In Memory of My Beer Buddy

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 Bill wasn't a fan of bland American lagers. Hopefully, he would approve of this Belgium lager.

When I was still a food writer at the San Jose Mercury News, I remember distinctly when we decided to start running William Brand’s beer columns in our food section.

Bill already had been writing about beer for quite awhile at our sister newspapers, the Contra Costa Times and the Oakland Tribune. I thought we would just reprint those columns in our food section.

But no. Bill was so excited to be included in the Mercury News that he insisted on taking the time to write a separate column just for our publication.

That’s the kind of guy he was.

That guy, so full of knowledge about every brew around, and with a down-home sense of humor that could make you smile even on the dreariest of days, sadly passed away this morning at San Francisco General Hospital, after sustaining massive injuries in a Muni train accident on Feb. 8.

Bill Brand (Photo courtesy of Nick Lammers, Bay Area News Group)

He was 70 years old, an age where he could have easily just ridden off into the retirement sunset on the horse he loved to take out on jaunts on Mt. Diablo.

But no. Bill continued to diligently write his columns for the newspapers, and to write with gusto on his blogs, BeerNewsletter and What’sOnTap.

That’s the kind of guy he was.

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Sustainable Sushi

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Sit down at your favorite sushi bar to order mirugai, bonito, hotate or akame.

Chances are that you’re not really sure what you’re always eating, given that the seafood names are in Japanese. Moreover, chances are even greater that you’re unsure whether what you’re eating is sustainable or being over-fished to extinction.

You may remember my post last year about three new sustainable sushi guides by three environmental organizations. Now, on the heels of those, comes “Sustainable Sushi” (North Atlantic Books) by Casson Trenor, a sustainable seafood expert who’s also a consultant to Tataki Sake and Sushi Bar in San Francisco, the first sustainable sushi restaurant in North America.

Author Casson Trenor

At 110 pages, this book is a more in-depth look at 39 species found on sushi menus. Trenor includes information on such crucial issues as mercury levels, dredging, and crowded fish farms. The species are color-coded so that you can tell from just a glance whether it’s sustainable, unsustainable, or one that you should proceed with caution about. It’s a must-read for any sushi aficionado.

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Awesome Abalone

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"Super'' red abalone. (Photo courtesy of Steve Lonhart, SIMoN/NOAA)

Face it, not many of us can sport six-pack abs.

But the Highlands Inn in Carmel can give you “Super Abs” — for a price.

That’s short for abalone that’s farm-raised in a sustainable manner by the Monterey Abalone Company. And these particular ones are ”super” because the red abalone (the most common type raised off California waters) are being cultivated wtih a new method that results in faster growth, a brighter color, and apparently more flavor. (Yours truly has only tasted the “regular” Monterey Abalone Company abalones. And those are mighty fantastic already.)

Abalone ceviche. (Photo courtesy of Steve Lonhart, SIMoN/NOAA)

The abalone company is working in conjunction with Moss Landing Marine Laboratories to do this. Highlands Inn has exclusive rights to all of the “Super Abs” now available to be harvested.

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Soup-Sational

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Soup so good, you'll yearn for it.

When my hubby gives me that look of longing, I so know what that means.

When he gets that glint of desire in his eyes, after five years of marriage I totally know what he’s after.

No, not that. Geeze, Louise.

Please, he wants soup. The heavenly Chicken Meatball Soup that he’s loved (well, not as much as me, of course) since I started making it six long years ago.

It’s by Mary Sue Milliken, one half of the culinary duo that oversees Border Grill in Santa Monica and Las Vegas. (The other half is Susan Feniger, of course.)

The recipe is from the cookbook, “Cooking From the Heart” (Broadway Books), a compilation of recipes and anecdotes from 100 chefs that was put together to raise funds for Share Our Strength, one of the nation’s most prominent anti-hunger agencies.

Why is this soup so incredible? Well, it has meatballs for one thing. And who doesn’t love meatballs? It’s also a super-simple broth of chicken stock, onions, carrots, green cabbage, and a couple of plum tomatoes (use canned if they’re not in season), that becomes so much more than the sum of its parts. One or two jalapenos give it just the slightest kick. Orzo makes it substantial enough to be a light lunch or supper. And the final drizzle of white vinegar somehow miraculously ties all the flavors together, while elevating them at the same time, too.

It’s a soup that soothes, comforts, nourishes, and puts a contented smile on your face.

One spoonful, and you’ll be hooked. One spoonful, and whomever you share it with will be giving you that yearnful look, too.

Chicken Meatball Soup

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A Celebration of Dungeness

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Bistro Boudin Executive Chef James Chan gets crabby. (Photo courtesy of Boudin Bistro)

Would you buy a Dungeness crab from this man?

Well, you should, because Executive Chef James Chan of Bistro Boudin, 160 Jefferson St., 160 Jefferson St. near Pier 43 1/2 in San Francisco, has got a deal for you.

Through March, the restaurant will serve a once-a-week Crab Feast on Thursdays. You get one crab per person, linguine with slow-cooked tomato sauce, Caesar salad, and of course, Boudin’s sourdough bread.

Prices for the feast are $25 for one person; $49.50 for two; and $89.95 for four.

Bistro Boudin's crab extravaganza. (Photo courtesy of Bistro Boudin)

OK, the Niners might not have made it to the Super Bowl. ‘Nuf said.

But you can catch 49ers team members in another competition, the 7th annual Celebrity Crab Festival. They’ll be digging into bowls of Dungeness crab, noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at San Francisco’s Union Square, to demonstrate the fine art of cracking the Bay Area’s premier crustacean. That will be followed by a timed crab cracking contest to see who can crack the most crab.

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