Monthly Archives: October 2009

Take Five with Momofuku’s David Chang, On the Flap Over “Fig-Gate”

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Chef David Chang gets ready to take on San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of Gabriele Stabile)

Think what you will of hotter-than-Hades New York chef sensation, David Chang.

He’ll be the first to say he doesn’t give a crap — with a carefully placed f-bomb for emphasis, of course.

But the 32-year-old chef-owner of the phenomenal Momofuku restaurants in Manhattan, who formerly cooked at New York’s esteemed Cafe Boulud, has sure ignited a firestorm in the Bay Area.

Who knew a comment about figs would prompt such a ruckus?

In case you missed it, earlier this month at the New York Wine & Food Festival, Chang was onstage with the irrepressible Anthony Bourdain. Knocking back beers, the two were pontificating on their personal likes and dislikes in the culinary world. That’s when Chang reportedly said, “F*****g every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate. Do something with your food.”

Well, in San Francisco, those were interpreted as some serious fighting words.

The Northern California chapter of the Asia Society abruptly canceled a planned Nov. 8 appearance by Chang at E&O Trading Co. in San Francisco. He was scheduled to appear at the event with a number of other prominent Asian-American Bay Area chefs, one of whom withdrew after Chang made that comment.

Indeed, what was supposed to be a simple stop to promote his first cookbook, “Momofuku” (Clarkson Potter), one of the most anticipated releases of the year, has turned into a rather highly charged situation because of the supposed dissing of San Francisco.

Chang still intends to make other book-signing appearances here. You can meet him Nov. 4, when he’ll be appearing with his co-author, New York Times writer Peter Meehan; as well as Chris Cosentino of Incanto restaurant in San Francisco; and Christopher Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena. The 7 p.m. event at Cafe du Nord organized by 7×7 magazine is free. To reserve a spot, email: events@7×7.com with “Changtastic” in the subject line.

The new cookbook.

Additionally, Chang and Meehan will appear 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at Williams-Sonoma on Union Square in San Francisco; 11 a.m. Nov. 7 at Sur La Table in the San Francisco Ferry Building; 4 p.m. Nov. 7 at Kepler’s in Menlo Park with David Kinch of Los Gatos’ Manresa; and noon Nov. 8 at Omnivore Books in San Francisco with Jeremy Fox of Napa’s Unbuntu.

At Omnivore, they’re already jesting about putting out a plate of fresh figs for the occasion.

You can’t blame Chang for being sick of talking about it all. But he was kind enough to indulge me when I chatted with him by phone yesterday.

Q: Do you regret the fig comment? Or do you think people in the Bay Area just need to lighten up?

A: I don’t regret it. It was said and people took it out of context. People are overly sensitive. I am not trying to piss anyone off. But if they are pissed off, maybe there’s some truth behind it

What I said was a generalization. Not every restaurant is serving figs on a plate. You guys have great produce. It seems like every restaurant tries to follow that road. Anyone that challenges that gets trampled on. It’s great that there is Zuni and Chez Panisse and Oliveto, which take that approach. It seems, though, that many in San Francisco are not that open to expanding beyond that family tree.

But the fact that we’re still talking about this is ridiculous. It’s so silly. It’s so dumb.

Q: Bourdain and others have criticized Alice Waters of Chez Panisse for being overly strident about organics. Does that put you in a delicate position since Alice is fond of you and been a friend to you?

A: She’s the face of the movement. At the end of the day, everyone is after the same goal — a world where everyone eats well. Alice is providing the ideal. You need someone to provide the utopian concept. And she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.

I can understand both sides of the coin. For me, I know Alice’s intent, and whether people agree or disagree, it’s not for me to judge. I will support her no matter what she needs from me. People can criticize her, but she’s trying, and she’s trying to do something in which the end goal is a good thing.

I can totally understand Tony’s position, too. I can still be a friend to both Tony and Alice. You can have a friend who may not like another one of your friends. Like Tony f*****g hates Alan Richman (award-winning food writer for GQ magazine), but I get along with Richman.

Q: So with all this hoopla, do you feel like you should be coming into town wearing a flak jacket in case you’re pelted with figs?

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Free Cupcakes, New Sushi Digs, Howard Bulka’s Pizza Joint, Gingerbread Time & More

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Kara's Cupcakes celebrates its third anniversary. (Photo courtesy of Kara's)

Kara’s Cupcakes celebrates its third anniversary Nov. 1 by giving away a free cupcake with any purchase at its original location, 3249 Scott St. in San Francisco.

The offer is good only that day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only at that location.

The diesel-powered “Karavan,” the cupcake bakery’s mobile van, also will be on site, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. that day to offer samples of Blue Bottle New Orleans-style iced coffee.

For all you Peninsula types who have been waiting with hunger pains, word is that Howie’s Artisan Pizza is expected to open in November at the Town & Country Village in Palo Alto.

OK, so Chef Howard Bulka, formerly of Marche in Menlo Park, thought he’d be open by summer. You know how those things go.

When the doors open, you’ll be able to indulge in New Haven-style pizza with toppings like pancetta and egg, artisan salads, veggie pesto melts, and Straus Organic soft-serve drizzled with olive oil and fleur de sel or in a peppermint brownie sundae.

Chef Howard Bulka's new pizza joint is just weeks away from opening. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

The earth-tone interior will feature exposed timber-framed ceilings, cork walls, bamboo counters, hand-forged iron fixtures, and unusual olive oil-filled glass panels that partition the dining room.

The restaurant will be open daily, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Learn more about Chef Bulka in my interview with him earlier this year.

Are you the type who likes to arrive fashionably early?

Then head to Santana Row in San Jose, where you’ll be able to enjoy a $30 three-course dinner Sundays through Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. “The Fashionably Early Dining” promotion, which runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16, includes soup, salad or appetizer, plus a choice of entree, and dessert.

Choose from nine participating restaurants: Amber India, LB Steak, Pizza Antica, Straits Restaurant, Village California Bistro, Roux Louisiana Kitchen, Yankee Pier, Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, and Thea Mediterranean.

Guests who purchase two “Fashionably Early” entrees also will receive two tickets to the holiday classic, “A Christmas Story,” playing Nov. 21-Dec. 30 at the San Jose Rep. Just present your itemized dinner receipt to the Santana Row Concierge to pick up your tickets while supplies last.

The annual “Pinot Noir & Mushroom Dinner,” Nov. 14 at Parcel 104 in Santa Clara, will serve up four courses with paired wines.

Price is $104 per person. Diners can take advantage of a special room rate at the Marriott, too, for $79.

Additionally, Parcel 104 has a new Monday-through-Friday “Happy Hour,” 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Enjoy $1 draft beers and select $4 appetizers.

As a kid growing up in San Francisco, Ebisu, 1283 Ninth Ave., was practically my neighborhood hang-out. I waited in many a long line there, and learned at an early age that the best place to set yourself down was the sushi bar. Family-run, it was always fun, boisterous, and thoroughly delicious.

Well, Ebisu is the one who’s all grown-up now. San Francisco’s Tekton Architecture has given the popular restaurant a sleek, simple yet elegant make-over.

Ebisu's new look. (Photo courtesy of Sharon Risedorph)

(Photo by Sharon Risedorph)

Bamboo, Douglas fir, sustainably harvested koa wood, recycled 125-year-old barn siding, and other sustainable materials were used to create a warm, organic vibe.

Cedar benches outside and in the foyer are available to take a load off while you wait for a table. Sorry, that part hasn’t changed. But Ebisu remains worth the wait.

To get in the sweet holiday mood, Pastry Chef Patti Dellamonica of One Market in San Francisco is hosting a cookie decorating party, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 7.

It’s part of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group’s month-long “Gingerbread Wishes” program, which benefits the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation.

For $20 on Nov. 7, each guest will receive a cookie decorating kit that includes three freshly baked star-shaped cookies, icing, sprinkles and candies. Guests can replenish their strength from all that cookie decorating with complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and finger sandwiches. Additional cookies are available for $5 each. All proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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A Profusion of Pears and Spices

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Autumn pears star in these cheesecake-like bars.

That’s just what you’ll find in these creamy-dreamy “Pear Cream Cheese Bars with Macadamia Nut Crust.”

They’re potent with ground ginger, cloves, cinnamon and coriander — a whole teaspoon of each. Whoa!

The fact that they’re so spice-heavy shouldn’t come as a surprise — not when the recipe comes from a cookbook with the name, “The Spice Kitchen, Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices” (Andrews McMeel) by Sara Engram and Katie Luber with Kimberly Toque. Engram and Luber have their own line of spices. And Toque was an assistant test kitchen chef at Lawry’s.

My friends who sampled the bars found the amount of spice overwhelming. I didn’t mind the pronounced flavor, except that it did make it very hard to actually taste the pears in these treats.

Next time, I think I would cut the amount of spice in half, which is how I’ve adapted the recipe below. Feel free to cut the spice amounts even more if you prefer.

The bars have a great interplay of textures — a crisp, nutty cookie foundation, then an almost cheesecake-like middle, followed by slices of fresh pears, and a quite sweet, thick layer of crunchy streusel on the very top. The flavor is reminiscent of a heady pear spice cake in a whole different guise.

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Artisan Energy Bars — Say What? Plus Winners of the Food Gal Contest

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A breakfast bar you'll actually enjoy eating.

Remember those energy bars of yesteryear?

You know, the ones you ate because they were compact and handy on those sweaty, strenuous hikes — not because they tasted any good.

Newark, Calif.-based FullBloom Baking Company will erase those unappetizing memories once and for all.

Company founder Karen Trilevsky has created an individually wrapped Toasted Oatmeal Bar that’s made with 12 organic whole grains, plus tart cherries and raisins. It’s a palate-awakening alternative to other breakfast or energy bars on the market.

It’s almost cookie-like in texture, but more crumbly. The oat flavor and texture really come through in this crunchy, buttery bar. It tastes very much home-made rather than mass-produced.

Each 2.5-ounce bar has 350 calories, 18 grams of fat (8 grams of which are saturated fat), 44 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein, 210 milligrams of sodium, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, and 44 grams of total carbohydrates.

The Toasted Oatmeal Bar joins the 12-Grain Bar released earlier this year. FullBloom will add two more flavors before the end of the year: Cranberry Almond Bar, and Bacon Cornflake (Oh my!).

The bars retail for about $1.49 each. They are available at Whole Foods, Berkeley Bowl, Cosentino’s, and Peet’s Coffee & Tea.

In addition to her baking endeavors, Trilevsky also started a “Smart Cookes Scholarship” to pay for the college education of promising Hispanic youth in the Bay Area. So far, she’s help pay for 57 kids to attend college.

Her baking facility also is in the process of securing LEED platinum certification for adhering to best environmental practices.

Sahale Snacks nut mix.

And now, without further adieu, I’m happy to announce the winners of the latest Food Gal contest, in which I invited all of you to tell me what your nuttiest cooking experience was.

I say, “winners,” because there were so many good ones once again that I decided to award second- and third-place prizes, too. Those winners will receive a cookbook from my vast collection. The grand prize winner will get four bags (2-ounce each) of Sahale Snacks nut blends, three (4-ounce) glazed nuts packages, and a Sahale Snacks apron.

Here are the winners:

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