ssäm: the next best trend in a bundle ~ lettuce bundle that is....

curried shrimp ssäm: love making this for the family.....


In the beginning there was lettuce: Bibb lettuce entwined with baby romaines awaiting.....


curried shrimp with basmati rice lingers with savory seasonings such as curry powder, brown sugar, onion powder, garam masala, paprika + sea salt.....


from the Korean "banchan" family - easy marinated cucumbers: the trick to this is pre-salting with sea salt to soften the cucumber slices. Thereafter, squeeze the water residue out of the cucumbers prior the remaining marinating process......


I love going against the grain: a globally inspired ssäm derived from my love of spices from India + Korea combined with a fresh twist sans the spicy Korean hot chili paste kochujang.....really not needed here.


helpful ssäm eating thoughts: enclose the surrounding lettuce leaves into a 'ball' like bundle and then exercise your right to bite.....

Hey can you believe this?!! I am at a loss for words today.....basically this week I have been multi~tasking to death and realizing I can only do so much to conquer the world in one day.

Yet I wanted to share this recipe with you along with sexy food porn shots to keep my creative flood gates open......and I'm actually running out the door with a platter of these (lettuce wraps + cukes in the cooler and the curried shrimp + rice in the hot pot) to make it to Mochachocolata Rita's Chinese Take-Out Party



MC Rita has literally got it going on with a host of bloggers from all over the globe at her doorstoop with platters of savory dumplings, gyoza, potstickers, Szechuan chicken and even sweet & sour pork belly to name a few from her guest list.

See you there!

The spices mentioned below for the marinade have been recipe tested-true blue to the utmost and should definitely result in a savory + sweet seductive accompaniment to a meal or perhaps an amuse-bouche for your next house party.

It would be quite enticing to pair alongside a glass of well chilled dry yet fruit forward Viognier or perhaps a spice-ladened mango inspired Gerwürztraminer.

curry shrimp ssäm ~ lettuce wrap
©2008 recipe + words Ingar Brunnett, TasteMemory

1 lb. shrimp, deveined, butterflied and chopped to bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. brown sugar or natural cane sugar
1 teasp. onion powder
1/2 teasp. sea salt
1/4 teasp. garam masala
1/4 teasp. old bay seasoning
1/4 teasp. paprika
1/4 teasp. cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil

to sauté
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 juice fresh lemon

to serve
Boston/Bibb lettuce leaves, two big heads, rinsed and dried
bunch of baby romaine leaves, rinsed and dried
steamed brown or white rice

optional
korean pickled cucumbers or radish (future post ~ promise....)

In a medium size bowl, add shrimp and all the seasonings. Remember the key is to chop the shrimp into delicate bite size morsels. Toss gently until seasoning is evenly distributed. Lastly, combine with olive oil. The spices may seem like a lot but the shrimp absorbs it like a sponge which perfects the marinade. Cover and chill for 1 hour or overnight is fine.

Heat both oils in sauté pan. Add the seasoned shrimp and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until it becomes cooked through and gains a lovely rich golden brown color. Careful not to overcook shrimp. Squeeze the juice of half a fresh lemon over the shrimp. Remove from heat.

Serve family style so everyone can help themselves with a Bibb lettuce leaf or two, line with a few baby romaines on top, then a heaping dollop of rice with a generous spoonful of sweet savory + spicy shrimp. Top with pickled cucumbers or radish if desired.

This is perfect as an appetizer or a side dish to a meal.

It's a mouth watering experience in a delicate jewel~like bundle.

diary of a mad foodie: how to make korean seaweed soup aka miyeok kuk or nicely said ~ sea vegetable soup globally inspired!

dried seaweed: not your everyday dime store visitor......


submerged in tap water: resurfing back to the sea.....options are endless now


freakin' mermaid left her *&#$&@$! garter belt on my kitchen counter


If you were ever wondering how to cook with seaweed or *ahem* sea vegetables, I thought to share a bit of insight with you. I reiterate the term sea vegetables because of previous reactionary comments from people that are not familiar with the fab quality, taste + nutritious value of seaweed.

When I first made a pot of Korean seaweed soup, also known as miyeok kuk for my in-laws and others......I didn't find them too responsive to it.

With that in mind, I began a quest to develop a recipe that would be more inviting to the timid palate yet still retain its intensity and savory appeal. That seems to be my motto......retaining intensity + savory appeal without overtly turning palates away......but at the same time retaining the challenge!

Challenge is so necessary.....don't you think?

aaaaaghhhhhhh!!! OMG - Wwwhat is that thing??!!


I also wanted to mention, that I find my readership to this blog quite adventurous and your comments have already proven that! Alongside your posts on your own blogs ~ that I find more so challenging + entertaining, so here goes.....


trimming unnecessary ends: parts that are overtly ewey + gooey......like I prefer not to have in my soup.....hey, but makes a real sexy making facial mask when blended with honey......I'm not kidding


I have been on this trek to develop a more health conscious (I hate that combined effort of those two words, but I can't think of anything else right now) recipes that focus on use of natural, organic and globally inspired ingredients. I consider my cooking to focus on Korean American inspired recipes as well as other Asian recipes with a slant (hah!) toward healthier, natural ingredients and approachable techiques for the Americano and global foodies abroad.

For example.....the seaweed soup I grew up with was made with chicken broth, but had chunks of beef simmered alongside obscenely gaudy wads of seaweed. I think sometimes my mom threw in chicken gizzards and other obscure body parts (animal parts mind you)to really freak me out per chew.

the beginnings of the trimming session: From here.....I trim to more definitive bite size pieces. The long strands on the far right side is the stuff I've trimmed off for my facials.....like you really want to know


trimmed the stem off here (left top)......then sliced into very thin strips lengthwise (top right)


Miyeok guk is traditionally prepared for the pregnant/nursing mother and college students because of the high nutritional content including fiber, protein, iron and calcium.

Raw foodists and those of you that are watching the chain of emerging super foods know that seaweed contains an extraordinary amount of wealth of minerals + vitamins including iodine, magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, C, B12 to name the very few as well as nutritionally valued fatty acids.

nicely trimmed, seasoned + topped with the niceities.....doesn't it look ~ well at least presentable now?


all dressed up


supporting cast members from the top: green onions, roasted sesame seeds crushed, knob of fresh ginger + minced garlic

I also pre-marinate the seaweed with garlic, green onions, fresh ginger, sesame seeds and sesame oil for starters.

My Korean relatives.......most notably my elder uncles & aunts enjoy my cooking but slightly freak out because it really is not 'tradional' Korean cooking. Actually, some of this stuff my mom taught me....and once they know it was handed down by mom then they leave it alone.

I do not use fatty cuts of meat that is common in some Korean cooking. For example if fatty bacon is called for, I usually replace with paprika+onion powdered smoked chicken, lean cut of pork or if I'm lazy Canadienne bacon. Another commonality in Asian cooking is the use of two to three different meat proteins in one dish (as I am discovering this becomes more difficult for some people to digest or lets say for those that are trying to trim back a bit aka gut builder).

cukes for banchan: slice the cucumbers paper thin ~ evenly, precisely...........what?.....Who's a control freak? Does this pict reflect control freakism?

I also use more ingredients + methods that are fresh, less preserved and perhaps from other cultures that will generate questions marks and slam doors on traditional Korean 'zen' cuisine.

Actually, being of Korean descent I have yet to run into a 'zen' Korean. As I call it and my husband even reinforces what we call the 'hostile Korean'. Why do you think they still have the north and south?

Also, why do ALL Koreans in the United States + elsewhere claim to be from Seoul?

Like there is no other f*** city in that country other than Seoul?

Who's hostile?

Strange.

simmering with goodness: abyss of minced garlic, green onions, ginger, sesame seeds, onions, sea salt w. seaweed + chicken broth


welcome home: how to make a perfect bowl of soup

I like make seaweed soup to replenish my family with something soothing, comforting and nourishing.

I also make it when we've been to busy to make it out to the beach as it reminds me of emersing myself in ocean waters to be free.

The taste memory of seaweed soup reminds me of returning home......and not necessarily to the one readily considered home.......

korean seaweed soup ~ miyeok kuk
*refreshed* version © 2008 recipe + words Ingar Brunnett, TasteMemory

1 1/2 oz. dried korean seaweed for soup (or wakame) for example see here
5 green onions, tops + bottoms trimmed off, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teasp. fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, grounded with mortar + pestle or other
2 teasp. sesame oil
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

soup stock:
2 quarts of filtered water
4 cups of organic chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 whole onion, outer skins peeled off

optional:
1 small korean white radish or japanese daikon, sliced in half, then in half moons 1/3" thick
1 clove garlic, sliced really thin lengthwise

steamed brown or white rice

In a large bowl, fully emerse seaweed in cool water. Allow to soak for 20 minutes until soft and pliable. Rinse thoroughly and drain.

Trim off ends that feel ewey + gooey + overtly gelatinous (doesn't this sound appealing? ~ see picture above for reference. Test by trying to tear the bottom strands off - if they tear easily....then it's trimmable. Also, please note you don't have to do this to the 'T' regarding the trimming of endz.....This is what my mother taught me, and I know from experience that *other* Korean families don't really do this as much as my immediate family of chopping + slicing + dicing + trimming freaks.....so you can chill on this part to your liking.

Also, I really think that trimming the seaweed to smaller bite size pieces makes this soup more palatable. The intense Korean versions I've had retains the seaweed in huge wads in your bowl. Not too pleasant. I also trim off the thick stems (see photo above) and slice them into to thin strips. Again, this is your call.

After the trimming episode, squeeze out excess water from seaweed and place in medium size bowl. Add 3/4 of the chopped green onions, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, sesame oil. Then taste test a few strands. Remember there will be a hint of saltiness from the sesame seeds so consider that prior adding the sea salt. Also, make sure the sesame seeds are roasted and ground....this is so essential in the flavor of the marinade I can't tell you enough! Season lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Combine mixture, cover and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

In a large stock pot, add water, chicken broth and the whole freaking onion intact. Bring to boil, add the seasoned seaweed, sliced radishes + sliced garlic. Bring heat down to low~medium and allow to simmer at least 20 minutes whilst stirring on occasion. You can simmer a bit longer, just bring the heat down until ready to serve. Do not cover.

To make additional marinade aka ganjang for soup, in a small bowl combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, dash of sesame oil, freshly ground black pepper, toasted sesame seeds if you have any left over and the remaining minced green onions.

Ladle into soup bowls.

Serve with steamed rice + ganjang for additional seasoning.

Also, YUM with pickled cucumbers, kimchi aka kimchee and other banchan....but that's another post!

Danish Layer Cake: Freedom to exercise

my attempt at baking something masterful....please don't laugh....esp. Medena over at Café Chocolada, pastry aficionado!

I am reading M.F.K. Fisher again.

She has been a delight to read because she breaks tradition.

Her voice is dauntless at times that I wonder how she ever survived the early years with her sense of clairvoyance and attitude toward the sedated just mix a highball crowd back then.

Last few nights I have been reading and re-reading through The Gastronomical Me and realized something about her.

Absolute pure genius she was.....

She was purely a different breed; so exact as a matter of fact and I imagine was perceptive as hell. If you sat clear across the room from her, she would be able to sop your soul through like dense bread over meat drippings.

Then on a flip coin I read vintage The Cooking of Provincial France.

I actually grew up reading this book not realizing M.F.K. Fisher was a woman.

I cherish this book with dear life.

If a tornado were to run through this house.....I'd grab my kids, my purse, this book and my eyelash curler ;-)

With the 'munchkins' we decorated this cake with a make-shift pastry bag from parchment paper.....frosting is made of cream, white sugar, vanilla, a touch of gelatin, drained chopped fresh pineapples, hand shaved semi-sweet chocolate....

I made this Danish cake referring back to my taste memory when I worked as a designer in Los Angeles some years back. I also found an old recipe from another out of print book that re-played similarities of ingredients from the Danish cakes I used to love so much.

There was a Danish bakery nearby where our breaks were taken.....in between hunkering over the drafting board, cigarettes....I recall the treat of layer cake and for later a sweet roll with slivers of Havarti cheese with thick wedges of cucumbers.

I love Danish cakes and also some French pastry because it is not cloyingly sweet like some American cakes aka Betty Crocker inspired.

This cake was a killer to make ~ supposed to be a three layer cake but I couldn't fathom how that was done as explained in the recipe, so instead of creating a pile of crumbles I relented to the simplicity of two layers.

Too many increments, too precisely oriented and already naturally uptight because of Asian descent (ha!).....Korean to be exact.....I'd rather let loose on a savory dish......marinate + roast a bone marrow for pete's sake......spend an afternoon with a mallet and a side of beef would be nice, or perhaps cram a bag carrots through a juicer to get my aggression out.

Bake a cake?

I do things for love ~ esp. for the love my family and friends.....

Okay so far MFK Fisher, Danish layer cakes, vintage cookbooks, family and friends which leads to my official thank you to Medena at Café Chocolada for recently presenting me the E Award!


I am enamored to receive this especially from the pastry priestess herself for my blogging.......Thank you! Whenever visiting her site I feel inspired by her passion for the art of baking.

Thank you so much Medena for thinking of me and I look forward to reading more about your pastry sensibilities.....

Sharing a slice of cake among friends: at the end of it all.....it did taste good. It had a light sponge cake appeal and I mixed in fine shaving of the rind and juice of half a lemon.

In tradition to this cyberspace exchange.....I pass on the E Award to the following bloggers:

Nina's Kitchen ~ Do check out her masterful creations. I am constantly waiting at her door stoop like a puppy to admire her culinary creations. Visually stunning yet also salivary gland inducing.....She may have already be granted an E award with all she has done, but here goes....

Sweet Home and Garden Chicago ~ Carolyn is a garden blogger but has enticing food insight and recipes. Another twist is her take on traditional Korean recipes that have been lovingly passed down to her from family. I love her take on Soul food and Seoul food! A master gardener as well ~ she inspires me to go beyond growing herbs when she writes about her bountiful gardening....

Mochachocolata Rita ~ I love mocha girl's savory, fun + often times outlandish approach to cooking and blogging. Melting pot cooking with Asian inspirations that is delight to look at as well as ponder......'Hey - I would have never thought - but looks enticing enough to try!' I like how she takes my thoughts out of safeguard as she introduces Indonesian + Chinese + more with her personal touch.

Food Mayhem ~ Okay she cooks, she dines, wines, dices and promotes food happenings. Amidst invitations to food centric events and her own dining escapades. I often times wander over to her side of the cyber globe and feel like Carrie Bradshaw of the food world with stilettos on trying to keep myself from tipping over each tantalizing post! Talk about the queen of food posts.....over here in the slow balmy South ~ I am trying to keep up with each day's douse! She's about a dozen posts ahead of me and going strong!

Passionate Eater Like moi, a California transplant in the South. Read + See her dining adventures from San Francisco and now in New Orleans and then some. Beautiful photos, glorious rousting of well executed dining finds and always a fun read. I love everything she orders and imagine I am dining there right alongside every bite from oysters in chardonnay sabayon or an earthy bowl of gumbo to a serving of ooey gooey nachos @ Lakers game......!

Bloggers awarded: please feel free to pass on + cut & paste this E Award as needed + would be lovely to link it back to me @ TasteMemory!

Next up another gracious award! Thank you kindly to Nicole at Art and Aioli for the Blogging with a Purpose Award

More words to follow about BWAP Award......


Adieu, till next time!

Beauty and the Beet: The Brilliant Impression Part II

blow off the cover of preconceptions: sangria is that you?

Part II of Beauty and the Beet: The Brilliant Impression continues here. See previous post below or go here to begin Part I.

Dinner with the family at the original historic Cafe Du Nord continues:

The next course arrives, which turns out to be the most delightful sweetbreads served over a crisp pastry puff.

No time to argue about preferences in offal between the delicate bites that melted in my mouth and lingered of sweet cream with the slight tang of capers that met in the middle of freshly chopped parsley which finally gave way to any preconceived notions.

I discovered something new......it was fun to eat and each bite left me to smile.

For the adults, chilled wine was served inside varied labeless odd shaped wine bottles that were mismatched in color. The bottles came in hues of blues, greens and reds. But no matter the bottle, it was always a pink rosé that trickled forth like drinking water into the stemless bistro style wine glasses.

Next up, beef fillet in a mushroom based sauce served with white beans that were simmered soft until crème-like yet holding its composure.

By this time I was brimming over. The sauce was a reflection of the 'mother sauces' and a beaute to bite. Sweet and savory enough to keep me in the glow.

Sometimes they would bring another salad platter of chilled green beans in a light cream sauce with chopped hard boiled eggs and onions. My walls of resistance came down and I think I was only eight years old.

The final breath of the meal was dessert. Always the same; similar to a custard flan and coffee.

I realize after sharing this that someone from the neighborhood might write to me and blow my buzz about Cafe Du Nord.

berries are so divinely created.....

I went back there during my college years with a bunch of friends for New Year's Eve dinner. I left disappointed as it didn't taste the same or as good to me. The bald gentleman wasn't there but everything else was the same, including the glow and the paintings I spoke of. I remember biting into the beet salad and it tasted like cans and the outer edges of the yolks from the chopped hard boiled eggs had that green tinge. Which meant they were overcooked and didn't bother giving the eggs an ice water bath to avoid the discoloration.

But who am I to say, I went back when I was twenty something with a bunch of riotous friends on New Year's Eve so my vision and palate might have been slightly blurred....(LO!)

In closing, dad encouraged me to take risks because he did that every day of his waking life. It's only today I can only imagine the courageous risks he took.

That's what my mom said: when you have children you'll understand.....

He moved us from Seoul Korea to Saigon Vietnam in the midst of the Vietnam War. He was the food and beverage manager at the the U.S. Army barracks stationed in Vietnam.

We lived in Saigon, then to the coastal town of Vung Tau until we eventually settled in the south central region of Can Tho, before we fled during a mass upheaval in the Can Tho area.

at the beach with dad ~ I recall I was slightly bummed in this pict because I wanted to go swimming.....we're at the beach right? the days when cigarettes were like text messaging.....

My father was able to acquire immediate Visas to the U.S., we hopped an Army issued helicopter in Can Tho to Saigon. Boarded Pan Am with a layover in Honolulu before we settled in San Francisco.

We were very fortunate.

My parents received a letter from a friend that was still in Vietnam. He sent us a photo of our town home in Can Tho.

It was a photo of a pile of rubble and concrete blown to pieces.

When I cook with beets it reminds me of my father.

Courage, passionate, gratitude, depth and a bleeding heart embracing all things that we might normally think as crazy but by far deem as courageous efforts.

Beets do remind me of hearts. I recently read somewhere that drinking two glasses of beet juice a day significantly lowers blood pressure and helps maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. Beet juice might be tasty with pomegranate and/or strawberry, raspberry and fresh ginger juice too. I'll have to try that.....maybe with a splash of cointreau?

to see life as always full don't~cha think would be so freeing perhaps......the remnants of cooking beets: beet juice really!


Beets are bold to me in sight, taste and when raw, their resonance lingers a slight burning sensation more in my lungs than my mouth.

Beets remind me often to take risks perhaps for what you love or what you think you might love......when I think about my dad he was all about taking risks.

If we never went to Vietnam because of my dad he wouldn't have been there to support the American troops.

A recollection of Vietnam was my first dance as a toddler at the American Officer's club located at the roof top restaurant that overlooked the city of Can Tho. On those nights they played Al Martino and Patti Page and served lobster thermidor with T-Bone steaks to the service men and their guests.

My mom said we drank Coca Cola while dad imbibed in a beer and we watched the U.S. Army issued fireworks go off in the night sky.

It was a crazy time.....

my dad loved this thing....that's why he even took a picture of it. what was it called? I remember the rolls of tape were as thin as gift wrap ribbons and were made by 3M.....real flimsy and all I wanted to do was get a hold of one, pull out the tape and run through the house until the whole thing was dragged out of its sprocket......hah ~ fun!

If my dad didn't bring us to California we would have never made it out of Vietnam.

My father embraced the European culture fondly. He was never into being atypical, thus he never cared for stereotypes of anything.

I think what drove his intensity was for the love all things of beauty and for life.

The Beauty and the Beet has been written to remember my father....

Sean Ku Lee

In this life......He left a brilliant impression.



beauty + the beet salad with raspberries & fresh greens
© 2008 recipe & memoir Ingar Brunnett, Taste Memory

2 fresh red beets, skin peeled
1 pint of fresh raspberries
1 tbsp. white sugar
1 bunch of fresh arugula or dandelion greens (torn to bite size if needed)
1/4 cup white onion, minced
2 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
sprigs of fresh parsley and chives, chopped

dressing
1 tbsp. honey
1 teasp. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. of good olive oil
juice of half a lemon

Slice beets 1/3” thick rounds, then slice in half. In a large saucepan cover beets just enough with water and a pinch of sea salt. Bring water to boil, cover with lid and turn off heat. Allow the beets to stand covered for 5 to 10 minutes until al dente tender to your preference. Avoid over cooking the beets (who wants the mushy canned texture of beets that have incessantly haunted our taste memory?). Drain water from beets.

Add raspberries and sugar to the beets. Gently fold together, then allow to cool.

Cover and chill. Increased chill time in the refrigerator will help restore the intensity of the ruby red color of the cooked beets. They can be chilled for 30 minutes, a few hours or overnight.

In a small bowl whisk the honey, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice until creamy.

Toss the arugula with ¾ of the salad dressing and arrange on serving platter. Drain excess water from beets and berries, then arrange on top of arugula. Pour remaining dressing over the beets. Top with chopped onions, eggs and herbs.

Delicious when served with slices of a crusty bread or baguette

Beauty and the Beet: The Brilliant Impression

Bejewelled: beets, berries, chopped eggs, white onions, minced parsley + chives......light drizzling of honey dressing crosses the threshold.....

This is a smattering of a post.....so I decided to condense this to Part One of Two à la Beauty and the Beet.

Part Two will be posted shortly this week.

My love affair with root vegetables began with the beet.

Perhaps not in the dark earthen crevices below where the dirt is so gravenly wet underground it seeps through your nail beds, but rather off the beaten trek years back when my father took us to dinner at the original historic Cafe Du Nord near San Francisco's Castro District.

Back when it was an inviting supper house complete with its Basque inspired dinner menu served family style. A repast with a set menu that created the tone nightly with six courses and amply served alongside with some obscure chilled rosé strewn in labeless oddly shaped and colored wine bottles.

The tinge of pink through my mother's rosé glass, the beet salad with chopped hard boiled eggs and the red stain from the beet juice soaking through the last shred of my baguette has simmered in my taste memory for so many years.....



i *heart* beets: entranced by a living breathing bleeding geode....

The concept of food + memory has been a frequent haunt of mine and it's only as of recent that I decided to let go of myself, get of out of my freakin' way and excavate through that back logged mind mine beginning with my family stories.

Which in turn has led to finding this space and place to shed light on someone that left with me a brilliant impression.

My father.

My father passed away 6 years ago and his final days came rather abruptly. I will just touch on this briefly about his passing because I don't want this to be an angst post but rather a living tribute to someone that had a profound effect on the development of my person. What I have written is a recollection of just a glimpse his journey that I met along the way of my own.

When I was a little girl my parent's owned and operated a delicatessen in the Mission District in San Francisco during the height of the Bay Area's food revolution. This was an incredible time for me. My curious palate was introduced to the diverse range of cultural cuisines from the neighborhood. There were immigrants from all over the world settling in San Francisco and my parent's deli thrived in the midst of foods from Mexico, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Russia, Italy....even Japanese home style cooking and of course regional Chinese cooking.

The food at the deli was a reflection of the melting pot of San Francisco as well as traditional delicatessen style fare of sandwiches made with the freshest of San Francisco style French bread and produce.

The sandwiches were made in crusty bread that fought back with slight resistance into a dense yet pillow-like threshold of savory meats, lined with fresh crunchy slivers of lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and whatever else desired. The options of meats included salamis, fresh oven roasted roast beef, pastrami, corned beef, head cheese, Louisiana style hot links (just to name a few). Also on the menu were the new wave of organic and farm fresh inspired sandwiches that payed homage to whole grain sprouted breads, alfalfa sprouts, avocados and for the faint of heart.......bacon.

sourdough for noshing....not from my beloved city ~ but it will do.....at least for now

After a long day at the deli, my father would often take us out to 'dine' for dinner as a family. A restaurant we frequented was Cafe Du Nord located in the Upper Market-Castro district leaning toward the slightly seedy, prior the 'emerging' neighborhood it later became. Now this is the original Cafe Du Nord which was a sort of a quasi-French Basque bistro at the time. Today, Cafe Du Nord is a trendy nightclub, restaurant and live music venue.

After my dad parked the family car, which was either the Chrysler wood paneled station wagon or the obnoxious yacht of a vehicle.....the highly coveted Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham with its own 8-track tape player that was factory installed(this was all top of the line stuff btw even the station wagon which eventually met its demise after one of the wood panels finally faded and fell off); we would take a flight of steep stairs downward into the basement of a storefront which was the perfect cave like setting for the literal 'underground' Cafe Du Nord.

The historic cafe was built in 1907 and at one time was a notorious speakeasy during prohibition. It was pretty much what you would imagine it to look like; dimly lit with odd sized and handsome antique dining tables throughout the main dining room with an evocative yet bucolic ambiance. Many locals frequented this eatery which had enough of slight upscale vibe with a familiar ease to call it their favorite neighborhood bistro.

speakeasy to me......is that you beaujolais?

On the walls were series of oil paintings that thematically reminded me of the revolutionary romantic period of Theodore Géricault, Ingres and even the idyllic American painter Turner......oh my art history days, which should be a completely other blog.....sorry. Anyways, these were not the canny paintings you've seen at your gas station corner and those blow out events at your nearest convention center in need of rental fees in between major events, but rather the restaurateur's quite exquisite and most likely personal collection of paintings. The collections were complete with fruit & wine still life, formal portraits, battle scenes, courtship and even tall ships in turbulent waters. Each painting was also lovingly installed with its own spotlight to feature its beauty. I know the subject matter may sound canny but I do recall these paintings to be quite impressive.

The owner was a short bald gentleman with an extremely thick mustache that twisted ever so slightly upward at each end (yes, seriously!). He was the exact reflection of what the proprietor might look like in such an establishment.

There was a painting in the main dining room of a man in a old fashioned military uniform; perhaps he was a general as he wore many decorated medals upon his uniform and he was painted with great distinction. He had the same facial features and the mustache as the proprietor, which led my parents to joke with a sense of seriousness that it must be a relative of his.

Upon arrival, we would often find him sitting at the hand carved mahogany bar near the baby grand piano reading a paper. He always gave a familiar nod to my father. I’m not surprised he recognized us as we frequented there often and I am positive we were the only Asian family and definitely Koreans that dined there.

As I am rummaging through my thoughts, I cannot seem to recover some of the conversations my family had over dinner at Cafe Du Nord. It actually saddens me that I am drawing a blank on specific words that were exchanged with my dad, my mom and my little brother during these special times out. It seems as if it were another lifetime ago and the words have been erased from my memory.

What I do recall are certain 'moments' as we sat around the bistro table. The dining room always had a tranquility that I was instantly drawn to upon arrival. The lighting was warm and dim.....a glow emanated throughout. My dad's stress level would ease as soon as we arrived, and it's only today that I realize how much stress effected his life.

Since we arrived after closing the deli, it must have been around 7:30 in the evening before we settled in for dinner.

They offered only a prix fixe menu was set each night with about seven courses that was served family style.

Upon arrival, I was always.....famished.

An evening meal remembered began with the first course of a salad of bibb lettuce, celery, white onions with a aïoli based dressing with a hint of mustard and fresh tarragon that seeped through each bite.

herb pot in early spring: this is what survived the harsh winters :) of the south.....gathered a handful of parsley and chives to topple over the chopped eggs for the beet salad. the cactus type plant on the far right corner reminds me of SoCal. Don't know what it's called....I know it's a succulant, no wait...succotash? or isn't that lima beans + corn? maybe succulant....

I was little girl back then, yet so hungry and intrigued by the setting that I didn't have time to complain about white onions, aïoli based dressing, mustard or the fresh sprigs of licorice intent tarragon.

The salad was refreshing and I enjoyed the tang and retreat of the mustard and tarragon that played upon my developing palate.

Baskets of chewy baked french bread was served alongside and refilled without asking.

Soon after, the second course arrived. Soup of the day ladled into white bowls that reminded me of wading pools just deep enough were filled with a hearty yet translucent tomato based potage of bite size morsels of tender vegetables and beef. Upon finishing the bowl of soup, I always sensed it whispered to me.......welcome my lady.

The third course was a salad of chilled marinated red beets with chopped hard boiled eggs and onions. A recourse to cleanse the palate.

Again, I didn't have the urgency to say anything about my opinion on beets.

I do remember my father encouraging us to try different foods. His ways encouraged me to step into unfamiliar territory......actually constantly! Many times, I saw perhaps how he saw the beauty of the unacquainted.

In so many of his words, if you don't try......how would you ever know?

So with distinct recollection, I do remember the sweet floral taste of the beets combined with the earth tones of the chopped eggs and onions as an amusing play on my senses. Crusty french bread combines perfectly with cooked beets and by this time I recall my mother telling me not to eat too much bread since more was to come.

berries & beets making merry....

I used my last shred of baguette to bring up the ruby red juice with crumblings of eggs and sweet onions before taking my pause.

Next......the most delightful sweetbreads served over a crisp pastry puff......but I'll save that for next time.

Part Two of Beauty and the Beet will be posted this week.......

Thank you for reading ;-)