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A16 restaurant is celebrating a 10 year anniversary. That’s a huge accomplishment in any city, especially San Francisco. A16 focuses on the food and wine of Southern Italy. When it opened, the idea of a regional Italian restaurant was a bit of an anomaly in San Francisco. And Neapolitan style pizza was nonexistent. Needless to say a lot has changed in 10 years (including the expansion of A16 to locations in Oakland and Tokyo) espresso cups set.

Recently I got the chance to speak with Wine Director and Owner, Shelley Lindgren to talk about Italian food, wine and the success of the restaurant.


How much does travel play a role at A16?
A lot! This year I’ll be going to VinItaly. I’ve been able to send people, but it’s been years since I’ve gone. Most people catch the bug when they go to Italy and want to get back there again. It’s important because it’s where things start clicking. We try to make wine trips happen. It brings the products to life. It’s the stories you hear and every winery has stories. Investing in our people makes us better. Going to Naples to get our pizzaiolo certified was a big deal too.

When chefs change at A16, how do you maintain consistency?
This is a really important question, it’s the way our first chef Christophe (Hille) set up the kitchen, the prep, which is big because we use very fresh ingredients. Certain dishes have stayed on the menu since day one, burrata, the meatballs Bordeaux, the tripe, but there has to be room for changes in emphasis too. When Nate (Appleman) was promoted he wanted to make his own mark with meat. Liza (Shaw) was more into pasta. Everyone wants to do their own thing and I understand that.

How has the wine list changed at A16 over the last 10 years?
Our opening list was less than a quarter of what’s on the list now. There is so much more available. Fianos, Tauarasi, when we opened there were something like only 3 Etna Rossos available, now there are around 50. Even Chianti is going through a renaissance. There are more great wines and better prices. People have a much better understanding of Italian wine now and I’m still researching Southern Italian wines and varietals.

Italian food has changed in the Bay Area, who do you think is doing a good job?
There’s so much good Italian food now. La Ciccia and La Nebbia. Owner and chef Massimo helped me edit our first wine list. Acquerello. Quince and Cotogna. Delfina. Sociale does a great job, a perfect neighborhood place. And I love Una Pizza Napoletana.

What makes a restaurant a classic?
Certain types of food that are timeless versus trendy. Like Zuni for chicken or caesar salad. Consistency. Paying attention, forging ahead and striving to improve. It’s not just pizza at A16, it’s something we hold dear. It’s important to be a part of the City, part of the community, so people feel like they’re being taken care of. We are a place where people can go and celebrate and be comfortable and leave happy high chair!

I walk in to A16 and I love the energy and the people we have working for us who are passionate about food and wine. We have our own built in community of people. We need to not forget our focus and help each other out. It takes effort to maintain that.

Snow is a silent language, with the flying free, riding on the wings of the wind, traveling in their own world, the south snow free, even if the fall is also your cold tears. Each snowflake, represents a person's loneliness, otherwise your world how are silent, like a extraordinary as if done by the spirits of sculpture, with white wrote a quiet and holy discounted gucci handbags.

Every season of change, is a long wait, snow day, everywhere is a deciduous, and yellow and grass. Amazing three seasons, is really a kind of attachment in the heart, reluctant to leave, don't just drop it. All surprise the joy of harvest fruit, who cares about the leaves the vicissitudes of life. The autumn marks, but for you to drop the sad, the clear stripes recorded from spring to autumn experience, you are with luxuriant foliage will be fruitful, you Zhefengdangyu rest under a tree to passers-by. I saw your face old, at waiting, waiting for the snow of winter, you will be willing to sleep, to sleep in the arms of mother earth.

Life is not a promise of waiting, waiting for about, stood up together, may be separated again. Waiting is not a verbal commitment, waiting is a distant hope, waiting for their hearts without regret oath, only to the snow met, waiting for each to snow in winter. Because there is a thick layer of ice and snow inner feelings, will my words there are endless snow feelings don't finish the word, like a tree resistance to live lonely cold pine, white snow scorning alone.

You from the sky, from the cloud's arms Sculptra, I stood in the cliff alone to watch the moon breeze, in the lonely I read the mountain stream, flow wind. As the snow is very boring day, I dreamed many times hold the snow lying on the ice. You are falling quietly, like cotton, like teaching, million trees open, flying all over the sky, the sun at the moment are hiding behind the clouds, at this time, the world only you one branch alone beautiful, one piece, a piece of, all over the sky flying.

A suddenly falling snow, whether the loneliness and hesitation, you look like a blooming in the earthly love, your shadow left me not cold, snow in the plum blossom. I'm not before you rush the passer, you are not my people in paintings, maybe you and I are the scenery of others on the road.

Snow is a poem, chants the many lonely people, the bending and pine branches still stand, only cold pine can be read to snow, snow snow Xinyu, temperament and style, only cold pine can hear the snow falling, understand you blossom is talk in a simple, a surge, a flat, a sad, a lonely. A past and worldly entanglements, only in the wind and snow, can the cold pine character.

Snow is a song, a very touching song, no superfluous words, every sentence is deep joy, a line winding footprints, there are two snowmen side together, rely on each other in smoke in the wind and snow, never abandon. Hold hands with you, is not the best time of agreement, the piercing wind roar, isn't it snow in unique excitement, a break, a condensation, a combustion. Not all over the sky of the dance, wo still will not have the boundless Code 9 Neogen.

Fate. Do you believe? Chance occurrences that tug us this way and that, seemingly random and without objective, but ultimately with a purpose we could not have even guessed. A tricky subject, fate. Do we relinquish all control to it? Or do we take our free will firmly in hand, never let go, and leave no room for fate in our life tube amp ?

I think life is a little bit of both. Happiness lies in finding the balance between going for what you want with determined intent and purpose, and allowing life to take you in its current with wonder still in your heart. It’s believing in your own power and a higher power all at once, and seeing that it is not at all contradictory marie france bodyline.

Choice and fate – they don’t have to be at opposite ends of the dance floor. I choose to trust in fate the same way I can choose to change my fate. I choose to pick myself up and look on the bright side. These are things that I choose to do.

And fate can help, if you let it. It can lead you to happy accidents like meeting your husband, or a tiny seaside restaurant that serves the best cazuela de mariscos, or a recipe not followed that turns out even better that you expected Domestic Helpe.

Faux Bulgogi
(adapted from the Bulgogi Recipe of Hyosun of Eating and Living as featured on Rasa Malaysia)

3 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine (or mirin)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon garlic, very finely minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
400-500 grams “bacon-cut” pork belly (if you don’t see this cut, just ask the butcher to slice the pork belly thinly)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
3-4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
A drizzle of canola oil
Optional: Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru) or any dried chili flakes – the original recipe called for it but I didn’t have any so I went without. You can go ahead and add chili flakes if you’d like it spicier.


- Place the gochujang, soy sauce, rice wine/mirin, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, pepper in a bowl and mix well.
- Cut the pork belly into pieces about 2 inches long.
- Mix the pork with the onions, spring onions, and marinade. Mix well and marinate for at least an hour.
- Heat a skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add a touch of oil just so the meat won’t stick. Add the pork belly and marinade into the pan, scrape everything in there. Cook, tossing frequently, until pork is cooked and the marinade has bubbled and reduced. There won’t be much marinade left, it will be coating the meat thickly.
- Serve garnished with more spring onions atop a steaming pile of rice!

Alright. First things first. Why “faux bulgogi”? Because in the original recipe you are supposed to grill the pork strips, or at the very least lay them on a skillet nicely and cook them one side at a time. I’ll admit, I was not trying to achieve a better result by dumping the whole lot (pork, marinade, and all) in my skillet – I was, in fact, just lazy. But what a fortuitous delight (happy accident!) that turned out to be. The marinade turned thick and sticky and amazing, clinging and coating the pork while the onions softened and turned just a touch caramelized.

This recipe also led me to the discovery of gochujang and I am smitten! I need to go out and buy (much) more because I am most definitely making this again, and I am very excited to find other ways to use it.

Happy accidents – really, where would we be without them? Let them happen!

Finally! After much hemming and hawing and expert procrastination, I have finally made the famous (infamous) No-Knead Bread! Yes, the very yeasty monster that so many have tried before, most raving about the results. Mark Bittman, a writer for the New York Times, featured the recipe of Jim Lahey, a breadmaker from the Sullivan St. Bakery in New York. What makes the recipe special is that it involves no kneading (yes, as the name suggest preamp, I know) and a long (12-20 hours) rest period. But of course, you already knew that seeing as to how I am probably the last to attempt this.

As you can imagine of a recipe that effectively nixes what is seen to be the most onerous part of bread-making, it took off like a rocket and spread like wildfire. Everyone tried it. It was simple, it was easy, you could do it with one hand! And best of all, it worked. People who had never made bread before were turning out boules straight out of a Montmartre boulangerie. I had to have a piece of the action.

Two things though: First, I actually like kneading. It relaxes me tremendously and, along with shopping, is my only form of exercise. Second, I am, if you haven’t yet figured out, a horrible procrastinator. If you are one too, then you know how it can be – rationalization and avoidance are our weapons.

I don’t have a Le Creuset/enamel/cast iron pot! (the vessel where you are to bake the bread) That was my common refrain (excuse). My friend M (Bond isn’t the only one with an M you know) quickly laid that doubt to rest as she made her No-Knead Bread in a crockpot bowl covered with a ceramic plate in a turbo broiler. Yes, I know she rocks. It was soon a moot point though because I bought two cast iron faux creusets (my wallet is not yet ready to spring for the Patek Philippe of enamel/cast iron French/Dutch ovens) in IKEA during a trip to Hong Kong. So no more excuses.

And if I still was the least bit hesitant this post totally won me over. There are more no-knead blog posts out there then you can shake a stick at, but if you need to be convinced to make this bread right now, just take a look at this. I love Jaden of Steamy Kitchen – love her recipes and her story-telling – but most of all I love her two adorable sons! Technically, it wasn’t Jaden that convinced me to get my tush in the kitchen and bake this bread...it was Andrew. See him in action...you won’t be sorry :)

So! Faux creuset at the ready, I started. As Jaden says (and Andrew demonstrated) it is simpler than boiling pasta: 3 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, stir! Then cover the bowl and leave to rest for 12-20 hours. After the rest, dump it on a floured surface and with wet hands grab the dough and fold the ends towards the middle, then flip it over and tuck the dough ends under so you get a taut surface. Cover and let rest again for two hours. Half an hour before the rest ends, preheat your oven to 450F and stick the covered pot into the oven. After the dough has rested custom embroidery, remove the pot from the oven and dump the dough into the pot (I put a bit of parchment in to avoid sticking as Jaden advised). Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 15-20 minutes. You’re done! (please see Jaden’s post for a more detailed procedure and photos of the dashing Andrew making the bread)

Now. The reason it says “round 1” up there is because it did not turn out as perfect as I dreamed it would, but it did turn out good enough for me to keep at it until it does. If there are expert No-Knead Bread bakers out there (and I know there are!) or any kind of bakers at all, your advice would be seriously appreciated.

Here’s my result:

This is by far the best crust I have ever had on bread that I have baked.
I like the hole-y interior...again, bigger holes than I’ve ever baked before.
The depth of flavour was superior to any of my past breads.
It was soft, hearty, with a good chew but too gummy.

As you can see, the good outweighs the bad...but it still needs some work. I’ve consulted with M and she mentioned that it could be too much water (causing the gumminess), which is very likely as we live in an amazing amount of humidity. Extra (too much) moisture in the air is something we need to deal with constantly, wreaking havoc to our baked goods and our hair. So one thing to think about for the next round would be to lessen the water from 1 1/2 cup to 1 1/4 cup.

Any other suggestions? Temperature, baking time, baking vessel? Did I bake it too long? Too short? Did it rest too long (I let it rest for 19 hours)? Do I actually need more water (who knows)? The dough looked just as wet as it should compared to the photos I’ve seen around...

Help please! :) I am already half in love with this bread...if only I could turn out a less gummy crumb!

Another reason for my excitement and determination: As soon as I am done cutting my teeth on No-Knead Bread, I will move on to Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day! Yes, I have bought the book and I’m ready to eat homemade bread for the rest of my life! Ok Ergonomic furniture, a dream maybe, but Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (the authors) are actually making it possible!

Just so you know, I still plan to knead every once in a while. I mean, a girl needs her exercise right? :)

I now realize and accept, with a toddler in the house, the inevitability of plowing through recipe after recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Despite my best efforts to entice her with other baking adventures -- “Let’s bake cupcakes! Let’s make cake! Let’s make bars filled with chocolate and condensed milk!!” – she will firmly insist on cookies. That’s not to say she doesn’t eat anything else Managed Network. She loves cupcakes and can massacre a piece of chocolate cake like a wild little gremlin after midnight. But when it comes to baking, cookies take the cake (pardon the pun).

In all fairness, I shouldn’t exaggerate. It’s not like we’ve baked together a hundred times. I suppose it’s not quite a disaster that she hasn’t yet the interest to bake layer cakes and éclairs. She’s only 3 after all. And it’s not like mama is all that fancy either when it comes to baking.

When did we pin our aspirations on our children? Sigh…one of the things I said I would never do when I was a mother. But I am also slowly realizing, and accepting, that being a mom sometimes (oftentimes) means breaking the rules you’ve set for yourself before that little bundle of life-changing energy came into your life.

And anyway, you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies
(From Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (or if you live in the tropics like I do, then just slightly softened)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 whole egg, plus 1 egg white
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks
Optional: 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped


- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugars with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes Hong Kong Festival, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- To the butter and sugar mixture, add the vanilla, whole egg, and egg white. Beat this on low speed until well combines, scraping down as needed. Add the flour mixture to this in two batches and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate and walnuts and mix through with a wooden spoon.
- Shape 2 heaping tablespoons of dough at a time into balls and place about 1 1/2 inches away from each other on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 375F oven for 12-15 minutes (Martha says 18, but 12-15 minutes is good enough for me…you might feel differently).
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

For this baking jaunt, I decided to turn to that archetype of American domestic goddess-ness, Martha Stewart. She had 3 cookie recipes that seemed good candidates: a chocolate chip chocolate cookie, a white chocolate chip, and this dark chocolate chunk. I presented the page with the photos of the three to little C and she unwaveringly chose the chocolate chunk. So here we are.

This makes that particular type of chocolate chip cookie that goes buttery crisp at the edges. Don’t try to make the cookie smaller than what it calls for in the recipe because I believe it’s the size that allows for a super crisp edge coupled with a gooey and chewy middle. Get the best dark chocolate to use as the chocolate really shines here. I used a combination of chocolate chunks and chocolate chips only because I didn’t have enough bar chocolate. When I chop my bar chocolate I don’t worry too much about getting the chunks all the same size. On the contrary, I prefer them to range wildly from hefty chunks to flattish shards to powdery rubble. Each contributes to a cookie that appears to have both layers, and glorious melting pockets, of chocolate. I did have one addition, and I’ve marked it as optional – I added walnuts because I love them in chocolate chip cookies and feel that they are a much needed crunch and contrast to the sweet Hong Kong Festival, oozy chocolate.

Like a lot of chocolate chip cookies, these are best warm out of the oven, and certainly on the same day. As such, I suggested you do what I do, which is to only bake what you are likely to consume and freeze the rest of the cookie dough in logs for future consumption (and having cookie dough in the freezer, on the ready for rainy days and heartaches, is really one of life’s great insurances!). Or, you can take stock of all the children that live in your building and send out cookie care packages accordingly.


Today, I made a batch of chili con carne and when little C piped up to help I put her beside the bowl of beef, into which I was massaging the spices. She looked at me dubiously. I gave her some spices to mix together in a small bowl and she was much happier. And as I looked at my daughter enjoying herself in the kitchen I felt happier too. Maybe expecting a 3-year old to stick her hand into a bowl of raw beef was a bit too optimistic on my part. Her pace, her place, her joy…each of us follows the beat of a different drummer. May she always find the confidence to follow hers and may I always have the wisdom to know when to let her.