friends. It's a groovy thing. What I am so not in love with is the cookbook that was chosen, sort of like an icebreaker, because not everyone attending is on the same skill level. There are some very accomplished cooks who will be attending, including at least one person who has his own catering business. And some newbies, I'm sure. So you need something that will not intimidate. I do appreciate that. Unfortunately, Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" was the book that was chosen and reading it makes me rage. A recipe for chicken adobo (page 658) calls for 1 cup soy sauce and 1/2 cup vinegar - which, if you think about it - changes it from chicken braised in vinegar with soy sauce and garlic to chicken braised in soy sauce with vinegar and garlic. A recipe for chicken biryani (page 654) calls for 4 tbsp. butter instead of ghee and saffron instead of turmeric. Ghee is butter with the water removed and milk solids are caramelized - so it has a butterier and nuttier flavor than butter, plus you don't need to use that much. I had heard Bittman's book was "basic" but I hadn't considered that his recipes were nearly unworkable from a technical standpoint. Holy fucking shit. This guy is supposed to be an authority. On what planet?
  8. Congee with pork-cilantro meatballs.Meatballs - 2 tbsp. cilantro stems, 2 garlic cloves, pinch of salt, generous pinch of white pepper - pounded into a paste in a mortar and pestle, then combined with 1 lb. ground pork, 1 tsp. mushroom soy and 1 tbsp. oyster sauce, then chilled for 6 hours in the fridge.Congee - 10 cups Chinese chicken stock, 1 cup jasmine rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours uncovered, adding chicken stock or water to replenish liquid as it evaporates. Congee is done when rice begins to break down and is thickened according to your liking. Toppings - cilantro stems and leaves, sriracha, fish sauce, sesame oil, shredded ginger, minced scallion, crispy fried shallots, fried garlic, chopped peanuts. For each diner, crack an egg in a bowl, then ladle hot congee on top. Egg should be done in about 4 minutes. Scatter toppings as desired, then serve.
  9. today: morel mushrooms, fava leaves, Meyer lemons, Tokyo turnips, pork, cauliflower, garlic, spring onions, cilantro
  10. BTW, those two pics are the first I've ever taken on an iPhone. Haven't thought about Instagram yet...give me time.
  11. My first visit there was in 2005 2003. My notes say: Fast forward a little over a decade later. Lamb sausage, Malpeque oysters, stewed tomatoes Newport steak with parsley-shallot butter, served with an English muffin, soft-boiled eggs, and potatoes rösti. I might have to rethink that bit about a "not a go-to place".
  12. Good BBQ is hard to find in San Francisco and it doesn't seem as if the offerings at 4505 Burgers & BBQ match up to their reputation. Beans were the best thing offered; I could make a meal of those alone. Nice balance of spice and sweetness. Brisket was just "ok" and the chicken faintly redolent of smoke. Good coleslaw is exceedingly difficult to come by, and this batch had barely any interest. I might as well have been eating rabbit food. Pozole was fine. The thing is, this place is packed to the gills at night. B and I have been here before, and we just don't get its appeal.
  13. Good morning! Leeks with mustard-bacon vinaigrette and hard-cooked egg
  14. We'll be in town in June. I'll read through this thread later. Having said that, what is the one restaurant we should have dinner at that isn't Galatoire's/Antoine's/Commander's Palace or is a place involved with John Besh? (We're already reserved at Galatoire's and I'm avoiding Besh's restaurants in light of events from last year.)
  15. Dinner menu for six for March 4, 2018: Assorted crackers Cheese plate (smoked Gouda, cheddar cheese, goat cheese) Marinated olives Deep-fried anchovies Lamb tagine with Castelvetrano olives and saffron Couscous with aromatic vegetables (celery, carrot, onion) and currants Harissa Preserved lemon Braised green beans and broccolini with anchovy, Meyer lemon and rosemary Homemade chocolate ice cream for dessert
  16. On Friday, we went to one of our standbys in San Francisco, Esperpento, a tapas restaurant in the Mission. escalivada (roasted eggplant, peppers and onion with hard cooked egg) alcachofas a la plancha (grilled artichokes). Gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp). A bit more oily than I'm used to, and the shrimp weren't as big. Still tasty. Albondigas (meatball stew with saffron). Somewhat mediocre. Needed salt. Repollo rehogado (cabbage with garlic and paprika). Chorizo salteado "cantimpalitos" (chorizo sautéed in olive oil). With a glass of sangria and one of amontillado, total bill was $70 for two including a 20% tip. Not bad.
  17. "L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon may be the world’s most expensive restaurant chain." Ouch. I don't know what stings more - that line or the two star rating. "A New Link in the World's Most Expensive Restaurant Chain" by Pete Wells on nytimes.com
  18. We had veal and pork meatballs last night: 1 lb. ground veal 1 lb. ground pork 1 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1/3 cup minced Italian parsley 1 tsp. finely grated Meyer lemon zest 3/4 cup breadcrumbs soaked in 1/2 cup milk salt and pepper 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes And I made a batch of pesto di ortica (stinging nettle pesto): 2/3 cup stinging nettles that have been blanched, then coarsely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts 2 tbsp. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese salt to taste extra-virgin olive oil
  19. Braised chicken with leeks Carrots with garlic and Meyer lemon That white stuff you see in the first pic is a tbsp. of lard.
  20. B and I went to Hakka Restaurant (4401 Cabrillo Street (45th Avenue)) in Outer Richmond. We're definitely returning... The menu is voluminous. Pictured are most of the Hakka regional specialties and some of the Cantonese ones. Apparently they give you a complimentary bowl of soup as a sort of a first course. Tonight it was lovely chicken broth with shredded chicken and turnip. The broth was deeply flavored and redolent of garlic and ginger. Sautéed Chinese broccoli with rice wine. Pork stomach with salted preserved vegetable. Slightly chewy and crunchy with a touch of vinegar. Definitely addictive. There's that texture thing going on. B wasn't a fan but I loved it. Home style steamed sea bass, served with black beans, garlic, ginger and scallion. It was awesome. Red bean soup. Again, a complimentary bowl, served for dessert. Lightly sweet and just right. Portions are huge. The total for all this food was $62, not including a 20% tip. We have tons of leftovers too.
  21. Seven semi-finalists out of 20 candidates for Outstanding Chef are women, or approximately 35%. The more things change... #whatever
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