Written by Les on February 19th, 2010
A cousin of ours has a family salmon business up in Alaska called Wild Kenai Red Salmon. They actually shipped us these beautiful frozen and smoked salmon fillets to try after hearing about our food blog in an annual family Christmas letter. The fillets were delivered overnight via fed-ex in a Styrofoam cooler, arriving cold and fresh as ever.
We grilled the salmon fillet on a cedar plank with a mild soy-based glaze.
It looks like they have some nice recipes for salmon on their blog too: http://www.wildkenaisalmon.com/blog/
Zach: I have never been a fan of cooked salmon (I prefer it raw). Nor have I ever had sockeye salmon before. This fillet knocked my socks off. It was dense and tasted like a clean ocean spray, not fishy at all.
John: It was amazing how fast the salmon was delivered to us. The freshness was palpable. The fresh salmon was better than most cooked salmon I’ve had at restaurants. The skin was actually edible and did not have that fish-sitting-on-display-all-day taste.
Les: What struck me most about the fillet (delivered frozen) was the amazing color. I think these fillets would be an amazing foodie gift for friends and family who have it all and love fine foods.
Posted in Foodie Gifts, Home Cookin', Out of Town, Store Bought | 1 Response »
Tags: Alaskan Salmon, Fish, Foodie Gifts, Salmon, seafood
Written by Les on February 17th, 2010
Zach and I made Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Quiche last fall (“You Can Quiche Your Day Goodbye!”) and found out that Keller’s recipes are labor intensive but incredible. We decided to make Fried Chicken for a friends birthday this weekend from Thomas Keller’s new cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home. Once again Thomas Keller wowed us with another one of his labor intensive, incredible recipes. Colonel Sanders watch out!
TIPS:
- We added a bit more spice to the dredge mixture and it was a great addition with a kick.
- Start 12-14 hours before you want to eat (the night before or first thing in the AM)! You must brine the chicken pieces first!
- Use peanut oil for best tasting results but you can also use vegetable or canoloa oil.
- You will need a deep fry thermometer.
Ad Hoc at Home: Fried Chicken Recipe
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Posted in Home Cookin' | No Comments »
Tags: Ad Hoc at Home, Fried Chicken, Home Cookin', Picnic, recipe, Thomas Keller
Written by Les on February 15th, 2010
Zach made these Teriyaki BBQ Wings with a Dill Gorgonzola Dipping Sauce for the super bowl and they were amazing, awesome, and incredibly edible!
Teriyaki BBQ Wings Recipe —>
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Posted in Home Cookin', Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Tags: home cooking, Super Bowl, Tailgait Recipe, Teriyaki, Wings
Written by Les on February 12th, 2010
This is their special grilled cheese filled with avocado, sprouts and tomato. They grill the sandwich with cheese and then add the other goodies. The menu at Los Gatos Cafe is huge and it is pretty hard to choose what to order. We liked this and it even came with a coconut chocolate chip cookie!
Posted in Eating Out | No Comments »
Tags: Breakfast, Eating Out, Los Gatos, Sandwich
Written by Les on February 11th, 2010
Happy Hound in Los Gatos was pretty good. They made us huge burgers with grated cheese and thick sliced red onions. A+ on presentation. B- for sloppy eating, not quite packaged like an In-n-Out burger. It was around $9.50 for a cheeseburger, fries, and drink which is pretty expensive. The folks that worked there were fast and friendly and the place was really clean.
When we walked in I realized that we should keep our coats in the car if we didn’t want to walk out smelling like a burger and fries joint. A couple sitting sitting at the counter , who seemed like regulars, were both having Mexican hot dogs. Next time, hot dogs por favor!
Posted in Eating Out | No Comments »
Tags: Burgers, Eating Out, Fries, Los Gatos, Restaurant
Written by Les on February 4th, 2010
We are on a winter soup kick and we’ve made this soup twice during the week which means we like it and it’s easy. The pickles give it a salty flavor and a nice crunch. I made the ingredient sizes large enough to have leftovers for work the next day.
Cheeseburger Soup Recipe >
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Posted in Home Cookin' | No Comments »
Tags: Comfort Food, home cooking, Recipes, Soups, Super Bowl
Written by Les on February 2nd, 2010
- When your starving, don’t want to spend a ton of money, and want to sit down quickly with a group of friends, Fritz in the Mission is the place to go! Fritz is a great casual and quicker alternative to a sit down dinner in SF. I’ve never had to wait for a table during the week at this location, even with five to eight friends (PS it may have been around 8pm or so).
- These photographs are from the newer Fritz location on Valencia in the Mission. The smaller original Fritz in Hayes Valley had a more quaint feeling and a nice outdoor eating space, although I haven’t been there in a few years and I’ve heard they moved next door to the old location and remodeled. The newest location in the Mission is modernly decorated and dimly lit. You order your food, beer or wine at the counter and choose a seat.
- It would be totally acceptable to hit Fritz for a cone of thicker french fries with various dipping sauces from jalapeno ketchup to Parmesan peppercorn ranch to Morracan lemon saffron aoli and many, many others and a Belgian ale on draft or a Spaten or Pilsner Urquell. We had their burger the last time we were there and it was delicious. The burger was cooked perfectly and served on our personal favorite, a Dutch Crunch Bun with caramelized red onions and miso cole slaw! I’ve tried their crepes and sandwiches and the burger has been my favorite by far.
- Don’t try to get mojitos or any eclectic dish because their menu is so huge. Just stick with the tried and true fries (+ creative dipping sauces), a beer, and a burger if you are really hungry!
Posted in Eating Out | 1 Response »
Tags: Belgian, Belgian Ale, Eating Out, French Fries, Fritz, San Francicso
Written by Les on January 30th, 2010
Oranges and tangerines are symbols for plentiful happiness. Tangerines with leaves intact assure that one’s relationship with the other remains secure. The Chinese New Year Flower Market in SF will be selling supplies for the new year starting next Sat. Feb. 6th.
This is a beautiful orange that a friend from Singapore gave me. I wrote her and thanked her for the beautiful, good luck orange. She said we were so Chinese!
The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade & Festivities begin next weekend in Chinatown, Feb. 6th- Feb.27th.
Posted in Foodie Gifts | No Comments »
Tags: Chinese New Year, Good Luck Food, Orange, San Francisco
