Palo Alto Welcomes Belcampo Meat Co.

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Pulled pork bun (front) and braised lamb belly bun (back) at Belcampo in Palo Alto.

Pulled pork bun (front) and braised lamb belly bun (back) at Belcampo in Palo Alto.

 

After opening its first restaurant-retail meat shop last spring in Larkspur, Belcampo Meat Co. has been on a rapid roll.

Since then, it has opened in speedy succession in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and just four weeks ago in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village.

Shortly, Santa Monica will get the largest outpost of the farm-to-table meat company with a butcher shop plus a restaurant that will boast a full bar, as well as 90 seats. A lease also has been signed for a location in West Hollywood.

Belcampo is on a fast-track mission to prove that sustainable not only can be profitable, but feasible on a large-scale.

A butcher packs away the meat just before closing.

A butcher packs away the meat just before closing.

Note the whiteness of the fat on the meat -- a sign of pasture-fed animals.

Note the whiteness of the fat on the meat — a sign of pasture-fed animals.

It is the brainchild of Todd Robinson, a Wall Street veteran with deep pockets; and Anya Fernald, a California-native and long-time locavore entrepreneur. She may look familiar from her previous appearances as a judge on “Iron Chef America” and as the founder of the Eat Real Festival in Oakland.

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Not One — But Two — Summer Fruits in One Easy Tart

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Juicy, jammy and the perfect taste of summer.

Juicy, jammy and the perfect taste of summer.

 

What do you get when you combine fresh summer raspberries with juicy mangoes?

A tart that’s nothing short of sensational.

It is beyond easy, too.

“Juicy Mango-Raspberry Crumble Tart” is from “One Bowl Baking” (Running Press) of which I received a review copy. The book is by Yvonne Ruperti, a former recipe developer and writer for Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

OneBowlBaking

As the name implies, these are recipe that for the most part do only require one bowl to make. Of course, there are a few exceptions, such as if you make one of the layer-cake recipes, then you will need a bowl to make the batter, and another to make the frosting. The recipes don’t require the use of an electric mixer, either, just good ol’ fashioned arm-power to whisk or stir.

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Three Words: Triple Chocolate Biscotti

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Delicate biscotti with chocolate -- three ways.

Delicate biscotti with chocolate — three ways.

 

Picture a rich chocolate dough. Then, chunks of Guittard chocolate folded in. Finally, imagine the resulting cookies dunked by hand into a bath of milk and semisweet chocolate.

I’d call that a triple chocolate hit.

Boncora calls it its Triple Chocolate Biscotti.

It’s the newest treat by Bonnie Tempesta, who founded La Tempesta Bakery with her mother, Aurora. She sold that company in 1997, then moved to Sonoma Wine Country to start Bonccora Biscotti.

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An Indulgent Chocolate Treat From My “San Francisco Chef’s Table” Cookbook

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Dark chocolate and mint make one arresting dessert. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

Dark chocolate and mint make one arresting dessert. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

 

I love the dichotomy of dark chocolate and fresh mint.

On one hand, you have the deep, rich weightiness of the chocolate. On the other, the breezy lilt of the tingly mint.

Put them together and you get the best yin-yang: one ingredient so devilishly decadent it can’t help but lure you in, and the other so fresh and vibrant, it clears your palate to egg you into enjoying another mouthful — and yet another — of chocolate.

Chef Sarah Rich of the wildly popular Rich Table in San Francisco knows this. Trained in both the savory and sweet side of the kitchen, she knows just what is bound to tempt.

That’s why I couldn’t have been happier when I asked her to contribute a recipe to my debut cookbook, “San Francisco Chef’s Table” Lyons Press), and she chose “Mint Chocolate Sable with Mint Chocolate Cream & Iced Milk.”

It was one of the first recipes I tested. (Hey, I’m no fool!)

Think of this as a fanciful yet rustic version of an ice cream sandwich. (You see why I wanted to try this one right off the bat.)

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A Big Helping of Dumplings and Fun at Chino in San Francisco

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Bao de chicharon at Chino in San Francisco.

Bao de chicharon at Chino in San Francisco.

 

Chino, which opened in May in San Francisco’s Mission District, is a celebration of exuberant street food — Asian-cum-Tacolicious style.

That’s not surprising given that the playful Chinese-inspired restaurant is by the same team behind Tacolicious, which boasts four locations now, plus a Williams-Sonoma sauce and salsa line, and a cookbook publishing this September.

The team that brought you “Shot-and-A-Beer Braised Chicken Tacos” and the “Chocolicious Taco” now offer at its newest venture the likes of “Snacky Whacky” small plates such as “Cucumbers, All Busted Up” and “Nick Balla’s Dope Ass Japan-O-Mission Wings,” the latter the creation of the famed Bar Tartine chef who’s an authority on Japanese cuisine, among others.

In much the same way that proceeds from Tacolicious’ sauce line benefit local schools, all Tacolicious locations plus the new Chino donate 15 percent of sales each Monday night during the school year to a neighboring school.

Recently, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant, which was hopping even mid-week. The decor mimics a night market in Asia with nearly 1,000 lights strung across the ceiling. If you look closely, you’ll even spot a couple pairs of sneakers dangling from them — a familiar tableau from an Anywheresville working-class neighborhood. Adding to the whimsy are nostalgic toys such as Mr. Potato Head and a Darth Vader mask arranged on shelves by the big-screen TV on the wall.

Paper lanterns mimic the vibe of an Asian street market.

Paper lanterns mimic the vibe of an Asian street market.

Can you spot the sneakers hanging from the ceiling?

Can you spot the sneakers hanging from the ceiling?

The bare tables have a clever built-in canister with dividers to neatly hold chopsticks and silverware. House-made hot mustard and chili paste are brought to the table for those who like it hot.

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