Resident Foodies say: Here’s a nice video of Marlowe in San Francisco, including an interview with Chef Jennifer Puccio.
Month: December 2011
Crispy Brussels Sprout Chips at Marlowe in San Francisco (SF)
Resident Foodies say: Marlowe in San Francisco, right across from the Caltrain stop downtown, is a rustic restaurant known for its Marlowe burger and eclectic menu. Chef Jennifer Puccio puts together some very creative dishes (click here for menu). The crispy brussel sprout chips (shown above) are prepared with lemon zest and sea salt, and fried for 30 seconds. The texture of the brussel sprouts becomes crispy–and the result is pretty tasty!
Video: Beatrice Peltre’s new cookbook La Tartine Gourmande
Resident Fooodies say: We’re excited about Beatrice Peltre’s new cookbook, La Tartine Gourmande. Beatrice blogs under the same title, with a French flair. She’s an amazing food photographer, not to mention French cook. The book comes out in February. Can’t wait.
La Tartine Gourmande from Unusually Fine on Vimeo.
Pazzo! Italian cafe has great Italian fare in Naples, FL
Pollo gusto
Resident Foodies say: We tried out Pazzo! Italian Cafe in Naples, Florida (Facebook page), right in the heart of downtown Naples, Florida. The place has an extensive wine list, and a great selection of authentic Italian dishes. We were impressed.
The prices, which are not listed on the website menu, are fairly expensive, probably deserving of 3 dollar signs ($$$) on Yelp, not the 2 currently listed. But, if you go during happy hour (5 to 6), you can get 2 entrees for the price of $29 and a glass of wine is 50%. That’s a decent deal. We had the grilled chicken (pollo gusto, photo above), spaghetti with meatballs, and chicken parmagiano. All were tasty. The homemade bread was fantastic, too. We had two baskets-full!
Spaghetti with meatballs
Chicken parmigiano
Ramen Underground: best ramen in San Francisco
Resident Foodies say: We think we found the best ramen in San Francisco at Ramen Underground. The name of the restaurant should tell you that the place is a hole-in-the-wall on 355 Kearny St. (between Pine and Bush), a place where only people in the know frequent. The place is so small it’s easy to walk right past it. We spotted it walking through downtown one day. We’re glad we did.
We got there at 11:50 a.m. on a Saturday and were disappointed to find it closed, with foreboding bars across the front door. But, luckily, we saw workers inside, so we waited it out. They didn’t even acknowledge as we waited. It must be a common occurrence. Turns out they open at noon (and not 11:30 a.m. as advertised on Yelp).
Chef-owner Ken Matsumura, formerly of Katana-Ya, opened the Ramen Underground back in August. It has a dark, rustic interior, and only a few tables. We were lucky to get the window table. As we ate, many passersby rubbernecked their heads to see what we were eating.
We ordered the miso ramen with vegetables and spicy miso ramen with tofu. The noodles in both dishes were the star of the show. The noodles were downright amazing–so tender and delicious. And they give you lots of it! The miso ramen has a cleaner, more soothing taste, while the spicy miso has a bit of kick to it. If you’re going for the more traditional ramen, then go for the miso.
Miso ramen with vegetables
Spicy miso ramen with tofu
Video: Chef Geoff Zakarian wins Next Iron Chef, defeating Chef Elizabeth Falkner
Resident Foodies say: Iron Chef will remain an all-boys club, save one. Chef Geoffrey Zakarian won the Next Iron Chef, defeating Chef Elizabeth Falkner, in a holiday-themed cook-off in Kitchen Stadium. A number of the judges–5 men (including the Chairman) and 1 woman–seemed to think Chef Falkner cooked the best dish of the night, but Chef Zakarian, known as a master technician, had the best overall meal. Falkner was described by some of the judges as the more creative chef and with greater potential, plus her pastry skills, but Zakarian was considered to be a master chef already. Judge Simon Majumdar, however, was vocal in his dislike of one of Zakarian’s dishes, the “gift” dish made of beef, which Majumdar found chewy and described as a “flop.” It wasn’t exactly clear how the Iron Chef is selected–by a majority vote or by the Chairman based on the advice of the judges. In the end, though, Zakarian won.
With Chef Zakarian, Iron Chef has now 7 men and 1 woman, a gender disparity that is now worse than the composition of the U.S. Supreme Court (more on that later).
Congrats to Chef Zakarian and Chef Falkner for a spirited finale.