Muoi tieu chanh

Muoi tieu chanh is literally salt pepper lemon. My mother serves this condiment, a mixture of these three ingredients, with all kinds of dishes. I've had it with: boiled chicken, rare roast beef, crab and other shellfish, and lightly fried tofu. I've found that it enhances sauteed bell peppers and makes strong tasting fish more palatable. For those who cannot eat salt, the lemon and pepper are pretty good by themselves.

Literati Cafe

I hate the word "literati". The sound of it brings to mind black turtlenecks, chiseled cheekbones, and people sitting around at too-small cafe tables smoking cigarettes and using long words. As much as I cringe when I hear "literati", I love Literati Cafe in Brentwood. At this unpretentious, bright eatery, one orders at the counter, gets a number, and picks a table. There are free photocopies of crosswords with little pencils or newspapers to purchase . Breakfast at Literati Cafe is great, with a strong cup of coffee, a number of egg dishes that come with mixed greens or a Caesar salad, and an assortment of interesting, only-in-Los-Angeles characters that walk by. I remember the woman with a cropped top showing off toned abs, who was chowing down on, of all things, a cheesy breakfast quesadilla. There was also the guy wearing shoes with toe pockets for each of his toes--wiggling each enclosed toe. There are men with bluetooth devices seemingly glued to their ears who talk to the air and women with brightly dyed hair and all-black outfits.

But back to the food. Most of the dishes I have tasted featured fresh produce, were appropriately seasoned, and were relatively easy on the stomach (not too greasy). The only dishes I had that were less than ideal were the hash browns, which were crispy on the outside but barely cooked on the inside, and the Caesar salad dressing, which was not as zesty as I had hoped. But these are small complaints. Overall, Literati Cafe is a pleasant place for an easygoing brunch.

Roatan redux

"What did you eat while you were in Honduras?" is a question I've heard once or twice since I got back from vacation. Some common guesses are tortillas, beans, and bananas. Well, I did eat "baleadas"--thick, toasted tortillas folded over beans and cheese. I also ate a few smoky red bean purees, and found bananas folded into pancakes and fruit salads. But some of my favorite meals diverged from typical Honduran fare.

I spent a good part of my time on Roatan, one of the Bay Islands off the Caribbean coast where the residents are a hodgepodge of Hondurans, Garifunas, Britons, pirates, and divebums. While the island location and erratic electricity mean meals aren't cheap and spoil-resistant ingredients like bacon are ubiquitous, the melange of cultures leads to many food choices, from risotto to pho. Two of the foods I can't forget are:
1. Key "lemon" pie at The Lighthouse, a romantic restaurant set on the water that serves classy seafood platters with warm coconut bread (a Garifuna specialty), white rice and red beans, salad, and garlic vegetables. But the best thing is the pie, with a crumbly graham cracker crust and a tart, icy cold, lemon custard filling, which is sweet enough but not overwhelming.
2. The sausage plate at The Galley, a small shack set away from the road. This plate comes with two sausages (a popular choice is the bratwurst, although the frankfurter is pretty good). Next to the meat sits a huge leafy green salad with ripe tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, a baked potato or fries, a generous helping of sauerkraut, mustard and my personal favorite, a freshly baked pretzel with salt. Although the outdoor seating means bringing bug spray to dinner, it's a nice place to savor some good German/Northern Italian food with a Salva Vida or a glass of wine.

SF Farmer's Market in today's NYT

Like many of the the travel articles in the New York Times, the enthusiasm in today's piece on the San Francisco farmer's market is a bit much, almost forced, with phrases like "some of the nation's most spectacular farmland" and "the markets come into their full glory". However, I understand the writer's frothing at the mouth. Although this topic has been covered before in this blog, I return again, reminded by the article. The SF farmer's market is probably the best farmer's market I've been to. There are so many stalls it's overwhelming, and the plethora of free samples means you can have a meal just by going from stall to stall. You can buy fair-trade coffee or oysters, organic produce or tamales. The setting, right on San Francisco Bay, is lovely. Finally, as in the article, the people-watching is also an attraction. One of the last times I was there my companion whispered to me, "Some of these people are a little extremist." I'll leave you to decide what that means, but the Bay Area has lots of interesting characters.

What to do with too much basil

For Christmas, my husband's brother and his brother's girlfriend gave us an "Aerogarden", which grows plants indoors using dripping water, lights, and packets of "nutrients". Right now we have parsley, mint, purple and green basil, thyme, and dill growing like crazy. Here are some things I've done with the mountains of basil we have:

1) Hand-cut pesto: chop a bunch of basil, a handful of pinenuts, and two garlic cloves together finely on a chopping block. Add to pasta with a generous dash of salt and oil if desired.

2) Basil, eggplant hummus, and cheese sandwich: Take a piece of Milton's whole wheat bread (or another sliced bread around 100 calories) and cut in half. Spread 2 tablespoons of eggplant hummus (from Trader Joe's) onto the bread and throw on 4 basil leaves cut in thin slivers. Also place one piece of reduced fat cheddar (cut in half first, then stack the halves) in the sandwich. Now cut the sandwich in two small halves for a delicious, approx. 220 calorie sandwich.

3) This eggplant "pasta" from Alton Brown is pretty good, and if you cut the oil down to one tbsp and use 1/4 cup half and half instead of 1/2 cup cream, it's not too bad for you: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_17752,00.html

4) I just opened my fridge and found two containers of tofu set to expire this month. One basil dish I am planning is an eggplant, basil, and tofu stirfry--one of my favorite Thai dishes.

The Petite Pantry in Bishop, CA

There is a place where there are always fresh chips and salsa on the table, where the oldies station is on, and where there is plenty of reading material, from today's paper to old Field and Stream magazines to an assortment of books on how to cope with "being surrounded by idiots." Pictures of family hang on the walls and there is a list of six different pies to choose from. The price is right, the portions are huge, the food is good, and the owner takes good care of his customers, from cracking jokes to warning about the habanero hot sauce.

It can sometimes seem like restaurants are just about profit and the customer is just another number. But then I eat somewhere like The Petite Pantry, in Bishop on Route 395, where the generously sized Mexican and American dishes are made with pride and one truly feels like she is in the owner's home.

Ocean Park Cafe

Sometimes, for all its people, Los Angeles can be a lonely place. People in line at the supermarket don't chat with each other, but instead get in fights over who was first. Cars jammed on the street honk at each other and refuse to yield. Some are afraid to shake your hand because they don't want to get sick.

But I've managed to find some friendly places. On the trails in the hills, about 75% of walkers and runners will reply to a greeting. Most patrons at the farmers markets are usually smiling and not frowning. And there are a handful of restaurants with friendly servers, and where everyone seems to know each other. One of these is the Ocean Park Cafe in Santa Monica. Aside from the relaxing morning you are guaranteed have here, even when it's crowded, the food is pretty good as well. Before 9am, they have a handful of specials for around $3, including french toast, egg whites, and pancakes+eggs. But I eschew the specials for the "regular" breakfast fare--delicious breakfast tacos with fresh tasting corn tortillas and delicate avocado slices, eggs florentine with runny poached eggs and a rich, tangy hollandaise, and crispy, savory breakfast potatoes. I never feel rushed, and the waitress bakes the frosted cupcakes in the glass case.

Cauliflower au gratin

Last night, I made a cauliflower gratin, with some multicolored (yellow, white, purple) cauliflower from the farmer's market, low-fat sour cream, and milk, and shredded reduced-fat cheddar sprinked on top, baked at 375 degrees for half an hour. It was unexpectedly delicious and comforting.

Oregon Truffles at Ferry Farmers Market

The weekend when Jack and I visited my parents in San Francisco was cold and clear. We went to the Ferry Farmer's market where I became overwhelmed by the number of stands and had a breakfast's worth of free samples. In the Ferry building, we stopped at the Far West Fungi store and gave into temptation, buying a couple of Oregon truffles. In retrospect, I don't remember if they were white or black. With all the truffle oil we've been using, plus my discovery of Cypress Grove's "Truffle Tremor" cheese (all the goodness of Humboldt Fog cheese with flecks of black truffle), we were blindsided. That night, we made a feast, with breaded mustard and rosemary lamb chops, steak in a red wine sauce, and mushroom risotto. We placed thinly sliced pieces of truffle on top of the risotto.

The verdict: the truffles were very subtle in the risotto, almost indiscernable. I had to constantly sniff to catch a whiff of truffle. We left one truffle in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, the whole refrigerator reeked of truffles, and when I opened the container, my mother, standing three feet away, made a face and waved the air around. After poking around on the internet, it appears the truffle had ripened overnight. It's unfortunate that we didn't cook with the ripened truffle that day, as we fled down I-5 that afternoon. But now we know that truffles may be best when ripened, and know where to find them for a relatively reasonable price.

Black truffle oil

It's the end of the week and raining today--just another excuse to use the $12 black truffle oil from Surfa's, a local restaurant supply/gourmet food store. I've used it so far over homemade macaroni and cheese, oyster mushroom risotto, Humboldt Fog cheese, and a great Eric Ripert cod and white beans recipe I found online at www.chowhound.com. The trick is using a small amount so the odor of truffles is enticing, not overwhelming. I'm thinking about using it in one of the following items: scrambled eggs, homemade white pizza with whole wheat crust, or a crostini with fresh ricotta cheese and a baked tomato (a snack I ripped off from 'Ino in Manhattan).

On a similar note, I'm looking forward to visiting Northern California next month. Among all the great food (eg The Cheese Board, my mom's pho, and Zachary's pizza), I love the San Francisco Ferry Farmer's Market and want to investigate the price of domestic truffles there.