Deli Dad and Mom

What food related activity did I do this weekend? Oh yeah, the wife and I did the Deli Parent Duty. The first born daughter and her friend did a combined Leo Birthday party. As a birthday present she asked that we provide some edible delights. Observe some of the results.

Meaty

Veggie

Fruity

Croutons for hummus that tasted grand but photographed ugly

Mom's cupcake delight!

Happy Birthday Jeenie and Niki!!

Of Course He Is!

Take me to the river and wash me down! Living in the San Francisco Bay Area spoils one in many ways. Food tops the list in my book and weather comes in a close second. Normally when it gets hot here we have two or three days of pain and then the fog rolls in and we’re in heaven again. Not this year, it’s been hot nonstop. I know, “would you like a little cheese with that whine.”

Rather than cavorting around this weekend I stayed home huddled in the relatively cool house. I’ve been sitting around in my shorts watching the telly, DVD’s, contemplating life, politics and food. I decided that there is a fine line between fantasy and reality and it gets blurred sometimes. Case in point, The Game starring Michael Douglas, a movie filmed in San Francisco years ago. I enjoyed the film up until the end when the fantasy was broken by the appearance of a coworker appearing as the brother-in-law. Yeah, I knew the guy was an actor, but how can you buy the fantasy if you know the players?

The same thing happened to me with the Food Network. I have been a fan of Iron Chef since they used subtitles. When they cast Iron Chef America it seemed a natural extension of the show. Instead of the Michael Jackson dressing chairman we got his “nephew”, a handsome martial arts master. Picture this, my son and I were watching the movie Cradle to Grave starring Jet Li. Patrick pointed out all the guys in it who are Ultimate Fighters. He said, “Dad that guy looks like the guy from Iron Chef!” Say it isn’t so! Our chairman was playing a fierce bad guy in the movie. Of course he’s an actor, Mark Dacascos to be exact. A little research and we found his website and filmography. Another fantasy crushed. I think I’ll go stick my head in the freezer. Stay cool everybody.


Mark Dacascos

Santa Rosa Farmers Market

We spent our hard earned gas money and cruised thirty miles north to Santa Rosa today. I worked there for several years and drove up every day. Now with gas prices at $3.35 a gallon I'm glad I work closer to home. Each farmer's market has it's own vibe. The Saturday market at the Veteran's Building is busy but laid back. The vendors are friendly and eager to please. There isn't the yuppies in search of a food pedigree atmosphere that exists at the Sunday Marin Market.

The tomatoes we planted late this year are not quite red yet so we purchased some beautiful specimen's destined for a fresh salsa. We also grabbed some sourdough from Bennett Valley Bread and Pastry. It was suppose to be for sandwiches but suffered an early exit as bread and butter before dinner. The last stop was for parsley and basil plants for the kitchen garden. We considered the taco truck but decided to go cross town for lunch.

There's some psychic food connection between my wife and I when in Santa Rosa. We both know what's for lunch. Pho Vietnam is located in a run down strip mall off Stony Point Road. This tiny place packs them in with Vietnamese offerings of all kinds, but I only have eyes for the Pho. My choice the large number seventeen. Spicy, beefy broth with noodles, rare steak and meatballs all for $5.75. As Rachael Ray would say "Yum OH!".

Tomato Time

Sourdough

Herbs

We're not in Marin anymore Toto!

And the winner is Pho Vietnam

711 Stony Point Rd # 8Santa Rosa, CA 95407(707) 571-7687

New England Style Hot Dog Buns

Like many residents of California I wasn’t born here. My first twenty years were spent on the east coast. The majority of it was in Maryland just outside Washington D.C. I spent some time in the south during my military service. When I turned nineteen my dad was transferred to Vernon Connecticut located outside of Hartford. My brother and I tagged along and discovered a few food differences that the area held. Subs were called grinders and hot dogs came in a bun that is unique to New England. A top sliced bun that has flat sides is buttered, grilled and holds the dog firmly so it doesn’t fall apart like some side cut buns. This same style of bun is used in Maine to make a lobster roll. Brother Tom and I would jump into my VW bug and cruise up the interstate to Howard Johnson’s to feast on fried clams and hot dogs on the buttered buns.

In fits of nostalgia I’ve mentioned this hot dog bun to friends and family and usually got a blank stare and a “what you talking about” reply. For a while I thought that maybe I’d made this up in my head. An internet search came up with some pictures so I knew these buns must still exist. I emailed several baking companies trying to locate a source that would send some to the west. No luck until two weeks ago when my search came upon Portuguese Foods.com. Hot damn, there they were! I whipped out the credit card and ordered up. This turned into a bit of expense because I had to pay for speedy shipping and handling. The cost per bun is about $1.75, but that’s a small price for nostalgia. On arrival I fired up the griddle and served them up. The wife and kids loved them and they were every bit as good as I remembered. What makes them so good? It’s the buttery sides.



Now this may not be the end of the story. I thought to myself, ‘What if I could start a reciprocal trade agreement with a foodie on the northeast coast?’ I’ll send you some of the products that are bountiful here in the S.F. Bay area and you send me some New England goodies. Have your people email my people!

On The Lookout

I put the word out at work that I'm looking for the unusual and new. You know on the down low. I've read about street food, underground restaurants and ethnic foods made by moms and grandmothers everywhere. The problem is no one invites me to partake. Maybe I look too much like a cop. I had a couple of people turn me on to a tamale seller outside a church in Novato but it so far no can find. Promises of papusas made by someone's aunt is still a possbility and I'll keep you informed.

Today I scored. My Peruvian coworker showed up with a white nondescript box that had a small label that said Alfajores Peruanos/ Ana - Order to 925-943-7388. Inside were confections that made me think of holiday cookies. An internet search revealed that they are a shortbread cookie filled with Dulce de Leche (milk carmel). They were rich, tasty and not as sweet as expected. The search for more goodies continues.

Alfajores Peruanos