Happy New Year! I crave new beginnings and love the feel of a “clean slate” each year (even if imagined), to drum up new goals, dream new dreams, and be open to new adventures. 2008 was full of discovery as well as intimacy with those I love. I’m ready for more…

Every month, I share Top Tastes, favorite new dishes, drinks and bites from culinary explorations around my fair city of San Francisco (and the Bay Area). Head to Healdsburg for a fine dining meal to remember at Cyrus in The Established. Bibliophile covers one of the best food memoirs I’ve read in a while, Sara Roahen’s “Gumbo Tales”. Wandering Traveler recaps highlights from my recent visit to Miami.

I’d love your feedback on any spots you visited from my site… don’t forget, I can help with any trips, outings or in local exploration by creating personalized itineraries, whether for an evening, a day or a whole vacation (check out my “Services” page).

Let me guide you to the perfect spot,

Virginia

SAVORY – VEGETARIAN

If it was on a regular menu, I’d dive again into the (lightly) Buttermilk Fried Cauliflower, warm and dipped in Roasted Carrot Aioli ($5), that creative chef (and pork master – have you had his Chicharrones?) Ryan Farr cooked up last month at Mission Street Food’s brilliant, one-shot only Thursday night dinners at Lung Shan

Berkeley’s Taste of Africa (3015 Shattuck Avenue at Emerson, 510-981-1939) may look rundown, even dirty, but the affable cook serves up a mean platter of Cameroon specialties, as if you’re eating in an African friend’s kitchen (in fact, you are!) He doesn’t strictly follow the menu but will whip up what he has – just allow for plenty of time. He does a Vegetarian Combo platter (add tender, shredded chicken on top for the Meat & Veggie Combo, $14.99) – enough to feed two. My platter included Ndole (Cameroon peanut sauce, garlic, onions, tomatoes and spices) over Jollof rice, grilled Plantains, Ewole (collard greens sauteed in in lots of garlic, onions and tomatoes), and Nkule (yam “porridge”, or yams cooked in coconut milk). With homemade hot sauce, my mouth was blissfully on fire, exacerbated by the fabulous (the menu calls it “The BEST”) Fresh Ginger Drink ($5), which will not only add to the burn but literally clean you out.

Jardiniere, a gorgeous 1930’s-style supper club for the Opera/Symphony set, served lunch every Friday in December (would that they continue serving lunch – a better way to try this expensive jewel for less; I guess that’s what their J Lounge bar area is for). Winter chill was assuaged by Carnaroli Risotto with small cubes of Butternut Squash and Asian Pears, rich with cheese, the crunch of Toasted Walnuts, drizzled with a fine Aged Balsamic and a truffle-evocative foam ($26 at dinner, $18 at lunch or $14 for a smaller portion in the bar area).

SAVORY – SEAFOOD

La Mar Cebicheria is a welcome step up from many Peruvian spots – certainly more massive, even a “chain”, coming from one of South America’s biggest restaurateurs – but with greater menu variety, creativity and fresh excitement (not to mention a perfected Pisco Sour!) On my second visit, I loved Tiradito Nikei ($15), a sashimi-like offering of Ahi Tuna, drizzled in Nikei sauce, on a light bed of passion fruit and honey leche de tigre (a ceviche broth with a touch of pisco and Aji chile pepper).

SAVORY – MEAT

A plump Happy Belly hot dog ($6 for the works; $4 plain) from the Happy Belly Cart in Golden Gate Park, right by the DeYoung. You can get Beef, Bratwurst, Chicken Lemon or a Louisiana Hot Link (I love the spiciness of the latter), in a traditional hot dog bun, decorated with spicy mayo, sauerkraut and Korean kimchi (yep, you heard right… and it’s GOOD).

New B’s BBQ in Western Addition (855 Divisadero Street at McCallister, 415-525-3419) smokes Pete’s Links (beef or chicken sausages; I prefer beef) straight from Louisiana (so you know I’m in!), covered in sweet/spicy BBQ sauce ($11.85 for a half order, bread and side; $16.95 for full order, bread and two sides; side note: I wasn’t enthralled by the brisket or other BBQ items but enjoy the links).

SWEET

At a fab Chocolate & Cachaca party hosted by our city’s own fab Tablehopper, I downed some fascinating cocktails combining those two ingredients and loved the ScharffenBerger truffle creamy rich with coconut milk and cachaca!

DRINK

Order a Belmont Breeze ($9) at my new fave sexy Bohemian Basque (with touches of Morocco, France and Portugal), Gitane. This bright, seductive cocktail features Four Roses Bourbon, skillfully blended with Amontillado Sherry, Orange and Pomegranate juices (tequila-based La Perla – another great cocktail choice).

CYRUS
Healdsburg, CA

There is no way to quite do this magical dining experience justice. Much has already been written in recent years attempting it, and I’ve been dying to go since it opened. The Renaissance Man made it my birthday dinner surprise (we went the weekend before since my birthday is actually Christmas Day). Possibly the best fine dining experience I’ve ever had! Cyrus sits at the northern end of Sonoma County just a couple blocks from Healdsburg’s town square, with a sophisticated but understated dining room in the Paris-reminiscent Les Mars Hotel. Not only is there a spare elegance to the room, but service is absolutely impeccable from start to finish. I asked the girl cleaning bread crumbs off our table to confirm an ingredient I thought I was tasting in a dish and she knew exactly what went into it. Every server was completely knowledgeable about every last detail of the meal, which impressively speaks of not only the waitstaff but management’s ethos to inform and educate their employees.

inside Cyrus

Tasting menus run three ($78), four ($90) or five ($102) courses, each your choice, or there’s a chef choice at $130. Decadent extras include a Champagne and Caviar Cart or truffles in a box, shaved over dishes. The wine list is exhaustive and broad, and the cocktails, created by the one-and-only Scott Beattie (check out his recent book, Artisanal Cocktails, which is fast becoming the standard for artisanal, farm-fresh cocktails, are a revelation. The drinks ($12) change each season. Winter includes a sweet apple chip-topped Autumn Apple, made of Germain-Robin Apple Brandy, apple juice, sparkling apple cider, lemon juice, ginger syrup and a thick layer of creamy apple foam. Glorious! The Egg Nog cocktail could be dessert, whipped light and creamy, perfectly balanced with Weller Bourbon, eggs, cream, nutmeg, vanilla beans. But there’s more than seasonal: updated classics are made to absolute perfection, including a Frankfort Manhattan made with vanilla citrus peel-infused 12-year Weller Bourbon, or The Last Word: Plymouth Gin, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, Green Chartreuse, Lime Juice.

We ordered four courses each, each one thrilling in its own right. In addition, there’s an Amuse Bouche “tower”, covering all five taste profiles: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. I’d love to start every meal this way – with all taste buds awakened! There’s divine housemade breads, like Garlic Sea Salt Sourdough or melt-in-the-mouth Gruyere Hawaiian rolls, served with two kinds of sea salt and butters. A palate cleansing Prickly Pear and Lime Popsicle came midway, and a platter of exquisite candy treats finished us off (mini-chocolate Alfajores, Pistachio Cinnamon White Chocolate Truffles, Blueberry Marshmellows… oh, my)!

There was not a disappointing course among the eight I tried… from a Terrine of Foie Gras with Asian Pear, Tamarind, Crumpets, to Crispy Poussin with Brussel Sprouts, creamy Parsnip Puree, Maple Butter Jus, to the sublime Medai (Butterfish) with Curried Cauliflower, Apples, Coconut Milk Foam. I was forced to choose a favorite, however, it would be Truffled Red Wine Risotto with a Parmesan Foam/Broth. I (unsuccessfully) tried to contain a moan of pleasure with each bite, savory truffle complimenting the delicate risotto exquisitely. The Cheese Cart was yet another highlight, with a choice of three cheeses out of many from around the world. I had a strong, smooth Roquefort Blue from France (paired nicely with a housemade Pan Forte), a sharp Cheddar from Modesto, CA, and an ideally-balanced Green Hill Double Creme from Georgia.

If my stomach wasn’t near bursting already, then came dessert! Outside of the cheeses and dessert we chose as part of our four-course dinner, unexpected fun arrived with a birthday treat in a glass case, a balloon attached. They ordered me to deflate the balloon, which released chocolate shavings in a shower over chocolate chip cookies insid. It’s compliment was a playful mini-Brooklyn Egg Cream (milk, Valhrona Chocolate, Club Soda). Now this is a birthday dinner I will remember…

Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table – Sara Roahen

Certainly this was the ideal book to read prior to and on my recent trip to New Orleans. But on its own merit, Gumbo Tales is a tender, well-crafted memoir that caused my mouth to water and my heart to constrict with bittersweet longing. One of the better memoirs I’ve read in a while.

New Orleans fascinated me since I was girl as the one city of the South I really wanted to know, confirming it’s place in my heart as I recently scoured its old world streets and neighborhoods. It’s a place obviously scarred… permanently… but one with a heart beating so strongly, it cries out in its food, its streets, its people, and certainly its music. Ms. Roahen describes past-worshiping customs of a place that, thank God, continues to breathe life into traditions that have died elsewhere in the country. Roahen describes the variety of foods originated here, the region’s tenacious embrace of all things hearty (in true Southern fashion), such as the Po Boy, Turducken, food “Stuffed, Smothered, Z’Herbes” (the title of one chapter), as well as the right placement of classic cocktails at the top of worthy drinking, the city’s own Sazerac among the most revered.

reading material

Gumbo Tales highlights treasures of New Orleans’ rich culinary history as themes for each chapter, with stories of Roahen’s fast and fierce fall into love with a city she isn’t native to. Each chapter stands alone, valuable on its own merit, but the collection goes beyond the already commendable joys of food and traditions to the depths of loss in a place profoundly marred by nature’s (and human injustice’s) havoc. She weaves into each food theme reflections we all share in our humanity on death, life, the past and future. Whether you have any attachment to this Queen of Southern cities or not, it’s just plain good story-telling… and food writing.

Many of her anecdotes stick with me. “Red Beans and Rice” elevates her friend, Pableaux, to level of hero with his communal, inclusive Red Bean Monday nights, a tradition the likes of which I’d love to simulate myself. I relate to her self-analysis as a lightweight who’s crazy about cocktails, particularly “brown liquor”, who can “stretch one and a half [drinks] over the course of a… meal”. Perhaps my favorite tale is “Sno-Balls”, about New Orlean’s Summer-soother, sno-balls (don’t call ‘em sno-cones!), and the legendary Hansen’s where some of the best are made over the last century. Sadly, though I ate down the street at fabulous Dick & Jenny’s and spent a happy hour in the used bookshop next door, Hansen’s wasn’t open when I was just there. I’ll have to save my ultimate sno-ball experience for a visit in hotter seasons. Ernest and Mary Hansen’s granddaughter, Ashley, who took over their business, encapsulates the bittersweet nostalgia and tenacious spirit of New Orleanians (including many I talked to) when she says why she hasn’t moved away or on to other things, “There are too many benefits, there are too many memories… too many smells and scents that I couldn’t live without.”

MIAMI

I never actually planned on visiting Miami… not that I’d mind, but it wasn’t much on the radar until the Renaissance Man and I decided to visit good friends who’d moved there. I knew I’d love South Beach’s Art Deco architecture (I did) just as I’d hate the Silicon, plastic crowd and party scene (again, did). We arrived last month, to warm 80 degree days of humidity followed by one crisp, windy day in the 60’s with brilliant blue skies. I was draped in a wet blanket of tropical air (with Caribbean essence) the moment I stepped out of the airport – I can’t say I’ve missed the stickiness of East Coast humidity from my years in NJ and this was much heavier than even those muggy Summers. But arriving at our friends’ pad in Downtown Miami, I giddily drowned in twinkling lights of bridges and buildings offset by dark patches of bay and ocean. Their apartment is nearly 30 stories up in a 50-story building literally perched on the edge of the water, MacArthur Causeway to the right, Venetian Way to the left, South Beach and the Atlantic directly ahead. Dazzling!

The food? A mixed bag, with certainly less variety than in bigger cities and an appalling dearth of overpriced food and “sceney” spots (style over substance). But, honestly, I gnawed on a small bite of its offerings when I wanted to wolf down a full spread (the 10 pages-long list I compiled wasn’t doable in a few days!) Here are my Miami discoveries:

AVENTURA

Chef Allen’s: After a rocky start in which we sat for well over five minutes without even getting menus, much less service, I was ready to write off Chef Allen’s, despite the local fame of Allen Susser (a James Beard award winner, who helped define Miami cuisine in the 80’s as fresh seafood with local fruits like mango, et al.) But our server (once he finally got to us) warmed to our interest in details of the food and even led us on a visit to the kitchen to meet the chef (not Allen!) This was definitely my best dining experience in the area (though about 20 minutes North of Miami) and worth the excursion to a suburban strip mall and 80’s-chic dining room (playing bad pop music – an amusing dilemma I faced in most places I ate in Miami!)

To his credit, Allen made a recent menu overhaul this Fall, anticipating the continued economic downturn by pro-actively creating a lower-priced (though still in the mid to upper twenties for entrees) menu with a great selection of $5-9 “Bites” and $10-14 Appetizers. I’m still craving the Shrimp & Grits Brulee ($10) made from (what else? The best) Anson Mills Stone Ground Organic Cornmeal Grits, with Shallots and a surprising touch of Manchego cheese. Yum! Lobster “Mac & Cheese” ($14) was not anything like mac and cheese (there was the distinct absence of cheese, for one), rather, it’s a sapid, rich pasta with Maine Lobster, Shitakes and Cognac sauce. Under “Bites”, Coconut Crab Dip with Crisp Yuca Chips ($6) is the right blend of coconut and crab.

Entrees, which can so often be less interesting than appetizers, were every bit as flavorful and came in generous portions. My favorite was the Grouper ($26) with plump Rock Shrimp, Leeks and Mango in a Creamy Coconut Rum Sauce. It was everything I suspected Miami cuisine might be, a favorable pairing of healthy freshness with creamy goodness. Yellowfin Tuna ($25) with Curry Roasted Fingerlings and a unique Stir Fry Thai Tomato Salsa with surprise touches of lemongrass and rose water (!) “Surf ‘n Turf” ($28), Grilled Diver Scallops and Filet Mignon (tender and pink), came with addictive Yuca fries, wild mushrooms and potato hash, though the ideally grilled scallops had SUCH smoky flavor (from their expert French smoker/oven), it almost overwhelmed the dish.

Dessert delivered a big disappointment as Chef Allen’s popular Double Valhrona Chocolate Souffle was out for the night. There was no close second. I found the desserts pleasant but not particularly memorable: Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse ($6) with homemade peanut brittle, and a Banana Trio ($8) of Banana Bread, Carmelized Banana Ice Cream, Banana Tartin. More enticing was the espresso. I tried two (both Dose D’Express’ 1892 brand), one from Costa Rica, smooth and floral; the other a Moka D’Ethiopie, strong, intense, beautifully bitter. A shock came with the bill: espressos were $8 each – the highest-priced espressos I’ve ever quaffed, superb as they were (with lemon peel, true Italian style)!

In a meal of a few misses, the hits make it well worth a visit. I now more fully appreciate the influence, still going strong, of Chef Allen on Miami cuisine.

DOWNTOWN MIAMI

Bin no. 18: A truly European evening was had with our friends at this Spanish/Italian enoteca-reminiscent wine bar, right downstairs from my friends’ high-rise apartment. With a broad selection of wines and beers (Belgians, etc…) we paired quality cheese and charcuterie platters. Portions are decent (should be at the high prices!) and you choose your own (3 for $22, 5 for $34 or 8 for $48), with olives, paste, jam and mousse to compliment the meats and cheeses. I enjoyed favorites like Prosciutto (from Parma, of course), Sopressata from Southern Italy, Jamon Serrano from the mountains of Spain, a Pecorino Tartufato with white truffle rind from Umbria, and a rich French Triple Creme. The appetizers are a winning supplement if not exceptional. I liked the sweet/savory (figs/blue cheese/walnuts) Warm Figs ‘Brulee’ ($8.95). Though deceptively set in a mini-strip of shops, the space is industrial chic with high, warehouse ceilings, crystal chandeliers, modern artwork, and a shop area to buy wine and cheeses to go. On a warm night (most in Miami), a couple sidewalk tables will do the trick.

SOUTH BEACH

Joe’s Stone Crab: It’s a classic I had to try once, the King of Florida Stone Crab restaurants since 1913. I figured it would be hyped and touristy but heard too many accolades to skip it on my first Miami visit. It didn’t rock my crab-loving world but certainly was an estimable experience I’d do again. Sides of creamed spinach and iceberg lettuce are old school and downright unappetizing, but you go for the Stone Crab. The crab’s dark claw tips are striking as you crack ‘em open, hefty chunks of meat falling out. Stone crabmeat is definitely not as sweetly flavorful as West Coast Dungeness crab, but it’s crab, and it’s good! The lunch special is about $22 offering a fair amount of crab with sides and mustard dip. Lunch (Saturdays only) is the ideal way to try this classic without spending too much – or suffering the endless dinner waits. As for their famed Key Lime Pie ($6.95), one of my top dessert choices when tart and feisty as it should be, was not as tangy as I like (though not in FL, home of the pie, my favorite is still probably at Uncle Bubba’s in Savannah). Still, Joe’s Key Lime is exemplary, tart enough with a buttery, thin crust.

Quinn’s Restaurant: For a late night stop right on South Beach’s Ocean Drive (post-flight for me), one could do worse than Quinn’s. I also have to hope one could do better. Certainly Zagat’s 26 rating for the food is grossly high, but maybe compared to the tourist-ridden strip around it, preferable? The food suffered from over-sweetening in just about every dish. I adore a sweet savory combo, but these dishes bordered on cloyingly sweet. Even the mojitos, though bright and zippy, were too sugary. Their famous BamBam Shrimp in Mojito Mint Sauce ($12.75) is definitely delicious, if not almost dessert. Ceviche of the day? Alright. Shrunken pieces of fish in a piquant but forgettable broth. Wasabi and Ginger Crusted Ahi Tuna ($28) was good, the Ahi fresh and seared properly, but not a stand-out compared to seared ahi dishes elsewhere. Caribbean Snapper ($28) was caramelized with grilled plantains and black bean corn salsa – again, good, but… you got it… sweet! Still, it was agreeable, if not worth the high-ticket total. But on a balmy oceanside South Beach night, sitting at a sidewalk table under the moon, as a schmaltzy, Gloria Estefan reminiscent, Cuban-salsa-pop band plays, one really could do worse.

Though I sampled two of Miami’s local ice cream and gelato purveyors, Dolce Vita Gelato and The Frieze Ice Cream Factory (1626 Michigan Avenue, 305-538-0207), I was quite disappointed in both – nothing like the great flavors and textures I’m used to at home or from Italian travels (as far as I’m concerned, gelato/ice cream is the ultimate dessert!) I tried over 6 flavors at Dolce Vita but found all too saccharine-fake tasting; not one I liked. The Frieze is an old-fashioned creamery with decent, if not noteworthy, flavors – closest to memorable out of the few I tried was a Peanut Butter Sorbet, light and creamy with peanuts.

LITTLE HAVANA

Little Havana looks essentially like much of Los Angeles, with car-friendly (as opposed to pedestrian) streets, 99-cent stores and fast food chains. But when you take the time to walk those blocks, stopping for Cuban coffee (roadside shop windows where no English is spoken is the way to go! My favorite was syrupy, strong Cafe Cubanos at La Reyna Restaurant, 305-856-6479, their window directly across from El Credito Cigar Factory), exploring cigar factories (El Credito is the biggest, Padron headquarters are nearby, but El Titan de Bronze and El Rey de los Habanos both have excellent local cigars in family-run shops), observing old folks play checkers or cards in Maximo Gomez Park (fascinating crowd in a tiny square), or eating at long-time Cuban classic, Versailles (3555 SW 8th Street, 305-444-0240), you may find, as I did, a beating South American heart to this Latin city.

Versailles is “old school”, in every sense of the word, from the massive, cafeteria-like dining rooms, to adorably aged female servers, to the food (there’s a bakery and walk-up window if you want your Cortadito on the go). No culinary groundbreaking going on here, just good, old-fashioned Cuban food at the right price. A Guanabana (otherwise known as Sour Sop, in the apple family) Fruit Smoothie ($3.75) tasted initially similar to a banana with an aftertaste of passionfruit. I devoured Ropa Vieja, Cuban-Style Pork and Garlic Sauce Mahi Mahi, finishing off with Cuban Flan ($2.95). It was rewarding in a hearty, cafeteria sort of way, but the real pleaser was, no surprise, the coffee. I had a flawless Cortadito and would’ve ordered two if I hadn’t already had a few earlier that morning. Cuban coffee, though rife with sugar, is jolting, earthy and satisfying. ¡Viva el café cubano!