Category Archives: Seafood

Get Your Fill — and Then Some — at Sancho’s Taqueria

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A huge, honking burrito.

Like quite a few high-end chefs these days, Adam Torres turned his back on white table cloths, waiters, sommeliers and all the other fancy accouterments that go along with fine dining.

Instead, he opted to refocus his considerable skills toward something far more casual and carefree — tacos and burritos.

But not just any run-of-the-mill tacos and burritos. We’re talking ones that will leave you swooning.

Then again, that’s not surprising when you consider they’re being made by someone who used to cook on the line at the esteemed Village Pub in Woodside.

Having been a fan of the Sancho’s in Redwood City that opened a few years ago, and the take-out Mexican food window that Torres used to run at La Tiendita Market in East Palo Alto, my husband and I were eager to try the new Sancho’s Taqueria, which opened in downtown Palo Alto late last year.

I almost always end up getting at least one fish taco ($3.95). Super crisp, fried nuggets of flaky fish are mounded high inside two small, soft corn tortillas and topped with cabbage and creamy, house-made chipotle remoulade. Sancho’s has long had a reputation for its fish tacos. After one bite, you’ll not only know why, but want to order seconds.

Fish taco on the left; Al pastore taco on the right.

I also enjoyed an al pastore (barbecue pork) super taco ($3.25), which came dressed with cheese, pico de gallo and salsa. Smoky and tender, the pork, like all of Sancho’s meats, are nicely seasoned.

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A Peek at Palmetto Bluff’s Lowcountry Celebration in South Carolina with Tyler Florence

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Tyler Florence holding court on stage at the food festival.

Six hundred food fanatics turned out last weekend in Bluffton, S.C. for the third annual “Palmetto Bluff Lowcountry Celebration.”

Yours truly was among them, having been invited to partake in the feasting of all things Southern.

After all, who could pass up a chance to watch Food Network star Tyler Florence and a bevy of the South’s top chefs prepare oyster stew, shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, fried catfish, fried chicken, fried shrimp, tater tots fried in duck fat, pulled pork sandwiches, and a mountain of crawfish.

Um, did I mention a lot of the food was fried? Hey, it’s the South. Don’t even bat an eye.

The grand Inn at Palmetto Bluff.

This was the third year of the festival, which is held at the posh Inn at Palmetto Bluff, a residential and recreational community on 20,000 acres, about a third of that set aside in perpetuity to remain undeveloped. Once home to 21 grand plantations, the area, about 20 miles northeast of Savannah, Ga., now boasts an inn with 50 upscale cottages, as well as rental homes and permanent homes.

You might already know that Florence is from South Carolina. What you might not know is that he owns a home at Palmetto Bluff, got married here, and that his brother, Warren, is the tennis pro here.

The food festival tent, set among the ruins of a mansion on the property that burned down years ago.

Praline angel food cakes to sample.

Chef Tom Condron of the Liberty in Charlotte, NC prepares seared salmon with warm potato salad.

Sizzling salmon.

The festival included a day of cooking demos and tastings by chefs such as Donald Barickman and Donald Drake of Magnolias in Charleston; Chris and Idie Hastings of the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Ala.; Frank Lee of Maverick Southern Kitchens in Charleston; and Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill in Charleston.

Manning the fire pit full of oysters, mussels, shrimp and crawfish.

The highlight for me was the finale — a bonafide oyster roast in a very secluded, woodsy spot on the property, where an elaborate fire pit was constructed.

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Abalone Amore

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My trophy.

I’ve never hunted anything in my life — unless you count a pair of Prada boots hidden at the bottom of a consignment store bin that was one-third its original price.

The one time I went fishing, I caught zilch.

And me and a wild boar hopefully never will set eyes upon each other in this lifetime or any other.

Still, I do have what I consider a trophy of sorts.

It’s my two abalone shells.

When I wrote a story about abalone a few years ago for the San Jose Mercury News, the proprietors of the California Abalone Co., who sell live ones off a boat in Half Moon Bay, gave me two to try. I carefully put them in my cooler in the back of  the car, and drove home with my precious, expensive cargo.

Mind you, I’ve shucked clams and oysters before, but never an abalone. In researching the article, though, I was able to watch the very talented Chef David Kinch of Manresa demonstrate how to excavate the abalone, with its big, strong, suction-like foot from its single shell.

At home, armed with that knowledge, I did what any smart woman would do: I made my husband shuck them.

Hey, it’s what men are for, right? Well, that and killing big spiders.

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Feel the Love — When It Comes to Sardines

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Are you a sardine lover or hater?

Sardines suffer from a bad rep for the most part.

So many of us have stinky memories of those tiny, pungent fish lurking inside pull-tab tins that our parents or grand-parents forced upon us.

But I’m here to plead with you to give sardines a chance.

At a time when so many other seafood species are on the verge of extinction, sardines are one of the most sustainable fish around. They’re super cheap, and loaded with good-for-you omega-3s, too.

That’s why a local group, whimsically named the “Sardinistas,” is waging a campaign to get you and me to better appreciate this much-maligned fish. Find out more about this group by reading my story in the November issue of San Francisco magazine.

Bay Area chefs already have courted a love affair with sardines. Find fresh ones grilled on many a menu here, their flesh silky and smoky tasting.

Fresh sardines aren’t always easy to come by at local fish markets, though, because the majority caught in Monterey Bay are exported elsewhere.

But canned ones are easily found at any supermarket.

Not only are there sardines in this dish, but anchovies, too.

And even die-hard sardine haters are sure to love them in “Fish Cakes with Caper-Parsley Sauce.”

The recipe, adapted from one published in Gourmet magazine seven years ago, actually has three types of fish in it. And two of them are despised by a good number of folks. Yes, one is the sardine. The other? Anchovy.

But hear me out before you pass judgment.

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Fabulous Fish, Tribute to Pork, Julia Child Celebration, and More

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Wild Nunavat artic char. (Photo courtesy of Nunavut Development Corporation/Shannon George Photography)

The season is nearing its end for this year’s catch of wild Nunavut artic char. But you can experience this rich, complex tasting fish at a special dinner at Waterbar in San Francisco on Aug. 31.

The fish comes from Nunavut, Canada, near the Artic Circle. As you can imagine, the waters there are as pristine as can be, resulting in fish of incomparable quality.

For generations, the Inuit community there has caught the fish using traditional methods. To support the fishing community there, high-end restaurants across the country have started serving the fish. They include Daniel, Per Se, and Le Berndardin, all in New York.

Waterbar’s three-course dinner is $125 per person. It will feature the fish in spicy spring rolls, hot smoked over cedar, and baked with Pinot Noir gastrique.

To commemorate the late-Julia Child’s birthday on Aug. 20, Kepler’s book store in Menlo Park will host an open house, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m..

Champagne and cake will be served. All cookbooks also will be on sale for 20 percent off, and prizes will be raffled off.

To honor Julia’s birthday and the opening of the flick, “Julie & Julia,” the Grand Cafe in San Francisco will serve one of her iconic dishes, Beouf Bourguignon for half off during the month of August.

The special price of $13.50 is available at lunch or dinner. Just show your theater ticket stub to get the discounted price.

If you’re in an especially porky mood, you’ll want to head to Nob Hill Grille in San Francisco, Aug. 25 and Aug. 26, for a “Tribute to Pork.”

The four-course dinner is $40 per person. Wine pairings are an additional $15.

Dishes will include crispy braised pork belly with oyster mushroom risotto; and suckling pig roasted with rosemary, fresh lavender, and pork reduction.

The inaugural San Francisco Street Food Festival is coming up Aug. 22. Folsom Street, between 25th and 26th streets, will be transformed into a cornucopia of street food vendors offering specialties, none of which will be priced higher than $10.

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