Recycled Dinner

Recognize this?

If it sort of looks like last night's dinner, you're right. I wasn't about to waste all the sauce left in the pot after we ate the ribs, so I added: a cup of frozen peas, two diced roasted red bell peppers, two diced roasted carrots, a diced roasted onion, half a pound of cooked pasta, and a heaping cup of yogurt. Yes, I said yogurt. It turned my tomato sauce into a sort of stroganoff sauce. Then I added some grilled spicy Italian sausage and voila! Two dinners from one sauce. And because a heavy dinner should always be paired with a light side, I topped it with some corn and cucumber tossed in lime juice.

Coffee-Braised Beef Ribs

Coffee-braised meats are the latest in "What's new is old" cuisine. It sounds nouveau and unexpected, but the cowboys were stewing meat in leftover coffee grits ages ago, I'm sure. I joined in the fun today with some ribs that I bought for a song at Whole Foods. My sides were paprika dill rice with a squeeze of lime and a simple salad of diced heirloom tomatoes, raw corn, garbanzo beans, and diced onions.

This is how the ribs looked before being thrown on a plate with sides. For a nice big pot, good for multiple meals:

• 9 large beef back ribs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup strong coffee
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 can crushed tomatoes, 12 oz or 24 oz depending on your preference
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Thai chili
• salt and pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, diced

Rub the ribs all over with salt and pepper. If you have time, do this the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator. In a dutch oven, sear all sides of the ribs on high heat. Set aside and put the onions in to cook with the butter. You can add carrots, celery, or root vegetables, but I didn't have any. When the onions are cooked through, sprinkle the flour over them and cook until slightly browned. Add the wine, scraping the bottom to release any brown bits. Then add the tomatoes, heat, and put the ribs back in along with the chili and bay leaves. Add a little water if the sauce does not cover the ribs, but it's better to use a pot that's small enough that you don't use too much sauce. Salt and pepper to taste, turn the flame as low as it will go, cover the dutch oven, and braise for three hours or until the ribs are tender. I let mine go all afternoon, for almost six hours at the barest simmer. You'll notice the liquid turning a little gooey and sticky when the tendons and fat start breaking down. That's how you know you're getting close to being done. Take the cover off and turn up the head to medium until the sauce thickens as much as you'd like.

Here's the stew halfway through cooking, smelling great but still soupy.

Pride!

Some photos from this year's Pride Parade. What's SF without a big hubbub down Market Street every once in awhile?!

This shot made me wish I'd brought my camera instead of just my Blackberry. It really sums up the spectator vs. spectacle symbiosis that makes a parade work. Plus the boxers in the ring were putting on a great show.

When the Miller Lits float drove by the crowd went crazy! It was hard not to get into it, since the "Miller Guys" on the float were really cutting loose and playing their music extra loud. Nothing like good clean fun! And this really was the good clean part of the parade; there was plenty of x-rated exhibitionism on display, but none of that here!

Hong Kong Lounge and Tajine

Serious good eats alert this weekend! Sadly, I was without a camera at both restaurants, leading me to resort to yelp-stealing for the following photos. I know, it's beneath me, but it was either that or let these amazing meals slide. I could not do that latter.

Hong Kong Lounge is the new name of a dim sum location we've long enjoyed. Lucky for us, the new owners have not only lowered the prices, they have upped the quality! We've only been able to brave the long lines once so far, but dare I say the quality is close to that of Koi Palace in Daly City, with about 2/3 the price tag? Dim sum for two was $30 after tax and tip, and only because we ordered generously off the specials menu. Dishes of note included the coffee-glazed pork ribs, shrimp rice roll (chang fen), and daikon cake. We will be back soon (with a camera!)

And sort of the opposite situation: old favorite Tenderloin spot Tajine re-opened awhile ago in nicer, bigger digs. They share a space with a bar/lounge, but the food is as good as ever. Prices have gone up a few dollars, but portions are also larger. I think because the space now makes more sense for large groups, they've gone the family style route full force. Service was as friendly as ever and the bill for three people (and leftovers) was under $90 after tax and tip. We really enjoyed the white bean tajine, split pea dip, and I thought the cous cous was exceptionally fluffy and flavorful.

Pork Patty Spring Rolls

Tonight's dinner was a "Build-your-own" affair.

Here's the buffet line-up, if you will: spring roll wrappers, red leaf lettuce, carrots, mint, and cilantro. The lychees are in the photo because they're juicy and sweet right now as well as extra large for only $2.99 in Chinatown, but they don't go into spring rolls.

This is the pork patty. About half of one gets crumbled into each spring roll. I really don't have a recipe for this. I take a pound of ground pork and add chopped green onions, a handful of chopped shitake mushrooms, about a tablespoon of sugar, and soy sauce and fish sauce to taste. Then I fry them up and use them for spring rolls. It doesn't need to be pretty or exact, just not too salty.

This meal is good for a leisurely Friday dinner in front of the TV. I keep a shallow plate of hot water on hand because the spring roll wrappers need to be dipped before eating, and we just take our time eating as many as we can.

Pickled Celery and Noodle Soup

I pickled some not-so-fresh celery a few days ago and totally forgot about it! Luckily, the whole point of pickling is that it preserves vegetables.

The celery in this dish is stripped of its coarser fibers, sprinkled with salt, and left to sit for about an hour. The salt is then rinsed off and the celery is squeezed dry. Then it's put into a plastic container with a light coating of sesame oil, a sprinkling of salt, and left to sit overnight. It's best eaten the next day, but a couple of days in the refrigerator doesn't hurt too much. I tossed it with slivered carrots and pressed tofu and topped it with a light drizzle of sesame oil for a cold side dish.

And, ever popular around here, "Throw everything into the pot" noodle soup. Today's noodle soup was cooked in a base of chicken stock, ginger, green onions, anise, rice wine, and sesame oil. The meal itself was made up of shitake mushrooms, chrysanthemum leaves, tofu cubes, dried baby shrimp, green onions, and refrigerated noodles (not dry; refrigerated is more toothsome and flavorful).

Eden's Mediterraneann

The full name of the restaurant where I got this wrap is Eden's Mediterranean Turkish and Greek Restaurant, but who has the time!?

This is the second time I've tried their beef and lamb gyro sandwich, and for $6 after tax I have to say I might be hooked. It's not super cheap, but the meat is extra delicious. Their gyro is extra tender and tastes of "grill," if you know what I mean. There's also a deep buttery flavor that is offset by the crispness of the lettucs, onions, and pickled beets they use. For me, it's a perfect sized lunch that's intensely packed with flavors and textures.

And thanks to our freak heat wave, my basil plants aren't dying! Every year, I try to grow some herbs to cut back on how often I have to purchase them at the market. And every year, I'm sad when the herbs finally die in our perpetual fog. Oh well; it's fun while it lasts!

Motley Dinner

Dinner is usually pretty simple around here: a meat dish, a few vegetables, a carb, and a drink (not always alcoholic).

And dessert, of course, was an ice cream cone. It's a good day.

Scallion "Flower" Rolls

Yummy! Fresh scallion bread from the steamer.

I have a few theories on why I haven't been able to perfect my steamed bread technique, so I'm not going to post a tutorial until I've worked out all the kinks. For now, these are the major issues and my guesses as to the solutions:

• the bread is really tasty fresh out of the steamer, but once it's sat overnight it's rock hard--this might be one of those breads that's like a French baguette and just needs to be eaten ASAP.
  
• the water in the steamer keeps dripping down on the bread, making pock marks and rubbery mottled parts--get a bamboo steamer because the shape and material of the steamer prevents dripping, unlike a dutch oven which is designed to constantly drip water on a slab of meat as it's slow cooked.

Ice Cream Cones

What do I do with all the eggs whites left over after I've made a delicious custard-based ice cream? Usually, egg white omelets. But today, ice cream cones!

Yesterday's ice cream creation was so delicious that it deserves homemade cones. Plus, rolling cones is fun. They sort of taste like fortune cookies, so I think practicing spreading the batter in a thinner layer would make them better. Or, I could always buy a waffle cone machine--not.

One more ice cream photo, this time in the sun where ice cream belongs!

The Perfect Scoop: Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream

David Lebovitz, you are my new hero. Not just for writing a book as wonderful as The Perfect Scoop and including gorgeous photos, but for being generous enough to make most of them available on Google Books (click to link to a web version of almost the entire book).

I've made a lot of ice cream over the years, but this recipe leaves almost all of them in the dust. J said it's one of the best ice creams he's ever tasted, bar none. Part of the ice cream's allure is that it has intense flavors both of fresh toasted almond and candied almond (marzipan). Juicy, gooey, slightly tangy candied cherries offset the sweetness of the ice cream and varied sized chunks of toasted almond add freshness and crunch.

Gratuitous second shot. And a confession: this ice cream was a lot of work. I don't shy away from complicated recipes, but I strongly warn beginning ice cream makers away from this recipe. The end result was more than worth it, but I was very busy all afternoon and had to wash a lot of dishes along the way. Just to give you an idea: the almonds are toasted, half are chopped coarsely and the other chopped finely, the cherries are cooked in sugar and then chilled and drained, some of the almonds are steeped in hot milk, then the milk is strained and cooked with eggs and cream into a thick custard, everything is chilled in an ice bath and then refrigerated, and only then does the ice cream maker even come into the picture. If you are not a diligent cook who cleans as she cooks, you might just go insane! On the plus side, the recipe makes over a quart so I won't have to be doing this again for awhile. But I've already picked out my next ice cream: Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream!

Savory Soy Milk

This is a weird one, and perhaps an acquired taste, but it's one of my childhood favorites. People who don't like it describe it as curdled soy milk, but if you think about it it's really just a variation on tofu soup.

For a big meal for one, or a side of soup each for two people:

• 2 cups unsweetened soy milk (fresh if you can find it)
• 1-2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Taiwanese black vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon dried shredded pork
• a few drops chili oil

Head soy milk over medium heat until just below boil. Take it off the flame and whisk in one tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. Whisk well as the soy milk starts to curdle, then add salt and/or more vinegar to taste. Pour into a bowl or bowls, then top each bowl with black vinegar, cilantro, green onions, shredded pork, and several drops of chili oil.

To me, this soup has a tangy flavor akin to that of hot and sour soup in flavor, but much easier to make and lighter as well. And now that I think of it, it's a little like Greek avoglemono (lemon and pasta) soup as well. Some people don't like restaurant versions because they can be a mush of flavors swimming in an overly sour pool of soy sauce, but if you make it at home you can control that and make quite a tasty dish.

Taiwanese Gua Bao

Ah, dinner. My reward for a day's hard work. Today was one of those days when I didn't really leave the kitchen because there were just too many things I wanted to make. Stay tuned tomorrow for more deliciousness, but here are some resutls for now.

Braised pork belly with green onions. This is a classic home style dish. Pork belly is braised with ginger, garlic, anise, pepper, soy sauce, rice wine, salt, and pepper.

Then I tried my hand at man tou. I gotta say, I am pretty impressed with myself. Maybe it was because I'd just practiced working with bread earlier today with the pita, but i managed to keep the dough really moist, resulting in an extremely soft and fluffy bread.

An interior shot. It was so light and airy!

Some of the dough I shaped into sandwiches instead of buns, and used to make gua bao, one of my favorite Taiwanest street food items. I'm missing the peanut powder, but I have the braised pork and cilantro on a soft bun!

As requested, the pita bread recipe. If you decide flatbreads are your thing, this book has been great for me so far. It has a James Beard award as well, and great reviews on Amazon.com.

The pita recipe is paraphrased below (ingredients are exactly as printed):

• 2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 5 to 6 cups hard whole wheat flour, or 3 cups each hard whole wheat flour and hard unbleached flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

I halved this recipe and used a mix of whole wheat and white flour. I'm not sure what "hard" flour means, other than that you shouldn't use a finely milled flour like pastry or cake flour.

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, and then stir vigorously in one direction for one minute to activate the gluten in the flour. Let sit for ten minutes to two hours. You'll notice the flour puff up a little.

Sprinkle the salt and olive oil over the flour, then add the rest of the flour one cup at a time until it's hard to stir the dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for eight to ten minutes. Use a light hand and turn often, trying not to add too much flour to the dough. Rinse out the bowl and lightly grease it with olive oil, then put the dough in the bowl and cover it with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let sit for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

There are a few different ways to bake the dough, but what I did was pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking sheet in it. I divided the dough in half and put half in a plastic container in the fridge (more on this later). The rest of the dough is divided into eight pieces, and each piece is rolled out to about 1/4 inch thick. The pitas I liked best were about 7 inches in diameter.

Very carefully slide a pita onto the hot baking sheet. Your first few will probably be misshapen, but you'll get the hang of it. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes until the pita has poofed into a ball and browned on the outside. Remove with a pair of tongs, and repeat until you're done.

The leftover dough can be kept in the fridge for several days as long as you remember to gently deflate it daily. I haven't tasted "old dough" pita yet, but I hear it develops a nice flavor due to slight fermentation. Just remember to take out what dough you want and let it come to room temperature before you bake it.

Homemade Mezes Platter

Homemade whole wheat pita! It's been awhile since I've made my own bread, and I thought easy no-fuss flatbread would be a good way to jump back into the game.

Not bad for a first try; it even poofed up like it's supposed to! I made some thick, soft bready pitas like this as well as some thinner ones with crispy centers and chewy edges.

For lunch, I had the pitas with some cabbage slaw tossed with crysanthemum leaves and cilantro. A leftover half of an heirloom tomato rounded out the meal.

I also had homemade hummus! It's a little green because I decided to throw some cilantro in. Why not, I'm not winning authenticity points for any part of my meal here.

And my serving method of choice: a tiny triangular sandwich! The garlic of the hummus, the crunch of the slaw, and the juicy sweetness of the tomato were great with the wheaty pita. I tried various combinations, but all three in one sandwich was the only way to go. And yay! I followed my own rule and didn't eat meat at lunch!

Academy of Sciences (and a Cocktail)

One of my favorite new places in SF is the Academy of Sciences. Unfortunately, it seems to be the favorite of many other fans as well. Every time I've gone on a weekend, I've been confronted with mobs at the door. Luckily, I opted early on for an annual pass so J and I have been enjoying the Academy in sections instead of trying to fight the crowds to finish everything in one day.

This is a view of the lagoon from inside the rainforest. If you look carefully through the bottom, you can see people in a viewing gallery below. One of the Academy's coolest features is that many aquarium exhibits can be seen from multiple angles. You might see some fish from above, then walk around and realize you're staring at them from below later on!

Butterflies at the top of the rainforest. Try to enlarge the photo, there were a lot on this bush! The Academy has a really unique selection of butterflies, many in colors and patterns I'd never seen.

The live rooftop garden, which helps attract wildlife to Golden Gate Park and also insulates the building. Compared to the first time I visited, the roof is in full bloom now and quite charming. I wish they'd let people frolic in the fields of wildflowers, but I think that's only allowed for very important donors. So for now, I can only admire the solar panels and big round windows from afar.

Did I mention I ran most of the way to Golden Gate Park? 3 miles, including a break! After that, walking around inside for a few hours, and then buying groceries, I totally deserved this martini:

• 1 shot Tanqueray Sterling, my new favorite vodka. It tastes better than most $30 vodka and costs $15! Sure, I still have vodkas I prefer more, but not anywhere near $15.
• a few drops Dolin vermouth. I like to just swish some in the cup and then toss it out, but you can use up to two teaspoons. Dolin dry vermouth was described to me by a cocktail junkie as good enough to drink neat, and I do agree it's quite tasty.
• 1-3 drops olive juice, optional. Or if you like your martinis salty, a teaspoon
  

Shake all the ingredients with lots of ice, then strain into a martini glass and serve with some olives. Delish.

Lombard Street and Cheese Plus

My visitors must have left me with a case of the tourist bug, because walking past Lombard and Polk this weekend I was taken with the urge to hike up a 70 degree incline and find the famously crooked section of Lombard Street that is beloved of all San Francisco visitors.

I hadn't been up there in years! It really is a very cute street, well kept with front yards absolutely teeming with hydrangeas and other large colorful flowers. This photo doesn't do it justice. I actually feel a little sorry for the people who live on the street and have to deal with tourists. But what kind of exhibitionist chooses to live there anyway?

Like so many parts of SF, the top of Lombard Street has great views in several directions. This is looking towards Coit Tower. By turning slightly I could see Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, or the eastern residential neighborhoods.

And, a super fun surprise on my walk back from Lombard Street: Cheese Plus, an amazing little gourmet store on Polk and Pacific, was celebrating its 4th Anniversary today. Just look at their blue cheese collection--intense, right?

For the event, they invited about a dozen vendors to offer free samples to the public. Among other things, I sampled several local sausages, salami, Ciao Bella ice cream and sorbet, Cabot cheese, Marin French Cheese Company's delicious brie, a REALLY amazing Italian cheese called La Tur, Prima Donna's namesake and Noord Hollanderd goat's milk cheeses, a LOT of chocolate from TCHO and Jade, Divina garlic/blue cheese/sundried tomatoes stuffed olives, Divina jarred peppadews peppers, McQuade's Chutneys, and some really delicious pineapple upside down cake that I forgot to ask the source for. I also purchased some Capricorn Italian Roast coffee to wash everything down, and so that I wouldn't be a total mooch.

It really was a quality affair--not a single mediocre product in the bunch! I know I'm being a total shill, but everyone who was at the event deserves the little publicity I can give them. Cheese Plus is really smart; now I know which of their products I love and will probably end up buying them all, eventually!

Basic Vinaigrette Tutorial

A lot of how-tos this week. I got a lot of questions while on vacation about how I do this and that, which of course is incredibly flattering--but not as flattering as when people actually try it my way and let me know how it goes! (hint hint) Every avid cook likes to know if her directions actually work.

Anyhoo, this is tonight's basil vinaigrette. Most people buy salad dressing in a bottle, but it's so easy to make a small amount. Not only do I get to change up the flavors every time, it helps me use up the vinegars and olive oil that tend to just sit around in my cabinets. Call me crazy, but the fewer bottles lying around the better.

Vinaigrette is an emulsion, so creating a creamy vinaigrette requires two things: the right proportions, and agitation. Here are the basics you'll need:

• one part acid. This can be vinegar, lemon juice, citrus juice, or a combination of the three
• three parts oil. This is usually the olive oil of your choice. Use light oil if you want the flavor to be delicate, and extra virgin if you want the grassy olive oil flavor to shine. You can also use infused oils
• salt and sugar to taste
• optional: herbs, garlic, ginger, peppers, nuts, fruits, and/or other flavoring agents
  

If you whisk the acid and oil together very quickly, you'll soon have a creamy vinaigrette. The rest is bonus! But for those who want a real recipe, this is what I did for my basil vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 leaves basil, chopped finely
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4/tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar

I combined the basil, pepper, salt, and sugar in a bowl and ground them together with the back of a spoon. Then I added the vinegar and mixed until the sugar and salt dissolved, Using a whisk, I drizzled in the olive oil and whisked furiously until the dressing was creamy. Then I poured it over some mixed greens and heirloom tomatoes.

Having one fresh herb or brightly flavored fruit really takes your vinaigrette to the next level. Last weekend, for example, I pureed a single perfect strawberry into a bowl of dressing for a group of 11. Not much of an investment, but suddenly we were dining on strawberry vinaigrette instead of just eating olive oil and vinegar.

French Press Tutorial

Sometimes people ask me how to make coffee, and the answer is a lot simpler than one might expect from an acknowledged addict. I've fiddled with various ways of making coffee, and the French press is now my favorite because it's cheap, doesn't take up any space, and makes a great cup of black coffee.

When you drink black coffee, the freshness of your coffee beans becomes exponentially more important than if you're going to add cream and/or sugar to your brew. Grinding the coffee correctly is also important. The best description I've heard for what French press coffee should be like is this: fine enough that it's like sand you can comfortably stand on, but not as fine as the powdery sand that makes you feel like you're really on a tropical paradise.

For my 80z. French press, I use two to three heaping tablespoons of ground coffee, depending on mood and beans. Remember to rinse your press pot with hot water before you put the coffee in.

Next, fill the pot with hot water. How hot? 180 degrees or so. Just kidding, who measures? I know I don't. I let the water come to a boil, take it off the heat, swirl it until the boiling stops, and pour the water into the pot in a thin stream. It's not perfect, but it's a lot easier than having to take out a thermometer.

This next step I didn't do until recently, but I think it's important because I noticed the coffee looks really different. Stir with a spoon or chopstick. See how a light layer of foam forms on top of the coffee? That's called blooming. If your beans are fresh, when you start stirring you'll hear a slight fizz or whoosh, sort of like the sound of a can of soda being opened. Then the beans will rise a little, and foam will appear.

Now, you wait. Three minutes, to be precise. Put the lid on your pot and adjust the mesh presser so it's hovering above the coffee. You want the lid on to retain heat, but if you let the metal part touch the coffee it'll cool everything down a little. It's not a huge deal, but since this is a tutorial...

When three minutes are up, press the mesh strainer to the bottom of your press pot. You should have to exert a little force to press the coffee down. It shouldn't feel like arm wrestling, but if you're able to slam the strainer down in a second or two your coffee is too coarse. The exact amount of force you exert should be about how hard you would need to press on a bathroom scale with your palm for it to reat 10-15 lbs. But again, when it's 8 a.m. it's more important to get the coffee into your system than to quibble over details.

Pour the coffee out of the press pot, and you should have a rich, clean cup of black coffee with a very fine layer of powdery sediment when you reach the bottom. Bottoms up!

Fly Bar & Restaurant

It's not great food, but it's tasty and cheap!

That's my short review of Fly Bar & Restaurant's happy hour, which runs weekdays (or possibly every day) from 4-7pm. Draft beers are $3 and pizzas are half off. That means each of these pies was $4.50, which was actually on the high end. The two of us ate one and a half and were pretty darn full!

If you end up going, stick with the beers. My cocktail was awful, but our total bill for two drinks and two pizzas was $18 so I think we'll be back. Not so much for the food, but for the fairly fun atmosphere and option of having some carbs with our beer.

And our delicious dessert at home! Berries this week were extra delicious. I'm not kidding; if you see some, buy them!

Corn on the Cob--Raw?

Yes, that's raw corn. And yes, I nibbled some off the top. Weird, right?

Not if you grew up on a farm, apparently. I started eating raw corn about a year ago. A farmer at the farmers market was shouting that he had the freshest corn anyone had ever tasted, picked just a few hours ago. I bought some, and he jokingly said he would only sell it to me if I promised to shuck one and start eating it on the spot. I asked him if he was for real, and he promised I wouldn't regret it. And I didn't!

Farm fresh corn is sweet and delicate, perfect for eating as a fruit. Once the corn has been off the stalk for awhile, the starches break down and it takes on a grassy, astringent flavor. That's what gives you that feeling like you're eating unripe bananas. Older corn is also more chewy. But if you're lucky enough to find someone who will promise you that the corn was picked less than 24 hours ago, take a bite!

Russian River Vacation: Day 5

Alas, all vacations must come to an end. As if to remind us that vacation was drawing to an end, Monday in San Francisco was the beginning of a week of foggy weather after a week of sunshine.

We started our morning at Blue Bottle Coffee and thre in an attempt to buy a glass of Kyoto iced coffee made in one of these fancy machines. They were not available, so we settled for other delicious drinks.

Wanting my guests to end their trip with a bang, I insisted on lunch at Bushi-Tei. Everyone else had the pork cutlet, and I opted for the washyugu sandwich this time. This was remniscent of a buttery skirt steak with plenty of caramelized onions, but the pork cutlet still takes the cake. We had a bottle of sparkling wine and shared a few desserts. A perfect meal, as usual.

After picking up everyone's luggage, we were back at Blue Bottle to say good-bye. Yes, there was a coffee addict on the trip. He had an espresso and I had the affogato with Humphry Slocombe's Secret Breakfast ice cream: the breakfast is corn flakes and the secret is bourbon. As you can imagine, it's perfect with espresso. And the portion is quite generous--two huge scoops of homemade ice cream and a $2 espresso for under $6.

For having spent about two days in wine country and one and a half days in San Francisco, I think my visitors did quite well! We could have seen more, but they did (translate: ate) a ton of things without feeling rushed. I love hosting; everyone visit more!