Tartine Manufactory

Standing in front of the gigantic six decker oven, I felt a familiar excitement that brought me back to days of working in a large bakery kitchen.  The familiar beeps from the machinery signaling when something needed to be checked on, watching the pastry cooks polish each piece of brioche with egg wash, dough being separated, weighed, and rolled.  I couldn't stop looking around, like a new visitor to New York City, my neck craned around and around trying to see all that was around me and above me.  Hearing the chatter of the café goers, the clinking of glasses, and "I'd like a brioche, one of those buns, and...an espresso with chocolate...is that like, a mocha?"

A Coffee & Espresso + Chocolate

I hate to say that wasn't something I would ask, but one of my barista friends had frustratingly told me that the only people that order fake coffee, aka: mochas, were always bakers.

My husband and I recently went back to visit San Francisco to attend the wedding of a couple of his friends. Whenever I visit, I have a necessity to fulfill: make time to visit Tartine and purchase one of every pastry I love, which ends up being at least 90% of the baked goods.

This time, it was suggested that we check out the new Manufactory on Alabama Street. I was so excited when I saw it, like a kid at a candy store and was looking forward to having an orange scented morning bun, a lemon tart, passion fruit cake slice... all typical items found at the Guerrero Street store. Low and behold, I got in line and did not recognize any of the pastries. Not one. There were a lot of look-alikes, but none of my usuals.  I hate to say, I was a little disappointed when I realized that not even one pastry was anything close to what they had at the other store.  However! That did not stop me from trying some of the new items. I did find a gem that I would go back for: the jelly-filled brioche.

At the original Tartine, I typically get the morning bun, lemon cream tart, passion fruit cake slice, almond croissant, tea cakes, fruit tart, frangipane tart... the list goes on...and finish it off with a Blue Bottle chickory iced coffee (see, I do drink other things than mocha).

At the Manufactory, I have discovered that items I would most likely have there again would be those on their breakfast menu. Guerrero Street Tartine doesn't have as large a breakfast menu. Mostly special toasts... I haven't been in awhile so I could be wrong if they have expanded the menu more so, but the Manufactory had some great breakfast dishes.  The coddled eggs were our favorite dish. Soft, coddled egg topped with trout roe that would surprise you with small bursts of saltiness.  Toast for slathering the soupy delicious mess that is topped with za'atar, a Mediterranean spice mix, which can be a mix of fresh thyme, sesame seeds, sumac (ground berry from the sumac plant), and salt.  Depending, the mix may also have Greek oregano, marjoram, and, or cumin.  It tasted very earthy and paired perfectly with the soft, soupy egg.

If you are going for something a little lighter or sweeter, perhaps the white corn grits with huckleberry, pecan and maple might be more enjoyable.

White Corn Grits / Coddled Egg & Toast

If you are interested in baking or are even just curious about the bread baking process, this store lets you have a sneak peek at how they do what they do and make what they make.  It's like taking a quick field trip for baker nerds such as myself.  

An Observation Window from the Hallway

Typically, guests don't get to see what's behind closed bakery doors. Most bread bakeries start baking late in the evening to finish their loaves of bread around 2am to get boxed up and ready for delivery by 4am and delivered at restaurant doors or smaller bake shops by 6am.

There is parking on the street, but it might be difficult based on the time you go, whether it is brunch or lunch rush.  

Order in line and grab a seat!

The Wine Bar

They serve dinner and drinks, which is another reason to go back for another visit.  I can't wait for them to open in LA.

Tartine Manufactory

595 Alabama St
San Francisco, CA 94110

b/t Mariposa St & 18th St in the Mission District

(415) 757-0007

Open 7 days a week

Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
                               5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Saturday & Sunday 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
                                  5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Beef noodle soup is a dish found in many Chinese restaurants and Taiwanese boba (bubble tea) cafés. It is said to have originated from the Hui people, a Chinese Muslim ethnic group, during the Tang Dynasty of China. It was brought to Taiwan by veterans who fled from Mainland China during the Chinese civil war. The addition of soy sauce later differentiated the Taiwanese version of the broth from the original.

Every winter many of us gather around the table to chow down on our friend Joey’s famous beef noodle soup. He brings all his ingredients up to a cabin in Mammoth to make this warm and delicious concoction for all the hungry skiers after a day on the slopes. Joey starts the prep the evening before, skis during the day, and lets the beef simmer in the broth for hours. By dinner time we have the most tender, falling-apart meat possible.

Beef noodle soup is a favorite of my husband’s and mine, so I am grateful that Joey was willing to share this recipe with us that was taught to him by his mother.

So here it is in Joey’s words:

Ingredients:

• beef shank
• roma tomato
• carrot
• ginger
• baby bok choy
• cooking oil
• soy sauce
• soy paste
• chilies in oil
• noodles

(Amounts to follow the recipe)

Kitchenware:

• sauté pan or any wide surface pan
• stockpot or large pot
• tongs
• spoons

Shopping and planning:

I like going to 99 Ranch Market (Chinese Supermarket, but any market should be fine) because they have a butcher in the back that helps me cut the beef shank (tough meat to cut at home). Have them cut it into bite-sized pieces (stew meat size) or you'll have to do a little more work at home.

Chinese Supermarkets also have the soy sauce, soy paste, and jar of chilies in oil that I like to use.

Ratios:

• Buy a half pound of beef shank per person. 10 people = 5 pounds of meat.
• Buy 1 medium tomato + 1 medium carrot + 1 handful of baby bok choy + 1-inch ginger root for every 1 pound of meat.
• 5 pounds of meat = 5 tomato = 5 carrots = 5 handfuls of baby bok choy + a 5-inch ginger root.
• Buy a neutral tasting high smoke point oil to sear the meat like canola, grapeseed, vegetable, etc.

• Buy soy sauce, soy paste, and a jar of chilies in oil.

• Buy noodles that are predominately enriched wheat flour + water + egg + salt mix.

Directions:

1. Crack open a beer or pour yourself a glass of wine for your cooking extravaganza.

2. Cut the meat, give it a quick rinse, and let it drain in a colander.

3. Peel your ginger root and slice diagonally into 1/4 inch thick and 1-2 inch long pieces.

4. Set whatever pan you like to use to medium-high heat and add a little oil to sear the meat until golden brown.

5. Add one slice of ginger with the meat to brown a little.

6. When the second side is about to finish searing, add a teaspoon of the chilies in oil and let that fry for a little bit.

7. Deglaze the fond with soy sauce and transfer the mixture into a large stockpot.

8. Completely deglaze with some water and add that delicious fond to the large stock pot.

9. Repeat steps 1-8 until all the meat has been beautifully browned and added to the large stock pot.

10. Alright. Most of the hard work has been done!

11. The large stockpot should have enough water to cover the meat because we've been deglazing with water.

12. If there isn't enough water, then add water to cover the meat and bring to a simmer.

13. Peel carrots and cut diagonally into 1/4 inch thick and 1-2 inch long pieces and add to stockpot.

14. Cut tomatoes into 1/8ths and add to stockpot. Make sure to cut out the stem scar because it's ugly.

15. Add some water to fully submerge the beef + tomato + carrot mix.

16. Bring to a boil and taste for seasoning. Too salty? Add water. Too bland? Add soy sauce. Too gamey? Add soy paste (for the sugar). Not spicy enough? Add another teaspoon of chilies.

17. Simmer for at least 6 hours or until beef is tender.

18. Check every hour because the water level will drop and you'll need to add water back.

19. Bring back up to a boil and adjust seasoning again if needed.

20. I like to periodically skim some of the scum off.

21. When the stew is all done, then cook noodles according to instructions.

22. Blanch the bok choy in the hot water and we're all done!

For Serving:

Add noodles to a bowl, place the bok choy on top, and ladle the soup all over.

Optional:

1. You can get crosscut beef shank that includes a piece of the femur to add additional beef flavor + yummy bone marrow.
2. A little minced garlic and onion is usually added while browning the meat.
3. Garnish with sliced scallions/chopped cilantro/chopped pickled mustard greens is popular.
4. A mixture of star anise/cinnamon stick/whole black peppercorn/fennel seed/cumin seeds are also frequently added.

I don’t usually do the optional stuff because I like to keep it simple. :-)

The Easy Bake Oven

I was just reading a blog about the recent change of the Easy Bake Oven. 

Here is a statement from Hasbro as quoted by the Chicago Tribune: 

"We are aware that the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available beginning in 2012. In fall 2011, Hasbro will launch the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven, introducing a new way to bake for the next generation of chefs. This new oven features a heating element that does not use a light bulb and offers an extensive assortment of mixes reflective of the hottest baking trends for today." (Chicago Tribune, February 24, 2011)

This is the toy that first got me baking even before I started helping my dad to bake!  What will they do without the lightbulb?  I am very curious to see.  Though, I actually wouldn't be surprised if they did try making one that used solar power.  That would be something for our future bakers of the world.  Looking at the history of the Easy Bake Oven models, I had the one made in the late 70's, the early 80's...orange with the dual temperature from low to high that looked like a microwave.

Where it all began...how do you work this thing?

A friend of mine and I had determined that our parents had preset our destinies in our careers long before we even thought of what we'd be when we grew up.  Today, my friend is a surgeon and of course, his toy or game was Operation that he played with his siblings, whom all today are doctors.  My other friend got a mini video camera when he was a kid and now is on his way to being a successful filmmaker.  Oh, parents...what a way to pave influences on your children.  What games or toys should I give my kids in the future? 

I am very happy to say that today I am a chef of sorts, cooking, and baking and I owe it all to my one Christmas gift I received when I was four years old.  The Easy Bake Oven.

Pizzeria Mozza

I don't know how the heck I got from Pico and La Cienega all the way to Western without seeing Highland!  Well, I blame bad eyesight and loud music; but I think it just doesn't connect or I'm just crazy.  Either way, it made me a wee bit late for my dinner.  Luckily, I didn't have to struggle much with parking, though, I did worry a bit.  I parked right out in front of the restaurant like a rock star (loading only zone).  hehe...I was just lucky. 

The building is marked, but I wasn't super sure which door was for the pizzeria and which was for the osteria, so I asked and was kindly directed.  I rushed through the door (since I was late) and luckily, remembered my manners and said hello to the hosts at the host stand who greeted me in a friendly fashion as I stated that I was meeting a friend who was already seated at the bar.  I made my way over and apologized for being late.  My first instinct was to grab the bottle of water that was in front of me and pour some in my glass for a drink when out of nowhere comes this arm the does it for me.  Amazing.  Now that's good service.

The restaurant was packed for a slow night.  I guess everyone thought the same thing as me, "oh, it's Monday, it'll be slow".  And it was slow...for them.  The atmosphere at Pizzeria Mozza is warm and friendly, like a neighborhood restaurant around the corner.  Not snobbishly fancy.  Lights hanging from the high ceilings and dim sconces along the wall light the dark reddish walls that promote our appetites.  I'm sitting front and center at the bar so that I can watch the pizzas being made.  The guys on the line don't miss a beat...especially that Chef Joseph. 

Chef Joseph Tagorda

This is how they do it...

Ready for the oven

Adding the final touches

In front of me sits a glass of prosecco wine.  MMM...I love it!  Compliments to the chef already!  haha.  First dish up is an appetizer.  Goat cheese, battered and fried sitting in a pool of lentils and bits of meat. (This is just my guess.) Topped with yummy arugula.  For those not really into goat cheese (I am not a fan AT ALL of goat cheese), I tried a little and ended up finishing my half of the dish (and we're talking about two people who really have a disdain for goat cheese) and so did my friend.  The portion of cheese seemed large, but was so light, it didn't mask any of the flavors of the lentil or arugula.  Sorry, there's no picture...that just means it was so good I forgot to take a picture and just went for it.

Next up were mussels. Mussels al forno (baked in the freakin' hot oven) with salsa Calabrese.  I'm ashamed to say that I didn't try these because I have a fear of soft and squishy sea stuff.  There are times when I will just go for it, but today wasn't that day.  My friend said they were good though. 

Bruschetta, pronounced brush-ketta.  Normally you have tomato, but at Mozza, it's butternut squash!  Delicious sautéed bitter greens that tasted like caramelized onion confit covered in a butternut squash puree topped with applewood smoked bacon.  Delicioso!  I feel like making this into a breakfast item, 'cept with a waffle! hehe.

And then there were two...

Squash blossoms.  If you like crunchy fried things, add this to your favorites list.  Filled with a ricotta filling and lightly battered and fried.  If you're not familiar with squash blossoms, they are the flowers taken from summer squash:

And for the main event:

The meatlover's pizza.    No, this isn't Dominos, but it was referred to as that as its nickname I suppose. Bacon, salami, fennel sausage, guanciale, tomato and mozzarella.  The pizza was about 9" or so, just enough to share or eat on your own.  In our case, share, since we'd already had so many appetizers.  The crust was super thin without it becoming soggy from the sauce.  Perfecto.

We also had individual sized pizzas; one with a sheep's cheese, Cacio di Roma, stinging nettles, and Salumi salami.  Now, let's get back to these nettles.  I was eating the pizza and suddenly, I thought of Chinese medicine.  I couldn't tell if it was from the taste or the aroma, but now I know it was from the aroma.  Stinging nettles are a plant that (for visual thought's sake) whose leaves kind of remind me of parsley but have little hairs (that inject histamines) to protect itself from humans or other animals.  It has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes such as this Chinese balm called Mopiko, which we used to use on our mosquito bites when visiting the Philippines.  All o' dis from the smell of my pizza.  By the way, the nettles were fried, so no tongues were numbed while eating.  Interesting.

Pizza Bianca.  Mozzarella, fontina, sottocenere, and scattered pieces of fried sage.  Very good, but I still have to stick to the meaty one as my favorite.  I am biased though, only because I enjoy red sauced food items better and I like meat vs. much else.

At this point, we were stuffed--but there was still enough room for some gelato!  And by some, I mean three small scoops.  Lovely scoops of Gianduja (hazelnut), vanilla and mint chip (I know, boring).  For my friend, pistachio (highly recommended), coconut, and espresso.  Next time, I say get the gianduja (I just like saying gianduyah...don'tcha?), pistachio, and espresso, unless they have something different next time.  All of this was topped off with a pretty waffle tuile, which I used as a scoop for my gelato.  I imagined I was sitting on the Spanish steps in Rome, eating gelato out of a waffle cone.  Not really, but maybe they'd like me to.

Lastly (and this time I mean it), we had a meyer lemon tart with fresh blueberries, with a side of cream and sprinkled with candied lemon zest.  Creamy and delicious.  The shortbread crust was light, moist and perfectly baked!

What a lovely meal.  I'd like to say that I was so full I passed out from food coma, but the sugar from the dessert helped me stay awake to write all of this. yay! 

Here's the menu for your next visit.  http://www.mozza-la.com/pizzeria/menu.cfm#69

Pizzeria Mozza
614 N. Highland Avenue
Los Angeles
(323) 297-0100 for reservations

Valet Parking about $10 or if you're lucky and it's after 6pm, you can park in the yellow loading zone right in front of the restauant (*at your own risk of course*) ;0)

Poor Man's Shepard's Pie

So, there's no questioning that when you're unemployed, you have to be as frugal as possible.  Hence, using leftovers and a couple of things you find on sale. 

I was walking through Albertsons the other day and I saw cans of Campbell's Chunky Sirloin Burger soup on sale-- three for $5.  Deal?  You might say.  If used wisely.  Then I found all the premade pie crust displayed from the holidays (guess they were trying to move it ASAP).  I thought about the Pillsbury brand, but again, let's go cheap.  We have pennies to pinch.  $3.59 for the Albertson's brand pie crust.  No fuss with any butter, ice water, and rolling.  Just unroll, mold, and bake! 

Luckily for me, I didn't end up making this last week, because this week, we so happened to have leftover mashed potatoes from the other day.  And if you don't have any on hand, just pick out all the potatoes from the soup and mash them. Actually, that might be best, because there are quite a lot of potatoes in there.  Also, lucky for me, I just so happened to be talking on the phone with a friend of mine who made the shepherd's pie suggestion, because, before our conversation, this would have been a meat pot pie.  So, lucky for you too, if you try making this.  It's actually really yummy!  Besides, I didn't make the filling.  I just put everything together and so can you.

Here it goes...you will need:  ...and this yields exactly 3 mini pies or you can try making one big 9" pie.  But I'm basing this on three mini ones.

1 box Albertson's brand pie crust
2 cans Campbell's Chunky Sirloin Burger Soup
1 russet potato, mashed or leftover mash (about 2 Tablespoons per pie)
1 egg, beaten for eggwash

(1)     Roll out the dough and cut out a circle at the edge of the pie crust using the larger part of the pie tin as your stencil (make sure to cut about an inch out --larger than the large part of the tin).  Be sure to start at the edge, so you can use as much of the dough as possible.  We do not want any of this to go to waste now, would we?!

(2)     Line the pie tin with the crust.  **if the pie crust is in smaller pieces, now that you've cut some pieces out, do not attempt to ball the dough up and re-roll it.  Just piece it together and use it for the bottom part of the pie.  Pie dough tends to get tougher the more you mess with it...just piece it together and press it into the pie tin. 

(3)     Piece together any excess and cut out an exact piece of your top and set aside. 

(4)     Spoon the mashed potato into the bottom of the pie.  Then carefully select the meat and vegetables and spoon those into the pie as well.  Avoid pouring--you will end up with too much liquid and no meat; or mostly veggies and no meat.  After it is full of filling, you can spoon some liquid in to fill up any gaps--try not to overfill.

(5)     Brush a little eggwash onto the rim of the pie.  Add on the top part that you have set aside and with seal the edges with a fork.  Cut off any excess dough with a small table or paring knife.  (Don't throw out any dough just yet).

(6)     Eggwash the top and with the point of the knife, make a little "x" in the center for any steam to come out. 

(7)     Bake at 350 F for about 20-25 minutes.  Rotate halfway if you have a convection oven (oven with a fan going).  You'll know that it's done when the crust looks not only golden, but the dough doesn't look like it has see-through oil stains on it.  That just means the dough is still a bit raw.  If it still looks like it's raw, just keep it in the oven for another 2-3 minutes and you should be good.

**what do we do with the excess pie dough?  Just bake it off, because I'm betting that you probably have a little leftover soup if you made the little ones.

Had some pie with a little kale soup...but that recipe's for another day.

Top 5 Soups

It's almost "officially" winter in Southern California.  Winter to us means sunny, yet chilly; an occasional rainfall to make it feel colder, then a new day of beautiful sunshine again; but cold enough for us to sport cool winter scarves and trendy UGG looking boots.  It is also flu season with all this weather change.  This is why I'm home writing about my favorite soups that keep me warm.  

I'm a soup person.  There are many out there that just are not, but my friend Tay and I are definitely soup people.  She's my soup buddy.  She recently made me a pot of  "Zuppa Toscana" and I told her it made it to my top five.  I had some today and the spiciness of the black pepper actually soothed my throat a bit.  If this soup sounds familiar to you, it's the soup they serve at Olive Garden.  I know you're thinking she probably bought it, but I promise you, she made it--and it's really good. 

Anyway, my top five soup list also includes Roasted Tomato Basil soup.  It sounds boring, but it's something that I sometimes make myself because I have such a love for tomatoes.  Juice, salads, sauces, etc.  You name it, if tomato is in it, I'll at least try it.  A quick substitute would be Ralphs, Vons, or Safeway soups that you can scoop up at their store.  2 for $5 sometimes.  Heat it up and serve.  Pick up some soup crackers on the side while you're at it. 

My dad's beef stew.  Full of beef and vegetables that have been stewing overnight.  I once read an excerpt from Ramona Quimby (I think it was Age 8), where she describes her parents' beef stew (or was it veg?--well, it was a stew), simmering in the crock pot all day and all night.  The aroma that fills up your house is so savory and sweet it just makes your mouth water.  Yum!

Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Being from Southern California, you will try several versions everywhere, including my own.  I have to say, I like the brothy kind that I make with shredded leftover chicken (from the Albertsons or Costco chicken that someone brings home from time to time) with corn and avocado pieces topped with crunchy tortilla strips. (Not because I make it, but because I can adjust it to how I'd like it to be).  Some places make it too watery with less of a chicken broth flavor.   However, California Pizza Kitchen has a version of their own that I enjoy as well.  It's more cheesy and they blend everything together.  Depending on your mood, I'd go for either. 

All these soups have one thing in common for me, they have a little spice from the pepper or they have some red pepper flakes cooked into them, with the exception of the beef stew. 

Well, that's only four.  Oh yes, how could I forget!  Hot and Sour Soup from the Chinese restaurants.  It has to be a really great balance between spicy and acidic though.  Too much spice takes away its enjoyability and too much acid or vinegar just makes it sour.  Oh and I also don't like it if there are Chinese black mushrooms in it.  The vegetarian restaurant and Sam Woo seem to have it down.   When I was an extern and wanted some hot and sour soup, I'd go and buy those instant powder packs at the Chinese market in Chinatown, San Francisco.  Hot water, some scallions, and an egg and I was good to go!  Instant gratification. 

In case you're wondering what's after 5 because I know you're just so intrigued, it would be chili. I know it's not really a soup because it's so chunky it's practically a whole meal, but restaurants categorize it under soup, so I will too.  A few months ago, I started making vegetarian chili, which actually turned out to be pretty yummy.  You just substitute frozen tofu and crumble it in as if it were the ground meat!  Ingenious. 

My friend Christine's Vegetable Soup.  I have no idea what she really puts in there.  My friends and I have all tried to replicate it.  It all turned out like the porridge that Goldilocks had...too watery, too thick, too bland, etc...well, her secret is safe with her in Africa.  Hopefully, she's making it for her Peace Corp family right now.

Culinary Memory: Cream Soup

I have a very distinct memory of when I had my first experience with what I thought was fancy cuisine.  My family and I were checked into the Nikko Narita Hotel in Japan (I believe today it is renamed the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba) on our stop over on our way to the Philippines for a summer vacation.  I must have been about six or eight or something.  The hotel offered us complimentary tickets for dinner at any of the restaurants (mind you, this was the 80's...before they started charging for every single thing).  I just remember my dad and I going to the top floor (4th?)--I think it was the Rainbow Restaurant...or I'm just making that up...Anyway, it was fancy, which meant servers in tuxedos and soup in a shallow bowl and being extremely careful when drinking the soup.  They had nice linen napkins--not those paper dispenser kind.  The soup was cream of...I think I went twice--as far as I can remember because once, I think the soup was green and another time, orange. (peas and carrots Jenny?)  Also, the servers poured the soup from a gravy boat into your bowl to serve you and after the pouring, would come the plopping of little tiny perfectly shaped cubes of croutons.  I always asked for a few more. Duh!  Anyway, this soup--it was just the beginning!

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a word in the South African Zulu language that means something along the lines of community, brotherhood, relationship, giving back.  Well, you can learn more about the meaning at their website: www.ubuntunapa.com.

Ubuntu's Interior

Ubuntu's chefs hard at work

Table Setting

When you first walk into the restaurant, it doesn't seem completely clear what the theme of the food is.  Thankfully, a very knowledgeable server comes to greet you and explains completely what is going on.  The food is vegetarian.  Now, I know that for carnivores such as myself, the word vegetable is hardly in my food vocabulary.

What they serve is amazing though. (Uh, they have a Michelin Star, duh!)  You would think that earth would taste gross and muddy or mucky, but this is far from it.  (by the way, if you haven't gotten it, I seemed to have imagined that being in Napa and about to eat something vegetarian, i thought of mud...wtf?!) By the way, the menu is based off of the produce grown from their own farm. How awesome is that?

Let's begin with the carrot top pesto covered olives.  You think what?!  I don't like olives and aren't we supposed to throw out those carrot tops anyway?  We never think of using the tops.  Genius!  There is no wastage here.  The chefs grow their own produce so there's something different every season depending on what's growing on their farm.  Back to the olives.  I couldn't get enough.  They are incredibly nutty and 'green' tasting.  (I can't even diversify my word except to use 'green'--oh, you know what I mean--'fresh, from the earth'!)  Kinda like they were just picked right off the tree before they walked the dish to our table.  I loved the dish too.  Perfect place to put the olive pits.

Olives with carrot top pesto

I was fortunate enough to have dined with my friend Chef Nori Sugie, so I don't know if they recognized him or what, but they sure did take good care of us. We had the best dishes...however, to describe them with words will be a bit difficult. What I remember is a little blurry from the wine pairings. Haha...I just remember how great the dishes tasted as well as looked.

So, from here on out, you'll just have to check out the pictures... worth a thousand tastes for sure!

"The Garden Snake" with lemongrass vinaigrette, soil and shaved pecorino

Pouring ceremony ...totally worth the wait!

Turnips in a "Tokyo inspired broth"

This is how good it was... mmm...ummmmammmi!!

Arbuckle grits, whipped chicken egg, and crispy 'skin'

Arcadia broccoli a la Catalan

Vadouvan spiced squash and torn brioche salad

and for dessert...

Smooth chocolate with bay leaf meringue and meyer lemon leaf ice cream

Cider apple pain perdu with brioche ice cream

and by the way, there's a yoga studio attached to the restaurant, so you can have your yoga and eat healthy afterwards too!

Students just breaking out of yoga class

I can't wait to try it again at some point during another season.
1140 Main Street (between first and pearl streets)
Napa, CA 94559
(747) 251-5656

XIV

Oh XIV.  I always drove by it. It seemed like I wouldn’t ever be able to afford to even step onto the property unless I was going to work there or something (awww…).  Then one day my sister asked me if I wanted to go for LA’s restaurant week (they had a $30 or $40 three course tasting menu).  Of course, I accepted!  I hadn’t been to an upscale restaurant in awhile.  I wanted to see what this place was all about.  Driving by, it seemed like a very busy restaurant with majorly high end clientele.  We called to see what the dress code was: California Chiq.  Uh, really?  Oh, but it’s a fancy way of saying, jeans with heels or clubby.  Haha…oh geez.

Taking this as an opportunity to dress up, of course, we all did (six ladies).  We headed over, left our car with valet and walked towards the randomly positioned gentleman who made you suddenly realize that it was no coincidence as to where he was stationed.  The front door, which looked like a secret entrance if one was not aware of where the door handle was.  And so, we entered.

My sister walked up to the hostess stating that we were there for our 9PM reservation, though we were missing one person.  The hostess said we needed everyone there before she could seat us.  Two minutes later, the last of our party had arrived and my sister went up to the hostess again to inform her that our party was all present.  The hostess stated that it would only be a few minutes…so we waited.  And waited…after thirty minutes of chatter and noticing that everyone around us was getting seated, my sister went up to the hostess and asked why it was taking so long for them to seat us when we had a 9PM reservation.  The hostess said that they weren’t aware that we were all there.  WHAT?!  ARE YOU KIDDING?   Needless to say, we were all pissed.  Especially my sister, who started doing the attitudinal neck weave from afar.  (uh-oh).  You would think that they would A) pay attention to what they were doing. (This IS Michael Mina’s after all), and B) a friend of ours chimed in and told the hostess that next time, you shouldn’t keep telling your guests “it’ll just be a few minutes” if it’s going to be more than 20 minutes!”  Five minutes later, our table was ready. 

Our waiter was pleasant.  We all decided on the tasting menu which included a tasty appetizer of yogurt dusted with espresso and served with pita?, a first course of butternut squash soup or tuna tartare, hanger steak vs. lobster ravioli and choice of dessert.  (Of course I had both). 

The service was okay.  They got a couple orders wrong and when asking everyone if we wanted coffee, they pretty much assumed that we weren’t interested.  The food was simple.  I don’t know if the regular menu is spectacular, but the tasting menu didn’t wow anyone at our table at all.  Perhaps we expected too much and our standards were just not met OR it was just disappointing overall.  I definitely expected to be wowed at the end of the night, but sadly, I wasn’t.

Update: XIV shuttered in 2011 and was taken over by Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktails, a concept by SBE group, owners of The Bazaar Hotel on La Cienega, in 2014.

Backtracking

Today I bought one of those little rounds of Happy Cow Swiss Cheese. I initially went to the supermarket just to buy some butter, but I passed by a display of Happy Cow and suddenly I was reminded of my recent trip to Turkey. A flashback of swimming in the salty mediterranean, soaring through the sky over Oludeniz, fearing for my life while swallowing much of the Dalaman River, hearing the beats of late night clubs in Taksim Square, smelling the warm aromas of shawarma, watching the best sandwich ever being made at the bus station on the way to Fethiye...

Sounds a little bizarre at first...Happy Cow? I concluded from my trip that a simple and basic Turkish breakfast is made up of delicious white bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and beyaz peynir! (a white cheese)...and ah the lovely cay (pronounced shay). Turkish tea is better than any coffee high I've ever been on. You just can't beat a small glass of Turkish tea to keep you going all day. It doesn't make you jittery. You are just awake and everything will be okay! haha...sounds like crack.

When my friends and I began our adventure through Turkey, we thought, great! This is a nice, simple and fresh tasting breakfast, but then when you have it EVERYDAY, by the end, everyone's running for anything and everything else. I still like it though and even as I left Turkey, I had that simple mix of ingredients together in a sandwich at the airport (with some tea of course!).

I love how little things like that can bring you back to a great memory. I'm reliving it all again tomorrow for my breakfast!