“Top Chef” Alum Edward Lee’s Miso-Smothered Chicken

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Miso-smothered chicken with tangy, crunchy jicama pickles.

Miso-smothered chicken with tangy, crunchy jicama pickles.

If you’re a fan of “Top Chef’‘ like I am, then you’re sure to remember Chef Edward Lee, who is Korean, cooks with French techniques and makes his home in the South.

Those three cultural heritages come together deliciously in his new cookbook, “”Smoke & Pickles” (Artisan), of which I received a review copy.

Lee may be chef-owner of two acclaimed restaurants, 610 Magnolia and Milkwood, both in Louisville, KY. But the food he presents on these pages is the rustic, bold-flavored type he makes for friends, family and even for staff meals.

“Miso-Smothered Chicken” exemplifies that. It’s bowl-food at its best: A mound of fluffy rice  with tender, braised chicken seasoned with garlic, cayenne, orange juice, chicken stock, soy sauce and miso. It’s chicken stew — Japanese-style.

smoke-and-pickles

What really makes the dish is the accompanying pickles. Yes, they take a little more work, and have to be made at least a day ahead of the chicken. But one crunchy bite later, you’ll be so glad you made that extra effort. Read more

New Chocolate Shop at Valley Fair, Daniel Boulud at the JCC in San Francisco & More

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Valentino-Caprice truffle. (Photo courtesy of Cocoabella)

Valentino-Caprice truffle. (Photo courtesy of Cocoabella)

Cocoabella Chocolates Opens in the South Bay

Cocoabella Chocolates, which already has two stores in San Francisco, has just opened its first South Bay location at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara.

Located in the Luxury Wing on the first level of the mall, the store sources small-batch, artisan chocolates from around the world.

It’s also the only retailer in the United States authorized to carry Thomas Haas truffles from British Columbia and Pierre Marcolini bars from Belgium.

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Pomegranate in What? Hot Sauce, Of Course

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A Menlo Park couple's new hot sauce creation with pomegranate

A Menlo Park couple’s new hot sauce creation with pomegranate.

By day, Menlo Park’s Bobby Marhamat is a branding and mobile marketing expert who guides companies on ways to gain greater exposure and prominence.

In his off hours, he continues his creative tinkering — but in the kitchen, cooking alongside his wife, Shima.

In fact, one of his experiments led to his newest creation this year: Bah Bah Hot Sauce.

Kind of like the chocolate and peanut butter moment with Reese’s, Marhamat wondered what would happen if he added pomegranate, a staple ingredient from his Persian heritage, to hot sauce?

As he discovered, something quite delicious, indeed.

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An Elegant Taste of Sri Lankan Food in San Francisco

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The squab is not to be missed at 1601 Bar & Kitchen.

The squab is not to be missed at 1601 Bar & Kitchen.

1601 Bar & Kitchen resides in a transitional part of San Francisco.

It’s right near a major freeway on-ramp to Highway 101. And as you sit at a table by the window, you might spy a homeless person or two rifling through nearby dumpsters.

But none of that should dissuade you from trying Executive Chef-Owner Brian Fernando’s captivating take on Sri Lankan food.

Fernando is of Sri Lankan heritage, so he knows the warm, earthy, sometimes fiery flavors of this Indian Ocean island well. His French training shows through, too, as the presentations are beautiful, from what I evidenced on a recent visit when I was invited in a guest of the restaurant. Fernandez honed his skills in tapas bars in Spain, followed by a stint at Chez Panisse in Berkeley before going on to Le Papillon in San Jose.

The bright space with soaring ceilings is done up in shabby-chic with weathered bar stools and a large, striking mixed-media art piece of Abraham Lincoln hanging on one wall.

The dining room.

The dining room.

The restaurant offers up small plates to share, with lighter ones listed at the top of the menu and heavier ones at the bottom.

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Join the Food Gal and Farmer Extraordinaire David Winsberg at Macy’s Valley Fair

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MacysDavidWinsberg

Are you a fan of the fabled Spanish Pimiento de Padron peppers?

The Russian Roulette of peppers that are sweet for the most part, but now and then one turns prickly hot and you can’t tell until you bite into it?

Then, you have farmer David Winsberg to thank for the fact that they now star on so many Bay Area menus and can be purchased easily at local farmers markets.

Winsberg’s Happy Quail Farms in East Palo Alto was believed to be the first commercial grower of this special pepper in this country.

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