Office Holiday Potluck?! Worry Not, Make This Onion Bacon Tart!

It's that time of the year again, where you get to show off a bit and exhibit the inner Domestic God/Goddess to coworkers. There's nothing like an elegant looking savory tart to cement your status as the office's culinary wizard. The smell of bacon and onion cooking together is probably one of the most intoxicating scents in the world; in fact, even after a day, the smell still lingers in my apartment and it makes me hungry for more onion tart...

Recipe
For the tart shell
1 2/3 cup flour
3/4 cup butter (that's 1 1/2 sticks, and should be very cold)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons ice water
tart pan with removable bottom (mine is ~12")


For the filling
3 large onions
12 strips of bacon
4 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Presidio Social Club

The boyfriend and I have been meaning to dine at the Presidio Social Club for a while and finally, last Friday, we came here for date night. First, this place gets massive props just for its parking lot!! Yes, you heard it right, free and easy PARKING!! And not just a 3-4 car dinky lot, but it has at least 20-25 spots!! I thought I died and angels carried me to suburban heaven. And on a completely unrelated note, even for the Marina/Presidio, this place is extremely white (not that there's anything wrong with that). I have never seen so many blondes (fake or otherwise) in my life.

After perusing the menu, we agonized between sharing the pork chops and burger or get the ribeye steak for two. In the end, we decided to hedge and error on the side of variety. We also ordered the chicken liver pâté to start, a Moscow mule for me and Makers on the rocks for the boy. We held hands and dreamily locked peepers over the flickering candle night -- another romantic date night was about to commence. Not sure if it was the booze or the dim light, but hot damn, the boyfriend looked good! Hope the sentiment was mutual :).

First up, the pâté. It had a nice layer of fat on top, which my boyfriend (not so) surreptitiously scrapped off and dug in for the pink stuff. I didn't mind the fat, more flavor for me! The pâté was smooth and didn't taste organ-y at all; paired with the fig (?) jam, me likey! The toast points that came with the dish could use a bit more refinement, they were essentially whole wheat bread cut into sticks. I think a fancier, more toasted bread would be preferable. Nevertheless, it was a great start to the meal.

Chicken liver pâté 

Evan's American Gourmet Cafe

Ski season is almost upon us and I'm sure SF dwellers will trek to Tahoe by the bus-load. In case anyone is interested in a little upscale fare in the boonies, well, you don't have to look farther than Evan's American Gourmet Cafe. I dined there a while back when the boyfriend and I were in the area for a celebrity golf tournament. After much browsing on yelp, we decided on Evan's for a romantic dinner on our first mini-vacation. The restaurant is tiny and we were required to call the day of to reconfirm the meal. I find it pretty snooty that they ask the patrons to call to confirm instead of the other way around, but c'est la vie.

We arrive at the restaurant 10 minutes early. The host told us that our table would be ready in a few minutes. While we were standing there, we saw another table for 2 ready to go. The host said that another party specifically reserved that table for 8:30. Well, we waited and waited. The other table arrived more than 15 minutes late and were sipping wine before we were seated. While we twiddled our thumbs, the staff essentially ignored us. Let's just say I was more than a bit peeved.

Finally, after more than 30 minutes, we were seated, sans any apologies or peace offerings from the kitchen. Thankfully, we got a corner table with a bird's eye view of the entire dinning room. Not that the place was much to look at. I appreciated some of the small details -- white table clothes, wines chilled on ice and freshly baked bread. I noticed the waiters would fill my water and walk to the other side of the table to fill my boyfriend's glass instead of reaching across (granted, they gave us a huge table that could seat 5). The decor of the place looked like an episode of I Love the 80's -- tacky wallpaper and overdone valances. I had to battle the urge to run into the bathroom and tease my hair.

Eat-alian for Beginners

This is my first post on the food that I experience on my travels. The page has been under construction for quite a while and I'm so happy and excited to finally fill it out! I hope to share some of my insights on foreign cuisine and the entries will also serve as an excellent travel blog for me to reminisce upon. Let's face it, for people who love to eat, we remember our vacations on a meal-by-meal basis as much as we recall the tourist attractions.

Here's a little background on our trip -- it's the first full-on vacation with my wonderful/handsome boyfriend, Orin, and I. We stayed in four cities -- Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice. We also made day trips to Siena and Ghizzano, a little town in the Tuscan countryside. My overall impression of the food is that the Italians certainly follow the "eat seasonal, eat local" motto. It's not a "movement", it's a way of life. Even lettuce tasted more, well, lettuce-y. We visited several markets, and let me tell you, the abundance and variety of produce and deli goods would make any American yuppie green with envy. My only complaint is that, on many occasions, the restaurants can be very heavy handed with salt. Portions are noticeably smaller, but that's probably a good thing. 

Rome	Florence
Cinque Terre	Venice

We tried as much as we could to eat outside of the tourist areas to get a feel of "authentic Italian food". We definitely developed a case of the self-hating-tourist-itis. We would prowl for restaurants that weren't dominated by English speakers. I believe we were fairly successful in our quest to sample the foods that the natives enjoy. Make sure to do your homework ahead of time. Orin almost wore out his thumb flipping through our Lonely Planet and Rick Steve travel guides in search of the best places to eat (thank you, wonderful/handsome boyfriend!). We had our misses, but undoubtedly hit a few gems during the trip. Well, I'm going to stop the jabbering and start talking about the food!! A warning, if you're not hungry now, you will be by the end of the entry.

The place-setting at this little restaurant in Tuscany

Choco-Banana Bread Pudding

Aside from lava cake, my go-to dessert recipe of choice is bread pudding. It's such a versatile dessert and even after a few days in the fridge, still delicious, even cold. In fact, I'm going to get me a ladleful right now! Pair it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or go over and top with a whiskey sauce, it'll be a great way to finish any dinner. Pass the Tums!!

Recipe
1 loaf of egg bread (Challah or brioche work best)
2 cups half and half
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 ounces good semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 very ripe bananas
pinch salt

Mac-n-Cheese for the 1%

Let them eat cake!! This mac-n-cheese is made with truffle butter and enough fancy cheeses to make a cow cry. No Aunt Marie's Velveeta blend here, just decadence, and the non-apologetic kind, too. If you're going to consume an inordinate amount of calories, at least make it worth it, I say! And to top off the creamy and rich cheeses, a layer of crunchy panko flavored with parsley and garlic adds extra texture so the 99% can hear you chow down. This dish will be a winner at any holiday table.

Looks like a cheeseboard

Recipe
1 pound pasta of your choice
1/3 pound speck or pancetta (optional)
3 oz truffle butter (6 tablespoons)
1/2 cup flour
1 quart half and half (4 cups)
6 oz young Mahon
7 oz emmentaler
6 oz aged gruyere
8 oz sharp cheddar
3 tablespoons marsala wine
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves
1/4 bunch parsley
1 1/2 cup panko
EVOO for drizzling

Winter Winter Go Away Hearty Beef Stew

What's better during a cold Sunday than a big pot of hearty beef stew? Especially when it's braised with beer!! A steaming bowl of the stew and a few slices of good bread just say heaven to me. The outside world can sleet, pour and snow, but I'll be nice and toasty with my big spoon in one hand and a bowl of stew in the other.

Recipe
3 bottles of dark beer (such as Guinness)
2 pounds beef for stewing
1 medium onion
3 medium carrots
4 stalks of celery
5 medium waxy potatoes (such as Yukon Gold)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 bay leaves
10 sprigs thyme
4 oz can of tomato paste
14 oz bag of pearl onions
1 bunch parsley
8 oz mushrooms
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
oil for pan browning the meat