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There's no shortage of San Francisco treats

By Steve Petusevsky, Sun Sentinel, Source: MCT News Service

Even chefs need inspiration. So I cash in some frequent flier miles, and my friend and I head to one of my favorite food cities. In San Francisco, you can sample the globe in three days, if you pace yourself. We stay at the Orchard Garden Hotel (theorchardgardenhotel.com), an eco-friendly boutique hotel in Union Square where there's access to all the neighborhoods.

We walk everywhere, beginning in Chinatown. San Francisco has one of the largest Asian communities in the country. Authentic Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai and Indonesian restaurants flourish.

We take a guided walking tour of the area and learn that Chinese restaurants were started because thousands of immigrants came from China to look for gold back in the 1800s. They needed places to eat. Americans fell in love with the unusual and inexpensive Chinese food, causing hundreds of places to spring up throughout San Francisco. The rest is history.

We start our meal with incredible dim sum, small Chinese appetizers ordered by the plateful. To pay, the server counts the number of plates we have stacked up.

We proceed to an all-vegetarian place that creates miracles with soy products, seitan and black bean dough. The menu is categorized by "meat," including beef, pork, lamb, shrimp, calamari, fish and chicken. You'd swear this was the real thing, but it's vegan. Many of the dishes are made with functional ingredients, such as gingko nuts and goji berries.

We say goodbye to China and move on to the Mediterranean by visiting a contemporary Greek restaurant. I feel as if I am sitting in a Greek grandmother's dining room with family. The food combines contemporary flair with culinary traditions in the most seamless fashion. They even make their own pita bread from scratch. I will have baklava ice cream with preserved lemons on my mind for years to come.

Modern Indian comes next. Sitting in a brightly colored room, we dine on regional Indian fare. It's not your typical curries and vindaloo, but giant dosas, large, thin rice flour pancakes stuffed with spicy vegetables and chutney that melts in our mouths.

We end up, like many good hippies, in Haight-Ashbury, with some Caribbean, Persian and modern comfort food. I still believe in peace, love and the power of good food, so I offer my version of my favorite dish of the weekend. At Kokkari Restaurant, they serve skordalia, a traditional potato dip, served with field greens and roasted beets. The skordalia recipe will make more than enough for the salads. Enjoy the extra with vegetables or pita bread.

I also offer a list of restaurants to visit in case you are planning a trip.

GOLDEN GATE OPPORTUNITIES

Here are three of my favorite San Francisco restaurants.

Kokkari Estiatorio: Greek, 200 Jackson St., 415-981-0983, kokkari.com

Dosa: South Indian, 995 Valencia St.(at 21 Street), 415-642-3672 and Dosa on Fillmore, 1700 Fillmore St. (at Post), 415-441-3672, dosasf.com

Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant: 839 Kearny St., 215-956-7868 and 754 Kirkham St., 415-682-0826, enjoyveggie.com

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SKORDALIA (POTATO DIP)

This dip is traditionally made by hand. You can make it that way, but we prefer to use a food processor.

Water

5 skin-on Idaho baking potatoes

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup very good-quality Greek or Italian extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

Place potatoes in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook 30 minutes until tender, drain and set aside to cool 15 minutes.

Holding the potatoes with a kitchen towel, peel, break up and place in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add garlic and salt. Use on/off pulses to combine. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and water and use on/off pulses until combined and smooth. Makes 3 cups.

Per (1-tablespoon) serving: 34 calories, 62 percent calories from fat, 2 grams total fat, .3 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 3 grams carbohydrates, .3 grams total fiber, .2 grams total sugars, 3 grams net carbs, .3 grams protein, 25 milligrams sodium.

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ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH SKORDALIA (POTATO DIP)

2 medium red beets, peeled and cut into small wedges

2 medium golden beets, peeled and cut into small wedges

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

3 cups field greens

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Skordalia (Potato Dip, recipe given)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, toss beets, oil, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Place on a baking pan with sides and bake 35 to 40 minutes until just tender and lightly browned. Set aside.

Place 3 tablespoons skordalia in the center of each of 6 plates. Scatter 1/2 cup field greens around the plate. Top skordalia with a few pieces of roasted beets and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving with skordalia: 145 calories, 55 percent calories from fat, 9 grams total fat, 1 gram saturated fat, no cholesterol, 15 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total fiber, 4 grams total sugars, 12 grams net carbs, 2 grams protein, 148 milligrams sodium.

Per serving without Skordalia: 42 calories, 37 percent calories from fat, 2 grams total fat, .2 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 6 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total fiber, 4 grams total sugars, 4 grams net carbs, 1 gram protein, 50 milligrams sodium.

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	 (Steve Petusevsky is a freelance writer in Coral Springs, Fla. If you

have questions for him, write Vegetarian Today, Sun Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-2293. Or send an e-mail with your full name, address and telephone number to dhartz@SunSentinel.com with "Vegetarian Today" in the subject line. Personal replies are not possible.)

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