Pizza at Siamo nel Forno

Siamo nel Forno

Costa Rica 5886, Palermo Hollywood, Buenos Aires

Always earns it's rep as best pizza in the city.

The best of the best. Siamo nel Forno is considered by many to be the best pizza in Buenos Aires, and I concur. The crust is cripsy on the outside, chewy in the middle. The cheese selected is real mozzarella, and not the lower quality cheese you get used to finding on pizza in BA. If you order a pizza margherita (see image), you'll get just a light amount of quality tomatoe, muzzarella y albahaca.

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Sushi Sasabune

Sushi and seafood top the list of food's I miss while living in Buenos Aires. So if you can only eat so much when coming back for a visit, Sasabune is the my choice. I had good sushi in San Francisco, but none tops the omakase at Sasabune in Los Angeles for me. 

The photo above is something I can't seem to get in BA: good albacore sashimi. It's the starter everytime and is perfect. It melts in your mouth like butter and preps you for the next 6-7 plates that come your way. Perfect.

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Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings) from Yank Sing

After Suppenküche, my other food "must" in San Francisco are the Yank Sing soup dumpling. These little morsels of heaven are too hard to find elsewhere at their level of quality. Cold broccoli with oyster sauce is always a good pairing. For all my trips there, this was the 1st when I was with J Abromovitz

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Memphis Minnie's BBQ Joint in San Francisco

Virgil's BBQ in New York was a nice change from typical Argentinian parilla's. But I went to Virgil's my first day in the United States...and I'm here for 3 weeks. So I had to try some new places this trip.

Upon a recommendation, I went to Memphis Minnie's BBQ joint on Haight St. Couldn't ask for a better meal. I ordered the St. Louis Ribs and Memphis meat combo. So the ribs were smoked with dry rub and bare for whatever sauce I wanted. The meat was slow cooked/smoked pork shoulder that was juicy and had the perfect texture. Their side dish options are solid, with big chunks of sweet potato and smoked beans as my choices...and the included cornbread.

The photo does not do the quality of the meal any justice.

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Memphis BBQ Ribs from Virgil's

I've been to well over 100 BBQ joints in the United States over the years. In the past, I'd hop in the car and go on month long road trips with my pre-cell phone, paper directory of BBQ locations. Once I had a cell phone and 7 years later and iPhone, it made it that much easier to go on BBQ exploration.

So it's at times embarrassing when I tell people I meet in places like Memphis and Arkansas, that my favorite Memphis style rib, or any BBQ, is in fact in New York City. Even worse, is that it is in Time's Square. In my defense, Virgil's has been a landmark and was in Time's Square back before the drugs and prostitutes were replaced by Disney plays and corporate chains.

I often go out of my way to get to Virgil's. Sometimes it's just a random trip from California to New York to go there. Other times, it's planning a 2 day stop in New York before heading to Europe. Or last week, I opted to fly to New York first from my home in Buenos Aires, before heading to California for 2 weeks. When it comes to Virgil's, it's worth it.


There are a number of items on the menu that you won't regret getting.

But the gauge of a good BBQ joint is in the ribs. You can dress up pulled pork with different sauces, but a good rib will prove itself without the need for sauce.

Through my many excursions there, I was told by the staff to try their chicken wings. They marinate them for 3-4 days, are smoked, and the staff prides themselves that it' all about the flavor, not just splashing a ton of hot sauce on them. I knew I didn't have any room in my stomach for a full rack of ribs, mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables and cornbread AND the wings, so I didn't order them. But the staff still brought me a plate free of charge just so I would try them. Can't beat that service.

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Suppenküche

Suckling Pig in Bier Sauce &Venison Medallions with Potato Pancakes

Just like pizza, pastrami and Virgil's BBQ are necessary components of every New York trip I go on, Suppenküche is the key to my trips to San Francisco.

I always try to plan a SF trip with a Saturday involved, since it's the only say they serve their special Suckling Pig in Bier Sauce. I've posted about this perfect meal before. Here's my most recent Saturday Suppenküche trip from 1/8/11.

You can't go wrong with the rest of the items on the Suppenküche menu. 

When I'm fortunate enough to be in the Bay Area for a few days, I usually go there for the venison medallions for my second trip. Swapping out the spätzle for potato pancakes is a big win.

UPDATE: June 24, 2011

It's time for a new dish to be added to the Suppenkuche mix here. Behold: roast goose in bier sauce with potato pancake and red cabbage. This dish is perhaps even better than the suckling pig, which is saying a lot.

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Lobster Bisque covered in Puff Pastry

From Enterprise Fish Co. In Santa Monica. Best of the best.

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Filet of Sole Stuffed with Shrimp & Crab

One of the specialties at John's Grill in San Francisco, the dish is called the Lamplighter and is served in a white wine lemon butter sauce. Clam chowder is killer here too...big bowl at a good price. As for the fish, even better than the taste is that when you cut into it, the crab and shrimp jump out like a Tan Tan's innards.

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Wild Boar & Apple Sausage from Rosamunde Sausage Grill

Glad I found this place. I was looking for a change from the Chorizo and Morcilla of Buenos Aires. And sure enough, I randomly saw the Rosamunde Sausage Grill on Haight St., in San Francisco.

For my first trip, I went to the Mission St./24th location. I kept it simple with the Wild Boar & Apple grilled sausage on a perfect piece of French bread, soft to the touch. Perfect for the Köstritzer bier I ordered.

My second was a spicy Italian with grilled onions and peppers.

I took a photo of the menu...so many more options I wish I had time to try them all.

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Pan Seared Scallops in Ginger Cream Sauce

From the Hyde Street Seafood House. I went here based on a tip on their famous lobster bisque. I did get that as well and it lived up to the hype...sorry, no photo.

But I did also get the scallops and was pleased.

Hyde Street Seafood House And Raw Bar
1509 Hyde St
(b/t Jackson St)
Nob Hill
San Francisco, CA 94109
http://yelp.com/biz/dKa_kHlr8fzfgVSl64Mu5w

*Sent from my iPhone.

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Spicy Crab @ PPQ

Major yumz

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New England & California Clam Chowder

From the Blue Mermaid in San Francisco. California Clam Chowder is similar to New England, only with a hint of roasted red pepper pure and asparagus.

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BBQ Spaghetti

When most people think of American BBQ, it's usually just pulled pork, pork and beef ribs, brisket and perhaps chicken that come to memory. But as BBQ fans know, each region of the country has it's own style of preparation as well as sauces.

And in the Memphis region, BBQ has no limits.

Known primarily for it's preparation style for ribs (slow cooked, smoked, with a dry rub instead of sauce). But it's also the home to some unique takes on BBQ. In Memphis and northwest Mississippi, you will often see "BBQ Spaghetti" on the menu...something you will rarely see in other areas of the country.

There are a number of ways to prepare the dish. For my own version, I keep the sauce light, so the flavor of the spices comes out better.


Here's a basic recipe to use as a starting point:



This is a dish that for me best utilizes any left over BBQ pork from earlier in the day, or a day before.

* Prepare a small amount of your own spice mixture that you prefer with your BBQ. For me, this is my own dry rub I use to prepare ribs. No need to share secrets here...each person has their own method.

* Cook/heat the pork in your BBQ or an oven, preserving any juices that are retained. you can also do a quick reheat in a pan on the stove.

* Cook the spaghetti with the amount of salt you prefer during boiling (best if you make your own pasta rather than store bought)

* In a sauce pan, cook some diced onion in a light amount of cooking oil. For each pound of spaghetti you are cooking, you should have 1/2 cup of onion. So if cooking a 1 lb box of spaghetti, you'll want 1/2 cup of onion. Green and/or Red Bell Peppers are an optional ingredient you can include).

* When the onions start to caramelize, add sugar to taste (1/2 in size of the amount of onion you're using).

* Add your own pre-prepared BBQ sauce and any liquid smoke you want added.

* Strain the spaghetti and rinse off the startch

* Place the spaghetti in a mixing bowl

* For my own take, I then add the dry rub to the spaghetti, so that each piece of pasta has a nice dusting of the dry rub flavor

* Next add the sauce you prepared from the stove and mix with the spaghetti

* Strain and of the cooked pork juice in the mixing bowl and stir again

* Either serve and top with the cooked pork or add the pork in the mixing bowl, stir, and serve.



It's that easy. Enjoy!

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