Give Me Some Food

In the past I have had issues with the chicken breast. I can’t cook them and I always order the driest, toughest chicken breast that has about as much flavor as a tennis ball. Ever since I was a kid and my mother, who is actually a really good cook, would regularly make this rubbery chicken breast with a light mustard film, I have been quite afraid of this cut of meat.

Yet, this weekend there was a major epiphany in my chicken philosophy. I ate chicken three days in a row!

Our adventures begin at the nationally lauded Foreign Cinema.

 

On the outdoor patio, where that night they would be showing Doctor Strangelove, we perused the menu while the wind blew violently and Felix’s lips turned blue (he gave me the seat by the heater and was suffering the consequences). When we asked to go inside, instead of being sworn at and put near the kitchen, they gave us a cute booth in the corner. I was impressed.

We were there taking advantage of Dine About Town (three courses for $32). Every year in Dine About Town, chicken, fish and pasta seem to be three entrée choices. I didn’t feel like fish, and I had just tried the Amateur Gourmet’s recipe for easy pasta for lunch, so I looked forebodingly at the chicken. All right- I may regret this, but I’m gettin’ the chicken!

 

I did not regret it. It had a sweet curry rub on its skin that penetrated through the whole meat and was served over frisee and currants with a bacon fat vinaigrette. On the plate were both a thigh and the breast but I just ate the breast meat because it was tender enough. I would go as far to say it was juicy and very good and soaking up the bacon fat vinaigrette

Dessert was less successful. We had an amazing cherry chocolate cake:

 

And a pooing cannoli

 

Not very appetizing. Not very tasty either. The pastry part tasted really sour and the cream filling was nothing short of bland.

The next night we were invited over to our friends Aaron and Christian’s for dinner and Desperate House Wives. Christian also made really yummy chicken. I think she seared it in a dutch oven and then put the whole thing in the oven with vegetables and it was just as tender as Foreign Cinema’s! She said using the dutch oven seals in all of the flavor and juices and is a perfect piece of equipment for chicken.

 

I was amazed. This wasn’t only a trick that trained chefs could do, but my friends as well!

The last chicken meal of the weekend was kind of cheating (more explanation later), but we went out to BIX in San Francisco on Monday for my mom’s 39^th birthday. I must say, BIX must have really good advertising. For some reason I got the idea that BIX was where the beautiful, fabulous people sipped martinis and listened to jazz and were oh so hip. I think Zagat said that we should expect to see “yuppies in heat”. Yet, when we walked in the tables were empty except for a few business meetings. Throughout the night it did fill up but with mostly business meetings or older couples. Whoever does PR at BIX should get a promotion.

Anyway, we again took advantage of Dine Around Town and the choices were (gasp) chicken and fish. I was feeling lucky about chicken so I got the chicken hash a la Bix. That’s why I said it was cheating, because it wasn’t just a chicken breast, it was more like a chicken cake (think crab cake, not chocolate cake).

 

The lemon cream sauce around it was good, but tasted a little too much like sour cream, and therefore my dad made this comparison:

“that’s really good, it tastes like a chicken enchilada!”

I’m sure that’s what Doug “Bix” Biederbeck wanted to hear.

Dinner at BIX turned out very enjoyable. Yet more importantly, I think I have learned to trust chicken breasts in a way I never thought I would. Soon, I may be courageous enough to try it on my own...

Or maybe I'll just rely on Dine About Town and my friends for inspiration :)

Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St. (bet 21^st and 22^nd)
415-648-7600
www.foreigncinema.com

BIX
56 Gold St. (bet. Sansome and Montgomery)
415-433-6300
www.bixrestaurant.com