Culinary Muse

SCOOP: LOTTA'S BAKERY COMING TO TOWN

Before there was a Starbucks in every San Francisco neighborhood selling scones that weigh two pounds there was the full service bakery. Never heard of a full service bakery? This was the neighborhood place that your parents could drop by in the morning for a fresh Danish and a cup of coffee (no espresso drinks). Or your mom could buy a loaf of freshly baked bread and a cake for dinner’s dessert. Or you would stop by after school and buy a chocolate chip cookie. There is good news for those of us who live near Polk Street. G. Earl Darny is opening up ‘Lotta’s Bakery" in mid April. Earl was the pastry chef at Bay Wolf, Sweet Adeline Bake Shop in Berkeley and he assisted Emily Luchetti in writing Four Star Desserts.

His press release reads as follows: ‘Lotta’s will bring a full service bakery to the neighborhood. All of our products will be created on site, baked fresh. Lotta’s will offer a full line of breads, cookies, cakes, and morning pastries as well as savory treats for your mid day snack. As a full service bakery Lotta’s will offer birthday cakes, special celebration cakes and wedding cakes. With enough notice, if you can dream of it we can probably produce it for you.

I am looking forward to opening my bakery and serving this neighborhood. For 17 years it has been my dream to have a bakery that was like the bakeries that once populated the neighborhoods of San Francisco and now I have that chance." G. Earl Darny.’

We look forward to having a place that reminds us of the great SF bakeries of the past like Blum’s and Fantasia. Good luck, Earl!  1720 Polk Street (between Clay and Washington St.) 415.359.9039

AMEDEI OF TUSCANY CHOCOLATE, ITALIAN WINE AND THE MUSE!

Join us this afternoon from 4 to 6 pm at Biondivino Wine Boutique on Russian Hill. Owner Ceri Smith will be pouring Italian wines. I will be behind the AMEDEI OF TUSCANY CHOCOLATE table where I will be talking about how to taste and derive as much pleasure as possible from a bite of this divine chocolate which some believe to be the best in the world. Chocolate and wine buying opportunities abound. Liz Rivera of URBAN DAHLIA NYC/SF will be present to take flower orders for Valentine’s Day. $5.00 tasting fee.  Don't let the rain scare you off!

BIONDIVINO WINE BOUTIQUE 1415 Green Street, SF, 94109, 415.673.3230.

WELCOME BIONDIVINO!

biondivino is a new wine boutique that opened last week in the Russian Hill neighborhood. While the collection of boutique wines is truly divine, it was the collection of AMEDEI ITALIAN CHOCOLATE FROM TUSCANY that had this Muse gasping for air. There is no other place in San Francisco that is carrying the breadth of this great chocolate house. Hurry in before we buy everything! And while you are there be sure to have owner, Ceri Smith, suggest a bottle or two of wine for dinner tonight. Wine prices start at $11.00 and most are in the less than $25.00 range. What you save on wine can be spent on chocolate...biondivino is at 1415 Green Street, between Polk and Van Ness. 415.673.2320.

NEW NEIGHBORS

So what is it with these huge black crows? It really is like something out of Hitchcock’s The Birds. I first noticed them in 1998. Bob, our Boxer, was 3 months old. We were walking in Huntington Park on Nob Hill and he came to a dead stop. His ears went back and his shoulders hunched up as he slowly lifted his head to peer up into the sky. I looked up and saw a crow flying low, in circles. Odd, I thought. I had never noticed a crow in the neighborhood. And odd, I thought, because Bob was clearly disturbed. Did he know something I didn’t? Had he been carried away by crows in a previous life? Were we about to be carried away? I flashed on Suzanne Pleshette. The chain smoking, depressed, sweater-set wearing spinster school teacher, Suzanne Pleshette, wasting her life away in Bodega Bay, only to be pecked to death by a flock of maniac crows. Should I start singing ‘knick, knack, paddy-wack, give your dog a bone..."? Should we flee for our lives? Where were my Camels?

SIPPING COCKTAILS WHERE NO MAN WOULD HAVE TREAD BEFORE

The Muse turned to Mr. Muse Sunday evening over cocktails at the AMERICANO and said "If someone had told me 20 years ago that I would be sitting outside on the Embarcadero, sipping a cocktail and perusing a bar menu and that the temperature would be 70 degrees at 6 pm in July in San Francisco I would have called them a nut case". Yesterday’s nut case has become today’s prophet.

First, let’s talk about the flora and fauna of the neighborhood. To get an idea of what it looked like in 1968 watch the Steve McQueen movie BULLITT. The flophouse where Bullitt is assigned to protect a witness stood just a few feet away from the HOTEL VITALE. The movie gives you a good idea of what a dark and grimy part of town this was. The Ferry Building was a very scary place. Mr. Muse was once shooting photographs from inside the tower of the Ferry Building and he heard a loud hissing behind him. He turned around to face a cat-sized wharf rat up on its hind legs, baring its teeth. Lovely. Using his tripod to keep the rat with the glowing red eyes at bay, Mr. Muse escaped. Trust me. This was not an area that you would want to hang out in.

CHOCOLATE SUNDAYS: A Chocolate and Knitting Event Announcement

You love to knit. You love chocolate. You are free on Sunday, March 12 at 1-2p.m. So what is stopping you from joining the Culinary Muse and Noe Knit for an hour of chocolate sampling? This chocolate primer will teach you how to taste chocolate and what to look for in a bar of real chocolate. Knit a row, taste an 87% dark chocolate, purl a row. Is there a better way to spend your time? Space is limited to 8 participants. Call NOE KNIT at 415.970.9750 to sign up. SOLD OUT. SECOND CLASS ADDED FOR SUNDAY, APRIL 9.  CALL TODAY!

A WORLD OF CHOCOLATE

CHOCOLATE COVERED, in Noe Valley, is offering a unique gift for your Valentine. They have put together a bag of 67 totally different samples (tasting squares) of chocolate, representing over 6 countries. About 25% of the squares are milk chocolate, the rest are dark chocolate ranging from high cocoa content chocolate to exotic combinations such as orange and chili or jasmine. Here is your chance to give your sweetie the world of chocolate that they deserve. Sharing optional.  Price $50.00. CHOCOLATE COVERED, 3977 24^th Street, 415-641-8123

A DELICIOUS AND NOT SO BITTERSWEET HOLIDAY CHOCOLATE TASTING

On the heels of their phenomenal success in Oakland’s Rockridge district, the folks of Bittersweet, The Chocolate Cafe have opened a second location in San Francisco’s tony Pacific Heights. They have transformed the space formerly occupied by CAPER on Fillmore between California and Sacramento Streets into a chocolate lover’s paradise. In a hurry? Grab a bar of chocolate from the dozens on display from almost every chocolate producing region in the world. Ecuador, Venezuela, Trinidad, Hawaii . . . Or perhaps your chocolate fix needs to come in a cup. Our personal favorite is the Chocolate Thai Iced Tea.  Jasmine tea is infused with chocolate.  Flowers and chocolate? Always.

Sign up for their newsletter and you will receive announcements about tasting events like the one we attended last week. The theme was Holiday Flavors. Since the discovery of chocolate, people have experimented with adding flavors from their own culture or ‘terroir’. Chiles, citrus, nuts, milk and peppermint are the classic flavor additions. More recently lavender has been an addition. Bittersweet’s resident chocophile Seneca Klassen led us through a generous tasting that started with a Dagoba Xocolatl 74% with chiles, maca and cacao nibs. We ended our tasting over an hour later with a satisfying cup of Bittersweet Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Essential Oil. A visit to this chocolate lover’s oasis is one way to escape the frenzy of the holiday season. Bittersweet, The Chocolate Café, 2123 Fillmore Street, 415-346-8715.

Coffee 101 at Whole Foods

I have shopped at Whole Foods on California Street since the day it opened, nine years ago. Not every day but at least once a week.  It is my corner market.  And while my friends and family joke about how expensive it can be, no one can deny the high quality of their merchandise and the professionalism of their staff.  They are the grocery store equivalent of Nordstrom's.  If you don't like it, they take it back (with receipt), no hassle, no questions asked. 

I finally took one of the many classes that they offer. Coffee 101.  It was great.  Lots of interesting information presented clearly by the well informed Peet's Coffee supervisor Rick Nelson.  They also gifted everyone with a pound of Peet's coffee beans.  Can't beat that! 

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.

The Neighborhoods: Ella's in Presidio/Pacific Heights

The best part about going out to eat with pregnant girlfriends is they have such hearty appetites and a true ‘devil may care’ attitude towards food.  The same woman that just last year was telling the waiter not to leave the bread on the table is now asking for a second round of toast and “more jam, please”.  As you all know by now, H is one of my favorite eating buddies.  We love to talk about a) what we are eating, b) what we ate yesterday and c) what we are going to eat tomorrow.  Now that she is pregnant, dining out together has kicked into high gear.  If we are not at Tartine’s Bakery having cake in the afternoon, then we are scouting out the City looking for a hearty breakfast.  It all started on one of our morning walks from the Golden Gate Bridge over to Fort Mason.  The real destination was Green’s for a cup of coffee and a date bar.  Continued.....

The Neighborhoods: Chinatown Bakery

I try to resist humming the song ‘Grant Avenue’ from ‘Flower Drum Song’ as I walk through Chinatown during Chinese New Year.  1950’s sentiments and stereotypes aside, it was probably the one piece of theater that had the most to do with promoting San Francisco tourism.  I like Chinatown in January.  But I love it in February when it revs up for the New Year.  Red lanterns swing from balconies.  Florist shops are full of flowering quince, cherry and peach branches.  Thick hunks of candied coconut are sold for 99 cents a package. The streets are a little too crowded for my taste, but I still manage to get over to Golden Gate Bakery to pick up a freshly baked treat to eat on the street.  A vulgar habit, I am told.  But a delicious habit, nonetheless.

Golden Gate Bakery usually has a long line out the door.  A very slow moving line.  It’s not that they are understaffed.  There are usually three women, including the owner, behind the counter at all times.  Remember, however, that this is not Starbucks and each person in front of you is not just ordering one double latte and one muffin.  People come to Golden Gate Bakery because they are buying for a crowd.  It is not unusual for customers, already weighted down with the ubiquitous Chinatown pink plastic bags hanging from their arms, to slowly edge their way out the narrow doorway balancing a stack of pink boxes.  Pink cardboard bakery boxes that have little vents cut into the tops to vent the steam from the still hot treats. continued.....

The Neighborhoods: Martinis on Nob Hill

World’s smallest martini? Or just a very proper serving? Can a martini be too big? Or too small? Has our culture of ‘super-size me’ altered my perception of what the appropriate size of a martini should be? Or have I turned into a lush? Last night’s martini at The Big Four’s cocktail lounge on Nob Hill tasted fine – Bombay up with a twist – but it was served in the smallest martini glass I have ever seen – almost doll size. (Like what you might see if HASBRO had, in addition to the Suzy Homemaker Kitchen produced a Suzy Homemaker Bar complete with shakers, strainers, and swizzle sticks.) None of this should have been too surprising as The Big Four is all about what is appropriate and proper and gracious. I was the heathen at the gate with my 21st Century lush sensibilities. They, however, are all about dining in a dark, clubby atmosphere where ladies wear mink coats, men wear suits with ties and the bartender knows what your ‘usual’ is. If you want a feeling for what San Francisco was like during the filming of the movie ‘VERTIGO’, this is the place. Will I go back? Absolutely.

The Neighborhoods: Tartine Bakery in The Mission

It doesn’t matter what time of day you walk into Tartine Bakery it is packed. But if you get into line with the optimism of an eight year old, as I did last week with my young friend Izzy, you will be able to snag a table by the time your cappuccino is made. It is always busy at Tartine because it appeals to the eight year old in all of us.  Chocolate chip cookies are huge, banana cream and coconut cream tarts sit under a tall drift of whipped cream, rose petals are scattered over puffy cake tops, deep, dark chocolate éclairs glisten, creamy bread pudding murmurs comfort.   

When go I alone early in the morning I get the ‘morning bun’, a spiral of flaky (croissant?) dough baked to a deep brown and tossed, hot out of the oven, into a bowl of orange scented sugar.  Or at least that is my best guess at how they create these AMAZING buns.  A line forms the minute they appear. I once saw this line of low key, cool, tattooed, Range Rover driving folks almost turn into an angry mob when the first woman in line ordered two dozen.  ‘Will there be any left for me?’ we all seemed to be thinking.  I tried to quell my own anxiety by repeating that these were just morning buns and this was not a line at a failing bank in 1929.  With my new found Zen-like calm I reminded myself that if the mbs were gone I could drown my sorrow with the almond croissant, straight out of a Parisian patisserie-boulangerie.  continue......

The Neighborhoods: Chinatown Cheap Eats

I was walking home through Chinatown today at lunchtime.  I didn’t feel like sitting down in a restaurant.  I just wanted something fast, to get home before it started to pour rain.  A comforting rice noodle dish that I would eat right out of the carton while  standing over the kitchen sink.

Like a trout who sees a shiny lure, I am drawn to ‘Grand Opening’ banners and there was one waving in front of MON KIANG. Well, why not? My experience with new restaurants with linoleum floors is that they are at the least very clean and at the worst just boring.  This new restaurant had the standard issue steam table on one side and a couple tables and chairs on the other and lots of eager staff behind the counter.  I always feel slow and ponderous in a Chinese Take Out shop. It seems, rightly so, that everyone else is in a terrible hurry, knows exactly what he or she wants and I am in the way.  Coming to my rescue, one of the staff behind the counter called out to me “Lunch Special.  Three Items.  $2.95.”  Oh, sure, I thought, she must mean per item.  So I repeated what she had said to me.  She nodded yes.  Okay, I was just going to jump right in here.  How bad could it be? With any luck it would be edible. If not, I could eat just the white rice. 

The Neighborhoods: Boulette's Larder at the Ferry Building Marketplace

BOULETTE'S LARDER

It has been raining almost everyday since Christmas.  But that hasn’t stopped the brave and hungry among us to go forth and find even more wonderful things to eat.  The day after Christmas we discovered Boulette's Larder in the Ferry Building Marketplace.  A larder?  In the 21^st Century?  This is what we found:  a wood burning fireplace warming up the room, a communal table with a huge bouquet of deep red amaryllis and two people enjoying freshly made beignets, chefs chopping, mixing, sautéing, shelves filled with glass jars right out of a medieval apothecary containing ingredients like black limes, shaved bonito and dried tangerine peel, the glass window of the walk in refrigerator revealing bowls over flowing with tangerines, mandarin oranges, limes, clementines and a pomelo.