Boulevard’s coconut noodles sing at SF Chefs 2011 Sunday finale

Taste buds of those who love food never grow tired of new eating experiences, so we made a final lap at Sunday’s final day at SF Chefs 2011. We went on one more jaunt around the grand tasting tent in Union Square for a sip of Illy’s perfect cappuccinos. We stopped for a quick hello and how are you to Elizabeth Faulker of Citizen Cake. We took in one last moment of people watching while drinking pomegranate juice in the crimson POM lounge. We took some bites of an unusual edible flower topped marshmallow on a stick and a creamy buttermilk pannacotta with nectarines.

Then, of course, the best dish of all appeared before us like our final culinary reward. At the Boulevard table, golden haired Chef Nancy Oakes stood in front, siren-like, greeting tasters. Boulevard’s dish, like the Embarcadero’s French inspired restaurant itself, was an elegant and refined treasure. Plated on a pressed bamboo square, the delicate nest of coconut milk flavored noodles with fresh crab meat on top sung sweetly on our tongues. Light and heavenly, this was certainly one of the best things we tasted at SF Chefs 2011.

Top Dishes from SF Chefs 2011 Saturday Grand Tasting

The food tasting at SF Chefs 2011 in Union Square continued, with some delicious showings from some of San Francisco's best restaurants and some confusing ones as well. Here are some highlights form Saturday's Grand Tasting events.

Dishes that Had It

Lovely Chocolate Ganache Squares by The Moss Room
The pastry chef from the Moss Room at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park created delicate and beautiful squares of chocolate ganache. Like little mini cakes for tiny mice, they were quaint and artfully done. Few high pastry skills seemed to be showcased at SF Chefs 2011, so it was nice to see that someone brought some sugar artistry to the mix.

Grilled Paneer with Watermelon from Dosa
The creative South Indian restaurant brought an unusual bite for summer. A square of Indian cow's milk cheese, more famously known as paneer, sitting atop a larger square of refreshing, seasonal watermelon with a little spicy sauce layered between.


Barbecue Chicken with Pesto and Grits from 1300 on Fillmore
Creamy grits, saucy barbecued chicken and bright pesto...what is not to love about that combination? The soulful American food dining spot in the Fillmore jazz district did the dang thing.

Totally Confusing Plates

Marinated Tripe and Cucumber Salad from Pizzeria Delfina?
Hip San Franciscans know that Pizzeria Delfina is one of the city's major destinations for fantastic oven fired artisan pizza. Imagine the surprise to fans, when the Pizzeria Delfina table was delving out trays of marinated tripe and shaved cucumbers. Representing a pizza haven with cow innards and a lemon wedge? Very confusing.

Best of the SF Chefs 2011 Friday Night Grand Tasting

Dressed slick with taste buds ready, we walked into the tents at the SF Chefs 2011 Friday Night Grand Tasting at Union Square. Restaurants from San Francisco and beyond were nestled in the movie set foliage and ambient lights. Sponsors hosted stylish lounges off the main floor like the POM casbah complete with tempting, red fruit clad POM martini waitresses as well as the Italian mod espresso bar where one could stand to sip Illy coffee.

Highlights of Friday at SFChefs 2011

Octopus Hors D'Ouevre from Etoile
While some people were bringing our palettes down with heavy, boring pork sliders and greasy sloppy joes in a cup, Etoile presented clean triangles of green papaya fruit with octopus sashimi. Simple, elegant and fresh.

American Prosciutto from Tyler Florence's Wayfare Tavern
Of course, traffic bottlenecked when passing the intentionally spotlit Wayfare Tavern spot. Owner and celebrity television chef Tyler Florence had his sleeves rolled up to carve slices of prosciutto right off a local trotter's leg. Paired with basil and peach, this bite of cured local pork was a great summer flavor.

Lamb Boat from Foreign Cinema
Nothing like a cute little lamb riding in a Shanghai boat. Foreign Cinema presented perfectly spiced and tender lamb riblets with an Asian slaw and creamy sauce. Succulent.

SF Chefs Week is going to be delicious!

SF Chefs Week is heating up as the weekend approaches in San Francisco. I am thrilled to be able to tag along with my favorite pastry chef from 1300 on Fillmore, Chef Curtis McDonald, who’s creations will be featured at tonight’s Sugar & Spice party along with talent from Absinthe, Slanted Door, Farallon and Michael Mina. That will be followed up by a Friday night culinary industry soirée and Saturday night foodie taste fest in the grand tents at San Francisco’s Union Square. I am hungry already!

Why Wait for Zazie

Does a line of people spilling all over the sidewalk indicate a treasure cave within promising delicious food or merely a douchey scene with nothing yummy as reward for patience? A Sunday morning strolling up to the popular brunch-erie, Zazie in Cole Valley, showed signs of possibility. Hungry couples, small families, old friends and hung-over youngsters spilled all over the sidewalk eyeing the progress of crossed out names on the clipboard. We had time for a nice 45 minute stroll to look in hipster and hippy shops on Haight Street, and then we were led to a corner table in Zazie’s back garden. On a sunny spring day at Zazie under the heat lamps, life suddenly becomes like a wonderful day in the South of France. Van Gogh and Cezanne seem to be having French Toast nearby, and things are quaint and lovely. The big saucer bowl cups for milky lattes are a nice touch. Fresh baked rolls with raspberry jam and butter are brought to the table. The brunch menu offers Provencal and Yankee favorites together. Baking from scratch is a common theme with tartines and bagels topped with flavors like goat cheese, red peppers, salmon and capers. My eyebrow was raised by the French Toast Tahiti, which is made of fluffy challah stuffed with caramelized bananas and walnuts. Poached eggs come in ones, twos or threes with romantic names like Pierre Noir (bacon and tomatoes provencales), La Mer (Dungeness crab, green onions, avocados), Monaco (prosciutto) and San Trop (smoked salmon).

I chose one of my all time favorites, the Ahi Salade Nicoise. It was certainly like sitting on a deck chair overlooking the Mediterranean with fresh seared ahi tuna, crisply blanched green beans, tomato, hard boiled egg, roasted peppers and (my personal favorite) salty boquerones anchovies. My compatriot’s roasted white trout was light and topped with nicoise olives, roasted peppers, and goat cheese. As Edith Piaf would sing, Je ne regrette rien, I regret nothing. As is the beauty of Provencal French cuisine, there is so much flavor and richness while still being fresh and light. Zazie’s menu is absolutely worth the wait.

Neo-Pub 2011 at Hog and Rocks

It is nice when the restaurant name tells you exactly what to expect. If you are a lover of delectable charcuterie or ocean fresh oysters, then Hog & Rocks deep in the San Francisco Mission neighborhood is a destination for you. On a crisp winter evening strolling along, Hog & Rock lured us to join a bubbling younger crowd inside its slick, darkly decorated interior. This is the new pub concept spiffed up for 2011 with its sexy black finishes, high community table and intimate candlelit dining spots.

The Hog & Rocks menu presents an equally sexified pub concept, as deemed on their website as “Fine Brine and Strong Drink.” First and foremost, there is a separate menu featuring oinks like Tennessee smoked hams, Spanish Jamon Serrano and Italian Proscuitto alongside West and East Coast oysters. We chose the barbeque oysters, which came grilled in their shells with a gorgeous smoky flavor and light touch of mignonette. I fully intend to return for a thorough exploration of those categories.

The dinner menu kicks off with Jars and Salads that present unpretentious concepts through quality ingredients. There is a Vallarta Bean and Olive dip, Pimento dip with white bread and Cherrystone Clam Dip with house made potato chips. Salads are Caesar, Tomato and Chopped.

From sea and farm come the main dishes. The seafood dishes are more hearty sea captain than delicate sea nymph, with items like Cast Iron Octopus, Roasted Mediterranean Mussels, Fish & Chips and Smoked Steel Trout Pie. We opted for the farm selections, which are similarly masculine and bold. I had a salty Lamb Belly served with spicy chick peas and house-made fromage blanc. My partner in crime enjoyed his Skillet Beef Melt with mushrooms, onions, emmenthaler and frisco sauce on rye bread.

I would say if you are looking for a dimly lit and hip haven to enjoy some well-crafted salty bites and strong drinks, Hog & Rocks a perfect spot. A 21st Century revamp of both gastro pub and seaside shanty, Hog & Rocks is a hang out with both notable style and flavor.

Community Confitures: Slow Jams in the Mission

On the way from buying pumpkins at Bi-Rite market on the 18th Street strip near Delores Park, we ran into a cool girl in a pink hoodie pedaling Slow Jams. At her sidewalk table, Slow Jams proprietor, Shakirah Simley, was bringing small batch artisan jams to the people, one jar at a time.

With graphic labels that make you want join the revolution, Ms. Simley delivers spreadable goodness created from fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. The tangy Meyer Lemon Curd brings a fresh optimism to dessert and would be utopia paired with berries and pound cake. The Vanilla Pumpkin Butter offers rich, spicy substance for bread, pastries, fruit or ice cream. Other noteworthy preserves include an innovative Cranberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam and legit Brown Sugar Pear Butter.

The deliciousness of Slow Jams is accessible to everyone. The Slow Jams philosophy remains centered on offering reasonably priced, high quality products that showcase the bounty of Bay Area urban and rural growers and fostering community through canning. These socially conscious confitures can be tasted in San Francisco’s Mission District and ordered online at www.eatslowjams.com. Raise your spoons to sweet social justice!