Resident Foodies say: Tartine Bakery in the Mission (600 Guerrero Street) in San Francisco is touted as one of the best bakeries in the U.S. Lines of people form outside Tartine on a daily basis, just to partake of Tartine’s breads and pastries. Chef Chad Robertson is pushing the standards of baking upwards!
Our favorite so far is the almond croissant. The dark crust is baked to perfection. The almond filling inside is so comforting it should be criminal.
Resident Foodies say: Bobby Flay scored a huge upset in tonight’s beef empanada throwdown, beating Chef Frank Maldonado of Sazon Restaurant. Maldonado is from Puerto Rico and he opened 6 restaurants in the U.S. in the past 2 years. His empanadas are a huge hit. But Bobby Flay pulled off what may be one of the biggest upsets on Throwdown. Chef Maldonado has been cooking empanadas for most of his life. Bobby learns to make them in a week and then beats Maldonado on his own turf. That’s so wrong, Bobby!
In any event, the judges said Bobby’s short ribs in the filling of the empanada put him over the top. They did look good on TV!
1. Recipe for Bobby Flay’s winning Beef and Goat Cheese Empanada
2. Recipe for Chef Frank Maldonado’s Beef Empanada
Video of Chef Frank Maldonado at work
Slanted Door’s chilled greenlip mussels steamed in wine and lemongrass with roasted chili aioli, $12. The plating is exquisite. Taste, just as good!
Resident Foodies say: This week, Bobby Flay lost a lobster mac ‘n cheese Throwdown to Cal Hancock of the Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co. in Cundy’s Harbor, near Harpswell, Maine.
Dishes: Cal Hancock’s lobster mac ‘n cheese had a nice, creamy mascarpone sauce, with a touch of cheddar, and huge chunks of fresh Maine lobster. The crust consists of panko bread crumbs, herbed butter, lemon zest, and some parmesan cheese. Play the video below to hear Cal describe her lobster mac ‘n cheese.
Bobby Flay used fontina, taleggio, and Parmigiano-Reggiano in his lobster mac ‘n cheese. It had both tarragon and mussel stock to give the dish a very distinctive flavor. Click here for Bobby Flay’s mac ‘n cheese recipe.
Judges: The judges–Chef Tony Poulin of Southern Maine Community College and Tom Martin of Lucky Catch Lobster–loved both dishes, but selected Cal Hancock’s, the more traditional dish, as the winner.
Resident Foodies say: Marc Forgione beat Marco Canora to win the Next Iron Chef.