Sam & Fred will be on vacation until 2005. Happy New Year everyone!

Sam & Fred will be on vacation until 2005. Happy New Year everyone!

French Laundry Inspired - Ahi Tuna Cornets

For another canape for our Christmas Dinner, I decided to have a go at making Thomas Keller's famous cornets from The French Laundry cookbook. If you don't have the book, you can find the recipe online here


Click on the photo to enlarge

I made up the batter, easily, using my beautiful new Kitchen Aid . I made a great little stencil by getting out the bottom from a round Ziplock container. This was perfect because of a little ridge that made the stencil easy to lift. My first batch was a disaster. The batter was way too thick and the cornets wouldn't form well, or brown evenly. After that, I spread the batter as thinly as I could and then they worked perfectly. I quickly got in the swing of cooking up one tray after the next. Now I know how to do them, I would definitely make them again.



Click on the photo to enlarge

I substituted salmon for Ahi tuna in the recipe, as I was already serving another canape with salmon. Also, raw tuna is the only fish Fred will eat and I thought it would be nice for him to be able to join in the whimsical cornet fun. Assemble at the very last minute before serving (they soften quickly once the fillings are added). I filled a bowl with navy beans so that I could stand the cornets up easily for presentation. (Check out some other presentation tips here) I didn't crown my cornets with chives as Thomas Keller suggests because, quite frankly, I ran out of time. Despite the lack of ornamentation, however, these tasted super-delicious. I didn't quite make enough for two each and there were fights over who got seconds...

Check here and here for information and ways to help the disaster relief in Asia.

Sam & Fred will be on vacation until 2005. Happy New Year, everyone.

French Laundry Inspired - Ahi Tuna Cornets

Home Cured Gravadlax on Loft-Cooked Potato Chips

Our Christmas feast started with Champagne. I knew that Veuve Cliquot is a favourite of many of my guests so we bought a magnum. My mother always used to buy me a treat of smoked salmon whenever I spent Christmas with her in England and so, in honour of that memory, I decided to start with salmon-based canapes. I'd spotted a recipe on Epicurious.com that looked and sounded delicious and decided to give it a try.



The gravadlax was fairly easy to prepare. You need to make sure you have the Freshest, top quality, sushi-grade fish available. We bought ours at Yum Yum . Cure your fish a day in advance. This will allow plenty of time for the flavours to develop.

Making the potato chips was not so easy. Cutting them in thin slices was no problem with the aid of a mandolin. Cooking them to the right level of brownness was more difficult. I overcooked my first batch and several of them were burnt. I discovered that each little individual potato slice cooks at a slightly different rate from its neighbours. You can pretty much leave them on their own for the first 10 minutes, but once you have turned them you have to keep checking them, literally, every minute, removing the golden ones from the tray immediately. This part of the process was a little labour intensive. The potatoes also shrink to about half their size once cooked. As I had bought small potatoes the resulting crisps were very tiny. Next time I would use a medium-sized potato instead.

Assemble the canapes right at the very last minute, because as soon as the fish is atop the potato slices, they will begin to soften. No worries, they taste delicious and you will probably find your guests gobble them all up in no time.


Check here and here for information and ways to help the disaster relief in Asia.

Home Cured Gravadlax on Loft-Cooked Potato Chips

Yum Yum Fish - Irving Street - San Francisco

2181 Irving Street (at 23rd Avenue) 415-566-6433



The Chowhound Bay Area Boards tipped me off about places where I could buy sushi grade salmon in the San Francisco area. Sushi grade Ahi isn't so difficult to source but the salmon seems more elusive. Places you might expect to be able to buy it like Wholefoods or The Ferry Building Plaza actually didn't stock it when I tried. From all of the Chowhound suggestions, I decided to journey over to Yum Yum's over in the Sunset district.


It doesn't look much from the outside.


Large hand written boards alert you to what is fresh, what is frozen, what is on offer.


The fish counter actually doesn't look all that special, but when I asked for a piece of "Centre-cut salmon", a new piece of fish was retrieved from the back of the store for me, by my charming French server. My recipe called for just 5 ounces of fish but when I saw how small it was, and how brightly it glistened, I asked him for another slice the same size.


(Click photo to enlarge)
Fresh, beautiful and only $5 for these two superb slices of fish. It took a lot of will power not to gobble it straight down as I prepared my recipe.

Yum Yum also serves sushi to go or to eat at one of the tiny tables nestled inside.

For Your Consideration Becks & Posh has been nominated for best restaurant reviews and best new blog in the 2004 Food Blog Awards.

Yum Yum Fish - Irving Street - San Francisco

Christmas Dinner 2004 - The Menu

Fred and I were joined last night by 8 wonderful International friends, all without family in San Francisco, for a long and leisurely Christmas Dinner. Backgrounds were diverse - Australia, Germany, America, Korea, Honk Kong and, of course, France and England.

Christmas means different things to different people and I certainly didn't want to force a traditional English Christmas Dinner down anyone's throat. Instead, I attempted to create a dinner full of delicious, luxurious tastes that I hoped everyone would enjoy.

There were 8 courses, each with their own beverage pairing. Click on the picture to enlarge and check out the menu.


I will be writing about some of these courses in more detail over the next few weeks.


The table is set for dinner. Christmas Crackers were a novelty for most of my guests (I can't break with tradition completely). I managed to find them in the British Grocery Store in San Francisco's Protrero Hill.

I asked readers to try and guess where I bought my Foie Gras for the Christmas dinner. The answer was Neiman Marcus. About a dozen people got the answer right. I wrote down the names of all of the correct entrants on slips of paper. Fred drew the winner, Alder from Vinography who will be receiving a copy of Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany from me next year. Congratulations!

Christmas Dinner 2004 - The Menu

How Fred Made me Cry

We had agreed, no Christmas presents for each other again this year. Our tradition is Birthdays only. I had been running around San Francisco all morning trying to buy ingredients for our Christmas Day dinner. Live crabs from one place, sushi grade salmon from the other side of town, you can imagine the stress of it all, the queues, the madness.

Back home, shopping unpacked, I dived in to my cooking duties. Fred, meanwhile, was out for lunch. Mid afternoon, I heard the door click open and I saw him walk in, carrying the hugest box. It wasn't wrapped and the bag was partially transparent. My eyes widened when I saw the word "Kitchen Aid". I just burst into tears. He came over and wiped away the tears. "Hey", he said softly, "You do everything and I do nothing. You deserve it"



He was worried he might have chosen the wrong colour. But I love it!

How Fred Made me Cry

Sending Holiday Greetings to Europe

Ever wondered where the picture I use in my Blog's header and footer came from? What do you mean, NO?! Well, am going to bore you with the details anyway. Fred and I spent some time in Paris during the summer to celebrate his 40th birthday which he conveniently shares with Bastille celebrations.



The day after we arrived in the French Capital, somewhere during our aimless meandering through the Paris Streets, I stumbled upon a little shop filled with the most exotically prepared and beautiful looking foodstuffs. I didn't want to eat any of them, mind you, I just wanted to gobble up the display with my eyes. I just had to take a picture of the wonderful tomaaahtoes. Here they are, before I cropped them and pinkified them to use as the face of my blog.

Fred's friends and family will start their Christmas celebrations very shortly as they indulge in their main dinner on Christmas Eve. Bon Noel to them in Paris. On my side, the English will feast on Turkey, Brussel Sprouts, Christmas Pudding and Mince pies (four of my own, personal, all-time, top, most-detested foodstuffs) at lunchtime on Christmas Day. My sister, in Ireland will probably doing the same thing in Dublin with her husband and three kids. Merry Christmas to all of them too.

As for us, we are going to have friends round for dinner on Christmas Day. Shortly I am going to pick up meat from the butchers, live crabs, fresh bread and sushi-grade salmon, a process which will require me traveling to several different shops in San Francisco. After that I am going to be slaving away in the kitchen for quite some time. Best wishes to all my readers. Have a good one. I'll see you on the other side...



For Your Consideration Becks & Posh has been nominated for best restaurant reviews and best new blog in the 2004 Food Blog Awards.

Sending Holiday Greetings to Europe

Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany

If you are still looking for a Christmas gift for a foodie friend, consider, if you will, Ben Schott's amusing, enlightening and entertaining little book.



I picked one up for a Secret Santa party, but ended up keeping it for myself. Described as a snapper up of culinary trifles this gem covers a wide variety of food-related subjects that will keep you amused for hours.

Check out an example page here

If you are interested, I was running a little competition to win a copy. Check our my previous post about The Secret Stash of Foie Gras for details of how to enter. The draw will finish at 12.00 midday, December 25th PST.


This book can be purchased through Amazon

For Your Consideration Becks & Posh has been nominated for best restaurant reviews and best new blog in the 2004 Food Blog Awards.

Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany

Cafe Bastille - Belden Alley - Saturday Brunch at 4pm

Shopping in and around San Francisco's Union square can be exhausting, especially during the holidays or the sales. Fred has been a regular in Belden Alley, San Francisco's little slice of Europe with its outside dining tables since he arrived in the US eight years ago, so it is here we head for some brunch. It's already 4pm and we haven't eaten yet. We arrive and find another French friend sitting alone with a sandwich so we join him outside. It's mid December, my mother sends me an SMS to tell me it's snowing in England, but in San Francisco it's bright, sunny and certainly warm enough for terrace dining. Bastille has wall heaters and awnings, anyway, which makes eating outside possible, even when it is cold or rainy.



Croque Monsieur for the gentleman, Croque Madame for the lady. A French toasted sandwich with ham and cheese. For the madame, the addition of a fried egg. The lady appreciates the moment when she pierces the yolk causing the yellow to dribble all over the sandwich. She delights in mopping it up with the melted cheesey bread before it has time to congeal. She's so far deep into her comfort zone, snuggled up with carbs and proteins in an array of sunshine colours, she doesn't even bother to touch the salad. Fred and A just laugh when she asks them if these Croques are as good as the French ones. That means no. But these are ok, they are doing their job, hitting the right spot.
My own, personal favourite Croque Madame of all time is from Amato on Old Compton Street in Soho, London. If you're ever in that area, give it a visit. I was rather partial to their Almond Croissants too. It's probably better for my waistline, that I've moved to the other side of the world.



PS Let it be known, in case I am accused of favouritism, publishing posts about this place on my site, that due to many years as a loyal customer of this establishment Fred can now count its owner as a firm friend. By association I do too. It's not my favourite food in town but its where we get the warmest welcome and the most love. And, sometimes, love is what you need.

Previous Bastille Posts

For Your Consideration Becks & Posh has been nominated for best restaurant reviews and best new blog in the 2004 Food Blog Awards.

Cafe Bastille - Belden Alley - Saturday Brunch at 4pm

Small Shed Flatbreads - Mill Valley - Marin

17 Madrona Street, Mill Valley, CA, 94941

Visit the Small Shed Flatbreads website here

I was really excited when I learned about Small Shed Flatbreads. It sounded tasty and just within the limits of our Marin lunch boundaries. We rushed over and found a seat in the window. From the outside, it looked like a chalet, the interior was rustic and cute and we felt like we were on the verge of a great experience. Then came the slowness. They were so slow. Well meaning, but slow. The one, young, beautiful, sorrowful-looking waitress was working the whole floor. The place was only a third full when we arrived, but as it filled, the slower and slower everything became.



Shhh! fresh littleneck clams sautéed with garlic and shallots in sauvignon blanc, then baked with fresh parsley, marjoram, oregano, mozzarella, parmesan, and more garlic 12.5
Ugh, this really didn't make a good impression on me. The base was a very thin, barely crispy, crust. This meagre dough base was flooded with moist clams displaying the unsubtle flavours of undercooked garlic and onions, mixed with dry white wine. Emphasis on the word mixed, not the word sautéed. What was wrong with me. Why on earth did I choose this mess of a pizza? Cheese was not even discernible, the bread base was a soggy mess underneath its topping and extra (recommended) pancetta was the only tasty thing on the plate. Ewwww. Thumbs down.



Antonioni’s Golden Farms all natural, nitrate free pepperoni, roasted anaheim and pablano peppers, cheeses, tomato sauce and fresh herbs 11
Fred hardly faired any better with his choice. Undercooking seemed to be a problem with his tomaaahto sauce too. It was vivid red, and acidic and tart. Imagine how a non-cooked tin of tomatoes might taste, then you are in the picture. His dough was almost as flabby as mine. Disappointment all round.

For Your Consideration Becks & Posh has been nominated for best restaurant reviews and best new blog in the 2004 Food Blog Awards.

Small Shed Flatbreads - Mill Valley - Marin

The Secret Stash of Foie Gras

For the Christmas Day dinner we are going to be hosting for our multinational orphaned-for-the-holiday friends, we wanted some foie gras for one of our appetizer courses. I tried to go to the Made in France Warehouse Sale to buy some, but not only was there a ridiculous line, but they'd sold out of the kind we wanted. Where could I go instead?



Fred told me he thought he knew a place we might find some. He added, he thought it would be quality stuff, though, so I gave them a call. The gentleman on the phone was very helpful. He told me they had tins of truffled duck foie gras for $85. A vacuum-packed pound of fresh goose foie gras for $300 (oh how we laughed) or glass terrines of goose liver foie gras for $110. This seemed like the best bet. I don't see the point of having truffle in my foie gras. Two ingredients that are sublime in their own right do not need to be dumbed down to half their level of impact by being mixed together.

We arrived at the department store and made our way, on the escalators, to the top of the building, which was partly under construction. The tiny Epicurean section had several people handing out samples of cookies and candies (chocolate covered potato-chips, anyone?)



Most of the food on display was sweet. There was just one little glass display featuring smoked salmon and caviar. We saw a few tins of the truffle flavoured duck foie gras, but couldn't see anything that resembled what had been described to us on the telephone. We waited in the line for the cashier. It was long and slow. The gentlemen working there were old school. Smart, charming and offering a level of service that is rare these days. When we got to the front of the line we met Ben, who I'd spoken to earlier. He remembered our conversation and asked us to follow him. We waited whilst he entered a store room. Quite some time later he came back with the little glass crock of foie gras. It was French, it looked good, it was goose, it was made in Paris. We decided we to take a chance on the jar of Petrossian whole goose foie gras in aspic with port wine. I am not certain about this particular rendition will taste, only time will tell. I hope it is a good one. Well, if it's no good, at least we'll have a nice little terrine jar!




We waited another age whilst Ben disappeared again to pack it for us. It even came with it's own little ice pack. The care with which it was packed was something to see. I wonder how they manage to sell any at all, because there is nothing in the store to alert you the fact that they have a secret stash hidden out of sight!

If you can guess where we bought our Foie Gras I will enter you into a draw to win a copy of Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany Only one guess per person, email: foiegras at breach dot co dot uk. One of my dinner guests will draw one name from all those with the correct answers on Christmas Day and the result will be announced shortly thereafter. People with more than one guess will be disqualified, even if one of their guesses was correct.



An extra clue: This is a US major department store. They do not take Visa or Mastercard. Fred was going to pay, but seeing as muggins here is the only one with an American Express card, I got landed with the bill instead.

The draw will finish at 12.00 midday, December 25th PST.

The Secret Stash of Foie Gras

Naan & Curry - O' Farrell - San Francisco

478 O'Farrell Street (between Jones & Taylor), San Francisco, CA 94102, 415 775 1349

News Just In the rumour, sadly, is that Naan & Curry wil be closing at this location (considered their best) in mid-January, 2005. The good news is - they are opening a new branch a few blocks away. I spotted an "opening soon" sign the other day. More details when I have them.

San Francisco's Tenderloin area is a mecca for cheap, ethnic restaurants. It's just the place to head to when you're not in the mood for any hoity toity chi-chi-ness or if you want a filling plate of chow without spending an arm and a leg.

It's hard to persuade Fred, a creature of habit, the Frenchman with an unadventurous palate, to eat ethnic food. Fortunately for me he loves Indian. He especially likes these hole-in-the-wall type curry houses (there are many of them and several chains), because they remind him of the places he ate at when he was traveling in India. Bright fluorescent lighting, self service, general uncleanliness and unsavoury smells are all part of the attraction and charm. But the main draw is an enormous amount of spicy food you can order and consume at a great price. You might burn a hole in your gullet, but you won't burn a hole in your pay check! Naan & Curry is now a chain, but this site on O'Farrell is the original, as I understand it.



Place your order at the counter where you will be given a table number. Sit down, make yourself comfortable, or else whilst you are waiting, go and get some booze...



BYOB. Buy some Indian beer in the store next door. Smuggle it in a brown paper bag. Serve in polystyrene cups.


Lamb Seekh Kabaab Ground lamb marinated in spices on skewers and cooked in clay oven 3.99 Fred's favourite, his order every time but somehow he always neglects to let me try. I'll forgive him. But next time, Fred, don't deny me a taste of your big, long sausage!


Lamb Chops Tandori Lamb chops cooked in a Clay Oven 8.99 Five succulent, mildly spiced lamb chops. Last time we were at N & C these were superb. This time they were just ok. One of the chops, a different cut from the others tasted about twice as good and fresh as the other four. Still, all of the meat is moist and juicy and not at all dry. It certainly tastes of lamb. Don't order if you don't like your meat strong.

Sada Karayla Bittermelon cooked with ginger, garlic and onions 4.99 Woah - this is quite spicy. It's going to make your nose run. Pause. Look around the restaurant and note the number of people sniffling and doubling up their paper napkins as hankerchiefs. It sure is bitter but the spices mainly disguise that, it's just in the aftertaste that you can detect it. This dish has an unusual crunchiness from the addition of seeds. Melon seeds, perhaps? The owner told us his mum always used to hassle him when he was a kid "Eat your bitter melon up, its good for you!". He told us it's the Indian equivalent of broccoli in that respect, a food you are nagged to eat when you are a child, but which you may actually grow up to like in the end.


Naan. Huge. Twice as big as you'd expect. The crispiest sections are the best bits. The softer, more doughy parts are great for mopping up those spicy sauces. Just $1 each.

Fred, is always impressed that he's reminded of India when visiting one of these 'Hole in the Walls'. He asked me if this was like curry in London? No, I told him, I've never found this kind of place in London. It's quite different. The history and culture of the British Curry House has developed over a long period of time into something with its own identity far removed from what I imagine real India would be like. However it's the British tradition I miss the most, living here, but to exactly describe why is going to fill up a whole other post on another day and probably during another year...

Naan & Curry - O' Farrell - San Francisco

Made in France - Warning - Long Lines

I just went to the Warehouse Sale recommended in my post a couple of days ago.
When I saw the line for the checkout I dumped my little pile of would-be purchases and just walked straight back out. It was a nice day for a drive and the route to Brisbane is gorgeous.
I went once in the summer when the wait in line to pay was approx 1/2 hour.
Today the line looked about 4 times longer than on that occasion. Go figure.
If you do decide to go, take a good novel, some sandwiches and a flask of tea!

They are out of foie gras anyway,
EXCEPT the raw livers and a truffled version of the pate.

Made in France - Warning - Long Lines

E. Guittard Chocolate Launch 5 New Bars

I found out from my San Francisco Slow Food news letter, that E Guittard were launching a new range of chocolate bars at Fog City News a few blocks from my house in San Francisco's downtown. It was said, that if you turned up during the specified hour and bought one each of their 5 new bars of chocolate (total $18), that Guittard would give a $100 donation to Slow Food for every customer who made the required purchase.


Click to enlarge, personally autographed in gold ink

This seemed like an easy way to raise one hundred bucks for a good cause, so some chocolate had to be purchased. Additionally, I had been wondering what to buy as a gift for another, very kind food blogger, Stella, who insisted on sending me some Ready Brek after I'd left a comment about it on one of her posts. I wanted a very San Francisco kind of pressie so what better than a new range of chocolate from a classic Bay Area Chocolatier? As you can see, Gary Guittard even signed one of the chocolate bars as a keep sake. I hope the chocolate finds a happy new home in Philadelphia (or in Stella).


Click to enlarge
E Guittard chocolate. The new range. Pictured here at home in San Francisco but now on its way in the mail to Philly!
Maybe Stella will be able to do a comparative taste test and report on the differences between the five chocolates. On the other hand, I think she should ignore that suggestion and just gobble it down and enjoy...!

Slow Food reported that they raised $1900 from this event.

E. Guittard Chocolate Launch 5 New Bars

Seafood and Pasta Kitchen - Anderson Drive - San Rafael - Marin

783 Anderson Drive, San Rafael, Marin, CA

Fans of the now defunct Pronto Pasta hidden on an ugly little Trading Estate on the South Side of San Rafael close to the 101 may be interested to learn that it has reopened as The Seafood and Pasta Kitchen, under new ownership.

It's not far from our workplace and one of the reasons we always liked to eat there was because it was nearby, convenient and generally good enough for a quick satisfying lunch. On some occasions in the past, Christine and Franco's cooking had been so perfect I'd almost been reduced to tears of joy. Other times it had been so far off the mark I would have vowed never to return again had it not been for the almost orgasmic experiences I knew they were capable of delivering. As soon as it reopened, a couple of weeks ago, we were the very first customers to order lunch. We've returned a few times since then which makes now a good time to share our first impressions of the upgraded menu and the new chef.

Fred had three favourite Pronto Pasta pasta dishes, all of which still remain as part of the menu. They are so similar, that it would be hard to imagine that the recipes for these dishes were not passed on.



Linguine Pesto Homemade pesto and sundried tomatoes on top of linguine pasta 9.50 This dish hasn't changed much from Pronto's version. The serving is generous with a large amount of pesto. The extra flourish of sun dried tomatoes is one of the new owner's additions which adds a little variety and extra texture. Fred declared the dish as good as he remembered it.



Tortellini with Cream Sauce Cheese tortellini in a cheesy cream sauce with tomato concasse, peas and prosciutto 8.95 This has always been one of my favourites. I don't normally order it myself because the combination of wicked, rich, and creamy sauce with the dense pasta would send me to sleep for the whole afternoon. Fred always kindly lets me try one or two from his plate. The new version, again, is similar to the previous one, but even richer still. The addition of tomato concasse does a little, but not much, to bite through all of that dairy.

Spaghetti Pomodoro Fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil and kitchen made marinara sauce 7.25 (no picture). Fred declared this dish to be good, still, but not quite as good as he remembered from before.



Fettuccine al Camarones 4 large prawns with basil, prosciutto in a Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce 10.75 The 4 large prawns actually turned out to be 6 medium sized ones which had a slight yellow tinge instead of the bright white I would have preferred to see. They didn't taste bad or off, however, so I suspect they may have been slightly discoloured by the sauce. Because of the cream, this is another fairly rich dish, but the basil and prosciutto impart some interesting savoury flavours. Forgive me for the social faux pas of adding parmesan to an Italianesque seafood dish, but I was experimenting with umami. I would be in no great hurry to order this again, but it is ok.

Baked Sandwich served with salad and fruit of the day. Sirloin Steak, grilled onions, tomatoes and melted provolone cheese 6.95 (no picture) This is a huge lunch dish. Way to much for little ole me. When it arrived, it looked pretty good, particularly as the meat was juicy and pink and the cheese appeared to have just the right amount of meltiness. A generous and well dressed salad of mixed green leaves with a few halves of miniature tomaaahtoes plus some slices of melon filled any remaining space on the plate. The bread - a floury Italian white, quite thick and dense formed the base of the sandwich. Baked, yes, but not baked enough. A more hearty does of toasting would have improved it no end. Better still, I wish they would use their far more delicious focaccia bread to build the sandwich. I am sure they might if I asked. I opened up my bread slices and proceeded to eat mainly the filling with only a small amount of the bread. The meat was indeed delicious, far better quality than you would expect in a cheapish sandwich, and cooked to perfection. The flavour, no doubt. had something to do with the enormous amount of fat on the meat which I naturally removed and left on the edge of the plate. Cheese and onions were good too. Salad was a little brown in a few places but nicely dressed. As we left the restaurant that day, the chef came running after me. "I am really sorry, next time I will remember to cut off the fat". I assured him it was ok because I was sure it was the fat that gave it such good flavour. He replied, then, that he would cook with the fat, then trim before serving. It was sweet of him to notice from looking at my returned plate, and to offer, personally, to try improve the dish the next time.



Ceviche Chef's choice of seafood of the day mixed with lemon and lime juice, jalapenos, red onions, roma tomatoes and secret spices, topped off with sliced avocado slices 7.25
Gorgeous presentation. Resting on a bed of ice, a pretty scallop shell filled with the ceviche , topped with the perfectly ripe and creamy avocado and sporting four long, jaunty flourishes of crispy tortilla. The suburbs of San Rafael, really aren't ready for this fancy look, especially at lunch time. Despite the waiter telling me the ceviche fish would be halibut and salmon, it actually was just scallops. But the type of seafood used would have made no difference to the disappointment I felt when I tasted it. The treatment of the delicate little molluscs was quite unwieldy. The poor little things had been drowned in an acid bath of sour citrus and untasty winter tomaahtoes. Will I try it again another time? Not on your nelly!

Steamers Clams cooked in white wine, roasted garlic and a touch of cream, served with toasted baguettes 11.75 (no picture) I was very excited about this dish. Clams make for a light, tasty, not-too-carby lunch and I was hoping it would be something I could order often. Too much to hope for? Of course. Ugh! Chewy, overly briny tasting clams, not cooked evenly, not fresh tasting at all. I wanted to send the new Chef back to the drawing board with that one. Nothing wrong with the sauce or the toast, but you've got to get the star ingredients right if you want to keep in business, especially if Seafood is your first name.



Conclusion. From our four lunchtime visits so far I would surmise that the chef is too ambitious with the menu. It offers too much. There are eleven appetizers, nine of which are seafood. There are four different salads, of which the Frisee is next on my list to try (with shallot mustard vinaigrette, prosciutto and poached egg). There are six side-dishes offered, none of which we've tried yet, all priced at 2.95 each. There are 8 entrees, two meat, the rest fish, plus eleven pastas, not to mention the separate lunchtime sandwich menu. It's like the old pronto menu with a whole extra menu of seafood thrown on top. When Franco used to do seafood, it was often a special that he'd found at the market just that day. With the new menu, and the small, but growing, number of clientele, there is no way that all the ingredients on offer can be fresh, and it shows in the results.

Rumour. I heard that Pronto Pasta's Cristina and Franco never did get off to Chile to open their tomato farm in the end, due to some visa issues. The rumour is that they are still in the area, looking for somewhere to start a new venture. If anyone finds a little, unpretentious restaurant popping up, with them at the helm, please let me know...

Seafood and Pasta Kitchen - Anderson Drive - San Rafael - Marin

Rain - The Palms - Las Vegas

Visit Rain's website here. Watch out - it's annoyingly noisy! (And that's just the website).

Rain is a huge Club situated in the bottom of The Palms hotel with an outdoor terrace overlooking the hotel's swimming pools. Judging by the length of the line to get in (I would say about half a mile with a perfectly straight face), it's a pretty popular place with the youngsters. No, of course Fred and I didn't join the kiddies in the several hour wait. How could it possibly be worth it? We marched straight up to the front of the queue, flashed our room keys at the important looking guy with the clipboard and he let us right on in. We did have to pay though. Twenty. (We kicked ourselves for not buying a discount ticket for just $10 from our cabbie on the way back from the restaurant).



As we entered the huge cavernous space, it was only just beginning to fill up. In the centre is a raised dance floor surrounded by a moat. Classy, eh? Like a castle. Above the dance floor, a huge metal meccano-like structure that spins around and delivers little surprises, like coloured lights, fake snow, ultra violet and... wait for it... real flames! Hot stuff.



This club was fairly dull from our standpoint (up on a balcony, trying to amuse ourselves by people-watching). There weren't even that many fashion faux pas and not nearly enough flesh on display to make it interesting. Oh, there was a girl wearing some sun glasses. She looked pretty daft. For a fun five minutes the DJ humoured Fred and myself with a medley of funkified 80's music, but after that it was back to the thudding dreary contemporary stuff. We're both fans of electronic, lounge and chill, but hard core club stuff is less our style. We'd had our fix, and after not too long, left the youngsters to enjoy themselves without us. It was time to move on...

PS If you're thinking of giving Rain a visit, despite our attempt to save you some time and money, please be aware there are no seats in this club. Well, not exactly true, but seating arrangements need to be reserved in advance and I am certain they are going to cost you quite a lot of your hard earned lolly.

Rain - The Palms - Las Vegas

MADE IN FRANCE / VILLAGE IMPORTS - Brisbane - Nr San Francisco

211 South Hill Drive
Brisbane, CA 94005-1255

Read this warning about the checkout lines.

The next Open Warehouse Event for Made in France and Village Imports is this coming weekend.
Friday December 17, 2004 3:00pm - 7:00pm
Saturday December 18, 2004 8:30am - 3:30pm



As importers of specialty foods, beverages, wines and soap & bath products, they are essentially a wholesale distributor. But a few times a year, Made in France and Village Imports open up their warehouse to the public.

What can you expect to buy there?

Our favourites are Petit Suisse , fine ground almonds, lavender and olive oil soap, Badoit water, Merguez sausages, duck fat, Puget Olive Oil, and Cote d'Or Chocolat. Some things will be cheaper than in regular shops, and some things won't. It's good to be aware of what you're willing to pay and have a good idea of what you're going to purchase beforehand. Impulse buys and rash decisions might end up costing you dear.



You'll also find different chocolate couvertures and pastry making supplies, nuts pastes, you name it, they have it. These things are mostly in bulk sizes. Last time I went I took a tip from Pim and bought some Caraibe 66% Valhrona in handy-sized pieces which I thought would be good to use for my November Charity Bake Sales. Pim neglected to mention it costs over $70 for the bag. However, compared to how much it costs to buy a small 1/2 lb block of chocolate normally, it turned out to be good value, and it keeps well if you store it in a cool dark place, not to mention the ease with which you can measure it out!

Note: You might like to take a cool bag into the sale with you to keep frozen objects cool. Sometimes the queue to pay can be very long. The last sale I went to was a breeze, but the one before that was a nightmare, so do be prepared to wait.

For more tips on good purchases you can make, check out this recent thread on Chowhound.

For directions to the sale and to sign up for the Made in France newsletter, click here

MADE IN FRANCE / VILLAGE IMPORTS - Brisbane - Nr San Francisco

Firefly - 24th Street - Noe Valley - San Francisco

Visit the charming Firefly website here
4288 24th Street - Noe Valley - San Francisco - CA 415-821-7652

Re-visited early December 2004, with two girlfriends

Almost exactly a year ago and with the same two girlfriends, I visited Firefly, which I had heard so many good things about. On that occasion, I wasn't impressed. This is what I wrote about that experience at the time: My tuna tartare was bland, flavourless and lacked any kind of punch from the 5 spices that were allegedly part of its preparation process. The choices of main courses were unappealing and didn't taste any better than they sounded. Dessert lacked any finesse, the waitress didn't smile once and the wooden tables are completely styleless. This restaurant wasn't bad but no where worthy of its accolades.

Because of my less than stellar memory of the place, I wasn't convinced when MB suggested we give Firefly another try. But I pondered for a while, thought again of all the good things I'd heard about it, and decided to give it a second chance. The ugly, quite uncomfortable, wooden tables and chairs are still there, but this time our waitress was super smiley, friendly and gracious. Before we'd even made our choices from the menu, it already felt better than the previous visit.

Hannukah Potato Latkes with Sierra Beauty Applesauce and Sour Cream 6.75 was my appetizer choice. This was a nice thin pancake with a crispy (almost, but not quite, to the point of burnt) surface and a soft inside. The applesauce was mildly spiced, offering a hint of excitement to the otherwise plain flavours. I have no Jewish background whatsoever so I asked my friend, P, who has, to try it for an authentic opinion. She declared it to be spot on, just like her mother used to make. This was a comforting start to the meal, proving that a dish doesn't have to be fancy or exotic in order satisfy.

P's Yummy Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Reggiano Parmesan and White Truffle Oil 7.75 totally blew me away. It is a fact known worldwide that I detest brussel sprouts as strongly as their strong flavour. I knew that P would implore I try one and because, well, they looked and smelt really good, I did. Their menu description - yummy - was not inaccurate. These sprouts were great (truffle oil can do wonders for unappealing food, obviously). But I now have to concur with P, that when Brussels are lightly cooked in oil instead of being boiled to death and presented with no other garnish or thought (which is how we both grew up with them in England), sprouts actually don't taste so bad after all. My mum is hardly going to believe I elected to eat a sprout of my own free will.

MB's Roast Butternut Squash and Quince Soup with Crème Fraiche 5.75 was warming and comforting. I did try it but it didn't grab my attention like that provocative little plate of sprouts did.

MB's Holiday Braised Beef Brisket in Pot Roasty Gravy with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli 16.75 was equally as comforting as her soup. This wouldn't have been a dish I would have chosen from the description, but I loved what I tasted of it. Succulent, juicy slices of melt-in-your-mouth beef were given a saucy touch by the gravy with the freshly grated horseradish in the potatoes adding a welcome little oomph. MB, a Texan gal who knows her cows said she was surprised the meat was Niman's ranch because it tasted grain fed rather than grass. I haven't been on a Beef-tasting course just yet so I am not sure of the difference. *(See note about the beef in the comments section)* Either way it tasted pretty good. MB left her untouched broccoli on the edge of her plate. Naughty girl - don't you know you're supposed to eat your greens? I don't know why I am giving her grief, I would have made exactly the same move. That broccoli certainly looked boring.

P's Porcini Crusted Blue Nose Seabass with Braised Farro,
Dino Kale, Cippolini Onions and Sorrel Cream 18.50 was another comfort choice. The aroma of the funghi and a rich creamy sauce melded together with the wholesome little farro grains resulting a slightly heavy, but infuriatingly delicious plateful of food. (Infuriating, only, because I couldn't decide whether I preferred P's delicious fish or my own!)

I plumped for the dish of Grilled Mahimahi with Griddled Fennel Risotto Cake, Rock Shrimp Bouillabaisse and Roasted Chile Pesto 18.75. Pulling me out of the comfort zone my companions were basking in, this entree was fresh, sharp and bright. Tender white fish was perched on the little island of risotto floating in the sea of thin bouillabaisse, surrounded by a shoal of little shrimp. It was difficult to detect the flavour of fennel in the risotto but I loved the character griddling imparted, a crispy outside and the soft pillowy centre. The roasted chile pesto was not hot as I had expected it would be but it had a clear mildly sour flavour that heightened the freshness of the fish. This was a light, healthy main, not a deliriously decadent one. No worries there, I had been provided with the perfect excuse for ordering dessert.

My choice of sweet was stellar. A beautiful, perfectly-formed little Warm Apple Charlotte with Caramel Sauce and Crème Fraiche 7.00 was a delicate, delicious and perfect end to dinner.

P's Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake With Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce 7.50 didn't fair so well with her. She declared it to be dull and dry. After no more than two spoonfuls she announced that it was unsatisfactory and laid down her spoon to rest. Sitting happily with my tangy little apple treat, I didn't feel even the slightest temptation to try her reject.

Because it was part of the Prix Fixe I decided (in an unusual move for me) to end my dinner with a decaf Caffe Latte 3.50. I shouldn't have bothered. It tasted peculiarly watery and unappetizing.

My faith has been restored in Firefly. It's one of those places like The Slow Club and The Public where the food turns out to be much better than its description on the menu would have me believe. I don't think I am going to be able to persuade Fred to visit anytime soon, though. This vegetable heavy, eclectic, and without fries kind of menu really isn't his cup of tea. No worries, I'm going to keep it as an oasis for those special nights out with the girls!

Prix Fix Menu Sun.- Thurs.;
Any Appetizer, Entrée and Dessert Plus House Coffee or Hot Tea
$29 Per Person
(Remember To Tell Your Server When Ordering)

Firefly - 24th Street - Noe Valley - San Francisco

The First Annual Food Blog Awards

Kate at The Accidental Hedonist started a frenzy of excitement in the food blogging world earlier in the week when she announced she would be hosting Awards to celebrate and honour the best of the best in the food blogging world.

Many of the categories require that there have been 7 consecutive months worth of posts. As Becks & Posh is 7 months old today, it is now eligible for many of the categories that require some longevity of posting, in addition to the hotly contended Best New Blog category.

I was really amazed to have been nominated four times already for the Restaurant Reviews section by readers who I don't even know. That's you out there. Thank you so much. This confirmation of the fact that my efforts aren't going unappreciated made me feel most honoured.

Only the top 3-5 nominees in each category will be chosen to go ahead and participate in the voting process, so I am not sure if Becks & Posh will actually get as far as the finals. But as I started my blog with a restaurant post I though this might be a fitting moment to share, again, my two earliest posts, both of which were restaurant critiques.

The very first post, was a review of Sushi Groove South in San Francisco which involved a bottomless flask of hot sake.

The second post was a review of a small Sandwich Shop called Foodles , right next to my place of work in Marin. This post always seems to amuse people I work with, who happen to stumble across it online. They stop me in the corridors, sometimes, to make a point of letting me know how much I amused them with that, apparently fitting, description.

Becks & Posh has maybe become a little more sophisticated since those early days, so its humbling to recall the moment of Becks & Posh's conception, when I'd never ever read a food blog, or any blog for that matter and my target audience was just 7 people (five of my colleagues, my mum and Fred). How fast times change...


Please make sure all of the Food Blogs you read and love are being proposed as nominees by heading over to the Nominations site now to make your opinion heard about which sites deserve to go to the finals at the end of year.

The First Annual Food Blog Awards

Cardamom Rose Turkish Delight

Sugar High Friday #3 is hosted by Food and Thoughts. This time, the theme is SPICES. The spice you use, should be one of the following three: nutmeg - cardamom - allspice.


As it is holiday season, I had to take a glittery rock star photograph. Click to enlarge, it looks even better BIG!

When I was a kid, I loved to make Turkish Delight as a Christmas present for my dad (hi dad!). I'm sure it was easy to make and it always tasted good. But maybe I am seeing my memories through rose coloured spectacles. It doesn't seem as easy, now I am all grown up.

Disaster #1 June 2004. I tried to make Turkish Delight for my Red Hot and Pink Birthday Party. I was making a gelatinous version. I turned my back for a second and the pan boiled over leaving the stove top in a sticky, gooey mess that was a real bugger to clean, believe me. The result (from what remained in the pan) actually tasted pretty good, but the pieces were a little thin. Some of it it ended up as a kind of jelly roll which I gave to my pregnant friend, K to take home for her moments of sweet craving. I am sure it went some way to helping her produce the 9+lb baby she (with the help of hubby, G,) gave birth to last week. Welcome to the world, Jake!


Disaster #2 I tried to make some Turkish Delight for one of our Charity Bake Sales just last month. I figured I would make the vegetarian corn flour version, just to be on the safe side. Only problem was, I completely forgot one whole step in the recipe and the wretched thing never set. Into the bin, 3lbs of pink, gloopy powdered sugar. Uh oh!

Non-disaster #3 Third time lucky. Of course, I had to get it right this time. There was no room for failure. This would be the Turkish Delight I would be sharing with the world.

This time I plumped for half and half. A recipe that incorporated both Gelatin and Corn Flour. At random I chose an internet recipe from Epicurious
My creative juices told me that a mixture of cardamom and rose water would make a deliciously sweet and tasty combination for this particular candy. I was right. I omitted the pistachios from the recipe and added half a teaspoon of cardamom with the rosewater instead.

Look! you can even see the flecks of cardamom in the close up...

Click to enlarge and see even bigger cardamom specks!


My computer access has temporarily been reduced this past week due to Fred's current obsession with Half Life 2 . So whilst he was absorbed in the game, killing zombies and such like, I was in the kitchen making my candies. Once I'd added the flavours, his attention was roused. He called down to me What are you doing Sam? Eeet smells awwwfuelle. Eet smells like someone eez trying to clean ze toilette. Despite the fact that I find these Turkish Delights quite delicious, I guess the delicate, perfumed flavour and floral scent of rosewater, combined with the strong aroma of cardamom, is not to everyone's personal taste...


* Note * This Epicurious recipe fails somewhere along the line. You need to add a lot more than 1/8 cup of water to the cornflour as one of the recipe raters noted. I am not overly happy with this recipe, next time I am going to try a different one.

Cardamom Rose Turkish Delight

News from St George Spirits (Hangar One Vodka Makers)

It was just these few words "Hangar One (the raspberry is dynamite)", read in a Chowhound Post back in October that alerted me to the existence of Hangar One. I went and found me a bottle. I fell in love. This is one of the most delicious, fragrant, fruitful, liquors I have ever tasted. It tastes real, like fruit, it doesn't taste fake, like fruit-flavoured candy. I keep a bottle in my freezer and sometimes, for a treat, allow myself a little glass with a nibble of Cote d'Or Plain chocolate with hazelnuts.


Click to enlarge

As soon as I discovered this elixir I checked out their website and joined up for their mailing list. I was particularly excited because there was a note saying they hoped to open their Hangar to the Public sometime in the future. Luckily, for me, they are based just over the Bay Bridge from San Francisco in Naval Base, Alameda. The future is soon, Here is an email I received from them yesterday:

tasting room announcement!

To all of you who have been patiently waiting, we are opening our doors
for a sneak preview of our fantastic new space from December 20th through
December 23rd from Noon to Five PM. We will have all Aqua Perfecta
products available for sale. However, our retail shop, which will have the
vodkas and whiskey available for sale, as well as many things we haven’t
even thought up yet, will not be open for another month or so.

The view is spectacular, the hangar is huge. The three stills (we have a
new one!) are polished and glowing. Come and get a look.

We can be found at 2601 Monarch St. at Alameda Point (the old Naval Air
Station.)

Directions to the Hangar can be found here

Hangar One website here
St George Spirits website here

News from St George Spirits (Hangar One Vodka Makers)

Lotus of Siam - Las Vegas -The Best Thai in America?

Lotus of Siam Commercial Center, 953 E. Sahara Ave (Maryland Pkwy) Las Vegas, NV 89104 702-735-3033

Visited November 2004

Lotus of Siam is the restaurant Jonathan Gold of Gourmet magazine called the best Thai restaurant in North America. I hope it's not. What's all the fuss about? From our experience it just wasn't that great. I haven't eaten a massive amount of Thai food Stateside, but I've regularly tasted as good or even better in London. Maybe this stuff is more authentic and I am ignorant? Maybe we ordered the wrong things? I don't know, but after rave reviews I'd heard on Chowhound's Southwest Boards. I was expecting it to blow me away. I could take it or leave the Lotus of Siam. I'd Probably leave it next time.


nam kao tod The crispy rice salad with sour sausage. The pleasant sausage looks and tastes something like a pickled ham. The dish was offered on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of spiciness. We chose 4. I've got to wonder about the people who choose 10. Do they live to tell the tale? Crispy rice was a little on the chewy side. Maybe it wasn't at its freshest.

A rare beef salad with Thai aubergine. I've only had this kind of eggplant cooked before. Raw it's just a bit crunchy, healthy and boring. It over dominated the dish. The meat was tender, but just a little too much on the fatty side to enjoy as a cold dish.

A fairly plain pork dish, chosen by the unadventurous Fred. Slightly overcooked meat. It didn't convert him to Thai food.

A Duck and pineapple curry. Fairly sweet, tasty, grapes almost the size of kumquats. Pleasant. Certainly not life changing.

Rice include with each main dish.


This restaurant is cheap. Dinner for two including wine and tip was only just over $50. You might need to figure a taxi ride into the calculation. For us, a journey to and from The Palms was about $15 each way.

Lotus of Siam - Las Vegas -The Best Thai in America?

Seafood and Pasta Kitchen - San Rafael - Marin

The much beloved Pronto Pasta in an unsightly industrial lot on the outskirts of San Rafael closed a couple of months ago when the owner, Franco, and his family moved to South America. As it was a favourite, weekly lunch stop and close to our work, we were missing it badly. We were encouraged, however, by the information that it would be reopened by a young chef, who wanted to keep at least some of, Franco's menu intact.

Today was the day when we finally noticed that the Seafood and Pasta Kitchen was open. By a whisker, Second customers through the door, and first to order. Yes, Fred and I had the first ever meal at the new restaurant. We'll try it a couple more times and then report back on the menu. Watch this space.

Seafood and Pasta Kitchen - San Rafael - Marin

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill - Caesar's Palace - Las Vegas

Newsflash: Vegas April 2006 Booby Flay's Mesa Grill update We have changed our opinion after our second visit to Flay's Las Vegas outpost. Read about the
sorry demise of the world's best burger here.

Visited November 2004
We were wandering through Caesar's Palace some time just after noon when Fred declared himself to be hungry. "Well, lets have some lunch then", I suggested. We turned a corner to see what appeared to be some kind of fairly cool looking restaurant to our left. We struggled to see a name and eventually made out the word Mesa almost hidden in large square panels near the entrance. There was no menu to be seen outside so we just took a chance, marched in and asked for a table. No problem. We were seated in under 5 minutes.

As I opened the menu, it dawned on me, "Ah this is the restaurant of that guy who does Boy Meets Grill, I exclaimed. Fred of course didn't have a clue what I was talking about. Neither did I, hardly. I'd seen the show only once, over 6 months ago. I am not a big watcher of TV. I seemed to remember I quite liked it and that he gave a few good BBQ tips.


The room is lofty and fairly stylish with a palette of woods and colours that matched Fred's shirt perfectly.

The Menu is what I guess might be described as Southwestern. The lunch menu seemed reasonably priced and I already felt confident it would be better and cheaper than our disappointing meal the night before at Circo .



We ordered a glass, each, of 2002 Sea Smoke Botella Pinot Noir . It was delicious, and so beautifully presented. Each serving in it's own little carafe made by Spiegelau.


The Blue Corn Pancake, barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile Sauce $9 was a small but perfectly formed appetizer. Plump, juicy shreds of duck in a slightly sweet sauce with a spicy kick. The only problem with this dish? It was too small... so delicious - I could have eaten two!


Cotija Crusted Quesadilla with Wild Mushrooms, Cascabel Chiles + White Bean White Truffle Hummus $11 This was a disappointment. The cheese and mushrooms were so mild, they couldn't compete with the spiciness of the hummus and chile pepper coating on the quesadilla, which itself was a little bland, dense and dry. The truffle oil was superfluous to the presentation. This quesadilla did nothing for me. I left about half of it and spent the rest of the time trying to concoct ways to get Fred to part with morsels of his amazing burger.


Mesa Burger, with Double Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Viladia Onion and Horseradish Mustard on a House Roll served with Southwestern fries $11 This was honestly one of the best burgers I have ever had. Fred rated it in a separate category above and beyond all other burgers. The meat was cooked medium rare as ordered, and was tasty and delicious. The toppings really worked well together and the horseradish mustard, which was served separately was just the ticket.. Really spicy and tasty. Perfection. We didn't care for the spicy Southwestern fries however. We would have preferred plain fries as a milder backdrop to the other tasty ingredients in the dish. Fred kindly took pity on me and my half-eaten quesadilla and let me have several bites of his own lunch.


Warm Chocolate and Dulce De Leche Cake with toasted pecan icecream $12
Dessert was another disappointment. Everything was too sweet. The cake was mushy and soggy throughout. A crisp outer surface would have improved it no end. I did like its cardamom flavour, however. A little macaroon embellishment was just too sweet to be of any use to the dish. Icecream was ok, Dulce de Leche was hardly discernible. The only really good part of the dish was a little bed of toasted nut praline underneath the ice cream.

Conclusion: Service was very well-meaning, even though it was a little fussy at some points and a little lost at others. The atmosphere is very friendly and despite the classiness, not too serious. This is a place you can go and have a good time. I am certain if I found myself in Vegas again, I would be drawn to Mesa's Grill, if only to experience another one of those heavenly burgers. Even though I chose 2 less than stellar dishes, I wouldn't hesitate to return to Mesa and give this potentially promising new restaurant another try.


See the full Mesa Menu here .
(This menu shows dinner prices, the lunch prices are markedly cheaper)

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill - Caesar's Palace - Las Vegas