Foodie Fighfighters and Stay-cation SF

I Just overheard two fire fighters in the Boulange de Cole talking about last night's tragedy - some one else was on lunch duty at the fire house and used up all the ingredients meant for dinner.   

"All my shallots, the wine and herbs, all the potatoes and most of my butter went into that stew! I had nothing to make sauce for the fish filets - nothing!"

It was such a beautifully SF moment - a bright sunny morning, two good looking firefighters fully suited up, one sipping a non-fat soy latte, the other an espresso, indignant about the purloined shallots, and everyone in earshot completely sympathizing with this outrage.  If you like food you just gotta love this town.

One of my brothers and his family from New England visited us for break week, trading rooftop high snow banks at home for what had to be the coldest week in recorded history here.  Whining about the cold did seem a bit absurd given the company, and their mocking me for it started to get to me - so I decided not to let the horror of sub-50 degree temperature stop us from enjoying the outdoors.   We had lots of urban hikes including Tank Hill and a trip to the historic columbarium (the entrance to which is impossible to locate unless you are walking), some great meals (most especially at Burma Super Star where aside form the not-to-be-missed, food-network-celebrated tea salad, we ordered the luscious curried chicken/noodle dish Nan Gyi Dok),  and some new experiences all in the process of wandering around the chilly Bay Area.


Winding our way around a switchback in the trail that curved under a fallen Redwood in Muir Wood, we came upon two shirtless dudes taking turns repeatedly punching one another in their washboard abs and laughing like Beavis and Butt-head.  It might have been some kind of new exercise regime the hipsters are engaging in, but since it was almost time to turn back anyway, we took the opportunity to leave ourselves wondering.  Lunch at Sam's in Tiburon elicited more (well deserved) mocking as we all ordered "Boston Style" clam chowder, which is decidedly not.  Still, the sunny deck and Crab Louis steeled our mettle for an after lunch walk about  as the Mr. suggested we take a peek at the new Cavallo Point Resort at Fort Baker on the way home.




Standing on top of the huge cement dock (just past the small Coast Guard Marina to the right as you drive in) rewarded us with view of SF none of us had ever seen.  Both bridges, all of downtown, and a very green stretch of the city extending all the way to the Mount Sutro Tower.  But if you ask me, the view from the outdoor lounge by the fire pit outside Murray Circle (the restaurant at the resort) was good enough, and that included a very nice cocktail to boot!  The guys stretched out on the thick cushioned sofa there, warming their feet by the fire and their faces in the bright sun while us gals went into the Farley Bar to order up a couple Irish Coffees.  Boy, did I ever then wish we'd had lunch in that cozy tin ceilinged bar instead of swatting at seagulls at Sam's!  The handsome dining room on one side looks a whole lot hipper than you might think former Army barracks would be, and you couldn't find a bad seat at the dark wood bar on the other.  Black and white photos, artifacts, and historical information on the walls add to the ambience -  you can really feel the long history of the place.  This is an ideal spot for a recharge after a hike (or instead of for that matter).  




As we were waiting for the Barkeep to expertly flame an orange peel for my Martinez, we read signs indicating that the restaurant has made the Bay Area Top 100 restaurants and earned a Michelin star two years in a row.  Also there is a sign pointing the way to a cooking school upstairs, and under a glass dome on the bar sat some pretty nice looking cupcakes - these two fact seem to switch on my Sister in Law's culinary curiosity.


"Oh, are these from the cooking school?" my sis in law inquires excitedly.
"Actually, no they are from our restaurant" the bartender replies, using an extremely polite tone.


"Are the people who work in the kitchen from the cooking school?" she asks, still excited at the prospect.
"No, Madam." he says, his voice patient as Mr. Rogers'.


"Do you serve food in the restaurant from the cooking school?" she's really smiling now.


Very, very, very slowly, as if explaining something to an alien visitor from Mars, he says:
"No, I don't  think we would be able to serve quite the same quality of food if we used the cooking school, madam."


"Well, it sure is fun to dine in a restaurant at a cooking school!" Still sunny as always.


"..." No comment from the Barkeep.   He's still smiling, but it's because he's struggling hard to hold back that special smirk we reserve for people who refer to our city as "Frisco".  


It was a pretty funny exchange, especially given this is the woman who brought a Le Creuset dutch oven as a hostess gift!  Just one of those East versus West Coast differences.  We put that pot to really good use, most notably she made Jacques Pepin's Yukon Gold Potatoes and I made chicken and rice, the recipe follows.


Preheat oven to 350


In a small pan crumble and sautee until browned 1 or 2 chicken chiorzo sausages (Faletti's house made is my choice), set aside.


Meanwhile, grind in spice or clean coffee grinder until fairly fine 1T black pepper and  3/4 T whole Cumin Seed.


Pat dry 6 chicken thighs, 4 drumsticks (both with skin and bones intact), and 2 boneless skinless breasts  
sprinkle both sides of the chicken using about  2/3 of the spices mixed with 1T Kosher salt 


Brown both sides of the chicken pieces in a hot dutch oven, using  enough olive oil to completely cover the bottom of the pan to about 1/8 inch (1/4 cup or so).  You have to do this in batches,  a few at a time so they do not touch in the pan.  Cook pieces with skin until deep golden brown, remove to a plate.  Sear the boneless breasts last, just to get a golden exterior (they might cook through, don't worry they won't be tough in the end).  Remove the breasts and set them on a plate too.


Put the following into the pot roughly in this order, and stir to coat in the oil for 2-3 minutes:


1 bulb fennel sliced
2 cleaned leeks sliced
(you can substitute a large onion chopped for these two)

2 cups long grain rice

1 each (small) red, yellow, and orange pepper, roasted, skinned and diced

(I roast mine ahead in the morning and leave them in a paper bag in the fridge to cool - you can substitute a roasted skinned trio of green -  1 Anaheim, 1 Poblano, and 1 Serrano also)

stir in

1  cup cherry tomatoes (1 cup of brined Italian cherry tomatoes from a jar works too)

2 fresh bay leaves

1t chopped fresh rosemary

1 large sprig thyme

15 garlic cloves left whole ( Christopher Ranch fresh peeled works great here)

sprinkle in the remaining spice mixture 

stir in

1/2 cup white vermouth or white wine

4 cups chicken stock (home made is far better of course)

Slice the breast pieces three times lengthwise, the across to roughly 2 inch cubes and stir them into the rice mixture.
Nestle the remaining chicken pieces (thighs skin up) into the pot, partially submerged so the bones are under the surface of the mixture. Cover and bake 45-55 minutes, or until the rice is completely cooked and the chicken falling off the bone tender.

Serve with a simple salad with lemony vinaigrette and buttered peas with fresh mint, and of course crusty bread.