a sabbatical from cyberspace

so i received an email last week from jaden of jaden's steamy kitchen (a must read food blog - bookmark it!) commenting that she hadn't seen a blog post from me in awhile.  it's nice to know that my absence has been noted in the community of food bloggers.  luckily this absence has nothing to do with lack of time in the kitchen or playing with food.  in fact, i've been so busy in the kitchen and discovering all the new culinary nooks and crannies in san francisco since moving two and a half months ago that i've had barely any time in front of the monitor (which is not necessarily a bad thing).

so, i thought i'd share a few food-related highlights since my last entry . . .

new food & kitchen retail discoveries i've made in san francisco:
1) for every plate, bowl, platter you've ever eyed at a restaurant, kamei in the inner richmond is the place to go.  i was mesmerized strolling through their 4 aisles of plates.  if only i had a restaurant kitchen . . . 
2) as wonderful as it is to stroll through the ferry plaza farmer's market on a saturday, beat the crowds and the inflated prices and head to the heart of the city farmers market on market street between 7th and 8th streets.  there are a ton of asian vendors offering asian produce at cheap, cheap prices. 
3) for incredibly fresh and well-priced seafood and meats and all your asian cooking needs, head to sunset super at 25th and irving, a miniature version of ranch 99 in the city.

kitchen organization:
i finally had a chance to organize my spice drawer.  to the ordinary person, this is probably not news to blog about but to an anal retentive cook like myself, well, it's pretty exciting.  see for yourself:

now wouldn't you just smile every time you opened up that drawer?   to those who are looking for a cheaper alternative to expensive spice jars, you can order these at specialty bottles for just 68 cents a pop (spices not included).

on the eating front:
there definitely has been lots of eating.  before leaving my day job, i did enjoy a last supper at manresa's five year anniversary dinner which was just delicious.  since then, it's been all about discovering cheap chinese dives and pho places in the richmond, sunset and tenderloin neighborhoods of san francisco.  not quite french laundry caliber but so good and comforting (without the dent to your wallet).  and as i've had a lot of time to experiment in the kitchen and plenty of cooking gigs for clementine culinary productions to keep me busy, there will be many recipes to come soon.

back online,
jess aka "the petite pig"

Comments

[Steamy Kitchen]

Kamei was my FAV place to shop. I miss it! Need to take a trip back home to SF again soon. Getting withdrawls.

[Sarah C.]

You have the most fabulous spice drawer and I am so jealous. And, 68 cents for those jars aint half bad! Congratulations on your new organization. :)

[Matt]

Those spice jars look VERY interesting...I need a better way to organize my spices.

[Lindsay]

very nicely organized indeed!! my own eclectic organizational schema involves using old (apple juice, salsa, chili oil, you name it!) jars. i think it's the asian-ness (tofu boxes for tupperware, anyone?), but i would like something more esthetically pleasing.

my only concern is they don't seem like they're airtight jars - how's that working out for you?

[C]

Your draw is the greatest thing I have ever seen. EVER. It just makes me want to organize something right now.

[Scott]

I want to hear about your trip to the east coast!? There must have been some great eating going on!