Entries by The Fuzzy Chef

There's an election next month.  You did know that, right?  Good, because you need to go to the polls and vote against Ed Lee.

In less than two weeks, San Franciscans must once again elect a mayor and other officers, as well as the usual horde of initiatives. Those of you who don't live and vote in San Francisco can just tune this one out.  If you're voting in SF, though, please read through for my recommendations on who to vote for and who not to.

More than just charcuterie; fantastic, creative small plates

Overall: 4.5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Ambience: 3
Dessert: 4.5
Wine List: 4
Vegetarian: 3.5
Noise: @@@@ inside, @@@ outside
Price: $$$$$
Paid: $80 ea.
Location: Chicago/Downtown
Genre: Pan-mediterranean

I was recently staying on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago for a software conference.  Software geeks being what they are, this meant I ate a lot of pizza -- and that I now have a pretty good handle on what's the best deep-dish pizza in downtown Chicago.  Read through for my verdict.

Apparently being veggie, or at least pretending to be veggie, or at least talking about being veggie, is back in vogue.  I just got this month's Sunset Magazine and half the recipes in there were vegetarian -- and the food focus of the issue was food for camping.  Even the recipes which were meat had "or tofu" in the ingredients, although how one would "shred" cooked tofu for taco salad is beyond me.

Celebrities are jumping on the bandwagon, too.

Having been around a bit, this feels really familiar.  Kinda like 1993.  We were in a recession then, too, weren't we?  Makes me think that, if the economy ever recovers, everyone who's a 25-year-old vegan now will be all steak and "new comfort food" in 2015. 

Of course, since we are talking about a lot of newly minted vegetarians, there's the usual dietary flailing about.  Meat substitutes, tons of tofu and pasta, unsustainable combination diets, and mostly not knowing how to cook.  This is another repeat of the 90's; if you don't like to cook, you're not going to stay a veg.  It requires too much thought and time in the kitchen. 

Nowhere is this more in evidence than Portland, Oregon, the nation's City of Vegetarians (not the Vegetarian Capitol, which for historical reasons is Ithaca, New York).  With the rest of us squares eating meatless meals, Portland has to do one better, and now every restaurant in Stumptown has a vegan section on the menu.  Alongside the "gluten-free" section.  It's surreal; nowhere on Earth has so many special diets which don't involve ordained religious leaders.

It's also the only place where someone will call me a caveman for eating eggs.  Anne Hathaway would fit right in.

As a non-meat-eater myself, this swing toward the herbivorous pole is certainly convenient.  I don't have to check restaurant menus in advance to make sure I can eat something, except for a few ethnicities.  Even the French Laundry now has a vegetarian option.  But I can't get too comfortable, since I know it'll swing back with a vengeance once people can afford more meat again, or when a new diet fad hits.

Besides, you know what?  The vegan cupcakes are surprisingly good.

I make a lot of middle eastern food, especially lately.  Turkish, Israeli, Syrian, Bulgarian, Greek, Persian, you name it.  Partly it's because I find middle eastern food is adaptable to many dietary requirements, especially non-meat.  Partly it's because it's healthful.  Partly it's because I own a lot of really good middle eastern cookbooks.

However, a lot of those recipes require special ingredients.  And in the Bay Area, the absolute best place to get those is Alhana in San Mateo.  More ...