Archive for April, 2010

  • If I were still looking for a place to live, Hayes Valley would be near the top of my list. And then I'd have to hope that being to close to Paulette's macarons, Christopher Elbow's hazelnut patties, La Boulange's tarts, Suppenkuche's wienerschnitzel (I had better stop there and save the rest for a Hayes Valley post) would be made up for by walking to and from my house. Somehow I doubt it. Add to that list now the Fried Chicken Sandwich at the newly-opened Terra Bakery & Cafe at the corner of Hayes and Gough.

    Terra Bakery & Cafe Opens

    Posted on 2010.04.29 | No Comments
    If I were still looking for a place to live, Hayes Valley would be near the top of my list. And then I'd have to hope that being to close to Paulette's macarons, Christopher Elbow's hazelnut patties, La Boulange's tarts, Suppenkuche's wienerschnitzel (I had better stop there and save the rest for a Hayes Valley post) would be made up for by walking to and from my house. Somehow I doubt it. Add to that list now the Fried Chicken Sandwich at the newly-opened Terra Bakery & Cafe at the corner of Hayes and Gough.

    Continue Reading...

  • I know, i know, I’ve been gone and didn’t even post this past week’s foodblog-a-round. Can I use the excuse that I was too busy stuffing my face with Singaporean / Malaysian specialities during a whirlwind trip to Singapore? I was and I’ll see if I can dig up any pics of that for later this week. In the meantime, we’ve been trying to get back to cooking more at home in the cJ household. Tonight we’re headed out to dinner (I <3 Camino) but I thought I’d throw in a quick bonus post on a lusciously lovely pasta we...

    Vodka-Shocked Mushrooms with Parmagiano Reggiano Pappardelle

    Posted on 2010.04.25 | 1 Comment
    I know, i know, I’ve been gone and didn’t even post this past week’s foodblog-a-round. Can I use the excuse that I was too busy stuffing my face with Singaporean / Malaysian specialities during a whirlwind trip to Singapore? I was and I’ll see if I can dig up any pics of that for later this week. In the meantime, we’ve been trying to get back to cooking more at home in the cJ household. Tonight we’re headed out to dinner (I <3 Camino) but I thought I’d throw in a quick bonus post on a lusciously lovely pasta we...

    Continue Reading...

  • Welcome to this week’s foodblog round-up — the “all dessert all the time” edition! Maybe it’s because I’m in the middle of my quest to get in shape, but so many sweet luscious photos caught my eye this week. Irresistible. I’m thinking that if I blog about them, maybe I will be able to resist actually baking and eating them. The Waspy Redhead took votes for her featured post, and since I voted for Strawberry Limeade Granita, it seems fitting to rave about it here. It looks so beautiful and refreshing… perfect for springtime but even more perfect for summer....

    Foodblog-a-round: Week of 2010.04.05

    Posted on 2010.04.12 | 1 Comment
    Welcome to this week’s foodblog round-up — the “all dessert all the time” edition! Maybe it’s because I’m in the middle of my quest to get in shape, but so many sweet luscious photos caught my eye this week. Irresistible. I’m thinking that if I blog about them, maybe I will be able to resist actually baking and eating them. The Waspy Redhead took votes for her featured post, and since I voted for Strawberry Limeade Granita, it seems fitting to rave about it here. It looks so beautiful and refreshing… perfect for springtime but even more perfect for summer....

    Continue Reading...

  • A couple of years ago a brown, nutty, slightly chewy grain started appearing in the dishes I’d order at restaurants. It usually came as an accompaniment, a few grains or a small pile amid some fresh vegetables or a flavorful sauce. And maybe once or twice, a bowlful prepared like risotto, rich and cheesy and a bit al dente. I was super curious… what was this curious new grain chefs were sneaking in on the plate? That grain turned out to be farro. Farro, also known as emmer, is a hulled wheat closely related to (and sometimes mistaken for) spelt....

    Hello, My Name is Farro

    Posted on 2010.04.11 | 3 Comments
    A couple of years ago a brown, nutty, slightly chewy grain started appearing in the dishes I’d order at restaurants. It usually came as an accompaniment, a few grains or a small pile amid some fresh vegetables or a flavorful sauce. And maybe once or twice, a bowlful prepared like risotto, rich and cheesy and a bit al dente. I was super curious… what was this curious new grain chefs were sneaking in on the plate? That grain turned out to be farro. Farro, also known as emmer, is a hulled wheat closely related to (and sometimes mistaken for) spelt....

    Continue Reading...

  • Gather Restaurant in Berkeley has been well-received by both “official” critics and local food bloggers. Located across Oxford from UC Berkeley, it’s got the corner spot in the David Brower Center, a recently-completed LEEDS certified building with the mission of housing non-profits with an environmental bent. So Gather’s a great fit – with a focus on fresh, local and sustainable ingredients, and This Week’s Farms featured prominently on a chalkboard. From the beginning it has been Gather’s goal to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner with local sustainable fixin’s at a reasonable price. I’ll leave the dinner review for another time...

    Breakfast and Lunch @ Gather

    Posted on 2010.04.09 | 2 Comments
    Gather Restaurant in Berkeley has been well-received by both “official” critics and local food bloggers. Located across Oxford from UC Berkeley, it’s got the corner spot in the David Brower Center, a recently-completed LEEDS certified building with the mission of housing non-profits with an environmental bent. So Gather’s a great fit – with a focus on fresh, local and sustainable ingredients, and This Week’s Farms featured prominently on a chalkboard. From the beginning it has been Gather’s goal to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner with local sustainable fixin’s at a reasonable price. I’ll leave the dinner review for another time...

    Continue Reading...

  • Spring is sprung, and berries are all over the market (at least here in California… maybe where you are too). And as the weather gets warmer a nice refreshing dessert is in order. This is a great fruit salad — easy to make, not even any chopping or slicing since it’s all berries whole. You can make variations of course with strawberries (I’d cut them in half or quarters in that case) or other fruits. Of course, you want to start with great berries. But the element that brings it all together is aged balsamic vinegar. Make sure to choose...

    Very Berry Marinated Salad

    Posted on 2010.04.07 | No Comments
    Spring is sprung, and berries are all over the market (at least here in California… maybe where you are too). And as the weather gets warmer a nice refreshing dessert is in order. This is a great fruit salad — easy to make, not even any chopping or slicing since it’s all berries whole. You can make variations of course with strawberries (I’d cut them in half or quarters in that case) or other fruits. Of course, you want to start with great berries. But the element that brings it all together is aged balsamic vinegar. Make sure to choose...

    Continue Reading...

  • And here’s the foodblog-a-round for the posts that most caught my eye in the last 7 days! Easter week yielded a lot of great posts about my favorite Easter goodies: Peeps! And the coolest “new” peeps development this year is the arrival of Peepshi. Full instructions at Serious Eats show how to combine Peeps with Rice Krispie Treats and Froot-by-the-Foot into colorfully sweet treats. Awesome. Simple Good and Tasty tells us where to get “homemade” Prariepeeps in gourmet flavors of Chocolate Heirloom and Coconut Vanilla. And Blondie and Brownie did ‘em up right with a great “Let My Peeple Go”...

    Foodblog-a-round: Week of 2010.03.29

    Posted on 2010.04.05 | No Comments
    And here’s the foodblog-a-round for the posts that most caught my eye in the last 7 days! Easter week yielded a lot of great posts about my favorite Easter goodies: Peeps! And the coolest “new” peeps development this year is the arrival of Peepshi. Full instructions at Serious Eats show how to combine Peeps with Rice Krispie Treats and Froot-by-the-Foot into colorfully sweet treats. Awesome. Simple Good and Tasty tells us where to get “homemade” Prariepeeps in gourmet flavors of Chocolate Heirloom and Coconut Vanilla. And Blondie and Brownie did ‘em up right with a great “Let My Peeple Go”...

    Continue Reading...

  • When I made plans to meet up with @BasilLeaf, I suggested dinner and she responded with an enthusiastic, “I LOVE FOOD!” So I decided to take the opportunity to try out a new restaurant I’d kept forgetting to visit — one that I first spotted in The Perfect Spot back in February. Opened by a married couple, Chris and Veronica Laramie, the restaurant hints of an elegant, modern meal with two (prix fixe) courses at $25 and additional courses (say, dessert) at $11. BasilLeaf and I found ourselves tucked into the restaurant on a rainy evening. The restaurant was a...

    Dinner @ eVe Restaurant

    Posted on 2010.04.01 | No Comments
    When I made plans to meet up with @BasilLeaf, I suggested dinner and she responded with an enthusiastic, “I LOVE FOOD!” So I decided to take the opportunity to try out a new restaurant I’d kept forgetting to visit — one that I first spotted in The Perfect Spot back in February. Opened by a married couple, Chris and Veronica Laramie, the restaurant hints of an elegant, modern meal with two (prix fixe) courses at $25 and additional courses (say, dessert) at $11. BasilLeaf and I found ourselves tucked into the restaurant on a rainy evening. The restaurant was a...

    Continue Reading...