Archive for July, 2009

For the ladies:

-Make a small group of females the lead characters… they’re best friends
-They’re independent, sexy, smart and sassy
-Dress them in irresistibly fashionable clothing and hot shoes
-Include lots of talk about feelings, relationships, girl talk, men
-Place it in a metropolitan city
-Let the drama-comedy hijinks begin!

For the men:

-Make a small group of males the lead characters… they’re best buds
-They’re rich, wise-cracking, successful and funny
-Dress them in … who cares?
-Include lots of images and shots of hot women, swank cars, money, exotic cars, hot women
-Place it in a metropolitan city
-Let the drama-comedy malarkey ensue!

And there you have it.  So now the question is, would you call Entourage the Sex and the City for men, or Sex and the City the Entourage for women?

Mind boggling, isn’t it?

One of the coolest things about living in San Francisco is the fact that the city is featured quite frequently on Food Network shows.  Although there are lots of restaurants in Texas, it just doesn’t come close to the copious amount of four star restaurants, dive bars, neat finds and eclectic choices available on every corner.  One fun aspect of this is sharing food notes and trading tips with friends and tourists.  I admit, it’s a nice feeling to be the ‘first’ to discover some new food place.  I feel like a food explorer, constantly on the search for new adventures or discoveries.  Except…you know, lacking the whole action adventure and cool fedora/whip.  

At any rate, the logical thing, of course, is to take the advice of the professionals on the Food Network.  Lately I’ve been catching some shows that talk about restaurants that I’ve been to, but never thought of ordering certain things on the menu.  Today, I managed to tackle two out of the four things on my list.

Bi-Rite Creamery: Sam’s Sundae

I was always a big fan of Bi-Rite Creamery, especially after tasting their Salted Caramel ice cream. Of course, I caution most people about the sweetness level, especially those who don’t have as big of a sugar tooth (or sugar teeth).  Even so, the ice cream at Bi-Rite just seems to have that extra something in it.  Love?  Crack?  Who knows.  Either way, it’s smooth, sugary goodness on a cone or in a cup.  

I was rather stoked when they mentioned it on the show, and I was a little astounded that I had never heard of Sam’s Sundae.  The person on the show gushed about the flavors mingling together: chocolate ice cream, homemade whipped cream, bergamot olive oil sea salt.  Even though it sounded odd, she said, the melodious harmony of ingredients was perfect.  So, of course, it was on the list when I went to try it.  

Verdict?  Eh.

Maybe it was the fact that the sea salt was a little more distracting than harmonizing, or maybe it’s because my palate was not refined.  I would advise against this particular choice of dessert for anybody who is not adventurous.  Although the chocolate and whipped cream are nice, fluffy and creamy, the other two odd ingredients gave it a strange twist.  

Hog Island Oyster: Kumamoto Oysters

The other thing on the list was a plate of kumamoto oysters from Hog Island Oysters in the Ferry Building.  To cut right to the chase, I highly recommend this to anybody visiting the Bay Area who is an oyster fan.  There is just something about the atmosphere, the pairing of a bubbly Brut with the briny oysters that makes you sit back and sigh with contentment.  I wholeheartedly agree with this Food Network assessment.

So one out of two so far.  Next on the list is Boccalone’s Salumi cone and Dynamo Donut Maple Bacon donuts!  Mmmmmm….