most.delicious.food.ever.(maybe)

In San Francisco last weekend meeting friends, we stopped in at the South Market wine bar and restaurant Bacar for a quick meal. I have been there once, and remember it being a nice meal with an excellent wine list, but I do not remember being of this caliber. This meal was the best meal I have had in a long time. Interesting choices, well prepared and cooked meats, top class service and consideration...I was really floored by the experience.

http://www.bacarsf.com/



We started with a beautiful bottle of 2004 pinot noir from hope & grace vineyards, it was great. Full bodied for a pinot, deep and delicious but not overpowering in the company of chicken and fish. Love the balloon glasses, I could drink diet coke or coffee out of these daily.


Because you never see this rustic and earthy item on a menu in California (I never have, as a dish unto itself anyway) I HAD to order the bone marrow. It was delectable, silky and luscious...a treat after all the walking of the past two days. I spread it on the wheat bread crostini it came with and it was perfect with sprgs of parsley to add a touch of grassy green flavor.



My constant dining and sleeping companion ordered the "warm mushroom salad", which was a misnomer. It was really a frisee au lardons, with warm wild mushrooms and butter lettuce added to the frisee. It looked gorgeous, and he swears it was yumminess. Two pics, one for the presentation and one for the good bits at the bottom!

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For mains, I ordered the oven-roasted chicken and he ordered the salmon. Both were exceptional. The chicken was perfectly cooked, juicy with crisp skin served over a genius bed of chicken livers, warm green grapes, slivered green beans and candied walnuts with a reduced chicken jus...and along the side of the plate was a pureed sauce of walnuts and bread, soft an subtle flavor, warm homey texture. I would fly back to SF just for this dish. Why do I love chicken so? It tastes....just like chicken.



The salmon seemed well paired if not well cooked. Not well cooked for a barbarian, anyway. My companion cannot eat any meat that is not cooked within an inch of charcoal So he sent back the lovely slightly pink salmon so they could scorch it to his liking. It came back served over lovely little fingerling potatoes and honeydew melon. I love the idea of pairing the salmon with the honeydew..sweetness and light with that unique flavor and fatty texture of salmon. Nice. I didn't taste it because I don't always want to share food. Usually because I order what I want to eat. I see no reason to share. Unless yours looks better than mine.



Last but not least was the cheese course (for me) and the chocolate "looks like a gooey pile of sugary junk from Ralph's" dessert for him. I never understand this type of dessert. If I want chocolate, I want something simple like a chocolate mousse or chocolat pot de creme. Whatevs! My cheese was great, some kind of tomato rubbed pecorino.

Weird and Wonderful Things About Tokyo

My first visit to Japan was indeed a trip. I am comfortable and happy almost anywhere I go, I behave myself as an "ugly American", attempt to speak the native language, and obey both local and universal customs. However, none of my world travels prepared me well for Tokyo. Tokyo is so many things, in so many parts of the city, that once you get used to the customs and flavor of one neighborhood you are quickly adjusting to the next. It is genteel, mild mannered and steeped in tradition, wildly exotic and kinky, luxurious and frugal.


Some cool things about Tokyo:

Diet Coke out of a vending machine with a screw top lid. Isn't it pretty? Small things amuse the small minded. What can I say? Light Taste & Refreshing.





This truck advertising a new song by the band, "Arashi" haunted our tracks for days. The sound of the new single "Happiness" blasted into the air in neighborhoods as far and wide as Shinjuku, Omotesando and as far east as Ropponggi.





Bathrooms are an experience unto themselves. In a ritzy department store in Ginza, when a customer sits on the seat the music of a running stream and chirping birds plays to drown out the sound of any untoward flatulence. In nearly any westernized locale, the toilets are equipped with seat warmers and a bidet with three choices of stream direction and intensity. And in a final thoughtful gesture, I noticed several toilets accesorized with emergency systems. If your flatulence, nausea or bird flu gets the best of you, pull on the red emergency chord and help will come running.





Lastly for today, boobie pillows.



That.is.all.

Saturday Night Lights, Wahiawa, Hawaii

High school football. The fanfare, the pageantry, the excitement, suspense and adolescent intention is a weekly autumnal event that is commonly staged across the green athletic fields of Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Americana plays itself out in common ways in the stands and at the sidelines in New Mexico, Florida and Maine. Quarterbacks, cheerleaders, the waterboy, the pig skin, and the omniprescent stage parent screaming out directives to the coach from the first row of the bleachers.

Watching these archetypes skew themselves in Wahiawa, Hawaii has made my week, maybe even my trip. Natives take for granted that their version of this play is not unique, giving themselves credit for their mimicry but failing to note the stark juxtapositions between the paradigm of American high school football mainland style and the simulacrum of high school football Hawaii style.



Wahiawa, Hawaii is a small rural town of 16,000 people, about halfway between the south shore tourist mecca of Waikiki and the north shore town of Kahuku, a famous surfing destination reknowned for big waves and anti-hale sentiment. The view from the stands is stunningly beautiful, to start with. From where I sit, I see rain forest trees, mountains built from the lava rock of a hot spot volcano, and the threat of mercurial tropical skies overhead. The kids are a dazzling mix of ethnicities. Hawaaian, Japanese, Samoan, African American, Phillippino, and even the occasional Caucasian face thrown in to the mix. But the majority of the students stem from a medley of genetic combinations of all the above and more. The culture of the game and the island is in perfectly aligned to the harmonious mosaic on the field. A true diversity of people, ideas and habits that astounds the senses of someone who was raised in suburban middle class unexotic Northern California.

Food? What would 2 hours of football be without snacks? Hot dogs? Cotton candy? Popcorn? Um, no. There are no hot dogs at the football game. They serve egg rolls, lumpia and fried rice at the food stand. My dad treated us to a snack from his favorite deli in town. Again, a mixing of Hawaiian & Japanese in the form of poki sushi. Anywhere else I might just call it spicy tuna sushi, but this is poki. The nicely textured chunks of square cut ahi tuna, mixed with a generous portion of tobiko and whatever else makes it hot and savory. It comes in two forms of spiciness, "mild" and "creeps up on you and make you breathe fire".





"Creeps up on you" is at the top, and "mild is on the bottom. We ate every morsel and it was delicious. Our team lost, but have you ever seen a cuter receiver?

Here's to you, John, on your 50th!

Sunday evening we spent some quiet time watching both the Dodgers and the bartender at the Echo Park El Compadre refill our drinks.




How often do you have to go and how well do you have to tip to become the kind of client whose glass is filled without asking and with whom the bartender knocks back shots? I have no clue, but we got often, drink lots and tip well.

I could say more, but there is really nothing to add. Happy Birthday my dear, dear friend John. We love you!

Eating at the Bar at the Jar on Beverly

Last Friday night as we swung by The Jar on Beverly, and the siren song of Suzanne Tracht's way with meat and Margo's martinis beckoned. We headed into the packed bar, bellied up and patiently awaited seats. People watching west of La Brea is a novelty for me at this point, so I was wholly entertained by the west-ish side gentry and the obligatory celebrity. Link from the Mod Squad was sitting next to me, and I have to say he is looking well.

http://www.thejar.com/


About the food! We started with a trio of appetizers. First up was a lobster corndog, surrounded thickly by a light textured, almost tempura-esque batter, then fried to a deep and puffy golden brown. Said dog was partnered with a cucumber mignonette and a small bowl of freshly grated horseradish. It seemed freshly grated to me, due to the water content and soft almost fluffy texture and creamy color.




The second appetizer we dug into were the shrimp crabcakes. These had a nice soft crispness around the outside and a high crab/shrimp ratio. You could bite into huge chunks of crab, and the shrimp seemed to be used to help hold the thing together. An excellent rendition.















Margo also sent us out a pair of the yummilicious crab deviled eggs. I would like to say that by adding crab, herbs and just a hint of her own special flair, Tracht creates a deviled egg that rises above their white trash roots into something sublime and refined. But I can't say that. These are simply trailer park glory. Nothing more, nothing less. I love 'em.


I also indulged myself in 6 oysters of unknown origin with an unusual mignette. It had a real smokey flavor and was dark, almost like a balsamic vinegar but not as opaque. Good oysters don't need a mignette, but this was fun to try.

















We were a little disappointed in our shared entree. We ordered the 16 oz bone in filet of beef with lobster bearnaise and mustard greens. The waiter who took our order assured us no one enjoys this piece of beef medium or medium-well, and it is only properly served medium-rare. After much conversation, we gave in. But is was served literally blue. Cold in the center. I don't mind too much, I'll take my beef where I can get it. But my dining companion was unable to get past the deep red flesh and the trickling blood on the white plate.

Champagne and chocolate mousse can make up for a host of evils.

Front Loading for Tokyo

To properly prepare my tastebuds for Japan, I am embarking on a Japanese food-fest right here in Los Angeles. The food-fest started approximately 12 years ago when I moved here, as I eat Japanese at least 2x a week. However, for the next two weeks, I am stepping it up a notch! Last night I ate at Geisha House, a trendy bi-level multi theme restaurant owned by the Dolce group.

http://www.geishahousehollywood.com/aboutus.htm

While I am not a fan of the Dolce group restaurants, I have loved Geisha House since the day I walked in the door opening week. Geisha House has a sake bar, a classic looking sushi bar, a huge two floor dining room with a two story fire place and several private rooms encased in glass. In the private rooms, I always feel like I am eating in a Japanese jewelry box.

I arrived prior to my dinner companions, as is often the case, to enjoy a leisurely cocktail and soak in the atmosphere. I sat in the sake bar and sipped a well deserved ice cold Grey Goose martini and enjoyed a little downtime.

Dinner was spectacular! We ordered particularly well this trip. Usually we over order, because there are so many delicious things on the menu and it is small plate style. We started with eda mame, of course, and my three companions slurped at delicious bowls of miso soup (very heavy on the miso, a rich textured broth) with seaweed, cubes of soft tofu, and long king crab legs practically crawling out of the bowl. Beautiful! Next we shared two large rolls. One called the Heaven with chopped toro, special tuna and spicy tuna rolled in cucumber instead of seaweed. The second is called the Pink Lady Bubu which is made with arare shrimp, cucumber, gold tobiko and spicy crab with eel sauce drizzled over the top. I also insisted that they try the shishito peppers, small tangy green peppers slightly deep fried (no batter) so the skins just slip off in your mouth. DE-lish.

The smartest thing we did was order four orders of the filet mignon instead of trying four different small plates entrees.
It was so delicious. It was a just right portion of filet mignon, marinated and grilled, then served with a light soy, garlic and sesame dipping sauce.It was simple and so great tasting I wouldn't have wanted to share any with someone else.

One of my dining companions brought a special beverage to drink with our meals. Now, I love all kinds of dry sake, hot and cold. But I must say I was a little skecptical when he pulled out a bottle of Hana Lychee Sake. Visions of Japanese wine coolers were dancing in my head. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the first taste. The flavor was floral and a hair fruity, but not in any way sweet or cloying. Think a hint of rosewater or orange flower water rather than syrupy lychee flavoring. It stood up beautifully to the marinated steak without overpowering the more delicate appetizers. And is there a lovelier buzz than a sake buzz? A nice low alcohol fuzziness. I would order this sake any time, and if I can find it in one of the Asian markets by my house I am stocking up. http://www.hanaflavoredsake.com/index2.html

For dessert we ordered the Rice flour banana fritters which was basically a half banana fried in a tempura mix with caramel and chocolate sauce, the presentation was slightly messy looking but it was delicious.

We also ordered the molten chocolate cake, which was served in a bento box with a healthy scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. The presentation was just lovely, but the flavor was a little lacking. The cake part was a hair dry and there was not enough molten action happening in the center. But presenting a dessert in a bento box with a lid is such a lovely idea I may have to pick some of these up to have on hand at home

Testing, Testing...1-2-3!

While sitting at work all week, alternating between looking at posts on Craiglist, planning my upcoming trip and trying to spread out the small amount of work that needed to be done by me this week, a light bulb went on. Now is the perfect time to start my much ruminated upon blog. I have wanted to be a food writer for several years. However, I thoroughly enjoy the job that I have and for now am committed to it. Blogging about the food that I eat, experience and cook, the adventures that I have and the grog that I quaff will hopefully fulfill that desire and also be a great project to embark upon. Context and purpose for my vices, if you will.



I am leaving on my trip two weeks from today. In preparation, my friend Jan suggested I look at a website called The Universal Packing List. http://upl.codeq.info/ There you input the destination, date, predicted weather, potential activities, and various other details. UPL generates a list of both items to pack and chores that need to be done prior to leaving. My list for this trip was 90+ items.



Among the more obscure are the following:

• Being that the highs will be 90 and lows about 70, I find advice to bring tights on the odd side. Where will I be wearing tights when it is 90 degrees and high humidity?

• More entertaining I find is the advice to bring a fleece sweater. Fleece is advised in particular because it can double as a head wrap during cool evenings. I love the idea of myself walking around the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo with a blue fleece sweater wrapped around my head.

• Social Insurance. Is this insurance against being a social outcast? What is one insured against if they have a social insurance policy? Sounds suspiciously EU to me.

• It's not so much the advice to bring a corkscrew that I find entertaining, but more the directions on how to use one. I throw my head back in laughter.

One item that has me flummoxed is item #13, Get Maps. The UPL suggests that I get any maps I might need at home. Here is the issue. Will the maps need to be in Japanese? I don't read Japanese. If I get the maps in English, will I know where I am going because when I get there everything will be in Japanese? Meaning characters, of course, as opposed to being translated in to the Latin alphabet. Interesting.