Once a Chef

Re:

2011-05-22T20:56:00.001-07:00

Surprise your lover tonight!.. http://salvadoss.prv.pl/friends_links.php?weID=70t1

Posted via email from Don's posterous

salzburg pics

2011-03-04T05:34:00.001-08:00

pics from my weekend in salzburg. glorious place. highly recommend.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from Don's posterous

Beretta Restaurant

2010-09-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Through some great timing and a lot of luck, we were able to get into Beretta Restaurant last night. Service was perfect. Italian red wine was tasty. And the food was really, really good.

Great:
The Antipasti were the standout -- polenta with gorgonzola, eggplant caponatina with burrata, roasted cauliflower with pangratatto, capers & sage, meatballs in spicy tomato sauce, fresh sardines in olive oil & vinegar with shaved onion. And the meat antipasti sampler was divine.

OK:
The pizza --potato, rosemary, radicchio, gorgonzola dolce -- was rich and tasted good, but needed more cooking time as the dough was a bit undercooked. Risotto with goat cheese and prosciutto I thought was so-so. Though, my fellow diners felt it was very good. Admittedly, I'm picky about risotto having learned from Joyce Goldstein the mastery of this dish.

We were fortunate as I believe we sat at one of the better tables from an acoustic point of view. Even though it was at times hard to hear our conversation, the noise was off the charts in most areas of the restaurant.

Beretta, definitely worthy of a return visit.

Yo, Pastrami Here!

2010-09-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Made this little gem over the course of the last week (cure, air dry, slow cook forever). The grass-fed beef is from Morris' Ranch out of San Juan Bautista area where we buy a quarter share every year. Not Katz Deli mind you, but I'm not having a problem choking this down. Homemade pastrami, mustard, onions. Done.

Winefest

2010-08-04T04:18:00.001-07:00

I had the privilege of attending Winefest in Hambach, Germany, located in the center of the Pfalz wine region. I met up with Erwin, a friend of my Dad's from the IBM-SAP relationship days. I could not have had better hosts. His wife Christiana, greeted me in their exquisite home high on the hill above town (see picture), with a huge selection of cakes and pastry with local fresh raspberries, strawberries and plums. Washed it all down with coffee and a walk in their terraced picture book garden, I thought this place could not get anymore perfect. Then, a looped drive to the main town of Neustadt an der Weinstr in Erwin's rock star late 60's cherry red Alpha Romeo Spider was a hoot. Erwin walked me around the sites of Neustadt which I found interesting, but honestly I couldn't wait to get back to the car! Back at the house, the wine began to flow. We had a tasty 2009 Sauvingon Blanc from a local vintner (Jochim Hilldenbrecth (sp) ). Sauvingon Blanc is a new varietal where the predominant grape is Reisling. Jochim is the elder vintner with his son (UC Davis grad) as the wine maker. Next, 5 of us walked to the Hambach village where Winefest was in full party mode. The village was decked out with 'wine gartens', an antique merry-go-round with punch card music, and German flags. Immediately, we were given two large high ball glasses with mixture of dry reisling wine with sparkling water. The tradition was to share the two glasses amongst the table of friends. Ok then -- Prost! My first thought was the reisling was going to taste watered down. Surprisingly, the concoction ended up tasting more like a zippy, refined sparkling wine. The glasses were constantly replenished too. Then a wonderful hearty meal of salad, roast pork meat, and knudel (dumplings) followed. Oh yeah, more wine and great conversation too. I left Hambach later in the evening not wanting the day to end. A clear sign of a great time!

Posted via email from Don's posterous

The Garden

2010-03-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

In January, I attended a cool weather vegetables class at Love Apple Farm (http://www.growbetterveggies.com/) in Ben Lemond. Love Apple Farm is the exclusive farm to Manresa Restaurant / Chef David Kinch in the town I live, Los Gatos. The class was a birthday gift from my wife and my excitement was off the charts. As a chef and foodie, there is an immense satisfaction and inspiration gleamed from the garden. The class was great and I learned a ton. Cynthia's soil amendment formula, non-toxic pest repellents and identification, vegetables that grow in the winter, good tools, soil testing importance, watering, and how to sow seeds. Additionally, observing the Love Apple Farm grounds was worth its weight in gold. I was so inspired I added two large planter boxes to what was supposed to be path. At the end of the class, two dozen of us each left with a flat of sown seeds.

I am happy to report that last night we had the first harvest from the flat of seeds. Mustard greens that were unlike any that I've tasted before. I sauteed them in an Asian style with ginger, garlic and splash of soy. Next up for picking in the garden is a race between the purple bok choy and broccoli rabe. The rest--shelling peas, a unique spinach variety, fava beans, and small onion variety--seem to be a bit slow to get going and may not ever produce. I'm hopeful, but my patience and space constraints will be tested when it comes time to plant spring & summer vegetables.

I'll post pictures at a later time...

New addition

2009-07-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are proud to welcome our wood fired oven to the family! Charred crusts, smokey flavors, melted creamy mozzarella (buffalo, of course!) and lots of fun are in our future. Here is a recent photo sampling of the fun and delicious Neapolitan pizzas.

The new addition

Into the fire

3-5 minutes until perfection

Not bad, huh?

Pizzaiolo pizza - 3 slices wolfed down, 5 to go...

2009-05-11T15:45:00.001-07:00

Pizzaiola in Oakland is as near perfect a restaurant one will find. Outstanding are the chicken liver crostini, burrata drenched in olive oil, and pizza of any flavor (we had tomato, pancetta, olive, grana, wild arugula). Also, dessert of gingersnap / lime ice cream sandwiches were refreshing. Throw in a wonderful bottle of Campania red wine and you'll begin to plan your return visit to Pizzaiolo. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Posted via email from Don's posterous

Pura Vida!

2009-04-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Costa Rica over Easter break was fantastic. So good, I didn’t take any food pictures. In researching the trip, I read time after time reviews of the food being poor. Overall, I would disagree with the reviews. Every vacation seems to have its share of forgettable meals, but these are offset by the gems. Costa Rica has some gems and I’m sure there are more we did not uncover. The table rates the food for each of our meals in Costa Rica. I did not rate other aspects (e.g. service, décor, etc.) since in all the establishments (except Kike’s) the service/decor was a 4 (some ok, some excellent). I look forward to going back to Costa Rica for the surfing, empty beaches, iguanas, dragonfly swarms, amazing sunsets, fresh mango smoothies, and the local food.

One sign of a great dinner

2009-04-20T11:58:00.001-07:00

Once again, Soif on Saturday night was great. The meal we shared: lamb meatballs w/almond sauce, calamari pica pica, fried artichokes with meyer lemon aioli, scallops with potato 'risotto', roasted mushrooms, and preserved lemons, goat cheese / onion tartine w/ asparagus and bacon, artisan cheese plate, and a bananas foster. Whew. All of this washed down with some tasty wines from France and Spain. Ending with a single espresso as pictured. Thinking about it inspires me...
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Posted via email from Don's posterous

Guest chef-in-training

2009-02-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

My sons, Ben (11) and Max (8) are budding chefs. My wife and I are 'training' them to be the next generation of food snobs. Ben decided he wanted to throw his love for food and writing into the mix. Therefore, Ben is making his first guest appearance on this blog providing us his viewpoint on a recent meal he prepared for our family. Post follows...

Per Ben...I made a tasty parmesan prosciutto chicken following a recipe by Mark Bittman. He’s a very good chef. I love cooking his food and have his book How to Cook Everything. I followed a video recipe online at The Minimalist Playlist - Video Library - The New York Times. Look for Parmesan Chicken with Jamie Oliver or follow my recipe bellow:

PP Chicken
Yield: 4 servings of hot tasty yummy-yummy goodness chicken

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
2 slices of prosciutto
A lot of parmesan (I MEAN A LOT!!!!!)
A few sprigs of rosemary and thyme
Salt
Ground Pepper
2 lemons

Process:
1. Take the chicken breast and find out which side you want to taste REALLY good. Rub the whole with rosemary and thyme, and then squeeze the lemons over the whole chicken. After, rub the chicken with salt (not TOO much- we are putting salty parmesan on it people) and sprinkle with pepper.
2. Put the parmesan on the tasty side of the chicken and wrap the prosciutto around it. Next put saran-wrap over the chicken and pound it out.
3. Heat a pan to about medium heat then put the tasty side on the pan first and saute’ until the prosciutto is a light brown and flip the chicken and do the same thing on the other side.
4. Scarf down like you haven’t eaten anything in a year.

Note: This goes really well with polenta. ENJOY!!!!

Good for your soul

2009-02-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

There are so many food choices here in the SF Bay Area, but one that continually impresses me and feeds the soul are Asian cuisines. Tonight, I dined at Fuel Restaurant and Lounge which is contemporary Vietnamese. Beautiful crisp vegetarian rolls wrapped in lettuce with the famous nuom cham sauce. Then, a super tasty spicy chicken noodle dish. Almost Thai-like, but the flavors come back to classic Vietnamese. Simple, tasty, and good for your soul!

Sunday Night Dinner January 12, 2009

2009-01-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

So simple and so satisfying.

Roasted Rump Roast smothered in garlic, olive oil, rosemary and cracked black pepper. Served with a melange of roasted vegetables and au jus. Washed down with a cheap, yet tasty Bordeaux I found at The Wine Club.

The meat is from Morris' Beef. Morris' is a local farmer out of Watsonville, CA area providing high quality grass-fed beef of which we bought a quarter side of various cuts.

New Year's Day

2009-01-01T21:31:00.001-08:00

Yet another tradition - LATKES!!! Just when you think you have indulged enough, well suck it up lightweight. Bring on the lard fried potato pancakes. Topped with a bit of lox, sour cream, onion and chive---oooooo sooooo good. Washed them down with a nice Roderer Champagne. Fried food and champagne is the best. Damn, broke the New Years Resolution already as I sip a nice French Syrah.

Wish I took pictures, but too busy stuffing the gut.

Latkes recipe:
1 yellow onion
1 egg
3 large russet potatoes
1/4 C flour
salt and pepper to taste
lard for frying

Place all the ingredients except lard into a blender and puree until relatively smooth. Not too long or it will turn out gummy. Heat lard (approx. an inch deep) in a skillet to about 300-350 degrees. Drop a 1/4 C of potato mix into the hot lard and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel. Serve with sour cream, caviar, applesauce, chives, capers, red onions, and/or salmon (smoked or lox).

New Year's Eve

2009-01-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

As usual we celebrated New Year's Eve with local cracked crab, a bottle of Billecart Rose' Champagne and we were in bed before 10:30pm. Though, my New Year's resolution is to not mix a martini and red wine with primo champagne. Cheers!

Roasted Whole Pig

2008-12-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

Finally, I was able to use my La Caja China (www.lacajachina.com) for a whole pig roast on Saturday!!! I went to Marsh & Sons last Tuesday and picked out a 31 pound Berkshire pig (aka Alfred). I decided to go Italian, a la Porchetta - 4 heads garlic, 3 cups olive oil, fennel tops, 2 cups fresh rosemary, black peppercorns, and 1/4 cup toasted fennel seed.

The prep and cooking are straightforward. I assembled the pig in the wire roasting rack, and placed Alfred in the box.

Placed the coal rack on top and lit up one 16 lbs. bag of coals. Added 10 lbs. of coals every hour for 3 hours. Crack a few beers.

After 3 hours flipped Alfred to skin side up, slit the skin, and re-stoked the fire to attempt to crisp the skin.

40 minutes later Alfred moves to the chopping block. Skin did not crisp up as intended. I think this is due to not removing the excess ash from the coal tray before the crisping phase. Made note to self.

We had 15 adults and 6 kids. In a word - devoured.

Sunday Night Dinner - December 14, 2008

2008-12-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

Sunday Night Dinner (SND) - December 14, 2008

Steve is THE fish monger at my local Whole Foods and he directed me to a beautiful piece of Atlantic Cod. Decided to go Asian theme for the meal since the fish steams nicely. The Smoking Loon Pinot was average to weak at best so I won't be rushing out to get a bunch of this under $12 pinot.

Bok Choy & Ham Soup
Steamed Atlantic Cod marinated in soy, Chinese rice wine, ginger, and rice vinegar
Green beans with tahini, soy, sake, rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds
Steam rice
2006 Smoking Loon Pinot Noir

Chocolate time!

2008-12-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

My personal favorite time of year. My wife does a brisk business once a year via word of mouth whereby she mass produces artisanal chocolates. 1000's of perfect pieces 'a few duds and scraps for me'. The picture is of soft burnt caramel awaiting chocolate dipping then finished with a few flakes of fleur de sel. Melt in your mouth and in your hands!

Guanciale Hanging and the Surprise

2008-11-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

Guanciale has been hanging for almost 3 weeks. Almost there....
Also, when I hung the jowls of pork, I found a fantastic surprise of 5 lbs. of lardo. Beautifully brined in salt, pepper, and rosemary. Being the gluten I am, of course, I cut off a nice slice and indulged! Can't wait to melt it on some toast.

Sunday Night Dinner (SND) - November 16, 2008

2008-11-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

The family 'forced' me into a Sunday night dinner out to Pizza Antica in order to celebrate my birthday. We had a great time! I cooked with Gordon Drysdale many years ago at Bix and have always been impressed by his straightforward, really good food. To start, we shared a caesar salad and a perfectly seasoned warm brussel sprouts salad with bacon and onions. Next, we shared a cheese pizza and a radicchio, pancetta, onion, goat cheese pizza. The crust at Antica is more of a thin, cracker with a small chew to it. It all went well with a half caraf of red table wine from Sicily. Lastly, I finished with an affagato--vanilla gelato with an espresso shot poured over the top. Motto bene!

Birthday Celebration - Perbacco Dinner

2008-11-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

Perbacco is a Northern Italian restaurant located 2 doors down from Aqua. The building used to be a dive bar known as the Gold Rush which I used to frequent and meet up with other restaurant cooks after working late evenings at Square One. Many stories & memories I probably do not want to share.....

Overall, Perbacco was really good food. Highlight for me was the Roasted Octopus. The biggest complaint I have about Italian restaurants outside of Italy is the food is no where near what one would enjoy in Italy. Granted, there is no substitute for actually being in Italy to eat, but Perbacco's authenticity does not disappoint.

OnceAChef Rating (zero worst, five best):
Food - 3.5
Service - 3.5
Overall - 3.5

Birthday Celebration - The Day pre-dinner

2008-11-10T09:19:00.001-08:00

Day 2 of my wife's birthday festival, we planned for a family 'day' in San Francisco. For lunch, I surprised her with dim sum at Ton Kiang and one of our family friends, Robert, as a special lunch guest. We had it all! Cha siu bao, sticky rice wrapped in tea leaf, pea shoots and garlic, broccoli stems and greens, potstickers, roasted riblets, green chives and shrimp dumplings, spicy whole fried shrimp, siu mai, and jin doy. I realized the meal was a tasty success when my older son Ben proclaimed, "I want my birthday meal here".

We then piled into the car and headed towards the Yerba Buena Gardens area. We figured we could kill five hours by going to a museum and walking around before our next meal, dinner at Perbacco. First, we went to the Cartoon Museum. Very cool. Next, we wandered around the city blocks and the kids cheered when they found Beard Papa, a made-to-order cream puff chain. They jammed two of the puffs down their gullet and then we were back into the car.

3 hours to go until dinner, yet what were we going to do? Well, check-in to the Marriott of course! After circling fortuitously around the blocks for 30 minutes, I floored it into the valet area of the Marriott on 4th Street. The looks on the wifey's and kids faces were hilarious. They had no clue. Our room at the Marriott was stunning. Views of the bay on the left, Golden Gate Bridge on the right. Took a nap, freshened up and then hit Perbacco for dinner.....

Birthday Celebration - The Friday Before the BIG Day

2008-11-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

My wife's birthday is known as 'The Festivus'. The festivus is a week long celebration in which she is peppered by friends and family with adoration, gifts, and her favorite eats. Friday the family gathered--Nana & Baba, Unky Dave & Aunty Diane, my sons, wife, me -- at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga, CA. The Plumed Horse has been in the valley for many years and recently has had a resurgence. A remodel, new owners, high profile chef and service staff, and a SF Chronicle Top 100 list mention has reinvigorated the landmark. The food & wine was outstanding, service was pretty good with some fine tuning needed. Here is the run down of the meal:

Amuse bouche of Pumpkin Soup with Lobster
Shared an Oestra caviar and blinis with my Dad & wife. French champagne to accompany (Bollinger)
Sauteed Day Boat Sea Scallops, vinegary figs, brown butter, and shaved torneau of foie gras
Pan roasted Monterey Halibut
Variety of artisan cheeses
William Selyem, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2003

My son had a beautiful roasted duck with a large chunk of foie gras. I managed to snag the foie gras which was amazing. Tasted a variety of the other dishes at the table. All were great.

Day 1 down, Day 2 to go... tomorrow is B-Day. Off to San Francisco with a few surprises up my sleeve.....

Safeway - Way Bad

2008-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

I ran some errands today and with not much else to chose from I decided to pick up something at Safeway for lunch. What a waste of $8.00! After walking around in circles in their 'gourmet' area, I decided that a sandwich was the safest and least likely to be screwed up. Wrong. Crappy pressed turkey with too much liquid smoke flavor, dry rubbery "ciabiatta" bread, wilted lettuce I think, and that requisite tasteless tomato (see my post in September). Then I got suckered by the smell of 'fresh, roasted cashews'. The taste was entirely another thing. They tasted like dirt with a strange glass cleaner finish. The Kettle Chips and banana ended up being the lunch, and even those items were so-so. The amazing thing is how many people line up for this food daily and seem to be ok with mediocre food at best.

Sunday Night Dinner (SND) - November 2, 2008

2008-11-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

SND Menu - November 2, 2008
Braised Pork Shoulder with Roasted Onions, Gremolata, and Jus
Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Chili Flakes
Apple Crisp with vanilla cream
2002 Barolo La Loggia

Menu Notes:
We piled into the car to visit family members for a dinner we promised back in June. This is a break from the usual SND philosophy (re: dinner at home) given one of the family members just finished her cancer treatment successfully. Everything was cooked in advance, so it was a simple heat & serve. We had wonderful conversation and enjoyed the company.

Sunday night dinner philosophy:
Sunday night dinner is an important part of our family tradition. Given the demands on time, my wife and I stress the need for us to be at home eating as a family. I always do the cooking on Sundays and my sons (ages 8 and 11) willingly help. I hope you are inspired to start or share your traditions.

Sunday night dinner posts will only be the menu (yes, I will post actual pictures when I remember to take them!). As a general rule, I do not follow recipes except for items that absolutely call for it (e.g. pastry). If you would like a recipe, I am more than happy to share. Enjoy!

Pork Jowls Have Arrived!

2008-10-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

Christmas comes early! I am sooo excited to have a fresh batch of pork jowls. I purchased the babies from Heritage Farms which is a top flight meat and poultry purveyor. For the past two years, I have cured and aged my own guanciale (guancia translates to cheek in Italian). Pancetta is always suggested as the equivalent or substitute, but to those who know about guanciale there is no substitute. Italians in Umbria would shudder at the thought of using pancetta as a substitute in classic dishes such as Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Guanciale is a much richer, fattier, and tender compared to pancetta (pancetta is cured/aged from pork belly). Here is the recipe I use for guanciale:

2 pounds pork jowls
½ cup sugar
½ cup kosher salt
1 tsp lightly cracked whole black peppercorns
2 tbs fresh thyme leaves, no stems

1. In a bowl, combine the sugar, salt, peppercorns and thyme. Rub the hog jowls with the mixture. Place the jowls in a nonreactive casserole, cover, and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days.
2. Remove the jowls from the casserole, polk a hole in one corner of the jowl and thread a piece of butcher's twine through the hole. Hang the jowls in a dry cool place (it should not be warmer than 60ºF.) for at minimum of 3 weeks. They should be firm and dry, with a slight give.

Sunday Night Dinner - October 26, 2008

2008-10-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

SND Menu - October 26, 2008
Grilled Vancouver Island Salmon with extra virgin olive oil and lemon
Beluga lentils stewed with white wine, mirepoix, and guanciale (homemade cured pork jowl)
Sauteed hearty greens with lots of garlic
Romaine salad with gorgonzola-lemon dressing and walnuts
2005 Wente Nth Degree Syrah

Menu notes:
I was craving salmon given we had no local salmon this year from the Monterey Bay due to a fishing ban. I found this beautiful salmon belly at a fish monger in Santa Cruz (the Fish Lady). Kept the ingredients simple as to accent the tasty fish.

Sunday Night Dinner (SND) - October 19, 2008

2008-10-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

SND Menu - October 19, 2008

Grilled Italian Sausage with caramelized yellow onion and sweet peppers
Green Beans - butter, salt & pepper
Roasted Yukon Potatoes with olive oil and garlic
Baby arugula with basalmic vinaigrette, Braeburn Apple, and feta
2002 La Loggia Barolo - Trader Joes (under $15)

Menu notes:
With my wife out of town, I let my kids pick and approve the menu tonight. Involving them from start to finish is rewarding as they are less inclined to be picky which leads them to eat everything. Nothing fancy here, simple wholesome food.

Sunday night dinner philosophy:
Sunday night dinner is an important part of our family tradition. Given the demands on time, my wife and I stress the need for us to be at home eating as a family. I always do the cooking on Sundays and my sons (ages 8 and 11) willingly help. I hope you are inspired to start or share your traditions.

Sunday night dinner posts will only be the menu (yes, I will post actual pictures when I remember to take them!). As a general rule, I do not follow recipes except for items that absolutely call for it (e.g. pastry). If you would like a recipe, I am more than happy to share. Enjoy!

Sunday Night Dinner (SND) - October 5, 2008

2008-10-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

SND Menu - October 5, 2008
Grilled Pork Tenderloin marinated with olive oil, garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin, and coriander
Sauteed Swiss Chard - olive oil, caramelized yellow onion, and pickled serrano peppers
Green Beans
Roasted Sweet Potato with melted Plugra butter, cinnamon & nutmeg
Baby bib lettuce with apple cider vinaigrette, tomato, green onion, and blue cheese
Apple Turnovers
2005 Falesco Sangiovese - Parker rated 90 points (under $15)

Menu notes:
The marinade for the pork is inspired by the Spanish table taught to me at Square One by Joyce Goldstein. At Square One, we used pork loin instead of tenderloin, and then roasted the pig to perfection.

Sunday night dinner philosophy:
Sunday night dinner is an important part of our family tradition. Given the demands on time, my wife and I stress the need for us to be at home eating as a family. I always do the cooking on Sundays and my sons (ages 8 and 10) willingly help. I hope you are inspired to start or share your traditions.

Sunday night dinner posts will only be the menu (yes, I will post actual pictures when I remember to take them!). As a general rule, I do not follow recipes except for items that absolutely call for it (e.g. pastry). If you would like a recipe, I am more than happy to share. Enjoy!

Sunday Night Dinner (SND) - September 28,2008

2008-09-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday night dinner is an important part of our family tradition. Given the demands on time, my wife and I stress the need for us to be at home eating as a family. I always do the cooking on Sundays and my sons (ages 8 and 10) willingly help. I hope you are inspired to start or share your traditions.

Sunday night dinner posts will only be the menu (yes, I will post actual pictures when I remember to take them!). As a general rule, I do not follow recipes except for items that absolutely call for it (e.g. pastry). If you would like a recipe, I am more than happy to share. Enjoy!

SND Menu - September 28,2008
Grilled Chicken with Olive Oil and Lemon
White Beans with Tomato, Basil, and Stewed Garlic
Ratatouille
Arugula and Pear Salad with Apple Cider-Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
Warm Apple Tartlets
2006 Ravenswood Zinfandel Napa County

Hold the tomatoes

2008-09-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

"Everything on it?", the sandwich monger asks. Yes of course. As I wait in anticipation for my made to order turkey sandwich at the nearby deli, I go through the ingredients in my mind. Crunchy Acme bread, just roasted turkey breast, the tangy deli mustard, crisp lettuce, thinly sliced red onions, and a sweet juicy red tomato. The finished sandwich arrives and I bite into it quickly. Crunch. Double crunch. Wait, what the heck was that double crunch? I peer into the guts of the sandwich only to find a pale red thing. It is the "tomato".

There is a disturbing trend I have mentally tracked for the past few months -- sub-par tomatoes in sandwiches. And the range of establishments - first class to fast food - is varied. I can somewhat understand the poor quality tomato in the depths of winter (is there such a thing in the Bay Area, CA?). I know there is an economic equation for this, but in no way does it make logical sense. We are in the heart of the tomato season. Ripe, juicy, sweet tomatoes of all varieties. When my tomato plants start producing fruit, my entire family has trouble keeping up with consumption. Yet, here comes my sandwich with that lifeless, dull red, tough SOB they call a tomato. Complete let down. Given such plentiful yields, shouldn't any tomato served in the heart of the season be worthy of eating?

I have made a pact with myself to think more carefully about the open-ended question, 'everything on it?'. It comes down to trust and observation. At this time, I am inclined to tell the sandwich monger, 'hold the tomatoes'.