The Best Darn Gelato

Posted on by 8 comments

Gelato worth every single calorie

When Pulitizer-Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold recommends a place, smart foodies listen.

After all, not only can the man write (he is the only food writer to ever win journalism’s highest honor), but he has impeccable taste.

So when my hubby and I were in Los Angeles recently, we picked up a copy of LA Weekly, which Gold writes for. It happened to be its “Best of LA” issue, jam-packed with the very best food finds in this sprawling metropolis.

My eye caught Gold’s recommendation for “best gelato.” Bulgarini Gelato in Altadena. Gold describes this small, quirky gelato shop owned by the one and only Leo Bulgarini as “His gelati are labeled only in Italian, and he is not above correcting an 8-year-old on her faulty pronunciation of pistacchio or stracciatella. His standards are so famously strict that he’s been known to pull his delicious sorbetti from the menus of restaurants and the freezer cases of retailers that in one way or another failed to come up to his standards. A big photograph on the wall of his Altadena shop shows him making an obscene Italian gesture to a giant Sicilian ice cream plant….”

Gulp.

OK, so maybe I was a little afraid as I stepped through the doors. I took a deep breath, fearing it would be like the Soup Nazi episode of “Seinfeld.” I’d order incorrectly and be tossed out, denied a taste of gelato nirvana for all time.

Read more

A Heart-Attack Meal

Posted on by 9 comments

Clam pizza

You’re lucky I’m still alive.

After all, the amount of fat I consumed in one meal recently in Los Angeles is probably enough to send most folks into cardiac arrest. But I am a seasoned professional — used to putting my body on the line when it comes to chowing down on the finer, fattier tasting things in life.

And it doesn’t get much finer than Pizzeria Mozza at N. Highland Avenue and Melrose Avenue. Everytime I make it to Los Angeles, this is a stop I have to make, a stop I dream about all vacation-long.

A restaurant by Nancy Silverton (of La Brea Bakery fame), Mario Batali (who needs no introduction), and Joseph Bastianich  (Lidia’s son), this is a true temple of carbo-load hedonism. It makes what is arguably the best pizza around. It’s the only pizza in which I eat every bit of crust. When it’s this good, why let any go to waste? It’s at once chewy in some parts, crispy in others, and with a deep, bready flavor like a fine artisan loaf.

Since it opened, the restaurant has been a hard ticket. But it does take reservations now. And if you don’t mind eating at the odd hour of 3 p.m.-ish, you usually can walk in on a weekday or weekend to find a free table or a free seat at the bar.

Bone marrow in all its glory, baby.

That’s what my hubby and I did, snagging a table on a Friday afternoon. We started with an appetizer of sinful bone marrow ($12). Roasted in the oven, three dinosaur-like bones come to the table, encasing a wealth of unctuous, rich marrow to be spread on grilled bread. Add a sprinkling of salt, some parsley leaves, and a confit garlic clove for a taste of heaven.

Read more


French Laundry Still the Only Three-Star-Michelin Bay Area Restaurant

Posted on by 4 comments

The new Bay Area guide book.

For the third straight year, the French Laundry in Yountville is again the only three-star Michelin restaurant in the Bay Area.

Thomas Keller’s temple of gastronomy was the only restaurant to receive Michelin’s top rating. The new “Michelin Guide: San Francisco, Bay Area, and Wine Country” ($16.95) goes on sale tomorrow with 383 restaurants rated in all.

One star means “a very good restaurant.” Two stars signify “excellent cooking, worth a detour.” And three stars is “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”

Among the new rankings is Coi restaurant in San Francisco, which joins the ranks of two-star establishments; and Murray Circle in Sausalito, Plumed Horse in Saratoga, Trevese in Los Gatos, and the Village Pub in Woodside were awarded one star rankings for the first time.

Christopher Kostow, who garnered two Michelin stars when he was chef at Chez TJ in Mountain View, then jumped ship to become chef of the Restaurant at Meadowood, retained the two stars that had been bequeathed to the posh St. Helena establishment last year under its previous chef. Chez TJ earned a one-star rating.

The other two-star restaurants are: Aqua in San Francisco, Cyrus in Healdsburg, Manresa in Los Gatos, and Michael Mina in San Francisco.

Read more

Meet Three Celeb Chefs

Posted on by One comment

Marin County resident and Food Network star Tyler Florence (Photo courtesy of Tyler Florence)

Ladies, prepare to get in line now because Food Network hottie Tyler Florence will be at Macy’s Union Square Cellar, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22.

Florence will be heating up the premises as he takes questions from Harry Denton of the Starlight Room in San Francisco. Sip a mocktail while Florence offers up tips on how to make holiday entertaining extra special.

Seating is first-come, first-served. No RSVP necessary. But you do have to purchase one of Florence’s books to participate in the event. That shouldn’t be difficult because he has two new ones to add to your collection: “Tyler Florence: Stirring the Pot” (Meredith) and “Tyler Florence: Dinner at My Place” (Meredith). Florence is also a member of the Macy’s Culinary Council.

Read more

A Pear-fect Time

Posted on by 5 comments

That’s what’s in store at the second annual “Pear & Wine Festival,” 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at San Jose’s Santana Row.

The festival pays tribute to the pear orchard that once thrived where Santana Row’s glittery shops and hopping restaurants now stand.

This year, amateur chefs will be facing off in a new pear recipe challenge. Today is the last day for contestants to submit a written recipe and photo of their dish to the Santana Row Concierge Center. Five finalists will be pre-selected to tote their dishes to the festival (4 p.m. to 5 p.m.), where a panel of judges — including yours truly, the Food Gal — will judge them for taste, presentation, and originality.

The winning recipe will be posted on the Santana Row Web site. The grand prize winner will receive a $100 gift card to Consuelo Mexican Bistro and a Santana Row shopping spree. The winner also will get a signed copy of
“Giada’s Kitchen” (Clarkson Potter), the new cookbook by Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis.

Yes, the ever-popular De Laurentiis will do a Q&A at noon that day in Santana Row Park, then a book-signing afterwards at Sur La Table. Reserve your spot and a copy of the book by calling Sur La Table at (408) 244-4749.

Read more

« Older Entries Recent Entries »