Do you remember walking into the toy store when you were young, and the wave of euphoria that would come over you as you eyed the zillions of potential items you’d have to first test out, and then decide which you wanted to persuade mom and dad to take home with you? I haven’t felt that way forever, and I’d kind of forgotten about that feeling until we went for a little Sunday trip to Japantown’s New People center.
New People is a gorgeous glass front, three story building in the heart of Japantown that boasts all things J-Pop–and not just the typical kitschy trinkets you often associate with Japanese culture–but really cool and interesting toys that you won’t find just anywhere.
The building hosts a cinema that screens contemporary Japanese films, a small cafe serving Blue Bottle Coffee and Delica snacks, a retail space with Gothic Lolita and other Harajuku-style clothing and accessories, and the New People Store, which is where I had my flashback. Now that I think back, my sweetie and I must have looked insane, or maybe I’d even venture to say rabid with giddiness. We’d each go our separate way for a minute, then attempt to casually stroll back (when what I really wanted to do was run) to take turns showing each other what we’d found. We did this for a good hour.
One of the toys that caught my eye was the Aerobase “micro MUSEUM series” models that you assemble from pre-cut parts on a sheet of paper or metal. They’re tiny, tiny but so cool. The perfect gift for model lovers, but it’d really be a great little project for anyone since not all of the kits are super intense.
Image via New People
Image via Aerobase
I was dying to sneak in a few pics, but they’re pretty explicit about cameras in the stores. (The packaging on some of the stuff was gorgeous!) It would have been a bit overwhelming anyway, I would have left with a ton of pics, and of course not being able to pick a few, I probably would have posted them all. Really, there was that much cool stuff! In the end, here’s a pic of the goody bag we took home. We really did a good job in practicing restraint and left with a few gifts for friends.
Our goody bag!
Last Friday my favorite foodie friend Brian invited me to attend a soft opening of his friends’ new restaurant on Nob Hill (taking over where Cafe Mozart left off). Sons & Daughters is a joint venture between Matt and Teague, two young and talented chefs who’ve worked endlessly for the last six months to get this going. I’ve had the pleasure of eating their food at Brian’s house before (an amazing goat ragout with fresh pasta) so I was beyond excited when they decided to start their own restaurant.
They did a beautiful job with the renovations so I had wanted to share some interior shots with you, but alas, I was so focused on the food that I completely forgot. Since the plates are so beautiful there’s still plenty to see, so here we go…
Lobster carpaccio with pea foam, lobster butter reduction, and caviar
My first taste of raw lobster and I don’t know that I’ll ever appreciate cooked lobster as much as I used to. It was so good! Sweet and ocean-y with a more concentrated flavor than when it’s cooked. And let’s talk about the butter reduction for a second; well, actually I guess there’s not much to say, there are no words to describe how good it was.
Herb salad with garden shoots, eucalyptus, curds and whey
This was an in your face plate of fragrant herbs. The eucalyptus came as a dressing of sorts after being pressed and served at the base of the greens. The herbs were lovely, and I enjoyed the contrast of saltiness from the curds and whey.
Sweebreads with oysters, crisp pork, and grapefruit
Crispy, yummy sweetbreads with bacon. This was so good. I love sweetbreads, I love bacon even more so I was in heaven with this one.
Lobster, foie gras, oysters, uni, black cod, sea beans
This dish was gorgeous! In spite of the rich and luxurious ingredients here, it was surprisingly light with very clean flavors. This was probably due to the broth that surrounded the proteins, so flavorful and delicate. I can’t remember all of the details, but the cod and foie were prepared sous vide.
Squab with aprium, parsnip, and horseradish
This may have been my favorite dish of the evening. The squab was cooked perfectly with the breast having been prepared sous vide, and the leg confit. The earthy flavor was matched perfectly with the sweet and tart aprium reduction, and the hint of horseradish coming from the parsnip puree was a lovely touch.
After dinner we filled out our comment cards and hung around to chat with the guys to hear about all of the craziness that was happening behind the scenes. In spite of the troubles the guys did a beautiful job and have so much to be proud of. It was a great night and I had felt so lucky to have been able to test out their first menu. I can’t wait to go back for their ice creams and tea service.
Last Thursday night I had the chance to go to a party hosted at the Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel in downtown San Franciso. It’s a gorgeous bar that is paneled from floor to ceiling with wood from a single redwood tree, and the original art deco chandeleirs and sconces from 1933 still adorning the walls and ceilings. As a cool contrast from the richness of the wood there are digital frames projecting portraits of people with the eyes that follow you throughout the room.
The night was glamourous and luxurious, and hence, was a great spot for people-watching. But even with all of the eye candy, we were there for the music. We all know I have a thing for a good DJ, but I also love the symphony and I try to go a few times a year. On this night Inka 1 and violinist Paul Dateh came to perform a joint set of smooth hip-hop beats accompanied by the classical sounds of the violin. It was bananas! When they transitioned into Ghostface Killah’sCherchez la Ghost oh my god, I was in heaven…two of my favorite musical genres rolled into one. Add a glass or two of bubbly and there’s the cherry on top. It was a great night.
Check out the video below of the guys in the studio, it really is great stuff.
I’m not a coffee girl, but oh how I wish I was; just the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans makes me feel warm and cozy, and if I could wear it as a fragrance I totally would. Coming from the land of Starbucks you’d think I’d be a pro, but somehow, my love affair stops there as I just haven’t ever been able to drink a full cup of it.
If there was any place where I could be schooled on the delicacies of a proper cuppa joe it would be at Bluebottle Coffee Company – artisanal microroasters of organic, pesticide-free, shade-grown, coffee beans that are off to you within 48 hours of roasting. I love everything about this place, and I wish I could camp out at the Mint Plaza location everyday. I’m officially on a mission to earn some coffee badges.
One thing that could help me along with my coffee training is the Affogato, a generous scoop of ice cream with a shot of espresso for drowning the ice cream with. (I don’t want to offend true coffee connoisseurs and loyal fans of Bluebottle, but I’ve got to start somewhere.) Oh my gosh, there are no words….
It was really big, so it’s perfect for sharing. I can’t wait to go back for an afternoon date so we can share this and sit by the window for some people-watching. I LOVE people watching, especially when it’s over something this good.
So, even though it may take a bit of time for me to appreciate all of the wonderful drinks they offer at Bluebottle, I’ll be be here every chance I get to pick up a bag as a gift or for an afternoon snack with visitors. This is an amazing company and I love what they do: not only are they experts at their craft, but they’ve truly infused environmentally-conscious practices into every aspect of their business. Check this out:
- All our coffees are certified organic, sustainable, and shade grown. We make occasional exceptions for beautiful shade-grown coffees grown responsibly without pesticides but not yet certified organic.
- We use cellophane-lined bags instead of plastic or polypropylene-lined. Cellophane is made from wood cellulose, so it is 100% biodegradable. Because of the slight porosity, cellophane is not used by roasters who are worried about shelf life, but because our coffee does not sit on store shelves for long periods, we can use this material with no trade-off in quality. Once the metal tie is removed from our bags, they are recyclable or compostable.
- We use food-safe stainless steel bins to mix our blends instead of the plastic bins which are standard in the industry. Your beans literally never touch plastic or aluminum from the time they are packed into burlap sacks at the country of origin to the time they are poured into your grinder.
- We compost coffee bean chaff (a waste product of the roasting process) and pay extra for paper (compostable) half gallon milk jugs, rather than plastic gallon milk jugs.
- All test batches, expired batches, or batches that do not meet our requirements are composted or donated to local food banks
- All inks we use are soy-based. All papers (except for our coffee bags – we’re still looking for cellophane-lined recycled paper bags) have post-consumer recycled content of 50% or greater, and are unbleached. All cleaning products are greenest non-toxic products we can find, and all appliances are the most energy-efficient on the market.
- All customer communications are done over the internet whenever possible.
They’re official!
[Thanks Ed for taking the Affogato pics. Still have stage fright with the camera.]
[Thanks Brian for leading the way.]
Even with my weird schedule lately I still love a good Saturday. While I was out and about I came across these books and got completely giddy. The Where’s Waldo Complete Collection and the Best of Mad Libs do exist outside of my dreams, how cool is that? I can’t help it, I’m a sucker for anything that reminds me of when I was eight.
After some window shopping and some reading in the park, we were off to to watch the fight with some friends. Let me just say that I tried, but I’m not a fan of boxing. The best part was celebrity spotting in the audience, but the fight and the ref kept getting in the way. I did catch Mariah and Nick Cannon. Have to hand it to Mariah though, she posed through all 12 rounds, that must be hard work. The only other sighting I caught was Mark Wahlberg, and that was quite nice. Oh yeah, then there was the part where Chris Brown sang the National Anthem. Yeah, exactly.
It was great company and snacks…and Prosecco, a wonderful way to kick-off a Saturday night. From there we were off to hop around the city and ended up at Le Colonial to visit a friend DJing. After a drink or two and some dancing we were off to Ryoku for sushi and anything fried. We never had dinner, so we had to make up for it at 1:30 AM. These are not going to be pretty pics, but it was latenight dining captured with my phone. It is because of the champagne and this meal (and maybe a few other leading up to it), that I have started to detox today. So worth it though!
Green tea, white salmon, salmon belly, karaage, croquette, kurobota, yakitori…detox.
(I’m already looking forward to a real sushi dinner after the detox, still working up to a date at Urasawa on of these days.)
A few weeks ago my friend Keri was visiting from Seattle. Before a night out on the town we stopped by Anchor & Hope for a few appetizers. For most people this might have constituted as a meal, but if you know me at all, you’d know this was my snack after a full meal; and to be honest I probably had a late-night snack later on.
I’ve been here a few times now, and each time I’ve had a wonderful meal. I always end up in SOMA before a night out, so it’s an easy stop that promises great seafood dishes in a warmly candle-lit, turn-of-the century warehouse. I’m sure I’ve just been lucky, but I’ve always been able to just stop by without a reservation.
On this particular night we split three appetizers, but while we sipped our wine we received paper baggie with french bread and a small ramekin of perfectly spreadable butter (not a fan of cold, right from the fridge butter) with a light sprinkling of fleur de sel. I usually hold off on starting with the bread and opt to save it for when the saucy dishes arrive–I’m quite an accomplished “dipper”.
Here’s how it went:
1. Warm sea urchin and crab: Creamy and rich, with a nice taste of “ocean” from the sea urchin. (Perhaps a bit lost with all the cream, but still a lovely taste of the sea.)
2. Warm asparagus salad with poached egg: Love asparagus, love poached eggs, love a proper hollandaise.
3. They didn’t call it pork belly, but it pretty much was: Perfectly fatty and smokey; it went so well with the acid from the warm purple cabbage.
Bread and butter
Warm Sea Urchin with crab and lemon beurre blanc
Warm asparagus salad with poached egg and meyer lemon hollandaise
Pork belly and purple cabbage
Overall Anchor & Hope is one of my favorite destinations, especially when I’m craving a taste of the sea. In the past I’ve had an amazing bouillabaisse-style fish stew, perfectly cooked scallops, proscuitto-wrapped trout, and a crazy wonderful clam chowder. Service and atmosphere are great, and for all you beer aficionado’s I hear they have quite a selection.
My favorite Saturday errand is a trip to the Alemany Farmer’s Market. Not sure if it’s considered an errand if it’s something you look forward to though; for some reason an errand always seems a bit bothersome. I think the only not-so-fun part about it is washing and drying everything when I get home, but as much as this isn’t my favorite part, I have to tell you that it is SO WORTH IT. Reaching for clean fruits and veggies on a weeknight in the kitchen is a great feeling.
When I’m at the top of my game I plan my market run throughout the week, but at the very least I know I should always come up with some sort of list before I go, otherwise it could be dangerous. I believe it’s called sensory overload:
Welcome to the weekend, friends. What are you up to? Don’t be shy, I see you there…your comments make my day.
I’ll be taking a note from Audrey with some reading and snacking on tap-I’m craving a good snack board. Hopefully I can get up early enough to make it to the farmer’s market, and maybe even swing by Tartine Bakery for some fresh bread in the afternoon. Funny, as I started this I wasn’t quite sure what I’d be up to, but I think I have a plan now. Terrific!
Have a wonderful weekend.
(image via Funny Face)
In short: we were on our way to pick up ingredients for Zuni chicken, passed by Zuni Cafe on the way, took an unexpected detour and ended up with a lovely table in the cafe sipping cocktails, downing oysters, and patiently waiting for our chicken.
Fresh squeezed orange juice mimosa, and a spicy bloody mary
Washington Kumamoto oysters
Caesar salad for two
Roasted chicken for two with warm Tuscan-style bread salad
So there, that’s the truth. Now, I realize that my point that anyone can and should try this at home will totally be negated by this admission, but I promise that this was just a nice moment of spontaneity that was seized, and has nothing to do with the fact that Zuni chicken at home takes hours…nothing at all.
So here’s the background. If you haven’t yet heard of Zuni’s famous chicken, just know that it takes about an hour from the time you place your order, and some would argue a fairly sizable chunk out of your wallet (considering it’s chicken), but to me it is worth every second of the wait and every penny charged.
My first Zuni Cafe experience was when I moved down last year. I’d heard of the chicken, but was skeptical since chicken isn’t typically at the top of my list of things to order when dining out. The funny part about our first chicken venture was that we really liked it, but for some reason it went from a strong like to an obsession over the course of the next few weeks. (I wonder if there’s a clinical term for this?)
The chicken is amazingly tender and juicy, and the skin is crisp and salty with a wonderful smokey flavor from the wood fired oven. And then there’s the bread salad. Oh my gosh, the bread salad…a mixture of fire roasted and lightly charred pieces with others perfectly damp from the light vinaigrette and chicken juices.
It’s because of this obsession that I needed to learn to make it myself, and thanks to the extremely detailed recipe I’ve had wonderful success each time. It is an amazing labor of love and yumminess, and my point here (yes, I’m finally getting to it) is that while I love to stop by the cafe every now and then, taking the time to plan and make this meal at home is one of my all-time favorite ways to celebrate a special occasion (even if there’s nothing to celebrate). This meal has so much love wrapped in every step, there’s no reason to be scared away if your heart so desires to try this at home.
