27 February 2005

A self-indulgence:
Best things I've ever eaten, that I can recall

.based, as much as possible, on quality/taste and not just the particular circumstances in which I ate these things (which of course can make even the crudest meal taste fantabulous)
.but, obviously, this list is about as subjective as things get
.at some point I'll reformat this and add more links but this was just an amusement for me tonight and was quite stream-of-consciousness

-Karen's and Caroline's friend Claudia's deviled eggs, made from eggs from her own chickens
-the scrambled eggs at Chez Panisse Café, Berkeley
-Nic's chocolate chip cookies
-fried catfish at the seafood stand at the Raleigh State Farmers' Market, North Carolina
-lemon pie bought from that same Farmers' Market
-Parisian sandwiches (buttered baguette, ham, Swiss) at La Baguette in Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto
-avocado sorbet at Grasshopper, Oakland
-jasmine clay pot rice at Unicorn, Berkeley
-blueberry pie I made for Fourth of July 2004
-Mommy's wontons (alas, I have to confess the ones without meat aren't as good, but it's a trade-off)
-cheese and herb pizza at Lisa M's house that her parents made and baked in her dad's backyard pizza oven
-salad I made from Ruth Reichl's "Show-Off Salad" recipe
-Mommy's pesto sauce, strong and gritty from all the garlic
-locally grown organic kiwis I bought once from the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market
-honey tea cake from Miette's stand at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market
-the tamales from Primavera's stand at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market, especially one that had chipotle pinto beans and another that had corn and some kind of white cheese: White Cheddar? Jack?
-some amazing seared black-and-white-sesame-seed-encrusted fish at Maya, San Francisco.  didn't it have mustard seeds too?
-corn soup at Maya (both these things Erik ordered, by the way)
-braised lamb shank with pomegranate and other delicious things at Scala's Bistro, San Francisco
-jamón serrano and manchego cheese at Picasso's, San Jose
-Burmese fish soup (the national soup I believe, or maybe the national dish?) at Nan Yang, Oakland
-morning buns at La Farine, Oakland
-seasonal specialty: cranberry orange walnut tart from Katrina Rozelle, Oakland
-locally grown organic raisins from a stand at a Tuesday Farmers' Market in Berkeley
-pho without meat (#00) at Pho Hoa, various locations
-pad see ew at Varamai, Berkeley (oil-laden and probably very inauthentic but just right for my tastes)
-fresh rice noodles I bought at 99 Ranch in Van Nuys
-veggie burger and fries, Smart Alec's, Berkeley
-Ginger Newman-O's bought from Whole Foods, Berkeley
-broiled eel and endive appetizer, O Chamé, Berkeley
-udon soup with smoked trout and Japanese greens and mushrooms, O Chamé
-balsamic caramel ice cream, O Chamé
-cornmeal pancakes, Rick and Ann's, Berkeley
-grilled Niman Ranch pork chop, Rick and Ann's, Berkeley
-any pancakes at La Note, Berkeley: crème fraîche, gingerbread
-tuna bagnat sandwich, La Note
-grilled tomato-Brie bagnat, La Note
-tomates Provençales (grilled tomatoes), La Note
-dinner special: salmon in puff pastry, La Note
-soup of the day: cream of tomato or roasted tomato (can't remember which), La Note
-home fries, La Note (because they throw in cloves of roasted garlic, too, or maybe they just roast the potatoes with the garlic)
-pagnol: some kind of drink made with sparkling water and fruit juices (grapefruit or cranberry or both or something else, I can never remember), La Note
-fried-egg sandwich with some kind of white cheese and chipotle mayo, Venus, Berkeley
-duck soup, Tuk Tuk Thai, Berkeley
-Retro Tropical Shag cake, Citizen Cake, San Francisco
-wild smoked salmon from a stand at the San Jose Farmers' Market
-pumpkin bread from the same Farmers' Market
-fresh tortillas from the same Farmers' Market
-Bronx Tale (sausage and meatballs with penne, in tomato sauce), Gypsy's, Berkeley
-chicken, Meesha's Gyros, Berkeley
-warm croissant with butter and jam, the Horned Dorset inn, Leonardsville, New York
-Scharffen Berger semisweet chocolate
-Scharffen Berger mocha chocolate
-vegetable fried rice, Great Wall Seafood and Vegi Restaurant (I think that's the full name), Oakland
-napa cabbage with dried shrimps, Great China, Berkeley
-mu shu crab, Great China
-momo (Tibetan dumpling), Café Tibet, Berkeley
-Tibetan dessert made from "Tibetan pasta," Café Tibet
-oven-baked panir (homemade cheese), Amber India, Santana Row, Santa Clara
-lobster noodles, Canton Delight, Cupertino
-honey wheat bread, Sufficient Grounds, Berkeley
-chocolate-covered banana frozen yogurt, Yogurt Park, Berkeley
-Cherry Garcia Ben & Jerry's
-strawberry Häagen-Dazs
-Mommy's homemade jams: strawberry, plum, peach, and orange marmalade in particular
-Tuxedo Truffle Torte that Mommy made from a recipe in Desserts to Die For by Marcel Desaulniers
-Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake from the same book
-spinach garlic noodles at Jin Ling, Oakland (now sadly defunct)
-sweet potato fries at a restaurant in Fearrington Village, North Carolina
-all the phyllo pastries at La Méditerranée, Berkeley; especially the chicken with cinnamon and raisins
-Pistachio Nest dessert at La Med
-dolmas (rice wrapped in grape leaves) from Zand, Albany
-whatever that spread is they give you with your bread at Florentine Restaurants (various locations)
-tortellini salad that Erika made for my potluck party in 2004, because it's filled with feta and dill and garlic, and if I can eat leftovers with those flavors for several days and still crave it...
-many flavors of gelato at Naia Gelateria, Berkeley: lemon cream, stracciatella, oh I can't even remember what else now
-my own chocolate and Chambord truffles
-bread pudding and caramel sauce at Grégoire, Berkeley
-morbier cheese bought at Andronico's, Berkeley

13 March 2005
-Niman Ranch boneless pork chops I used to roast after rubbing them with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme
-roast chicken Mommy used to make, especially the crispy skin
-barbeque beef brisket Mommy used to make according to a recipe from Mrs Banke
-sherried beef, also from a recipe from Mrs Banke, served with rice and broccoli (I believe that link is the same or a very similar recipe -- try it; it's a great party dish for you carnivores)