My fingers tingled in anticipation as I unscrewed the simple jar Michael Winnikeof Happy Goat Caramel gifted me at the Fancy Food show.
I squeeled as the thick, gooey caramel formed a sweet peak on the lid upon separation. It was waiting to be sensuously licked off by an adoring fan. Who was I to say no?
Rich, succulent caramel perfectly crafted to be eaten so many ways. My love affair has only begun with this sweet caramel.
At first, my fingers would only share with my tongue. Slow indulgence was a task I needed to master, for quick was I to lick it all in one swipe.
The lavender rosemary Secret Stash Saltdecided to join us for the caramel lovemaking. A gorgeous swipe of caramel with my finger, then a sprinkle of lavender rosemary before both delicacies met my tongue.
First off, I am so thankful to have wonderful foodies surrounding me at all times, especially with the use of social media. In this episode of StarryEyedFoodi[e]’s TastyTwosome adventures, we visit Executive Chef Christopher Lee at Horizon Ultra Lounge.
The night starts off with happy hour goodies! I tried the mac ‘n cheese (steaming hot, baked, and damn comforting)
The mini burgers were splendid as well. Meaty and juicy and but of course, the familiarity of fried potatoes has to make your mouth smile.
Mmm… then Christopher brought out this amazing sampler platter of desserts for us! From cream puffs to sugar cookies, there was something on there for everyone!
Even though I got a nibble at most of the cookies and pastries, the most beautiful pastry of them all was this raspberry cake. Just look at the color on that cake! It screams velvet.
And to end the delightfully foodie filled night, Christopher brought out handmade ice cream! There was blue bottle espresso, carrot, pineapple thyme, and salty dulce de leche!
Thank you, foodie family of the #bafoodblog crew for being awesome! Check out all the awesomeness below! Thank you, Christopher, for intriguing our palates- you know we’ll be back for more.
My oh my… another video from my adventure with Christian from Split Pea Seduction (couldn’t fit all the awesomeness into one)!
In this episode, Christian makes us a delicious Thanksgiving sandwich and delightful mini pizzas! (You can try these mini pizzas for yourself at the Stonestown Farmer’s Market every Sunday! Grilled pizzas!
For the Thanksgiving sandwich, we started off with a beautiful fresh baked loaf of Sicilian Semolina.
Doesn’t that bread look gorgeous?
Then, the layers of duck fat turkey, ham stuffing, frisee, aioli, and gravy!
Scrumptious as all ever, we devoured the wonderful mini creations… Christian sure knows how to make a woman happy!
Need I not remind you of the delicious mini pizzas Christian made for us… oh my oh my oh my.
The procession of these fantastic little creations tickled my pickle… or it would, if I had one (rubber pickle as a Christmas gift?)
First, Christian showed of his ubercool skills of tossing the pizza dough (kinda hard when the dough is so small, but still pulled it offf)!
Then, to add mozzarella, roasted cauliflower and bacon to the mix…
Bake in the oven till a golden brown…
Cut up some soft eggs to lay on top,
Let’s get a close-up of that soft egg- it was my FAVE! Ooey gooey! (The secret: 6.5 minute boil)!
Delicious… look how beautiful these pizzas look!
Om nom nom I’m still drooling over these pictures of Christian fantastic feast! He is truly an artist of simplicity. Just downright good comfort food. Downright damn right done well comfort!
Come by and visit Split Pea! Christian’s usually up front; tell him we say hello!
Until then, here’s Christian and Mia saying ta-ta-for-now!
You can also follow us or Christian on Twitter- see ya around… and thanks for watching.
It was a beautiful early Saturday morn when I met Christian outside the Ferry Building in San Francisco for our little tastytwosome adventure!
Christian led me around to all the delicious goods, from olives,
to gourmet olive oil,
to buddha’s hand (strange, I had never seen buddha’s hand fresh till now!)
The gorgeous infused syrups like this meyer lemon and mint one were so tempting!
Our last stop was for some fresh bread, and some delicious macaroons to end our Ferry Building farmer’s market experience!
Then, back to Split Pea Seduction we went for the true tastytwosome fun! Christian decided to make this awesome pancake “thing”. Mia decided to stop by and help Christian with the cooking a bit!
The pancake “thing” was to be garnished with slices of pommelo, honey, and a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Visiting Christian was a delightfully delicious experience! But even more fun, the Thanksgiving turkey sandwich and the *amazing* mini pizzas he makes for us in the next episode of TastyTwosome’s TastyChefs!
See y’all soon, and make sure to stop by 6th and Minna to visit Christian soon. Tell him we say hi!
Voila! The all encompassing greatness of Chef Blair Warsham of graffEats revealed in this TastyTwosome episode.
As the night warms up and the guests begin to arrive, special pomegranate cocktails are poured, music begins, and the venue takes on a life of its own.
Blair and his fabulous kitchen crew prep our first course as the beer from Mayfield Brewing is poured for the first tasting.
The first course is a laughing bird shrimp & bosc pear brochette with arugula, vanilla, and fennel.
The second course is served. Memphis style berbere rubbed lamb ribs with green papaya, mind, and compressed cucumber slaw. The tender meat slides off the bone as the paint on Eliza’s brush drips down the naked brown pole.
Next comes the cipollini onion soup gratine, with gruyere, chinese celery, and sourdough. With a generous heap of caramelized onions, a sourdough gruyere crouton, and a cipollini onion delicately placed on top of the pile, we were served while the soup was poured tableside by Blair himself!
As we nommed away on the delicious soup and awaited our next course, the blues guitar kept us giddy and dancing in our seats.
And behold, our second to last course, the “Pupusa” stuffed with mole braised strawberry mountain beef short ribs with a pumpkin romesco. Eek! Oh my… I just giggled thinking about how awesome it was.
I anxiously watched as the finale of the night was being prepared. A rich chocolate ganache bar dripping with pure temptation was garnished with a housemade croquant and topped with an imperial stout ice cream.
Oh, what a wonderful night, what a wonderful adventure, and what a happy stomache to end this beautiful journey with.
Here’s a full video of my journey into the soul of the night here: Checkout the awesome coordination of the kitchen, the live painting, and the great music! It’s truly alive.
Sign up for the mailing list here, and I’ll see you at the next event.
My heart seeks temptation, my soul restless for a new adventure filled with memoirs of a chef’s flavors. You see, all chefs are unique- the way they’ve been trained, their palates, their hearts… that is where the true beauty of food originates.
It’s been a long summer and I’m ready to warm up and cuddle beneath the chilly sky, nudge my cold nose against a mug filled with steamy hot cocoa and have someone kiss the whipped cream off my lips after my first sip. You know that feeling? I had a notion that Blair’s cooking would be somewhat similar to that feeling. That being said, I was deeply looking forward to the moments awaiting us. It was only the prep, but the crescendo into the night was magickal.
Eliza Frye was busily setting up her art in the little nooks and crannies of the open pantry that surrounded her. Between the spices, the cookware, and the commotion beheld gorgeous work from an imaginative soul.
Her work is sexy, ain’t it?
Chef Blair Warsham was calmly (he seemed it anyways) preparing the night’s festivities with his awesome crew.
From prepping dessert,
to skewering shrimp and pear brochettes,
making pupusas and tossing greens,
to seasoning the lamb ribs (YUM),
there was truly never a dull moment in the moments before the night begun.
Come take a look around with me and enjoy this episode of the TastyTwosome. (be on the lookout for the next episode featuring our graffEats dinner!!)
I was lucky enough to hear about graffEats via an UrbanDaddy email awhile back. I had never been, but was curious to find out more about the Underground Supper Club movement in San Francisco. I was excitedly running around and filming my first graffEats experience the other night, and ran into two awesome guys in the hall.
Upon striking up a conversation, it was revealed to me that they were providing the beer for the night’s feast!
What a lovely element for Blair to bring in: inviting the passion behind Mayfield Brewing to attend the event.
John was kind enough to give me a sneak peek of the beer.
The champagne bottles filled with beer was a sight in itself.
All bottles have been sealed by being hand-dipped in wax,
and hand labeled as well as individually numbered by the batch!
Three beers were to be served that night. The first, an altbier, (2007 and 2008 vintages) which is a german style ale (light, amber colored and smooth).
The second the Iconoclast Eclat, Mayfield’s IPA, (2007 and 2008 vintages),
and the third, the Iconoclast Nocturna (imperial stout) with flavors of chocolate, caramel, and other rich flavours.
Come explore the story behind these vintage wines with me below… it’s truly wonderful.
If you asked me what I live for, the answer is right here. Amazing foodie adventures such as the one I experience in this video at The Phoenix Supper Club. The pure ecstacy of exploring the creativity of a unique chef like Chef Tommy Halvorson- this is what I live for.
Sitting down in the luxurious privacy of my own table, the dimly lit candles put me at ease. Gosset champagne paired with San Daniele prosciutto and galia melon “ravioli” slightly enhanced by a creamy ginger-kaffir raita and mint. A small dice of cucumber adds a playful texture to the smooth melon and prosciutto. Alongside, a lightly dressed side of sprouts and greens serves as a bed for two slices of candied bacon… that’s right. Candied bacon. Also on the plate, a balsamic reduction and basil oil.
Next, Chad pours a gorgeous and pale Sauvignon blanc. He caresses my ears with the origin of this wine… from the adelaide hills, australia, fermented in stainless steel, processed lightly to taste as much like the natural grapes as possible. I think I’m in love already… with the wine, that is.
The second course is a “shrimp scampi” made with wild louisiana prawns, a lemon emulsion sitting atop fried garlic and havarti polenta and a parsley cream. I take my fork to the polenta first. I squeal a little inside as the crisp outer shell giggles delightfully at me. Wow, perfect texture. The prawns are cooked to *perfection*. Moist, juicy, and only sauteed enough to add a slight flavor to enhance the prawns. My goodness… and the fried polenta? It stays crisp until the very last bite. Heaven.
I can smell the truffle wafting in the air even before my third course is presented… the plate is presented and behold, a crisp chicken thigh (skin on) sitting atop a bed of maitake and chanterelle mushrooms graces my presence. A black truffle broth is added tableside and a generous portion of shaved summer truffle teases me from afar.
The room crescendos as the wine freely pours, and for this course, the chef has chosen Irma La Tage (a combination of reds) from Santa Rosa… petit syrah, zinfandel and merlot) fermented in oak (2007).
The chicken is absolutely divine. Juicy and succulent, it dances with the rich truffle and exotic mushrooms. The textures on this plate bring warmth to my soul, while the fresh ground black pepper garnish gently ignites my senses and reminds me that the moments of heated passion are not over.
Martorana cabernet sauvignon from sonoma county, an organic winery based on family tradition, oak barreled 6 months, very californian to pair with a kobe “bavette”, horseradish whipped potatoes, a duo of braised and creamed chard, and a roasted cipollini onion and kobe emulsion to finish the plate.
The beef barely needs to be touched by the knife before it falls onto your fork. Swiftly adding a bit of potato to my “perfect first bite”, I bring the fork to my mouth. I stop momentarily, just to let my nose inhale the buttery elements of the beef and potato. As I chew, the carefully placed salt granules massage me at the perfect intervals. I stop to catch my breath… the duo of chard don’t do wonders for me and simply serve as balance… but it’s truly not until I bite into the cipollini onion does my head fall back, my eyes close, and a sigh of satisfaction escape from my soul. Utter bliss.
Pirramimma from mclaren valley southern australia, late harvest riesling, sweet and with flavors of tropical fruit (my favorite) as my last glass of wine for the night…
And to end, “chocolate and cherries”, consisting of browned butter brownies and parisienne cherries sitting atop a praline foam, a duet of raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream.
The brownie is warm and cake-like. The cherries pungently poignant, and the sorbet and ice cream delightfully refreshing. The dessert cooled my palate, brought me back down from my journey on high with talented Chef Tommy, and leaves me wondering when I’ll be able to capture a moment like this again.
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