Culinary Muse

Restaurants: BurgerMeister in North Beach

Articles with recipes and articles about burgers seem to get a lot of response on this food blog.  Heads up: this is a burger article….

When I wrote about Bill’s Place burgers last month several of you told me that I had to try BurgerMeister, so I did.  I try not to be swayed in my opinions about food by the menu prices but the $5.50 lunch special just warmed my heart.  Imagine getting a meal of this quality, outside of Chinatown,  for $5.50?  The special that day was a quarter pound Niman’s Ranch Beef burger with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and choice of French Fries, coleslaw or salad AND a soft drink of your choice, free refills.  Do you know any 16 year-old boys that you need to feed at lunchtime?  How can anyone even consider going to a fast food restaurant for a Happy Meal when great quality burgers like this can be had for slightly more money?  So, what did I think of the burger?  I thought it was excellent.  They knew what I meant when I said medium rare.   I will go back to try the roasted garlic fries, the Bacon Cheeseburger and a thick chocolate shake made with Mitchell’s ice cream. 

The Neighborhoods: Hong Kong Milk Tea in the Financial District

I had to be out in the rain this morning, on foot, running errands around the Financial District and Chinatown.  A sandwich board on the sidewalk in front of 'Morning Brew Coffee & Tea', 401 Sansome St., caught my eye.  HONG KONG MILK TEA $1.99.  What could this be?  So I went in and ordered a cup.  Delicious.  It seems to be black tea that has been brewed in hot milk instead of hot water with sugar.  I couldn't see how it was being prepared.  Anyway....it brought to mind gray English days and what Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson must have been sipping in that train station tea room during their 'Brief Encounter'.

I continued with the errands and couldn't get the delicious MILK TEA out of my mind.  Perhaps my favorite Chinatown corner market would know what it was.  Eureka!  At Kiki Supermarket, 1165 Powell at Jackson, they sell 'Milk Tea: 3 in 1 tea', Super Brand.  A bag of thirty packets for $2.89.  Each packet makes a 2/3 cup serving.  Also delicious and so perfect for today.

More Chinatown findings:  A tiny park on Trenton Alley which runs from Pacific to Jackson, between Stockton and Powell.  Cement benches, lots of trees and a very interesting mural painted on the wall of the apartment house that borders the park.  This will be a great place to eat the $2.99 lunch from Mon Kiang on our next sunny day.

A big thank you!

Culinary Muse would like to thank the Food Section of the San Francisco Chronicle for printing the very gracious letter from Jack Jason about this food blog.  We appreciate the compliments!

Spring has arrived...

Spring has arrived in San Francisco.  It may still say winter on the calendar but who cares?  People emerged out of their grayness yesterday.  Pale legs revealed themselves for the first time since September.  A pair of robins returned to Nob Hill to nest in the same Victorian Boxwood tree that they have been setting up household in for the past 12 springs.   Even the parrots of Telegraph Hill swooped by.  Unlike the East Coast where spring can arrive while there are still drifts of dirty snow hiding under the eaves, there is nothing here to remind us of winter.  The hills turn green instantly, the bulbs bloom and folks go swimming at Ocean Beach.

What to cook?  In fashion there are ‘transitional’ articles of clothing that bridge the gap between seasons.  One might wear dark cottons after Labor Day when it is cool but not cold enough for wool.  There are dishes that do the same thing.  They ease the cook out of one season while celebrating the season to come.  Spring days in San Francisco can be cool so a pot of soup that takes only an hour to prepare is perfect.  ‘Poule au Pot d’Henri Soule’ from The New York Times 60 minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey is such a soup.  Root vegetables like carrots, turnips and leeks remind you of winter but a nice fresh chicken and zucchini or peas (my suggestion) celebrate spring.  This is a pretty soup.  Due to copyright laws, I cannot reprint the recipe.  I know that the book is still in print and is one of my favorites.  Even if the title seems a bit dated, remember there was a time when people actually had 60 minutes to prepare a meal. 

Farmer's Market Report: Berkeley Farmer's Market

It was time for a trip to the Tuesday Berkeley Farmer’s Market.  Little did I know that it would provide an insight into Berkeley’s state of mind in the 21^st century.  My relationship to Berkeley:  I lived in Berkeley while I attended the University.  I love Berkeley and always look forward to driving across the bridge to enjoy lunch at Chez Panisse, Fat Apples for a great burger, The Cheese Board for wonderful pizza and shortbread cookies and The French Hotel for the best cappuccinos anywhere.  There is no other city more beautiful in March when the tulip trees are blooming.  Here we go….

The Berkeley Farmer’s Market differs from the SF Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market in a few ways.  The prices are lower in Berkeley for comparable quality produce.  There are fewer vendors but how many kale vendors does one market really need?  The BIGGEST difference is this:  When a photographer is shooting a pile of grapefruits in San Francisco, he will be ignored.  In Berkeley, he will be asked, not just once but twice, if he is ‘working for the government’.  We thought it was kind of funny the first time.  We even asked if we looked like we worked for the government.  “Well, you never know.” was the guy’s reply.  By the second time I was beginning to feel a little paranoid myself.  What did these Berkeleyites know that I didn’t?  After all, could the recent increase in the number of farmer’s markets really be a CIA plot?  OR is ‘organic’ really code for ‘commie’?  Am I getting too jaded or too old to find Berkeley’s quaint ‘nuclear-free-zone’ concerns nothing more that the ravings of aged hippies?  Have they lost their sense of humor?  The second time the photographer was asked if he worked for the government he replied “Sir, if the government wants your picture you will not even know they are taking it”…