Prix fleece: Finally: Time to take a breath and look back over Thanksgiving 2009. Any regrets? Like not volunteering enough -- or at all -- swallowing your Republican uncle's Obama-baiting, or having that fourth Cape Cod before trying to make gravy? How about no eating like a dog. That's right: Chow.com discovered a Thanksgiving menu for dogs staying at Wag Hotels over the holiday. You know Wag (25 14th St. at Harrison), the super-pricey boutique kennel, with zen massages and webcams so you can watch your airedale lick herself from wherever the hell you're traveling. Here's what canines chowed on yesterday:
• Hand-Pulled Boneless Skinless Turkey With A Light Turkey Glaze
• Honeyed Yams
• Apple and Cranberry Stuffing
• Steamed Green Beans
• Pumpkin Pie Puppy Pudding
We'll leave it to you to tease out the morality of feeding top-of-the-food-chain edibles to dogs. We would just note that, in some respects, it sounds tastier than the Thanksgiving we plowed through. And without the specter of family dysfunction to bestow agita, the bitches at Wag clearly had a lot more to be thankful for than we did.
Consider this wild rice and turkey salad with first-of-the-season satsumas and enough of a whiff of rosemary in the citrusy vinaigrette to redeem even your shame at buying a bird big enough to feed your entire building.
Wild Rice Salad with Turkey and Satsuma Mandarins
Yields four to six servings
3/4 cup wild rice
3/4 cup basmati rice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups picked cooked turkey
3/4 cup diced fennel
1/3 cup diced red onion
4 satsuma mandarins, peeled and separated into sections
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Vinaigrette
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary needles
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
All the same, after over a week of rabbit-food rehab, The Classics: Makin' Bacon and Sausage 101 may appeal to even the non- masochistic. Set to take place next Sunday, Dec. 6, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Union SF (2125 Bryant at 19th St.) in the Mission, the class will unfold in two parts: one devoted to bacon, the other to sausage. BaconCamp's Rick Abruzzo will preside over all the seasoning, salting, and stuffing.
Actually, this is Makin' Bacon 2 -- the first class back in August (held at Chicken John's pad in the Mission) sold out in three days, so if you're interested this time around, you might want to jump on it. Happily, the $25 admission fee includes wine and parking, not to mention a starter sachet of curing salt to take home. A portion of the proceeds goes to Slow Food Berkeley, including its school lunch reform initiatives. Buy tickets here. And for more info, call 738-9775.
Steel yourself. The line at True Religion is going to be biblical. You might as well forget the idea of flagging down the flip-flop-clad brah at Abercrombie. And getting somebody at Zara to check if there's another medium in back? Buena suerte, buddy.
Brighten Black Friday -- just a tad, anyway -- by making your way to the concourse level of Westfield Centre and braving the queue for Out the Door. That's right -- most likely you'll have to wait before you can place your order for fresh spring rolls and chicken claypot in caramel sauce. Once they arrive, however, we're guessing you won't care.
Eat slowly. The line upstairs at H&M isn't going down anytime soon, and you'll need all the nourishment you can get.
Out the Door Westfield San Francisco Centre, 845 Market (at Fourth St.), Suite 80, 541-9913
