jdhovland

A new day is dawning
A day when every ace
Will leave Earth
For outer space

I wrote the above in the week after the Challenger disaster, now some 30 plus years ago. It was one of the activities they suggested as part of the grieving process. Thinking back on it, has there ever been a time when such a significant portion of school age children in the United States saw seven people die on live television?

It was a hope filled morning, a teacher, like the one in the room with us, was about to ascend to orbit on fire, noise, and vibration. She was going to lead a few experiments that were going to be broadcast back to kids over a hundred miles below. It was going to be the dawn of a new era in space exploration. Until it wasn’t.

This writing isn’t so much about that as it is briefly about the parallels of another woman about to achieve unprecedented lofty heights, only for her ascent to be cut short by a terrible accident.

What I’m really concerned about is Space X.

But why JD? Why are you concerned with a company you have no financial stake in, you don’t work for, you probably wouldn’t relocate to work for? Maybe because you’re a nerd, loving space and the idea of all the wonders that humanity can achieve if we get over ourselves and just go?

Probably.

But really, I’m worried about Space X because of a certain questionably elected officials ties to the leader of a nation that gets paid money to supply the International Space Station with supplies and souls. Currently, the Russian space agency charges the United States around $71 million a seat.

Compare that to Space X’s projected cost of $160 Million for 7 seats, or $20 million per seat if 4 DragonRider flights are ordered per year.

Space X offers a bargain that would price out Russia’s launches. Unless an individual in our government could make it very hard for Space X to get flight certified.

This doesn’t even touch upon Space X’s lofty goals of civilian Mars missions and the not much talked about, but oh can’t you see it, asteroid mining endeavors. (I’m a Mars fan. I have the name of his/its sons/moons tattooed on the back of my arms.)

I wondered if I might be over-worried, that the government official in question might own some Tesla stock (the other oh shit gonna change the world company founded and helmed by Space X’s founder), nope. Damn.

So I’m worried that a company that could have a huge impact on space will be held down by a petty tyrant because his buddy says he wants more money. Nothing I’ve seen so far assuages that worry.

And John Glenn died today, so I’m sad about a bunch of space stuff.

Once again, I found myself in Mission. Home of my favorite lengua burrito (La Taqueria), tacos al pastor (El Farolito), and Chinese restaurant (Mission Chinese Food). Conveniently also home to Tartine and the second Craftsmen & Wolves outpost. Besides meeting a few friends throughout the day, I was free. 

I like seeing different outposts of the same entity. Do they go for the same aesthetic? Do they try to fit the neighborhood? I generally prefer the latter, especially if the fare is the same. It was nice to see CAW had different looks for their two outposts. From the signage out front, to the muted colors within. But honestly, it’s the case that draws your eye, regardless which location you attend.

Another Rebel Within. I couldn’t resist.

Kouign Amann with Valrhona Chocolate Ganache: Probably one of my favorite laminations. The extra contortions add more textural differences. The addition of one of the best baking chocolates in the world didn’t hurt.

Brown Butter Financier with Pineapple and Sesame: Great, this also inspired me to make something that I hadn’t seen done before, but using flavors geared towards the palate of a friend.

Mini Cube Cake of Dark Chocolate, Passion Fruit, and Caramel: Like its sibling Stone, this had a surprise on the inside. So good.

Cappuccino: Needed some caffeine. As excellent as the baked goods are, the coffee at Tartine always wows me, so I make sure to order it.

Quiche: Needed some protein. I’m a huge fan of the filling; light and flavorful. The crust is a tad sweet, but the bitterness from the coffee helps cut it. It’s still some of the best I’ve had.

Pain au Jambon - Applewood smoked ham & Gruyere cheese: Needed some layers. These are one of my favorite things to make and eat. The chew, the flake, the way the moisture keeps the innermost layer, the density of the cheese as a foil to the light, crisp laminations. So good.

I can think of worse ways to kill a couple of hours in San Francisco.

I think I’ve touched briefly upon the fact that during the day I’m a software engineer, though that’s not really germane to the story, the location of my employer is, or was. Up until recently we worked in the Minneapolis Grain Exchange’s North Building, a barren lunch option desert. That should improve once the new Wells Fargo buildings are fully operational, but now that we’ve moved to a different building a little further west, it doesn’t help us. Whereas the skyways and tunnels yielded few options unless you were willing to circumnavigate the city, if you were of the heartier sort, the streets offered some much closer purchase. When I would take to the streets, my feet would more often than not carry me past The Crooked Pint, away from Caribou Coffee, around Subway, and across the street from Sawatdee Thai until I found myself in front of Zen Box Izakaya, checking my phone, hoping it was 11:30 and that there was a bowl of Kimchi Ramen waiting to be ordered.

On a day far busier than usual, the host sat two people at the normally empty, well empty besides me, low bar. After hearing a brief snippet of conversation, and the tingle of tonal familiarity, I turned to see two of my favorite chefs, Jamie Malone and Erick Anderson. Conversation focused on food, San Francisco came up, and Coi* was recommended. *Pronounced “kwa,” not like the fish. 

Chefs’ suggestions are typically spot on.

After a morning at Craftsman and Wolves and walking the parks, I figured out public transportation (more to experience the city than to save Uber fees, but that is a side benefit) and made my way to Coi.

Pommes Soufflees with Salt Cod, Bergamot, and Coffee: Amuse with good flavors and welcome texture.

Geoduck Clam with Bibb Lettuce, Lardo, and Buckwheat Crepe: Clean, fresh, a little bit of earthy from the buckwheat. Beautiful and tasty.

Galinette (Tub Gurnard) with Etrog and Osetra Caviar: Beautiful, flavorful, and comprising a variety of textures.

Ocean Trout with Citrus Confit, Chartreuse, and Fines Herbs: Beautiful. Crispy. Bright. Tasty.

Bread and Butter: Great flavor on the bread, inventive plating of the butter.

(sorry for the lines on the pictures below, I blew out the CCD earlier in the day when taking a picture of the Sun’s reflection in a window, it’s evident in low light images to this day) 

Fish Ribbons of Lobster Roe in a Lobster Broth: Reminded me of artificial crab in the best nostalgic way ever. 

Maine Lobster with Tortellini, Black and Royal Trumpets, and Sauce Maltaise: Good but maybe my least favorite dish of the night, the lobster was a touch too done for my textural sensibilities and the rolled mushrooms were difficult to cut, and a tad toothsome.

Turbot with Winter Vegetables and Buerre Cancalaise: Beautiful, flaky, tasty.

Abalone with Bone Marrow Custard and Black Truffles: A great combination of flavors and textures.

Grapefruit with Pastis Meringue and Black Pepper: So light and refreshing, the meringue enshrouded a scoop of grapefruit ice cream. Very good intermezzo.

Coconut Cannoli with Rhubarb and Hibiscus: A very, very good dessert. Great textures and flavors, loved the treatment on the thin rhubarb.

Almond Cake with Caramel, Candied Preserved Lemon, and Amaretto: Solid. Visually appealing, lots of textures, good flavor.

Mignardises (Petit Fors) including Coconut Macaroon, Beet-Blood Orange Pate de Fruits, Matcha White Chocolate, and a Yuzu Financier: Excellent presentation. Excellent after dessert dessert.

If you find yourself in San Francisco and you’re celebrating a big event, or just want to really splurge on a meal, I definitely echo the recommendation I received. 

Sometimes discoveries happen through the combined lenses of hobby and technology. I was baking, a lot, getting pretty good at it, at least according to some that got to enjoy the goods. My friends in San Francisco would see my posts on Facebook or Instagram and comment how they wish they were local. We’d laugh about it a bit, I’d try sending some cookies out that I thought would keep and weather the shipping process, fun. Then they mentioned me in a comment on an Instagram picture from a bakery that was getting really popular in the Bay Area. So I followed the bakery, figuring that I liked pictures of various baked goods, and I could always use inspiration.

Now, I’d been to Tartine. I really like Tartine, I’ve got their cookbooks, I enjoy making their bread. Whenever I’m near Mission in San Francisco, I always make sure to stop. While Tartine is a great, it’s a bread bakery. Don’t get me wrong I love bread, but sometimes, I crave something, well, not bread.

In Minneapolis, the closest analog to the situation I’m describing is probably Rustica vs. Patisserie 46. Rustica is a boulangerie, like Tartine, great breads, some baked goods like cookies (that Bittersweet Chocolate), quiche, etc. Patisserie 46 is, well, a patisserie, which is bread too, but it’s also pastries, primarily pastries, great pastries.

Craftsman and Wolves is the Patisserie 46 to Tartine’s Rustica.

The Rebel Within - imagine a biscuit that has sausage and cheese inside of it, add a little sour cream or creme fraiche, add a little scallion, got it? Now put a soft cooked egg inside of it. This put CAW on my San Francisco must list. 

I was on vacation, and this was more bread-y than the patisserie experience I was seeking, so I continued sampling.

Stone: Coffee, Yuzu, and Coconut Gianduja - A great combination of flavors and textures. Amazing.

Pistachio, Bariani Honey, and Kumquat Marmalade Eclair - with a touch of Maldon-ish sea salt to really focus the sweetness? So good.

I may, or may not, have gone back the next day.

Do you have a favorite dish? I mean one or two that if you see them on a menu, you know you’re getting it? Every have that come back to bite you? Me too. I really like biscuits and gravy. Unless the sausage is sage based, then it’s for the birds. I found this out the hard way when we started an annual tradition of stopping in Windsor for breakfast before heading south on Sunday. Every year I ask if they’ve changed their recipe, they indicate they haven’t, so I generally order something else.

We left on Saturday this year, owing to the fact there was going to be a little football game down on the Peninsula the next day and driving around in that seemed like a terrible idea. We’d normally stop at Lagunitas and enjoy a solid lunch, but arriving in Petaluma so soon after breakfast didn’t bode well for beer and brisket consumption. We decided to mosey down to Marin Brewing Company instead. Above average beers, but nothing too spectacular. But there was one really interesting one.

Funky Sea Monkey - A collaborative gose brewed with squid ink. Very interesting and quite enjoyable. Made me  glad we opted for MBC instead of Lagunitas. How often do you get to say you drank a beer made with squid ink?

Have I ever told you how much I loath ciabatta break as a hamburger bun? The Mt. Tam Burger with Bacon, Avocado, Sautéed Onions, and Jack Cheese was great, except for the bun. 

My AirBnB for the night was in Daly City, right across from the famous Cow Palace. Little did I know, until I’d already checked in for the night, that one of my favorite chefs from Minneapolis - Thomas Boemer of Corner Table and Revival, was at the Cow Palace doing stuff for the pre-Super Bowl Taste of the NFL. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be seeking out his spots during Super Bowl week 2018.

After a night in Daly City, despite my host being great, I was ready for the city. So I went to the city.

(A little mischievous with indestructible thoughts running through my mind after a couple Pliny the Younger.)

As alluded to before, I don’t really come for Pliny the Younger, sure I drink it to admire and respect the technical merit but, I come for the sours. As famous as Vinnie is for creating the Double IPA style, his genius shines through with the sours. I remember my first experience at RRBC, before I started coming out for PTY, there was a little disclaimer on the beer menu that said they wouldn’t serve a patron more than 3 sour beers. I was happy that they miscounted that day and I enjoyed a fair number more than that. But now I respect that little writ.

The wait actually begins hours before the sun comes up. Sometimes in the rain, like the previous 2 years. While not quite the endurance feat waiting for Surly’s Darkness has become, it’s still a long time to wait for a beer. But then you start talking to people. 

People come from all over to experience Pliny the Younger. A journey from Minnesota isn’t quite as impressive when you’re talking to someone that flew in from Florida, but there is a mutual respect.

Once the Sun came up, with a striking similarity to the way it’s done at Surly, we were all IDed and then stamped, instead of banded. Fitting it was a hops.

Someone in our group invariably gets interviewed. The past 2 years I was the lucky one, this year it wasn’t me.

We were much closer to the front this year than we were last year. Last year we missed the cut off by maybe 8 people, this time we were in with at least 20 people to spare. This is Steven, he’s the husband of the matron of honor to the bride of the groom I was best man for. Great father, husband, friend. 

Your wristband has 3 tabs on it, each one represents a pour of Pliny the Younger. That’s all you get. But there’s plenty of other amazing beer in the establishment to order. The famous Pliny the Elder IIPA, Blind Pig IPA, some experimental malt and hop stuff, and all the amazing sours.

These are Drew Bites. They are amazing. Even better with ranch. Pizza dough, mozz, garlic, pepperoni, and pepperoncini. Every brewery should have a pizza oven just so they can make an iteration of these. Pliny bites, with white cheddar and jalapeño are also great.

Piaci with marinara, mozzarella, gorgonzola, and pine nuts - sounds weird, tastes great and adds a non traditional texture to the pizza.

Pazzo with ranch sauce, mozzarella, BBQ chicken, caramelized onions, and (more) pepperoncinis - ranch sauce had me worried but this worked really well.

I try to take a picture with Vinnie every time I’m out for Pliny the Younger, I respect his vision and think he puts out a great product. We talked about his “expansion” plans. 

Like New Glarus, RRBC has no plans to increase distribution that much. I respect that. I like the idea of some of my favorite beers from Surly being spread across the country so more people have the experience. But I also respect and admire smaller outfits like Dangerous Man that don’t have plans to distribute. Sometimes you need to be able and willing to go experience a thing in its place.

(I want that pig & the next several posts aren’t Minnesota based)

Back in 2010 I was in a wedding in the Bay Area. Best Man. Besides the cementing of the primary relationship we were all there to celebrate, I was lucky to have the seeds planted for a few relationships of my own. Some sadly withered due to poor gardening skills on my part or incompatible conditions, some continue to flourish, happily renewed once or twice per year. Instead of replenishing rains it’s beer, primarily Surly with the occasional Bells’s Two-Hearted since neither company distributes to the Bay Area. Furious and Abrasive have become fast favorites.

The beers from Minnesota and Michigan aren’t the only libations enjoyed though. I venture out the first Friday in February to head up to Sonoma County for the release of Russian River’s Pliny the Younger a “Triple” IPA that is only available on tap, and only for two weeks. It’s not my favorite beer, but I enjoy the camaraderie of waiting in a long line talking about all the great beer experiences the other queuers have also had.

On Thursday I fly into SFO around 9 AM and then take the Airporter up to Sonoma County Airport, checking into the hotel in Windsor around noon. That usually gives me the better part of a day to kill. My friend Eric, groom in the aforementioned wedding, has taken to riding up and hanging out Thursday. So we usually catch up, eating and drinking far too much for someone that’s going to get up at 4am to go stand in line for beer. What else is vacation for?

While walking around downtown Healdsburg before heading to Bear Republic for beers we decided to hit up KINsmoke. We were both fans of KIN when we happened upon it in Windsor on this trip last year, so we figured we’d check out its barbecue focused sibling.

Brisket Sandwich, KINsmoke Mac n’ Cheese, Bourbon Baked Beans - Occasionally a place in the Bay Area will surprise you and have a really good brisket sandwich, this wasn’t one of those times; it was okay, but pales when compared to the sandwich you can get down the road in Petaluma at Lagunitas. The Macaroni was standard, I think Revival has ruined me for other Mac n’ Cheese. Beans were the best part, but could have used a bit more seasoning.

Homemade Sausage; Hot Link and Texas Link - if you ever go, go for these. The Hot link has a great grind and awesome flavor, not too hot; the Texas Link has an amazingly snappy skin and it’s very tasty.

After a couple hours and lots of beers down the road at Bear Republic, yay for four lettered taxi alternatives, we headed up to the original in Windsor.

Chicken Taquitos with red pepper aioli, guacamole, and pico - standard. Good textures, nice flavor.

KIN Burger, with smoked white cheddar, apple wood smoked bacon, and BBQ sauce - good. Not sure if it’s in the same league as hometown burgers, but that might be geographical pride more than an objective opinion. It does the establishment proud wearing the name.

Whenever an established local chef announces they’re going to open up a new restaurant a susurration begins among diners in town. What will it be? Will it be anything like their current restaurant(s)? Where will they find staff? Will it live up to the hype? 

Sometimes it’s a surprise birth announcement, when things are already moving along behind the scenes, and it just opens. Others take longer to gestate, waiting until the time is right, or suffering the pitfalls of going into a space with really old, brittle bones. There’s common knowledge in town that most restaurant dates are terribly optimistic, being from another industry where that’s common, I fully understand.

Aware of the respect that a lot of chefs in town have for Chef Steven Brown, I figured there had to be more to it than the little hors d’oeuvres I’d sampled at a few charitable functions. I’d still not been to Tilia, so this was my first chance to try and figure it out for myself.

*Disclaimer: The menu has changed with the seasons, this is just a recollection.

Croquette de Brandade with Sauce Gribiche - An imaginative, and tasty, usage of brandade. The combination of fish and potato fried, then served with the mayo-like gribiche made me think of the better fish and chips I’ve had. The sour note of the caper berry did an excellent stand-in for the vinegar note.

Tete de Cochon; Crispy Pig’s Head, Fig Moutarde, and Pickled Cabbage - If there’s pig head on the menu, I’m probably going to order it. This one had a bit more chew than I prefer, but the flavors were all on point. The fruit mustard complemented the pickled cabbage very well. I’ll probably give this another try next winter.

Navarin d'Agneau; Lamb Roulade, Lamb Jus, Turnips, Carrots, and Charred Pearl Onions - I’m a sucker for a good lamb dish, and this was a good one, nice ratio of meat to veg. Interior of the roulade was a good mince, exterior was belly I believe. Nice combination of textures and flavors.

Brown Sugar Date Cake with Cheesecake Ice Cream, Curry-Spiced Caramel, Pepita Brittle, and Candied Carrots - Moist, dense, good textures and flavors. Very enjoyable.

Vietnamese Coffee Panna Cotta with Sweetened Condensed Milk Ice Cream, Pretzel Crunch, and Cacao/Coffee Brittle - Solid. Very evocative of its namesake. If you see this on the menu, order it.

I have a lot more to write about St. Genevieve, but I’ll save it for other times I’ve dined there. One thing I will say is that I really enjoy that they offer still and sparkling water complimentary. Not a huge deal, but for someone that enjoys the effervescence, greatly appreciated. Another thing is that they have a pastry chef. I’ve said it before, if they have a dedicated pastry chef, always save room for dessert, St. Genevieve is definitely no exception.

While I might not believe businesses should count as people, for numerous reasons, I will digress that they are some form of life. They’re conceived as an idea, they’re born with an opening, they have their troubles, they have their successes, they live, and they die.

Restaurants happen to be the species of this business life I most like to observe. See their concepts, what hours they’re going to have, see if they expand to brunch, listen to the buzz. Does their engine hum with acceleration or is there a rattle that portends some future bell ringing a knell?

Upton 43 had recently opened, and as the pattern goes, after they grew into their basics of nightly service, they hit a growth spurt and decided to do brunch. A few friends and I decided to go.

Crispy Oysters, Apple, Crème Fraîche, and  Licorice Smørrebrød - (my attempt at an artsy shot) This was really good. Well seasoned, nice combination of textures.

Walnut, Onion, Gouda, and Truffle Omelette - (my attempt at hiding that I started eating before taking a picture) I liked the flavors that were present, nuts added a not often present texture in an omelette, reminiscent of roasted cauliflower. I could have gone with some/more pepper.

Lingonberry and Pear Coffee Cake - Good flavors, but the texture was nigh uncuttable. Made it tough to enjoy/share.

House made Caramel - A couple of local restaurants have got on this trend and, as a caramel fan, I couldn’t be happier. If it’s a duck fat caramel, all the better.

I got bites of a few other things as people were sharing:
Bacon Steak: Good.
Pancakes: A little salty.
Gravlax Smørrebrød: Nice, was that lemon? 

It’s been… a while. Subsequent dinners, work events, vacations, side projects, an annual malaise, friends’ issues, more recently a car accident and car shopping. Mostly just terrible excuses. Being a first rate procrastinator, if I don’t do something almost immediately after deciding to do it, it sometimes often falls to the back of my memory. Still there, still nagging, but not in my line of sight, waiting to be pushed out entirely or rationalized away because it’s not that important. But. 

I’ve entered support mode on one side project, so I’m down to some that I just plug away on. I don’t have any vacations planned for a couple months. Work events are done for a while. The sun and passage of time are resolving the malaise. I got the car issue resolved. Most importantly a friends seem like they’re going to be okay. It did make me question some stuff though.

This might be unique to me, but if my mind is in a state to write code, it’s not always the best for writing, well, not code. (This could be another terrible excuse, I’m not sure I’ve given it a great volume of effort when trying to do both.)

So I’m going to keep coding. I’m going to keep writing.

Shared enthusiasm is by far my favorite foundation for friendship (while normally intended that alliteration was unintentional). Food, Facebook, Instagram, mutual friends, and frequently dining at their establishment is how I’ve become friends with a few really great people in the local food industry. 

I’m always keen to dine out with someone, pick their brain about their world, enjoy their company, get recommendations for new food and media to consume. That’s how I ended up enjoying dinner at the new location of a previously suburban only sushi restaurant that is now inhabiting the space of a former sushi restaurant with an awesome member of Zen Box Izakaya’s crew.

Addie and I agreed upon a date when we’d grab go checkout the new Red Lantern spot after rave reviews from some of our mutual friends.

Rolls are fun, but sashimi, nigiri, and chirashi are where it’s at. I’m always glad when somebody else comes with when I have sushi, if I dine solo I always need to do chirashi or an udon soup, otherwise I don’t know when to stop. I want to do omakase at Sushi Fix but I think that might be a dangerous proposition. Who knows. 

Seaweed Salad - standard and solid.

Nigiri of Saké, Toro, Hamachi, and Uni covered in shiso leaf - I’m not usually a fan of salmon, but this saké may have swayed me, lightly torched, it was amazing. The toro and hamachi were great. The uni?

Uni - probably one of the best pieces of uni I’ve ever had. So good.

House made Tamago - really good. I like the texture and appearance of this iteration. We shared the last two pieces, I can see why it gets ordered and enjoyed.

Oyako roll - okay, okay, so maybe sometimes you go for a roll, especially if it has salmon skin, meat, and eggs. If the torched salmon belly didn’t win me over, this definitely did a fair amount of heavy lifting.

Butter Unagi - They do something nifty here. Immediately after torching the flesh, they put a piece of butter on the eel and finish wrapping it. A different experience than the standard, and very, very enjoyable. I still dream about this.

Shishitos and “hot dogs” - So glad we got this. The occasional heat from the shishitos paired great with the subtle sweetness of the hot dogs. And the snappiness of the skin was a great contrast to a lot of the textures we’d enjoyed that evening.

Drunken Pork Ramen of Pork, Egg, Menma, and Tequila - the flavors were good but this wasn’t my style of ramen - and this is all personal preference. I like a thinner pork slice, and ground is growing on me. I like the eggs softer so I can use the egg as a pseudo sauce. I was a fan of the quantity of menma (fermented shoots). 

I’ve recommended Red Lantern to several friends already, and they’ve said it was great. I’ll recommend it to you too. Go for the sushi, even some of the weird stuff, if you feel moreish, maybe try the ramen.