Beer Bread (Recipe)

Beer lovers unite! This is not a new concept. Beer bread has been around for a long time and I actually used to make it quite regularly and then forgot about it for a while. I remembered it again this past week and decided to make it with one of my favorite beers...Sierra Nevada (Torpedo Extra IPA Ale). Of course, the great thing about this recipe is you can use any beer you like.

My preference is for darker beers. I find they tend to have more body and deeper flavor than lighter beers, which taste a bit watery to me. Although I've had a few imported lighter beers (from Belgium and Germany) that were very tasty and refreshing. But I digress. On to the bread.

I first preheated the oven to 350 degrees, buttered a loaf pan and set it aside. Then, in a large mixing bowl I added 2 cups of white flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar (packed), 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. salt. After mixing this well, I then added one egg and 1 bottle of beer (12 oz.) and mixed well.

I then poured the batter into the buttered loaf pan (the batter will be very sticky and lumpy) and smoothed out the top a bit with the back of a spoon. Then I melted in the microwave the leftover butter I used to butter the loaf pan and poured it over the top of the batter and baked it until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread came out clean (about 40 minutes).

This bread also makes the whole house smell hoppy and bready. So nice. Great for sandwiches or just by itself!

Taqueria Guadalajara--San Leandro (Mexican cuisine)

On a whim, my friend took me to this very smoky Mexican joint. I'm sure I ended up smelling like it for the rest of the day since the air inside was infused with oil vapors. Even though the place looked like a cafeteria, the food was superb. Located in a shopping strip at 14327 E. 14th Street, Ste. A, in San Leandro, don't worry about dressing up at this very casual dinning establishment.

You order at the counter, get your number, and the food is brought to your table. I ordered a lengua (cow tongue) super burrito and my friend ordered three different tacos: lengua, carnitas (braised pork) and more pork.

The super burrito was super delicious. I'm not sure what made it more delicious than other lengua super burritos I've had before, but I was impressed. The lengua was very tender and moist, the spanish rice was flavorful and the beans went down very easy.

The tacos were also a hit. The carnitas were very well seasoned and each taco was topped with a spicy salsa that made my eyes water a little but was very pleasing to my palate. I will brave the oily/smoky air and come back again.

Also on the plus side, there's a bakery a few doors down with a wall full of colorful and sweet looking pastries, cookies and Mexican breads. A nice way to end a meal.

Potato & Cheese Souffle (Recipe)

I was watching Jacques Pepin on PBS the other day and got the idea for this recipe. I love cheese and I love anything that can make something simple look like something complicated. Just the word "souffle" invokes images of hours of hard labor in the kitchen. Not so with this recipe. I decided to make this to place on top of a simple salad to zazz it up a bit. Here's what I did.

First I took 4, 4 oz. ramekins, buttered them and coated them with bread crumbs and set them aside. Then I peeled, diced and boiled a medium potato until fork tender and rinsed it with cold water and patted it dry with a paper towel.

In a blender, I added an 8 oz. block of cream cheese (softened), the potato, a hefty pat of softened butter (about 3 tbsp.), 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of plain yogurt (you can also use sour cream), about 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, 2 eggs and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Then I blended all this until well mixed and poured them into the ramekins until a little more than halfway full. I then placed them on a baking sheet and popped them in the oven at 375 for about 25 minutes or until the souffles were puffed and golden brown on top.

After letting them cool and de-puff for a few minutes, I then inverted them onto a plate of spinach salad pre-tossed with a fig dressing. For the fig dressing, I whisked together 1 tsp. of fig butter (available at Trader Joe's), 1/2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp. of olive oil and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. Simple and delicious!

Union City Eats--Union City (gourmet food truck event)

Every Thursday through October features the Union City food truck event at Union Landing, in the Walmart parking lot. Between 4:30pm and 9:00pm, nine or so food trucks dole out their specialties to the masses. I was fortunate enough to have been able to experience it this past Thursday and gorged myself on several fantastic dishes from various trucks.

Bigg Shrimp'n
I started out with a couple of shrimp tacos. Loaded with seasoned shrimp, cucumber, pickled carrots & turnips, and cilantro, this taco was a great start. The shrimp were fresh, had a nice spicy seasoning, and the veggies were crispy.

Rice Rockit
Following the tacos were a couple of beer-boiled longanisa sliders. Boiled in San Miguel beer, these sliders had delectable sausage, grilled red onion, garlic aioli and were topped with a fried egg. As someone who loves fried egg atop of anything, these were very tasty.

Mogo BBQ
Lucky for me, one of my favorite trucks was at this event. This time I enjoyed a dirty dog, which had bacon, jack and cheddar cheeses, lettuce/cabbage slaw and topped with a chipotle sauce. This probably wasn't my favorite dish from Mogo, as I like my dogs a bit denser, but it was a good size and had good flavor.

Gourmet Rockstars
This truck was new to me, and it was the highlight of the whole evening. Serving phenomenal burgers and probably awesome grilled cheese, this truck was also painted like "the grid" from "Tron". Being a "Tron" fan, I had to try a burger. The Electro had a thick patty of fresh ground beef that was juicy and well seasoned, melted cheddar cheese, super crispy fried onion rings with a creamy horseradish sauce. All this was piled high between a buttery, dense but soft, toasted bun. This was one of the best burgers I've ever tasted. Every single component of this burger was high quality, high caliber and highly delicious. An absolute winner, which I hope to experience again next week.

Patxi's Chicago Pizza--Palo Alto

I've found a new place for great deep-dish pizza. Located at 441 Emerson Street in Palo Alto, Patxi's has several locations around the bay area, including three locations just in S.F. alone. 

It was fairly busy when I got there at about 6:30pm on a Saturday night. But one convenient aspect of Patxi's is that you can put in your order while you're waiting for a table. Then, hopefully, by the time you get a table, your pizza will be ready as well. While waiting for a table, I enjoyed a pint of Hoegaarden Wit bier, a very pale Belgian white ale.

While I was expecting to enjoy a good brew, I was not expecting my brew to look like lemonade. But the taste, as light as it was, still had body and flavor. I must hand it to the Belgians. They do make a good brew.

We enjoyed two different pizzas. One was their signature stuffed deep dish. Pictured below and savored was the Classic Meat combo with pepperoni, Italian sausage and Canadian bacon. Not only were all the toppings and sauce fresh, the dough was probably one of the best that I've tasted on a deep dish pizza. I'm not sure how they cook it or what they put in it, but it wasn't overly cooked on the outside or doughy on the inside. It was also buttery and had a sweetness to it. Everything was in perfect harmony, like a well-conducted symphony of flavors and textures.

We also tried a "thin crust" pizza. This one was their Prosciutto combo with aged prosciutto and mozzarella. Also a winning crust that was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The next time I visit Patxi's, I will be sure to try their "extra thin crust" pizza.

 It's also a good feeling to patronize an establishment that believes in sustainability and eco-efficiency. Patxi's composts all food waste and all their take out materials are recyclable or compostable. Their produce vendors also purchase from local and organic farmers as much as possible. Excellent food, excellent drink, and environmentally responsible. What more could you ask for?

Falafel Etc.--Fremont (Middle Eastern cuisine)

I never knew what a falafel was supposed to taste like until I visited Falafel Etc. at 39200 Fremont Blvd. in Fremont. The place is reminiscent of my high school cafeteria, but it fries up fresh falafels that are crispy on the outside, and when bitten into, exposes their green, spiced up softness on the inside. I am somewhat of a regular here, and each time I visit, Ramzi, part one of the two part husband and wife owners, is there to greet me warmly.

To remain true to their Middle Eastern roots, some of their spices are imported directly from Israel, where Ramzi and his wife, Zuhad are from. Knowing that something I may be eating has been shipped from afar, makes me appreciate it that much more. During this visit, I started out with the hummus. Who ever thought the humble garbanzo bean had the potential to be so creamy and delicious.

They have plates or sandwiches available for their falafel or shawarma. I usually go for the sandwich since it has those tasty falafels, pickles, tomatoes, cucumber, tahineh and cabbage salad all tucked into a warm, soft, and fresh pita (probably the best pita I've tasted). They also have a condiment bar where you can add more tzatziki sauce, pickles, tahineh or spicy chili sauce to your liking.

Their shawarma plates are very good as well. Below is a lamb shawarma, which came with your choice of salad (tabbouleh, greek, spinach and cabbage) and also your choice of either hummus or baba ghannouj. They also serve this with a side of fresh pita bread.

Overall, Falafel Etc. is a great place for a casual lunch or dinner. The service is usually pretty fast. You order at the counter and they bring it to you; and they bus your table when you leave. They also cater and you can reserve the outdoor seating area for parties. Reasonable prices for a great meal.

Fonda Solana--Albany (Latin cuisine)

Right next door to Berkeley is the little city of Albany. And in Albany is Solano Avenue; a very hip strip of popular restaurants and little boutiques. One of these popular restaurants is Fonda Solana, which serves high-end Mexican small plates perfect for sharing and sampling. Located at 1501 Solano Avenue, this restaurant is open late 7 days a week and features a full bar with a wide selection of spirits to choose from.

But not only do they have great drinks, they also have great food. Not surprisingly, it was fairly busy for a Thursday night, but I still got a table very quickly. I started out with a Mojito. This was a well-balanced, very refreshing drink. Not too sweet and not too tangy, with just the right amount of alcohol. A perfect start to whet my appetite.

I was with three other people, so many plates could be shared. Our appetizers were the guacamole with chips and salsa and tuna tartare. Even though I am not a big fan of avocado, I try to eat it due to its health benefits and am fine with it in the form of guacamole. This guacamole was fresh and not overly played up, letting the natural flavors come through. The tuna tartare was very tangy with fresh lime juice and lightly seasoned. Two good starters.

For our seafood entree, we had the sauteed prawns and also ordered two sides of Fonda's homemade corn tortillas for this dish. The tortillas come rolled up in dark burgundy cloth napkins and are steaming hot when unrolled. The perfect accompaniment to any of Fonda's dishes. The prawns were served in a bath of salsa negra, garlic and lime sauce. I could've slurped up this sauce right from the bowl, but instead, opted to use pieces of tortilla to lap it up and linger in its magnificent flavor.

One of my favorite dishes at Fonda's is their skirt steak. Grilled as you like it, they serve it sliced thin with a side of fried Manchego onion rings on a plate drizzled with a mojo colorado sauce. We ended up ordering two of these.

The grand finale was dessert. Fonda's makes a fabulous warm chocolate cake that oozes out the chocolately goodness when you stick a fork in it. It's also served with a homemade whipped cream that is dense, not too sweet and a perfect side to a decadent cake. I could've had an order of just the cream.

I would highly recommend Fonda Solana if you are in the Berkeley/Albany area. Great for happy hour, dinner or a late night meal.