Category Archives: Great Finds

Get to Know Egg Tofu

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Crispy and custardy egg tofu with chili and honey.
Crispy and custardy egg tofu with chili and honey.

Kristina Cho says that she loves introducing people to egg tofu. Count me in as a new convert who is ever grateful to her now that I’ve made the acquaintance.

While tofu is made by coagulating soy milk, egg tofu is made with a blend of soy milk and eggs that gets steamed. Because of the eggs, it has a more yellow color. What I really fell for is the texture. It is slightly firmer than silken tofu and possesses a wonderful custardy quality. In fact, it reminds me very much of Japanese chawanmushi.

Find it in tube shape like slice-and-bake cookie dough in the refrigerator case of Chinese or Asian markets, beside the usual blocks of tofu.

Cho’s “Seared Egg Tofu with Honey and Soy” is an ideal way to try it, too.

The recipe is from her cookbook, “Chinese Enough” (Artisan, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

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Where the Dahlias Bloom

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One of the many varieties of dahlias at EarthSpoke Farms.
One of the many varieties of dahlias at EarthSpoke Farms.

Mendocino, CA — Tulips and calla lillies have long been my favorite flowers. But after visiting EarthSpoke Farms in Mendocino last week, I just might have to add a third.

Founded in 2022, it grows dahlias. More than 250 varieties. In every vivid color imaginable. In sizes that range from a mere 1 1/2 inches to a staggering 10 inches across.

If you happen to have this Saturday or next free to take a drive up the coast, now is the time to take advantage of one of the last u-pick events of this season at one of the largest dahlia farms in California.

My u-pick bouquet that I assembled.
My u-pick bouquet that I assembled.

Reserve a spot, and for $50, you are given a mason jar half-filled with water and a pair of scissors to snip stems in the supporting garden planted with snap dragons, pussy willows, roses, zinnias, and other greenery. To complete your arrangement, you get to pick six dahlias from the nearby buckets of freshly-cut ones. Change the water regularly, and your bouquet should last about a week.

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Underdog Takes Flight In Palo Alto

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Wagyu shumai at Bar Underdog. So good, you might need a second order.
Wagyu shumai at Bar Underdog. So good, you might need a second order.

Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly and Executive Chef Anthony Secviar may have earned a Michelin star at Protege only nine months after opening it on California Avenue in Palo Alto.

But for the two, who met at Michelin three-starred The French Laundry, learning from mentors and striving for excellence never stops. Hence the name of their restaurant, which opened in 2018. It’s also the reasoning behind the name of their new wine and cocktail bar that opens on Thursday just across the street.

You might say that Underdog is their spirit animal.

“We’re both from blue-collar areas. I grew up in Cleveland, and Anthony grew up in Indiana,” Kelly says. “The name is a nod to being in the trenches, and doing the work each and every day.”

It's entertainment in itself to watch the drinks being made, so take a seat at the bar for the best viewing.
It’s entertainment in itself to watch the drinks being made, so take a seat at the bar for the best viewing.

They have leaned heavily into the name and concept, too, as I discovered when I was invited in for a sneak peek a few days before the official opening.

Framed photos hang on the walls of an eclectic assortment of underdogs from history — from Rosa Parks to Rocky Balboa to the classic cartoon character, Underdog, himself, decked out in his flowing blue cape. The bartenders and servers are dressed in black Underdog jerseys, too.

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Redwood City’s Donato Enoteca Reopens After Renovation

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Several types of pizza are offered on Donato Enoteca's new menu, including this pan pizza topped with house-smoked swordfish.
Several types of pizza are offered on Donato Enoteca’s new menu, including this pan pizza topped with house-smoked swordfish.

After a month-long interior refresh, the popular 16-year-old Italian restaurant Donato Enoteca has reopened in Redwood City — better than ever.

There’s still a large patio dining area with herb planters, an open kitchen, and a handsome dining room but one that’s brighter and more contemporary looking now. There’s also a new circular white marble bar, especially conducive to the after-work crowd looking to kick back with cocktails and small cicchetti or bite-sized noshes. There are also new evocative black-and-white photos on the walls of Italian ingredients by local photographer Nadia Andreini.

The biggest change, though, is the arrival of Chef Marco Bertoldo, a native of Italy’s Veneto region, who has worked at Michelin three-starred Ristorante Le Calandre in Italy and was the executive chef at Poesia in San Francisco.

Through the passway to the marble-topped bar.
Through the passway to the marble-topped bar.
New artwork on the walls.
New artwork on the walls.

Chef-Owner Donato Scotti may be stepping back from overseeing the kitchen on a day-to-day basis, but he’s still very much a part of the restaurant. In fact, he was there last week greeting tables, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant.

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Wake Up and Smell the Coffee — On Fish

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Dinner is ready in a flash with grilled branzino coated in a delectable coffee rub.
Dinner is ready in a flash with grilled branzino coated in a delectable coffee rub.

When it comes to coffee, I am a one-cup-in-the-morning kind of gal.

Oh sure, there’s the occasional scoop of coffee ice cream or espresso-flavored tiramisu at the end of the evening. And even maybe some coffee-infused barbecue sauce now and then on smoked pork or chicken.

But coffee on fish?

Say what?

Having tried it now, I swear by it.

By happenstance, I came across a recipe in the New York Times for “Coffee-Rubbed Grilled Fish” when I was planning to grill a couple of branzino for dinner.

Coffee on fish? You bet!
Coffee on fish? You bet!

It’s a recipe from Oregon home-cook Rashad Frazier that was adapted by cookbook author and food writer Nicole Taylor. It was pegged as a Kwanzaa dish, but it will turn any day you serve it into a celebration.

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