Special Happy Hour at Press Club Tonight

Hey San Francisco! Want to help fight breast cancer by drinking half priced wines by the glass with a chance to score 2 Warriors basketball tickets? I figured you would...

Head down to Press Club TONIGHT on 4th and Market under the 4 Season hotel to enjoy some rockin' Oracle Red Wine and the other usual suspects. Happy hour runs from 6-9pm. Hope to see you all there!

Special Happy Hour at Press Club Tonight

Asparagus & Meyer Lemon Risotto with Butter-Poached Shrimp

I was pretty excited to see our Meyer lemon tree in full force up in Napa this weekend. I harvested a full grocery bag worth and brought them back to San Francisco. The first thing that came to mind last night as the chill rolled in over the bridge... risotto and butter-poached shrimp.

I am a lobster junkie but I never cook it at home or make it for guests because it's so down-right expensive at times. So, in the case, I subbed for some medium sized shrimp that I butter- poached and served right on top. You could also sub scallops, prawns or halibut.

Lobster is a treat so I usually order it out on special occasions. In fact, I plan on ordering it on my 30th birthday this Thursday at Fleur de Lys but more on that later in the week.

Asparagus & Meyer Lemon Risotto with Butter-Poached Shrimp

1 cup asparagus
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 ½ cups chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
2 shallots, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
zest of 2 Meyer lemons
juice of 2 Meyer lemons
salt & pepper
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
16 medium shrimp, raw, tails removed and devained

Blanch asparagus in boiling water for two minutes. Shock with cold water to stop the cooking and drain well. Cut into one inch pieces and set aside.

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan. Cover and turn heat to low.

In a Dutch oven, sauté shallots in butter over medium heat until light brown, about 4 minutes. Add rice and lemon zest. Stir to coat in butter/shallot mixture for 1-2 minutes. Add wine and let reduce on medium high heat for about 3 minutes to burn off alcohol. Add 1-1 ½ cups stock and reduce heat to low.

Stirring regularly to make sure rice doesn’t stick to the pan, add stock in ½ cup additions as the rice absorbs liquid. Check the rice before the last addition to see if it is done (rice should be al dente, not mushy). Add lemon juice into the rice with the last addition of stock.

As the lemon juice is absorbed, add asparagus, salt and pepper to taste. Stir two
minutes then remove from heat. Stir in parmesan cheese and serve.

Butter-Poached Shrimp

- 1 tbsp water
- 1 lb unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- shrimp (see above for prep)

Bring shrimp to room temperature.

In a saucepan, heat water until boiling and whisk in one or two chunks of butter to form an emulsion. Reduce heat to low and continue to whisk in butter, one chunk at a time, until the sauce is about 1-inch high.

Use an instant-read thermometer to maintain the temperature of the sauce between 160F and 190F during cooking.

Add shrimp and cook for 5 or 6 minutes. If shrimp are not fully covered, use a spoon to gently turn over after 3 minutes.

Serve immediately over risotto.

Asparagus & Meyer Lemon Risotto with Butter-Poached Shrimp

Breast Cancer Awareness Event at Press Club, October 29th

Come join Miner Family Vineyards at Press Club tomorrow night to help raise money for breast cancer awareness. My good friends at Miner have been working VERY hard to pull this special event together so be sure to not miss out on all the fun. Enjoy top-tier wines and cheese pairings from 6-9pm, including the heavy-hitting Oracle red wine and the small production Rosella's and Garys' Pinots.

Hope to see you all there!

Breast Cancer Awareness Event at Press Club, October 29th

Murray Circle at Cavallo Point

Good job, Drew!

For our 3 year anniversary, Drew blindfolded me, drove me over the bridge and checked us in for a one night stay and foodie excursion at Cavallo Point. The eco-friendly resort and spa opened under a year ago and is located just under the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin. Set in historical Fort Baker, it's home to Michelin star Murray Circle restaurant, a cooking school and spa. Cha-ching! All my favorite things in one place!

After a terrific day at the spa, we got all dressed up and headed down for an 8 course dinner and wine pairing. Executive Chef, Joseph Humphrey (Michael Mina, 5th Floor, Meadowood) features Bay Area cuisine with a French twist and showcases local and organic farms, ranches and culinary artisans in the region. The wine pairings were VERY generous so it's a good thing that you can hop a ride back to your room on a golf cart and leave your car in the parking lot. In addition, the wine pairings featured all Old World wines with the exception of one (a Monterey Pinot). The star of the night was the Domaine de la Cadette La Chatelaine, Vezelay. It was very light and had great minerality.

Of all the courses, the halibut and lobster with squab were my favorite. My Kobe petite filet was too salty but I tasted Drew's and his was perfectly seasoned. After the cheese course, I start to tapper off. I'm not one for desserts or sweet wines but Drew happily polished them off for me with no complaints.

Make sure to grab a drink and/or stay a night a Cavallo Point. We could see our apartment across the bay from our balcony but we felt like we were on vacation and came home relaxed, fat and happy.

Murray Circle at Cavallo Point

refind. underground. dining.

The new dining destination of San Francisco. See what the hype is about...click here.

refind. underground. dining.

Bottlenotes

Ever wonder who loves Miner Family Tempranillo as much as you do? Looking for the latest and greatest Oregon Pinot? Check out Bottlenotes, an online wine community where novice to advanced wine enthusiasts can go to learn about, share, explore and buy boutique and estate wines from around the world, hand-picked by Bottlenotes wine experts and tailored to individuals’ personal tastes.

Last night we attended (with about 500 other winos) Bottlenote's Around the World in 80 Sips event at Crushpad. It featured regions and grape varieties from Lebanon to Spain to South Africa. Culinary partners at the event included Artisanal, Just Desserts, Fatted Calf and more. You really can't go wrong with cheese, chocolate, charcuterie and wine. I just wish there was more of it. By 7 pm this place was packed which made it difficult to get a taste, spark a conversation with the winery rep or grab a small bite. But the event was a great success and the crowd was young. Yes, young!

Check out Bottlenotes for yourself or follow them on Twitter.

Bottlenotes

Yabbies Coastal Kitchen

Just because times are tough doesn't mean we cannot go out at all. In fact, Drew and I have figured out a way to enjoy all the culinary treats we love at half the price. That right, happy hours are back. And I'm not talking about drinks.

Yelp and Citysearch are two online resources that keep track of all the deals going on in your city everyday. 2 for 1, half off bottles, free corkage, free appetizers with entree, happy hours and more. Keeping a pulse on these great deals is an awesome way to go out on the cheap and feel like you're eating like a king.

We came across Yabbies Coastal Kitchen on Yelp. Citysearch named them 'Best Seafood Restaurant' in 2007, and Zaget and Yelpers gave it praise. Local credentials aside, Yabbies has a killer happy hour menu and, suddenly, we were in the mood for seafood! Eating at 6 makes you feel a little geriatric but the bonus is you can usually choose where you would like to sit and the service is attentive.

Oysters of the day were $1 each and fresh from Point Reyes. We slurped them and washed them down with a glass of house white wine. Glasses start at $5, half carafe is $10 and a bottle of the house red or white runs at $20. Not a bad deal at all.

Next we ordered the Grilled Monterey Bay Calamari with Cilantro Sprigs and Thai Dipping Sauce for $6. I am not a big calamari fan. Fried is totally out of the question because you never actually taste the calamari and wind up eating breading and feel gross by the time you go out or go home. Grilled is usually overdone and you end up with rubbery tentacles. But Drew loves the stuff so I always roll with it. For the record, Yabbies has the best calamari I have ever had in my life. Not only was it cooked to perfection, the Thai dipping sauce is to die for.

For our last bite, we ordered the Mussels with White Wine and Shallot Broth for $9. Dipping a baguette in mussel broth never gets old and could be a meal of its own. Drew always says that I can show him how much I love him by making this very dish at home which, you can imagine, I have done several times.

$40 bucks and a hour and a half later, we left Yabbies full and satisfied. The crowd was coming in as we were going out but they will have paid full price for what we enjoyed for half. Suckers.

Yabbies Coastal Kitchen

Salt House

I had heard a lot about Salt House since we've moved to San Francisco and was very curious to see if it would live up to the hype. My friend Jen and I decided to give it a shot on a Tuesday night. Walking into the space you saw no signs of a faltering economy. The place was packed and the energy was refreshing.

The menu is New American but also includes a classic Canadian treat, Poutine. You really can't go wrong with putting cheese and gravy over fries especially if that gravy is made from short ribs. But the dish was a disappointment and I wished the cheese sauce they made was more pungent. The flavors just meddled together and I really wish they hadn't. We were on a budget (who isn't these days) so we ordered the house wine and shared the poutine and a salad. The waitress gave us that look that screamed I-am-not-going-to-make-any-money-from-you-and-you-are-wasting-my-time and needless to say the service was sub par after that. But our green bean salad was excellent and both dishes ended up being enough food for the both of us.

Bad service really makes or breaks a restaurant for me. The rest of Salt House's menu looked delicious and as much as I would love to go back and give the entrees a shot, I don't know if I'll be able to shake the glare we got. I know that glare. I used to give it myself in my college table turning days! So if you go, go with an expense account and maybe they will be a little nicer to you.

Salt House

New Oysters Rockefeller

Since my blog is named Everything is Better with Bacon, a lot of folks forward along fun articles and links to stuff about bacon. The other day, an old client of mine that works in the restaurant industry sent me a copy of The Plate's December issue. The Plate is an awesome magazine that's focus is to "celebrate the chef's craft". There are killer articles and even better recipes. The December issue was solely dedicated to bacon.

I'm an oyster nut and when I came across this recipe I knew it was time to whip out my shucking knife and glove. I have never gone a Christmas Eve with out an oyster so this is a timely recipe for the holidays. For any San Francisco folks, you can get your hands on fresh seafood for cheap on 6th and Clement. Right now live lobsters are $8 a pound and they always have a variety of fresh oysters in salt water buckets.

NEW OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER
Executive Chef Tommy Hines
Bourbon Street Bar & Grille - New York City, NY, USA

Oysters, whole, Bluepoint or Malpaque 12 each
Bacon, slices, halved 6 each
Rock salt
Parmesan creamed spinach 18 Oz
Flour 1C
Creole seasoning 2 TBS
Vegetable oil
Pastis aïoli

Instructions:
1. Preheat fryer to 350 degrees F, and oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Shuck oysters and transfer, with their juices, to a bowl. Reserve bottom shells. Wrap a piece of bacon around each oyster and secure with toothpick. Reserve.
3. Fill oyster shells with creamed spinach.
4. Fill a baking dish halfway with rock salt and arrange oyster shells on salt. Bake shells until heated through, about 10 minutes.
5. While shells are baking, combine flour and 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning in bowl. Dust oysters with seasoned flour, then deep-fry in batches until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
6. Drain oysters on paper towels and season with remaining Creole seasoning.
7. Place fried oysters on top of baked shells. Drizzle each oyster with pastis aïoli and serve

New Oysters Rockefeller

A16

I can't remember the last time that Drew and I went on a date. Between looking for jobs, looking for an apartment, working opposite schedules and moving, we just haven't had the time. I have a laundry list of restaurants that I cannot wait to start crossing off in our new city. One restaurant close to the top is A16, a chic trattoria devoted to the food of Southern Italy. Chef Nate Appleman has earned certification by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, becoming one of the few certified pizzaiolos in the United States so their wood-fired pizza's are not to be missed.

From the outside, it looks tiny. However, when you walk past the wine bar, you quickly discover the long and narrow space that dedicates its entire right side to an open air kitchen with various work stations, including 2 wood burning ovens, a dough surface, saute and salumi stations and more. If you sit at the narrow 14 seat chef's table that wraps around the stations, you can watch a well-oiled kitchen that is surprisingly relaxed in a room packed with diners.

A16's wine bar boasts over 350 bottles to chose from and over 40 wines by the glass. The wine list is predominately Italian with a handful of California wines. I began our meal with a Moretti, a classic Italian beer, and mozzarella burrata with olive oil and crostini. The olive oil they use is top notch and adds even more depth to a dish that is very rich to begin with. For the next course we decided to try the roasted friarelli peppers with anchovies, calabrian chiles, lemon and fried breadcrumbs that we saw the sous chef make several times in front of us. Our Salsiccia pizza, a fennel sausage, roasted peppers, red onions, mozzarella, grana padano, garlic, chiles, came at the same time and the two went great together paired with my glass of a Sangiovese based blend.

The best part about this restaurant is that it's 3 blocks from my house. There is no question that this will quickly become one of our neighborhood go-tos. Word on the street is that it's always packed, especially on Meatball Monday's, so get there early or prepare to wait.

A16

Press Club

Attention San Francisco: Come over to Press Club at the 4 Seasons Hotel ASAP!

Press Club is the new urban tasting room that showcases small plates, a private room and 8 world-class wineries. Order a wine flight with a tasting trio, cheese plate or charcuterie spread. Taste and learn about wines ranging from a late harvest Zinfandel from Fritz to a Wild Yeast Chardonnay from Miner Family Vineyards to a Proprietary Bordeaux Blend from Pahlmeyer. Make sure to purchase the wines you love and bring them home.

Best part? I work weekends. Come in and say hi.

Press Club

Prosciutto with Port-Marinated Figs and Gorgonzola Dolce

PlumpJack is a food, wine and hospitality group based in San Francisco that has locations in Squaw Valley and Napa Valley as well. Their humble beginnings began in the wine business when mayor, Gavin Newsom, opened up a little wine shop in San Francisco. Now, PlumpJack has restaurants, wineries, and boutique hotels. Not bad.

The PlumpJack Cookbook is definitely my style of cooking. In this cookbook book you'll find a range of recipes from Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine with Pomegranate/ Mint Gremolata to Sea Scallops with King Trumpet Mushrooms and Meyer Lemon Relish.

This was a great salad to kick off our dinner party last weekend. I doubled the port and honey so our figs were really saturated and yummy and subbed goat cheese for the Gorgonzola.

Prosciutto with Port-Marinated Figs and Gorgonzola Dolce
12 figs, halved
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons port
12 slices of prosciutto
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
Salt and pepper
1 bunch of watercress or arugula
12 walnut halves

Add port, honey and salt and pepper to bowl and whisk together. Add figs cut side down and marinate at room temperature for at least two hours.

Place a couple slices of prosciutto on each plate. Arrange figs cut side up and add a dollop of cheese on top of each fig. Place walnut half on top of cheese. Arrange arugula or watercress in center of plate and drizzle entire salad with remaining port mixture.

Prosciutto with Port-Marinated Figs and Gorgonzola Dolce

Slow Food Nation

I don't know what you are doing this Labor Day Weekend but I plan on attending Slow Food Nation in San Francisco, one of the largest celebrations of food in this great nation. There will be speakers, dinners, chef demonstrations, workshops, taste pavilions of every kind and much more. Tickets are still available for Sunday night so don't miss out on all the foodie fun! Visit http://slowfoodnation.org

Slow Food Nation

Shanghai Fried Noodles

We went to San Francisco for the day to apartment search and stayed with my sister and her husband at their new house in the Haight. As much as I have loved living in Napa this summer, there really isn't a lot of ethnic food at your finger tips (with the exclusion of Mexican, of course). So when my sister asked me what I was in the mood for I didn't hesitate to say Asian. Turns out that she has a fantastic spot around the corner where dishes run in single digits called Citrus Club. This place really hit the spot and portions ran very large so you get a huge bang for your buck. I ordered the Shanghai Noodles with Flank Steak so I did a quick search and pulled this recipe from Food Network so I can try to make it at home. I heart udon noodles.

Shanghai Fried Noodles
Ingredients
1 pound fresh Shanghai noodles, or Japanese udon noodles
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
12 ounces flank steak, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced green onions, plus 1 cup cut-on-a-bias green onions
3 cups julienned Napa cabbage
1/2 teaspoon minced jalapeno

Directions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the noodles until al dente, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold running water and drain well. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the rice wine, hoisin, and cornstarch. Add the beef, toss to coat, and marinate for 15 minutes. In another bowl, combine the dark soy, soy sauce and sugar, and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Place a wok over a high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil, swirling to coat. When hot, add the garlic, ginger, and minced green onions, and cook, stirring quickly, for 10 seconds. Add the beef and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and stir-fry for 3 minutes.

Transfer to a platter and return the wok to a high heat. Swirl the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil in the wok and once hot, add the noodles to the pan and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sliced
green onions and jalapeno and sauce and toss all for 1 minute. Add the beef and stir to heat
through. Serve immediately.

Shanghai Fried Noodles

Garlic Fries

I went to the Cubs vs. Giants game last night at AT&T stadium in downtown San Francisco (BTW we killed the Giants). I had never been to the field before but had seen pictures and knew it was by the water and quite beautiful. What everyone forgot to tell me was how amazing the food was! Do you know that they have sushi there in addition to one of the spiciest bloody mary's I have ever had in my life? No to mention a wine bar and a line around the block for the garlic fries. And that's really what this post is about.

When you walk into AT&T field all you smell is garlic. It's impossible NOT to smell it. The wait in line is worth it. If you think the portion below sounds like a lot of garlic you are right. Don't skim down. If anything add more. It's quite the indulgence.

Garlic Fries
oil for frying (peanut or vegetable)
4 Russet potatoes or 12 oz bag of frozen pre cut fries
1/2 cup fresh minced garlic
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 tblsp black pepper
1 tblsp dried thyme
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Cut the washed potatoes into 1/2 inch to 3/8 inch thick strips (if using a French mandolin set it to its thickest setting). Heat the oil in a cast iron pot or any heavy duty pot to 360 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan then add the minced garlic for 30 seconds. Remove from pan and add to a mixing bowl with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix well.

The potatoes must be fried three times for best results. In batches, if necessary, place the raw fries into the oil for 90 seconds. Remove and let drain. Drop fries again for another 90 seconds. Remove and let drain. Drop fries in again this time for 60 seconds or until crisp and golden brown.

While the fries are still warm toss them with the garlic seasoning.

Garlic Fries

SPQR

If you do not like brussell sprouts, you need to go to SPQR and try their fried version of this dreaded veggie. You will be a born again Brussell Sprout Eater, a convert, a devoted fan. These chopped up miniature cabbages are the talk of the town and rightly so. SPQR is a new Roman Italian Restaurant on Fillmore. Check it out if you are in the foggy city, and sit at the bar - they don't take reservations and the wait for a table can be more than an hour.

SPQR

The Best Meal of My Life: Quince

*Click on picture to enlarge menu*

I stayed with my sister for a couple days in San Francisco and she made reservations for us at Quince in Pacific Heights. This restaurant is known as being Bay Area's finest behind Keller's French Laundry. Needless to say, I was very excited.

We got dressed up and started with drinks at a great bistro called Florio on Fillmore Street. My sister and her fiance went on their first date at Florio so it was a special night from the get-go. After a glass of wine, we headed to Quince and found a parking spot right in front. How exciting! Parking in San Francisco is a full contact sport...

From the second we stepped foot inside the restaurant to when we left, there was not one detail that was over looked. The service was a full blown experience. We decided to "go for it" and ordered the tasting menu and wine pairing. When I opened the menu it said "Welcome to San Francisco, Elizabeth". I am moving to San Francisco in September and my sister called the restaurant ahead of time to include that on the cover and it brought tears to my eyes. It was such a nice personal touch.

The only critique I had of this dinner was that there could have been a little more time between courses. It felt a bit rushed but other than that it was the best meal of my life. My sister and I agreed the the best course was the soup. You just didn't want it to end. In addition, we both don't like scallops and the scallops were delicious and I'd eat them a hundred times over. So i suggest that if you are in San Francisco and feel like splurging to make sure to go to Quince. Thanks to my sister for making it such a special night and I look forward to many more dinners together in the fall.

The Best Meal of My Life: Quince

Spotlight: Rose's Cafe

If you live in San Francisco or if you are planning a trip, run don't walk to Rose's Cafe. We've made a habit of blogging about go-to spots and this one happens to my sister, Lucille's. Rose's is a bistro cafe that sits on the corner of a quiet street in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood. On a picture perfect day, the kind that makes you want to pack your bags and move on the spot, we sat outside underneath shady awnings.

This place is all about great food with no fuss. I'm just going to let the pictures of some of our dishes prove it...

Grilled Peach Bruschetta with Gorgonzola and Honey on Homemade Sourdough (We tried to recreate this dish in Napa but it didn't come close to the original. Will need to keep trying...Worth it for sure!)
Wild King Salmon Cozy, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Red Onion, Watercress & Herb Aioli (The manager, Matt, said this was their best selling dish at lunch time)
Smoked Prosciutto, Crescenza, Sage and Thyme on homemade Focaccia (I had them add tomato)

Spotlight: Rose's Cafe

Pescheria

Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting on this blog, or any blog for that matter, but I am excited to join in on this sharing of gastronomical info.

Last night, Eric and I dined at Pescheria - a lively and warm restaurant in the cute Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. Although right when we walked in, Eric said "It smells like a port-a-poddy in here," we quickly adjusted to the aroma (I think it was just a bit seafoody, not as bad as a port-a-let though) and had a lovely dinner. The menu focused on seafood prepared in Californian/Italian style. We started with a heirloom tomato and burrata salad and then had bocconcini di tonno al limone - little cubes of lemon marinated ahi tuna and yellow and red Chioggo beets. Both our starters were excellent - although the burrata was not homemade, it had a nicely creamy consistency and you can't go wrong with tomatoes this time of year. The tuna and beets were a unique combination but paired well together and some toasted pinenuts added a subtly nutty flavor. For our main course, we had scallops with roasted corn risotto and a lemon vinaigrette. I'm a sucker for risotto and this did not disappoint; additionally, the scallops were huge and perfectly cooked - quite a treat since we love, but rarely cook, scallops for ourselves. We also had a side of fagiolini - skinny greens beans that must have been sauteed in beef broth or something because they were flavorful and delish. We had a few glasses of Barbera with dinner and were very satisfied at the end of the night.

For those who live in SF and want to venture out to Noe Valley for an evening, I'd recommend this neighborhood spot. This restaurant is not to be confused with Pesce in Russian Hill; although both restaurants are similar, I think the quality and consistency of the food is better at Pescheria.

Here's the website - the outside of the restaurant is a bit misleading - it looks much cuter at night:
http://www.pescheria-sf.com/

Pescheria

Turkish Lasagna

One of my favorite things about living in a big city is that you never run out of new restaurants to try. Tonight we decided to head out to the Richmond district in San Francisco and walk around on Clement street until we found something that looked authentic and good. This area is known for the best Chinese, Vietnamese and Burmese food.

Tonight, we stumbled upon a Turkish restaurant called Troya. We weren't too surprised to find that the menu was heavily influenced by Greek cuisine but it definitely has its own approach. They told us that Turkish food is really a fusion of Turkish, Armenia, Arabic, Greek and Persian cuisines. They also said it was Turkish tradition to marinate all meat for a minimum of 10 hours.

The best dish we had tonight was their Mousakka. The Greek version, traditionally consists of layers of ground (minced) lamb or red meat, sliced eggplant and tomatoes topped with a cheese sauce and baked. Turkish Mousakka, unlike the Greek version, is not layered. Instead, it is prepared with sautéed and fried eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and minced meat. This would be a great main course to serve after your try Missy's delicious looking Tzatziki recipe. Epicurious has a few recipes for this meal - check it out!

Turkish Lasagna