NYE Dinner at Zuppa!

My necessities for an awesome New Year's Eve: (1) champagne, (2) festive decorations, (3) practical resolutions, and (4) a scrumptious meal with great company. This year, I decided to have my NYE meal at San Francisco's Zuppa, a cozy, intimate Italian restaurant with dishes that are as fresh as they are comforting. And at $40 for a prix fixe five-course dinner, it was well worth the money too!

As we entered the restaurant, we could immediately see the NYE cheer. Balloons bobbed playfully from chairs, and each table was decorated with confetti, party favors, and ridiculous hats that people would only wear for NYE, or maybe a bachelor's party.

Complimentary bite from the kitchen

I believe this was some kind of peppered smoked salmon and pickled radish? In any case, it got our palettes going with a mix of salty, smoky, and sour tastes.

I don't understand why more restaurants don't serve their bread with this simple cheese spread. Ricotta cheese by itself is already a creamy, fluffy treat, but the olive oil and pepper added another layer of flavor here.

Insalata - Insalata di Arugula
baby arugula, pecorino grand cru, shaved sunchokes, 15-year balsamic vinegar

I loved the pecorino (a hard, salty Italian cheese) and balsamic vinegar in this salad, but I was looking for an ingredient that would tone down the bitterness of the arugula, like tomatoes or a citrus fruit.

Antipasta - Zuppa di Sunchoke
jerusalem artichoke soup, aged goat cheese crouton

A great soup for the artichoke lover. The earthy flavor of the artichokes took center stage, accentuated by the subtle nuttiness of the goat cheese croutons.

Primi - Sugo con Coda di Bue
housemade egg pasta, braised oxtail, toasted breadcrumbs

Just like momma would've made! Wide strips of egg pasta cooked to al dente perfection and topped with shredded oxtail bits and breadcrumbs for a light crunch. The broth was a bit disappointing, though ... not enough salt or oxtail flavor.

Secondi - Osso Bucco di Maiale
niman ranch pork shank, black trumpet mushrooms, vin cotto

The pork meat was so tender that it just fell right off the bone. I thought "vin cotto" refererred to some kind of drinkable wine used for cooking, but upon research, I learned that it literally means "cooked wine." It's basically liquid made from slow-cooking and reducing grape must over a period of many hours. The resulting liquid is sweet and pairs well with meats.

Dolce - Spice Apple Cake
apple cider caramel, vanilla gelato

Dessert consisted of a soft apple cake with conspicuous cinnamon and nutmeg flavors, and a dollop of creamy vanilla gelato on the side. Orbiting the cake and the gelato were shiny rings of caramel that had been cooked down with a touch of apple cider. Delish!

Overall, this meal was a great way to commemorate 2008 and usher in 2009. For the new year, I'm going to try to make it a habit to write down what I'm thankful for each day (kind of like Thanksgiving for the whole year). And of course, I'm going to continue sharing my eating adventures here. Happy new year!

Zuppa
564 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 777-5900
www.zuppa-sf.com

Breakfast at Judy's

I have never been a morning person. I'm one of those shameless sleepaholics who keep hitting snooze and hugging my pillow until the last possible minute before reluctantly dragging myself from the warm nest of my bed. But there are some things that I happily wake up for, like shopping sprees, dim sum with the family, yoga class, road trips, and a really tasty breakfast. And a great place for breakfast or brunch in the city is Judy's Homestyle Cafe.

There's an eye-popping selection of omelets and scrambled egg breakfasts, along with other classics like french toast, and lighter choices like fruit and cheese plates. The omelets were wonderful -- soft, fluffy eggs stuffed with cheeses and other yummy fillings.

Spanish Omelet | salsa, sour cream, jack and cheddar cheeses

Farmhand Omelet | ham, onion, home-fried potatoes, jack and cheddar cheeses

Bacon Etc Omelet | bacon, avocado, sour cream, jack and cheddar cheeses

Each breakfast dish comes with your choice of a homemade pumpkin loaf, blueberry muffin, english muffin, or toast. At my friend's recommendation, I tried the pumpkin loaf, which turned out to be the most memorable part of my meal. The loaf had a lovely texture, with the sweetness of pumpkin and a slight touch of cinnamon. It was like pumpkin pie in bread form!

Pumpkin loaf

So if you ever need something to wake up to, keep this place in mind! And happy holidays!

Judy's Homestyle Cafe
2268 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 922-4588

Zushi Puzzle

I have found the best place in San Francisco (so far) for sashimi. Go sit at the sushi bar at Zushi Puzzle, headed by a friendly Chinese fellow named Roger, and you'll taste what I mean. The fish was incredibly fresh -- sometimes we had the pleasure of watching Roger pull out the whole fish and slice it open in front of us to serve. Not only was the fish fresh, but we also got to try some "exotic" fish varieties that you wouldn't normally find at your regular sushi joint. So exotic that I forgot the names of some of the fish, so I apologize.

Hamachi and salmon


Mackerel

Trout

Butterfish (AMAZING!)


Butter Face Roll (spicy tuna and cucumber topped with butterfish and spicy sauce)

Some roll with hamachi, avocado, and unagi

And of course, no sushi meal is complete without ... uni!

Zushi Puzzle
1910 Lombard Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 931-9319
www.zushipuzzle.com

Uva Enoteca

Most of my friends, as well as careful readers of this blog, know that I adore wine. I'm generally more familiar with New World wines, and I know the big names in the French regions. But I've only recently begun to dabble in Italian varietals, so I was excited when Uva Enoteca opened up in the Lower Haight. It's a charming restaurant and wine bar that is both classy and cozy, with an extensive wine list, simple but flavorful food, and very friendly staff.

Our waiter really knew his stuff -- he asked me for my preferences in varietal, flavor, and body, and was able to make several recommendations based on my comments. And of course, you can have a small taste of any wine before committing to a glass.

The food was also fantastic, with a menu that included Italian appetizers, pizzas, paninis, and a drool-worthy selection of cheeses and crafted meats.

Complimentary olives

Pancetta, chicken, and gorgonzola panini ($8) -- so heavenly!

Assorted meats ($16-35)

Three cheeses with honey and fruit spreads ($12)

In keeping with the Italian theme, I'll end this entry with an excerpt from one of my favorite books, "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert:

Americans don’t know how to do nothing. This is the cause of that great sad American stereotype – the overstressed executive who goes on vacation but who cannot relax. I once asked Luca Spaghetti if Italians on vacation have that same problem. He laughed so hard he almost drove his motorbike into a fountain. “Oh no!” he said. “We are masters of il bel far niente.” This is a sweet expression. Il bel far niente means “the beauty of doing nothing.”

Now listen – Italians have traditionally always been hard workers, especially those long-suffering laborers known as braccianti (so called because they had nothing but the brute strength of their arms – braccie – to help them survive in the world). But even against that backdrop of hard work, il bel far niente has always been a cherished Italian ideal. The beauty of doing nothing is the goal of all your work, the final accomplishment for which you are most highly congratulated. The more exquisitely and delightfully you can do nothing, the higher your life’s achievement. You don’t necessarily need to be rich in order to experience this, either. There’s another wonderful Italian expression: l’arte d’arrangiarsi – the art of making something out of nothing. The art of turning a few simple ingredients into a feast, or a few gathered friends into a festival. Anyone with a talent for happiness can do this, not only the rich.

Uva Enoteca
568 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 829-2024
www.uvaenoteca.com

Thai Cooking Class!

One of my favorite experiences in Thailand was a wonderful cooking class I took in Kanchanaburi. I was staying at a guesthouse run by two friendly women named Apple and Noi. In addition to taking care of the finances of the establishment, Noi also taught a cooking course that was popular enough to get a mention in Lonely Planet's guidebook for Thailand. So I definitely could not pass up the chance to learn how to cook from a local chef!

Luckily for us, the cooking class took place in Apple and Noi's new guesthouse location (still undergoing construction) right by the river! So gorgeous!

Our open-air kitchen area

According to Noi, this is a list of staple ingredients you should always have in your kitchen for cooking Thai food:

• Light oil - canola, peanut, vegetable, sunflower, or corn oil are appropriate, but NOT olive oil!
• Dark soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Fish sauce - both salty and sweet
• Rice stick noodles
  
• Egg noodles
• Curry paste - you can rewrap the leftover portion and put it in the freezer
  
• Salt and black pepper
• Sugar
• Crushed peanuts
• Chili powder
• Lime juice

Our tray of sauces and spices

To your cooking stations!

And now for the recipes I learned ... please note that these portions are good for one or two people, depending on how big an appetite you have!

PAD THAI

The test for a good French restaurant is their creme brulee. For Italian, it's the bruschetta. For Mediterranean, it's the hummus. For Thai places, it's the pad thai. I learned that authentic pad thai should be slightly sweet with a spicy kick. Here's the recipe Noi gave us.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 100 grams of rice noodles
• 80 grams of beans sprouts
• 3 tablespoons of chives
• 2-3 tablespoons of grated carrots
• 1 tablespoon of pickled radish
• 1 tablespoon of finely sliced shallots or red onions
• 150-250 grams of finely sliced meat (chicken, pork, or beef)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of tamarind sauce
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• Chili powder
• 1 tablespoon of crushed peanuts
• Lime juice

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your pan on low heat.
2. Soak the rice noodles in cold water for 5-7 minutes.
   
3. Add in the shallots and stir fry for about 5-8 seconds until you can smell them.
   
4. Add the meat and cook it about 60%, then put it off to the side. Let the oil fall back into the center of your pan.
   
5. Crack the egg into your pan, break the yolk with your spatula, and stir slightly so you get a mix of egg white and yolk frying together.
6. Add the pickled radish to the egg and fry for about 30 seconds.
7. Add the meat back into the pan. When the meat is about 80% cooked, add in the rice noodles with 1/2 a cup of water.
   
8. Double the heat on your stove. Separate the noodles, and cook until they start sticking slightly to the pan. Lower the heat.
9. Add in the tamarind sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and a dash of chili powder.
   
10. Continue mixing everything together in your pan. Let the meat absorb all the flavors.
    
11. Add in the veggies (bean sprouts, carrots, chives) and cook them for about one minute. Lower the heat again.
12. Add in the crushed peanuts and 2-3 drops of lime juice. Stir everything together one final time.

I found that the trickiest part was getting the right consistency for the rice noodles. Too little water in the pan, and the noodles would stick to your pan and risk burning. Too much water, and the noodles would not retain that yummy chewy texture. Just by observing us, Noi could tell exactly how our noodles would turn out. That woman is amazing.

My finished pad thai. I still have to work on the texture of those noodles!

MASSAMAN CURRY

Massaman curry originally came from India, but this is the Thai version. This curry is special because, if made properly, it has four different tastes going at the same time -- sweet, spicy, sour, and salty.

Ingredients:

• 8-12 pieces of boiled, cut potatoes (Note: You can substitute squash or carrots.)
  
• 5 pieces of pumpkin
• 200-300 grams of beef (Note: You can substitute other meat.)
  
• 1 onion, quartered and sliced
• 1 tablespoon of massaman curry paste
  
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 250 mL of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons of tamarind sauce
• 1 tablespoon of palm sugar, brown sugar, or cane sugar
• 3 tablespoons of ground peanuts or cashews
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• Salt
  

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your pan on low heat.
2. Add the curry paste, onions, and a pinch of salt into your pan. Stir fry together until the onions soften. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water when the curry paste starts drying.
   
3. Add in the potatoes and pumpkin. Stir together.
   
4. Add in the coconut milk and let it sit -- don't stir it. Turn the heat on high.
   
5. Add in the sugar, tamarind sauce, and crushed peanuts.
6. Let the mixture cook in your pan, and only stir it once in awhile. If there's burning, add some more water.
   
7. After a few minutes, add in the meat. After the coconut milk comes to a boil, add in the fish sauce.
8. Let the mixture cook until the sauce is thick and creamy. And voila, you're done!

This dish really gave me a run for my money. I was starting to go a little crazy between watching the heat and the water and the curry sauce. Yikes!

My finished curry ... and it tasted pretty darn good too!

GINGER VEGGIE STIR FRY

For our last dish, Noi taught us to make a simple vegetable stir fry with a subtle ginger flavor. Delish!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 2 baby corn, sliced diagonally
• 1 carrot, sliced
• A quarter of an onion
• 2 mushrooms, sliced
• A couple pieces of black fungus (Note: Soak for at least 30 minutes before cooking.)
• 2 tablespoons of scallions
• 3 tablespoons of ginger, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
  
• 2 tablespoons of soya bean paste
  
• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
  
• 1/4 tablespoon of sugar
  
• 200-300 grams of meat or tofu (we used tofu in the class)
• 1 tablespoon of shallots, sliced
• Black pepper
  

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your pan on low heat. Stir fry the ginger, then the shallots, until you can smell them.
   
2. Add in the meat or tofu, with a pinch of black pepper. Stir fry together.
3. When the meat or tofu is partially cooked, add in the dark soy sauce. Then add in the oyster sauce and soya bean paste.
   
4. Lower the heat. Add 1/2 a cup of water and stir.
5. Add the corn, onions, carrots, mushrooms, black fungus, and shallots. Stir fry together.
6. Add in the light soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar.
   
7. Stir fry until the vegetables are cooked.
   
8. Add in the scallions and stir again.
   

After all our hard work cooking, we sat down to lunch and sampled our dishes. Really not bad, for first-timers! I really have to thank Noi for a great class. Not only was she an amazing chef, but she was the most feminist woman I met while in Thailand. Unlike most Thai women, she didn't buy into the traditional mentality that women needed to depend on men to survive in society. And with her successful guesthouse business, cooking course, and culinary skills, I would say she's better off than a lot of men in that country.

Well, this is the last of my Thailand posts, as well as the last of my entries from my Southeast Asia trip. Next time -- some long overdue photos from Uva Enoteca, a cozy Italian wine bar that's quickly made a name for itself in San Francisco.