kimmie nguyen:

The Big Eats 2013

I look forward to the 7x7 Big Eats list and it's not just because I like lists. In the last few years I've been proud to say that I've hit upwards of 75% of the list. But getting to every dish is almost impossible unless you're on a mission and willing to trek out to the avenues. Neither of which is me. For 2013, 7x7 has added 80 new dishes with a mix of old haunts and newcomers, like my friend's Bun Rieu from Soup Junkie. Congrats Hung & Annie!

I probably won't get to all the dishes. Generally I prefer the savory stuff over sweets so that rules out about a quarter. But I do have another nine months to go so we'll see.

Here's the list (bolded ones I've yet to try...and want to try):

1. Sardine Chips at Rich Table
2. Mac and Cheese at Citizen's Band
3. Chicken Wings at San Tung
4. Carnitas Taco at La Taqueria
5. Chicago Dog at Da Beef
6. Corned Beef Reuben on rye pan loaf at Bar Tartine's Sandwich Shop
7. Princess Cake at Schubert's Bakery
8. Mandilli al pesto at Farina
9. Hash brown sandwich at Art's Cafe
10. Gateau Basque at Piperade
11. Jewish style artichokes at Locanda
12. Stuffed falafel at Old Jerusalem
13. Xiao long bao at Yank Sing
14. Preserved lemon 6:10 at Coi
15. Sugar Egg Puffs at Shanghai Dumpling King
16. Hummus and house-made pita at Terzo
17. Pizza Margherita at Una Pizza Napoletana -- I can't believe I haven't been here
18. Seasonal sformato at Cotogna
19. Rebel Within at Craftsman & Wolves
20. Angolotti dal plin at Perbacco
21. Big Daddy ramen bowl at Hapa Ramen
22. Quiche at Cassava Bakery and Cafe
23. Ahmohk (curry fish mousse) at Angkor Borei
24. Banana cream tart at Tartine Bakery
25. Sloppy bun with an egg at Bun Mee -- or here!
26. Meatball, kale, and fregola soup at Claudine
27. Bix Club burger at Bix
28. Roasted chicken and bread salad at Zuni Cafe
29. Amatriciana pizza at Ragazza
30. Pupusas at Balompie Cafe
31. Prime Rib at House of Prime Rib
32. Chicken katsu and tofu buns at Izakaya Yuzuki
33. The Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza
34. Parisian empanada from El Sur truck
35. Salted-caramel ice cream at Bi-Rice Creamery
36. Garlic pretzels at Absinthe Brasserie & Bar
37. Pasta tasting menu at SPQR
38. Pan-seared chicken livers at Serpentine
39. Egg custard tart at Golden Gate Bakery
40. Goat taco at El Norteno taco truck
41. Angry Korean wings at Wings Wings
42. Beef and cheese piroshka at Anda Piroshki
43. Nojo sundae at Nojo
44. Complete crepe at Galette 88
45. Duck larb at Lers Ros Thai
46. Blue Bottle Vietnamese coffee ice cream at Humphry Slocombe -- or here!
47. Chicken wings at Aziza
48. Seafood chowder at Bar Crudo
49. Banana split at The Ice Cream Bar
50. Rosemary, fiore sardo, and pine nut pizza at Pizzetta 211
51. Pho ga at Turtle Tower
52. Caldo tlalpeno at Nopalito
53. Katsiki youvetsi at Kokkari
54. Almond croissant at Thorough Bread & Pastry
55. A dozen Sweetwater oysters at Hog Island Oyster Co.
56. Fried plantain and black bean burrito at The Little Chihuahua
57. Mission Burger at Mission Bowling Club
58. Pork shoulder fried rice at Sai Jai Thai
59. Fried Chicken Yum Yum at 4505 Meats -- this just sounds yum yum
60. Lamb tacos at El Huarache Loco
61. The Crankshaft tuna melt at Machine Coffee and Deli
62. Peking Duck at Hong Kong Lounge
63. Chilaquiles Veronica at San Jalisco -- love this place but have never ordered this
    
64. Manti at Troya Fillmore
65. Renzo special at Molinari Delicatessen
66. Vada pav at Dosa
67. Meatloaf at The Blue Plate
68. Foccacia at Liguria Bakery
69. Omakase at ICHI
70. Dogpatch Millionaire at Kitchenette
71. Green onion buns at New Hollywood Bakery
72. Sea urchin dish at Commonwealth 
73. The Boca at Deli Board
74. Lobster xiao long bao at Benu
75. Super carne asada burrito at El Farolito
76. Faux gras ridged pasta at Acquerello
77. Fried chicken at Foreign Cinema
78. Jerk-spiced duck hearts at Alembic
79. Biscuits at Brenda's French Soul Food -- or here!
80. Matzo ball soup at Wise Sons Delicatessen
81. Pot Pie at Comstock Saloon
82. Ikura at Ino Sushi
83. Spicy miso ramen at Ramen Underground
84. New York-style cheese slice at Tony's Slice House
85.  Pomme d'amour at Knead Patisserie
86. Glazed roasted squab at Bodega Bistro
87. Faith's warm ham and cheese toast at Town Hall
88. Beggar's chicken at Betelnut
89. Beef tongue at Namu Gaji
90. Warm bread, artichoke, and crescenza salad at Jardiniere
91. Cumin lamb at Spices! II
92. Crispy potatoes at Plow
93. Bun rieu at Soup Junkie
94. Whole wheat flour carrot cake at Farallon
95. Deviled eggs at Park Tavern
96. St. Honore cake from Dianda's Italian American Pastry
97. Lamb shawerma from Truly Mediterranean
98. Banh mi at Irving Cafe & Deli
99. California state bird at State Bird Provisions
100. Cracked Dungeness crab at Swan Oyster Depot

made me smile

Lavender and honey marshmallows to help you be cozy this season, via A Beautiful Mess.

 

1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup corn starch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lavender buds
3 packets of gelatin (each packet contains 1/4 ounce)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt

First steep the lavender buds in 1 cup hot water for 3-5 minutes. Taste and see if the lavender flavor is strong enough for you, if not steep for longer. Strain with a fine mesh strainer. In the bowl of a mixer (with the whisk attachment on) combine the 1/2 cup of the lavender water with the gelatin packets. Allow this to set for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, in a pot combine the sugar, corn syrup, honey, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup lavender water. Cook over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Heat until the mixture reaches 240°F (you will need a candy thermometer). Turn your mixer (with the gelatin in it) on low and CAREFULLY pour the hot sugar mixture into the mixer as it runs. I always use my splash guard during this step, you don't want to get hot sugar on you! Once you've added all the sugar mixture turn your mixer on high and beat until white and fluffy (7-10 minutes).

While that runs whisk together the powdered sugar and corn starch. Spray a baking pan (rectangular or square depending on how fluffy you want your finished marshmallows to be) with non stick cooking spray. Sprinkle on the 3/4 of the powdered sugar mixture. Once the marshmallow batter is ready pour into the prepared pan and dust the surface with the remaining 1/4 of the powder sugar mixture. Allow to set overnight.

The next day simply remove your marshmallows from the pan and use a pizza cutter (or cookie cutters if you want to do shapes) to cut up your marshmallows. Serve in hot chocolate or try making fancy s'mores.

Big Food, Small City

With the closing of classics such as Bacar and Aqua, food critics cited the flailing economy for taking a toll on dining in San Francisco. Perhaps true but I believe food in San Francisco to be defined less by the big stars and more by the small endeavors in perhaps grittier parts of town. Similar to our tech scene, the restaurant mix here is full of starlets who are innovative, hip and perhaps off the beaten path. It's a myth that eating well has lost its way in this city. This past year has seen an influx of many new restaurants, several of which have made their way to the top of my list. And while I try to write my food reviews on Yelp, this wrap-up post seemed perfect for closing the year out on my blog.

Plus there's no better time than the holidays for a reminder about taking your beloved (or me) out to one of these yummy spots. ;)

• Sons & Daughters: Chefs Teague Moriarty and Matt McNamara are of the new breed of 20-somethings bringing Bay Area farm-to-table cooking in avant-garde style. Current favorites on the menu include Lamb Tartare in grapefruit parsnip & chervil, Abalone with burdock, root celery & castelveltrano olive, and Seared Foie in orange quince, ginger oats. The decor has a touch of old victorian goth with dark walls, sparkly chandeliers and studded, leather backed chairs. Lovely.

• Local Mission Eatery: I once dated a guy who lived just around the corner from this restaurant, though at the time the space was a tobacco and clothing shop. Needless to say it's a welcome addition to that area of the Mission with eco-friendly decor that keeps the building non-descript from its neighbors. The restaurant serves a locally sourced Cali-style menu that changes regularly. The soups are seasonal and a must-try. While the menu isn't large, there are options for meat and veggie lovers alike and the share plates are perfect for date night.

• Bar Agricole: A modern urban tavern just doors down from the alterna-music venues, DNA lounge and Slim's. There's an enclosed patio out front with heat lamps but I prefer sitting indoors at the bar, sipping on signature cocktails and people watching. The kitchen is open until 1am so it's a great place for drinks and apps late night. While not on the menu any longer, they were serving an uni spagetti that was delish.

• Barbacco: Last month I dined here three times for lunch and twice for dinner. Granted I work just a few blocks away, it's the food not the convenience that I return for. You'll find moderately priced Italian fare including pork meatballs with raisin and pine nuts in tomato sugo and classic Bolognese ragu in silky house-made pasta. Though my favorite has to be the balsamic glazed brussel sprouts. Yum! It's a bustling place to dine at which makes coversation almost impossible for groups larger than four.

• Commonwealth: This polished urban eatery took over an old taqueria joint on Mission and 18th Street. Known for innovative and progressive fare (think squid & pork belly salad and sea urchin with sweet potato tempura) in both a tasting menu and a la carte items. The six-course tasting menu is only $60 from which $10 is donated to a local charity. I recommend trying the tasting menu to get a breadth of everything.

• Wexler: American BBQ: Scotch Eggs, Cornmeal Crusted Skate, Wexler's Plate of Pork (pork done three ways), New Orleans Shrimp boil, Bourbon Banana Cream Pie. And according to my friend, the ceiling structure looks like the inside of a vagina. Enuff said.

*photos (top to bottom) courtesy of: tablehopper, sf eater, dailycandy