Category Archives: Great Finds

Revved Up for Ramen, Part II: Kisetsu Ramen Pop-Up at Cyrus

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Pork shoyu ramen at the pop-up at Michelin-starred Cyrus.
Pork shoyu ramen at the pop-up at Michelin-starred Cyrus.

Ramen originated as a humble, working-class dish meant to be cheap and eaten in a hurry.

But when a Michelin-starred Wine Country restaurant debuts a ramen pop-up in its sleek, glass and concrete building with a view of vineyards, you know it will be anything but that.

That is definitely the case at this winter kisetsu ramen pop-up at Cyrus in Geyserville, which I happened to catch on its inaugural night last Thursday.

The pop-up, available Thursday through Saturday evenings, accommodates 12 diners max in the front portion of the lounge. The rest of the lounge remains the starting point for diners indulging in the full tasting-menu progressive experience at $325 per person, which takes about 3 hours.

In contrast, the ramen menu is $75 for three courses, which my husband and I finished in about 75 minutes.

The entrance.
The entrance.
Quite the setting for a bowl of ramen.
Quite the setting for a bowl of ramen.
The ramen menu.
The ramen menu.

The pop-up will last at least through winter. If it proves popular, it may stick around longer.

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Revved Up For Ramen, Part I: HiroNori

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Shoyu ramen with added broccolini at HiroNori.
Shoyu ramen with added broccolini at HiroNori.

I’m sure I’m not the only one cranking up the heat in the early morning, bundling up in warm sweaters all day, and craving mightily a big bowl of steamy ramen as the sun sets.

So, it’s no wonder that I found my way recently to HiroNori.

Named for friends Hiro Igarashi and Nori Akaska, they opened their first location in Los Angeles in 2017. Two years later, it was even mentioned in the Michelin Guide. It now boasts 16 locations throughout California, including three in Silicon Valley: Cupertino, San Mateo, and Santa Clara.

It was the latter location that I visited on an early weeknight, where a steady stream of folks getting off work, as well as delivery drivers, were picking up to-go orders.

It’s no-cash payment with a 20 percent service charge is automatically added to your tab.

HiroNori was founded by two friends.
HiroNori was founded by two friends.
The Santa Clara location.
The Santa Clara location.

Don’t let the tarps on the walls deter you, as the place is getting a new interior paint job in the coming days. The dining room may be pretty bare bones, but it’s done up in stylish, wooden slat stools at blond wood tables.

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A One-Pot Honey Garlic Chicken with Mushroom Fregola That Really Hits the Spot

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Honey garlic chicken, mushrooms, and fregola in a fabulous one-pot dish.
Honey garlic chicken, mushrooms, and fregola in a fabulous one-pot dish.

If you’re already dreaming of sticky, honey garlic chicken wings for Super Bowl Sunday, this dish is guaranteed to score a touchdown with you because it takes that same irresistible combination of flavors and makes a complete one-pot meal out of it.

“One-Pot Honey Garlic Chicken with Mushroom Fregola” is a can’t-miss recipe from the new “Italianish” (DK), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Hudson Valley, NY-based Danny Freeman, the brains behind the popular DannyLovesPasta Instagram and TikTok accounts.

It’s a collection of more than 100 Italian-American recipes that have their roots in tradition, but include creative shortcuts and techniques to make them easily accessible for home cooks, especially those with harried schedules. There’s even a handy “time index” that suggests recipes to make for “fast meals” and “60-minute meals.” Many of the recipes are sure to appeal to kids, too.

After all, Freeman knows all about that, having given up his career as lawyer to raise two kids with his husband.

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It’s Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake Prime Time

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A super simple cake that bakes up souffle-like on top, and creamy pudding-like on the bottom.
A super simple cake that bakes up souffle-like on top, and creamy pudding-like on the bottom.

Jessica Merchant wasn’t kidding when she wrote that this “looks like nothing but tastes like everything.”

Her “Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake” might never win a beauty award, but this light-as-air creation will floor you with its fathomless wallop of zingy citrus taste.

This easy-as-can-be cake is from her newest cookbook, “Easy Everyday” (Rodale), of which I received a review copy.

The creator of the How Sweet Eats blog, Merchant offers up 100 effortless eats. This is a woman who believes dinner should never take more than 45 minutes to prepare, and breakfasts and lunches should be ready in a snap.

That’s evident in recipes such as “Whipped Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes” (throw everything in a blender to make the batter in seconds), “Fire Roasted Lentil Lunch Soup” (saves time by using canned lentils), “Sticky BBQ Meatballs with Herbed Smashed Potatoes” (makes use of your favorite prepared barbecue sauce), and “No Bake S’Mores Pie” (the filling is made on the stovetop).

This pudding cake is one of those magical concoctions where the batter separates as it bakes so that the top turns fluffy like a souffle — without the anxiety of actually making one — and the bottom becomes creamy like a cross between pudding and curd.

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Gnocchi — But Turn It Korean

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Korean bibimbap gets a little Italian flair.
Korean bibimbap gets a little Italian flair.

When it comes to cooking, Hetty Lui McKinnon has a knack for seeing what others don’t. With a gift for fusing ingredients from different cultures, this Chinese Australian cookbook author who lives in Brooklyn creates dishes that aren’t confounding, but rather thoughtfully and marvelously cohesive.

After all, who else would think to take Italian gnocchi and turn it into a foundation for Korean bibimbap?

Her “Bibimbap-Style Gnocchi with Gochujang Vinaigrette” absolutely works, too, with purchased gnocchi taking the place of the usual chewy Korean rice cakes or fluffy steamed rice.

The recipe is from her latest cookbook, “Linger” (Alfred A. Knopf), of which I received a review copy. It’s a collection of hearty salads and simple desserts that are especially dear to her heart.

In fact, salads are what inspired her culinary career. As a mother of three living in Australia, she started a salad delivery service out of her home. Two days a week, for four years, she made salads and delivered them on her bike to customers.

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