ad hoc Sunday Brunch, Yountville CA

The best part about dining at Thomas Keller's ad hoc restaurant is that I don't know the menu till day of. This is also the worst part about dining as I usually scope and scour the internets to strategize what I'd like to order and what are must try menu items.

ad hoc posts their daily menu at http://www.adhocrestaurant.com/menu/. Their american style sunday brunch was no exception and given their menu is their menu, you have to be willing to eat anything that's served to you. No substitutes! 

My foodie buddies and I really wanted to try ad hoc, but were nervous so we decided to play it safe *just in case*. The good news is that there are many, many other world-class restaurants walking distance for a last minute change of plans.

Once we arrived, there was no question that we would stay. At the end of the day, these folks know what they are doing so it's worth trying regardless.  I don't think I've ever ordered a porkchop for breakfast, but I'm so glad I was forced to. At $34 per person (excluding drinks/extra), it's well worth the money to experience the culinary skills of the ad hoc team and try something new.

Everything was delicious from start to finish: Beautiful spring endives & watercress salad, a crispy, juicy porkchop with cheesy grits and apple crumble, a side of belgian chocolate pancakes, and finished with strawberry shortcake = amazing. Here's what we ate on April 28th, 2013. Everything other than dessert was served family style.

• ad hoc Bloody Mary
• Endive & Watercress Salad with ruby red grapefruit, tangelos, carrot, ping pong radishes, and dill-yogurt dressing
• Grilled Porkchop with ham gravy, anson mills cheddar grits, sunny-side up hen eggs, charred kale sprouts, and baked apples (these were more like an apple crumble with so many crispy bits to die for!)
• Chocolate Chip Pancakes (an extra $8 for 3 - again, if you're at ad hoc, you might as well try everything!)
• Strawberry Shortcake with lemon curd, swanton strawberries, and whipped chantilly cream

Can't wait to go back and try dinner there one day, and visit addendum (located right behind) for their famous fried chicken!

Tips: 

• Make reservations in advance! ad hoc is on OpenTable which makes it pretty easy.
• If the menu hasn't been posted yet, you can call them at 707-944-2487hen they open at 10am to check what brunch items they're serving, or just stop by the location. The menu is posted outside.

See more pictures at http://on.fb.me/11dfGEb

Endive and Watercress Salad from ad hoc

Grilled Porkchop from ad hoc

Coffee & Cinnamon Toast by the Beach, San Francisco

Life's pretty good when there's good coffee and cinnamon toast to be had from Trouble Coffee Company in the Outer Sunset area (next to the beach) in San Francisco. Discovered this place after visiting the San Francisco Zoo a couple miles away.

I would say the latte was pretty decent though it only comes in 1 size and with whole milk, but what really makes the coffee here is the cinnamon toast. 

It's almost a heart attack waiting to happen, but it's worth it. Every "toast" is made to order with a thick slice of white bread (delivered daily from Just For You Cafe in the Dogpatch), toasted till a crunchy crust happens, then generously slathered with layers of butter and cinnamon sugar. There is a process of literally stabbing the bread to make sure the buttery cinnamon goodness gets all the way through. 

The result? A cinnamon bun like flavor but with a lot more crispy edges to enjoy, minus icing (but trust me - you don't need it). Next time, I'll have to go back and try the "build your own damn house" which apparently is cinnamon toast with the addition of young coconut.

If you're in the area, don't miss out on the toast and a chat with the folks who run the place. It's a fun little neighborhood place to visit if you need a break from the city.

Tip: Cash only

latte and cinnamon toast cut to share from Trouble Coffee Company

Baking with Olive Oil Measurement Conversion

Can't wait to try more baking with extra virgin olive oil, especially Lucero's Chocolate Olive Oil. I've done it before when a recipe has called for vegetable oil, but never substituted it for butter. 

In the mean time, here's a handy dandy conversion chart, plus read the original article and get more Lucero olive oil recipes here: How to Bake with Olive Oil

Tip: Try the Emsa Perfect Beaker (large amounts) or OXO Mini Beaker Measuring Set (small amounts) to measure liquid ingredients. It's so much easier to use and more accurate, like a measuring scale for dry ingredients. No more overfilled little spoons!

Olive Oil to Butter Conversion Measurements 

• Substitute Olive Oil for Vegetable Oil 1:1
• 1 cup of EVOO = 1 cup vegetable oil
• Substitute Olive Oil for Butter/Margarine 1:3/4
• 1 tsp butter = 3/4 tsp EVOO 
• 1 tbsp butter = 2 1/4 tsp EVOO
• 2 tbsp butter = 1 1/2 tbsp EVOO 
• 1/4 cup butter = 3 tbsp EVOO
• 1/3 cup butter = 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1/2 cup butter = 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp EVOO 
• 2/3 cup butter = 1/2 cup EVOO
• 3/4 cup butter = 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp EVOO 
• 1 cup butter = 3/4 cup EVOO

Romolo's Cannoli, San Mateo CA

I'll take a chocolate on chocolate cannolo please! That's my order now after getting a thorough overview of "How to order cannoli" lesson from the folks at Romolo's Cannoli and Spumoni Factory in San Mateo, CA who have been in the business for over 40 years. Chocolate on chocolate is a chocolate coated shell, freshly filled with sweet ricotta filling, with chocolate chips covering the ends. 

Even if you self profess to not really like cannoli (which was me before), try Romolo's at least once. And if you aren't convinced, they have a whole bunch of other treats to try - like ice cream cannoli, spumoni and other ice cream, or tiramisu. You really can't go wrong.

Tips: 

• A single "cannoli" is actually "cannolo" (duh!)
• The chocolate shell helps freshly filled tiramisu last a couple hours longer than a regular shell. But, I also think these taste better.
• If you really want to put yourself through the ordeal of not eating your cannoli sooner than later, you can get the cannoli kits and fill the shells yourself at the desired time - but you have to buy a minimum of 6.

Chocolate on Chocolate Cannolo

Ricotta Dishes at Locanda Verde, Tribeca NY

So glad I finally got to try an Andrew Carmellini (known for modern Italian cuisine) restaurant - Locanda Verde in Tribeca NY. Ordering brunch here was easy as I knew exactly what to try. That's not to say there aren't a whole bunch of other dishes for lunch or dinner that I want to try. Guess I'll have to go back :)

What I ordered:

• Sheeps' Milk Ricotta with truffle honey, thyme and burnt orange toast ($15) - so worth the hype and enough to share for any meal. The ricotta was light, fluffy, and complex yet simple. The burnt orange toast was such a genius idea, will have to try the approach at home next time.
• Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with blueberries and meyer lemon curd ($15) - devoured this light refreshing breakfast dish. It's sad I got so full off the appetizer that I didn't get to finish :(

They served illy espresso drinks but my latte was tiny. Good thing La Colombe is just a couple blocks away!

Next Carmellini restaurant to try: The Dutch (for rabbit pot pie)

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes from Locanda Verde

What to Eat & Drink in Downtown Seattle, March 2013

Seattle was such a hard city to decide what I wanted to eat. There are way too many choices for amazing cuisine.

Here are the food, drink, & restaurant establishments I visited in March 2013 over 3 days and what I ordered. Mostly, these were easily walkable from the Westin Seattle around downtown. All in all, I think I made tasty decisions! 

Om nom notes: Downtown Seattle  (Not in any order of preference but bolded names are not to be missed)

For Food

• Sitka & Spruce - sourdough, black cod, artichoke gratin, halibut, gateau basque. get more details here
• Salumi - Get here at around 10:30am, trust me - the line will be shorter than if you came later. Also, get some salumi to go! It doesn't need to be refrigerated. Even if you can't finish the sandwiches, get at least 2 to try. I got the muffo and a Finnochiona (black peppercorn and fennel) & Provolone on Giuseppe. So good! Definitely add the onions and peppers too.
• Dahlia Lounge - came here for drinks only (liked the menu at Serious Pie better that night) Interesting cocktails (many with hibiscus infused liquors) and a solid glass wine list.
• Taylor Shelfish Farms - oysters, tried one of every kind
• Mamnoon - in the words of my friend, we tried everything with something funky including bamyeh bi zeit (okra), bateresh (eggplant and lamb), arnabeit makli (cauliflower), muhammara (walnut pepper paste), fattoush (mache radish salad)
• Serious Pie - Regular margherita, and the soft egg/cotto pizza. If there's a wait, head over to Dahlia Lounge for a drink.
• The Crumpet Shop - have you ever had a crumpet? Now i have! tried the pesto, tomato & english cheese. Their crumpet shop blend tea is good as well - free refills and they'll even give you a to-go cup. 
• Beecher's Handmade Cheese - supposedly the world's best Mac & Cheese. It was a bit too 'wet' for me. Fun to watch the cheese making though and try their flagship cheese.
• Pike Place Chowder - the original new england seafood chowder is the one to try. I could drink a vat of this

For Sweets

• Dahlia Bakery - Get the famous Triple creme coconut pie, available in bite, individual, and normal pie sizes. I might have come here 3 times in 3 days...Wish I could have tried their homemade english muffin breakfast sandwich but ran out of time :(
• Top Pot Doughnuts - warm fresh doughnuts. Got an old-fashioned glazed and a mug of coffee. great place to chill and read a magazinego

For Coffee

• Zeitgeist Koffee - Get some coffee to go as you wait in line for Salumi around the corner.
• Stumptown Coffee - The same as what's from Portland, might as well get some to go!
• Caffe Senso Unico

Sitka and Spruce, Seattle

I truly loved my meal at Sitka & Spruce, it was probably one of my favorite meals ever and most certainly my favorite sourdough. A simple Northwest cusine menu with fun, unique ingredients like stinging nettle or pickled fiddleheads - love! Fantastic service and I loved the open kitchen setting. The best seat in the house is at the communal table where you can watch the magic happen.

Make sure to make reservations in advance to not miss out. It's a favorite of locals and visitors!

What we ordered from their March 2013 menu:

• Sourdough - This is NOT too be missed. I'm still sad that I failed at buying sourdough to bring home. It's available for purchase daily after 2pm, but apparently you have to get there exactly then or else they sell out. The bread is baked at their sister restaurant The Corson Building and it has this really great charred crispy crust with a soft, chewy tangy center. I dream about this sourdough.
• Raw black cod, creme fraiche, warm potato, pickled fiddleheads - what a creative dish with a lot going on, but worked as a whole. The curliques are the pickled fiddleheads.
• Gratin of artichokes, cream, wood sorrel & winter mushrooms - earthy, creamy with a bit of crunch. a bit heavy for me on its own but it's good for sharing.
• Neah bay halibut with Whidbey kamut and stinging nettle - decided on the halibut over lamb, only because I really wanted to try stinging nettle. it worked out because I don't think i could have had the room for the lamb (though that was the host's reco)
• Chinon, Les Pensees de Pallus 2010 - French Loire Valley wine that was similar to a very well structured cabernet franc, green bell peppery, herbaceous and held up well to our fish dishes
• Gateau basque with poached figs - creamy custard center. get it even if you're full.

Can't wait to return, especially for the bread. Oh, and even better - they do seasonal menus so I'm sure there'll be something different next time!

See the full picture gallery here: http://on.fb.me/11tadWC

Neah bay halibut with Whidbey kamut and stinging nettle from Sitka & Spruce