Hot Pastrami on Rye

12 Oct

When I was in college, I waited tables at New York Stage Deli in Century City (in Los Angeles). It was a super busy deli and I made some pretty decent tips as a student. It also set the standard for me, in terms of what a great deli should be. 

I remember serving up many bowls of hot, steaming Matzo Ball Soup, and some of the best Pastrami and Corn Beef on the West Coast, served with delicious, crunchy, garlicky spears of Dill Pickles. If you couldn’t decide whether to have Pastrami or Corn Beef, a classic Reuben (with both), topped with sauerkraut, swiss cheese and Russian dressing never disappointed! Most customers ordered their sandwiches on Rye bread. I never liked Rye bread until I had it there–I recall it had a tanginess like sourdough and the crust was always nice and chewy.

There was also cole slaw, Russian dressing, Beaver Sweet Hot Mustard or a grainy mustard to top the sandwiches (I love the Sweet Hot!). You can read more on Chowhound for details for some interesting debate about whether Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing are the same. Unfortunately, that location didn’t stay in business (but you can still shop online or go to NYC!).

What brought me down this memory lane was a trip this summer to San Diego where I stumbled onto Tommy Pastrami. I ordered my Pastrami lean and To Go, then walked to the harbor where I sat in the warm sun and enjoyed a beautiful view. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was!

If you’re Downtown and craving some good pastrami, I recommend you give it a try. There are other locations in Orange County and Los Angeles.

What is your favorite deli?

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Tomatoes from Verdure Farm

9 Oct

Although we had rain last week and our Summer seems nearly over, in Northern California, it’s still possible to find delicious tomatoes such as these from Verdure Farm in Healdsburg, as well as in the local Farmer’s market (and in your backyard if you are lucky!).

If you’re in the North Bay/Sonoma County, take a scenic drive up to 2476 Westside Rd. (a few minutes south of Downtown Healdsburg). I like to take to some empty egg cartons and then fill them up with the tomatoes. They’re useful while traveling, seem to store well in the paper cartons and nicely protected from getting bruised. Verdure Farm also sells squash, melons, eggplants, and pears, depending on what’s ready to harvest.

One of my favorite things to do with the really ripe tomatoes is to cut them in half, through the “equator”, and grate them on a box grater, making a delicious fresh sauce. Or, if you’re not interested in canning or pressed for time when they’re getting too ripe, whole tomatoes also freeze quite well (I’ve heard some people suggest you cut out the stem but I don’t–it’s optional in my opinion). Place 1 or more tomatoes in a tight sealing container or zip top plastic bag. They’ll keep for a couple of months and work perfectly for soups, stews, and sauces. Now is the perfect time to stock up so you’ll have a better option over the tasteless ones in the supermarket.

RECIPE: Into a bowl, grate the cut side until all you have left is the skin (toss that or save in the freezer to add flavor and color to a stock, then strain it or scoop it out). I find that keeping my hand flat while pressing the tomato on the grate helps avoid grating my knuckles. Ouch! Season to taste with fresh garlic (ideally, grated on a Microplane) Salt, Pepper, a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and fresh Basil and/or Oregano (or even minced Jalapeno Pepper if you like a little heat). It’s delicious on pasta like Angel Hair, roasted veggies, scrambled eggs, or adding to a vinaigrette!


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Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

7 Oct

You’ve probably heard that seafood is healthy for us and should be part of our diet (although there are some concerns about elevated levels of Mercury in certain fish, like Tuna and Swordfish). The Monterey Bay Aquarium provides valuable information about seafood recommendations to promote sustainability. They offer a seafood watch program suggesting what seafood to buy and what seafood to avoid. Download the pocket guide or get it on your iPhone or Android via Apps.

One sustainable fish is the Anchovy. You probably love ’em or hate ’em! If you like them but haven’t tried Anchovies in recipes other than topping a Pizza or in a Caesar Salad, I highly recommend the House-cured anchovies at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco or create your own version at home, although the House-cured Anchovies are more mild than canned.

Try this simple appetizer with a few staple ingredients:

Good quality anchovies (note, a small bottle 0r can of anchovies will be more salty than Zuni’s house-cured so I would suggest rinsing then drizzling Extra Virgin Olive Oil over them and let them marinate about 10-15 minutes before eating. Save the oil to drizzle over the dish)

Celery, sliced thinly on a diagonal

Nicoise olives (Kalamata would be a suitable substitute if you can’t find Nicoise)

Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced

Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Lemon juice, to taste (optional)

Serve with sliced Acme Levain bread (or other Artisan Sourdough) and a glass of Champagne or Sancerre. It’s great for  a light lunch too!

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Raw, Gluten/Dairy-Free, Vegan, No Refined Sugar AND Delicious!?

4 Oct

 Coco-Roons by Wonderfully Raw Delights…

It’s hard to believe there is a packaged food item that combines all of these qualities–most importantly, delicious! This is, without a doubt, one of them.

Delicious and healthy food that you don’t have to make yourself is hard to find,which one of the reasons I mostly eat food “outside” of a box (and as you probably guessed, it’s one of the inspirations for the name of my Blog).

I do not, however, eat only raw food, gluten/dairy-free or vegan all of the time, but each of those terms has health benefits and I do try to incorporate them into my regular diet.

I discovered Coco-Roons at the Berkeley Whole Foods in their Raw Food Section near the Produce. When I saw them, as always, I read the ingredients on the package before putting it in my basket. When I don’t read the labels at the store, I am typically disappointed once I get home, finding some artificial ingredient, or one that I can’t pronounce. As their name Coco-Roons implies, they are a type of macaroon.

The first flavor I tried was Lemon Pie. I love lemon for its tart, refreshing and palate-cleansing effect after a meal. Chocolate Coco-Roons are also very good but Lemon Pie remains my favorite.

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but every now and then, I do like to indulge in a something sweet, but not overly sugary, and I recently heard someone say 3 bites is a good limit if you are trying to keep your weight down–to me, 3 bites really does satisfy. These Coco-Roons are the perfect size.

There are 8 Coco-Roons in a package so they are not inexpensive (about $1 each), but if you consider the ingredients listed on their site, I think they’re worth it and I like supporting a company that offers a high quality product. If you don’t have a Whole Foods near you, they are available from their website (a half-case or case only). Check out the link above if you’d like to try something new and delicious!

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6th Annual California’s Artisan Cheese Festival

3 Oct

If you love cheese, block out March 23-25, 2012 on your calendar. Last year, tours of many farms, such as Bellweather Farms, Cowgirl Creamery and others sold out, so best to plan ahead. The link below has more details.

6th Annual California’s Artisan Cheese Festival.

What is your favorite cheese? One of mine is Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese, made with buttermilk. It’s delicious with sliced apples or pears for a healthy snack or even dessert. Blend it with some other cheeses to add extra dimension to a grilled cheese sandwich. Their website (http://pointreyescheese.com) has many delicious recipes (I’m having trouble with getting their site to link so you will have to copy/paste it). Whole Foods is one of their distributors. I’m adding it to my grocery list right now  🙂

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Bar Agricole

2 Oct

My new favorite restaurant in San Francisco…Bar Agricole.

Located South of Market on 11th between Folsom and Harrison, in between Slim’s and DNA Lounge.

Drinks: I recommend a Brown Derby or Paloma.

Food: Try the Armenian Cucumbers with Za’atar (a Middle Eastern blend of herbs, sesame seeds and salt…to be blogged about another day), and Country Style Pork Pate with Mostarda. The menu changes to reflect the season and these were the only 2 items still listed on their site since eating there.

Andreas Willausch, formerly the Maitre d’ at  The Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, CA (http://www.farmhouseinn.com/restaurant.html) has succeeded in creating a a top notch restaurant. Andreas, hope to see you next time we visit!

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Junk Food

2 Oct

I thought this article, written by Mark Bittman from the NY Times, is interesting. Check out the link below.

Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? – NYTimes.com.

Flowers Vineyard & Winery On The Sonoma Coast

2 Oct

Yesterday, we took a drive up the Sonoma Coast, north of Jenner, to an event at Flowers Vineyard & Winery. This link has some photos that includes the typical coastal fog. We could barely see 15 feet in front of the car at times once we hit the top of the ridge! Needless to say, it was a slow drive, but worth it once we hit our destination.

The hosts were warm and welcoming the second we arrived and offered us some of their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir…we prefer Pinot so enjoyed a glass.

We also ate a few delectable Hog Island Oysters on the half shell…both raw and BBQ’d (the latter with a chipotle butter sauce). Yum!!

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Debut Post

20 Sep

I’m excited to publish my very first post on my new blog. Grapevines from my food tour in Napa Valley in late July 2011 are an iconic image of food and wine and I think it’s a good inspiration of more to come. I hope you will enjoy it. Cheers! Kim

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