The mother of all thanksgiving meals!

Needless to say, I had a blast playing a food critic! I've linked the sfgate article with all the recipes, details and photos, and here's my personal play by play from the SF Chron Turkey Tasting.

We started with a soup from each of the chefs: a chestnut-pumpkin soup with pumpernickel croutons from Mina and a meyer lemon-miso broth served with a cranberry-goji berry relish from Keane. Mina was the winner in this round, hands down. I normally don't like chestnuts but this soup was somehow differerent. For starters, it had a lovely velvety texture, and it wasn't super creamy. I also enjoyed the fresh sage and thyme accents - strong enough to be noticable, but subtle enough to not overpower the delicate main flavors. And lastly there was the satisfying crunch of the pumpernickel croutons - a lovely counterpoint in both texture and taste, and adding just the right amount of umami. My only quibble -- the portion served was both too large and too heavy for the start of a multi-course holiday meal! A tiny portion of this soup would make a decent starter, but it would probably be best served as the centerpiece of a simple winter supper, with some crusty bread and a simple salad. And I learned an interesting trick: using water pitchers to serve the soup was so efficient and easy, that I was ready to run home and throw out all my ladles!

Keane's soup was thin and salty (and unlike any miso soup I have tasted inside or outside Japan) and strangely one dimensional. Too much umami perhaps? The best and most interesting aspect of this dish was the contrast of the warm salty broth with the cool sour-sweet relish, but even that was not enough to save it. In my book, this was a flop!

Next came the turkey -- separately confit-ed breast and leg from Mina, and a Hoisin Sauce glazed breast with a confit turkey leg from Keane. I was excited to try the confit-ed parts from both chefs but less excited about the Hoisin Sauced version. But once I had tasted Chef Keane's turkey, I was a convert to both turkey and hoisin sauce. As many of you know, I had never tasted a turkey that floated my boat, though the deep fried version made by some friends from North California came close! This turkey breast was flavorful, tender and lacked the signature overcooked turkey smell -- it was unlike any other turkey (or any meat for that matter) that I have ever eaten! And his hoisin glaze was light and balanced and added just the right amount of flavor to the meat, and it wasn't too bitter, too sweet or too salty like the commerially prepared hoisin sauces I had previously encountered in restaurants and on the shelves of my local Asian grocery stores. The confit-ed leg was also yummy, and very tasty and forktender, just like all good confit should be. Needless to say, I cleaned my plate --something I have never done at any previous thanksgiving dinner. But then, I had also never eaten a thanksgiving meal cooked by a 4 star chef until now!

Mina's turkey was a complete contrast: the confit-ed breast was not only slightly dry, but also tasted and smelled like many a turkey I had disliked in the past. The leg was slightly better, but it could hardly hold a candle to the superior bird cooked by Chef Keane. My first thought: wow, what a waste of 5 lbs of duck fat. My 2nd thought: even 4 star chefs have bad days. And my third and most evil thought: Mina could stand take lessons in turkey cookery from Keane!


The chefs were pretty equal in the stuffing catergory - Keane's fluffy sushi rice stuffing won points for originality with unusual ingredients like cilantro,chinese sausage and dried shrimp. I could have done without the dried shrimp which had burnt to bitter crispness in areas, but otherwise it was excellent. Mina's stuffing was more traditional but no less yummy! And unlike his turkey, his stuffing was not your mother's stuffing (unless your mother is an accomplished chef that is) - made with brioche, pecans, dried cranberries and several fresh herbs and baked and served in individual ramekins -- it was the best rendering of traditional stuffing I've ever tasted.

When it came to the required side vegetable, Keane's roasted brussell sprouts with candied kumquats won hands down in both the originality and taste categories. All the judges (including yours truly)
loved this dish and many of us felt this would be the dish we would be most likely to attempt at home. On the other hand, Mina's sweet potato-carrot puree was a toss up between glorified (aka highly buttered!) baby food and the salted version of my sweet potato pie filling.


And lastly, we had the desserts: The quince clafouti/cobbler with star anise (the recipe published on sfgate uses ginger instead) icecream from Mina had a slight edge due its contrast of sweet and sour flavors, however it would have been even better without the streusel topping which made it way too sweet for me. Keane's pumpkin custard pie with green cardamom icecream was a fantastic dessert too, but perhaps a tad too sweet a combination for me.

And what a sweet ending it was to the most memorable thanksgiving meal of my life!

So, do I want to be a food critic?

The San Francisco Chronicle article asked if I wanted to be a food critic. Duh, doesn't everyone? I am surely not in the least bit shy about expressing my opinions, especially about food, so I figured "why not?" and threw my proverbial hat into the ring. The prize: to be chosen as one of the six judges for the paper's annual Turkey Training Camp. This year's event was planned as an Iron Chef style battle of the chefs, the chefs being Michael Mina and Douglas Keene of Cyrus. I had enjoyed Michael Mina's eponymous restaurant http://www.michaelmina.net/michaelmina_sanfrancisco/ but saying that I loved the food at Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg http://www.cyrusrestaurant.com/would be an understatement!
So, when Stacy from the Chronicle called to congratulate me, I was elated (another understatement)! I was ready to be wooed by the Turkey and trimmings made by these two famous chefs - hoping they could change my mind about turkey: dry, tasteless, and infused with a strange unpleasant smell!

And finally November 3rd dawned, rainy and dreary. By some strange coincidence, it was the day that one of my foster dogs was getting picked up by her new family. Just as I had sent her off, and shed the requisite tears as I waved my goodbye, my other foster dog Clark mysteriously started spraying blood! Thankfully, my sweetie was willing to rush him to the vet so that I could make it to the Chronicle offices in San Francisco on time. And I was so eager to be there, that my normally tardy self actually made it to their table with 20 minutes to spare! Wow, I said to myself, "I sure hope this bodes well!".

I met my fellow judges, got a tour of the Food Department, and then we got to meet the chefs. Sadly, they had already finished cooking, so we didn't get to experience that part of the Iron Chef competition. But their food was ready for us to dig into, so my sadness was very shortlived as we were presented with first the menus, and then the food! There wasn't going to be any wine pairings and all we had was water to cleanse our palates, but that was just fine with me. I was ready to start my critiquing career!

It was a memorable meal, or rather 2 memorable meals! The Chronicle made us judges promise not to scoop them and steal their thunder, so I will update you all on the meals in the next installment right after the Chronicle article is published on November 19th.

The Running Skirt Revolution?

Some of you have surely heard of this new craze in the fitness world by now: the running skirt.

If you believe this month's Runner's World , they are taking the world by storm, and are a must have for active fashionistas. I was surprised to see the large variety they had found to review, but most of them were pretty pricey at $40-$60. But the biggest proof that you will soon be seeing them in malls across America -- Target now carries not one, but a whole line of running skirts in their C9 line, and at $20, they are a bit more affordable.

The curious among us might be wondering how are these much touted (in the press, on blogs, by friends) garments different from our mother's skorts? For starters, the running skirts are not so much a hybrid, as an actual skirt that looks like a real skirt both going and coming, and most of them come with built-in shorts/ panties of some sort. Most of them are also made of stretchy, wicking hi-tec fabric, and do feel cooler than even my thinnest yoga pants (including those made of wicking fabrics). But their biggest attraction to most of us is that not only does the running skirt break the monotony of our exercise wear, but they also look cool and make us feel sassy!

A friend of mine swears by the SkirtsSport Outlet so as a slave to research (and yes, a sometime slave to fashion!) I ordered their "gymgirl" and "marathongirl" and even purchased a C9 version from Target. My verdict on all three: too damn short! If they are too short on my 5' frame, how must they be on normal sized women? Or perhaps I am too self-conscious? Now keep in mind, I am a prime candidate for starring on "What not to wear" since I often run errands before or after working out in my gym clothes! (perhaps reprehensible to some, but it does save me time and gas, and I am all about efficiency and multi-tasking!) Plus my gym happens to be located at my work, so it is a little uncomfortable to run into your VP in a 3 inch long skirt that barely covers them thighs, irrespective of how well sculptured said thighs might be!

As it turns out, Skirtsports does not do refunds on outlet items, so I decided to splurge on the uptown girl in exchange for the previous purchases, with the rationale that it could also do double duty as versatile vacation wear. I have to admit I like the Uptown Girl - it covers my thighs, and will come along on the next vacation. However, here is the catch: while it is great for running or hiking or the elliptical machine, it is useless on bikes, and even more useless for serious stretching or weight-training (leg-press, anyone?).

So, now I rock my running skirt only 2-3 times of a week instead of daily as I had hoped. And though it failed to revolutionize my life as claimed in many a fitness magazine and blog, it does add that little bit of pizzazz to my mood and a definite sass to my walk, and that is worth its weight in gold!

Walk and Talk at the Same Time?

Yes, that's what we do on the San Francisco City Walking Tours put on by City Guides. Well, the (volunteer) Guide does most of the talking, and we all do the walking as we learn choice morsels of San Francisco or California History.

Being that both Kevin and I are history/ architecture geeks and trivia junkies, it is pretty close to heaven for us. Throw in a meal before or after the tour in our favorite foodie town, and we are happy as clams. And since San Francisco is fairly hilly, the tours also double as mild to moderate exercise. We often bring visiting friends or relatives on these and sometimes even manage to drag local friends/ family and a dog or two, thereby satisfying my almost primal need to multi-task. What more could I possibly ask for?

Jokes aside, these tours are truly an amazing way to enjoy The City and learn more about its checkered past (and often more checkered present). They are offered year round, are free(though donations are suggested) and run by an entirely volunteer staff and guides. Check them out here. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Easy Spicy Shrimp and Easier Not-So-Spicy Green Beans

By popular request, here are some "India friendly" recipes. For anyone else, you will find AamChoor (Green Mango Powder) and Chaat Masala (a mix of certain Indian spices) at your friendly Neighborhood Indian Grocery Store or online. Email me if you can't find it, and I will try to get some to you by US Mail.

Spicy Oven Baked Shrimp
Aam choor (can substitute with lemon or lime juice to taste)
Chaat Masala (can substitute with cumin powder + coriander powder +ginger powder+garam masala)
Red Onion (or yellow,white, green if your heart desires)
Lots of Garlic or to taste
Olive oil or any mild vegetable oil (or even mustard oil if you so dare!)
Salt
Green (serrano) chillis
cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees if cooking shrimp or 475 degrees if making fish
Mix all the above ingredients together in the food processor to make a wet rub. It should be of spreadable consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. If necessary add a smidgeon of sugar or splenda to balance the taste. The rub should be fairly strong tasting.

Mix the wet rub with tail-on raw shrimp or apply the rub liberally to both sides of any firm fleshed fish filet (salmon, halibut, sea bass and bake in the oven. Spread the shrimp or fish or lightly oiled cookie sheets, taking care not to crowd them. Bake in the oven until almost done as it will continue to cook even after it comes out of the oven. A couple of pounds of shrimp will cook in as little as 4-5 minutes, and a lb of salmon in about 8 minutes (4 minutes per side). Serve warm, accompanied by a white or sparkling wine with some residual sugar for maximum impact. This would likely also work pretty well with most light beers, or any fruity cocktails.


Easy Peasy Roasted Green Beans
Green Beans -- about a lb
Olive oil
salt, preferably coarsely ground or non-iodized sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
Lots of peeled garlic cloves, at least 6-8 large ones

Toss all the ingredients, and roast in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 minutes. Take out of the oven, retoss the green beans, for another 12-15 minutes until cooked through, and parts are lightly browned/golden. Serve warm or cold as a side dish or a cocktail snack. Goes well with many lighter red wines, and almost all white/sparkling wines that have some acidity.

wines, wonks, and weddings

How do wine wonks celebrate their wedding anniversaries? In the wonkiest possible way...

First there was the long deliberations about where to go... the criteria were hardly modest: it had to have a good wine list, it has to have good food to match the wine, it has to be a good value, and be Caltrain-able. The first 2 are not that hard to do in the San Francisco Bay area, but the third condition combined with the 4th was a toughie. After extensive research, I narrowed down my list to: Bar Tartine, Bar Crudo, CAV, South Food and Wine Bar, and The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton. CAV was doing a tasting of older Rieslings, so that finally won out.

But then my lovely husband of 2 years came home after work, and remarked how beautiful it was in the backyard. And it was pretty warm to boot! So, out the window went all the research, and CAV was shelved for another day. Besides, we had gotten married in our backyard 2 years to the day, our dogs had been part of wedding party, and we still had the wedding music play list on semi-frequent rotation on our ipod. What a sweet little opportunity to recreate the magic -- how could we let it go?

We rooted through our fridge and cellar for something worthy of our anniversary celebrations. We found some spicy roasted shrimp and some sweet roasted peppers (recipes coming soon) that went nicely with a 2006 Toulouse Riesling (rich & balanced, slightly oily on the palate, off dry -- nice!!) and a couple of chunks of petit basque and aged manchego and some lightly salted cashews to match a 1999 Allegrini Amarone. The Riesling was lovely (Toulouse is fast becoming one of our favorite wineries) but the Amarone just blew us both away. It was a classic Amarone - a dry wine with a raisiny nose reminiscent of a tawny port, it was smooth and unctuous with nary a tannin in sight, and IMHO at its peak drinking age. It was everything I had expected it to be, and a little bit more! When I have such high expectations from something, it often fails to live up to it, but the Allegrini Amarone was a happy exception to the rule!

But the geekiest and best part was.....ta da...me reading aloud articles about Amarone and Riesling from Hedonist in the Cellar as we sat sipping our wines.

It was a magical night -- the moon was just barely visible among the clouds, the jasmine & honeysuckle smelled heavenly, our 3 dogs were relaxing around us (technically, Masala was sitting on my lap, Junnu was playing soccer with Kevin, and Sammie was scrounging for scraps :)), and our wedding music was playing softly in the background. In my mind, it was the perfect way to celebrate the now, while looking back on the wedding and other sweet memories of the past, and looking forward to the not-too-distant future and our trip to Veneto to see the making of Amarone in person. I could not have asked for a better or sweeter celebration!

My Happy Place: The Anderson Valley (and its Wineries)

When life gets too hectic, my favorite escape is to the Anderson Valley, specifically to The Other Place . I wish I could say that it is really my other home, but sadly that is not the case :). It is a dog friendly rental home perched high above the town of Boonville and Hwy 128, and we like to go there once or twice a year for our vacation -with-the-pups. They get a couple of fenced acres of their own to run around unfettered, and dig for moles and voles to their hearts' content. Sammie likes to swim in the pond, which also doubles as Kevin's Kayaking training area. And then there's a few hundred acres of private land to hike around on. Our favorite cottage is The Oaks, named after a couple of ancient oaks that shade it, and it offers 270 degree views of the mountains that surround Boonville.

I love the bucolic Anderson Valley -- It is green and lush and still a whole lot unspoiled, at least compared to Napa & Sonoma. No fancy tasting rooms, low/ no tasting fees, no attitude, and no drunken frat boys veering wildly on the road. It is mercifully free of fancy hotels and resorts, and celebrity chef restaurants.

What is has instead is several very good wineries -- most specializing in dry Alsace Whites and dustier, earthier Pinot Noir. Navarro is a long time favorite of ours and we served some of their dry whites at our wedding - they are also very dog friendly, and have a nice picnic area -- make sure to taste their late harvest dessert wines -- sweet, but with enough acidity to make it interesting. We also like to stop by Roederer (preferable to go during the week when it's less crowded) Greenwood Ridge (the prettiest picnic area, and a very cool tasting room designed by one of Wright's disciples), Handley Cellars (with a female wine maker making some kick-ass wines) and Husch (their lighter white and dessert wines are a great value) and a comparatively new presence in the area: Zine Hyde Cunningham. I would be remiss not to mention, Golden Eye - they are the pinot arm of the venerable Duckhorn empire, but that venerability comes at a slightly higher price, at least by Anderson Valley standards. It is certainly worth visiting, especially if you can do a tasting in their beautiful outdoor tasting area overlooking the vineyards.

Our latest winery discoveries here are two of our favorites next to Navarro, and definitely fall in the category of not-to-be-missed. And it is not just because they are really nice dog people, but also because they make great wines and are warm and welcoming when you visit. The first is Londer - chances are you will be tasting with Shirlee Londer in her kitchen, with her dogs at your feet. My favorite is their dry Gewurtaziminer but I also like their syrahs and pinots, especially the Anderson Valley Pinot. The 2nd is Toulouse, which we found entirely by accident
since they were one of the last ones open at the end of an afternoon of wine tasting. We really liked their wines and enjoyed talking to the owner, Vern, and his friends and bought a couple of bottles. The next day we went back and retasted the wines to make sure that our judgement had not been impaired the previous evening. We liked the wines almost as much, and bought quite a bit more. We have pretty much drunk our way through our Toulouse stash, and recently when I called to see if we could restock, learned that they had sold out of all our favorites. And that is also when I looked through their website and discovered that some their wines had been reviewed very favorably by both the Wine Spectator and SF Chronicle. Go Vern, we said, but we were just a little bit sad that it was no longer "our" secret winery. But we are happy at their most deserved success and wish them all the best!