Category Archives: Seafood

Time for a V8 Pasta Sauce

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Pasta made with V8. Seriously!

Would you believe that’s the secret ingredient in this lusty pasta sauce?

Yes, V8, the canned and bottled deep-red vegetable juice that’s been around since 1933.

Normally, I might pooh-pooh the idea of pulling the tab on a can of mass-produced tomato-enriched juice to toss with pasta for dinner, especially since I rarely even quaff the stuff straight .

But this recipe for “Spaghettini with Tuna and V8 Sauce” comes from none other than esteemed chefs, Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani of award-winning Terra restaurant in St. Helena. And it was published in the cookbook, “A Twist of the Wrist” (Alfred A. Knopf), written by equally revered Pastry Chef, Nancy Silverton, famed for founding La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles, as well as for her restaurants there and in Singapore in conjunction with Mario Batali — Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza.

Keep a few in the pantry to make this dish on the spur of the moment.

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Baker & Banker Cooking Demo, Dinner & A Movie — Indian-Style and More

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Baker & Banker's Lori Baker and Jeff Banker to visit Macy's. (Photo courtesy of the chefs)

Baker & Banker Chefs Visit Macy’s Union Square

Join husband and wife,  Executive Chef Jeff Banker and Pastry Chef Lori Baker, when they demonstrate how to cook brunch favorites, 2 p.m. Aug. 27 at Macy’s Cellar Union Square in San Francisco.

Co-proprietors of Baker & Banker in San Francisco, they will be cooking up “French Toast Bread Pudding” and “Eggs in Purgatory.”

Best yet, this delicious event is free.

Asian Culinary Forum Event at the San Francisco Ferry Building

Four, young and dynamic Asian-American chefs will be talking about “Reinventing Asian Cuisine,” 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 22 at the San Francisco Ferry Building.

Richie Nakano of Hapa Ramen. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Panelists will be: Dennis Lee, chef and co-owner of Namu in San Francisco; Richie Nakano, chef and founder of Hapa Ramen in San Francisco; Sarah Dey, chef and manager of New Delhi in San Francisco; and Wilfred Pacio, founder of Spice Kit in San Francisco.

The moderator will be Thy Tran, founder and director of the Asian Culinary Forum, which is hosting this thought-provoking conversation.

Listen as the chefs talk about the challenges and rewards of trying to pay homage yet still put creative spins on traditional Asian cuisines. Then join in the conversation during the Q&A afterward.

A reception will precede with tastes from each of the featured restaurants, as well as Hodo Soy Beanery, Bex Winery and Momokawa Oregon Craft Sake.

Tickets are $35 each.

Dinner & A Movie — Indian-Style

Bread of India at Swan’s Market in Oakland, 948 Clay St., is kicking off a monthly series of film screenings accompanied by regional meals prepared by Chef Rohit Singh.

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Carneros Inn Offers Produce Baskets to Guests, Dessert Time in San Francisco & More

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Fresh fruit, veggies and flowers to take home from the Carneros Inn. (Photo courtesy of the resort)

Guests of Carneros Inn Get Gift of Organic Produce

Guests who depart the Carneros Inn in Napa on Sundays can now receive a free brimming bag of fresh-picked fruit and veggies from the resort’s 1/2-acre biodynamic, organic garden to take home.

Those goodies might include heirloom tomatoes, kale, Swiss chard, watermelon, cucumber, carrots, peas, strawberries and raspberries, as well as a bevy of herbs and flowers. The good-for-you goody bag is available for the asking at check-out and even comes with a recipe, too.

Peter Stonebraker, the property’s culinary gardener, grows an abundance of produce for the resort’s private dining restaurant, Hilltop Dining Room, as well as for its FARM restaurant and  Boon Fly Cafe. And he’s more than happy to share the wealth.

Culinary Gardener Peter Stonebraker tends to the fruits of his labor. (Photo courtesy of Carneros Inn)

Dessert First? You Bet!

Life is short, so why not go for the sweet stuff first?

Project Open Hand invites you to do just that at its 11th annual Dessert First extravaganza at the InterContinental San Francisco, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 14.

This year, 16 pastry chefs will dazzle with their decadent creations. Among those participating are: Patti Dellamonica-Bauler of One Market Restaurant, Sara Spearin of Dynamo Donut, Francis Ang of the Fifth Floor, Elizabeth Faulkner of Citizen Cake and Orson, and Jake Godby of Humphry Slocombe.

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Rose Pistola Still Blooming After All These Years

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Asparagus and lamb pizza at Rose Pistola.

There’s no denying that North Beach has to be one of San Francisco’s most touristy neighborhoods.

But it’s also full of enough charm, vivacity and quality Italian food to continue draw locals, as well.

That’s one reason why after 15 years Rose Pistola, a short hop from the Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf, is still going strong.

The Ligurian-inspired restaurant recently got a face-lift with a new, softer color scheme in grey, burgundy and brown. The tile floors have been restored and the rich mahogany gleams.

Last month, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant to try the updated menu by new Executive Chef Mark Gordon.

All around me, tables were full of locals, as well as out-of-towners carbo-loading for the next day’s spirited Bay to Breakers race through the streets of San Francisco.

We started with stuffed calamari ($13), tender soft tubular bodies stuffed with seafood mousse, then grilled until smoky.

Tender, charred stuffed calamari.

Grilled, crusty bread spread fava bean puree and lusty olive-oil preserved tuna.

Next, the simple yet sublime bruschette of chunky, mashed favas and tuna conserva ($12). With a glass of racy, white wine, you could make a light dinner of these alone. The creamy, sweet favas were a wonderful match to the the rich, silky tuna preserved in olive oil. It’d be a great nosh to make at home, too.

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“Top Chef” Tour Rolls into San Jose

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"Top Chef'' favorite, Fabio Viviani, cooks in front of a crowd in San Jose on Tuesday.

It’s not every day that I get kissed on the hand by “Top Chef”’s resident Italian charmer, Chef Fabio Viviani — while simultaneously getting kissed on the cheek by fellow hunky “Top Chef” alum, Ryan Scott.

Yes, Tuesday was that kind of heart-fluttering day.

It was all in a scorching afternoon’s work when the Bravo TV “Top Chef Tour,” which has been winding its way across the country, rolled into San Jose for two days of madcap fun inside a tent set up behind the AT&T store on Stevens Creek Blvd. Although this is the fourth year that contestants have gone on the road like this, it was the first time that the tour stopped in San Jose.

Another "Top Chef'' alumn, Ryan Scott, prepares to battle against Viviani.

Yours truly was asked to judge one of the “Quick-Fire”-style battles between Viviani, who owns two restaurants in the Los Angeles-area, Firenze Osteria and Cafe Firenze, and San Francisco’s Scott, who used his “Top Chef” earnings to start a catering company, Ryan Scott 2 Go, and a mobile sandwich truck, 3 Sum Eats. Look for him to open his newest venture in a month — Brunch Drunk Love (how cute is that?), a brunch-only restaurant that will be open only on weekends at the Bruno’s site in the Mission District.

Those signs of affection from Viviani and Scott were humorous attempts to butter up the judge. But being the professional that I am — ahem — I did not let any of that sway me.

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