http://www.wokwiz.com/blog Shirley Fong Torres, Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:50:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Take a drive to Oakland, San Mateo, or stay in San Francisco for these restaurant specials! Ozumo Oakland to Participate in Block Party & Back to School Fundraiser 2251 Broadway (510) 286-9866 www.Ozumo.com/oakland [1] On Saturday, August 28 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Ozumo Restaurant, along with Luka’s, Picán and Era, will be hosting an Uptown Block Party & Back to School Fundraiser for the Oakland public schools. For a $20 donation, party goers receive a complimentary cocktail at each dining spot and access to food specials offered that night, including a Sushi Sampler at Ozumo, Southern barbecue at Picán, and one dollar oysters at Luka’s.  There will be outdoor DJ entertainment and dancing. Tickets for the Block Party are now available at any of the four participating venues and will also be available the day of and during the event. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit four specific Oakland public schools: Crocker Highlands Elementary, Westlake Middle School, Oakland Tech High School and Laney Community College. The money will help support visual art programs, extended day programs, and the purchase of supplies for teachers and students. Ozumo, Luka's, Picán and Era dot the four corners of Grand and Broadway in Oakland, California, and are within easy walking distance of the 19th St. BART station. Ozumo offers valet parking. Family Concerts Park Chalet in San Francisco PARK CHALET 1000 Great Highway @ Ocean Beach (415) 386-8439 www.parkchalet.com [2] PARK CHALET will be hosting free family concerts on Sunday, August 22 and Sunday, September 19, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. These music events are headlined by professional children’s entertainers Charity and the JAMband, with special guests Elizabeth Mitchell (Aug 22) and The Hipwaders (Sept 19). Both Summer Family Concerts will take place on Park Chalet’s outdoor lawn area in Golden Gate Park, right behind the Beach Chalet and across the road from Ocean Beach. Guests are encouraged to arrive early with lawn chairs or blankets, as space is available on a first come, first serve basis. Food and drinks will be available at Park Chalet’s outdoor BBQ starting at 10:00 am and will include such popular menu items as burgers (and cheese burgers), sausages, hot dogs, a pull pork sandwich, a grilled ahi sandwich and BBQed oysters. Park Chalet is one of only 12 restaurants in California which made OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice Award for the top kid friendly restaurants. This award was based on over five million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners at more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. ESPETUS CHURRASCARIA - San Mateo 710 South B Street San Mateo, CA 94401 (650) 342-8700 www.espetus.com [3] Espetus Churrascaria in San Mateo Hosts Wed. & Thurs. Caipi-Hours Debuting August 25 Debuting on Wednesday, August 25, Espetus Churrascaria in San Mateo will host Caipi-hour every Wednesday and Thursday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. In the restaurant’s piano bar, guests can enjoy, with the purchase of a cocktail, a complimentary sampling of hors d' oeuvres. Bar specials priced at just $6.00 will include such cocktails as a Caipirinha and a Brazilian Mojito. In addition, there will be live musical entertainment without a cover charge. URBAN TAVERN 333 O’Farrell Street near Mason St (415) 923-4400 www.urbantavernsf.com [4] Monterey Wine Company Tasting Aug 10 & Aug 24 Urban Tavern in downtown San Francisco continues their summer bi-weekly series of wine tastings on Tuesday, August 10 and Tuesday, August 24 by showcasing the wines of the Monterey Wine Company. Priced at only $10.00, the tastings will be held in the restaurant’s Morgan Room from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and include hors d’orevres from the Urban Tavern kitchen. A representative of the winery will attend. The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. [1] http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/www.Ozumo.com/oakland [2] http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/www.parkchalet.com [3] http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/www.espetus.com [4] http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/www.urbantavernsf.com http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=166 Ring in the Year of the Tiger with symbolic fare Kathy Pinto | For The New Mexican Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 – According to the traditional Chinese calendar, Saturday is when the Chinese ring out the Year of the Ox and ring in the Year of the Tiger. Based on a lunar cycle, the traditional Chinese calendar follows the regular appearance of the full moon; hence it will be the year 4708. Like Christmas in the West, it is the biggest holiday in China — a time spent with family and celebrated with foods symbolizing prosperity. The food most closely associated with the Chinese New Year are jiaozi, or dumplings, symbolic of wealth and prosperity because of their resemblance to ancient Chinese money — the silver ingot. Families traditionally spend New Year's Eve together preparing these dumplings, which are eaten at midnight: the dumpling wrapper representing the family as a whole and the filling symbolizing members of the family. In northern China, the jiaozi are rough, doughy crescents stuffed with lamb or pork, garlic chives and chopped cabbage. In the west they're more delicately shaped and doused at the table with hot-chile oil or spicy, toasted-sesame dressing. In the east and south, they're almost an art form, with myriad meat and seafood fillings, both savory and sweet. The skin may be transparent or opaque and are steamed, boiled, baked, pan-fried or deep-fried. Fish and chicken represent prosperity and are always served whole at the end of the meal, as the Chinese believe that this presentation symbolizes completeness and a wish for abundance in the coming year. Sweet and sour pork is most popular with families hoping for a lot of grandchildren, as the Cantonese word for "sour" sounds like the word for "grandchild." Duck represents fidelity in Chinese culture and noodles represent longevity. Traveling to San Francisco — the city with the largest urban population of Chinese outside China — is the most festive way to celebrate the Lunar New Year in this country. Its Chinatown is the oldest and most colorful in North America. And there's no better way to immerse yourself in Chinese culture than through its food. Explore its dim sum tea houses, cafes and restaurants frequented by locals and the many food markets lining its clogged streets. Delight in the haggling and shouting matches while nibbling on small portions of take-out Peking duck. A much more exciting way to explore Chinatown and its food culture is to take one of the Wok Wiz Walking Tours. Voted the best in San Francisco by visitors, these culinary and historical walking tours are a feeding of the mind and body by Shirley Fong-Torres, the Pied Piper of America's most food-obsessed ethnic neighborhood. A "remembrance of things past" set in Chinatown: it's art, it's history, it's fun, but most of all it's delicious. "When I conduct the 'I can't believe I ate my way through Chinatown' tours, guests get a good glimpse of what Old Chinatown was like food-wise," said Fong-Torres, a historian, cookbook author and TV chef. If you go with the right person, she says, you can find authentic Chinese food, especially where local Chinese people go to seek out regional village food. There are restaurants in Chinatown that have two menus, one catering to tourists and another in Chinese for locals. Fong-Torres tells visitors that if she's not with them, to go into a restaurant she recommends and check out what others are eating. "If it looks good and authentic (e.g. clay-pot cooking; steamed fish; salt-and-pepper calamari), just point to the table with food that makes you drool and say 'daw jeh, gnaw seung sig.' " If you've been out clubbing past midnight and you're starving and want to eat cheap, stop at Sam Wo's, in the depths of Chinatown. A hole in the wall joint entered through the kitchen and up dark narrow flights of stairs to the dining areas, Sam Wo's was the infamous dive of the late headwaiter Edsel Ford Fong, who would greet cowering diners by telling them to "sit down and shut up." Locals still love going there for the abuse. "You have to visit it at least once," Fong-Torres said. To learn more about Wok Wiz Walking Tours, visit www.wokwiz.com or call 650-355-9657. You can also sign up for cooking classes. Recipes HAND-HACKED SEAFOOD POTSTICKERS Have on hand: one pound of potsticker wrappers* (yield about 30), small bowl of cold water, 12-inch non-stick pan with cover, 2 cups of chicken broth 1/3 pound each: lean ground pork, minced prawns or baby shrimp and/or bay scallops 1 cup of Napa cabbage plus 1 cup fresh spinach 1 green onion, minced 3 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon fresh ginger 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon 100 percent sesame oil pinch of white pepper Filling: Chop by hand the pork, seafood, cabbage, spinach, green onion, garlic and ginger. Place mixture into a bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. To assemble potstickers: Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each potsticker wrapper. Fold dough over to make a half-circle, moisten bottom half-circle with a small amount of water. Pleat edges firmly, forming 3-4 pleats on the top half-circle. Set each potsticker upright on a platter, so a flat base is formed. To cook potstickers: Heat a 12-inch nonstick fry pan** with 1 tablespoon oil. Place the potstickers close to one another. Brown the potstickers, about 30 seconds. Pour in enough broth to cover potstickers half way. Cover and cook over moderate heat for five minutes, until liquid evaporates. Use a spatula to remove potstickers carefully. Turn each potsticker over, dark side up, and place on a platter to serve. Have in little dishes an assortment of hot chili oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix dip ingredients to suit individual taste. *Using "suey gow" wrappers are better if they are available, as they are lighter, and you can taste more of the filling. **A nonstick fry pan, instead of a cast iron pan is preferable because it requires less oil and the potstickers slip out of the fry pan easily. LETTUCE WRAPS 1 tablespoon salad oil 1/2 pound ground pork 1/2 pound cooked small shrimp or other shellfish 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, sliced 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 12 water chestnuts (fresh or canned), sliced 2 tablespoons soy, oyster or hoisin sauce 3/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons water 2 teaspoons cornstarch 6 large bibb or iceberg lettuce leaves, chilled chopped green onion Heat oil in frypan or electric skillet. Brown pork and remove drippings. Add shrimp, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, soy sauce and 3/4-cup water. Cover and simmer gently about 5 minutes. Blend cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Sir into liquid in pan. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Serve in chafing dish or electric skillet. Garnish liberally with chopped green onion. Serve lettuce chilled; let each guest spoon meat and shrimp mixture into a lettuce leaf, fold and eat like tacos. http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=165 Monterey - Sicily of the Seven Seas Sardine Dreams with Flipper Song "Cannery Row is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.” John Steinbeck Like many baby boomers, I read John Steinbeck in junior high school, which is now known as middle school. That’s not all the only thing that changed. During my lifetime, California truly became the “Golden State,” the place where American dreams came true. With its hallowed golf courses and artsy beach communities with movie star mayors, Steinbeck’s stomping grounds in Monterey Bay became the personification of such dreams. Yet Steinbeck’s books were always there to remind me that such prosperity was built on backs of our ancestors‘ hard struggles. That writer is best remembered today for “Grapes of Wrath” in which Dust Bowl refugees form the backbone of Central California agriculture. But I was more drawn the characters in his Monterey stories, “Cannery Row” and “Sweet Thursday,” that reified Chinese Californians. When my parent’s generation was still segregated within Chinatown enclaves, Steinbeck was creating fully assimilated Chinese characters. When most Americans still regarded Chinese Americans with suspicion, Cannery Row’s Lee Chong projected epitomic American values like industriousness and generosity. I was also drawn to those Monterey stories by my own fascination with the coast. Because I grew up in inner city Oakland, the ocean represented my American dream. Our “family vacations” were day trips to see the beach in places like Santa Cruz and Monterey. We kids barely had time to get our bare feet sandy before we had to pile back in Dad’s car and head back to our Chinatown restaurant. After I began traveling with my honey bear Wroburlto, Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley: In Search of America” became a spiritual guidebook for us, even though Steinbeck’s dog never went through the wild mood swings my Wro does. So, when Wro told me he wanted to visit Cannery Row in Monterey, I figured it was time to pay respects to our great mentor. Fortunately, Monterey makes that easy. Ocean View Avenue, the setting of most of Steinbeck’s Monterey stories, has been renamed Cannery Row, despite the fact that the canneries there have pretty much been closed for business for half a century. If his book had not immortalized that industry, Monterey’s canneries would be as little remembered today as the horseless carriages or steamboats that also thrived during the fish canning era. Like most things Californian, Monterey has re-invented itself. Cannery Row is now a family-friendly, OSHA-approved, five star theme park where Steinbeck plays like background piano music. Tourist shops sells his books and T-shirts. The canneries’ distinctive skywalk passageways have been restored to make the avenue look like it did in the days when the book was written. I doubt the novelist would recognize the place today though. In his books, this was a de facto skid row while Monterey’s uphill real estate was the dominion of respectability. Today, Cannery Row is some of the choicest oceanfront property in America. Like the book’s hero Doc, contemporary Monterey embraces the ocean as if it were a lovable cartoon seal. The Monterey Aquarium has become an icon of California tourism anchoring a hotel, restaurant and boutique enterprise zone. We considered two hotels for our trip - the Monterey Plaza Hotel (MPH) and The Clement. The town also has some delightful boutique inns in quieter parts of town (Pacific Hotel is my favorite) and some marvelous hotels linger in nearby Carmel. But Wro insisted that we stay in the middle of Cannery Row - where we could hear seals barking all night long. That left two top hotels to choose between, with personalities as different as Wro’s and mine, or as Wro’s and Wro’s. After checking them out, we devised a simple test to help others choose. Just ask yourself if you would feel more comfortable in Los Angeles or Honolulu. The Clement projects bustling chic and big city cool - it reminds me of a W Hotel in the middle of say the Los Angeles Civic Center. Guests seem to be young and hip and busy. Its main restaurant, The C, is even named in W style. The Monterey Plaza Hotel is laid back, like a grand old hotel in Hawaii. We asked general manager Doug Phillips about that. “All great hotels have a definite sense of place. After I visited this place the first time I fell instantly in love,” he related, before adding that he came to Monterey from Hawaii via the legendary Greenbriar resort in West Virginia. “We encourage, we cultivate the Aloha spirit here,” he admitted, explaining how every employee we talked to somehow knew our names and walked with us to point out directions. From our room we could see the entire Monterey Bay. I exploited Wro’s interest in that vista to teach him some of the local history. We took Monterey’s Walking Path of History along the bay shore to the Monterey Maritime Museum. I don’t think the museum will be too upset if I condense what we learned there amid their sardine boats and fish nets. Monterey’s Melting Pot Rumsien people lived in Monterey for thousands of years before the first Spanish visitors. Both were attracted to the same good food - rich fishing waters, fertile soil and abundant wildlife. Portuguese settlers from the Azore Islands began shore-whaling in Monterey Bay soon after Mexico lost California to the USA. That industry did well until kerosene made whale oil obsolete. Then Chinese settlers developed a new junk fishing industry around China Point where they dried and shipped their catch. They made too much money though. New laws and regulations soon forced the Chinese out of fishing for anything except squid, a commodity that no other ethnic group cared about. Plus, squid were fished at night when other boats were docked. Anti-Chinese sentiments still continued to grow. A Chinatown in China Point (where Pacific Grove now borders new Monterey) burned down mysteriously and cops prevented the residents from returning to rebuild. The Chinese negotiated for a much smaller settlement, in much less desirable real estate along Ocean View Avenue, smack dab in the middle of what became Cannery Row. Without the Chinese, the canning industry likely would never have happened here because Asian fishing families provided the expertise of fish cutting and drying. The Japanese introduced Americans to eating abalone and they thrived on its commercialization until the abalone were overfished. By the time the Chinese had been relocated by arson, salmon fishing had become profitable. Frank Booth established a canning industry on Ocean View Avenue in 1896. Norwegian Knut Hovden pumped things up with a new can sealing technology and Sicilian Pietro Ferrante revolutionized the industry with new nets, boats and knowledge about sardine fishing. Sardines and Sicilian fishermen dominated Monterey’s fishing industry until its demise after World War II. Compared to Atlantic sardines, California sardines were huge, over 14 inches long. Salmon cans were never even downsized to fit sardines. The industry grew in World War I when tinned sardines became a popular battle ration. After that war, American tastes moved toward other things and California sardines were converted mostly into more profitable by-products. By the time the industry peaked, canning accounted for only a small percentage of the sardines fished here. Most of the sardine catch became feed for chickens and livestock, or oil for fertilizer. The high water mark for Cannery Row was World War II when the US government again bought canned sardines for battle rations. That encouraged over fishing. Steinbeck’s book came out in the sardine’s banner year of 1945. The following year produced a frighteningly low catch. 1947 proved that was no fluke and that the conservationists, like Steinebck’s mythical Doc, had been right all along. The industry’s belief that sardines could never be over fished was exposed as tragic fallacy. Cannery Row became a ghost town within a decade. Massaro & Santos All that history made us very hungry. Because Sicily was settled by so many different ethnic groups, from French and Tunisians to Arabs and Greeks, its cuisine is richer and more diverse than that of any other part of Europe. I figured that Monterey’s long history of Sicilian settlers meant that it would be a hotbed for Sicilian restaurants. Wro believed that he was destined to meet a really “hot Sicilian“ chef. However, we were told that Sicilian restaurants had been relegated to Monterey’s past. The closest thing we could find was Massaro & Santos, on the pier halfway between Old Monterey boardwalk and Cannery Row. Frank Massaro’s dad was full a Sicilian, so there was a connection, but Frank’s from Stockton. His story is more New Monterey, than Cannery Row. “Dad told me, son, if you want to go into the restaurant business you need to get out of Stockton. I came here to bartend for the US Open (golf tournament) in 1972 and I never left,” he explained. This 90 seat restaurant hangs over the water and puts one in the mood for seafood. We visited on a slow day, so Frank and chef Miguel Cortez, from the culinary town of Oaxaca, could sit down and talk to us. On their advice, we tried “scalone” - a scallop and abalone cake covered with almonds and lemon butter, garlic and white wine sauce with a little cream. We also enjoyed a squid salad that was big enough for four people. Sand dabs were a great $12 entree, with lots of pasta and fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus vegetables. One daily “special’ will remind us to always ask the price of “specials.” A blue nose bass was dryer and less exciting than the sand dabs and it was served with the exact same plating. It cost $27 though. More than double the most expensive entrée on the regular menu. Decadent Otter Acts We walked our lunch off on Cannery Row, ending up at the Monterey Aquarium, a place that had been rated “two thumbs way up” by my chief cultural advisers - preschoolers Maggie and Stella. On their recommendations, we timed our visit to include feeding times for both the otters and the penguins. That was great advice. I remembered that naturalist Annie Dillard had written that one of her greatest voyeuristic joys was to have seen an otter in the decadent act of floating on his back. The Aquarium’s otters never got her memo about that being a rare act. They dive to the bottom of their three story tall tank to catch their dinner, then they bring it up to the surface and eat it while floating on their backs. We couldn’t get enough of that show. The Aquarium puts the otters’ food (crabs, clams, kelp, sea urchins and sea stars) into toy-like food tubes that stimulate their natural behavior of working to get food out of shells. Otters have the thickest fur of all animals and we saw them hide food in their coats. They eat a quarter of their body weight each day and during an average day a sea otter spends about eight hours feeding, five to six hours grooming and eleven hours at leisure. A good job if you can get it. Penguins by contrast only eat about 14 per cent of their weight, freeing up time for other things. Otters and penguins have vastly different parenting skills. An otter mother usually has one pup at a time. If she has twins, she abandons one of them. Penguins, maybe because they aren’t always eating, make better parents. We got a kick out of watching them, both moms and dads, protect their eggs, build their nests and teach their chicks to watch out for bears. ( Polar bears’ favorite food is penguin.) Penguin parents regurgitate their fish to feed their kids. We spent several hours at the Aquarium checking out cute critters and some fish canning history too. Watching otters and penguins eat made us hungry, so we walked back down Cannery Row to the Monterey Plaza Hotel, only stopping for a few shopping distractions. After seeing souvenir photos of the real life people that served as Steinbeck‘s models for “Cannery Row” characters, Wro surprised me with the announcement that he was “over Mack and into Doc now.” I realized his decision was superficial, that Doc was modeled after handsome Ed Ricketts (Nick Nolte in the movie) and Mack’s model was the less attractive Gabe Bicknell (E. Emmett Walsh). But I’m happy for anything that makes Wro more interested in a scientist than a slacker party boy. I so hope this means he’s maturing. The Duck Club We usually like to get out of our hotels to dine but not in Monterey. The Duck Club in the MPH is a California treasure. I love chef James Waller’s story about how he was fated to be a chef. “I came from a big family and I was one of the younger kids. Mom didn’t like to cook but, after the older kids moved on, she developed a fondness for going out to eat and taking the rest of us with her. We younger kids were really spoiled food wise,” he said. The hotel is owned by same Alden family that owns Rodney Strong vineyard, so wine and food are closely paired here. Because the hotel sponsors the Aquarium’s “Cooking for Solutions” and “Seafood Watch” programs, The Duck Club hosts the Monterey Aquarium Seafood Challenge each year. James told us how one famous chef once brought the ecologically taboo blue fin tuna to that competition. It sounded like an honest mistake so I won’t tell on Roy. Paying due diligence to a namesake, The Duck Club’s duck takes five days to prepare . Air-dried ducks are brined in soy sauce, jalapenos, coriander, sugar, orange and lemon juices. Actually, it’s more like a dipping than a brining - they take otter-like 8 hour naps between dives in the tank - twice a day for two days. Then they are cooked on wire racks and finished in wood burning ovens. James Waller is an odd duck himself - a contented California chef. He’s been at the same job here for a dozen years now. New and flashy may be trendy, but I prefer tradition and good execution at the dinner table. “Over 60 % of the hotel’s guests are long distance travelers, so we‘ve got to have calamari, crab cakes and local produce for them. That’s what they expect in Monterey. But our wood aroma is our signature,” Waller explained. Of course, the wondrous ocean views are a signature too, at least if you dine as early as we did. We watched the sun go down over diver scallops wrapped in pancetta, on beds of diced roasted beets plus roast spears of salsify with herbed lobster buerre blanc. Then we tried some Dungeness crab cakes with tempura asparagus, baby heirloom tomatoes and a drizzle of remoulade. La Brea artisan breads are finished in the oven and add to the spirit of the hearth. A smooth lobster bisque included some whole mussels and crème fraiche. Caesar salad tasted like anchovies, not anchovy flavoring. We asked for striped bass with an off-menu pairing of ginger carrot puree, micro sprouts, pomegranate reduction and wild mushrooms. James is not one of those chefs who go nuts if you ask for such things. An entrée of Kobe short ribs, in Pinot Noir reduction, came with mashed potatoes, onion rings and mushrooms. We ate so much that we could only share one dessert - a fantastic crème brulee of Meyer lemons and smoked paprika. That night I identified with the song of the howling seals and I promised to eat less the next day. But as soon as we awoke, we returned to The Duck Club for a scrumptious breakfast of oak smoked salmon, strawberry macadamia crepes, a little compote of prunes, figs, cherries and berries and lots of coffee - to stifle our appetites. James then gave us a tip that we didn’t have time to check out - so listen up: Monterey Insider Info - Because of the post 9-11 nature of national security, the new personnel at the Monterey Naval Station Language School has encouraged the opening of some excellent new Afghani, Iraqi and Persian cafes. Phil’s Fish On our way out of The Duck Club, we received another insider tip. A fifth generation Monterey Sicilian told us that the old Sicilian restaurant heritage isn’t dead, it’s just been relocated a few miles out of town in Moss Landing. That was good information, but it created a dilemma - I had planned on eating at Don Elkins‘ Central Texas BBQ in Castroville. We always eat there when we’re in the vicinity, which is probably why I had never eaten in Moss Landing, just a few miles west of Castroville. I had been dreaming about Don’s homemade sausages and slow smoked ribs and briskets all weekend, at least when I wasn’t eating James Waller‘s food. Wro however was sulking about his “dashed dream” of meeting a hot Sicilian chef. So, in order to ward off a violent mood swing, I decided to sacrifice my smoked meat craving and headed for Phil DiGirolamo’s place in Moss Landing. Phil is a jolly guy who tells his family’s version of the Cannery Row history. “I was born and raised in Monterey. Grandfather immigrated from Sicily, to fish for sardines - on the pursein King Phillip. He had 12 kids including my dad. Dad owned Angelo’s (restaurant), where Isabella’s is now. So I have Sicilian restaurateur-ing and Sicilian fish mongering in my blood. "We came to Moss Landing for the dock in the 60’s, when albacore and salmon were plentiful. By 1973, we felt that Monterey had become so touristy that it was time to abandon it completely and we moved all the operations here. Then there was a salmon glut and no one wanted them - the smokers cut off their orders, the restaurants had more than they wanted. We were desperate to all the salmon we had, so we started putting ads in newspapers as far away as Sacramento. That worked, people just started showing up here to buy salmon. That convinced us there was a need for a fish market on the docks,” Phil told us as we walked around what has become a giant seafood market and restaurant. “We started in a tiny area, selling fish off the dock. Then we opened a 600 square foot fish market. I did demo cooking to promote the business. I used to make cioppino in a red wok that I bought at Costco. People would watch me and order some, so I started promoting cioppino with “bring your own pot” ads. People did that. We still do that at Christmas, but after the internet popularity hit home, we had to find something more standard. So now we use (plastic) buckets. “Customers won’t let me change the menu though. And I have to respect their sense of tradition. This place has a life of its own. Families often hold reunions and memorial services here - because it was the dearly departed loved one’s favorite place. Grandmas and moms tell me that they have been coming since they were as young as the youngest kids at their table,” he explained. Just his kitchen employs nine line cooks - at all times. Wro noticed that most of the chefs were Mexican, mostly from Michoacan and Oaxaca. Head chef and smoker Ricky Loya told Wro that he had a surprise for us later. I have never been in a kitchen where so many line workers seemed any happier. Phil is clearly a nice guy to work for. I asked him about the Sicilian influence on Northern California cuisine, particularly seafood. “Cioppino (San Francisco’s most famous hometown dish) is a Sicilian inspiration I am sure. The spices give it away - they’re the same as Sicilian “bicce brodo.” Cioppino is probably a slurred Sicilian pronunciation for “chippin in.” Whatever was left over went into the pot. As a young man, I learned a lot from my grandmothers - both were great Sicilian chefs. They came to Monterey in the 1920’s and lived through the Depression when the modus operandi was to use everything and waste nothing. I came home from school and kneaded dough for bread and for pasta. I love home made pasta, but I also love the dried kind - I use Barilla in the restaurant now,” he explained. Wro asked Phil how faithfully he follows the environmentalist creed, like the Aquarium’s list of forbidden fish. Phil answered with delightful candor. “I do what I want. I argue with them all the time about what’s endangered and such. Fact is, I am a fish broker and I think that my information is better, and certainly more thorough and up-to-date than their’s is. They ( The Aquarium) are my land lord too. I did take shark off my menu, because they are such a slow grower. But I keep Chilean sea bass on it - I just make completely sure that mine comes from a fisherman who only uses short lines. The long lines are the problem with fishing them,” he explained. Phil’s walls revealed that he is a proud Scottie owner. They were covered with blue ribbons and plaques that the doggies won before leading Phil into a new fishy enterprise. He now markets specialty dog food for Scotties and other breeds like them who are susceptible to liver problems. Phil’s special formula is made with sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots and cod. He makes it himself - steaming, packaging and freezing for shipment. His most popular mail order items though are clam chowder, both red and white, and, duh, cioppino. He makes a base for both soups that can be dehydrated with milk or not - so lactose-intolerant seafood lovers can use it. In pure blooded Sicilian style, Phil’s chief advisers are still family member. “Dad’s been gone a long time now but I still talk to him everyday,” he said, pointing to photos on the wall. Phil’s 88 year old mother -in-law comes to work with him daily, at 7 a.m.. She and Phil take only a half day off each week. “She’s got to earn her room & board. She lives with me,“ he joked. When we visited, Phil had just raised $100,000 for Legal Aid for Seniors with a fund raiser that paired Hahn’s Estate Pinot Blanc with Phil’s cioppino. “Whatever you give comes back to you, as long as you don’t ever give to receive, just give for sake of giving,” he explained. Sicily, by any other name I hoped Wro was listening but I knew he was becoming impatient for Ricky Loya’s surprise. We began eating a little snack of fried oysters, sand dabs, shrimp, artichoke hearts in tempura, New England clam chowder, cioppino and Caesar salad with long white anchovies. Then we tried some of the freshest, brightest halibut I have ever seen, baby octopus, petrale and ling cod - all of which had been fished from local waters. Finally Ricky brought out the star attraction of our entire Cannery Row odyssey - grilled California sardines, “Yes, they are making a comeback,” Phil said, appropriately closing a circular story. For centuries, fishermen have been lured into the deep and dangerous waters beyond Monterey Bay by ever changing enticements - from whales and salmon to squid, abalone, sardines, halibut, snapper, tuna, et cetera. Similarly, the composite American dreamer who came to Monterey over the centuries has morphed by ever changing blood lines - from American Indian and Spanish to Mexican, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Scandinavian, Sicilian, Vietnamese, Afghani, Persian - and Mexican again. So it goes. The Central Coast of California has now thoroughly assimilated the Portuguese and Chinese who settled here 150 years ago and separately developed Monterey’s signature fishing industry. The islander mentality of Sicilian Monterey also washed away in the California’s melting pot but Phil DiGirolamo believes such things only change on the surface. Just as Sicily has always been a melting pot of Mediterranean cultures, Monterey has become the Sicily of the Seven Seas. “My Mexican workers are the 21st century’s Sicilians. They work hard and they appreciate things that others take for granted. I am blessed to have them. They make my place what it is,” DiGirolamo explained. My eighth grade teacher said that “Cannery Row” was a story about hope and appreciation. The book’s characters have very little in life but they need even less. That kind of contentment might seem outdated today but it makes me wonder about the tides that pour into Monterey Bay each night to a Hallelujah chorus of barking seals. Perhaps that unique combination of moon-pulled water, jagged geology and flipper song creates a magic mist that nourishes hope as carefully as penguin parents protect their eggs. Otherwise, how does one explain the little miracles: Skid Row transforming itself into a luxury hotel zone; sea otters finding a place where they feel safe enough to float half their days away on their backs; and California sardines surviving near certain extinction to grace Ricky Loya‘s open-fire grill? If you go Hotel Pacific 300 Pacific St., Monterey, CA 93940, 800-554-5542, http://www.hotelpacific.com/ Monterey Plaza Hotel 400 Cannery Row Monterey, CA 93940, 831-635-4077, http://www.montereyplazahotel.com/ Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery 7600 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039 831--633-2152, http://www.philsfishmarket.com/ Massaro & Santos 32 Cannery Row, Coast Guard Pier Monterey, CA, 93940, 831-649-6700, http://www.massaroandsantos.com/ Monterey Maritime Museum Across from Fisherman's Wharf in Downtown Monterey (831) 372-2608http://www.montereyhistory.org/ Posted by FoodDude at 3:18 PM 2 comments Labels: Cannery Row, Monterey, Phil's Fish, Steinbeck, Wroburlto Fong-Torres http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=136 The Wok Wiz: San Francisco's Happiest Guide   By Rebecca McCormick • Special to The News-Star • July 18, 2010   Last year, Forbes.com included San Francisco as the only North American city on their list of "The World's Happiest Cities." Citing "urban centers closely associated with unmitigated joy," the magazine editors may well have based their decision largely on one unofficial San Francisco ambassador: Shirley Fong-Torres, better known as The Wok Wiz in tourism and culinary circles.   I first met Shirley several years ago while standing among tourists at The Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm — America's only site for freshwater culturing. While everybody waited to take pictures of a diver climbing out of the oyster pit, Shirley was the one cracking jokes.   "How do you tell if a pearl is real?" quizzed the diver.   "You bite it!" answered a young schoolgirl.   "Yes, but for that you would need real teeth," quipped my new best friend.   When Myron and I planned our vacation to San Francisco last November, we decided to surprise Shirley by showing up unannounced for her 10 a.m. daily Wok Wiz tour of Chinatown — although it never occurred to us one of her other guides might be scheduled for our particular tour.   Huddled with a dozen other coffee-drinking tourists in the lobby of the Chinatown Hilton Hotel, we recognized Shirley's larger-than-life laugh before she ever rounded the corner.   I stood silently, waiting for her to look my way before flashing a smile.   It worked.   "Heyyyyyy!" she said, looking at us like a mother welcoming her kids home for Christmas. "You look just like a friend of mine from Arkansas!"   For the next three hours, our group walked with Shirley through Chinatown, a vibrant historic neighborhood that is home to more than 10,000 residents and host to millions of tourists each year.   We started our adventure with a stroll through Portsmouth Square, where locals gather to visit, talk and relax in their "outdoor living room."   "The first Chinese who came here were Guangdonese men who took long journeys to come to the 'Gold Mountains,' as they referred to San Francisco," said Shirley. "Their suitcases were packed with more than toothbrushes and family pictures. They were filled with dreams of a better life."  Although some people refer to early life in Chinatown as "a bachelor society," Fong-Torres insists this is an inaccurate description of courageous men who lived sorrowful lives separated from their wives, children and other family members.   Originally confined to a five-block area, Chinatown grew in creative directions: up, as well as underground — where a massive tunnel system once existed.   "They also learned creative ways to stretch their food," Shirley explains. "That's why we still see dried fish, shrimp, scallops and mushrooms throughout the markets here."   Now, Chinatown boasts more than 100 restaurants featuring everything from preserved thousand-year old eggs so "fish so fresh they nearly jump in your steamer."   Life cranks up early in Chinatown. Shopkeepers along the main arteries enticed us to explore a myriad of must-haves — like porcelain and clay teapots, linens and silk, pearls and gold. Art galleries accent the streets like studs on a tuxedo.   On Stockton Street, we perused crowded markets where fresh fish and vegetables show off splashy colors like the garments hanging from overhead clotheslines. Clay Street boasts the Chinese Historical Society of America. But along upper Grant, smells of livestock markets remind us who rules the food chain. Perfumes from the herbal markets wrap us in centuries of traditions. And we are altogether taken.   Red Blossom Tea Company, for instance, has become to tea aficionados what Nashville's BlueBird Café is to songwriters. Brother and sister Peter and Alice Luong are direct importers, traveling thousands of miles in search of rare teas and artisan tea ware. Don't worry, though; they have a staff fluent in both Chinese and English — all trained to make you feel comfortable in a perhaps unfamiliar world of exotic leafy treasures.   After a full morning of lively learning, Shirley escorted us to a neighborhood dim sum restaurant.   "Dim sum was around long before tapas became trendy," she laughs. "It's a way of life for us. In fact, a typical lunch for Maggie and Stella (my 4- and 6-year old granddaughters) and me would be har gow shrimp dumpling, sil mai-pork dumpling, siu loong bow-Shanghai dumplings, taro puff, sticky rice in lotus leaf, bean curd roll, silky tofu, beef and baby bock choy chow fun, mango pudding and orange Jell-O. It's like a party on the table!"   Shirley patiently and professionally explained the parade of selections piled on the carts around us. No wonder she's been seen on the History and Discovery channels and is up for another appearance on the Food Channel — this time with Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods. Her expertise has also earned her spots on in-flight videos for three airlines. And her latest book is titled "The Woman Who Ate Chinatown, a San Francisco Odyssey."   "Dim sum is definitely a delicious way to end a day in Chinatown," she cheered, snapping pictures of her guests grazing on the mounds of food under their chins. No wonder Shirley's tours have been called "a feeding of the mind by a street poet of America's most food-obsessed ethnic neighborhood."   But they left out the stand-up comedy. Shirley's smile and quick wit turn a boring history tour into a boisterous hilarity tour. Her passion and warmth have made all of Chinatown her friend. And all the world is her stage.   Bravo, Wok Wiz! Bravo!   http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=161 Chattanooga for a Song & Lots of Good FoodRomantic travelers want to be transported to another time and place, even if it’s just for dinner. And many don’t need to go any further than the warm spots in their memories where spirits of their youth play in familiar surroundings. That why folks still trek to the Empire State Building, decades after it stopped being the tallest in New York. That’s why sports buy every seat to Wrigley Field, Cameron Indoor Arena and Keeneland even though the comforts and amenities in those places are sorry by today’s standards. It’s also why travelers adore historic old hotels like the Ahwahnee at Yosemite, the Greenbriar in Appalachia and the Grand on Mackinac Island where Hollywood goes to make movies about time travel. My traveling companion, honeybear Wroburlto, is an indomitable Romantic who believes entire towns are holy depositories of zeitgeist - a German term that means “spirit of a former time.” Historic twists of fate often freeze cities and ghost towns in time like Bruges and Maccu Piccu on a grand scale of centuries. On old Route 66, Albuquerque has become adored by travelers for maintaining a cornucopia of Eisenhower era quirks and amusements, punctuated with outdoor adventure, gorgeous landscapes and time warp architecture. Just as that New Mexican city marked the two thirds mark on Route 66 between Chicago to the California coast, Chattanooga marked a similar progression on old Highway 41’s route from Chicago to Florida. That’s just the beginning of the similarities.Both towns were best known to most of America through popular songs about travel - “Route 66” for Albuquerque and “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and “Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy“ and “Ramblin‘ Man” for Chattanooga. Both are drop dead beautiful mountain towns where nature provides everything an adventure traveler could desire - river treks, skydiving, gliding, hot air ballooning and rock climbing. I am not one of them but Wroburlto likes to stay in the same hotels those travelers do - he says they provide great scenery. Sigh.Because songs are so much a part of the way we imagine Chattanooga, we planned our trip for Riverbend Festival - nine days of eclectic music ( Last year we saw Willie Nelson, Three Dog Night and my San Francisco homeboys Train, plus numerous other acts on smaller stages) on the Tennessee River downtown, with one day off for the Bessie Smith Strut, a neighborhood blues fest that celebrates Chattanooga’s most famous singer and attracts some long distance barbecue kings besides. We checked into the newly remodeled Chattanooga Doubleday, just four blocks from the music festival and even closer to the famous Tennessee Aquarium and downtown.Since I am Chinese, driving a car turns me into a Chinese driver. So I love pedestrian opportunities such as Chattanooga provides. My hotel was just a block from a city wide free shuttle bus service that connects just about every part of town we wanted to visit and making it possible to only rent a car for one of the four days of our trip.Tia-Numa & His CurseDetermined to get some educational stuff in before dinner, we walked up, 80 feet straight up, to check out a most peculiar art museum whose history includes as many colorful anecdotes as a half dozen William Faulkner novels combined.The Hunter Museum of American Art was built on holy ground - former home of the Cherokee’s giant hawk god “Tia-Numa.” After chasing Tia-Numa and his people away, white folk first built an iron foundry on this sacred bluff - an offering to the gods of industrialization. Union forces destroyed the foundry in the Civil War and then insurance broker Ross Faxon built an Edwardian mansion here, with lots of Classical Greek touches thrown in. About the same time, local businessman Ben “Quick” Thomas bought the national rights to bottle Coca Cola during a gentleman’s outing. The founder of that soft drink company couldn’t imagine why anyone would ever want to drink Coke out of a bottle, so he figured he was stealing $1 from the imprudent Thomas.Ben’s nephew George Thomas Hunter was a gay blade who shuffled around Chattanooga in Rolls Royce, took over his uncle’s company and broke the hearts of all the unmarried women in town. He bought the Faxon mansion and later willed it to the city, to be turned into an American Art Museum. Two modern glass and steel additions later, it’s remained true to its American-only mission. It dazzled us with do-it-yourself art mirrors and some food art - Severin Roesen’s “Nature’s Bounty” and Rich Goodwin’s “Huntsman’s Door.” Our visit coincided with “Jellies: Living Art,” a collaboration with the Tennessee Aquarium that paired the artistic splendor of fine glass sculpture with the living beauty of jelly fish. Dinner in Bluff ViewGlass fish make us hungry so we walked a couple blocks to the Bluff View Art District where a single family revitalized a turn of the last century neighborhood over 50 years of due diligence. Dr. Charles and Mary Porteras began purchasing property and remodeling arty conversions back in 1960, when Chattanooga had been stung. The New York Times named it America‘s most polluted city. That was the curse of Tia-Numa.Anchored by the River View Art Gallery, with a super regional collection of high and folk art, the area includes an outdoor sculpture garden that overlooks the Tennessee River, B&B’s, additional galleries and three distinct restaurants all of which are provided by Bluff View’s own coffee roaster, bakery and chocolatier.We learned that the bakery turns out over 50 pastries a day, all laminated, hand mixed, artisan products. We tried croissants, puff pastries and the area’s signature - The Nun, a “Napoleon with a hood.”The chocolaterie was run by Jerome Savin, a French educated chocolate genius who prefers Callebault and high cocoa butter (22 - 54%) confections. His mastery of tempering allows these high fat treats to have reasonable shelf life and a signature sheen. Just to be sure, we only ate freshly made truffles.In a former glass factory, coffee roaster Matt showed Wro the dramatic differences in fresh beans.We had to choose between two fine dining restaurants - Tony’s, which makes all its pasta from scratch daily, and Back Inn Café, a more traditional place with historic trappings. Wro chose the latter for its library dining room. I began dinner with huge seared scallops served with a sweet pepper pomace and lemon emulsion and charred pico do gallo. Wro opted for fried green tomatoes, the first of many versions we would have in Chattanooga and one that would set the template for “Chattanooga fried tomatoes” - a serving that included cooked prosciutto, lots of melted goat cheese and some fresh greens. We split an excellent lump crab timbale served simply with sliced green apples and crostini with olive oil. Knowing we would be visiting the fresh water aquarium, I reasoned that this might be my last conscience-free chance to eat frog legs for awhile and huge legs from Indonesia proved irresistible fried in panko and served with slaw. Lobster bisque was made with lobster shell stock and salad was fresh as spring time.Wro ordered turbot ( whose relative would cast indicting eyes at us when we visited the Aquarium) served on wild mushroom risotto with crispy noodles and haricot verts. I ordered a NY strip “Rembrandt style,” rubbed in coffee and served with asparagus, mushroom cream sauce and truffled mashed potatoes.Crème brulee and chocolate mousse cake finished our evening. We retreated to the music fest and thanked God that our hotel was only a few blocks away lest we fall asleep on the music grounds.Blue Plate The next morning in our hotel lobby, we saw a guy wearing a T shirt for a tow truck museum. Loving such quirky places, we followed him into the gift shop and asked about it. He offered to drive us there. Turned out he was Bill Mish , the owner of the hotel. That’s the kind of place Chattanooga is.We began the next day at Blue Plate, a metropolitan diner with a locovorean spin on comfort food. The place is designed for efficiency and that encourages the use of fresh food. There is only one tiny freezer and only two flat top stoves. Yet they manage to serve breakfast lunch or dinner at all hours they are open.“This is a metropolitan diner, not a Mom & Pop. We hired an architect from Berkeley. It was really something new in 2005. Now it’s a style all around town,” said owner Rob Gentry of black and white schemes with wood and exposed ceilings.“No one was doing breakfast downtown then. I see now why Waffle House does so well. Even though our average check is only $12 - $13,” Gentry continued.Chef Joseph Black showed Wroburlto around. Joseph invented a Moon Pie cheesecake that both the restaurant and the Moon Pie company brag about. He showed Wro his stashes of local goodies - Aretha Frankenstein pancake mix, pastries from Bluff View and Niedlov’s bakeries, Stone Cup coffee, Spencer Farms chickens, River Ridge Farms pork and eggs, House of Rayford turkey, Clumpie’s Ice Cream and Mayfield Farm cream.We tried a light breakfast of pancakes, with free ranged eggs and bacon. plus meat loaf and mashed potatoes with collard greens and creamy mac & cheese. I know that doesn’t sound like breakfast but soul food is hard to find in San Francisco, so we get it while we can.Song of the SouthsideThe Southside is Exhibit A in Chattanooga’s most recent renaissance. Anchored by its old railroad terminal, it is a Bruges Syndrome story. Like that medieval Belgian city, economic circumstances froze the industrial southside’s real estate and architecture in time for decades. As suburban sprawl dominated new construction between World War II and the 21st century, the southside’s old brick buildings languished - too sturdy to tear down cheaply until restoration and gentrification became stylish. Now the southside and downtown are trendy again and not just on the covers of bricklayer magazines.Southside revival began with the brick and mortar version of a song. “Chattanooga Choo Choo” was written by Mack Gordon & Harry Warren while traveling on the Southern Railway's "Birmingham Special" train. Glen Miller’s version of the song was # 1 hit in America for nine weeks during World War II. The inspiration for the song was a small, wood-burning steam locomotive which belonged to the Cincinnati Southern Railroad and now is a main attraction in what used to the Chattanooga Terminal.Opened in 1909 that railroad station hosted thousands of travelers during the Golden Age of railroads. Now known as Chattanooga Choo Choo, it was saved from the wrecking ball in 1971 and transformed into The Garden’s, a restaurant modeled on Tivoli in Copenhagen. Today, it’s a 23 acre complex offering a variety of overnight accommodations, including Victorian Era train compartments and suites, plus authentic New Orleans trolley rides, a model railroad display, formal gardens and a bar that evokes that glorious era.We could have lingered all morning at the Choo Choo but Wroburlto is a modern bear more interested in tow trucks than antique trains. So we took Bill Mish up on his offer and headed to the International Towing & Recovery Museum and Hall of Fame. I am not making that up.Holmes Wreckers & Other HeroesThere we learned that the Holmes Wrecker (1913) is not a slut TV show and that the Bubble Nose is not a fish. Well at least it’s not just a fish. Those are both famous antique tow trucks that now educate and comfort fans who come from all over America to see them. This quirky museum also enshrines workers who gave their lives as first responders - a frightfully under appreciated number of brave souls each year. We also saw the world’s fastest ever tow truck, appropriately owned by a garage in Talladega, Alabama. Wro loved this place and even Mamabear was fascinated.Tow trucks make us hungry so we moved down the southside to the University of Tennessee where Chattanooga Market’s open air, covered pavilion showcased regional farmers and artists, live music and chef demonstrations. This is a real farmers market, meaning vendors must personally produce the goods they sell. I bought a Smokey Mountain bow knife for $30. I have never found a better tool for slicing bread or frozen meat. We also found the best strawberries and okra (from Mike Mayfield of Mayfield Farms) and peaches (from Ahzlewood Orchards in Cleveland, Alabama) in years - and I live in California! Signal Mountain Organic Farms sold Wro some radishes that were so fresh he needed to wash the bite down his throat with a strawberry smoothie from Bunky’s Salad Station.Moon Pie Over My AmityChattanooga Bakery is an indisputable American icon. It’s just that most people know it by another name. This bakery makes a product that defines a Southern lifestyle as in “You’re a red neck if your wedding cake is a stack of Moon Pies.”Chattanooga Bakery Vice President Tory Johnson told us the story of the birth of Moon Pie, no relation to Tia-Numa.“Campbell’s Flour Mill started here in 1902 and by World War I they had excess production. So they started bringing out new items. Moon Pie developed after visits to the coal mine region of Kentucky where miners said they wanted something bigger and more substantial in their lunch pails. Moon Pie was developed in response to that - a snack as big as the moon. It was about the 200th new item brought out by the bakery,” Johnson said.By 1930, Moon Pie was so popular it was the only item the bakery made. Still a family owned, family run company, they make six flavors now. The original flavor is the original s‘more - chocolate enclosed marshmallow. In southern lore, Moon Pie is linked with RC Cola, so we asked about that.“RC Cola was the first soft drink to bottle in 20 ounce sizes, when others were still preferring 6 and 8 ounce bottles. So, the blue collar lunch became a Moon Pie and an RC. It stuck ever since,” explained Johnson.Other Moon Pie lore.~ Moon Pies were one of three things, along with Coca Cola and Bazooka gum, that Oprah said made America American.~ 2008 was the year of the first non-marshmallow Moon Pie, with peanut butter filling introduced.~ Sam Walton told Wal0Mart managers that each needed to promote a personal favorite item. He held up Moon Pie’s as his personal favorite. Kiss-ass managers followed his lead and Moon Pie sales soared.~ Chattanooga Bakery purchased Betsy’s Cheese Sticks of Alabama recently, looking for a product for the high end market. Betsy’s Cheese and Sweet sticks are made without high fructose corn syrup.Knead Love?Junk food history always makes us hungry, so we decided on a moveable feast dinner, with bread at one Southside place, appetizers and cocktails at another, entrees at third and desserts at a fourth.Niedlov’s Breadworks on Main Street was a charter member of the area’s revitalization program. This artisan bakery sells to walk-in customers and also provides bread for Greenlife Grocery and Chattanooga’s fine dining establishments. Niedlov’s signature loaf, Wholely Whole Wheat, is the city’s only organic, naturally leavened whole-grain bread.Wearing a T shirt that said “We knead to love,” owner John Sweet said he learned in Germany that “Good bread is a commonality to good life.”Niedlov’s practices extensive fermentation. Sweet wanted a unique leavening agent and created his own mother starter (we call that sourdough in San Francisco) on Lookout Mountain. As the Chattanooga food renaissance developed, he moved to the southside to be in the middle of it.Moveable FeastAt Niko’s Southside Grille, owner Nick Kyriakidis added linen tablecloths, dark woods, modern lighting and impressionist art to the brick wall ambiance of an old warehouse. Chef Edward Lewis turns out “Greek & Southern fusion” cuisine - grouper is given a Thai treatment, grits are served with shrimp and tasso ham, quail are wrapped in bacon and flat iron steaks are marinated in Jack Daniels. But old Greek American favorites dominated the appetizer menu we tried: traditional hummus; tzatzikis; and tapenades with pita and sweet potato chips; beef-stuffed grape leaves; fried calamari rings; fried kasseri cheese with pecans and bread toast; and some fried green tomatoes with arugula, goat cheese and prosciutto.St. John’s Restaurant and its owner/chef Daniel Lindley are Chattanooga’s consensus top dogs. Wro gets excited about meeting hot chefs so he was disappointed that Dan couldn’t be there the night we came. We discovered much later that he was having surgery after a bad accident.Set in a 1920’s bank with live jazz, balcony dining and deco trappings, St. John can certainly transport diners to another time and place. It epitomizes the black & white, mortar & brick, marble & wood, Modernist “Chattanooga style.”Our plan had been to have entrees only but we couldn’t resist a couple appetizers: divine tenderloin tartare with a capers, shallots and quail eggs; an heirloom tomato salad smartly paired with a Parmesan soufflé, fresh basil leaves and sherry vinaigrette; and a baby beet salad with pea shoots and marinated mozzarella.To honor our original plan, we also ordered entrees. I tried a Kobe steak heftily paired with mashed potatoes. Wroburlto has been a pork belly sampling tour for several months so he ordered a “pork tasting” that also included loin, a rib and pepper risotto with smoked onions. It was served minus the belly with an explanation that they had run out. That provoked such ostentatious despair that our server returned to the kitchen and found some belly after all. I so wish I could whine as effectively as he does.Full as we were, the highlight of our moveable feast still awaited us at Table 2. That place is one of the few hot new places in town that deviates from the “Chattanooga style.” It’s more like late Gaudi - bold and metrosexual (Wro’s word, not mine) with reds and golds, velvets and crystal, open glass and open kitchens. The patio was conspicuously part of the restaurant and even had outdoor fireplaces. Semi-private booths were draped in theatrical curtains.The kitchen professes faith to sustainable, organic and natural foods. Star pastry chef Rebecca Barron presented a wondrous array of nightcaps paired with fine dessert wines. Georgia Peach bread pudding was beautifully layered in a cocktail glass with candied pecans and home made vanilla ice cream. A strawberry rhubarb shortcake was served cream puff style with a strawberry compote and freshly whipped cream. A spicy chocolate pot de crème might have been the best we ever had - with multiple flavors of dark chocolates, cayenne pepper and strawberry coulis. We tried three excellent wines with these desserts - a Marcarini Moscato d’Asti, an 06 Chateau Roumieru Lacoste Sauternes and an 05 Four Vines Zinfandel Port, from Paso Robles. We could barely stay awake long enough to catch a couple Three Dog Night songs at Riverbend.A Teaching Farm Crabtree Farms is Chattanooga’s urban teaching farm offers public tours and teaches visitors about sustainable flower and vegetable production, ecology and seed propagation. I figured it was time Wro learned that food didn’t just come out of restaurant kitchens.Melanie Mayo showed him around. They visited mushrooms deep in woods, mosquito-filled woods. We learned that shiitakes take 7 - 18 months to grow and that morels grow near dogwoods here too. Crabtree also cultivates night velvet, bolshoi breeze, WW70, CW25 WW40 and WR72. Not as romantic sounding but just as good. “One guy inoculated his compost heap with mushrooms and got a bunch the next year,” Mayo reported.Wro also saw paw paws, strawberries and all kinds of green foods.Moses & the Promised LandWe went appropriately to lunch then at 212 Market, proclaimed Chattanooga’s greenest restaurant. This “Mom and Daughters” café is a labor of love by Maggie Moses and her daughters Susan and Sally. It’s also the only restaurant in downtown Chattanooga that predates the Aquarium - or as the Moses like to say “We were downtown, before downtown was cool.”They have reputations for being the major teaching restaurant in the area, a hands-on learning center for culinary students and recent grads. All three ladies are almost always working in the kitchen or bakery. They are also a great supporter of local farms as well as green foods. This is one of the few places in America where turkey is always Bourbon Red, a legendary breed that many feel is the ultimate in turkey tasting. The menu was punctuated with other local farm brands - Sequatchie Farms, Meadow Creek Dairy, Fall’s Mill grits.Grandma Moses (the other one) paintings in spun sugar highlighted their art work. We had some lobster bisque, made with lobster shell stock and organic cream and some carrot ginger soup. We followed that with a free range Sequatchie Cove Red Angus burger, with a slice of our first fresh tomato of the year, on a home made bun. We also tried some spinach ravioli with wild mushrooms in honor of the fungi Wro saw in the woods. The dessert tray was enticing, but we managed to stick with just two: one of the best tres leches anywhere; a chocolate mousse; a crème brulee and a bread pudding. Did I say just two? I meant just two each.Fish We Didn’t EatIf the Hunter is old Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium represents New Chattanooga. Designed by Boston architect Peter Chermayeff, its opening in 1992 signaled the city’s intention to rid itself of a negative image from Tia-Numa‘s curse. The place first opened as the world’s largest freshwater aquarium. Today the original building showcases “River Journey,” with exhibits that follows a single drop of water flowing from the Appalachian Mountains down the Tennessee River to the Gulf of Mexico.One popular rumor, which will never be likely die or be confirmed, is that Home Depot management bore such a grudge against Chattanooga that they donated money to Atlanta for the purpose of building a bigger aquarium. Chattanooga responded by hiring Chermayeff’s firm to build a $30 million, 60,000 square-foot adjoining building, which opened in 2005 and jumpstarted a downtown revival that also created a beautiful new ball park, the Riverfront festival grounds and the restaurant renaissance we had come to sample.The new aquarium building showcases “Ocean Journey,” a story of the unique coral reef systems in the Gulf of Mexico. We watched 10-foot sharks, fierce barracuda and graceful stingrays glide through amazing coral formations. Other galleries showcase cuttlefish, scaly tarpons, squid, crabs and jellyfish, some of which we found on local menus.We saw the rest of “Jellies: Living Art,” the collaboration with the Hunter that paired the artistic splendor of fine glass sculpture with the living beauty of jelly fish. In a butterfly gallery we particularly enjoyed the Tawny Owl, who did not seem to mind us at all as he sat in his black olive tree.The aquarium boasts more turtle species than anywhere in the world. We met Oscar, a rescue turtle, who had been run over twice by motor boats. When he first came to the Aquarium, his lungs popped out when he inhaled.Downtown Dine Around After the overindulgence of the previous night, we decided to only hit two restaurants on our next dine around. We started with Easy Bistro, another paragon of the Modernist/Deco black & white, masonry and tile Chattanooga Style. Chef - owner Erik Niel is a Cajun country transplant who keeps a faith with both his bayou and gulf roots by blending Deep South and Continental cuisines. This was the only place in town where fried green tomatoes were not covered or stuffed with melted cheese. Erik’s were heavenly with just bacon, black eyed peas and a crawfish vinaigrette.He also served some marinated olives, a baked oyster confit, shrimp cocktail, salad with spring mix and endive, strawberries and candied pecans. Oh, and a couple dozen raw oysters and an order of heavenly potato ravioli with local peaches and crabmeat, in brown butter with shallots and capers.This was an occasion in which we could barely force ourselves to leave and move on with our plan. Especially since Erik’s menu offered two fish we had never tried before - triggerfish and scamp grouper. We calmed our nerves with a couple house gin specialties - a cucumber-infused gin and ginger cocktail and another featuring elderflower liquor and orange bitters. I also tried my first Sazerac, America’s oldest cocktail making revival now that absinthe is legal again.We plunged on to Hennen’s, the sister restaurant and neighbor of Blue Plate. It’s just as a casual despite being an upgrade from diner to steakhouse. Casual steakhouses are a popular tradeoff, customers give up expectations for prime, dry aged beef in exchange for prices that range between $16 - $30. Southern style sides (wilted greens, mashed sweet potatoes, grits, etc.) were also priced low $3 - $4.Despite all the great appetizers at Easy, we ordered carpaccio with horseradish cream and a gumbo with good roux. For entrees we tried prime rib with peppercorn sauce and some Carolina red trout. Wro’s prime rib didn’t’ come out anywhere near the promised degree of doneness, but in this economy he reasoned he was lucky to be eating beef at all and didn’t pout too much. Powdered beignets and chocolate cheesecake with fresh berries calmed his disappointment.Since Hennen’s is actually inside the Riverbend Festival grounds, it was easier to crawl over for the music before crawling back to the Doubletree.Quirky Roadside Attractions We started our last day on North Shore, Chattanooga’s riverfront neighborhood and home to Coolidge Park, specialty shops, cafés, outfitters and galleries. We had Clumpies Ice Cream for breakfast. In the shop of a third-generation candy maker, Clumpies makes each gourmet flavor in small batches. We tried fresh peach and blueberry before visiting the 82-year-old steamboat Delta Queen, who began her life floating to San Francisco from Stockton. She is now a floating hotel and lounge. Then we stopped in Hanover Gallery to see the latest works of Toby Penney, a Tennessee artist who sculpts amazing fruits, vegetables and tubers from perspectives both above and below the ground.The dreaded time had come to rent a car and drive to Boathouse, a restaurant accessible by car, bike, parachute or kayak none of which is my preferred mode. Owner Lawton Haygood patented the Tuff Grill, the standard restaurant operation for wood burning grills. He has my kind of food group philosophy, he says that his rib eyes are “flavored with fat.” Lawton put his name on a Lawtonrita, which we ordered while contemplating lunch. It was simply a classic margarita, with the best tequila and freshly squeezed lime juice. Boathouse featured “Gulf Cuisine” - meaning barbecue, wood grilled meats and fresh seafood, three of the best things in life. We sat on a shaded porch and devoured fresh oysters. Boathouse sells more fresh oysters than anyone in Tennessee - they take twice-a-week delivery of Appalachoia and luck would have it ( actually it was planned) we showed up at delivery time.Specialties include wood grilled chicken and El Scorcho, a cioppino like soup. So we ordered them both, plus an appetizer of wood-grilled squid and rotisserie brisket while we contemplated our main order - more raw oysters. Fortified with so much gulf food, I was ready to visit Chattanooga’s most revered and quirky roadside attractions.Located deep within the underground caverns of historic Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls’ is among the highest waterfalls in America and has been a huge tourist tradition since 1929.“No one knows where the water comes from, or where it goes, said tour guide Brent Wade, “in the “30th year of temp job.” He assured me that there were stairs if the elevator breaks down. People have been willing to crawl on their bellies for 17 hours to see the waterfall. Fortunately for us, pathways are pretty wide and tall now. I didn’t even conk my head. It took us just 20 minutes to walk to the amazing waterfall.Rock City Gardens opened in 1932 and advertised on barns roofs throughout the South. On top of Lookout Mountain, it features pathways through massive ancient rock formations, gardens with over 400 native plant species, the gnome-inhabited Fairyland Caverns, panoramic views of “seven States” and more.Roadside attractions, not to mention driving, make us hungry so we returned downtown to Bluewater Grille. This place is a sister to two Florida seafood restaurants, with fresh fish handpicked by a team of chefs in St. Augustine Florida. We tried a lobster bisque and a crab and roasted corn chowder. We followed that with grilled grouper and mahi mahi and some Kobe beef sliders. All were matched with house made beers that had most appropriate names - Big River Lager, Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale, Southern Flyer Light Lager.Having eaten with some restraint, we were primed to strut rather than crawl. The legendary Bessie Smith Strut is a free downtown event that features live Rhythm & Blues music on three stages. It’s known as the largest block party in the South. We walked around talking to the smokers, mostly local guys with awesome equipment. Ron Jones had the biggest smoker, long-trailer sized. He’s a Chattanooga-born guy who recently moved back from Houston. So he combines southern and Texas style Q, specializing in briskets but using an East Carolina sauce.In the African-American Museum that hosts the Strut, we learned two amazing life stories. Bessie Smith began singing on Chattanooga streets at age 8. By age 9 she was making $8 a week singing in clubs - big money then. She beat Ma Rainey in a talent show and then stowed away on that famous blues star’s train. Ma took her in and mothered her the rest of her life. Bessie died young in a car crash in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Her grave was unmarked till Janis Joplin erected a memorial pillar.Jimmy Winksdale was the best jockey of the turn of the last century, winning two Kentucky Derbies before the Ku Klux Klan chased black men out of racing. He moved to Russia and became the best jockey in Europe, until the Bolsheviks chased him out of the USSR. He moved to Paris and was the leading trainer there, until the Nazis chased him out of France. He moved to Charles Town in West Virginia, where black men could train and own race horses. In 1960, Jimmy was walking the streets of segregated Louisville during Derby Week when some older horse owners recognized him and demanded that the Brown Hotel lift their racial ban and permit him to drink with them in Louisville’s ultimate bar. What a life.When is Spike Lee going to make that movie?If You GoChattanooga Doubletree 407 Chestnut Street chattanooga, TN 37402 (423) 756-5150 www.chattanooga.doubletree.comThis hotel topped the entire Hilton system for customer service in a customer poll. That showed on our stay with sensationally friendly, accommodating people - and that’s saying something as Wro can be really demanding. It’s also a green hotel, recycling everything from garbage to lighting.Chattanooga African-American Museum200 E. MLK Blvd.Chattanooga, TN 37403423-266-8658www.caamhistory.comBluff View Art District 411 East Second StreetChattanooga, TN 37403800.725.8338 www.bluffviewartdistrict.comRuby Falls1720 South Scenic Hwy Chattanooga, TN 37409 423-821-2544www.rubyfalls.comHunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Chattanooga, TN 37403423-267-0968www.huntermuseum.orgTennessee Aquarium One Broad Street Chattanooga, TN 37401-2048 800-262-0695www.tnaqua.orgInternational Towing & Recovery Museum and Hall of Fame3315 Broad St Chattanooga, TN 37408-3052 (423) 267-3132www.internationaltowingmuseum.orgBack Inn411 East Second StreetChattanooga, TN 37403800-725-8338 ext. 1Blue Plate191 Chestnut St # B Chattanooga, TN 37402-1035 (423) 648-6767 www.theblueplate.infoNiko’s 1400 Cowart St Chattanooga, TN 37408-1113 (423) 266-6511 www.nikossouthside.comSt. John’s 1278 Market St Chattanooga, TN 37402-2713 (423) 266-4571www.stjohnsrestaurant.comTable 2 232 E 11th St Chattanooga, TN 37402-4208 (423) 756-8253www.table2restaurant.comEasy Bistro203 Broad St Chattanooga, TN 37402-1010 (423) 266-1121www.easybistro.comHennen’s 193 Chestnut St Chattanooga, TN 37402-1012 (423) 634-5160www.hennens.netBlue Water Grille224 Broad St Chattanooga, TN 37402-1009 (423) 266-4200www.bluewaterchattanooga.com cialis professionalbuy viagra without prescriptionpaxilviagra germanycialislexaproeffexorpropeciaviagra ukbuy acai berrybuy phenamaxbuy slimfast onlinehoodia onlinebuy zimultibuy xenicalbuy acompliapurchase viagraorder viagra professionalviagra softpurchase cialisorder cialis professionalorder levitrabuy cialis without prescriptionbuy viagra without prescriptionorder generic viagraorder cialis super activeorder generic cialisorder viagra super activeorder acompliaorder proscarorder brand cialisorder brand viagralevitraorder cialis super activecialis professionalcialis side effectshow buy viagra onlinecialis pricecialis dosage recommendedviagra dosageviagra side effects eyescialis order 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Foraging for a take-home feast in Chinatown By Leslie Harlib IJ-MarinAt 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday, Chinatown's arteries - Stockton Street and Grant Avenue - and its veins - Vallejo, Jackson and Washington - are empty of people and nearly devoid of traffic.A late-summer breeze chilled with fog swirls dirt in the gutters. The curved swallow-tail Chinese roofs and dragon-emblazoned signs on many buildings stand out in exotic relief, a pleasure to look at without the distraction of hordes of people who will pack these streets later on in the day.It's a marvelous time to set out on a shopping expedition. No crowds. There's metered parking everywhere. I opt for a spot in the North Beach Garage (735 Vallejo) where all the spaces have little homilies painted on them, not just numbers, and two hours will cost me all of $5 without fear of a parking ticket.I am here to forage the fixings for a dinner party for six from the myriad of Chinese delis, takeout restaurants and dim sum shops that make this part of San Francisco an epicenter for unusual, inexpensive prepared food finds. I don't expect to cook a thing. All I plan to do is hunt and gather, then lay the goodies out later, just before my guests arrive.Going to Chinatown to find great takeout is an adventure. I even have a guide: Shirley Fong-Torres. She's known as the Wok Wiz of San Francisco for her 24 years of leading walking tours of Chinatown and building a company around this service. Her new book, "The Woman Who Ate Chinatown: A San Francisco Odyssey" (IUniverse Publishing) came out in July. It's packed with suggestions on where to eat as well as buy deli-style Chinese food, so we use it as a guide.With firecracker energy and a smile that seems to wrap around her face, she strides through Chinatown so briskly that I almost have to trot to keep up with her because she's off to Marin for a party following our spree.My menu will be determined by what catches my eye. Unlike shopping for ingredients bought to follow recipes, this forage is fueled by pure impulse. If it looks, smells or tastes good, I'll buy some.I nix the dried deer tendons ($16 a pound) stacked like kind- ling in a carton at Hing Fung Trading on Vallejo, just two doors down from the garage. Part grocery and part herbalist, Hing Fung is a bazaar of the bizarre for Caucasian palates. Beyond deer tendon, there are jars of dried scallops in different sizes from all over Asia. Dried sea cucumbers, looking like fossilized pestles, are only $138 a pound. Swallow's nests for birds' nest soup -a great delicacy - are available, dried, for well over $200 a pound.After a taste, I buy a bag of sweet and sour pickled plums. They're the green of Italian olives, the size of shooter marbles and have a piquantly deep fruity finish ($4.50 a pound). I plan to put them in vodka mixed with bottled lychee juice and a couple of fresh peeled lychees to make Asian-fusion martinis.Fong-Torres keeps up a running commentary as we shoot up this street and down that."If you want to get what you need faster, you have to shout. People here do a lot of yelling," she grinned as we popped into Imperial Palace Restaurant at 818 Washington St. It's 9:30 a.m. and cold, so we order cups of restorative jook, a soothing, savory porridge of chicken broth and disintegrated rice laced with fresh green scallions and chunks of deep-fried wonton skin. It's a classic Chinese breakfast. Jook leads to deep-fried salty Chinese doughnuts that look like churros but are as crunchy as tortilla chips. They are perfect to balance the mild jook.We sample fluffy white pork buns, steamed and stuffed with a candylike jellied pork filling; har gow, the classic shrimp dim sum wrapped in rice noodle dough. All these types of dim sum can be brought home and re-steamed quickly in the microwave with a little water in a dish and a paper towel cover. Each variety is no more than $4 or $5 and comes with three or four pieces each. Buy several kinds and serve these as starters. If you want to live daringly, fresh frog is on the menu here in a number of variations at $13.85 for a generous portion. Eating it will be a ribeting experience.More dim sum, including baked pork buns a good six-inches around, are inexpensive at You's Dim Sum, at 675 Broadway. Here are also deep-fried taro balls stuffed with minced pork, thick steamed rice noodles fried on one side like potstickers and packed with pungent chard and scallions, steamed lotus leaves filled with sticky rice stuffed with minced pork, Chinese sausage and bits of hard-boiled egg yolk. They all make fine hors d'oeuvres.I plan to serve a variety of main dishes, too. For one of these I buy roast pig by the pound at New King Tin Restaurant, 826 Washington. The counter-man hacks off chunks from a whole animal still warm from the oven. The skin is a celebration of salted crackle. The meat is so tender, it's like velvet. I can't stop nibbling at it.Yee's Restaurant, at 1131 Grant Ave. (and which opens at 8 a.m.) yields all types of bounty. Whole roast duck (Fong-Torres says it's her favorite place for duck), a half pound of spare ribs, a half pound of Chinese red-roasted sweet-glazed pork, deep-fried chicken legs, a carton of chow fun fat noodles stir-fried with bean sprouts, a mixed-vegetable combination where crunchy, lacy rounds of lotus root are the centerpiece, all sets me back a mere $20. I'm weighted down with what feels like six pounds of food already and we're not done shopping.Fong-Torres introduces me to the huge collection of fresh teas at the family-owned Red Blossom Tea Shop, 831 Grant Ave. It opens at 10 a.m. If you have the time, sit down for a free tasting. You can also buy classic and beautifully austere Chinese tea sets, with tray, tea pot, six little cups and other tea accoutrements for $60 on up.Decorations are part of my dinner party plan. Fong-Torres steers us to the Merchant of China Inc., 930 Grant Ave., where I buy silk sacks to cover wine bottles and that look like little Mandarin costumes for $1.99 each. You'll find everything from chopsticks to tablecloths, napkins, Chinese clothing and all sorts of fun things to put on your table. Up and down Grant, I gather small fans, tiny statues of dragons, monkeys and other Chinese tchochkes - nothing more than $1 - to place at each guest's seat for take-home souvenirs of the evening.I harvest dessert - plump rice-flour pancakes stuffed with red bean paste and egg custard, steamed sponge cake, custard tarts in lard-based puff pastry, deep-fried rice flour balls packed with pureed red beans and covered in toasted sesame seeds, mango tarts - from V.I.P. Coffee & Cakes Shop, 671 Broadway. It's almost a museum of Chinese and Western-style pastries.I'm heading home by 10:30 a.m., just when Chinatown is getting crowded enough to mean lines for service in groceries and restaurants and the parking garages are full. I've spent all of $60 to collect a huge three-course dinner for six, including table decorations and tea.Even with gas and toll, I consider the day my good fortune.IF YOU HARVEST-- Wok Wiz three-hour guided tours of Chinatown are available daily, offered with ($45) or without ($35) lunch. For details, call 650-355-9657 or go to www.wokwiz.com-- Do it yourself by following the information in "The Woman Who Ate Chinatown: A San Francisco Odyssey," $17.95 from www.iuniverse.com. http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=151 I travel frequently throughout the year and my unwavering favorite destination is Hawaii. After many memorable trips to Maui, it is time to write about it. You can return time and again and explore new areas of the island in Kapalua, Napili Bay, Lahaina, Wailuku (Maui's county seat), Kihei, Wailea and more.Here are 20+ experiences I have had in Maui over the past 20 years: * taped in-flight videos for Hawaiian Airlines * romped around a pineapple plantation * stayed in hotels and B&B's in Kapalua, Napili, Kaanapali, Lahaina, Wailuku, and Wailea * dined in eateries for takeaway yummies, a spectacular noodle house in Wailuku, tasted the freshest sashimi and sushi, amazing luaus, home-cooked meals in friends' homes, pampered with 5* cuisine prepared by the top chefs * visited famed Chef James MacDonald's O'o farm and picked ingredients for lunch * taught cooking at the Maui Community College culinary program * judged the Maui Onion Festival * tasted the finest Maui-grown fruits and produce, coffee, chips, shellfish and fish: mahi mahi, opah, ahi, opakapaka, moi, monchong * participated on panels for the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival * shopped in Whalers Village, Kaanapali, Lahaina, Kihei, ABC stores, Shops at Wailea * cooked with chefs who have become close friends * dined in the presidential suite of the Grand Wailea * had a picnic in Upcountry, wine tasting * spent a day at the Art School of Kapalua, flew home with a colorful ceramic jar * walked the beaches, taken the bus, spa'ed myself into zen-like calm * tried golfing @ Kapalua and Wailea for a "Gourmet Golf in Hawaii" assignment for Robb Report magazine - I almost ran the golf cart into an imposing tree, or was it a bush? * enjoyed the gourmet of: Alex Stanislaw's Plantation House, David Paul's; D.K.'s Sansei, Mark Ellman's MALA, James MacDonald's Pacific'O, Michael Moore's Aloha Mixed Plate, any Four Seasons' and Fairmont Kea Lani's chefs' inspirations * hung out with friends in the business - public relations, hotels, chefs, fun people * danced in Mulligan's pub, crashed a wedding party - I am such a wild child * survived a helicopter ride - I am such a wimp * para-sailing with daughter Tina, who promised me Lappert's divine ice cream for good behavior: More to discover, experience, taste? You bet - follow me! The meaning of the name MAUI is "God of Fire." Maui is named after the prankster son of Hinaukeahi, known for his superhuman feats. I arrived at the Maui Kahului airport around 7:30 pm and whispered to myself: “I’m home.” I feel a sense of belonging here. My very good friend, talented Chef Patrick Callarec picked me up at the airport and transported me to Four Seasons Wailea, a mere 30-minute ride. Even around 8:00 p.m., the air is crisp and warm. We relaxed over a couple of drinks with our friend Yvonne Biegel, the public relations director of Four Seasons Wailea. Then I retired to my gorgeous ocean view deluxe room. This is such an elegant and refined resort - I always feel extra special and pampered when I am here. Oh, what adventures lie ahead? Four Seasons 3900 Wailea Alanui Wailea, Maui, HI 96753 (808) 874-8000 www.fourseasons.com [1]The FOUR SEASONS Resort Maui is located in Wailea, the beautiful and almost always-sunny southwest coast. Wailea is named after LEA, the Hawaiian goddess of canoes. It is a 1500 acre master-planned resort. Today it is filled with 5-star resorts, condos, vacation rentals, beautiful beaches, sailing and tennis possibilities and no doubt, some of the best golf courses in the country as well as endless fine dining and local fare, something for every visitor. Wailea Resort is a 1,500 acre, master-planned resort. Eats at the Four Seasons: Wolfgang Puck's Spago, DUO Steaks and Seafood, Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante, and Drive-Through Dining (the coolest take out service I've heard of - call, order from restaurant favorites, drive by valet, pick up order, go home and swoon and enjoy!) Each restaurant at the Four Seasons is top-of-the-line in food, service, ambience.Wheels: I chose to not rent a car on this trip and it was a fun shuttle/bus adventure. I started my first full day in Wailea by with a ride from the Four Seasons to the WAILEA SHOPS, where the MAUI BUS whisked me to Kihei. I went to Long’s to check out cameras as I forgot to pack mine. After nixing the cameras with tags of $125-$250, I crossed the street to RADIO Shack and purchased a lovely Samsung S860 for $34.00, reduced from $129. Such a deal.Next stop: back on the bus with no set agenda, I hopped off and crossed the street to Café O’Lei for a Quinoa Salad with Mahi Mahi, $11.95 and iced tea. Good solid local food, relaxed vibes, pleasant service.Cafe O'Lei 2439 S Kihei Rd 808/891-1368I notice I can easily take the bus to stop right in front of one of my favorite restaurants, Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, 1881 South Kihei Road, 808-879-0004The bus stopped across the street from the Shops at Wailea, where I left some money at the Dolphin Gallery. I gaze at my new diamond ring-around - it twirls when I move my finger, what do you call that besides 'cute?" I explored the Shops, found gifts and Hurricane Popcorn for my daughter Tina, treasures for granddaughters Maggie and Stella and son-in-law Matt. I shopped to walk off my lunch, and got a Four Season’s ride back to the hotel.After a rest in my beautiful room, I looked forward to Girls' Night Out. I met my good friend Yvonne for a drink in the Lobby Lounge, listened to a guitarist/singer and watched a lovely hula dancer's performance. We then met up with our other two friends, Kathy and Carla for dinner at the DUO Steak and Seafood. Kathy, Yvonne, Carla and I have a tremendous dinner at DUO, lots of laughs, drinks, joyOur dinner started with a series of eye-popping platters: a "Trio of sashimi" - ahi, onaga and kampachi with soy, pickled ginger and wasabi. The fish was so fresh and delicate, give up the wasabi. Dungeness crab cakes were served with Molokai sweet potato, papaya and a Kula corn salsa. Entrees included Pan-seared Divers’ Scallops with Kabocha pumpkin ravioli and my entrée: a 20-oz. Dry Aged Bone-in Prime Rib Eye with a choice of sauces: bernaise, duo herb-garlic butter, marsala porcini, truffle merlot. I could barely finish half of the steak. Oh, don't forget the sides: garlic spinach and brussel sprouts. Other sides that appeared at our table were the Hamakua Garlic Mushroom Ragu, Kula Sweet Corn "off the cob" and Truffled Double Baked Potato. Oye... To this day, I wonder how we managed to walk over to Ferraro’s for after-dinner drinks.Morning beckons: It is gorgeous today and I decide hang around the Four Seasons property, skipping breakfast except for a cup of Maui coffee and ½ papaya and a banana from the fruit basket in my room. I stroll around the resort, stop at the swimming pools, linger in the shops, and sat in the lobby to look out at the stunning views and daydream. The lobby is also where you can check your emails as there are several computers for guests' use, and helpful staff in case you have questions.I went to the poolside Ferraro’s for lunch, hoping that the much loved Lobster Macaroni and Cheese was NOT on the menu today (because I do not need it, but want it.) I had a healthy lunch of Fresh Green Pea Soup (simply prepared with fresh peas and Fuji water) topped with Dungeness crab meat and drizzled with olive oil. Talented sous chef Michael Cantin suggested a spot-on lunch: American Kobe Beef Wrap with avocado and tomatoes, and Maui onions. I finish lunch, bid Four Seasons aloha for now, and head down the road for my next adventure. Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa 3700 Wailea Alanui Wailea, Maui, HI 96753 808-879-1922 www.waileamarriott.com [2]How refreshing to walk into this open-air oceanfront resort, the first to be built in Wailea (1976.) I had happy feelings as I checked in. The Wailea Beach Marriott reminds me of why I like "flamingo-type 1970s' classic motels and hotels." They have a special "oldness" about them that makes them unique. This resort is huge, decorated with Hawaiian art here and there, with a seemingly endless aquarium in the lobby area, and a friendly and helpful staff. All eight buildings are low-rise, and there is an additional eight-story tower, taking over 22 acres of beautifully landscaped property. I was especially excited about staying here because it is the only resort I have not experienced in Wailea, and my good friend Chef Mark Ellman opened another restaurant, MALA Wailea on property. Mark is one of my favorite chefs of all time and I love dining at his Lahaina restaurant, MALA Ocean Tavern. I am proud to see his success. MALA Wailea is located right off the lobby. There is an ocean view from every table, and the menu features Chef Ellman's passion for Pacific Rim and Mediterranean food. He uses local produce, organic steaks and fresh seafood. I knew this is a "must-order dish" as memories flowed of eating this exact fish too many years ago at his AVALON restaurant in Lahaina. Update: Mark and his wife Judy's MALA Ocean Tavern is located at 1307 Front S 808-667-9394. Whole Wok Fried Fish Ginger, Garlic Black Bean Sauce and your choice of Molokai Sweet Potatoes, Three Grain Brown Rice. Mild, Medium, or Spicy.My pictures do not show off the true beauty of Chef Mark's food, so I suggest you look for great airfares and get over there pronto. Here is another yummy entree, Miso Marinated Local Opakapaka, with glazed butternut squash, Molokai purple mashed potatoes and Kula corn: Until recently, I only liked brussel sprouts if they were cooked in bacon fat. I now have found another style that is much healthier, Wok Fried Brussel Sprouts with Ginger Soy: Chef Mark's signature dessert, CARAMEL MIRANDA followed him from his first place, Avalon. I'm relieved. This is a "must" and old-timers like me wink knowingly: Caramel Miranda, which is gluten free, is a melted dark chocolate and caramel sauce covered plate with layered and broiled island fruit, raspberries, Maui Gold Pineapple, baby coconuts (yum) and Vanilla macadamia ice cream. Sounds pretty healthy, for the most part, yes?Or, you can opt for Roselani Dragon Fruit sorbet with fresh berries and maybe just a little bit of Flourless Chocolate Torte Souflee? Not to be missed is the HONUA'ULA Luau Dinner show, which I attended with my friend Noreen. I haven't attended a luau in a couple of years and this was a very well-organized and timed luau set oceanfront at the Wailea Beach Marriott. How convenient for the resort guests!HONUA'ULA (808)875-7710 Luau dinner shows on Monday, Thursday, Friday and SaturdayFor the first hour, guests relax over drinks, visit with one another and snap pictures of the sunset, or do what I love to: people watch as I soak in the glory of the moment. There is a sense of anticipation and gaiety throughout the ever-increasing number of guests. Round tables seat 8-10 and are very comfortable. You can be friendly with others or stick to your own agenda. 6 p.m. There is quite a rumble of excitement as we observe the lighting of the torches ceremony, followed by sounds of a conch shell announcing that the Luau dinner has begin. The luau is served buffet style, with Hawaiian specialties such as imu-baked Kalua pig, poi, island fish, a healthy array of tropical fruit salads, Lomi Lomi salad, tossed Kula greens, local vegetables, taro roll and did I say poi? There is plenty to eat and the eating's good.Noreen at the luau 7:00 p.m. The show starts and creates an exciting evening of traditional dance, chant and hula, bringing the history of Maui to life. The performers have high energy and smiles on their faces, sharing their culture happily to all of us. Lovely dancers: another luau pic: Some might think this is cheesy but I love it when members from the audience are encouraged on stage to learn how to hula. Kids are usually the first to volunteer; most adults need to be coaxed.Volunteers hula Another fantastic trip to Maui and I can hardly wait. Aloha and a hui hoa! [1] http:// [2] http:// http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=143 February 27, 2010When I had the opportunity to bid on an item for the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau Foundation fundraiser last year, I jumped at the TAJ CAMPTON PLACE weekend. It was much more than what I anticipated. What a blessing to return to a hotel that holds many warm memories. For many years my (now adult) daughter and I treated ourselves to lunch at the Campton Place during the holidays. Tina and I looked forward to this special day, and would always order the delicious hot chocolate. Although I continue to recommend Campton Place, business and other activities prevented me from coming back for a number of years. I have been ever-mindful of the charm of this boutique and well-regarded hotel. TAJ CAMPTON PLACE 340 Stockton St San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 781-5555 www.tajhotels.comAfter checking into a beautiful king room with views overlooking Union Square, I met Joe Enos, the director of public relations for the TAJ Campton Place. What a delightful man! We have many friends in common here in San Francisco, in Hawaii and Arizona. My timing to stay at the Taj Campton Place could not have been better - Joe invited me to world-famous author Paul Theroux's book signing, which happened to be at the hotel on Sunday. The celebration is for the release of Paul's latest book, A Dead Hand: A Murder in Calcutta and to taste the wines of Domaine Georg Rafael.The dining room is gorgeous and upon entering you notice a beautiful chandelier created by local San Francisco artist Nikolas Weinstein, www.nikolas.net.Joe and I had lunch in the Taj Campton Place dining room - the Kona Kampachi was as tasty as can be found straight from Hawaii: Organic Green Salad with root vegetables, cheve frais and balsamic walnut vinaigrette: Lunch entree: Gulf Shrimp with string hoppers, korma sauce and black mustard: I was hoping to make this as relaxing a weekend as possible (that is, in-between my ultra-busy Saturday for the Wok Wiz Year of the Tiger program in Chinatown!) However, as a food and travel writer/blogger it is hard to go anywhere terrific and drop the desire to share my adventures.One of the best things to do for yourself is to get a massage. I am glad I booked the "Mindful Monkey Bodywork Mobile Spa." My masseuse, Raven Nielsen, came to my room on time, with everything needed including a massage table. She noticed right away that my shoulders and back required plenty of attention, thanks to the many hours on the computer (duh.) Email Raven at raven@mmmobilespa.com - she goes to your home, business, or hotel. The one hour of massage did me a world of good and I filtered out to the fresh air for a brisk walk to...KING OF THAI for a bowl of less than stellar Thai-style beef noodles. That was fine with me, I just wanted something light and skipped the beef, enjoyed the stock and noodles.Saturday, February 27 - I spent most of the day in the hotel until it was time to take a 10-minute walk to Chinatown to greet my tour leaders and WOK WIZ Year of the Tiger guests, including a handful of journalists - radio and print.After a fun stroll in a very decorated and colorful Chinatown, we settled at FOUR SEAS for a massive new year banquet. I created a menu with General Manager Sara to reflect our hopes and dreams for the year, dishes such as Sizzling Rice Soup - "May the New Year Sizzle in our Favor," Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings - "May You Soar with Joy," Lo Han Jai, an important first day of the new year vegetarian dish, Long Life Beans, "Rich and Long Life for All," and a few other dishes to add up to the lucky #8 courses. Walking back to the Taj Campton Place, I returned to my room to rest and watch my brother Ben co-host the annual Lunar New Year Parade on KTVU Channel 2. What a glorious celebration. I could see the parade from my room, too.Later, a little hungry, I went downstairs to the bar lounge, an excellent place to have an after-dinner drink or to meet friends for quick-bites and alcohol or other types of libations. This was a better choice for me, rather than venture out in the dark alone. What a pleasant surprise, friends Greg, Julie and Tamiko happened to be at the bar. I joined them for a Cobb Salad and beer, a perfect ending to a busy and exciting day.Sunday morning - I went for a walk around our beautiful Union Square area, and shopped at SUR LA TABLE on Maiden Lane, a great place for anything for cooking. I returned and ran into Rahul Nair, the TAJ Campton Place's Director of Food & Beverage. He easily convinced me to have breakfast, and am I glad! My Poached Eggs on dill-scented brioche was served with Smoked Salmon fashioned into a rosette, and touched with a light amount of Hollandaise sauce. Rahul sent out a small portion of something he wanted me to try: Poho, tempered flat rice, black lentils and tumeric. Chef prepared it just right for me, not overly-spicy. At 4 p.m. I rode the elevator up to the 17th room to meet Paul Theroux. I was excited to meet this famous and amazing writer and author of countless books, mostly based on his travels around the world. We had a wonderful conversation about Hawaii, where he and his wife, Sheila Donnelly Theroux, who is the President of Sheila Donnelly & Associates, one of the top public relations firms in America. I look forward to seeing Paul and Sheila back in Oahu one day soon. We celebrate Paul Theroux's launch of his latest book, A Dead Hand: A Murder in Calcutta Photo: Frank Jang Photography http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=149 February 14-19, 2010 As I pack for my Valentine's Day getaway to Hawaii, I daydream about the taste of Hawaiian-grown fruits and vegetables - mangos, papayas, lichee, mangosteens, pineapples, avocados, anything that is grown in Oahu and is fresh...and fresh fish chosen from the Fish Auction perhaps, and will there be moi? - o what delights await me? The best Lunar New Year Day celebration for me started in Oahu, Hawaii. I flew in on the evening on the first day of the Year of the Tiger and it was also Valentine's Day. Upon arrival at the Honolulu Airport around 8:00 p.m. I was ready to do something I have not done in Hawaii for many years: drive a car. I dared not tell my wonderful hosts that I am the reason for many "bad Chinese driver jokes." The best is all I will do, face the challenge! The spiffy BUDGET RENTAL Pontiac was easy to navigate and it helped to have a local GPS which did not keep sneering the annoying "re-calculating" or "at your earliest convenience make a U-turn." Why? Directions from and to the Waikiki area are fairly simple even for someone like me. Here, just get on a road, go straight. I only got "lost" once within the confines of the rental car area, but that's another silly story...what counts is that I got to my destination safely without hurting others. OHANA BEACHCOMBER WAIKIKI 2300 Kalakaua Av. 808-922-4646 www.waikikibeachcomber.com [1] The drive was pleasant with many fellow tourists on the road. That meant no one was speeding = less stress. The parking at the Beachcomber was challenging because the place was packed so patience is the key on busy nights. Kudos to OHANA Beachcomber for its efficient valet service and friendly, helpful front desk team. My lei swayed and danced to the beat of my happy heart. After unpacking I thrust myself back on the busy street, hungry and excited. Kalakaua Street was brimming with tourists, street vendors and artists peddled their wares, high-spirited musicians entertained to the delight of smiling audiences, while cameras snapped at colorfully attired human "robots." Eats: RAMEN EZOGIKU 2146 Kalakaua 808 926-8616 What a deal - $7.95 for a piping hot bowl of miso ramen with char sil (roast pork.) The place looks like it has been around for 50 years - a non-descript U-shaped counter and a scattering of tables, filled with mostly locals. I met Steve and Ryan, who live just a few minutes from the restaurant but had checked into a hotel for a “staycation” for a few days. I thought, "what a wonderful way to boost tourism." View from my room Rest: My beautiful room on the 25th floor of the Ohana Beachcomer Waikiki has gorgeous city and ocean views. It is centrally located and holds many memories for me of the first times my daughter Tina and I visited Honolulu. We have stayed at the Beachcomber, and now I see it again, with a lovely renovation accomplished in 2008. Even with the buzz of the main street and with the popular Jimmy Buffet's 400-seat restaurant downstairs, I was able to relax in my room and got a good night's sleep. Notes: the OHANA Beachcomber Waikiki is also home to a spectacular Magic of Polynesia show that features illusionist John Hirokawa. I saw this show a few years ago and highly recommend it. The hotel is right next to MACY's and the open-air International Market Place, and across the street from the Royal Hawaiian Center for shopping and dining. OUTRIGGER REEF ON THE BEACH 2169 Kalia Rd 808-923-3111 www.outriggerreef-onthebeach.com [2] twitter: @OutriggerReef Eats: Breakfast at the Outrigger Reef’s Ocean House. I started my excellent day waking to gorgeous views of the beach and ocean. I met up with good friend Nancy for breakfast, starting with a glass of guava juice, and a Hawaiian frittata. She had a tropical fruit parfait and gave me updates on what is going on in Oahu. Ocean House's friendly Manager David Nagaishi dropped by our table for a short visit. I was energized - "what's next!?" healthy tropical fruit parfait I checked out of the OHANA Beachcomer Waikiki and frowned at the prospect of a long haul to the North Shore. The weather was gorgeous, so I did not stay cranky for long. Destination: Turtle Bay Resort. As I look back, it was a very nice and leisurely drive. Traffic was slow on primarily two-lane roads. Best of all, there were many tourists. I was thankful because no one had reasons to cuss at my driving or honk at me for going too slow. I was happy to be driving like a turtle swimming in the bay. The North Shore is a favorite getaway for Honolulu residents as well as visitors. It is less than a two hours drive from Waikiki and is sought after for its many beautiful beaches and surf spots. The community is called Hale'iwa, and I look forward to returning so I can explore more of this area. www.northshoreoahu.org/ [3] I have visited Oahu at least 30 times and my feeble excuse for not liking to drive was dissipated as soon as I arrived at the Turtle Bay Resort. TURTLE BAY RESORT 57-091 Kamehameha Hwy, Kahuku, HI 96731 808-293-6000 TurtleBayResort.com [4] twitter: @TurtleBayResort Wow! The drive into the Turtle Bay Resort was a welcome site for sore eyes. Even though the GPS "told me" that my destination was coming up to the right, the Resort was actually to the left...but I saw the sign and made my U-turn into the huge driveway. I checked into a gorgeous and spacious ocean front room, happy to see generous amenities: complimentary wireless internet access, unlimited local telephone calls, and a daily newspaper. I strolled around the property and stopped in Lei Lei’s by the golf course for a lunch of seared ahi/Caesar salad. I sat at the bar with the oceanfront view and smelled the fresh air unlike air anywhere else in the world... ahh, Hawaii. Click click on chopsticks to nibble on the ahi resting on a bed of lightly seasoned Caesar greens. View from my room Turtle Bay Resort is very unique. It rests on a peninsula and offers views from all 450 rooms. The current owners put in over $70 million for renovation on 880 acres of land, practically rebuilding it from the bottom bottom up starting in 2001. According to Keoki Wallace, Director of Public Relations and man of all trades, the entire Waikiki and two additional golf courses can be placed into the Turtle Bay Resort land. That's huge. Eats: Dinner at OLA, at the Turtle Bay Resort - I was sorry to learn at the last minute that Chef Fred D’Angelo was on vacation, but Keoki Wallace would be my dining companion instead. I believe that when one door closes, another opens. We became quick friends over martinis and dinner, sitting outside "on the beach," shuffling my feet in the sand. Keoki shared many wonderful stories about the resort as well as of shows and movies filmed there, most notably LOST, BACHELOR, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL and a show currently in production: SOUL SURFER. I met a very friendly and charming Brandscombe Richmond, star of RENEGADE and the host of GOOD MORNING HAWAII. Keoki and I were delighted to start our dinner with "straight-from-the-sea Poke," adorned with sea asparagus, chopped cabbage, seaweed, onions. The sea asparagus is produced locally and is a treat - it is tasty, a bit crunchy, tastes seaworthy and sort of pops in your mouth. Poke and martinis go well together We shared a Seafood Dinner for two including mussels, grilled prawns, lobster tail, beautiful grilled sea scallops, fingerling potatoes, tomatoes, squash. Almost all restaurants in the area use only local or organic ingredients, including Waialua coffee and chocolate. Sumptuous Seafood Platter for Two Tour: The next morning Keoki gave me a golf cart tour of LOST home base and other areas of filming, such as the endless growing Banyan tree that is LOST’S “Smoke Monster’s residence; it was very exciting to see and encourages me to get the DVDs and start watching the show which is now in its last season. Nevertheless, it was fun to get privileged information and a look at the LOST's runabouts. Fun: Keoki put me on a real horse at the Stables at Turtle Bay after I muttered that I've never been on any horses except merry-go-rounds. The Stables offer lessons and guided horseback riding tours on the Kawela Bay trails near the resort. This was very much outside of my comfort zone. My granddaughters, Maggie, 6, and Stella, 3, and I enjoy visiting horses at corrals and they have gone for pony rides, so it was about time that their Pau Pau followed suit...sort of. I got on a horse for the first time in my life. My horse back riding experience lasted longer than my cameo role on the BACHELOR TV show last month, and "kayaking" on the Big Island last year: by a matter of seconds. Mission accomplished. Think I'm ready for Rodeo School. Eats: Romy's Kahuku Prawns & Shrimp Hut 56-781 Kamehameha Hwy, Kahuku, HI (808) 232-2202 Romy and my platter of Prawns and Shrimp, ole! There are several fresh prawn and shrimp huts, right along the road. I was guided to ROMY'S PRAWN AND SHRIMP HUT, which was way too much fun. Romy and wife Terry run the place with along with their adult daughter. Terry and her team are busy in the very tiny kitchen and you must take a number and wait to be called. It is very clear (note sign on hut) that they do NOT want to be considered a fast-food operation. Every order is cooked fresh so you may have to wait 20 minutes. Romy's "dining room" is comprised of picnic tables under a big tent, and with sinks and paper towels to wash your hands...that comes in handy, for sure. The pile of prawns and shrimp top off a choice of white or brown rice and vegetables. It is an unforgettable experience - eat the prawns with or without shells, so ono. You are not done until your fingers are worn out from peeling prawns and you are exhausted from such a fun lunch...drink a Coke! More Eats: 21 Degrees North 57-091 Kamehameha Hwy at the TURTLE BAY RESORT 808/293-8811 www.turtlebayresort.com [5] I had the pleasure of dining with the Executive Chef Hector Morales. It is worth the drive to North Shore just to experience Chef Hector's Pacific Rim cuisine, always changing depending on what is available. Chef and I were seated at a corner table and the first thing I observed was that diners dress up for dinner, a sign of respect for the chef, dining companions, restaurant and food. It was nice to see no shorts, t-shirts, or ultra-casual wear. Chef Hector strikes a whimsical pose with his salad of Kahuku Shrimp, Avocado and Hearts of Palm, Pupukea Greens, Passion Fruit Vinaigrette The best way to order is to go the "chef's special" five-course dinner - try a little of everything and leave the table full and happy. Chef is friendly, laid back, and eager to talk food. Our dinner was like a symphony. We had a series of starters, most memorable were the Sauteed Foie Gras with Vanilla Pineapple and Roasted Pearl Onions; and the Kahuku Shrimp salad shown above. I favor California wines and chose one of my favorites, Cakebread Chardonnay, Napa Valley. I typically prefer that fresh fish go , but thenaked with no crust; however, the Crab Crusted Hawaiian Sea Bass with a Cannellini Bean Cassoulet got my vote, as well as the Braised Kona Lobster and Wagyu New York Strip Loin. We chose another favorite California wine to go with our entrees: Chateau Montelena Cabernet, Napa Valley. All the produce served at Twenty One North is 100% organic, and Chef Hector insists on using organic ingredients as much as possible. He invited me to visit his friends the next day, Al and Joan Santoro. The Santoros, east coast transplants, own and operate the POAMOHO ORGANIC PRODUCE, in Waialua on the North Shore. The Santoros took a 7-acre lot and developed it into a certified organic tropical fruit orchard. Avocado tree with itty bitty baby avocados, so cute: They grow big, and are creamy and delicious: After a perfect introduction to the Turtle Bay Resort and area, I drive carefully back to the Waikiki-area and check into the Kahana Hotel and Resort. Within a few minutes after dropping off my suitcases, long-time public relations friend Teddi Anderson picked me up for lunch at the famous “sushi nazi’s” restaurant, SASABU, 1417 South King St., 808 947 3800. Reservations only, no walk-ins. Sushi master/owner Seiji Kumagawa is not formidable at all, but he can look ultra-serious. He is a man dedicated to his craft to present the best sushi experience for his customers. I was also determined to get a smile from him as I was told by a regular customer that he never cracks a smile. I was determined to get him to smile and managed this shot, hurray! Master Sushi Chef Seiji Kumagawa flashes a grin There is no menu at Sasabune. Chef prepares what he wants, and that has to be understood before you sit in front of him at the sushi bar. The fish come from as far as Japan (red snapper, hamachi) , New Zealand (salmon), and Canada (albacore) while others are from Baja (blue fin tuna), Vancouver (oysters), North Carolina (white halibut), Boston (sea scallops), Spain (negi Toro tartarte, superb signature offering) and baby squid (California.) I would recommend SUSHI SASABUNE to anyone looking for the best sushi in Honolulu. Be sure to sit at the sushi bar and as the handle on their restaurant name says: “Trust Me!” Royal Hawaiian Resort 2259 Kalakaua Av 808 923-7311 royal-hawaiian.com [6] Twitter: @starwoodhawaii Eats: AZURE inside the gorgeous ROYAL HAWAIIAN with friends Rebecca and Candice left me speechless. The Royal Hawaiian Resort is one of my favorite hotels in Waikiki, the "grande dame," the "pink palace," remodeled into even more beauty, grace and elegance. Our AZURE table was indoors-oceanfront, we just had to look outside to see other diners enjoying our views. Candice wanted us to try many items - I believe she ordered the whole menu. We shared Ocean Salad: kona lobster, prawns, big island abalone, scallop, tobiko caviar, avocado & tarragon vinaigrette; Azure Sashimi: hawaiian yellowtail ahi, kona amber jack, avocado & watermelon radish salad, ginger vinaigrette, papadum crisp, Baby Back Ribs: kona coffee bbq-sauce, sweet corn & edamame succotash, kiawe smoke; and declared a favorite: Sake Steamed Manila Clams: enoki mushrooms, virginia ham, meyer lemon gremolata. Before the first courses arrived at the table, Candice asked "what do you want for your entree?" Ai yah! AZURE's menu is sure to please; however, I was drawn to the "Best of Today's Local Market," as I have been to the famous Honolulu Fish Auction twice and I know the fish must be world-class. Whatever the guest chooses, the server helps with suggestions on how it can be prepared, either high heat roasted or Chef's Special Island Preparation. To tell you the truth, you can't go wrong either way. Above: Gals out to dinner- Rebecca, Shirley and Candice with their Blackberry or I-phones Side dishes that were eye-poppers were the Kahuku Corn and Hamakua Mushrooms and the Sake Braised Big Island Spinach with garlic chips: More Eats: TOWN 3435 Waialae Av Honolulu, HI 96816-2659 townkaimuki.com [7] Another culinary treat in Honolulu, TOWN is a cozy and welcoming cafe. Owner Ed Kenney and Chef David Caldiero's menu is set on an old-typewriter font, with new-style local and organic as much as possible. The food is solid, service is relaxed and friendly. It's a great place to hang out with friends, entertain out-of-town family and guests or come mingle with locals. Prices are reasonable. Rebecca and I had the hand cut pasta, fennel sausage, hamakua mushrooms,tomato which was delicious - the fresh hamakua mushrooms are large Chinese-style 'wood ears' that diners see in Hot and Sour Soup and Mushu Pork. Sonja ordered a yummy swordfish with local vegetables. The hand cut pasta dish deserves another look-see: I would eat this any day! Fun: A visit to Hawaiian Chips Co. www.hawaiianchipcompany.com Jimmy Chan I met owner Jimmy Chan here in San Francisco at the Fancy Food Show. It was wonderful to visit his factory, a dream come true for Jimmy and his team. He started his business in his apartment selling the chips at swap meets. Today he sells to COSTCO and President Obama has enjoyed Jimmy's chips. What a success story. Top sellers are the Original Sweet Potato Chips, Kilauea Fire Sweet Potato and Taro Chip Mix, Kiawe Barbecue Taro Chips, Sweet Potato & Taro Chips, and my sister Sarah's favorite, simply Taro Chips. Jimmy switched from using partially hydrogenated soy bean oil to the trans-fat free canola oil. The cooking process minimizes the amount of sodium and the products are preservative-free. I am becoming more comfortable driving my rental car and am able to navigate it back to the hotel. I want to spend some time on this gorgeous property. Rest: Kahala Hotel & Resort 5000 Kahala Avenue (808) 739-8780 kahalaresort.com [8] I was extremely happy to check into The Kahala Hotel & Resort, as my last stay was back in 1999, too long ago! There is so much to explore in Oahu and all over glorious Hawaii that it is easy to return year after year and not repeat stays in hotels, resorts, restaurants, or activities. This was an extraordinary trip for me, to stay at the Beachcomber again, to explore the North Shore for the first time, and to come back to The Kahala, one of Hawaii’s favorite luxury resorts. The Kahala is less than ten minutes away from the center of Waikiki, and minutes from the Kahala Shopping Mall. Once you enter The Kahala, you feel like a VIP. The valet and front desk team members are spot-on in friendlieness and professionalism. The lobby is unsurpassed in beauty and splendor, and a little walkway takes you to their renowned Hoku's restaurant. Eats: HOKU's in the Kahala Hotel and Resort 5000 Kahala Avenue (808) 739-8780 kahalaresort.com [8] As you enter Hoku's and soak in its beauty, you will understand why this elegant and refined restaurant is so popular. The restaurant overlooks the Pacific, a tad east of Diamondhead. Executive Chef Wayne Hirabayashi's menu matches the beauty of the dining room, a win-win culinary adventure. I was extremely happy to reunite with Chef Wayne. The last time I saw him in 1999, he appeared in one of my Hawaiian Airlines inflight videos, and today he is still at the Kahala but with many more responsibilities. Well done, Wayne! Chef Wayne prepared a dinner especially for my new friend June and me. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here is our dinner, starting with Hoku's exquiste ahi poke. I am crazy for hamachi, and Chef Wayne presented hamachi three ways: sashimi, mixed, and hamachi kama. Each bite was sensational: It was our good luck that Charles Sweeney, the owner of the Kahala, was in-house. He is also the owner of Vine Cliff Winery in Napa, so naturally that is what my dining companion and I had for dinner. We shared a bottle of smooth and delicious Vine Cliff Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. Vine Cliff Winery 7400 Silverado Trail Napa, CA, 94558 707-944-1364 www.vinecliff.com [10] Carrying on with dinner, each course was creative and artistic. I cannot compliment Chef Wayne enough on how he has evolved as a chef, albeit 9 years ago I already spoke highly of him. Here is Chef Wayne Hirabayashi. I received emails and notes from my friends that HOKU's is "the place" to go for all special occasions, important meetings, and just because they want excellent food. The dessert with a side of chocotini, a chocolate martini Almost time to go back to San Francisco. The next morning, my dear friend, Pamela Young, anchorwoman for KITV-TV came to visit me. Over 20 years ago I did a cooking demonstration at the Complete Kitchen store at the Kahala Mall. There, I met Pamela, who was in the audience. Over the years, I appeared on a few of her MIXED PLATE segments and we have remained friends. We shared a leisurely breakfast at the KAHALA, something light. Since we only had fruit and juices, I snapped this picture of a customer's plate of food, when he left his table to get more food at the endless and tempting buffet: I am about to pass out, a happy soul. Aloha, mahalo, and a hui hou! [1] http://www.waikikibeachcomber.com [2] http://www.outriggerreef-onthebeach.com [3] http://www.northshoreoahu.org/ [4] http:// [5] http://www.turtlebayresort.com [6] http:// [7] http:// [8] http:// [9] http:// [10] http://www.kahalaresort.com http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=144 This article appeared in the Pacifica Tribune [1] on Feb. 18, 2010. By Shirley Fong-Torres Special to the Pacifica Tribune Posted: 02/18/2010Grrrrrrrrreat! It's time to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, beginning Feb. 14 and officially ending with the Lunar New Year Parade in San Francisco on Feb. 27.The Chinese lunar calendar names each of the 12 years after an animal. Legend has it that Buddha summoned all the animals in the kingdom to come to him before he departed from earth. He named a year after each of the 12 animals that showed up. Today, believers feel that the animal year they are born into influences ones personality and destiny.Year of the Tiger (1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010): Tigers are fighters, powerful, aggressive and rebellious. Artist-poet William Blake admired their awe-inspiring fearful symmetry. Tigers are impulsive, which can be positive or negative depending on the situation.Chinese new year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the lunar calendar, and that is why each year's new year day is different. This is the biggest holiday of the year, a combination of the more mainstream Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled up with a bit of Mardi Gras. There are years and years of history, tradition and respect that come into play. We are not just out to party, although it appears that way to many observers.On lunar new year's eve, many traditions are honored; especially, we pay respect to our ancestors and dearly departed family members by putting out their favorite foods. The dining room table is filled, perhaps with a whole steamed chicken (the word for chicken in Cantonese is synonymous with good world); a whole steamed or salted fish (abundance and if salted, preserve family.)Plates are piled high with fresh oranges and tangerines — the tangerines must have leaves attached to assure that the family stays together, that friendships remain intact. Homes are decorated with vases filled with peach and quince blossoms and pots of almost-blooming azaleas.Hung on walls or gracing tops of plates of fruit are couplets with declarations such as: Enter and Exit with Happiness, Prosperous Business Always, and the traditional Happy New Year and May Prosperity Be Yours. A harmony tray is filled with eight (lucky #8 sounds like prosperity in Cantonese) varieties of candies coconut, lotus beans, sweet lotus root, to ensure there is something sweet to offer to family and visitors.As I drive home, I love seeing trees in bloom, especially around Terra Nova Boulevard and Everglades. It is one of the most glorious sights around our Pacifica. I grew up in Oakland, across the Bay, lucky to have had a father who was a great chef. Our parents prepared traditional foods in addition to our personal favorites, first at a meal to end the year, hon neen and then one to welcome the new year, hoy neen.Some people do not wash their hair on New Year's Day, believing they also might wash away their luck. Sweeping floors is also a no-no, for the same reason. Be sure to wear happy colors, red, yellow, gold, green. Say nice things on new year's day (and always!)Today, older members of a family are more likely to observe such traditions while the younger ones are adding modern twists such as sending greetings through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or texting. We all agree that the focus is family and gathering to celebrate through meals.Food, the universal language of love, is an integral part of our lunar new year celebration. Whether they are new year food that we have year after year, or comfort food that we all remember and love, celebrate with your family and friends! I visualize mom's kitchen, warm and cozy, as she dishes out a bowl of piping hot, soothing jook, rice congee loaded with lean pork and thousand year-old eggs. You might visualize yourself gazing at your mom's platter of finger-lickin' fried chicken or pot roast, mounds of meatballs and spaghetti noodles, or a hearty chicken soup.Jook, a Chinese breakfastJook, also known as rice congee, is definitely a comfort food. I grew up loving this, especially on cold days or if I am under the weather, and it remains one of my favorites.1 cup washed and rinsed rice — for a creamier jook, change the proportions to ¾ cup regular long-grain rice, ¼ cup arborio rice.2 turkey drumsticks/ wings — approximate 2 pounds. Or, combination of drumstick/wings/legs/thigh. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, remove meat, set aside. Use bones for the soup, and save the meat for the jook.One quarter-size knob of fresh, peeled ginger1 tablespoon salt9 cups of water (or low-sodium chicken broth, or combination of both)4 to 6 bean curd sticks, "foo jook," soaked in hot water until color changes from yellow to white, drain, cut into 2-inch pieces — this is an *optional ingredient, a personal favorite for my daughter Tina and me.Optional: gingko nuts, shelled, soaked in hot water and remove outer skin layer.Toppings, as desired: beat in one to two eggs right before serving, minced green onion, additional thinly julienned fresh ginger, minced fresh Chinese cilantro, white pepper, soy sauce; thousand year old egg, "pay donn," or preserved, salted egg, "hom donn."To cook: In a large stockpot, add the rice, turkey bones, ginger, salt and water (or chicken broth.) Bring to a near-boil, lower the heat, cover the pot tightly, and simmer for 2 hours or more, until the rice has broken down and the soup is thick. During the last 30 minutes, add the foo jook and gingko nuts (optional ingredients.) Transfer to serving bowls and have the toppings available.*If you are using a crockpot, put it on "low" at night, and by morning, the jook is ready for you to add toppings to enjoy for breakfast.buy generic cialisbuy viagra softbuy generic viagrapurchase cialisbuy levitrabuy cialis onlinebuy viagra onlinebuy xenicalbuy diflucanbuy cialisbuy viagrabuy propeciabuy effexorbuy lexaproorder paxilcialis side effectshow buy viagra onlinecialis pricecialis dosage recommendedviagra dosageviagra side effects eyescialis order onlineviagra order onlinetadalafil citratesildenafil citratesildenafil tabletscialis viagra comparisoncialis side effects alcoholhow does viagra workcialis pricecialis dosage recommendedviagra dosageviagra side effects eyescialis orderviagra ordertadalafil citratesildenafil citrateorder cialis professionalorder viagra professionalpurchase cialispurchase viagraorder viagra onlineorder cialis onlineviagraorder paxil onlineorder propecia onlineorder cialis super activeorder lexapro onlineorder cialis professionalorder cialis onlineorder viagra onlineorder viagra professionalorder viagra super activeorder viagra softorder cialis softorder generic viagraorder generic cialisbuy levitra onlineorder famvir onlineorder accutane onlineorder clomid onlineorder xenical onlineorder propecia onlineorder zybanorder paxil onlineorder effexor onlineorder lexapro onlineorder generic cialisonline cialis reviewsorder viagra fast shippingorder viagra fast deliveryorder viagra legal salesorder generic viagra cheapbuy viagra upsorder viagra phonepurchase generic viagradiscount price sale viagrabuy viagra low priceorder generic viagra onlinewhere to buy viagrahow to buy viagra onlineviagra price comparisonpurchase viagra onlineorder viagra next day deliveryorder viagra lowest priceorder viagra mastercardviagra cheap priceorder viagrapurchase viagrabuy viagra softbuy viagra consumer discountorder viagra best priceorder viagra fedexbuy viagra prescriptionviagra professionalcialis professionalgeneric cialiscialisviagra super activecialis softlevitrageneric viagrapurchase cialislexapropurchase viagraorder viagra onlinepaxil onlinegeneric lexaprobuy cialis mastercardbuy cialis low pricebuy cialis onlineorder paxil onlineorder effexor onlineorder lexapro onlineorder propecia onlinebuy cialischeap cialisbuy cialis online no prescriptionbuy viagrabuy viagra online cheapbuy viagra online no prescriptionviagra discount pricecialis discount priceorder viagra softorder cialis softorder viagra super activeorder cialis professionalorder cialis super activelevitracialisviagrageneric cialisgeneric viagracialisviagraorder viagra mastercardpurchase viagra ukviagra mail order australia order viagra mastercard purchase viagracialis australiaorder cialis no prescriptionis it illegal to order cialis onlineorder cialis online canadaorder viagra super activeorder viagra professionalorder cialis onlineviagra onlineviagra soft tabsgeneric cialis onlinegeneric viagra onlinebuy cialisorder generic viagraorder cialis softbuy cialis super activebuy cialis professionalgeneric viagracialis discount pricecialis super activecialis side effectscialiscialis dosagebuy cialis discount pricecialis softcompare cialis pricecialis super activecialis professionalorder generic cialiscialis onlineorder levitraorder viagra australiapurchase cialispurchase viagraorder viagra professionalorder generic viagraorder generic cialisbuy cialis onlineorder propeciaorder xenicalorder diflucanorder cialis professionalbuy viagra onlineorder generic viagraviagra onlinegeneric cialis onlinegeneric viagra onlineorder cialis onlinecialis onlinelevitra onlinebuy viagrageneric viagra onlinecialiscialis professional onlinebuy viagrageneric cialis onlineviagrageneric viagra onlinebuy cialisorder cialis soft tabsgeneric cialis online [1] http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_14412697 http://www.wokwiz.com/blog/?p=148