3.28.2004
To All the Fetas I Have Loved Before
(or, A Fetaccompli)
Dearly beloveds, we have gathered here today to get through this thing called feta cheese.
With those words I should have opened my Friday night festa di feta, which featured fabulous fun and five friends (plus me). Fanch had a grand idea a while back for a Middle Eastern food night, inspired by a 1979 cookbook she either found or received in a big box of cookbooks her mom sent us a few months ago. Either way, it's a source of bounteous dishes, many with lamb. We opted for the lamb, leg of, marinated overnight in pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses (yes, two different things), rose water, and several other ingredients.
Barry made his Moroccan veggies -- carrots, eggplant, onion, and other goodies -- Fanch made a rice pilaf with golden raisins and almonds, and I fashioned a nosh dip from roasted red peppers, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic, salt, pepper, just a bit of garlic and, to top it off, some garlic.
But the audience participation portion of the evening came first, with the unveiling of the Tray of the Four Fetas. I went to 22nd and Irving, which usually carries 7 or 8 kids of feta. They were down to four; I bought one of each and set them out for a taste test. Emily, Dan and Nick preferred eating to writing, and I knew which feta was which already, so written comments were limited to Barry and Shya. But we all mostly concluded that:
French feta: soft, creamy, close to cream cheese, not inappropriate to spread on a bagel; mild taste, not very salty -- too mild for BrO's taste -- but still with that tangy feta finish.
Greek, wood barrel aged: Crumbly, "the sheepiest," a more earthy true feta flavor than the French, and with a slight lemony tangy aftertaste. (Also the most expensive.)
Bulgarian: Firm, not as crumbly or salty as the Greek, but firmer and earthier than the French. A happy medium? Also lemony. Alex's favorite.
Domestic: Oops. I didn't realize til I got it home that this was a dreaded cow's milk feta. The type you get at Safeway -- Athenos, I think the brand is. I'm not sure what feta purists think, but to me this isn't real feta. Perhaps this snobbery was fashioned by a childhood of eating sheep's milk feta; perhaps there are in-the-know cow's-milk feta enthusiasts out there. But they would have to be enthusiastic about a slightly gray pallor, a slightly rubbery mouth-feel and a heavy sourness instead of the sharp pucker-up tang of a sheep's milk feta. It's a subtle but completely noticeable difference. Put your nose right up to it and sniff.
Other fetas I've seen and tried include an Israeli feta at Trader Joe's that I think is quite good; a Danish that, if I remember correctly, was close to the French in mildness and texture; and a goat feta, also from TJ's, that I can't remember. I should try again.
If you see new types of feta, please let me know.
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(or, A Fetaccompli)
Dearly beloveds, we have gathered here today to get through this thing called feta cheese.
With those words I should have opened my Friday night festa di feta, which featured fabulous fun and five friends (plus me). Fanch had a grand idea a while back for a Middle Eastern food night, inspired by a 1979 cookbook she either found or received in a big box of cookbooks her mom sent us a few months ago. Either way, it's a source of bounteous dishes, many with lamb. We opted for the lamb, leg of, marinated overnight in pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses (yes, two different things), rose water, and several other ingredients.
Barry made his Moroccan veggies -- carrots, eggplant, onion, and other goodies -- Fanch made a rice pilaf with golden raisins and almonds, and I fashioned a nosh dip from roasted red peppers, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic, salt, pepper, just a bit of garlic and, to top it off, some garlic.
But the audience participation portion of the evening came first, with the unveiling of the Tray of the Four Fetas. I went to 22nd and Irving, which usually carries 7 or 8 kids of feta. They were down to four; I bought one of each and set them out for a taste test. Emily, Dan and Nick preferred eating to writing, and I knew which feta was which already, so written comments were limited to Barry and Shya. But we all mostly concluded that:
French feta: soft, creamy, close to cream cheese, not inappropriate to spread on a bagel; mild taste, not very salty -- too mild for BrO's taste -- but still with that tangy feta finish.
Greek, wood barrel aged: Crumbly, "the sheepiest," a more earthy true feta flavor than the French, and with a slight lemony tangy aftertaste. (Also the most expensive.)
Bulgarian: Firm, not as crumbly or salty as the Greek, but firmer and earthier than the French. A happy medium? Also lemony. Alex's favorite.
Domestic: Oops. I didn't realize til I got it home that this was a dreaded cow's milk feta. The type you get at Safeway -- Athenos, I think the brand is. I'm not sure what feta purists think, but to me this isn't real feta. Perhaps this snobbery was fashioned by a childhood of eating sheep's milk feta; perhaps there are in-the-know cow's-milk feta enthusiasts out there. But they would have to be enthusiastic about a slightly gray pallor, a slightly rubbery mouth-feel and a heavy sourness instead of the sharp pucker-up tang of a sheep's milk feta. It's a subtle but completely noticeable difference. Put your nose right up to it and sniff.
Other fetas I've seen and tried include an Israeli feta at Trader Joe's that I think is quite good; a Danish that, if I remember correctly, was close to the French in mildness and texture; and a goat feta, also from TJ's, that I can't remember. I should try again.
If you see new types of feta, please let me know.
3.24.2004
La Playa Update
Another trip to La Playa Taqueria on 46th/Noriega yesterday. This time I opted for two tacos, four bucks, one with chile verde -- big chunks of tender pork in a mild green tomatillo sauce -- and pollo asado. Both meats were excellent, succulent and well-spiced, although I personally prefer my chile verde with a little more juice. But a small cup of salsa verde on the side made up for it. The chicken seemed to be rubbed with an adobado, a dry deep red rub that gave it a smoky tinge, but not overwhelming as I often find al pastor to be. I also recommend sitting (or standing) at the high counter that runs along the window. The owners have filled the counter with news clips, coins, bills and photos from Latin American countries, built-in reading material for your dining distraction.
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Another trip to La Playa Taqueria on 46th/Noriega yesterday. This time I opted for two tacos, four bucks, one with chile verde -- big chunks of tender pork in a mild green tomatillo sauce -- and pollo asado. Both meats were excellent, succulent and well-spiced, although I personally prefer my chile verde with a little more juice. But a small cup of salsa verde on the side made up for it. The chicken seemed to be rubbed with an adobado, a dry deep red rub that gave it a smoky tinge, but not overwhelming as I often find al pastor to be. I also recommend sitting (or standing) at the high counter that runs along the window. The owners have filled the counter with news clips, coins, bills and photos from Latin American countries, built-in reading material for your dining distraction.
3.18.2004
Alex: La Playa Taqueria
Elbo and I had just finished a round of batting practice. Our arms felt like we'd been hoisting shots of vodka with Boris Yeltsin. The sun was heading toward the horizon; the surfers were all over the Ocean Beach waves like fleas in a dirty shag rug. It was taco time.
I'd heard about this place from others. They said it was good. They said it was cheap. It was both of those things, and more.
I went for the taco platter, which wasn't the first mistake I'd made this week. And it wasn't the worst. The tacos were the kind you'd make for yourself if no one was around and you snuck back behind the counter. Double corn-tortilla wrapped, of course, and bursting with meat. One carnitas, one pollo rojo (which was a little too salty). Then lettuce, cilantro and salsa. Simple, and each one bigger than a cowgirl's keister at a rodeo. Did I take big bites? You bet I did.
The beans, rice and "salad" that made it a $6.50 platter instead of two tacos, four bucks, were superfluous. That's a fancy word for more fluous than you'd ever want. Bland beans -- pintos enteros -- rice that had nowhere to go, and salad that was basically the same lettuce on my taco but sprinkled with a little vinegar. I knew a guy who used to call stuff like that the "value-add," but he went home crying to his mommy with nothing but a polo shirt and a dot-com tote bag to his credit. Sayonara, sucker.
Two tacos, four bucks. That's all you really need to know.
No it isn't. You need to know about condiments, and La Playa's a little lacking. No lime wedges, no radishes, no escabeche. As compensation, every table has a clear plastic squeeze bottle of fresh homemade roasted chile salsa. The one at our table was labeled "very hot," but it wasn't. It was tasty, though. The only other condiment in sight was the small plastic cup of guacamole that came with Elbo's chips. Good guacamole: creamy, rich, but not so smooth that it has the consistency of Miracle Whip.
The verdict: I don't really give a verdict until I've tried a few types of meats, but La Playa has portion size in its corner. Lack of condiments is a problem. And the too-salty pollo rojo makes me wonder if other meats are oversalted, too. Still, the best taqueria in the Outers (Richmond/Sunset) so far.
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Elbo and I had just finished a round of batting practice. Our arms felt like we'd been hoisting shots of vodka with Boris Yeltsin. The sun was heading toward the horizon; the surfers were all over the Ocean Beach waves like fleas in a dirty shag rug. It was taco time.
I'd heard about this place from others. They said it was good. They said it was cheap. It was both of those things, and more.
I went for the taco platter, which wasn't the first mistake I'd made this week. And it wasn't the worst. The tacos were the kind you'd make for yourself if no one was around and you snuck back behind the counter. Double corn-tortilla wrapped, of course, and bursting with meat. One carnitas, one pollo rojo (which was a little too salty). Then lettuce, cilantro and salsa. Simple, and each one bigger than a cowgirl's keister at a rodeo. Did I take big bites? You bet I did.
The beans, rice and "salad" that made it a $6.50 platter instead of two tacos, four bucks, were superfluous. That's a fancy word for more fluous than you'd ever want. Bland beans -- pintos enteros -- rice that had nowhere to go, and salad that was basically the same lettuce on my taco but sprinkled with a little vinegar. I knew a guy who used to call stuff like that the "value-add," but he went home crying to his mommy with nothing but a polo shirt and a dot-com tote bag to his credit. Sayonara, sucker.
Two tacos, four bucks. That's all you really need to know.
No it isn't. You need to know about condiments, and La Playa's a little lacking. No lime wedges, no radishes, no escabeche. As compensation, every table has a clear plastic squeeze bottle of fresh homemade roasted chile salsa. The one at our table was labeled "very hot," but it wasn't. It was tasty, though. The only other condiment in sight was the small plastic cup of guacamole that came with Elbo's chips. Good guacamole: creamy, rich, but not so smooth that it has the consistency of Miracle Whip.
The verdict: I don't really give a verdict until I've tried a few types of meats, but La Playa has portion size in its corner. Lack of condiments is a problem. And the too-salty pollo rojo makes me wonder if other meats are oversalted, too. Still, the best taqueria in the Outers (Richmond/Sunset) so far.
3.17.2004
Alex: Pagolac, Take 2
Just off the corner of Larkin and Eddy, a small storefront family-run Vietnamese place has fake wood paneling and mirrors on the wall and excellent food. Pagolac: eat there. Fanch and I got there early before a 7:30 movie at the AMC Van Ness. We started with a delicious pho ga: $5 and we split it. Just as good as the first time I had it there (1/15/04: Like a Really Small Johnny Apple). We moved on to grilled pork chops and a shrimp, pork and lotus salad, each served with lots of fresh, sweet crisp carrots and cabbage. Very fresh, very tasty. Salad, pork, soup and tea: $23.
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Just off the corner of Larkin and Eddy, a small storefront family-run Vietnamese place has fake wood paneling and mirrors on the wall and excellent food. Pagolac: eat there. Fanch and I got there early before a 7:30 movie at the AMC Van Ness. We started with a delicious pho ga: $5 and we split it. Just as good as the first time I had it there (1/15/04: Like a Really Small Johnny Apple). We moved on to grilled pork chops and a shrimp, pork and lotus salad, each served with lots of fresh, sweet crisp carrots and cabbage. Very fresh, very tasty. Salad, pork, soup and tea: $23.
3.16.2004
Alex: Retorts (-tortes?) and NYC Food
First, a question: What did you in fact say, Shyamala? And do you not subscribe to the S'n'G (sippers and gulpers) theory? Was the quote attributed to you spun like cotton candy from thin air? Or embellished, like fresh garlic minced into a jar of Newman's Own?
Second, an admonition: Never, ever trust a writer to quote you correctly. Especially when it's a friend.
Third, a food report from the streets of cold, windy New York City, where I spent most of last week doing interviews.
Best Meal of the Week: Wednesday night dinner at Joe's Shanghai (no relation, I think, to Westlake Joe's, Marin Joe's, etc). My dinner companion was Gary Rivlin, who had been there vefore. Specialty de la house: Shanghai-style dumplings, nearly as large as pork buns but with a much more delicate, seemingly buckwheat flour wrapping. Filling was a choice of pork or pork'n'crab. We went for the latter. The difference, or I guess the thing that makes them Shanghai-style, is that they're filled with broth. Not swimming in a bowl of broth, a la the shrimp and leek dumplings at San Tung on Irving. The broth is on the inside, and it drips out, rich and savory, when the dumpling skin is pierced. Mmmm.
Also excellent: cold jellyfish, which Rivlin had never had. He liked. We ordered a couple more dishes that were good to great. Also great location: Pell St., one of those smelly back alleys in Chinatown.
Best fast meal of the week: 2 dogs with kraut and mustard at Gray's Papaya on 6th Ave. $1.50 total.
Best nonsavory food item: High end chocolates from Nick "Sweets" Morgenstern, high school friend of my brother who has made his fame, if not yet his fortune, in swank kitchens of both coasts. He's a pastry chef and has plied his trade at Aqua (SF), Daniel (NY) and now Nice Matin. He works on the side for Patrick Colson, or maybe Cotson, a chocolatier with a one-room factory in Chelsea. We hooked up Saturday morning, had hot apple cider at the Union Sq. green market, a bowl of noodles at Republic, then walked over to Colston's place to show me the ropes. He sent me home with boxes of fancy chocolate which I must share with my parents and brother.
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First, a question: What did you in fact say, Shyamala? And do you not subscribe to the S'n'G (sippers and gulpers) theory? Was the quote attributed to you spun like cotton candy from thin air? Or embellished, like fresh garlic minced into a jar of Newman's Own?
Second, an admonition: Never, ever trust a writer to quote you correctly. Especially when it's a friend.
Third, a food report from the streets of cold, windy New York City, where I spent most of last week doing interviews.
Best Meal of the Week: Wednesday night dinner at Joe's Shanghai (no relation, I think, to Westlake Joe's, Marin Joe's, etc). My dinner companion was Gary Rivlin, who had been there vefore. Specialty de la house: Shanghai-style dumplings, nearly as large as pork buns but with a much more delicate, seemingly buckwheat flour wrapping. Filling was a choice of pork or pork'n'crab. We went for the latter. The difference, or I guess the thing that makes them Shanghai-style, is that they're filled with broth. Not swimming in a bowl of broth, a la the shrimp and leek dumplings at San Tung on Irving. The broth is on the inside, and it drips out, rich and savory, when the dumpling skin is pierced. Mmmm.
Also excellent: cold jellyfish, which Rivlin had never had. He liked. We ordered a couple more dishes that were good to great. Also great location: Pell St., one of those smelly back alleys in Chinatown.
Best fast meal of the week: 2 dogs with kraut and mustard at Gray's Papaya on 6th Ave. $1.50 total.
Best nonsavory food item: High end chocolates from Nick "Sweets" Morgenstern, high school friend of my brother who has made his fame, if not yet his fortune, in swank kitchens of both coasts. He's a pastry chef and has plied his trade at Aqua (SF), Daniel (NY) and now Nice Matin. He works on the side for Patrick Colson, or maybe Cotson, a chocolatier with a one-room factory in Chelsea. We hooked up Saturday morning, had hot apple cider at the Union Sq. green market, a bowl of noodles at Republic, then walked over to Colston's place to show me the ropes. He sent me home with boxes of fancy chocolate which I must share with my parents and brother.
3.12.2004
Martine: Vive la décadence!
Your knees will get weak. Your toes will curl up. Your tongue will be in ecstasy. You'll want to do it over and over again. And the nice thing is, it's really easy to do, so why not? Calories? On s'en fout!
It's called Tourte au Chocolat and it's a bit of a dessert trend in Montreal's restaurants these days. I've tried this recipe three times now for dinner guests and everybody loves it. You can prepare it in advance and put it in the oven at the end of the meal.
Serves 4
1/4 (55 grams) butter, plus more for buttering the ramekins
4 ounces (120 grams) good quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 ml) sugar
2 tablespoons (30ml) flour
Vanilla ice cream to serve
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Lightly butter 4 small ramekins or other oven-proof small dish.
In a small saucepan, melt butter and chocolate on low heat, and stir mixture until it is smooth.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, but don't wait until it hardens. You basically just want to avoid for the chocolate to start cooking the eggs you'll mix it with.
Whisk eggs and yolks with sugar, followed by the flour.
Stir the chocolate-butter mixture into the egg mixture until well blended.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dishes and bake for 6 minutes. This is the only tricky part: it will look wet and uncooked to you but as soon as a thin crust forms around the edge (after 6 minutes or a little more), take the tourtes out of the oven (the chocolate will continue cooking for a while anyway). You want the consistency of a brownie with a very soft center. If the center is not made of runny chocolate, it's overcooked.
Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a raspberry coulis.
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Your knees will get weak. Your toes will curl up. Your tongue will be in ecstasy. You'll want to do it over and over again. And the nice thing is, it's really easy to do, so why not? Calories? On s'en fout!
It's called Tourte au Chocolat and it's a bit of a dessert trend in Montreal's restaurants these days. I've tried this recipe three times now for dinner guests and everybody loves it. You can prepare it in advance and put it in the oven at the end of the meal.
Serves 4
1/4 (55 grams) butter, plus more for buttering the ramekins
4 ounces (120 grams) good quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 ml) sugar
2 tablespoons (30ml) flour
Vanilla ice cream to serve
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Lightly butter 4 small ramekins or other oven-proof small dish.
In a small saucepan, melt butter and chocolate on low heat, and stir mixture until it is smooth.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, but don't wait until it hardens. You basically just want to avoid for the chocolate to start cooking the eggs you'll mix it with.
Whisk eggs and yolks with sugar, followed by the flour.
Stir the chocolate-butter mixture into the egg mixture until well blended.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dishes and bake for 6 minutes. This is the only tricky part: it will look wet and uncooked to you but as soon as a thin crust forms around the edge (after 6 minutes or a little more), take the tourtes out of the oven (the chocolate will continue cooking for a while anyway). You want the consistency of a brownie with a very soft center. If the center is not made of runny chocolate, it's overcooked.
Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a raspberry coulis.
3.03.2004
Alex: Remiss
Scold me for dereliction of duty. I haven't posted in quite a while. Maybe that's because I haven't eaten or cooked anything interesting in a while. Here are some news and notes:
* In the span of a week, I've eaten buffalo, turkey and veggie burgers. I also went for a Satanic quadrifecta of pub appetizers last night: buffalo wings with ranch dressing, fried calamari, garlic fries and onion rings. Split among six guys. Then I had a turkey burger and a salad, though, so it's OK.
* I finally defrosted and ate the leftover Arizmendi pizza from our political salon. Not bad, but the crust was left a bit gummy.
* The big box of clementines at Trader Joe's is a great deal. They're delicious and sweet and perfect to slip into your pocket before a movie.
* Monday night: dinner at the best Thai place in the Inner Sunset, Little Bangkok. Good but not as good as usual. If you're wondering, it's on 10th and Irving and is more popular for take-out than eat-in. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary on the menu, but it's mostly several cuts above. The duck and spinach; the green papaya salad; the mango and salmon; the seafood curry: all excellent. For dessert, try the brown sticky rice and mango. This time around, we had prawns and asparagus, which didn't quite live up to expectations.
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Scold me for dereliction of duty. I haven't posted in quite a while. Maybe that's because I haven't eaten or cooked anything interesting in a while. Here are some news and notes:
* In the span of a week, I've eaten buffalo, turkey and veggie burgers. I also went for a Satanic quadrifecta of pub appetizers last night: buffalo wings with ranch dressing, fried calamari, garlic fries and onion rings. Split among six guys. Then I had a turkey burger and a salad, though, so it's OK.
* I finally defrosted and ate the leftover Arizmendi pizza from our political salon. Not bad, but the crust was left a bit gummy.
* The big box of clementines at Trader Joe's is a great deal. They're delicious and sweet and perfect to slip into your pocket before a movie.
* Monday night: dinner at the best Thai place in the Inner Sunset, Little Bangkok. Good but not as good as usual. If you're wondering, it's on 10th and Irving and is more popular for take-out than eat-in. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary on the menu, but it's mostly several cuts above. The duck and spinach; the green papaya salad; the mango and salmon; the seafood curry: all excellent. For dessert, try the brown sticky rice and mango. This time around, we had prawns and asparagus, which didn't quite live up to expectations.
