Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Where have all the women chefs gone?
The Chronicle 2010
Melissa Perello, who was a Rising Star chef in 2002, is one of the best known young female chefs
Funny thing happened at The Chronicle Food and Wine staff meeting yesterday, where we were discussing our annual "Rising Star" chef issue. While we were bantering names about, we realized that there were no women on the list.
The Bay Area has nurtured women chefs for decades, and they make up some of our best cooks — Loretta Keller, Nancy Oakes, Wendy Brucker and Traci Des Jardins, to name a few.
However, each year the ranks of women working their way up on the chef line has thinned. The young chef who has garnered the most publicity recently is Melissa Perello at Frances, who was a Rising Star in 2002 when she was 25. Unfortunately, we've found fewer and fewer coming behind her.
The Chronicle 2001
Madeleine Kamman claims men and women have different sensibilities in the professional kitchen
I know there are lots of reasons — cooking is a grueling profession and it's not conducive to child rearing. However, it's a true loss because women cooks are different, and bring a different sensibility to the professional kitchen. It may sound sexist, but I always refer back to Madeleine Kamman, who claimed that she could always tell when a woman was in the kitchen because they cook in a more humble, nurturing — but no less delicious — way.
So, aside from this post being an observation, it's also a kind of call to entry. I'm sure there must be talent we're overlooking. I'd love to hear from you about young Bay Area chefs who are not much older than 30 and who and are destined to be the stars of tomorrow.
Suggestions?
| Feb 09 at 05:11 AM
Monday, February 08, 2010
Should bread be free?
The Chronicle 2005
It often goes untouched, but bread is one of the items customers expect when they dine out
As restaurants struggle to keep costs in line, everything is put on the table; the question becomes whether or not bread should be one of those things.
I received an email from a restaurateur the other day asking: "Should EVERY (non-eastern) restaurant offer some sort of bread equivalent for free? This is one we often debate. At Flora in Oakland the other night I noticed italics at the bottom of the menu that said: "bread served upon request."
This is the perfect way to handle the situation. In previous posts I've advocated charging for the bread basket, but providing it to every diner is so ingrained that a $1 or $2 charge raises as much ire as if a restaurant were to charge for tap water. Some have tried both and it's a PR nightmare. It's probably not going to happen because it's one of the services most customers expect.
However, lots of people are watching their carb load and when bread is provided, it often goes largely untouched. I generally taste the bread, but leave it at that unless it's so good I can't help myself. It seems like a waste. Most of it is returned to the kitchen and dumped into the garbage.
| Feb 08 at 05:15 AM
Friday, February 05, 2010
Favorite dishes from my recent dining adventures
Since I dine out every night and taste dozens of dishes each week, I thought I'd make a practice of sharing some of my recent favorite dishes.
I have lots to share, but I struggled with this for a while because I take the pictures from my iPhone, trying to arouse as little attention as possible. Some of the pictures, I realize, are not of the highest quality, especially in the darker restaurants, but I hope they're good enough to give you visual cues about presentation.
So here's the first in what I hope will be a regular installment of some of the highlights of my recent dining experiences.
Michael Bauer 2010
Pork Belly at Redd
I've announced that I'm sick of pork belly, but this preparation makes me reconsider: At Redd, Richard Reddington places the gooey, caramelized slabs of meat on apple puree with shreds of burdock and a soy caramel sauce. The slice of steamed bun is a clever way to announce the east-west proclivity of this dish.
Michael Bauer 2010
Chawan Mushi at Kaygetsu in Menlo Park
I love the Japanese custard Chawan Mushi, and it's the highlight of the kaiseki menu at Kaygetsu in Menlo Park. Here, the silken custard is topped with codfish roe and a ponzu gelee.
Michael Bauer 2010
Tempura cardoon at Gather in Berkeley
On the blackboard above the kitchen at Gather, Chef Sean Baker writes that cardoons are underrated; he proves that in this dish where he fries the sticks in a tempura batter and places them on an almond pepper sauce with grilled scallions.
Michael Bauer 2010
Goat poached in whey at Meadowood in St. Helena
I love goat meat, but I particularly love the treatment it's given at the Restaurant at Meadowood. Christopher Kostow poaches the meat in whey and serves it with barley, dollops of goat cheese and tender blades of grass plucked from the vineyard.
Michael Bauer 2010
Chicken with savory bread pudding at Frances in San Francisco
Melissa Perello has created a very personal restaurant in Frances, where she blends the techniques she employeed at such places as the Fifth Floor with the homey food people love to eat. This is a perfect example: a roulade of chicken wrapped in crisp skin and fanned on savory bread pudding spiced with sage, apples and golden raisins. It tastes like a stuffing that's been handed down for generations.
| Feb 05 at 05:03 AM
Thursday, February 04, 2010
When should you expect an amuse bouche?
The Chronicle 2009
Spiced, crispy chickpeas are a pleasant amuse bouche at Nopalito
A reader wants to know about the amuse bouche:
I am hoping to get your thoughts on the amuse bouche — more specifically, what you think is appropriate in terms of size, flavors, etc.
I've noticed that it has become a popular trend for even moderately priced restaurants and is no longer reserved for the 7+ course prix-fixers. Love the idea and it makes everyone at the table feel special to receive something seemingly made just for him, for free, directly from the chef (even if everyone else in the restaurant gets one too.) but some restaurants seem to do it just for the sake of offering SOMEthing.
For example, Nopa is a favorite restaurant of mine but the first time I dined there, the server brought out a halved radish (a SMALL halved radish!) with several grains of sea salt and — with the utmost sincerity — proclaimed, "compliments of the chef to cleanse your palate". We nearly broke out in laughter (though quickly devoured the radish).
On the other end of the spectrum, I recently had dinner at Eleven Madison Park in NY, and a trio of salty snacks (house-cured olives, homemade potato chips, mixed nuts) arrived simply because we asked for the cocktail list. Granted, Eleven Madison is a higher price point, but this amuse was much more fitting.
La Folie has a fantastic amuse bouche program with their prix fixe,virtually three more courses sometimes, but you do pay for it.
The reader made the point that the amuse bouche is becoming standard at most moderately priced restaurants. I don't necessarily agree, particularly in the last year as all restaurants are paying attention to their pennies.
The idea of the amuse bouche is curious: it's become an expected part of the meal at high end restaurants, and it's a nice surprise at less expensive places.
As for Nopa bringing the radishes: My understanding is that the radish was a pleasant way to deliver salt to the table. I love radishes, so I appreciate even that small gesture. However,restaurants in its price range don't usually offer the amuse. (Although, at its sister restaurant Nopalito, chef Laurence Jossel offers a little dish of crisp, spiced chickpeas to every table.)
Some restaurants, such as Firefly, will bring a substantial spread for the bread, and Jackson Fillmore has become famous for the hearty bruschetta topped with tomatoes and basil that they send out to each diner. Comparing restaurants like Nopa to Eleven Madison Park isn't fair — main courses at Nopa run $13-$26; a three course fixed price menu at Eleven Madison Park is $88.
La Folie is also the type of place where an amuse is considered standard. Anytime most main courses start at $25 and go up from there, the more likely diners will be rewarded with a little bite before the meal. Even then I don't expect it, but if something arrives, it's a pleasant surprise.
| Feb 04 at 05:05 AM
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Restaurant names that make us scratch our heads
The Chronicle 2009
The name Heaven's Dog may be the butt of a few jokes, but nobody forgets it
Here's an email that got me thinking about restaurant names, and how they are as trendy as pork belly on an appetizer list:
I can't help but notice an increasingly annoying trend with regards to naming restaurants. It seems to have started with the bloody highway names — A16, then B44, Mina's RN74 and now a new place that's about to open in Oakland's Temescal called SR24 (after Highway 24 for christsakes)!
The other annoying trend is restaurants with the word "Bar" — Bar Crudo, Bar Tartine, Bar Bambino, Barbacco, etc. You'd think that people in a creative industry such as food could come up with something a bit more original.
I find it confusing and I would think that naming your restaurant something that makes it stand out from the pack would require a little more creative investment. Maybe these people are just too tired at the end of the day to care.
Any thoughts?
I couldn't agree more. Remember a few years ago when the trend was to name restaurants after tableware: Spoon, Tablespoon, Fork? That trend pretty much died along with the restaurants. Only one is still around — Spork — and I kind of like that one.
A few decades ago everything French was named Chez, as in Chez Panisse. A few survive: Chez Papa and Chez Spencer, for example, but the trend has passed.
Nature has been an inspiration for a lot of names: Firefly, Butterfly and Zare at Fly Trap; and seasonal names: Seasons, Three Seasons, Four Seasons,and Cafe for All Seasons; and food names: Quince, Basil, Lime and the like.
The Chronicle 2007
My favorite onomatopoeia: Plouf
The most creative collection of names? Charles Phan and his Slanted Door, Heaven's Dog and Out the Door. You may not like them, but at least they're memorable.
Here are a few others:
My favorite onomatopoeia: Plouf. It sounds like something associated with water.
Most intriguing: Baker and Banker. It's named after the owners, but until you know that it feels like a law firm or a place you might go to take out a loan for some very high priced pastries.
Most confusing: Ruth's Chris Steak House. Ruth Fertel purchased the Chris Steak House in New Orleans in 1965. By 1976 she wanted to expand but was forbidden in her contract to use that name in more than one location, so she renamed the place Ruth's Chris, and a chain was born.
So what's on your list of the most annoying names?
| Feb 03 at 05:17 AM
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
What San Francisco restaurants could learn from Philadelphia
Michael Bauer 2010
Zahav serves modern Israeli cuisine, and the cauliflower is only one of the dishes I'd love to find here
I just got back from a long weekend in Philadelphia, and I didn't see a single nettle on the menu. It was a very enlightening trip. Traveling to other cities is one of the most important aspects of a critic's education. When we don't get out, it's easy to take for granted what we do well in the Bay Area, and not focus on the things we're missing.
There's a lot of excitement on the dining scene in Philadelphia these days, and it was impossible to cover all the new places that had opened. I was there with friends and colleagues from around the country, so we'd go out at night and compare notes the next day.
I could write several posts on my meals, but I'll cut to the important part: the elements of the dining experience that made me wish we had something similar here.
First thing I'd do if I had my way is to plunk Zahav down South of Market near my house. Michael Solomonov offers his interpretation of Israeli food, in a space that has an industrial edge with large windows overlooking Society Hill, an open wood oven and a kitchen sequestered behind paned glass, where diners can sit at the counter and watch the heated action.
On entering, diners see Solomonov warming his back in front of the oven as he rolls out flatbread and places it in the oven where it quickly puffs and browns. He then removes it and loosely drapes the hot bread next to the creamiest, most intensely flavored hummus I've encountered. The small plates menu also includes such items as cauliflower that's browned to a mahogany hue and accented with yogurt flavored with chives, dill, garlic and mint; crispy haloumi with dates and pinenuts; and grape leaves stuffed with veal.
Chifa showcases Jose Garces Peruvian/Cantonese food in another stylish restaurant that features a collection of blue and white jars covering the walls and huge industrial fans hanging from the ceiling. I'd love to see his red curry with king crab, tofu, eggplant, coconut and jasmine rice show up on a menu here. His ceviches are pretty special too, but at least we have similar items at places like La Mar and Limon.
Michael Bauer 2010
Mortadella mousse from Amis
From Amis, which is Mark Vetri's new Roman trattoria that's been open only about two weeks and has a very San Francisco vibe, I'd love to transport the mortadella mousse, where the whipped charcuterie has the texture of whipped butter, served with slices of toasted baguette. I also long for someone to recreate the artichokes, where the frilly ends are browned and crisp, giving way to a nutty, soft interior.
At the sister restaurant, Vetri, I had the tasting menu that included a haunch of baby goat. Vetri procures animals that are between 16 and 21 pounds and slow roasts them over mesquite. They're strongly flavored but the sweetness of the meat still shines.
The polished, knowledgeable service orchestrated by Kristina Burke at James is another thing I'd like to send to San Francisco. In fact, at all of the places I was impressed by the professionalism of the staff. When it comes to food, I longingly remember Jim Burke's tender ribbons of pasta lightly tossed with duck ragout, shaved chocolate and orange. We ordered it as a challenge, and gave up any pretense of doubt about his talent with the first bite.
Michael Bauer 2010
Soft Pretzel from Miller's
And then there are the local specialties: the soft, buttery pretzels that are the best I've ever tasted from Miller's in the Reading Terminal Market, and John's Roast Pork, where owner John Bucci, Jr. carries on a tradition started by his father in 1930.
The seasoned meat is sliced thin and piled into a soft bun with sharp provolone. I also fell in love with the cheesesteak and the fried chicken wings, generously coated with fine bread crumbs mixed with paprika, cayenne and salt, and then fried to a resonate crunch. These are a relatively new addition and found their way onto the menu when the restaurant added a fryer in 1988.
Yet, something like Philly cheesesteak connotes such a strong sense of place, it may be one of those dishes best preserved in its own locale. It only gives us another excuse to go to Philadelphia.
| Feb 02 at 05:02 AM
Monday, February 01, 2010
Adding a little sting to the cuisine
The Chronicle 2003
Wild stinging nettles are finding a place on many Bay Area menus
Recently, we started seeing wild stinging nettles growing in our rooftop garden, and I realized that these herbal, slightly nutty "weeds" have been showing up on dishes all over the Bay Area. As the season progresses through the winter and spring, I have a feeling that just about every Bay Area menu will be stung.
These plants get their name because if you don't pick them right, you'll get quite a surprise, but when you eat them it's a different story.
The Chronicle 2005
The nettle pizza at the Cafe at Chez Pannise
I first had them on a pizza at the Cafe at Chez Panisse about five years ago, but in the last few years I've seen them more and more, along with such once hard-to-find items as sea beans and purslane, a succulent.
It seems to be at home on many pizzas in the Bay Area, including one of my favorites at Gialina, where the nettles are joined with pancetta, mushrooms, red onions and aged provolone.
At Osteria Stellina in Point Reyes Station, the nettles pizza is accentuated with hand-pulled mozzarella. At Pizzaiolo in Oakland the flavor is modulated with fresh ricotta.
Others use it in different ways. Michael Tusk at Quince does a ravioli with six fillings - beet, nettles, pumpkin, ricotta, sunchoke and celery root. Chris Kronner at Bar Tartine makes them part of the sauce with gnocchi along with trumpet mushrooms, walnuts and cotija cheese.
Jamie Lauren at Absinthe makes nettle spaetzle and pairs it with scallops, ham hock and mustard sauce. In the same vein, Jesse Mallgren at Madrona Manor makes nettle spaetzle to go with a tasting of rabbit. However, the most unusual preparation I've had is at the French Laundry, where Timothy Hollingsworth makes it into a rich, creamy vibrant green soup.
| Feb 01 at 05:12 AM
Friday, January 29, 2010
Step up to the table and let the chef cook
The Chronicle 2009
Michael Chiarello, or his chefs at Bottega in Yountville, will produce a special meal each night at a new chef's table
Yesterday, The Chronicle reported in Inside Scoop that beginning February 26th, Commis in Oakland will serve a kitchen counter tasting menu that changes every night. Prices will vary depending on the night, but the menu will be limited to six people, and it will be different from the three course, fixed price menu served in the dining room.
There's nothing new about fixed price menus, but this represents the newest permeation in the chef's tasting menu, where the chef cooks a special meal specifically for the table. It seems to be a growing trend.
Earlier this week, I got a press release announcing that Michael Chiarello is introducing a chef's table at Bottega in Yountville. The marble table is located next to the open kitchen, and each night he or one of his chefs will prepare a special five course menu for the day.
In the release, Chiarello explains it this way: "I'm often asked by diners: 'what would I eat?' so I have created that experience through the Chef's Table menus. It's a very Italian practice of creating a personal meal for your guests, but in a restaurant setting."
A couple of weeks ago I visited Traci des Jardins' new restaurant, Manzanita at Tahoe, and noticed a counter next to the open kithchen, with a series of induction burners on the other side. The maitre d' told me that once the restaurant is established, diners will be able to sit at the counter and watch the chef prepare a special menu specifically for them.
Remember the days when we wanted to dine out so we could get out of the kitchen? Now open kitchens aren't enough, we want to be as close to the action as possible; and we don't even have to do the dishes (at least not yet).
| Jan 29 at 05:00 AM
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Singing the praises of Richard Reddington at Redd
The Chronicle 2008
Richard Reddington prepares one of his specialties at Redd in Yountville
I've always enjoyed going to Redd, not only for Richard Reddington's blend of Western and Asian ingredients, but because of the sleek, modern surroundings that stand out even more in a rural setting.
As I reported yesterday, a $60,000 ceiling handled the noise problem that plagued the restaurant since opening, and as a recent visit indicated, Reddington's cooking is better than ever. The 5-course, $75 tasting menu, in fact, seems like one of the best quality/value deals in the Napa Valley.
The menu is a combination of dishes he pulls from the menu and those he makes specifically for the tasting menu. However, everyone at the table still gets something different, and if the dishes are matched with wines, which I recommend, it's an additional $45 per person.
Michael Bauer 2010
John Dory over coconut jasmine rice at Redd
Our tasting started with hamachi sashimi draped over sticky rice with edamame and lime ginger sauce, or yellow fin tuna tartare with refreshing bits of Asian pear, chile oil and bits of crispy fried rice.
His beautifully crafted John Dory is another winner. The fish is draped over a mound of coconut jasmine rice, surrounded by clams and small pieces of chorizo which flavor but don't overpower the fish, and a saffron curry sauce.
His menu also includes such things as prime steak sliced next to a square of crusty short rib meat with dry farmed potatoes, red wine jus and horseradish cream served on the side.
And for dessert, Nicole Plue — one of the top pastry chefs in the United States — creates such things as a square of peanut butter milk chocolate gianduja with a peanut butter and honeycomb parfait served in a glass the size of a votive candle, and a pudding-like ganache ladled over salted peanuts.
So, it seems that not only has Redd defused the noise bomb, but the food is so good I can sing its praises even louder.
| Jan 28 at 05:02 AM
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Redd and other restaurants drop the bomb
The Chronicle 2005
Redd in Yountville maintains its sleek, modern look, but the noise problem has been fixed
What I love about my blog is that often the comments are better than the actual post. If you look near the bottom of Friday's post on noise in restaurants, you'll see a really interesting comment from Greg Lindgren, detailing the inside facts on how a restaurant like A16 tries to deal with the noise factor when they're also juggling tight budgets and spaces that don't lend themselves to decibel-abatement efforts.
I also received emails and letters from others in the business, and their thoughts are worth sharing. Jeff Banker, who went into the Quince space and opened Baker and Banker with his wife, said:
The noise dilemma is especially difficult for a new restaurant such as Baker and Banker. When we took over the Quince space, there was much work to be done, as you can imagine. Noise proofing is not inexpensive. It runs anywhere from $5000 for unattractive noise paneling to $18,000 for fabric similar to what was used at SPQR. Our customers' comfort is essential to us. It is not that we chose to ignore the matter, but starting up a new business is a risky endeavor (especially a restaurant in San Francisco) and we felt it best to wait to see how our business would be received before making the investment.
We do care immensely and do plan to add noise proofing in the future as soon as cash flow is positive and the business is self-sustaining.
I then received a letter from Guy Rebentisch, the general manager of Redd, one of the eight top 100 restaurants I listed that earned the bomb rating, meaning that the place is simply too loud for comfortable conversation.
The construction of Redd lasted most of 2005. As the project progressed and the costs mounted, the budget faced careful and repeated scrutiny. The concern was how to cut costs without affecting the integrity of the design. So, with one slash of the red pencil, the acoustical ceiling was gone.
Shortly after our opening, it became resoundingly apparent that the guests complaints, negative word of mouth and loss of local support were far more costly than the $20,000 saved in construction cost by eliminating the acoustical ceiling. We struggled through 2006 at rock concert volume levels, all the time assuring our guests that we were painfully aware of the noise problems and were looking for ways to solve them.
Finally, in January of 2007, we closed Redd for 10 days to install a BASW Aphon ceiling (fiberglass insulation base with microsphere plaster). At three times the cost of the original budget savings, this truly amazing product has solved our noise problem. Now I can happily report that "the bomb" at Redd has been defused.
I can attest to the remarkable difference. Last year when I ate there at brunch, the restaurant wasn't crowded so I didn't notice, but last weekend I had dinner and even with a nearly full dining room, everyone could talk easily and be heard. Still, the room, which has white walls, gray ceilings and hardwood floor, looked as sleek and modern as ever.
Tomorrow: Read about Richard Reddington's food at Redd.
| Jan 27 at 05:03 AM
