Rose Pistola Restaurant – San Francisco

October 8th, 2009

Rose Pistola (photo credit: Rose Pistola)Rose Pistola
532 Columbus Avenue
(btwn Green & Union Sts.)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Main: (415) 399-0499
Opening Hours: Open 7 Days a Week
Lunch Monday – Friday
11:30 am
Brunch Saturday & Sunday
10:00 am
Dinner Nightly
5:30 pm
Happy Hour Monday – Friday
Drink specials & a limited menu are served between lunch & dinner.
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

I enjoyed basic, although very good Italian dining at Rose Pistola on Columbus. The menu is inspired by the basil-fused cooking of Liguria, brought to the Bay Area by Italian sailors or traders who settled in San Francisco decades ago, most of whom were from the Ligurian coast, near Genoa and Portofino.  Italian cuisine is after all, no better than the ingredients it is fashioned from and the menus change daily to prove, if you will, the freshness of the locally grown produce.
The restaurant’s general demeanor lends itself to casual dining, and from pizza or focaccia from the wood-burning oven to small-plates of antipasti, as well as pastas tossed in classic rough-hewn sauces, whole roasted fish with fresh herbs, meats and fowl from the rotisserie or the grill, and if you total the experience, Rose Pistola has something for everyone.

In addition, the restaurant offers a realistically priced selection of boutique wines from Italy and California.

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The Tunnel, Nightclub – Bangkok

October 7th, 2009

Tunnel (photo credit: Retox)DJ: Sander Van Doorn at The Tunnel, Bangkok

Soi 5, Lang Suan

The Tunnel is a longstanding club in Glasgow, Scotland that has been on the scene for a very long multi-year run, there was another popular club by the same name in New York as well, which is now defunct.

In Bangkok, the cave-like club The Tunnel, opened in 2006, started as a strictly afterhours venue but has slowly broadened its hours to evolve with normal club hours in addition. It is mostly open, although sometimes not, due to police surveillance with occasional closures at times (fairly commonplace here).

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Gourmet Magazine, One of America’s Oldest Culinary Magazines, Closes

October 6th, 2009

Gourmet Magazine Closes (photo credit: kcbs.com)

It is a very sad day, as Gourmet Magazine, one of America’s oldest culinary magazines, closes down. Gourmet was founded by Earle R. MacAusland, who went on to serve as publisher and editor-in-chief for nearly forty years; he tenaciously held onto his idea throughout his reign to keep the magazine focused and devoted to its subtitle “The Magazine of Good Living”. Things have changed a lot since he published his magazine from the penthouse of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. It is also poignant to remember that one of the most erudite restaurant critics, whose articles I honestly looked forward to reading, Jay Jacobs, wrote for Gourmet for many years and passed away about a year ago. Even though he had not written for the magazine in a long time, I have re-read some of his pieces and they still remain as full of wit as the day he wrote them.

The publisher, Condé Nast, who took over publication in 1983, yesterday (Oct 5, 2009) gave the axe, along with 3 other of their magazines, to the finer-bred of their two food journals, Gourmet Magazine, and yet spared the more middle-class targeted Bon Appétit. I am assuming, that the closings were all about costs where quality does not enter into the equation, and thanks to the short-term greed of many in the banking and housing sectors has brought the country to its knees and has forced us to rapidly slide into mediocrity including even the magazines we read.

It is as yet unknown what editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl will be doing although, presumably she will work with her PBS and book projects. She is truly a powerhouse in the global food scene and will have no trouble to find another post somewhere, if she cares to do so, although admittedly magazines and newspapers are becoming scarcer, especially at the level of excellence she is accustomed to.

There is a an extremely good alternative to Gourmet Magazine called Gourmet Traveller published in Australia, which is also an excellent magazine devoted to “the good life”, which includes travel, food and wine and you may subscribe to it, wherever you live, as they will post internationally.

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Keith Floyd, British Celebrity Chef Passes – U.K.

October 5th, 2009

Keith FloydThe eccentric television chef Keith Floyd has passed away. There was a false rumor going around a few months ago that claimed he had died. That is why I paid little mind to it on this go around, although this time sadly, it is true. He was one of my favorites as he turned cooking shows from mere “How to Cook” into entertainment. He took the TV Cooking Show out of the “studio set” and into the countryside, vineyard, restaurant or wherever he saw fit, which could be an ostrich farm or a 16th century French château. He will be sorely missed for the spin he gave to cooking on television.

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Bistro LQ – Los Angeles

October 4th, 2009

Cheese Cart, Bistro LQ, Hollywood (photo credit: www.bistrolq.com)

8009 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048-4503, United States
+1 323-951-1088
http://www.bistrolq.com
Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday 6-9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 6-10 p.m.
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate – Expensive

To start with a quick summation: Laurent Quenioux opened the Regency Club in Westwood with a team he gathered from L’Oasis, a former three-star Michelin restaurant located just north of Cannes, France in La Napoule. He then opened 7th Street Bistro in downtown Los Angeles serving his rendition of French/California nouvelle cuisine. After an experimentation as acting F&B and Executive Chef at Dodger Stadium he got back to brass tacks and opened the ultra-small Bistro K in South Pasadena that became an immediate success, although it had serious space constrictions. His latest effort, in the former Mimosa space gives him much more space in the kitchen as well as the dining area and is an overall a better vehicle for him to display his talents.

One of Chef Quenioux’s greater talents is preparing wild game dishes and he also enjoys using unusual or sometimes bizarre ingredients such as “ant eggs” to punctuate, although never overwhelm a creative interpretation of a dish.  This is not an ordinary neighborhood bistro . . . expect some interesting melanges of components as he combs for rare culinary ingredients for adventurous gourmets, which may tend to shock the uninitiated.  An added attraction is what they refer to as the “Cheese Cart” a selection of 20-25 cheeses in ripe to near-ripe condition from around the globe.

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Philippe, Chinese Restaurant (West Hollywood) – Los Angeles

October 2nd, 2009

Philippe Chow (photo credit: Philippe Chow)

Philippe Chow West Hollywood
8284 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
(323) 951-1100
www.philippechow.com
Opening Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 12-4, featuring a $20.09 3 course Lunch
Monday – Sat Dinner from 6-Midnight
Sunday – 3pm to Midnight, Dinner only
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive – Very Expensive

No need to waste a lot of time explaining, we will then just “cut to the chase” as they say in Hollywood. The story goes somewhat like this, depending on who is telling it or who you are hearing it from; that a minor chef or food prep guy changed his name from Chak Yam Chau to Philippe Chow after working at Mr. Chow restaurant in New York for many years.  Subsequently, he left Mr. Chow and along with partner and CEO Stratis Morfogen has opened Philippe New York, Philippe Mexico, Philippe Miami, Philippe East Hampton and now Philippe West Hollywood in the former Dolce space on Melrose Avenue that incidentally was Le Chardonnay French Restaurant for many years. To be fair: on Philippe’s website (link follows): http://www.philippechow.com they tell the story a bit differently.            Although, according to Billboard Magazine, Morfogen was accused of having less than stellar business practices when he was a Managing Partner at Au Bar in New York that involved delayed payments to performers as well as abrupt cancellations of entertainer’s engagements.
The restaurant chain comes to Los Angeles still embroiled in a lot of cat-fighting, lawsuits and otherwise nasty vibes between Mr. Chow and Philippe Chow!  The publicity created by this type of so-called “bad” PR has also been a windfall for Philippe as it has created a firestorm that keeps feeding itself with its own gossip.

The war between Michael Chow (Mr. Chow) and Philippe Chow (Philippe) is starting to heat up and this could be worse than last year’s Wolfgang vs Wolfgang Puck battle.

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Wine Bar Brasserie du Vin – Honolulu

September 30th, 2009

Brasserie du Vin, Honolulu (photo credit: Brasserie du Vin)

Brasserie du Vin, Honolulu
1115 Bethel St.
808-545-1115
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Moderate

A French-style wine bar in the interesting, if not ideally located, Chinatown district of downtown Honolulu. You have the option to choose from a selection of 25 open wines by the glass and taste classic bistro dishes such as frisée aux lardons, escargots, and moules frites (these mussels are from New Zealand and can be quite “tough”). I would avoid any complex cooking here, and stick to wine bar fare such as: charcuterie, cheese, olives with bread and other light selections. For 30% of the bottle cost they will open any bottle from their wine list and pour a 6 oz. glass, which is really not bad as this is approximately 170 grams of wine per glass.

It is definitely a congenial place with an outdoor patio, dining room and bar. It could not be farther removed from Paris in every possible way; albeit you can still see a glimmer.

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A Bizarre Evening at “Le Petit Laugier” – Paris

September 29th, 2009

l' Entredgeu, Paris

l’Entredgeu (formerly Le Petit Laugier)
83 rue Laugier
75017, Paris

This little bistro l’Entredgeu replaced “1880” and has taken the same location of a bistro that I dined at a few years ago where I experienced a very unusual evening.

We were just beginning to eat the amazingly sublime chicken liver salad, one of the dishes this small bistro, Le Petit Laugier was known for. I lifted the first forkful of the warm, pink, and peppery liver that was a perfect contrast to the crisp and cool, bitter and vinegary greens. At the same time, a couple was struggling to leave the long, crowded table next to us, which was difficult from their position in the middle of the banquette. Somewhat trapped standing halfway out and halfway in an attractive women with long brown hair was being playfully groped by another woman who would not let her pass. She was protesting slightly and laughingly crying out, “rape, rape.” At this point the other woman became more aggressive and put her hand under her skirt, she struggled free and started to kiss and pet her long-haired lap dog, cuddled in the arms of the man accompanying her. The other women, in a final gesture, lifted her own skirt and exposed her frontal area; she was not wearing anything underneath! I had no idea what was going on, it was totally unexpected, as I had not been briefed about what went on here. I asked my dining companion, an old roué and longtime resident in Paris (of course, it was his suggestion that we dine here in the first place) “What goes on in this crazy place”.  He explained to me, “Sunday nights are special nights with a special crowd. On other evenings during the week, it becomes just another quiet neighborhood bistro but on Sunday night anything can happen, and does.”

He went on to tell me that years ago it was the meeting place for vintage Morgan automobile owners of France. He motioned toward two middle-aged ladies sitting chatting at one of the window tables. “They must be the wives of two of the Morgan owners that used to meet here.” They were so engrossed in conversation that they were unaware of what was going on around them. My friend, hoping to spice things up, said something in French to the woman who had just lifted up her skirt. She came over to me and put her face down close to mine as if to kiss; I could smell the rancid odor of cigarette breath, stale garlic and perspiration and  turned my head away from hers.

Has anyone else ever been to this place on a Sunday night?

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Elephant Bar – Hua Hin, Thailand

September 27th, 2009

Elephant Bar, Sofitel Centara Grand, Hua Hin (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)

1 Damnernkasem Road  77110 Hua Hin, Thailand
(+66)32/512021 – (+66)32/511014
email: reservation@sofitel.co.th
Website: www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-0891-sofitel-centara-grand-resort-and-villas/index.shtml
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive-Very Expensive

An elegant and comfortable bar that I always pay a visit to at least once when visiting Hua Hin. It is off to the right in the lobby of  the Sofitel Centara Grand Hotel conveniently located in Hua Hin’s downtown area and also fronting the beach.

Elephant Bar, The Bar (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)

The bar is always staffed with lovely girls that know their job as well as being pleasant and courteous.

Elephant Bar, Painting (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)

Flight of Wines (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)

A promotion of a flight of three different white wines or three different red wines served along with an assortment of appetizers pictured above and below.

Flight of Wines with Appetizers

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Restaurants Pescaderia & Chez Daimo, Naha, Okinawa – Japan

September 26th, 2009

Naha Downtown

Pescaderia
Tel 098-901-0142
Kamamizu Sakihara Chisaki,
Naha City, Okinawa

Pecaderia, as the name would suggest, specializes in seafood and the restaurant serves live oysters and scallops in the shells, which they wheel to the table on a trolley. You may choose to have the scallops as sashimi or sautéed with garlic. Both were very good, as the mollusks were so fresh.

Chez Daimo
Tel. 098-867-9418
2-2-21 Kume Naha-C,
Okinawa

This small restaurant would be a find anywhere but it is especially exciting to be recommended to a place of this caliber in Naha City, Okinawa where gastronomic treasures are at a minimum. The small dining room has only one table that seats six and a counter with ten stools surrounding an open kitchen where large, imposing, Okinawa-born chef/owner, Daimo san, spins his culinary magic for a handful of people every night.
We started with a perfectly marinated and concocted octopus salad with tomatoes and accompanied at the same time by another dish of fresh sardines with salad. It was followed by a risotto of clams and an incredibly good chicken “confit style”, specially raised on a neighboring island.
When we had to turn back a second bottle of Corvo Rosso because it was off, Daimo san said that it was his last bottle and in place of it he brought out a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau a day before its intended release.

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