I'm even more obsessed now that I've actually started going to the gym again and "live to eat" has also become "eat to live" or maybe it's just given more legitimacy to my "live to eat" philosophy... hmmm.
I'm sure my location in San Francisco has an influence on it. It definitely isn't from my parents, neither of whom have been much of foodies except maybe until recently; my dad very picky and drawn to the best new restaurants in the city, my mom practically dancing with Asian food happiness when she visits the bay area.
San Francisco is all about food. Restaurants are destinations and entertainment. New restaurants are a circus and a goal.
I have a dire need to find new restaurants, try new places, amuse my taste buds with new flavors and sensations.
I obsess about certain foods or ingredients at different times. I have a need to always try new things, new flavors, new foods. Reid asked me why I can't just buy regular orange juice, when he opened my refrigerator to find passionfruit nectar instead. I responded that if I died today, would I rather have had orange juice or something more interesting? The answer is always something interesting and new. After drinking the juice he said it reminded him of Hawaii. Everybody wins.
He also teases me for pointing out every boulange and restaurant owned by Pascal Rigo around the city. Charmingly designed, colorful, and with impeccable simple french pastries and sandwiches, I could visit over and over again and am always impressed by the quality of their bread, croissants, and abundance of cornichons and other condiments readily available.
There's a Chronicle food writer that I adore that echoes my foodie feelings in each column: Marlena Spieler, foodie, cook, writer, and world traveler. Her recipes are generally simple with rich ingredients and satisfying tastes. I hate radishes, but after a class with her I learned that you can cut a radish in half, put a dab of butter, a little salt, and some chives on top and it's a crunchy and delightful amuse bouche. She also puts truffle oil into everything, which I love.
Epicurious is one of those sites that I visit constantly to find recipes for certain ingredients or just browse. This pasta carbonara recipe is amazing. On AllRecipes.com I found this the recipe for "Daddy Mack's Oysters" which I used last year while bbqing at the Hog Island Oyster company.
Another foodie site is Chowhound, mostly just an online bulletin board for people to share their restaurant experiences. I'm trying to use it for my upcoming trip to Sweden. No results yet, but I have enjoyed the fruits of these boards before, for some amazing and unexpected restaurant experiences when I lived in Paris. It can get a bit inundated and convoluted, but here you can find unusual places off the beaten path and the holes in the wall with the best food.
My most recent obsessions:
Since moving to North Beach, the search for the best Italian pastries (so far a little store on Columbus off Green with all the goodies on display in the window) and the best pizza (so far North Beach pizza wins although I'd really prefer them not to as they are not very nice and don't sell pizza by the slice).
I've also been searching for a particular kind of ham that I had in a tea-style sandwich in Venice (I told you I am obsessed). It was served thinly sliced on crustless white bread with marinated artichokes and mayonnaise. Accompanied by a spritz (campari and prosecco cocktail) it made a perfect lunch or afternoon treat. If I could find that ham I'm sure those little sandwiches would be my favorite comfort food.
But
I
haven't
found
that
ham
yet.
All I remember is that it was called "ham" in Italian. The Italian deli owner told me there are about 600 types of ham in Italy. Not very helpful. I think I've narrowed it down to Parma ham.
I haven't been too adventurous in the adjacent Chinatown neighborhood yet since I have my old standbys which are the sticks against which all other Chinese restaurants will be measured (Hunan Homes and Yank Sing for dim sum). I do pass one hole-in-the-wall restaurant every day though that looks basic with linoleum tables and floors, but is always filled to the brim with people and has succulent food displayed in the window at all times (including a row of roasted ducks hanging by their necks). It's called Yee's Restaurantand has some pretty good reviews on Yelp (check out the photo of the ducks).
My most recent obsession is something I tried for the first time last week and is seriously stuck in my head. They're these coconut cocktail buns from a Hawaiian cafe on Stockton near Clay (not sure of the name). Very sweet and doughy, a little salty, a lot tasty. I'm looking forward to the next one.
I'm always looking forward to the next meal or the next interesting food experience. I'm very excited about trying the new restaurant Orson which was just opened by the people from Citizen Cake (they might have an obsession, too, or maybe two obessions) and has quite an experimental menu.
No comments:
Post a Comment