A Chef who gets his hands dirty. Dad and I stopped off for a relaxing brunch at Ward Street Cafe last weekend, and Ferando, the Chef came out twice to check on us and other customers. I couldn't help but notice that his crisp white tunic had some swipes of tomato sauce - evidence that he does the cooking! He was charming and sincere and concerned that the waiter didn't get our toast order, not realizing Ms. South Beach had requested no bread.

Dad ordered the sausage omelet, which had chicken apple sausage, sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese within. It came with the normal fruit and potato sides that grace most of the dishes here. He said it was great.

I recalled the warm interior from the last visit, and thought I'd snap a shot. The columns are filled with multi-colored beans.

I chose the chorizo omelet, and requested some tomato slices rather than the usual delicious fruit and potatoes. It was quite tasty, and the cool tomato slices made a nice foil for the perfectly cooked and folded omelet. This place is great, and the attention of Chef Fernando shows in the food and ambiance.

A reminder that I'm hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week, would love to have your participation! The rules are at the event originator's site, Kalyn's Kitchen.

Seven Random Things About Me. I was tagged by Elle at Feeding My Enthusiasms for this meme. Elle is my neighbor up north in Sonoma county who is the most daring baker I know. So I'm supposed to tell you seven random things about myself, then tag seven bloggers for the next round.

1. I was a Girl Scout. And I had a mother who liked to snap photos of kids in uniform!

2. I like the feel of acceleration. Take off in a small plane when I was learning to fly was over the top!

3. I used to sew my own clothes. I enjoyed sewing before I had to do so much detailed kind of work in my career, then I needed to change my hobbies to things that were more relaxing. To sew things right, details are important.

4. I grew up in a small town, but I loved spending part of my summer at my Aunt Dorothy's ranch, chasing cows, picking fruit and learning to can.

5. Labor Day Weekend will mark the 10th anniversary living in my condo in Mill Valley, the longest I've lived in any one house.

6. An unfulfilled dream I have is of riding an elephant.

7. I wanted to be a diplomat. I sat the exams right out of college, and missed the qualifying score by a point. About ten years later, I was contacted to come back and interview because females during that testing period had been discriminated against. At that point, it would have meant taking a 50% cut in pay, and moving back to the East coast, and my first assignment would necessarily have been an undesirable geographical location... so I didn't pursue it.

I'm going to choose a random seven bloggers to tag, finding blogs I may not have visited before, or not visited very often that I'd like to know more about the people behind. So my choices are:

Jeanne from World on a Plate.
Chika at She Who Eats.
Miriam at Tanzanian Recipes: You Are What You Eat.
Kieran at Ice Cream Ireland.
Karen at Family Style Food.
Janelle at Talk of Tomatoes.
Evelin at Bounteous Bites.

You'll notice there's a bit of country hopping in my randomness as well!

Yucatan in Marin. Sad as it was to see Bamyan Afghan Cuisine close, at least we have another out of the ordinary restaurant taking its place. El Rey Pakal's menu is a delight to read with all its new or familiar yet different dishes.

We were promptly served some chips and a Mayan salsa, which I dared not taste lest it break my diet. Dad enjoyed it, and said the salsa was better than other places.

Dad tried the Empanizado de Puerco, breaked pork steak served with rice, black bean puree and salad. He reported that the pork was tender and the breading was at that perfect equilibrium between too crunchy and too soggy.

Dad also enjoyed the hand made corn tortillas which were served with my dish since these were not allowed for me yet. These looked so fresh, and smelled so good I know I'll have to come back and have these some time.

I thoroughly enjoyed my dish, the Cochinita Pibil, consisting of roasted pork marinated in a special achiote sauce topped with chopped red onions and fresh avocado and served with black bean puree. It was so artfully presented, and tasted delicious. The roasted pork was tender and subtly seasoned. The only glitch was slightly slow service, however the food more than made up for the periods of waiting. This is a menu to come back to and explore some more!

Rustic wooden exterior hides Poseidon's treasure. The exterior is rustic and unexciting, but once you enter the world of the sea opens up, and the restaurant opens out to a very pleasant deck with yellow umbrellaed tables. The manager of the Seafood Peddler was friendly from the start, and showed me to his favorite table, which was next to the window yet sheltered from the breeze blowing in the door. It was perfect.

I had a Caesar salad as a starter. It was great! And the crisp Parmesan cracker was a nice touch, especially since I had to take the grain-based croutons off to keep within my diet.

As for my entree of Petrale Sole Picatta, the chef was kind enough to accommodate my request for no potatoes by adding extra veggies and plating it attractively. The crisp green beans were a nice contrast to the fish, and the lemon sauce melded the tastes together nicely. There were a couple halves of a baby carrot too, and I ate it although I'm supposed to avoid carrots for now. I don't regret it, it was quite tender and juicy with that fresh pulled carrot taste. This restaurant was a delightful experience all around. The restaurant also has a Sunday brunch.

I also wanted to report that Dad and I celebrated his 87th birthday on Friday having a sandwich at Chili's and then going to see Transformers. The movie was a continuous battle scene, and Dad seemed to really relish it. Since it was just what he wanted, he spent his birthday as happy as a clam.

Don't forget that this upcoming Sunday I'm doing the round up here for Weekend Herb Blogging. You can read more information about this event at Kalyn's site.

Busy corner. Ming Garden is located on a busy corner where Sir Francis Drake meets Red Hill Avenue and Central Blvd. A nice place to stop on your way to points in West Marin.

We enjoyed Lettuce Blossoms, which were fresh and crispy and filled will flavorful minced prawns, chicken, mushrooms, onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and topped with crisp fried won ton slivers.

We also had the Hunan Beef, which was slightly spicy and the tender slices of beef were accompanied by a variety of flash wok fried vegetables. The service is prompt and friendly, and the decor was quite pleasant and clean. This one is worth visiting if you are in the neighborhood and have a craving for Chinese food.

Fine find in San Francisco. A friend of mine recommended Kabuto Sushi, and for a little change of pace, Dad and I went here a few nights ago for dinner.

There is a big calligraphy board over the sushi bar that says, simply "rythmn". And it fits. Watching the sushi chefs turn out beautiful plates one after the other is worth the visit itself.

My dinner came with a miso soup and salad set. The miso was flavorful, and the salad was fresh and had a unique miso dressing which accented the green leaves.

Dad enjoyed a main course of salmon mushiyaki, which he described as light and flavorful. He thought it was just right, and left room for dessert, adding just a bowl of rice.

I fell for the chirashi-zushi. How utterly light, cool and artful it was. The fish was so fresh, and they added some unique touches such as the addition of green tobiko as well as the traditional red, slices of red radish, and herb flavored omelet pieces.

Dad asked for some mango ice cream, which he said tasted like homemade. He recounted some summer memories of making ice cream out in the grass field next to the house where the family had a reunion each year and the children looked forward to the meal's end for this kind of cool sweet treat.

I tried a traditional Japanese sweet, ohagi. It was nicely plated. The outside consisted of sweet red bean paste with an artful sprinkling of green tea on the top.

And inside was sweet mochi rice, the texture of the grains still apparent. Very nice for small bites while sipping some sencha or hojicha.

Fresh Start. Yesterday was full of Internet difficulties, not resolved yet as I'm using my Nokia's T-Mobile connection through my USB port to connect to the Internet to write and post this. So instead of reviewing a surprise pick in San Francisco, I'm going the shorter route with a tried and true place. I went to the Dipsea for lunch on Monday because I started a new diet, and wanted to go to a place where I was sure I could find something appetizing yet still allowable. The Dipsea with its wide variety of great foods immediately came to mind. I reviewed this location in June, and there are links in that post to the previous visits as well.

As expected I found the perfect dish, a special of Blackened Lingcod over Greek Salad. It was great and I didn't even feel as though I were dieting! The Shangri-La diet is history already; I just couldn't take the daily nausea, and reducing the oil intake then lessened its affect on satiety, so it just didn't work. After hearing such good reports from Kalyn on the South Beach Diet, I thought I'd give it a whirl. So I started Phase I on Monday, which severely restricts carbs for two weeks. This salad fit the bill perfectly, and the ingredients were all at peak flavor. The greens were crisp while the fish fresh. Although I've lined up a few pre-diet places to share, necessarily you'll soon be seeing South Beach compliant meals here. And from what I can tell, I'll bet you won't even notice as one of the benefits is having real food in real situations.

Cheap and good. Dad and I paid another visit to Saigon Village, and noticed that they have put together a separate vegetarian menu. Well in this July heat, we couldn't resist trying it out.

Dad tried the vegetarian vermicelli bowl that had a mixture of seitan and crispy tofu toppings with a veggie spring roll. He said it was perfect.

I ventured to try their Lotus salad, which I imagined had lotus root as part of its ingredients. Ooops. I was wrong. It was fresh finely slivered cabbage of green and purple, with some of that mixture that was on Dad's, except there were larger slices of seitan and crispy tofu in a scattered topping. The light and sweet dressing was refreshing. The prices here are actually cheap, and the staff are friendly, helpful and prompt. What more could we ask?

Perfect Harmony. Dad and I dropped in the other night for a bite at Harmony in Strawberry Village. The local sustainable Chinese place. I drop in here often. It's always impeccable. I last reviewed it (and first reviewed it) on February 23, 2007.

It is very hard for me to go in these doors without ordering their turnip cakes. Locally grown, sustainable and so sweet and delicious!

These steamed dumplings with pea shoots were great as well.

Another thing that is hard for me to resist is steamed shrimp dumplings. These came in the perfect condition, succulent, flavorful bites. Dad likes these a lot too.

And when you bite into the potstickers, your mouth is infused with the scent of fresh ginger. This instantly transported me back to Hiroshima where my host mother took the trouble to teach me how to make these, and fresh ginger was an important ingredient. These are definitely worth a place in your dim sum set.

We tried a refreshing Chinese Chicken Salad which had a nice biting mustard dressing and chicken with slightly salty, crispy skin. It is a delightful and light dish, made with a nice balance of flavors and textures. If you want delicious local, sustainable Chinese food in an upscale setting where you have many choices as a single diner as well as being a great place for groups, you couldn't go wrong here.

New World Raclette. As most of you probably know, Raclette is a famous Swiss meal of mountaineers, and those living in that region. It traditionally consists of potatoes, raclette cheese, tiny gherkins, and pickled onions. The cheese, which is made of raw milk and aged, is melted on a hot rock. It was always on my list of things to enjoy while in Europe as it was not easy to find in US markets. It has become more abundant in the US in recent years, and the other day I spied some French-made Raclette in Trader Joe's. I couldn't resist.

Then, not being a mountain climber, I didn't think I needed all the salt in the pickles and an overly starched meal. So I made up my own version, which I've dubbed "New World Raclette", and this is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging , hosted by The Chocolate Lady from In Mol Araan. And swiss chard is my herb. I thought the chard would make nice replacement for the gherkins, and contrast well with the strong cheese.

Swiss chard originally got its name to distinguish it from French charde or chardon. In fact, its origins have been traced back to Sicily. Although available year round, the season for this vegetable is June-August, so it's at its peak. Worlds Healthiest Foods has a chart showing that swiss chard has an abundance for Vitamins K, A & C, and many health benefits have been associated with it.

I chose organic swiss chard, a Hawaiian sweet onion, and fingerling potatoes to accompany the raclette. We sprinkled Hawaiian red salt, and freshly cracked ground pepper over our individual servings. My father every three minutes or so would say "This dish has flavor"! He liked it so well he had thirds. I noticed after making this dish, that Raclette-Suisse has a number of updated recipes using raclette on its website.

We found it paired nicely with cold, fresh strawberries which we enjoyed for dessert, while sitting on the deck enjoying some kayaks and small sailboats go by us.

New World Raclette

1 large sweet onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch swiss chard (about 6 leaves)
1 pound fingerling potatoes (or bag of Trader Joes)
1 wedge raclette
salt and pepper to taste

Boil or steam potatoes until just tender. Slice and saute onion in olive oil, adding washed and chopped chard to softened and starting to caramelize onions. Chard should be cut in large pieces as it shrinks a lot. Place potatoes in single layer in a long baking dish, top with some raclette, then cover with onion and chard saute after the chard has softened up a bit, and top with a layer of raclette. Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes, or until raclette is melted to taste. Salt and pepper servings to taste at tableside.

Eel Eating Day. Coming up soon, is "Doyo-no-ushi", or the annual eel eating day in Japan. Eel is eaten on the 'hottest' day of the year, in July to gain stamina for the rest of the year. In fact "ushi" means 'ox', and although I'm told the official day this year is July 24th, any ox day (according to the Chinese zodiac) in the month of July is appropriate. I dropped by Restaurant Ino one hot July day, irrespective of whether it was an ox day or not, it was just hot!

Their unaju comes with miso soup and salad. The eel dish is called 'unaju' if served in lacquered box, and 'unadon' if served in a bowl.

Restaurant Ino's is served in a lacquer box with some edamame, ginger and a generous portion of grilled and seasoned eel sitting on some nori (seaweed) over rice. It was quite tasty. You can imagine when there is one day appointed that everyone should eat these, there is a run on eel in Japan in the millions. And these days only 20% of the eels consumed in Japan are caught domestically. So Japan turns to neighboring countries and Europe to fill the void. As I was freshening up my memory for this post, I ran across a sad article about this fish heading toward extinction, and another place detailing how the fish stock is declining. Now I'm a bit sad that I ate the eel.

What you may not be aware of is that some European countries have eel on the menu as well. I have some Dutch eel recipes in my collection, and I know there are other countries of Europe that consider them a delicacy as well. In fact, in some parts of Europe it is thought that if you rub your skin with eel oil, you will be able to see faeries!

Double Header. I visited Peking Wok in Mill Valley for lunch one day, and Dad and I enjoyed dinner before a film at the San Rafael Peking Wok near Northgate. Covering all the food in this post. Although I had the dinner before the lunch, lunch is usually before dinner, so we'll start there.

I ordered a lunch special, which comes with your choice of soup - egg and corn, hot & sour or won ton. I ordered egg and corn. It was hot and flavorful. I had the same soup at the San Rafael branch, so I won't put up a nearly identical photo.

My lunch plate arrived with chicken and vegetables, brown rice and a spring roll. The spring roll was fine, but nothing exciting. The brown rice was fresh and fragrant. The chicken an vegetables were in abundance and the vegetables were a perfect cooked yet crisp. The lunch special is set up so you can order any item off the regular menu as the entree for the plate. Very versatile, and at only $5.95 quite a bargain.

On to dinner at the San Rafael Peking Wok. Dad and I stopped in before a movie last week at the Northgate cinemas. The service is prompt so it is a good place to come when time for dinner is tight before a show. I posted a representative photo of the soup above (yes, we both had that soup too), and we had the dinner special at $9.95 a person.

After the soup course, we were served spring rolls and crab puffs. These were a bit greasy for y taste. The spring rolls were also disproportionately filled with cabbage.

I was completely stunned at the size of the entrees. I was expecting a plate-like serving such as I'd experienced at lunch in Mill Valley. I had ordered the sesame chicken made with chicken breast. This dish was well-executed and delicious. I felt so guilty leaving it behind, but we were going to see a movie in the heat, and no use asking for food poisoning.

My Dad ordered the beef and vegetables, which was also wonderful. Tender beef slices and freshly prepared vegetables.

Of course it was accompanied by our 'two'! servings of fried rice. Generous portions and fresh food seem to the the themes here. Yes, the appetizer pieces could use some improvement, but the overall value is great.