Finger Limes — Citrus Caviar

Until recently, I’d only read about finger limes and definitely wanted to try this hard-to-find, exotic citrus variety.  Called “citrus caviar,” these limes diverge from their citrus brethren by containing little juice vesticles that do, indeed, look and behave like caviar, popping in your mouth and releasing a lovely, limey, tart flavor.   They’re like a natural take on molecular gastronomy and inspire lots of recipe experiments.

Recipe: Grilled Oysters with Creme Fraiche and Tarragon

I’m a latecomer when it comes to oysters.   I assumed they were all salty and slimy — as my samples had been — and I didn’t understand the appeal.  Oysters ordinaire are like that, but some of the complex, luscious West Coast oysters like Kumamotos and in particular, the Sweetwaters grown by the Hog Island Oyster Company in Tomales Bay (a worthy weekend trip, most definitely), made me a believer.

Chef interviews: David Kinch and Daniel Patterson talk about cooking trends

David Kinch (left) and Daniel Patterson (right) pictured at an event with Nancy Oakes of Boulevard.

Their thoughts on techniques, trends and what makes food good

Two of the most respected, creative chefs in the region are David Kinch, proprietor of Manresa in Los Gatos, and his pal Daniel Patterson, whose growing restaurant empire is crowned by Coi in San Francisco. Kinch and Patterson have strong views on what makes a good restaurant, how to achieve exciting food and what dining trends are emerging — or should be. 

Both of them have been gravitating toward hyper-local, sustainable ingredients turned into exquisite food that communicates a strong sense of place.  While some could say that folks like Euell Gibbons pioneered this path, the 21st century intersection between wild food and fine dining was staked by Danish chef Rene Redzepi at Noma, his celebrated restaurant in Copenhagen — twice named the world’s best restaurant. Both Kinch and Patterson know and admire Redzepi and the Dane’s locavore passions are seeping into the always-evolving and always-remarkable cuisine created in their restaurants.

I interviewed them awhile back as background for an article I wrote on molecular gastronomy moving into home kitchens for the San Jose Mercury and its affiliates. (http://peninsulaeatz.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/diy-molecular-gastronomy/#more-497

Here they talk about that no-longer-new trend first pioneered at now-closed El Bulli in Spain, how they define their own cooking styles and what fine food is all about — and what it isn’t — along with popular cooking approaches like sous vide. These lengthy, technique-focused interviews took place last year.

(Recipe) “Lite” Chocolate Turtle Cookies

Like a cross between a chocolate turtle and a salted caramel truffle, these cookies are intense but have very little butter.

These cookies were inspired by a tasty bittersweet chocolate/almond/sea salt bar along with chocolate turtles, but I like hazelnuts so I used those instead. Since they have hardly any butter, they’re less guilt producing than they could be.  At least, that’s what I tell myself! They’re deeply chocolatey because they’re made with bar chocolate rather than cocoa. With fudgy chocolate, crunchy hazelnuts and melted caramel pieces, they’re like the best chocolate turtle candy turned into a cookie, with salt flakes on top to increase the intense flavors. Consider making a double recipe because these cookies don’t last long. This recipe makes about 40-50 smallish cookies.

Food Foragers Dine on the Wild Side

(This article was published by the San Jose Mercury News and its affiliates on November 17, 2011.)

Some people are getting so close to nature that they can taste it. Literally.  Instead of disposing of the dandelions in their yards, they’re sautéing them with a little garlic. They reject plastic-wrapped supermarket fish and catch their own in Northern California’s teeming waters. And hikes into the woods are turning up a lot more than pretty views.

Foraged ingredients — primarily wild mushrooms — have been on restaurant menus for years but now a growing, passionate subset of Bay Area residents are stalking the wild asparagus themselves, with a little help from local experts.

(Click here to read the rest of this article.)

See recipes and sources in following posts.

How to Go Wild

Would-be Bay Area foragers have a wealth of resources available, including expert-led foraging walks.

An outgrowth of the green-market gastronomy movement is extensive interest in foraging — from greens to wild boar.   Those interested in learning more have many available resources, including books, blogs, wild food walks, underground dinners and even iPhone apps.   Here is a sampling.

Forager Recipes

Wild boar raviolo served at San Francisco’s Wild Kitchen dinners are one example of the delicious dishes that are being made with foraged ingredients.

(These recipes were published in the San Jose Mercury News and its sister papers on November 17, 2011.)

So Fast, So Yummy: Curried Fish Recipe from Alain Ducasse

It all started with a little leftover cream.  This isn’t an often-used ingredient in my fat-conscious household but I had some remaining after making my go-to bittersweet chocolate tart for a dinner party and I love to make up recipes from leftovers.  Serendipitously, I was thumbing through one of my food magazines and couldn’t pass up a streamlined version of an Alain Ducasse recipe that called for precisely the same amount of leftover cream heading toward oblivion in the trusty fridge.

An authentic Mexican feast for Independence Day

(This article was published in the San Jose Mercury News and its affiliates on September 14, 2011.)

It’s bad enough that many Americans think of fajitas, strawberry margaritas and acres of greasy cheese on everything as real Mexican food.  But come on, people, we don’t even have their holidays right.

“Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican independence day,” explains Sylvia Rallo, owner of Consuelo Mexican Bistro and El Jardín Tequila Bar in San Jose’s Santana Row and Colibri Mexican Bistro in San Francisco.

Sylvia Rallo

However, when the real Mexican Independence Day takes place, it’s a good excuse to consume some authentic dishes that showcase Mexico’s wonderful regional cuisine. Nachos grande need not apply.

Regional Recipes for Mexican Independence Day

(These chef recipes were published with the preceding article by the San Jose Mercury News and its affiliates on September 14, 2011.)

Chefs Sylvia Rallo and Enrique Gomez make these delicious regional dishes in their restaurants to celebrate Mexican Independence Day on September 16th.

Palacio Delivers Modern Mex in Historic Mansion

Four is the charm in this gorgeous old building that has housed three previous restaurants.

(This will be published in South Bay Accent in December, 2011.)

At first glance, an 1891 Queen Anne-style house with turrets, gables and abundant gingerbread would seem to have nothing in common with Mexican cuisine.  But the ghosts that supposedly inhabit the historic Coggeshall Mansion in downtown Los Gatos must be working a little magic because recently opened Palacio (loosely translated, it means “mansion” in Spanish) has quickly become the hottest show in town.

Recipe: Pink Pearl Apple Carpaccio

Every year, I patiently wait until late summer for the ever-so-brief pink pearl apple season. These gorgeous, crisp, juicy, tart apples vary in color from mottled pink and white to vivid crimson and inspire all kinds of recipes to show off their taste and beauty.  I buy them from the Hale’s Apple Farm booth at the downtown Palo Alto farmers market, where they’re in season for just a few short weeks, usually beginning in late August or early September.   While these taste great, it’s the magnificent color that sets them apart.  They retain their color in apple tarts and crostadas and even fresh apple sauces.  But I like these apples best in raw preparations like a fast, delicious starter or salad replacement such as this combo of thin-sliced apples, roasted walnuts, cheese (pick your favorite) and fresh herbs.  If the companion ingredients are on hand, this comes together in a few minutes and is light and utterly delicious. It will taste the same made with regular apples, but the pink pearls make it memorable.

A Persian Feast

This article was published by the San Jose Mercury News and its affiliated newspapers on August 31, 2011.)

Fluffy, nutty rice studded with colorful bits of pistachio, tangy berries and slivers of candied citrus peel.  Plates of fresh, fragrant herbs waiting to be wrapped with creamy feta inside soft flatbread right out of the tandor oven.  Long-simmered stews with zingy undernotes of lime.  And, of course, the alluring, enveloping aromas of saffron and rose petals.  This tantalizing cuisine isn’t what many people expect from a part of the world best known for searing spices and political unrest.

Culturally, linguistically and racially different from their neighbors in the Middle East, Iranians don’t cook the same way, either.  “Persian food isn’t a bunch of different spices all at once,” says Faz Poursohi, owner of Faz’s restaurants in Sunnyvale, Danville, Pleasanton and soon in Oakland.  “It’s very clean, very balanced.   Yogurt and fresh herbs and feta cheese are staples.  A lot of people think hummus is a Persian food but we don’t even have hummus in Iran.” 

Persian Recipes

(See previous post.)  Try these luscious, exotic recipes at home.  Some are traditional and some are Persian by inspiration but thoroughly modern in execution.

Recipe: Endive and Pink Pearl Apple Salad with Blue Cheese

I first had this salad a few years back at Nick’s Cove on Tomales Bay, which was then in one of its periods of superb cooking — since ended, alas.  It was so good that I made up a recipe that is true to the original. This wonderful salad is super seasonal, relying on the gorgeous pink pearl apples that show up for just a couple of weeks in early September. While other tart apples can be used for the salad with no taste diminishment, the vivid color of the small pink pearls takes it into an unsurpassed visual realm. I buy these apples at the downtown Palo Alto farmers market from a Sonoma County apple farmer but they occasionally — very occasionally — show up in high-end markets.  In this recipe, the combination of the bitter endive, tart apples, sweet-sour gastrique, meaty walnuts and pungent blue cheese stops all conversation.  A gastrique is a simple French sweet-sour sauce without fat and kicks up all kinds of dishes.

Madera: Don’t Forget Your Wallet

Soaring ceilings, neutral colors and comfy banquettes and chairs let guests enjoy the view.

(This review was published in South Bay Accent Magazine in October 2011.)

Menlo Park’s Sand Hill Road is ground zero for venture capitalists so certain standards apply if you move into the neighborhood.  When the super-posh Rosewood Hotel chain built a luxurious resort and spa a few years ago on what used to be open grassland just over the crest of this famous road, the resort’s restaurant needed to levitate into the heady territory inhabited by those whose second car is a Lamborghini.

Easy, Scrumptious Grilled Summer Starters

During hot weather, cooking in a steamy kitchen can be torture.  That must be why grilling was invented, to give eaters an option besides cold salads during the summer.   Personally, I gravitate toward an old-fashioned charcoal grill — a cruddy little Smokey Joe, to be precise — but those with a gas-fueled monster can certainly make these incredibly tasty, fast starters: grilled caesar salad (wonderful, wonderful; better than the cold kind), a delicious, tomato-less cabrese (grilled eggplant and red pepper with mozzarella and basil) and grilled, meat-wrapped figs.  These all tip in an Italian direction and my invented recipes would be easy to make all together — as a tasty little trio of summer starters.

Improving upon July 4th Foods

(This article appeared in the food section of the San Jose Mercury News and its affiliated newspapers on June 29, 2011.)

Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/theater-dance/ci_18362359?source=pkg

Chefs are just like us.  Independence Day finds them bellying up to the grill, grabbing a brewski and keeping things simple.  But when it comes to foreign-born chefs, popular July 4th fare gets a delicious boost as these pros work magic by adding techniques and ingredients from other culinary traditions.  Or just apply their skills to making ordinary food taste better on this equal-opportunity holiday.

Chef’s Recipes: July 4th

(These recipes came from Bay Area chefs and were published in the San Jose Mercury News and its affiliated newspapers on June 29, 2011)

Since Independence Day is usually a day off in the restaurant world, chefs — including those not born in the United States — often celebrate this holiday like the rest of us do by cooking with friends and family.  The difference is that what they cook is likely to be outstanding, if simple.   Try the following recipes to give your 4th of July event a special zing.

Tips on Making Artisan Pizza at Home

(See following post on the best local artisan pizza.)

Some South Bay pizza fanatics have added wood-burning ovens to their cooking equipment so they can duplicate the heat and distinctive smokiness that makes some artisan pizzas so divine.  The owner-chef of Napoletana Pizzeria in Mountain View says no other route will produce an equivalent result.  However, for those of us without a minimum of $6,000 for one of these ovens, there are various techniques shared by pizza chefs that will go a long way toward creating an outstanding pie at home.

Artisan Pizza is not an Oxymoron

(This article appeared in the September 2011 issue of South Bay Accent. See previous post on tips for making good artisan pizza at home.)

Considering it was invented by foreigners, the success of pizza — America’s favorite food — is remarkable. We each consume on average 23 pounds per year of the cheesy stuff, spend upwards of $38 billion on it annually and argue over where to find the best versions with a passion usually limited to politics and sports.  New York-style pizza, Chicago deep-dish pizza, Neapolitan pizza, fast-food pizza, frozen pizza — it has as many styles as Lady Gaga. But artisan pizza?  Given the humble pie’s ubiquity and common-man, low-cost appeal, this may sound oxymoronic, like jumbo shrimp or sanitary landfill. But don’t tell the South Bay’s gobs of pizza purists seeking transcendent local pizza like hidden treasure. And finding lots of it.

Quiet Brilliance in Woodside: Station 1

The environment is simple at Station 1 but the food is anything but.

The chef and owners of charming Station 1 restaurant in their refurbished dining room. This spot used to be John Bentley’s.

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in July 2011.)

It’s a no-brainer to offer luxury food in a billionaires’ burg.  Nevertheless, no truffles, caviar, foie gras, lobster or other haughty ingredients darken the walk-in at the latest entry to tony Woodside’s restaurant scene. Rather, Station 1 serves a three-course, fixed-price menu that celebrates vegetables and more humble foodstuffs such as red snapper, chicken, farm eggs and even — yikes — tripe.

Munching at Local Farmers Markets

(This article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times and Oakland Tribune on April 6, 2011.)

Barlovento Chocolates is one of the delicious examples of ready-to-eat foods at Bay Area farmers markets

Besides the expected — great produce — some local farmers markets also deliver outrageously good ready-to-eat food.  From to-die-for sorbets and hand-made chocolates to seasoned dried kale that makes regular chips a greasy anachronism, market vendors these days are selling edibles that easily pass any discriminating-foodie taste test.

Besides being delicious, some of these well-received market products have also propelled vendors into new venues, from storefronts and restaurants to appearances in grocery chains.  And such success stories are igniting aspirations among vendors who want to be the next Bruce Aidells Sausage Company (sold by its founder for millions in 2002), Blue Bottle Coffee (now with a roasting plant, online operation and retail presence) or Bakesale Betty (two cafes).

Kitchen Wizardry at Baumé

Dining at Baumé is a tasty, unusual adventure with just enough kitchen pyrotechnics to elevate it well above other restaurants.


This serene, modern French restaurant in Palo Alto beckons to jaded foodies

(This review was published in South Bay Accent in April 2011.)

Although we’re blessed to live in one of the world’s great food regions, it’s also easy to get jaded here.  The menus from the Bay Area’s many high-end restaurants seem to blur together after awhile, with one exquisite dish made from fresh, local ingredients seeming much like the next one — albeit all of them delicious. And then there’s Baumé.

DIY Molecular Gastronomy

Kitchen chemists in Silicon Valley these days can easily find tools for making molecular gastronomy dishes at home.

(This article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on 1/5/11. http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine-headlines/ci_16975867?nclick_check=1 )

It looks like a perfect cooked egg, sunny side up, except the yolk tastes like spiced carrots and the white derives from coconut milk.  Making this edible trompe d’oeil possible are tiny amounts of sodium alginate and calcium chloride. The faux egg is just one of countless examples of a culinary trend most commonly called “molecular gastronomy” that has trickled down from exclusive restaurants into the realm of home cooks with a bent toward buzz-worthy entertaining.

“It’s about doing something different,” explains Patrick Powers of San Mateo. A “wannabe amateur chef,” he enthusiastically goes online and elsewhere to buy equipment, cookbooks and starter kits of powders for gelling, thickening, foaming and the other reconstructions favored by molecular gastronomists.  One of his creations was fruit spheres and “noodles” that took a few tries to get right but was ultimately a hit. ”You don’t go to many dinner parties and have someone serve spaghetti and meatballs made out of strawberries for dessert,” he notes.

Recipe: Bittersweet Chocolate Tart with Raspberry Dust

This tart recipe is based on one made by renowned French chef Joël Robuchon. It’s simple to make, deeply bittersweet and quite rich.  The berry “dust” is an optional addition and gives the tart a modern edge — “dust” is popular in molecular gastronomy dishes and is made from dehydrated ingredients, pulverized. Garnishing dishes with “dust” is a simple way to zip up your cooking and surprise your guests.  The tart shell includes almonds, but skinned hazelnuts could be substituted.

Recipe: Fresh Fruit Tart with Tarragon

I love fruit tarts, but not the overly sweet, overly rich kind with “glazed” fruit — which is the kind you usually see in bakeries and recipes.  My tart, however, combines a light, herb-flavored pastry cream (containing no cream) and fresh berries tossed in a little fresh lemon juice and sugar. I’ve served this tart at several dinner parties and guests invariably wanted extra helpings, which is gratifying. 

Izakayas: Japanese Small Plates Rock!

The nibbles offered in Japanese izakayas are as varied as the sakes served

(This article appeared in South Bay Accent in winter, 2011)

American bar food is often so grim that it’s more pleasant just to get blotto.  Limp pretzels, stale peanuts and a dusty bowl of mysterious “snack mix” that might date from the Clinton administration — avoiding such options is simple self preservation.  Such an edible vacuum in our drinking culture has helped fuel the popularity of imported pub cuisine traditions.  The wonderful tapas concept from Spain has flooded the South Bay in recent years, while the mezzes of the Mediterranean region are another tasty way to separate local imbibers from a potential hangover. However, the most recent non-native small-plates bar grub is so delicious that many fans are seeking it out, drinks optional.

Luring diners with mouth-pleasing bites in a casual environment, Japanese izakayas have been quietly popping up all over the South Bay and elsewhere.   Part drinking hole, part eatery, izakayas are hugely popular in Japan. In fact, this is typically where Japanese office drones go for an evening of drinking, snacking and camaraderie before heading back home.  The name is a compound of “i” (to sit) and “sakaya” (sake shop) and are known in Japan by the red paper lanterns that hang outside.  In a metropolis like Tokyo, these lanterns and the izakayas within are everywhere, from chain izakayas to little mom and pops.  Guests either sit on tatami mats and dine from low tables in the Japanese style or perch on chairs and eat and drink from tables.  Both styles are found in South Bay izakayas, which are often small, dark and noisy, just like their Tokyo brethren.

Three Desserts are Better than One

(Note: This article was published in South Bay Accent in early 2006.)

If you consider your appetizer and entree just pre-dessert, your time has finally arrived, cupcake. The end-of-meal treat in the post-modernist era is evolving into a showstopper as some creative chefs in tony dining rooms put main-course-level oomph into their desserts. No wonder there’s a new focus on the meal’s finale after the long dreary years when carbs topped the evil list, making most of us desperate for a sweet bite. And some South Bay restaurants are encouraging this rebellion by offering the most irresistible among today’s new dessert trends – dessert samplers. A hands-down hit, these multi-element sweet tastings “introduce the wow factor to desserts,” in the words of one restaurant manager.

Barhopping in the South Bay

(Note: This article was published in South Bay Accent in September 2005)

It all started with Carrie Bradshaw.  Before the lassies from HBO’s “Sex and the City” turned the cocktail into the newest fashion accessory, this retro libation was mainly seen in some trendy lounges of a few big cities.  Now martinis and all those other recherché drinks from back in the day are a must-have across the country and far beyond. And that definitely applies to the South Bay.  No hot local restaurant worth its fleur de sel would be caught without some fancy cocktails on the menu.

Slinky Vietnamese Fusion: Xanh in Mountain View

Xanh looks like a nightclub and serves appealing fusion cuisine

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in January, 2011)

Fusion cuisine is an innovative mash-up of different cuisines — and Vietnamese food is one of the best starting points. Sprinkled with non-native recipes and ingredients through the country’s history of would-be conquering foreigners, Vietnamese cuisine is a bit fusion-like already.  In the hands of owner/executive chef Thuy Pham of Mountain View’s sizzling Xanh restaurant and lounge, this take on Vietnamese fusion is deliciously liberated and as seductive as watching the sunset from Phu Quoc Beach.

Recipe: Pear and Almond Tart

This is a very French tart recipe that is utterly delicious.  It’s a popular tart among Parisian women, who sometimes cheat and use canned pears and a prepared tart shell.  But you’ll get far better results from the recipe below. The poached pears are surrounded by a not-too-sweet almond paste in a buttery crust. In my preferred variation, the pears are poached in red wine and honey, giving the tart an added depth of flavor as well as color contrast.  Recipes for both versions are included below.

Recipe: Chocolate Brownie Cookies

These sophisticated, super-chocolatey cookies have a different texture and flavor from most chocolate cookies because they’re based on melted chocolate rather than cocoa.

Most chocolate cookies are variations on a similar theme: cocoa, flour, butter, etc.  These wonderful mouthfuls are different and more intense in bittersweet chocolate goodness. The original recipe is by Claudia Fleming, former pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern in New York.  These cookies have much less butter and no cocoa, relying on their unforgettable texture and big flavors from melted chocolate.  I think they’re more enjoyable than brownies, personally. My favorite way to make them is to add some chopped nuts but they’re great any way.

Recipe: Beet/Goat Cheese Napoleans

This was originally a recipe from Wolfgang Puck, but this version simplifies and improves it.

This is an impressive starter course that tastes great. It’s based on a classic Wolfgang Puck recipe that had several weird (to me), unnecessary aspects that I changed. The combination of beets, goat cheese and hazelnuts is a winner, as is this dish. I serve them on long, narrow white porcelain plates, which looks great.

Recipe: Edamame Bruschetta with Pecorino

This tasty vegetarian starter is not only incredibly easy and fast but healthful.

I love fresh  fava beans but hate the daunting task of preparing them.  Removing the beans from the pods, then blanching the beans, then removing the tough outer skin — it takes forever.  A delicious treatment of favas is in a pureed form, spread on toasts as an appetizer and this recipe captures most of the eye and taste appeal without the fava prep ordeal.  Edamame — blanched soybeans sold in or out of the pod — are a healthful substitute with a very similar taste and look.  Since I dump the ingredients together without measuring, take the quantities below as a rough guess and adjust to taste. The pecorino is a nice addition — its salty, sheep-y flavors are great with the lemony spread — but it’s optional.

Fast Food for the New Millennium

Calafia Cafe in Palo Alto proves that “fresh” and “fast” aren’t mutually exclusive

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in November, 2010)

Google is best known for its prowess in Internet search and other online technologies but the Mountain View advertising giant spawned another innovation that gets less attention. Nothing less than redefining fast food in the new millennium.  You can taste the evidence any day of the week at Palo Alto’s Calafia Cafe: in a toothy, mouth-pleasing barley corn salad, fabulous thin-crust pizza or chile/garlic-glazed hanger steak.  Rather than relying on grease, empty carbs and the freezer, Calafia’s fast food is “slow food served fast,” as defined by owner/chef Charlie Ayers.  This means health-conscious, sustainably sourced ingredients turned into dishes that can usually arrive at your table reasonably quickly.

Recipe: Hamachi Crudo with Nuoc Cham and Pomegranate Seeds

This subtly delicious crudo recipe is as delectable as it is easy to make

Last New Year’s Eve, we dined at Tamarine in Palo Alto, which is just a few blocks from our house.  Currently the city’s best restaurant, nouvelle Vietnamese Tamarine is just plain wonderful, as was our meal to usher in the ‘aughts.  But most wonderful was the divine crudo starter, which combined lightness, flavor and subtlety with plate appeal in spades.   It was just so good that I vowed to develop a recipe so I could make it at home.  This turned out to be a relatively easy task. The proportions below of sauce to fish aren’t perfect but it doesn’t matter because the sauce can be used with other dishes — say, with light spring rolls.  I didn’t include quantities of fish; buy the amount needed for the number of eaters and their degree of enthusiasm for crudo.

Recipe: Tarragon Sauce for Seafood

To-die-for tarragon sauce is the ultimate mate for seafood

This sauce is ssssooooo good!   If you like tarragon — that distinctive, kind of minty, kind of licorice-y leaf from the gods — it’s way beyond good.  Most tarragon sauce recipes for fish — usually salmon, which is a great choice — aren’t like this one and are far inferior. Typically, they’ll involve mayo, cooking the herb or even using dried tarragon, a travesty.  There’s none of that here, just an intense, brightly-colored mouthful of pure tarragon goodness helped along by some wine, shallots, butter and a few other things. This recipe is another winner from Northwest chef Jerry Traunfeld. I’ve only changed it a little.

Zitune Serves the Moroccan Food of Your Dreams

Replacing Jocco’s a couple of years back, Zitune serves some of the most exciting food on the Peninsula.

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in March, 2010. Regretfully, Zitune closed in 2011. Here’s hoping the talented chef lands somewhere else soon.)

Moroccan cuisine is like dancing. As practiced by your uncoordinated cousin Wally, it’s entirely forgettable but when someone like Mikhail Baryshnikov leaps across the stage, it’s transporting.  Most domestic Moroccan restaurants follow a theme of somewhat gloppy food eaten in semi-darkness with the fingers while belly dancers shimmy past periodically.  And then there’s Zitune.

Frequently called the best restaurant in Los Altos by local foodies, Zitune marries the lusty, spice-driven flavors of Moroccan cuisine with the fresh, modern fare served in fine-dining establishments.  Dancers, low cushions or keening music would be as odd in this sophisticated restaurant as paper hats on the servers.  Chef Chafik Larobi — who owns Zitune with his wife Kim Auerbach — uses his considerable cooking skills to reinterpret and elevate his native cuisine into something creative, modern and utterly delicious.

Recipe: Simmered Kale

If there’s a tastier kale recipe, I’ve yet to find it.  Here are two versions — rich and less-so — of a wonderful, quick kale preparation.  It’s particularly good with dino kale.

This dish, originally named Kale Simmered in Cream, is so delicious that it should be illegal.  The nutritional benefits of kale are pretty much wiped out by the cholesterol count.  To that end, I recently reworked the recipe to lighten it up (a lot) while retaining the divine flavors.  See both versions below.  The original recipe is from one of the first cookbooks I ever bought (and still a winner): “Cooking The Nouvelle Cuisine in America” by Michele Urvater and David Liederman.  Yes, the nouvelle cuisine hasn’t been new in decades but if you stumble across the book (5 stars on Amazon, currently), buy it.

Recipe: Low-Fat Pumpkin Pie Cookies

These little cookies are great during the Thanksgiving season — or anytime. They freeze well, too.

These are wonderful, cakey and moist, despite not having any butter or shortening. The “secret ingredient” is white chocolate chips, which might seem odd with pumpkin but it just works.  I found  the recipe a few years ago in the newspaper. It was created by Amy Guittard,  from the local chocolate family. I’ve only slightly modified the recipe.  It could be made vegan by using vegetarian egg substitute.

Authentic Mex in Saratoga

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in December of 2009)

Tacos piled high with guacamole, sour cream and tons of yellow cheese. Huge burritos packed with gloppy brown refried beans. Enormous platters of nachos with plentiful toppings.  The essence of Mexican food?  Not really.  These American creations have as much in common with authentic Mexican food as chop suey does with real Chinese cuisine.  Meanwhile, the true regional cooking of Mexico is varied, delicious and in short supply in the South Bay.  But if Andrew Welch has his way, this will change — starting in affluent Saratoga, of all places.

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato/Feta Towers with Vincotto and Candied Pecans

Tomato salad assembled as tasty towers makes an impressive presentation

There seem to be as many recipes for tomato salad as there are colorful heirloom tomato varieties.  I’ve gone in various directions, with the constant being reasonably large tomatoes, basil and cheese.  Personally, I prefer a more flavorful cheese (optimal: French feta) to the usual bland mozarella/bocconcini (the little mozarella balls).  But if you like bland, stick with it in the following recipe.  Two things that help elevate this salad above the usual are: the inclusion of delicious vincotto, a wonderful Italian thick, sweet wine-based condiment that’s like less-tart balsamic; and candied pecans.  Serving this salad in classy layered towers looks cool, although it will all fall apart during the eager consumption, naturally. The amounts aren’t exact below, so use more or less of everything to suit your taste.  This should be enough for 8 healthy servings

Recipe: Light Spring Rolls

These can be vegetarian (or not) and are a light, delicious starter, lunch or snack.

I LOVE spring rolls — or, at least, the non-fried kind wrapped in rice paper and stuffed with herbs and veggies.  These little bites can serve as a way to use up leftovers, which is how I came to make up my version when I found myself with some grilled hanger steak (see recipe elsewhere on the blog) in the fridge that needed to be disposed of.   They are great with any leftover protein and can also be a receptacle for leftover vegetables (raw ones, preferably). Or buy flavored tofu (as seen in photo above) or sliced roast beef from the deli or whatever you want, basically. Dipped in a light Thai sauce, they burst with flavor and it’s hard to eat just one.  Try cutting them into bite-sized pieces and serve as an appetizer.  Besides being delicious, they’re light and healthy.

Mayfield Cafe: Tasty Meals for the Rest of Us

This casual bistro/bakery aims to serve all Palo Altans

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in September of 2009)

Imagine t.v.’s “Cheers” bar turned into a casual neighborhood eatery with quietly ambitious cuisine and you’ll approximate Mayfield Bakery and Cafe in Palo Alto’s refurbed Town & Country Village kitty-corner from Stanford Stadium. Trade the lovable drunks for designer-jeans-clad soccer moms and kids, dating couples, smiling retirees and VCs gobbling up business meals, but the concept still carries: a friendly, low-key establishment where everybody might not know your name but all are welcome.  The response has been very positive, even in the midst of the troubled economy.

Light Recipe: Rhubarb Ginger Sorbet with Swanton Strawberries, Aged Balsamic Vinegar and Greek Yogurt

Dieters, this delicious dessert is almost guilt free.

Sounds ho-hum? In fact, it’s wonderful: light in calories, big in flavor and as satisfying as it is  guilt free.  My friend Patti, a Midwestern girl, introduced me  to the rhubarb sorbet concept (rhubarb is a popular ingredient back there but not so much during my California upbringing). I’d never bought rhubarb before but now I’m a believer. The sorbet is intense and creamy, the latter being a natural property of cooked rhubarb.  Also helping is the fact that no water is used in the sorbet recipe (sorbets usually are made with sugar water).  The best choice for the  strawberries are the wondrous ones from Swanton, which are available at the Menlo Park farmers market, Whole Foods and elsewhere.  And the Fage brand Greek-style yogurt is to yogurt what Domaine de la Romanée Conti is to pinot noir. Another discovery I have Patti to thank for.

Recipe: Salmon with Olive-Almond-Fennel Topping

Olives and salmon are a wonderful match. This simple, fast, bright-tasting topping can be thrown together quickly and is good on just about anything (well, not chocolate cake). Here, the salmon is pan roasted but it could just as easily be grilled or baked. And the topping is good with other fish, such as swordfish, halibut, sturgeon, sea bass, etc.

Recipe: Slow-Roasted Salmon in Dill

Brining fish? You bet. This recipe is a take-off from one created by Jerry Traunfeld, a leading Northwest chef. It’s very easy but plenty elegant enough to serve to guests. Brining does magical things to the salmon, changing the texture into a meltingly tender, moist bite of heaven.

Recipe: Salmon Tartare

Super-fresh fish like that sold by Cook’s in Menlo Park makes it possible to prepare “crudo” (raw fish)-type dishes. The flavors here are amazing; a mouthful of taste with no added fat/oil other than the omega 3s from the salmon. And it’s gorgeous to look at, too. Serve this as an appetizer or as part of a buffet. It’s so delicious, though, that you’ll be tempted to eat it for your whole meal. If you’ve got guests that simply won’t eat raw fish, it also makes some out-of-this-world salmon patties (just sauté in a little butter or oil).

Recipe: Pan-Roasted Blue-Nosed Bass with Fennel/Saffron Compote

Blue-nosed bass is one of the best meaty white fish varieties  around. Get it at Cook’s Seafood in Menlo Park. Its moistness and fine flavor stand up to accompaniments particularly well, particularly Provencal-type dishes. The fennel-saffron compote is indescribably delicious, tasting like the best parts of bouillabaisse, the famous fish stew of Marseilles, but in a different form. Halibut could be used instead of the blue-nosed bass if desired.

Nick’s on Main is All About Comfort

Owner/chef Nick Difu has it all working — food, friendliness and atmosphere — at his restaurant in downtown Los Gatos.

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in April of 2009)

Pleasure has greater currency during troubled times. For example, savoring five-cent chocolate bars helped many Americans get through the Great Depression. Self-nurturing is therapeutic and for South Bay residents seeking an antidote to today’s economic uncertainties, one of the best places to indulge is three-year-old Nick’s on Main in Los Gatos.

Recipe: Carrot Macaroni and Cheese (low calorie)

This is another excellent concept from Jeremy Fox, chef of Napa’s Ubuntu, which is a much-buzzed-about new vegetarian restaurant. The silky carrot puree is a replacement for the usual fatty cream sauce. I prefer this version to the usual bland mac ‘n cheese. I changed the recipe a little to pump up the flavors.

Recipe: Green Pea Soup with Tarragon and Pea Sprouts

Pea soup is wonderful and this one is a fast, easy, light version of the richer kind that contains cream. It can be made vegetarian via vegetable broth but tastes better if Swanson’s Natural Goodness low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth is used. Or better yet, homemade stock.  I modified the original recipe a bit to make it better.

Crab Landing Delivers Coastal Views and a Huge Menu

Inside its walls of windows overlooking Pillar Point Harbor, Crab Landing features sushi, a raw bar,  seafood menu, steaks and two cocktail bars.

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in April of 2009)

The only guests who couldn’t find something to eat at Crab Landing in Half Moon Bay would have to be penny-pinching vegans who disdain great coastal views. For everyone else, this huge newish restaurant overlooking the fishing boats in Pillar Point Harbor and the sweeping Pacific beyond takes a greatest-hits approach to its offerings that is calculated to please the widest swath of diners. Its two levels contain an oyster bar, a sushi bar, two cocktail bars and a wine cellar while presenting a menu of popular seafood dishes from across the country and well beyond — in addition to signature cocktails (the lychee martini is a hit), soups, salads, steaks, prime rib and ubiquitous desserts. There’s also al fresco patio dining, where the edge of renowned surf spot Mavericks crashes in the distance.

Recipe: Chicory Salad (Radicchio, Orange, Date, Ricotta Salata)

This salad has big, bold, mouth-filling flavors and is essentially a meal-in-a-bowl.  I had a version of it at Lure in  San Mateo (see my restaurant review of this great spot on the blog) and it was so memorable that I developed my own version.  It’s a good fall/winter salad, during prime citrus season.  Among the wonderful things about this salad is the contrast of sweet/bitter, soft/crunchy and it’s beautiful to look at as well.

Recipe: Red Pepper Sauce (2 versions)

One of the most irrisistible, all-purpose vegetarian sauces in existence is some variation of the classic Spanish romesco sauce, which is based on red peppers, nuts, bread and oil.   It’s good on fish, meat, vegetables, as a dip, you name it.  The original version is fine but I prefer variations with no bread and more vegetables.  Here are two.  The first is based on a Jerry Traunfeld recipe and the second is a diet version I made up that I eat all the time as a condiment on pretty much anything.  It has no fat/oil, no sugar, just veggies, hence negligible calories.  And it’s delicious!

Recipe: Root Vegetable Pancakes

These savory pancakes are absolutely delicious and easy to make.  They would please any vegetarian and are also wonderful as an accompaniment to some sort of protein. The inclusion of a little maple syrup and nut oil enriches the earthy flavors in a subtle way. I serve them with grilled salmon, which works well. The recipe was inspired by one from the chef of New York’s Union Square Cafe, but I removed 3/4 of the (unnecessary) fat and simplified the recipe.The chef, Michael Romano, uses sunchokes but I like a mixture of celery root and carrot.

Hanger Steak: The Cut for Non-Cow Aficionados

Lean, tough, but oh so tasty!

Cards on the table: I find bloody beef somewhat revolting. Although I don’t eat it often, I can enjoy smallish bites of meat that have an interesting flavor – think lamb, duck and other full-flavored proteins. But to me, beef doesn’t have an interesting enough taste – not to mention health benefits — to include on my consumption list. This attitude changed the first time I tried hanger steak a couple of years back. While I still don’t eat it often, this is the first steak I can honestly say doesn’t just taste like beef.

My Magic Marinade – Makes Almost Anything Delicious and It’s Soooo Easy!

If I scraped up roadkill, this marinade would probably make it quite tasty. It surely has for an array of proteins like fish, fowl, meat and even tofu (if you must). It has just three ingredients and can be frozen and reused indefinitely. It sounds Asian but it doesn’t taste that way. About the only thing easier – but not nearly as pleasing – would be out-of-the-jar barbeque sauce. Eeeuuu. Just about all you do is open up the cans or bottles and stir it together.

Los Gatos Loves Noisy Cin-Cin Wine Bar

Newish hot spot occupies former location of Cafe Marcella

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in January of 2009)

Posh Los Gatos has long had the South Bay’s most convivial restaurant scent. Dining out in this cute town is about more than sustenance as patrons – local and those who wish they were – flock to the burg’s expanding array of lively eating spots to meet, greet, quaff, jabber, ogle and in general have a great time. In this spirited environment, Cin-Cin Wine Bar quickly emerged as perhaps the quintessential Los Gatos eatery, dedicated to nutrition but particularly to fun in the local style.

Cascal in Mountain View is Muy Bueno

Hopping Cascal has a gorgeous interior and semi-Latin cuisine that draws big crowds

(This review originally appeared in South Bay Accent in April of 2004;  the menu has changed somewhat since this review, so some updates have been made to the beginning.)

The Spanish translation of “winner” in 2004 was clearly Cascal restaurant. When this hopping Latin-themed joint at the corner of Castro and California (hence the name) in downtown Mountain View opened, it made you think it was still 1999, before the economy tanked. Back then, if the dot-coms had as much business savvy as this bustling bodega displayed, maybe we would all still be using our stock portfolios to plan early retirement.

Recipe: Main-Course Farmers Market Salad

Sweet, tender greens from Blue Heron Farms

Fresh figs, soft greens, roasted nuts and a complementary cheese with a killer, super-easy dressing add up to a fast, healthy summer one-course meal. And all the ingredients are available from the Palo Alto Farmers Market (or a store within walking distance). But best of all, this combination TASTES SO GOOD! Besides, it’s fun to cruise the market with a meal in mind. If you can’t make it to the farmers market on Saturday morning, acceptable substitutes can be found at a good grocery store.

Recipe: Quick, Easy Version of Nobu’s Miso-Marinated Black Cod

The most-imitated and most-famous signature dish of celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa deserves its fame because it’s just plain delicious. Here’s a link to his original recipe for those purists. Food & Wine recently published a simplified version, which I simplified (and improved, imho) further.

Nobu Spinoff in South Palo Alto is a Winner

Jin Sho/Nobu’s Yellowtail with Jalapeno

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in November of 2008)

Nobuyuki Matsuhisa – known just as Nobu – is the most famous Japanese chef in the world, running a slew of restaurants on several continents that deliver his delicious style of modern Japanese food to appreciative, well-heeled audiences. For Peninsula foodies eager to sample Nobu cuisine, air travel has been required. Until now. Two chefs from New York’s Nobu exited the Big Apple, bringing their experience, skills and many Nobu recipes to South Palo Alto. Happily, owner-chefs Ichiro Takahashi and Noriomi Kaneko set up shop at their new Jin Sho restaurant armed not only with Nobu’s cooking sensibilities but with considerable knowledge of classic Japanese cuisine.

Recipe: Vegan German Chocolate Cookies

This is a reinvented (and improved) version of Whole Foods’ delicious cookies. The store’s version is on the left and my version is on the right. Enough said (if you love chocolate).

Any serious chocolate lover will adore these intensely chocolatey, addictive cookies – and can do so without too much guilt, happily. I reinvented these based on what might be the best item offered in Whole Foods’ bakeries – namely, their vegan German chocolate cookies. However, I reduced the fat (the Whole Foods version are little grease balls), cut back on the sweeteners and otherwise revamped the recipe (or rather, what I assume is the recipe because I’ve only seen the ingredient list on the package) to maximize what’s most delicious in this wonderful treat. Truthfully, these are less “German” due to the intensified chocolate-ness but that should be fine to most folks. My version is way easy to make, too.

Recipe: Wild Shrimp with Carrot-Mint Curry

This big-flavored dish with unexpected ingredients combines sweet, savory, tart and just a hint of spicy elements and is also gorgeous to look at. Although the delicious wild shrimp from the gulf that Pietro sells at the Palo Alto and Menlo Park farmers markets was the inspiration for this simple but elegant dish, it could also be made with shrimp/prawns from a good market – or seared scallops or just about any flavorful, white seafood. The shrimp cooking technique is based on something I learned eons ago in a Chinese cooking class that’s a super-easy version of the French en papillote method.

Yum! Pimientos de Padrón

Addictive. Exciting (there’s about one muy caliente pepper in a batch). The little Spanish peppers available from Happy Quail Farms at the Palo Alto, Menlo Park and SF Ferry Plaza farmers markets make an easy and tasty casual starter during the warm months when the peppers are grown. Cooked in oil and sprinkled with salt, these treats are common in Spain’s tapas bars.

All About the Sonoma Coast and its Great Wines

(an earlier version of this article was published by the SF Chronicle)

The Sonoma Coast is the coolest wine region in the full sense of the word. It has colder temperatures and higher rainfall than virtually any other important grape source in California. And its terroir-driven wines have developed a coveted cachet, capable of delivering power and elegance while still complementing food. Wines from this remote region’s grapes have gone from virtually unknown to sought after in less than a decade. This is the story of how one of the world’s best wine regions evolved, the winemakers committed to it and the forces that have stood – and still stand – in the way of its greatness.

Recipe: Strawberry Gazpacho (David Kinch)

The simplicity of this recipe belies how out-of-this-world wonderful it tastes.I begged David for months for the recipe because I couldn’t duplicate it. He sometimes serves this as an amuse bouche before the meal starts.Great berries are a necessity, so go to a farmers market or buy the divine Swanton strawberries sometimes sold at Whole Foods. At Manresa (his superb restaurant in Los Gatos), he uses the freshest ingredients available, of course, so be choosy in your shopping. Higher-end grocery stores like Draeger’s are more likely to carry the quality balsamic vinegar and nut oil (best: imported French oil such as J. Leblanc; the only acceptable domestic oils are by LaTourangelle) called for in the recipe. David’s recipes are presented “chef’s style,” in weight measurements rather than the volume measurements typically found in home recipes. I’ve added some further explanations in the recipe.

Recipe: Raw Bluefin Tuna with Yuzu (David Kinch)

(from me) Although I haven’t made this crudo recipe, I intend to. Everything David cooks is wonderful. All the Asian ingredients are available at Nak’s in Menlo Park, an excellent source for sushi fish as well. Cook’s Seafood in Menlo Park also has super-fresh tuna. To get the unique flavor of yuzu, one suggestion is to buy bottled yuzu at Nak’s and mix a little in with the fresh Meyer lemon.

Recipe: White Peach/Jasmine Sorbet (Daniel Patterson)

(chef’s notes) The floral notes of the white peaches and jasmine work in concert as if they were made for each other. The jasmine flavor in the base should seem a bit strong, and the base fairly sweet, as the freezing process dulls both flavor and aroma. You can serve the sorbet by itself, or on a bed of white peaches seasoned with sugar.

Recipe: Yellow Corn Pudding Glazed with White Truffle Butter (Daniel Patterson)

(chef’s notes) This is a glorious expression of mid-summer, when the corn is intensely sweet and flavorful. Here bread pudding is reworked into an elegant, sensually textured combination of corn custard and brioche, which is baked in the oven until set and then glazed with a sauce made from corn juice and butter that is scented with white truffle oil. You will need eight 4-6 ounce molds in which to bake the puddings.

(my notes) This is a very delicious recipe, although it’s time consuming. If you love the rich essence of sweet corn, it’s worth it.

Recipe: Crispy Black Bass/Salt Cod Ravioli/Mussel Broth (Mark Sullivan)

(from me) I haven’t tried this recipe but I’m sure it’s great, like all Mark’s food. The ravioli are undoubtedly wonderful, but they take a lot of work. A suggested substitution is to buy some high-quality seafood ravioli. Believe it or not, Sigona’s Produce (Stanford Shopping Center & Redwood City) has some really, really good frozen ravioli and I think there’s a smoked salmon version. Or choose one you like elsewhere. Serving fish in a broth vs. the usual sauce is a terrific approach that I’ve done many times. It’s less fattening, too.

Pietro’s Fish: What Comes After Wild Salmon?

Fisherman Pietro Parravano is understandably upset about the 2008 wild salmon crisis –fishing this season is prohibited – but he’s used this as an opportunity for creativity. The cheerful owner/skipper of Half Moon Bay’s Anne B and a longtime fixture at the Palo Alto and Menlo Park farmers markets is offering his throngs of customers some appealing choices. Even wild salmon (but not caught by him).

To read more about what Pietro has to say about the regional salmon problem, check out a recent piece in the Almanac.

Local wild king (Chinook) salmon used to comprise a lot of what Pietro caught and sold. Now he’s offering more line-caught local halibut – including hard-to-find and delicious halibut cheeks – and other choices like sablefish (also called black cod), sand dabs, pacific snapper, ling cod and some other items acquired through his fisherman connections.

Here’s a recent for-sale board from Pietro’s stand at the Palo Alto market, some notes on each fish and cooking recommendations.

Recipes for Pietro’s Salmon

Here’s an initial batch of recipes designed to make the most of the wild salmon (from Alaska) offered by Pietro Parravano, a fisherman who sells his wares at the Palo Alto and Menlo Park farmers markets. For overall ideas inspired by Pietro’s fish, see my earlier post (Pietro’s Fish: What Comes After Wild Salmon?). These salmon recipes vary from something easy for everyday to dinner-party dishes designed to compete with the conversation. Another excellent local source of fresh wild salmon is Cook’s Seafood in Menlo Park., whose wares are fresher than what I’ve found at other stores.

Great Meals from Cookbook Recipes? Nah.

(A version of this article was originally published in Metro Silicon Valley in September, 2003.)

Is this a too-harsh opinion? Anyone who thinks that cookbooks are always-reliable blueprints for celestial meals has been lucky — or just buys them to look at the mouth-watering photos so prevalent these days.

I own a zillion cookbooks myself and have been cooking seriously since just after learning my first word (“souffle”). Well, close anyway. And I rarely find a recipe that doesn’t need a LOT of help to nudge it into the “great” category. So armed with a suspicious mind, I talked to a handful of some really good chefs to see if either I have strange taste or cookbooks should be taken with a grain of fleur de sel.

This is an early version of an article published a couple of years ago. The publication made me rework the piece to be “less controversial.” Well, hell. Now that I have my own blog, I’m going to let ‘er rip! The piece is long, but if you’re a foodie, you’ll enjoy hearing what the experts say. And I’ve got a few recipes that these chefs gave me that I’m publishing here. Search “recipes.”

Make Your Own Crudo

Crudo — aka, raw fish combined with different flavorings — can be transportive. It’s irresistible for a starter and quite beautiful as well. Serve just a few bites per person.

Here are basic instructions on making my approach to crudo. I’m guessing at measurements since I made up these recipes. One thing about crudo: all types of fish won’t necessarily be “best” with the same accompaniments, which is why these recipes are a bit different. I’ve experimented with different accompaniments to the fish and imho, these work best with the specific fish mentioned. If I can find fresh mackerel, I’d like to make up a crudo recipe for that. No luck on the mackerel so far.

A Simple Approach for Killer Salads

Forget about mixing vinaigrettes, blending dressings, etc. The essence of a green salad is best experienced with the simplest approach to dressing the greens (and other things).It’s amazingly easy and can be scaled from a quick salad for one to greens for a crowd. Instructions follow, along with two delicious recipes.

One of them is a summer recipe that relies on ingredients from local farmers markets, highlighted by some of the best strawberries anywhere, grown by Swanton (sold at Menlo Park farmers market).

Local Restaurant Wine Lists — What to Select?

(This article was originally published in South Bay Accent in June of 2008.)

Wine expertise can be like golf; lots of time and practice are required so you don’t embarrass yourself in public. This might be one reason why restaurant wine lists can sometimes resemble an old duffer rather than Tiger Woods when it comes to the selection. But with wine consumption growing, so is the quality of restaurant wine lists, which just increases the expectation that people who dine out will be knowledgeable about wine.

About the Recipes Found Here

I didn’t go to culinary school (not that that’s a bad thing). I’ve never cooked in a restaurant. Rather, I’ve been cooking, studying, experimenting and eating for a looooong time. As a restaurant critic and food writer, I’m always hopeful that what I eat in a well-regarded restaurant will be wonderful. And it often isn’t. Likewise, cookbook recipes often don’t make the cut as written, either. Those rare recipes that don’t need to be changed are a delight. See my post on that: “Great Meals from Cookbook Recipes? Nah.” Evidently some significant chefs agree with me, as my article describes.

What I seek in a special meal (as opposed to just slugging something down because it’s meal time) is a dish that makes you stop talking, look away from the tube or put down that reading material and focus all your attention on what’s in your mouth. Your tastebuds are suddenly on full alert and your senses are strummed like guitar strings. Foodies have undoubtedly heard this analogy before, but….if the food is just “good,” that’s not good enough. It needs to be great. At least, great to me; de gustibus non est disputatum. So I reinvent recipes, make up recipes, and if I do find a wow dish in a restaurant, I can often create a recipe for it. I’ve identified the provenance of all the recipes here, which includes some from my favorite chefs.

Cooking is my passionate hobby. If it’s yours as well, let’s share recipes, tips, opinions, gripes and whatever else comes to mind. ]

(By the way, the “cook” in the illustration above, drawn by gifted artist Delana Bettoli, is me!)

Chef Interviews — Representing Different New Trends

(This article was originally published in South Bay Accent in June, 2008.)

There’s a new cadre of passionate chefs at work in the South Bay who have helped turn our region into a full-fledged foodie nirvana. However, these whisk artists are more likely to be whipping up an exotic new chutney or truffled ponzu sauce than a traditional French béchamel. Like our melting-pot population, the most beloved cuisines these days aren’t what they were 30 years ago.

Plumed Horse – Worthy Overhaul and No Bargains

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in May, 2008.)

The reborn Plumed Horse in downtown Saratoga defines how the concept of “luxury” has changed in the past half century. First opened in the early ‘50s in a location once reputed to be a stable for cart horses, this venerable spot coasted along for years as a pricey purveyor of Continental cuisine. Back in the day, this used to be what fancy food looked like: a limited repertoire of rich, “European” recipes like pepper steak, lobster bisque, Beef Wellington and other preparations that often involved furious tableside preparation by tuxedoed waiters straight out of an old New Yorker cartoon. During the era of cheap gas and small tv sets, the Plumed Horse was non plus ultra.

Lure: Killer Seafood with a Light Touch

(NOTE: Unfortunately, this restaurant recently went out of business. I hope the chef lands another gig so her fans can keep enjoying her inspired cooking.)

The concept of pets often resembling their owners has a corollary in the restaurant world. Dining in an establishment run by an owner/chef, you’re likely to sample unusual, highly personal cuisine that reflects the passions and prejudices of one individual. For some chefs who spent their earlier careers toiling as an underling in someone else’s kitchen, executing someone else’s vision, the holy grail is to be The Boss in their own place. And some owner/chefs do look like their food.

Cetrella in HMB is Better Than Ever

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in June of 2007.)

Half Moon Bay has more going on than the traditional pumpkins and fog. Fine dining has made an appearance in this cozy seaside town in recent years and in the case of lovely Cetrella, Half Moon Bay now has a full-fledged destination restaurant. Located on the south end of the blip of a downtown, Cetrella looks like a millionaire’s Tuscan estate on the outside. Inside, it’s all clean, understated elegance and top-notch food to match. Discriminating Peninsula diners can get the twofer of an outstanding meal and glorious sunset all in the same place.

Recipe: Sturgeon (or Halibut) with Tomato Bread Salad (Bradley Ogden)

(chef’s notes) Surgeon has a mellow flavor and a meaty texture. If you cannot find it, try halibut or seabass in this preparation. The recipe calls for Roasted Tomato Oil; you will have some leftover, so try scrambling some in eggs with jack cheese or use to replace some of the olive oil called for in your favorite vinaigrette.

Kaygetsu: Simply the Best Japanese

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in November, 2006.)

In Japan, they study the art of simple perfection, as seen in their translucent porcelains, exacting calligraphy and even in the three compelling lines of a haiku poem. This same rigorous esthetic is applied to dining. However, visiting a formulaic sushi bar and sipping cheap hot sake – the typical American’s exposure to this cuisine — is not the best example of the multi-dimensional sensory experience in which the Japanese excel. Rather, to find transcendent, authentic Japanese cuisine, look behind the Shell station in an out-of-the-way shopping center in Menlo Park. There you’ll find tiny Kaygetsu, which serves what many consider the best Japanese food in the Bay Area, if not beyond.

High-decibel Greek at DioDeka

Mithia — mussels steamed in licoric-ey ouzo with olives and toast — are a worthy starter.

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in January, 2008.)

Adding more delicious fuel to Los Gatos’ standing as the sizzling restaurant town of south county is perennially packed Dio Deka. Taking over the spot in the lovely Hotel Los Gatos formerly occupied by Kuleto’s, this darkly elegant, expansive, classy spot combines addictively delicious Greek food with welcoming, skilled service. The only downside is off-the-chart decibels. Even at 10:45 at night on a recent Saturday with the crowd starting to thin, the wall of noise was still daunting. But this seems to be a feature rather than a bug to the stylish set that flocks to the restaurant.

Upscale Homey at Restaurant James Randall

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in May, 2007.)

“Family restaurant” and “comfort food” don’t evoke thoughts of upscale cuisine but all three terms apply to newcomer Restaurant James Randall in downtown Los Gatos. Owners Brenda Hammond and her son Ross Hanson named their cozy spot after her late brother, who left her an inheritance that was intended to be spent on some sort of life passion. The restaurant’s growing fan base can testify to the obvious zeal of mother and son in this loving enterprise.

Modern Cooking in a Classic Victorian at Trevese

(This review appeared in South Bay Accent in November, 2007. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed in 2011. )

Chef Michael Miller never gave up on the South Bay, despite the sign-of-the-times demise in 2003 of his first restaurant, Umunhum, in San Jose. Unfortunately, his terrific food couldn’t overcome the shopping-mall location nor the then-grim economy, but this local boy isn’t a quitter. His recent comeback has everything right going for it this time, particularly what is probably the most spectacular site in downtown Los Gatos – now indisputably south county’s premier restaurant town. Opened in early spring of 2007, Trevese Restaurant & Lounge inhabits the imposing, turreted 1891 Coggeshall mansion. Its stately façade and gingerbread have been attracting second looks for years from its spot in the heart of the action on North Santa Cruz Avenue.