Yogurtsoda – Page 70 – Eating my way around the world by Mariam Hosseini

New Orleans, Days One and Two

April 20, 2013April 20, 2013

Po’ boys. Sazeracs. Gumbo. Oysters. Wait, scratch that. No oysters. After an unfortunate bout with oysters on the half shell last year, I learned that I’m now allergic to my favorite shellfish. And so I found myself in New Orleans a few months ago for a friend’s sister’s wedding, oyster shacks taunting me at every other corner, unable to imbibe on their sweet, salty nectar.

No matter. New Orleans is a culinary and cultural force to be reckoned with, and our group set out to tackle the city. My first day in NOLA was spent lolling around in the sun in the French Quarter’s beautiful Jackson Square. Designed after Paris’ Place des Vosges in the 1800s, it’s a host to live music, impromptu concerts, and a smattering of fortune tellers.

We woke up late on our second day in New Orleans, and after a late night out, we needed fuel. Off to Central Grocery we went for a sandwich.

Ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t any old sandwich. This is a muffuletta, and perhaps the world’s greatest. Picture Sicilian sesame bread covered with layers of marinated olive salad, capicola, mortadella, salami, pepperoni, ham, Swiss cheese, and provolone. Now picture being able to only eat a quarter of it. The remaining three-quarters would make for a great post-wedding midnight snack.

Best. Midnight. Snack. Ever.

Bangkok Noodles

April 13, 2013April 13, 2013

What’s a no-frills and super authentic Thai restaurant doing in the heart of Union Square? I would have never thought to try out Bangkok Noodles until after a night of outfit hunting, I found myself ravenous. Located on the busiest block of Powell Street, I sat down with my dining companions Karen and Anoop and we quickly ordered, with the smell of garlic, shallots, and spicy broth permeating the air.

My seafood noodle soup did not disappoint. Flecked with loads of fried shallots and topped with fresh herbs, I added a couple of drops of chili sauce and went to town. This dish had just the right ratio of seafood to chewy noodles, and the warm broth was what I needed on a rainy San Francisco evening. Bangkok Noodles has non-noodle dishes on the menu too, but why deviate from a good thing?

Bangkok Noodles is cash-only and the wait can be long, but it’s worth it, especially in Union Square, where quick and good eats can be hard to come by.

48 hours in Chicago: Where to eat and what to do

April 11, 2013

I’ve always associated two things with Chicago: The 1980’s sitcom Perfect Strangers (Balki!) and the enormous O’Hare International Airport, where I’ve had many a stopover (and hot dog). Last year, I spent a quick 48 hours in the city for a conference and while most of my time was spent indoors, I got some good eating and sightseeing packed in too.

On the Near North Side of Chicago lies Sable, a sleek, no-nonsense New American restaurant serving up classic cuisine with a Midwestern vibe. Salad? What’s that? At Sable, my colleagues and I ate meat. And fried things. Delicious, delicious fried things. I also sampled my first-ever deviled eggs and fell in love. Granted, they were truffled and garnished with trumpet mushrooms, but man were these creamy and decadent. We also split a plate of duck fat steak fries doused with pecorino romano alongside white truffle aioli, for good measure.

Since indulgence appeared to be the theme of this meal, I had the buttermilk fried chicken waffles with bourbon maple syrup as my entree. This dish was a little over the top for my taste, but I can’t say I wasn’t warned. Sable isn’t playing around, and while my dinner was delicious, I found myself craving a plate of greens afterward.

Chicago is an architectural gem, and during my second evening in town, I ducked out of the conference for a quick boat tour that guided our group through the Chicago River and highlighted the city’s historical buildings like the Tribune Tower, the Wrigley Building, and Willis (Sears) Tower. I learned more than I could absorb, but I do remember learning that the reason why parts of Chicago smell like chocolate is because of the Blommer Chocolate Company’s factory alongside the river.

My trip was over almost as soon as it had begun, but I couldn’t leave without sampling an infamous Chicago hot dog. I stopped at Gold Coast Dogs at O’Hare International Airport and ordered a beef hot dog with all the usual toppings, including what makes a Chicago-style hot dog unique: celery salt and pickled sport peppers. Not bad at all for a quick airport dinner.

This trip was so quick that I didn’t make it to many of the sights I’d wanted to see or any restaurants that I’d wanted to try, like Alinea and Hot Dougs. I barely scratched the surface and if this trip was any indication, there’s still lots and lots of ground to cover.

Mast-o-Khiar (Persian Yogurt with Cucumber and Mint)

April 6, 2013August 17, 2023

Call it Greek tzatziki, Turkish cacik, or Indian raita, but to me, it’ll always be mast-o-khiar. It’s part of nearly every Iranian meal and couldn’t be easier to prepare. English translations will often call it a dip, and while it can be (raise your hand if you dipped your potato chips into mast-o-khiar while growing up), it’s really eaten as a side dish alongside a complete meal.

Mast-o-khiar can include variations like dried rose petals (how Persian, I know) or dried shallots (in which case it becomes mast-o-musir), but my favorite is this classic version, garnished with a light sprinkling of walnuts.

Ingredients:

2 cups Middle Eastern or Greek-style yogurt, plain
2 or 3 Persian cucumbers, finely chopped or grated
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ground dried mint
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, reserving half a tablespoon of walnuts for garnish. Chill and serve cold.

Tov Tofu

March 11, 2013

Santa Rosa isn’t exactly synonymous with Korean cuisine, but I’ve noticed a slow, albeit steady rise in the number of Korean restaurants in Sonoma County these past few years. Tov Tofu may be the most authentic, especially for a restaurant 50 miles north of San Francisco.

Tucked away in a shopping center on Yulupa Avenue, Tov Tofu is a bit of a misnomer. The restaurant serves much more than just tofu (not that it’d be a bad thing — one can never have too many jigaes or soondubus). During my first visit with my family, we tried a little bit of everything.

We started with the Korean restaurant standard: bulgogi. The bulgogi here is especially tender, with great-quality beef on a generous bed of onions. Tov Tofu doesn’t have tabletop barbecues, but I doubt you’ll be missing that element with bulgogi this delectable.

Next, we had a plate of bibim naengmyun, or what’s billed as “chilled buckwheat cold noodle.” Whereas a Korean restaurant in Oakland or Santa Clara will usually list the menu item in transliterated Korean, Tov Tofu lists most dishes in English. Korean cuisine is still relatively new in Sonoma County, after all. The naengmyun here was good: chewy noodles with a great bite, although the sauce was sweeter and less spicy than what I’m used to.

We ended our meal with a bowl of bibimbap, which comes in a stone bowl so that the rice forms a crunchy, golden crust. For good measure, we also ordered a flamingly hot bowl of spicy beef soup, flecked with bits of egg, green onions, and bean sprouts. Crunchy, vinegary tastes of banchan helped cut through the heat between bites. So good, so fiery.

There are a few variances from your standard Bay Area Korean menu at Tov Tofu: the bibimbap comes with a fully-cooked shredded egg omelet, and the bibim naengmyeon is vegetarian. But it’s still delicious, and that’s really all that matters. Okay, service matters too. It’s super friendly and down to earth at Tov Tofu, making it one of my new favorite restaurants in Sonoma County. Who knew great Korean cuisine could be found north of San Francisco?