Tag Archives: sustainable

October 31, 2011

The Slanted Door- Always a crowd pleaser

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The Slanted Door is one of the those places that I dream about at night. Whenever I get the chance to do a nice lunch this is where I go. Getting in for dinner is near impossible and even with a reservation I could only get in at lunchtime on a Monday, at 11AM. The restaurant is on the Embarcadero and every table has a view of the San Francisco Bay. Last Monday, just like most days this October, the weather was glorious and we could see all the way to Angel Island. Still this is San Francisco, and things can get a bit blowy, so we opted for a table inside. The view was spectacular! The food is served family style, but make no mistake the portions are pretty small so it is ideal to order many dishes, and that is just what we did.

The food at The Slanted Door is upscale Vietnamese and no matter what you order you simply cannot go wrong. As I said, the servings are not particularly big so we ordered five items and some rice for three of us. However soy sauce was a part of the broccoli dish so I did not partake. We ordered wild California yellowtail with crispy shallots (not dusted in flour) and Thai basil, wild California uni with black tobiko (caviar), avocado and cucumber, a Vietnamese crepe (banh xeo) and halibut that I can’t seem to find on the menu as I compose this post, but it was delicious nonetheless.

The dishes arrived to our table together and they all looked so amazing that I didn’t know where to start, I wanted to be sure to savor each and every delectable bite. I began with the California uni with black tobiko, avocado and cucumber served on a spoon. The bottom was a creamy avocado puree with a julienne of cucumber then layered with a gorgeous piece of uni topped with the tobiko. This was divine. The flavours were fresh and clean and the tobiko popped in my mouth. I licked the spoon clean. Next was the yellowtail and all I can say is, wow! The yellowtail was expertly sliced, it just melted in my mouth. Then it was on to the Vietnamese crepe, the best one I have ever eaten. The crepe was light and crispy, the shrimp had it’s tails removed and everything was evenly spread out inside. Perfecto! Last was the halibut with it’s nice crust on the outside, moistness inside, served with a fish sauce with ginger and chiles (I think) and a refreshing pear salad.


Slanted Door is not only one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, but they happily and easily accommodate gluten-free diners. I emailed the restaurant before writing this post and was told that dishes that are not already gluten-free can often be made gluten-free, and ANY server on the floor can help you with this. The response came within ten minutes of me emailing them. I double checked my dishes were gluten-free before I ordered, but wanted to make sure that most menu items could be easily altered before recommending this place.

The Slanted Door
1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 861-8032

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August 20, 2011

Wild King Salmon with Morel Vinaigrette

After being away for a week I was dying to cook dinner. My fish monger, Sun Fat, is fantastic and since I hadn’t been in a while heading over there to pick up dinner was definitely part of my plan. Usually I let the fish dictate what I will make, but I really wanted some wild salmon. I found this glorious Bobby Flay recipe for grilled salmon with a morel vinaigrette, and decided this would be the recipe.

Wild salmon is not cheap nor are morel mushrooms, so I knew that I had to make this recipe perfectly. I am not particularly comfortable grilling salmon, even though the recipe calls for it. Instead of grilling, I decided to cook my fish in a pan on the stove top and then finish it off in the oven. This decision turned out to be a great one. The recipe is for 4 people, however there are only 2 of us so I cut the recipe in half when I made it.

Ingredients:

2 (8-ounce & 1 1/4 inch thick) wild salmon fillets (must use wild or very strong flavored salmon to match the other flavors)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Heat pan on high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Brush salmon on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place salmon skin side down in to pan and lower the heat to med-high, cook 2 minutes. Carefully turn the salmon over and cook another 2 minutes. Put the pan in to the oven and cook another 4 minutes. After removing the pan from the oven let the salmon sit in the pan another 2 minutes. The residual heat will keep it cooking a little longer and you will end up with a piece of salmon cooked med-rare to medium. Plate fish and top with vinaigrette.

Morel Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

2 ounces dried morel mushrooms
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1/2 small shallot, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Place morels in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit until soft, about 30 minutes, then drain, reserving liquid, and coarsely chop.

Whisk together vinegar, shallot, mustard and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Use a little of the morel soaking liquid to thin, if needed. Fold in the mushrooms and parsley.

A link to Bobby Flay’s original recipe:
Grilled Salmon with Morel Vinaigrette

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July 25, 2011

Caprese Salad

There is nothing I love more in the summer than eating beautiful ripe tomatoes, and there is nothing more perfect on a hot summer Sunday afternoon than a salad. What brought me to make this salad was quite simple, the ingredients themselves. Yesterday while shopping at Rainbow Grocery I saw some beautiful early girl tomatoes, a glorious bunch of basil, and decided I had to make a tomato, basil, mozzarella salad. The recipe is easy and quick, just be sure your ingredients are the best you can find and the salad will be divine. It’s about highlighting the good ingredients through simple means.

Caprese Salad
Serves 2 as an afternoon snack

Ingredients:

2 medium size Early Girl tomatoes- 1/8 in. slices
1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella- 1/4 in. slices
2 tblp. basil- torn or cut in to strips
3 tblp. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
Pinch sea salt or kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 C. Whole black olives

Directions:

Lay the sliced tomatoes around the outside of the plate leaving an opening in the center. Place the sliced mozzarella in the center of the tomatoes and the olives to its side. Sprinkle basil over top, season with & pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Buon appitito

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June 17, 2011

Shrimp tacos with chunky guacamole

After my trip to Gott’s Roadside earlier this week, I was on a shrimp taco kick. Since my husband doesn’t love corn tortillas, and that is the only kind I purchase, I have adapted my tacos and I use lettuce leaves as the wrap. They work like dream. I also had some leftover bacon from a deviled egg experiment, so I added that too.

Garlic shrimp

Ingredients:
1 lb. medium shrimp-peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic- minced
1/8 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C. Parsley-chopped
1/4 Serrano pepper- minced
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 pc. partially cooked bacon- finely diced

Put all ingredients in bowl except bacon and marinate for 15 min

In a medium saute pan add bacon to one side and put shrimp in the remaining portion of pan.
Cook shrimp until they start turning pink, about 2 min., then flip em’. Cook another 1 min., mix the shrimp and bacon together so the bacon bits are coating the shrimp and cook another 30 sec. Remove from pan immediately.

Guacamole (Can be made while shrimp are marinating)

Ingredients:
1 large avocado
1 clove garlic-minced
1/2 serrano pepper- minced
1/4 C. parsley- rough chop
1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Add garlic, pepper, 1/4 of the lime and salt and pepper to bowl. Mix. Let mixture sit while you cut up avocado. Cut avocado in 1/2 and score into cubes, scoop in to garlic mixture, squeeze in remaining lime and mash with a fork. Keep it a little chunky.

Serve the tacos with:
Boston Bibb lettuce leaves
Guacamole
2 ripe plum tomatoes- diced
Favorite salsa of choice
1/2 lime cut in quarters

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May 23, 2011

Eat, shop, cook, eat

This weekend was quite lovely. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing and the joys of a Saturday in San Francisco were just revealing themselves. The day started with me, famished, trying to figure out what I was craving. I opened the fridge to a host of condiments and nothing to put them on. That meant, I’m eating out! Previously, I had been dying to try these Salvadoran delights called pupusas, which I now refer to as “pillows of love.” A pupusa, is a thick corn tortilla filled with anything from meats to cheeses to refried beans and vegetables. I actually did try them, but I got takeout and they were pretty good though not great. Suspecting they had potential, I had to go back and try them in house.

Balompie’s, is a Salvadoran restaurant located in San Francisco’s Mission district. The restaurant is small, but welcoming. There is a bar (beer & wine) with about six seats and approximately 15 tables inside and two tables outside, not huge. I sat down by the window, ordered a cappuccino and took a long look at all the kinds of pupusas they served. I say all, because I swear there were about 20.

I only ordered two, but damn they were good. My pupusas were made from corn flour, but they also make them with rice flour which is GREAT for people who have corn allergies.

My first pupusa was filled with Salvadoran veggies and cheese and it was very cheesy. My second papusa, and the one I adored, was filled with Chorizo and cheese. It was great! Pupusas are served with a side of vinegar slaw, very crunchy and seasoned with Oregano, and a side of salsa. It is imperative that these be eaten with the pupusa or you’re missing part of the experience.

At the end of the meal I was full, so full in fact, that all I could do was to waddle to the car and drive to a store where I could buy more food for later!
After my pupusa breaky I drove over to Sun Fat Seafood Company, a glorious fish monger, and picked up what I would inevitably scarf down later. I bought a dozen oysters, 1lb red snapper and 1lb salmon all for under $20. This place always has the freshest fish, a fantastic selection and some fish and oysters that are sustainable or local. It never smells fishy in this fish monger, only like the ocean. The service is quick and friendly and the prices are great.

Now that the fish monger was taken care of it was over to Rainbow. One must have fresh horseradish for the oysters and I do believe I was out of cheese again.

Saturday’s weather was stellar, the food was tasty (and a new cuisine for me) and did I mention that the husband does the oyster shucking? Well, he does, and that made for a most perfect Saturday. Sorry, but no pictures of the oysters. I was too busy slurping to be shooting.

Balompie’ Cafe
3349 18th St
(between Van Ness Ave & Capp St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 648-9199

Sun Fat Seafood Company
2687 Mission Street
San Francisco, Ca 94110
Phone: 415-282-9339
Fax: 415-970-9087
Monday – Saturday: 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday or Holiday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

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May 16, 2011

Rainbow Grocery- A star in the world of gluten-free shopping

Rainbow Grocery is a co-op that anyone can shop in, and does. Since Rainbow is a co-op, it’s always best to double-check their holiday schedule. They do not observe all of the government holidays and do observe some non-government holidays.

I think this store is one of the best grocery stores around. You may find yourself being pushed around by some crunchy, stinky, sometimes even self-righteous shoppers, but it is all worth it. They have a bulk selection consisting of teas, herbs, nuts, grains, cereals, and a tremendous assortment of dried mushrooms. It is spectacular! I am also a huge fan of their produce dept. Their vegetables are all organic, sustainable, in season and much of it is local.

If you are a cheese fanatic, like myself, you absolutely must check out their cheese section. They have cow, sheep, goat, raw milk, artisan and a small dairy selection to die for. Don’t be shy in asking one of the knowledgeable workers to help you in your decision-making process, they’re always happy to do so. It is here where I often get side tracked, can you blame me?

Above all Rainbow Grocery is my favorite place to buy and try gluten-free products. They treat gluten-free items the same way they treat any other item. Shop the store the way you would shop any store. You will find your gluten-free cereal on the cereal isle, the gluten-free cookies with the other cookies and so on and so forth. The selection of manufacturers is amazing. I certainly had no idea how many gluten-free soy sauce brands there are.

I highly recommend stopping in and browsing their isles. The gluten-free options are far superior to any of the markets around. Not only do they have the items I have pictured above, they also have baking flour, baking mixes, bread mixes, tapioca starch and any other item one needs for baking gluten-free. Truly, this is a great resource for anyone living with any sort of allergy.

Rainbow Grocery
1745 Folsom Street @ 13th Street
San Francisco CA, 94103
Tel: (415) 863-0620
Fax: (415) 863-8955
Toll free: (877) 720-2667

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