Photograph of my own healthier take on the flatbread, recipe after the review:
Coco500 | 500 Brannan Street | San Francisco | CA | 94107 | 415 543 2222
Last Monday, just before I had even thought about trying to lose a little weight, Fred and myself met our friend Penny at Coco500 in San Francisco's SoMa district for dinner. The little corner spot that used to be Bizou has been reincarnated by Chef Loretta Keller and so far the whispers around town are that Coco500 is a spot worth checking out.
We had a mostly fabulous time. The room is modern, warm and welcoming without being too flashy. Sleek lines and a subtle toffee-brown and sky-blue colour scheme accented by beautiful a golden-hued pattern of lights above the bar makes for a comfortable location in which to sip on one of the serious cocktails and peruse the playful menu.
Penny and I ordered to share whilst Fred stuck closely to his own agenda. I can only imagine that Small Starts refers more to the prices than the portion sizes. Where else could you find five, exquisitely presented tacos topped with succulent beef-cheek mole and a smidgen of avocado puree for just $4? The bite-sized morsels make great finger food but they don't last long. Duck liver terrine, a large, slab of country-style pate served with generous accompaniments of toasted bread, mustards and pickles soon finds its way into any space not filled by the tacos. I can't quite believe it is only $6. Slightly pricier, the $8 coriander-seared ahi tuna didn't live up to expectation. Although the whole coriander seeds, sticking to the edges of the glistening red fish like artsy brown bubbles, looked imaginative, the taste sensation was far more pedestrian.
From the wood oven, a truffled flatbread with caramelized cauliflower, parmesan and sea salt was the suprise hit of the evening. The marriage of truffle with al dente cauliflower and strong cheese was more delicious, more moreish, than a previously cauliflower-impaired couple of Brits like myself and Penny could ever imagine. Wow! Inspiring stuff indeed.
The wood oven didn't work its magic as well for Fred's mushroom and fontina pizza with prosciutto and olives. Not only was the crust too crunchy and hard, the prosciutto was cooked with the dough, so when paired with the olives, the resulting pie was overly salty. He was none to impressed.
Duck confit, mango, hazlenuts and frisee, on the other hand, was nicely done. The duck was fatty and moist and the skin crunched to perfection. Mango made a surprisingly good combination, especially with the addition of the hazlenuts. Two little triangles of puff pastry seemed superflous to the plate and we couldn't work out why the Chef had thought to put them there.
We looked to California Dirt for some side dishes. Chanterelle mushrooms with bacon and thyme, as you can probably imagine, were decadence on a plate. In contrast, pea tendrils with a confit of garlic and ginger were barely cooked for a healthier and somewhat less indulgent experience.
For a sweet kiss to end the meal I enjoyed, in true retro fashion, the classic Vacherine, swiss meringue, crème anglaise, bittersweet chocolate sauce, ice cream and candied almonds. Because the kitchen kindly switched the coffee ice for a vanilla one for me, the dessert resembled a large, poufy white wedding gown that had been dribbled with shining, dark ribbons of chocolate surrounded by a sea of haphazardly dispersed almond confetti. There was nothing complicated about this wondrous, combination, apart from trying to explain the reason why something so simple could be so satisfying.
The only talk, as we departed and went on our separate ways, was of how soon we could find time to return to Coco500 again.
Truffled Cauliflower Cheese Flatbread
This is a healthier, eat at home, version of Coco500's flatbread using less oil and cheese. It's not as sinfully delcious as the restaurant version, but it makes a satisfying alternative nevertheless.
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp truffle oil
1/4 oz Parmesan cheese
1/4 head cauliflower
Method:
-Preheat pizza stone in oven to 450F
-Mix 3 tbsp flour with 2 tbsp water in a small bowl
-Using the remaining 1 tbsp of flower to dust the board, your hands and a rolling pin, roll out the dough to make a flat, circular pizza shape. It should be very thin.
-Heat up a frying pan and 'dry-fry' the flatbread for just a minute on each side. Put to one side.
-Break down the cauliflower into tiny florettes, discarding the thick stalks.
-Heat the 1 tsp of olive oil on high. Add the cauliflower and a good sprinkling of salt and continue stirring, keeping the heat high, for several minutes until, the florets are golden brown and al dente. Leave to one side.
-Grate 1/4 oz of hard parmigiano regiano (or other strong, hard cheese)
-Stir 1/2 tsp of truffle oil in with the cauliflower and then top the flat bread with it.
-Cover with the finely grated cheese and transfer onto the pizza stone in the pre-heated oven.
-Leave 2-3 minutes until the flat bread starts to turn golden brown.
-Remove from the oven,season to your taste with salt and pepper.
-Devour!
Serves 1: 5 Weightwatcher points.
Experiment with all sorts of different toppings on your flatbread.
PS. My heartfelt thanks to all the readers who voted for me as the winner in the 2005 Food Blog Awards for Best Restaurant Reviews. I find reviewing restaurants to be the most difficult part of what I blog. I struggle with it, I experiment with different styles and I sometimes lack confidence in my ability to be a reviewer. So, your support is sincerely and gratefully appreciated. I am humbled. Thank you.
Links, Resources and Further Reading
Bay Area Resources:
Cauliflower from | Iacopi
Cheese from | Cowgirl Creamery
The official website | Coco500
Coco500 | Blogged by the Restaurant Whore
Blogged by Fatemeh | Coco500
Coco500 | by Ms Food Musings
Other Resources:
Recipes | For Flatbreads
Pictures | of Cauliflower Cheese
Equally Deserving of Accolades:
2005 Food Blog Award Restaurant Reviews Finalist | Grab Your Fork
2005 Food Blog Award Restaurant Reviews Finalist | The Delicious Life
2005 Food Blog Award Restaurant Reviews Finalist | NYC Nosh
2005 Food Blog Award Restaurant Reviews Finalist | The Tasting Menu
My Favourite Examples of my 2005 Restaurant Reviews:
June 2005 | Cafe Gratitude
December 2005 | Campton Place
Daily weight loss, weightwatchers and diet notes:
Yesterday was a good day. I wasn't fixating on any food. During the day I was super healthy - fruit, salad and vegan soup. In the evening pig went back on the menu when I discovered that lean pork tenderloin is only one point per ounce. I adapted a favourite recipe to use less oil and it was delicious. I even had an ounce of gruyere cheese as a treat (3 points an ounce!!!) and still didn't eat all my points for the day. I certainly don't recommend starvation, and I know I should really eat all of my points on a daily basis, but yesterday, for some reason, I just didn't feel hungry.
| Archive Alert! On this date in 2005: Union Square District; Scala's Bistrot |
Food | Restaurant Reviews | Eat Local | Farmers Market | San Francisco | Cheese | Weight Watchers | Diet | Recipe | Cooking
Sam - congratulations on winning the award for best restaurant reviews! It is certainly a well-deserved honor.
ReplyDeletethis sounds so delicious! thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteGee: Congratulations....
ReplyDeleteAnd ah! i got my first link for this week's culinlinkus..
I mean this delicious dish...
ReplyDeleteYUM!
ReplyDeleteThat is an awesome sounding meal, and I am going to have to try the flatbread! Hmmm perhaps thisis the excuse I needed to buy truffle oil ;)
You certainly deserve the honor, sam.
ReplyDeleteI'm not particularly interested in restaurant reviews, especially as I live in barcelona, SPAIN and might not be able to test the Bay area restaurants you recommand just this week end :), but I regularly read your blog... allez comprendre ! :))
stéphanie
Not to be a pain, but you really should eat all your points including activity points. Otherwise, your metabolism sloooows down and you're apt not to lose weight, which would be dreadful after all that sacrifice, n'est-ce pas?
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the award-- you really do deserve it!
Nosher of NYCnosh
Congratulations on your award.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like there is such an amazing food scene in San Fran. Next time I go to LA I will have to check it out, maybe you can give me some good restaurant recommendations.
Congratulations on your award!
ReplyDeleteAnd your recipe for Truffled Cauliflower Cheese Flatbread
sounds like something I could actually make in my kitchen. Yum!
That breastmilk is for the cows' babies NOT you! Drink your own mother's milk if you aren't weaned yet. Dairy is a mockery of motherhood!
ReplyDeleteNotMilk.com
MilkSucks.com
Congratulations on your win Sam. (And thank you for your lovely message)
ReplyDeleteDear Mr or Ms Not Milk
ReplyDeleteI am an ex-Vegan so, hard as it is to believe, I actually know how you feel.
I am in favour of sustainable local agriculture and organic farming and free range products from small local farms.
I am not interested in purchasing my milk from the factory farms your website is campaigning against. I suggest your expend your energy on the real baddies of the farm business before picking on food bloggers like me who indeed are trying to suport fair, local, sustainable agriculture.
PS - I think it is cowardly to post flames anonymously. How an earth can we expect a coward such as yourself to have any success at saving the world from all that is evil and greedy? Speak up by all means, everyone has a right to voice their opinions, but if we don't know who you are, we can't hope to be very serious about the ensuing conversation.
Oh, and bw, there isn't any milk in the flatbread. You could easily leave off the cheese and it would be a tasty vegan pie.
Dear Sam, you milky tool of the masses you....
ReplyDeleteOh, ignore the flamer. I had one for awhile too, and it was disconcerting.
Instead, focus on your joyful news. Congratulations! And I hope you're glowing with giddiness about this.
Congratulations on the award Sam. Your reviews are always fun to read.
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your reviews more than more professional reviewers. It always reminds me of how much I miss living in the Bay Area. Your award was definitely well-deserved! Keep up the amazing writing!
NS - thank you
ReplyDeleteyoony - if you try it i hope you like it. If you aren't watching your weight, souse with extra cheese and truffle oil!
Anthony - whatever. Spamming again?
Clare - the flatbreads are really flat and thin. they are quite crispy. I think they would be good with all sorts of toppings.
Jennifer - thank you - I hope to review some good ones. (Once the diet is over!)
stéphanie - well that is a lovely thing for you to say. How sweet of you. Thank you.
Catherine - I know you are right - i mentioned it on the blog because i knew it was wrong, i just wasn't feeling good about it. I made some 1 point cookies last night that I'll be able to indulge in next time i am left with a similar problem.
Nosher - thank you - i will be checking out your blog more carefully when i go to new york!
Gastrochick - would be happy to oblige with the recs. SF should definitely be a stop for you next time you are in CA
Jenny - it is really easy - it only takes a few minutes
Barbara - thank you, I am rooting for you
Shauna - thank you - I am not exactly glowing with giddiness. You know, I am a self deprecating Brit so what do you expect ;) Of course I am honoured to win one of the awards, particularly as I went out of my way not to pimp myself up on my blog or by emailing all my friends. The fact I could win a prize without doing that means the most to me. I wanted to know if I could achieve that, and I did, so I am honoured. Fred couldn't even vote for me at work, btw, because all 1000+ of us share the same ip address. He wanted to drive around town withthe laptop open looking for free wifi hotspots from which to vote, but I told him not to be so daft!
Kalyn - thank you - it was lovely to speak to you the other day!
Gerald - your comments are very much appreciated, thank you.
Thank you veryone for giving me reasons to carry on.
"I am in favour of sustainable local agriculture and organic farming and free range products from small local farms."
ReplyDelete**Aren't the babies still take from their mothers and denied their mother's milk?
"I suggest your expend your energy on the real baddies of the farm business before picking on food bloggers like me who indeed are trying to suport fair, local, sustainable agriculture."
**Fair means leaving animals to their own lives. There is no fair cow rape, no fair baby-mother seperation, no fair exploitation. It doesn't exist. If you can get a human who will let you drink her breast milk, THAT'S fair, because at least she's agreeing to it.
"PS - I think it is cowardly to post flames anonymously."
**It's cowardly to not want to sign in? If I can't stand remembering huge amounts of passwords, and am able to post anonymously, why shouldn't I? I'm not scared. In fact you can contact me if you like:
bluebutterfly182@hotmail.com
feel free to add me if you have msn
"How an earth can we expect a coward such as yourself to have any success at saving the world from all that is evil and greedy? Speak up by all means, everyone has a right to voice their opinions, but if we don't know who you are, we can't hope to be very serious about the ensuing conversation."
**As I said: add me. My name is Melissa. Don't jump to conclusions. Not wanting a million accounts everywhere is not cowardly. I love computers, I use ALOT of message boards, blog sites, and other things I have to sign in to. Sorry if I like to take advantage of anonymous posting.
"Oh, and bw, there isn't any milk in the flatbread. You could easily leave off the cheese and it would be a tasty vegan pie."
**Or substitute it with vegan cheese. I'm sorry if I've offended you, I just don't see the need to exploit an innocent being for something not even healthy when there are many healthier humane subsititutes all over the place. I just don't see a valid or moral excuse.
Dear melissa.
ReplyDeleteWHat do you think is going to happen to all the cows in the world if everyone stopped using them for milk? A cow left to its own life - now just what is that going to be? All the cows go party in Ibiza or what? Exactly how do you let a cow live its own life and where will it live? In your back garden? On your balcony?
Your views are very extreme, have you thought out how globally implementing what you suggest would affect the world economy? If you have a viable solution, I would be interested to hear.
Do you value animal life above human life? Do you consider humans animals or not?
If you are tech savvy you should know you don't need to have a login on blogger to leave a non-anonymous comment. Just check other (instead of anonymous) and insert your name with a link to your site if you so wish.
Personally I wouldn't recommend vegan cheese. I am into real, natural food. Not fakes.
"WHat do you think is going to happen to all the cows in the world if everyone stopped using them for milk?"
ReplyDelete**Supply and demand. They won't exist. They won't be bred for nothing. The rest that are already here can go to the many farm animal sanctuarys that rescue animals from farms and factory farms. (see farmsanctuary.org)
"A cow left to its own life - now just what is that going to be?"
**Just fine. Is your life not worth anything if it doesn't serve me a purpose? No. You serve your own purpose and that's all that matters.
"Exactly how do you let a cow live its own life and where will it live? In your back garden? On your balcony?"
**In a sanctuary. Which is a huge land where all the animals can roam free of exploitation. They can die when God says it's time, not when we decide it's time.
"Your views are very extreme, have you thought out how globally implementing what you suggest would affect the world economy?"
**Sigh. I hear that alot. Black liberationists and women liberationists got the same thing for suggesting they be free to their own lives. Now I know how they felt..
By the way the slavery of blacks was important to the economy at one time. But economy, culture, or pleasure aren't excuse to harm others or hold them as slaves.**
"Do you value animal life above human life? Do you consider humans animals or not?"
**No I don't. Humans are animals, so it doesn't make any sense. However I compare animals to children more than I do human adults. Animals and children (at very young age) are innocent beings. Adults humans sin. To me, killing an animal and eating his/her remains is like doing so to a human baby or small child.**
"If you are tech savvy you should know you don't need to have a login on blogger to leave a non-anonymous comment. Just check other (instead of anonymous) and insert your name with a link to your site if you so wish."
**Thanks. I didn't know that.**
"Personally I wouldn't recommend vegan cheese. I am into real, natural food. Not fakes."
**Oh right. I forgot soy beans are unnatural and the breast milk of a completely different species that was meant for a calf to grow into a huge cow is completely natural.
~Vegan Gourmet ™ Mozzarella Cheese Alternative
Ingredients:
Filtered Water
*oh yuck! how unnatural!*
Expeller Pressed Canola Oil
*plants! how unnatural!*
Tofu (Soybeans, Calcium Sulfate)
*oh god no! beans are toxic!*
Soy Protein
Inulin ( A Natural Extract of Chicory)
**Chicory? That's a plant! Yuck!
Carrageenan (from Seaweed)
**Oh how unnatural!
Agar Agar
Sea Salt
**Ack! Oceans are not normal!**
Natural Flavor (Vegan)
**Natural? That can't be natural**
Calcium Lactate (Vegan)
Lactic Acid (vegan)
**vegan lactate usually comes from soy. gasp! how unnatural.
~~Honestly, I'm shocked you would call drinking a cow's breastmilk normal. Look in the mirror and you will notice that you are a human, not a calf.
melissa - by bringing in a ficticious character (God) to back up your argument, you've kind of lost me.
ReplyDeleteI do intend to do some research into some of the questions you have raised, but it will probably take some time.
I don't seriously think there is enough room at the world's animal sanctuarys to cater for the world population of cows.
Vegan cheese may be made up of lot of naturally derived ingredients. What isn't? Tofu isn't natural - have you ever seen tofu growing on a tree? Tofu itself is processed. However I do not find the processing of all these ingredients into a cheese to be a natural process. I buy regular cheese made artisinally by cheesemakers, not processed cheeses or foods made by machines which is what vegan cheese is and where its unaturalness lies.
I suggest - of you want a really good vegan cheese - to make it yourself out of nuts. That is what I used to do when I was a vegan.
"melissa - by bringing in a ficticious character (God) to back up your argument, you've kind of lost me."
ReplyDelete**First of all, you are very rude and ignorant to call someone else's faith false. Shame on you. You BELIEVE it's fake. Doesn't mean it is. God/science/magical entity, whatever. Others are STILL here for their own reasons and not to be victimized or enslaved by others. You STILL don't have the right to say, "today I decide you die, because I like it"**
"I do intend to do some research into some of the questions you have raised, but it will probably take some time."
**That's awesome! Research is a very good idea. I do extreme amounts of research before I come into debates.**
"I don't seriously think there is enough room at the world's animal sanctuarys to cater for the world population of cows."
**When people stop eating them, less will be bred. For example, of no one ate Oreos anymore, you wouldn't expect to see rows or Oreos on store shelves would you? Of course you can't just eat animals and rescue them. You have to choose one. Either care for them or destroy them.**
"Vegan cheese may be made up of lot of naturally derived ingredients. What isn't? Tofu isn't natural - have you ever seen tofu growing on a tree? Tofu itself is processed."
**It's called buying organic/natural foods. There's always crappy processed genetically modified versions of everything. Just because there's crappy tofu, doesn't mean the good versions are too. (Example of organic/vegan/all natural tofu - http://www.soyboy.com/tofu.htm) Just because you can make apple flavoured junk food, doesn't mean that apples are now unhealthy. Just because you can genetically modify a bean doesn't mean all beans are now bad. You DO have the intelligence to choose don't you?
Frankly I'd rather eat a bean, then drink/eat hormones, pus (there are regulated pus-levels [approx 1-7 drops of pus per glass of milk]) and blood that's in factory farmed dairy products.**
"However I do not find the processing of all these ingredients into a cheese to be a natural process. I buy regular cheese made artisinally by cheesemakers, not processed cheeses or foods made by machines which is what vegan cheese is and where its unaturalness lies."
**You REALLY need to do more research. I don't know how you think suckling on an unwilling mother (you aren't a baby, you don't need to steal a mother's breastmilk) is more natural than plant foods or water. If it were natural we would be born with cows attached to us or something. Cow's milk is for calves, dog's milk is for puppies, cat's milk is for kittens, rat's milk is for baby rats, pig's milk is for pigs, human's milk is for human babies, etc. There's no sense behind holding someone captive so you can take pleasure (taste/financial) in her mammary secretions.**
"I suggest - of you want a really good vegan cheese - to make it yourself out of nuts. That is what I used to do when I was a vegan."
Or buy all-natural/organic/non-GMO vegan cheese. Like I said, you REALLY need to do more research if you don't get the meaning of NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVOURS, NO PRESERVATIVES, NO GENETICALLY MODIFIED INGREDIENTS, ALL-NATURAL and 100% ORGANIC! How you think organic non-GMO bean is unhealthy and breastmilk made to turn a tiny calf into a huge cow is, is extremely baffling.**
Insulting my faith though made me lose alot of respect for you. There are alot of different faith, but I would NEVER tell someone that their faith/religion is BS. I don't have the cold heart to do that. I have many atheist friends, and I've never disrespected them about their beliefs/opinions). If it's not hurting anyone, I don't believe you have the right to attack someone's religion. I can believe in God. You can believe in the Big Bang/Buddha/Magical Entity/Superman/Whatever. I'm not stupid, crazy, or worthless just because I believe in God.
ReplyDeletemelissa - I didn't actually insult or call your religion false, you misread me. And nowhere did I say it was BS. You made that up. That's not the kind of language I use. Belief by its very nature cannot possibly be false. I just said god was a fictitious character. (This is my opinion which I am as entitled to as you are to yours). I took study of the bible to a higher level of education and during my studies found no evidence of the existance of God. So from my studies, I 'believe' to choose he or she doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows that religion alone is a matter that could be debated to Kingdom come, so I do not think it wise to bring religion to bear on what was otherwise a compelling argument started by you. It lessens your case. I am interested in the argument and learning more information about it. Adding your beliefs into the mix lessens objectivity and doesn't help the discussion at all.
I respect your opinions, even if you don't respect mine. If you think my not wanting to include god in an argument about milk production doesn't make sense, then I suggest you take your conversation elsewhere, because I will lose interest. At this point I am looking for facts, not things that can't be proven.
Thank you for taking the time on my site.
Sam
"melissa - I didn't actually insult or call your religion false, you misread me."
ReplyDelete~Oh really? I thought fiction means false. So fiction is truth? My dictionary must be messed up
"And nowhere did I say it was BS. You made that up."
~You said it was fictious, but again, I guess my dictionary is wrong.
"I just said god was a fictitious character."
~Yeah, but saying that everything I say will no longer make sense to you simply because I believe in God is an insult. It means that just because of my faith, my opinions don't matter or make any sense.
"This is my opinion which I am as entitled to as you are to yours."
~Yes, you are. But I also have the freedom to feel insulted. Just like you have the freedom to be insulted if I call you an idiot.
"Everyone knows that religion alone is a matter that could be debated to Kingdom come, so I do not think it wise to bring religion to bear on what was otherwise a compelling argument started by you."
~I hardly even mentioned religion. Sheesh you're touchy.
"I respect your opinions, even if you don't respect mine."
~You misunderstand me. I respect your opinions. What I DON'T respect is certain ACTIONS that actually harm someone else. I have the right to not respect the harm of those I care about, just like you have the right to get upset at me if I punched your friend in the face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
But here's some stuff you can take a look at:
http://www.notmilk.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-0602050428feb05,1,1239411.column?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
http://www.torturedcows.com/dairy/23/Milk_myths.htm
http://www.milkmyths.org.uk/
http://theearthcenter.com/ffarchivesmilkmyths.html
http://www.jewishveg.com/schwartz/pcmyths.html
http://essenes.net/vfacts.htm#dairy
I could get more, but I have to get to my college homework.
Feel free to add me to MSN if you use it: bluebutterfly182@hotmail.com
I'd like to talk more about it, as long as it's kept friendly, and mature, lol.