Hounds have never been thrilled with the Upper Haight, home of mediocre slice shops and a perennial line of tourists at Ben & Jerry's, but the times they are a-changin'. The hippie stronghold boasts a Whole Foods, a refreshed Haight Street Market, and now, says grayelf, Buyer's Best Friend, an artisan foods broker with a retail space on Haight at Cole.
The shop sells treats from many small Bay Area producers, including San Anselmo–based CC Made caramel and San Francisco's Emmy's Pickles and Jams.
"I like the idea that you can sample nearly everything on the floor," grayelf says. hyperbowler stopped by during the Haight Street Fair and said it was good enough to merit a return visit.
Buyer's Best Friend Wholesale & Mercantile [Upper Haight]
1740 Haight Street, San Francisco
415-375-0439
Discuss: Buyer's Best Friend going retail
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on Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
Chowhounds recommend a handful of go-to reference works for grilling novices seeking to master the basics. Steven Raichlen's How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques "[c]overs everything you need to get started and then some," nofunlatte says.
smtucker thinks Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby’s Thrill of the Grill is "very good if you like [their] style of food which is pretty bold and uses lots of mangoes for the salsas and sauces." magz0r recommends Weber's Way to Grill: The Step-by-Step Guide to Expert Grilling and Weber's Time to Grill, both by Jamie Purviance, which cover "everything from setting up a grill to cooking or smoking somewhat complex recipes," magz0r says. "Lots of good pictures too."
When you're ready to expand your library, check out CHOW's list of Great Grilling and Barbecue Cookbooks.
Discuss: Must have grilling cookbooks?
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on Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
San Francisco's Mission Chinese Food—a Chowhound favorite for its idiosyncratic take on Sichuan cooking—has gone bicoastal, along with major buzz. After checking out its month-old Lower East Side outpost, _emilie_ calls the hype "100% deserved."
Kung pao pastrami, a hit on the West Coast, "took me right to Texas BBQ brisket, only with Sichuan-style heat," she says. "It's a dish that sounds like a fusion joke, but it's absolutely a must-have." Chef Danny Bowien's (pictured at left) spin on mapo tofu, another signature dish, is porky, delicious, and complex; sgordon praises the texture of the sauce, "like a spicy Chinese bolognese." Thrice-cooked bacon, a fiery and filling dish with rice cakes, bean-curd skin, bitter melon, and black beans, is another winner. "Good lord, was this good," says kathryn. "I loved how the rice cakes soaked up the fatty and smoky flavors of the bacon." ChiefHDB singles out the Mouth Watering Chicken, made with what appears to be sous-vide chicken roulade, perfectly cooked dark meat, and chicken hearts, topped with chile oil and sesame seeds. "Awesome. Absolutely get this dish," he advises. READ MORE
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on Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
Sara22385 was looking for a midrange North End restaurant with seafood, along with solid versions of basic red-sauce dishes, for her unadventurous parents. Thanks to Boston hounds, they ended up at L'Osteria. The verdict? Exactly what Sara22385 was looking for. The scallop and shrimp linguine was loaded with seafood, the manicotti outstanding, and the red sauce fantastic. Eggplant Parmesan could have used a bit more eggplant, but overall, Sara22385 was happy with the experience. "I would definitely go back," she says.
L'Osteria [North End]
104 Salem Street, Boston
617-723-7847
Discuss: mid-range North End rec needed for unadventurous parents
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on Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
Are seeded watermelons sweeter than seedless ones? It's unclear, though one thing is true: Seeded watermelons are increasingly hard to find.
Luckily, Kayde has jumped in with a tip on an heirloom variety and its grower that should be on your watermelon watch list: Crimson Sweet from Full Belly Farm. The flavor is fantastic. Peak season is July and August—buy them at the Tuesday Berkeley Farmers' Market.
Berkeley Farmers' Market [East Bay]
Derby Street at Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley
510-548-3333
Discuss: Seeded Watermelons
Watermelon image from Shutterstock
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on Monday, June 25th, 2012
Every drop of rendered pork fat left after cooking a dish like carnitas is worth saving, according to Chowhounds who say that just a bit adds lots of great flavor. "I save just about all rendered fat now," hotoynoodle says. "It lasts forever in the freezer. It never gets rock solid so it's easy just to smoosh off a piece."
Hounds recommends using it for roasting potatoes or mixing into cornbread batter. A little bit is "heavenly" mixed with steamed vegetables, "especially green beans," pine time says. chefathome uses the fat to grease pans when baking bread, which gives "[g]reat flavor in the final product."
Discuss: Small amount of lard - worth saving?
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on Monday, June 25th, 2012
Boston has lots of options for inexpensive drinkable wines besides Costco and Trader Joe's, and Chowhounds know where the bargains are.
Bin Ends in Braintree has a knowledgeable staff and offers a limited number of wines at a discount. mwk thinks the selection of unusual liquor and craft beer is also impressive. READ MORE
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on Monday, June 25th, 2012
SF Weekly recently pondered a "secret" Thai-language menu at Little Saigon's Zen Yai Thai, but it's the boat noodles (i.e., Thai beef noodle soup) you should order, DezzerSF says.
"Best boat noodle I've had, even better than the ones I had in Thailand. Really thick broth, plenty of greens, and pork cracklings on top. My Thai friend says they use the right noodles in their version," DezzerSF says.
Another tip from DezzerSF: sautéed calamari from the old Racha Thai, the previous tenant here. Ask for it spicy.
Zen Yai Thai Restaurant [Tenderloin]
771 Ellis Street, San Francisco
415-885-0725
Discuss: Secret Menu at Zen Yai?
Photograph of boat noodles by od_sf
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on Sunday, June 24th, 2012
Where's the best place to buy a whole pig in Los Angeles? odub has compiled a massive, carefully researched source list for both the raw and the cooked.
Interesting finds include the mostly student-run Cal Poly–Pomona Meat Science Facility, which will custom-slaughter, -clean, and -butcher a pig for you. You have to buy a pig from its "swine unit," and then the animal's delivered to the meat facility. Prices run around $80 for the pig and $100 for slaughtering. It's the only source where everything, from farm to butcher, is in one place.
The best bang for your buck is at Broadleaf Game, which seems to sell pigs for 30 percent less than other sources (it's a wholesaler, though, so your pig arrives frozen—you'll have to thaw it yourself).
Cal Poly–Pomona Meat Science Facility [Inland Empire]
Meat Science & Processing, Bldg #34
3801 W. Temple Boulevard, Pomona
909-869-2143
Broadleaf Game [South LA]
5600 S. Alameda Street, Vernon
800-336-3844
Discuss: Your whole roast pig options in L.A. (fresh and pre-roasted included)
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on Sunday, June 24th, 2012
Garlic powder tastes totally unlike fresh garlic, but that doesn't mean it can't be a great addition to recipes like dry rubs. Which garlic powders are good? ipsedixit thinks the gourmet garlic powder from Lindon Garlic Farm is good enough to give as a gift. coney with everything and beachmouse are among the hounds who like Penzeys garlic powder (also their dried minced garlic).
Discuss: Any Such Thing As Gourmet Garlic Powder?
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on Sunday, June 24th, 2012
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