The Fro Fro Blog

Kim Family Benefit Dinner

Tonight, Incanto in Noe Valley closed its doors in order to host a benefit dinner for the Kim Family Fund.  The Fund was set up to raise money for the wife and daughters of James Kim, the CNET editor who died while trying to save his family when they got lost in the Oregon wilderness last year. 

Chefs with Noe Valley connections (their homes and/or restaurants are there) came together to deliver the following five-course meal with wine pairings:

Deep Sushi's Dashi-steamed monkfish foie with pickled cucumber, shiso & Santa Barbara uni
Roero Arneis Luèt, 2005 Cascina Val de Prete

Bistro 1689's Heart of bibb lettuce salad, macerated mango & lobster vinaigrette
Cote d'Est Vin de Pays Des Côtés Catalanes, 2004 Domaine Lafage

Pescheria's Duck Ravioli, goat cheese & sage
Moroder, 2003 Rosso Conero

Incanto's Braised pork shoulder with rapinis, lemon, garlic & anchovy
Lacrima di Morro d'Alba, 2003 Monte Schiavo

Seasons' Chocolate trio: warm chocolate cake, chocolate pot de crème & white chocolate ice cream
Porto, Dow's Trademark Finest Reserve

The meal was delicious, and as lovely and wonderful as the cause.  I hope they raised lots of money for Kati and the girls.

For more information, please visit www.kimfamilyfund.com and www.jamesandkati.com.

UPDATE:  I was thrilled to learn (via the Noe Valley Voice) that the event raised $21,750! 

79th Academy Awards

Since the broadcast was so long, I'll keep this short.

Beauties:  Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Reese Witherspoon, Diane Keaton (she's never looked better).  The Dreamgirls onstage.  Cameron Diaz (dress was a very nice recovery from the Globes fiasco, though I'm still not lovin' the hair). Helen Mirren. Hugh Jackman.  George Clooney.

Blunders: Naomi Watts, Meryl Streep (she's never looked worse).  The Dreamgirls on the red carpet (Beyonce's dress - yikes - and Jennifer Hudson's jacket should also be a Glamour Don't). 

Best Couple: Mark Wahlberg & Rhea Durham

Botox Overdose: Nicole Kidman, Leo DiCaprio

Better-than-the-usual-award-show-fare:  the Pilobolus Dance Troupe and the Will Ferrell/Jack Black/John C. Reilly number

Best Ad: Apple iPhone -- clips of people saying "Hello" in famous movies and TV shows, with a final shot of that gorgeous phone.  See it here: http://www.apple.com/iphone/hello/

Best Line:  "If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars...or anyone named Oscar when you think about that." (Ellen)

UPDATE  Check out this hilarious play-by-play of the telecast from New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/02/fugging_the_oscars_1.html

Blue Ribbon Restaurant (New York)

For those not familiar with BR lore, Blue Ribbon was started by two brothers from New Jersey, Bruce and Eric Bromberg.  They trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and named their restaurant (and its sisters, Blue Ribbon Sushi and Blue Ribbon Bakery) in honor of the culinary institution.

Over the years, I'd occasionally heard about Blue Ribbon, but never experienced it.  My friend and co-worker Russell Valle decided to change that last night.  As a Blue Ribbon regular and someone who loves great food as much as I do, he was the perfect man for the job.

Luckily, I'd done my homework and read up on Blue Ribbon before we arrived and therefore wasn't surprised to hear that the wait for a table might be 90 minutes (they don't take reservations).  Not to worry -- a window seat, a glass of wine and great conversation made the time pass quickly.  The restaurant has a wonderfully warm atmosphere.  One of the reviews I read said that the place makes even first-timers feel like regulars, and that's so true.

Once we were seated, we started off with a sublime Foie Gras Terrine, followed by Beef Marrow with Oxtail Marmalade.  Eating beef marrow is an experience unto itself and worth the entire trip, in my opinion.  You scoop the marrow out of the bone onto thin slices of baguette toast, spread marmalade on top, and then sprinkle it with rock salt.  As my loyal readers know, sweet, salty, smooth and crunchy all in one bite can't be beat.

Then on to the main courses.  I'd contemplated ordering the pigeon, since I'd never had it anywhere and usually I like to try new things.  But I just couldn't get past the vision of city pigeons, which I consider to be the dirtiest, most disgusting animals on God's Earth.  Even though Russell assured me that the pigeons in Blue Ribbon's kitchen were not what I was envisioning but rather something more akin to quail, I just couldn't do it. So instead we had Paella Basquez (chock full of clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari, chicken and a spicy chicken sausage) and the evening's entree special, a Lamb Shank with butternut squash and sauteed greens.  One of the things I look for in a paella is how the rice is done, and BR's was perfect -- not too mushy.  The lamb shank was also quite good; the tender meat fell off the bone. 

But wait, there's more....dessert, of course!  We shared a banana split, even though I sensed our stomachs might split any minute from all the amazing food.

There are so many other terrific-looking dishes on the menu that I'd like to try someday, like Beef Tartare, Cheese Fondue, Matzoh Ball Soup, Duck Breast, Fried Chicken, BBQ Ribs and something called Chocolate Bruno.  They'll just have to wait for another visit -- after I get a chance to check out Blue Ribbon Sushi, of course!

Blue Ribbon Manhattan
97 Sullivan Street
New York, NY 10012
212-274-0404
www.blueribbonrestaurants.com

The Tasting Room (New York)

The first thing you notice about The Tasting Room is the decor -- sparsely placed artwork on walls lined with a string of white lights give the place a MoMA-meets-St. Nick kind of feel.  At 6:30 the restaurant was empty, which made me a bit wary, but by the time we left it was full (and so was I), with good reason! 

The Tasting Room's schtick is that you can order almost anything on their menu as a "taste" or a "share."  Tastes are appetizer-size and shares are entree-size, so if you're not good at sharing and your fellow diners don't mind, you can go it alone.  But with food this good, you'll all want to share. 

Last night our group of four had the following:

Bread -- crusty rolls.  Great bread in a restaurant is usually a good sign of things to come.

To Start:

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup Brown Butter, Popcorn

Confit Duck Leg Salad Mache, Barley, Newtown Pippin Apple

Selection of American Farmhouse Cheese Walnut Raisin Bread

To Continue:

Roasted Beets & Black Truffle Buckwheat, Burdock, Horseradish

Hen-of-the Woods Mushrooms Jerusalem Artichoke Cake, Mache

Vermont Kid Goat Porcini Mushrooms, Collard Greens, Lemon Confit

Violet Hill Farm Guinea Hen Breast & Thigh Sausage Wheatberries, Shallots, Sausage "en Crepinette," Sage

To Finish:

Pears & Dates in Phyllo Red Wine Sauce, Walnut Baklava

Hazelnut Semifreddo Cinnamon Caramel Sauce, Hazelnut Cookie

Everything was delicious -- perfectly seasoned and incredible depth of flavor.  Several dishes combined sweet and savory, which I love.  Though I enjoyed everything we ordered immensely, the stand-outs were the Duck Leg Salad and the Guniea Hen.  The mushrooms were also a big hit at the table.  If anything could use improvement, it would be the hazelnut cookie on the semifreddo...even after a while of sitting under melting ice cream, it was too tough to cut, so I ended up eating just the ice cream, the sauce, and the additional pieces of the cookie that were crumbled on top.

The wine list is extensive -- it must have been over 20 pages -- with offerings from all over the globe accompanied by interesting descriptions. (What is a "sexy, feminine grape," by the way?)

Also worth noting: Chef/Owner Colin Alevras gets his ingredients daily from local farmers, and whenever possible uses meats that are raised on Certified Humane Farms. 

All in all, a delicious meal. I highly recommend you have a taste!

The Tasting Room Restaurant
264 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012
212-358-7831
thetastingroomnyc.com

Quote of the Day

Found this African proverb in the pages of Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat:

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter if you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up
You better start running.

AT&T Austin Half Marathon

Top 12 Reasons I Loved the Austin Half Marathon

Why not 10?  'Cause everything's bigger in Texas!

The first few reasons are due to the fact that the race was in Austin, so that meant... (for those of you only interested in the race-specific stuff, skip to #6)

1.  Not one, but two nights at one of my favorite sushi restaurants on the planet, Kenichi (5th and Colorado).  The fish was just as fresh and delicious as I remembered.  If you go, be sure to order the Red River Roll and have Salmon Nigiri for dessert.

2. A visit to the Austin Museum of Art (see today's other post -- here).

3. An excursion to San Marcos (about 30 mi south of Austin) to spend time with Joanna's family.  (Joanna aka JoJo and I are not only coworkers, but also great friends and racing buddies.)  Since this was my third visit to San Marcos, I've gotten to know the family and they always welcome me with big hugs, great activities and warm hospitality.  This time was no different.  First, JoJo's nephew Gus took us to Comic Relief, where he and I each bought football cards of some of our favorite players.  Gus went for limelighters Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith, while I went for my beloved but beleaguered Chad Pennington, Laveranues Coles, Curtis Martin and Wayne Chrebet. Then we went back to the house and I jumped at the chance to join the twins, Sophie and Thomas, on the trampoline.  Later on, we all had a delicious dinner of BBQ'd steak, shrimp and baked potato.  Thank you, Harriet and Allen!

4. Retail therapy. JoJo and Lucy took me to what has to be one of the largest outlet malls in the country, only minutes from Harriet and Allen's house.  I scored the deal of the century -- a fantastic Kate Spade coat that originally retailed for $895...and I got it for....$75!

5.  Whole Foods.  Whole Foods started in Austin, and the downtown store is like Mecca.  The store is humongous.  They have a nut bar that's almost the size of a full aisle at the SF store where they'll make you a nut butter on the spot with any one of a myriad of nuts.  They also have incredible gelato, which in addition to Kenichi is a "must eat" for me whenever I'm in Austin.

Now, for the race-specific reasons I loved the Austin Half...

6. There were fireworks at the start!

7. The weather was spectacular.  Not freezing cold (like Phoenix last month) and not blistering hot (like Austin usually is when we do the Danskin Tri there in June).  Just right, Goldilocks.

8. I ran with my Shuffle.  Until now, I hadn't done so -- I thought the headphones would interfere with me perceiving what was going on around me and that the crowd-fueled adrenaline would be enough.  Boy, was I wrong!  Having my own music in my ears made the race fly by.  Not to mention the gear envy I inspired -- those with larger iPods and even mini's jealously eyed my little Shuffle inconspicuously clipped to my waist.

9.  I was properly attired.  At the Expo I bought some Asics running pants with compression technology.   I have no idea if they really do make your muscles feel better while you're running, but I love their running shoes (brand loyalty alert) and I did feel great the entire race.  I also wore some cotton gloves provided by AT&T in the Expo goodie bag that had the AT&T logo emblazoned on them.  Do I  associate them with having provided a valuable service to me at the race?  Absolutely!  Will it make me consider AT&T's products and services more in the future?  Perhaps....

10. The course was challenging, but beautiful.  OK, I live in San Francisco, so I know hills.  But I think this course was even more hilly than the Nike Half Marathon course in SF!  That said, it was a nice run around some beautiful southern homes, and toward the end it wound around the capitol building.  The final stretch down Congress Avenue was a huge promenade -- exhilarating to the point of bringing tears to my eyes.

11.  Our hotel, the Omni, was walking distance to the Start/Finish (as well as all the great restaurants, clubs and stores downtown).  I highly recommend it to anyone looking to do this race next year.

12.  My time... 2:24:03.  Though I'd like to be closer to 2:15, my goal was to beat Phoenix (a much flatter course) and I did.   I also loved the 72-year old man who asked me my time at the finish, and when I told him, said, "That's great, but of course you're in your 20's!"

I had to break it to him that, in fact, I'm about to turn 40 in a few months.  Speaking of, as many of you know, in honor of my big b-day this year, my goal is to do one race per month and in the process raise $4,040 for Girls on the Run.  Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me so far with your donations and words of encouragement.  If you haven't made a donation yet and would like to, please visit my fundraising page at www.firstgiving.com/laurafrofro.

UPDATE Race photos & video.  I cross the finish line at the end of the video. Check out how I edge out the competition!

Austin Half Marathon

UPDATE: Check out my Google Map of the locations mentioned in this post.

Austin Museum of Art

During my visit to Austin for the AT&T Austin Half Marathon, I paid a visit to the Austin Museum of Art (AMoA).  Both of the current exhibits were outstanding! 

The first, America Starts Here: Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler, was a collection of the artists' collaborative works, 1985-1995.  Their public art projects and private installations used conventional materials in new, thought-provoking contexts. For example, in the piece pictured below (courtesy of the museum's Web site), marble used to construct famous buildings and monuments is placed geographically (as if on a U.S. map) in the place corresponding to the quarry in which it originated - to show how natural resources end up far removed from their original sites.

I was extremely impressed by the museum's "Austin Responds" program which allows visitors to the museum to build community around what they've seen.  I guess even the art world -- or perhaps especially the art world -- has caught on to the "user-generated content" craze.  For example, in the America Starts Here exhibit, visitors could call a number and record their reactions to particular pieces.  AMoA did something even more interactive with the Andy Goldsworthy exhibit -- visitors were invited to make their own Goldsworthy-esque creations, photograph them, and send them to the museum.  A montage of the submissions is now on view in the museum as well.  (For those not familiar with Andy Goldsworthy, the British environmental artist and sculptor, click here.)

Sticking with the user-generated content theme, the other exhibit was entitled the Paper Sculpture Show.  Visitors are given design templates created by a 29 international artists and invited to make their own artistic creations out of them.  Several workspaces are available and stocked with scissors, glue sticks and tape.  Once you're finished, you place your work up on the wall with everyone else's and it becomes part of the exhibit.  I was a little intimidated at first by some (though not all) of the creative work already on the walls, but once I got going, I really enjoyed myself.  Here's a slideshow of the before, during and after photos of my first (and likely only) museum-exhibited work, entitled "Flip Chart."  (For a closer look at the work, click on the link below the slideshow to view the photo album at Webshots.)

AMoA: The Paper Sculpture Show

For more on these exhibits and the AMoA's other programs, visit their web site:  www.amoa.org.

Quote of the Day

It's about surrounding yourself with people that really add value, and lift you up, and are positive ... I still am very conscious about having people around me that are positive and that are on the right course.

-- Sheryl Crow on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 11/30/06

Banana Corn Muffins

These have been a big hit lately!  Super easy and dee-lish. 

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (8 1/2 oz) package corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine banana, milk and mix in a medium bowl; stir just until moist.  Spoon batter evenly into 6 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes. 
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 muffin).

Pssst, if you don't tell 'em, no one will ever guess the recipe came from Cooking Light.

The Kingdom of Navarra Visits San Francisco

On Thursday night, The American Institute of Wine and Food teamed up with the tourist and development boards of Navarra to bring the renowned Chef Nicolás Jiménez of Túbal Restaurant to San Francisco.  (If you're not familiar with Navarra, it's a region in the north of Spain bordered by France and the Basque Country; Pamplona is its capital.)  Jiménez prepared an extraordinary nine-course meal at the Palace Hotel. 

The seated dinner was preceded by a walk-around tasting of about 30 wines from the region (which is right next door to La Rioja).  Someone remarked that it was a true "blind tasting," since if you weren't already familiar with the wines and were unable to translate the labels, all you could do was trust your palate. I sampled a few that I enjoyed, but I was really there for the food!  So, without further ado...

Here's what Chef Nicolás made for us along with the wine pairings:

MENÚ

ESPÁRRAGOS EN TEMPURA Y CREMA DE CIGALA

White Asparagus Tempura in a Crayfish Cream

Roses from Navarra 2006

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ENSALADA TEMPLADA DE PERDIZ

Warm Partridge Salad

Roses from Navarra 2006

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MILHOJAS DE PATATA Y FOIE-GRAS CON SALSA DE VINO DULCE

Potato on Foie Gras Napoleon with Sweet Wine Sauce

Orquídea 2006 - Bodega Inurrieta

**********************************

HUEVO EN COSTRA DE PATATAS FRITAS, PIMIENTOS DE PIQUILLO Y TOSTADICA DE AJO

Egg served in croustillante Potato Crust, Piquillo Peppers and Garlic Toast

Usoa de Bagordi, Vendimia Seleccionada 2005 - Bodegas Bagordi

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ALCACHOFAS FRITAS CON TOCINO, HONGOS, CIGALITA, JUGO DE SETAS Y ALMENDRAS TOSTADAS

Artichokes fried with Tocino (Jabugo Ham fat), Mushrooms, Lobster, Wild Mushroom Jus and Toasted Almonds

Condado de Almara, Crianza 2003 - Bodegas Macaya

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CARRILLERA DE TERNERA CON CREMA DE PATATAS Y MANITAS CRUJIENTES Y MELOSAS

Veal Cheeks with Potato Cream and Honeyed Crispy Pig Trotters

Emergente Merlot Selección 2003 - Bodegas Marqués de Montecierzo

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TABLA DE QUESOS (IDIAZABAL Y RONCAL)

Navarra Cheese Tray

Juan de Albret Reserva 2002 - Bodegas Príncipe de Viana

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TORRIJA CARAMELIZADA CON SOPA DEL NIÑO, HELADO DE LECHE Y BURBUJAS DE CANELA

Caramelized milk-soaked Bread, "Del Niño" Soup, Milk Ice Cream and Cinnamon Bubbles

Laudate Dominum 2005 - Viña Arbel

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BUÑUELOS DE VIENTO

Wind Buñuelos (small wind "doughnuts")

Pacharán Baines - Licores Baines

*************************************

It's extremely difficult to say which was my favorite dish, but if I had to choose my top 3, they would be the Potato/Foie Gras Napoleon with Sweet Wine Sauce (best flavors), Veal Cheeks with Honey Crispy Pig Trotters (best textures and most distinctive), and the Milk-Soaked Bread. I'm a sucker for sweets - this was an amazing bread pudding accompanied by a delicious ice cream.   It also included a little of the molecular gastronomy Spain has become famous for -- a glass of cinnamon foam that we couldn't actually eat, it was just there for decoration.

We each received a gift bag that included a beautiful cookbook (with gorgeous photos) from Navarra - along with a packet of recipe translations!

All in all, a delicious evening.

For more info on the American Institute of Wine and Food including upcoming events, go to www.aiwf.org.  (SF folks go straight to www.aiwf.org/norcal.)