Tag pizza

Parties That Cook’s Top Lunch Spots in Dogpatch

Here at Parties That Cook, it’s not all parties and cooking. We also love to eat (who would have guessed?). We actually have some pretty amazing chefs in our office, but sometimes we put them to work for cookbook club just like to pick something up from around the neighborhood, Dogpatch. The area is chock full of a variety great restaurants!

One of our favorite spots for lunch is Sunflower, a (technically) Potrero Hill Vietnamese restaurant with a second location in the Mission. It’s a short walk from our office -gotta love those hills!- and we find ourselves ordering for pick-up often. They offer a mix of deliciously spicy and completely benign dishes that we just can’t get enough of. The only catch is that they close at 2pm, so make sure to grab lunch early!

A few short steps from our office is The Sandwhich Shop. Cheap, delicious sandwiches with fresh ingredients – get there early because they tend to run out! Our intern and likely their best customer, Alaina, frequents the little shop (by frequent, we mean every day) and always comes back with Smoked Turkey on Sesame. Her sandwich comes stuffed with smoked turkey, cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, jalapeños, mustard, and mayonnaise. Talk about made-to-order!

Another one of our favorite lunch joints is The New Spot, a Mexican and Salvadorian restaurant just off of 3rd Street. They have a great menu with large, inexpensive portions. (Who doesn’t love leftovers?) We definitely recommend the seasonal, daily specials – YUM. Also, be sure to try the Super Nachos, which you should probably can easily split with someone else. These bad boys come complete with your choice of meat, beans, jalapeños, two types of cheese, sour cream, Pico de gallo, guacamole, and (of course) fresh chips.

We also love Piccino restaurant, housed in a newly rennovated yellow building on 22nd and Minnesota. Just a hop, skip and a jump from our office, Piccino offers a simple, seasonal menu with exceptional ingredients. In a bit of a hurry? Check out Piccino’s coffee bar facing 22nd, where you can place your order from the restaurant to-go. Either way, make sure you’ve got some time to kill (this place gets hoppin’!). In addition to the delicious soups, salads, pizza, and more, they have some amazing melt-in-your-mouth desserts! (Cookie run, anyone??)

Finally, we have Kitchenette, located where 21st and Illinois would be. Their delicious organic meals change daily, but be sure to arrive early enough to snag neighborhood favorites like Dogpatch Millionaire – known to sell out! If you’re looking for a different place to eat, than you’ve come to the right garage – no tables or chairs here! Kitchenette is run out of a loading dock, and you eat right in the warehouse. Who’s up for a lunch-time adventure?

**With new eateries opening every month in this up-and-coming neighborhood, you can expect another Dogpatch round-up! And not to worry, we’ll be sure to include our other favorites we didn’t have a chance to visit for this blog: Hazel’s Kitchen, Umi Sushi, Plow, and more!

What your office’s favorite place for lunch? In Dogpatch, San Francisco, or anywhere else, be sure to share with us!

Parties That Cook Wants to See Your Grill: 20 Unconventional Summer Grilling Ideas

If you’re anything like us, your grill had been fired up and raring to go since the first hint of summer. In case you’ve run out of normal/edible/safe things to throw on the grill, this blog is for you. We’ve rounded up a mighty fine list of delicious grill-able foods that DOES NOT INCLUDE burgers and hot dogs. Not that there’s anything wrong with conventional… Have some fun experimenting with these great grilling ideas before and after the 4th of July, and let us know how it goes!

APPETIZERS:
-Cheese: Unless going for a grilled cheese sandwich, we’d recommend grilling Halloumi, a cheese made from a mixture of goat and sheep’s milk (although some halloumi can be bought that also contains cow’s milk). It has a high melting point, so it can stand up to the grilling test!

-Fava Beans: Whatever you season these little guys with, will end up sticking to your fingers in the most delicious way. The pods get a bit charred, but become really easy to open. Open the pods and slip the beans out, pinching off the skin with your fingernail. Make sure the grill isn’t too hot, or the pods will char before the beans have time to steam!

-Figs: Cut in half before placing on the grill. Some like to toss in balsamic vinegar first, others prefer feta and basil. Check out this GrillinFools method (used on pears) for a mouthwatering prosciutto wrapped skewers with cheese!

-Olives: Marinate pitted olives before sliding on a skewer and grilling about 1min per side! It’s that easy!

-Nuts: Simple spiced and smoked nuts (like almonds) should be grilled in foil with low heat coals (maybe after grilling an entrée) to avoid burning the nuts. We recently received a tip from a cookie expert, recommending we try starting cookies (like these turtle cookies) on the grill, allowing for the nuts to get that smoked flavor, then finishing in the oven. Great idea!

-Avocado: Cut in half, remove the pit and brush the cut side with a teeny bit of oil. Grill (cut-side down) for a few minutes. Stuff as desired, and enjoy! You can also use grilled avocados to make a delicious guacamole!

-Tomatillos: Cut in halves and grill (cut-side down) until browned on the bottom, then flip. Remove when soft all the way through. Great for salsa with a smoky flavor or a guacamole like this one!

SALADS:
-Romaine Lettuce: It’s not as crazy as it sounds! Dress with oil and balsamic vinegar, then char over a flame…Yum!

– Radicchio: Cut the head of radicchio into 6 wedges before you drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill radicchio over moderately low flame on each side, until just charred. Remove and add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper as needed.

– Endive: Paired with radicchio, makes a great salad! Slice off the bottom of the endive, cutting away the tough, woody part of the bottom. Make sure to leave enough of the base for the endive leaves to stay connected! Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then put the endives on the grill, cut side-down. Grill until the edges are well browned and curled. Remove and add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper as needed.

-Watermelon: Yowza! This simple Claire Robinson (Food Network) recipe for a Grilled Watermelon Salad sounds too good to pass up!

SIDES:
-Polenta: A great side to many a picnic or potluck dish, brush with a little olive oil and earn those grill marks!

-Quesadillas: No microwave allowed! We’ll take a crispy, perfectly toasted tortilla over a flimsy one any day!

-Artichokes: Steam the artichokes and cut in half (or quarters) before grilling. Trying to grill a whole artichoke raw will result in an artichoke that is charred on the outside and raw on the inside

ENTREES:

-Pizza: Due to the quick- grilling nature of this dish, these tips and tricks from a Serious Eats – Slice article will sure come in handy!

-Oysters: Scrub the oyster shells under cold running water with a brush. Live oysters will be tightly clamped shut, or will clamp shut when tapped. Discard any open shells, as the oyster is dead and not edible. Check out this great Barbequed Oyster Recipe!

-Herbs: Wrapped in foil, used as a skewer (make sure to use woody herbs, like rosemary), placed underneath meat on the grill, or placed straight on mellow coals with the lid closed – there’s no wrong way to infuse flavor into your grilling meats! The Herb Companion’s Barbra Annino even put together this helpful guide to herb-meat pairings!

DESSERTS:

-Peaches: It’s best to start with peaches that are pretty firm. Too ripe, and they’ll fall apart on the grill! Grilled peaches are great with a little balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, or with yogurt and honey, OR go all the way and add vanilla ice cream. Yum!

-Bananas: Great on the grill when sliced lengthwise down the middle!

-Angel Food Cake/Pound Cake: Pretty much speaks for itself. Dare we suggest adding the grilled peaches to create a masterpiece?