July 30, 2014

Darwin Cafe, Blue Barn Gourmet, and WOODS Polk Station

Today was a very salad-y day that ended with a lot of beer.

I've heard about and seen a lot of photos of the food at Darwin Cafe and was very excited to try their kale salad for lunch today. Hidden in a tiny alley, the cafe itself is very unassuming and had it not been for the large lunchtime crowd, I would have totally missed it. The majority of people seemed to get take-out so despite the crowd, we were able to get seats easily. The kale salad was huge! The salad was topped with parmesan and prosciutto which gave it a nice saltiness. Next time, I want to try one of their sandwiches.

Kale Salad at Darwin Cafe: kale, radicchio, lemon, garlic, parmesan, prosciutto, aged balsamic 

For the past year, friends, coworkers, and classmates have been raving about the amazing salads at Blue Barn Gourmet. I was always really confused because I mean, how great can a salad possibly be?! So for dinner, I walked up Polk Street to Blue Barn to check it out for myself. The salad and sandwich menu is really extensive and the u-pick salad option means that everyone can have the salad of their dreams. I went with the spicy tuna salad that comes with a slice of herbed bread. I thought Darwin Cafe's salad was huge but this salad was perhaps even larger because I had trouble finishing it. The soba noodles added a nice crunch and if a salad has avocado in it, I'm sold. I had a bite of my friend's bun me sandwich (grilled organic salmon, nuoc cham cucumber-carrot salad, herbs, garlic aioli & sriracha on a ciabatta roll) and while tasty, there was way too much aioli on it. I think next time I'll either go for the tostada salad or one of their sandwiches.

Spicy Tuna Salad at Blue Barn Gourmet: mixed greens, chicory chop, spicy ahi tuna, avocado, mango, snow peas, cucumber, scallions, sesame seeds, soba noodles & miso-ginger vinaigrette

After our meal, we headed just two doors up to WOODS Polk Station, a fairly new experimental bar. The space is small but their beers are amazing! I started with the morpho herbal ale: "yerba mate, hibiscus, and bay leaf give wine-like fruit and berry notes with a refreshing tart finish. No hops!" How cool is it that the beers are infused with yerba mate?! Next I tried the pancakes & syrup saison and wow, it was incredible how the beer truly smelled and tasted like pancakes and maple syrup. I tried my friend's evil twin yin and one other selection that I can't remember the name of but both were very dark and had hints of chocolate and coffee. I really like this tiny bar for its eclectic selection and like that they also offer El Porteno's empanadas because those are delicious. Trying these unique brews makes me want to explore some of San Francisco's breweries.

Pancake Saison: "a griddle-charred crust, a fluffy sweet center, and a hearty swirl of syrup: the perfect flapjack stack, in a glass"

July 27, 2014

The Corner Store Part 6

Wow, somehow The Corner Store has become my most frequented restaurant in San Francisco. The food is pretty solid and today was no exception. In fact, today might have been one of the better days! I arrived during Happy Hour and ordered the burger and Timm's cup (bourbon, lemon-lime soda, blackberry). I've had the burger before and wasn't impressed, but today it was cooked perfectly. The bacon jam was very prominent this time too.

The Corner Store Burger with niman ranch chuck, aged cheddar, pickled red onion, bread & butter pickle, garlic aioli, bacon jam; French Fries

July 25, 2014

Golden Hour

It was a rare sunny and bright day in San Francisco. A friend and I went on a photo walk of a few of our favorite places in the city. We started at the Legion of Honor and walked along the Lands End Trail. The clear skies made the Golden Gate Bridge stand out in full view today. We ended up at Sutro Baths just as the sun was beginning to set. As we arrived at Ocean Beach, the skies were darkening redder and the most beautiful light shined along the water. Golden hour.

Lands End Trail
Sutro Baths
Ocean Beach

July 24, 2014

Bar Tartine Part 2

My sister is in town for a business trip and for dinner tonight, we went to Bar Tartine. The last time I went to Bar Tartine was also with my sister over a year ago. We went for lunch and I'd vowed to return for dinner.

To start, we ordered the sliced bread with herb butter because well, I can't give up the chance to try Chad Robertson's bread. The bread was thick, moist, soft, and so doughy. We also ordered the beef tartare with potato flatbread, which tasted very different from traditional beef tartare. The cured salmon with oyster mushrooms and ramps was a very refined dish and came in a cold broth. While all the dishes were very good, the favorite of the night was the smoked potatoes with black garlic. I'd heard so many rave reviews about the potatoes and it definitely did not disappoint. The sauce was a bit overwhelming but so flavorful. I have got to learn to make this at home. I enjoyed the meal and I'm glad I finally got to dine here but I do think that the dishes are pricey for the portion sizes.

Beef Tartare on Potato Flatbread
Cured King Salmon with Oyster Mushrooms and Ramps
Smoked Potatoes with Black Garlic

July 22, 2014

Disposable Coffee Dripper

Isn't this a nifty invention? Instead of investing in new gear for pour-over coffee at home, one can just grab a disposable coffee dripper. It'd be great for travel too. For some reason I haven't seen this sold in the US but when I was in Korea, it was everywhere! I'd never seen such a product before so I brought back a box to enjoy at home. So cool, convenient, and best of all: no coffee grounds to clean up.

July 18, 2014

Recipe: Braised Mackerel

Braised mackerel is one of my favorite Korean dishes that I grew up eating at home. I made it for the first time tonight and turns out it's super easy to make. I took the shortcut route and used canned, boiled mackerel, which I actually like because the bones are completely edible. I didn't have any radish so I chopped up a potato and carrot instead and added extra water to compensate for it. Delicious!


Braised Mackerel
Adapted from Maangchi
Serves 3

Ingredients
1 can (14 oz) mackerel, drained and rinsed
1 potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick cubes
1 carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick cubes
½ onion, sliced into ½-inch thick slices
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp korean chili flakes
1 tbsp sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
3/4 cup water

Instructions
In the bottom of a medium sized pot, arrange the prepared potato, carrot, and onion.
Place the mackerel pieces on top.
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, chili flakes, sugar, garlic, and ginger to make the seasoning sauce. Mix well until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the fish and vegetables and spread carefully as the canned fish falls apart easily.
Pour 3/4 cup of water along the edges of the pot and stir to mix it in with the sauce.
Bring pot to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for ~15-20 minutes, covered, until the potato and carrot are tender.
Every few minutes, open the lid, tilt the pot, and use a spoon to push aside the mackerel and vegetables to scoop some broth and pour it over the top of the fish.
Serve hot over rice. I recommend wrapping the mackerel, vegetables, and rice in cabbage or lettuce leaves.

July 14, 2014

Recipe: Waffle of Insane Greatness with Balsamic Roasted Strawberries

Whoa whoa whoa, you must absolutely make the following two recipes.

Despite my waffle obsession, I hadn't yet posted a waffle recipe. And why is that? Because there was no go-to waffle recipe that I could count on, until now. Aretha Frankensteins Waffle of Insane Greatness is appropriately named. The addition of cornstarch in the batter produces a wonderfully crispy waffle that differentiates itself from the fluffy (and inferior) pancake. I'm so happy with this recipe and am excited to make some amazing waffle concoctions with it, like the korean subway waffle filled with cream and apple syrup.

The second recipe that I am completely smitten with is balsamic roasted strawberries and it pairs amazingly with the waffles. Prior to leaving on vacation, I had about two pounds of fresh strawberries that I couldn't bare to toss. So I washed, hulled, sliced, and froze all the strawberries. When I came back from vacation and realized that I had no fruit to pair with the waffles or to put in my daily yogurt breakfast, I remembered the frozen strawberries. Texturally, defrosted fruit is gross because it's all mushy and watery, and to eat it frozen is a brain freeze waiting to happen. So best solution? Roasted strawberries! And to make it more interesting, I first tossed the frozen strawberries with balsamic vinegar. Absolutely divine eaten both hot or cold. And another bonus is that because roasting brings out the natural sugars in the strawberries, there's no need for maple syrup on the waffles.


Waffle of Insane Greatness
Adapted from Aretha Frankensteins
Serves 2-4, depending on the waffle maker

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used white whole-wheat flour, sifted)
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter (I did half oil and half butter)
1 egg
1½ tsp sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil or butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
Heat a waffle iron, pour the batter, and cook the waffles.
Serve immediately with balsamic roasted strawberries and a dollop of plain greek yogurt.
Or hold in a 200 degree oven, directly on the rack (don't stack them or they'll get soggy).



Balsamic Roasted Strawberries
Inspired by Shutterbean
Makes ~1 heaping cup

Ingredients
16 oz. medium fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and cut in half
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Take the cut strawberries, put in a large mixing bowl, and toss to coat evenly with balsamic vinegar.
Spread a layer of strawberries on the baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, or until strawberries are soft. Turn up the oven to broil and let strawberries crisp just briefly as there should still be juices left in the pan.
Eat strawberries hot or store in the refrigerator to enjoy cold.

July 12, 2014

The Social Study

Located in my neighborhood, I've walked past this cafe/bar/lounge plenty of times but never had a reason to step inside. This afternoon a friend suggested we meet up at The Social Study and I'm so glad we did! Like the name suggests, the place seems like an ideal spot to get work done in the afternoon. The seats along the wall are limited to one or two people with books lining the top of the seats, which actually reminded me a lot of Two Sisters Bar and Books. The Social Study serves food, coffee, tea, alcohol, and at night, transforms into a chill bar with live music performances. There's also a good selection of board games and a fantastic playlist to make this spot one of the most laid-back places to meet up with friends. I will be back!

July 9, 2014

SoCal Summer

Just returned from another random trip home down to southern California. After returning from Korea and coming down with a post-vacation funk, all I wanted was to hang out and relax in sunny Orange County with Popcorn and my parents. It was perfect timing too because we got to spend 4th of July together and watch fireworks at night. Popcorn and I had lots of bonding time, going for long walks and even grocery shopping together. And as always, my mom's Korean home cooking proved to be the best!

Popcorn's special egg dinner for 4th of July
Grocery shopping with Popcorn
All my korean bakery favorites: manju; sweet potato bread, red bean bread, and kabocha bread

Summers in San Francisco are disappointing so it was nice to have at least a week of real summer weather before settling back into SF's fog.

July 8, 2014

SoCal Lunch Date: In-N-Out, Sato Sushi, and Beard Papa's

I really enjoyed spending the past few days going on lunch dates with my parents.

We went to In-N-Out Burger for lunch on one of the days and it was delicious as always. Despite being a huge fan of San Francisco's Roam and Nopa burger, In-N-Out burger will always have my heart. The bun is perfectly toasted and crisp, and frankly, a whole slew of childhood memories are associated with the burger.


On another afternoon, my mom and I had Japanese food at Sato Sushi. I got the chirashi, which came with assorted sashimi over sushi rice. I'm really digging pickled vegetables lately and also, the tamagoyaki was particularly well-seasoned. The plating was beautiful!


Afterwards, I was excited to see that nearby Cafe Mochilato sold Beard Papa's cream puffs, a popular dessert that I've always wanted to try. I got the classic vanilla cream puff, large with a crispy shell heavily filled with creamy custard. So good but so rich that one is enough.

Beard Papa's classic vanilla cream puff

July 6, 2014

E!ght Korean BBQ

I was skeptical when my mom suggested we go to E!ght Korean BBQ (formerly called Palsaik Korean BBQ) for dinner. But after a fantastic meal, this is now my favorite Korean BBQ spot!

We ordered the set menu: 8 flavors of pork belly, seafood soybean stew, grilled kimchi and bean sprouts, and mixed salad. I got a side order of rice and we shared a bowl of cold noodles at the end as well. The 8 flavors of pork belly are wine, original, ginseng, garlic, herb, curry, miso paste, and red pepper paste. Each flavor was an experience and I liked that it made me stop to think about and appreciate the different tastes. My favorite flavor was wine while the herb flavor was both of our least favorite. Herbs just don't pair well with Korean food...

Recipe: Tomato Sandwich

This sandwich doesn't really require a recipe but because it's so delicious, I'm posting one anyways.

When I first heard of the tomato sandwich, I had bad feelings. I mean, a sandwich with a thick smears of mayonnaise and slices of tomato? Gross. Still, I was curious as to why this sandwich has a fan base, especially in the south. On a hot summer day, I decided to go ahead and give it a go. As you can imagine, the ingredients make or break this sandwich. Somehow this incredibly simple sandwich works, particularly the balance of creamy, salty, and acidity. It's also slightly addictive because I ended up eating another one for lunch the next day and there's no doubt that I'll have it again. A total tribute to the seasonally ripe tomato crop, the tomato sandwich is the ultimate underrated summer sandwich.


Tomato Sandwich
Serves 1

Ingredients
2 slices of white bread, toasted if you'd like but let cool
thick spread of mayonnaise
1 fresh and ripe heirloom or beefsteak tomato, sliced
salt & pepper

Instructions
Slather one side of each piece of toast with a thick spread of mayo.
Layer tomato slices on top of one piece of toast.
Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Place the other piece of toast on top and cut in half.
Eat immediately!