Cafe Taxim--Palo Alto (Turkish cuisine)

While walking in downtown Palo Alto, a very colorful picture of a lamb gyro in a window stopped me in my tracks. I looked around, saw a few more pictures of various Turkish items and was drawn in. Located at 423 University Avenue in Palo Alto, this establishment boasts street food from Istanbul. The owner was a very nice lady who welcomed us warmly and answered all my questions with patience.

The format is to order at the counter, get your number, choose a table and proceed to drool from all the colorful pictures of Turkish food on the walls. Water with lemon is available self serve and beverages include Turkish beer and wine. I selected a piece of Pogaca (a mini pie of sorts with feta cheese and parsley encased inside), placed my order and took a seat.

For a look at their menu: http://www.cafetaxim.net

How can I describe the Pogaca? The texture was almost like a mix of a yeast bread and a pastry pie crust; I'm still trying to decide which. A tiny bit sweet with the tangy feta cheese inside and the nutty, toasted black sesame seeds on top, I immediately wanted more.

For my lunch, I selected the Iskender. This was a plate of marinated lamb and beef topped with a grilled piece of tomato and bell pepper. Bread cubes (homemade bread) are underneath soaking up the tomato sauce and served with a pyramid of perfectly cooked and tasty rice pilaf as well as a fantastic! homemade yogurt. The meat was tender and flavorful, the tomato sauce tasted homemade and I think I will be asking if I can buy a pint of that yogurt next time. It was so thick, rich, creamy and not too tangy. So good!

My boyfriend ordered the Lamb & Beef Gyro Plate. This was also with marinated lamb and beef, homemade bread, rice pilaf and a super fresh and lightly dressed salad. Very tasty.

Of course, I had to try the Baklava. Sometimes Baklava is a bit too sweet for me but this one was not. Wonderfully flaky, nutty and delicious.

Cafe Taxim was a great find and I look forward to returning to try their other offerings.

Veracruz Style Fish with Seasoned Brown Rice (Recipe)

After being back from Mexico for a few months, I've been thinking about this dish I had there and have been experimenting at home to try and recreate it. I think I've come pretty close, although I added my own little touches. Here's what I did:

I started out making the rice. I took 1 cup of brown rice and put it into a medium pot. I then took slightly less than 2 cups of water, added 2 tbsp. tomato paste, 1 tbsp. chipotle peppers from a jar, 1 tbsp. of butter and a pinch of salt and heated it for 2 minutes in the microwave to melt everything together. I added the liquid to the pot of rice and cooked it, covered, on low heat for 40 minutes.

While the rice was cooking, I took two 4-ounce tilapia fillets, patted them dry with a paper towel, sprinkled salt and pepper on both sides and pan fried them in a bit of olive oil for about 3 minutes, uncovered, on each side over medium heat. I then set that aside.

Then, I took the white part of 1 leek, cut it lengthwise and then into about half-inch pieces (half a regular onion can be used as well) and set that aside. I then roughly chopped 3 roma tomatoes and 1/4 cup of green olives, reserving about 2 tbsp. of the olive brine. I also cut into a small dice 1 small chili pepper (not sure of the variety since it was grown in my mom's garden). I then heated about 2 tbsp. olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat, added about 1/2 tsp. minced garlic and then added the leeks and sauteed them for about 3 minutes until tender.

Then I added the tomatoes, pepper, olives, olive brine, 2 tbsp. good tequila, 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice, 1 tsp. tomato paste, 1 tsp. dijon mustard, and 1 tsp. of the chipotle pepper juice and let it cook on high, stirring frequently, until the liquid reduced by half (about 3 minutes). After which, I turned the heat off, added salt to taste and a pat of butter to finish it off. Once the rice was done, I plated the rice and fish and topped both with the chunky sauce. Healthy, delicious and reminds me of Mexico.

Chow--San Francisco (healthy, high-quality, affordable comfort food)

Chow has been on my list of places to try for a long time now, and I finally got the chance. With four locations, I ended up in San Francisco at their 215 Church Street location. It was a small space that was bustling with chatter on a Saturday night. But after walking through the heavy curtains from the front door, I felt I had walked through the wardrobe into just the place I wanted to be. Even though it was busy, we were seated in about five minutes. The waitstaff was cordial and efficient and the food was more than I could have hoped for.

Their web site: http://www.chowfoodbar.com/church_menu.html

I started out with their Baked Goat Cheese with Walnut Toasts. This came out in a little ramekin of oozy goodness, topped with fresh, ripe cherry tomatoes and olive oil with a side of olives. The walnut toasts were perfectly crunchy, nutty and warm and did an excellent job of holding up to huge dollops of the goat cheese.

My friend's entree was the Lamb Burger. This came with a thick portion of their yogurt sauce with cucumber and mint and was served on a toasty bun and a fresh green salad. Very tasty.

My entree, however, was the highlight of my entire night. It was their Wood-Oven Fall Lasagna with squash and mushrooms. This came out looking a bit thrown together, but this was probably the best lasagna I've ever tasted. The pasta was al dente, the squash (butternut, I believe) and the mushrooms were fresh. But the sauce it came with was the most delicious sauce I would never imagine to be put on a lasagna. It was a very soupy and lightly creamy sauce that had some really savory aspects and also some buttery-ness and had a hint of brown sugar. I was trying my best to soak every piece of bread I could find into that sauce. Well done, Chow. Well done.

After licking my lasagna plate clean, I was too full for dessert. All of Chow's desserts are made from scratch in their Danville location, so I believe another visit is in my future.

Fist of Flour--various locations (Pizza gourmet food truck)

Fist of Flour was outside of Drake's Brewery (1933 Davis St., San Leandro) this past Saturday. Pizza and Beer. How can one go wrong? I have to give respect to a person who builds a wood-burning pizza oven in his own backyard. For step by step pictures of that building process, here is the link: http://www.wheresthefist.com/gallery/

To sign up for Fist of Flour's newsletter to get updates on their locations, visit their web site: http://www.fistofflour.com/

While at Drakes, I enjoyed a tasting of some of Drake's finest. Denogginizer, Drakonic Imperial Stout, Dry Stout, EXXpedition Ale and Jolly Roger Ale. They were all refreshing and tasty, as usual.

I also enjoyed two of Fist of Flour's choices that day. One was their Meat Pizza with sausage, mozzarella, mushrooms, fresh basil and garlic. Hot out of the oven, it was crusty and had a nice combo of toppings.

The other was their Veggie Pizza with potato, arugula, pesto, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes. Also quite tasty. All the ingredients tasted fresh, had a nice balance and had that wonderful fresh-out-the-wood-burning-oven aroma.

I'm hoping maybe one day I can have a homemade wood-burning pizza oven in my backyard. But until then, I will enjoy Fist of Flour whenever I can.

Outerlands--San Francisco (Cozy, inventive comfort food)

When I saw this place on Check Please Bay Area, I had to try it and I knew I would like it. Located at 4001 Judah Street in S.F., this looked like the type of place one could go to for any occasion, even just a solo lunch by the beach. When I also heard the husband and wife owners make their own butter to go along with their homemade levain bread, I was sold. Being someone who enjoys baking bread and making little condiments as well, I can appreciate the time and effort it takes to provide these wonderful items to the masses.

For a look at their simple but also rustic and modern looking web site, visit: http://outerlandssf.com/

Nestled in a mostly residential area in the Sunset district, this place looked a bit out of place with its unfinished wood-plank walls and rustic appeal. Parking is not plentiful, but keep your eyes peeled for anyone leaving the beach area after surfing. This place does not take reservations, so be prepared to wait. They do try to make it a comfortable wait though with a cute outdoor waiting area with split logs around the trees and wooden seats on the sidewalk. You can also open a tab and get a couple drinks while you wait. The drinks are a bit light on the alcohol though, so this is not a place to get hammered. The emphasis is on the food and the high-quality, local, seasonal ingredients used for all their offerings.

I arrived at about 7pm on Saturday, so I ended up waiting for one hour. It was worth it though. I started off with one of their seasonal cocktails. Not sure what it was called, but it came in a cute little mason-type jar and had Rum, Armagnac, all spice dram, lime and nutmeg. The nutmeg was an interesting touch and it worked.

Of course, I had to order the Bread & Butter. I think the wait staff expect everyone to order this as well since our waitress finished writing it down before I even said the words. This was a lightly toasted, very thick, hearty bread that had a hefty crust and a nice toasty-ness to it. The homemade butter was soft, warm and sprinkled with a bit of flaky sea salt. Wonderfully comforting.

Next was the Little Gems Salad with turnips, fried pain de mie, fines herb, egg, and grain mustard dressing. The egg was medium boiled, which I prefer, the lettuce was fresh and crisp, and the turnips tasted a bit pickled. It also had just enough dressing. Very nice.

My entree was the Red Trout with Thompson grapes, sprouted nuts and seeds, preserved lemon, sunchoke puree and pomegranate. The combination of grapes and fish was new to me but this dish was so well-balanced, I was amazed at every bite. The different tastes and textures with the sweet grapes and crunchy, salty nuts and seeds, the tart pomegranate and the green garnish kept my palate interested with every bite. The fish was also well prepared and perfectly flaky. Fantastic.

My boyfriend's entree was the Birkshire Pork Belly. Super tender, moist and succulent pork belly was served with braised Savoy cabbage, maitake, pickled negi onion, huckleberries and Banyuls. This was also a very well-balanced dish.

It's interesting how they combine meat with vegetables and fruit to make a different twist on comfort food. Nothing was heavy or full of carbs, but everything was just really good and made you feel good.

The food portions were not enormous so I had just enough room for dessert. We shared the Coffee Creme Brulee with dark chocolate on the bottom, and a really flaky, melt-in-your-mouth passion fruit brown butter wafer. The custard was very light, creamy and smooth with a wonderful aroma of coffee. One of my favorite aspects of a good dessert is not being too sweet and this one came through for me in that regard as well as, again, having a wonderful balance of different flavors and textures.

I also had to try their homemade Apple Cider with bourbon (bourbon optional). This was another nice accompaniment to a very memorable meal.