After a trip to the farmers market last week, I came home with enough grassy-flavored favas to top a dinner of farfalle, pork bolognese and a few slices of Italian sausage.
Along with liberal applications of Chianti it helped wash away the existential crises caused by watching cable TV news.
Lattés at Verve are just plain gorgeous. Here’s proof.
Sean Baker, former chef at Gabriella and now in charge of Berkeley’s Gather, is featured in the current issue of Sunset Magazine (photo:Drew Kelly). Reminds us of just how creative and fertile that kitchen on Cedar St. really is.
Chefs who have paid their dues at Paul Cocking’s tiny hearth include Jim Denevan (Outstanding in the Field), Rebecca King (Garden Variety Cheese), Brad Briske of Main Street Garden Cafe, Chris La Veque of El Salchicherro.
The ever-vigilant Tana Butler reminded me of two more – brilliant Catherine Stern of La Posta and Kendra Baker of Penny Ice Creamery.
More?
The palest blush, the lightest minerality—the new vin gris from Birichino is the single most drinkable answer to your warm-weather wine needs.
Well-chilled, it is ready to partner everything from green olives and marcona almonds, to grilled salmon or pizza bianca.
A rumor of geranium in the nose opens into salted citrus, violets, even a hint of rosemary in the long, persistent center. This sophisticated, yet completely accessible wine is created from a blend of old vine cinsault, grenache and rolle.
Complex enough to form the centerpiece of a graduate seminar, this latest release from Birichino is also an effortless summer quaff with a feather-light 13% alcohol. @ Soif.
It’s hard to make green food look appetizing in reproduction, otherwise you would see a gleaming pool of tomatillo salsa illustrated here. It is the tomatillo salsa from Coldwater (formerly Hawgs) on Mission Street.
My favorite appetizer with a cocktail at this handy pit-stop is the shrimp quesadilla. Terrifically hand-friendly, delicious and enough for two people to share. But the secret weapon of this dish has got to be the better than good tomatillo salsa, loaded with the citrusy mystery of this cousin to the tomato, a peppery kick and plenty of garlic.
According to our very helpful wait person, the house tomatillo is from a family recipe of one of the cooks. Thank you to that cook and his/her family. Tomatillo salsa worthing getting out of bed for.
Somehow this neighborhood dining room continues to disarm us. Last night four of us enjoyed a flawless series of plates, from a pizza bianca with crust as thin as a fashion model’s thigh to a sensational emerald appetizer of wild nettle sformato custard smothered with thin shaves of asparagus, arugula and infant pecorino. Tiny allium blossoms added a light onionesque topnote.
While my companions feasted on lamb sausages, buttery halibut and perfectly prepared spring vegetables, I went supernova over a plate of maltagliati (“freeform”) pasta tossed with fava leaves, anchovy, pine nuts, currants and pecorino romano. Literally a perfect plate of pasta. With glasses of the excellent house montepulciano, we dove straight into Tuscany for a few happy hours. Kudos to chef Katherine Stern and company.
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.