The Beauty of Roasted Grapes

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See those lovely roasted grapes? They make this salad something special.

What happens when you roast grapes?

Magical things.

They stay intact, and shrivel just a little. Their natural sugars concentrate and caramelize, creating an explosion of wine-y, sweet juice when you pop one into your mouth and bite down.

They’ll spoil you, because eating a fresh grape just won’t be the same anymore.

Here, try for yourself in this easy dish of “Arugula Salad with Roasted Grapes.”

It’s from “Seriously Simple Parties” (Chronicle Books) by veteran cookbook author Diane Rossen Worthington, of which I received a review copy.

And who couldn’t use more seriously simple entertaining ideas with the holidays upon us?

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Dukkah It Out

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Savory Coconut Dukkah to dip your bread into.

Get a taste of Egypt with dukkah.

The pounded mixture of nuts and spices is traditionally served alongside bread and olive oil for an appetizer or snack. Dip a hunk of crusty bread into olive oil, then into the dukkah mixture. It makes for the world’s easiest hors d’oeuvre, especially with the harried holidays upon us.

Serving dukkah has never been easier, either, now that Kit Crawford and Gary Erickson have come up with ready-to-use packaged blends. You know Crawford and Erickson best as the founders of Clif Bars and Clif Family Winery.

Roasted spices, sesame seeds and pistachios are pounded to create this dukkah blend.

Gary & Kit’s Napa Valley Dukkah come in three varieties: Classic Hazelnut, Toasted Sesame and Pistachio, and Savory Coconut.

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Piperade Still Going Strong After a Decade

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Calamari cooked on the plancha at Piperade.

Years ago, when I was set to do an interview with the one and only Anthony Bourdain in San Francisco, his publicist asked me to pick a restaurant for us to talk over lunch.

Can you imagine the pressure of trying to come up with a place to satisfy the exacting taste buds of the finicky “No Reservations” star, who makes no bones about what he likes and doesn’t?

I settled upon Piperade in San Francisco because I had a feeling its soulful Basque food served in unpretentious surroundings would please even the most jaded palate.

I was right.

In one of the most fun interviews I’ve had the pleasure of conducting, I remember Bourdain and I digging into tender beef cheeks as he lobbed barbs and insightful opinions in answer to my questions. The sweetest moment came at the end of the meal, when a server shyly approached the table with a battered copy of Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” for an autograph. She explained that his book was the only thing that kept her sane when she waited tables in New York. Bourdain, chuckling at her knowing remark, signed the book to her, adding his trademark doodle of a chef’s knife.

Piperade may be a decade old now. It may not be flashy. It may not be the “It” place to be these days. But it continues to be relevant, as well as the type of place you know you can drop into for a meal that will always content.

Wine bottle chandelier in the main dining room.

The new private dining room, all set up for a birthday party.

A very rustic-chic room.

Chef-Owner Gerald Hirigoyen hails from Basque country, which straddles both France and Spain. He’s a rarity among chefs, too, in that he’s trained in both cooking and pastry making.

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Ming Tsai’s Miso Pork Stew

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Dig into a bowl of savory pork stew with miso, sweet potatoes and edamame.

Leave it to Ming Tsai to come up with a Japanese version of Southwestern chili.

The kind that is made for curling up with on a blustery night.

It’s a hearty bowl that will warm you from the inside out with cubes of tender pork, chunks of sweet potatoes, bright green edamame, and a hit of  miso.

It’s from his newest cookbook, “Simply Ming in Your Kitchen” (Kyle), of which I just received a review copy. It’s a clever book of 80 recipes, each of which has an embedded QR code that can be scanned to unlock a video of Tsai cooking the dish from start to finish. Sixteen of the videos — two from each chapter — are free. The others can be purchased from Ming.com.

The chef-proprietor of Blue Ginger in Massachusetts and host of “Simply Ming” on PBS, Tsai has a natural affinity for fusing East-West flavors like the ones in this stew.

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Celebratory Matt Cain Cocktail, Taste of Italian Coffee at Santana Row & More

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A cocktail to honor Giants pitcher Matt Cain. (Photo courtesy of Chef Hiro Sone)

Giants Fever at the St. Regis in San Francisco

Look for the bell hops and front desk staff at the St. Regis to sport black and orange baseball caps in honor of the San Francisco Giants incredible World Series sweep.

But that’s just the start. Step inside to toast the team’s victory with “The Perfect Cain” ($14), an ode to Giants pitcher Matt Cain.

The cocktail, available at the bar or at restaurant Ame, is a frothy blend of Breaking and Entering Bourbon, Campari, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, orange water flower and egg white.

First Lavazza Cafe On the West Coast to Open in Santana Row

Italy’s famed coffee roaster Lavazza will open its first West Coast cafe on Oct. 30 in San Jose’s Santana Row.

The Bay Area already may be saturated with coffee outlets, but Lavazza hopes to distinguish itself with its quality, innovation, and integration with high fashion, sleek design and contemporary cuisine, including its collaboration with revolutionary Chef Ferran Adria.

Ferran Adria's liquid-to-solid coffee concoction. (Photo courtesy of Lavazza)

The 35-seat cafe, which will feature stunning artwork, will serve coffee in every preparation imaginable, including the signature Èspesso, Adrià’s ingenious liquid-to-solid coffee creation served playfully with a spoon that sports a hole in it.

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