back to SF, adventures continue

After spending the first half of the day in Yountville, Mr.S and I were welcomed back to a chillier, windier SF by that towering golden gate.

We hit up American Rag over by Van Ness and Sutter to do a bit of vintage browsing. I tried on a pair of faded red Tsubi jeans, but couldn't get my behind into them (damn those stick-thin Japanese girls); could've also been the massive French meal I'd just eaten at Bouchon too!

We then walked through Japantown to feed Mr.S's expensive addiction to Japanese stationery. At the Kintetsu/Miyako shopping center, a large complex of specialty shops and eateries, is the Kinokuniya bookstore with a vast collection of Japanese manga, magazines, books, stationery and toys. Inside the mall, there are small cafes and restaurants, including this creperie, Sophie's Crepes.
The fillings, all Japanese-inspired, range from red bean and green tea, to a standard Nutella and banana, to a savory ham, cheese and Kewpie mayo, to a seafood salad made with crabstick.

We also stopped by Nijiya Market, a small supermarket of all your Japanese culinary needs.

Whenever I find myself in an Asian market, I always buy a ton of snacks. They are just so damn cute! I can just picture those ad people sitting around a roundtable, discussing if a cartoon puppy on the cookie box should be winking or not. The pre-packaged sushi and cold salads in the cold case looked fresh and appetizing. We were also really impressed with their selection of green teas, loose and powdered. There was also a whole aisle filled with all flavors of mochi and daifuku. We checked out with a basket full of pan (filled sweet breads), boxes of cute cookies and Pocky, a strawberry crepe, sichimi (Japanese chili pepper mix), some toys, and green tea.

furano melon sweet roll- it tasted like honeydew

these little button cookies were a favorite of mine growing up; they're made of potato starch!

I got a case of the chills as we walked up Fillmore, so Mr.S suggested we stop in to get some hot chocolate at Bittersweet Cafe. This was by far one of the most extensive selections of artisanal chocolate bars I've seen. There was Bonnat, Michel Cluizel, Vosques, Amana, Valrhona, El Ray, Guittard, Scharffen Berger, and much more. The ambiance is dark and mellow, warm like a cup of chocolate. As to their drink menu, they had a good selection of hot chocolates, chocolate-espresso combos, chais, a chocolate Thai iced tea, and steamed milk. Trying to decide between the "Bittersweet," a deep chocolatey, non-dairy drink, and the "Spicy," a hot chocolate flavored with pepper, cinnamon and rose, I decided on the latter for its interesting blend of flavors.

Thick and luxurious, with a deep flavorful palate of spices, it was just the right sweetness. If we hadn't been searching for a restaurant, I'd probably have gotten one of their marshmallows or adorable mini pastries to snack on. We also noticed that they make their own granola, served up with some awesome toppings.

SF, day 1

Let me tell you, house hunting is a marathon event. It can really wear you down, especially when you have to walk everywhere (think hills in San Francisco). So, a girl's gotta keep up her energy by eating well!

After a late flight into SFO and a good night's sleep, I started the day off with a breakfast run to Whole Foods. Mr.S grabbed a flaky croissant and a danish. Me, I like to start my days with a strong, extra-hot, cappuccino. I also picked out a pot of St. Benoît honey yogurt, which turned out to be somewhat of a let-down, some locally made cranberry-almond granola, and a tub of fresh fruit. And it's off we went to go a-huntin'.

considered a food court at all, but more of a frickin' awesome group of really high-qualityFamished by lunchtime, we stopped in at the Westfield Mall Food Court, which can't really be foodstuffs stalls. After a lengthy stroll through displays of crepes, noodle bowls, fresh sushi, and the always enticing Bristol Farms, we settled on Mr. Hana for rice bowls. Mr.S had the beef bowl and I ordered the spicy tuna bowl. We both opted for the brown rice.


The portions were huge, and everything looked fresh and really good at this point since I was famished. My spicy tuna was wonderfully spicy, but perhaps a bit too processed. The texture was mushier than I would have liked. It came with many sides- seaweed salad, pickled ginger, avocado, marinated cucumbers, nori, and daikon sprouts. (It very much reminded me of bibim bap.)


I wolfed everything down quickly, but in between bites, I do remember it tasting pretty awesome. Everything was fresh, crunchy (if it had to be), and flavorful. Mr.S's beef bowl came with a generous side of stir fried shredded cabbage and carrots, which was overly greasy, but he really enjoyed the wokked beef. The prices were slightly on the high end, with his being $10 and mine $12. There were probably better food court deals out there, but we were happy with what we got (portions and taste).

Mr. Hana's menu also includes teriyaki chicken, unagi, and tempura bowls, a large serving of udon soup with thick noodles, nori, fish cake and fried tofu ($7.25), a poke tuna bowl with all the fixings ($12.95), and small plates of edamame ($3.49), chicken gyoza ($3.99), and miso soup ($1.50).

After lunch, we went right into dinner-planning mode. Always the OpenTable enthusiast, Mr.S made a quick reservation for us at Absinthe, a popular French brasserie in Hayes Valley, who serves up a knock-out brunch menu on weekends.


The interior was beautifully dark and mysterious, and reminded me of a sexier version of Petit Louis (and possibly slightly more promiscuous). It was like dining in old Paris, with all that gaiety and mirth, with whispers of the Moulin Rouge, and accented by upscale decor, and a very impressive looking oyster bar. I don't know if that paints the picture for you, but it surely made me want to break into some pain de campagne and salted butter. Which we got, along with an order of the pommes frites, served in a cone with a trio of Dijon mustard, malt vinegar, and rouille (a saffron-garlic mayonnaise dip). Very tasty, but it made me long terribly for the duck fat fries at Salt, with my favorite black truffle aioli. SIGH. (I must stop comparing everything to Baltimore!)


True to its name, there were 3 kinds of Absinthe on the drink menu, but I opted out for some champagne, as I was in no mood for the licorice-y "green-eyed monster" that evening. There was also an impressive selection of traditional cocktails- Sazerac, Sidecar, French '75, etc.

Mr.S raves about their French onion soup, but we were so satiated by the fries, we went right into the entrées. True, a table 3 down from us ordered the soup, and we could smell the pungent, melted Gruyère from where we were sitting. I ordered the grilled scallops that arrived on a bed of sauteed summer squash, cherry tomatoes, pea shoots, and sugar snap peas, flavored with nepitella, a fragrant oregano-like herb ($27). Amazingly fresh and bursting with summer flavors, I was in veggie-heaven. The scallops were also cooked just right, but there was a grittiness to their surface, like the sand hadn't been properly rinsed off. The only glitch of the evening.


Mr.S always seems to order something that I prefer over my own plate... why is that? His pork confit (which was huge, by the way) was wonderfully smoky and tender, sitting atop a mound of creamed corn, bacon, watercress salad, and buttery fingerling potatoes ($24). The pork shoulder had been slow-cooked in, what else but duck fat, had a nice char to it, and was fork tender and just lovely. We both really enjoyed the creamy corn and bacon action; it was serious comfort food. Really, all I needed was a big bowl of that, I would have been a happy (and greasy) girl all night.


Dessert? Why not? Though there was an interesting looking coconut très leches cake, I was dead set on tasting the warm chocolate tart served with salted caramel sauce and peanut butter ice cream ($8). (That ice cream was definitely the hook.) The combination of all the flavors was rich, but not heavy. The bittersweet chocolate was nicely paired with the sweet and salty caramel and ice cream, finished with crunchy candied peanuts. I wanted a tall glass of milk to round that off.


I am already flagging Absinthe as a late-night snack bar for Mr.S and me. I can already picture us at the bar (probably the best seat in the house), sipping on a couple of Ginger Rogers, snacking on spicy fried chickpeas, the Croque-Monsieur, and some brebis. And maybe throw in there the Absinthe burger with some frites. The crowd is diverse; the service was good, but slowed down toward the end of the night, and my server was more than generous with my glass of champagne. Next time we go, I'll definitely be having one of the many dishes with fried duck eggs (one of my favorite things to eat) and most likely that herbal tonic for which this intoxicating restaurant is named.

wokked pods

Warning: These wokked little pods are highly addictive.

During a recent chat about fun eateries (what else?) with a London-er, I was informed about a fast-food type eatery serving up delicious Japanese homestyle dishes called Wagamama. Its menu is based around speedy noodle and rice offerings, and uses fresh ingredients like shrimp, cod, and tofu. Since the first few branches opened in London, a slew of outposts have sprang up all over the world, from Sydney to Amsterdam. There are even two in Boston.

This prompted me to buy the Wagamama cookbook, with a says-it-all front cover photo of a hungry diner with his head buried in a giant bowl of soup noodles. The recipes are easy for the home cook, very straightforward with common ingredients that can be found in any supermarket. A wok is required, as is high heat, but not a lot of time, since Wagamama food is based on efficiency with a whole lot of flavor.

My wok got some hot, spicy action tonight for dinner, as did my mouth. I've never had flavored edamame before, and from now on, I don't think I'll have it any other way! My twist on the dish is the addition of a dash of Chinese five spice powder for an extra bit of flavor. Enjoy, you'll never look at the edamame the same way again.


Edamame with Chile
adapted from The Wagamama Cookbook

8 oz edamame in their pods
1 red chile, trimmed, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tsp sesame oil

1. If using frozen edamame, defrost, and steam the pods either in a steamer or in the microwave for about 1 minute, until firm but still with a bite. Drain thoroughly.

2. Heat up the vegetable oil in a wok over high. Add the edamame, chile and salt, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the five spice powder and sesame oil. Turn the heat off, and serve warm. Sprinkle with additional salt, if needed.

bento, minus the box

For dinner tonight, I assembled a bento box meal of shiozake (salted salmon), asparagus in dashi broth with egg, and steamed rice topped with furikake (rice seasoning). Of course it would have been more authentic if everything had been nicely compartmentalized within a cute bento box, but alas, none to be found in my kitchen amidst all the packing.

I salted the salmon yesterday, a fresh wild-caught piece from Whole Foods, with a generous rub of sea salt. I prefer it not overly salted, so instead of letting it sit any longer than 24 hours, I cooked it up tonight. The skin was delightfully crispy and the flesh was subtly salted and somewhat sweet. I rinsed off the rest of the pieces, patted them dry, and wrapped them in wax paper and a freezer bag to be frozen and eaten later on.


The asparagus is my take on a vegetarian donburi, steamed rice covered in a pork/rice/shrimp and simmered egg mixture. The ultimate comfort food. I flavored the broth with a mix of dashi, mirin, soy, sake and sugar. The combination of all these ingredients make a umami experience that's mind-blowing. Like a savory flavor explosion in your mouth. Good dish to down rice with.

The furikake, that I bought from the asian store. If you aren't familiar with this flavoring, it's a dry mix of seaweed, bonito flakes, sesame, soy and sugar. It adds another level to the taste and texture of just plain rice. Furikake comes in all sorts of fun flavors, like salmon, nori, wasabi, or nuts, and is sometimes even colored a pale pastel of green (wasabi) or pink (salmon).

It was really the perfect dinner for one. Just me tonight, as Mr.S is off far far away in new-job-training-land. So I kind of stunk up my small apartment with the smell of pan-fried fish, but it was worth it for a meal that really hit the spot, and was even well-balanced and quite healthy!


Asparagus-Don (Asparagus simmered in dashi with egg)
serves 2

1 small bunch asparagus, trimmed and cleaned
1 small onion, slivered
3 stalks scallion, chopped on the bias, green and white parts both
1 Tbsp slivered ginger
1/3 cup dashi broth
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp sugar
1 egg, beaten

1. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a wok, and add scallion, ginger and onion. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the asparagus, cooking for another 2 minutes or so until they become slightly tender and bright green.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the dashi, soy, mirin, sake, and sugar. Add this mixture to the asparagus. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes to thicken the broth.

3. Stir in the beaten egg to incorporate into the broth. It will start to curdle, and look like egg drop soup. Cook for another minute, until the strings of egg have set up and somewhat solidified. Serve over steamed rice.