Category Archives: Enticing Events

The Phenomenon Known As Kogi BBQ

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Chef Roy Choi of Kogi BBQ talks about his unlikely business that's become a runaway hit.

We in the San Francisco Bay Area like to think we have access to everything tasty.

But one thing we sadly don’t have is Kogi BBQ.

At least not yet.

Roy Choi, a Seoul-native who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and cooked at the likes of Le Bernardin and Aureole, both in New York, has turned the world of tacos topsy turvy on the streets of Los Angeles.

The classically-trained, extremely articulate chef has taken his high standards and top-notch skills, and applied them to humble taco truck offerings. Ten months ago, he started hawking his own brand of Korean tacos from one roaming truck that announces its location via Twitter. Now, he has four trucks, each of which serves more than 2,000 people a day. How crazy is that?

Fortunately, I didn’t have to drive all over Los Angeles to chase down one of his trucks to try the famous Kogi taco. Instead, I was able to snag one when Choi did a cooking demo at last weekend’s “Worlds of Flavor” conference at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. With this year’s theme, “World Street Food, World Comfort Food,” what could be a more perfect fit than a Korean taco?

And a most delicious one at that. As Choi explained, street food often gets the bum rap of being something thrown together, slap-dash. But take a bite of one of his tacos and discover how incredibly complex it is.

The sweet, smoky, tender taste of Korean short ribs transforms the taco into something all together new. The meat is marinated in a blend of soy sauce, maple syrup, yellow onions, green onions, garlic, kiwi, Asian pear, mirin, orange juice and 7-Up. It’s cooked at high heat to char and caramelize it. Then it’s diced, cooked on the flat-top, and heaped on two soft corn tortillas along with salsa verde or salsa roja; diced onion; a mix of shredded cabbage, romaine and green onions; Kogi chilie vinaigrette; and toasted and crushed sesame seeds.

Grilling corn tortillas until they're puffy and a little crisp.

Constructing the famous taco.

Aren't you dying for one?

It’s a thing of absolute beauty. And it sells for an absolute pittance.

“We make everything from scratch, and we sell our food for $2,” Choi said. “I’m not sure if that’s the best business model, but our goal is not to lose money. My other goal — I don’t achieve it every day — but it’s that every single bite hopefully makes you stop in your tracks.”

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Take Five With Masaharu Morimoto, On His New Svelte Figure and New Napa Restaurant

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A trim Chef Masaharu Morimoto. (Photo courtesy of the Food Network)

Masaharu Morimoto, the star of the original Japanese “Iron Chef” and the newer Food Network version, “Iron Chef America,” may be sporting a trimmer physique these days. But the celebrated chef, who was born in Hiroshima, Japan, is still one commanding presence.

Morimoto visited the Napa Valley last weekend for the 12th annual “Worlds of Flavor” conference at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, the theme of which this year was “World Street Food, World Comfort Food.” The chef, who was there to do cooking demonstrations, drew crowds wherever he went, especially at the marketplace, where his crew cooked up okonomiyaki (a Japanese savory pancake layered with noodles, pork and a fried egg) and takoyaki (a Japanese octopus donut hole).

During a break, I had a chance to talk with the 54-year-old chef about his sixth restaurant that will open next summer in the Wine Country — Morimoto Napa.

Q: What made you choose Napa as opposed to San Francisco for your restaurant?

A: Two years ago, I came here for the “Worlds of Flavor” conference. It was my first time in Napa. I liked it. It is a special place. It’s a culinary place.

Q: What will Morimoto Napa be like?

A: Thomas Schoos, who did Tao in Las Vegas, is the designer. There will be three components — a fine-dining room with a sushi bar and omakase, a late-night lounge, and a retail store. People will be able to buy fish and Wagyu beef from Japan to take home to cook. We may sell bento box lunches and do catering for parties, too.

Q: Will the restaurant look like a piece of Japan? Or a piece of Napa?

A: It will look like a piece of Morimoto.

Morimoto supervises his crew at the "Worlds of Flavor'' conference.

Cooking up a Japanese savory pancake.

Tender octopus donuts get flipped so they're golden all around.

Q: With so many restaurants already, how often will people expect to see you actually in the Napa restaurant?

A: I will be there as much as I can.

Q: Will we be buying a place to live here? Perhaps a house with its own vineyard to make Morimoto wine?

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Events to Toast

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The "Golden Gate Mary'' cocktail at the St. Regis in San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of Chef Hiro Sone)

Did you know the iconic cocktail, the Bloody Mary, is 75 years old this year?

Drink a toast to that milestone at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco to commemorate the drink’s invention 75 years ago at the St. Regis New York.

In 1934, bartender Fernand Petiot introduced the cocktail at the King Cole Bar in The St. Regis New York. It was created when Serge Obolensky, a well known man about town whose penchant for vodka was in keeping with his aristocratic Russian background, asked Petiot to make the vodka cocktail he had in Paris. The formula was spiced up with salt, pepper, lemon and Worcestershire sauce. But since “Bloody Mary” was deemed too vulgar for the hotel’s elegant King Cole Bar, it was rechristened the “Red Snapper.” While the name may not have caught on in that era, the spicy drink most certainly did.

The San Francisco hotel is now serving a new contemporary version, dubbed the “Golden Gate Mary.” It’s made with tequila and pepper-infused tomato water, and garnished with a dried heirloom tomato chip. The $14 cocktail is available at the lobby bar through the end of the year. For another fun option, a flight of the new Bloody Mary and the traditional Bloody Mary is offered for the same price.

Don't you just want to take a sip right now? (Photo courtesy of Chef Hiro Sone)

Like the photos of the drink? I have Hiro Sone to thank for them. Yes, the excecutive chef of the esteemed Ame restaurant inside the St. Regis San Francisco snapped these pics. He’s a multi-talented chef if there ever was one.

Restaurants are gearing up for next week’s release of Beaujolais Nouveau. Just after midnight on the third Thursday of every November, villages and towns in France race to be the first to serve this new wine of the current harvest.

Campbell’s Twist Bistro gets in on the act Nov. 19 with a three-course prix-fixe for $32. A glass of the Beaujolais Nouveau is $8; a bottle is $30.

Left Bank restaurants will do the same with a la carte specials at its locations in Menlo Park. San Jose’s Santana Row, and Larkspur.

Depending upon the location, look for dishes such as house-made pork sausages with red wine-braised lentils, and pear poached in Beaujolais.

For a different twist, Arlequin Wine Merchant in San Francisco will host “No More Nouveau” on 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 19.

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Momofuku Chef David Chang Visits Kepler’s

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Chefs David Chang (left) and David Kinch (right) at Kepler's earlier today.

No figs were in attendance at this afternoon’s book signing at Kepler’s book store in Menlo Park with David Chang, superstar chef of New York’s insanely popular Momofuku restaurants.

Nope, but there were about three dozen folks eager to get their copies of the new “Momofuku” cookbook signed by the always no-hold-barred chef, who appeared with his co-author, New York Times writer Peter Meehan.

As you probably recall, Chang had caused a ruckus last month when he reportedly said on stage at the New York Food & Wine Festival: “F*****g every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate. Do something with your food.”

That comment has dogged him ever since, especially as he embarked on his book tour, which took him this week to — ahem — San Francisco.

At Kepler’s, he was met with a good-natured crowd, more eager to hear him dish on his unbelievably successful career than about the aforementioned slandered fruit.

Chang’s good friend, esteemed Chef David Kinch of Manresa in Los Gatos, introduced him at the event. Kinch recalled how he used to eat at Momofuku Noodle Bar when it was then Chang’s only restaurant.

“He took a simple dish of ramen and elevated it,” Kinch said. “It was revelatory.”

The proudly potty-mouthed Chang kept the cursing to a minimum today. Maybe because the stage was only a few feet away from the children’s reading section — or not — he uttered no f-bombs and only one mere “a**hole.”

Other noteworthy Chang-isms from the event:

On “Fig-Gate”:

“I got myself into a media mess. I was not drunk. I was coherent. But maybe it shed some light on a touchy subject in the Bay Area. I was at the farmers market today (Ferry Building one in San Francisco), and I didn’t want to look at anything because I was so upset. I don’t think the Bay Area is the culinary capital of the world. I don’t think New York is, either. People don’t know I come to San Francisco 10 times a year. I love San Francisco. For whatever reason, San Francisco doesn’t have the diversity food-wise. Neither does New York or DC and every other city that has the ability to do something great. Why shouldn’t we have the most progressive cuisine here?”

On which city is doing it right:

“San Sebastian. And a number of other cities in Spain.”

On opening his original Momofuku Noodle Bar:

“It was so small, I wasn’t even sure we could fit a bathroom in it. Our first exhaust system sucked up all the A/C. Our customers would be sweating to death. In the winter, we didn’t have enough amps to turn the heater on, so we just turned up all our burners so the guests wouldn’t freeze.”

“When you limit what you have, you limit what you can do. We couldn’t break down a full pig. We tried. We tried to do it one day on top of the bar. It didn’t work so well.”

“It’s the Crayola Crayon box analogy. Some chefs can use the 120-crayon box. They’re that skilled. We, at the time, needed the 6-color one.”

“When I first opened, I got a penalty from the New York State Tax Department because I hadn’t been paying sales tax. I didn’t even know what sales tax was. That’s how stupid I was. I didn’t know we had to pay it.”

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New DVD, Oakland Cooking Class, Tuscan Dinner, Theater Special & More

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(image courtesy of Food, Inc.)

In case you missed “Food, Inc.” when it was in theaters, you’ll be glad to know the compelling and enlightening documentary on the U.S. food industry has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray disc.

Bonus features include celeb public service announcements by Kelly Preston, Alyssa Milano and Martin Sheen, as well as “Nightline’s” interview with Chipotle’s CEO.

The DVD is $26.98 and Blu-ray is $34.98.

Head to the Mission District in San Francisco Nov. 11 to dine out for a good cause.

Twenty-six participating restaurants will donate a portion of sales that night to Mission Graduates, a non-profit that helps Mission District youths better prepare for and complete college educations.

In the “Food for Thought” event, participating restaurants will donate anywhere from 25 percent o 100 percent of their sales. Raffle prizes also will be offered at each of the restaurants.

Participating restaurants include Conduit, Farina, Foreign Cinema, the Front Porch, and Goat Hill Pizza (which isn’t technically in the Mission, but wanted to participate anyway). For a complete list, click here.

Do another good deed on Nov. 8 when New Delhi Restaurant and Bar in San Francisco hosts a “Bollywood Dance Party,” 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Pay as much as you like, or a suggested $40 donation. Proceeds will go to the Tenderloin After School Program and the Gandhi Ashram in New Delhi.

Beverages and a buffet are included.

Chef Aaron McCargo, Jr. (Photo courtesy of the Food Network)

Chef Aaron McCargo Jr., star of the Food Network’s “Big Daddy’s House” and winner of last year’s “Next Food Network Star” competition,  will host a healthy holiday cooking class, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at Oakland’s Beebe Memorial Cathedral.

It’s part of the “Power to End Stroke,” an initiative of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Its purpose is to empower African-Americans to take action and reduce their risk of stroke. Currently, African-Americans have about twice the risk of a first stroke as white Americans. Most strokes are preventable, though, by controlling high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes; staying active; reducing obesity; and not smoking.

A $5 donation is requested to attend the class. Reserve in advance by sending a check or money order to: Florence McCrary, American Heart Association, 426 17th St., Oakland, CA 94612.

Enjoy dinner cooked by two Michelin-starred female chefs at Luce in San Francisco on Nov. 11.

Luce’s Chef Dominique Crenn will be joined that night by Donatella Zampoli from the wine estates of Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi. The six-course Tuscan feast with paired wines will benefit CUESA, Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture.

Dishes for the “Inspirations of Tuscany” dinner include potato gnocchi with bone marrow and lobster; and lamb shank Tuscan-style. Price is $75 per person, with wine pairings an additional $30 per person. Ten dollars per person will be donated to CUESA.

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