Food

RT @llsbrook: Riding shotgun with Roy Choi and the rocking as fuck Kogi empire via @NOWNESS @kogibbq #ShortRibTacosF…

This was amaze alms. Disney, you have outdone yourself. #fbforl

Got any weekend plans for American #CraftBeer Week? #ACBW

“Buffalo Wild Wings partners with Redhook Brewery on Game Changer” Redhook Brewery is partnering with the casual dining Buffalo Wild Wings to produce a new beer called Game Changer this summer. This from the press release, “Redhook has become savvy when it comes to pairing strategic partnerships with beer brands. The company launched Audible Ale with The Dan Patrick Show earlier this year and previously created a beer for the Seattle Sounders soccer team.” Now, the rest of the release details economic numbers and talks about locations and margins.  And that makes me not want to even look at this on a store shelf.  The first, second and third paragraphs should be about the beer.  And only the beer. It could be the best beer in the world but it wasn’t made except for monetary reasons.

Restaurant: Aziza Cuisine: Moroccan/New American/Mediterranean Last visited: May 6, 2013 Location: San Francisco, CA (Outer Richmond) Address: 5800 Geary Blvd Phone: (415) 752-2222 Transit: Geary Blvd & 22nd Ave Price Range: $30-50+ ($25-35 mains) 1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try! Food: 4.5 (based on what I tried) Service: n/a Ambiance: 3 Overall: 4.5 Additional comments: Chef/Owner Mourad Lahlou Innovative New Moroccan cuisine 1 Michelin Star Critically acclaimed Local and global ingredients Seasonal menus Chef Tasting Menus Cocktail/wine program Reservations recommended Wed-Mon 5:30–10:30 pm Closed Tuesday **Recommendations: The 13 course Chef’s Tasting Menu ($95/person) was more impressive than the a la carte, although the a la carte was still very good. The cocktails and dessert menu should not be missed. If you’re ordering a la carte try the Lentil Soup, Sardines, and Duck Confit Basteeya. The desserts change often and according to season, but on the current menu I recommend the Almond-Honey Semifreddo. No, this couldn’t be it. Just let me double check the address. I’m sure it’s called Aziza, or was it Laziza? No, Laziza is the one in Vancouver, I was looking for Aziza in San Francisco. It’s a 1 Michelin Star upscale restaurant featuring new Moroccan cuisine, and it was unexpected to find it on this street corner. The sign didn’t really shout “upscale” and from the outside it looked a bit shady, but I knew what I was getting myself in to. I knew well in advance too, as to why I even made reservations a week early. It is not a restaurant you just happen to walk by, it is restaurant you make plans to visit. The Richmond District is populated with Chinese and Russian immigrants and mom and pop type ethnic eateries (mostly Asian) which dominate the area. Aziza is located in Outer Richmond which is the up and coming part of the Richmond District, as opposed to the inner part which is already full of restaurants. It opened in 2001 and the love for it has only grown stronger. It won reviews from local media early on and has been on the James Beard Award radar most recently. It received James Beard Award nominations for Aziza, Mourad, and his Pastry Chef Melissa Chou, and the restaurant and team is still on the rise. It is not easy to stay in the spotlight after opening for over 10 years (especially for modern restaurants like this), but Aziza must be doing something right or the hype would have died a long time ago. It still remains a neighbourhood gem and attracts locals and traveling food enthusiasts alike. Follow Me Foodie to San Francisco started at Aziza and I was off to a good start. The restaurant was more pleasant once inside and it was a lot bigger than expected. There are 3 separate rooms, each uniquely themed, but still Moroccan inspired. It had the white tablecloths and the service was formal, but the room was trendy and not as committed to traditional fine dining quality. It was stylish and sophisticated, but not ritzy or rich. Before I dwell into the food, I have to state my biases. I actually met Mourad last year at West Restaurant when he was invited as a guest chef. He prepared a New Moroccan Menu and I wrote about the experience here. It can be tricky writing about food when you become friends with the chef, but there is a mutual understanding and respect. Regardless it is not the first time I’ve done it, and if you’re familiar with this blog then you already trust it or you don’t. I can’t say I’ve had much experience with Moroccan cuisine let alone “New Moroccan” cuisine. I refuse to put it under the umbrella categories of Middle Eastern or African food just because it isn’t specific enough. I find it deserving of its own category. Nonetheless I don’t have many point of references for how Mourad’s dishes came to be, but based on reading his book and trying his food

The last beverage in my Funky Buddha glass before my son broke it! Ed Roberts recently said he was surprised that I hadn't reviewed Newcastle Bombshell Blonde yet. So I decided to ask their agency if they'd send me a sample, as they always usually do without me even asking . But while I was looking around for info about the beer, I noticed the thumbnail of a blonde woman in a swimsuit with a beach ball in the middle of the label. So I decided to question how smart a decision that actually is, considering the blonde woman/blonde beer idea is extremely overdone and considered sexist by many. So here is how I (eloquently) penned my questions which then filtered through to the Newcastle Marketing Brand Manager over at Heineken. Pain in the ass me: "I wanted to know if you have info/samples about your Newcastle Blonde. I'd like a statement from the brewery about the voluptuous blonde on the label, a cliched overused label idea that Newcastle hasn't explored before. I mean, she's hot, but there are a zillion female beer drinkers in the US now that will not appreciate what the brewery did. I'd like to know whose decision that was." Brand guy: "I’d be happy to share more information about Newcastle Bombshell... As you know from reviewing our brand in the past, the spirit of the Newcastle "No Bollocks" brand voice is humorous, lighthearted and dedicated to honesty. In this case, our summer brew is a blonde ale. And the woman on the front of our label is also a blonde – following our inclination to call a spade a spade – and wearing a respectable bathing suit by today’s standards. Cheers!" Pretty funny stuff right? I do things like that because I love you! The label takes its "No Bollocks" a little further, calling this "A Real British Beauty" and tells the "Simply Stunning" story on the back. Usually I'd make you read it in my picture, but this is really good... "An Englishman's first love is his Brown Ale. However, in the summer he often fancies blondes instead! With this inspiration, we've created Newcastle Bombshell, an English style blonde ale. The combination of Cascade, Hellertau and Northdown hops balance this golden coloured ale's light aroma and bitterness with toasted malt to ensure a silky smooth finish. After one sip of this brew, we're sure you'll agree she's a real bombshell." As for the beer, it has a grainy, toasty aroma with light lemon. Grain continues into the flavors, but it is attacked by some weird astringent lemony bitterness with metallic on top. Just ugly. The finish was dry. I didn't like it at all. It wasn't just boring--it was unenjoyable defined. Dump.

A snippet from Anthony Bourdain's new CNN show, Parts Unknown, in which the infamously carnivorous host visits Myanmar and feasts on a salad that includes tea leaves. Adagio Teas - Best Tea Online

A redux post from a couple of years ago . . . It was a special tea party. I decided to share it again as it is a favorite dessert around here, and I am making this same cake today.  You can choose almost any fruit topping, (or leave it off entirely), I like the combination of the lemon cake with strawberry topping and that's the way I usually make it.

Thanks for read my blog for the past 6 years. We are now stepping up our barbecue game. Along with some of my friends and family I've created a new National Team called the Buffalo Boys. We are going to do traditional barbecue but also have a full line of Buffalo Based Products. The road life is going to be hard and long. We want to show the pitmaster that have been doing this long before us that we have what it takes to be one of the best.We need your help. Our team has an Indie GoGo add running for the next few weeks to raise some of the money need to hit the road. We need to buy a commercial smoker, several grills and a trailer. We have set up several perks for folks that help us get this dream on the road. Please Check out our Indie GoGo campaign and pass it around to your friends and family. Thanks for all your support.NorCalBBQ

Here is a simple recipe for bran muffins - a delicious and very healthy breakfast item.