Hakkasan To Open in San Francisco, Fugu Sake For Those Who Dare & More

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Creative dim sum offerings at the soon-to-open Hakkasan in San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

Hakkasan To Open Its Doors Dec. 3

A splashy new, modern Chinese restaurant will debut Dec. 3 in downtown San Francisco.

Hakkasan — with branches already up and running or under construction in New York, Miami, Las Vegas, London, the Middle East and India — will encompass a 170-seat, 10,000-square-foot space on the second floor of the One Kearny building in San Francisco.

Known for its eye-popping prices and gilded interiors, Hakkasan tapped the Parisian design firm, Gilles & Boissier, to create a dramatic V-shaped bar to play off the building’s wedge-shaped design. Look for stone, glass, steel, dark-stained oak, Calcutta marble, colored mirrors, silks and embroidered leather to customize the look.

The restaurant, which will be open daily, will offer Cantonese-style dim sum, as well as an extensive wine and sake list.

Look for beautifully composed dishes like crispy duck salad with pomelo and pine nuts from Executive Chef Ho Chee Boon. (Photo courtesy of Hakkasan)

Executive Chef Ho Chee Boon, who has worked at the original Hakkasan in London, will be crafting dishes inspired by San Francisco’s dedication to organic ingredients. Look for “Jasmine Tea Smoked Short Ribs,” “Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Aged Vinegar,” and “Prawn and Pak Choi Dumplings.”

Ame Serves Up Fugu — In Sake

Yes, fugu, the prized Japanese fish that can be lethal in the wrong hands, will be served up at Ame in San Francisco in an unusual sake.

It looks innocent enough, doesn't it? (Photo courtesy of Ame restauarnt)

The restaurant, in the St. Regis Hotel, has taken the fins from the fish, roasted them, then steeped them in sake. The result is a drink that’s unique, rich and complex.

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Bouchon Bakery’s Incomparable Blueberry Muffins

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Just try to resist these perfect blueberry muffins.

Imagine a muffin that’s moist through and through, tender and fluffy rather than dense, filled with plump blueberries, and crowned with a majestic halo of crunchy, nutty streusel.

Leave it to one of the world’s best chefs, Thomas Keller, to elevate the humble blueberry muffin to a work of art.

I’ve had these many a time at his Bouchon Bakery in Yountville.

But with the publication of his “Bouchon Bakery” (Artisan) with his Executive Pastry Chef Sebastien Rouxel of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, I can now make them happily at home. The cookbook, of which I recently received a review copy, includes 150 recipes for pastries and breads. Some like the Pear Feuilletes, made with homemade puff pastry, are geared to the more skilled baker. But there are plenty of others such as the Chocolate Chunk and Chip Cookies that novice bakers will embrace.

The “Blueberry Muffins” are quite simple, too. Keller writes in the book that the key to a great muffin is resting the batter overnight in the refrigerator. This allows the flour to absorb all the liquid, resulting in a very moist muffin. Plus if you make it the day before, it’s all set to go for baking in the morning. What a way to wake up.

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A Taste of Shanghai on Upper Market St. in San Francisco

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Angus beef stir-fried with mushrooms at Shanghai restaurant.

Shanghai-native Francis Tsai has had a most eclectic life.

He’s a former ballroom dance instructor. He opened the first discotheque in Hong Kong. He once ran the food division of Pan American Airlines. Years ago, he operated the Wu Kong restaurant in San Francisco’s Rincon Center. His daughter, Melody, who was born deaf, opened her own pizza place in the Mission last year called Mozzeria.

Tsai may be 83 now. But he’s far from ready to retire just yet. In fact, this summer he opened his own restaurant in San Francisco in the former Mecca location — Shanghai.

The 60-seat restaurant, done up in burgundy and beige with roomy banquettes and a commanding bar in the center of the dining room, serves modern Shanghai cuisine. Recently, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant, I had a chance to try the creations of Chef Leo Gan, former opening chef of Shanghai 1930 in San Francisco.

The dining room, which looks out on to Market Street.

The stone-topped bar that's the focal point in the center of the room.

The decor is definitely a step up from most Chinese restaurants. The prices are, too, with dishes ranging from $4 for a dumpling dessert to $40 for a special that night of a whole crispy duck with spiced salt and chili.

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Middle Eastern Spinach Turnovers and A Food Gal Giveaway

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Golden turnovers filled with sumac-flavored spinach for your holiday entertaining.

Forget the old-school cheese balls and tired crostini concoctions.

This Christmas, when I welcome guests with a palate-awakening nosh before dinner it will be with these: “Spinach Turnovers.”

They’re the creation of Faith Gorsky, whose An Edible Mosaic blog I’ve enjoyed poring over for her beautiful photos and enticing recipes. It’s from her new cookbook, “An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair” (Tuttle), of which I recently received a review copy.

Gorsky became immersed in Middle Eastern cuisine when she married her Syrian husband and lived in the Middle East for the first six months of their marriage. The book is filled with specialties she’s learned to cook from her mother-in-law, as well as creations all her own, from “Fried Eggplant with Garlic and Parsley Dressing” to “Spiced Shawarma Chicken Wraps” to “Sesame Fudge.”

Being the carb lover that I am, I’ve always had a soft spot for yeasty, flat Middle Eastern breads, especially ones imbued with spices that take me on a journey the moment I smell or taste them.

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Italian Sweet Treats From Emporio Rulli

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A fruitcake even fruitcake haters will love. A holiday specialty from Emporio Rulli.

After stuffing ourselves silly on Thanksgiving, it’s hard to fathom attacking more sweets.

But the Bay Area’s Emporio Rulli makes it so very hard to resist.

Especially when it comes to Italian specialty confections such as panforte and cialde wafer cookies, of which I just received samples of both.

I remember years ago during the winter, getting in line at a bakery in Siena, Italy, where panforte is a specialty. I had no idea why everyone was queued up, but I fell in behind everyone, hoping something wonderful awaited at the front. When my turn finally came, I bought what everyone else was buying — panforte. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I unwrapped it and took a bite. My expression fell immediately as I realized I had just spent money on a dreaded fruitcake. Not my fave, to say the least.

But Emporio Rulli’s version just might make a fruitcake believer out of you, as it did me. Unlike the one in Siena that was sticky, gooey soft, the Emporio Rulli one is extremely chewy and crunchy — more along the lines of a hard nougat. You’re hit with the unmistakable fragrance of oranges the minute you unwrap the round that’s studded completely with almonds, hazelnuts, apricots, candied orange peel and citron.

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