Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Happy New Year! As JJH already noted, this year is our Ben Ming Nian, meaning that it is our birth year, or the year of the Ox. In traditional Chinese thought, life is viewed in groups of 12 years. For example, at 12 a child enters adolescence; at 24 a person enters society for the first time; at 36 a person reaches maturity; at 48 a person should have accomplished something meaningful; at 60 comes retirement; at 72 one should enjoy old age; and if a person lives to the age of 84 or 96, every day is counted as a blessing. One consequence is that every 12th year is viewed as a huge obstacle to overcome in someone's life.

To complicate things, this year I am also Fan(ing) Tai Sui, meaning "offending" Tai Sui. According to Chinese mythology, Tai Sui is a position in the celestial heavens who is in charge of determining the annual fortunes of us all. This position happens to coincide with the 12 earthly branches which coincides with the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. I can't really explain it, but you Fan Tai Sui if it's your Ben Ming Nian. Typically, that means that you will not have such a smooth year.

Coincidence or not, I have already noticed that things aren't going my way...

Last week, I intentionally left Palo Alto at 5:30PM to get to San Francisco (45 mins away) and then to Berkeley (20 mins) to have some pizza before driving up to Tahoe. As fortune would have it, the Cheeseboard Pizza Collective closed by the time we arrived at 8:45PM. Seriously, why on earth did it take us three hours to get to Berkeley? Still, I am hopeful that my Ben Ming Nian won't be as bad as the Fen Shui masters have predicted.

In Chinese culture, there is a belief in balance. So everytime I experience something bad, it means that good is to come. Last weekend, good came! Three feet of snow! That is all I am going to say about that.

In honor of the Chinese New Year, AK and I went to Jai Yun in SF. A fan of pre fixes and omakases, the idea of doing a Chinese one was intriguing. When you first walk in, you wouldn't even think that the restaurant was pre fixe only. It is unpretentitous and gets extra brownie points for that. Jai Yun offers five different pre fixes at 55/65/80/100/150. There is no menu and no way to assess what the differences between them are. Presumably the quality of ingredients increases with the price. AK and I opted to go down the middle figuring that would be the safest bet.

Here I chronicle our food adventure...

Minced Tofu with Cilantro

Pickled Cabbage

Pickled Cucumbers

Five Spice Braised Beef Slices

Shanghai Smoked Fish

"Underwater Vegetable" aka Lotus Root Salad

Mushrooms and Jellyfish Salad

Vegetarian Chicken - aka Bean Curd sheets that taste like Chicken!

"Kung Tsai" (Emperor's Vegetables)

Fried Fish

Mushroom and Veggie Medley

Abalone Foo Young

Wheat Glutten with Mushrooms

Shrimp Delight

?Mushroom Skewer Basil

Chinese Okra with Gingko Nuts

Sauteed Squid

Fish with Corn and Peas

Soy Beans with Silken Tofu

Meatballs with Crab Sauce

Kung Pao Chicken

Celery with Five Spices Dry Tofu

Crispy Eggplant with Scallions

Candies

My favorite dish would have to be the Mushroom Skewer, the Eggplant, and the Meatballs. The food was good. I can't rave enough about the use of textures by Jai Yun. This is truly a Chinese culinary adventure. I even like how there is no drink menu, despite the presence of beer and wine on the premises. You just walk up to the shelf containing all of the wine and point to what you want. How is that for being unpretentious! I still hold that I overpaid for this meal. I think you should defintely go at least once, though if I ever go back, I am going to stick with the 55 pre fixe.

Jai Yun 3.5/5

When Opportunity Knocks, Open the Door!

Going up to Tahoe tonight... Cheeseboard, here we come!

Berkeley, More Than Just Hippies!

Although I hate to admit it... Berkeley >> Stanford. Of course, I mean the city and not the school! Fact is, their football team is better, but I don't exactly have the track record for choosing to go to the best sport school... When it comes to the important things in life, i.e. food, there is no contest. Berkeley gave Stanford smackdown. In summary, if you haven't been to Palo Alto, you aren't missing much. If you haven't been Berkeley however, make plans to do so NOW! From Palo Alto, Berkeley is a good one hour's drive. As a consequence, I haven't made it over there as often as I would like.

Fortunately, Berkeley is on the way to Tahoe! Believe me when I say that there is no better rest stop on the entire three and half hour journey to the slopes! Usually, I find myself stopping at the Cheeseboard Pizza Collective. It serves some of the BEST PIZZA in America. You read that right! AMERICA! Unfortunately, I was driving up to Tahoe alone this past weekend, and since I physically can't just get one or two slices of Pizza whenever I go, I opted to eat at Gregoire, another Berkeley gem, instead. But it isn't like I settled. When you go, you'll realize that no explanation is necessary.

Gregoire Restaurant, Berkely, CA

This classic Berkeley restaurant sums up what I love about the Bay Area. Simply put, it is a restaurant that offers natural and organic meals that are meticulously prepared in the french tradition. This take out restaurant is small, but the food is anything but small. Remember my last post about potatoes? Well Gregoire makes some of the BEST potatoes! You HAVE to go an order their potato puffs!

Takeout Boxes!

Crispy Potato Puffs ($4.50)


Roasted Leg of Lamb with Tomato Chutney & Fresh Mint on Ciabatta ($8.25)

Doesn't it look great? It sure tastes great! Besides I can't think of another restaurant that gives out plasticware that looks like silverware! Although the octagonal boxes are not the most efficient use of materials, it IS instantly recognizable and relatively environmentally friendly. Great place to grab lunch or dinner.

Happy hunting!

Gregoire 4.5/5

An Improbable Fusion

Peruvian food is an astonishing improbably fusion of cuisines with influences from the Incans, Moors, Spaniards, French, Chinese, and Japanese. In my book, it ties with Cantonese food as my favorite all time cusine!

In case you were wondering... I LOOOOOVE potatoes. They are of course a matter of national pride! According to wikipedia, over 3,000 potato varieties are grown in Peru!!!! Some Peruvian varieties that come to mind include papa amarilla, huayro, huamantanga, and perricholi. Some of these potatoes have found their ways into some of my favorite dishes including carapulcra, causa, cau cau, papa a la huancaina, lomo saltado, ocopa, and the papa rellena.

Potatoes!

Potatoes aside, what I love about Peruvian cuisine is its uniqueness. This is mainly attributed to the different kinds of aji and rocoto (chillies) and herbs such as huacatay that are used and have been used since the Incas.

Huacatay!

Aji Rocoto!

Potatoes often make me think of stews, soups, and pachamanca. Although Peruvian cuisine has its fair share of those types of dishes, not all Peruvian food is heavy and or laden with starch. Take ceviches and tiraditos for example. With the introduction of limes and onions by the Spaniards, and a new approach to fish by the Japanese, ceviche as it is known today is light AND healthy. It is a sort of "sushi meets lime."

As some of you may have heard, I am on a mission to find the best Peruvian Restaurant in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. This has proved a bit challenging considering the deluge of new Peruvian restaurants that open every few months. Here is one that sits near the top of my list!

Opened when its sister restaurant Limon, @ 16th and Valencia, closed for renovations, Limon Rotisserie, at 21st and S. Van Ness, offers all of the Peruvian basics necessary for FABULOUS lunch or dinner. If you are by yourself, this is what I recommend that you eat...

Ceviche de Pescado y Camarones ($9.25)
Tacu Tacu ($2.50)
Trio of Sauces
Pollo a la Brasa with Fried Yucca ($7.25)
Tiramisu de Lucuma ($6.75)

Moderately priced, their menu is organized as a collection of cold and hot plates. Perfect for sampling. I would recommend getting no more than three or four plates per person. If you get chicken (you HAVE to get the chicken!), I suggest getting just one or two additional plates! More rants on what makes Peruvian Rotisserie chicken the BEST EVER later...

Limon Rotisserie 4.5/5

Shh! Speak Easy!

Prohibition, or the Noble Experiment as it was once known, marked one of the saddest times in American history. Why the f*ck would you ever prohibit the consumption of alcohol? How dumb is it that out of the 27 amendments to the United States constitution, two have been devoted to the ban of alcohol (amendment XVIII) and its repeal (amendment XXI)? One positive result of the era was the creation of the Speakeasy.

San Francisco is home to Bourbon & Branch, a "Speakeasy" that has been open since 1867.
As is the case with other establishments of its kind there are several house rules...

1)Please speak-easy

2)No cell phone use

3)No standing at the bar

4)Don't even think of asking for a "cosmo"

5)Smokers, use back door

6)No photography

7)Please be patient, our drinks are labor intensive

and

8)Please exit Bourbon & Branch quietly

We clearly broke rule six. But you know what they say... RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN! Just two small complaints from this happy patron. Why is it located at the corner, yes, I said CORNER, of Jones and O'farrel? If you aren't really paying attention, you might miss the door. But at night, there are tons of people who go and as a consequence, a queue, albeit a small one, forms. So it is obvious that it is there... So much for secrecy. AAAAANNNNNNND, what is the point of making reservations if you have to wait???? I am also sad that there is a menu at B&B. That my friends is what I am holding above. Accustomed to Sasha's Milk & Honey (okay, I have only been once), it would have been nice if the cocktail waitresses could actually recommend something NOT on the menu. I was like SERIOUSLY? I can read! I am not feeling any of it. So what else can you reccomend?

After several attempts, I gave up... and ordered one of my perennial favorites, a Pimm's Cup. It was good! With fresh blackberries and all! On the menu, notable drinks include the Chartreuse Swizzle, Drink Without a Name (hella strong), Democrat, Amuse Buche, and some kind of Apple Soda thing. Overall the drinks were good. With the exception of this one drink. It was brown and thick. So if you get it, don't drink it.

The one great thing about B&B is that you can just go if you ever find yourself in the area. If for whatever reason you don't have a reservation, just tell them "books" at the door and you can go to the library for some standing room only fun.

Bourbon & Branch 4/5

Washing Down the Wine...

One of the best times to visit the wine country is during the summer and early fall. Though wine can and SHOULD be enjoyed year round, the warmer months allow one to drink and be merry outside with the sun kissing your face. What could be better than that? Besides, it is at this time of the year that the valley is the most breathtaking. When you go after the harvest, usually sometime in August/September, vines start dying, and it just isn't pretty.

Clearly, you should still take the pilgrimage during the Winter months. ONE particular reason for the journey is because Thomas Keller (Chef extraordinaire) runs several AMAZING restaurants including the French Laundry, Ad Hoc, and Bouchon.

As I mentioned earlier, being a graduate student has its advantages... but it also means that I am poor, dirt poor. So I won't be blogging about the French Laundry anytime soon. Thankfully, both Ad Hoc and Bouchon are relatively affordable. Properly planned, you can even go to both in one day!

The whole early planning thing didn't happen this past weekend. After spending the early afternoon at Chateau Montelena (sipping on my favorite Cabernet Sauvignon) and Duckhorn, and washing down that wine first with dessert at the Bouchon bakery and with dinner at Ad Hoc, I can't complain.

No trip is complete without a stop at Montelena...

Chateau Montelena Library Tasting

Believe me. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is TDF! If you go, there are two types of tastings you can do. The first option is to do the current release tasting for $15 which features the Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Montelena Estate Zinfandel, and Potter Valley Riesling. The second option, which I recommend you do at least once, is to do the library wine tasting for $40. Inconveniently, you have to make reservations for the library tasting. Don't be late, you have to pay in advance and they will start without you. This tasting offers some of Montelena's best wines including two Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignons, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a Napa Valley Chardonnay, and a Montelena Estate Zinfandel. 750 ml bottles of the Cabernet usually runs $130+ for the current year's release and go up the older they get. So crazy as it sounds, it is actually a pretty good deal.

Although it is true that you can get Montelena at the Press Club (current release tasting only) in SF or even Roy's Restaurant ($20 for a glass of the Montelena Estate Cabernet), Montelena is a must visit because it is the only winery that has a Chinese inspired Jade Lake. Moreover, they have a persimon tree AND swans!

Pagoda, Jade Lake, Chateau Montelena

You can usually hit up several wineries in a day, and this time we went to Duckhorn. Interestingly, they are the ones who started the whole critter (in their case a duck) on the label marketing strategy. It is why Yellowtail, with its kangaroo or whatever it is, got so famous so quickly. Apparently, people just buy wine because it has an animal on the label.


Unfortunately for you, I left my camera in my car when we stopped at Duckhorn. Like other wineries, they also offer several tasting options. If you haven't quite figured it out, I LOVE Cabernets, so I opted for the Estate tasting which was predominantly a Cabernet tasting. I wasn't in love with the wine, but I thought it was good overall. Though I usually don't like Merlot, it was surprisingly good here. So props to Duckhorn for that and their palate-cleansing almonds that are covered in goodness. As some of you may know, the Duckhorn Wine Company also owns Paraduxx. They are doing some interesting stuff over there (i.e. mixing grapes that aren't traditionally mixed). I tried one of their wines and I was not too excited, but was intrigued enough to want to visit on my next trip.

Too late to go to another winery but too early for dinner, AK, PK and I decided that it would be a good idea to start dinner with some dessert. What better place to go then Bouchon Bakery?

Bouchon Bakery, Yountville, CA

In retrospect it wasn't a very bright idea to have dessert first, but hey you only live once. Here is a sampling of what we got.

Chocolate Ganache Tarte

Hazelnut Macaron

Fresh Apple Tart

This definitely ranks up there with Tartine for best desserts...

The highlight of any day is dinner. Ad Hoc did not disappoint. Though you can find out what the menu is going to be ahead of time, I think it is fun to just walk in and be surprised.

Ad Hoc Restaurant, Yountville, CA

For $49 and on this particular day, they served the following:

Bread
broccoli di ciccio & burratta salad; crisp vegetable binaigrette, chili flake sesame seed and maldon salt flatbread.
snake river farms kurobuta prok rack with fried sunchokes and quince mustard
rustichella rigatoncini with veal-mushroom ragout
bellwether farms pepato; wild arugala and toasted almonds
crespelle torta; chocolate crepes with blood orange mousse

The highlight of the meal was definitely the main course. I can't say enough about it! The pork was tasty and tender. The sunchokes (roots of sunflowers), were like a lighter less starchy potatoes. Apparently, farmer's used to think that these tubers were just weeds. They must have been tripping because these were amazing! Double fried and they still felt semi-healthy! The biggest let down was probably the dessert. Maybe it is because we already had dessert. Truthfully, I think they layered too many of the chocolate crepes, or maybe it was just bad. Period. The crepes were doughy and the blood orange mousse was just okay. Either way, it was really good meal. Restaurant is simple yet elegant. Excellent place to take a date or a small group of friends.

Chateau Montelena: 5/5
Duckhorn Wine Company: 4/5
Bouchon Bakery: 4.5/5
Ad Hoc Restaurant: 4.5/5