Consuming Ambitions

Digerati 4: Chocolate Tasting

From the Better Late Than Never Department, last weekend I attended the Digerati 4 gathering, which featured chocolate and espresso tasting. (Thanks to Erin, Ron, and David for hosting!) Given the 5pm start time, I skipped the java and made right for the sumptuous tables of chocolate. In between conversations with digerati entrepreneurs, I nibbled a variety of dark chocolates (I normally am a straight dark kinda guy, but I have to confess that the chocolate fountain did get me to consume some milk chocolate).

My two favorites of what I tried: San Francisco chocolatier Recchiuti produces the Feve Bar, an 85% cocoa product studded with roasted cacao nibs (feve in French). Besides the interplay between crunchy nibs and smooth chocolate, I loved the symbolism of capturing the beginning of cacao (the nib) together with its end (chocolate) all in one bar. The circle of life! The other chocolate that caught my fancy that evening was 65% cocoa Chocospice Zenzero from Italian artisanal producer Giraudi. I was curious what accounted for the spicy undertones, so consulted the packaging to discover that the secret to its spiciness was...ginger! A true chocolate purist would probably not approve, but Giraudi's Chocospice line comprises an interesting range of spices married with dark chocolate; besides ginger, I look forward to trying dark chocolate paired with pink pepper (a variety dubbed Chocospice "Pepe Rosa"), cardamom ("Cardamomo"), star anise ("Anice Stellato"), liquorice ("Liquirizia"), and pimento (no translation required: "Pimento").

Lou Malnati's Tastes of Chicago

Every once in a while I love to indulge in the spare-no-calorie, meat-eating, stick to your ribs style of Chicago food. In honor of the appearance of Da Bears in Sunday's NFC Championship game, I'd like to pass along a recommendation from David Stern of Clearstone Venture Partners. He pointed me towards Lou Malnati's, a chain of 24 pizzerias in the greater Chicago area. What matters to those of us in the Bay Area is that Lou Malnati's sells not only its own pizzas but also other popular "Tastes of Chicago" via mail order.

Homesick Chicagoans can gain comfort from ordering classic Windy City eats such as Carson's Ribs (ever ponder who owns the domain name ribs.com? Wonder no more!), Vienna Beef Chicago-style hot dogs, Eli's Cheesecake, and even Garrett Popcorn. In case you can't decide, go for the Ultimate Tastes Combo: a Lou Malnati's cheese or cheese/sausage pizza, a slab of Carson's ribs, a Vienna hot dog kit, and a plain Eli's Cheesecake all for the low, low price of $89.95. How's that for an instant Superbowl party? It may be the best bargain going in terms of calories per dollar!

BTW, in case the NFC's top seed, playing on its home turf at Soldier Field, fails to take care of the New Orleans Saints, I'm interested in hearing a similar recommendation for mail order grub from 'Nawlins (actually I'd love to see one regardless of who advances to the Superbowl!). Patriots and Colts fans might be asking, what about us? For a mail order New England lobster feast or some chowdah, go with the gold standard: Legal Seafood ("If it ain't fresh, it isn't Legal!"). As for Indianapolis, uh, I can't help you (that's not a diss on Indiana, I really just don't know what would be the distinguishing food of that part of the country...).

Chowhounds Unite!

For Christmas, one of the gifts from my lovely wife was a copy of The Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area. In case you have not frequented Chowhound, the creature is described thus:

Being a chowhound is all about acquiring the ability to sate every craving not just adequately but extraordinarily. You may grab a quick sandwich at work. A chowhound goes twenty blocks out of the way for a better one. You may pick up a bag of cookies at a convenience store. A chowhound orders cookies from a certain bakery in Wisconsin. Chowhounds eat on the cutting (and spooning and forking) edge...they won't settle for anything less than cooking that makes them shut their eyes and moan with pleasure. Chowhounds are always on the lookout for greatness, and their discoveries will be tomorrow's vaunted places.

So the spirit of the chowhound is not necessarily about finding the swankiest and most critically acclaimed food, just the best. If it happens to come off a taco truck or from a dingy hole in the wall, so be it (actually, all the better if it's cheap to boot). The Chowhound's Guide does not try to be a comprehensive Bay Area directory -- as the book explains, it does not list famous places such as Chez Panisse or La Folie. Instead, it has compiled the oftentimes quirky and off-the-beaten-path finds unearthed by Chowhound nation. The guide is arranged alphabetically by sections covering everything from "Fragrantly Spicy Hunanese" to "Barbecue Survey" to "Eating at the Bar." Though it could be used as a reference, probably the best way to enjoy the book is to just randomly flip through it to find foodie inspiration.

In my younger days, when I worked in San Francisco and had more time for such things, lunch time unleashed my chowhound tendencies and I indeed would walk great distances some days in order to satisfy food cravings. Eight blocks to the Middle Eastern place that served falling-off-the bone tender lamb shank over couscous with a side of fresh tabouleh. Fourteen blocks to the subterranean Filipino buffet for some tangy chicken adobo. Nowadays it's hard to find the time, but when I'm on vacation I will still go well out of my way to find foodie experiences of local flavor. My better half found this out the hard way on one of our early trips together, while we were still dating; she was a good sport as I made her trek through the Italian summer heat, inquiring at one trattoria after another whether they had a certain type of Tuscan bread soup (as we discovered later, Italians sensibly only eat this dish in the winter time -- duh). After an hour we actually found a place serving the soup, and better yet she still married me!

The popular online Chowhound message boards still seem to be going strong following the acquisition of the grassroots community site by online publishing behemoth CNET. A recent visit to Chowhound showed lots of activity, though I'm not sure how the community vitality compares with its pre-acquisition level. CNET also acquired the remains of short-lived San Francisco-based magazine Chow and last fall launched the combined assets as a new online food site called Chow.com under former Industry Standard editor Jane Goldman. The site has some nice articles and recipes. I like the current feature Chow Tour, which describes Chowhound co-founder Jim Leff's adventures as he eats his way through America on a multi-month road trip (each stop plotted on Google Maps).

Top Ten Lists of 2006

After a holiday break, Consuming Ambitions is back -- happy 2007! Year end means "top ten" lists, and a couple of our Bay Area newspapers obliged with roundups of restaurant faves. Scott Rafer pointed me towards Michael Bauer's article in the San Francisco Chronicle of The Top Ten Restaurants, mainly in San Francisco and north. In a moment of dismay which revealed just how little this suburb-dweller makes it up to the city for good food, I realized that the only restaurant on his list that I have visited happens to be the only entry not in SF or the wine country: Kaygetsu, located in Menlo Park right on Sand Hill Road of all things (in the Sharon Heights shopping center). I do make it off Sand Hill Road at times, really I do! Scott is helping me get over my suburbanite lameness by organizing a dinner at one of Bauer's picks, Poleng Lounge, which seems a perfect fit with my tea fetish from Bauer's description -- will report back on this hip tea-lounge-cum-restaurant.

Despite its strip-mall location, Kaygetsu is an elegant restaurant serving fresh, beautiful, refined Japanese food. Besides offering extremely fresh sashimi, Kaygetsu offers a menu of fish, vegetable, beef, and poultry entrees that go beyond the teriyaki and noodles one normally sees at Japanese restaurants in this country. For example, salmon kasu zuke (marinated in sake lees, then grilled and served with asparagus), or mushi gamo duck breast pan seared and steamed, then served chilled. For a real treat, try the kaiseke prix fixe dinner which will bring plate after plate of beautiful food selected seasonally by the chef. The winter kaiseke menu ($95) characteristically moves through a variety of cooking techniques (slow cooked, steamed, grilled, and so on). As a warning, at Kaygetsu the prices are steep and portions dainty. On the other hand, the prices seem reasonable given the quality of ingredients and preparation. I have really enjoyed my lunches at Kaygetsu, as well as the one time I splurged for the kaiseke dinner.

Aleta Watson over at the San Jose Mercury also weighed in with her top ten list recapping 12 Months of Great Meals. My hit rate on her list is a bit better, but she still gave me several good ideas of places to visit in 2007 (consider it a new year's resolution!). I look forward to trying Old Port Lobster Shack in Redwood City, Restaurant James Randall in Los Gatos, and a couple of eateries in my hometown of San Jose: Arcadia and Twist Bistro. Aleta and I agree on Junnoon (which I blogged about shortly after it opened) and David Kinch's Manresa (which I enjoyed despite a few too many "sweet" flavors in the prix fixe early on in the meal).