All things edible and uncensored. A politically incorrect expedition through the opulent establishments of the eighth arrondissement to the trailer park dives of Memphis, TN. An inside and privileged glance at my dinner parties with foreign dignitaries to my lunch breaks with El Salvadorian immigrants. As well as culinary philosophies from the author himself.
Prior to coming to San Francisco, I posted on Chowhound requesting recommended dishes at Koi Palace and I mentioned we were going to The French Laundry later than night for dinner. A few people replied back that's too much food to have in one day. They would have thought I was crazy if I mentioned my girlfriend and I were splitting nine doughnuts and two desserts as a morning refresher at Dynamo. But that was exactly the game plan.
The line at 8:59AM
(The crew hard at work)
(The daily selection)
Overall, I liked the doughnuts. But a clear second to some recent experiences I've had at Bob's Doughnut in Los Angeles. Bob's has a fresh baked dough taste and the glaze impales within the doughnut's crevasses. Rather than walk through all the dishes, I listed the doughnuts in order of preference with some highlights.
The goods (in order of preference)
$2.50 Spiced Chocolate (8)
$2 Caramel de Sel (8)
$3 Chocolate Hazelnut Rose Geranium (7)
$2.50 Chocolate Star Anise (7)
$3 Passion fruit Milk Chocolate (7)
$2 Apricot Cardamom (6)
$3 Sticky Bun (6)
$3 Donut Bread Pudding (6)
$3 Strawberry Earl Grey (6)
$2 Vanilla Bean (6)
$3 Maple Glazed Bacon Apple (5)
After trying the entire inventory of doughnuts, how could one feel unfulfilled or empty? Well, it would have been nice to try at least one filled doughnut. A quota for future daily menu designs? Perhaps, but I'll have to stop in some time for a Banana de Leche or a Lemon Sichuan.
Note: No doughnuts were harmed in the making of this blog post. My girlfriend and I each tried a quarter of a doughnut and gave the other half to a homeless guy.
Finding your ideal cheese shop can be a journey for the ages. I can remember 10 years ago wondering into the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. Inexperienced and intimidated, I didn't know how to order, I was clueless as to the cheeses I even liked. After a brief exchange, in doubt, I answer "stinky". I want some stinky cheeses. At least they will be memorable. I took them to work as snacks for the week. They were memorable, especially for my co-workers every time I open a container. Now, the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills caters to the high end, but I want a selection of some great, modest cheeses. Enter Say Cheese, prices are lower, but I'm treated with a Parisian arrogance every time I request a smaller cut. No thank you. The Cheese Store of Silverlake has become my happy medium between quality cheeses and accommodating service.
Up in San Francisco, you don't have to search hard. Head straight through the Ferry Plaza doors to Cowgirl Creamery. There's a great selection of domestic and foreign cheeses laid out for the frenzy of tourists and locals alike. The recommendations were gratifying and the portions were cut as I asked, no minimum.
(The staff eager to please)
(The staff eager to please)
(Just some of the cheese selection)
(more of the cheese selection)
The fresh cheese selection is not to be missed either. We tried a sample of all of them and selected a few of our favorites. Those moving on the second round, to the purchase counter, included a cottage cheese, mascarpone, and a chile goat cheese spread.
Dante
Country - USA
Milk - Pasteurized sheep
Rind -Poly edible
Texture - Firm
Aging - 6 months
In the lush and green land fondly known as the Dairy State, the Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative (WSDC) was born. The Midwestern sheep dairy industry dates back to the 1980s, and the WSDC is currently comprised of twelve farms. Each of these twelve farms boasts fluffy flocks between one hundred and four hundred ewes.
While the mission of the WSDC is "to enhance the quality of life for co-op member families by sustainably producing and marketing premium sheep dairy products," the co-op hopes that by conducting their business with "respect, integrity, and sincere consideration for [their] members and their families, [their] customers and suppliers, [their] communities, [their] animals, and [their] land" they will "establish industry standards for promoting highly-valued sheep dairy products."
Rich and nutty with a slightly dry but fabulously firm texture, Dante is delicious grated over steamy pasta or cold salads.
2nd Place Ribbon, American Cheese Society Competition in Burlington, Vermont, 2007.
Wilder Weide
Country - Holland
Milk - Organic Raw Cow
Rind -Wax
Texture - Firm
Aging - 15 months
One of the only small production farmstead cheeses made in The Netherlands, this organic raw cow milk cheese is made right on the farm in Southern Holland with milk from a mixed herd. The cheese is then wrapped in wax and aged for fifteen months.
Valdeon
Country - Spain
Milk - Goat and Cow
Rind -Wrapped in Sycamore leaves
Texture - Semi-soft
Aging - 90 days
Wrapped snuggly in Sycamore leaves, this distinctive blue cheese from the Spanish Castille-Leon province combines the sweet richness of cow's milk with the tanginess of goat milk. Slightly more delicate than Cabrales, Valdeon is a slightly salty, complicated cheese with fragile veins darting through its pungent paste.
Torta La Serena
Country - Spain
Milk - Raw Sheep
Rind - Natural
Texture - Soft
Aging - 60 days
Raw sheep milk cheese from Extremadura, Spain reaches its apex after a bout of bad weather. The burnished ochre semi-hard rind of this cheese is cinched with a belt to mold it, but when the Extremadura winters or springs are cold and rainy, the belted cheeses become deformed. Cracks break through and riddle the crusted rind, and the interior gets soft and supple.
When the cheese reaches this stage, it garners the name "torta" and the softer it gets, the more highly sought it becomes. At this point, the cheese should be eaten quickly, which, given the sumptuousness of La Serena, shouldn't be a problem.
Torta La Serena is coagulated with thistle flower, which lends an elusive vegetal element to the intense, complex cheese. When at its most liquid state, the top of Torta La Serena can be sliced off and the cheese scooped out and enjoyed.
We stopped by a few specialty shops at the Ferry Plaza, one that pleasantly surprised us (me more than my girlfriend) was Boccalone. An Italian handmade artisan meat and sandwich shop with over 20 varieties of salumi. Once inside, the crowd favorite appeared to be the Mixed Salumi Cone. Now, this is how a specialty shop should operate. Rather than have to commit to a pound of one salume. You can taste a sample of a few salumi. Very San Franciscan ; )
We got two custom cones, six meats for under $10 and packed it along with the Cowgirl Creamery cheese and some Acme Bread for the long drive home down the PCH.
(The busy store front)
(One of the meat cases)
$4.50 Custom Salumi Cone (9)
(left to right) Capocollo, Mortadella, Porchetta di Testa
Lardo was on the menu. And with its recent rise to fame, I had to get an order. Our favorites, though, were the Brown Sugar & Fennel Salami and the Proscuitto Cotto. They were all something to tweet about. Back to the lardo, it's great as an accent to dishes. But the fat content is overwhelming on its own. Look at that white fat below. Not even half a loaf of bread could match up against this beast.
$4.50 Custom Salumi Cone (9)
(left to right) Lardo, Brown Sugar & Fennel Salami, Proscuitto Cotto
Keep in mind, Boccalone sells its products online and after this experience, I'd much rather see Boccalone in my stocking than Rite Aid's signature Hickory Farms.
We first heard about Humphry Slocombe when they were given press for their prosciutto ice cream. We thought it would be a great place for a snack during our visit and were hoping to get a taste of this traditional Italian dessert. Unfortunately, they have 80 plus flavors in their arsenal with only 10 or 12 available on a daily basis. The prosciutto was out of commission during our visit. The process takes about 3 days to get the flavor out of the pork fat, so it's in very limited production. Nonetheless there were other creative flavors available. As we had dinner plans in a few hours, we decided to take it light. We each got three scoops and ordered an extra 3 scoops for good measure. The duck fat pecan pie was purely an impulse buy.
Daily Menu
$5 Three Scoops - (clockwise from 12 o'clock) Peanut Butter Curry, Malted Milk Chocolate, Secret Breakfast (Bourbon + Cornflakes)
$5 Three Scoops - (clockwise from 12 o'clock) Cantaloupe Cayenne Sorbet, Tahitian Vanilla(9), Strauss Strawberry + Poppy Seed Yogurt
$5 Three Scoops - (clockwise from 12 o'clock) McEvoy Olive Oil, Harvey Milk (Honey Graham Cracker), Balsamic Caramel
$4 Duck Fat Pecan Pie (5)
Although I liked the gooey center, I couldn't get over the presentation. Its unfortunate resemblance to a commercially produced Little Debbie cake was a bummer. I'd take a homemade slice instead any day.
Overall, I would give the ice creams about an eight. They were all great quality. On a few, I would have liked a little bit more cream in the flavor. Our favorites were the Malted Milk Chocolate, Cantaloupe Cayenne Sorbet, and the Peanut Butter Curry. This is a great spot for a refreshing snack while in the city. Highly recommended and just jog back to the hotel to work off the calories.
30minutes north of San Diego and 2 hours south of Los Angeles down a windy road is arguable the most celebrated fruit and vegetable farm in California. Chino Farm has a who’s who clientele including Wolfgang Puck and Alice Waters. When I decided to plan a trip to San Diego, I knew I had to make a stop at the farm on the way back up to LA and would recommend it to the culinary connoisseur for a better understanding of your foods’ source.
With a reputation so grand, you would only expect the farm to be organic, but it’s not. They do spray some of their harvest to some extent. I was surprised the first time I heard that, but they source to Chez Panisse so I can only assume they spray their crops with liquid cocaine.
They don’t have a website, so have included the hours that were posted on site. I read they extend the hours to five during the summer.
As I parked and walked around, you quickly notice their customer base is primarily the well-to-do with an expectation for the best. I sensed this from the luxury cars, the prices, and the clean feet, all contrary to what is witnessed at a farmers market.
(Parking Lot)
(Oranges, Squash)
(Melons)
(Heirloom Tomatoes)
(Eggplant, Tomatoes, Figs, Strawberries)
(Pluots, Raspberries, Basil, Brussels Sprouts, Lima Beans)
(Bay Leaves, Sorrel, Parsley, Dill, Basil)
(Carrots, Squash, String Beans)
(Bay Leaves, Sorrel)
(Bell Peppers, Canteloupe, Radishes, Beets)
(Bok Choy, Peppers, Fennel, Radishes)
(Swiss Chard, Kale)
I walked around for a couple minutes and decided on the following grocery list with a few comparative tasting notes below: $4 Okra, $8 White corn, $4 pluot, $10 orange watermelon, $10 rainbow watermelon, $5 brussels sprouts, $6 lima beans, $3 heirloom tomatoes, and $2 kale
(orange watermelon, rainbow watermelon)
Both were of good quality and similar. Compared to the yellow watermelon I get at the Hollywood Farmers Market, I found this more fibrous.
(Kale)
The best kale I have ever had, very vibrant and crisp.
(Heirloom Tomato, Pluot)
The tomato was meatier than a regular tomato with less seed and water. The pluot I get in Hollywood is sweeter and juicer than this one. I originally thought a pluot was just the new commercial name for a plum, but upon further reading it's actually a hybrid between a plum and an apricot developed and patented by Floyd Zaiger.
(Brussels Sprouts)
At double the cost, I was disappointed; it was more bitter than the farmers market.
(Bok Choy)
Two varieties of bok choy, both were comparable in taste to the farmers market, but cost twice as much.
(Okra)
One of the more neglected ingredients in today's kitchen, I'll give Chino the victory. Where some okra, can have a degree of sliminess, the taste here was very clean.
(White Corn)
Two nods for farmers market large kernal size of for sweetness. Oddly, I was reminded how good corn could be with a simple sauteed version at CUT who sources from Chino Farm.
A 53rd generation member of the Chino family helped us with goods to the car; I guess that’s where the other $30 went. Interestingly, I spoke to him for a few minutes and he mentioned that the family had nine children and left the farm to only four of the kids and a failed lawsuit ensued.
A trip to Chino Farms is warranted for the reputation, but a return trip and another $70 grocery bill is unlikely.
