food, and other musings

Eat Local

For those of you in San Francisco, look for the August issue of Northside, now out, to read an article I wrote on eating locally. It includes interviews with Jennifer Maiser and chef Sam Josi of Mamacita, among others.

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Also, those crazy We Love Jam-mers have dropped off another free jar of apricot jam at the SF library. The next hint: Art in America 2001. (psst...the jars can be found by pulling out the bound issues and looking at the back of the shelf.) If you don't nab either of these jars, they think they'll have more jam to sell once they fulfill all their current orders, so keep an eye out for update on their website!

The Killer (summer) App

I found this easy-peasy recipe in the back of the August Gourmet. The combination of flavors (sweet! salty! smoky!) creates constant surprises for your tastebuds, and nothing tastes like summer more.

Nectarines with prosciutto and basil

I substituted white nectarines for peaches because that's what I had, and prosciutto for jamon serrano, because that's what I could find. I'm confident it turned out just as well.

1/2 tsp Sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground cumin
3 ripe white nectarines, cut into 8 wedges
1/4 lb. thinly sliced prosciutto
24 basil leaves

In a medium bowl, toss together the Sherry vinegar, sugar, and cumin. Add the nectarines, stir to coat, and let sit 10 minutes. Then wrap a small piece of prosciutto around each nectarine slice, add a basil leaf, and secure with a toothpick.

Nua (in full)

I adore Nua so much I've been three times, and I'm holding my birthday party there. Read all about it, dish by delicious dish, over at KQED's Bay Area Bites.

Hungry for jam?

Remember this Blenheim apricot jam lovingly made by two guys from their backyard tree? Are you sad you missed out on ordering some? Well, Eric, one of the jam-makers, is a fun-loving guy, so he hid a jar today in the San Francisco main library. The idea is that one of you jam-hungry Bay Area residents might want to go nose around and find yourself a free jar of jam.

Here's the hint: Food and Wine 1995.

Hide, go, seek!

(another clue is coming later on this week for a second bottle hidden elsewhere...)

Laiola

Welcome to the "Summer of the Restaurant." I've been trying hard to keep up with all the new Bay Area spots, yet my dying-to-try list is still pretty long: Farina, Palmetto, Mexico DF, Cantina, Spork and Levende East to name a few.

Last night, I crossed Laiola off the list. My friend K. and I met up at what is already a total hot spot, despite being so brand spanking new that they don't have a liquor license yet. (For now it's BYOB. Nectar, just around the corner, is offering bottles at 10% off retail, and Laiola isn't charging corkage.)

K. and I lucked into a nice bottle of albarino without a side trip to the store, thanks to everyone's favorite sardine-lover, who was perched at the bar when we arrived. So we plopped down next to him and took in the scene. It was positively packed (speaking of sardines). The pressed tin ceiling casts a copper glow over tables in front and along the sides. The bar is framed with towers of bright yellow sunflowers and backed by shelves of Spanish wine on one side, and an open kitchen on the other. The big windows out front are Laiola's best advertisement, and my bet is that last night was the first and last time I'll ever walk in and get a seat straight away.

Laiola (pronounced lye-ola) considers itself a "California restaurant inspired by Spain," but I'd peg that as a very heavy influence. The highlight of our shared small plates meal was the spicy salchicon pork sausage served on a slab of wood, and crisp sardines served atop pickled carrots, shallots, and cauliflower, each pickled in their own brine (this tidbit courtesy of Brett, who knows the sous-chef and had been speaking to him before we arrived). Some of the other dishes were less well executed, but it's early so I'm giving them a break. Besides, the roast piglet that I saw plated before me looked so succulent that I'm bound to go back to try that, along with pan con chocolate -- toast smeared with chocolate and dressed with sea salt and Arbequina olive oil. As for wines, a glance at the list reveals one that is long, 99% Spanish, and full of $10 carafes -- an insanely good deal.

Blue Chair Fruit Jams

On Saturday morning, I picked up a friend and met a few more over in Oakland for breakfast. Our destination? Pizzaiolo.

But...but...they're not open for breakfast!

Yes they are! Since March, Rachel Saunders, the force behind Blue Chair Fruit jams, has been serving simple jam-and-toast breakfasts 6 mornings a week. Each day, Rachel offers a different selection of fresh-made jams. All are made in teeny-tiny batches from sustainably raised -- and often unusual -- local fruits. The captivating flavors are incredibly bright and well-balanced.

This Saturday we chose from Santa Rosa plum, strawberry, and rosemary jam; apricot-rose jam; Flavorella plumcot jam with plumcot noyaux; dark plum jam with bay laurel; quince marmalade; Seville orange marmalade; and tayberry jam (a cross between a raspberry and a loganberry). The bread was sweet Italian or levain from Acme, the coffee Blue Bottle, the grapefruit juice tart and freshly squeezed.

The sun streamed in as we enjoyed a leisurely brekky at the bar -- along with the Bay Area's very best mocha, swimming with bittersweet chocolate carved from big bricks of the stuff. Lip-licking good.

(pssst...thanks to Shuna for turning me on to Rachel's jams!)

Pizzaiolo 5008 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. Jam-and-toast breakfast, M-Sat 8a - 12p, $4 for breakfast, $8.50 per jar retail.

rhetorical question

Why, oh why, does it take Myth Cafe 30 minutes to whip up half a turkey sandwich and a green salad?

(grumble grumble)

Calling all vegetable lovers

Many people cried the day they found out that Mariquita Farm was no longer coming to market. But apparently they've missed us all so much that they're creating roving markets on Thursday nights, twice a month (or so) through September. Each time they'll be in a different neighborhood, and if you want something, you have to pre-order it.

The next pick-up market is Thursday, August 2 from 5--7 pm at Piccino. Place your order by July 31. Right now, they're trying to find homes for a lot of fresh summer basil, but they'll throw in other things too, including carrots, chard, and pimientos de padron. You can pick what you want (basil is pretty much a requirement) or let them give you a mystery box. The minimum order is $25. Click here for the full inventory and ordering details.

The Virgin Mary appears in Oakland!

Sunny day. Good friends. Virgin (bloody) Mary. New chair! (Impulse purchase.) Delicious jam. Good day.

More pimientos de Padron!

I'm so taken with these peppers that I wrote about them again on KQED's Bay Area Bites! Find out how to prepare them step-by-step, as well as what I think are some of food writing's most memorable examples.