Monthly Archives: March 2013

A Bakery with a Heart

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Rubicon's cinnamon bread is sold only at Whole Foods.

Rubicon’s cinnamon bread is sold only at Whole Foods.

 

That’s what Richmond’s Rubicon Bakery is all about.

You may know the bakery for its carrot cake whoopie pies, triple chocolate mousse cake, lemon tart and other delights.

But what you might not know is how it all got started and the benefit it provides.

It was founded in 1993 as a non-profit dedicated to providing employment, housing and support services to low-income folks in the Bay Area. It started a bakery as a way to provide job skills to those who were once homeless, drug abusers and convicts.

That it did provide. But it was not a sustainable enterprise, as it was losing significant money and had to reduce its workforce drastically.

Enter Andrew Stoloff, a Berkeley resident with both an MBA from Wharton and experience in the restaurant industry. He was brought in to help sell the company. But he ended up buying it, himself, in 2009.

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Que Syrah Syrah

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A glass of Syrah pairs with duck-Syrah ragu over Syrah-flour pasta.

A glass of Syrah pairs with duck-Syrah ragu over Syrah-flour pasta.

That’s what you’ll be humming, when you dig into this lusty pasta dish.

Because there’s wine, wine, everywhere in it.

There’s Syrah in the meaty duck ragu that tops it. There’s even Syrah flour in the pasta dough for the homemade fettuccini. And of course, a glass of — what else — Syrah to sip alongside it all.

I was inspired to cook “Venetian Duck Ragu” with “Syrah Fettuccini” when I received samples of the new WholeVine products from Santa Rosa.

Company founders Barbara Banke and Peggy Furth started their line of grapeseed flours, grape skin flours and grape seed oils — all gluten-free — as a way to make greater use of what vineyards provide. They’ve also added a line of four different gluten-free cookies ($6.99 for eight of them), as well as a line of eight different wheat crackers ($6.99 for 12), all made with their flours.

Syrah skin flour.

Syrah skin flour.

Moreover, they donate a portion of profits to charitable organizations that help children in need.

The varietal grape skin and seed flours ($6.50 per 1/2-pound bag) are made from Chardonnay, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Syrah and Zinfandel grapes grown in certified sustainable California coastal vineyards.

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The State of 31st Union

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Wine flights at 31st Union in San Mateo.

Wine flights at 31st Union in San Mateo.

 

David Hunsaker leads a busy life.

By day, he works in sales for a commercial printing business.

By night (and weekends), he oversees the farm-to-table restaurant he opened last summer in downtown San Mateo, 31st Union.

The name of the restaurant refers to the fact that California was the 31st state in the union. It also proclaims the restaurant’s commitment to sourcing ingredients from within the state.

The 50-seat establishment is compact, with wood tabletops affixed to sawhorse legs that are set close together. A large bank of windows lets in a lot of natural light, all the better to illuminate the funky, charming decor. Think rustic and reclaimed, with barn wood wall panels, a polished cement floor, and a California state flag hanging on one wall. The focal point is a chalkboard-like outline of California on a back wall, with feathered arrows pointing to the areas where the restaurant’s ingredients have come from. Even the hallway leading to the restroom gets an artsy treatment with a bank of clip boards, each holding a page from a vintage catalog.

The decor is all about funky, fun and reclaimed.

The decor is all about funky, fun and reclaimed.

The focal point of the restaurant.

The focal point of the restaurant.

It's a celebration of California.

It’s a celebration of California.

Recently, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant to try Executive Chef Paul Burzlaff’s cooking. He was most recently sous chef at the Restaurant at Wente Vineyards in Livermore.

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Passover at Perbacco, St. Paddy’s Day Fun & More

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Chefs Staffan Terje and Joyce Goldstein team up for Passover. (Photo by Gamma Nine Photography)

Chefs Staffan Terje and Joyce Goldstein team up for Passover. (Photo by Gamma Nine Photography)

Sixth Annual Passover Dinner at Perbacco

Staffan Terje, chef-owner of Perbacco in San Francisco, will once again welcome guest Chef Joyce Goldstein, for a special Passover repast on March 27.

The two have teamed up for a half dozen years for this annual celebration.

The four-course dinner will feature recipes from Goldstein’s “Cucina Ebraica” cookbook. Dishes include “Crispy Fried Artichokes — Jewish-style’,” “Passover Soup with Chicken Dumplings and Eggs” and “Sea Bass with Rhubarb Sauce.”

Price is $49 per person. Space is limited. For reservations, call (415) 955-0663.

Comal Puts a Mexican Spin on the Seder

Berkeley’s Comal will celebrate Passover, March 25-26, with a Mexican twist on the Seder with two nights of special family-style dinners.

Dishes will include guacamole and chips (but of course), tequila-cured salmon and beef brisket adobo.

Tickets are $60 per person.

St. Patrick’s Day Fare

To get in the spirit of St. Paddy’s Day, Ame at the St. Regis in San Francisco will be offering beer donuts with chocolate stout  ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce ($12).

Beer donuts with chocolate stout ice cream. (Photo courtesy of Ame)

Beer donuts with chocolate stout ice cream. (Photo courtesy of Ame)

It’s enough to make you forget about corned beef and cabbage, right?

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Chef Matthew Accarrino’s Braised Chicken with Apples and Calvados

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A dish perfect for the home-cook from Chef Matthew Accarrino of SPQR restaurant.

A dish perfect for the home-cook from Chef Matthew Accarrino of SPQR restaurant.

 

Let me just say that one taste of this dish made me feel like I was sitting down to a repast at a charming country inn in the north-west of France.

OK, not that I’ve actually had the pleasure of visiting Brittany.

But it is known for its apples and its Calvados, a spectacular apple brandy.

So, you have to hand it to a dish that can transport you like that.

Leave it to Chef Matthew Accarrino to do so, too. If you’ve ever eaten at SPQR in San Francisco, you know he has a deft hand for creating lusty flavors in rustic-chic dishes.

Of course, most of us don’t have the patience or inclination to make a lot of chef dishes. That’s why we go out to restaurants instead, right?

But “Braised Chicken with Apples and Calvados” is one of those straight-forward, one-pot dishes that anyone can do.

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