Thanks Guys!

I just got back from yet another weekend jaunt down to Santa Cruz and as usual, it was gorgeous down there! The weather has finally taken a turn for the better, the sun is getting up earlier and the fish are a jumpin'. That's my friend Felix's cue to get out there at the break of dawn for some early morning lure casting! Fortunately we all got to reap the benefits as he brought home a 2 foot striper which he and his lovely lady Nicole beer battered up for homemade fish n' chips.

The mild white fish pan fried up beautifully and we chowed down with a handful of frozen seasoned fries baked in the oven. With some ketchup, tartar sauce, a wedge of lemon and a pint of Newastle, we were all very happy campers.

Thanks again, y'all- what a fun night!

Aguas Frescas

Fun, simple and refreshing beverages that you can easily make at home to accompany your favorite classhy Mexican delicacies!

A popular treat, aguas frescas are found on street carts, in taquerias and also in many sit-down restaurants. Common flavors include fresa (strawberry), jamaica (hibiscus), melon (cantaloupe), horchata (rice water), pina (pineapple), sandia (watermelon) and even pepino (cucumber)!

Here is a quick fruit based recipe for you to try:
3 cups of cut up fruit (peel and seed melons)

8 cups water

1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar

Lime juice to taste (optional)

-Liquify fruit with 2 cups of water in a blender

-Strain pulpy liquid through a wire mesh strainer into pitcher

-Add remaining water, sugar and optional lime and keep chilled

-Serve over ice

*Mix it up! Experiment with adding additional herbs like mint, cilantro and lavender. Try combining two different fruits to customize your flavor.
**REALLY mix it up by adding your favorite tequila, blending with ice and serving in a sugar rimmed glass.

This is NOT a Fruit Plate!

This is a bowl of unripe cantaloupe, three sour grapes and 6 pieces of woody pineapple core-- tres trashy (and not in a good way). I paid six dollars for this travesty at a restaurant in Boston this past weekend and while I half expected somewhat of a letdown upon ordering, I was pretty disappointed with the extent to which this spread was mocking my intelligence. So, in response I am posting a list of spring and summertime fruit that you can reference when making your own morning fruit bowls or for judging that of your favorite local breakfast spot. In fact, if you ever find yourself in Santa Cruz, California for brunch, Harbor Café on 7th Ave has a gorgeous fruit bowl that will never let you down with a copious melon cop out!

Apricots

-Pick plump, golden fruit with a pink blush and no sign of green. They should be firm with tender, velvety skin.

-Store at room temperature or refrigerate. Use within a day or two.

Blackberries

-Berries should be firm, plump, and fully colored. If picking yourself, berries should separate from the stem with minimal tugging.

-Store at room temperature or refrigerate in a single layer. Use within a day or two. Wash when ready to use.

Blueberries
-Berries should be firm, plump, and fully colored
-Store at room temperature or refrigerate in a single layer. Use within a day or two. Wash when ready to use.

Cantaloupe
-Should yield to slight pressure at the stem end. Sweet scent. Overripe melons will have a pronounced yellow color or moldy scent.
-Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days and refrigerate after cutting. Remove seeds and skin.

Cherries

-Stems should be green and flexible. Avoid soft spots, bruises, and splits. Red cherries are ripe when deep red. White and yellow varieties are ripe when flushed with pink.

-Keep at room temperature for a few days, or longer in the refrigerator. Do not remove the stem until ready to use as the cherry will lose freshness rapidly.

Grapefruit

-Pick grapefruits that are heavy for their size, firm and thin-skinned. Skin color varies from yellow to ruby red.
-Keep at room temperature for a week to 10 days or up 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Always refrigerate after cutting.

Kiwi
-Pick a kiwi that yields to slight pressure but doesn't have soft spots.
-Should be stored at room temperature for 3 to 5 days to ripen. Ripe kiwis can be refrigerated in a plastic bag for 2 to 3 weeks.

Mango

-Look for yellow-red skin with not too much green. Should yield to light pressure. Sweet aroma. Smaller ones are best.

-Keep at room temperature to continue ripening process. Pit is very large and will need to be cut around.

Nectarines

-Fruit should be plump with a sweet aroma. Skin should be smooth and not have any green color. Avoid hard fruit.

-Will keep at room temperature for a few days, or longer in the refrigerator.

Oranges

-Look for firm, thin-skinned oranges for juicing and thick-skinned oranges for eating.

-Store at room temperature for up to one week, or longer in the refrigerator.

Peaches

-Yields to slight pressure. Very fragrant. Avoid soft spots, bruises, or greenish color.

-Will keep at room temperature for a few days, or longer in the refrigerator. Peaches bruise easily, so handle carefully.

Pineapple

-Skin should be golden orange-brown. A gently pulled leaf will come away easily. Sweet scent.

-Will keep at room temperature for several days. Refrigerate after cutting. Remove leafy plume, skin, and core.

Raspberries

-Firm, plump, fully colored berries.
-Store at room temperature or refrigerate in a single layer. Use within a day or two. Wash when ready to use.

Strawberries
-Select berries with a universal red color and an intact green, leafy top. Avoid berries with soft or brown spots and check that none are smashed or moldy. Note that very large berries often have hollow centers and little flavor or juice.
-Store at room temperature or refrigerate in a single layer. Use within a day or two. Wash before removing green tops and only when ready to use.


Watermelon
-Should yield to slight pressure at the stem end. Sweet scent. Skin may be solid green, green-striped or mottled with white. Avoid melons that are very soft.
-Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Refrigerate after cutting.

Forkth Up:

Thpanish Tapath at Picaro

After a long day of travel throughout Nor Cal on Sunday, my boyfriend and I found ourselves playing dinner guide to one of his college friends visiting from Chicago. We’re on Nob Hill while homie was staying with friends in Bernal Heights so the Mission was an obvious choice of where to seek out some grub. We met at Casanova for a quick PBR and to discuss dinner options amidst the dim glory of crushed glass lamps and naked breasts painted on black velvet.
I told y’all we keep it classhy.

While tacos and cervesa sounded just fine by me, the Bernal Heights kids were over it (and rightfully so) and then shot down my suggestion for Tokyo Go Go cuz they’d had Japanese for lunch (dang it!). At this point we were standing out on the makeshift plywood Valencia St. sidewalk and someone mentioned Ramblas tapas restaurant just a couple doors down. As none of us had been there before, we concurred and were fixin’ to head over just as the creeper lurking behind us in the doorway of the bar said,

     “I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but you should go to Picaro if you want tapas.”
     “Oh that place across from the Roxie on 16th?” I asked. Creepy nodded in acknowledgement and since I know they have bomb sangria I turned on my heels and led the way.

I’d been to Picaro once before after a snowboard movie screening at the Roxie. It was probably 11:00 at night then and not much else had been open. Regardless of the hour I remember the staff being very friendly and the little food we got being tasty and served quickly. As soon as we walked in on Sunday it was clear that the service was still the same. The large dining room was pretty full and the wait and counter staff all greeted us upon arrival. The five of us were quickly seated in a window facing 16th St. and given water, French bread with aioli and menus.

The Spanish menu is chock full of items to satisfy just about anyone’s tastes! I was a little bummed to not see any octopus offered, but the significant number of well priced lobster dishes more than made up for the loss. We decided to go the family style route and ordered an array of vegetarian and seafood plates. Unfortunately, two of the items we requested were out (squid cooked in its own ink being the biggest letdown) but once the rest of the tapas arrived, we soon forgot about it!

Patatas Bravas

Almejas a la Plancha (grilled clams) were cooked to perfection in a light garlic-y sauce with parsley. The flavor was just smoky enough and the texture was nice and chewy without being slimy or weird (I can be pretty picky with my shellfish…). Patatas Bravas are a tapas staple and these did not disappoint. The deep fried potato cubes were well seasoned and the spicy aioli that topped them was creamy and rich. The Grilled Asparagus and Broccoli with Almonds were both fresh, tasty and simple. It was the Grilled Fresh Artichoke, however, which really took us by surprise! These were very thin cross sctions of the heart which still had a couple layers of inner leaves as well as all of the hairy choke. The pieces had been brushed with oil and simply grilled until lined. While they really didn’t look like much, they tasted incredible! It was a 100% artichoke flavor and the grilling left any sort of dip totally unnecessary. We were pretty shocked to see the choke spines and it was remarkable how they became edible when cooked in this way. These definitely went on the list for next time.

Finally, the crowning jewel of the meal arrived, a two person platter of Lobster Paella. 2 person? But, I thought you said there were five of you?! Well lemme tell you, after all of the samplings of delicious veggies and clams we’d just enjoyed, a two person paella was definitely large enough for us all to have a generous serving. The platter was topped with two splayed lobster tails as well several clams, peas and peppers. Since we’d been cheated out of our squid option in the tapas, we were all delighted to find a bunch of calamari cooked in with the rice. Much as I love a rare serving of lobster tail in front of me, I have to say that the squid was the best part of the paella. It had a wonderful waxy texture which was very reminiscent of my beloved octopus. We finished up our whole platter, two rounds of beautiful deep red sangria and left satisfied and happy for just $23 each.

Fanta-th-tico!

3120 16th St
San Francisco, CA 94103

Cheese, by Any Other Name

Every parent wishes to keep their child safe and protected for as long as possible—to shield them from the harsh realities and often unyielding evil of the world. Once that time comes, when the baby bird inevitably jumps from the nest, the parents hope and dream that their offspring will be equipped with at least enough guidance and knowledge to be able to make informed decisions based on a well balanced upbringing.

Despite my parents’ best efforts, however, my innocence was officially lost at about 6 yrs old. I didn’t see my first R rated movie, start prodigiously reading Stephen King novels or fall prey to some demented predator…no… the fall from naïveté that took place here occurred in the ballroom of the Northern Queen Inn, with a “cheese plate.”

I remember it like it was yesterday… We were at the famed Nevada City hotel for a wedding reception—outside the old wooden water wheel was aglow with an outline of twinkling lights. Inside, the guests swayed under a classic disco ball, myself twirling across the dance floor in a dress my mom had undoubtedly made. At a party which was already sparsely attended by anyone my own age, I didn’t really know any of the other kids. Plus, at one year old, my brother wasn’t much for conversation so I kept myself entertained by dancing about and making frequent trips to the hors d'oeuvres table—a boring party activity combo that continues to come in handy to this day!

It was on one such visit to the buffet that my life was irrevocably changed. My eyes flitted upon what I concluded could only be what the caterers were trying to pass off as a cheese plate. Having up until this point only been exposed to my mother’s rendition of this appetizer staple, I was accustomed to seeing beautifully garnished platters adorned with three dimensional cheese chunks of varying textures and colors. Needless to say, I was more than a little baffled by this black plastic tray before me, covered with uniform (already sliced!) pieces of white and orange cheeses and accompanied by the same kind of meat found in my lunch sandwiches for school. I noticed there was no bread. Weird…maybe someone had eaten it all? But, as a certified cheese fiend, who was I to judge?! I grabbed a slice of cheddar and twirled my way back onto the dance floor.

But wait… What was this!?

This slice of what I had assumed to be cheese was certainly unlike anything I had ever experienced. There was a soft creaminess to the flavor and a texture more akin to slightly dried out play doh than what got chopped off the big block at home. I halted my one girl do-si-do show and made my way out to the patio in order to get a closer look at this new culinary marvel.
My dad happened to be standing out there, chatting with another guest. Smiling, he asked,
    “What have you got there?” I silently held my discovery out to him and he quickly bent down to snatch a bite.

    “Mmmm! Cheese!” he exclaimed. He smiled warmly at me again before turning back to his acquaintance.

Ok, I thought to myself, so this really is cheese. That part I had gotten right. Now it was just a matter of figuring out what kind of cheese it was. I was certainly going to want to remember such things for future reference and fortunately I knew just the person to help with such an important identification.


    “Hey mom?”
    “Oh hi, sweetie. I saw you dancing out there. Are you having fun?” My mom held my brother on her lap and nibbled from a plate of goodies before her, occasionally giving Cory a little taste.
    “What kind of cheese is this?” I had no time for small talk. Although I offered her what I had left of my slice, she barely glanced at it before replying,
    “That’s American cheese.” I couldn’t help but notice she’d made the ID with a certain level of flippancy, as though this American cheese weren’t really cheese- “It’s not really cheese,” she added. I looked at her, perplexed.
    “Well,” she went on, “It’s not made with natural ingredients. There are lots of chemicals and no nutrition in it, that’s why we don’t buy it. And it tastes fake.”


I tossed the remains of my slice in my mouth, spun away and headed straight back to the food table. As far as I was concerned, if that was what fake and nutrition-less tasted like, then sign me up! Throughout the night I continued to grab slice after slice of the chemically goodness between jaunts back to the dance floor.
No longer a solo twirler beneath the disco ball stars, I knew I’d always have a trusty partner, Processed Cheese Product.