Valentine’s Baking Class, Lunar New Year Dinners, and A New Brunch

The signature Rachel's Cake. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

The signature Rachel’s Cake. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

Hands-On Valentine’s Baking Classes

Sure, you can go out to dinner with your sweetie in honor of Valentine’s Day. But why not bake something together for an especially sweet time instead?

Rachel’s Cakes of Burlingame is offering just that — two-hour, hands-on classes designed for couples to bake and decorate homemade sugar cookies.

The classes are: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 13; and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 14.

Each class is limited to four couples, and includes lessons in rolling, baking and decorating. Appetizers and beverages also will be served. You can take home your decorated cookies, as well as any unfinished ones with a supply of icing to complete them at home.

The class is $150 per couple. Reservations are required by calling (650) 393-4514. If you can’t make it to any of these, you’ll be glad to know Rachel’s offers other classes throughout the year.

On the flip side, if you want to leave the baking to someone else for Valentine’s Day, owner Rachel Richanbach will be happy to create a rustic or custom cake.

I had a chance to try some samples recently. Her cakes are all very moist, and taste quite homey.

Her namesake Rachel’s Cake is a Guiness chocolate cake layered with salted caramel cream cheese, then frosted with vanilla buttercream. A gooey drizzle of salted caramel goes over the top. It’s as rich as it sounds, with just enough salt to cut the sweetness.

"Want S'More''? I sure do. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

“Want S’More”? I sure do. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

The “Want S’More?” cake is sour cream chocolate cake slathered with fudge, graham cracker crumbles and marshmallow cream cheese. It’s less sugary than the Rachel’s Cake. The frosting is thick and velvety, but if you’re expecting the airiness of marshmallow, you won’t find that in this one.

My favorite was the Mocha. Sour cream chocolate cake is layered with mocha cream and frosted with light chocolate buttercream. The coffee amplifies the chocolate’s wonderful bitter edge, giving it a sophisticated taste.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year

M.Y. China in the Westfield San Francisco Centre will offer a special eight-course Chinese New Year’s menu in honor of the Year of the Monkey.

Executive Chef Tony Wu has crafted “Grandma Wu’s New Year Menu” in honor of his grandmother and the celebratory dinners she used to cook.

The Fortune Platter. (Photo courtesy of M.Y. China)

The Fortune Platter. (Photo courtesy of M.Y. China)

Among the dishes featured are Fortune Platter (a traditional cold platter of roast duck, squid, jellyfish, cucumber and barbecue pork), Gold and Silver (calamari, scallop, shrimp, bok choy and vermicelli noodles in a satay sauce), and Happy Opportunity (organic fried chicken).

The New Year menu is $38 per person for groups of six or more. It’s available from now through Feb. 20.

For even more fun, owner Martin Yan will be on hand Feb. 15 to greet guests.

Hakkasan in San Franciso also is spotlighting a special Chinese New Year menu through Feb. 22.

The menu includes a special cocktail, doubled boiled ginseng and chicken soup, choice of an appetizer (including a dim sum sampler), choice of an entree (such as wok-fried lobster in spicy truffle sauce), and a Golden Halo dessert (soy caramel, banana, chocolate, peanut, and gold leaf garnish).

All guests will receive a Year of the Monkey coin to symbolize luck and fortune. They’re also encouraged to write down their wishes for the New Year on gold ribbons that hang throughout the restaurant.

The Chinese New Year menu is $138.88 per person for parties of two or more. And yes, the use of all those 8’s is intentional, as that number represents good fortune.

Through Feb. 20, E&O Kitchen in San Francisco will feature three cocktails and three a la carte dishes especially for Chinese New Year.

The items include steamed buns with confit of duck, pickled daikon and sprouts; and long life noodle cake with foie gras and mushroom gravy.

All tables will receive a red envelope; and diners on the evening of Feb. 20 also will enjoy entertainment by traditional Chinese lion dancers.

Curry Up Now’s New Brunch in San Jose

The San Jose branch of Curry Up Now has added brunch to its lineup, the only one of its locales to do so.

The brunch menu is available, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Appa's Upma. (Photo courtesy of Curry Up Now)

Appa’s Upma. (Photo courtesy of Curry Up Now)

The fare is eclectic, offering everything from The Full Monty ($12), an English breakfast platter of eggs, baked beans, grilled tomato, chicken apple sausage, Acme toast, and Marmite; Spanish Batata Tortilla ($11), a Madras potatoes and egg frittata with dynamite aioli; and Appa’s Umpa ($9), a savory porridge with roasted cauliflower.

There are also house-made scones (sweet or savory; $3 each); and four types of Bloody Mary’s, including ones with curry or tika masala.

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