Category Archives: Chefs

Baker & Banker Team Up to Create A Warm Neighborhood Joint in San Francisco

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Baker & Banker? That would be Pastry Chef Lori Baker and her husband, Chef Jeff Banker, who have taken over the beloved Octavia Street spot that was once home to Quince and the Meetinghouse.

Their two-month-old, namesake restaurant, Baker & Banker, not far from the Hotel Kabuki, serves New American dishes  that are both familiar yet freshened with real flair. Think creamy cauliflower soup ($9) — only made anew with trendy Vadouvan curry. Or grilled top sirloin ($26) — with a short rib-stuffed twice-baked potato for a meat lover’s fantasy. The restaurant also bakes its own breads and churns its own ice creams.

The bistro, with its blackboard walls adorned with the names of the day’s cheese offerings and specialty beers, was bustling on the weeknight that I was invited in as a guest for dinner.

The meal started with a bang, with probably my favorite dish of the night — silky house-smoked trout atop a crispy celery root latke ($12). A tangle of shaved fennel was strewn over the top. Pickled beets added a zippy and colorful note. Horseradish cream gave it all a bright bite. But what really made the dish was the drizzle of fuschia-colored beet syrup. Thick like a molten candied apple, it was sticky, fruity and sweet. The dish was  so many things — smoky, sweet, tangy, crunchy, soft, cooked and raw — that all came together for a lively, exciting taste sensation that changed with every bite.

Jones Farm country rabbit and French prune pâté ($11) was served in an adorable little glass canning jar. Its surprising loose and fluffy texture made for a lighter-tasting pâté.  The pink peppercorns, which added a spicy floral quality, was a nice touch, as were the cornichons, which were actually shaved thinly over a handful of peppery greens.

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The Pig Stops Here

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I made a pig of myself.

But when I got invited to try the 11th annual “Whole Hog” event at Oliveto in Oakland, that’s just what I had to do in the line of duty when confronted with an entire menu featuring pig parts of every kind imaginable.

And what a gloriously filling experience it was.

Yes, for a week earlier this month, the restaurant abandoned its regular menu to feature one spotlighting only porky goodness. Twenty-five pigs and hogs from family farms were used to create an amazing range of à la carte dishes from boudin blanc “Wellington” tart with sticky Barhi dates to smoked ham with kumquat-clove gravy to terrina of pork ears with horseradish to Valhrona chocolate-caramel tart with candy-coated pancetta. Yes, pig even in the desserts.

The dining room was packed the Saturday evening that my hubby, aka Meat Boy, and I were there. Diners eagerly eyed every dish that was carried out of the kitchen, pondering just which dishes to order, themselves. You could see diners unabashedly quizzing others nearby about the merits of particularly intriguing dishes on their table.

I don’t think I’ve ever had so much meat at one sitting. We started with Sardinian pork cheeks ($14). The second the dish was set down, you could smell the sweet, earthy perfume of saffron in it. Bite-size, incredibly tender slivers of pork had been braised with that pricey spice, as well as mint, aged provolone and a tad of polenta to give the sauce depth and body. We used crusty bread to happily sop up all that remained on the plate.

Next up, a dish that honestly doesn’t photograph well and might make a few people squeamish. But it was my favorite one of the night: Pappardelle nere with pork heart and wild mushroom ragu ($19.50).

Reddish-brown on reddish-brown, it was. And absolutely extraordinary, it tasted.

Pork blood goes into the pasta dough rather than water, giving it a much deeper color. Still with me? The super silky, tender fat noodles are coated with a thick, rich, ragu of mushrooms and finely chopped pork heart.

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Creating A Tomato to Call His Own

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It takes sharp eyes, a steady hand, good tweezers, and loads of patience to create a new tomato from scratch.

But Fred Hempel, a geneticist turned farmer, has a knack for it. Owner of the 9 1/2-acre Baia Nicchia Farm in Sunol, he’s already created and named 10 new varieties of tomatoes over the years. You might already have tried a few, as he sells his seeds to Seeds of Change, the certified organic seed supplier, which in turn makes them available to gardeners across the nation.

Hempel invited me to his rented greenhouse in Berkeley recently to watch him work his magic on his newest project — a signature tomato for Chef Guillaume Bienaime of Marché restaurant in Menlo Park.

Bienaime, who accompanied us that day, has been buying all his tomatoes, as well as winter squash, lettuces, lake, mustard greens and chard for the restaurant from Hempel for the past two years. Hempel grows about 30 different types of tomatoes, many of which you’ll find available in the summer at the Menlo Park Sunday farmers market. But Bienaime has been eager to add another to Hempel’s lineup, which will be available exclusively to him.

“I just thought it would be fun to create something that’s my own,” Bienaime says. “I’m not sure what I’ll call it yet, though.”

That’s OK, because he’s got plenty of time to mull over names. Forget a nine-month gestation period. It will take seven generations after crossing breeds for this baby to develop into a consistent tomato. Hempel can speed that up a little because he makes use of a greenhouse. Even so, it still will be about 2 1/2 to 3 years before Bienaime’s tomato fully comes to fruition.

Bienaime already knows what tomatoes he wants to cross to create his own: the Amana orange, a large, low-acid heirloom from Iowa that has the ability to hold well for three or four days even after it reaches peak ripeness; and the Costoluto Genovese, an Italian red heirloom from Genoa that’s squat with ridges like a pumpkin, and boasts magnificent flavor.

What the end result will look and taste like, though, is anyone’s guess.

“You just don’t know what you get until you cross them,” Bienaime says.

The greenhouse is where Hempel does his cross-breeding. Inside, where it’s balmy and bright, containers of lovely, elongated cherry tomatoes of every hue are growing, even though it’s still gray and chilly outside. The tomatoes that grow here can’t be assessed accurately for flavor because nurturing them under artificial lights doesn’t result in a flavor as developed as they would have if planted outside in a field. However, Hempel can tell if he’s on the right track or not just from the look of the tomatoes. Plumpness is an indicator of good flavor, he explains.

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Grilled Chinese Sweet & Sour Pork Kebabs

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If you leaf through the new February issue of Coastal Living magazine, you’re sure to stop in your tracks to admire the recipe and full-page, color photo of  “Grilled Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork Kabobs.”

Well, at least I hope you do, because it’s my very own recipe — my first one published in the magazine.

It’s part of the story, “Fresh Tropical Flavors! Pineapple,” which I helped developed recipes for.

I solicited well-known chefs, including legendary Hawaiian toque, Sam Choy, for favorite dishes that showcase fresh pineapple.

I also came up with my own — a riff on everyone’s favorite take-out dish of sweet ‘n’ sour pork. Instead of greasy, battered, fried pork, though, I lightened the dish by threading skewers of pork with red onion, green and red peppers, and chunks of fresh pineapple that get thrown on the grill.

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Good Eats for Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl, Black History Month, the Olympics and More

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Romance is definitely in the air this month. And what could induce more starry eyes than dining with a view of the crashing waves of the Pacific?

The Highlands Inn in Carmel is making it a little easier on the pocketbook, too, with its new “Starlit Dinners” at its Pacific’s Edge restaurant.

Sunday through Thursday through Feb. 28, enjoy a three-course dinner for $45 per person. Executive Chef Mark Ayers changes up the menu frequently to take advantage of locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. Choices may include dishes such as seared scallops, and tender beef seasoned with heady rosemary and served atop creamy mashed potatoes.

For hungry Super Bowl Sunday fans, Urban Tavern in San Francisco will be serving complimentary gumbo, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Feb. 7.

It’s free with the purchase of a beverage at the bar.

Peter B’s BrewPub in the Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey invites you in to watch the big game and a chance to win one of four free memberships to its “Mug Club Membership Program.”

What’s that, you ask? It’s a membership that affords you a personal 25-ounce beer stein — hung from the bar at Peter B’s and readily available for your use — and $4 (25-ounce) beers, which are regularly $7 for non-Mug Club members.  In addition, Mug Club members will receive exclusive invites to taste and sample new beers upon their release.

Sprinkles Cupcakes is going bipartisan for the Super Bowl. Feb. 6-7, you can buy a box of 12 cupcakes ($46) decorated with football sugar decorations. Each box contains six Red Velvet and six vanilla cupcakes. Half bear the name of the New Orleans Saints; the other half, the Indianapolis Colts.

Not to be outdone, Kara’s Cupcakes, is offering a special four-pack of cupcakes for Valentine’s Day.

For $13, you get a package of four Sweet S’mores cupcakes decorated with sugar hearts, along with a signature note card with the caption, “I Heart You.” The first 100 customers to purchase the “Sweet Package,” Feb. 13-14, receive a Kara’s  Cupcakes tote. Additionally, Kara’s has just introduced new gluten-free cupcakes.

Not only is Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day, it’s also the start of the Lunar New Year. Catch free lion dance performances, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 and 12:30 p.m. Feb. 14, at Ming’s Chinese Cuisine and Bar in Palo Alto.

Moreover, February is Black History Month. 1300 on Fillmore in San Francisco is celebrating with a four-course prix fixe for $65 or $95 with paired wines (all by African-American-owned wineries).

The special menu by Executive Chef David Lawrence, available through Feb. 28, includes dishes such as cassoulet of duck confit with bourbon-braised pork bell, and Dungeness crab citrus salad. The featured wines also will be available at the bar in a wine flight.

The Pub at Ghirardelli Square invites you in to watch the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 12. Dress in Olympic-inspired garb to win a chance at prizes. Gold, Silver and Bronze shots will be on the menu.

Chef Michael Chiarello’s swank Bottega in Yountville has introduced a fun, new dining option — the chef’s table.

The marble table is next to the kitchen. Parties of six to 12 get the entire table, while parties of four get a communal experience. The chef’s table dining option lets guests interact with the chef and wine director to create a five-course dinner. If you’re lucky, Chiarello, himself, will be your maitre ‘d, too.

Prices, courses and ingredients vary nightly. But typically, it’s $70 per person with another $30 per person for wine pairings.

Feb. 12, the Ferry Building in San Francisco hosts the “Food from the Heart Valentine’s Day Event,” 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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