Bloomfield, that is. Her new restaurant Sailor. Her old restaurant, White Gold Butcher. And the restaurant where she started, The River Cafe. Also one of my favorite ingredients.
I'm stunned at the small audience for this wonderful publication. Ruth is a genius force in the food/writing world. Maybe this is what late/post-career looks like. I expect my Substack to only get a few likes/comments but I was never famous! I love reading and viewing your essays Ruth. Thank you for so many years of pleasure and learning! 👏
We were lucky enough to have April Bloomfield in Los Angeles for a short time at the Hearth & Hound. It was feet from my office so I went frequently. She was always there, working hard, quiet yet affable. Her food was familiar and comforting but uniquely her own. A huge talent.
In a world teeming with podcasts and Substack subscriptions that multiply faster than mushrooms on a sunny winter day, La Briffe stands out. I love the tone, the delectable descriptions and the many sources of inspiration. And I really loved your acknowledgement of Ruthie Rogers and how she has created such a wonderful environment in her restaurant. Genius.
There’s an equivalent cured mullet roe delicacy in Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean cuisines 😇 It can be served on a platter alternating with slices of daikon for a juicy, crunchy, mild contrast to the richness of the roe -- a fairly different approach to doubling down with butter, although that does sound delightful also. Thank you for teaching me about bottarga today!
Last summer, I had the most stupendous spaghetti cacio e pepe at Le Burle, in Capalbio, Italy, that was covered in grated bottarga. It brought a wonderful marine scent and flavor to the creamy sauce. I have a package of bottara in my fridge.
Ah, the good old days before the discovery of bottarga (or “poutarge” as we knew it in Provence). We would buy it for a few centimes from the olive vendor (along with preserved lemons) at the Manosque Saturday market. Grated over pasta at lunch when we returned home, it was a comfort. Little did we know it would become a luxury.
Sailor is wonderful. The deep experience and love that April and Gabe have brought to Sailor comes through in every detail of their work. Thank you for sharing your experience at Sailor and tying it into your past connections with them.
Her era at Tosca in San Francisco was epic...it's definitely fallen off since. Too bad it ended poorly. Thank you for the spaghetti-bottarga recipe - cannot wait to try it!
I grew up eating brains, sweetbreads, livers, etc., thanks to adventurous parents and access. Just ry to get your hands on any of that these days when you aren't a high end restaurant or process your own meat (and butchers in my area of Vermont are clueless).
I'm stunned at the small audience for this wonderful publication. Ruth is a genius force in the food/writing world. Maybe this is what late/post-career looks like. I expect my Substack to only get a few likes/comments but I was never famous! I love reading and viewing your essays Ruth. Thank you for so many years of pleasure and learning! 👏
We were lucky enough to have April Bloomfield in Los Angeles for a short time at the Hearth & Hound. It was feet from my office so I went frequently. She was always there, working hard, quiet yet affable. Her food was familiar and comforting but uniquely her own. A huge talent.
Florida Bottarga would be a good name for a band.
In a world teeming with podcasts and Substack subscriptions that multiply faster than mushrooms on a sunny winter day, La Briffe stands out. I love the tone, the delectable descriptions and the many sources of inspiration. And I really loved your acknowledgement of Ruthie Rogers and how she has created such a wonderful environment in her restaurant. Genius.
Thank you!
There’s an equivalent cured mullet roe delicacy in Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean cuisines 😇 It can be served on a platter alternating with slices of daikon for a juicy, crunchy, mild contrast to the richness of the roe -- a fairly different approach to doubling down with butter, although that does sound delightful also. Thank you for teaching me about bottarga today!
Greece isn’t the first country that comes to mind as a source of bottarga. Italy - specifically Sardinia - is the Mecca for this delicacy.
Brilliant. All sounds and looks delicious. I have to make my way there. Steak!
Last summer, I had the most stupendous spaghetti cacio e pepe at Le Burle, in Capalbio, Italy, that was covered in grated bottarga. It brought a wonderful marine scent and flavor to the creamy sauce. I have a package of bottara in my fridge.
Ah, the good old days before the discovery of bottarga (or “poutarge” as we knew it in Provence). We would buy it for a few centimes from the olive vendor (along with preserved lemons) at the Manosque Saturday market. Grated over pasta at lunch when we returned home, it was a comfort. Little did we know it would become a luxury.
Sailor is wonderful. The deep experience and love that April and Gabe have brought to Sailor comes through in every detail of their work. Thank you for sharing your experience at Sailor and tying it into your past connections with them.
I love April’s cooking! Mouthwatering piece!
Her era at Tosca in San Francisco was epic...it's definitely fallen off since. Too bad it ended poorly. Thank you for the spaghetti-bottarga recipe - cannot wait to try it!
I grew up eating brains, sweetbreads, livers, etc., thanks to adventurous parents and access. Just ry to get your hands on any of that these days when you aren't a high end restaurant or process your own meat (and butchers in my area of Vermont are clueless).
Lucky and entitled you. And, yes, I am jealous.
Unfortunately, I have heard that Chef April is a horribly toxic person in the workplace. Knowing what I do, I wouldn’t seek her out.