Monthly Archives: June 2008

Meatball Madness

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Bucci\'s Italian-American meatballs

We’re mad for meatballs. We certainly are.

Consider that loyal diners nearly revolted when San Francisco’s A16 once halted its popular ”Monday Night Meatball” special. No worries, as that curtailment was short-lived, and the meatballs are safely back on the Monday menu.

What is it about meatballs that we can’t get enough of? There’s something so comforting in their rustic presentation. They’re a little more special looking than a hamburger; a little more playful than a big hunk of meatloaf.

When I dined at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, the pizza was the star, of course, and the butterscotch budino for dessert was out of this world, too. But the appetizer of “meatballs al forno” nearly stole the show with their incredibly light texture, and subtly spiced tomato sauce. I could have eaten the entire plateful, well, if there weren’t two other people with me.

When I’m jonesing for meatballs, I turn to this favorite recipe from “The Complete Meat Cookbook”by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly. Heap these bold tasting meatballs over pasta or soft polenta, and you can’t go wrong.

 Bucci’s Italian-American MeatballsÂ

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Cupcake Craze

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Kara's Cupcakes

Cupcake mania, which hit New York first (“Sex and The City,” anyone?), then spread to Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, is finally making its way to the South Bay/Peninsula.

Talk about taking your sweet time.

While those metropolitan areas long have boasted stand-alone bakeries specializing in nothing but cupcakes, we who have been frosting-starved in the South Bay/Peninsula finally will get our baked-good due when Kara’s Cupcakes is expected to open two locations in September: one in San Jose’s Santana Row (next to Pluto’s), and the other in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village. Because the Santana Row location will be tiny — just 300 square feet — it’ll have a smaller selection, but promises to showcase the bakery’s most popular flavors.

Kara Lind, who worked in marketing for Conde Nast, found her true passion when she attended Tante Marie Cooking School’s baking program in San Francisco. Her first Kara’s Cupcakes bakery opened in 2006 on Scott Street in San Francisco. Since then, she’s added a second location in San Francisco, this one at historic Ghirardeli Square.

The cupcakes are made daily with such premium ingredients as Scharffen Berger chocolate, Clover Dairy products, and Flying Goat organic coffee. Regular cupcakes, $3 each, come in flavors such as Buttery Buttermilk, Chocolate Velvet, and Kara’s Karrot. Filled cupcakes, $3.25 each, come in such decadent concoctions as the “Fleur de Sel” (a chocolate cupcake with caramel filling, ganache frosting, and sea salt).

What does Lind find so irresistible about cupcakes?

“They are just filled with so much happiness,” she says. “They are like a little piece of joy.”

Who can argue with that?

Restaurant Happenings

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The produce garden at 25ºBrix

Longtime stalwart Napa restaurant Brix has morphed into 25ºBrix with new owners and a new look.

The owners, the Kelleher Family winemakers, picked the slightly different name to symbolize the sugar level at which they pick their grapes for their Cabarnet Sauvignon. Their consultant on the project was David Gingrass of Two in San Francisco, who has put in a 2-acre garden on the property, which will grow produce for the restaurant.

Menu items include beer-battered soft-shell crab with cherry tomato vinaigrette ($22); Berkshire pork schnitzel with sunny quail eggs, caper brown butter and spaetzel ($28); and whole roasted branzini with potato and crab hash ($32).

An adjacent wine shop on the property sells cult and hard-to-fiind Napa Valley wines. Visitors also can pick up fresh-baked baguettes and gourmet picnic baskets to-go from the restaurant.

Down the road in St. Helena, Go Fish restaurant has livened up its outdoor dining area with acoustic contemporary and blues music every Thursday night. A flat-panel TV also has been installed, along with a misting system to keep patrons cool in the summer heat. On the Fourth of July, Go Fish plans to fire up the grill on the patio to cook up an outdoor feast.

More al fresco eating can be had at the Dry Creek Kitchen at the Hotel Healdsburg. Every Wednesday night through September, the restaurant features “Family BBQ Night,” a three-course meal served family-style for $32 per person.

Offerings may include Painted Hills Skirt Steak and Niman Ranch Pork Loin; bourbon baked beans and potato salad; and fruit pie.

Along the coast, Nick’s Cove on the east shore of Tomales Bay, is hosting winemaker events with featured winemakers and specially prepared dishes from Chef de Cuisine Adam Mali.

June 19 at 6 p.m. is “Coastal Expressions” night, featuring wines from Radio-Coteau. July 17 at 6 p.m. is “Contemporary. Innovative. Out of the Ordinary,” an evening of wines from Duckhorn, Paraduxx and Goldeneye. Price for each wine dinner is $75 per person.  RSVPÂ by calling (415) 663-1033.

For those who are always on the go, Jack Falstaff in San Francisco has created a new “Power Lunch” menu. It’s a selection of two-course paired menu items such as potato & leek soup with Jack’s classic chicken Caesar salad; or walnut and baby green salad paired with “PBLT” (slow roasted pork belly and beefsteak tomato on grilled sourdough). “Power Lunches” are $16 to $19.

Enjoy them with a new selection of “Zero Proof Concoctions,” such as Hibiscus Cooler (Hibiscus iced tea with kiwi syrup) or Raspberry-Rhubarb Lemonade. All are $6.

Jerry Regester of C Restaurant + Bar. Photo by John Sutton.

Finally, down in Monterey, Jerry Regester has been appointed executive chef of the new C Restaurant + Bar at the new luxury hotel on Cannery Row, the InterContinental The Clement Monterey. He was most recently executive chef at The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards.

His debut menu includes Monterey Cioppino with mini cheese ravioli, artichokes, tuna, clams, and calamari in a spicy Dungeness crab broth; and fettuccine with smoked sardines, sun-dried tomatoes, and shaved garlic.

C Restaurant + Bar. Photo by John Sutton.

Delectable Dates To Mark on Your Calendar

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If you love cheese, then head to Cheese Plus in San Francisco, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 21, as the specialty store celebrates its third anniversary with a Summer Solstice Food Festival.

More than two dozen food artisans will be on hand to show off samples of their products. From noon to 2 p.m., cookbook author and San Francisco Chronicle food writer, Janet Fletcher, will sign copies of her latest book, “Cheese & Wine” (Chronicle Books).

A knife sharpening expert also will be on site to sharpen your knives and give advice on how to care for them.

Up in Wine Country, there are a bevy of events to come. First up, the Martini House in St. Helena hosts its fourth annual Riesling Week. June 16-21, the restaurant will showcase Rieslings from Germany, Alsace, and Austria.

A special four-course prix fixe menu will be offered, with each dish paired with a different Riesling such as pan-roasted monkfish wrapped in Hobbs smoked bacon accompanied by a pour of Domaine Weinbach ”Schlossberg” Grand Cru, Riesling, Alsace, France, 2005. The dinner is $115 with the wine pairing; $70 without.

Next up, also in St. Helena, enjoy the third annual Napa Valley Jewish Vintners Celebration. Nearly 40 Jewish vintners from California, as well as Israel, will celebrate “Connecting Our Roots,” June 20-22. Proceeds will benefit Jewish non-profit organizations in the valley.

The three-day event begins on a Friday with a reception at a private St. Helena estate, followed by exclusive winery open houses on Saturday, then a glam gala at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus, and ends with Sunday brunch at the Napa Valley Museum featuring guest speaker, the best-selling author, Scott Turow.

Tickets are $650 per person. For more information, call (707) 968-9944 or click here.

And lastly, designer heels and big-name wines? Who can resist that combo? If you can’t, then the fourth annual “Wine, Women and Shoes,” 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 29 should be on your must-do list.

The event, at the St. Supery Vineyards and Winery in Rutherford, raises money for women’s causes. Since its inception, more than $2 million has been raised for women’s charities.

Enjoy a fashion show of chic foot candy, wonderful wines, and a live and a silent auction. And don’t forget the “Shoe Guys,” who will be carrying shoes on silver trays so you get a peep of those must-have peep-toe pumps.

Tickets are $150 for regular admission; and $250 for premiere admission, which includes front-row seating at the fashion show. For more information, call Belle Orpilla or Katie Wolford at Planned Parenthood at (925) 676-0505 ext. 5220 at 925-676-0505, ext. 5222; or email info@ppshastadiablo. Also, visit: www.ppshastadiablo.org.

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