31 posts from 2007

Last night, my friend and I celebrated my birthday at Le P'tit Laurent, the relatively new French bistro in Glen Park. We had a enjoyable meal and a great time. The service was attentive and very friendly--I've become a regular customer as this was my third visit in as many weeks. Laurent, the owner, has taken time to meet the locals and regular customers. The restaurant, a former bar that was total dive, is fairly small, but its size and the dimmed lighting produces an intimate feel.

We started off our dining experience with a bottle of Perrier water while reviewing the menu and choosing our selections. I was quite familiar with the menu as I had ate at Le P'tit Laurent twice in just over a month's time. Our server, who must have been new since I didn't recognize her from my previous visits, promptly greeted us with a friendly smile and proceeded to list the special dishes for the evening.

We began our meal with a dozen oysters and champagne. The oysters came in a wide dish, or pan, filled with ice that sat atop a circular rack raising off the table, but not inhibiting the view or the conversation with my dining companion. The basket of baguette was placed beneath the stand by our server when the oysters arrived at our table. The dozen shellfish came with slices of lemon and a tiny thimble of sauce in the center of the pan. We greedily took to the oysters. My friend preferred to eat each one a different way while I chose to dab the oysters with sauce, a squeeze of lemon and send them down the hatch. We celebrated our first course with a proud clink of champagne glasses filled with Brut.

One of the servers who recognized me stopped by our table to say hello and I proudly raised my Christian Dior handbag to show her I had brought a piece of France with me (I had dressed to the nines to celebrate my birthday and for going to a nice restaurant on a Saturday night). Not too long after, Laurent himself, stopped by to say hello.

After finished our shellfish, we both ate salads as our second course. My friend chose a mixed greens salad while chose the more traditional French frisee salad with egg and a sprinkling of bacon bits. I enjoyed my salad, but I had begun to feel my champagne after just two sips (I typically don't drink alcohol, but I made an exception for my birthday).

Not long after we finished our salads, our main course arrived at our table. My friend chose the Monkfish, which our server noted as her favorite restaurant dish, and I, again, chose the traditional beef bourguignon with mashed potatoes, mushrooms and carrots. I wanted to try this dish because in my two prior visits I had chosen a prix fixe special of Mahi Mahi and before that, a rack of lamb entree.

I received a generous portion of beef that sat on top of a bed of mashed potatoes, mushrooms and carrots surrounded by a shallow pool of sauce. The meat was very tender and the accompanying sauce was rich, but oh-so-silky smooth. I had eagerly soaked up the sauce with the nearby French baguette. The mashed potatoes were smooth as well with no lumps.

By this point, I was in heaven and feeling a bit full--but not full enough for dessert! My friend selected the wonderful apple tart tatin with caramel ice cream, which I had enjoyed during my last visit to Le P'tit Laurent, while I opted for the vanilla creme brulee. However, we chose to share both of them and two plates quickly appeared at our table. We both ordered coffee too.

My friend noted to both the server and to Laurent that we were celebrating my birthday, but I had interjected that I preferred it to be low key and they did not to sing 'happy birthday' as was done at a nearby table earlier in the evening.

At the arrival of our desserts, my friend instructed me to tap the harden cover with the back of my spoon (she had lived in Paris for several months) to break it and to reveal the creamy vanilla creme brulee beneath. We found both desserts to be delightful. The tart tatin was wonderful, and as before, the caramel ice cream had a rich caramel flavor. We savored the vanilla creme brulee. The coffee was good and our server promptly stopped by to refill our (my) cups.

After our server processed our check, Laurent stopped to present not only me with birthday gift, but one for my friend as well!

Overall, we had a wonderful and leisurely meal. We were warmly greeted with friendly smiles and great service--light years from the crappy service at The House and the feeling of being rushed to eat just so the restaurant could turn over tables quickly.

In short, Le P'tit Laurent is a keeper.

I've been wanting to visit The House, an Asian Fusion restaurant in North Beach, since it was reviewed on the KQED's food program Check, Please! Bay Area last year. This past Friday, I finally visited the restaurant for dinner with my friend Judy to celebrate my birthday. The food didn't disappoint, but the hostess ruined my dining experience.

First, the food.

Judy and I began our meal with two appetizers, the deep-fried salmon roll with Chinese hot mustard and the white shrimp with Chinese chive dumplings. The deep-fried salmon rolls were delicious with a crunchy batter exterior and juicy salmon interior. The accompanying Chinese hot mustard, true to our server's warning, was spicy hot. This dish must be a popular selection as it came out right away.

The shrimp dumplings weren't bad, but wasn't exceptional either compared to the salmon appetizer. I could tell that my friend wasn't thrilled either as she instructed me to eat the last one. I did like the decoration, which the dumplings sat upon. I not exactly sure what it was when nibbled on it except to say that it was yellow and very crunchy.

Our entrees included one menu item (Judy) and one special. My friend chose the grilled sea bass with garlic ginger soy, which came with Chinese green beans and thick chow mien-style noodles. Judy polished off the fish, but didn't finish either the beans or noodles as she became full. I don't blame her as both items appeared to be a bit greasy and an odd choice to accompany a nice, light fish.

I opted for the special that was called "tuna two ways." I had never had a dish that featured two identical items presented two ways until I saw  watched a marathon session of Top Chef, on the Bravo channel, with my friend Chris on Thanksgiving day. While the Top Chef contestant lost out on his "two-ways" dish, the tuna two-ways dish I had at The House was spectacular.

The special dish featured tuna, of course, "two ways." On one side, there was several slices of tuna tooru sashimi and on the other, several slices of nicely braised tuna with a soft pink middle. My dish  also came with a bowl of white rice. I loved this dish and, despite my bad experience that I will detail in a moment, will return to the restaurant if it was offered.

I enjoyed the very, very fresh tuna tooru sashimi, which was on par with other sashimi I have eaten at restaurants such as Moki Sushi and Pacific Grill in Bernal Heights.  The braised tuna was succulent with a nice smoky, grilled flavor. The two complimented each other very well and my hats off to the chef.

My friend Judy wasn't feeling well, so we skipped dessert and headed home so she could rest. Dinner for two--without dessert or drinks--was $90 including tax and a twenty-percent tip.

Now for my negative comments. My friend and I were stuck in Friday night traffic going up Third Street in San Francisco towards North Beach. I called the restaurant to say were were going to be late, possibly by a half an hour due to heavy traffic, which I explained to the person who answered the phone (who turned out to be our server--no problems, she was great).

She put another woman on the phone who turned out to the hostess (or co-owner as I suspect). She had told me that she could accommodate us as the restaurant was booked for the evening. Totally understandable. No problems.

However, upon entering the restaurant and explaining who were were, the hostess seated us at the back of the restaurant and proceeded to tell us that a "big party" would be coming in at 8:30 p.m. and asked if we could please finish before then (essentially telling us to eat dinner in an hour and fifteen minutes). She did offer to re-seat us at one of the, not one, but two empty two-tops in the front of the house, but none too pleasantly (her demeanor revealed in spades). She neither welcomed us to her establishment nor smiled. She just looked upon use with a glaring expression of contempt with her bad Yoko Ono haircut as she proceed to re-seat us (we left just prior to 8:30 and there was no "large party" in sight. Even the tables in that area had been given to other guests after 8 p.m. hummm?)

For what was supposed to be a celebratory evening instead resulted in my raised blood pressure. I'd be willing to return to The House to give them another chance, but no restaurant is that great unless the customer service is on par with the food.

I am so sorry but I have been preoccupied with my other blogs that I have not had a chance to post to my food blog.

Tonight, I went to Le P'tit Laurent, which is a relatively new French restaurant in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco. I had been to this little gem of a French bistro several weeks prior with a friend of mine. Laurent, the owner, has since waved to me whenever I pass by his bistro as I live in the neighborhood. He was quite welcoming and attentive to my every need.

This evening, however, I dined alone at the bar. Sound pathetic? Not really. It's just really hard these days to coordinate schedules and I just didn't feel like cooking tonight. Plus, I had the opportunity to meet a photographer who dining alone next to me and pick his brain about digital SLR cameras that I am considering buying.

On this visit, I chose the Prix Fixe menu that is only available Monday through Thursday (my friend an I dined on a Friday night) and offered a three course meal for $19.95. I opted for the white bean soup, the mahi mahi fish over whipped potatoes and onions, and a dessert of my choosing, which in my case was the apple tart with caramel ice cream.

I enjoyed the white bean soup (coincidentally, I had made pasta fagioli on Sunday, which also uses white beans) that had carrots and a nice tomato broth. I also enjoyed the mahi mahi and loved the seasoning for the potatoes, but I just couldn't place the seasoning that I had recognized.

The apple tart was good, but the caramel ice cream that accompanied it was fantastic! It was so rich and tasted similar to the caramel apples I used to make growing up (but much better of course!). I had decaf coffee with my dessert. My total with tax and a generous tip was $28.

Le P'tit Laurent is a great addition to the neighborhood. This French bistro offers a casual and friendly atmosphere with good service. I would advise making reservations during peak dining hours as it is a somewhat small dining establishment.

Last night, I decided to make dinner. I had some left over chickpeas and kidney beans that I had used in the salads that I had brought to work last week, but were now sitting in my refrigerator. I thought I would whip up a makeshift Indian recipe using the left over legumes.

I had a thought and promptly took out Curried Flavors by Maya Kaimal and turned to the page one of my favorite recipes in her cookbook. I reviewed her recipe for Chickpeas and Mushrooms and I had all the ingredients, except one: the mushrooms. The last time I had made Kaimal's chickpeas and mushrooms, the mushrooms were bad as they came out all rubbery after cooking the dish. I did, however, have tofu which closely matches the consistency of mushroom being a porous substance that absorbs flavors and spices.

I chose to make the recipe with the firm tofu that I had on hand. The recipe turned out well and I think that I may choose to use tofu in this recipe from now on as the tofu keeps longer and is easier to make as I always have tofu in my refrigerator.

If you know this recipe, I highly recommend you try substituting tofu for the mushrooms as I am sure you will enjoy the results!

In mid to late August, I begin to make my weekly trek to the Ferry Building farmer's market on Saturdays to buy apples. I buy them from only one vendor, DeVoto Gardens from Sebastopol, and have done so for years. DeVoto Gareden has by far the best heirloom and best tasting apples I have ever had. Their apples have a distinctive crisp, and depending on the variety, sweet taste that I look forward to each fall season.

My favorite apple from DeVoto Gardens is the Hawaiian, which is both crisp and very sweet. The apple gets its name from the slight of pineapple taste. Hawaiian apples are only available for about a month and this has been the third week so the window of opportunity is closing.

Not to fear as DeVoto will be delivering the Fuji apple variety, which represents my second favorite apple, in a few weeks.

DeVoto offers other varieties such as the Gravestein, Jonathan, Lady and Pink Pearl, all of which are very good. In fact, I don't think they sell a bad apple. As their name suggests, DeVoto Gardens also sells fresh cut flowers year round at the farmers market. However, I have only bought apples from them.

While their apples are a bit pricey at $2.50 per pound, they are well worth the money. I cherish eating their apples nearly ever day of the fall season and I am sad when the season is over. They do stock their apples in refrigeration for a few weeks after the season ends, but this only lasts for a few weeks to a couple of months.

Yesterday, I made a dark chocolate mascarpone cheesecake, which I brought to work today for a colleague's going away party. While it was an informal affair, I could not resist making and bringing a decadent sweet treat.

The idea for the mascarpone cheesecake came to me when I had spotted a similar (but not chocolate) cheesecake recipe that I saw while flipping through my recipe clippings a few weeks ago to find a coffee cake recipe, which I had also made for my workmates as they appreciate my homemade delectable delights (I've been on a baking tear of late).

However, when it came time to make the mascarpone cheesecake I could not find the recipe so I turned to the web. I searched for a chocolate version as there are several chocoholics in my office. What better way to start the week off then to eat a super-rich chocolate cheesecake!

The recipe I chose featured an Amaretto cookie crust that added an extra sweet layer of flavor. My co-workers loved it. I did make a few modifications to the recipe as I typically do. I replaced the regular cream cheese with a light version and I used Mexican crema instead of the typical sour cream. I also substituted dark chocolate for milk chocolate. Next time I make the recipe I want to try using white chocolate. I'd also like to add a layer of fruit such as strawberries sandwiched between the cheesecake batter.

I did encounter one small blunder. I used a regular nine inch cake pan instead of the spring form pan that the recipe called for. No big deal you might think, but I discovered after I had already poured the batter into the cake pan that I did indeed have a spring form pan! I just didn't look hard enough. I thought I had made a mascarpone cheesecake before, but it must have been YEARS ago. I have the same problem with clothes. I forget that I have the perfect clothing item or accessory to make my outfit, but completely loose track of it in my wardrobe! The cake still came out OK except I had about a third of the batter left over. Naturally, I had begun to eat it like pudding. It had a similar consistency and taste a chocolate pudding. But I had thought better of it and dumped it into a cupcake pan to bake it.

After baking it and letting it sit for a couple of hours I put the cake into the refrigerator to chill and set. I then went to bed, but woke up about a half an hour worried that the bag I had wrapped the cake in my create condensation with the still warm pan. I immediate went to the frig to unwrap it and let it cool as is. I was fortunate I had thought of this since I had already found a bit of condensation forming on the top of my cheesecake!

The finished cheesecake was truly decadent as it had condensed to a fudge-like consistency. Super rich and sweet!

This year, I am growing window box Roma tomatoes among the other plants I have placed in my planters this year (I lack a backyard).

Below are a few photos of one of my Roma tomato plants that is doing well. I've had mixed results with tomatoes over the years. Sometimes doing well. Sometimes failing miserably like last year. Last season, I had fairly good results with several different types of peppers. I've planted peppers again this year, but I think most of the sun and moisture is being sucked up by my avocado seeds that I planted in my two main window boxes. I will need to move them to the avocado plants to their own planter since they are quickly outgrowing their current container.

Today, I broke down and bought lunch from Panda yummy, or Panda Express. I've been pining for Panda for weeks. I love Panda Express! Of course, I chose the Orange Chicken. It must be everyone's favorite choice. I balanced my craving for Orange Chicken, however, with steamed mixed vegetables and white rice.

What I didn't realize about Panda Express was that the fast food chain was an outgrowth of Panda Inn, a fine dining restaurant in Pasadena in Los Angeles. My aunt had taken my family and me to Panda Inn a number of times when we had visited her. It's been years since I ate there and the last time I ate there was when my grandmother died. Panda Inn was among my best experiences eating Chinese food--much better than the usual fast-food crap that's available.

I make an exception for Panda Express since their Orange Chicken is D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!