Meat is mystery: Our favorite Bay Area Bites writer Andrew Simmons has an epic post on flesh today. Of course meat's gross, unspeakably gross -- anyone but a 14-year-old contrarian in skinny jeans and acne and, well, Anthony Bourdain, would have to admit that. But we still eat it, most of us, and not just because we're numb, or willfully cruel. It's that a slab of tri-tip has the ghost of the creature's animating spark still in it. Here's the once-vegetarian Simmons: Everything we eat used to be alive but a steak or a slab of goat is a lot closer to home than an onion. And again: I came to see the swine as a soulful animal. Its flesh could invest depth and rich mystery in whatever it graced, like a gospel choir brought in to lend authenticity and legitimacy to a lily-white rock band. Enjoy your pork chop, tonight, 'k? No seriously: Really enjoy it.
| pachd.com |
One enormous difference between old- and new-school vendors? Twitter. While businesses like Gobba Gobba Hey and Bike Basket Pies deftly use the social networking medium to draw customers -- even sell directly to them -- more traditional vendors rely pretty much solely on having a presence on the street, formally or, uh, informally. But with the first tweets last week of Mexico City-style food vendor El Huarache Loco, that may begin to change.
Huarache owner Veronica Salazar has only tweeted twice since launching her page, and she tweets in Spanish. But they represent huge potential for relationship-building, even with customers whose high-school Spanish has gotten a tad rusty. Check out El Huarache Loco's Twitter page -- you just might be witnessing the birth of a new local movement.
| M. Ladd |
| Bourdain (left), buddy Oscar Villalon, and a crew member outside That's It. |
We admit it -- this blogger is the one who suggested That's It to the No Reservations host. Yes, there are many other torta places in the Mission with great eats. So why That's It? Well, the food is good (both the tortas/quesadillas/tacos and Middle Eastern fare), it's open late, and you can get booze. We met with Tony's location scout, Rich, at That's It over a Cubana just days before the shoot in March. He dared us to eat the whole thing. We weren't up to the challenge.
Eater SF, Chowhound, and other sites (as well as countless tweets) have tagged That's It a surprise location for the show -- some commenters are even calling the Cubana "gross." While it is huge, we remain committed fans; and yes, if you're drunk, it'll sop things up real quick-like.
This blogger wrote about That's It's megasandwich on the Jalapeño Girl blog in 2006: "Turns out the torta cubana is at least two meals in one -- a huge monster, weighed down with a delicious mix of: pickled jalapeno, grilled onion, tomato, avocado slices, lettuce, two fried eggs, bacon, mayo, queso, sliced ham & chicken, Mexican chorizo, shredded chicken and pork, refried beans, and cubed ham." We have to say, even in the face of all the post-broadcast criticism: It's still a freakin' tasty monster. More pics after the jump.
My excitement wasn't just generalized food-film lust. Sure, I like writer-director Nora Ephron and Julie Powell, whose book inspired the film. And, like them, I'd learned to cook French from Mastering the Art, Julia Child's seminal work whose birth the film chronicles. It was probably the first cookbook I ever bought, and the stained volume moved everywhere with me over the years.
I was also an early enthusiast of Julie Powell's blog The Julie/Julia Project (also chronicled in J & J). I found myself caught up in Powell's quest to cook the entire roster of recipes from Mastering in a year, feeling bereft when she skipped a day. I enjoyed the 2005 book drawn from it -- Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen -- though I thought it lost a lot of charm in translation. I urged people to go back to her blog to get the true flavor of Powell's writing.
Even before the film began, I knew I had personal connections to it. But until I watched it, I had no idea just how many.
| Amarena cherries and Blu del Moncenisio cheese await enrobing for the Red, White & Blu course. |
Toasty Melts co-proprietor Andy (not his real name) told SFoodie that he and business partner Lisa (again, a faux handle and, okay, she's his girlfriend) are thinking three or four types to start with. They'll likely offer a classic version with a blend of four or five cheeses; a bacon-apple-cheddar grilled cheese; an onion melt with onions, shallots, leeks, thyme, and garlic; and a cream cheese-chocolate-strawberry dessert sandwich. Cost will range between $3 and $4, with a possible deluxe $5 sandwich down the road. They'll probably offer tea as well.
"We tested about 10 different grilled cheese and broke it down to our favorites," Andy said. He said the couple is sourcing produce from the Alemany farmers' market, and the bread -- well, that's a secret, except that it's from a rather unusual source.
Andy and his partner work full-time jobs. Why do street food? "Just for fun," he said. "We both love street food from all over the world. I'm originally from New York and have had my fair share of it, and Lisa loves the street food in Hong Kong and London. Plus we think the whole underground movement here is really great."
Find out more about the actual launch date at Toasty Melts' Twitter page.
Raid your local farmers' market for the juiciest plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and peaches. Pit, hull, and slice them into manageable chunks of edibleness and place them in a big punch bowl, throw in a few orange and grapefruit sections, a sliced lime or lemon, a long spiraled cucumber peel -- whatever strikes your fancy -- and add 4 ounces of brandy, 4 ounces of orange liqueur (Cointreau, curaçao or Grand Marnier), and 4 ounces of Benedictine for a hint of herbal sweetness. Chill the bowl in the refrigerator for half an hour, then add a block of ice (make your own by sticking a bowl of water in the freezer the night before) and pour in a bottle of chilled champagne and 6 ounces of soda water.
You can substitute a bottle of Sauternes or a nice, slightly sweet German white for the bubbly. Whatever you use, the refreshing result will tide you over until Glühwein season.
Let's do lunch:
No, do NOT get the same damn burrito you always end up with. Go all Yucatecan, says SF Weekly restaurant critic Meredith Brody, with panuchos and cochinita pibil at Mi Lindo Yucatan (401 Valencia at 15th St.).
Drink therapy:
It's dark and pubby, with happy hour prices skew more Pacifica than Pacific Heights: $4 well drinks and $2 off drafts and wines by the glass (3-6 p.m.), plus half off premium bottles of wine all day at Harry's Bar(2020 Fillmore at Pine).
Talk about classy: There's French onion soup, and mac and cheese with white truffle oil, and with $4.50 glasses of house wine, you can put the PBR behind you -- at least for one night. The Bell Tower (1900 Polk at Jackson).
