A Tip of the Hat to La Toque

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A portobello mushroom steak with black garlic bernaise on the vegetable tasting menu at La Toque.
A portobello mushroom steak with black garlic bernaise on the vegetable tasting menu at La Toque.

Last week, when I dined at Napa’s fine-dining La Toque, I did something uncharacteristic.

I ordered the vegetarian tasting menu.

Apparently, I’m in good company, too. Because as Chef-Owner Ken Frank explained, the restaurant’s vegetarian menu is especially popular on Sundays, particularly among South Asians, many of whom drive up from Fremont just for it.

I can see why. Dining in an elegant dining room on six opulent vegetable courses amid the splendor of Wine Country is the perfect way to top off the weekend before the workweek intrudes once again.

When Frank originally opened La Toque, he was all of 23. He’s now 70. And has no plans to retire anytime soon because he says he’s still having way too much fun.

A painting of Chef Ken Frank early in his career.
A painting of Chef Ken Frank early in his career.
A more recent oversized photograph of him.
A more recent oversized photograph of him.
And Chef Ken in the kitchen on the evening I dined.
And Chef Ken in the kitchen on the evening I dined.

La Toque first opened in Los Angeles in 1979, before Frank moved to the Napa Valley to open it in Rutherford in 1998. Finally, in 2008, he moved it to its current home in Napa at the Westin Verasa.

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Handy-Dandy Garlic & Pepper Pork Ribs

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A delicious dish perfect for harried households.
A delicious dish perfect for harried households.

Because my parents worked full-time while raising three kids, my mom always had a stash of recipes in her arsenal that she could prep and cook in a flash. There were tender strips of flank steak stir-fried in black bean sauce. Prawns sauteed with slivers of broccoli stems in oyster sauce. And chicken steamed with shiitakes and plenty of ginger.

So, when I came upon “Garlic & Pepper Pork Ribs” it hit home in so many ways.

This easy recipe is from “My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook” (4 Color Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Nite Yun, chef-owner of Lunette Cambodia inside San Francisco’s Ferry Building, with assistance from Tien Nguyen, a food and culture writer who teaches food journalism at the University of California.

Yun was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after hear parents escaped war-torn Cambodia. When she was 2 years old, her family immigrated to the United States, settling in Stockton. She’s made it her mission to highlight Khmer cuisine, not only to preserve its history and traditions, but as a way to better comprehend her parents, as well as herself.

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Kettle Chips That Make You Sit Up and Take Notice

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You won't believe the incredible flavor of these chips.
You won’t believe the incredible flavor of these chips.

Crunch down on one of these thin, crispy kettle chips and you are in for a shock.

It tastes exactly like the juiciest and perfectly seasoned steak.

When I stopped in at Journeyman Meat Co. in Healdsburg recently to buy some of its very fine sausages, I also happened to pick up a bag of Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef Tallow Kettle Chips. Smart move of the store to put them right by the register.

These chips contain only three ingredients: Just Idaho potatoe fried in Wagyu beef tallow, then seasoned with Rocky Mountain salt.

And wow, are they something else.

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A Delicious Feast at Mazra

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Our table overloweth at Mazra in Redwood City.
Our table overloweth at Mazra in Redwood City.

When a restaurant is packed at 5:15 p.m. on a Tuesday, you know it has it going on.

And when the Michelin Guide bestows upon it a Bib Gourmand, then you know it’s definitely worth a special trip to try.

That’s definitely the case when it comes to Mazra, the family-owned Mediterranean restaurant with locations in San Bruno and Redwood City.

I visited the latter one last week, and came away marveling at the food, service, and price point.

The dining room. There's also a sweet outdoor dining area, too.
The dining room. There’s also a sweet outdoor dining area, too.
Artwork.
Artwork.

The restaurants were founded by brothers, Jordan and Saif Makableh, after they managed to talk their father into letting them transform his Green Valley Market in San Bruno into the first location of Mazra.

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Ginger-Braised Chicken — With the Emphasis on Ginger

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Fabulous Vietnamese-style chicken wings.
Fabulous Vietnamese-style chicken wings.

Anyone who knows me well knows full well how much I love ginger.

In baked goods. In beverages, hot and cold. In soups, stir-fries, and stews. And even inhaled by the handful when candied.

So, when I came across a recipe for a dish that uses an entire cup of julienned fresh ginger, I was all in.

“Ginger-Braised Chicken” did not disappoint.

Shards and shards of ginger flavor chicken wings in a sweet, sticky, savory sauce full of sharpness and warmth.

This ginger-loving recipe is from “Vietnamese American Recipes from Phu Quoc, Oakland, and the Spaces Between” (4 Color Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

It is by Tu David Phu, a Vietnamese American chef raised in Oakland, who competed on “Top Chef” Season 15. He is now the owner of Gigi’s, a Vietnamese wine bar in San Francisco.

It was co-written by Soleil Ho, a Vietnamese American writer, podcaster, and former restaurant reviewer at the San Francisco Chronicle.

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