Tag Archive for: San Francisco Travel

San Francisco Teams to bring Chefs Food, Voices and Recipes to Your Kitchen

You can’t visit them (yet) and they can’t come to you but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience the creativity, expertise and delicious cuisine of some of San Francisco’s top chefs in your home.

Meet San Francisco Chefs

San Francisco Travel, the city’s official marketing organization, offers a library of video interviews with some of the most trendsetting chefs, including the creative forces behind restaurants such as Atelier Crenn, b. patisserie, Benu, Besharam, El Huarache Loco, Lord Stanley, NOPA, State Bird Provisions, and others. These friendly features explore how they developed their craft and what they love about the City by the Bay.

Where the Chefs Go

San Francisco Travel also asked top chefs like Dominique Crenn, Corey Lee, Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, Heena Patel, Evan and Sarah Rich, and Belinda Leong of b. patisserie, what they treasure about their corners of San Francisco.

 

Cookbooks by San Francisco Chefs

Making recipes from cookbooks by San Francisco chefs is like having a coach right in your kitchen.

  • Whip up Rich Table‘s most desired dishes courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Rich’s recipes. Brioza and Krasinski have put some of State Bird Provision‘s most in-demand delicacies into their cookbook. To bring Michelin-starred excellence to the table, grab Charles Phan’s “The Slanted Door,” named after his famous Ferry Building restaurant.
  • Put that pasta maker to good use and follow the instructions of chef Thomas McNaughton in “Flour + Water: Pasta.”
  • Bring one of San Francisco’s most famous culinary traditions home with “We Are La Cocina: Recipes in Pursuit of the American Dream.” La Cocina helps chefs from immigrant backgrounds and communities of color launch their businesses. The cookbook features cuisines from 17 countries and tells the stories of more than 40 people behind the delicious recipes.
  • For authentic Jewish cuisine, get a copy of “Eat Something,” the official cookbook of Wise Sons Delicatessen. Full of tasty recipes and wry humor, this book will have you cooking so well you’ll make your Bubbie proud.
  • Put on a favorite black-and-white movie while you create a meal from Foreign Cinema‘s cookbook and you’ll feel like you’re a part of this famous Mission District mainstay.
  • Vegans and vegetarians will delight in chef Annie Somerville‘s creations from Greens.
  • Tacos are as much fun to make with your family as they are to eat, so gather the kids and try some recipes from Tacolicious.

Lastly, if you want to attempt some of San Francisco’s most famous meals, get “The Zuni Cafe Cookbook.”

These books can be found on Amazon or Indiebound.

 

On-Hand Recipes from San Francisco Chefs

San Francisco Travel asked several top chefs to provide recipes with ingredients that most people already have on hand (eliminating the need to go in search of possibly hard-to-find items).  The results are a menu of delicious and comforting meals to make with family and friends.

 

Chef Michael Whiteman, Bluestem Brasserie: Roast Chicken with Vegetable Medley

Ingredients

  • 150 g kosher salt
  • 115 g granulated sugar
  • 4 qts water
  • 1 whole chicken
  • Vegetables (mushrooms, asparagus, squash)
  • Cloves of garlic
  • Butter and lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Combine salt, sugar, and 1 qt water in a small saucepan and heat to fully dissolve salt and sugar.
  2. Pour hot mixture into remaining 3 qts cold water and stir to combine. Put this brine in the fridge without a top to cool more while you work on the next step.
  3. Truss your chicken. (Here’s a helpful video.)
  4. Once your brine is completely cool, add your chicken to it. Cover and let sit overnight.
  5. The next morning, bring 4 qts of unsalted water to a boil.
  6. When at a rolling boil, add the chicken and cook for 60 seconds.
  7. Remove from water, drain the water from the cavity of the bird, and place it on a plate or small sheet tray breast side up. Allow the chicken to cool in the fridge until dinner time.
  8. Heat the oven to 500F and rub the skin of the chicken with a small amount of olive oil.
  9. Cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 160F and allow to chicken to rest for 10 minutes, bringing the final temperature up to 165F before carving.
  10. Clean and cut the mushrooms into quarters (depending on size). Trim the ends from the asparagus and cut into 1″ pieces. Cut squash into bite-size pieces.
  11. Add a little bit of oil and chopped garlic to an appropriate sized sauté pan. Remember to not overcrowd!
  12. When the garlic is fragrant, add the vegetables, a little bit of the juices from the cooked chicken, a little bit of lemon juice, and a knob of butter.
  13. Cover with a lid to steam the vegetables and reduce the liquid to a sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chef Joanne Weir, Plates & Places: Eggs in Purgatory Amatriciana (serves 2)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 ounces bacon, cut into ¾-inch pieces (can substitute pancetta or guanciale)
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 2 ½ cups canned Italian Mutti Polpa tomatoes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • Toasted bread or focaccia

Preparation

  1. Preheat an oven to 400F.
  2. Warm the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very lightly golden (about 3 minutes).
  3. Add the onions and crushed red pepper and cook until the onions are soft (7 minutes).
  4. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
  5. Add the white wine and reduce heat by half.
  6. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly (10 minutes).
  7. Check the thickness by pulling a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan. If it stays separated, it’s done. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Transfer sauce to an ovenproof baking dish. Make 4 indentations in the sauce. Break the eggs, one by one into a small bowl, and with the spoon, add one egg into each indentation.
  9. Place on the top shelf of the oven and cook until the white of the eggs are firm but the yolks are still runny (about 7 to 10 minutes) or until desired. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
  10. Sprinkle the top with Parmigiano Reggiano and serve immediately with toasted bread or focaccia.

Chef Mat Schuster, Canela Bistro & Wine Bar: Canela Bistro & Wine Bar: Soups

Soups are great! You can use product that you have on hand, you can make a big batch, and it freezes well. It is more of a technique than a recipe. Start by searing “drier” meats and veggies in a little bit of olive oil or butter before adding anything moist like tomatoes, wine or broth. Once you have some color on your first ingredients, you can start to add in the moist ones. Moisture keeps food from browning.

 

Taste for salt and acid. If you don’t have any fresh lemons, use a splash of vinegar. Add delicate leaves, such as spinach, or seafood, such as shrimp, at the end of the process. If you have grains, beans, or pasta, cook them separately in salted water for better results. If you cook grains, beans or pasta in your soup broth, it can make it thick and gummy.

 

Two additional soup-making tips:

  1. Add a little bit of heat from chiles or spice, even if you don’t typically use them. It’s an under-appreciated way to add flavor.
  2. Always start with less. You can always add more, but you can’t take away.

Chef Mark Dommen, One Market: Pork Pot Stickers (makes 36)

Ingredients

  • 16 oz ground pork
  • 1 ½ teaspoons light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 small head Napa cabbage
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
  • Garlic chives
  • Grapeseed oil to cook
  • Cilantro to garnish
  • 36 wonton wrappers

Dipping Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • ½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon shredded ginger

Preparation

  1. Combine the pork, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and marinate for 15 minutes.
  2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Separate the leaves of the Napa cabbage and add the cabbage to the boiling water to blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
  3. Dice the cabbage and squeeze out as much of the water as you can. Mix thoroughly with the pork. Stir in the cornstarch, garlic chives, and sesame oil and mix well to combine. (If you like the dumplings spicy you can also add a teaspoon of chili flakes to the mixture.) I like to take a little sample of the pork filling and cook it in a pan to taste for seasoning before making all the dumplings. Adjust accordingly.
  4. Fill a small dish with cold water and set aside. Fill the dumplings with a teaspoon of the filling and moisten the edges of the dumpling wrapper with the water. Fold the wrapper over and, using your thumb and forefinger, start to pleat the dumpling until the filling is sealed inside. A dumpling should have 10-14 pleats.
  5. In a nonstick pan, heat a tablespoon of grapeseed oil over medium heat, add the potstickers and ½ cup water and cover the pan. Cook covered until the water has been absorbed and the bottoms of the potstickers are golden brown (approximately 20 minutes.) Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to cook the potstickers in several batches. Remove the potstickers from the pan and place them on a serving plate and garnish with cilantro. Serve with the dipping sauce on the side.

 

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL

The San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. For information on reservations, activities and more, visit www.sftravel.com or call 415-391-2000.

For information on reservations, activities and more, visit www.sftravel.com or call 415-391-2000.    For more about San Francisco, follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Please use hashtags #sftravel and #AlwaysSF.

TASTEABLE California Television Series, Season 5 in Production

TasteTV is pleased to announce that Season 5 of its food and travel television series, TASTEABLE: California is in production for debut and viewing in Fall 2019- Winter 2020.

Watch the Series Intro

TASTEABLE: California is a weekly public television series, which brings a culinary tour of California to viewers.

The series features recipes, restaurants, wine, travel, design, product reviews, interviews, and more from California-based locations and creators.

This ongoing series includes over 120 episodes and 4+ Seasons, and currently broadcasts on KRCB/Norcal Public Media Television, PBS Member Stations located in Northern California, reaching over 2.5 million television, cable & dish viewing households throughout the entire San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country.

See more at www.Tasteable.com

AC Hotel Lands in San Francisco with a Message: Be Cool

AC Hotels have debuted near San Francisco the latest in their line of design-led hotels for travelers with an upper-moderate-tier lifestyle. The new AC Hotel is in the Oyster Point area of South San Francisco, strategically placed between San Francisco and San Francisco Airport (SFO).

Food & Fashion Broadcast Celebrity Stars Celebrate at the TASTE AWARDS on Feb. 11th

The stars and celebrities of food and fashion television, video, film and radio are preparing to revel in San Francisco on February 11th at their own one-of-a-kind awards show, the 7th Annual TASTE AWARDS.

The TASTE AWARDS is the premier awards show celebrating the year’s best in Food, Fashion, and Lifestyle programs on Television, in Film, Online, in Apps and on Radio.

Fans, networks, producers and sponsors could not be more excited. The Awards Show features a star-studded lineup, including Celebrity Presenters Brian Boitano (Food Network, HGTV), Bobby Bognar (History Channel, Bio Channel), Jolene Sugarbaker (YouTube), Marisa Churchill (Bravo’s Top Chef, Author), Liam Mayclem (Food Chap, CBS), Bret Harris (Indiegogo), Jake Wall (Project Runway), Carolyn Scott-Hamilton (The Healthy Voyager), Alyssia Sheikh (Mind Over Munch), Phillip Gums (Food Network), and more. Celebrity attendees also include stars from Television, YouTube, Radio and Film.

At the historic Castro Theatre, attendees will taste after-party delights from San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant and Wine partners joining the celebration such as Scotland Yard, the Lunchpad, Sol Food, Teleferic Barcelona, Two Jack’s Seafood, Sauce Restaurant,Twisted Roots, Rosa d’Oro Vineyards, R&B Cellars, Sonoma Cider, and others.

Major sponsors for the TASTE AWARDS are Kikkoman and Ferrara Flame, with other culinary and lifestyle partners such as Schiltz Foods, Hotel G, Clubcard Printing, PR Newswire, Intermezzo Magazine, Sip for the love of drink magazine, San Francisco Travel, BlueCart, FilmFreeway, KRCB TV, Withoutabox, R&J Toffee, Patagonia Provisions, En Voyage perfumes, La Fleur by Livvy, Granny Pearl’s Kitchen, and Jim’s Jarhead Jerky.

The TASTE AWARDS are for food, fashion, and home lifestyle programming what the Grammys are for music and the Oscars are for Film.

The Awards have included appearances by stars, celebrities, producers and executives from networks and platforms such as the the Food Network, the Style Network, Bravo, the Cooking Channel, Sony Pictures, DreamWorks, TLC, Discovery, Lifetime, E! Entertainment Television, PBS, APT, Create TV, NBC, ABC, the CW, HGTV, the Travel Channel, HD Net, Hulu, YouTube, Vimeo, Vice, LiveWell Network, Esquire Network, Bio/FYI Channel, iHeart Radio, HBO, MyxTV, Small Screen Network, StyleHaul, Zagat and more.

More information or tickets at www.TheTasteAwards.com

THE TASTE AWARDS

February 11, 2016
7:00pm – 11:00pm
Castro Theatre
429 Castro Street
San Francisco, California 94114
www.TheTasteAwards.com

 

 

 

TASTE AWARDS select San Francisco as New Location

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The TASTE AWARDS Committee is pleased to announce that the 7th Annual TASTE AWARDS will take place on February 11, 2016 in San Francisco.

As part of its long term concept, the awards rotate regularly between Hollywood and San Francisco, with the next event planned in the City by the Bay.

The TASTE AWARDS are the premier awards show celebrating the year’s best in Food, Fashion, Travel and Lifestyle programs on Television, in Film, Online, and on Radio. With its strong leading-edge culture of both culinary and technological innovation, the Bay Area community is embracing the event with open arms.

“San Francisco is a perfect location for an awards show that combines food and technology,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel.

The Annual Awards have included appearances by stars, celebrities, producers and executives from networks and platforms such as the Food Network, Bravo, the Cooking Channel, TLC, Discovery, Lifetime, E! Entertainment Television, PBS, NBC, ABC, the CW, HGTV, the Travel Channel, HD Net, Hulu, YouTube, Sony Pictures, Esquire Network, Spike TV, Vimeo, iHeart Radio, Vice, Bio / FYI Channel, Dreamworks and more.

Says Dr. Theresa Watts of awards partner Ferrara Flame, “We are honored to once again be one of the proud sponsors of this amazing event. As the Taste Awards is an excellent salute to experts in food, wine, fine dining, innovation and fashion, San Francisco, a city that embraces all things elegant, high class, avant-garde and leading-edge, is the perfect place for such a wonderful awards show.”

In addition to the new date and location, the awards will also include the 2nd MEDIA TASTEMAKERS SUMMIT. The Summit is a one-of-its-kind gathering of Digital Media, Traditional Media, Online Video, Web producers, Platforms, Apps and Startups specifically focused on the lucrative & highly influential Lifestyle categories of Food & Wine, Fashion, Design & Travel.

“The San Francisco Bay Area is a pioneering food region and home to many talented artists and designers, making it the perfect fit to host the annual TASTE AWARDS,” commented Stacy Jed, Owner, Bluestem Brasserie. “The city has always provided a sense of innovation and expressive freedom which goes hand-in-hand with the awards that celebrate leading achievements in film, video and online content.”

Adds Television Host, Restaurateur and Cookbook Author Joanne Weir, “With extraordinary food and incomparable wines, what better place to hold the TASTE AWARDS than in San Francisco.”

Current sponsors and partners for the star-studded event include Ferrara Flames, TasteTV, Intermezzo Magazine, Cuisine Noir Magazine, SIP For the Love of Drink, Schiltz Farm’s roast goose, R&B Cellars, PR Newswire, SIXTY Beverly Hills, Clubcard Printing, R & J Toffees Dark Almond Toffee, En Voyage Perfumes, Cognoscenti, L’Aromatica Perfume, La Fleur by Livvy, Thorn & Bloom Perfume, Patagonia Provisions, Jim’s Jarhead Jerky, Fusion Jerky, BridalChocolate.com, and more.

A full list of previous Award Winners, Honorees, and Nominees, plus event photos and coverage, can be seen on the site, www.TheTasteAwards.com.