State Bird Provisions is Far From Clueless

So, okay, I don’t want to be a traitor to my generation and all, but I don’t get how restaurants get hipster cred today. I mean, come on, it’s like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants and take their greasy hair ew, and cover it up with a backwards cap and like, we’re expected to swoon? 

“I don’t think so!” is my typical response.  While I simultaneously check out a menu on my iPhone5…with envy.  The truth is, if SF Weekly and 7x7 and Bold Italic are covering a restaurant [and my friends are subsequently tweeting and posting and commenting “I want to eat all of the food” on said articles, which is how they make it into my frame of reference] then I want to eat there.  I don’t want to stamp my foodie passport or wait in line with potentially famous people.  I want to put it in my mouth and experience the bliss of rarest umami without worrying about the bill or the calories.

And how often is it the case that a rave review elicits the same ecstasy the writer experienced (as they were likely being carried in on a golden throne by hunky tuxedo-clad waiters and provided tasting bites of every single delicious morsel as the Chef triple-checks and plates the dishes himself)?  Not often, right?  Because inevitably, the hostess is annoyed or the wait is over an hour even with a reservation or the corkage fee is exorbitant or you’re too close to the service area/bathroom/bar/door. 

So, okay, State Bird Provisions is different.

Open for about 18 months and still impossible to book, State Bird keeps a third of tables for walk-ins, one of which I was lucky enough to nab.  The menu is a simple affair with pancakes, Commandables (mains) and desserts for order.  But about as quick as you can decide you want to try everything on the menu, the first dim sum-style tray of goodies arrives to hawk at your table.  In our case, he had duck liver mousse with tiny, beautiful almond biscuits; a familiar flavor combination delivered with an unusually pleasant texture, that of a fine scone and clotted cream.  It was the perfect beginning.

Next: Heirloom tomato salad with eggplant prepared like a cousin to baba ghanoush with expertly applied virgin olive oil and the crunch of sea salt flakes.  Then: Steak tartare with Romesco sauce and extra crispy potato chips.  Again, none of these dishes were particularly divergent from their normal-restaurant counterparts, but each was absolutely transcendent.  Spicy, nutty, smoky Romesco sauce was a lovely departure from traditional Dijon mustard and the steak got to be the hero instead of usually-overpowering capers and raw onion.

At this point, our sweet corn and Mt. Tam shortstack of mini-pancakes arrived off the menu.  Presumably fashioned as a take off of scallion pancakes, these were so gooey and savory-sweet that I found myself taking micro-bites.  (You know, when you go to take a bite but become worried you’re eating such a masterpiece too quickly so you cut it in half and then repeat this until what’s left on your fork is literally a corn kernel.)

Our next three plates of provisions arrived in quick succession: Salmon tartare prepared with a crunchy vegetable somewhere between onion and celery over crisp cucumbers with baked sesame quinoa crumbled over the top.  Roasted balsamic figs tenderly resting in a pool of creamy Wagon Wheel fondue.  And raw Belle Soleil oysters with pickled kohlrabi and spicy chili oil, topped by sesame seeds.  Each dish was just big enough for a party of four to share and get a few delicious bites, but (equally importantly) small enough to order lots!

Off the Commandables menu, our pork spare ribs and CA state bird were served.  The ribs were so eager to fall off the bone, they had to be carefully delivered to each plate.  Not overly salty or sticky or spicy, these ribs demanded your full attention to their succulent balance of tender and crispy.  The state bird (quail) was buttermilk fried over an aged hard cheese sliced impossibly thin.  Quails are not large birds, so each bite was delicate yet approachable.  For the first time in my life, I understand the desire for a bucket of such fried poultry.

At this point, the wine was flowing and my recollection of the specifics of each plate was diminishing, but we ate: grilled, deliciously tender octopus with chickpeas; deep-friend garlic bread (yep, you read that right) smothered in burrata; ever-so-lightly-fried crispy pork hock salad with mint and jalapeno; rainbow quinoa and sweet corn salad with ricotta; an impressively thick “slab” of nori cooked to be just crunchy enough to break simply, topped with buttery raw albacore, dollops of citrusy-avocado mousse and elegant herbs.  One of the highlights (among highlights) were the fried green tomatoes over more eggplant deliciousness with oily fried padron peppers and basil leaves, pimento aioli and the sweetest of cherry tomatoes.

You would think we could be rolled out of the restaurant at this point.  We only said no to two proposed provisions: the rabbit with boiled potatoes and the cooked salmon.  Only because our table was too full to make room for the plates.

And then we ordered dessert.  The menu was just obscure enough, actually, make that completely obscure.  “Birdseed bittersweet chocolate crunch, caramel cloud cream, blueberries” is actually what’s on the menu.  We needed help.  Our waitress recommended the birdseed which was a really different texture combo of creamy sweet custard with Nestle Crunch-esque chunks of unsweetened chocolate.  Also, an extremely minty ice cream sandwich and a light-as-air coconut tapioca topped with strawberry and Indian blood peach (a wild plum and white peach hybrid none other than Thomas Jefferson invented) grantia and drizzled caramelized honey.  So sweet yet nothing overpowering. 

Every dish was worth savoring.  I enjoyed State Bird so much more than I have many other restaurants in San Francisco.  Specializing in slightly Asian plates with decadent ingredients in bite-sized portions for maximum access to layers upon layers of flavor, I would brave crowds of hipsters, lines filled with exasperated Important People and even a bill to match my excess.  Guys, there's a reason this place is so in demand.  Grab your skinny jeans, comb your beard, order another pair of plaid Warby Parkers and get in line.  

Complete list of (my) provisions on August 8, 2013:

·      Duck liver mousse with almond biscuits

·      Heirloom tomato salad with eggplant

·      Steak tartare with potato chips and Romesco sauce

·      Sweet corn & Mt. Tam short stack pancakes

·      Salmon tartare over cucumbers with sesame quinoa crumble

·      Raw oyster with pickled kohlrabi

·      Roasted balsamic fig over Wagon Wheel fondue

·      Pork spare ribs glazed in their own juices

·      CA State bird with provisions (buttermilk fried)

·      Grilled octopus over chickpeas and tomato sauce

·      Garlic fried bread with burrata

·      Pork belly salad with jalapeño and mint

·      Fried green tomatoes, eggplant & padrons with pimenton aioli

·      Quinoa with sweet corn and ricotta

·      Nori with albacore and avocado cream

·      Mint ‘ice cream’ sandwich, chocolate plum coulis, pistachios

·      Birdseed bittersweet chocolate crunch, caramel cloud cream, blueberries

·      Strawberry & indian blood peach granite, coconut tapioca, caramelized honey

Rijsttafel in Amsterdam

Tempo Doeloe Rijsttafel

The Dutch East India Company allowed Holland to rule the world for most of the 17th Century (which I learned PLENTY about on our recent trip to Amsterdam!)  Fortunately for the Dutch, this connection to Indonesia brought some of the spiciest, most flavorful and definitely the most fun dishes to northern Europe!  I am often a sucker for a salsa bar or tapas because of the volume of flavor options.  Rijsttafel is like a tasting menu on crack.  At Tempo Doeloe, a tiny yet packed restaurant off the Keisersgracht, the Rijsttafel begins with 6 tiny dishes of delicacies such as samovar, shrimp crisps, cucumber in vinegar and a chicken skewer in dark peanut sauce.  I believe these starters are meant as foils for the spicy plates to come.  Soon, platters arrived with 18 tiny dishes over warmers to keep our pace as we began with mild and worked our way up to extra spicy.  There were chicken dishes in curries and peanut sauces, beef in exponentially spicier gravies and vegetables ranging from simple cabbage to curried eggplants and peppers.  The final dish was served with a warning that we may want to tread lightly given the intensity of flavor in it.  I was reminded of the extreme pepper flavors at Spice Temple, another Southeast Asian restaurant in Sydney, where I discovered layers of antiseptic, citrus and smoke.  That final dish had each elegant layer of flavor, and then pretty much hit me over the head with such ferocity that my stomach turned!  This was way beyond a wasabi overdose.  Fortunately, I had tools to combat the attack: coconut mixed with sweet gravy, cabbage and saffron rice did the trick.

Dutch Pannekoeken

Dutch pancakes are a glorious cross between French crepes and American(?) fluffy skillet cakes.  Crispy yet custardy, they're delicious with a simple powdered sugar topping or with a fried layer of gouda and bacon.  Somehow, they're rubbery enough that even folding multiple times won't crack the fried dough.  Not sure more information is needed; suffice it to say every other day in Holland requires a pannekoeken the way gelato is required in Italy (although, I would recommend a daily gelato.)  Particularly local with some aged Jenever and Heineken!

City Notes - 2012 Update

Everyone loves restaurant recommendations.  We rely on hotel concierges, trusted locals, the odd friend who's been there before, maybe even (reluctantly) online reviews.  Amassing these recos on post-its, iPhone notes, and the backs of business cards in my purse is tedious and leads to confusion in those moments I'm (hungrily, desperately) searching for an option.  So I started saving personal google maps to plot each reco.  Short notes about who recommended, why, what's on the menu and why I liked (if I've been) help me choose where to go.  Proximity to home base is an inherent bonus.

Here are my maps for a few cities I've traveled to, chock-full of great recommendations AND places I've written about!

Amsterdam
Sydney
New York
London
Prague
Sonoma/Napa Wineries
Auckland
Paris

Crush, Seattle

I’d been reading and hearing about Crush for years, but every visit to Seattle was so planned out that an indulgence of that scale was impossible.  Not so for my 30^th birthday weekend in gorgeous Seattle!  I had three full nights to plan out and Crush was at the top of my list.

The restaurant is technically in Madison Valley, but feels like the backside of Capitol Hill.  A sweet Victorian house opens into a downstairs bar with open kitchen.  The style throughout is modern mixed with traditional and the sustainable food theme is carried straight through to the green glass and foliage decoration.

For our first course, we shared the steak tartare and ahi tuna crudo.  The steak was prepared two ways: chopped, with Dijon mustard and pickles in a sweet-savory combination that melted in my mouth, and as carpaccio.  I couldn’t say what cut of meat the carpaccio was, but it was fire engine red, generously salty and served atop funky chopped hard-boiled egg.  The tartare was most impressive when added to a toasted baguette slice, smothered in cippolini onion compote.  The tuna was an interesting foil to the steak because it was equally flavorful paired with far more delicate flavors: crème fraiche, compressed celery, and foam made from something sweet, maybe a berry.  There’s something about the richness of raw beef that is very satisfying.

Our second course was a show-stopper.  Never one to pass up foie gras (unless at French Laundry! Why!?) I was drawn to Crush’s unique preparation and appreciated our waiter’s suggestion to bring it as its own course.  It arrived lightly charred on a bed of clove cake, perfectly warm on the outside and room temperature on the inside.  Rather than a terrine, as is how many restaurants serve foie gras, we were savoring the actual “steak” itself, an unmatched decadence. 

My main course was highly recommended by the waiter and I was not disappointed.  Perfectly cooked duck sliced thin over a bed of root vegetables, Brussels sprouts and candied kumquats.  Across the board, the flavors were perfectly matched to the sustainable fish, meat and poultry on our plates. 

As we waited for a cab, we sat at the bar facing the open kitchen and chatted with the chefs as they shut down for the night.  The owner and maître’d poured us a few glasses of champagne to celebrate my birthday and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to celebrate!  The funniest part of the evening was our hilarious discussion about the California law banning foie gras, and our intention to return to Crush to satisfy our ridiculously indulgent appetite for it!

Butternut Squash & Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto

Here's the kicker with this recipe: millet.  I can't remember ever having eaten millet before, let alone purchased it in order to cook risotto, but here we are.  Buttery, creamy risotto without butter or white rice or gluten.

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped chanterelle mushrooms
• 1 cup millet
• 4-6 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 20 sage leaves
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash

To start off, sautée the shallots and mushrooms in oil until soft, about 5 min.  Add a cup of water and bring to a boil before adding the millet.  Then start adding in the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, every time the stock is about absorbed by the risotto.  I thought it was way too soupy at first, but after stirring and adding for 2 hours, I had added the full 6 cups of stock.  Meanwhile, in the oven, toss the squash and sage leaves in a Tbs of olive oil and roast for 30 minutes until the squash is soft and the leaves are crispy.  Stir in half the sage leaves, crumbled.  Serve the risotto first, then top with the roasted squash and a few leaves for garnish.  I don't know how it's achieved, but this is the butteriest risotto I've ever tasted!

Juicy Lucy

This sounds foul, but the Juicy Lucy (I understand) is actually a St. Paul, MN tradition.  At the Blue Door Pub, the highlight is generally the melted-cheese-filled burgers, but I found deep-fried cheese curds dipped in tomato sauce even more compelling.  Fried green beans sounded like a good idea (vegetables, right?) but had nothing on the chewy, just-barely-melty cheese curd appetizer.  My blue cheese "Blucy" was good too, if not a little too greasy.

Chicken & Quinoa Tabbouleh

This is a great spring or summer salad or one-dish dinner for a lighter night.  It's inspired by a Clean recipe but modified to be appetizing for even my husband.

Ingredients:
• Rainbow quinoa (or really any type)
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped into small but crunchy pieces
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• Juice of 2 good-sized lemons, plus teaspoon zest
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into small bite-size pieces (I poached them in vegetable broth but would grill them with olive oil and sea salt next time)

Cook the quinoa in water, making sure to wash the grains first.  While quinoa is cooking, chop the vegetables and mix in olive oil, salt and lemon and grill the chicken, setting aside to cool before dicing.  Mix everything together in a large bowl and cool to room temperature.  (This is ok to refrigerate, but best served at room temp rather than ice cold.)

For some extra greens, I served it with dino kale sauteed in olive oil, sea salt and turmeric.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken & Wild Rice Pilaf

This is a wintry meal with strong and sensitive flavors.  The recipe came from Clean but includes my modifications below.  It's gluten-free, dairy-free.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts (I used skin removed, but can use skin-on)
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise
• 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

In an oven-proof skillet, cook the balsamic vinegar, rosemary and garlic until it's been reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 20 minutes.  Heat oven to 425°.  Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and salt, then place in skillet.  The balsamic reduction should be about 1/4" to 1/2" of liquid in the skillet.  Cover the skillet with a lid and place in the oven for about 10 minutes, until breasts are cooked through, and spooning the reduction over the tops of the chicken every few minutes.

Wild Rice Pilaf Ingredients:
• 2 cups cooked wild rice, made with a vegetable stock
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Bring vegetable stock to a boil according to the directions of the wile rice you purchase.  Cook the rice, about 50 minutes.  While the rice is cooking, chop the shallots, cilantro and mint and toss in olive oil and salt.  Once cooked, stir in the rice and drained sunflower seeds (soaking them for water for 2 hours gives them a nutty, chewy texture).  Served with the chicken, the pilaf contributes a foil for the intensity of the chicken.

Clean Eating

2011 was the year of feeling under the weather.  To kick-start 2012, I decided to attempt the Clean Program, a cleanse meant to reset the immune system and some other bonus side-effects.  The main concept is to reduce food toxins in the body that cannibalize your immune system by requiring too much of it for digestion.  Once those foods are eliminated and the toxins make their way out of the system, you sleep better, see greater skin clarity, feel less joint pain and even shed some pounds.

The first step was to eliminate gluten, dairy, sugar, soy, caffeine and alcohol.  Whoa.  At first, I thought there were tons of recipes and options.  After literally three days, I felt the opposite.  It's crazy how many gluten-free products contain soy or milk and how vegetables start to taste like eating grass after weeks of exclusive consumption.  The shakes I ate for breakfast and dinner were horrible—gritty and flavorless—yet satisfying in a way that helped me not be hungry for real food.

Did I feel different after 3 weeks?  Maybe.  I felt lighter and was sleeping great.  But let's get real for a minute.  I write a food blog.  I'm obsessed with fine dining.  I want to taste ever flavor on the planet and I want to cook for as many hours a day as I can manage.  Removing delicious food from my life did not a happy Ellen make.  I would certainly recommend removing dairy from your diet for a few weeks to see how you feel.  I noticed a big difference in something random, my throat was totally clear every morning.  Now that I've added cheese and yogurt back into my diet, I often wake up with a sore throat that takes an hour or so (and a shower and a multivitamin) to clear up.

I'm still going to post the best recipes I tried, since they're worth trying again!

Quinoa Cooler

Lunch at Cafe del Sol is a multiple-time-per-week occurrence, mainly because of the Quinoa Cool dish comprised of warm and soft quinoa, rinsed and cold black beans, halved cherry tomatoes, diced avocado and the silkiest, most crave-able lime dressing.  I attempted to recreate this masterpiece at home on a Saturday night when I was craving Mexican food yet trying not to overindulge.  Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• Juice of 2 very juicy limes (go for three if you're not sure)
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Generous sea salt
• 1 avocado per person (no need to skimp on the best part!)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup cilantro, mostly chopped with a few leaves for garnish

After tossing the quinoa in the lime juice, olive oil and salt, tenderly stir in the beans, onion and cilantro.  Top with avocado and garnish.  Healthy, light, but very filling!

Tribute to Laiola

Photo from Bay Area Bites

It's hard to believe I haven't lamented the loss of my previously favorite SF restaurant on this blog, despite its being closed for over two years. The upside is we now have Tacolicious and the pan con chocolate remains on the menu! The downside is we lose a pleasant atmosphere filled with conversational bar backs, excellent tapas, and being seated quickly (in this city, it's a huge loss).  I will miss you, Laiola!