Our favorite morsel from the blogs.
Faux dirt ― edible simulacra of garden humus ― has become fashionable in recent years, but this is ridiculous. At Identita' Golose, an Italian gastro congress unfolding in Milan, Hong Kong's self-styled "demon chef," Alvin Leung Jr., unveiled "Sex on the Beach," a dish resembling a used condom flung onto sand. The edible "condom" is made by dunking a metal cigar tube into a food-grade polymer. It's partially filled with a milky fluid of honey and Yunnan ham emulsion, arranged on powdered shiitake mushrooms (i.e., the "sand"). If you missed it in Milan, cheer up: You can fly to Leung's restuarant in Hong Kong, Bo Innovation (tagline: "X-Treme Chinese Cuisine"; Bourdain's been) to, uh, taste it (do you use a knife and fork, or pick it up with your fingers and throw your head back?). Proceeds go to a local AIDS organization.
Follow us on Twitter: @sfoodie, and like us on Facebook. Contact me at John.Birdsall@SFWeekly.com
SFoodie's countdown of the 92 best things to eat and drink in San Francisco, 2011 edition.
Valentine's Day can feel downright plastic-wrapped. If you're in a relationship, you don't need sweatshop roses or a Twilight box set to tell your boyfriend that you love him, or ask forgiveness from your wife for being a dick. And if you're not with somebody, the need to land a date can fill you with the kind of desperation that rules in cougar land.
It's time for a rethink. It's time for One Love.
On Sun., Feb. 13, we at SFoodie are throwing our first-ever benefit, a bake sale called One Love: Because You Are Your Own Valentine. Instead of blowing the bank on some stilted play for romance, be good to yourself. Head on over to La Victoria from noon to 4 p.m. and pick up a collection of baked goods from some of SFoodie's favorite pastry shops:
Charcuterie Class at 18 Reasons
Where: 18 Reasons, 593 Guerrero (at 18th St.)
When: Thurs., Feb. 3, 7-9 p.m.
Cost: $35
The rundown: Maybe you're polishing your A-game for Charcutepalooza. Maybe your calendar is diligently marked for Good Food Month's charcuterie week. Or maybe you just think Bi-Rite's Morgan Maki is a total dreamboat. Whether you're starved for knowledge or starved for salame, there are at least 18 reasons to attend Thursday's charcuterie class. Maki, an 18 Reasons cofounder, has an informative history lesson planned, covering the "necessity, cross-cultural exchange, and refinement" of this ancient European food preservation technique. He'll also be giving a sausage demo and handing out samples galore.
Register for the class at Brown Paper Tickets
This week, I'm relaunching SFoodie's "Ask the Critic" column: real dining questions for real San Franciscans. Do you have questions about cheap restaurants, unfamiliar cuisines, dating someone with dietary restrictions, or things you're too shy to
ask your foodie friends about? I promise honest answers ― and if I don't know offhand, I'm not afraid to make a few phone calls. Hit me up at jonathan.kauffman@sfweekly.com.
This week is the second time this month I've answered the following question. From G.G.:
I have to plan a Sunday brunch with a dozen people, including kids. Any ideas for some place that might accommodate such a monstrous party? Not dimLarge groups, I'm sorry to say, are hellish for both restaurants and customers. Someone's always late, someone never pays enough, and everyone has special needs. Brunch already inspires people to wait long past their tolerance level, and so the last place you want to go to is to a well-known brunch spot like Mama's, Boogaloos, or Brenda's.sum ― we did that last time.
Good Foods' Make-Out Dinner
Where: Good Foods Catering's Urban Kitchen, somewhere in San Francisco (location revealed with reservation)
When: Sat., Feb. 12, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Cost: $55 for six courses, $75 with wine pairings
Why it's likely to be special: Though it'll be an intimate event set in a private home, communal tables are sure to breed a sociable atmosphere as chef Dontaye Ball consults from his bag of afro-disiac treats to create a meal encouraging of some good old-fashioned tonsil hockey.
Menu highlights: Oysters on the half-shell with sorbet duo (Bloody Mary and Champagne-shallot); grilled flat iron steak with wild mushrooms, frisée, and brown butter; threesome of desserts, including Mexican hot chocolate shot, Good Foods butter cookie, and lemon buttermilk pudding cake.
Reserve via Eventbrite
Looking for something different? Scroll through additional V-Day options here
Last night, Mercury Lounge chef Dominic Ainza showcased Filipino food like SFoodie's never seen before. Think kare-kare dumplings, pinakbet pizza, and tocino truffles ― purists may have been crying blasphemy, but we thought Ainza's menu represented Filipino creativity at its best.
The one-night, 12-course tasting dinner featured classics morphed into playful, inventive dishes that remained faithfully Filipino.
Take Ainza's kare-kare, oxtail stewed in a sauce thickened with ground rice and peanuts. Ainza wrapped savory morsels of oxtail in delicate dumpling skins and served them with bagoong, Filipino fermented shrimp paste.
His embutido, Filipino-style meatloaf stuffed with hard-boiled eggs and andouille sausage, was a playful take on the infamous Spam musubi. His laing, collared greens and black-eyed peas in spicy coconut milk, was a delicious Southern twist on the fiery Bicolano vegetable stew.
Ainza spooned pinakbet ― a kind of ratatouille of long beans, onions, and tomatoes in shrimp paste ― worked surprisingly well served on flatbread, topped with mozzarella and Asiago cheeses. And his tocino truffles, a dessert he collaborated on with Filipino food blogger Jo Boston-KwanHull, were a huge hit. The crunchy bits of sweet-salty tocino (cured pork) were truly delightful.
Think your valentine wants a cuddly stuffed bear this year? Think again. (What, are you in fourth grade?) Anyone past the age of acquiring secondary sex characteristics wants something naughtier than kiddie toys for V-Day. One option: the unbelievably awesome Be Mine Bears at Citizen Cake. The female bear is in lingerie and sports another animal part ... the camel toe. As for males, one comes in undies with a heart-on, the other mimics real live bears in SOMA, complete with leather harness. One word: Hot! Plus this is Citizen Cake, so you know they're delicious.
If you've got a DIY bent, how about making drunk gummy bears? These babies will show your valentine beyond the shadow of a doubt that you care, and that you know how to class up Jell-O shots. For complete instructions, see this eHow article. Basically, you put gummy bears in a bowl with vodka (we recommend Pinky, since it's the color of the season), cover, and refrigerate overnight. The bears soak up the vodka, and you soak up some very special attention from a tipsy valentine.
A recap: To get stuffed this V-Day, stay away from stuffed teddys, and explore instead the darker side of bears.
Think of these as building blocks to both good health and a satisfied palate. If you think you can name both this dish and the San Francisco restaurant where SFoodie snapped this picture, leave your answer in the comments.
Congratulations to Joe L. and Chubby, who managed to nail last week's Mystery Spot (mini lobster roll at Thermidor) at the exact same time. Freaky but cool, gentlemen!
Deal fiends who eat produce: Get your fix starting tomorrow, Feb. 1, at the Tuesday Ferry Plaza farmers' market, when CUESA's "First 50 Freebies in February" giveaway hits. CUESA is running the promotion at each Tuesday and Thursday market all month ― the first 50 shoppers who snag a giveaway coupon (offered at 10 a.m. on freebie days) can score free produce from the day's participating vendor. Head to CUESA's tent directly in front of the Ferry Building; one giveaway coupon per person.
The Feb. 1 freebie is a mix of blankoma, bull's blood, chioggia, and forono beets from County Line Harvest (ahem, SFoodie considers it a treat to ogle County Line's David Retsky, freebie or not). On Thursday, it's delicata squash from Everything Under the Sun farm. Successive giveaways previewed on CUESA's Twitter feed and Facebook page.
