The Baxter Inn -A Classic American Whiskey Lounge In Sydney

The Baxter Inn was a really cool speakeasy located in the CBD in Sydney. I found it on the 2^nd day of my travels. It was on my list even before I got to Sydney. I knew it was going to be awesome.  I had read about it and it exceeded my expectations. It isn't easy to locate.  A buddy tried to meet me there but gave up after forty minutes. It required a bit of investigating.  After walking by the address at least 5 or 6 times and looking quite puzzled, I finally walked into a bike store and was led to the velvet rope. This of course, is out the back door of the shop or down the alley, along the side of the storefront. 

Upon entry, I realized why its been labeled “best American Bar.” The room was amazing. Whiskey was the standout spirit of the house. The selection was almost overwhelming and varied in price point. I noticed a menu of classic and original cocktails. I couldn’t help myself; I had to order a Manhattan.  

It was my first proper drink on vacation and it held up.  The barkeeps looked serious in their dress shirts and accompanying ties. It was very reminiscent of the barkeeps in the states.  Damien wasn’t there to make my first drink but we managed to start chatting once his shift had begun.  We talked about his recent trip to the US, all his travel tales, whiskey and rum. He then took care of me from then on.  I managed another cocktail, the Zhivago. 

This one had Rye, Galliano, lime, sugar and apple. I bit lighter and at the time, necessary, as I had to start saving room for later. Still, the drink was very balanced. Damien and I did a shot together. It was my first taste of Havana Club from Cuba. We did shots of the 7 year aged Havana when I came back too.  These were my farewell shots.  I began and ended my cocktail journey in that glorious room.  Some call it the best looking bar in Sydney. I took the quite the tour, thanks to Damien.  I made some great mates. The Baxter Inn had that charm, that feeling of timelessness.  Most of all, the folks behind the bar make you feel warm and welcome.  It is one of the many things that standout about Sydney.

From Mission Cheese to Mission Chinese

                                             Mac & Cheese


Decadence in San Francisco is the new sporting event.  Trust me, I have been a player for some time now and have the belly to prove it. Take Mission Cheese, for example,  a new cheese joint that recently opened earlier this year, on Valencia at 18th street. Mission Cheese provides a lot of decadence; outdoor seating, beer, wine, cheese, Della Fattoria bread, beer...Oops, I already mentioned that. Again, reference to my "beer" belly.

                                           Monger's Choice

Mission Cheese offers a variety of Cheese Flights.  You can stay local, within the California State or head to the Midwest or Vermont, if you wish.  If you're an adventurous type, allow the staff to make a Monger's Choice or simply, create your own combination.

                                                 Chedd or Alive

All the Pressed Sandwiches are good.  I know, because I have had them all. Chedd or Alive is a favorite, as is the Alotta Burrata.  Just say that twice and pretend you are not drooling with envy.  I, also,  have devoured all their other good stuff too.  Like the Raclette and the Mac & Cheese. So trust me, when I say, this place is goo-ood.

                                                    Raclette

Back to my streak of decadence. It has happened, that a pal and I went immediately from Mission Cheese to Mission Chinese.  Now, that's what you call,  FAT.  After a cheese adventure, to then go to, San Francisco's landmark of Chinese decadence.

                                      THRICE COOKED BACON

Here's, what I am talking about.  They offer a dish called THRICE COOKED BACON, not once or twice.  It's sinful for me to even mention.  I got to admit though, I got an obsession for cochon. The KUNG PAO PASTRAMI tastes exactly how it reads, a real pow, or is pal. And, don't even get me started on the VEAL RIB, special to those patrons, who dine in.  Another decadence they provide, is DELIVERY. So, if you're home, dreaming as I often do, about their pickles and all the pork belly...it can be delivered, for just a small delivery charge. ;)

                                       KUNG PAO PASTRAMI

My friends and I, frequent Mission Chinese, almost weekly. In parties of 4 or more, most times. Why do we encourage ourselves to be in a large group format?  Well, this allows more dishes to spread amongst us. Duh! Also, so we never go away hungry.  And believe me, that is impossible.

                                     COLD DAN DAN NOODLES

Why, just the other day, there were only 2 of us.  We shared simply, the COLD DAN DAN NOODLES, that THRICE thingy thing and the MONGOLIAN LONG BEANS.  Well, I know everything was just how it always is, because my head was sweaty and my belly full. In fact, I had to drink many Tsingtao's just to cool off.

Now, it's starting to make sense... Been wondering why, everything I wear, feels tighter.  It's called, decadent denial...

Feeling Comfortable Carrying Excess Baggage

Man, have I been eating a lot of fried chicken lately.  I am neighbor to, the infamous, Front Porch, in San Francisco. I'm probably one of their best customers. "Da' Porch" is the home of the very robust popcorn bucket, full with popping corn garnish and about 7 to 9 thick pieces of juicy chicken. I am also down for a fried chicken po boy at lunch from time-to-time.  And most recenctly, since opening for brunch, I have begun an addiction to their chicken & waffles. It is technically, my local chicken shack.

In Oakland, there is Hibiscus, where I get the Chef's choice. It is my friend Sarah's recipe, passed down from her grandmother, Miss Ollie. While dining there, it is extremely hard to avoid her Phoulourie (split pea fritters).  That is unless she has her salt cod fritters on the menu that day.  Then, I am completely torn. The cocktail program is pretty tight too. I suggest THE PARISH PUNCH  El Dorado Rum, ginger limeade (housemade) or the BLACK PRINCE Flor de Caña 18yr Rum, Carpano Antica,Averna Amaro.

While we are on the subject of Oakland and fried chicken, I have another confession to make. At Brown Sugar Kitchen, I have been finding a lot of comfort in their Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Cornmeal Waffle with brown sugar butter & apple cider syrup.  That butter tastes like ice cream, it is so creamy and delicious. And the waffle is absolutely amazing.  The menu also offers up one the best pulled pork sandwiches, especially if you order the smoked mashed yams to go alongside.

My boss bought me the Fried Chicken Sandwich at Bakesale Betty recently.  It was so giant, that even I could only eat half. The Chicken and that slaw were stacked inside fresh baked bread. It was a dream.  And I shared that dream with my housemate later on and he concurred.

Most recently, on a recent Sunday brunch, the fried chicken dish stood out to me on the menu at Prospect (San Francisco). It came with slow cooked greens, house made tasso, creamed biscuit and honey butter. It was a lovely meal magnified with 3 cocktails (Bird of Paradise Fizz, Michelada de Prospect & Prospect's Bloody Fare) and of course, the James Beard’s French Toast– house made challah bread, blueberries, maple syrup. The 1st drink was the a gin and wine cocktail, the 2nd a beer cocktail and for the finale a very spicy vodka bloody.  I had to take a nap to recover from that experience.

It is no wonder I am carrying an extra 5 pounds these days.  What could be better in this inconsistent climate? Fried Chicken is comfort food.  It warms my body and soul.

Foggy Summer Nights

I am in somewhat of a fog.  Maybe it is due to being overworked or sleep deprived.  I keep forgetting to allow myself the time to reflect on some of my culinary adventures. Like, for instance, Plum Preview Dinner # 3 at Il Cane Rosso, 2 Monday's ago. What a great night that was.  It was nice to see the Master Chef Daniel Patterson in his element.  He really delivered a menu that  highlighted his abilities to create the most delicious savory dishes and show his soft and sweet side as well.

The table first got a most righteous snack of crisp chicken skin dosed with seaweed powder.  It was momentary and fantastic.  We were a group of robust diners at this table.  3 Bears and a skinner, tall guy to be exact. But we still managed to share graciously.

Then came our own dishes of warm smoked black cod- potato puree with a grilled pepper wild fennel relish and olive oil cracker.  The dish was delivered at the most perfect temperature, warm and edible.  And boy, did we chow down.

You can imagine our delight when the next dish, a cauliflower glazed with lemon & garum, bulghur, and a dandelion salsa verde arrived. Here was that sweet side I was referring to.  It balanced out the previous course and was great preparation for what was up next.

This time, slow-cooked pork shoulder, turnip-apple miso and fresh seaweeds. It screamed Peter Brady, 21st Century Style. It was cooked preciously the way you handle that meat. That plate looked incredible as with all the dishes of the night.  everything was so thoughtful and full of subtle and intentional detail.  It also helped to have a very delightful server to enhance the whole experience.

So, we got to the tail end of our prix fixe and a raspberry custard with sable breton, some yogurt and rooiboos was placed in front of each of us.  Gorgeous, both in presentation and taste.  They also had these yummy curried chocolate covered almonds to share. Again, the company of men acted appropriately with fair portions to snack on.

We stumbled over to Slanted Door for a nightcap and a chance to reflect on our great meal.  Although the fog was thick that night and the air very cool, our bellies kept us warm. We toasted one another a true and happy "Cheers!"

100 Reasons To Celebrate A New Mission Destination

Last night I got to visit some old friends at the new Commonwealth restaurant located on Mission Street.  I was with Jake for their soft opening and it was fantastic.  First of all, the room is elegant and comfortable.  I had been to the space for a beer tasting not too long ago, when it was still under construction and I amazed at the results.  But let's get to the menu, shall we?

Jake and I were hungry and certainly left satisfied.  We were sipping on some white wine and ordering like Mad Men.  The first dish to arrive were the Shishito peppers with goat cheese and rose petals.  A perfect combination of flavor and spice.  The goat cheese balanced it out well.  We shared the summer squash, which was a chilled soup with fried squash blossoms, shaved salad and Vadouven.  I may not know what that all means but it certainly tasted good.  The blossoms were the stars of the dish, but everything that accompanied deserves Best Supporting Nods too.

Moving on to those garden tomatoes and basil.  Man, that was incredible!  Just think about this for a minute. Black olive crumble! Smoked bread! And that Idiazabal cheese took the cake.  Very in season and very addicting.  But the dish of the night had to be the potato gnocchi.  Everyone was talking about it too.  It had corn, it had Maitake mushrooms.  But the truffle oil and the sage with the Parmesan Reggiano made it heavenly.  That gnocchi was so smooth and delicious, I could have walked into the kitchen and stolen another helping if I wasn't so bashful.

We had to order the brown butter poached skate wing with cauliflower, Dashi and sea beans.  Also in season right now and done with real thought, precision and class.  This dish exploded with yummyness.  I was reminded of Le Jules Verne in Paris with the foam on the plate.  I love foam!  I also loved loved loved the guinea hen and spot prawn. Three words, chocolate-almond emulsion.  I was onto a great glass of red wine at this point.

There was a salt cured Foie Gras on the Chef's Tasting Menu that we had to try.  We boldly asked for it and truly were glad.  It had Umeboshi and a seaweed brioche to spread it on.  We each had our own plate to avoid confrontation.  Mine disappeared too quickly.  Very impressive.

When it came time for dessert we ordered the White Russian.  This epic combo of coffee ice cream, Vodka Gelee, raw milk mousse and Genoise cake.  And we can't forget the Cinnamon Mille-Feuille with cardamom marshmallow, chocolate ganache and burnt honey ice cream.  It reminded me of the ultimate broken down smore. 

My curiosity about the narwhal was killing me from the dinner menu.  They mentioned nitrogen and that was it.  I needed to try this floc de gascogne, sake, ambrosia melon and shiso.  It was tremendous and worked as a last course.  The familiar faces and the ease of the night were very noteworthy, especially for a soft opening.  They had everything under a meticulous control and made it look easy.  I was so proud to be among the first to experience this place.

The Subtle Perfections Are Evident At Baker & Banker

A week ago my friend Steve was visiting from Pasadena. We made plans to hang out and grab dinner. I had heard great things about Baker & Banker up in the Pacific Heights area.  And we really did enjoy our visit. The food, the service, the ambiance is all here on Octavia Street. I felt a little out-of-place because of my attire.  I chose the comfortable look with a T-Shirt and jeans.  But, so what, it is after all, California. And they still welcomed us with open arms.

Upon arrival in the dining room, Chef Lori recognized me right away.  She was so nice and immediately offered us glasses of Francois Pinon Vouvray Petillant "Non-Dose" (2008) to sip while they got our table together.  We ordered another round after we sat down and placed our order.

The Grilled octopus salad, yellow watermelon, spicy Asian vinaigrette, sea beans just seemed too good to pass up. It was quite something.  The elegant octopus was so delicious alongside that fruit and the spice was just the right amount.  It was one of those remarkable dishes that stays with you.  The Sparkles paired incredibly well with it too.

Lori makes the most amazing bread that goes in their Bread baskets.  I should know, I ordered 2 more baskets after the initial one. And if you want to go after my heart, that's the secret. Bread is life, it warms you. It is so satisfying when done well.

I continued to warm up with a glass of Von Simmern Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling (2007).   At this point the Soy and mirin braised black cod had arrived.  The texture of the fish was truly a masterpiece.  I had a chance to mention it when Lori's husband came around to check on us. Jeff was so gracious too, as I mentioned how in love I was with his foie gras-shitake sticky rice.  I traded bites of my dish for Steve's Housemade pappardelle, wild mushrooms, summer squash, roasted ricotta salata and fresh mint.  No wonder it got all silent during our main courses.  We were under the spell and the flavors were bursting and leaving their mark.

The seduction reached it's max as we moved into dessert.  Once again, Lori took charge and we not only got the PB&J but the crisp as well.  The PB& J was her strawberry jam filled doughnuts with the most decadent peanut butter dipping sauce. The crisp was made with Nectarine and plum , brown sugar-pecan streusel and blueberry swirl ice cream.  Both nearly blew us out of our chairs.  We were childlike and competitive when it came to sticking our forks and spoons.  The whole meal was a work of art.  I felt spoiled and delighted all at the same time.  I look forward to going back to the bakery they are just opening next door!

A Quick Bite And A Few Flights

The other night, I had a chance to finally try Spencer on the Go.  I have been to Chez Spencer many times but never their food truck.  I was with my friend, Tabitha, and my dog.  It was a cool night but we  still decided to eat outside. We practically had everything on the menu too.  The first thing we popped in our mouths were the Escargot Puff Lollipops.  They were "bananas!" I wish I ordered 6 of them.  We were also very impressed with the slider they had on the menu that night.  The meat was cooked to perfection.

Other things we shared included the Cauliflower Soup and Lobster Bisque. I loved the truffles in the Lobster Bisque and the cream. We insisted on asking for croutons for dipping. And the Parmesan chip layered in the Cauliflower Soup was excellent.  They certainly warmed us up with the chill in the air.

The Roasted Beet Salad with the Point Reyes Blue Cheese was so plentiful. And the Asparagus was also very tasty.  I insisted we try the Braised Lamb Cheeks Sandwich as well and I am so glad we did.  It was just the right amount of food we needed to continue on for cocktails next door.

Waiter, my pooch is welcome at Bloodhound right there on Folsom Street, so we walked over there for some whiskey and beer.  We had a Four Roses Bloodhound Barrel straight up to heat things up.  I ordered a Belgian Beer to follow it up. A mighty fine Abbey called Tripel Karmelie .  After 2 rounds we called it quits and headed home.  It was just one of those perfect, San Francisco, cold, summer nights.