Fishy Cupcakes

I made these for Hank’s birthday. I’m always on the hunt for cute cupcakes that require no ability to manipulate frosting.

I smooshed the Swedish Fish on with my fingers, and used tweezers to place the “bubble” sprinkles.

They’re a variation of this idea, which uses rainbow fishy crackers instead of Swedish fish.

Fishy crackers are not as delicious as gummy things. Love, Maggie.

8 Fun Places to Eat in San Francisco

As part of my Life List goal of getting to know my city like the back of my hand, I’m collecting 100 of the best things to taste in San Francisco. These are 11-18:

Let’s go somewhere delicious and fun.

1. Pork Shumai at New Asia, $4.50
New Asia is a kitschy Chinatown banquet hall, and their weekend brunch features rolling steam carts with endless, reasonably priced dim sum to ease your hangover. The mostly Chinese patrons are an excellent sign, but the pace can intimidate if you’ve never cart-ordered dim sum before. Research what you’d like to try, and ask the waiters zooming by to send it your way. Otherwise, you can just nod when they show you something appetizing.

2. Happy Hour Oysters at Waterbar, $1.05 each
Fresh oysters and bubbly with a view of the Bay Bridge, this is among the best reasons to live here, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

3. Dessert Soufflé at Café Jaqueline, $30
Café Jaqueline is a romantic, all-soufflé restaurant tucked off the main strip in North Beach. Call ahead to secure a spot at one of the five or six tables, and settle in for a nice slow dessert or savory soufflé with a bottle of wine. Use the restroom so you can peek at the little kitchen, where you’ll find a bottomless bowl of eggs resting on the counter.

4. Burger at Mission Bowl, $15
Burgers that are simple, juicy, and with some kind of magic sauce — all to the soundtrack of pins toppling.

5. Half a Fresh Cracked Crab at the Swan Oyster Depot, $20
San Franciscans will queue for absolutely nothing but great food, so a line is a sign. You will always find a line at this tiny seafood diner, especially now that it’s crab season. Wait in line. Take a seat on a swivel stool at the counter and enjoy a plate of oysters on ice. Grin at the suckers in line, and order another glass of white wine while you crack into your crab.

6. Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Carlton Lounge, $65
I feel calmer just thinking about this place. If you’re going to take tea, there should always be a harpist at hand.

7. Ribeye at Alfred’s, $32
Alfred’s was founded in 1928, and it still feels like you should be able to smoke a cigar at the table. The steaks are exceptional, and reasonably priced for a San Francisco steak house, but I love it because the cocktails are perfect and the place is so cozy. Especially good for a rainy or foggy night.

8. Nebulous Potato Thing and a Breakfast Milkshake at the St. Francis Soda Fountain, about $10 for both
This soda fountain has been around since 1918, and was run by three generations of the same family until 2000. In 2002, the current owners renovated the 1948 dining room and installed a kitchen, making it my favorite diner in the city. Everything is good, but I like the Nebulous Potato Thing – a mound of potatoes fried with onions and whatnot, smothered in melted cheddar with sour cream on top. Your choice of thick breakfast shake on the side, tin included.

Piccolo in Minneapolis

Bay scallop crudo with coconut, golden raisins, hot pepper and citron vinegar

Thanks so much for the Minneapolis tips, everyone! I’m exploring like crazy and the food and cocktails here are so good. I made a reservation at Piccolo to celebrate our first night in town, and it was a huge treat.

Rabbit liver tart with caramelized onions, compressed strawberries, olive oil and sorrel

I bit into this before I thought to take a photo, but that snowy dust is olive oil, which they powdered presumably using magics.

Monterey Bay squid with fresh dragon beans, manila clams, smoked pork shank and fresh okra

They have a 5-course tasting menu for only $55, and our waiter Xan made great suggestions for wine to pair with the courses.

Hanger steak with butter poached radishes, tomato and Calabrian pepper jam, white anchovies and horseradish

The room was so sunny and happy. One of the nicest meals I’ve had.

Rabbit loin with summer truffles, artichokes, tortellini, turnips and parmigiano-reggiano

Also, and maybe this sounds odd, but the bathroom was charming. Navy blue walls with a gold peacock feather wallpaper on one wall and lots of attention to detail. I liked it so much that I asked the waiter who designed it, and apparently it was the proprietor of a local boutique called Honeyshine. So if you go, make sure to stop into the loo.

Sweet corn panna cotta and bourbon corn cake with blackberries and caramel

Piccolo
4300 Bryant Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN

Sun-Mon 5:30-9pm
Weds-Thurs 5:30-9pm
Fri-Sat 5:30-10pm
Closed Tuesday

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Dinner Party Ideas

I’d like to improve my dinner party repertoire. Are dinner parties still a thing? I met an older woman when I was in college who mentioned that she had several meals memorized in case she needed to host an impromptu dinner party. Magician.

Years later, I read a piece in Vogue (I think) about a woman who was known as one of the best hostesses on the New York social scene. She would make a giant pot of stew, pick up some crusty bread, and overfill wine glasses while people ate cross-legged on the living room floor.

One of the best dinner parties I ever attended was hosted by my friend Pableaux, who put everyone into service chopping, grating, running for ice cream, and then shooed everyone toward a giant table in the kitchen. He kept the conversation running late into the night, and I’ve rarely felt more welcome.

I’m working on building out my recipe tin, and I added a section for dinner parties. So far I have one go-to: Homemade Guacamole and chips, Fish Burritos, Cucumber Salad, Strawberry Shortcake, Sparkling Wine.

So I want nine more solid meals. What do you serve when you’re having people over, either casually or for a more formal dinner?

This Particular Green Juice Does Not Make Me Retch

I bought a used juicer and started doing the green juice/smoothie thing this week by trying random recipes on the Internet. You will be shocked to hear that many of them are blech. But! The other morning I made a good one. And then I picked out a pretty glass and straw and took photos of it next to an air plant in my bathroom, like so:

It had mango, spinach, pineapple, and bananas, and even Hank was into it. It’s called the Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie if you’re game to try.

KALE CAN EFF UP YOUR THYROID? YES.

Also, my friend Molly warned me that she knocked out her thyroid by drinking juiced kale too regularly. Has this happened to any of you? I looked it up and found out that all cruciferous vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, and so on) can tax your thyroid. Here are some links to info, which can be summed up as “Moderation. Etcetera.”

JUICING IS NOT THAT HARD TO CLEAN UP

Also, I was afraid of juicing because of the general complaint about how hard it is to clean up afterward. It turns out that’s not a thing. My juicer is a Breville Juice Fountain, and it’s a little easier to clean than a food processor. I also have an old Vitamix blender that I was paranoid about purchasing because it’s ludicrously expensive, but I use it every day and it’s incredible. It’s a beast when it comes to blending vegetables, and it’s even easier to clean.

Sweet Tooth, 10 Things to Taste in San Francisco

When I travel, I like to make a goal list that includes specific foods I want to taste wherever I land. So I decided to make an extensive treats list for my hometown of San Francisco, in case you’re similarly inclined.

I set up a Pinterest map that has photos of each item with their addresses, right here and will be building on it as we go along. We’re starting with dessert, which is a solid life philosophy. Ten sweets you should taste in San Francisco:

1. Bourbon Banana Cream Pie at Wexlers
I want to dip my finger in this filling and wear it behind my ears as perfume. Do not share a piece. Get your own piece.

2. Butterscotch Pot de Creme at Town Hall
They will serve this in a bathtub so you can immerse yourself in the unctuous expanse of cream, but it’s more expensive.

3. Sweet Revolutions Caramels at Bi-Rite
So soft, they’re like biting into cold, sweet butter. Let one warm in your mouth and try not to pass out.

4. Caramel Robin Eggs at Miette
These are only available around Easter, and I wait all year. The outer candy shell has an aftertaste of fresh lemon, with a layer of dark chocolate surrounding a caramel center. If you want some, you’ll need to get there before me, because I sweep every last bag into my basket and hoard them all year.

5. Passionfruit Milk Chocolate Donut from Dynamo Donuts
You could eenie meenie in front of the case at Dynamo and fare just fine, but the Passionfruit Milk Chocolate? That’s the one.

6. Blackberry Milkshake at Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers
When I was a kid, the family would go camping and I’d spend hours picking blackberries. In the morning, mom would pour cream over them for breakfast. This tastes just like that.

7. Toffee Chip Cookies from Anthony’s Cookies
You can’t go wrong at Anthony’s either, but if you’re only trying one cookie, start here.

8. Millionaire Bacon at Sweet Maple
They soak the bacon in Maple syrup and secret spices, and I can’t talk about it anymore because I’m chewing.

9. Salted Caramel Ice Cream at Bi-Rite Creamery
You’ll see this on every damn list anyone ever makes about Bay Area food, and they’re right.

10. Key Lime Pears from Recchiuti Confections
The pears are thin and crispy like potato chips, flavored with lime essence, and dipped in very high quality chocolate. It’s rare as an adult to come across a new texture or flavor, and these accomplish that. They’re seasonal, but you can order them online, so if you won’t find yourself in San Francisco soon, at least you can play along at home.

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Life List: Try a Snow Egg at Quay? Check.

Lunch with a view of the Sydney Opera House is some James Bond shit, you guys.

Our Lunch at Quay on Go Mighty

WASP-Off! Theme Party

Labor Day weekend approaches, and with it your last chance to wear Summer whites away from the tennis court. If you’re listening to This American Life as you read this; if you know what your grandfather likes to drink; if you often contemplate the probability that other people think you’ve done something wrong? Consider hosting a WASP-Off!