Post 102: Más Peruvian in SF - Fresca (SF: Pacific Heights)

Over the holidays I got another opportunity to visit the Bay Area.  This time I took a road trip with my cousin Emily instead of flying.  Can we say quality cousin bonding time? Packed with a carload of snacks and Porto's pastries, we went up to San Jose to meet some of our South Bay friends.  My old roommate from college Kevin played host for the weekend, and along with some more hungry friends, we ventured into the city for some awesome food.  We sat down for dinner at Fresca, a cozy restaurant in the Fillmore District specializing in comforting Peruvian food.  While we waited for our table, we set out to Harry's Bar down the street from some drinks.  It's also where we returned after dinner for... well, more drinks.

When we finally got seated, we ordered a wide array of various ceviches that were on the menu and a second round of sangria.  Looks like I may have skipped over the mention of the first pitcher of sangria.  Chronological order of events does not bode well with stream of consciousness writing, eh? We were in the mood for seafood, so all of the oyster lovers at the table went in on two dozen oysters.  Unfortunately, the restaurant was completely out of fresh oysters for the day.  We were a little bummed, but it wasn't anything that a little paella, lomo saltado, or another round of sangria couldn't solve.

The lomo saltado was everything that it should be.  The strips of steak were tender, and the French fries were sliced from potatoes with the skin on.  With fresh Jasmine rice and a splash of soy, this dish had to be one of the best fusions of Asian and Latin cuisine I had come across.  It was comfort food at its finest.

Even more comforting was the arroz con mariscos, the Peruvian version of a Spanish paella.  This version was called "green paella" on the menu, most likely because the rice had chopped cilantro and peas mixed in with it.  There was also clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, fish, and scallops in the cast iron pan.  It even came with a couple of lemon wedges for a last minute citrus addition.

What I really enjoy about Peruvian food is that it starts with fresh or raw dishes like ceviche, but it usually ends with something warm and hearty usually with rice or potatoes.  It really does make for a homey, comforting feeling.  It was a memorable way to finish up the last travel adventure of 2012.  Cheers to all the food, fun, and friends that were a part of this past year.  Oh, and thanks to the guys and Maggie for being good sports about the pit stop on the way up to the city.  You're all diamonds... in the sky.  Until next year, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20121229

Post 94: Pork Belly Tacos and Much More (LA-SFV: North Hollywood)

With all this talk about pork belly, I was hankering for more.  Bow & Truss, a relative newcomer to the LA food scene.  It is self-titled as a modern Spanish taverna, and some of their most popular dishes include the empanadas, paella, and of course, pork belly tacos.  Fellow foodie Angela and I dined here before meeting up with other friends downtown.

Soon after we were seated, our server Nicole dropped by our table with castelvetrano olives on the house.  The firm, green olives were basted in none other than olive oil.  They were sweet at first, slightly salty yet savory olives were a welcoming start to our meal.

The first item on the menu we ordered was the cheese & charcuterie board.  The assortment of meats and cheeses was a playground of jamon, salchichon, chorizo, and Felino sausage.  There was also mahon, a semi-firm, cow's milk cheese and caprichevere, a soft cheese made from goat's milk. The caprichevere was smooth and easy to spread over the crostini.  Although it was made from goat's milk, it was surprisingly milder than the mahon.

Spread around the playful platter were Bow & Truss' house made jams.  The first was a pineapple banana jam with serrano and chili pepper flakes, and the other was a pumpkin peach jam with vanilla bean, all spice, and cinnamon.  Two house mustards complemented the duo of jams (the grain mustard was a favorite), and the remaining cherry tomatoes, carrots, caramelized onions, and spicy sunflower seeds dotted the charcuteriescape.  This charcuterie board was an absolute delight.  It was the one that we continued to pick at throughout the meal of inventive dishes.

We followed the charcuterie with the highly recommended empanadas.  The petite pastries were packed with button mushrooms, red peppers, and cotija cheese.  A tamarind crema and tamarind soy sauce were served alongside the empanadas.  While Angela and I tried one dip at a time, the server suggested that we taste the two sauces together at the same time.  Mushrooms, peppers, cheese.  Savory, sweet, salty.  Crema, tamarind, soy.  Savory, sweet, and salty again.  Smart suggestion, Nicole.

Our third dish was the highly anticipated pork belly tacos.  The tacos were fresh and vibrant in color... and they were stacked high with toppings like Mexican sopes.  The pork belly was shredded, a eyebrow raising change from the typical square cut.  It was a good eyebrow raising change, for the meat was tender and succulent... although I am not quite sure if using shredded pork increased the difficulty of eating the taco or not.  Atop the pork belly were shreds of carrots, cilantro, pickled jicama slaw, all of which helped give the taco a refreshing, citrus taste.  The avocado sauce was a perfect substitute for salsa, which might have overpowered the fresh feel of the tacos.  Oh, and by the way, the pork belly is really good.  Really, really good.

As we were ready to close the meal with some paella, the manager brought out some chicken confit tacos, with handmade tortillas, arugula, anchiote paste, and pickled shallots.  Dennis Christensen, one of the managers of Bow & Truss, warned us that the chicken tasted like pork.  The chicken tasted like pork? It didn't make sense.  But I took one bite, and well, yes, the chicken tasted like pork.  This extremely flavorful chicken was very substantial... like if the chicken, before it was sacrificed for our glee, was a bad ass alpha male chicken that ruled the hen house.  That was the kind of breast pounding poultry that died for these chicken confit tacos... the delicious oxymoron kind.

Next to the pair of chicken confit tacos were two mixed mushrooms tacos (the head chef must really hate odd numbers) piled with cotija cheese, pickled jalapeños, and chives.  They were very juicy.  In fact, the mushroom blood that dripped all over almost made the taco slurpable.  We really enjoyed the tickle of spiciness from the jalapeño and the hint of saltiness from the cotija.  The use of mushrooms in both the tacos and the empanadas were smart meat substitutes.  I didn't even realize the dishes were carne less.

Stuffed to the brim already, Angela and I attempted to dig into a beautiful cast iron dish of seafood paella.  Of the four choices of paella on the menu, the shelled option is cooked with clams, shrimp, mussels, scallops, chorizo, and chicken.  The shrimp was highlight of paella because it was cooked just barely through... still tender and translucent, not tough and overly white.  The clams and mussels pointed skyward so that the freshness of the shellfish was apparent on first glance.  The rice itself was flavorful from absorbing all of its surrounding tastes.  Ah, this dish was beautiful in both taste and appearance.

Finally, the last course of the night was a tequila lime tart that was so, so good.  The texture of the tart itself was more like a buttery, holiday shortbread cookie.  The pool of honey on the side helped the dessert be naturally sweet, and the lime helped cut the sweetness in a balance check.  The honey and lime combination just added to the perfection of the tart.  I almost lost consciousness watching the honey drizzle each time I dripped the tart into it.  It was so good that we took two extra tarts home for our friends.  And each of them agreed that the tequila lime tart was simply delicious... a great way to end the meal.

Thank you to charismatic Dennis and congenial Nicole for taking the time to explain each dish and list each ingredient and method of preparation.  Thanks also to Angela your adept services in lighting and photography.  Of course, a big thank you to Erinn of Platform Media Group for setting me up with Bow & Truss and helping me discover a new way of having pork belly.  It was an awesome from beginning to end.  The charcuterie, tacos and the tequila lime tart really sealed the deal for me.  We are definitely returning in the near future.  Until the next pork belly craving, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20121020