Category Archives: Going Green and Sustainable

A Mackerel Match Made In Heaven

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Stuart Brioza's mackerel

My husband can attest to the fact that mackerel is not one of my fave fishes. In fact, usually when I get a slice in an assortment of sushi or sashimi, it always ends up on his plate instead.

Stuart Brioza knows it’s a hard-sell, too, even if mackerel (wild-caught king and Spanish) is one of the best seafood choices on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guide. Nevertheless, Brioza, the executive chef of Rubicon in San Francisco, made many a convert when he cooked a fabulous honey, soy, and beer broiled mackerel with sesame-lime glaze at the recent “Cooking For Solutions” gala at the aquarium. The usual strong taste of the mackerel was tempered by the marriage of the other sweet, aromatic, and citrusy ingredients. The result was like a less sweet unagi. And it was scrumptious.

Speaking of marriage, Brioza and his longtime girlfriend, Nicole Krasinski, Rubicon’s pastry chef, will finally be tying the knot. The couple, who met 13 years ago in a photography class at De Anza College in Cupertino, will be getting hitched on a friend’s farm in Hilo in September. Krasinski, who’s not fond of cake (say what?), plans on serving their guests exotic citrus tarts instead.

It’s shaping up to be quite a year for Brioza, who grew up in Cupertino and Danville, and Krasinski, who is a Los Gatos native. In the July issue of Food & Wine magazine, the couple will be featured in a story about the peach tree they adopt every year at Mas Masamoto’s renowned peach farm just outside of Fresno. Look for mouth-watering sweet and savory peach recipes.

The happy couple in front of the jellyfish exhibit.

And for those of you who love mackerel — and those of you who don’t quite yet — here’s Brioza’s recipe that’s guaranteed to please.

Honey, Soy and Beer Broiled Mackerel with Sesame-Lime Glaze

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Take Five With the Food Network’s Alton Brown

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Alton Brown dishes on fishy stuff in Monterey

At first thought, the Food Network’s wacky wizard of food, Alton Brown, might seem an unlikely choice to be a host at this past weekend’s “Cooking For Solutions” event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

But Brown, an avid scuba diver and father of an 8-year-old daughter, knows full well the challenges we face now and in the future in sustaining the ecosystems of our oceans. At the “Cooking For Solutions” event, which gathered chefs, scientists, and food producers to examine ways to preserve the health of the planet, Brown summed up his philosophy as only he can.

When it comes to seafood, he said, “My motto comes from the side of the old Los Angeles police cars: Serve and Protect.”

I chatted with the energetic, surprisingly frank 46-year-old megastar, whose “Good Eats” show, which he directs and writes most of the scripts for, debuted on the Food Network in 1999. A graduate of both the University of Georgia and the New England Culinary Institute, he now lives in Marietta, Ga. with his wife, DeAnna, and daughter, Zoey. Brown also is the commentator for “Iron Chef America,” host of the “Next Iron Chef,” and star of “Feasting on Asphalt.”  Additionally, he has his own production company, Be Square Production.

He wasn’t always a natural at science. Nor was he always a foodie. In fact, previously he was a cinematographer and video director. You can see his work in R.E.M.’s “The One I Love” video.

Q: So science wasn’t something you were always passionate about?

A: No, not at all. I flunked chemistry twice in high school, mostly because it didn’t matter. It was all numbers and formulas, and ‘let’s cut up a rat.’

Q: So how did you come up with the concept for “Good Eats,” which is all about explaining the science of cooking?

A: I wanted to give people a practicality they could build on. In culinary school, I realized I wasn’t a very good cook. To figure out how to do it better, I realized science was the answer.

Q: When did sustainability become so important to you?

A: When I became a father. I began to relive my life through my daughter when I was that same age of 8 years old. I became so aware that so much had changed. We no longer place much value on our food; we value cheapness.

My Mom grew up very poor. They grew their own food, they had their own chickens. We’ve made it now so that poor people can’t grow food so easily, and they can’t keep chickens. There are all these regulations. We’ve made it so that with poverty in America, there’s no self-respect.

Q: How else did becoming a father change your viewpoints?

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News for Sushi Lovers

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James Shimuzu, IMP Foods\' best fillet person, prepares to cut a Kindai tuna.

If you’re a connoisseur of toro, the richest, silkiest and fattiest part of the belly of a bluefin tuna, you’ll want to know about a new tuna, Kindai, that’s being served at a handful of the Bay Area’s top restaurants, including the French Laundry in Yountville, Manresa in Los Gatos, and the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco.

Wild bluefin tuna has been severely overfished in the past decades. But Kindai is the first farmed tuna raised in captivity from eggs. And it’s the result of 32 years of research by Kinki University’s Fisheries Laboratory in Japan.

Only one shipment comes in each week from Japan. And the Bay Area is one of the few places that gets it. The Kindai tuna is distributed in this area by Hayward’s IMP Foods, Inc., which supplies seafood to the Bay Area’s best sushi bars. Read more about Kindai tuna in my story today in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Food section.

Your Pick For the Greenest Restaurant

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Through May 31, nominate your choice for the most environmentally friendly restaurant in the Bay Area. Thimmakka, a Berkeley non-profit that has helped Bay Area restaurants go green, is holding its first contest to determine “Who’s the Greenest of Them All.”

Founded in 1998, Thimmakka helps restaurants be more eco-conscous by showing them how to implement at least 60 measures in the areas of water and energy conservation, pollution prevention, and waste reduction. More than 120 restaurants have been certified green by the organization, including Bella Mia in San Jose, Breads of India in Berkeley, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Dona Tomas in Oakland, Gordon Biersch in San Jose, Sonoma Chicken Coop in San Jose, and Ramblas Tapas Bar in San Francisco.

In all, according to Thimmakka, certified restaurants have generated environmental savings including: 19.4 tons of solid waste diverted from landfill; 10.8 million gallons of water (about 59 Olympic-sized swimming pools) have been saved; and 473,000 pounds of carbon dioxide have been prevented from being released into the atmosphere.

“Food service is responsible for about 16 percent of landfill in California, and 86 percent of that can be diverted by recycling or composting,” said Suparna Vashisht, managing director of Thimmakka, in a statement. “We created this contest to recognize the forward thinking restaurants that have already
taken giant steps to help eliminate waste and to spur on others to join in the movement.”

Nominations for the contest can be submitted here or by faxing to (510) 655-6770. Judges for the contest include Andy Katz, a representative of East Bay Municipal Utility District; and Gil Friend, founder of Natural Logic, Inc., a sustainability consultancy.

Winners will be selected in a number of categories, including “Most Energy Efficient,” “Top Water Steward,” and “Overall Most Green Restaurant” in various Bay Area counties and regions.

Take Five With Lisa Rhorer of the New Cin-Cin Winebar

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Lisa Rhorer enjoying Bethel Heights Estate Pinot Noir 2004 Willamette Valley. Photo by Dave LiporiAs Google’s first marketing manager, Lisa Rhorer learned to think outside the box. That’s why the 40-year-old was undeterred when it came to leaving behind her passion for high tech to pursue another — wine.

On May 13, she will open the doors to her own wine bar and lounge, Cin-Cin, 368 Village Lane in Los Gatos (formerly Cafe Marcella). It’s a venture with longtime South Bay/Peninsula restaurateur Don Durante, the former executive chef of Le Mouton Noir in Saratoga, and Birk’s in Santa Clara, who now also owns Cascal in Mountain View.

With its use of bamboo, cork, recycled glass, and reclaimed black walnut, Cin-Cin emphasizes sustainability. That’s evident in the wines, too. The majority of the ones featured are made by eco-conscious producers.

With a menu of small plates infused with Asian and Spanish flavors, Cin-Cin invites you to linger. Don’t miss the Diner Sliders, cute as a button, and juicy as can be mini burgers made from organic house-ground beef and nestled inside tender Parker House rolls.

The executive chef is Los Gatos-native Chris Schloss, who has cooked at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland; Azul in Miami; and Telepan in New York City. Durante has known Schloss since he was a kid, as Schloss’ father was involved with Birk’s.

Rhorer’s Google stock options came in handy to help finance the wine bar. After working for the search engine giant for three years, Rhorer left in 2005 to enroll in the wine studies program at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. Later, she traveled extensively in Europe to meet winemakers there, then went on to work at the Vintage Wine Merchants in San Jose’s Santana Row and to be a wine buyer for Whole Foods in Los Altos.

We chatted about how working at Google prepared her to start her own business, her favorite food and wine pairing, and her remembrance of her first sip of wine when she was all of 10 years old.

Q: You were really that young when you had your first taste of wine?

A: Yes. It was a Robert Mondavi Cabernet. My Dad was taking wine appreciation classes when I was growing up. He took us to Napa. We visited the Mondavi winery. He was a huge fan of Mondavi Cabs.

We always had wine at the table. He allowed me to have one finger-full of wine at the table. It was less than an ounce. I did like it. I liked the feel on my palate. The funny thing, though, is that Cabs are not my favorite now.

Q: What are your faves now?

A: By going to Austria and Germany, I learned to really enjoy Rieslings, drier Burgundys, and Gruner Veltliner. For reds, I like drier, more complex ones like Pinot Noir from Oregon or Burgandy. I don’t drink a lot of Merlots and Cabs, I have a sugar sensitivity. The high alcohol of wine in California don’t agree with me. I get real headachy and bloatedness. The high sugar and high alcohol also mask food. I really go for wines that go well with food because it creates a harmonious experience. That’s why I go for wines with more complexity and elegance.

Q: What is it about wine that captured you?

A. It’s an intellectual beverage. You learn about the culture of people, geology, and vineyard practices. Wine is one of those things you can never learn enough about it. And there’s a pleasure from drinking good wine. It evokes all the senses — your nose, mouth and brain.

Q: What made you decide to open a wine bar?

A: It’s the new watering hole or new Starbucks. Back in the day, people used to go to saloons to catch up at the end of a busy day. As we get busier and become a more sophisticated culture, we still need that watering hole.  I want to provide an environment for them where they don’t feel intimidated and can learn.

Organic, sustainability, and biodynamic is also very important to me. A grape skin is very permeable. Anytime you’re spraying with pesticides you digest that, and you erode the soil. It’s not good for the land and it’s not good for you. I’ve seen what it takes for growers to change their practices. It’s a lot of work. And I want to support that.

Q: How did working at Google prepare you to open a wine bar?

A: It taught me that it doesn’t matter if a ton of people are out there doing something. With Google, there was also Excite, and Lycos. But there’s always a better way to do things. Google taught me not to be deterred, that just because there are a lot of people out there already, that doesn’t mean you can’t go for your dream.

Q. What is a favorite, moderately priced wine that you wish more people would discover?
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