Category Archives: Chefs

Sensational Sammies

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A masterful, melty goodness of a sandwich.

Last week, I finally got around to eating at a revered place in San Francisco I’ve been dying to try.

It’s owned and operated by a most esteemed chef. It garnered a glowing, three-star review in San Francisco Magazine. Oh, and it’s tinier than many people’s walk-in closets.

It is, of course, The Sentinel, the doll-sized, corner sandwich shop South of Market opened a year ago by Dennis Leary, a most talented chef who makes no bones for marching to his own beat.

Long before it became uber hip for high-end chefs to chuck it all to careen around town in blinged -out, gourmet taco trucks, Leary left behind the highly regarded Rubicon restaurant, where he was its highly regarded executive chef, to open a glorified diner named Canteen.

Ah, but the 20-seat Canteen is no dive. It’s a cozy, lively joint decorated with shelves of classic books, a nod to Leary’s Phi Beta Kappa degree in English literature from Wheaton College. With room for only two or three other helpers behind the counter while he cooks, Leary miraculously turns out prix-fixe and a la carte dinners that are nothing short of magical. His Parker House rolls are reason alone to go. As is the warm vanilla souffle that never leaves the menu.

Before heading to Canteen to cook each night, he mans The Sentinel at breakfast and lunch each weekday. I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering if the guy ever sleeps.

I did try snapping a few photos of Leary, who was behind the counter at The Sentinel the afternoon I visited. But the red-headed chef is a whirlwind as he assembles sandwich orders lickety-split, making for some god awful blurry images I didn’t want to inflict on you.

Inside the toy-sized sandwich shop.

The small menu at The Sentinel changes daily. Usually, there are a couple of cold sandwiches, a couple of hot ones, a soup, and one “Daily Special” that comes complete with a side and dessert.

There are two doorways leading into this bustling, take-out cafe that has no seats and really no room at all to linger.

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Preview IV: Ad Hoc’s Leek Bread Pudding

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Bread pudding that's super rich, yet light as a souffle.

As far as achievements go, this might be a small feat. But I can happily report that I’ve now succeeded in making all the recipes from the small promo brochure for the upcoming “At Hoc At Home” cookbook (Artisan) by legendary chef, Thomas Keller.

Of the four recipes printed in this sneak-peek brochure, this one for “Leek Bread Pudding” is by far the richest.

Richer than the Ad Hoc chocolate chip cookie recipe? Yup.

Richer than the Ad Hoc pineapple upside-down cake recipe? Uh huh.

Just how rich?

Not only are there three cups of whole milk in this dish, but there is also an equal number of cups of heavy cream.

And the bread used in this particular bread pudding? Oh, that would be very, very, very buttery brioche, which you can make yourself if you feel like channeling your inner Martha Stewart or purchase at a bakery like I did. (Note: Draeger’s stores on the Peninsula make brioche rolls that work perfectly for this dish. I opted to leave the crust on the rolls for this recipe, which originally called for cutting them off. But the crust is so soft on the rolls, it’s fine to do so.)

Crispy on the outside, custardy within.

Yes, this may as far as it gets from a low-cal dish, but I’m here to tell you this decadent dish is far worth each and every calorie.

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A Corn Bread Star

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A star is born.

When you think of Spago, you think of glitz and glamour.

Of Hollywood stars, and post-Oscar galas.

Of smoked salmon-caviar pizza and decadent tasting menus.

But down-home corn bread?

Not so much.

Well, you should, when it’s this feathery light, tender, and compellingly good.

“Honey-Glazed Spago Corn Bread” is from “Desserts By the Yard” (Houghton Mifflin) by Sherry Yard, executive pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck Worldwide.

OK, corn bread is not technically a dessert. But can you blame Yard for including it in her book when it’s this much of a sure hit? Consider this the summer blockbuster of corn breads. It’s a star turn that you won’t be able to take your eyes — or teeth — off of.

Cornmeal, all-purpose flour, and cake flour combine with eggs, milk, buttermilk, sugar and butter to create a texture that’s moist, airy, yet pleasantly chewy.

After removing the baked corn bread from the oven, you poke holes all over it like you would with an old-fashioned lemon tea cake. Then, brush on a glaze of water, honey, and more butter. The glaze seeps into the cornbread, making it even more moist and rich. It also gives the corn bread a subtle gloss, as well as a lovely whisper of sweetness.

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Preview III: Ad Hoc’s Caramelized Sea Scallops

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Scallops that are so extraordinarily flavorful, one bite will make you a believer in this recipe.

Simple. Elegant. Timeless.

That’s my mantra when it comes to fashion, architecture, art, and often, even cooking.

And that’s exactly what this dish is all about.

If you’ve been following FoodGal over the past couple of weeks, you know I’ve been cooking my way through the small promotional brochure I got in the mail for the upcoming “Ad Hoc at Home” (Artisan) by Thomas Keller. Unlike the other cookbooks by this esteemed chef, this one promises to be much more accessible to the home cook, being that it’s based on dishes cooked at his most casual of restaurants.

What a tease this is. The brochure only includes four recipes as a sneak preview of the actual book, which won’t be published until November. If early results are any indication, this book looks to be a classic that we’ll all be reaching for time and time again.

Ad Hoc’s “Caramelized Sea Scallops” is the third recipe I’ve made, and like the others, it’s a winner, too. (You can find links to the other Ad Hoc recipes at the end of this post.)

A quick brine is the secret to this dish.

Keller starts with enormous scallops — graded U7, meaning seven make up one pound.

At my local seafood store, I couldn’t find U7. So I settled for “U Be As Big As They Get” — about 11 to one pound.

Keller actually brines the scallops before cooking, too. I’ve brined my share of turkeys, chickens, and pig parts. But never scallops.

He explains that he does this to season them all the way through. And what an amazing technique this is.

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Sundays at the Village Pub

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Lobster salad is a decadent way to start a Sunday. (Photo courtesy of the Village Pub)

Brunch is now being served on Sundays at the Village Pub in Woodside.

What a way to wake up, too!

Nosh on lemon ricotta souffle pancakes with blueberry butter ($13); eggs Benedict ($15); house-smoked sturgeon with sturgeon caviar ($17); Maine lobster salad with sweet corn blini and succotash $19); and the most expensive item, grilled New York steak with red-wine poached egg, foie gras and black truffles ($31).

Eggs Benedict. (Photo courtesy of the Village Pub)

Proprietor Mark Sullivan, who is also the chef-partner of sister-restaurant, Spruce in San Francisco, has a lot to be proud of lately. First up, a second location of Spruce will open July 29 at the Dakota Mountain Lodge in Utah.

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