Category Archives: Restaurants

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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Memorable Ginger Cafe

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Lamb with steamed buns -- a dish I would go back for again and again.

For two years — as long as it’s been in existence — I’ve driven past the Ginger Cafe on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale.

Yes, driven right past from the get-go, not stopping at all to collect a mere whiff or a taste.

Yup, me, a bonafide ginger fiend had never stepped foot inside this pan-Pacific Rim eatery.

Go figure.

Fortunately, when owner Tuyen Chung invited me in for dinner last week, I finally atoned for that faux pas.

Good thing, too, because I’d really been missing out.

Chung, who immigrated to the United States as a teen-ager by way of mainland China and Hong Kong, started cooking with his mother at her restaurant more than 25 years ago. In 2004, he opened his first Ginger Cafe in Gilroy. In 2007, he followed suit with the Sunnyvale locale.

The comfortable, well-lighted restaurant, decorated with Asian art work, serves up a mix of Asian street food and classics — often done up with Chung’s inventive, modern takes. For instance, a spectacular platter of lamb sauteed with caramelized onions gets a dusting of grated Parmesan cheese, and is served with pillowy, steamed, clam shell-shaped buns. And boy, does it all work together perfectly.

Crunchy soft-shell crab with irresistible panko bread crumbs.

Fried Fongsa soft-shell crab is fragrant and tinged yellow from cumin. It gets tossed with crispy, chile-tinged Panko crumbs that are dynamite mixed with plain steamed rice. It’s like a traditional Chinese version of salt-and-pepper fried Dungeness crab. But Chung noticed that many Americans don’t like to get their fingers dirty when eating, so he substituted soft-shell crab instead. Eat the shell and all using chopsticks and there’s no mess whatsoever. Genius.

Dumplings filled with shrimp and bok choy.

Shrimp and calamari atop crisp shrimp chips.

Dim sum is served all day. We tried the shrimp-bok choy dumplings, which were delicate, with plump whole shrimp in them.  An appetizer of shrimp and calamari atop fried shrimp crackers is a two-bite treat heady with green onions and fried shallots that would make a great cocktail party snack.

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Take Five with Chef Charles Phan, On His “Iron Chef America” Battle

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Charles Phan battles on "Iron Chef America'' this Sunday. (Photo courtesy of the Food Network)

With his outrageously popular Slanted Door restaurant, three Out the Door eateries, Heaven’s Dog, and the Academy of Sciences cafe — all of them in San Francisco — it’s hard to believe Chef Charles Phan has time to do much of anything else.

But somehow the 47-year-old chef, who’s ethnically Chinese and a native of Vietnam, found time to go mano-a-mano and burner-to-burner with Cat Cora on “Iron Chef America.”

Filmed in July 2008, that episode finally will air 10 p.m. Nov. 8.

I had a chance to talk with Phan yesterday about his surprising appearance on the show, given his aversion to doing TV.

Q: Ahem. So, I was witness to you saying on a panel in San Francisco earlier this year that you hate being photographed and you hate being on TV. So what gives?

A: Yeah, I do hate it. (laughs) But I kind of have to do it, because it’s my work. The Food Network approached me about doing it. It’s a national show and a chance to show off Vietnamese cooking.

Q: How did it go?

A: It was fine. I didn’t get too stressed out about it. I did the show with my chefs from Slanted Door. Getting the food plated was a challenge. We usually don’t plate individually like that. We normally serve family-style. So we were out of our realm a little bit. But it was OK.

Q: What surprised you most?

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Take Five with Momofuku’s David Chang, On the Flap Over “Fig-Gate”

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Chef David Chang gets ready to take on San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of Gabriele Stabile)

Think what you will of hotter-than-Hades New York chef sensation, David Chang.

He’ll be the first to say he doesn’t give a crap — with a carefully placed f-bomb for emphasis, of course.

But the 32-year-old chef-owner of the phenomenal Momofuku restaurants in Manhattan, who formerly cooked at New York’s esteemed Cafe Boulud, has sure ignited a firestorm in the Bay Area.

Who knew a comment about figs would prompt such a ruckus?

In case you missed it, earlier this month at the New York Wine & Food Festival, Chang was onstage with the irrepressible Anthony Bourdain. Knocking back beers, the two were pontificating on their personal likes and dislikes in the culinary world. That’s when Chang reportedly said, “F*****g every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate. Do something with your food.”

Well, in San Francisco, those were interpreted as some serious fighting words.

The Northern California chapter of the Asia Society abruptly canceled a planned Nov. 8 appearance by Chang at E&O Trading Co. in San Francisco. He was scheduled to appear at the event with a number of other prominent Asian-American Bay Area chefs, one of whom withdrew after Chang made that comment.

Indeed, what was supposed to be a simple stop to promote his first cookbook, “Momofuku” (Clarkson Potter), one of the most anticipated releases of the year, has turned into a rather highly charged situation because of the supposed dissing of San Francisco.

Chang still intends to make other book-signing appearances here. You can meet him Nov. 4, when he’ll be appearing with his co-author, New York Times writer Peter Meehan; as well as Chris Cosentino of Incanto restaurant in San Francisco; and Christopher Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena. The 7 p.m. event at Cafe du Nord organized by 7×7 magazine is free. To reserve a spot, email: events@7×7.com with “Changtastic” in the subject line.

The new cookbook.

Additionally, Chang and Meehan will appear 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at Williams-Sonoma on Union Square in San Francisco; 11 a.m. Nov. 7 at Sur La Table in the San Francisco Ferry Building; 4 p.m. Nov. 7 at Kepler’s in Menlo Park with David Kinch of Los Gatos’ Manresa; and noon Nov. 8 at Omnivore Books in San Francisco with Jeremy Fox of Napa’s Unbuntu.

At Omnivore, they’re already jesting about putting out a plate of fresh figs for the occasion.

You can’t blame Chang for being sick of talking about it all. But he was kind enough to indulge me when I chatted with him by phone yesterday.

Q: Do you regret the fig comment? Or do you think people in the Bay Area just need to lighten up?

A: I don’t regret it. It was said and people took it out of context. People are overly sensitive. I am not trying to piss anyone off. But if they are pissed off, maybe there’s some truth behind it

What I said was a generalization. Not every restaurant is serving figs on a plate. You guys have great produce. It seems like every restaurant tries to follow that road. Anyone that challenges that gets trampled on. It’s great that there is Zuni and Chez Panisse and Oliveto, which take that approach. It seems, though, that many in San Francisco are not that open to expanding beyond that family tree.

But the fact that we’re still talking about this is ridiculous. It’s so silly. It’s so dumb.

Q: Bourdain and others have criticized Alice Waters of Chez Panisse for being overly strident about organics. Does that put you in a delicate position since Alice is fond of you and been a friend to you?

A: She’s the face of the movement. At the end of the day, everyone is after the same goal — a world where everyone eats well. Alice is providing the ideal. You need someone to provide the utopian concept. And she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.

I can understand both sides of the coin. For me, I know Alice’s intent, and whether people agree or disagree, it’s not for me to judge. I will support her no matter what she needs from me. People can criticize her, but she’s trying, and she’s trying to do something in which the end goal is a good thing.

I can totally understand Tony’s position, too. I can still be a friend to both Tony and Alice. You can have a friend who may not like another one of your friends. Like Tony f*****g hates Alan Richman (award-winning food writer for GQ magazine), but I get along with Richman.

Q: So with all this hoopla, do you feel like you should be coming into town wearing a flak jacket in case you’re pelted with figs?

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Free Cupcakes, New Sushi Digs, Howard Bulka’s Pizza Joint, Gingerbread Time & More

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Kara's Cupcakes celebrates its third anniversary. (Photo courtesy of Kara's)

Kara’s Cupcakes celebrates its third anniversary Nov. 1 by giving away a free cupcake with any purchase at its original location, 3249 Scott St. in San Francisco.

The offer is good only that day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only at that location.

The diesel-powered “Karavan,” the cupcake bakery’s mobile van, also will be on site, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. that day to offer samples of Blue Bottle New Orleans-style iced coffee.

For all you Peninsula types who have been waiting with hunger pains, word is that Howie’s Artisan Pizza is expected to open in November at the Town & Country Village in Palo Alto.

OK, so Chef Howard Bulka, formerly of Marche in Menlo Park, thought he’d be open by summer. You know how those things go.

When the doors open, you’ll be able to indulge in New Haven-style pizza with toppings like pancetta and egg, artisan salads, veggie pesto melts, and Straus Organic soft-serve drizzled with olive oil and fleur de sel or in a peppermint brownie sundae.

Chef Howard Bulka's new pizza joint is just weeks away from opening. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

The earth-tone interior will feature exposed timber-framed ceilings, cork walls, bamboo counters, hand-forged iron fixtures, and unusual olive oil-filled glass panels that partition the dining room.

The restaurant will be open daily, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Learn more about Chef Bulka in my interview with him earlier this year.

Are you the type who likes to arrive fashionably early?

Then head to Santana Row in San Jose, where you’ll be able to enjoy a $30 three-course dinner Sundays through Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. “The Fashionably Early Dining” promotion, which runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16, includes soup, salad or appetizer, plus a choice of entree, and dessert.

Choose from nine participating restaurants: Amber India, LB Steak, Pizza Antica, Straits Restaurant, Village California Bistro, Roux Louisiana Kitchen, Yankee Pier, Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, and Thea Mediterranean.

Guests who purchase two “Fashionably Early” entrees also will receive two tickets to the holiday classic, “A Christmas Story,” playing Nov. 21-Dec. 30 at the San Jose Rep. Just present your itemized dinner receipt to the Santana Row Concierge to pick up your tickets while supplies last.

The annual “Pinot Noir & Mushroom Dinner,” Nov. 14 at Parcel 104 in Santa Clara, will serve up four courses with paired wines.

Price is $104 per person. Diners can take advantage of a special room rate at the Marriott, too, for $79.

Additionally, Parcel 104 has a new Monday-through-Friday “Happy Hour,” 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Enjoy $1 draft beers and select $4 appetizers.

As a kid growing up in San Francisco, Ebisu, 1283 Ninth Ave., was practically my neighborhood hang-out. I waited in many a long line there, and learned at an early age that the best place to set yourself down was the sushi bar. Family-run, it was always fun, boisterous, and thoroughly delicious.

Well, Ebisu is the one who’s all grown-up now. San Francisco’s Tekton Architecture has given the popular restaurant a sleek, simple yet elegant make-over.

Ebisu's new look. (Photo courtesy of Sharon Risedorph)

(Photo by Sharon Risedorph)

Bamboo, Douglas fir, sustainably harvested koa wood, recycled 125-year-old barn siding, and other sustainable materials were used to create a warm, organic vibe.

Cedar benches outside and in the foyer are available to take a load off while you wait for a table. Sorry, that part hasn’t changed. But Ebisu remains worth the wait.

To get in the sweet holiday mood, Pastry Chef Patti Dellamonica of One Market in San Francisco is hosting a cookie decorating party, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 7.

It’s part of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group’s month-long “Gingerbread Wishes” program, which benefits the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation.

For $20 on Nov. 7, each guest will receive a cookie decorating kit that includes three freshly baked star-shaped cookies, icing, sprinkles and candies. Guests can replenish their strength from all that cookie decorating with complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and finger sandwiches. Additional cookies are available for $5 each. All proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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