Latest news with #ChezPanisse
Eater
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
This Peach Toast Is San Francisco's Sweetest Summer Dish
Many dishes could be called 'peak San Francisco,' but its most infamous one is likely 'figs on a plate.' Indeed, Chez Panisse's most notorious dish is a fruit bowl, a nod to California's bountiful produce and culinary ethos that believes good ingredients should just speak for themselves. The peaches served at SoMa's bakery and cafe, the Nosh Box, are not served as-is. Yet the sweet summer fruit makes a critical addition to what might be the San Francisco dish of the summer. An essential watering hole in the heart of SoMa, the Nosh Box attracts young professionals and leather queens alike. You'll find some of the city's best pastries here, made from scratch in a lofty kitchen (literally in a loft), but to experience the California ethos they embody at its best, ordering their peach toast is an absolute must. It's served on a toasted square slice of house-made bread made with malted rye and red wheat that has been cold fermented overnight. Underneath them is a thick layer of mascarpone from Petaluma's Bellwether Farms, and drizzled on top is a spicy zhug oil, an olive oil saturated in dried Middle Eastern chiles and spices. The mascarpone amplifies the oil's richness and serves to spotlight the peach itself, the star of the show. Nosh Box co-owner, baker, and muscle bear daddy Stephen Wade has sourced these yellow peaches of the Gold Dust variety from Matsumoto Family Farms down in Bakersfield. He expertly slices each one to order, collecting their poisonous pits for later processing. (Perfectly ripe, they slide right down the gullet if you're not careful.) They have a hint of mango and are exceedingly sweet. Of course, you don't have to get the peach toast if you visit the Nosh Box. You might be there for their delectable scones, or on Thursday nights for queer-centric events (where you could also eat their delectable scones). You can totally order a coffee with your peach toast, but, gratefully, Nosh Box serves natural wine. I'd recommend a local Pet Nat; it's brunch-o'-clock somewhere, and it will be the best deconstructed Bellini you've ever had. But their take on peach toast is San Francisco in a nutshell. Co-owners Stephen and Edwin Stoodly have decades of combined work in hospitality, running the gamut from Union Square Cafe to pre-Starbucks ownership La Boulange, and their take on peach toast is an homage to the Bay Area chefs and bakers whose cookbooks they proudly display for guests' perusal – from Alice Waters to Samin Nosrat to Michelle Polzine of the late 20th Century Cafe. It's a showpiece for the Matsumoto family, the result of their labor that yields their special fruit. And it's a symbol of California cuisine's relentless staying power. Peaches, tomatoes, or melons are complete dishes in and of themselves. They are, at least, in summertime. You'd be a fool not to take part in the quarterly glory. The Nosh Box is a lovely place to start off your day, whether alone with your laptop or for brunch with your besties (they, too, have a killer breakfast sandwich). On Thursdays, when they're open until 9 p.m., it's a great place to bring a date, perhaps before heading to one of the nearby bars that may just have a darker interior. It is on Folsom, after all. The Nosh Box (1116 Folsom Street) is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, or SoMa Nights, and is closed Sunday and Monday.
Eater
7 days ago
- Business
- Eater
Sushi Chef Brings Even More Heat to Menlo Park's Restaurant Scene
A new restaurant highlighting Edomae-style sushi opened in Menlo Park on Saturday, June 7. Ren is the latest from restaurateur Sunny Noah, who's opened Tancho Japanese Restaurant in Castro Valley, Nagai Edomae Sushi in Redwood City, and Iki Omakase in Palo Alto over the last few years. Leading the restaurant is chef Wen Zhao, who previously worked at the Michelin-listed Omakase in San Francisco. Ren offers an 18- to 20-course prix fixe omakase menu in an 8-seat sushi bar setting, with fish from Tokyo's Toyosu Market, per a press release. It's the latest opening to join a slate of restaurants that have opened (or are readying an opening) in Menlo Park. Since January, the city has seen openings such as chef Srijith Gopinathan's Eylan; Clark's Oyster Bar on Santa Cruz Avenue; LeVant Dessert; and more. The upcoming Yeobo, Darling is also set to open on Friday, June 13, and Somm Cellars and its sister restaurant Cafe Vivant will open in late July, both on Santa Cruz Avenue. A new Chick-fil-A is coming to San Jose despite pushback from locals, the Mercury News reports. A 1.1-acre lot at the corner of Race and West San Carlos streets is the site of the new restaurant; various plans have been proposed for that spot, including a mixed-use development, but planning officials ultimately approved a permit allowing the fast food chain to build a 5,139-square-foot outpost. This, despite 3,200 residents signing a petition against opening the new eatery and most public comments opposing the development, per the Merc . After 115 years in Sacramento, Blue Diamond Growers will wind down operations at its midtown plant and move manufacturing to Turlock and Salida over two years, the Sacramento Bee reports. In a statement, Blue Diamond's president and CEO said that running the processing plant has become 'too costly and inefficient.' About 600 workers will be affected, and the Bee reports that 10 percent of plant employees will be let go. Tùm Lum Tùm La and others will hold a fundraiser pop-up for nonprofit No Immigrants No Spice on Sunday, June 15. The event will be held in the Chez Panisse parking lot from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., featuring a vermicelli bowl, slices of passion fruit pandan chiffon layer cake, and more. Pre-orders are recommended via Chez Panisse's Square site, but limited walk-ups are available. See More: San Francisco Restaurant News
Vancouver Sun
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Cook This: 3 recipes for sharing from Family Style, including crispy devilled tea eggs
Our cookbook of the week is Family Style by fashion designer Peter Som. Jump to the recipes: crispy devilled tea eggs , sweet and sour sticky ribs with citrus peanut gremolata, and charred cabbage with hoisin tahini Caesar . Fashion and food may seem a world apart, but for designer and cookbook author Peter Som , they're connected. A great-looking sweater might catch your eye as you scroll, but appearance isn't everything. There's also how it fits and feels. Likewise, we eat with our eyes first, yet a dish has to have substance, following up its looks with flavour and texture. Though the fundamentals and technicalities differ, Som's creative approach to both is similar. 'Whenever I design clothes, I like my clothes to be what they call 'front of closet.' That's a garmento term, but it's those pieces you want to wear every day. That favourite sweater,' says Som, who has dressed many notable figures, including Michelle Obama and Beyoncé. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Som extended his elegant way with the everyday to the 100 recipes in his cookbook debut, Family Style (Harvest, 2025). 'I want these to be dishes you'll make over and over. That'll be great when you get home on a Tuesday at seven and you're tired, or perfect for Saturday company.' Writing the book was a period of rediscovery for Som. He dedicated Family Style to his mom, Helen, and maternal grandma, Mary, the family matriarch who died 20 years ago. His aunts, uncles, cousins, sister and mom shared stories, which helped him learn more about Mary through her food as he translated their memories into recipe form. Helen and Mary instilled a love of food in Som from a young age. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, his grandmother's mostly Cantonese cooking and American baking and his mom's love of French food and the local, seasonal cuisine born out of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., shaped him. 'I could never get McDonald's, which, as a kid, is really annoying, but now, I fully appreciate the dedication she put into everything that was put on the plate,' he says of Helen's cooking. 'As a working architect, she didn't have tons of time. But when my sister and I would get our braces tightened, she would make spinach soufflé because it was easy to eat, and we got our vegetables. Food has always been very central to my life, and it's been exciting to delve into it even more.' Som sees his career in food as an 'expanding focus,' not a departure from fashion. 'I still have a few toes in fashion in a few projects. But back when I did my runway collections, I was full-on. I had all toes, all hands and my full body — I was all-in fashion, and cooking was always in the background. I think it was the thing that kept my feet on the ground in a very heady, sometimes crazy industry.' Retreating to his kitchen, whether to cook for himself or his friends, was a way for Som to centre himself. When he closed his runway collection business in 2015, cooking became even more integral. Som's professional foray into food started organically as he tapped into something that he had long loved to do. Som started sharing photos of his dinner on Instagram and realized his audience had an appetite for it when people started asking for the recipes. In 2019, he launched The Extra Taste , a vertical on his website featuring all things food, including recipes and restaurant guides. In fifth grade, Som knew he wanted to be a fashion designer. 'From that moment on, I had my blinders on. I was focused. So, it took me a while to allow myself to have a new dream, in a way. And it wasn't until I took off those blinders that I saw something I loved through the whole time, right under my nose.' The book's title is a nod to Som's design background. He likes his dishes to look appealing without feeling belaboured, whether it's a finishing flurry of herbs or a sprinkle of salt. It also encompasses his favourite way to eat: family style. 'There's nothing more fulfilling than family, blood or chosen, coming around a table and breaking bread or, in my case, sharing rice,' he says, laughing. If you have a pantry and a fridge door full of essentials, such as 'flavour bombs' miso, hoisin and Pecorino Romano, Som believes you can mix and match and come up with a delicious meal. Creativity in the kitchen is the throughline of Family Style. He wants readers to have fun — to allow themselves to experiment, play with ingredients and taste how they go together. 'You never know where it'll lead you.' After all, he says, 'Umami is umami, whether it comes from miso, soy sauce or a hunk of Parmesan.' Som merges influences, using hoisin and tahini in a Caesar dressing drizzled over charred cabbage wedges and finishes an udon dish with finely grated Pecorino Romano. From his award-winning eponymous fashion line to past women's runway collections for Tommy Hilfiger and current designs for Rent the Runway , Som is renowned for sleek silhouettes and vibrant colours. When he had his runway collections, Som says he designed 'happy clothes' for everyday moments, not just special occasions. He develops recipes with a similar ethos. 'If something can put a smile on your face, especially in the crazy world we're living in, that's what it's all about. For me, and I think for a lot of people, food is comfort. It's security. It's nostalgia. It brings you back to those childhood memories. So, if somebody makes my recipe and it makes them smile, that's the greatest honour.' Makes: 12 devilled eggs Marinated eggs: 2 tbsp light soy sauce 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns 1 star anise 2 tsp sugar 3 black tea bags 6 large eggs Panko topping: 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup panko 1/8 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 cup mix of finely chopped dill and cilantro Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Everything else: 3 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise 1/2 tsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp mustard powder Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 sheet nori, finely chopped 1 tbsp bonito flakes Dill and cilantro, for garnish In a small pot, combine the light soy, dark soy, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, sugar, tea bags and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn the heat down, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, then remove and discard the tea bags. Transfer the marinade to an airtight container. Rinse the pot, fill with fresh water, and bring to a boil. Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water and cook for 9 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool completely. Peel the eggs and add them to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 hours, stirring the eggs a few times to ensure the marinade coats all the eggs thoroughly. To make the panko topping, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the panko and smoked paprika and toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs, season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a plate and spread out to let cool. To assemble, remove the eggs from the marinade and cut them in half, wiping the blade clean between each cut. Remove the yolks with a spoon and transfer to a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise, oyster sauce and mustard powder and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Use two spoons to spoon the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. To serve, spread half the toasted panko on a serving plate, then top with the devilled eggs. Sprinkle with the remaining panko and top with the nori and bonito flakes. Garnish with dill and cilantro and serve. Serves: 6-8 Ribs: 1 tbsp five-spice powder 2 tsp smoked paprika 2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 tsp cayenne powder 1 (4-lb/1.8-kg) rack baby back pork ribs 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 cup beer, apple cider or water Sweet and sour sauce: 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp sriracha Kosher salt 2 to 3 drops red food colouring (optional) 2 tsp cornstarch Gremolata: Grated zest of 1 orange Grated zest of 1 lemon Grated zest of 1 lime 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley 1/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Preheat the oven to 275F (140C). Line a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine the five-spice, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne and mix to combine. Rub the rack of ribs with the olive oil, then coat completely with the spice rub on all sides, patting with your hands to make it adhere. Place the rack bone side down on the prepared baking sheet (if your rack is large, cut it in half). Add the beer to the pan, taking care not to pour it onto the rack. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 2 hours. Meanwhile, make the sweet and sour sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the ketchup, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, sriracha, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and food colouring (if using). In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water until completely combined, then pour the mixture into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside. Remove the foil, turn the ribs bone side up, and brush generously with the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the oven temperature up to 400F (200C) and roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, flipping the ribs and slathering with more sauce every 5 minutes. Turn the broiler on high. Brush more sauce on the meaty side of the ribs and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and starting to darken. Remove the ribs from the oven and brush one final coat of glaze on top. Let rest for 15 minutes. While the ribs are resting, make the gremolata. In a small bowl, combine the orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest, parsley, peanuts and olive oil. Cut the rack into individual ribs. Sprinkle with the gremolata and serve with more sweet and sour sauce alongside. Serves: 6-8 1 large head green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges with root end attached 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp fennel seeds Hoisin tahini Caesar: 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 3 tbsp tahini Juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp hoisin sauce 2 tsp anchovy paste 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Everything else: 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup panko 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 1 tsp grated lemon zest Chopped dill fronds and chives, for garnish Flaky sea salt, for finishing Preheat the oven to 450F (230C) with a rack in the centre position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out the cabbage wedges on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the wedges are tender and charred on the edges. Flip, sprinkle with the fennel seeds, season again with kosher salt and pepper, and continue to roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until the edges are charred, the cabbage is tender, and a knife inserted into the root end slides in easily. Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, hoisin, anchovy paste and Pecorino Romano. Season with kosher salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the panko and sesame seeds and toast, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Arrange the cabbage on a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing. Sprinkle the sesame panko atop, then garnish with dill and chives. Finish with flaky sea salt and serve. Recipes and images excerpted from the book Family Style by Peter Som. Copyright ©2025 by Peter Som. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our cookbook and recipe newsletter, Cook This, here .
Irish Examiner
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: These home baked beans go well with any piece of fish
Netflix series Chef's Table is back with a new season. This time around, the focus is honouring four 'Legends'. There's Alice Waters, who pioneered the farm-to-table movement in America. Her restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California opened in 1971 and is still going today. Then there's Thomas Keller, chef owner of the famous The French Laundry in Napa Valley, where he has held three Michelin stars for 18 years. The king of fine dining in America, he has another three Michelin-star restaurant, Per Se, in New York city. José Andrés, born in Spain, has a whopping 40 restaurants in America. In 2010, he founded the non-profit organisation Central Food Kitchen, providing meals across the world in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. He's been included twice in Time magazine's most influential people. I was delighted to see Jamie Oliver included in this series. Oftentimes, he doesn't get the respect I feel he deserves within the industry. He's the chef on this list that's influenced me the most. So much so, that I'm not sure what I'd be doing now if his TV shows like Naked Chef hadn't sparked my interest in food all those years ago. His episode charts his rise to fame at 24, how he made cooking cool and uncomplicated, without the use of technical language, authored 35 books with dyslexia, his hugely impactful work navigating the reform of school dinners in the UK and his contribution to the sugar tax legislation. This weekend's recipe, gurnard with home baked beans, is all about that kind of simplicity. These beans would work as a side dish with any piece of fish, so use whatever is available to you. They are great with chunky fillets of hake and pollock. Gurnard is a fabulous fish. Lesser known and underutilised it's native to our waters. Gurnard with Home Baked Beans recipe by:Aishling Moore These beans would work as a side dish with any piece of fish, so use whatever is available to you. Servings 4 Preparation Time 15 mins Cooking Time 2 hours 10 mins Total Time 2 hours 25 mins Course Main Ingredients For the baked beans 250g dried cannellini beans (or 2 x 235g of cannellini beans drained) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 small bulb garlic 2 sprigs rosemary For the tomato sauce 3 tbsp golden rapeseed oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1 tsp dried oregano 300ml passata 1 tbsp honey 25g butter Salt Black pepper For the gurnard 4 x large fillets of gurnard (or 8 small) 2 tbsp golden rapeseed oil Fine sea salt 1 lemon Method Soak the beans overnight (or at least 10 hours before you plan on cooking) in 1 litre of boiling water in a large bowl. Strain the soaked beans and rinse well under cool running water in a colander. Grease a large pot or Dutch oven with the olive oil and place the rinsed beans, garlic bulb, herbs and bay leaf inside. Top up with 1.1 litres of boiling water and season generously with sea salt and place a tight- fitting lid on. Bake in a 175°C preheated oven for 1 hour 45 minutes. Check after one hour, as cooking time can differ depending on the beans. Remove from the oven, discard the stalks of rosemary and garlic. To make the sauce, heat a medium heavy-based pot on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook in the rapeseed oil for 2 minutes until golden. Add the smoked paprika, cayenne and oregano and cook for a further minute before adding the passata. Add the honey, season with salt and black pepper and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 8-10 minutes to reduce the sauce. Add the drained beans and warm through. Finish with butter and taste to correct seasoning. Keep warm while cooking the gurnard. For the fish: Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease a large baking tray with rapeseed oil. Place the fillets of gurnard on the greased tray and brush each fillet generously with rapeseed oil. Season with fine sea salt and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flakes when gently pressed. Finish with lemon juice and serve. Fish tales Gurnard is one of the trickier species to fillet, so I'd recommend relying on your local fishmonger to tackle this fish. You'll find bones running down the centre of the fillet of gurnard. I recommend asking your fishmonger to remove these also. Make sure you use a baking tray large enough to have space between the fillets of fish to allow the heat to circulate evenly. If you're going to the trouble of soaking and baking the beans in the oven, you'll have some leftovers. Add to salads, soups and stews or make a cannellini bean hummus. Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days. These beans are also great for breakfast. Read More Seafood Made Simple: My Welsh Rarebit blends fish with cheese for an oceanic oomph
Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Chef's Table: Legends, review: before Jamie Oliver, cooking was for losers
Television is laden with food. From drama to entertainment factual, from The Bear to Boiling Point to Bake-Off to MasterChef, chow is cool. Ten years of Netflix's Chef's Table, which casts chefs as rock stars and restaurants as their much-hyped backing bands, attests to a complete reassessment of what food means. There was a queue 200-long for a pop-up selling baked potatoes in Soho last week. This means something (although it may just be that the spud fans have never heard of the Emperor's New Clothes). For its 10th anniversary, Chef's Table has re-emerged as Chef's Table: Legends (Netflix), granting an hour each to Jamie Oliver, José Andrés, Thomas Keller and Alice Waters. Of these, British viewers will most likely have heard only of Oliver, unless the names (and prices) of American restaurants The French Laundry, Chez Panisse and minibar happen to be palatable. But while Legends may appear to be just hagiography – and there is indeed a great deal of kissing the ring – over the course of the series it does make a compelling case that what these four chefs have done is more than just amusing bouches. Oliver's societal influence is the most obvious – it's why he gets people's backs up even as he's selling millions of books. With the calm and ease of hindsight, Chef's Table makes a strong argument for how he has changed British cuisine. It's not that complex a history – before Oliver, the British were not great chefs, cooking was for losers and no self-respecting young Oasis fan would be seen dead at a fishmonger's. After Oliver, cooking was cool and something boys did to get girls. He changed TV cookery, and cookery, and eating. The films about Andres, Keller and Waters are if anything even more beautiful to look at (side issue, but food photography in 2025 is so good it is practically Pavlovian) but, as with the Oliver film, they also tease out how something as high-end as fine dining trickles down into mainstream culture. Andres, for example introduced the small plates phenomenon to American cuisine (for which this diner thinks he should be par-boiled, though opinions may differ). Waters, with Chez Panisse, championed the farm-to-table movement, which has ultimately led to people thinking a little bit more about where their food has come from and why that might matter. And Keller has done his best to de-poncify fine dining, while still maintaining two three-Michelin-starred restaurants for more than a decade. Are they all democratisers, as Chef's Table maintains? Well millions of us are waiting for the next series of The Bear, which is all about fine dining and food and standards and caring (and indeed, featured one Thomas Keller in a father figure role last season). As this series shows, you don't have to have eaten their food to understand why these people deserve some veneration. Chances are that without The Naked Chef sliding down the bannisters like a prune, very few people in the UK would be watching The Bear or paying any interest to a Netflix documentary series called Chef's Table.
