If you want the full article and more photos, you should check the original article here. That piece is amazing!

Originally published at www.fastcodesign.com on April 7, 2015.

Peek Inside French Laundry’s New Kitchen was originally published in Hungry Frenchmen on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Soupe a l’onion gratinee was originally published in Hungry Frenchmen on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I’ve been to Trou Normand (on New Montgomery Street, next to the Palace hotel), thanks to the advice of Ann Roberts, with all the folks from work to celebrate a huge milestone. It wasn’t that hard to convince me to go there:

Trou Normand focuses on whole-animal butchery and house-made charcuterie using pork from Riverdog Farm and dried meats made from rare Mangalitsa pigs bred exclusively by Csarda Haz Farm and Dinner Bell Farm.

If you know me, you know that this is the kind of things that really appeal to me. The decor is really cool: high ceiling, booths, a very nice bar. That’s always a good start!

Now, the important stuff: I’ve had some of the best charcuterie I’ve had in the US. More specifically, the pates were stunning. We had the large charcuterie and salumi board for $79 which was a good size for 5 people. If you’re more than 5, you’ll need a bigger version. The main dish were nice too, but seriously, I still think about those pates.

We had ordered a bottle of Chateau Tour Bayard, Montagne-St-Emilion at a decent $54 that paired quite well with our order.

Jean-Luc went there recently as well, and I think we both agree that the charcuterie board is the way to go, and is what makes this place so special. I’m going back there for a friend’s birthday, and already know that we will sit at the bar, and order that charcuterie board.

Trou Normand, SF was originally published in Hungry Frenchmen on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I just tried this recipe from the book “Plenty More” by Yotam Ottolenghi. My wife was kind enough to buy it to me for Xmas. Best wife ever!

I was amazed by the great flavors from that dish, and at the same time at its simplicity. It won’t take more than 30 minutes to do it (without cooking time), and you’ll probably be very pleased with the results. The most surprising part? Greek Yogurt mixed with Sriracha sauce. Why didn’t I think about it before?

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash, about 3 lb. (1.5 kg)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 6 Tbs. (3 fl. oz./90 ml) olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups (1 3/4 oz./50 g) cilantro leaves and stems, plus extra leaves for garnish
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 2 1/2 Tbs. (3/4 oz./20 g) pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup (7 oz./200 g) Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 tsp. sriracha or other savory chile sauce

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C).

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, remove and discard the seeds, and then cut into wedges 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide and about 2 3/4 inches (7 cm) long, leaving the skin on. Place in a large bowl with the cinnamon, 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, 3/4 tsp. salt, and a good grind of pepper. Mix well so that the squash is evenly coated.

Arrange the squash, skin side down, in a single layer on 2 baking sheets and roast until soft and starting to color, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the herb paste, combine the cilantro, garlic, the remaining 4 Tbs. (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil and a generous pinch of salt in the bowl of a small food processer. Puree to form a fine paste and set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until the outer skin pops open and the seeds become light and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

When you are ready to serve, swirl together the yogurt and sriracha sauce. Arrange the squash wedges on a platter and drizzle the spicy yogurt sauce and then the herb paste over the top (you can also swirl the yogurt sauce and herb paste together, if you like). Scatter the pumpkin seeds on top, followed by the extra cilantro leaves, and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Squash with Chili Yogurt and Cilantro was originally published in Hungry Frenchmen on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Gaspar is a new French brasserie, downtown SF (185 Sutter Street). Food is ok, nothing I would slap myself for (their wine list though is pretty good and affordable, which is nice). But the atmosphere, and the setting is super cool. In other words, it’s the perfect place to go for a happy hour, for wine and oysters.

Happy hour is Mon-Fri, 4pm-6pm. And guess what? They have $1 oyster and $5 glass of wine.

What else could we hope for? Sit at the bar upstairs. No seriously, do it. The bar upstairs. And enjoy that dozen of oysters and a good glass of wine.

Gaspar, French brasserie was originally published in Hungry Frenchmen on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A lot of things have been written already about SPQR (Fillmore Street, between Pine and Bush). No doubt it’s a great restaurant and the chef is remarkable. Now, I think there are two SPQR. The one where you sit at a table, and the one where you sit at the bar. And guess what? The one where you sit at a table is ok, while when you sit at the bar, it’s one of the most amazing experience.

Now, they have two bars: the chef bar and the “regular bar”. The chef bar is fun: you get to see folks working the food. But the “regular bar” works better for me. You’re facing all those amazing bottles of wine that they serve. You can chat with the server, who usually knows their stuff really well.

I usually go for the pasta tasting menu (5 courses menu, only available mid week), with the wine pairing. It’s a treat, not always on the cheap side (count $130 per person total if i remember well). I usually always reorder a glass of red wine on top of the pairing. Just because it’s so good, and usually, I feel so pleased that I just want to extend the pleasure.

So there you go, here’s one of my little secret. SPQR, at the bar. If you can get the sits at the corner, it’s even better.

SPQR was originally published in Hungry Frenchmen on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.