TBD Fires It Up

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A glorious BN Ranch ribeye for two at TBD.

A glorious BN Ranch ribeye for two at TBD.

 

Owner Matt Semmelhack and Executive Chef-Owner Mark Liberman have a playful way when it comes to naming their San Francisco restaurants.

Their first? AQ, which stands for “As Quoted,” the phrase used in place of a specific price on a menu for seasonal, specialty dishes.

Their newest? TBD, which of course stands for “To Be Determined.”

It’s a nod to the fact that fire’s tamability decides the dishes. That’s because the main mode of cooking here is by live fire via a massive, hand-cranked, multi-adjustable grill.

You get a sense of the powerfulness of this, particularly if you sit at a table opposite the flames. Even on a very chilly night, as when I dined there, I was plenty roasty-toasty as I sat with my back to the blazing grill.

Cooking by fire.

Cooking by fire.

Wood is a major theme here.

Wood is a major theme here.

Imagine a hipster lumberjack as the ideal customer, and you get an idea of the vibe here. There are animal heads on the wall, dramatically stacked cords of wood, and specially designed wood tables with drawers that pull out to reveal your menu and silverware.

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The Surprise of Chocolate, Thanks to Alice Medrich

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Coq au vin -- with the surprising addition of chocolate. Perfect for Valentine's Day.

Coq au vin — with the surprising addition of chocolate. Perfect for Valentine’s Day.

 

Love has a way of lurking in unexpected places, where we least expect to find it.

So, too, does chocolate.

Take coq au vin, that classic stew of chicken simmered in red wine. Leave it to the Bay Area’s baker extraordinaire Alice Medrich to create a version that adds unsweetened chocolate.

It’s from her cookbook, “Seriously Bitter Sweet” (Artisan), of which I received a review copy. It’s the new paperback edition of her 2003 book, “Bitter Sweet.”

The little bit of chocolate adds a subtle earthiness and meatiness, as well as body to the sauce.

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Brooklyn Popcorn and a Food Gal Giveaway

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The "New York Mix'' from Brooklyn Popcorn.

The “New York Mix” from Brooklyn Popcorn.

I have a weakness for cheese popcorn. Always have.

And I’m not about to turn down caramel corn. Not ever.

But eating both those ying-yang flavors together in one mouthful?

Surprisingly, it works. Brooklyn Popcorn knows our palates better than we do, especially when it comes to how well the combo of sweet and salty works in harmony.

Brooklyn Popcorn’s food truck roams the streets of New York, enticing folks with the aroma of fresh popped popcorn in flavors that range from plain to coconut caramel to dill pickle to ketchup. Now, it also operates an online store.

When the company approached me to try a sample, I couldn’t resist its “New York Popcorn Mix” of white cheddar cheese and caramel popcorn.

The popcorn itself is delightfully crunchy and like all good popcorn, fairly addictive. The caramel corn in particular is quite crisp with a deep bronzed sugar taste. The cheese popcorn is much more subtle. You get a slight saltiness and just a little sharpness. I actually wish it was more pronounced.

The popcorn is available in different-sized containers, including the one I received, a 1-gallon tin for $28.95.

Sweet and salty -- in one bite.

Sweet and salty — in one bite.

CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a $20 gift card to Brooklyn Popcorn. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Feb. 15. Winner will be announced on Feb. 17.

How to win?

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Hanging Out at Bar Terra in St. Helena

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Chef-Owner Hiro Sone's likeness is the focal point of the bar at Bar Terra.

Chef-Owner Hiro Sone’s likeness is the focal point of the bar at Bar Terra.

In the Napa Valley, there are two Michelin three-star restaurants (the French Laundry and the Restaurant at Meadowood), plus a host of other swank, white-tablecloth establishments.

But sometimes what you’re in the mood for is something a little more casual. Something a little more eclectic. Yet still refined in execution.

Bar Terra fits that to a “T.”

Three years ago, Chef-Owner Hiro Sone and his wife, Pastry Chef-Owner Lissa Doumani, remodeled their 26-year-old, award-winning Terra restaurant in St. Helena. The doorway divides the two dining rooms. On the left remains the elegant, hushed Terra. On the right was created Bar Terra, a more laid-back, livelier spot with a liquor license that brought forth a new cocktail menu with the likes of the “Hirotini” (Sveda vodka, sake, ginger and cucumber; $10).

You’ll find locals filling the chairs at Bar Terra, nightly. Doumani makes the rounds, greeting every familiar face. And there are plenty of them.

It’s easy to see the attraction: Bar Terra’s prices are lower than Terra. You can come in jeans. And you can even mix and match — ordering off either Terra’s or Bar Terra’s menu or both.

That’s exactly what I did when a friend and I dined there over the winter. Although we paid our tab, dessert was on the house, compliments of Sone and Doumani, who knew us both.

Abalone and shrimp -- from the Terra menu that you still can enjoy if you want at Bar Terra.

Abalone and shrimp — from the Terra menu that you still can enjoy if you want at Bar Terra.

We stuck mostly to the Bar Terra menu with one exception: The salad of Ezo abalone with shrimp, butter beans, fennel and pickled Meyer lemon ($18.50) from the Terra menu just called out to me. It’s hard to resist fresh abalone the rare times it appears on a menu. It didn’t disappoint, either, with its sweet, tender yet toothsome flesh brightened by the citrus.

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Not Your Usual Carbonara

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A very special version of pasta carbonara.

A very special version of pasta carbonara.

 

Yes, this one’s quite different.

And sure to become an instant classic.

“Pumpkin Carbonara with Paccheri” has no bacon. But you won’t miss it. Honest.

That’s because thin slices of onion are slowly caramelized until their golden char takes on a smokiness that almost mimics that of bacon.

Take your time cooking the onions. Don’t rush them. Be patient, because they are key to this simple, exquisite pasta dish.

The recipe is from the clever new cookbook, “Pasta Modern” (Stewart Tabori & Chang), which was gifted to me by its author, food historian and Italian food expert, Francine Segan, whom I’ve been fortunate enough to become friends with after doing some writing for her.

The book includes 100 recipes, many of them quite unusual ones that will open your eyes to the uses pasta can have if you let your imagination go wild. How about “Pasta Sushi”? Yes, big shells, the kind usually stuffed with ricotta and spinach, but here filled with raw fish, sea urchin or salmon roe. Or consider the method of boiling pasta in a pot of water mixed with cocoa powder for “Instant Chocolate Pasta with Orange-Basil Cream,” in which the noodles turn deep brown and take on an earthy flavor? Or “Pasta Pretzel Sticks” made from cooked, long strands of pasta that are coated in butter before being baked until golden and crisp?

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