Guest Post: Tomato Day Dream by Photographer Nicola Parisi

I met Nicola last year at Eat Real Festival, and fell in love with her dreamy California photo journals. Here’s a story from her on one of my favorite foods to return to during California summer: tomatoes!

Summer in San Francisco is here. Long stretches of daylight and long stretches of fog. North, south and east of the city are warm temperatures – and it’s here that I venture to get a true taste of summer.


Summer means tomatoes. Seeing them at farmers markets reminds me of tomato canning nearly a year ago with good friends up in Dixon, California. A straight shot northeast of the city, Dixon sits in the middle of a hot, dry, mosquito-filled desert. Aside from the mosquito bites, I remember it very fondly. Eat Well Farm is plentiful in the summer – thousands and thousands of tomatoes are piled into crates, ready to be canned and stored for the months ahead.

With a group of 10 or so friends, we spent all of our waking hours (12, to be exact!) coring, boiling, chopping and cooking down our vibrant red heirlooms and San Marzanos. At the end of it all, after much snacking and beer-drinking, we were canning tomatoes by candlelight. The next morning was when we were truly able to recognize the fruits of our labor…. over 100 jars of all shapes and sizes, brimming with punchy red tomato sauce.


My share of 12 jars has lasted me from then till now, and I still have 7 left, which I dole out only for the most special occasions and guests. The next tomato harvest is around the corner, and I’m excited for the long and sweaty hours of laboring over scalding pots, mosquitoes and all, knowing that the satisfaction that comes from creating something from scratch, with friends, is what makes it all worthwhile.

Looks like Eat Well Farm is selling tickets for their “Sauce Parties” now.

Visit Nicola’s site, follow her on Instagram.

Where to Eat Breakfast in Oaxaca, Part Two

After late nights in Oaxaca kept up by the creep of the mezcal high, I’m always excited for the rewards in the morning: frothy hot chocolate, fresh juice, crispy-edged fried eggs off the comal. Here are a few places to enjoy breakfast in Oaxaca city. For more, read my first post. Thanks to @oaxacking for introducing me to most of these places.

Casa Estambul


During the rein of Porfirio Díaz (Mexico’s president for three and a half decades prior to the revolution), this building was his hub for illicit activity— his casino—owned by a Turk and called Casa Estambul. The small brothel rooms surrounding a courtyard in the back of the restaurant now house kitchen supplies.


The courtyard is bordered by patterned tiles, and inside the bar area the entire wall is covered with the work of three well known painters. If you walk in and experience mezcal flashbacks, you may be thinking of the owners’ previous speakeasy-like bar Piedra Lumbre. Fer and Betty are also the publishers of Arrecife, a local magazine and guide, and their design sensibilities translate gorgeously off the page.


Brunch is a hit here, and I can see why. There’s a big menu, accommodating your friends who “will just have a smoothie bowl” and your pals soaking up a hangover with a torta de chilaquiles. The barista program is on trend, with dirty chais, matcha lattes, and milk substitutions. We had the chilaquiles verdes with tasajo, orange-red from chorizo spices and softened by queso fresco on top. They have three green juices, and I enjoyed the well-balanced number one: pineapple, kale, spinach, celery and coconut water.


Our first salad in two weeks had dried fig, winter melon, almonds, cheese from chiapas, and a tamarind dressing. The cocktail program here is also fun, I enjoyed a clean and refreshing ginger mule called the Mulas Tercas. Note that this is also a great place for an evening cocktail and dinner.

Tierra del Sol


An ode to unofficial Oaxacan ambassador, Lila Downs, this restaurant is housed in the singer’s childhood home. Private dining rooms are named after songs, and her cropped embroidered blouses and painted knee-high boots are illuminated in a glass case. The garden patio sprawls as cacti-entwined trees and hanging shiny green ceramics open to the kitchen, where fried eggs and tortillas are made on the comal. The only thing uninteresting about this place is that they only play her music (I mean, I like it but it’ll get repetitive quick).

I am a fan of enjoying the subtle ways in which cooks (home and professional) add their takes on simple staples, like chilaquiles. Here they are served with yellow mole, a mild herbal mole that’s poured over chips into a bowl, with two fried eggs.

The waiter will come to your table immediately offering hot chocolate and café de la olla, kept warm over a small grill in the outside patio. There are fresh juices, and some typical breakfasts from the Mixteca region.

This location is just a short drive from the heart of the city but feels like a distant retreat. They recently opened a new location in the centro.

Las Chilmoleras


It’s weird to say that a several thousand-year-old kitchen tool is trending, but is anyone else noticing more molcajetes used as serving bowls? Here at Las Chilmoleras they are filled with bubbling breakfasts, and alongside fresh pastries, juices, and good coffee. Try the huevos estrellados a la chilmolera, fried eggs with thick bacon, enfrijoladas, and salsa. (Tip, don’t scrape a molcajete with your utensils.)

If you’re missing marshmallows while enjoying all that Oaxacan hot chocolate, you’ll find them here.


This is a casual breakfast joint with a bright lavender and turquoise exterior and a patio that’s right next to the open kitchen. It’s owned by a Colombian chef, who married a Oaxacan. He sent out some freshly baked croissants filled with jam as we were leaving, and it made me want to stay for round two.

Jugos Cardona

Just like I scout out the good coffee in a new place, I’m always on the outlook for a juice shop in Mexico. Often juice shops are open before cafes in Mexico, which is helpful for this early riser. Anyway, this place is in a central location and will fill all your juice needs and give you a place to sit down. You’ll also learn about the nutritional value of seasonal tropical fruits by reading the hand-written signs on the wall.

Where to Eat and Drink in Rosarito


Rosarito is right on the Pacific coast and in between two great food destinations, Tijuana and Ensenada (including the increasingly trendy wine destination, Valle de Guadalupe) but I think a lot of Americans still come here mostly looking for Vegas-size margaritas. I found evidence for that theory recently when a group of six asked me to take a photo of them in their borracho shirts (borracho number 1, borracho number 2…) I believe it was number 3 who said she was pregnant, and while I will reserve judgment on what could have been one beer, I really hope her kid never sees that picture. (Borracho means drunk btw).

I have spent a lot of time in Rosarito this past year because my boyfriend grew up here. It’s different from most of the places I’ve lived or traveled in Mexico: it’s truly a border town, the highway runs through it like an artery and development catering to Americans crawls across the hills. There is great food here, but it is helpful to know where to go so you avoid any tourist/ex-pat traps.  Often the food comes with dope scenery, sitting at the edge of the Pacific. No frills, the ocean,  and a local craft beer. Sounds cool, right? Here are a few places I recommend.

El Nido and Los Pelicanos

Once for a birthday present my uncle Tom elaborately wrapped a box and inside were flour tortillas from his favorite place in the Mission. He gave me the gift of “the best tortillas ever” and the feeling of receiving the most perfectly selected gift for me, and my delight at trying the tortillas is not unlike how I feel eating the warm, freshly made flour tortillas at these two places every time.

Unless there is some weird historical split, I think these restaurants are owned by the same family, and the specialties here— venison, rabbit and quail— are raised on their land nearby. The chewy, perfectly browned flour tortillas are patted out at stations around the restaurant (you can make your own if you ask, mine came out square). Nido means nest in Spanish, and indeed the dining room here feels like you’re tucked in a tropical nest, with plants and lanterns hanging up and down the walls. At Los Pelicanos, the decor is similar but with a patio that sits elevated over the beach. But the 70s kitsch is brought down to real country earth by the brick and fireplaces and wagon wheels and the smell of mesquite. For breakfast at either of these places we always get the same thing: venison machaca with beans, nopal and quail eggs, a plate of tropical fruit, a green juice, and lots of tortillas. One thing I love at El Nido in the mornings is that they’ll bring you toasted buttery white bread with three different house-made jams. For dinner, we often just get queso fundido with mushrooms and chorizo, guacamole, and a pinto bean soup, with margaritas of course. Beware on the weekends, the waits here can be long so go at off hours. In downtown Rosarito.

Bleu Galley


The quaint little world of thisFrench-leaning cafe feels much farther away from the highway than it is. Come here for simple egg dishes, quiche and pot pies, with daily desserts and freshly baked pastries. There’s a chalkboard breakfast and lunch menu, and the place is small enough that you’ll probably end up in conversation with other diners. I loved the almond and goat cheese quiche we had, and I wanted to bathe in the light, mango creme for dessert. On the left across from Las Gaviotas.

Tacos El Yaqui


Come here for tacos made of juicy arrachera, flour tortillas, a guacamole splat, and pinto beans. Go for perrones, all the ingredients above with melted cheese. There’s usually a bit of a wait to get your food if you go at typical hours. This place is open Thursday through Monday and seating is all outdoors. In downtown Rosarito.

Las Gorditas de Rosarito


We found this place when Tacos El Yaqui was closed, and I’m glad we did. Gorditas are kinda like especially thick corn tortillas, slit and stuffed with different guisados, anything from shrimp to steak or salsa verde chicharron. We were happy with the steak and avocado, and the guisado of potatoes, poblano peppers and melted cheese. The wrapping of a burrito is truly an art form taken for granted by an Oakland girl like me, don’t make that ordering mistake or you will end up like me running to the trunk of the car and grabbing an extra tortilla to soak up the mess while in the border line. But the gorditas we’re perfect for taking to go (I mean, no officer, nothing to declare). A family joint that opened three months ago, I hope it is still there when we return.

Trenta Cuattro


At Trenta Cuattro, on the edge of the right side of the road headed south from Rosarito, you’ll find a pizza restaurant with epic ocean views and good snacks at decent prices— a rare combo most places in the world. The open-air space here feels pieced together in a good way, like someone thoughtfully decided that the feel of the place should not be overly thoughtful. There’s mismatched furniture on different levels, all facing a parking lot and beyond that the ocean and a few palapas for sitting right at the edge of the drop.


They have wines and cheese from the Valle de Guadalupe, as well as Mexican craft beer. It’s here where I’ve met two of my favorite new beers: the Agua Mala sirena pilsner, and the Insurgentes Tiniebla. If you aren’t up on it yet, there’s a craft beer revolution in Mexico right now and a lot of good stuff is coming out of this very area.

I’ll admit that I haven’t had the pizza, but there is a seasonal abalone pizza on the menu and that possibility alone makes me want to come back. Regardless, come for a beer or glass of wine and a cheese board. This is a great place to watch the sunset, keep in mind it may not be the best when temps are low.

Tinta Negra


This is a tiny taproom serving different Mexican craft beers right in downtown Rosarito. You can try some of the best craft producers in the state, and the menu is switched up monthly. In a food court, where we have yet to try any of the stalls. Cheers!

Breakfast and Lunch with a Singaporean Twist at Dripline in Oakland


It’s my personal breakfast philosophy that a good barometer of a breakfast joint is the most basic thing on the menu, eggs and toast. If an egg isn’t cooked properly and if the bread sucks (practically a crime in the Bay Area), I probably won’t be back to try anything else. But if the eggs and toast is like something I’ve never had before, well, I might just make it my regular joint.

At Dripline, a new café in west Oakland, that basic dish was the Kaya Toast. Kaya means rich in Malay, an accurate word for a coconut jam made from coconut milk, eggs and sugar. The dish required that I spread pandan infused coconut butter on house brioche, and dip it into coddled egg with soy sauce and chives. It’s the kind of meal straight out of the comfort food memories of a chef, that has the power to recall the eater’s own food memories. In this case, Chef Nora Dunning’s toast and kaya in Singapore, and mine at grandma’s house: matzo leftover from Passover, smoothed over with a pat of margarine, covered in cinnamon-sugar mix.


The rest of the food here is a similar expression of Chef Nora’s Singaporean roots and California sensibilities. Classic East Asian staples are made with vegetables from City Slicker farms and the farmers market, tofu from Hodo Soy, and the serious chops of a woman once the Head Kitchen Manager and Culinary Operations Manager for Blue Bottle. Pottery comes from Jered’s Pottery in Richmond, and the black handleless mugs immediately made me want to order something warm to drink.

The other night I was invited to try several dishes on the menu and a few in line to be added. They are open for breakfast and lunch, with pastries, Four Barrel coffee and a few grab-and-god.

My favorite was something yet to make it on the menu: Laksa, a wide-noodle dish in a curry fragrant with ginger, lemongrass, shallots, cumin and coriander, nicely textured with herbs, microgreens, and Santa Rosa-made tempeh.

The peanut sambal, a peanut chile paste which varies from country to country usually depending on the level of coriander, appears in many forms, as a base for the dramatically California-ized Gado Gado and again for the sambal shrimp with hearty coconut grits— a reflection of Nora’s husband’s southern roots. The baked goods here—chocolate chip cookies, pop tarts, cakes and breads— also shouldn’t be missed. Everything is done in house.


Dripline is a concept from Josh Larson and Carrie Shores, architects with a firm upstairs. The couple met Nora when working on Monkey Forest Road together, and she completed the team by bringing her stellar kitchen team of immigrant women with her to Dripline. I’m sure the cafe’s architecture references concepts over my head— to me it’s a light, minimalist space, with clean tile lines, pale wood and pops of yellow furniture. It doesn’t feel like a place that begs you to lounge, but it’s a place that will bring me back for much more than eggs and toast.


Update: looks like you can now find kaya on the menu with the Kaya Waffle. Sounds better than toast.

www.driplineoakland.com
 

Back to the Emeryville Public Market for Nyum Bai’s Cambodian Cooking

Nyum Bai Emeryville

For townies like me, walking into the new Emeryville Public Market might tug at your nostalgic heartstrings for an East Bay of days past. The Public Market was like town square for a lot of us. It was where I learned what a food hall was: the neon signs, the trays with steaming foods from Afghanistan, Thailand, Korea, the land of BBQ Time, the smells calling us from the ball pit when we were younger, the arcade and the UA theater when we were older. I saw the O.J. Simpson chase here on a giant, clunky TV sitting next to my mom and a circle of folks on plastic chairs. Food was cheap and fast and you always ran into someone.

Now the entire area is under renovation, and when I walked in the other day with my boyfriend wanting to show him my old-school hangout, we were met with a place that looks like any new school hangout: an industrial-chic food court. Most stalls are empty but in concept the new market is inspired by the old one, growing the few international food stands there now to about 20. And as I learned last night at Nyum Bai, many of them will undoubtedly be good ones.

Nite Yun is the chef behind Nyum Bai. She fled Cambodia with her family to refugee camps in Thailand, eventually landing in Stockton, home to one of the largest Cambodian populations in the U.S. Two years after she started a pop-up offering the family foods she grew up on, she’s opened a temporary space in the market and employs seven people. Last night’s rice-themed dinner was the final event of La Cocina’s first restaurant week, highlighting successful graduates of the kitchen incubator program focused on women and immigrants. Nite was accompanied by Chef Sophina Uong, a long-time Bay Area chef who is soon to open Mestiza SF.

Nyum Kriot Tlong: Shrimp, pomelo, coconut, fish sauce, shallot, peanut and rice paper.
Nyum Kriot Tlong: Shrimp, pomelo, coconut, fish sauce, shallot, peanut and rice paper.

The food was fun and satisfying— a dance between comforting elements like coconut, chicken porridge, noodles, rice in many forms and the sharp flavors of ginger, chiles, pomelos, and fish sauce. The regular menu at Nyum Bai is noodle and rice based with items ranging from $9 to $11.

Sach Moan Char Trosot: Cucumber, chicken, oyster sauce, garlic, rice noodle.
Sach Moan Char Trosot: Cucumber, chicken, oyster sauce, garlic, rice noodle.
Kor Sach Chrouk: Caramelized pork, soy egg, palm sugar, bamboo shoot.
Kor Sach Chrouk: Caramelized pork, soy egg, palm sugar, bamboo shoot.
A lemongrass and rice palate cleanser
A lemongrass and rice palate cleanser

Nyum Bai’s menu is probably a good example of the type of food that will be at the new Public Market: fresh, made with better ingredients, still pulling from the talent of the Bay Area’s immigrant population. The space was built out when she moved in, so hopefully other mobile entrepreneurs will also be provided with affordable brick and mortar opportunities.

However, it’s challenging for a small businesses to make that type of food quality affordable, and the question of how public the Public Market will be remains. The language that codes who is welcome in these new public spaces is also important— I stumbled on a 7×7 article announcing the new project that read, “Now Emeryville is catching up, with the gentrification of Public Market, a civilized food court that aims to capture the East Bay’s foodie crowd.” Civilized? What was uncivilized about the old one? That it was affordable? That kind of language is so colonial and ancient it makes me want to stomp on all the plastic balls in the ball pit. (That’s not a metaphor, just a satisfying image). Also, does foodie crowd include kids? I hope so, because families need public spaces— plus homegrown vegan ice cream maker Mr.Dewie’s is moving in and everyone should feel excited to try their delicious ice cream, not just Pixar employees.

Stories like Nite’s are the positive ones in redevelopments like these, and the stories that need to be told right now: women immigrant entrepreneurs creating jobs, doing what they love, feeding us good food.

Chefs Sophina Uong of Mestiza Taqueria and Nite Yun of Nyum Bai.
Chefs Sophina Uong of Mestiza Taqueria and Nite Yun of Nyum Bai.

Nyum Bai at the Public Market, 5959 Shellmound St.