Monthly Archives: June 2010

Maverick Restaurant, The Mission, San Francisco

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I went to Maverick tonight with the sister-in-laws and had a great meal.  They really know how to prepare down-home meals in a fresh, organic, fashion that showcases the main ingredient (a la iron chef?).  My summer squash soup was enjoyable, although I’m not sure what was significantly different than a fall squash soup…

The dinner is where they really shined.  My bourbon honey pork chop with candied pecans and cornbread was the most tender chop I’ve ever had.  This chop tasted as if it was injected with juice as it was so incredibly moist and flavorful.  This could be due to the high quality of the meat, a marinade?, or just perfect preparation.  Either way, I don’t think I can duplicate it and may not try, though I will return and anyone in the area should do the same.

Caves El Barcino Cava, NV – Spain

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 I had this Cava while wating to meet the sister-in-laws for dinner.  This Cava, comprised of 50% Parellada; 30% Macabeo; 20% Xarel-lo is mid-dry with some citrus and earthiness.  It was a good apertif and prepared me for what ended up being a great dinner.  Next post will be on that dinner.

Spy Valley Riesling 2009, New Zealand (Doesn’t taste like apple juice either)

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Lots of people don’t drink Riesling because they think it’s too sweet and tastes like apple juice.  They’re drinking the wrong wine.

Riesling is easily one of my favorite whites as it can be sticky sweet in the form of a late harvest or bone dry and crisp.  Due to this, it’s also quite versatile and in this case, the Spy Valley bottle which we enjoyed on the first night of our cruise fit the bill.  It had hints of green apple with the balance of citrus and is probably in the middle of the sweet to dry scale. I ate jerk chicken that night in the Grand Pacific Dining room on the NCL Jade and the wine helped cut the pepper which is ever-present in jerk chicken rubs.

Le volpi e l’uva – Firenze, Italy: What a Great Wine Bar!

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I found Le volpi e l’uva in a Travel & Leisure issue before we went on vacation which identified it as one of the top 10 wine bars in Europe.  Being the wine lovers that we are, we had to find it.  It was a bit tricky as it’s between Ponte Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti.  Giancarlo is an amazing host, first suggesting some prosecco to start us off.  It’s worth noting that we had a full lunch in Florence already with Pizza in one of the squares, but when Giancarlo asked if we wanted an assortment of Italian cheeses, the only answer was: yes, please.  The cheese was wonderful and had 2 different types of pecorino (one very soft with a washed rind, and the other hard with saffron) and 3 other wonderful selections as well.  They were paired with 2 honeys, and two chutneys .  It was also accompanied by some extraordinarily fresh tomatoes and the best foccacia I’ve ever had – no rosemary or other herb, just simple olive oil and salt: what else is necessary?  Giancarlo recommended a Chianti to go with our cheese and it was perfect and not like any other Chianti we’d ever had.  It was light, slightly fruity, and a really matched our cheese well.  We asked him for some recommendations and brought some of Italy (wine) home with us.  We spent about 2 hours eating, drinking, eating, and drinking and absorbing all Firenze, or Florence as we know it had to offer.

Caffe Scudieri, Firenze, Italy

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While waiting for our tour to start in Firenze, or Florence as we know it in the states, we found Caffe Scudieri on the Piazza del Duomo.  The Cafe served here, or rather espresso as we know it is smooth, hardly any bitterness at all.  I had one of the best cappuccinos I’ve ever had in my life here and it’s no wonder why the locals seem to come here as much as the tourists.  It’s a classy room and worth noting that there is a surcharge for a table of at least 2 euros.  If you’re just coming in for a cafe, stand at the bar.

Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona

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This is one of the most amazing food markets I’ve ever visited (and not bought anything).  It’s located just off La Rambla in Barcelona. From Ham (many Ibericos – a Spanish specialty), to fruits, vegetables, spices, chocolates, etc., this market had just amazing varieties of foods displayed beautifully.  Pictures are below and the market is a destination in itself. 

Dominio de Valdepusa Marques de Grinon Syrah, 2005

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With the assistance of Chef Kris at Tapiloes 53, we selected this wonderful Syrah to pair with courses 3-5 of our meal.  This is a big Syrah with opulent fruit, vanilla and a bit of spice.  I don’t have much experience with Spanish wines, but if you told me this was a Napa Syrah, I’d have no problem believing it.  This wine not only paired well with our dinner, but was also a pleasure to drink.  It had a silky finish and got better as it opened up.  I’ll keep my eyes out for it here (and you should too).

Great Sandwiches at Bracafe in Barcelona, Spain

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I’m not sure what’s in the water in Spain, but their bread is just perfect: a solid crust with just enough dough to wrap around whatever is inside the ‘wich.  In this case, it’s the traditional Iberico ham at Bracafe, a chain of cafes in Barcelona.  If you’re hungry and passing one of these, go for any of the sandwiches (or my favorite here – the ham) which is served on the aforementioned perfect bread with a tomato puree and a drop of olive oil.  Just enough meat to provide flavor and texture, not like the giant deli concoctions that we see stateside.  I’ll miss this sandwich and all the others like it I enjoyed last week…

Tapioles 53 – Great Dining Experience in Barcelona, Spain

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We visited Tapioles 53 for dinner on our first night in Barcelona last Friday.  For those of you who have never visited Barcelona, the restaurants don’t generally start to serve dinner until 9pm and after the preceding night’s travel from the east coast, this made for a long day.  Nonetheless, we had reservations for 9pm at Tapioles 53 and had one of the top 5 dining experiences I’ve enjoyed from the many to choose from.  When we entered the restaurant, Kristin, the chef greeted us and sat down with us at our table to explain the menu.  He also recommended a Spanish Syrah (look out for that post) which was wonderful.  They started by serving home-made bread paired with olive oil and a spice mix/dip that really got our stomachs primed for dinner.

Their menu is limited to what they purchase at the market and there were 2 choices – a 3 course menu with 2 choices per course and a 5 course prix fixe.  We elected the 5 course menu.  The wife, who, as many know is not a fish eater, devoured the house smoked king salmon: need I say more?  The following course, a spinach gnocchi with fresh goat cheese was light, airy, and delightful.  Our meat for the evening was a special cut of pork tenderloin which was described as the kobe of pork and I can see why.  Moist, tender and flavorful matched with a homemade ground mustard which was phenomenal.  Our following cheese course was paired with a cava jelly which melted on the tongue, a pedro ximinez (sherry) jelly which off-set the cheese, and a traditional quince paste as well.  Lastly, dessert included a chocolate/berry panna cotta and a flourless chocolate cake.  All was wonderful.

We felt like invited guests (view from our table to the left) and were treated like regulars.  This was an amazing start to a great vacation and I strongly recommend Tapioles 53 to anyone visiting Barcelona who wants to dine in a local neighborhood while being treated to a great meal.

Lentil Walnut Burgers – Hearty AND Vegetarian (tastes good too)

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My sister-in-law turned me on to the Everyday Food cookbook (thanks Kelly!) and this recipe is from that.  I made it and followed it to the ‘T’.  This has flavors reminiscent of falafel and while we ate it sans-bread, it would have gone nicely in a pita or on a soft roll as well.  We really enjoyed it tonight and beer from our sampler packs, courtesy of Shiner and Magic Hat went well with it.  Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

Lentil-Walnut Burgers:

3/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled

1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 cup lentils, cooked, drained, and cooled

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large egg

Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce:

3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Lentil-Walnut Burgers

1. In a food processor, combine walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until finely ground. Add lentils and 1 tablespoon oil; pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils should remain whole).

2. In a large bowl, whisk egg. Add lentil mixture; mix well. Divide into 4 equal-size parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4-inch-thick patties.

3. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add burgers; cook over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Yogurt Cilantro Sauce

1. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, cilantro, and lemon; season with salt and pepper.