Monk’s Kettle
For anyone that knows me, I'm not much of a beer person. If I had a choice I would rather be drinking a nice French Bordeaux. However, the Monk's Kettle stands out as a primer location for beer in the city, and is one place I wouldn't mind having a bottle of suds. Monk's Kettle is one of a growing number of gastropubs in the city that combines quality food and good beer together to form what an ideal bar should be like, a place to enjoy to company of others while sharing a good meal and drink.
Although Monk's offers a selection of wines, once you take a look at the dizzing 5 page beer list, you'll know your in a beer lovers bar. They offer 24 draft beers and a staggering 150 specialty bottles running the gambit of styles from light golden lagers to deep dark stouts. These beers come from the four corners of the Earth, and while you'll see beer mainly from Europe and America here there is a good selection of Asian beers all from craft breweries. People looking for a common beer need not apply. Also prices aren't that cheap either, most bottled beer is over $10 per bottle, with some costing more than a bottle of wine in a nice restaurant.
The food here isn't a slouch either. They offer a small selection of appetizers, burgers, entrees that will satisfy the hunger. The menu also suggests beer pairings that will go well with each dish. On one visit there my group sampled a couple of their appetizers. A charcuterie plate consisting of 4 different cured meats, a macaroni and cheese with lobster and bacon, and a bowl of fries with 3 different dipping sauces. All the dishes were satisfying and tasty. The standout of the evening for me was the special mac and cheese they offered. The combination of the lobster and bacon with the cheese sauce was good and surprised most of guest I was with.
Overall the Monk's kettle is a great place to get a good glass of beer and some great food. Although this place hasn't changed my love of wine, it has definitely improved my view of beer. It is has made a place of my list of great places to eat in the Mission.
Tasty fries. They came with a flavored ketchup, curry aoli, and mayo. Hits the spot when drinking.
The charcuterie plate consisted of duck prosciutto, regular prosciutto, salami, and sasuage.
The lobster-bacon mac and cheese with just great.
Chicken teriyaki
I have said it before, and I'll say it again, but a good majority of Japanese cooking can be done with 4 simple seasonings, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake. When these 4 ingredients are combined in varying ratios you can get many different sauces, teriyaki sauce is a good example. Lots of Americans know this sauce, and you can buy bottles of premade sauce at almost any market. It is the common word that is used when a chain restaurant or fast food place wants to add an exotic twist to their menu, either that or a pineapple slice. These teriyaki sauces have a different consistency and tastes then the basic sauce. usually its additional spices of flavorings. These additions, at least to me, make the sauce less like a teriyaki and more like something else.
Monday dinner: stuffed meat loaf
Tonight I made dinner with my roommate. I prepared the meat loaf and she prepared the sides. I've done this meatloaf several times before, although each time has been a different variation. My consistency is incredibly lacking. The inside is stuffed with various vegetables and the outside is covered with bacon and a glazed made with brown sugar, ketchup, and cumin. The sides were a mixed wild rice and a zucchini onion dish. Overall for me the meatloaf was alright. The taste was there, but the vegetables seemed undercooked. I should have roasted them, did this step previously and it turned out rather well. Since they were roasted they shrank so I was able to fit more in there. One step I did this time was tuck the excess bacon underneath the loaf. I noticed this actually allowed it to hold its shape better and it seemed there was less leakage of juices.
