Savoring Sicily

lucky me, i got to travel to Sicily to work on a cookbook that will be published next year by Rizzoli.  what an amazing way to experience the wonderfully warm, generous people and incredibly diverse regions.  the wines and food and landscapes are out of this world. and i learned of the deep, rich, layered history.  if Sicily is not on your bucket list yet, it should be!
country

city


spectacular scenery
in between

 caffeine with farm fresh milk

first breakfast:
country eggs
and home baked bread

nespole (loquat) fresh off the tree
precious wild strawberries
fava beans everywhere
unique shape of Sicilian lemons
nearly everyone makes their own olive oil
heavenly on fresh grilled zucchini
produce trucks roam every town
ricotta baskets
ricotta drained, rolled and pressed
chile and pepper ricotta
warm, fresh tuma

yes, a cheese pig
dough ‘pillow’

incredible breads
handmade pasta

the hands

wild boar ravioli
linguine with bottarga
phenomenal seascapes
spectacular sea urchins
certain pastry are particular to a town
these are found in only one town
warm, tender dough filled with rich chocolate and fried
a gelato cake from the gelateria in a small town
lemon sorbetto

200+ year old winery


with rainbows over the vineyards

olive trees everywhere
caper plants are the stars of Salina
(one of the Aeolean islands)
negronis at sunset
with a view of active volcanos in the distance

Vietnam, Food Monsoon

i just got back from vietnam where it’s monsoon season.
lucky for me, the weather was spectacular.
my brother and sister-in-law live there.
through them and their wonderfully eclectic circle of friends, 
i experienced central and northern vietnam
in a unique and adventuresome way.
plus,
the food…was…incredible!
here are some highlights 
(had to sneak in a pic of the beach and warm ocean water)
 
northern style pho bo (beef noodle soup)  
best bahn mi (pork sandwich) in hoi an
   
no trip is complete without visiting the market 
rambutan fruit
fresh hibiscus 
mesmerizing knife proficiency  
 
crowd controlled crabs 
traditional fishing boats
-essentially, enormous woven baskets-
  
my sister-in-law makes the best 
bun cha (marinated bbq pork with noodles and greens) 
on the face of the planet
-sadly, i failed to capture the beauty of the final dish-
nem lui (bbq pork roll)  
make it yourself, your way
 thin slices of green banana add crunch
and unique flavor  
if you like,
take a bite of red chili and/or garlic with each bite of nem
for a little extra spice 
bahn xeo (crispy rice pancake) — filled with 
shrimp, pork and bean sprouts 
can be eaten by themselves, or also made into a roll
  
lunch for two — with beverages — was a whopping
$4 US
and we couldn’t finish it all
a surprising little factoid — to me, at least:  
vietnam is the world’s largest producer of
black pepper 
i love that hanoi is a city filled with 24 hour food shops.
we caught the mien ngan (duck noodles) shift late one night
 kumquats are a typical accompaniment and nice addition to this dish
along with the ubiquitous hot sauces and super hot sliced chilies —
which our table mate (rightly) suggested adding for the photo 
 
at the end of the trip,
my sister-in-law took me to her village 
where we walked through acres of spectacular gardens
not only was everything meticulously planted and maintained,
the aroma of the herbs was phenomenal
here:  ginger chicken, perfectly cooked garden vegetables, 
sauteed cabbage, spring rolls, pork stew
 i ate so much amazing food on this trip!
yet,
the most special food experience 
was the meal shared with 
my sister in law and her family 
in the house her parents built, where she was raised,
on the edge of those gardens and rice fields





New Zealand, Summer. Love.

i ventured to new zealand for a few weeks of r&r
at the end of their summer.
i fell hard for the place.
i found extraordinary: 
coffee, cafés,  baked goods, eggs, 
creativity, humor, wines and landscape.
i didn’t want to leave and can’t wait to go back.

Issey Miyake: Fashion as Food

A photographer friend turned me onto this 20th Anniversary campaign for the Pleats Please Issey Miyake brand.  Gorgeous!  I tadaki mas-su.

First edition: Wine

Second edition: Japanese sweets

Third edition: Soft-serve/ice cream


Fourth edition: Whipped cream and pancakes…

…chocolate cream and toast.

Gochiso sama deshita to Taku Satoh, Art Direction and Shingo Noma, Design.

Alder NYC


My lucky day!  I’d just arrived in NY for work and from the taxi window I spied 157 2nd Ave.  When I searched the address online, I found AlderWylie Dufresne‘s newest venture, just one week new.
 I walked over to Alder just before opening to wait on line.  People passing by smirked at the small crowd of us shivering in the cold wind.  Little did they know what awaited inside.  
For starters, it may look like a typically stocked bar…. 

but the cocktails are far from typical.  I imbibed the ‘Love Oolong Time’ — tequila, 5-spice, grapefruit and oolong  — made in-house and put on tap.  Refreshment perfection.

To start off, each diner receives a little dish of freshly pickled jardiniere veggies to tuck into and/or enjoy as an accompaniment throughout the meal.

My first taste of the eve was the Ceasar Nigiri:  romaine, egg yolk, parm

 Then came….
Chicken Liver Toast:  cornbread, grapefruit marmalade, chicken skin.  Stunning!
On the enthusiastic recommendation of the bartender, I ordered the Rye Pasta:  shaved pastrami 
aka, a bad*ass pastrami on rye, Italian style.
 For the insatiable sweet tooth in me…..
Root Beer Pudding:  whipped cream, crushed cashews and root beer candies

In sum, it was a delectable meal replete with the kind of creativity I would expect from one of Wylie’s eateries. Here, it’s just more down home.  And the vibe is decidedly simple and stylish, with nostalgic nods to the past.

To commemorate the experience, rubber bands replace matches in a bowl at the door.  I s’pose you could wear ’em on your wrist, but I plan to put it round my water bottle the way it’s done at Alder.  That way it’ll serve as a souvenir and remind me of the fun evening I spent enjoying the thrill of some old favorites, entirely reinvented.

Drawn to Devour


Around the holidays, I was asked to be a judge at a groovy potluck event for Slideluck, a non-profit  organization committed to unifying community through slideshow-and-potluck dinner events all over the world.   Check ’em out!

This event was in SF and during the slide show of local photographers and artists, these lively food illustrations by Dan Bransfield popped up and off on the screen.  I just love ’em!
   

 

Japan: Oishi

 
I was recently reminiscing about travel to Japan in Spring.  That conversation left me longing for the absolutely phenomenal food and hospitality I was introduced to by Japanese friends and colleagues there.  ‘Oishi’ is the Japanese word for delicious and a word I used often.

These soba noodles with tempura at a little mom and pop food stall outside of Tskiji fish market in Tokyo in the early morning hours remain one of the most outstanding food memories of the trip.

 
Because it was cherry blossom season, sakura (cherry blossoms) were everywhere  — including in special brews and on seasonal labels.

 
Sakura even made it into and on cheesecake.  In the town of Nara, I wandered in the rain trying to locate a tiny café called Nanka, nestled in a residential section.  Nanka is part library, part shop (local artisans), part café. Everything about it was absolutely charming: from the hand written and sketched daily menu to the flawless cherry blossom cheesecake to the apple adorned latte.

 
Fish are a symbol of celebration in Japan, so along with sakura season come lots of little sweet cakes in the shape of fish, called ‘taiyaki.’


A day trip to Nara led me to the discovery of a traditional taiyaki master.  Traditional taiyaki are sweet, crisp pancakes pressed together and filled with sweet bean paste. Rest assured, the shape is the only thing fish has to do with it.


The two-sided taiyaki griddle is first heated up…


…then gets filled with a light, sweet batter.


It’s cooked over open flame and flipped back and forth, until….


…a warm, crispy sweet treat emerges.
 
Kyoto is known as a place of refined food from its days of being the seat of nobility.  This is seen in even the simplest food in the local corner joint like this grilled eggplant with both red and white miso.  The creamy eggplant with the sweet white miso contrasting with the more pungent red was just dreamy.


Nishin soba is a traditional Kyoto dish (this one at Matsuba restaurant). Wow! Who knew I would really, really like dried herring with soba noodles & freshly chopped scallions.


I was also introduced to traditional sweet treats in Kyoto, like dango (mochi-like squares grilled on skewers and served with a thick salty/sweet sauce) and anmitsu (in bowl — jelly squares made with agar + red bean paste + gyuhi dusted with ground sesame powder + fruit + ice cream).


Arashiyama is a quaint, river-flanked, bamboo forested, temple-laden town just a short train ride from Kyoto. I spied this candied citrus — stem and leaf included — in a sweet shop in the tiny town.  I was intrigued by its size;  it was just a little bigger than a cherry tomato.  I don’t remember the name of the particular citrus but the sweet crunchy candied outside followed by the slightly sour fruit and slight bitter of the rind made for a spectacular flavor explosion well beyond its size.


Fruit perfection is so treasured in Japan that one can easily pay upwards of $150 for a single piece.

I opted to spend my yen on a gorgeous piece of hand-forged knife perfection from a little known shop called Shigeharu.  It’s a business that has existed for over 900 years and where no English is spoken. There was much bowing, smiling, pointing and bowing again as I was on my own that day and my Japanese is limited to about 20 words.  I was — and still am — thrilled with my now favorite knife.


I was first introduced to yuba (tofu skin) in New York.  Wylie Dufresne had recently opened his doors at wd~50 and was using thin strips of yuba as a pasta.  Several years later,  I found myself watching yuba being made by professionals in Japan for the first time. Then I was next treated by Japanese friends to a most memorable night at a restaurant in Kyoto where we made our own fresh yuba by skimming the top layer from a simmering pan of fresh soy milk —


which we topped with freshly grated yuzu and shoyu. Yuba heaven!


The intense cultural drive for mastery in Japan yields outstanding pastry.  Patisserie Au Grenier d’Or in Kyoto is a fine example.  I wish everyone could experience their outstanding, limited production hyuganatsu marmalade.  I’m such a citrus lover (if you haven’t yet caught on)!  The yuzu pound cake I handcarried home to a picnic in the park soon as I got off the plane was nothing short of perfection.

I had so many phenomenal food experiences in Japan. One common thread that stood out — from simple food stalls to top-secret, 8 seat izakaya spots to haute Kaiseki — was the tremendous care and pride taken by all involved with preparing and serving the food.  To everyone who shared all things oishi with me, I’d like to say, gochisosama deshita.

Namu Gaji


I was already looking forward to Namu Gaji moving to my hood and on the first visit, I was officially hooked (returns have been frequent). The space is casual chic and the vibe friendly.


Small little touches like individual baskets to stow your bag/jacket/helmet are spot on.


If you find yourself hungry/thirst on the early side, happy hour is from 4:30-6 with small bites available, like Korean tacos. You can transition into dinner once that menu starts.


Sake pours are not only generous, they arrive in beautiful vessels.


I’m a pickle freak, so the complimentary banchan was a bonus. All told: asparagus, cabbage, ramps, kim chi, sprouts and greens.


Tender, melt in your mouth, raw scallops with cucumber, grapefruit and marinated kombu, with beet stem garnish.

Cold soba salad with tofu, little gem lettuce, pea shoots, scallions, cucumber, sesame seeds, pine nuts and kimchee vinaigrette.


Soft and chewy shitake dumplings in an incredibly rich dashi (drinking the last drop is highly encouraged).


In the comfort category is one of my fav dishes: a sizzling stone pot of deliciousness brought to the table with rice, steak, daily banchan, mushrooms, egg and gochujang (spicy Korean chili sauce). Tip: if you leave it sizzling a few extra minutes, the rice on the bottom gets golden crispy.


Okonomiyaki is a rich, savory pancake with kimchee, oysters, yamaimo (root veg), cabbage, scallions, kewpie (mayo), okonomiyaki sauce, and bonito flakes that dance from the heat of the skillet.


Shave ice seems to be the dessert of choice at Namu Gaji. My favorite rendition to date is the caramel-drizzled chocolate with salted peanut butter cookies on the side.

Be sure to say ‘Hey’ if you spy me when you go — there’s a good chance you will.

Glen Ellen Star is Born


I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am that Glen Ellen Star has moved into the tiny downtown of, yes, Glen Ellen in Sonoma — a mere hour’s escape from the foggy summer skies of San Francisco. [For those of you who knew Saffron, Glen Ellen Star is in that still charming, though much transformed space — both indoors and out.]


The food, self-described by Chef Ari Weiswasser as ‘refined rustic’, is just that. The cast iron quick bread with an island of local feta in zaatar spiced olive oil is testament to his description and an excellent indicator of the wonderful feast to follow. Paired with the warm greeting we were met with by the lovely Erinn Benziger-Weiswasser, it was clear we were in the friendly and proficient hands of skilled service.


Next out of the wood-fired oven, rolled chili spiked, meyer lemon olive oil drizzled, fennel pollen crusted fennel wedges and blood orange oil, harissa crumble topped golden beets. Yum.


I’m a sucker for fava beans, especially when someone else is doing the prep work. This labor minimizing rendition of whole roasted pods in a chunky bacon marmalade is scrumptious and highlights the fava’s very best attributes.


In my opinion, there’s nothing like a pizza crust from a wood oven. And this was one skillfully baked pie — white with guanciale & arugula.


Apart from the gorgeous presentation of these wood oven roasted lamb meatballs in a ridiculously tasty tomato soffrito, they are the makings of an addiction.


The wonderfully tender and flavorful grilled flat iron steak came with a lovely fresh, crisp salad of escarole, fingerlings and roquefort. It’s definitely on the more refined side and you will hear no complaints from me about that.


Dessert is simple, straightforward and delightful: house made ice cream and sorbet, served in little half-pint containers. For me, it conjured a bit of nostalgia of eating ice cream with a little wooden spoon — though the ice cream of my childhood was definitely not of this caliber.

For now, Glen Ellen Star is open for dinner 7 nights, with lunch Friday-Sunday to come this summer. Personally, I’m calling today to make my next reservation. I highly recommend you do the same while you can still get a table.