Join the Food Gal and Chef Howard Bulka at Macy’s Valley Fair

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If you’ve ever wanted to perfect pizza-making at home, now’s your chance.

Join me at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 at Macy’s Valley Fair in Santa Clara when I host a cooking demo with Chef Howard Bulka of Howie’s Artisan Pizza in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village.

Bulka, who left the world of fine-dining to research the fine points of pizza making, will show you how to create a superb dough using a starter that will add so much more flavor to your crust.

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A Sandwich for All Ages

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You don't have to be a kid to love this sandwich.

You don’t have to be a kid to love this sandwich.

School’s only just started, but if you find yourself already tearing your hair out over new ways to jazz up the brown-bag lunch, this book is for you.

“Best Lunch Box Ever: Ideas and Recipes for School Lunches Kids Will Love” (Chronicle), of which I received a review copy,  features 75 simple and sensible recipes that kids won’t be tempted to trade away for something else. The book is by Katie Sullivan Morford, a Bay Area food writer and registered dietician who also happens to be the sister of famed Chef Mark Sullivan of the Bacchus Management Group of restaurants that includes Spruce in San Francisco, Cafe des Amis in San Francisco, the Village Pub in Woodside, Mayfield Bakery and Cafe in Palo Alto, and the Pizza Antica locales. As the mother of three daughters, she knows all too well the challenges of getting kids to eat well.

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The book is filled with tips for easy ways to make lunch even more nutritious and appealing. For instance, instead of packing a tub of strawberry yogurt with a granola bar, make a Greek yogurt parfait instead with sliced berries, honey and granola. The latter has more protein, less sugar and nothing artificial. Instead of a regular cheese quesadilla made with a flour tortilla, use a whole-wheat one instead and fill it with black beans and sweet potato for more fiber, protein and potassium, and far less saturated fat.

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Scenes From San Francisco’s Debut LuckyRice Festival

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Roka Akor chefs assembling chiccharones topped with Mendocino uni at LuckyRice.

Roka Akor chefs assembling chiccharones topped with Mendocino uni at LuckyRice.

 

Last Friday night, the San Francisco Ferry Building was transformed into a celebration of Asian foods and cultures.

It marked the debut of  the city’s first LuckyRice Festival, which has already been held in New York, Los Angeles, Los Vegas and Miami.

Twenty of the city’s top restaurants held court, doling out Asian specialties to the sell-out crowd, as mixologists shook up cocktails created just for the occasion.

Take a taste:

The action at the Ferry Building.

The action at the Ferry Building.

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Roka Akor's rice cake with fig jam and El Rey Chocolate.

Roka Akor’s rice cake with fig jam and El Rey Chocolate.

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A Culinary Tour de Force in Sacramento

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Pork belly, as prepared by the staff of Sacramento's Enotria restaurant.

Pork belly, as prepared by the staff of Sacramento’s Enotria restaurant.

 

Sacramento is many things.

An often testy political hotbed. A rich agricultural center. A place of torrid summers.

But a powerhouse of destination-dining?

Not so much.

Enter Pajo Bruich, executive chef of Enotria Restaurant and Wine Bar in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood, who aims to change that.

A native of Sacramento, Bruich came on board at the 15-year-old restaurant a year ago, following a major remodel. He’s serious about making it a must-stop for discriminating diners, having brought on board Sous Chef Stan Moore, formerly of The Kitchen in Sacramento; Pastry Chef Edward Martinez, formerly of Hawks in Granite Bay; and General Manager Jenny Yun, formerly of Per Se in New York and the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena.

A five-course tasting dinner is $75 while a seven-course one is $105. A la carte options also are available.

Executive Chef Pajo Bruich readying the first course.

Executive Chef Pajo Bruich readying the first course.

Perhaps, it’s no surprise that Bruich, a former caterer and executive chef of Lounge ON20 in Sacramento, became a chef. After all, his grandfather owned a kitchen equipment company, as well as a fast-casual burger joint in Sacramento.

Still, he knows he has an uphill climb to lure people to make a special trip from the Bay Area to his restaurant in Sacramento. To generate more fanfare, he has invited some of San Francisco’s stellar chefs to cook at Enotria this summer, including Matthew Accarrino of SPQR and Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn. On Sept. 21, Chef Mark Pensa of Acquerello will join him in the kitchen.

The table is set at the Stable Cafe, the original location of Saison restaurant.

The table is set at the Stable Cafe, the original location of Saison restaurant.

To spread the word even more, last week he held a media dinner in San Francisco at the Stable Cafe. I was a guest at the intimate dinner, where Bruich’s staff outnumbered the diners 12 to 8. That included bringing all their own plateware and stemware, too. After all, if you can’t lure the SF press to Sacramento easily, the next best thing is to bring the restaurant to them.

The food served that night would easily give many top restaurants in San Francisco a run for their money. The fact that it came from a chef who is courageous — or foolhardy — enough to do it in Sacramento instead made it all the more extraordinary.

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You’ll Never Guess What’s in This Seafood Curry

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Calamari and crab star in this curry dish -- along with an unexpected ingredient.

Calamari and crab star in this curry dish — along with an unexpected ingredient.

 

Yes, watermelon, of all things.

Crisp cubes of it, as well as its own bright pinky-red juice.

“Watermelon and Seafood Curry” is from “Full of Flavor” (Kyle Books), of which I received a review copy. It’s by Chef Maria Elia of Joe’s in London who has a way with unexpected flavor combinations such as with her “Blueberry and Coffee Muffins” and “Jerusalem Artichoke and Chestnut Soup with Chorizo and Apple.”

Of course, with summer watermelon in abundance, it was the curry recipe that really intrigued me. Sure, I’d enjoyed my share of watermelon just eaten out of hand in big cold wedges. And I’d eaten plenty of watermelon salads accented with salty feta or pops of chiles. But in a warm seafood stew? This was a new one.

Summer watermelon used in a unique way.

Summer watermelon used in a unique way.

The base of the broth is watermelon juice that is cooked down on the stovetop to concentrate its flavor. You think it’s going to be way too sweet, but not after you add in ginger, lemongrass, garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin and chiles, as well as fresh lime juice and fish sauce.

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