A restaurant within a restaurant? Following the lead of places like SF’s Mission Chinese and the nearer-by Casino in Bodega, where guest chefs create secondary menus for existing restaurants, Santa Rosa’s Los Arcos is hosting Fancy Pants Fresh five mornings a week.
It’s a curious collaboration between the Mexican-style cooking Cris Ochoa (formerly of Su Casa) and Marin farm market’s Colin Watley of Fancy Pants Fresh, who brainstormed the concept after meeting at a coffee shop.
The idea: Watley has created a “healthy choice gourmet ” menu Wednesday through Sunday at Los Arcos featuring locally-sourced breakfast dishes like Peanut Butter and Apple Pancake Sandwich ($5.95 using buckwheat batter and local Pippin apples); delicious Sweet Hash Browns ($5.95, apple, sweet potato, onions, garlic and cinnamon) or Banana and Red Walnut Pancakes with homemade honey and pomegranate syrup ($6.95).
Sweet Hash Browns | Fancy Pants Fresh
Bemused regulars can also get more traditional chilaquiles, breakfast burritos with chorizo or omelets — or two of Ochoa’s killer carnitas tacos should the mood strike. It’s a daring and clever mixture of two worlds, not to mention a nice additional to the breakfast desert in the immediate area.
1791 Marlow Road, Santa Rosa, 545-5858. Gourmet breakfast served 7am to 11am Wednesday through Sunday.
Books That Cook is a new section of BiteClub featuring contributors’ takes on recent cookbooks. We tell you if they’re worth it — or not by testing a few recipes. In this first entry, Meloni Courtway, a professional caterer, blogger, and trained pastry chef in Petaluma takes on Anne Byrn’s Cake Doctor Bakes Gluten Free cookbook. Her judgment:Though its far from scratch cooking, Courtway says cooking from a mix ain’t half bad.
I’m not going to lie, when I first opened the book “The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free, I was a little suspicious. This is a book full of recipes designed to use cake mixes.
I’m a trained pastry chef. Wasn’t this supposed to be against my religion?
But, in an effort to give everything a fair chance, and with a grumbly tummy which has of late been avoiding gluten, I ventured into the land of pre-made cake mixes and Anne Byrn’s take on how to mix them up. Turns out, especially if you’re new to the world of gluten free flours, xanthum gums, arrow root powders, and substitute after substitute, this book could be your life saver. The one thing that Byrn certainly does, is take the guesswork out of baking gluten free.
In the book, takes simple cake mixes, then tweaks with things like almond extract, fresh berries, cocoa powder, grated coconut, cinnamon, lime zest, and more – naturally, all gluten-free ingredients.
Off to the store I went then to purchase my first (but not last) gluten-free cake mix. I baked her Devil’s Food Cake with Vanilla Buttercream. Basic yes, but a great launching off point for someone who doesn’t traditionally grab a box and go. It was, I can attest, better than something your grandma might make. The icing, more of a old school frosting, and less like a French buttercream, was super sweet , but strangely reminiscent of that stuff in a can. Of course, it wasn’t from a can and I controlled all the ingredients.
Now, that being said, I do need to pay tribute to the mix I used I suppose, as Byrne only suggests ”gluten free cake mix” but does not designate any brand. I went with King Arthur Flours chocolate cake mix, and was not disappointed. Most of Byrn’s recipes call for a 15 oz. bag of cake mix and every brand I found at whole foods was in a 22 oz serving. That is probably the only bad thing I have to say about this book. What’s a girl to do with 7oz of cake mix?
It is what it claims to be, a cookbook using cake mixes. Like it or not, there is a large number of people in the US using mixes, and this women has addressed an ever growing need, while also taking mixes to the next level. Byrn uses basic mixes to create cookies, whoopee pies and plumped up Bundt cakes, leaving me to wonder, would I ever bake from scratch again?
Want to try a recipe? Here’s the author’s take on strawberry cake, a great summertime treat.
Fresh Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
I can’t imagine a spring birthday without a strawberry cake. It has been the cake of choice for my girls, and my guys love it, too. And we’re all in favor of this gluten-free version. I think it’s even more intensely strawberry flavored. Plus it’s pretty, fancy, fun–all the right elements for a great party cake.
For the cake:
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pans
2 teaspoons rice flour, for dusting the pans
2 cups (16 ounces) fresh strawberries
1 package (15 ounces) yellow gluten-free cake mix
3 tablespoons strawberry gelatin (half of a 3-ounce package)
½ cup vegatable oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanila extract
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (below)
For the frosting:
1 large strawberry
4 ounces (half of an 8-ounce package) cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
To make the cake:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly mist two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust them with rice flour. Shake out the excess rice flour and set the pans aside.
Rinse and drain the strawberries, then pat them dry with paper towels. Select the 6 prettiest berries for garnish and set them aside. Set aside one large strawberry to use in the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. Cut the green caps off the remaining berries and mash the berries with a fork or place when in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth puree, about 10 pulses. You need ¾ cup of pureed strawberries.
Place the cake mix and strawberry gelatin in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the strawberry puree, oil, eggs, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, 1 to 1 ½ minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
Bake the cake layers until they are golden brown and the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the layers are right side up. Let the layers cool completely, about 20 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, make the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
To assemble the cake, transfer one later, right side up, to a serving plate. Spread the top with about 1 cup of the frosting. Place the second cake layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and side of the cake, working with smooth, clean strokes. To make slicing easier, place the uncovered cake in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 10 to 15 minutes.
Just before serving, garnish the cake with the 6 whole berries or slice the berries and pile them in the center of the cake. Or slice the berries lengthwise 2 or 3 times, slicing up to but not through the green stem end. Gently spread out the berries to form fans and arrange these on the top of the cake.
To make the frosting:
Makes: 3 cups, enough to frost a 2-layer cake, a 13 by 9-inch cake, or 24 or more cupcakes.
Prep: 15 minutes
Rinse and pat the strawberry dry. Cut the green cap off the strawberry and chip the berry into small pieces. Place the chopped strawberry in a medium-size mixing bowl and mash it with a fork until pureed. Add the cream cheese and butter and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 20 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners’ sugar. Beat with the mixer on low speed until the confectioners’ sugar is well incorporated, 15 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat the frosting until fluffy, 2 minutes longer. The frosting can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Let the frosting return to room temperature before using.
On April 3, 2011 Relish Culinary Adventures will present a “Meal with Meaning” — a multi-course Kaiseki — donating proceeds to Second Harvest Japan Disaster Relief.
From Relish: A Kaiseki tea meal is often framed around a seasonal theme or the mood of the day. With this in mind, we’re reframing our seasonal Kaiseki class as “A Meal with Meaning”, a way to do something constructive and connect to a global tea community by donating proceeds to Second Harvest Japan Disaster Relief.
What is Kaiseki? Evolving from centuries-old rituals of the Japanese tea ceremony, Kaiseki celebrates seasonality by featuring only fresh, local ingredients and creating multiple courses that balance the taste, texture, appearance and color of those ingredients. The food is created with a sense of purpose and served with deferential respect to the diner. Great care is taken to present the food artfully, including the choice of plates and garnishes.
At this lunch, Chef Laurel Skurko will demonstrate wonderful examples of Kaiseki courses created from a cross-section of seasonal, local Sonoma County ingredients and traditional Japanese ingredients as she discusses the culture and traditions represented in each dish. Courses will be served with a variety of sake, Sonoma County wine and Japanese tea.
Hirame No Nanohanaae – Hirame and Egg Yolk
Awase Misoshiru (Mixed Seasonal Miso Soup) and Green Pea Rice
Clam Cake and Dumpling Soup
Grilled Black Cod in a “Yuan” Sake Marinade
Kinomeae – Spinach Salad
Pickles and White Rice
Tea Sweet Dessert
A Meal with Meaning. $94
Sunday, April 3, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Relish Culinary Center, Healdsburg
To register, contact Relish at 431.9999 or visit relishculinary.com
Like any great dish, the origins of the Reuben sandwich is shrouded in mystery and controversy. Many lay claim to its founding, though the true Reuben may ultimately be lost in the mists of history.
As a child of the 1970s, I always figured it was a tribute to the quirky friend/manager Reuben Kincaid of the Partridge family. Turns out folks have been enjoying these sandwiches much longer.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary originally attributed the sandwich to New York restaurateur Arnold Reuben who reportedly served it to a hungry female co-star of Charlie Chaplin’s in 1914. Raising serious Nebraskan ire at the oversight, Omaha natives cried foul, saying it was actually local grocer Reuben Kulakofsky who dreamed up the corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, rye bread and Russian dressing sandwich in 1925. According their accounts, the sandwich was dreamed up to feed hungry late-night poker players at the Blackstone Hotel.
Like nachos, the Caesar salad or buffalo wings, the details of its origins may never be completely unearthed. meaty lunchtime staple has become as ubiquitous to American menus as, well, apple pie.
When it comes to Reuben sandwiches, one of the most important ingredients is the sauerkraut. This fermented cabbage isn’t just a zesty side, it’s incredibly good for your digestive system! All the rage in foodie circles right now, one of the best locally made krauts is from the Ceres Communty Project. The community kitchen makes big batches to feed their clients (usually cancer patients needing healthy meals) and recently won a national award for their Arame & Ginger sauerkraut. You can find it at Oliver’s, G&G Market, Community Market in Santa Rosa, Shelton’s Natural Foods in Healdsburg or Whole Foods in Sebastopol.
Purists insist that a true Reuben consist of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing on toasted rye bread. Nothing more, nothing less. Pastrami, the smoked cousin of corned beef is often substituted, as is Thousand Island dressing — a mayonnaise-based topping that evolved from the yogurty Russian version. From there, almost anything is game, from Reuben egg rolls and pizzas to Reuben-style hotdogs.
Where to get this post-St. Patty’s day corned-beef classic locally? Here are some favorites…
Upscale Reubens
Fresh By Lisa Hemenway Reuben Sandwich
Fresh by Lisa Hemenway: The creme-de-la Reuben, this slightly off-kilter version uses grilled seeded sourdough, caramelized onions, organic sauerkraut and Swiss served with roasted baby reds, $12. 5755 Mountain Hawk, Santa Rosa, 595-1048.
Jackson’s Bar and Oven: Exec Chef Josh Silvers knows from deli. His dressed-up version: Corned beef, Swiss, house-baked Rye and Sauerkraut with house-made chips. $10.95. And of course, the pickles.135 4th Street, Santa Rosa, 545-6900.
Della Fattoria: Another unusual, but delicious take on the traditional, Petaluma’s Della Fattoria piles high Niman Ranch pastrami, Thousand Island Dressing, hearty fresh-baked bread and Alexander Valley sauerkraut. 141 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma, 763-0161.
From the Deli: Traditionalists Mac’s Deli: Long my go-to standard, Mac’s Reuben is simple and classic. Served with fries and a pickle, it’s a little slice of NYC in Santa Rosa. 630 4th Street, Santa Rosa, 545-3785.
Aoili Deli: Tucked away in Forestville, this outstanding little deli continues to impress. Slow braised corned beef, house made Thousand Island aioli and bread from nearby Nightingale breads.
Ulia’s Deli: Locals love this westside deli, and credit for inspiring a lengthy discussion about the merits of Sonoma county’s Reuben’s started with a rave about Ulia’s top-notch Reuben.130 Stony Point Rd # F, Santa Rosa, 525-8542.
Arrigoni’s Deli: Downtown Santa Rosa is fortunate to have several solid delicatessens, and Arrigoni’s extensive sandwich selection makes it a top pick. Classic Reuben on rye. 701 4th St.,
Santa Rosa, 545-1297.
Even more Reubens
Willie Bird Turkey: It’s safe to say that pretty much anything you’re looking for is probably on Willie Bird’s menu. Though they specialize in turkey-centric eats, does a solid grilled Reuben with corned beef, Swiss and sauerkraut on rye. Why Thousand Island dressing is served “on request” is anyone’s guess. $9.75. 1150 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa, 542-0861.
The Un-Reuben: Taps Petaluma is known for hot dogs, rather than pastrami. Their version of the Reuben is an all-beef dog dressed up with sauerkraut, cheese and Thousand Island on a poppy seed bun.
Welcome Proximal Kitchen blogger Scott Kerson to the BiteClub lineup. We look forward to your fascinating take on recipes, wine, and of course, Costco…
When I was much younger, and still living with hippies, my best friend moved to Hawai’i. For a child, growing up on a commune can feel a lot like quarantine – albeit with more space, and dirtier – so losing my friend was a big deal. But whatever the logical link between our Mendocino commune and my friend’s new home in the cane fields (it still eludes me), it meant that we would visit, and for that I’m thankful: I still remember the feeling of gravelly black sand between my toes, the thrill of getting caught in a sudden tropical shower, and the snot-like sensation of eating poi for the first time.
While I have all sorts of nice things to say about hippies, virtually none of them includes the word “food”. But ask me how I first learned about the sweet/salty/sticky genius of fried eggs with rice and Portuguese sausage, and I’d probably have to credit those childhood visits to Hawai’i, and the non-biodegradable bento boxes of the stuff served up by McDonald’s franchises throughout the Islands.
I certainly don’t mean to endorse the drive-through version of the dish – after all, we’re talking about the same menu engineers who led the Hawaiian House of Crock down the dubious path of Spam and Eggs – but I strongly recommend that you make your own, without qualification: it’s fast, easy, and impresses the hell out of kids of all ages.
Hawaiian-style sausage, often called “portagee”, dates to the 19th century, when some 10,000 Portuguese immigrants came to Hawai’i to work the cane fields. They brought with them the classic Portuguese sausages, linguiça and chouriço, smoked and laden with garlic, paprika, and vinegar. In a classic of culinary evolution, the Hawaiians then added their own native pineapple and brown sugar, along with soy sauce from Asia, and for me, the world of force meats hasn’t been the same since.
But as good as it is in its own right, portagee truly reaches its apogee only when served over sushi-style rice with a gently-fried egg: the sticky rice a perfect, clingy nest for the crumbling sausage; the acidity of rice vinegar and pineapple a ballast to the sweetness of smoke and brown sugar; the intangible background note of earthy umami from the soy; and all of it bound together by the unctuousness of liquid yolk the color of marigolds from an impeccably fresh egg…
Hawaiian-Style Sausage with Eggs & Rice Recipe
Serves 4-8, as an appetizer or main course
Ingredients:
2C Japanese-style rice (available at any market), briefly soaked or rinsed until water runs clear
1/4C Seasoned rice vinegar (also widely available, or make your own, by dissolving 1/4C sugar and 2t salt in 1/4C plain rice vinegar)
Eggs (4-8, or 1-2 per serving)
1lb Hawaiian-style sausage (check with a local sausage maker like Franco Dunn or Willowside Meats, and if they don’t have true portagee, just substitute a smoked sausage such as linguica or chorizo)
Sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
2C water
Method:
1. Bring the water and rice to the boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer until done (detailed, dependable instructions on sushi rice may be found here).
2. While the rice is cooking, fry the sausage in a pan – I like to squeeze it out of the casing and crumble it up, as in the picture, but the more classic approach would be to slice it after cooking. Drain on a per towel.
3. When the rice is mostly done, gently fry the eggs, taking care to preserve most of the yolk in liquid form (assuming you trust your egg farmer – I know lots of them if you need a rec)
4. Season the rice with the vinegar and a tablespoon of the sesame seeds (if using)
5. Serve all together, with the rice on the bottom; or use a ring mold, as I did above, and layer the rice and the sausage, ending with rice, and top with a fried egg (I used a biscuit cutter to get the egg white round)
I love that my kids are interested in things like music, gymnastics, and horses, but let’s be honest, careening from one activity to the next like a life-size game of pinball can get as old as bingo in Florida, and gas north of 4 bones/gallon ain’t helping. But still, I try to cherish the time together these errands offer, because I know that all that stands between me and a perpetual string of lonely afternoons is a few years and a driver’s license, and I’d like always to remember what it feels like to earn the unquestioning dependence of a child.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are gymnastics days for my middle, and days on which our natural tack takes us past Love Farms’ roadside stand, where we sometimes shop together, and let the ebb and flow of the seasons determine our dinner. March can be a little tricky for the hyper-local shopper, but winter in wine country has its own austere rhythm, and one of its refrains is cauliflower.
Cauliflower – arguably, second only to truffles in the smells-almost-disturbingly-like-sex category – is a strange and wonderful beast. Ask a botanist and she’ll tell you that, as a member of the species B. oleracea, cauliflower is taxonomically indistinguishable from brussel sprouts, kale, broccoli, collard greens, and at least half a dozen other cruciferous vegetable that all seem very different, at least to me. Expose it to heat, and cauliflower can produce flavors ranging from the delicate (sometimes known as bland), all the way over to the sweet and earthen ends of the spectrum, sometimes even veering into funkier impressions of musk and sweat.
Niki Segnit, in her brilliant little treatise, The Flavor Thesaurus, talks about how cauliflower shares qualities with truffles, cheese, garlic and sex – “like sleeping with the greengrocer, in other words.” This wonderfully evocative description is in fact borne out by the stuff’s chemical proclivities for pairing, as I discovered using the software on FoodPairing.be, including things like oily fish, white chocolate, and strong cheese:This graphic helps make sense of some classically inspired dishes that sound a bit strange at first, like Heston Blumenthal’s chocolate-cauliflower risotto, Joel Robuchon’s pairing of cauliflower with asparagus and caviar, and the very old school Italian pasta sauce based on cauliflower and anchovies.
As a rule, I won’t even think about trying to recreate Michelin-starred dishes in my kitchen, but I do love old school Italian, and I’ve been meaning to take a crack at this whole cauliflower-anchovy thing ever since I first read about this dish in a wonderful piece on the Clary Sage blog. Here’s my take, more or less verbatim from Marcella Hazan, although the grated white chocolate “cheese” is all mine, for better or for worse…
Cauliflower Sauce with Garlic, Chili, & Anchovy (adapted from M. Hazan)
1 lb/500g best quality dry pasta; Marcella calls for penne, although I’ve found that orecchiette is unimpeachable
0.5C extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
6 flat anchovy fillets, chopped very fine
Crushed red chili flakes, to taste (start with 1/4t)
Handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 large head of cauliflower (or, better, 1-1.5lb of smaller ones of varying colors)
White chocolate, finely grated (optional, and while definitely not in the classic version, a real wow-factor)
Trim the cauliflower, break into large florets, and wash. Cook in boiling water until just fork-tender, but not mushy – test along the way. Drain and shock.
Saute the garlic and chili flakes in the oil until the garlic is a light golden brown and sweetly aromatic.
Turn off the heat and add the anchovies, mashing them into the oil with the back of a wooden spoon to form a paste – they should largely dissolve into the oil to make a sauce. Add the well-drained cauliflower, breaking up the florets into nut-sized pieces, turning them to coat in the sauce. Add salt to taste. The sauce will hold at room temperature for several hours at this point, so you can make it well ahead of time.
Cook the pasta. About half-way through, re-heat the sauce (take care not to burn the garlic or overcook the cauliflower).
Toss the pasta and sauce with the fresh parsley. Serve along with a bowl of the grated white chocolate in place of cheese – it will look and act just like cheese, adding a fatty flavor accent, except that it does so with a strangely wonderful sweetness.
It’s a surprising move by Napa’s community development crew who seemed to be supportive of the event. The city, however, is now requiring a litany of permits and ADA compliance regulations before letting the event continue. Held on private property near the Oxbow Market, the weekly truck gathering had the buy-in from nearby Oxbow Merchants and seemed to be bringing some new life to the struggling east-side food gulch. On the roster were Napa-based trucks including Dim Sum Charlie’s, Mark’s the Spot and Kara’s Cupcakes along with SoCo’s own Street-Eatz food truck participated in the weekly event. Dim Sum Charlie’s also participated in the nixed Munch Monday in Santa Rosa.
So what happened? Both the Napa Register and Napa Patch are reporting that the city planning director, Rick Tooker, is concerned about fire safety, handicapped accessibility, crowded conditions and alcohol use.
The good news: The trucks are, at least for now, being embraced by Sonoma. Or more specifically, Sebastiani Vineyards, who will host several of the Napa Trucks along with two guest trucks from San Francisco this Friday. More details here. Or here.
And of course, Rohnert Park is still supporting Tasty Tuesdays.
But for how long? The whole hubbub about the trucks has many regular folks scratching their heads. How could something with so much popular support be facing so much push back? It seems many city governments caught by surprise when the truck movement took off, often not having any official operating rules on the record for mobile food vendors. Sensing popular support and the possibility of good exposure for their cities, many looked the other way or worked with the trucks to find temporary permitting.
Now that the movement seems here to stay, brick and mortars and crying foul and city governments are panicking about possible lawsuits if someone gets sick, doesn’t have ADA compliant restrooms, or gets hurt on city property.
With all the red tape being wound around these grassroots events, it seems almost inevitable that the sprout of innovation and populist fun on the food front is going to be crushed out before it truly gets a chance to blossom.
So stay tuned for where the food convoy ends up after the town of Sonoma kicks them out. Because you know its just a matter of time. I hear Graton is nice this time of year.
The most cultured ticket this weekend is the fifth annual California Artisan Cheese Festival, Sunday March 27 from 11am to 4pm. The dairy-tastic event brings together more than 70 artisan cheesemakers from the West Coast in a frenzy of eating, sniffing, and celebrating the renaissance of hand-crafted cheeses. And you’re invited.
Throughout the day, ticket holders are invited to nibble and sip their way through the region’s tastiest curds, suds and wines. On the menu are cheesemongers Cowgirl Creamery, Cypress Grove, Epicurean Connection, Marin French Cheese, Bohemian Creamery, Redwood Hill Farm, Laura Chenel’s Chevre and Bellwether Farms.
Food purveyors include Black Pig Meat, Healdsburg Cheese Shop, Della Fattoria, Jimtown Store, TerraSonoma, McClelland’s Dairy and Muganaini Wood Fired Oven Pizza. Serving up liquid nourishment: Black Kite Cellars, Dutton-Goldfield, Keller Estate, Lagunita, Sonoma Valley Portworks and the Petaluma Gap Grape and Wine Alliance, among others.
Area chefs will demo their cheese skills throughout the day, including what sounds like a particularly interesting performance by Meadowood Pastry Chef, Boris Portnoy — Fat+Temperature+Speed+Time, the science of cooking with dairy, featuring Straus Family Creamery.
It was an even toss whether we were going to brave an entrance into Bubbaque’s in Petaluma. On the plus side were three meat smokers belching away on the front lawn despite the rain. On the minus side it’s located inside a frozen burrito, Skoal and beer mart on the outskirts of Petaluma. And everyone in the parking lot was wearing camo.
This was either going to be the best barbecue ever. Or the worst.
Fortunately for our stomachs, the story has a happy ending. Spanning most of the western wall of the Bodega Avenue Market, Bubbaque cooks up some of the best barbecue in Wine Country. The flurry of barbecue stained napkins, flying forks and pants dotted with greasy fingerprints attest to the critical endorsement of both BiteClub and Miss Mouse.
Using locally-sourced pork, his mama’s recipes and a lifetime of barbecue know-how Bubba (aka Tim Young) opened Bubbaque in September 2010 as a proving ground for his barbecue dreams. Longtime friend Jamie McNutt is Bubba’s cohort, spreading the gospel of Bubbaque to all who seek its truth.
Tim (known as Bubba to friends) is a burly bear of a guy who looks every bit the part, standing behind his smokers or dishing up slabs of ribs. He has no formal culinary training, but brings a passion to the craft that borders on obsession. The former crane operator and t-shirt printer works for weeks or months to get the flavors just right in a single dish. If he’s not happy with it, he won’t serve it.
Bubbaque Burger
On the menu: Tri Tip, roasted whole hog pulled pork, pork short ribs, barbecue chicken, burgers and his mom Linda’s homemade baked beans (sorry mom, but Linda’s are better), potato salad (a kitchen sink affair with a little bit of everything), pasta salad and coleslaw along with handcut, made-to-order fries. Each of the meats gets its own special sauce, but all share a sweet, smoky, molasses quality that’s hard to put down.
Half pound sandwiches range from $6.50 to $7.99, but are more than enough for two, or just about right for the hungry working guys who are Bubba-regulars. Everything’s available by the pound as well. BBQ Chicken special (a drumstick, thigh and two sides is just $5.99).
Are you Bubba Enough? Bubbaque’s got a yet-unnamed behemoth of a challenge that includes two pounds of hamburger, a pound of bacon, 12 slices of cheese, 12 onion rings, his grandma’s secret sauce, barbecue sauce and a pound of fries. Eat it in a an hour and it’s free, plus you get to name it. If not, it’s $26.99 — still not a bad deal. For slightly smaller mega-appetites, the “Quad” is an off-menu sandwich with pork, chicken, tri-tip and hamburger piled high on a French roll. Want to really man up? Bubba also makes a spicy habanero sauce that comes with a stern warning which Miss Mouse did not heed.
Really, everyone was wearing camo.
Like any great barbecue, the lack of ambiance weighs heavily in Bubbaque’s favor. The firewood stacks, sticky tables and country fried charm also help keep things, well, real. After all, good barbecue ain’t about fancy tablecloths and shiny silverware.
“We’re just good old boys doing backyard cooking,” says Mcnutt. And a hearty yee-haw to that.
After hunkering down over braised meats, hearty stews, root vegetables and way too many carbohydrates this winter, my body is clamoring for greens. A crunchy hit of chlorophyll mainlining straight to my sun-starved system.
Dressed up or dressed down, big leafy green salads are more than rabbit food. Topped with goat cheese, spiced nuts, slivered onions, or just a drizzle of olive oil and good balsamic, they’re a kick start of a meal that won’t have you snoozing through dessert.
Here are some favorites, from Caesars and wedges to beet and field greens. Because like Seinfeld’s Elaine, sometimes all you want is a big salad.
Breakfast Salad at Dierk’s Parkside: Warm poached eggs on a bed of local mixed greens with chopped bacon, fresh herbs, potatoes, croutons and tomatoes with herb dressing ($11.50). 404 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, 573-5955. Barndiva(231 Center St., Healdsburg, 431-0100) turns a similar salad around for dinner, with a warm garlic crouton, bacon, Pecorina cheese, eff and chives ($12).
Tuna Salad Redux: Lots of locals go crazy for the Jackson’s Bar and Oven’s Tombo Tuna salad with herbed greens, golden beets, cucumbers, cranberries, pinenuts & white balsamic vinaigrette. $16.95. Even the staff love it. Says restaurant GM, Ken Goldfine, “I seriously eat it once a week at least.” 135 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 545-6900. You can also find a grilled Tombo salad on the menu a Fresh by Lisa Hemenway, with spinach, grille mushrooms and a warm lemon and soy dressing. 5755 Mountain Hawk, Santa Rosa, 595-1048. In a hurry? Fresh has dozens of deli salads (from her signature Chinese chicken to warm spinach or fruit salads) made fresh daily.
Pizza Salad: What is crust, other than a convenient transport for veggies and cheese? Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar takes flatbread, then tops it with Caesar salad, crab salad or apricot chicken salad with watercress, calling it Piadine. Just want your greens? Locals swear by the Capo, with arugula, artichokes, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and lemon vinaigrette. 53 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 544-3221.
Caesar’s Caesar: While some folks shy away from the bold garlic and anchovy kick of the real deal, Blue Label at the Belvedere gives fair warning about their kiss-nixing ingredients: White Anchovy, soft boiled egg, a giant croutons and a heaping share of shaved Parmesan ($8). Plus, whole leaves of Romaine, rather than little hard hearts. 727 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 542-8705.
Et tu Brute? Everyone’s got a favorite Caesar, so here are a few others I’m partial to: Franco’s, 505 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, 523-4800; Stark’s Steakhouse Required Caesar (521 Adams St., Santa Rosa, 707.546.5100); Cafe Citti, 9049 Sonoma Hwy./Hwy. 12, Kenwood.
The Wedge: A snicker-worthy steakhouse staple, the wedge — a wedge of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing — has been resurrected. Modern steakhouses add artisan blue cheese and bacon while keeping true to the iceberg past. Shimo Modern Steakhouse, wedge with buttermilk ginger dressing. 241 Healdsburg Ave.,Healdsburg, 433-6000.
Cobb: The Cobb salad, invented at Hollywood’s Brown Derby in 1937, is a kitchen sink kind of salad usually incorporating lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, bacon, egg and French dressing. Monti’s Rotisserie gives it a French accent with Romaine, chicken, onions, feta, chopped egg and a mustard vinaigrette.714 Village Court, Santa Rosa, 568.4404
Chimay Pretzel Chicken Salad: Hearty enough to stand up to stout, this salad includes Barley and Hops’ signature Chimay Pretzel Chicken served warm over greens with mustard cream sauce, $11. 3688 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental, 874-9037.
Fig Salad at the Girl and the Fig in Sonom
Wine Country Salads: Yes, we’re known around these parts for putting some pretty odd things in our salads. Like fruit and goat cheese. Or jicama. But these seasonal eats showcase the foods coming from local farms (sometimes) or well, just a tasty combination that makes for a solid meal.
Got Goat? Santa Rosa’s grab and go lunch caterers, Pearson & Co., stock refrigerated deli and coffee shop cases throughout the county, but we love ’em best for the unappealingly named Crunchy Goat Salad — a heaping helping of fresh mixed greens, goat cheese, candied walnuts, grapes, red onions and balsamic vinaigrette. Store locations at 2759 4th St., Santa Rosa; 2500 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa; at their “secret” location at Kaiser Permanente 3925 Old Redwood Hwy., Santa Rosa. Downtown at Holy Roast , 490 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa.
Beet This: You’ll find creamy dollops of chevre on most local beet salads as well. These colorful masterpieces showcase peeled red, yellow and pink beets (usually local, often heirloom), with goat cheese, microgreens and olive oil. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an earthier, tastier, more NorCal plate of veggies anywhere. Top beet salads: Boon Eat + Drink, 16248 Main St., Guerneville, 869.0780; Hyatt Vineyard Creek Inn’s Brasserie, 170 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa, 636.7388.
Fruits, nuts and more:The girl and the fig’s Sondra Bernstein is legendary for her goat cheese, arugula and fig salad, and with good reason. It combines spicy greens, sweet figs, creamy cheese and a tart vinaigrette in soul-satisfying harmony. 110 West Spain Street, Sonoma, 938-3634. If you work in downtown Santa Rosa, you’ve probably got a favorite Flavor Bistro salad. I’m a Spinach girl (caramelized onions, bacon, pears, goat cheese) unless it’s a Pear and Endive day (pear, endive, walnuts, Gorgonzola); while my friend swears by the Harvest (field greens, dried fruits, feta, $7.95-$11.95). 96 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, 573-9600.
Worldly Salads: Greek-style Athena (Romaine, tomatoes, olives, onions, feta) to the spicy Bangkok (ginger curry grilled chicken with onion, mint, cilantro, peanuts and lemongrass vinaigrette), Asian Chicken, Cancun (lettuce, black beans, chipotle vinaigrette) or a simple bowl of tossed greens, $6.50-$9.95. Crepevine, 740 Farmers Lane, Santa Roa, 577-8822. Looking for a late night nibble? Open until 10pm weekdays, 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
Vietnamese Shrimp: A pile of lettuce, shrimp, cilantro and spicy fish sauce makes Noodle Palace’s our top choice for a refreshingly smart Shrimp salad ($6.95). 1310 Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Rosa.
, I was a little suspicious. This is a book full of recipes designed to use cake mixes.
