David Blomster opened his second Dick Blomster’s Korean Diner officially Nov. 13 as the afternoon and night shift in Don Taylor’s Omelette Express, located in the historic Railroad Square district of Santa Rosa, a city about an hour north of San Francisco.
Choco Pie: Potent symbol of advanced civilization
Hubby was watching a re-run of season 2 of Falling Skies, and there’s a scene where one of the main leads finds a stash of Choco Pies. That started an on-screen conversation about homesickness, childhood and better, less-dangerous times when a young girl’s main source of anxiety was outgrowing baby fat. This humble dessert in…
Does heat plus pain equal spicy?: Calif. university research
Why humans enjoy a painfully spicy meal but not mosquito bites or repeated punches to the face is what scientists at University of California, Davis, are studying intently. People enjoy spicy foods such as 고추장 gochujang in Korea, sambal ulek in Indonesia, harissa in North Africa or pri-pri in Portugal and South Africa, or many other spicy condiments sprinkled all…
Review: Soban Korean Cuisine, Petaluma, Calif.
The attention to details such as the higher-caliber brands of beverages selected and freshness of ingredients at Soban shows how “traditional” hanshik can be exceptional.
Conflicting Korean food and wine pairing tips
Chef Christopher Bates of FLX Wienery in Seneca Lake, N.Y., just gave Wine Spectator his recipe for his K-town Burger, which is billed as a flavorful and a little bit spicy mix of beef, kimchi and Korean barbecue sauce. He also included a wine-pairing recommendation that might confuse some Korean food lovers. Wine Spectator notes that Bates “recommends a juicy…
Review: Ocean’s Halo Seaweed Snacks
An ad in a San Francisco Bay area Whole Food Market’s flyer touted new type of seaweed snack, called Ocean’s Halo. I put it on the shopping list because I was hoping to find a seaweed snack with the same nutritional power but less of the taste and texture leaves some at sea. The Burlingame, Calif.-based company,…
Recipe: Persian Lamb-Stuffed 삼각김밥 Samgak Kimbap
The triangle-shaped seaweed-wrapped rice snack 삼각김밥 samgak kimbap is a common sight in Korean lunch boxes and in convenience stores in South Korea. This the Korean answer to the sandwich. Students of Asian cuisine will notice it looks a lot like Japanese onigiri. That dish is traditionally stuffed with salty fillings such as pickled plum…
Recipe: Dakgalbi cauliflower (닭갈비 콜리 플라워)
Sometimes, the best meals come from sheer experimentation and succeed when one does not make the same mistake twice or learn from the successes of others. I had an overflow of cauliflower in my refrigerator recently and was scratching my head on what to make of it. I could just chop it up, mix it…
Recipe: Crock Pot Kimchi Jjigae with Norfolk dumplings
Hubby and I work eight-plus hours a day, and there are times I don’t have much time to be creative in the kitchen. It doesn’t help that Himalayan, Mexican or Thai carryout is only a phone call and 10–20 minutes away. However, one cannot live on a budget and on carryout. I was also eager to try…
Recipe: Broccoli Pickles
Although broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable like cabbages and radishes, I would have never thought to pickle it since the florets are literally flowers. Who pickles flowers? Almost any vegetable can be pickled if you do it right and cruciferous vegetables taste wonderful pickled. Much of Korea’s food culture is based on the premise. Even…