Cooking is one of life's great joys. I'm not a great cook, but the more I learn about cooking the more comfortable I get...and sometimes that extra comfort leads to burning some shit.

I've always loved eating, but it wasn't until college that I fell in love with cooking for myself and my friends. It turns out that while your parents support you emotionally and financially (if you're lucky) they can't really be there to provide things like pot roast on Sundays, interesting pasta creations mid-week, or even a fridge stocked with condiments. So, rather than succumbing to a life fueled strictly by pizza pockets, the ambitious student begins to experiment.

The early experiments were more about utility than flavor, and often involved some combination of Carl Buddig meat products, ranch dressing, and tortillas. That worked ok for the fellas, but quickly fell out of favor making way for the more ambitious fare like fettuccine Alfredo which while still very basic, seemed to lend itself better to meals with the opposite sex.

Skipping ahead a good 10 years I marry an amazing woman who happens to be a much better cook than I am. So what does a food focused fella like myself do in a situation like this? Settle in for 50 years of the little missus' cooking, or try to do culinary battle by claiming the kitchen as my own? The answer is neither...I've opted to play a bit part in our kitchen production, typically chopping a bit of this or that, or doing the dishes (I challenge any of you to a dish duel...my skills are wicked.) I have however built a small portfolio of "signature dishes" that I whip up from time to time and here they are in no particular order:

• "Sauce" On any Sunday afternoon in Kenmore during the rainy season (heh) you can find me in the kitchen working on some sort of hearty red sauce. I never do it the same way twice, but ask anyone who has tried it whether its good...it is. You can make it lots of ways, but I would include some combination of great canned tomatoes (you'll need to experiment here, but these are most likely imported and come from San Marzano Italy) combine these with fresh shallots, garlic, red wine, and olive oil. You then need to decide if this is going to be a meat-focused sauce or not. If so, you should have started by browning the meat (beef, Italian sausage, or chicken sausage.) This sauce will require some serious simmering time so leave it on the stove for as long as you can (hours.) lastly you should top a meat sauce with a dollop of ricotta, and a veg sauce with good Parmesan **hint-its not in a plastic tub**.
• Lasagna. This one takes a lot of work, but my lasagna includes spicy chicken sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and a bunch of other great stuff. you want one? have a baby and i might swing by with one of these in hopes that you get a break from multi tasking
• Spicy grilled prawns. I think this recipe is in Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchens book, but I can't recall. you basically take some big-ass prawn, dip them in good olive oil (truth be told I am still trying to figure out how to source a high quality olive oil at a good price) you then chop fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, bread crumbs, and garlic together. throw in some salt and pepper, then coat the oily prawns with this multi-colored stuff and grill them briefly over a medium-hot grill. Don't overcook them.
• Salmon. If you see some of my early blogs you'll see my whole salmon spread...its good if a little predictable
• Patagonian Toothfish I'm not going to call it by it's real name 'cause some people think it is endangered, but it rhymes with "filetin' tree grass" and I only buy through reputable distributors. This one is easy. buy the biggest, fattest piece you can get your hands on, marinate it in a big zip loc with Yoshida's Teriyaki Sauce, some sliced Walla Walla onions, and a little garlic. Sear it on both sides, then place the fish on a bed of the sliced onions on some foil. leave it on the grill on fairly low heat for ~10 minutes (need to monitor based on thickness) pull it off the grill and let it rest before you eat it. pair it with the Conundrum, some fresh greens, and a sunny deck. Savor this meal and think about how freakin' lucky you are to have a Whole Foods nearby.

So this past Saturday I broke out of my rut...I decided to try some new things. To be fair, some of the things were not really new (steak) but Emily felt like a filet so who am I to argue? Here's what I made:

appetizer: crab/artichoke spread on plain crackers with Prosecco (just ok)

starter/side: Dungeness crab and spot prawn mac and cheese! (ridiculous)

side: asparagus with chanterelle mushrooms, tarragon, shallots, and butter (nice)

main: prime aged filet mignon topped with morel/chanterelle cream sauce

all paired with a bottle of 2000 Elderton Shiraz. In a word, amazing.

Unfortunately my ability to multitask is limited so I overcooked the steaks, but the rest was a work of art. I kind of got the cooking thing out of my system for a while now, so the Pagliacci hotline is pretty much my go-to recipe this week.

Bon appetite!

When good restaurants go bad!

Kinda Jerry Springer eh? Or maybe Maury Povich...

Regardless, this installment in my critically ignored drone about food and beverage is all about restaurants that had "it" and lost "it". I'm sure you've experienced this sort of thing; a place you enjoy thoroughly once (or many times) that becomes a little too proud of their success and begins to slip.

As you may know if you've read my rants before, I am a creature of habit. For me a new restaurant experience is exciting and fun, but a restaurant that consistently performs is something to be revered.

Recently I had a chance to visit two restaurants that I've enjoyed in the past and was disappointed by both. These two restaurants are very different, yet occupy a similar place in the value chain for me...known quantities...places you go when you want a "sure thing." Turns out their status has changed.

#1 "my nyc neighborhood Italian joint" Puttanesca has been a favorite for a couple years. Its casual, comfortable, tasty, open late, and is a short walk from the hotel I frequent when I come to NYC. Historically I've been treated to prompt service, great food, and a reasonable price tag...but the last two times I've visited it has been sub-par.

About two weeks ago I went to Puttanesca on a Tuesday night. It was lively but not overly crowded. I was seated quickly then ignored for about 15 minutes. When my server did appear I got indifferent service and he went away for five more minutes before I got a glass of wine.

Next came the basket of bread... which did not include their foccacia which I love, but rather some very stale wonderbread-like rolls. My entree, a squid-ink pasta dish was bland and luke-warm, and the same waiter spilled a glass of wine on the woman next to me.

This single instance does not mean I won't go back...but they are currently in limbo as far as my "go to" restaurant status...stay tuned to learn their fate.

#2 The Slanted Door is a fairly famous San Francisco restaurant featuring Vietnamese food with a twist. Although I can't say I frequent the Slanted Door, I have been a few times and I fondly remember the first time I enjoyed lettuce cups at the "old" Slanted Door location and found myself very disappointed when I visited last week.

My wife and I made a reservation for Sunday dinner last week. The current location in the Ferry Building is fantastic and worth a trip. We strolled down the Embarcadero, peeked in the many interesting food and wine shops in the Ferry Building, then checked in for our dinner at the 'door.

We were seated a bit late at an extremely small table. Our waitress was attentive at first, then disappeared for the evening. The food was uninspiring, under-seasoned, and served without any explanation. to tell you the truth, I don't even recall what I ate. We left without finishing and agreed that we probably will not go back. With so many great restaurants in SF, why waste time with one that clearly has let it's reputation go to it's head?

On a more positive note, Arby's has been running their tried and true "5 for 5.95" promo recently and from what I can tell they still deliver the goods.

Cheers

-Scott

Laguna on a budget

This past weekend Emily and I had a chance to visit Laguna Beach and I've gotta say it is a very nice place to spend a weekend.


It almost seems too perfect; Ferraris at every stoplight, perfectly tanned, tucked, and tailored "clone-people" cruising around (who make it very hard to concentrate), and a plethora of great culinary options!


I'll get to the eating shortly, but I want to touch on the "budget" idea covered in the title...this is sarcasm, plain and simple. If you want to find a budget beach vacation, go to Ocean Shores 'cause Laguna is not about "deals." Lucky for us we have some very generous friends who let us tag along for their weekend away, otherwise I'm not sure I could have dealt with the sticker shock. I'll leave it at that.

So back to the food! There are a TON of great restaurants in this area ranging from taco stands to very high end establishments. I enjoy both ends of the spectrum (and all points in between) so lets just say I had a great time.


Driving down the PCH its hard to miss the many fish-focused restaurants, Mexican joints, and of course the obligatory California cuisine. Lucky for us our host had some great recommendations in hand so we didn't have to guess!


We arrived Friday evening and the plan was already in place. We drop our bags, open some very good wine (our contribution to the weekend) jump in the resort's Lexus SUV, and head to 230 Forest Ave . This place looks like many other casual restaurants; crowded bar, some outdoor tables, kind of cramped. But once we sat down and took a look at the menu we knew we'd found a gem.



The first thing that caught my eye was the Lobster Alfredo. Shortly after that my forearm whisked by my right love handle and steered me away from this decadent entree, but one of our party ended up ordering it and gave it rave reviews.
I had the Ono special and some lobster mashed potatoes washed down with a wonderful Cakebread Cellars Sauv Blanc.
I could probably go on about everyone's entrees, but I won't bore you. All you need to know about this place is it is very good, very busy, and pretty reasonable. They have a nice wine list with several great wines by the glass, the service was excellent, and I am positive we will go back.

The next evening we went out for an amazing Mexican meal. We're not talking Azteca here, this is interesting Mexican food and drink. Javier's Cantina is a bustling, loud, electric scene complete with some of SoCal's most enhanced patrons.
Most of our crew enjoyed the house margaritas; rocks, salt, Sauza...very well done indeed. The entrees run from the run of the mill enchilada platter to some very interesting meat dishes with complex sauces, spices, and sides. I very much wanted to figure out how to get back there for a follow-up meal but couldn't swing it.

So the bottom line is this: if your friends invite you to join them in Laguna, take them up on it and get ready to enjoy yourself!

Cheers