Thursday, March 31, 2005
When will they die?
Pope John Paul II : 10:30 PM PDT April 10, 2005 (David says before, I say after)
Prince Ranier : 10:30 PM PDT May 31, 2005 (same)
William Rehnquist: 10:30 PM PDT September 30, 2006 (same)
Queen Elizabeth II : 10:30 PM PST March 31, 2010 (same)
Scott Peterson : 10:30 PM PST March 31, 2015 (reverse)
Pope John Paul II : 10:30 PM PDT April 10, 2005 (David says before, I say after)
Prince Ranier : 10:30 PM PDT May 31, 2005 (same)
William Rehnquist: 10:30 PM PDT September 30, 2006 (same)
Queen Elizabeth II : 10:30 PM PST March 31, 2010 (same)
Scott Peterson : 10:30 PM PST March 31, 2015 (reverse)
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Je pense en francais, donc je suis.
Liaison Bistro in Berkeley isn't in a terribly spectacular setting. The location is good - on Shattuck on the north side of the UC campus, but the surrounding environs are a bit divey, but not in a good kind of way. I suppose that area will eventually gentrify, like the Gourmet Ghetto area a few blocks away, but right now it's a work in progress. The decor is a bit kischy - ubiquitous wood and ceramic cocks, and cutesy French phrases painted on mirrors along the walls - and the place is laid out a little uncomfortably. Some of the tables are too large, but we traded one of those in for one that might have been a bit too small. The service was a bit erratic but our waiter, while a friendly face, did not really give us what we need.
I continued my Steak Frites tour of the San Franciso Bay Area with their Bavette dish. A bavette is a skirt steak, not considered part of the flank, but not far away, and is a pretty tough cut of meat. I ordered mine rare, but the meat came pre-cut crosswise already, so maybe it would have been fine a little more done. I'll have to read up on this a bit more. But in any case, the steak came in a flavorful pepper sauce - I thought it was fairly light, although a touch on the tart side - and a healthy pile of frites. The frites were a disappointment - a bit overdone, in my opinion, as they were a touch brown, tasted more of the frying process than of the potato, and were quite dry on the inside. Indeed, they even suggested ketchup or aioli to go with the frites and, sadly, that seemed a bit necessary.
On their website, it seems that the restaurant at one point served this dish with a New York strip steak rather than a skirt steak. That would have made quite a big difference, and would have added a bit to the price. I'm not a big fan of using the choicier cuts of meat in a Steak Frites dish like this one, so I'm not sure how that would have turned out. They did offer a New York strip steak as last night's special, but it was not as part of the traditional steak frites dish.
Ambiance - C
Steak - B
Sauce - B-
Frites - D
Service - C+
Overall - C+
Liaison Bistro in Berkeley isn't in a terribly spectacular setting. The location is good - on Shattuck on the north side of the UC campus, but the surrounding environs are a bit divey, but not in a good kind of way. I suppose that area will eventually gentrify, like the Gourmet Ghetto area a few blocks away, but right now it's a work in progress. The decor is a bit kischy - ubiquitous wood and ceramic cocks, and cutesy French phrases painted on mirrors along the walls - and the place is laid out a little uncomfortably. Some of the tables are too large, but we traded one of those in for one that might have been a bit too small. The service was a bit erratic but our waiter, while a friendly face, did not really give us what we need.
I continued my Steak Frites tour of the San Franciso Bay Area with their Bavette dish. A bavette is a skirt steak, not considered part of the flank, but not far away, and is a pretty tough cut of meat. I ordered mine rare, but the meat came pre-cut crosswise already, so maybe it would have been fine a little more done. I'll have to read up on this a bit more. But in any case, the steak came in a flavorful pepper sauce - I thought it was fairly light, although a touch on the tart side - and a healthy pile of frites. The frites were a disappointment - a bit overdone, in my opinion, as they were a touch brown, tasted more of the frying process than of the potato, and were quite dry on the inside. Indeed, they even suggested ketchup or aioli to go with the frites and, sadly, that seemed a bit necessary.
On their website, it seems that the restaurant at one point served this dish with a New York strip steak rather than a skirt steak. That would have made quite a big difference, and would have added a bit to the price. I'm not a big fan of using the choicier cuts of meat in a Steak Frites dish like this one, so I'm not sure how that would have turned out. They did offer a New York strip steak as last night's special, but it was not as part of the traditional steak frites dish.
Ambiance - C
Steak - B
Sauce - B-
Frites - D
Service - C+
Overall - C+
Sunday, March 06, 2005
In Search of the Perfect Steak Frites
No, this isn't the latest edition of my semi-regular ingredient blogging feature. I'm finding myself with a bit of a soft place in my heart the archetypal French Bistrot fare - Steak Frites. As in a piece of grilled beef served with sauce and a heaping portion ofFreedom French Fries. Twice now in the past few weeks David and I have ended up at a Bistrot-like place in San Francisco and I've been forced to sample the steak frites. Comfort food at its finest.
So 2 weeks or so ago it was at the Cafe de Paris - L'Entrecote on Union Street in the Cow Hollow/Pacific Heights area. I have to say the accordion music blaring onto the sidewalk outside the restaurant was the most charming aspect of the place. The live karaoke-quality music indoors was a feature I would rather forget. I think the restaurant really needs some quick work with an ambiance consultant.
In any case, the steak frites dish was a rib steak served in an herb sauce which is some famous secret recipe that comes out of Geneva, Switzerland, and presented on its own heated platter. The steak was pre-cut by the kitchen and continued to simmer in the bubbling sauce throughout the meal. The frites presentation was actually pretty nifty, with the maitre d' walking through the dining room carrying the freshly prepared frites on a serving platter, dishing out generous portions to the customers as needed. Seconds and thirds allowed. A nifty way to ensure that your frites stay fresh and crisp from the beginning to the end of the meal. Unfortunately, serving frites in this manner requires a degree of attentiveness to the customer's needs that is nearly unheard of in Amercian restaurants, and Cafe de Paris was no exception.
The frites themselves were very good. Crisp, but still with a healthy potato flavor and flexible enought to sop up some of the herb sauce. The herb sauce, garlic-parsley-butter based, was a bit too heavy for my taste. And wasn't in the best accord with the steak, in my opinion anyway. The entrecote is a very good cut of meat, and very tender, but seemed a bit out of place in this dish, what with the heavy sauce and all. A bit like making hamburgers with filet mignon - defeats the whole purpose.
Last night we went to Le Zinc, a 2-3 year old bistrot on 24th Street here in Noe Valley. I'd not been to this place yet, but it had been on my "to do" list for quite some time. The decor is fabulous - a real zinc bar, small, round wooden tables, tasteful French-inspired designs, chalkboard menus. The menu is limited, but that's not really a bad thing, since it allows them to focus on just a few specialities.
The Steak Frites is, of course, one of those specialties. A hanger steak, so a bit more challenging, but which I think is more appropriate for a dish of this sort. A touch overcooked, so I suppose I should have asked for it rare as opposed to medium rare. It was served with a light sauce of caramelized shallots (tasty, but not spectacular) and a pile of crisp frites tossed with a little parsley. I actually thought the frites were a bit of a disappointment - a little too crisp, lacking in potato flavor, and too well salted.
So no, I don't think I've yet found the perfect Steak Frites. I'm pretty sure I've ordered this dish at Le Charm in South of Market and also at The Left Bank in Menlo Park, but I don't really remember it well enough to write about it here. I suppose I'll have to return to those places, as well as visit places like Chez Papa in Potrero Hill and Cafe Bastille downtown.
So the grades for Cafe de Paris - L'entrecote
Ambiance - D
Steak - C
Sauce - D
Frites - A
Service - C
Overall - C
And for Le Zinc
Ambiance - A
Steak - B
Sauce - B
Frites - C
Service - B
Overall - B
No, this isn't the latest edition of my semi-regular ingredient blogging feature. I'm finding myself with a bit of a soft place in my heart the archetypal French Bistrot fare - Steak Frites. As in a piece of grilled beef served with sauce and a heaping portion of
So 2 weeks or so ago it was at the Cafe de Paris - L'Entrecote on Union Street in the Cow Hollow/Pacific Heights area. I have to say the accordion music blaring onto the sidewalk outside the restaurant was the most charming aspect of the place. The live karaoke-quality music indoors was a feature I would rather forget. I think the restaurant really needs some quick work with an ambiance consultant.
In any case, the steak frites dish was a rib steak served in an herb sauce which is some famous secret recipe that comes out of Geneva, Switzerland, and presented on its own heated platter. The steak was pre-cut by the kitchen and continued to simmer in the bubbling sauce throughout the meal. The frites presentation was actually pretty nifty, with the maitre d' walking through the dining room carrying the freshly prepared frites on a serving platter, dishing out generous portions to the customers as needed. Seconds and thirds allowed. A nifty way to ensure that your frites stay fresh and crisp from the beginning to the end of the meal. Unfortunately, serving frites in this manner requires a degree of attentiveness to the customer's needs that is nearly unheard of in Amercian restaurants, and Cafe de Paris was no exception.
The frites themselves were very good. Crisp, but still with a healthy potato flavor and flexible enought to sop up some of the herb sauce. The herb sauce, garlic-parsley-butter based, was a bit too heavy for my taste. And wasn't in the best accord with the steak, in my opinion anyway. The entrecote is a very good cut of meat, and very tender, but seemed a bit out of place in this dish, what with the heavy sauce and all. A bit like making hamburgers with filet mignon - defeats the whole purpose.
Last night we went to Le Zinc, a 2-3 year old bistrot on 24th Street here in Noe Valley. I'd not been to this place yet, but it had been on my "to do" list for quite some time. The decor is fabulous - a real zinc bar, small, round wooden tables, tasteful French-inspired designs, chalkboard menus. The menu is limited, but that's not really a bad thing, since it allows them to focus on just a few specialities.
The Steak Frites is, of course, one of those specialties. A hanger steak, so a bit more challenging, but which I think is more appropriate for a dish of this sort. A touch overcooked, so I suppose I should have asked for it rare as opposed to medium rare. It was served with a light sauce of caramelized shallots (tasty, but not spectacular) and a pile of crisp frites tossed with a little parsley. I actually thought the frites were a bit of a disappointment - a little too crisp, lacking in potato flavor, and too well salted.
So no, I don't think I've yet found the perfect Steak Frites. I'm pretty sure I've ordered this dish at Le Charm in South of Market and also at The Left Bank in Menlo Park, but I don't really remember it well enough to write about it here. I suppose I'll have to return to those places, as well as visit places like Chez Papa in Potrero Hill and Cafe Bastille downtown.
So the grades for Cafe de Paris - L'entrecote
Ambiance - D
Steak - C
Sauce - D
Frites - A
Service - C
Overall - C
And for Le Zinc
Ambiance - A
Steak - B
Sauce - B
Frites - C
Service - B
Overall - B
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Pretending that you think you know what you're doing
Rock-Paper-Scissors. Rock beats scissors; scissors cut paper; paper covers rock. A time-tested way to settle disputes in cases where coin-flips just won't do.
So instead of rock, you have a Bear. Instead of paper, you have a Hunter. And instead of scissors, you have a Wife. Bear eats wife; wife controls hunter; hunter shoots bear. And instead of making a fist or an open palm or a "V", you have to act out the part. Yell "grrr" with teeth blaring; shout "bang" while holding an air rifle; or toss your hair back, pucker your lips and give a little girlish "ooo!".
So instead of just you and a friend, imagine it's two groups of 15 people each. Mostly male. As a group you have to decide to be the bear, hunter or wife. And as a group you have to act out your selection. The de facto leaders of your team take control of the group and proudly show off their understanding of psychology with the deep insight that the mostly male members of the other group will probably not want to act out the girlish antics of the "wife".
And then that's it. Somehow merely recognizing what the opponent is willing or unwilling to do is sufficient. And that causes the de facto leaders of the group to say that because the opponents will likely be unwilling to do "X", then we should do "X". No. That's not thinking it through. If you suspect that your opposition is going to be unwilling to do "X", then the rational solution to that is to do the one thing that may leave you vulnerable in the event that the opposition does "X". And in a game of bear-hunter-wife, if you think the opponent is not going to choose "wife", the appropriate response is not to then go ahead and choose "wife", but it is to choose the one thing that is vulnerable to a choice of "wife", which is "hunter".
It's one thing to just leave it up to chance and say that whatever happens happens. It's another to actually try to use logic and reason, and then fuck it up anyway.
Rock-Paper-Scissors. Rock beats scissors; scissors cut paper; paper covers rock. A time-tested way to settle disputes in cases where coin-flips just won't do.
So instead of rock, you have a Bear. Instead of paper, you have a Hunter. And instead of scissors, you have a Wife. Bear eats wife; wife controls hunter; hunter shoots bear. And instead of making a fist or an open palm or a "V", you have to act out the part. Yell "grrr" with teeth blaring; shout "bang" while holding an air rifle; or toss your hair back, pucker your lips and give a little girlish "ooo!".
So instead of just you and a friend, imagine it's two groups of 15 people each. Mostly male. As a group you have to decide to be the bear, hunter or wife. And as a group you have to act out your selection. The de facto leaders of your team take control of the group and proudly show off their understanding of psychology with the deep insight that the mostly male members of the other group will probably not want to act out the girlish antics of the "wife".
And then that's it. Somehow merely recognizing what the opponent is willing or unwilling to do is sufficient. And that causes the de facto leaders of the group to say that because the opponents will likely be unwilling to do "X", then we should do "X". No. That's not thinking it through. If you suspect that your opposition is going to be unwilling to do "X", then the rational solution to that is to do the one thing that may leave you vulnerable in the event that the opposition does "X". And in a game of bear-hunter-wife, if you think the opponent is not going to choose "wife", the appropriate response is not to then go ahead and choose "wife", but it is to choose the one thing that is vulnerable to a choice of "wife", which is "hunter".
It's one thing to just leave it up to chance and say that whatever happens happens. It's another to actually try to use logic and reason, and then fuck it up anyway.
