franchino, north beach

I know I'm guilty--tending to go back to my favorite restaurants over and over.  And why not?  There is a reason you like them, the service or the food or whatever feels good, tastes good, stays the same. But sometimes you have to remember there ARE other restaurants, other neighborhoods out there to be revisited and that is exactly what happened when Brendan and I started out last week and said "let's go to North Beach!"

North Beach is an absolutely charming neighborhood with steep hilled residential areas (but with the views), very little parking, but with walking distance to a load of sweet bars, cafes and trattorias like Mario's, Rose Pistola, and  family style Capp's Corner, to name just a few.  Lot's of old school Italian menus are available up and down the street and as we wandered down Columbus we spotted Franchino, a little wedge shaped space that looked like it could have been dropped in from NYC, with a menu that read like mama's comfort food and the family/owners to match.

 You are greeted at the door by, of course, Franchino, with an exuberant buon giorno and nearly immediate seating although the place appears packed. It only takes a minute to figure out that his wife and two daughters are waiting on the tables. They were most accommodating with Brendan's craving for a penne with a meaty bolognese sauce, and succulent chicken Marsala. It is not often that I find one of my favorites, a truly homemade beef cannelloni with an excellent ragu. We were not celebrating anything, but I could have lied after I saw the incredible birthday platter delivered to the table next to us.  Maybe next time.

new year's eve at maya

Alot of you know that in the hunt for great Mexican food, Brendan and I have fallen for the delicious food at Maya.  Maya, located at 2nd and Harrison in SF, has a warm, inviting interior, loads of windows, a semi-private dining area, full bar and room to dance.  And they really excel at modern Mexican.

On New Year's Eve they offered a four course meal with party hats, champagne toast and dancing to a DJ for $60.00 per person. So, along with our friends, Chris Gill and Larry Sepe we booked the 8:30 seating. The tables were decorated with black and silver balloons and the generous menu featured several choices for each course.

I started with the tacos de pork belly, a melt-in-the-mouth 12 hour marinated pork belly taco topped with pickled habanero/red onion relish and ancho salsa.  Brendan and Larry ordered an equally tasty treat, tacos de langosta, with poached lobster topped with avocado, black bean puree and chile de arbol rouille.  Next up, I had the sopa de langosta, a lobster chipolte bisque with roasted corn/crab truffle dumplings.  The guys enjoyed a salad of field greens, pear, caramelized walnuts, blue cheese and radish-chile de arbol vinaigrette.

The entrees were large portions that ranged from a vegetarian option to filet mignon. The camarones azteca, a sauteed shrimp dish with a tequila-lime marinade, huarache stuffed with black beans and a chive-goat cheese crema fresca was a great choice as was the piramide de filete, a tower of grilled filet mignon with grilled tomatoes, sauteed onions, black bean puree, guacamole and crispy tortilla strips.

I enjoyed the tequila bread pudding with raspberry Cabernet sorbet, Brendan had the chocolate tres leches cake with pear, vanilla bean ice cream and cinnamon creme anglaise.  Chris and Larry chose the banana stuffed empanadas with walnuts and coconut ice cream.  We were close enough to the Embarcadero to head out after midnight and watch the incredible fireworks.

christmas dinner at joseph leon's

This year, I stayed in SF for Christmas.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I was really excited to be invited to Joseph's and Dan's for Christmas dinner.  Well, a good thing too, because Joseph loves great food, but truth be told, cooking is not his thing. 

When I arrived (early, to help) he had a frig full of delicious Whole Foods ingredients and,  like an episode of "Chopped"  all we needed to do was put them together and create a great meal!  A bag of green beans became roasted green beans with Parmesan cheese, baby carrots were candied in brown sugar and butter, potatoes mashed with sour cream and stuffed chicken breasts roasted, sliced and smothered with wild mushroom gravy. Scott started us off with baked brie with roasted garlic and crisp Granny Smith apple slices. All that and the beautiful table scape and great company made for a wonderful and memorable Christmas dinner.

a little christmas cheer

It's a pretty lo-key Christmas this year but there were two things I insisted on doing.  One was to put up my tree (I haven't done that the last couple of years) and to actually have friends over to enjoy it.  Last night Deidre Joyner and Tom Bogue came over for some holiday cheer.  When I do decorate I like a monochromatic theme, and I have in the past decorated in all red, all purple and all pink. (Funny, even though I don't put up decorations every year, I continue to buy them).  So last year at the after holiday sales I bought all teal blue decorations and the color turned out very pretty.  So throw in a little Osha Thai food, champagne and two of my dearest friends and that is great Christmas cheer!

thanksgiving in crescent city, ca.

Well, I had a wonderful visit in Crescent City over Thanksgiving. We did a traditional menu for 13 with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, salad, green beans, cranberry relish and gravy. We had one smoke out when the turkey pan juices hit the bottom of the oven—but that just adds to the fun, right? It was my brother Rick's birthday as well and he had his favorite dessert, pumpkin pie.  The 30 candle?  What's up with that?
Mom and I did a little pre and post Thanksgiving shopping, stopping for lunch at the Chart Room at the Crescent City harbor. The Chart Room is known far and wide for its beer-battered fish and chips, a massive plate with 6 pieces of fish for $9.95, or 3 pieces for $5.95.  The price alone is amazing!

My cousin Keith supplied us with fresh crab and we had a crab feast a couple of nights. Keith's birthday was on the 27th and we went to a lovely dinner party for him at the beautiful home of friends, overlooking the harbor in Brooking's OR. The highlight was Keith's favorite dessert, German chocolate cake, scratch made by his girlfriend Katie. She is an amazing baker. I look forward to our next family adventure—they are always special.

joseph leon opens new store at 1506 vallejo

Well kids, its time to start your holiday shopping--hey its already November 5 and counting--time will get away from you before you know it.  And don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour Saturday night. Not only do you get an extra hour of sleep, the short days and longer nights really get you in the holiday mood.

The place to stop by and kick start the gift hunt is Joseph Leon's new shop, JL Designs, 1506 Vallejo at

Polk.  He has filled it with an amazing assortment of gifts, home furnishings, accents and holiday decor.  It's a very pretty space, with a central crystal chandelier, peaked ceiling with dark beams and a multi-paned front window, giving it a bit of an old world feel.  The location, just off Polk, is not far from some of my restaurant favorites like Nick's Crispy Tacos, Pesce and Aux Delices, plus plenty of coffee houses in between.  See you in the store.

anniversary celebration in crescent city, ca.

Well we did it and it was great!  My brother, Rick, and his wife, Donna and myself were trying to figure out how to surprise our parents for their 55th wedding anniversary.  We brainstormed on different ideas, gifts, etc., but in the end the simplest idea worked the best;  I would arrive in Crescent City as a surprise and they could decide to do whatever they would like to do--and we would do it! 
                                                                            

The surprise arrival went off without a hitch--they never suspected a thing.  We turned it into a three night celebration.  Donna had the cake ready (carrot and cream cheese, of course) and on the 1st night we had a nice family dinner at the Thai House, which has some of the very best Thai food around, including my brother's favorite dish, scallops and red curry in a sizzling clay pot.  Cake and cocktails after.  The next night we went to the opening night of a photography exhibition at the Crescent Harbor Gallery that turned out to be like old home week--everybody was there, and on the third night, thanks to a gift from my cousin Keith, Dad barbecued a whole salmon, and I made a broccoli pilaf, a mustard tarragon buerre blanc sauce for the fish, bacon/caesar salad and a fresh apple bundt with king apples from the garden. Truly a very special meal and very special get together for two wonderful and amazing parents.

refrigerator dill pickle chips

You might remember last summer when I made half sour whole pickles.  They are so delicious, and I do love a pickle made without vinegar but you have to wait over a week or more to enjoy them--I'm not that patient!  I have been looking around for a really simple but tasty refrigerator pickle recipe and I came across one that is so simple and very good. This refreshing pickle really contrasts well on a warm steak sandwich with roasted garlic mayo, baby spinach leaves and a crusty roll.  This recipe is courtesy of Bobby Flay.

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

5 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp coriander seeds

3/4 tsp dill seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 cups hot water

Mix together, dissolve sugar and salt and cool brine.

2 pounds Kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4 " thick.  A mandoline with a crinkle cut attachment would be a nice touch.

1 bunch fresh dill, coarsely chopped  (about 3/4 to 1 cup)

3-4 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

Toss together in large bowl and pour brine over top.  Weight down chips with a plate so completely covered with brine.  Wrap with plastic and refrigerate overnight to 24 hrs.

Transfer to quart jar and enjoy.  These are very tangy and crisp and will keep about a week.

If you like heat, I could see adding one small seeded Serrano chili for a little kick.  Next batch.