This is another one of those “I can’t believe I didn’t share it earlier” reviews. Tia Betty Blue’s opened about three years ago on a neglected stretch of San Mateo not far from Gibson, in a two-story building that used to house a cleaning business. It was a surprise to see someone try a restaurant…
Salmon Rice Bowl with Soy-Wasabi Sauce (Sake-Don)
My recent obsession with Kokoro Japanese Restaurant finally bled over into my own kitchen. I wanted more Japanese food, but I wanted it to be as quick and simple as it was delicious. Paging through my copy of Japanese Soul Cooking, I saw a gorgeous picture of a bowl of vibrant red tuna slices brushed…
Soulful Japanese Food at Kokoro Restaurant
Once upon a time, I read in a now-forgotten cookbook that “There is no such thing as al dente in Japanese noodles.” That author had never had a proper bowl of ramen. To be fair, a proper bowl of ramen is a rare thing. As viewers of the classic Japanese film Tampopo and the less classic…
Fried Apples with Cinnamon
There’s nothing in the world like waking up to a beautiful, elaborate breakfast. I assume. Occasionally my sweetie brings me a Frontier breakfast burrito and orange juice in bed on special occasions, and I’ve had room service breakfast a few times. But for the most part, if I want an elaborate breakfast, there’s no button…
Easy Oven-Roasted Brown Sugar Bacon
I love bacon. It’s hard not to. Sweet, smoky, salty, chewy, crisp, rich… Good bacon hits on all cylinders. But I’ve always considered it a pain to cook. Standing over a skillet, laboriously flipping each floppy strip, grease spattering everywhere – even if you’re using a splatter screen, because you can’t flip without removing it….
The riddle of Ethiopian injera: Is sourdough starter the answer?
Ah, injera. Ethiopian food is unthinkable without injera, the flexible, sour teff-flour flatbread that doubles as both edible utensil and plate. (And, at the end of the meal, is the best part, soaked as it is with the juices of all the stews.) I remember the first time I saw injera, folded and tucked in…
Spiced Apple Cider Caramels
Caramel is magic. Caramelization (and its close cousin, the Maillard reaction; colloquially we use the term “caramelization’ for both) takes bland foods and makes them incredibly complex and delicious. It’s responsible for so much of the deliciousness of cooked foods. And you can just unwrap all that and pop it in your mouth. Recently, caramel…
Easy Braised Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage
I’d never eaten braised red cabbage until three nights ago – and I’ve already made it twice. On a whim, I had bought a pretty little head of red cabbage, and I needed a side dish to go with a beef Stroganoff I was making. It seemed to me that the astringency of a sweet-and-sour…
Eating ABQ: Humble Coffee
I’ve been hearing a little buzz lately about Humble Coffee, and passed it a couple times as I cruised down Lomas on various shopping expeditions. But when my friend Christina, responding to my quest for Albuquerque’s best lattes and mochas, recommended Humble Coffee, I took notice. It was a priority this weekend to make a…
Eating PDX: Holdfast Dining, Part 2
foie gras, turnip, persimmon Last week I told you about the first half of our amazing experience at fine-dining pop-up Holdfast Dining in Portland, OR. (Read Part 1 here.) I ended that post with the first of three courses of duck. The second course of duck was listed on the menu as “foie gras, turnip,…