La Bistecca

I thoroughly enjoy steak out at good quality restaurants.... The meat comes out cooked to perfection and melts in your mouth mmmm! What I do not enjoy is craving steak at home but too afraid to attempt to make it. The meat could get overcooked, turn out tough.... and then it is just a waste! Bad meat is like cold eggs! 

I opened up to my good friend Emily about my concerns after she had sent me a picture of a BEAUTIFUL steak she had made for dinner. As she consoled me, she gave me the courage to go to the store and make steak for dinner! Thanks Em... I wouldn't have conquered this fear without you ;)

For my sides: I roasted mushrooms, zucchini, and squash with some oil, salt, pepper, and fresh garlic cloves. I also roasted small red and white potatoes with oil, salt, pepper, and FRESH rosemary from my parents garden! 

I decided to keep the steak simple and just season it with salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. I was SO excited to sear the steak in my cast iron skillet .... with a little oil at the bottom of the pan. I allowed the pan to get extremely hot before I added the steak. I seared each side about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes and then put a few chunks of butter on top and placed it in the oven! I checked the steak every 5 minutes feeling for the doneness level. The Finger Test- Great way to go by! Hope that link helps you out! I believe our steak was in the oven for about 13 minutes before we pulled it. We also had it more on the red side- Greg's preference and I am indifferent as long as it is juicy! I have to say though, Greg and I were IMPRESSED. The steak was NOT tough, was NOT dry, but was juicy and flavorful!! Check out the pics below and I recommend trying this recipe. I bought a Chateaubriand style steak, which the Whole Foods Meat Counter man helped me pick out.. I was looking for a good cut and quality meat without the huge price tag :) The steak was on sale and we have enough leftovers for another night- BONUS! 

Searing the steak- Side 1

Freshly cut and ready to eat :)

The Whole Meal mmmm!

More reasons why I LOVE food!!

Enjoy some of my latest and greatest foodie adventures :)


A few weekends ago, SF had beautiful weather on Sunday... a bit windy... but nonetheless lovely! My parents came up for the day for a brunch and museum excursion. Down the street from my apartment is a restaurant called Baker and Banker. They have a restaurant portion and ALSO a bakery side. I have been to the bakery side numerous times for coffee, pastries, and paninis. Buonissimo! The restaurant side was just as detailed in their cuisine. Everyone's dishes were dreamy.... check out the pics to see for yourself :) After all that food, we X'ed the museum and decided to walk around the presidio, Palace of Fine Arts, and Lucas Films Campus to enjoy the views and the sun :)

Blood Orange Mimosa 

French Toast Bread Pudding mmmm!

Banana Fritters! 

Potato Latke with Smoked Trout & Beets 

Eggs in Purgatory: Spicy Tomato Sauce, Homemade Sausage with Mascarpone Brown Butter Polenta 

Eggs Benedict 

Brisket Hash... look at those pieces of meat!

Park by Palace of Fine Arts

such a gorgeous area :)

My next adventure is a home cooked meal :) Hawaiian Crunch Halibut. When in Hawaii, fish is one of the main food attractions. Pineapple coming in 1st possibly? The fish is SO fresh and delicate!! Naturally when I saw this recipe, I just had to make it, hoping to relive my Hawaiian Vacations! 


Ingredients:


1. Skinless Boneless Halibut Fillets.
2. Flour
3. 1-2 eggs beaten until frothy. (1 egg for 2-3 fillets, 2 eggs for 4-6 fillets)
4. Pistachio or Macadamia Nuts- crushed. I used pistachios. 
5. Panko Breadcrumbs
6. Saltine Crackers- crushed
7. Olive oil and Butter
8. Any seasoning you would like to add to the fish. 


Directions:


Rinse the fillets and place on a paper towel. Pat dry. Chop the nuts. Place the saltines in a ziploc bag and crush them using a rolling pin. Combine the panko crumbs, saltines and nuts in the same ziploc. Mix it together. Add any seasoning you want on your fish to the bag. 


Place fillets in the flour coating both sides. Shake off excess. Then place fillets in the egg wash and coat both sides. Please fillet on top of crumbs and coat each side diligently for a good crispy crust. 


In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat- coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is ready add about 1 tablespoon of butter. Brown all sides of the fillets-- about 3-4 minutes depending on the size of your fillet. Halibut should ideally fall apart when the fork hits it. 


This recipe was fabulous.. I would make it again in a heart beat. I was shocked how well the crumbs stayed on the fish and really enjoyed the flavor. I also made a quick sauce for the fish.. just a little extra flavor since I love to dip!!!! 


Lemon Butter Sauce


In a small saucepan melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon parsley flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Mix well and slowly add 1 1/2 cups of milk or half & half. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the juice of one lemon and stir for another minute. Serve sauce on top of fish or on the side. *may have to adjust measurements on how thick or thin you want the sauce. 

Halibut + Sauce

Last post for this blog will end with sauce, cheese, and bread... can you guess? PIZZA! Not your typical pizza though... definitely Italian style BUT some fabulous topping combos! Pizette 211 is the name of the restaurant which includes the address number. It is one of the smallest restaurants I have ever been too and because the reviews noted that I got there RIGHT at noon when they opened... I wanted to avoid waiting too long- especially when I'm hungry! The pizza portion of their menu consists of three consistent pizzas and then three special pizzas that change each week. I definitely enjoyed the week I went :) This comes highly recommended along with Baker and Banker :)!

Margherita

House Made Sausage, Fresh Farm Egg, Onion Confit, Kale 

Bacon, Braised Cabbage, Fingerling Potatoes, Horseradish Creme Fraiche Sauce- If you twisted my arm, I would pick this one as my favorite :)!

munsoned... in a good way!!

I love sandwiches... I will admit half of the reason I love sandwiches are for the chips I eat with them :) I am not talking about a sad and pathetic sandwich that consists of 2 dinky pieces of bread but a big ole deli style concoction!! I have had my fair share of yummy sandwiches over the years but recently Greg and I found the winner of them ALL in San Francisco!

Boca

I am an avid reader of 7X7- a local San Francisco magazine, which usually highlights newly opened places and reviews of many restaurants. My favorite article from 7X7 is, "The Best Things I have Eaten This Week" by Sara Deseran. She gives it straight, good or bad, and she doesn't just frequent the "popular" places. In one of her articles I read about Deli Board. My parents were coming up for lunch one day and I thought this was a perfect casual spot to grab a bite :)

The place is newly remodeled so very clean and the service was impeccable. It was almost too good- but not lol! I wanted the Munsoned sandwich, which Sara Deseran highlighted in her article. Deli Board changes their menu often so it was not on the menu that day... BUT since you can build your own, I just built myself & my mom a Munsoned. My dad got the Boca and Greg built his own chicken salad. Menu

I really am not sure where to begin with the explanation of this sandwich! I guess I can start from the top & bottom and work my way into the middle- the bread! I asked for dutch crunch but little did I know what was coming. Their dutch crunch was fresh and crispy but not too hard. Of course we had to ask, and YUP the bread is made in house! MMMM!

Munsoned

Now for the inside:

Munsoned: smoked brisket, white american cheese, pepperoncini, 1000 island, brown mustard, sweet french roll- which I substituted for dutch crunch. $11 is steep for a sandwich BUT not for one of these puppies. Portion was big but the mixture of flavors is what was bigger. The explosion of the moist & delicate meat paired with just the right sauces in my mouth is unforgettable and nearly impossible to explain! 

Boca: corned beef, pastrami, brisket, muenster cheese, board sauce, brown mustard, pickles, sweet french roll. Again- my dad substituted for the dutch crunch.


This yet again confirms my belief to pay attention to the ingredients because it can make any dish phenomenal. The right olive oil, the right pecorino romano, and definitely the most tender and juicy meat like Deli Board's smoked brisket :)