All Together Now

Real estate is expensive. In San Francisco, it is ridiculously expensive. During this recession, I have seen so many small businesses close because they can no longer afford to pay their rent. But in such an economy, where to go with your wonderful food idea, such as 7 different kinds of ramen, or bacon-wrapped hot dogs? Some resourceful vendors have gone the food cart route, either selling off of an actual cart or getting some kind of mobile vehicle that could double as a makeshift kitchen.

But the food cart business is not for everyone, and there are permits required with that as well. Enter a new idea: the multi-tenant indoor market. 331 Cortland in Bernal Heights is such a place.

Inside is an eclectic mix of 6 vendors. The first thing that you see is a knife-sharpening operation. It is sort of an odd choice, maybe something you would expect to see in medieval times (Ye Olde Ironsmith). Next is Della Terra Organics fruit stand, with the most impossibly beautiful fruits and vegetables and a good sense of humor.

The midddle of the space houses my two favorite vendors, El Poreno empanadas, and Ichi Lucky Cat Japanese Deli. I could easily spend an afternoon running back and forth between these two, sampling different things each time. Toro nigiri, wild mushroom empanada, Shiso Pesto Pasta, beef empanada...and on and on.

The last two vendors are Wholesale Bakery and Paulie's, which sells pickled goods and pre-made salads and sandwiches. More to discover next time! I am having a bad case of neighborhood envy - how easy would it be to make dinner every night with so much variety right at your disposal, and within walking distance? Here's to hoping that more communities follow suit.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

It sounds so happy, crunchy, hippie-dippy: Rainbow Grocery. A large, neighborhood cooperative with a long history, a place where every food item is bought with a conscience, where the business is owned and run by the workers, in a democracy. You might expect to find Wavy Gravy greeting you at the front door like a Wal-Mart greeter. A place to go after your yoga class to buy spelt bread and gluten-free pumpkin pie. Who doesn't like rainbows?

And basically, it is all of these things. Until coupon day. When it becomes anarchy.

In 2003, Rainbow started putting 20% off coupons in the back of the phonebook to increase the sales on their slow days. They picked a few months out of the year, and made the coupons valid for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Little did they know what mayhem this would cause - people in San Francisco are dead serious about their health food, and at 20% savings, this is practically like inviting a stampede.

It seems like all of that yogic meditation goes right out the window, and people are stepping on their neighbors' Birkenstocks just to get the last bit of oat bran and bleach-free tampons.

Nonetheless, 20% is a pretty big deal, especially in this economy. So it's worth it to go to Rainbow on coupon day, if you have a strategy. My friend Kristina and I are working on a Rainbow Survival Guide that is sure to make us millions (or at least millions of agave-sweetened soft drinks). We will accept payment in cash or Rainbow coupons.

1. Do not park your car in the garage. You may never leave, or at least pop a vein in anger at the clusterfuck that you are guaranteed to find yourself in the middle of. You might be tempted to throw your vine-ripened organic tomatoes at people's heads - don't do it. Park on the street and walk.

2. Go with a friend. It will help you keep your sanity and focus as you slowly lose your mind.

3. Do the Cart Park. That is, get a cart, but then park it somewhere near where you need your supplies. Dart to and fro, stopping back at the cart every once in awhile to drop things off. This will make your experience exponentially faster and less frustrating.

4. Make a list, and stick to it. Otherwise you will find yourself buying some of the weirdest things you have ever heard of, which you will discover taste like the cardboard box they are packaged in. They will be doomed to the back of your cupboard, because you will refuse to throw something away that you paid $8 for.

5. Learn the nuances of buying in bulk. It's one of the best things about shopping at Rainbow, and everyone knows this, so the area is swarming with people, who tend to get cranky. Fill up your bag, memorize the bin number, write this number on a twist tie, and twist it around the bag with the number showing clearly. Don't take more than you need and then put the rest back. That's just gross. Do not sample. It's not a bowl of chex mix at a bar.

5. Bring your own bags. Otherwise, you will get the "look" as you reach for a paper shopping bag, which means that you are resource-draining, consciousless n00b.

All of that said, they do have amazing products, from the bulk foods, to produce, to beauty and health products. I don't know where else I would find pearlized barley and coconut oil, or raw milk and 10 types of firm tofu. And I always see things that arouse my curiosity - which is a rare occurrence at regular chain grocery store. Being inspired by good, wholesome food, at a significant saving to boot, is definitely worth the effort.

Slow-Cooked Pork with Umbrian Lentils

This is a recipe that I adapted from one in November's Delicious magazine, my new favorite cooking magazine from the UK (right up there with Olive).

The original recipe calls for a 1 - 1.5 kg ribless pork belly. The butcher looked at me like I was nuts when I asked for this, explaining that it was not a common item.

"Do you want bacon?" he asked.

"No, I am making it in a slow cooker."

"Hm, pork loin will be too lean. Shoulder should work."

So, I left with a large chunk of pork shoulder with some nice fat marbled through it and on the top, and hoped it would turn out.

The recipe also called for lentils de Puy, the beautiful tiny lentils found in France. The store did not have them, so I bought Umbrian lentils (above), which were absolutely beautiful and worked well, since they hold their shape and don't get mushy like regular lentils.

The whole thing was supposed to cook on low for 6-7 hours, which is what I did. Well, it wasn't nearly done by then. I turned the slow cooker up to high and the meat finally started to break down, becoming perfect by about 10:30pm - 3 hours later than when I had planned dinner! But the wait was worth it - it tasted wonderful, and the flavors blended nicely. I added the carrots and celery for an even more flavorful broth, and substituted sour cream for the creme fraiche.

Slow-Cooked Pork with Umbrian Lentils

• 2-3 lb. pork shoulder
• 1 T. sea salt
• 1 T. fennel seeds
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 1/4 c. chopped carrots
• 1/4 c. diced celery
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 200 g Umbrian (or Puy) lentils - about 1 cup
• 1 c. white wine
• 1 c. chicken stock
• handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 T. sour cream

Put some olive oil in a pan and sear the pork on all sides.

Remove from the pan and let cool.

Add to the pan the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until slightly softened.

Add the white wine and chicken stock and turn off the heat.

Rub the pork all over with the sea salt and fennel seeds.

Add the lentils to the slow cooker, followed by the stock/vegetables.

Place the pork on top of the lentils/vegetables mix.

Cook on high for a couple of hours, and then turn to low - cooking time approx 7 hours - until the pork starts to break down.

Add the parsley and sour cream to the lentils mixture and stir.

Makes about 6 servings.

I served mine with roasted and mashed parsnips to soak up all of that delicious sauce. Mmmm!

Left Over but Not Forgotten

I hate leftovers. Perhaps I have talked about this before, but it bears repeating because I really do hate them. Part of it is that I have a very low boredom threshold, and therefore need a lot of variety in my diet (hello, 875 Yelp reviews - sigh). Part of it is that the next day's re-heated meal can never match the beauty and taste of the original presentation. It will always be a little wilted, dried out, soggy, browned, whatever. Leftovers just look sad to me, like bum clothes - once lovely, now soiled and tattered, shadows of their former selves.

The thing is, I also hate to throw out food.

So this just forces me to be creative with leftovers. I am pleased to say that all of my meals today were made with leftovers from Saturday night's dinner, and they were all good!

Sweet Potato Pancakes with raisins for breakfast:

Seared Ahi on Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette for lunch:

Chili-Lime Pork Tacos for dinner:

Keep on Truckin'

One of the things that I have noticed about San Francisco is that when we hit on a trend, we hit it hard. Sometimes it is a particular food (mac 'n cheese X 1,000 different ways), food style (comfort/Southern food, Vietnamese sandwiches), or a way of eating. Kitchenette introduced the back-of-a-warehouse no-frills experience, and restaurants like Farmer Brown are offering walk up windows like Little Skillet to appeal to people who want a freshly cooked meal, but don't necessarily want to commit to a sit-down restaurant.

One of the biggest trends to emerge, seemingly overnight, is the gourmet food truck. Food trucks have long been a familiar sight in neighborhoods like the Mission, mostly in the form of taco trucks. El Tonayense Taco truck is probably the most well known, and it is a great place to get a tasty, cheap meal. Also in the Mission are the Tamale Lady, and the Bacon Dog Cart, enjoyed by many a late-night reveler looking for some sustenance.

Well, somehow someone came up with the bright idea to take high level food and sell it on the street, and thus was born the Creme Brulee cart, the Magic Curry cart, the Chai cart, the Sexy Soup cart, the Gumbo cart, the Lumpia cart, the Evil Jerk cart, the Bahn Mi cart, the Salumi cart, and Spencer-on-the-Go (pictured above), the take-away version of the lovely Chez Spencer restaurant. Word has it that there is a Ramen cart in the works.

Does it work? Sometimes, yes. It is debatable about whether you can really take highbrow food and make it something that the man-on-the-street is going to feel comfortable about in the long term - after all, there is a huge difference between a $2 taco and a $10 sandwich. Does the $2 want to make the $8 to pay for all of those high-quality ingredients? And if you spend $10 on a sandwich, do you really feel that smug standing there leaning over the sidewalk while you try not to spill on your work clothes? I mean, for that much money, you could be sitting at a table with a real napkin in your lap.

Cart culture is pretty new to San Francisco, so we run the risk of sounding like Bubba in Forest Gump with our plethora of cartness: Coconut Shrimp, Fried Shrimp, Grilled Shrimp. We're a little cart-crazy now, but our selection is kind of strange and disjointed - a creme brulee cart? really? Other cultures have fully embraced the cart culture, but they keep it strictly to street food, not 5 star dining food. Even in our own country, New York has us beat with its wonderful soup carts, Falafel carts (oh how I miss you at Broadway and 39th!), bagel carts, and the ever-present, iconic hot dog carts.

So, we'll see. I am not totally sold on the elitist cart idea, but I do have a curiosity (did someone say Pie Truck?), and Lord knows, I will never turn down the idea of a cheap lunch.

Get in my Starbelly

So I have been absent for awhile, and I wasn't quite sure where to start - how do I chronicle all of the meals, trips, and recipes that have occurred over the past 2 months? I mean, when you love food as much as I do, you know this can add up to a lot.

Well, first I offered cheesecake, and now I am inviting you to lunch. Later, we'll go back into the kitchen and get cooking again. For now, I bring you Starbelly, a new-ish restaurant in the Castro, by people behind Beretta. Let's eat!

I believe that a great meal begins with something simple. In this case, just look at these beautiful roasted padron peppers with sea salt and olive oil. They are mostly mild, but every now and then one gives you a little bite - as if to say, well, what do you expect, we are peppers, after all. Apparently, they are common in Spain as tapas, but I had never had them there. What a treat - they are absolutely wonderful.

Next, a house-made chicken liver paté. (ooh look at me using the alt key to add the accent - fancy!!) Despite how humble it sounds to use chicken livers, this pate is flavorful, elegant, velvety, and satisfying. Again, simple ingredients, beautifully presented.

Next is the oyster poorboy (is it "poorboy" or "po-boy"? I have always thought the latter but "poorboy" is how it was listed on the menu - perhaps more PC, I don't know). I think that this is a hard sandwich to pull off if you do not have Cajun roots somewhere in your kitchen - a little spice is key, and this one, while well-prepared, is begging for some.

This sandwich, on the other hand, is very well seasoned. The meat is a house-made porchetta, which is a traditional Italian boneless pork which has been seasoned with herbs and spices and slow-cooked over a wood fire. It is tender and delicious, with thin white strips of fat appearing now and again for extra flavor. On top is a salsa verde and a salsa calabria, arugula and pork jus...a flavorful, lovely sandwich for a fall day.

And finally, dessert. Pot de creme, herbed cookies. Smooth with a side of crunchy.

One thing that Starbelly does absolutely right is that they have a huge beer list. Beer is the perfect pairing with this kind of food, and can be as varied as wine, so you can match it to the season or to your palate.

Often, we get asked by servers if we are in the food industry. I always laugh and say no, we are just really enthusiatic consumers. I suppose it is because we ask a lot of questions, treat the wait staff like equals rather than servants, and show a genuine curiosity about everything on our plates. We are fortunate to have friends in the restaurant business, so I think we have a pretty good appreciation for the behind the scenes stuff...and a distaste for when things are uninspired or pre-prepared.

All right, then. This was a good catch-up lunch - I feel reconnected and back on track. More to come.

A Taste of Honey

Listen carefully, and you'll hear a low buzzing. What is that you wonder? Why that is the buzz of bees busily making honey for the 500 apiarists in San Francisco.

We are so lucky to have a brand new honey store in our midst. It's not often, outside of Europe, that you find specialty stores like this, especially not in this economy. But just last week, Her Majesty's Secret Beekeper opened up on 20th St., under the ownership of beekeeper and honey enthusiast Cameo Wood.


I checked it out last week, and before I knew it, I was embarking upon a honey tasting that opened my eyes to the range of flavors and quality of honeys.


What an amazing experience. I tasted honeys that were sweet and familiar, oily and smoky, floral, simple, complex. One was reminiscent of a fine Sauterne, made right in San Francisco in Glen Park. Though all of it, Cameo explained the origin, and different factors going into the production.

I wanted to buy so much, but settled on some Clover Honey Honeycomb from Moon Shine Trading Company, which is great quality and reasonably priced. I love it with greek yogurt, or with strong cheese, or simply on a spoon right out of the package.


Cameo told me that she is going to introduce a line of infused honeys, from lavender to truffle, which I can't wait to try. She also sells soaps and lotions, and her own handmade beeswax candles in the shape of dahlias, our city's flower.

I wish this little boutique all of the best, and know I will be back often to sample new varieties, replenish my supply, or say hello to Cameo. Places like this certainly make city life, and life in general, that much sweeter. Save the bees!

Picnic on the Beach

4th of July weekend started off great, with a celebration of my friend Lisa's birthday on Stinson Beach, a wonderful place off of Hwy. 1 in Marin County. My plan was to drive up there on Friday morning, with a picnic in tow.

I turned to one of my favorite new cookbooks, "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea" by Martha Hall Foose. It's where I found my Strawberry Cupcakes recipe and is full of ideas with drool-inducing pictures, keeping with tradition but adding enough of a twist to be interesting.


Since I would be arriving in the late morning, I decided on Blueberry Muffins, Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches, and Deviled Eggs, a brunch of sorts. All of them were very simple, with easy to find ingredients, and packed up well.


Pimiento Cheese is one of those things that has remained in the South, for what reason I am not sure, but I know that many of my friends in California had never heard of it. You either love it or you hate it, but what is great about it is that it crosses all boundaries of age, race, economic status, and whatever else separates us - Pimiento Cheese is for everyone! Spread on white bread, it is one of my favorite summertime treats. This version has a lot a flavor and a nice, subtle kick.


Pimiento Cheese

• 1 C. Mayonnaise
• 1 t. finely chopped sage
• 1 t. fresh lemon juice
• 1 t. dry mustard
• 1 t. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz. Colby cheese, grated
• 8 oz. Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 4 oz. jar chopped pimientos, drained
• Salt, freshly ground pepper
• Hot pepper sauce

In a medium bowl with a rubber spatula, combine the mayonnaise, sage, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the two cheeses and pimientos, blending thoroughly to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

You can make them into traditional sandwiches, as I did for our beach picnic, or cut them into fingers for a party, as I did for our 4th of July celebration the next day.


What a good time we had. Food always tastes better outdoors, especially when you are surrounded with a lovely day and good friends.

I Don't Give a Crepe

When you order a savory crepe, this is what it should look like. Sweet crepes are made with regular flour, and have that white/golden appearance, but savory crepes should always be made with buckwheat flour and appear cappuccino brown like this.

My favorite crepe is ham and cheese with an egg on top, but this was a late afternoon meal and I decided to try the mushroom and cheese one. We were at a nondescript cafe in the square in Mirepoix, and it while it could have easily been mediocre, it was just perfect.

Crepes are one of those things that I have no desire to master. I prefer to watch a professional make them, using the big round metal plate and sweeping it around with a spatula. They fold it so nicely, encasing the ingredients in such an efficient little package, like an envelope. The garnish on top makes it extra nice and so pleasing to the eye. Details make the experience that much nicer, even on an uneventful weekday afternoon.

Dinner for 100

We were invited a fundraiser dinner in Rebouisse, one of the neighboring towns. Proceeds (15 Euros pp) went towards the local schools, so there were plenty of children in attendance. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet people and share stories, something you don't get to do when you are just touring around on your own. We arrived slightly late, but just in time to pay our fee and wolf down some salad.


These were our dinner companions, two incredibly charming Italian men who had lived in Rebouisse for many years and raised their families there - they were surrounded by multiple generations.


For the main course, they served paella, really well made and with a generous portion of seafood for everyone. I was amazed at the great quality of the food. You had to bring your own plate and cutlery, and then you just got in line and dinner was served!


Of course, no meal would be complete without champagne and cheese.


Happily enjoying my chocolate ice cream cone for dessert, I was struck by how magical it was to feel like a part of the region. The simple gesture of people coming together to benefit the local schools was a great testament to the sense of the community that is the glue that continues to support these small local villages.

A Moveable Feast...Kinda

Another eatery to add to my list of Hidden Treasures from this past week is "Mission Street Food". I admit that the concept was completely lost on me until I tried it. I arrived at the average-looking Chinese restaurant (above), surprised, expecting maybe a taco truck or tacqueria which would be filled with modern versions of street foods. I completely invented this based on not really paying attention to what was going on, envisioning some kind of underground food rave, with a changing location that you had to find using a secret password.

In fact, I am so bad that even after writing my review, my fellow Yelper Luis C. had to explain it to me again. I am reprinting what he wrote to avoid giving any further misinformation:

"Small correction, it doesn't change locations. Only the menu changes. They (Anthony Myint & wife Karen) started selling food from a truck on 21st & Mission at night on his day off (he's a line cook at Bar Tartine), but a mean business man got them kicked out off that spot. Lung Shan came to the rescue by offering a place for their venture - Thu & Sat nights. Now chefs who seek exposure/more business or upcoming restaurants get to show a preview of their stuff here. The PBJ is an original dish since the business started, it's my favorite."

OK, so that settled, I can talk about the food. Once inside, we found ourselves in a dimly lit restaurant, which again reminded me of New York. It had a bustling energy, with plates full of interesting things going by. The guest chef that night was Nick Balla of O Izakaya Lounge in Japantown, and you could just see glimpses of him and the owners of Lung Shan occasionally peering out from the kitchen.


The menu was tiny, with several small plates at very reasonable prices. I had managed to read ahead of time that the corkage fee was $5, so we shared a very nice bottle of red wine brought from home while we decided what to try. It turned out to be pretty much everything.


I warn you that the pictures are kind of pitiful, due to the dim lighting in the restaurant, and the fact that I was *not* going to be that person with the annoying flash. Jen did a great job of styling by holding the candles near the food for me. So bear with me on this.

Snap Pea Salad with beech mushroom, seared cauliflower, cucumber, edamame puree


Satsuma Imo Korokke with tonkatsu sauce


Local halibut “poke” with spring vegetables, hijiki seaweed


Knife-cut homemade udon noodles with rock shrimp dumplings with English Peas, tendrils and sesame


Sesame-Avocado Brown Rice with maitake mushroom and chorizo


PB & J: Berkshire Kurobuta Pork Belly with marinated jicama, cilantro aioli and pickled jalapeno


Lung Shan's Vegan Delight: shitake and oyster mushroom dumplings in miso soup


Everything was delicious, with the exception of the udon noodles which were disappointingly bland and starchy. The PBJ was outstanding, and I was told by our server that I got the last one of the evening. When he saw how much I loved it (think "When Harry Met Sally" moment), he offered me another one that had turned up unclaimed. I know if I had eaten it, I would have gone down some dark gastronomic hole, never to return, so I let some other lucky soul have it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Vegan delight was a beautifully delicate and flavorful dish.

They ran out of the dessert we wanted, so our server showed up with 2 scoops of Humphry Slocombe Vietnamese Coffee ice cream instead, on the house. Needless to say, we did not suffer.

Not only was our meal very inexpensive (around $25pp, including tip), it felt great to know that a portion of the proceeds from the night went to charity. I mean, it's hard not to like an experience like that.

The MSF experience reminds me a little of going to a foreign country for the first time - you won't know exactly what to expect until you get there. I can't wait to try it again, and see what other local chefs join in the fun. With the promise of the another PBJ with my name on it, I will not escape the lure of this siren song for long.

Night Hawks

Moments like this are why I love living in San Francisco. I snapped this picture last night at Salt House, around 10:30pm. We stopped in after seeing a particularly good night of Porchlight, and were in need of something quick but filling (with the subject of the show being "Kitchen Confidential", we couldn't help but be famished afterwards).

Even though it was so late, we were welcomed with smiles and graciousness, and we settled in at the bar and enjoyed the Poutin and a Shrimp Salad with mixed greens and spicy dressing that was absolutely fantastic. It was filled with dandelion greens, cilantro and mint, and these amazing toasted spicy almonds - a fitting dish for the unusually warm evening. A delightfully dry, fruity rose was the perfect companion.

Both the bartender and the hostess asked us how our food was, and you could tell that they were truly passionate about the food and the pleasure of dining there. I have experienced this so many times at Salt House, and for me, that is what will keep me returning again and again.

We were finished in plenty of time, paid our very reasonable check, and left with a smile, with a warm feeling inside that will last well beyond this heat wave.

I'm a Carnita-vore

Carnitas. One of the best preparations of pork that was ever created, Mexican style. The foundation of one of the best tacos that you can eat.

What a perfect candidate for our new best friend, the Slow Cooker.

Here's an example of what the best about slow cookery: turning the everyday into the divine. I bought a 3 lb. boneless pork shoulder at the market, a most humble piece of meat, which cost around $7.00. I cut it up into 1 - 2" chunks, seasoned it with salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, and a bunch of other spices (truth be told, my husband came home and "doctored" it according to his tastes, which are very good - I saw garlic salt and fresh-squeezed orange juice go into the pot). I topped it with roughly chopped onion, set the heat on low, and walked away.

6 hours later, the meat was fragrant and falling apart, ready to be hand-shredded. Now, the key to carnitas is the 2nd step, which is putting the cooked meat into the oven. It lets the juices settle into the meat, and the top gets crispy crunchy which is so important for the depth of texture and taste. I have found that slow cooking meat usually has 2 steps, either browning before it goes into the pot, or roasting afterwards - otherwise you end up with mush - tasty mush, but mush.


Everyone has their own opinion for what makes a great taco, but this combo worked great for me: carnitas, avocado, tomatoes, onions, salsa verde, sour cream, and lots of cilantro on a handmade corn & wheat tortilla.


Talk about economical - the 3 lb roast made enough for more than 3 days worth of meals. Because I bought all of the produce at a local fruit & vegetable stand, I don't think I spent over $15.00 total. It would be great for a family meal or having a few friends over for movie night, with lots of good beer on hand, of course.