short-takes Archive

  • Date night last night at Marlowe in San Francisco. I like the environment, like a combo of industrial and old wood, and the music (a sucker for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack). “Snacks” may have been the best part: the famous brussels sprout chips were crispy, tasty, a little oily… The peaches with burrata and “smoke” with arugula were rich sweet and just that little bit peppery… Delicious. I could have eaten more burrata but it is fair to say it was snack sized. The roasted bone marrow was nicely presented and tasty but nothing particularly special…our main dish lamb was...

    Date Night @ Marlowe

    Posted on 2010.10.10 | 1 Comment
    Date night last night at Marlowe in San Francisco. I like the environment, like a combo of industrial and old wood, and the music (a sucker for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack). “Snacks” may have been the best part: the famous brussels sprout chips were crispy, tasty, a little oily… The peaches with burrata and “smoke” with arugula were rich sweet and just that little bit peppery… Delicious. I could have eaten more burrata but it is fair to say it was snack sized. The roasted bone marrow was nicely presented and tasty but nothing particularly special…our main dish lamb was...

    Continue Reading...

  • Caught the tasting menu at Commonwealth and shared a wine tasting. Not inexpensive, but interesting, modern and enjoyable. Amuse was a delicate sashimi-like dish… cocktail an odd liquid-nitrogen frozen sake combination which was intriguing but less a drink and more a granita. Tasting menu featured lots of offal (e,g. sweetbreads, my favorite). Would go again, next time probably to order off the regular menu and pick and choose myself. And it’s not often you find a restaurant donating $10 from each tasting menu to charity and taking votes on potential recipients. Not to mention its own parking lot. In the...

    Commonwealth

    Posted on 2010.10.02 | 1 Comment
    Caught the tasting menu at Commonwealth and shared a wine tasting. Not inexpensive, but interesting, modern and enjoyable. Amuse was a delicate sashimi-like dish… cocktail an odd liquid-nitrogen frozen sake combination which was intriguing but less a drink and more a granita. Tasting menu featured lots of offal (e,g. sweetbreads, my favorite). Would go again, next time probably to order off the regular menu and pick and choose myself. And it’s not often you find a restaurant donating $10 from each tasting menu to charity and taking votes on potential recipients. Not to mention its own parking lot. In the...

    Continue Reading...

  • I’ve been absent because I’ve been keeping too busy and too tired to use my brain to write. I’ve started a new job and am now coming back up for air. In light of this I’ve decided to redesign the blog to be a little more flexible — specifically, to accommodate posts both of the long-form I normally have been writing, and a “short-form” (formerly known as “Moments”). Long posts will be in the featured slider, and short takes in the section just underneath on the hope page. I’m hoping this new approach will help me feel free post even...

    And I’m Back!

    Posted on 2010.10.02 | 1 Comment
    I’ve been absent because I’ve been keeping too busy and too tired to use my brain to write. I’ve started a new job and am now coming back up for air. In light of this I’ve decided to redesign the blog to be a little more flexible — specifically, to accommodate posts both of the long-form I normally have been writing, and a “short-form” (formerly known as “Moments”). Long posts will be in the featured slider, and short takes in the section just underneath on the hope page. I’m hoping this new approach will help me feel free post even...

    Continue Reading...

  • I’ve got some plaintains right now turning a nice black in my kitchen. I have loved plaintains even before we lived in Miami, and now I’m bummed about how difficult it is to find really good ones cooked up here. I do like that Cuban restaurant down on Kearny near Pine (Paladar Cafe Cubano – also their Cafe con Leche is great) but cooking up a batch at home is easy, and this recipe for Grilled Plaintains with Brown Sugar Glaze from Serious Eats is perfect for grilling season (which I guess is technically nearly year-round here in Berkeley). They...

    Foodblog-a-Round: The Odd Fruit or Vegetable

    Posted on 2010.06.18 | No Comments
    I’ve got some plaintains right now turning a nice black in my kitchen. I have loved plaintains even before we lived in Miami, and now I’m bummed about how difficult it is to find really good ones cooked up here. I do like that Cuban restaurant down on Kearny near Pine (Paladar Cafe Cubano – also their Cafe con Leche is great) but cooking up a batch at home is easy, and this recipe for Grilled Plaintains with Brown Sugar Glaze from Serious Eats is perfect for grilling season (which I guess is technically nearly year-round here in Berkeley). They...

    Continue Reading...

  • I've been obsessed with berries this season, mostly eating them straight or maybe drizzled with lemon juice or coated in some vanilla yogurt or perhaps with a swirl of balsamic and a little sugar. But maybe it's time to get baking.

    Food-Blog-A-Round: Is it Summer Yet?

    Posted on 2010.06.01 | 1 Comment
    I've been obsessed with berries this season, mostly eating them straight or maybe drizzled with lemon juice or coated in some vanilla yogurt or perhaps with a swirl of balsamic and a little sugar. But maybe it's time to get baking.

    Continue Reading...

  • I know, I know, I’ve been lax about my supposedly “weekly” Food blog round up. So this time I”m just going to give links to a number of posts I have seen over the past few weeks that intrigued me. Want to cook Spring Sangria from Local Lemons — The pictures are so beautiful my mouth is already drooling Springtime Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade from Yum Sugar — For those who prefer as we used to say in school “EANABS” — equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages Spaghetti Carbonada from Umami Girl — Vegetarian spaghetti carbonara… sounds lovely. And I see it as...

    Food Blog-a-round: Catch-up Edition

    Posted on 2010.05.10 | 1 Comment
    I know, I know, I’ve been lax about my supposedly “weekly” Food blog round up. So this time I”m just going to give links to a number of posts I have seen over the past few weeks that intrigued me. Want to cook Spring Sangria from Local Lemons — The pictures are so beautiful my mouth is already drooling Springtime Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade from Yum Sugar — For those who prefer as we used to say in school “EANABS” — equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages Spaghetti Carbonada from Umami Girl — Vegetarian spaghetti carbonara… sounds lovely. And I see it as...

    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...

  • Currently in love with First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser. Always searching for a gentle face wash because my skin is ridiculously sensitive and this stuff is great, cleans thoroughly but with no irritation. I’m so excited by it. This is an example of a Sephora sample doing the trick – got a free travel size a while back and have been hooked ever since.

    Faves: FAB Face Cleanser

    Posted on 2010.03.31 | No Comments
    Currently in love with First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser. Always searching for a gentle face wash because my skin is ridiculously sensitive and this stuff is great, cleans thoroughly but with no irritation. I’m so excited by it. This is an example of a Sephora sample doing the trick – got a free travel size a while back and have been hooked ever since.

    Continue Reading...

  • I love this free bag-tag I got as part of my swag (I think from #techmunch). I especially love that it’s true. I do carry between 5-10 lip balms with me at almost all times.

    Handle With Care, Bag-Handling Friend

    Posted on 2010.03.17 | No Comments
    I love this free bag-tag I got as part of my swag (I think from #techmunch). I especially love that it’s true. I do carry between 5-10 lip balms with me at almost all times.

    Continue Reading...

Older Entries