Mariam – Page 92 – Yogurtsoda

Delfina

May 23, 2010

I almost decided to not review Delfina because, well, it’s Delfina. Everyone already knows how incredible the food is and how hip the neighborhood is and how friendly the staff is. What hasn’t already been said?

I’m kind of in love with this place though. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in one of my favorite neighborhoods, and my last dinner here didn’t disappoint. To be on the safe side, I called two weeks ahead of time and made reservations to celebrate a belated birthday.

My dining companion and I started with the puntarelle alla Romana, a Roman specialty of puntarelle shoots.

Similar to chicory, the salad was tossed with salt-packed anchovy, extra-virgin olive oil, and Parmigiano. This was delicious: crisp, tart and slightly bitter. As soon as I can find puntarelle in the markets, I’m making this at home.

Next we had the grilled fresh calamari.

Served on a white bean salad and garnished with olives and frisÃ©e, the calamari had a great smoky flavor from grilling and was super tender. Squid and white beans are a classic pairing; you can’t really go wrong here.

For my entree, I had the rosemary tagliatelle.

The tagliatelle was served with guinea hen ragu and vin santo. What’s a guinea hen, you ask? They’re cousins of pheasant, leaner than chicken, and more flavorful. I thought that the vin santo sauce would make the dish too rich, but it was actually a perfect compliment.

We were stuffed by this point but we couldn’t resist sharing a plate of dessert at the end of our meal. We decided on the profiteroles.

The profiteroles were served with espresso gelato, warm chocolate sauce and candied almonds. The whole thing was really high-quality and extremely decadent. I prefer savory over sweet, but even I was swooning over this dessert.

Delfina is a solid restaurant serving excellent cuisine without the attitude that comes with so many fine dining establishments. It’s easily one of the best restaurants in San Francisco. But you knew that already, didn’t you?

Gyoza

May 19, 2010February 7, 2019

Gyoza, or Japanese potstickers, differ from their Chinese counterparts in that they have a thinner wrapper. They have a richer garlic flavor too, and are usually served with a soy-based rice vinegar and chili sauce. Sometimes I make a double batch as I’m wrapping the gyoza and stick the extras in the freezer – they make for a quick, delicious meal later on, and they’re much healthier than the store-bought frozen version.

Ingredients:

2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
4 green onions, minced
3 tablespoons sake
1 tablespoon oyster-flavored sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 package potsticker wrappers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth

1. In a bowl, toss cabbage with salt; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and press cabbage to extract excess moisture. Add ground chicken, water chestnuts, 3 minced green onions, sake, oyster-flavored sauce, 1 tablespoon ginger, garlic, and cornstarch; mix well.

2. In another bowl, combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, remaining minced green onion, and remaining 1/2 tablespoon of minced ginger to create dipping sauce. Set aside.

3. To shape each potsticker, place a teaspoon of filling in center of one wrapper. Brush edges with water; fold wrapper over filling to form a half-moon. Press and pleat edges to seal. Set filled potsticker down firmly, seam side up, so that it will sit flat.

4. Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirling to coat sides. Add half of potstickers, seam side up, and cook until bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until dumplings are tender and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

5. With a spatula, remove potstickers from pan and place them on a serving platter. Repeat to cook remaining potstickers. Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Gohan Japanese Restaurant

May 7, 2010

Me and sushi go way back. My older cousin first introduced me to it when I was a child and it immediately became one of my favorite foods. Years later, it didn’t hurt that I had Japanese roommates in college who encouraged my foray into sushi eating. During a trip to Tokyo and Kyoto a few months ago, I got to eat sushi and sashimi to my heart’s content.

I had just finished up Trevor Corson’s The Story of Sushi when I was invited to lunch at Gohan in Petaluma. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Gohan looked promising as soon as I stepped inside. The ambiance is bright and modern, and our friendly server immediately brought us tea while we looked over the menu. For those who aren’t crazy about sushi, there are Japanese standards to choose from, but the emphasis is on sushi and sashimi.

The first plate I had was the negi toro roll.

The toro was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Best of all, the rice was adequately vinegared and rolled just right – loose enough so that the rolls kept their shape but the rice wasn’t mushed together.

I also ordered a kryptonite roll.

Like most sushi restaurants, Gohan offers primarily Americanized sushi rolls. I don’t like the mayonnaisey, greasy renditions, and the kryptonite roll was thankfully neither. Comprised of tuna, hamachi, salmon, cucumber, avocado, sprouts, and crunchy tobiko, this was hands-down delicious and super fresh.

Since my first visit, Gohan has become one of my favorite restaurants in Sonoma County. It’s a good balance of accessible sushi for both aficionados and for those who aren’t well-acquainted yet. (And oh, for my Persian-speaking readers, don’t let the name deter you.) The warm staff, the inviting ambiance and the consistently tasty sushi make this place a winner.

Hog Island Oyster Company

May 3, 2010

That’s right, another oyster-themed review. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I could stomach raw oysters without feeling sick, and it was Hog Island’s oysters at the Ferry Building in San Francisco that made me a convert. Their Monday and Thursday happy hour oysters won me over, and soon I was slurping down Kumamotos and Sweetwaters like a pro.

I missed happy hour the last time I was there, but my dining group and I split a plate of Sweetwater oysters anyway.

Delivered fresh daily from Tomales Bay, Sweetwater oysters are plump and salty, and as the name suggests, sweet. For an acidic kick, I always add a few drops of the onion and pepper-flecked mignonette that come with the oysters. I absolutely love this combination and the only thing that makes it even better is the side of fresh Acme bread and Cowgirl Creamery butter that comes with the oysters.

I didn’t get as many raw oysters as I usually do, so I also ordered a bowl of oyster stew.

These were more Sweetwater oysters, but this time stewed in their own liqueur, mirepoix, pimenton De La Vera, lemon zest and cream. I wanted to like this stew, I really did. But it was too sweet and so creamy that it overpowered the taste of the oysters.

Overall, Hog Island Oyster Company in the Ferry Building is a great place to enjoy top-notch oysters and with an incredible view of the Bay Bridge to boot. I’ll likely stick to the raw oysters next time – I can’t seem to get enough of those Sweetwaters.

Sea Salt

April 28, 2010April 28, 2010

Oysters are my happy food. Well that, and just about any shellfish. I stopped by for dinner at Berkeley’s seafood-themed Sea Salt restaurant one evening eager to try their oft-praised oysters, and ended up ordering much more.

The dimly lit and mellow restaurant was packed, and my dining companion and I had a hard time keeping ourselves from wanting to order just about everything on the menu. We started, of course, with the oysters.

Fried oysters with remoulade, to be exact. You know when fried oysters achieve that super-crispy crust on the outside and are oozing with steaming, creamy, hot-but-delicious lava on the inside? Yeah, that’s what we had here. A drizzle of lemon juice and a quick dip in the sauce, and these babies were gone in no time.

Next we tried the fried smelt with green goddess dressing.

I have a lot of recipes for smelt and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making them, but can never locate smelt at the market. I’m so glad we ordered this because it ended up being my favorite dish of the evening. The smelts were very savory and rich without being greasy, and the dressing added a textural contrast to an otherwise crispy, crunchy dish.

Our next dish was the Baia Nicchia Tomato Salad.

Baia Nicchia is a small farm and nursery in Sunol that grows primarily gourmet tomatoes. The ones we were served were meaty and sweet, and topped with fresh mozzarella, pickled onion, and cilantro. I loved the addition of the tart, vinegary onions.

Our mini lobster roll came next.

Served with house-made chips, pickles, and slaw, the lobster was fantastic but the portion was pretty small. We had one bite each before I polished off the pickles. (Did I mention I love pickled vegetables?)

The last dish of the meal was the grilled local squid.

Squid is so easy to overcook, which results in a rubbery texture, but not these. These squid were grilled to tender, smoky perfection and were served atop a white bean salad. A drizzle of basil almond pesto completed the dish, though I think the squid and beans were so delicious on their own they could have done without the pesto.

Sea Salt is a gem in a city that’s already chock-full of good restaurants. They have a daily $1 oyster happy hour too; I know what I’m going back for next time.