Shaanxi food in San Francisco
The Feature: Jonathan Kauffman pens the definitive guide to Shaanxi cuisine in San Francisco, highlighting its two champions: Xi An Gourmet in the Richmond and Terra Cotta Warrior in the Sunset. Shaanxi, he explains, was the beginning of the Silk Road, and its food is quite different from even its nearby regions:
A typical meal at Terra Cotta Warrior starts with cold plates: gingery spinach seasoned with a dash of vinegar; spicy-tart potato shreds; or crisp lotus root slices tossed in oil infused with [owner David] Deng’s proprietary blend of 13 spices, which hums with the citrus-tinged buzz of Sichuan peppercorns.Then might come Chinese “burgers” filled with shredded pork – think of the meat as five-spice carnitas – or a bowl of Shaanxi mian-pi, slippery steamed noodles served cold with cucumber shreds, black vinegar and spiced oil.
Terra Cotta Warrior’s lamb stew with bread is a more delicate than at Xi An Gourmet. Deng pays homage to his hometown with the splendid Qishan minced pork noodles, chewy lengths of hand-pulled pasta covered with a lightly vinegared pork broth and capped with chile oil.
Also included are the recipe for Lamb Soup With Chinese Biscuits and Mr. Kauffman’s exegesis on the Shaanxi classics: mian pi, Chinese burger (rou jia mou), noodles with sizzling oil (biang biang mian), and lamb soup with bread (yang rou pao mo).
The Review: The Cooperage, Lafayette.
A Study In: Introducing a new occasional series on the wine sides of things: “A Study In,” wherein wine editor Jon Bonné will look at one type of wine available at Bay Area retail stores, in order to help readers understand how to pick the best bottles. For his maiden voyage: Pinot Grigio.
Seasonal Cook: Everything you need to know about cherry season, from selection to storage to a pork recipe.
The Baker: Emily Luchetti gets into cherry season, too, by sharing her recipe for Walnut Cakes With Cherries & Whipped Cream.
Openings: Chino, San Francisco.
California Local: Joyce Goldstein profiles Camino chef-owner Russell Moore:
As chef-owner of Camino, he can step back and direct others, but Moore is still a great line cook. For six years he’s been in front of that fireplace every night, cooking and expediting.
In this era of celebrity chefs gadding about, cooking at events in and out of town, his active presence in his own kitchen has made an impression. It’s a familiar refrain from restaurateurs and chefs: “The guy is there, every night, cooking. He cooks.” … Moore’s cooking is not tied to any one trend or culture, and defies any label except “personal.” In the broadest sense, it is California cuisine because all of his ingredients are local.
The Cocktailian: Meet the Bloody Nail, an ingenious combination of a Rusty Nail and a Blood and Sand cocktail.
What’s New: Our favorite caramels in the Bay Area.
What’s New: Where does La Cocina’s Caleb Zigas like to eat?