The Failed Mushroom Hunt

A few weeks ago, my housemate, Edwina, and I had been checking out this website she discovered called Meetup. It's a site where people in various cities create different interest groups and go on outings together. We were just seeing what was going on during the upcoming weekend, and there was a mushroom picking outing! Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a little bit obsessed with food, and naturally I got SUPER excited about this mushroom hunt. I was going. And I was taking Edwina with me. I finally got her excited about it after my rambling on about how fun it was going to be. We were both imagining coming home with bags and bags overflowing with mushrooms. I even researched recipes and went out and bought ingredients. I was pumped.

Of course the day before the outing I came down with a cold, and the next morning woke up with it being even worse, but I was determined. I WAS GOING TO COME HOME WITH MUSHROOMS! So out we went bright and early to catch a train to meet the group.

It started off badly.....the people were kind of weird and we ended up having to wait another hour for the next train because ONE person missed the train. That was a rough beginning, but I still was happy because I was going to be picking mushrooms soon.

However, once in the forest, it became obvious pretty quickly that there were no mushrooms. None. My mood dropped as the minutes passed. After about half an hour Edwina and I were ready to call it quits and head home. I still had a cold and Edwina had a headache, but the problem was we had no idea where we were. Only our "guide" did. There was no escape. What began as a mushroom hunt turned into a 5 hour 20km+ (12+ mile) hike. I was dying by the end, and let me tell you, I was not the only one. The older, out of shape people (most people there), had not realized this was going to be a never-ending hike either. We were not a happy bunch of travelers.

Positive Note:
We did see a 13th century old mansion that was bombed by Germans as they left France at the end of World War II which was a neat thing to see.

The next day, I went to the a produce shop and bought mushrooms and just pretended I picked them. It made me feel better.
:)

With Love,
Christine

The Butcher Adventure

Last Wednesday, I had a plan. I had no class, so I was going to go shopping early and make a big batch of slow cooked bolognaise sauce that I could have for dinner, and have frozen for future meals. I had bought almost all of my ingredients at the local Franprix. My last stop was the butcher shop on my favorite food shop lined street, rue Cadet. I walked over to the shop practicing in my mind how exactly I was going to order this meat which they grind for you on the spot.

When I got to the shop they were closing up for lunch. Nooo! I started looking all around on that street. There HAD to be at least one other butcher on this street that I had missed on all my walks on it. I turned around, and there was a very small one right behind me. Perfect. I ran in, looked in the very small meat case, and told the woman what I wanted. She told me in broken English that it wasn't beef, it was "cheval". For the life of me, I could not remember what this word meant. I knew that I knew it, but it just would not come to me. I looked at her with a squinty-eyed, bewildered look on my face, and she said "ox". Oh! Well that's close enough to beef I thought, and the woman next to me told me it was good, so I went ahead with my purchase and began the walk home.

As I was walking, I finally remembered what cheval meant. Horse. I nearly stopped in my tracks. No, that can't be right I thought. As soon as I got home, I pulled up good ol' Google Translate and put it in. Sure enough, horse was the translation. Well shoot. I had already bought it....and the horse was already dead.....and in a pasta sauce I might not really taste it....so I figured I might as well go ahead and cook it up.

The first bite was tough. All I could think of was little ponies prancing about in a field. In all reality as a whole, it wasn't bad. A little irony tasting, but edible. Not something I would want to eat again really, more because of the mental taboo than anything, but as a result of that big batch of sauce I made, I still have a freezer full of it!

The finished sauce

The day after making the sauce, I went back over to where the shop was and looked at the sign outside. It says "Boucherie Chevaline" = Horse Butcher....and they have little horse sculptures at the top. No wonder they couldn't give me beef!

The Dinner Party

Bonjour!

As I write this I write this, I am trying to get into the French mindset. Therefore, I am drinking an nice cup of tea and enjoying a slice of tarte aux poires (pear tart) while listening to a great playlist on 8tracks . I suggest you do the same (at least listen to the playlist!)!

Anyways, on to the dinner party! This past Tuesday my landlady, Madame D., was throwing a dinner party at the house to which myself and my lovely housemate, Edwina, were invited to attend.  It turned out to be quite the affair (Please forgive the lack of pictures... I was often too distracted by the food that I forgot!). 

We began in the sitting area for appetizers and sparkling rosé. We then moved to the dining table to enjoy the first course.

For the first course, we had a seafood aspic. I will admit... I was a little frightened (Yes, I realize I am supposed to be the foodie willing to face anything, but it was seafood in gelatin! Seafood Jello! We don't eat that in the U.S. Ever.). A torrent of images of myself forcing each bite down my throat, gagging, in front of everyone were filling my mind. Once I put that first bite in my mouth though, a flood of relief filled me. It wasn't bad! In fact... I liked it!  So much so that I finished the entire thing! I was quite proud of myself!  

The lovely seafood aspic

For the second course, we dined on a very Fall inspired dish:  Veal with a mushroom sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted pears, and roast plums. This was accompanied with a nice red wine.

The third course was the fromage course with three different types of cheese served with slices of fresh baguette. 

 

Next was the dessert. It is Madame D's absolute favorite from a shop called Aux Mervilleux du Fred. They are famous for these meringues that are then covered in and filled with chocolate whipped cream, and then covered in chocolate shavings. Heavenly. I failed to take a picture at the time, but here is a picture of them from the Aux Mervilleux website: 

Following the dessert, we enjoyed some of the famous Pierre Hermé macarons that one of the guests brought as a gift for Madame D. So beautiful! 

I later discovered the one I picked out turned out to be Orange-Carrot. Interesting to be

sure! I never would have guessed that flavor, but it was good.

After all this, Madame D brought out the hard liquor. I passed on that, and moved onto tea. By the time we were finished it was past midnight. On a Tuesday night. Only in France will 70+ year old women have dinner parties go until the early hours of the morning. All of us young'uns were falling asleep, but she could have kept going for a few more hours! 

Great food, good wine, nice company. What a night!

With Love,

Christine

       

My San Francisco Guide

Over the last two years of living in San Francisco, I have definitely found some great places. I thought I would share them, so whenever you need a good restaurant to try while visiting, you might be able to find one on here. Feel free to comment on any places you love or would recommend! I'd love some new places to try when I get back!

With Love,
Christine

Christine's Guide to San Francisco

Breakfast:

House of Bagels – Really good, fresh bagels and other New York style deli goodies.

5030 Geary Boulevard   San Francisco, CA 94118

www.houseofbagels.com/

La Boulange- Local chain that has great pastries, coffee, etc. Also great for lunch. They have very delicious sandwiches and salads.

www.laboulangebakery.com/

Stacks- I haven’t actually been here yet, but it is supposed to be excellent. It is also in one of my favorite neighborhoods- Hayes Valley (you must to go there if in San Francisco!).

501 Hayes Street  San Francisco, CA 94102 www.stacksrestaurant.com/

Pork Store Café: This is a great restaurant located on the ever colorful Haight Street. Great pancakes, egg dishes, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Fun, lively atmosphere. Try to get there early, as there is ALWAYS a line.

1451 Haight Street   San Francisco, CA  94117

www.porkstorecafe.com/

Dynamo Doughnuts: Creative and truly delicious flavors of doughnuts. There is a small yard out back where you can sit back and enjoy your Passion Fruit Milk Chocolate, Lemon Pistachio, and Spiced Chocolate dounuts.

2760 24^th Street   San Francisco, CA 94110

www.dynamodonut.com/

Lunch/Dinner:

Bella Trattoria- Italian. It’s Jason and my favorite restaurant to go to. They have a great modern Italian fair and a very friendly staff. You will always receive a special taste at the beginning of the meal from the chef, and usually a free dessert as well. Once they get to know you they will even crack open special bottles of Limenchello and give you a glass just to see how you like it. Great place!

                3854 Geary Boulevard  San Francisco, CA 94118

www.bellatrattoriasf.com/

Isa- French/ Mediterranean- AMAZING restaurant (my other favorite restaurant) in a very fun area- The Marina.  A lot of bars (Eastside West and Matrix are the ones I go to the most) in that area if you want to continue your night out.

3324 Steiner Street  San Francisco, CA 94123

http://www.isarestaurant.com/

Jannah- Middle-eastern style food. Well decorated with great Middle-Eastern food and very friendly, knowledgeable service.

1775 Fulton St/Masonic   San Francisco, CA 94118

www.yayacuisine.com/

Delfina- Italian. Near the Castro and the Mission (and Bi-Rite Ice Cream!!). Famous Italian restaurant, and deservedly so. Great pasta dishes.

3621 18th Street  San Francisco, CA 94110

www.delfinasf.com/

Osaka-Ya – Japanese. In Japan Town. I recommend the pork shumai and the beef and onion donburi.

1737 Post Street  San Francisco, CA 94115

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana- Award winning Sicilian style pizza. Get the Margherita!

1570 Stockton Street  San Francisco, CA 94133

www.tonyspizzanapoletana.com/

House of Prime Rib- If you are celebrating- this place is perfect. Very traditional  prix fixe menus. Be prepared to eat, and eat, and eat.

1906 Van Ness Avenue  San Francisco, CA 94109

www.houseofprimerib.net/

Shanghai Dumpling King- Hole in the wall, with really cheap, amazing Chinese dumplings.

3319 Balboa Street  San Francisco, CA 94121

Tommy’s Joynt- Classic SF restaurant. Great place to go late at night and get a simple, but delicious, hot roast beef, pastrami, or turkey sandwich carved right off the bone. Horseradish and hot mustard are on all the tables if you like a little spice.

1101 Geary Boulevard  San Francisco, CA 94109

www.tommysjoynt.com/

Nan- Great Korean restaurant right across from Japantown. Really young clientele. Open very late, and the later it gets , the more crowded it gets. Decent  happy hour prices on appetizers as well.

1560 Fillmore St   San Francisco, CA 94115

Dessert:

Chile Pies- Mexican inspired pies like Mexican chocolate pecan, green chile apple, etc. They will even blend a slice up with ice cream into shakes! [It’s partner restaurant right down the street Green Chile Kitchen has good Mexican food as well].

                601 Baker St. @ Fulton   San Francisco, CA 94117

www.greenchilekitchen.com/

Bi-Rite Creamery – YUMMY ice cream. My favorite flavors: salted caramel and honey lavender.

                3692 18^th Street   San Francisco, CA 94110

www.biritecreamery.com/

Candybar- dessert lounge with board games. Fun place, but a little pricey. More of a date place.

1335 Fulton Street  San Francisco, CA 94117

www.candybarsf.com/

Smitten Ice Cream-  Really cool semi-stand that makes each serving of ice cream individually using liquid nitrogen. Homemade toppings. Smoothest ice cream you will ever put in your mouth.

                432 Octavia St.   San Francisco, SF

www.smittenicecream.com/

Areas/Streets to Visit:

Clement Street- Tons of Asian restaurants and stores. Great book store too- Green Apple Books.

Hayes Valley- Great restaurants, unique shops, and a fun vibe.

The Marina- Fun to explore. Many boutique clothing stores and a lot of great places to eat too. Right near the water and SF yacht clubs.

Baker Beach: Stunningly beautiful beach near the Golden Gate Bridge. Nice hikes around that area with some great views. There is a nude beach (if you’re into that sort of thing) when you get close to the GG bridge FYI.

Twin Peaks: You have to go at night if you are in San Francisco! Super romantic view of the entire city, but bring a jacket- it’s windy and cold.

Palace of Fine Arts: Beautiful. Worth walking to if you are in the Marina district.

The French Perspective

A friend showed me this the other day, and I believe it accurately portrays the working of a French cat's mind. Enjoy!

Bonjour!

 Hello! Welcome to my new blog which I will  (fingers crossed) be faithfully updating to keep you all in the loop of my adventures in Paris and elsewhere.

With Love.
Christine