SFoodie's countdown of our 92 favorite things to eat and drink in San Francisco, 2011 edition.
There are people out there -- we've met them, we know -- who can't think of a sushi meal without a couple of orders of unagi. With its broiler-blistered skin and sweet, thick glaze, the freshwater eel has the immediate appeal of barbecued baby backs or maple-glazed ham.
But freshwater eel, even the farmed variety, is also in many seafood watchers' no-fly zones. And so Tataki and Tataki South, which serve only sustainably sourced seafood, have come up with a substitute that may be even better -- and we're not talking ethics. Their faux-nagi is actually slices of black cod, aka sablefish, a Pacific Coast fish that Californians have been late to appreciate.
As one dour commenter noted on SFoodie's event preview, this is "a tequila tasting, not pounding shots like it's your 21st birthday," which ended up being more or less the case. Besides one woozy little lass who squeezed our arm 32 times, the early timeslot (noon to 4:30) and $50 price tag made for a crowd that kept only one sheet to the wind. It helped that the tequilas, largely from small-batch distilleries like all-organic Tequila Alquimia and Tequila El Relingo, had the depth and subtlety to warrant a slow savor.
Where: Perbacco, 230 California (at Front), 955-0663
When: Wed., April 20
Cost: $49 (cocktails not included)
Reservations: Call the restaurant at 415-955-0663
The rundown:
Rob Corwin and Danny Jacobs's Sipping Seder project looks like it will be showing up on a lot of tables this year, including Perbacco's annual Italian Passover dinner Wednesday night. The dinner, which has become a tradition with chef Joyce Goldstein joining Perbacco chef Staffan Terje in the kitchen, will feature the Sipping Seder cocktails. Although it doesn't sound like you can order a "seder plate" of them, they will be available a la carte to drink while enjoying the impressive spread.
View San Francisco Farmers Markets 2011 in a larger map
Hey, remember when we said that if you wanted a farmers' market on Monday or Friday, you were SOL? Well, as of today, that's no longer true. A brand-spankin'-new market has bloomed in a public plaza at 50 Fremont in the Financial District. Its one-page website promises fresh fruits and veggies, as well as "lots of pastries, chocolates, flowers, organic vegan ice cream, agave ices, [and] music to lose the Monday blues." As of press time we have no information on which farms will be represented or whether this is intended to be a seasonal market or ongoing, but at any rate, it's a ray of light on the otherwise market-bleak Monday slot. Now, who's taking up Fridays?
Where: Smuggler's Cove, 650 Gough (at McAllister), 869-1900
When: Mon., Apr. 18, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
Cost: $9-$22 per Painkiller (2-8 oz. of rum)
The rundown: Tax day can be painful -- at least for those with less inventive tax lawyers on the payroll. If you can't celebrate Tax Day, at least you can forget your 1040 blues with National Painkiller Day at Smuggler's Cove. The Painkiller is a tropical and potent mix of Pusser's Navy Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut, garnished with a light dusting of nutmeg that lives up to its name.
This plate of organic goodness was snapped at a San Francisco restaurant. Can you identify the dish and the joint where it is served? Please offer a guess in the comments below.
Congratulations to SFoodie reader Stonefruit, who correctly identified the Gabba Gabba Hey sundae in last week's Mystery Spot, Humphry Slocombe.
Today's notes on national stories, local trends, random tastes, and other bycatch dredged up from the food media.
1. The Return of Peepsmania. Dyed Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, sweetened egg breads -- they've all been eclipsed by America's ultimate holiday food, the Peep. The Washington Post posted the winners of its annual Peeps diorama contest, and Yum Sugar came out with the best of many, many listicles about creative things to bake with marshmallow chcks. Melissa Clark at the NY Times made her own Peeps -- which should by rights constitute an eye-rolling Martha Stewart stunt, but Clark's homey marshmallow animals, flavored and colored with saffron, pomegranate, and matcha, sound rather adult. Plus, Clark reveals that she understands the appeal of the Peep: She lets her animals sit out for a couple of days so they firm up and the sugar becomes a sandy shell. My mother taught me that little trick in the 1980s.
2. More on Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook. My Father's Daughter seems to have inspired more than magazine covers and countless blog rants and raves -- we've begun asking ourselves, as a nation: why? The Wall Street Journal talks to a few other middle-aged actresses who are channeling their fame into cooking shows and cookbooks as a second career. Skip the obligatory disclaimer from the Cooking Channel about the proven cooking skills of its hosts to the quotes from Paul Canales and WD-50's Wylie Dufresne at the end.
