Chiu on This

2011: My favorite dish

And the winner is...Ma po tofu from Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco. (The picture doesn't do the dish justice.) Folks have said that Mission Chinese has been overly hyped. I can't speak to that since (1) this was the only dish I've had there, (2) I've only gone  there once, and (3) I didn't have to wait at all for a table (I went for lunch, fairly soon after they opened for the day).

The flavors were brilliant and complex - spicy but not one-note. Biting into the Szechuan peppercorns that studded the dish, I felt like I was eating electricity - zap! ping! zzzzzt! And I got the full-on mala effect of numbed lips.

As I tucked into the dish and savored its odd combination of earthy and ethereal qualities, I remember hearing Radiohead playing in the background and thinking, "This works for me." "Wish You Were Here" came on immediately after, and I really wished folks were with me to share my meal.

I've eaten ma po tofu before and have often cooked a very simplified version of it with ground pork and pretty much no spice. But this version made me sit up straight, open my eyes wide, and breathe deeply. In the wake of eating this, I've had ma po dishes about 3 more times in about just as many weeks, but this version still stays in my mind.

Maybe finding a similar - or better - version in NYC will make for a good 2012 quest. Happy new year!

In spirit(s)

I've been dreading writing this blog for some time now, as it is my failing attempt at a tribute to my friend Rick, who died two weeks ago. He'd been ill for some time but always seemed to rally miraculously. So when his friends and family began sharing the news that Rick was not doing well, I started to get a ghastly feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Folks who have read this blog for a while know that Rick was a true FOCOT, occasionally contributing a blog and frequently providing me with recommendations for places to try on my travels. While we'd known each other for a little over a decade, I felt that we'd gotten to be on closer terms when he and his wife met my dad in 2010 when they all happened to be in Shanghai, Rick for work and my dad for the World Expo. Naturally, they got together over a meal!

On the day that I'd heard about Rick's state, I'd had plans arranged to attend a beer and spirits tasting at Beer Table with a former colleague and an acquaintance from college. While we tried out the fascinating pairings (see below), I couldn't help but think about the many times I'd said to Rick that we needed to go to Beer Table the next time he was in town, even though the Brooklyn location might be a little out of the way. I figured he would have liked the thoughtfulness, inquisitiveness, imagination, and craft behind the place, and that its uniqueness and local character would have appealed to him. I also imagined that he would have gotten to know the proprietors, asked lots of questions of then, quaffed a lot of beers, and felt like he'd found a hidden gem, something he could review in Zagat's. Then I felt angry that he'd never get a chance to enjoy such a place, or any others. Thankfully, I had more to drink.

Rick died the next day. I was thankful to have the opportunity to attend his funeral later in the week and to see his family - especially his awesome wife, Denise - and mutual friends, all of whom affirmed and told stories of his love for food, drink, and good company. Even the priest who spoke at his service referred to how they bonded over "a little bite to eat," which turned out to be a four-hour feast.

Here's to you, Rick. Thanks for sharing your feasts with me.    

1. Kiuchi No Shizuku (like a shochu) with Hitachino White Ale (a Belgian style ale with orange juice)
2. Schramel / Schenider Edelster Aventinus (unaged) with Schneider Aventinus (wheat doppelbock)
3. Uerige Stickum Plus (red wine barrel) with Uerige Sticke (altbier from Dusseldorf)
4. Clear Creek Distillery: McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt Whisky (from Porland) with Barrier SaazSquash (from Oceanside, Rockaways)
5. Schlenkerla Rauchbierspirit with Schlenkerla Urbock (100% smoked malt)