. t h e k c c f o o d i e .

HAPPY HANUKKAH!!

Religion, snails, and utter nonsense.

In relation to foodstuffs, Judaism makes Christianity seem boring--the Jewish culture is full of delicious food specific to its religion, like matzo balls and of course the wonderful latkes, but Christians have nothing. Sometimes I think of converting to Judaism, which would be nearly impossible, but you might have the same fleeting thought after reading this article containing a recipe for crispy dessert wraps, whose ingredients led me to believe it's like some sort of cheesecake wonton. Sounds good!

Damn my love for Christmas decorations. Otherwise I would be at today's Slow Food Green Market Gift Fair, where used restaurant equipment, china, linens, and cookbooks are being sold. But I promised my grandpa I'd help string up the lights on his house. Nothing trumps my love for food, but Christmas only comes once...and I already have a lot of nice white china and would have nowhere to put more! For those interested and lucky enough to go, the sale is at the Church of the Crossroads near Varsity Theater from 11:30 am to 4 pm. Well...have fun...*sniff*

Maybe it's just me, but does it seem like some restaurant critics here don't take themselves seriously? John Heckathorn always does a great job, maybe because he's alloted an entire month to do his reviews. Only occasionally does the Advertiser drive me nuts, like this week with their takeout salad ratings, but Nadine Kam rarely fails to disappoint. How many "vacations" does she take in a year? In the space restrictions for her reviews, I would think she might get right to the point about the food, giving herself time to elaborate. But the first half is a personal dissertation or reflection. And I don't want to hear that she's too full for dessert, because if Kam were revisiting a restaurant several times to be fair, dessert would not always be merely an afterthought. Why do I love Frank Bruni (NY Times) and Michael Bauer (SF Chronicle) and Meredith Brody (SF Weekly) so much, and even Kawehi Haug (Hon. Weekly)? Because they're reviewing. They are not reporting. They are giving the reader a sense of involvement, using eloquent sensory writing to make it seem as though you were having a conversation with them during the meal. THIS, my friends, is reviewing. Jonathan Gold of LA Weekly should know--he recently won a bloody Pulitzer Prize for his writing.

"Preparing for the invasion."

I'm so proud of Down to Earth, what with Whole Foods coming and all. Down to Earth and Kokua Market are two of my favorite places for quality all-natural groceries and produce, and even though Whole Foods' gourmet appeal will draw some of my attention away, I will remain faithful. DTE's CEO Mark Fergusson spoke to reporters in a presentation titled "Preparing for the Invasion," an implicit message that he's a tad resentful, if a little more, about the big-shot chain coming to Hawaii. Here's today's Star-Bulletin article.

THERE he is!

Remember the kid Eric Sakai who ran the kitchen of Diamond Head Grill earlier this year, transforming it into an Italian food lover's paradise, then left "citing differences" with management? Well, he's up in Santa Rosa, CA as the latest staff addition to rustic Cafe Saint Rose, where the clientele and employers will both be better suited to him. Good Luck Eric!

"Boys with toys"? I love it.

Readers of this blog would be aware of my admiration towards women running kitchens. My own mother, however, is actually dismayed by females who have climbed corporate ladders and such because they end up not taking care of their families. The fact is, most women in such high positions don't bother with having families at all--a smart move, unless the man in their lives (if they have one) are willing to reverse roles. Frequent readers should also know my general disdain for molecular gastronomy, so obviously I was tickled by Chef Sara Jenkins' comment: "Boys with toys." Here's a nice long interview from NYMagazine with seven local chefs...enjoy!

An itch.

So there I was eating at Downtown HiSAM when two girlfriends sitting next to me brought up the subject of cheating risotto, and of course, I had to eavesdrop. (They were sitting ten inches away from me, so how could I not?) American home cooks are probably not inclined to baby a pot of rice for twenty-plus minutes, so shortcuts are understandable. Following a less forgivable suggestion of Crock-Pot risotto was making the rice in a rice cooker ahead of time, cooling it, and stirring in the rest of the ingredients while reheating.

My tip, which I was characteristically too shy to proclaim audibly, is to add a splash of cream to the rice at the end of cooking. The amylopectin that surrounds each grain (provided you're using serious risotto rice) and melts away to create that natural creamy texture we all cherish is generally not released much in the rice cooker, so just a bit of cream will combine with any residual starches and help everything adhere better to each other.

Itch scratched.

Comments to comments

I've received several nice comments and e-mails regarding my last entry, which I hope people will continue to read and ponder. Among them, Chris wrote his confidence about Thomas Keller's ability to sustain the high standards for which he has become famous. To clarify my point of view, I do not believe Keller will lose considerable quality by expanding his restaurant mini-empire. What I most fret about is his foray into frozen food territory, and his motives for which remain unclear. To me loyal Keller fans don't deserve that. His food is in a league of its own; reportedly even down-home Ad Hoc is several steps above the rest, and with frozen, it is impossible, impossible, I repeat, to offer consumers the same caliber of food served at his restaurants. Why settle for less?

Chris also made a good point about Keller's sous chefs--Corey Lee and Jonathan Benno, to name two, are holding their spectacular own when the man himself is not present. Chris' argument is that my experience shouldn't be marred by the fact that Keller's not the one cooking in the back, but for me, a chronic obsessor about culinary things and cheffing, the whole point of going to TFL is to dine with the stigma of being in Keller's precious flagship with HIM there. But oh well. Such is life: full of disappointments.

*By the way, in this article from Bloomberg a couple weeks back, Mimi Sheraton's earlier comment on Bouchon Bistro being "jam-packed and wildly noisy" is completely ridiculous. It's a bistro, for goodness' sake.

Please, continue to leave your thoughts!

OWCH!

Frank Bruni, feared critic of the New York Times, makes an excellent commentary on over-glorified chefs, paying special attention to those who've over the years become so famous they fail to remember the fundamentals of the kitchen. I am eagerly awaiting Sunday night, when Food Network's new series "The Next Iron Chef" airs its premier episode, but apparently Bruni's already caught an early glimpse, as he amusingly recalls Traci des Jardins' bewilderment at having to filet a salmon and debone a chicken. So she says she "doesn't handle such chores often anymore." CHORES?! There goes her hope of winning. Because to me, throughout his or her career, a true chef should always remain humble enough to remember the tasks they began with. How else would they have been able to advance? In one of my favorite books, the Dornenburgs' Becoming a Chef, one pretty famous chef, whose name I shall refrain from divulging, says she doesn't "have time" to do prep work at her restaurant because she's "too important." How disgusting.

Michael Symon, another contender for the spot of Iron Chef, started off with his adorable eclectic bistro, Lola in Cleveland, and in recreating his earlier recipes, I grew to respect him. But now with two other ventures, one rather far away in New York, can he sustain his humility? Even Thomas Keller (I think at this point in time there is no need to say from which restaurant he comes from) is expanding into frozen food territory, and to me, I worry excessively about him becoming a "sell-out," one who has strayed so far from his original vision that he's lost his integrity (*cough* Wolfgang *ah-choo!* Puck!). I continue to be amazed by his food, so gorgeously illustrated in both cookbooks, and I hope to dine at TFL for my 21st birthday, but sadly I feel my experience could be marred by the fact he might not even be in California that evening.

My deepest affection remains with those who have stuck true to their roots, refused to be bigger for any sake, and still cook every night in their own restaurant with soul and gusto. Examples include my current boss, of course, Stefano Cianfrini, Dennis Leary (Canteen, SF), Lachlan Patterson (Frasca, CO), Nate Appleman (A16, SF), Joey Campanaro (Little Owl, NYC), and Alan Takasaki (Le Bistro, Aina Haina). And of course, eternal respect for the faithful cooks and owners of all the little trattorias, osterias, bistros, and cafes in Europe.

Bye-bye.

Sooo...after two mildly disastrous weeks at Grand Cafe & Bakery, I quit! So for those of you who had planned to visit me, sorry. It really wasn't working out; I was late to work TWICE, and I have NEVER in my life been late to a job. Then a couple of embarrassing events I'm too ashamed to mention. They scheduled me to work at 7:30 a.m. when I'm working at Sabrina's until >1-2 a.m. the same morning! I don't know if they understand my stubbornness when it comes to Sabrina's! Time to go hunting again.

Ohhh yeah!

So it turns out the e-mail I sent to Wanda Adams last month worked--Sabrina's got reviewed, for the first time in six years! I'm so proud of Steve and Sabrina and everything they've worked so hard to accomplish. Now that the restaurant is getting a bigger, better stove, we might be able to keep up with the reservations book! Aaand here's the article. (check out the great photo gallery, too)