Eat Real 2011 ... eat it. make it. grow it.

My first Eat Real Festival was three years ago, its inaugural year.  It gets better every year.  So much food! So much fun right here in Jack London Square in my beloved city Oakland.

For me Eat Real is more than just a lot of food in one place, about 70 food vendors.  Eat Real reminds me to eat fresh and seasonally, to support local grocers, butchers, coffee roasters, bakers, to buy locally from farmer's markets or at markets that carry local produce.  My rewards are health, ridiculously good flavors, and a clear conscience. I encourage you to read Eat Real's Manifesto.  It is really inspiring.

Just as we walked into the Festival on a rainy Sunday morning, the roasted pig is just coming out of its roasting box.

The Chop Bar, Oakland, CA.  Fresh sweet meat. Didn't need any sauce. Served with corn bread. Thank you Pig.

Homeroom, Oakland, CA:  Spicy Mac & Cheese. Just enough creaminess + just enough spicy bite. One of my favorites of the festival.

My sistah and Jimmy came up to visit from LA.  In their hands, Kara's Cupcakes.  One Meyer Lemon and one S'mores (my favorite).  I'm pretty picky about my cupcakes and I do like Kara's especially these 2 flavors. Moist and just the right amount of sweet.

Chairman Bao Food Truck. Five-spice Pork Belly, Braised Pork, and Red Chicken. Seriously, always the longest line.  I've had it three times and each time I ask: What's the big deal? Good but over-rated. 

Not sure what restaurant this was ... maybe Osteria Stellini. 

Brisket Grilled Cheese. If you think this looks good, you should have tasted the all cheese one. They really do it right with a good sourdough, grilled to a buttery crisp.

Belcampo Food Truck. Kimchee hot dog on a brioche bun. I'm excited for Belcampo's opening in 2012. They run their own farm raising cows, pigs, goats, rabbits, etc. focusing on healthy animals and pastures. And they will run their own butchery.

Starter Bakery's Kouign Amann.  Kouign Amann is a breton butter cake. It's similar to a croissant but denser so it can hold more butter and sugar.  There come in many flavors ... plum, Tcho chocolate, nectarine.  I'm hoping these appear around town with greater regularity. :)  Starter only sells wholesale but you can find retailer on their website.

teehee!

Gelateria Naia's Coffee Popsicle. Honesty I didn't taste it but their Grapefruit Sorbetto was fresh and refreshing and only 99 calories.

Baia Pasta's Rooster combs "paglia e fieno" cooked with the best ingredients. The pasta is locally made in Oakland and absolutely delicious. Beautiful. Our favorite of the day.

It was rainy day but it was worth it.  My favorites were the grilled cheese, Homeroom's mac & cheese, Starter's kouign amann and the simply amazing pasta from Baia.  I'll end this blog with a little soapboxing about a cause I believe in which is in Eat Real's Manisfesto.

"iv. No Apology We think that many of the technically incredible transformations that agribusiness has wrought on food – extraction, manipulation, reconfiguration – are wondrous in theory and disastrous in reality. We openly criticize the degree to which the manipulation of food has consequently manipulated the American palate, helping us lose our perspective on what real food tastes like. This is not a question of scale – big can be fantastic, small can be terrible – but of the degree of technology involved in food making. We believe that food that’s been good for humans for thousands of years is still the best food for humans."

Eat it. Make it. Grow it.

Food at Work, Episode 1: Frank (hot dogs and beer), Austin TX

OK no beer (that was yesterday). But franks from Frank for lunch!

I found a place to work where I make games and eat hot dogs! BAM! Zynga FTW.

Plain o' beef frank is my choice.

 

Chocolate chip bacon cookie! Veggie Monster would not approved (y'all know that Cookie Monster is now Veggie Monster, right?)

 

Chocolate covered bacon.  Not my favorite. Weird.

My Dog of Art with day glo relish.  I loved how Frank's frank has that nice snap! 

Uchiko, Austin TX ... home of another James Beard Award Winner

Tyson Cole is the winner of the James Beard Award for Best Regional Chef of the Southwest.  This is the newer sister restaurant to Uchi.  They are both great and have a lot of the same dishes but I like the Chicken Karaage that you can get at Uchiko and unavailable at Uchi. 

 

Hotate.  Scallop, spicy aioli and avocado. This is a lot of people's favorite. Fresh scallop, creamy avocado and spicy mayo makes a mighty good mouthful.

Maguro Sashimi and Goat Cheese Fuji Apple, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Black Pepper.  This dish is not only visually pleasing but it is its colorful flavors come together very well.  Cruncy, salty, creamy, umami-ish, sweet. And the sauce with the pumpkin seed oil was amazing.

Hamachi Japanese Yellow­tail, Pickled Green Apple, Jalapeño:  When you put the whole piece in your mouth, you first taste the freshest hamachi you've ever had, next pickled sweetness, followed by a kick that lingers for a few seconds.

 

Chicken Karaage with Pickled Vegetables. The reason for my visit to Uchiko.  It is super crunchy, slightly spicy and sticky with sweetness!

Ham & Eggs Katsu Pork Belly, Yolk Custard, Espelette. The Katsu Pork Belly gets lost in the sushi and the sauces.  But it is still good and fun to eat.  I must admit that the egg custard sauce was very tasty.  I wish I could just have the pork belly katsu by itself.

Suzuki Yaki Grilled Mediter­ranean Sea Bass, Tomato, Mint, Thai Chili.  This fish was overly salty and spiced. And the buttery flavor of sea bass is completely lost. A complete miss.

Hot Rock  “sear it your­self” Wagyu Beef, Japanese River Rock. My dinner companion and I decide that we like Wagyu in small pieces like this otherwise it is like eat a large piece of overly soft meat.  We both like our red meat to have a little more structure, like a ribeye or T-bone.

Quince, home of James Beards' newest Best Chef award winner.

Some of the best experiences in life are unplanned. A last minute reservation came up at Quince and we took it

This is my third visit to Quince.  But on this visit, Michael Tusk had just won the James Beard Award for the Best Chef in the Pacific for 2011.  Considering the competition, Corey Lee of Benu (SF), Daniel Patterson of COI (SF), Richard Reddington of Redd (Yountville), James Syhabout of Commis (Oakland), I thought this would be a very memorable meal. Quince may be my favorite restaurant in San Francisco.

Amuse Bouche courtesy of the chef: Clockwise: Cheesy, twisty spaghetti.  Corn silk next with pickled corn. Cheese (can't remember what kind) on beet spongy bread. Custard made from artichoke broth.

Both butters were creamy, soft, with a pure flavor. The white butter in front is goat's milk butter.

Little round breads; unbelievably thin cheesy, peppery crackers. Hard to resist with the the butter sittin' right next to it.

Squash Blossom, Monterey Bay Squid, Ink and Zucchini. Squash blossom stuffed with squid, ever-so-lightly battered and deep-fried.  The squid was grounded before it was placed which gave it the flavor and consistency of crab butter.

Tortelloni, Taleggio Cheese, Green Garlic, Chanterelle Mushroom and Summer Truffle.  Cheesy but not too much to make you feel ill after.  Perfectly salted. 

Porcini Mushroom, Five Tastes and Textures.  Let's see ... five ways: battered and fried, roasted, sliced and steamed, and in a paste. And lastly, mushroom consomme.

Fagotelli, Maine Lobster, English Peas and Nasturtium. Amazing little pasta pockets filled with lobster meat. Peas were so farm-fresh sweet. Light foamy sauce.

Ross' entree which was especially made vegetarian for him.  No idea what it was. It was fine, I'm sure but not as fine as my entree ... see next photo.

Paine Farm Squab Fresh Tomatero Farm Chickpea, Young Carrot and Romano Bean with Mint. I had it cooked medium rare. Note to self: get squab medium next time. Slightly sweet honey (?) glaze. If I was in a Chinese restaurant, I would have picked it up and sucked all the meat off the bone. But alas ... I had to be all proper.

Strawberry Vacherin Meringue, Vanilla Gelato and Hibiscus. Lots going on here. More gelee or it is jelly or jello? The strawberry ice cream tasted like, well, strawberries and cream! Only cold. Delish!!!  Little chunks of pound cake were a big plus for me. I'm the girl at those do-it-yourself yogurt shops that prays that there will be little chunks of Sara Lee pound cake to choose.

Milk Chocolate Semifreddo Basil and Sicilian Pistachio Pesto.  I'll admit it. I like milk chocolate waaaay more than dark. The milk chocolate semifreddo was very smooth and light, while intensely chocolatey.  Crust was light and crispy, really delightful.

Mulberry, Austin TX: You read Playboy for the articles? I go to wine bars for the food.

Oh, welcome back solid food! I thought I'd give this little downtown wine bar a try, just around the corner from my hotel. I don't drink wine but wine bars these days really are doing some great things with food.  Mulberry is a small, fun place to eat for small groups.  The night I was there (Monday), bottles were 20% off.  As a restaurant, I think some of its dishes relied too heavily on gimmicky combinations instead of simpler and tasty food.

We start with this nice blue cheese with coppa on little crunchy crostinis.  Loved the honey drizzle. Came together nicely.

Coppa, Gorgonzola Crostini, Honey

I loved the watermelon and feta craze that started a few years ago.  Unfortunately, goat cheese and watermelon just didn't work for me.  I liked the watermelon and the pickled onions.  Gelee always creeps me out a little and here it was a neutral element that didn't add nor subtract. 

Watermelon, Pickled Onions and Saffron Goat Cheese with Basil Pesto Gelee

I just read an article in Bon Appetit about how gastropubs are just throwing together decadent ingredients and putting it on a menu.  This was a foie gras filled burger on light, crunchy bread laced with butter. So, I guess it's guilty! I love it though but was glad it was a small little burger because I think my conscience and my arteries were seizing up.

Foieberry Burger

Beautifully pressed corned beef sandwich. I was too full to taste it though. Next time!

Corned Beef Sandwich

Last year, I read an article about pimento cheese.  Supposedly, this old school cheese mixture (cheese, cream cheese, pimentos, etc.) was making a comeback. Well, not in this restaurant because it was bland and so disappointing.

Fried Green Tomato and Pimiento Cheese Sandwich

French Toast @ Jo's Downtown

Jo's is the cool coffee shop around the corner from my hotel. It's the fancier sister of the original hip coffee stand on South Congress. 

This morning, I just wanted a good old piece of French Toast. There are so many ways to make it. There's French Toast made from raisin bread, brioche, challah, all so good. My favorite is two pieces of bread glued together with peanut butter, dipped in batter and deep-fried, covered with sweetened condensed milk. 

Jo's French Toast is sourdough based which is a nice sturdy bread, won't fall apart and doesn't suck up the syrup too quickly, which means it is French Toast going in your mouth as opposed to a mushy, syrup-y sock puppet disintegrating in your mouth. 

Good morning!

Burn the Disease with Hotness aka Krispy Kreme Jalapeno Sausage Kolache

I know I've not been posting much. I got food poisoning, a particularly evil strain that has affected my insides for 2 weeks now.  I suppose it is the risk you take.

I didn't know if I was quite ready to eat greasy meats but this morning my friend John brought in kolaches and donuts from Krispy Kreme. Wait! Hit the breaks! Krispy Kreme makes more than donuts?! It does in Texas.

Apparently, there are lot of Czech Americans in Central Texas which would explain the relatively high number of kolache bakeries in the area. 

Savory Kolache, what is inside?

I had a choice between the bacon, cheese, egg or the sausage with jalapeno.  I knew the jalapeno might cause havoc later. But I did not care. Spicy sausage was the obvious right pick. I was ready to risk it to taste a kolache from KK.  It tastes like it looks: mildly spicy, salty sausage, in a supple bready pastry.  Like a bagel dog but softer and tastier.

Jalapeno Sausage Kolache

Barley Swine, Austin, TX.

On my continuous food journey though Austin, I made a stop at the popular Barley Swine. I would describe it as a farm to table gastropub.  Yes, it is hip and it is too cool for school.  It was a 45 minute wait so we waited next door at a little bar that was the epitome of the little Texas bar. 

Overall, Barley was quite good but not as great as the hype would lead you to believe.  Solid cooking, with a few misses.  The ingredients are really the highlight at this restaurant. You could really taste the freshness of the fruits, vegetables and meats.

I would call this goat cheese "advanced" and spicy, quite intense.  I liked it!

Goat Cheese with Grilled Organic Texas Peach

The freshest, wonderfully juicy, height-of-the-season zucchini, so lightly battered and fried. Mussels were fresh and salty.

Beer-battered Zucchini, Mussels, Basil Dressing

At this point of the meal, I see the theme.  Good ingredients, decently cooked, and then something "surprising" or "clever." Sometimes, it worked, sometimes it didn't.  Here, the scallop was a little overcooked.  And the green swoosh unnecessary. Hard to dislike the pork belly though.

Scallop, Pork Belly, Shisito Pepper, Cucumbe

The other "clever" thing Barley Swine does is to name a menu item in a way that makes you think its one thing, but is actually another. This should have been called "Crab risotto stuffed crepe with morels in egg sauce and squash." The squash was incredible. Wish I had more of that.  The crab risotto was tasty as well and I did enjoy this dish.

Crab Pancake, Soft-scrambled Egg, Morels

Basically, a Mexican take on pig cheek. I love pig cheek, also known as pork jowl.  You know I do. While I respect the nod to the heavy Mexican influence, perhaps trying a little too hard? Pork jowel is so flavorful by itself that adding the heavy spice took away from its inherent flavor.

Soft-boiled Egg, Refried Beans, Red Chili Potato, Pig Cheek

I love sweetbreads and I will almost always order them. These were lightly fried and lovely with the creamy sauce. Bacon was really good quality. There are a lot of components in Barley Swine's dishes but it didn't seem to always make sense to me.  Felt like the bacon should have been incorporated more but hey, who am I to complain about delicious bacon on my plate?

Sweetbreads, Green Bean Salad, Potato, Buttermilk, Braised Bacon

I just had chicken hearts at a churrascuria last weekend and I loved their bouncy texture. So, when we saw the lamb heart on the menu, we could not pass it up.  The texture is similar but not nearly as "bouncy." I did not like the tapenade with the heart at all.  I wish they would just have salted it and grilled it at high heat.

The special of the day: Lamb Heart with Olive Tapenade.

My favorite dish of the evening was just a well-seared foie gras.  I could not get enough of that waffle with the maple syrup jus. 

Foie Gras, Chicken Fried Duck Confit, Waffle, Maple Syrup Jus

Well executed wagyu tri tip. The cooked tomatoes were out of this world delicious.

Grilled Wagyu Tri-Tip, Eggplant, Red Pepper Salsa