This stuff is bananas!

Literally, it's bananas.

I was talking to a young lady in passing a while back and some how we got to talking about sweet treats or bananas or who knows what but she told me about this little trick.

You freeze a banana.

 Throw it in a processor.

And it comes out like banana ice cream.

You want to freeze a slightly browned banana(s) with the peel on.

 

I know it's pretty unappealing but the inside stayed white and I'm not sure it would if you froze a peeled banana.  It was solid as a rock after being in there for a few days.  You can see the frost on it.

You need a sharp knife to cut through the peel.  It breaks off in pieces.

 You want to chop roughly but don't handle it too much, 

it thaws quickly.

 

I assume it would have gotten smoother but I really liked the idea of it being more like Dippin' Dots.

I added a tiny square of dark chocolate.  

This is so healthy that I can't help but think of ways to fatten it up...

white chocolate would create a nice creamy flavor, you could add a splash of vanilla or even a teaspoon of peanut butter. 

 

Dinner and a show

Tuesday was one of those days when I felt particularly lucky to live only minutes from the culturally rich city of San Francisco.  To the rest of the world it was just another Tuesday night but to the sold out crowd at The Fillmore it was Dita Von Teese Tuesday. 

No fog! Summer in the City is a tricky thing.  I find myself
holding my breath through the tunnel, not for nostalgic
reasons but in hopes of sunshine and clear skies.

After stealthily snagging a park we wandered a bit looking for a place where we could unwind from the day and amp up for the night.  SF is covered in intimate little spots that each have a personality all it's own, making it easy just to go whichever way the wind blows and stop where you land.

We came across a queue of ladies waiting outside a restaurant that was just opening it's doors for dinner service.  It's been ridiculously windy lately so we literally stumbled into State Bird Provisions and I couldn't be happier that we did.  A long bar down the front of the open kitchen leads you to a 12ish tabled dining area, we were welcomed by everyone we passed as if we were regulars. The decor of peg boards adorned with string art and a mosh posh of colorful felt shapes is simple and sweet. 

What I love most about this place is their short list of palate pleasing small plates supplemented by carts of unlisted creations that roll by DIM SUM STYLE!  This is right up my alley since my eyes are almost always bigger than my stomach!  Like most, I want to try a bit of everything and State Bird Provisions get it!  The way it works is the back of the menu, which is banded to a woodblock, has a scorecard.  The cost is on the cart and a hash mark is placed beside that price column when an item is eagerly accepted.  It's easy to keep track of where you are at if you are on a budget.


Look at all the glorious dishes that went into our bellies! 

oysters on the halfshell
tuna tartare & quinoa with bonito-rosemary
duck liver mousse with almond biscuit

 guinea hen dumplings with aromatic broth 

 whipped smoked trout with peas & mint
smoked duck fingerling potato salad

kimchi-pork belly with tofu and mussels

CA state bird with provisions {Quail on a bed of tart onions}

cumin lamb with scallions, date & snap peas

chocolate-lemon verbena ‘ice cream” sandwich with roasted coconut & cherries 

We actually passed quite a bit, so as you can see there is a lot to choose from.


This was a date night so I am sorry to say that due to my constant need to photograph everything that makes me want to squeal with delight, painfully delaying that much anticipated first bite, I was politely (but strictly) banned from my phone. Apparently food photo ops aren't fun for everybody. Wanting nothing more than to be present in the moment, I willingly obliged.  

...although she did allow for some leeway as she often does. ;)
 So feast your eyes on this!

A delicious 21st Amendment Extra Pale Ale 'Bitter American'

kimchi-pork belly with tofu and mussels

 It was so hard to just choose one dessert but when lemon and chocolate are listed everything else becomes a blur of letters and numbers.

chocolate-lemon verbena ‘ice cream” sandwich

 

 

 

The rest of the evening went undocumented for previously stated reasons but click below for a taste.  

Dita Von Teese Burlesque: Strip Strip Hooray! Tour 2012 Promo

 

There are some truly stunning and steamy video clips of her shows on youtube.  

If you have a chance to see her live show take it.  Not 5 minutes in the door I wished I had bought tickets for both nights.  She sold out her two San Francisco shows faster than any other on her tour which shows how much we adore our 'Queen of Burlesque' on the Left Coast. The tweets from Dita and her camp that followed showed mutual admiration.  She is one classy lady.

There were all states of dress from men in sequin bunny suits and 3 foot purple mohawks to smart 3 piece suits with bowler caps and waxed mustaches. Classical evening gowns filled the balconies accessorized with fur wraps, long gloves, strings of pearls, topped with feathered & laced hats. Lovely ladies in classic pinup style fruit printed summer dresses with bright red lipstick and lined stockings leaned up against the bar.  And it wouldn't be a burlesque show without plenty of lingerie, some worn more conservatively than others, but all added to the energy of the evening.  My shimmery corset under a blazer with wedges and skinny jeans fit the scene perfectly.


Dita Performed with jaw dropping acts such as Dirty Martini, Catherine D'Lish, Selene Luna, Lada, Monsieur Romeo, and Perle Noire.  There was something for everybody...it was magnificent!


The Fillmore hands out posters of the event as they bid you goodnight, leaving you with a memento of your experience.  If you are lucky visions will be burned into your memory.

I am madly in love with my Dita Von Teese Fillmore poster!

Chef Michael Chiarello's Bottega ~ Yountville, CA

Heed these words...you are going to want to cut and paste this to your bucket list.

Chef Michael Chiarello's Bottega ~ Yountville, CA

I enjoyed every moment surrounding this evening.  It may have had something to do with the fact that we arrived in a car driven by a woman who can only be described as the "Cash Cab Cabbie of Napa Valley". She knows everything.  Trust me, we quizzed her.  Upon checking in we were escorted to a luxurious corner booth where we wined and dined beside Chef Sursur Lee of Iron Chef: America and Top Chef: Masters and his devilishly handsome son.  He is absolutely delightful!  We chitchatted about a fascinating wine decanter by a local glass maker that easily doubled as a piece of art.  Chef Casey Thompson of Top Chef also made an appearance, sitting directly behind us sharing a bucket of crab with a table of friends.

Sadly Chef Michael Chiarello didn't achieve the highest honor of the coveted James Beard 2012, but that may be to your benefit.  His 'Bottega' is the most charming place I have ever dined and gone to heaven in...

The ambiance is absolutely magical.

It was one of those rare occasions where every single bite evoked a new emotion and inspired a variety of nonverbal sounds to reverberate from my throat.

Case in point:

Polenta Under Glass
caramelized mushrooms & balsamic game sauce

The instructions are as follows...

Gently stir the crisped toppings into the creamy polenta, spoon onto plate, then lightly drizzle with game sauce.  Our epicurean guide implied that this game liquor was potent but he should have warned us that we would want a gravy boat of it to accompany the rest of our meal.

Naturally we continued with the Caramelized Brussel Sprout Salad 

citrus segments, toasted Marcona almonds, prosciutto bits, aged balsamic dressing

The layers of flavor were bold and beautiful.

We couldn't say we dined at Bottega's without trying a pasta dish and this one came highly recommended.  Apparently it is often over looked when grouped in with the elegant likes of Rigatoni tomato braised Sonoma rabbit sugo, caramelized mushrooms, with housemade ricotta.

Don't ever be afraid to ask questions or for recommendations. It would've been a big mistake to miss out on this.

Black Pepper Bucatini alla Carbonara soft cooked hen egg, broccolini, guanciale & parmigiano brodo.

Once released from it's doughy pouch the yolk and broth came together slowly creeping over the china making it absolutely irresistible. 

The end of the yellow brick road for us was the "Liberty" Duck Three Ways roasted breast, salad of confit, pickled pomegranates, watercress, Sierra Beauty apples, spiced hazelnuts & duck liver mousse.

It was this dish that turned Chef Sursur Lee's head as he was leaving the table...

It was almost (I said almost) embarrassing how clean this plate was when we were done with it.

We finished our wine under blankets on the wraparound porch by the light of a rustic fireplace. 

 

Please go, you deserve it.

Oiled Up, S & P Slapped, Sierra Nevada Infused Chicken!

It's a little bit funny that I would have two blog posts about chicken butts (Click Here) within my first year of blogging! 

This time I didn't burn the buns off my bird; I oiled it up, slapped some s & p on it and shoved a can where the sun don't shine...and it was INCREDIBLE!

The only way I can get you to understand the state I was in after my first bite is to show you this.

That's right...six years old on Christmas morning!

So without further ado...

Beer Can Chicken {Beer Butt Chicken}

Ingredients

• 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
• 1 can beer (some said use light beer, but Sierra Nevada Pale Ale worked great!)

 This past Saturday I had lunch on the street in Walnut Creek at Tender Greens and they had the most mouthwatering roasted chicken.  It was simple but sensational and that's what I wanted to recreate here so I actually left out the dry spice rub.  Where I did add a little flavor was the oil.  Meyer Lemon oil screams Spring to me and even if it didn't I would continue to douse everything in it! 

Side Note: If you find yourself at a Tender Greens I don't care how full you are you absolutely MUST order the lemon & olive oil cake! 

Directions

Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside. 

Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full). {This is what I love most about this recipe!  I read a couple that said discard 1/2 beer...really?!} Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod. 

Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife {and this was my least favorite part...seriously STAB the leg?! Can you tell a guy wrote this recipe? ;)}

Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

The outside is so ridiculously crispy and the inside is so moist...it's perfect!

 My only regret is that I instagramed, tweeted and facebooked my triumph because it meant that eventually I had to share it.  Being home alone for the evening I ate directly off the cutting board while envisioning myself polishing this beauty off and getting rid of the evidence.  Normally for me to have thoughts of such gluttony it would have to involve cheese or chocolate, now I can add chicken to the short list.