Category Archives: Chefs

Five Fabulous Foodie Events

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Oyster shooters at Chaya in San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of Chaya)

In San Francisco:

Chaya Brasserie San Francisco celebrates its 10th anniversary with a “10-10-10”  promotion that runs Oct. 1-10.

Now’s the time to kick back with Japanese-French creations as you take a load off at this beautiful restaurant with its Bay Bridge views.  Each day, enjoy a different price cut on some of the restaurant’s most popular items in the bar and lounge. For instance, on Day 1 (Oct. 1), enjoy a $14 regularly priced Red Dragon Roll for only $10. On Day 2, sip a Takara Nigori Unfiltered sake for $9 (regularly $15). Day 10 will feature oysters for $1 each (regularly $3 each).

A special $20.10 three-course lunch also will be offered during the promotion. Options will include the likes of herbed Monterey calamari salad; King salmon with grilled fennel, white corn, and Swiss chard; and blueberry custard torte.

The restaurant also will be launching a new menu, which will include new items such as a selection of crudo; a starter of sauteed foie gras with pear compote ($18); and entrees such as an artichoke and pearl barley ragout with spinach, edamame, tomato, wild mushrooms and Parmigiano-Reggiano ($20).

Tonight, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., SF Weekly hosts its third annual DISH event on the fourth floor of the San Francisco Metreon.

Sample gourmet eats from more than 30 of the city’s celebrated eateries, including the Hard Knox Cafe, New Delhi and Pica Pica Maize Kitchen.

Proceeds will benefit StreetSmart4Kids, a non-profit that works in partnership with San Francisco restaurants to help homeless children.

Tickets are $50 at the door.

The event tonight kicks off a six-week “Dine Out & Donate” program, Oct. 1 through Nov. 15, with more than 50 San Francisco restaurants participating. When dining  at one of those restaurants during that time, you’ll be asked to leave $3 or more per table in a StreetSmart4Kids envelope.  The funds will go to local youth programs supported by StreetSmart4Kids. Among the restaurants participating are Acquerello, Fleur de Lys, Betelnut, and Piperade.

Oct. 9, noon to 4 p.m., San Francisco magazine hosts its annual FallFest, a celebration of the best in Bay Area food and wine at Justin Herman Plaza.

The theme is “Eat Local,” with participants asked to use ingredients grown or produced within three hours of their final destination. The plaza will be transformed into an open-air marketplace with chef demos and panel discussions.

Tickets are $95 in advance or $110 a the door. Food Gal readers, though, get a special $15 savings on advance tickets. Pay only $80 when using the discount code: FOODGAL.

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Modern Sweets at Masa’s in San Francisco

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A sophisticated chocolate tart at Masa's. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

Hong Kong-born and San Francisco-raised, Maggie Leung is turning out irresistible modern interpretations of classic desserts at the elegant Masa’s in San Francisco, a short stroll from the Campton Place Taj Hotel.

Leung, who became executive pastry chef there this summer, has given sophisticated spins to a chocolate walnut tart, made dainty and memorable with a fleur de sel flourish and a scoop of Earl Grey ice cream; strawberry pain perdu with a distinctive rose-geranium creme anglaise; and s’mores with housemade graham cracker ice cream, hot fudge, toasted marshmallows, candied hazelnuts and hazelnut powder between two chocolate cookies.

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A Look at Locanda da Eva in Berkeley

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Pizza strewn with kale and lovely lardo at Locanda da Eva.

How many food bloggers dream of owning their own restaurant?

A show of hands, please.

Well, Robert Lauriston, prominent Chowhound poster, and a former East Bay Express and SFoodie restaurant reviewer, has taken that leap with Locanda da Eva, which opened in South Berkeley in July.

The long-running restaurant site had been vacant for more than a year when Lauriston decided to take it over. He jokes that his writing background came in handy for crafting a Craig’s List ad that enticed his chef-partner, Huw Thornton, to come on board. Thornton was formerly executive sous chef at SPQR in San Francisco under then-head chef, Nate Appleman. He also worked at SPQR’s sister restaurant, A16, for two and a half years.

As you can guess, Locanda da Eva’s daily changing menu is Italian-focused with occasional excursions to other parts of the Mediterranean. On the menu, vegetarian dishes are noted, as are others that can be prepared vegetarian on request.

Last week, I had a chance to sample some dishes, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant.

For 37 years, the site had been home to the popular Mexican restaurant, Casa de Eva.  After the owners retired, Jim Maser of Cafe Fanny in Berkeley, opened Mazzini Trattoria in its spot. He installed a wood-burning pizza oven and had Berkeley Mills spiff up the interior with custom woodwork.

The interior still calls to mind a taqueria with its bare-bones tables. Mexican folk art-inspired, oil on wood paintings by Sonoma County artist, Laura Hoffman, grace the dining room walls. If you fall in love with any one of them, you’ll be glad to know they’re also for sale.

Of course, my husband and I couldn’t pass up trying a pizza.

And of course, we couldn’t say ”no” to one topped with the porky goodness of house-made lardo.

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The One and Only Joyce Goldstein

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Fish fillets cooked Catalan-style -- with pine nuts. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

For four decades, San Francisco’s Joyce Goldstein has been a cooking teacher, cookbook author, chef and restaurateur.

She introduced us to tapas long before the now-crazed small plates trend existed.

She was making couscous at her restaurant before most people even knew what it was.

Now, she’s hard at work on what will be her 26th book.

And oh, by the way, she just turned 75.

This tiny, bespectacled woman continues to teach us all about cooking, eating and culture. Read all about her in my story in the September issue of Food Arts magazine, in which she is spotlighted as this month’s recipient of its Silver Spoon Award.

Then, enjoy this dish from her book, “Tapas: Sensational Small Plates from Spain” (Chronicle Books).

As Goldstein notes, “Fish in Pine Nut Sauce,” which I spied on Epicurious.com, is typical of many Spanish fish dishes in that it features sauces made with nuts. Fillets of firm, white fish are either baked in the oven or cooked on the stovetop in a homestyle, brothy Catalan sauce of tomatoes, green peas, dry white wine, garlic, and sweet paprika that gets its body from ground pine nuts and bread crumbs.

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A Farm in Silicon Valley? You Betcha

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Orchards and farms have all but disappeared from the Valley of Heart’s Delight.

But look closely, beyond the chips and wafers that now grow in the Santa Clara Valley, and you’ll still find a few, including the inspiring Full Circle Farm, an 11-acre, organic, educational farm designed to supply fresh produce to Santa Clara Unified School District cafeterias.

Last year, the farm grew more than 40,000 pounds of fruits and veggies, 10,000 pounds of which were donated to local food banks and shelters. The farm also supplied weekly produce to 55 community sponsored agriculture share holders and operated a year-round farm stand on its grounds. Moreover, it provided fresh vegetables to the school district’s children’s lunch program, where nearly half the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

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