Flutterby™! : In praise of sardines

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In praise of sardines

2006-10-18 14:26:18.12466+00 by Dan Lyke 2 comments

Brett Emerson, the author of In Praise of Sardines will be opening a restaurant in San Francisco called "Olallie" soon. Until then, we'll have to make do with ogling techniques: The whipped chocolate discussion looks like a way to play with chocolate that I haven't yet, and I'm definitely going to have to play with the tortilla soup recipe.

He also mentions a restaurant called Incanto which I find interesting for their "why?" page. It's not often you'll find a restaurant willing to call "bullshit" on a cash cow:

Meals at Incanto begin with complimentary sparkling or still water because our local Hetch Hetchy water tastes great (we filter, chill and carbonate it before serving) and because serving our local water in reusable bottles makes more sense for the environment than shipping heavy glass bottles filled with water all over the world.

[ related topics: Nature and environment Food Bay Area California Culture Chocolate ]

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2006-10-18 16:46:18.962195+00 by: Diane Reese [edit history]

OMG I am *so* going to Incanto! How can I miss patronizing what sounds like a wonderful restaurant from owners and staff with such great attitudes?! (Except for the fact that I seldom get to dine in SF, sigh... Road trip?) Just these quotes from the letter the owner wrote about Anthony Bourdain's visit to Incanto had me smiling widely:

When he announced he was going to have dinner at Incanto last week, it was an occasion for anticipation and excitement. Kind of like if you were a heroin addict and Keith Richards dropped by to hang out. . . .

This is not to imply that Anthony Bourdain is the only person to grok the not-so-tidy combo pack of insanity/serenity, pain/pleasure, and beauty/horror that many who work in restaurant kitchens wake to find gift-wrapped under their Christmas tree each morning. He is, however, the first author to elevate an appreciation of the craft of professional cooking to a place that rings with both nobility and truth – without the kiss-ass, candy-coat treatment that comes so frequently from those to blame for glorifying the modern-day "celebrity" chef.

OK so shall we plan an outing? :-)

#Comment Re: made: 2006-10-18 17:00:07.811468+00 by: Dan Lyke

I've been reluctant to do anything out that costs money, but I may have just gotten some good news on the financial front (I've gotten really good at not counting my chickents until the checks clear...). It'll be a week or three before I'm sure, but once it does I'll run the idea of an evening out past Charlene.