Hello Friends,
I feel like I just sent out my newsletter – how is it two weeks later? It’s the holidaaaaaays! How was your Thanksgiving? My family’s was very mellow. Just the four of us and we made raclette. Early last week, we stopped in on a rainy afternoon at Nicasio Valley Cheese Company. The Lafranchi family, who run the dairy, hail from Maggia, Switzerland and use European cultures to make their cheeses. Seek out their San Geronimo for your next raclette. The cheese we got this time was quite young and not as stinky as we’ve come to expect. The other local must-have on the table? Red potatoes from Full Belly Farm. Just the best.
Send thoughts on what you’re cooking, eating, doing, reading. Was it delicious? And don’t forget: I’ll be in your inbox two more times in December. Once we hit January, it’s back to monthly.
What’s Hot:
Not all together and not all at the same time. These are just a few of the food and food-adjacent events that have caught my attention in late autumn.
Puttanesca alla Patagonia Pizza at Shuggie’s
Puttanesca alla Patagonia at Shuggie’s (Dec 3-15)
What happens when Sausalito-based Patagonia Provisions receives a batch of sardines that’s saltier than expected? Pizza! The collab with Shuggie’s Trash Pie in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood “rescued” the otherwise unsalable sardines, putting them on a pizza with Grana Padano, oil-cured olives, and red onion. It’s win-win for the environment as both companies are focused on efforts to reduce food waste. Upcycling – as they say in the biz – never tasted better.
This pie disappears before the man in the red suit slides down his first chimney so don’t dally. Reservations are not required but are strongly recommended.
Make a Reservation at Shuggie’s
Día de las Velitas at Parche (Dec 6)
- Welcome Bite: Pickled Asian pear, marrow bone aioli, crunchy beef bacon, and plantain dust.
- Four-Course Menu includes: Amasijos Colombianos (cheese buñuelos, guava-filled almojabana, and more), Scallop Huilense with cumin-garlic rice foam, and Colombian Street Food Pavlova with soursop and plantain.
Seatings begin at 5 p.m. and run through 8:30 p.m.
$98 per guest + tax and gratuity
Make a Reservation for December 6
4th Annual Latke Throwdown at Bardessono (Dec 12)
With Channukah falling on top of Christmas Day this year, there’s still plenty of time to plan your latke recipe for Day One or Day Eight. In Yountville at the Bardessono Hotel, executive chef Rick Edge has invited other top local chefs to compete in a friendly but fierce latke-making contest. After a mere 30 minutes of cooking and a taste-off, the ultimate latke winner will be crowned and awarded The Golden Spatula. (For the love of Pete, don’t make it a black one!)
Your $20 ticket includes the show, the crowning of the winner, and tasting the contenders’ creations in three categories: creativity, presentation and taste. It runs from 5-7 p.m.
All proceeds benefit Parents CAN, a Napa-based nonprofit supporting families of children with special needs.
Get a ticket to the Latke Throwdown
Fort Mason Holiday Night Market (Dec 13)
· fresh-falling snow on the waterfront
· a showing of The Nightmare Before Christmas in Gallery 308
Bricoleur Holiday Night Market (Dec 14-15)
Restaurants On My RADAR
I had to have the Argentinian Picanha steak at Argentinian-inspired Morella in San Francisco’s Marina District. The pink walls reminded me of Buenos Aires’ Casa Rosada (the Argentine version of America’s White House) and the cocktails were spot on for those who know that a disco nap is in order to party in the country’s capital city. The bar is booming while the tables towards the back are less about ‘see and be seen’ and more about focusing on the conversation. the Dirty Martini Dip is very on-trend and we liked the Beets and Hemp Seed Salad (so Californian) but the steak stole the show.
I finally made it back to San Francisco’s Camino Alto whose Japanese Sweet Potato Tacos made it onto my Best Bites of 2022 list. There are so many touches that make this restaurant special – the hand-written menu, thoughtful consideration given to lighting, the depth of flavor in each and every dish. Yet it still feels like a neighborhood restaurant with groups of friends at some tables and others with couples out on date night. They are onto something…It felt so nice in there with the candles and the holiday lights.
Of course I loved the sweet potato, this time done up with a slightly sweet tamarind glaze and a creamy romesco sauce. Socca is so on-trend and chef uses it as crispy base for jamón Iberico and stracciatella. Layered with a whisper of persimmon-jalapeño chutney and topped with arugula – off the hook delicious. Before stopping in, I wasn’t sure how to categorize Camino Alto. Yes, it’s American food with flavors from other parts of the world. After having dinner here, I feel it is a bistro. It’s small and unpretentious with delicious secrets up its sleeves. I wish I had a restaurant like this in my neighborhood. The cooking is confident but not showy and the flavors really sparkle.
For a few days over Thanksgiving week, I took my family to Timber Cove on the Sonoma Coast. The in-house restaurant, Coast Kitchen, was serving a Friendsgiving menu in addition to the regular menu from consulting chef, Seadon Shouse. I tried the Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash. I think it might of been the biggest acorn squash I’ve ever eaten! Smooth and creamy with a minty chimichurri to enliven the quinoa. I asked for lemon to squeeze over it all which added a bit of pop. Nice.
Holiday Gift Guides
You probably know that curating gift guides doesn’t happen in a blink. I start researching items to include in August and fill in any gaps by late October. For the past four years, I’ve created four guides – cookbooks, food, booze (and booze-adjacent) and sparklers. Before the year is out, I’ll also share my Best Bites of 2024. I’m not quite ready for that one but sparklers will be out soon, hopefully next week.
For now, please enjoy the first three Gift Guides out of the gate:
Purchase links are embedded in each review.
About That Image
My oldest son, Lukas, wanted to go back to Izakaya Rintaro in San Francisco to celebrate his birthday. While my photo needs better lighting, perhaps my words can convey the thrill of chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett’s duck salad, Shungiku Kamo Sarada. Made with Hikari Farm chrysanthemum greens, charcoal-grilled Sonoma Liberty duck breast and kumquat, the duck was somehow creamy, the kumquat crisp. A simple dressing on the bitter greens pulled it all together.
Thanks for reading and be in touch.
Christina