Bean & Veggie Stew

Molly and I made the best bean and veggie stew last night. I have been under the weather and it was the perfect comfort food!


Put about 2 cans of veggie broth in a large pot. We used buillon, which worked just fine. Add one small sliced yellow or spanish onion. Add 1 large can of whole plum tomatoes (ours was w/basil), sauce and all. Using kitchen shears, chop up the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Cut a handful of green beans into one inch pieces and add to the pot along with one pepper (any color is fine), chopped. Add 1 teaspoon of mustard powder, 1-2 tablespoons italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, salt to taste. We also added a couple of heaping tablespoons of onion confit we had in the fridge to make the flavor richer. Let simmer. One the side, cook one cup of pasta, your choice of shape. We used circles, but orzo, elbows or shells would work. Add a can of garbonzo beans and a can of red kidney beans to the stew mixture, drained and rinsed. Once the pasta is done, you're ready to serve. Spoon some of the finished pasta into the bottom of the bowl and then ladle some of the stew over top. Top off with some fresh parmesam cheese and some chopped basil. We also made some crunchy tortilla by cutting some small corn tortillas into strips and cooking them in a pan with a little oil, finish off with some salt. These crunchy strips add some nice texture. And voila!


(I actually don't know if this photo was from the day we made the stew, but I thought it still fit in visually with the recipe!)

Photograph copyright Molly DeCoudreaux

Bissap Baobab, November 9, 2007

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. The food is West African Senegalese and it has a family-run feel. It is decorated in regional African art and has a fun, but simple, interior with a great atmosphere, great staff, and most importantly, great cocktails! It is always packed on the weekends, but surprisingly we didn't have to wait too long on this Friday night. How long it took for our food to arrive is another story. This isn't the kind of place you come when you have somewhere to be and need to get in and out quickly. It is a leisurely/slow dining experience and no one is in a hurry to hustle you out. The best thing to do when you arrive is to go to the bar and order yourself one of their delicious signature cocktails. My two favorites are the Flamboyant (vodka, hibiscus & lime) and the Fleur (whisky, tamarind & ginger). After being seated we ordered the Aloko (fried plantains with a tamarind sauce) & Pastelles (a turnover-type dumpling filled with beef, tuna, or feta & spinach, then topped with a spicy tomato and onion sauce). There is definitely some noise in the restaurant, but it still manages to feel cozy and intimate. The food is rich and simple (and the prices reasonable) and most dishes have a meat, seafood and vegetarian option. Some typical flavors and ingredients include; peanut sauce, coconut, couscous, citrus, plantains, lamb, tilapia, grilled shrimp, tamarind, kebabs and great salads. One of my favorites is the Baobab Salad. A salad of romaine, sun dried tomatoes, feta, cucumber, red onions, olives, and house vinaigrette with grilled shrimp for $7.75. I find the main dishes to be a bit on the heavy side and like to share an appetizer, salad and entree with someone. After putting your order in, don't expect your meal to come right away if the restaurant is full, so sit back, order another cocktail and enjoy your company. They don't take reservations (that I know of).

http://www.bissapbaobab.com

Sushi Zone, October 27, 2007

There are so many things right about this place - it's unpretentious and let's the quality and preparation of the food speak for itself. I had been read multiple reviews about Sushi Zone and was most notably warned that lines start to form outside before the restaurant opens. Molly and I arrived at 4:45pm on Saturday evening and got in line behind the 5 people who were already there. By the time the doors opened at 5:02pm, there were at least 10 people in line eager to get a seat. The restaurant is small and simply, but tastefully, decorated with a background of classic rock playing. I think the sushi chef was singing along to most of the songs. There are two small booths in the window (that can each seat 4) and a sushi counter with 8 or 9 barstools. We were seated at the bar and quickly scanned the specials board and menu. The kitchen is minimal and consists of a small hot plate and toaster oven just to the side of the suhsi counter. There is one man who makes the hot dishes (soup and a couple baked items, etc.), one waitress and one sushi chef.

We placed our order and were glad to be towards the front of the line-up. Since one sushi chef makes everything, you can't be in a huge rush to get your food. We started with a miso soup, sunomono salad w/ octopus, hot tea and a large unfiltered sake. Slowly our food began to arrive. We started with baked sea bass with mango. It isn't something I would normally be drawn to order, but we overheard a woman outside while we were in line talking about it. The sea bass, mango, butter and some creamy topping are all placed in a large mussel shell and baked in the toaster oven until the top is lightly browned. This dish is amazingly delicious and if i didn't think it would eventually clog my arteries, I would want to eat it everyday. We ordered two rolls; a spicy hamachi roll with avocado, jalapeno and lime, and a soft shelled crab w/ avocado roll (spider roll). I have to say that the spicy hamachi roll may be the best roll I've ever had. The hamachi was left in pretty large chunks lightly covered in a spicy mayo, the jalapeno was flavorful but not too spicy, the avocado fatty and sweet and the lime brightened all of the flavors. We also ordered 2 orders of maguro, 1 hamachi & 1 sake. Everything was superb. The fish was fresh and buttery and the sushi chef cut and prepared everything perfectly. Our meal took and hour and a half and there were a steady stream of people coming in and waiting. I will definitely be back, but do fear the lines a little bit. I've also hear that Sushi Time on Market and Noe is great (inside that little mall below the book store) and doesn't have the lines. That will be my next stop....

Sushi Zone is located at 1815 Market St. @ Pearl St. and is open from 5pm - 10pm daily.

Pinkberry, Los Angeles

I don't know why these new amazing frozen yogurt stores aren't on every corner in every city, because they should be. I visited one in LA this past weekend and it changed the way I feel about frozen yogurt....forever. The store itself is sparse with a wall lined in japanese anime style plastic dishwear and figurines. The frozen yogurt base is a delicious non-fat lemony, panna cotta-y tasting yummy yogurt (there is also a green tea option, but I didn't try that...and don't see a reason to). On top of that you can choose from a variety of fresh fruit (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, kiwi, mango, pineapple...) and dry toppings (almonds, captain crunch, granola, cocoa pebbles, chocolate chips, yogurt chips...). On the day I was there they also had a mochi topping option. Molly and I shared a medium and we able to choose 3 toppings; mango, raspberry and mochi. It was so good! I want one right now just thinking about it. Its a tiny bit pricey at $4.95 for a medium, but the fruit is fresh and I would probably pay twice that for some of that incredible frozen yogurt. If you have the chance to go there, do...repeatedly.

http://www.pinkberry.com

Sunflower, October 15, 2007

This is one of my all-time favorite restaurants in San Francisco. Molly and I stopped in for a quick lunch on Monday around 1:30pm. They have the best lunch special in town, in my opinion. For $7.95 you get a cup of hot & sour soup, asian cabbage slaw, fresh spring rolls (usually comes with an imperial roll, but I substitute the fress roll for 50 cents), rice and entree. I got the lemongrass prawns, a heaping portion of sauteed green beans, onions, prawns, garlic, lemongrass and chilies. I absolutely love the soup, a tangy and slightly spicy broth with chunks of pineapple, tomatoes, tofu, mushrooms and bean sprouts. The fresh spring rolls, filled with vermicelli noodles, lettuce, mint, basil and shrimps, are one of my favorite food items ever. They serve it with a clear sauce, today a little heavy on the fish sauce, so I also asked for a side of peanut sauce for dipping. I can never eat the entire plate of 5 different items, so it usually makes a great second meal or afternoon snack. Molly ordered the vegetarian noodle soup, a giant bowl filled to the brim, overflowing with rice noodles, cabbage, mushrooms, tofu and a meriad of other vegetables. The portion is definitely enough for 2-3 people, so for $6, this is definitely a great bargain. I never get sick of Sunflower and especially reccommend the lunch special (though any meal there is usually great). I also like the full portion of the hot & sour soup and could probably eat that everyday.

www.sunflower-restaurant.com

Incanto, October 14, 2007

A good friend of mine, Elijah, and I had both been watching Iron Chef and happened to see the episode with Chris Constentino vs. Mario Batali. Constentino is a San Francisco-based chef and owner/executive chef of Incanto, and is known for using the "nasty" pig parts. Elijah's birthday was last week and Molly and I decided to take him to Incanto as a birthday present.

We arrived on time for our 6:45pm reservation and emerged into the warm foyer. We started with a glass of prosecco, marinated olives and the salumi platter. I won't lie, I'm not always the most adventurous eater of weird animal parts, and this platter was full of them. Everything was housemade and the platter included; mortadella, house-cured pork belly, head cheese, crispy pig skin/ear/snout salumi, a pate of big belly/shoulder and other parts w/whole grain mustard, pickled ramps, pickled organic baby carrots, pickled onions and heirloom radishes. I was a little overwhelmed when the plate was delivered and in front of me were thinly sliced weird pig parts. BUT, that was part of my excitement in dining at Incanto--- trying new things. The mortadella was delicious; smooth, mildly smokey and sweet. The cured pork belly was amazing and practically melted in my mouth. The pickled ramps (and all of the other pickled items) I could pretty much eat every day, delicious with a hint of clove/allspice. I tried each of the other salumi, but don't know if my tastebuds are sophisticated enough, or accustomed to the taste.

For our next round of appetizers we ordered heirloom peppers stuffed with fresh ricotta with pesto and baby arugula and a crudo of kampachi with pomogranate seeds and smoked salt. Both of these dishes were outstanding and I would eat them again and again. The peppers were delicious and ricotta was soft and frest. The bitter greens and the basil added nice compliments to the softness and sweetness of the peppers and ricotta. The wine we had with this course was perfect (I can't remember the name, but it had the word "kerner" in it), slightly sweet but not too sugary with a muscat-like nose. The crudo was delicious. There was a sauce which tasted like a pomogranate reduction/molasses and there were scattered pomogranate seeds scantly scattered over the plate. The smoked salt was spare in the best way--- not every bite was bombarded with the flavor, but the hint of it was a wonderful complex flavor with the sweetness of the sauce and the bitterness of the seeds.

For our entrees, I ordered papradelle with oxtail ragu and bitter greens (i can't remember which one). Molly ordered skate with sunchokes and chantrelle mushrooms. Elijah ordered the hare with farro polenta, dandilion greens w/ caramelized onions and grapes. Although I ordered the half portion, I found my dish to be incredible small and there wasn't enough of the good stuff. But, I had never eaten oxtail before and was interested in trying it. I don't feel like there was enough of the oxtail, but the bits I had I liked. Elijah's hare dish was delicious-- a large portion with big flavors. I had never had hare and really enjoyed it. It was cooked perfectly and was falling off the bone. The gamey-ness of the hare went well with the full flavor of the farro polenta. There was a heartiness in the farro that could stand up to the hare. A standard polenta would have been lost. The dandilion greens were incredible bitter, but the sweetness of the onions and especially grapes were a clean and refreshing break in the dish. I think Molly's skate was my favorite dish. Molly's only complaint was that it felt a little heavy on the butter, but all of the elements worked incredible well together. The sunchoke cubes and chantrelles made a mound in which the two pieces of fish laid over top. The skate was crispy on the outside, sweet and stringy on the inside and went extremely well with the earthiness of the sunchokes and chantrelles. The chantrelles were beautiful; plump and full of flavor. Sunchokes are something I'm not terribly familiar, but would like to start cooking with. They have the flavor of an artichoke and the texture more like a potato. Overall, a delicious dish.

For dessert we shared a dessert wine flight and a cheese plate with 3 cheeses, fruit & nut bread, stuffed date, and housemade cherry jam. This was the perfect way to finish the meal and the flight included the most delicious 10 yr. masala wine. Overall, the food was delicious, the quality impecible and the presentation elegant. I was least impressed with the service and thought our server left something to be desired. Had the service been better, this would have been a truly great meal. Its funny how much people take great service for granted, but in its absence you can really notice how much it takes away from a meal. It just seems like a shame when you're spending hundreds of dollars, not to feel like you're getting fair & attentive and service.

www.incanto.biz

Kirala, September 16, 2007

If you haven't been to this Berkeley sushi institution, you're missing out. My meal there this past Sunday evening was delicious and perfect. Molly and I arrived at 5:35 and it was already packed and had a short waiting list. We were seated shortly and immediately ordered two orders of maguro to start, which was fresh, sweet and buttery. We then ordered oshitashi w/ bonito flakes, grilled sardine with spicy cod roe, seafood yakiudon and an order of sake (salmon, not the drink) to finish off the meal. The oshitashi was the least exciting thing we ordered, but is always a good standard and the bonito flakes were especially smoky which added good flavor to the vinegar-y spinach. The grilled sardine was delicious-- fresh and briny, although I didn't find the cod roe to be especially spicy. The main event, the seafood yakiudon, was phenomenal. I rarely order big noodle-y entrees at sushi restaurants, but I'm so glad I took the chance and did something different. A huge steaming hot bowl was served to us and I felt like a kid being served a birthday cake. The noodles were so fresh and chewy and tender. There were scallops, shrimp, clams and squid-- all cooked perfectly. Everything was tossed with fresh veggies; carrots, onions, bok choy, scallions. I couldn't tell exactly what the seasoning was, but it was light with a hint of cinnamon and sweetness. This was a great dish and a great value. It was definitely big enough to share and cost $12.95. This was one of the best meals I had had in a while and that's saying a lot! I will definitely frequent Karala whenever possible and will try to stick to off hours.

Movie Review: "Decoding Ferran Adria"

I recently received this documentary as a gift. To my embarrassment, I wasn't familiar with Ferran Adria prior to watching this culinary-life changing 45 minute dvd.

...more coming soon....

Warakubune, 8/23/07

I went to this sushi place by my house last night for a quick dinner. It's called Warakubune and is located on Church St. between 15th & 16th, across the street from "secret sushi". It has the moving sushi boats on a conveyer belt above the sushi bar. I know this can be a turn off for some people, but there's something very pleasing about having endless options of perfect sushi rolls and nigiri floating by. You have to react and hand select each dish. And the portions are smaller for the larger rolls (3 pieces), so you can sample more. You can also order off of their menu & order rolls/sashimi from the sushi chef that you don't see on the boats. Everything I tried was very good and the fish tasted incredible fresh. There are defintiely cheaper sushi spots in the neighborhood (secret sushi & Miyabi), but I really enjoyed my meal here. The service is impecible and fast and the atmosphere is fun. I'm not always into eating at the counter because you're shoulder to shoulder with your neighborhood (I know, that's SO American of me), but the food here is worth it. My friend and I ordered a large Sapporo and about 10 plates off of the boat. Our total was $38, which seems like a good price for what how much we ate and how high quality the food was.

Zuppa, 8/18/07

My parents were visiting from Portland, Oegon over the weekend while my dad was attending the APA conference with some of his old college friends. On Saturday, they wanted to go out to dinner with a couple of his friends and their wives. I made a reservation at Zuppa, since I had heard good reviews from a couple of friends and Italian food is usually a crowd pleaser. We walked in and were seated at this very long, long table. It must have been a (single) table for 20, but they seat one party at either end. The atmosphere is modern-rustic. It has the feel of the open kitchen, brick oven trattatoria, but has a lot of stainless steel touches and sleek details.

We started off with a couple pizzas, that were both delicious. We ordered a funghi pizza with wild mushrooms (gamboni? and another mushroom I can't remember) and another pizza, Carciofi, with artichoke & prosciutto cotto. The pizzas were absolutely delicious. The crust was thin, crunchy and chewy and the toppings were light and fresh. The sauce was sweet and it wasn't overwhelmed with cheese. This may have been my favorite part of the entire meal.

Next, Molly and I shared a chicory salad with an aged goat cheese and simple oil and vinegar dressing. A classic and tasty dish with fresh ingredients. For my entree I ordered the Tagliatelle con Granchio e Pomodorini, which was tagliatelle with fresh dungeness crab and ella bella cherry tomatoes. The crab mixed with the tomatoes and made a very light and sweet sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly, very aldente. Molly's dish was delicious as well. She ordered the Pappardelle alla Ligure, a long wide pasta with mariquita farms green beans, fingerling potatoes, squash blossoms and pesto. The Pappardelle was cut extra thick, almost an inch wide, which gave it a great texture. The potatoes and the pesto went well together and the squash blossoms & green beans added a nice fresh element to the dish. I didn't sample everyone else's dishes, except my dad's kobe beef brisket which was delicious, but everyone seemed very pleased.

The desserts were definitely above par and the coffee was very good. We ordered a Dark Chocolate-Amaretto Tort with crispy wafer crust, fleur de sel caramel sauce, candied hazelnuts & caramel gelato and the Stone Fruit Crostata fruit filled pasty topped with vanilla gelato. Both desserts were great, but I was especially impressed the the Dark Chocolate-Amaretto Tort. The service was good, and was what I had been worried about after reading multiple reviews about the poor service. We had two bottles of delicious Italian medium-bodied reds, my favorite being the Nero d'Avola, Morgante, 2003. Most dishes also credited the local farmer they came from, which is always a good thing. Overall, I think Zuppa is good. I would definitely eat there again, especially for the Funghi pizza and a glass of wine.

The Slanted Door, 8/17/07

I've only been to the Slanted Door once before and I was excited to return. I had made reservations 2 months in advance as a surprise birthday dinner for my dad. I knew it would be the perfect setting and perfect menu for him. We arrived 30 minutes early, because I wanted a few minutes to get a cocktail and go outside to enjoy the view. It was a perfectly clear evening, about an hour before sunset, and the bay bridge was beautiful and the Oakland Hills were sparkling (I know that sounds cheesy, but they really were). I ordered a ginger limeade (which is my favorite drink that I've had there, and my dad got a french 75--- Molly and my mom had sparkling water).

We got seated and were soon asked to move tables so they could accommodate a large party-- not a great start. I was feeling a little nervous since I really wanted my dad to have a great dining experience. We were moved to a new table by the windows that, besides being under the air conditioning vents, had a better view and a better waiter. We started with a round of appetizers; live baked spot prawns, abalone w/ black chantrelles & peas, daikon rice cakes, green papaya salad (this was delicious---so thinly julienned with a delicious light dressing). Because they made us move tables the waiter brought us the fried salt & pepper wax beans with fried garlic and cherry tomatoes-- a very yummy dish. We took our time eating our appetizers and eventually put in our dinner order.

We waited for quite a while and our waiter came to the table and apologized that our order hadn't gone through. He felt badly and even though we had been waiting for quite some time, we were glad to finally know what was going on. The entrees finally appeared and everything was delicious. We had sweet corn with chantrelles & green onions, yellow snow peas with fresh baby corn & torpedo onions, caramelized tiger prawns with garlic, onions & chili sauce and cellophane noodles with dungeonous crab. The corn was some of the sweetest I've ever had, though I'm not sure the dish really needed the chantrelles. The snow peas were ok, but not my favorite dish. They had fine flavor, but the fresh baby corn were pretty fibrous {side-note: I ate the leftovers of this dish a couple days later and the baby corn were delicious. I think they just needed a little time to absorb more liquid}. The tiger prawns were plentiful and absolutely delicious. They were cooked perfectly and had a delicious sweet flavor. I loved the dungeness crab & cellophane noodle dish. There were huge pieces of crab and very light seasoning. A light and perfect dish for summer. ....then our waiter, Robert, brought us ANOTHER complimentary dish because our entrees had taken so long. The dish was butterflied shrimp with Shishito peppers & chilies. I think this might have been my favorite dish of the entire night. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the peppers were amazing. Apparently, Slanted Door has a local farmer who grows and harvests these peppers just for them. They are small and green and wrinkly with a mild but punchy pepper taste. I loved this dish.

In the end, our great service redeemed any mistakes that were made and we had a great experience at The Slanted Door. As usual, the food is local, fresh and simply prepared to retain the integrity of the ingredients. I will definitely go back to The Slanted Door.

House Of Nanking, 8/17/07

I've eaten at the House of Nanking several times before and decided to take my dad there for a birthday lunch. We arrived at 2pm on a Friday and the place was packed. There was a line outside that we joined and were seated within 10 minutes. I think everyone will agree that you don't come to this North Beach institution for the service, but the food never lets me down. The distinctively white haired owner took our order, without cracking a smile or looking up from his pad of paper. My parents had never been there, so I took charge of ordering--- well, my dad ordered the fried eggplant, which proved to be our least favorite dish. It had good flavors, a garlicky chili sauce, but was a bit heavy on the fried for us. I ordered the peashoot salad with fried yam strips and crispy tofu. I love this dish. I think I could eat it almost everyday. The light vinaigrette on the peashoots is perfect, a little sesame oil, a little rice vinegar, and whatever else is in it. The peashoots have a great texture, soft and a little crunchy and they begin to slowly wilt in the dressing as the meal goes on. Then we got the sesame chicken with sliced yams and some asian melon that I'm not sure what it is. The chicken is barely battered and has a slightly crunchy edge and a sweet sesame sauce. Its served with white rice and is delicious. This place is an institution for a reason---they do what they do incredibly well. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone.

Tangerine, 8/16/07

I've never been drawn to dine at Tangerine, so when my dad (visiting from Portland) suggested eating dinner there I was a little bit hesitant. He thought the menu looked interesting and it was close to the bed and breakfast that my parents stayed at. I walked in feeling optimistic. The menu looked good- interesting flavors, etc. The waiter was nice, but we soon determined had no idea what he was doing and seemed very unfamiliar with the restaurant and food. The food was awful. I mean, it was bad, really bad. And for the prices they were charging, it was ridiculous. It was like they wanted to be a fine dining restaurant, but none of the ingredients seemed high quality or fresh. The seafood all tasted metalic. The bread was stale. Almost everything was fried. They forgot to bring out a dish, which we didn't realize until the end of the meal. I think the intention of this restaurant may be good, but the execution and delivery doesn't translate the owner/chef's vision. I will not be dining at Tangerine again, anytime soon. At least not until I'v forgotten about this experience.

Explanation of Out-of-Order Photos...

So, I know all of the photos I'm posting are out of order. Since I've just started this blog I'm trying to go back and use some photos that I had previously taken. Well, Molly has taken almost all of them. Once I get all of my past photos up I can start being a little more up to date!

Molly's website: www.mollydecoudreaux.com

Bing Cherry & Pear Upside-Down Cakes, June 2007

Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux

This is one of my favorite new recipes. I've made it 4 or 5 times in the past few months experiementing with different fruit toppings. The recipe is from Rick Bayless's cookbook, Everyday Mexican. The batter is very simple and isn't too sweet, using equal parts white and whole wheat flour. My favorite fruit combination so far has been blueberry with white nectarine--- the juices from the blueberry caramelized with the brown sugar topping and meld perfectly with the sweet nectarine. I've also tried bing cherry and peach (separately, not together). I've tried both the yogurt method and the milk method. The yogurt variation is best, and you can even use vanilla yogurt to add a little extra sweetness. I've also added a little more sugar to sweeten it for dessert (or birthday cake). It is also delicious for breakfast, as suggested by the recipe (tastes great warmed in the toaster oven and with a dollop of yogurt!

Roasted Veggie Lasagne, Seattle, May 2007

Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux

Chez Papa, San Francisco, 8/7/07

Last week I took Molly to Chez Papa in Potrero Hill. It was our first time there and I had heard great things about it. We took the 22 bus and it practically dropped us off outside the door of the restaurant. The restaurant is very small and quaint-- only about 40 seats inside and a half dozen seats on the sidewalk under heat lamps. The decor is simple and elegant and very unpretentious.

We decided to order and share a bunch of small plates. We first ordered 2 glasses of Cremant de Bourgogne, a delicious sparkling rose, soft and not too dry or sweet. We started with the Pissaladiere, a caramelized onion tart with anchovy and frisee salad. This dish was good, but wasn't my favorite. The flavors were nice (who doesn't love caramelized onions), but the pastry was lacking for me-- too dry and not enough flavor. This dish wasn't bad by any means, but wasn't as spectacular as some of the other dishes we ordered. Along with the tart we ordered a grilled calamari salad on a bed of frisee with warm pastis vinegarette. This was an incredible dish that, Molly and I both agreed, we could eat everyday. The calamari was cut into small rings and sauteed perfectly and lay on a bed of frisee that was slightly wilting from the warm vinegarette. The flavor of the pastis was a delicious compliment to both the calamari and the earthy bitterness of the frisee.

Next we ordered the pimentos del piquillos stuffed with dungeness crab meat, saffron, tomato coulis and basil. This was a good dish. The flavors were delicious together, but the pepper was battered and fried which felt a little heavy and unnecessary. Next we got the mussels provencale with garlic, shallots, cherry tomatoes, nicoise olives and pastis. Yum. This was so good and flavorful and perfect with a piece of crusty bread. There was a touch of cream in the broth, but it was so light and delicious. We finished with the ricotta ravioli with basil pistou, roasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan. The ravioli was delicious and tasted so fresh.

We were feeling quite full from dinner, so instead of ordering a dessert we split a glass of the 1999 Caves des Vignerons de Beaumes de Venise, a Muscat from Rhone. It was spectacular. It was reccommended by one of the staff and he was right on target. It was perfectly light and floral with a touch of sweetness, but not too much. He was so happy we liked it that he gave it to us on the house.

Overall, this is one of my new favorite restaurants. I will definitely go back here again and again. Food and drinks came to around $100, which felt like a bargain with the delicious wines and fresh seafood we received. Everyone who worked there was fantastic and laid back. Our server was great and had the perfect tableside personality. He also allowed us to sample wines and to split glasses, and had good menu reccomendations. Service really does make a difference, but the food here can definitely speak for itself.

Postrio Restaurant, San Francisco, 8/11/07

Molly and I were given a gift certificate for Postrio (by our great friend, Cheyenne), a massive Wolfgang Puck restaurant downtown in the Prescott Hotel. This isn't a restaruant I would normally go to and seems more geared towards tourists and business men. The menu is very expensive and each dish is elaborate with multiple components. Our expectations were low, but a free 4 course dinner for two isn't something to turn away! We were excited about trying something new.

We arrived a few minutes early for our reservation to be greeted by two attractive and snooty hostesses. Not a great start. As we were led through the restaurant to our table, we entered into the massive dining room with 30 foot ceilings filled with Chihuly glass pieces and such. We immediately ordered a cocktail--- 2 Manhattans with Maker's Mark. They were perfect and delicious. Only a brandied cherry could have made it better. We shared two rounds of appetizers and ordered our own entrees.

We started with corn pudding & goat cheese fritter that came with something else I can't remember....needless to say this was my least favorite dish of the night. It was rich and non-descript and left something to be desired. Along with that we had the hamachi tartare served with ahi carpaccio, lime nuoc cham, sesame oil and grapefruit-thyme granita. Not only was the presentation of this dish absolutely beautiful, all of the flavors worked perfectly together. We almost ordered a second round of this dish and we thought it was ALMOST worth the $19 price tag.

For the second round of appetizers we had the house smoked wild salmon with a honeywheat blini, red onion, sieved egg, American boutique caviar, ikura & dill sour cream. Again, the presentation was beautiful---the first 4 ingredients were very finely chopped/minced (the yolk and the egg whites were separated and constituted their own layers) and layered into a terrine presentation with a dollop of each caviar and the dill sour cream around the plate. The house cured salmon was sweet, smokey and delicious. Along with the smoked salmon dish we had pan seared diver scallops with sauteed chantrelle mushrooms & diced potato and a balsamic reduction. I was surprised at how well the earthiness of the mushrooms and potatoes complimented the scallops (which were perfectly seared and very tender).

For our entrees, I ordered the New York strip steak with pomme frites and a stilton cole slaw. It was good, but I wouldn't normally order a $40 steak. Molly ordered the sesame crusted ahi tuna with pulled sesame pork (which she didn't get because she doesn't eat meat), potato pearls, Shitake mushrooms and bok choy in a jasmine-dashi broth. I only had one bite, but she loved it. For dessert we had an espresso, shared a glass of au de vie (a pear brandy--one of my favorites) and ordered the granny smith apple sherbet with dulce de leche napoleon, sautéed apples and caramel corn. The dessert was delicious, but I have to admit I was more focused on the au de vie.

Our waiter ended up being great and gave us a little special attention because Molly knows someone who works at Postrio. And once we tuned out the other patrons and focused on the food and company, we had a great meal here. I wouldn't necessarily reccommend it as a regular dining spot, but getting a free meal here made for a unexpectedly fantastic dinner out. We ended up paying $100 for drinks and gratuity for what would have been an almost $300 meal!

Farmer's Market Produce, Spring 2007

Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux

Ingredients for Grilled Vegetable Lasagne, June 25, 2007

Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux

Salmon & Grilled Nectarine Salad, Seattle, May 2007

Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux

Anniversary Appetizer Spread, March 11, 2007

Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux