I’ve been in the pink this summer, and it’s not exactly pretty. Pink, pink, pink is the color of the wine shipments that have arrived in recent weeks. Since I’m not a big fan of pink, I must admit that with each arrival, I grimaced. I knew that I needed to put pink on my tasting calendar.

I chose a beautiful day in June, and gathered a host of tasters. But I encountered a problem. We were at a public park that disallowed alcoholic beverages. Not so great for a wine tasting.

The tasting was canceled, with no time to reschedule. I had to go pink all on my own. I opened the bottles _ seven in all. I lined them up and grabbed a stack of glasses, a pen and paper.

The lineup included: Night Owl, Criquet, Fat Bastard, Pietra Santa Rosato, I’M Napa Valley Rose, Quivira Grenache Rose and La Crema Pinot Noir Rose.

Since I know little about rose, I opened Jeff Morgan’s book, “Rose: A Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Wine,” (Chronicle Books, $19.95, ). In less than an hour, I understood a lot about a wine that I’ve found so challenging.

I learned that rose wines can be made from a range of different grapes, and that they vary widely in styles. They can also be called by a range of terms: rose, vin gris, rosado, rosato, blush or simply pink.

The one thing I didn’t realize is that white zinfandels are not roses. They’re pink, but are not technically rose, as they are made from unripe grapes that are not fully fermented. They are sweet due to the residual sugar from fermentation.

Armed with a little better understanding of the category, I started uncorking the wines. After tasting, I realized that my opinion of pinks was naive _ they are not all spineless, insipid Kool-Aid substitutes. Not at all.

While most of the roses in my random collection tended to be thin and sweet, short on the tongue, some were downright worth a second swish. On third swish, three of the seven grabbed my attention. All three were dark pink and stand-out dry, with much deeper flavor than one would expect. My favorite was as astringent and complex as a merlot; as aromatic as a sauvignon blanc.

The astringency that I like, says “Rose” author Jeff Morgan, can be achieved in two ways, either with longer contact with the skins of the grapes or with time in an oak barrel.

Astringency, he emphasizes, is not necessarily a mark of quality, since “rose should be as smooth textured as a white wine, with little or no skin contact.” Color, he writes, is also no indicator of quality. The only color to be avoided in pink wines is an orange tinge, which can mean the wine has gone off.

My favorites are the La Crema Pinot Noir Rose, the Quivira Grenache Rose and the I’M Napa Valley Rose, in that order.

The I’M Rose has a little too much sweetness on the finish for me, but the strawberry aromas are a big win. Both the La Crema and the Quivira deliver all that a light wine should: aroma, complexity, freshness and enough minerality to sidestep their inherent sweetness.

I can’t say that my informal tasting turned me into a fan of pink, but I must admit that a little understanding of the category helps me to appreciate roses for what they are. It also helped me to realize that it’s unfair to eliminate an entire wine category based on preconcieved ideas of what it tastes like. I promise to give roses a chance in the glass before I grimace.
_ Jolene Thym

By Jenny Slafkosky
STAFF WRITER

Way back in April we asked our readers for their “tried and true” recipes for barbecue sauce - and boyhowdy, did we get some sauce.

We stirred up thin, smoky, Texas-style concoctions and thick, sweet, Kansas City and Tennessee-style sauces. Some were thick with tomato paste, some were tangy with vinegar and others were kicked up with chiles or teriyaki sauce.

Our tasters liked the spicy kick of Susan Meyer’s Atomic Balm Sauce and went wild for Maxine Nelson’s slowsimmered, slightly smoky sauce. Patrick Wells’ Tennessee Sweet Sauce got points for its perfect balance of sweet and tangy while Irma Guzman’s sauce ranked high for being smooth and light.

Patrick Bell sent in his patented recipe full of fresh ingredients - bell peppers, tomatoes and orange juice - while Jackie Hall shared a sauce recipe that’s spiked with sauternes.

Ken Norton sent in a recipe for a thick, tomato-y sauce that gets points for having the best story to go with it You can read both on page 6. Overall, our tasters preferred thick, sweet sauces, but there were a few wild cards in the bunch.

Tried and True
There were so many sauces and so many styles, it was hard to pick a favorite - and quite frankly, we couldn’t. Every sauce we tried was good and everyone who submitted a recipe is a winner in our book.

Below are just a few of our favorite recipes. We invite you to slather, brush and dip your way into to a summer full of barbecues.

And if you happen to have some extra on hand, give us a call. We’re always down for some good ‘cue.

Ribs and Atomic Balm Sauce

Submitted by Susan Meyer of Fremont

“We’ve tried a gazillion bbq sauce recipes through the years, and
none have compared to the flavor of this one that I got out of a
magazine a long time ago,” writes Meyer. “It’s a family favorite and
has been passed along to just about every person who tries it.”

For ribs and rub:

4 pounds pork ribs

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon pepper

For sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, pressed

2 tablespoons finely chopped onions

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons pepper

Beer, to thin, as needed

Rinse and dry ribs. Put on broiler rack. Sprinkle spices all over
ribs. Let sit 1 hour. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours.
For sauce: In a small saucepan, simmer gently for 15 minutes. Serve
hot with ribs.

Makes 1 pint of sauce.

Per cup (sauce only): 284 Calories; 1g Fat; 3g Protein; 72g
Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1480mg Sodium.

Tennessee Sweet Sauce

Submitted by Patrick Wells of Hayward

Wells recommends adjusting the sauce ingredients to suit your own
taste.

Liquid ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup honey

Half a beer, about 6 ounces

1 1/2 cups ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

2 dashes Tabasco (about 2 tablespoons)

Dry ingredients:

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Salt to taste and lots of freshly ground black pepper

Combine all liquid ingredients in a pan over low heat for 10 minutes,
then stir in dry ingredients. Bring to a boil and let simmer for
about 30 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick. The sauce
should have some body and be of a pourable consistency, it doesn’t
have to be thick. What you don’t use can be stored in the
refrigerator.

Makes 1 pint of sauce.

Per cup: 605 Calories; 2g Fat; 7g Protein; 152g Carbohydrate; 5g
Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 5009mg Sodium.

BBQ Sauce

Submitted by Maxine Nelson of Fremont

2 cups ketchup

1 16-ounce can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons mustard

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons Worcestershire

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together and simmer for 1 hour.

Makes 1 quart sauce.

Per cup: 278 Calories; 1g Fat; 5g Protein; 70g Carbohydrate; 4g
Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 2645mg Sodium.

Pat’s Gourmet Barbecue Sauce

Submitted by Patrick Bell of Fremont

Bell’s recipe the the only one we received that had whole fresh
tomatoes and bell peppers in it. This sauce is slightly thinner than
the other ones we made and has a real smoky kick. He writes that his
recipe is patented.

1 onion, cut in chunks

1 green, 1 orange and 1 red bell pepper, each cut into chunks

1 cup honey

1 cup molasses

60 ounces water (Bell uses 3 20-ounce cupfuls)

4 whole tomatoes (see note)

1 tablespoon tomato powder (see note)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons Lawry’s seasoned salt

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 1/2 oranges

1/2 cup liquid hickory smoke flavor

Combine all ingredients in a large pot, cover, and simmer over a low
flame until the bell peppers and onions are soft and the whole
tomatoes have cooked down. Strain the bell peppers and onions free of
the sauce before using.

Makes about 3 quarts of sauce.

Test kitchen notes: Tomato powder is available at some specialty food
stores. In a pinch, tomato paste may be substituted, use three
tablespoons paste for 1 tablespoon powder.
– We found that the whole tomatoes cooked down more quickly if
we cut them into chunks first.
– If you’d like a little extra body to your sauce, you may
puree the solids in a food processor and then press through a fine
mesh strainer.

Per cup: 191 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 1g
Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 283mg Sodium.

Ross’s Barbecue Sauce

Submitted by Irma Guzman of Hayward

Guzman writes that she got this Texas-style recipe from her father, a
barbecue aficionado and meat cutter by trade. He gave it to her when
she got married _ 50 years ago this August.

1 14-ounce bottle Del Monte ketchup

16 ounces tomato sauce

2 tablespoons Figaro liquid smoke

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

A few dashes black pepper

1 teaspoon mustard

2 tablespoons butter

Combine all ingredients and simmer on low heat until the butter
melts. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring often.
This sauce should be basted on the meat after it’s cooked and served
on the side.

Makes about 1 quart.

Per cup: 198 Calories; 6g Fat (26.3% calories from fat); 3g Protein;
37g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 2549mg Sodium.

Terrible Terry’s Barbecue Sauce

Submitted by Ken Norton of Berkeley

Norton, who puts together an annual cookbook to give as a gift to
friends got this recipe from his friend Terry Gile of North Carolina.
Norton included the accompanying story of how Terry came up with the
recipe in his submission. Norton writes “This sauce also shows the
plight of a wild and wooly westerner, married to a New Englander,
stranded in the rebel bastion of North Carolina.”

The story of Terrible Terry’s Barbecue Sauce, as told by Terry Gile.

Having relocated to Southeastern Coastal North Carolina in `91,
Debbie (Gile’s wife) and I soon discovered that local tradition
dictates that “barbecue” simply MUST consist of what many refer to as
“pulled pork” and a variety of delightful, often zesty vinegar based
marinades. Tomato based sauce is simply never applied to meat in any
form on an open grill or spit, and is generally disparagingly
referred to as “that stuff from Kansas City,” or more often as “that
(expletive deleted) Yankee goop!” or in terms equally as ungenerous.

Endeavoring to assimilate with the indigenous inhabitants (and
already handicapped by my wife’s distinctive Massachusetts accent),
we were somewhat perplexed by the challenge presented by our yearning
to splash something of a red persuasion on a hunk of fowl. We dared
not risk the label of “minions-of-the-uncivilized-invading-barbarian-hordes-of-the-North”
that would inevitably have been bestowed upon us had we been
discovered attempting to covertly purchase some bottled Kraft product
from our local victuallar. As an old friend of ours would have
observed, “Mother Necessity” was definitely in her third trimester.

Researching several sources, we mixed and matched a variety of the
suggested ingredients that we surmised would appeal to our palate. We
then developed and executed our procurement plan, which involved
establishing a smoke screen by rather loudly extolling the
gastronomical values of the “spaghetti sauce” that we ostensibly
intended to fabricate as we gathered the necessary components from
our grocer’s shelves. In the dark of night, our kitchen but dimly
lit, windows heavily draped to prevent curious eyes from observing
our sacrilege, we prepared our proscribed pottage, and were pleased
with the outcome. Perhaps owing to the less than favorable ambient
lighting necessary to conceal our activities, the sauce never comes
out the same way twice. In the spirit of the world’s most renowned
brewers, we attempt to retain a portion of each lot in our freezer as
a “starter batch” for the next time that we feel compelled to create
our culinary concoction.

1 1/2 cups tomato paste

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)

Up to 2 tablespoons honey (optional, sometimes Gile leaves it out)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup diced onion

clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon oregano

In a medium size saucepan over low heat, slowly blend tomato paste,
vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce and honey
(if using). Bring to a simmer and gradually blend in remaining
ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring constantly. (Test kitchen
note: This sauce is very thick, but try to resist the urge to add
more liquid, it will only make it spatter.)

Baste pre-grilled meat liberally with sauce and return to
grill over low to medium heat, turning constantly until sauce adheres
to meat. Excessive heat or failure to adequately rotate meat will
cause sauce to caramelize or scorch. Additional sauce may also be
used as a dip.

Notes from Terry: The amount of vinegar may be increased to produce a
thinner sauce suitable for an overnight marinade. Replacing lemon
juice with ground lemon rind produces a tangier, somewhat bitter
flavor. Increase Tabasco sauce for a zestier flavor. Onions may be
sauteed in olive oil prior to adding to the sauce to decrease their
impact.

Makes about 1 pint.

Per cup: 273 Calories; 1g Fat; 8g Protein; 68g Carbohydrate; 9g
Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1574mg Sodium.

Piedmont Barbecue Sauce

Submitted by Susan Freeman of Piedmont

12 ounces V-8 juice

1 cup chili sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pureed in a food processor

1 small onion, pureed in a food processor

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook,
uncovered, for six minutes.

Makes about 1 quart.

Per cup: 278 Calories; 15g Fat; 3g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 4g
Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1872mg Sodium.

Cesare’s Best Barbecue Sauce

Submitted by Shirley Cesare of Fremont

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 medium cloves garlic

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

A dash of Tabasco, if desired

Combine all ingredients in a blender and whirl on high speed for 20
to 30 seconds until well blended. Note from Shirley: Barbecue beef,
pork, chicken, etc. over a slow fire (no flame) and baste frequently
with sauce.

Makes about 1 1/2 pints.

Per cup: 132 Calories; 1g Fat; 2g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 2g
Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 792mg Sodium.

BBQ Sauce and Marinade

Submitted by Nancy Smith of Concor

Smith writes that she made this recipe up by reading the ingredients
of different sauces she likes. She writes that it can be kept up to
three weeks in the refrigerator.

1 18-ounce bottle teriyaki sauce

8 ounces olive oil

4 ounces white wine

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon onion salt

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon jalapeno mustard

1/4 cup honey

Mix all ingredients together and store in the refrigerator. Marinate
meat at least 4 hours or overnight. Also, baste meat with sauce for
the last 10 minutes of cooking. May also be poured over meat just
before serving (but be sure to use fresh marinade that has not had
contact with raw meat).

Makes about 3 quarts.

Per cup: 268 Calories; 19g Fat; 3g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; trace
Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1931mg Sodium.

Texas Sauce

Submitted by Jennifer Palmer of Oakland

Palmer writes: “My barbecue sauce comes from a cousin. Her marriage
and subsequent employment opportunities took her, her husband and
their three children from Illinois to Colorado and finally to Texas.
Along the way she did not depend on cookbooks but on the recipes from
other young families encountered along her life’s journey. All her
recipes are tributes to friends, many now far away.”

1 cup tomato juice

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix ingredients in a saucepan and simmer 15 minutes until slightly
thickened. Use and enjoy!

Makes about 1 pint.

Per cup: 117 Calories; 1g Fat; 2g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 3g
Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 2019mg Sodium.

Curt’s Bar-B-Q Sauce

Submitted by Mrs. Curtis Porter of Livermore

Porter writes: “The following is my husband’s original barbecue sauce
recipe. He developed it himself about 30 years ago.”

3 cups ketchup

1 cup water

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup mushrooms, cut up

to 3 drops liquid smoke

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Put all ingredients in a blender and spin until well-blended. Simmer
for 10 minutes. Note from Mrs. Porter: This sauce has a little bite
to it, but if you prefer a hotter sauce, increase the hot pepper
sauce.

Makes about 3 quarts.

Per cup: 126 Calories; trace Fat; 2g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 2g
Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 1713mg Sodium.

Most restaurants I visit are polished affairs. They’ve been open long enough to have massaged the menu, tweaked the flavors and smoothed out any issues in the running of the kitchen or the dining room.

But last week, I was privileged to dine at a two-weeks-new baby in the dining world, Essencia in San Francisco. This tiny new restaurant located at Gough and Hayes Street is a pearl of a place, on a mission to bring Peruvian cuisine to the city.

What’s fun about a restaurant this new is seeing how the place is wrapped in excitement. Diners are greeted with big smiles, even a hint of surprise that a non-invited guest has decided to walk through the doors.

The sommelier doesn’t even wait for us to glance the wine menu _ he’s at the table, asking questions to make sure we get exactly the wine we want to drink.

“You should taste,” he encourages, insisting that we sip before he fills our glasses. Next, we peruse the menu created by Chef Anne Gingrass and Chef Lorena Sanchez-Morante, which includes plenty of foods we have never tried: Yucca fries, clam ceviche, duck ravioli, and guanavana mousse.

Our food choices take a while to emerge from the busy kitchen, but the wait is worth it; first up is an ultra-fresh “ceviche” of kampachi fish that is actually more like a carpaccio, topped with spicy yellow chile sauce. Second is an inspired artichoke-quinoa-frisee salad that is perfectly dressed in a creamy lemon vinaigrette.

We love one of the two main courses, the Lomo Saltado, a thin piece of beef cooked with red onions in a bright vinegar sauce, served with some yucca fries that are just a little tough in texture. A little more time in the pan with the sauce would have made them perfect.

Our other entree is the “Chicken with Pecans, Parmesan and Hot Yellow Pepper Sauce,” which is a disappointment, mainly because the menu description needs to be tweaked. It’s basically a thick mix of stewed, shredded chicken thighs stirred up with nuts and pepper sauce. It’s like a chicken curry; not like a braise, which we expected.

Since wine isn’t a great match with dishes such as the tart, vinegary beef, nor the artichoke salad, we order up a “Chicha,” a glass of spiced purple corn and fruit juice. it’s a delicious pick, pretty, fresh and barely sweet. The drink is also served with champagne.

As we taste our way through the menu, we chat with the chef about the menu, which includes distinctly NOT Peruvian offerings such as duck ravioli. Apparently it’s important to serve some familiar with the unfamiliar. Also, Peru is home to so many immigrants that the flavors and ingredients they use are a mix.

Dessert is a hit _ apparently for everyone at the restaurant. Plates are passed from table to table so that everyone can have a bite of everything. As we finish up our dinner and head home, we wonder if the restaurant will survive. It’s small. The food is unusual. The service is delightful. The future looks good.

The biggest problem? There’s no chocolate on the menu. Essencia is located at 401 Gough St. Expect to pay about $100 for two if you order a full meal with wine. _ Jolene Thym

Twenty-eight pints of Haagen Dazs Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle Private Reserve ice cream have gone missing from Amber Antonelli’s freezer. An all-out freezer-search party is due to be launched within hours.

It’s not that Amber needs all of that ice cream exactly, but she wants to know that all 28 pints of the signature ice cream flavor she designed for Haagen Dazs are safe and cold, and ready for sharing with friends and family.

“I don’t know where they went, but the freezer is empty,” Amber says. “I know my roommate likes the ice cream, but 28 pints? I’m going to do a little investigating.”

The story of the ice cream dates back to last year, when Amber, a former pastry chef from Petaluma who recently moved to Phoenix, decided to enter the Haagen Dazs flavor contest.

Amber, who has worked in the restaurant business for 12 years, says she entered the contest in part because she loves ice cream and because she has had lots of practice making it.

“I worked in a restaurant that had this $8,000-ice cream machine. We made a different ice cream every day,” she says.

“It was 11 p.m. on a Friday night and I had seen the call for entries online several times. I decided to do it right then. But then I noticed that I had to have a video postmarked by Monday morning and I didn’t even have a video camera.

“It turned into a serious deadline, which was great for me. I’m in the restaurant business!”

Amber’s recipe was one of just 11 selected to go on to the finals round. When Amber met the producer in person, she explained to Amber:
“Yours was one of the most boring videos” of the lot, but the recipe sounded too cool to pass up.

News of the win arrived by mail. “I got a letter offering me this all-expense paid trip for two… to Bakersfield! I’m a California native, so I laughed. Bakersfield?” The location, she explained, did make sense, since that’s where Haagen Dazs makes its ice cream.

The trip, she adds, was lots of fun. She was put up at the Doubletree Hotel, treated to gourmet meals, a factory tour and given a PT Cruiser to explore the town. As part of the competition, she was also invited to make up two versions of her ice cream - while she was being filmed for Food Network television. “I’m a celebrity now,” she jokes.

Part of the reason contestants were asked to make two versions of their ice cream, she says, was to provide Haagen Dazs with enough options for duplicating it for the mass market.

Her recipe for the ice cream flavor that Haagen Dazs is selling, for example, was slightly different. In her recipe, the coconut itself is used to infuse flavor into the cream, then strained out. Haagen Dazs leaves the coconut in, making for a much chewier, more textural ice cream experience.

The Bakersfield competition narrowed the field from 11 to 5. The remaining 5 were then invited on another overnight adventure, this time at the Claremont Hotel in Oakland. That trip involved a party in San Francisco, and more great food.

After months of fun and hoping to win, Amber’s ice cream did not take the prize. She was disappointed, and didn’t understand why the super-sweet Sticky Toffee Pudding outscored hers.

Then, months later, she got a surprise phone call. “It was in December that Haagen Dazs called and told me they wanted to make my ice cream for their reserve line.” The news was followed by a check for $5,000.

“I was happy to get the money and happy that they wanted to make the ice cream, but I was disappointed that they didn’t give me credit under the lid,” she says. The Sticky Toffee Pudding flavor winner got her bio printed under every lid.

Amber’s parents, however, took the publicity issue into their own hands.
“My parents are my biggest fans. They put up posters in the grocery store and told everyone about it.” Her father even emailed me with details about Amber’s win.

Will the win, even if it was a little delayed, encourage Amber to enter more contests?

“Maybe. I put in an application for The Next Food Network Star, but I did it last minute and I don’t think I put enough into it. I need to work on that.”

For now, Amber is busy doing freelance traveling and traveling as time and money allows. _ Jolene Thym

I was supposed to be interviewing cookbook author Rick Rodgers about his new cookbook, “Kingsford Complete Grilling Book,” but as often happens with a pair of foodies, we got sidetracked. “What’s new? Is there any good food around here?” Rodgers asks.

We laugh, and Rodgers gives a rundown on new and old favorites he is packing in to his short stay here in the Bay Area, a combination family visit and book promotion tour.

Last night, he was wowed by the great small plates served up at Pearl on College Avenue. Tonight he was off to trendy, can’t-miss Slanted Door in San Francisco. But cookbook author and Hayward native Rick Rodgers admits that what he really loves to do when he comes “home” is eat at the places he ate as a child.

“I love to go to Val’s (in Hayward)and have burger, and to Aggie’s (Hayward) and Casper’s Hot Dogs,” he says. “I used to go have pizza every time I was here but it burned down.”

But Rick still remembers the last time he went there for a pizza.

“I brought a friend and we went on a tour to San Lorenzo. I remember telling him that it took a really, really long time for the pizza to come. So we ordered the pizza, went next door and saw “Jurassic Park,” and 90 minutes later, we got there just in time for our number to be called!”

Since Rodgers is a cookbook writer _ which plants him in the kitchen often _ I figured he might have a good answer to the question that I often have when making dinner plans. How do you reconcile paying big bucks for something you know that you could cook better at home?

“What I do is go out for ethnic foods and things that I can’t cook. If I don’t, I just make sure that the place I’m going to does what they do very well. As long as the food is good, I don’t mind paying because going out is also about service.”

_ Jolene Thym

In my family, manners are simple. We cut with knives. We eat with forks. We sip from soup spoons. We use fingers for finger food. We don’t slurp or chew with our mouths open and we most certainly don’t lick our fingers at the table.

These simple manners, I learned, fall far short of the bar in Paris, even at mid-price restaurants where people are dressed in jeans.

During a recent meal, my party of four was semi-quietly enjoying a semi-decent meal when we noticed that we had become the primary entertainment for the table of French-speaking people next to us.

After staring at us through our first and second courses, the guests proceeded to comment (in French) at our faux pas. They were amazed at the downright vulgarity we displayed when we tasted each other’s dishes. (Who knew?) They were floored that we didn’t keep fork and knife in hand as we ate - opting instead to set down our knives to eat bites of meat with our right hands!

Even more unacceptable, we ascertained, were our smiles and — ooops! — laughter as we chatted about the events of the day. Disconcerted that we had caused such a spectacle of ourselves, for the next 5 minutes we tried to be French. We were quiet. We pushed food around with our knives and took bites with our left hands. But alas, it didn’t work. Our antics made us laugh at each other, which made us forget to eat like the French.

_ Jolene Thym

Exactly why I thought I would adore French food just because I was visiting France is a mystery in retrospect. I don’t love duck. I find pate and every other form of liver distasteful. Frog and squab and veal are never what I dream of eating when I am hungry.

Nonetheless, during a recent visit to France I made an effort to eat French. I ate coq au vin. Boring. I ate quiches and pastries. Good, but predictable. Then, at a small restaurant in the Marais, a quick metro ride away from our tiny hotel, I discovered steak frites.

This simple meal of steak and browned potatoes was absolutely delicious, every morsel. The potatoes were perfectly carmelized; the steak tender and cooked to perfection. And the best part? The meal was only $18. Alongside the steak, we also enjoyed a memorable plate of greens topped with fresh goat cheese and goat cheese croquettes.
When I manage to duplicate the recipe for these in my own kitchen, I promise to share.
_ Jolene Thym