Great Finds: Vintage Cookbooks

I went to the SF Public Library Book Sale at Fort Mason this past weekend and picked up a load of books! Twice a year, the SF Public Library holds a sale of overstocked and out dated books. I made out like a bandit, paying only $1 per book because I came on the last day. I got everything from vintage cookbooks from the 50s, 60s and 70s to fun coffee table books to Rick Steve’s travel books.

I love how each book has tons of recipes for dishes that were popular that decade - like casseroles, party platters and meat pies. Can’t wait to use a recipe!

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What You Should Order At A Dim Sum Restaurant

My understanding of the Chinese language consists of ordering dim sum and counting to number ninety-nine. I’ve never learned how to say one-hundred. But that’s okay, these two things are all I need to know.

Being a Chinese-American and from San Francisco, I’ve been eating dim sum all my life. Eating dim sum, or yum cha, is not just the act of consuming miniature-sized food. We talk, we eat, we share. It’s an event where family and friends get together to share an experience.

One of my pet peeves is sitting at a Chinese restaurant and watching people order the wrong things. No, walnut prawns is not a dim sum dish. Stop ordering that during dim sum. It’s deep fried and soaked in mayo and that’s just a terrible thing to eat for a meal that’s supposed to be breakfast. So, I’m writing this post to share with you what I enjoy eating during at a dim sum restaurant.

Here are some Dim Sum classics:

  1. Cherng Fun with Beef - My dim sum experience isn’t complete until I have this dish. Soft thin sheets of rice noodles are wrapped around really tender ground beef and topped with a light, sweet soy sauce.
  2. Siu Mai (or Shumai - Pork Dumplings) - If you look around at all the tables with Chinese people, you’ll find this on every table. It’s a classic dim sum dish. Think of it like a pork and mushroom meatball wrapped in a won ton wrapper. Not my top choice of dim sum dishes at most restaurants, but I will almost always get it at Yank Sing. It’s super good there.
  3. Har Gow (Shrimp Dumpligs) - Like Siu Mai, this is another classic dish. This shrimp dumpling is wrapped with a translucent, chewy wrapper made from tapioca powder. Dunk these in hot sauce and you’re golden.
  4. Lo Bak Goh (Turnip Cake) - I love this stuff! Similar to potato pancakes, these are made with rice flour and sliced turnips. Soft and gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside.
  5. Lo Mai Gai (Sticky Rice) - Wrapped in banana leaves, these soft, sticky rice balls are filled with mushrooms, Chinese sausage and pork. If you’re not full from the little dumplings, order this dish. It’ll fill you up.

If you’re adventurous…

  1. Fung Jow (Chicken Feet) - I know, the thought of eating chicken feet is just disgusting, but trust me, it’s good. These little brown feet are deep fried then braised in a sweet, ginger sauce.
  2. Ngau Tou (Steamed Tripe) - Don’t confuse this with the brown sponge-like tripe. These thin strips of white tripe are crunchy in texture. The tripe itself is tasteless, but it’s steamed in a light ginger broth.

If you’re not adventurous at all…

  1. Guk Bao (Baked Char Siu Bao) - This barbecue pork bun is baked golden brown with a sweet glaze on top. From experience, all children love these.

For dessert…

  1. Jin Deui (Sesame Balls) - Sesame balls are chewy, crispy balls made from glutinous rice flour tolled in sesame seeds and filled with lotus bean paste. The best ones I’ve ever had are from Yank Sing Restaurant in San Francisco. Trick is to ask for fresh ones so that they’re still warm and soft from the oven.
  2. Mango Pudding - I could eat mango pudding all day. The best kinds are rich, creamy and loaded with chunks of mangoes.
  3. Dan Tat (Egg Tart) - Egg Tarts are like mini egg custard pies. Light, crispy crust filled with a silky smooth egg custard. So good!

So, there’s my list of favorite dim sum dishes. Also, everything tastes better with hot sauce. My favorite is the chili sauce from Yank Sing. I usually unload a whole bottle in one sitting!

Free Cold Stone Ice Cream Today - Sept 27, 2011

Cold Stone Creamery is hosting it’s 10th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social today!

Come into any Cold Stone between 5-8 p.m. to receive a 3 oz. sample of their special sundae made of Sweet Cream ice cream and topped with brownies, sprinkles and fudge for free while supplies last.

Find your closest Cold Stone Creamery location here. I might just stop by for a scoop of sweet cream ice cream with brownies. Low fat, of course!

Addendum - Yountville

Rated: ♣♣♣♣

If you’re a foodie, you’ll know Thomas Keller. And if you know Thomas Keller, you’ll know about his restaurants in Yountville, CA. You may recall that I took a crazy drive up to Keller’s Ad Hoc in Yountville one Monday evening in an attempt to try his famous Buttermilk Fried Chicken, but later had to order Wagyu Tri-trip because we came the wrong day (They serve the fried chicken every other Monday). Anyway, Keller has since opened up a little shack behind Ad Hoc called Addendum which serves brown bag lunches in a to-go fashion. Here you can grab your order and eat at one of their picnic tables in their vegetable garden. I was excited to learn that his Buttermilk Fried Chicken is on their limited menu, and I’ve already been back twice to eat it.

Before I get into the description of the meal, there are some rules you need to know. Addendum only serves 200 orders of the fried chicken and barbecued meats per day or until 2pm, whichever comes first. To help you gauge the time, I’ve come twice already and was able to snag the fried chicken at 12 noon and at 1pm. At 1pm, I was within one of the last 5 orders. They say you can call ahead and order 10 minutes before you pick up, but I’ve never had any luck getting through on the line.

Each order comes with potato salad, corn succotash and a slice of honey cornbread. The potato salad is the best potato salad I’ve ever had. It’s kind of like a cool version of mashed potatoes. The salad was lightly seasoned and lemony; a great neutralizer for the fried chicken. The corn succotash was amazing! The corn and the roasted bell peppers were sautéed together until it became sweet, buttery goodness.

Thomas Keller’s fried chicken is hands-down the BEST fried chicken I’ve ever had. It was perfectly seasoned and extremely juicy on the inside, two vital characteristics that are hard to come by. It doesn’t taste like yuppy fried chicken either (like the version from Wayfare Tavern). It tastes like good ol’ Southern fried chicken. I’m thinking Keller uses abnormal chickens that are injected with juice because I have never had a chicken so juicy (kidding about the abnormal chickens). It must be the 12-hour lemon, honey and herb brine that makes this chicken drip with juices. Even with the moist center, the skin is still very crispy too. Each order receives 3 small pieces which are surprisingly very filling. My brother made this fried chicken before using the Ad Hoc: At Home cookbook and his was pretty much on par. I asked the server if there were ingredients left off of their recipe and they said no.

I must add that the 2nd time I came back, I was pretty disappointed. I feel like because we were one of the last few orders, they ran out of a lot of items. They replaced the lemon potato salad with little fingerling potatoes with a tasteless white sauce. The fried chicken didn’t really have any flavor either. I have a feeling that they ran out of the brine-soaked chicken and had to make do with what else they had in the kitchen. A few groups nearby actually had to return their fried chicken because it was still raw in the middle. A little disappointing…

Nonetheless, I know Addendum makes some amazing fried chicken most of the time, so take my advice and come early!

Addendum
Behind Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599

Sushi Raw - San Francisco

Rated: ♣♣♣♣

I don’t eat sushi much because it’s hard for me to find real quality fish in the Bay Area. I know that sounds ridiculous because I live in a major city and by the ocean, but snobby as it sounds, nothing seems to compare to the fresh tuna I experienced at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan (read about my trip here). I was skeptical when I came with my family to Sushi Raw. For one, the location of this restaurant seemed to be forever cursed. I’ve seen 5 or 6 restaurants come and go at this location on the corner of 19th and Taraval. But after dining here, I have a good feeling this one will make it.

Like any other quality sushi joint, prices aren’t that cheap. Be prepared to spend about $20 per person if you’re planning to munch on some rolls. Also, I believe this place is a Chinese-owned Japanese restaurant. That aside, the food is still good.

We started off with the Agedashi Tofu. Perfectly crispy on the outside and silky smooth on the inside. The best part is that the portion is huge!

For sushi, I ordered the Rock n’ Roll, Rainbow Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll and a Hamachi Belly Nigiri. All were amazingly good. The Hamachi Belly was a special for the day as it was just caught and flown into town that very day. You only get two little pieces with each order, but it was worth it. The Spicy Tuna Roll was also a favorite of mine. The roll was packed with little cubes of fresh tuna and hot spicy mayo. Yum!

Sushi Raw has 3 locations in San Francisco in the Mission, on Haight and on Taraval.

Sushi Raw
901 Taraval St
(between 19th Ave & 20th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116
Neighborhood: Parkside