Tailgate San Francisco: Pacific Heights

The tailgate party. I've never been to one but it seems like they're done right except for one thing. Parking lots. Cars are meant to take us places not parking spaces. They can take us places that are not easy to get to and places we want to be. The other day I decided to have my own day tailgate party with my friend Emily and her truck. It was more like a picnic but the spirit was there. The destination was Pacific Heights. It proved to be a great spot for this afternoon lunch. It's beautiful and usually inaccessible. Unless your wealthy enough to live there or have a car. 

For food we got takeout from 4505's BBQ joint on Divis. They do a solid menu for the urban tailgater. It's hearty as well as plentiful. I found pleasure in the brisket the most. It's soft, succulent and flavorful. I paired them with some pickled cherries i made last month. We got crispy mac n cheese too. It's intense. Get beer. It always feels good to drink a cold one in the street for some reason. Good food. Good views.

Enjoy San Francisco everywhere with food. 

sleeper hit: Old Oakland Farmers Market

The Old Oakland Farmers Market was one of my favorites when I used to live in the east bay. It's unpretentious yet exotic culture makes it distinct. Its the size of four city blocks and lasts almost all day 8am-3pm every Friday. Last week I found myself missing the market, missing the simplicity of Oakland, and with an urge to get out of from San Francisco I made the trek across the bay 

Some things about my visit I found alluring:

Tablecloths. They really work it at the market. Newly in season tomatoes pop against a wild black and white zebra print. Lemons look abundant while they blend in with their clothy counterparts. Sometimes the tables are just colorful and fun. 

Asian families, not hipsters run this market. Instead of your usual hip and crunchy vibes from other markets I'm refreshed to find parents and children that hang out together.  At one stand a young girl worked beside her parents while chatting me up. She suggested getting a leafy green i'd never seen before. She said it was called Shamu. I'm a little hard of hearing so could be wrong but I couldn't help but think of the famous spotty whale from that movie. It looked and taste a lot like a version of  a pea green but with smaller stems. At another stand there was a young chubby kid just hanging out. He sat on empty produce boxes playing and working on his knife skills while his parents worked the crowd. I asked how to use some green I hadn't seen before. He said, "i don't know". I moved on thinking that was just fine how wouldn't know either.

What's popular at the market are crops with fresh flavors, asian produce, herbs, fish, sweets, and bright colorful flowers that I and nearby chinatown residents love. That morning I came across my new favorite herb. It's called Rau Ram. It's coriander like, a bit spicy, musky, and slightly lemony & bitter. The woman who was selling it said she loved it in chicken salad but it's really great in almost anything, lettuce wraps, soups, etc. Prices are cheap too are at this market. You can walk away with a weeks worth of produce for a family for about 20-30 bucks.

I decided to leave the market with the fixings for a light and herbaceous side salad for dinner. I bought a pound of cucumbers, a bunch of rau ram, thai basil, cilantro, and a red onion. There's no one way to make this salad. You can cut the cucumbers anyway you like. The onion should be thinly sliced though so they really soak up the dressing. The dressing I made was fish sauce, vinegar, lime, oil, and a little sugar. Just toss the cucumbers, onions, and your picked herbs together and you're set.

Pickled Cherries with Backyard Rosemary

We learned to can and pickle by ourselves. Just two dudes into food and lots of time on our hands. Uncommon Pickle used to be our canning company. We sold our wares to some local stores and Underground farmers markets in San Francisco and Oakland. Now all we have are the pals we made on the way and the recipes I'd like to share. Here's one from the other day. 

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Cherry season is on its way out right now.

Last sunday morning I got up early around 7 or 8 with my partner John to go to the farmers market near our place. To him, it probably seemed like very very early because he's not usually up at all near that single digit hour. No bus noises coming through the single pane windows. No frightened woman screaming and yelping for the bus driver to wait for her to be heard either. Sundays are calm. The goal was to find cherries so we could can them. They're special to me because not only are they delicious but they represent the start of summer. When we got there nobody was fully set up yet. It was the first stall that had them. Super sweet, firm, kind of perfect actually. The farm was called the Resendiz Family Farm. They had other stuff like some plump black cherokee tomatoes that I wanted. I like deals so I asked them to slide us a couple for free for buying several pounds of cherries. They said yes. score. We left with 6 pounds of cherries and some eggs. Then back home for morning canning and brekkies. The last cherries and first tomatoes of the season. Needless to say the morning was sweet and savory.

Pickles Cherries w/backyard rosemary:

• 6# firm sweet cherries, washed
• 4 cups red wine vinegar
• 8 cups water
• 12 tablespoons sugar
• 12 teaspoons kosher salt
• 12 2 inch sprigs of rosemary  

• one large stock pot for canning
• twelve 16 oz canning jars with lids
• canning tongs for removing jars
• one large pot for heating canning liquid

Heat jars in oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes on a sheet tray and jar lids in boiling water for 20 minutes. Heat water and vinegar together until just below boiling. Add one tablespoon of sugar and one teaspoon of salt to each jar. Pack jars with cherries and rosemary, leaving the rosemary visible on the side of the jar. Pour over hot vinegar mixture into each jar covering the cherries, but leaving enough headspace for the canning process. Seal jars tightly. Process in batches for four minutes. Remove jars and place in a temperate non-drafty spot to cool. Wait for the reassuring pop to confirm that your jars have sealed. Keep for one year.