The search for mala ends in Chinatown

Ever since we returned from China, I've been craving Chinese food. I don't mean chow mein from the local take out place. I mean real Chinese food, the spicy goodness that we ate from street vendors and in little hole-in-the-wall restaurants all over Beijing. 

We wanted spice. We wanted Szechuan.

With that in mind, Jacob and I did a little bit of research and ended up in Chinatown at an unassuming restaurant called Z & Y.  It was packed, and we eyed a dish that looked like a huge plate of chili peppers. I had a strong feeling we had come to the right place.

The very first dish we ate (spicy numbing beef tender) surprised us with the tongue-tingling Chinese spice called mala. This little peppercorn-like nugget doesn't pack the typical heat. It's more of a tingling and numbing sensation that can be overwhelming at first. I'll confess, the first time I tasted it in China I wasn't so sure. By the end of our visit, though, I was hooked. I was thrilled to find it again in the US.

At the waitress's suggestion, we also tried the spicy fish with flaming chili oil,  and we had to go for the chicken with the explosive chili pepper, that dish we had seen on other tables that lived up to its name, being indeed an explosion of chilis. We also had the house cold noodle, another pleasantly hot dish.

We had some people in the party who don't eat meat and weren't into the intense spice, and they were more than happy with the vegetables - the dry sauteed string beans, the bean curd family style, and the spicy eggplant in a clay pot. A few people actually thought the vegetables stole the show.

I am very happy now that I've gotten my Chinese food fix, although I think I'll continue to seek out authentic Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area.

Here are the details:

Z & Y
655 Jackson St.
SF, CA 94133
Phone: 415-981-8988

Stern Grove Festival opens it's 73rd festival season

I know I just said that the Mountain Winery was the best place in the Bay Area to see an outdoor concert. But it has a close second or tie for first in Stern Grove. This eucalyptus grove nestled into the outer reaches of the Sunset District has been providing a summer concert series since 1938. And best of all, it's free. 

The season kicks off today with Angelique Kidjo, a world music diva with reggae/Latin/African influence. The show starts at 2pm, but because it's free and the seating is a free-for-all, I recommend getting there as early as possible to stake out a good spot.  You can buy food there, or bring your own picnic.

The rest of the season includes the usual appearances by the SF Ballet, SF Opera and the SF Symphony (a fabulous way to experience these cultural treasures gratis and in a gorgeous outdoor setting), as well as popular acts like Maceo Parker.

For more information, visit the Stern Grove website.

The Mountain Winery, music with a view

On your way to the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, you begin to suspect you're in for a treat. The road starts out normal enough, but then it curves more, the trees get denser, the houses spaced further apart, and the road lifts up and up until you feel yourself leaving the valley and heading solidly into the hills.

Even as you begin to suspect what's in store, the reality of it still takes your breath away. It's one hell of a view. A panoramic vista of San Jose and Silicon Valley stretches out at your feet. And there's a glass of wine in your hand.

Welcome to the Mountain Winery. It's about as California as a concert experience can get.

The winery has been hosting concerts since 1958, and the stage is set in front of a dramatic facade: a Gothic church entrance, moved there from St. Patrick's Church in San Jose, after the original church collapsed in the 1906 earthquake, set amid sandstone bricks.

We saw Zakir Hussein, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyers play there, along with Chick Corea, and it was an amazing show. Particularly the trio - take the tabla, the banjo and a classical cellist, and the result is musical alchemy. I felt like I could have ridden to heaven on the waves of that music. And I can't imagine a better setting for it.

There are restaurants that serve dinner on the premises, but we were pretty happy bringing a picnic dinner and enjoying the tables near the parking lot. Get there early to enjoy the setting.

For more information, visit the Mountain Winery website.

San Mateo County Fair on the cheap

We went to the first day of the San Mateo County Fair yesterday, and let me tell you, the carnies are still well rehearsed in the ancient art of parting you from your money.

We walked around, the children making us easy targets, as the games people called out to us non-stop, "Guaranteed to win! Get the ping pong ball in the bowl, win a goldfish! Come on, the kids will enjoy this!"

What with parking ($10), entrance fee ($10 adult, $8 child), carnival ride tickets ($3-$5 per ride), lemonade ($6), it all adds up. But it doesn't have to. I was scoping out ways to enjoy the fair without feeling like I was spending a fortune to be there.

The first tips come before you walk in the gates. Tip #1, arrive early (it opens at noon) and find street parking. It's not that hard, but you're out of luck if you get there late. Getting there early also avoids the big crowds.

Tip # 2, buy your tickets online. You can save $17 on a family of four by getting the Family Fun Pack for $19, admitting two adults and two juniors. Children five and under are always free. Individual tickets are also discounted if you purchase them online first.

If you're going to go on lots of the carnival rides, go ahead and get the carnival pass for $21. That's like 5-7 rides, if you're paying individually. There's plenty of free entertainment, with live music, livestock displays of fatted 4-H cows, pigs, turkeys, etc.

There are also lots of fun, free activities for children. Near the Livestock Arena is an area called Rancho California. Several little booths allow the kids to experience California's agricultural legacy, from tossing a lasso around a stuffed horse to riding little tractors. Kids can pan for gold, saddle a pretend horse, milk a pretend cow, or play dress up, and all for free.

Inside the Shopping Hall, there is a room with tons of legos, perfect for allowing creative children to go to town constructing something. Near the kids' carnival section, there is a free art zone and a free kids' karaoke stage.

One of the most fun free activities, though, has to be the pig races. Those little piglets squeal and run while the crowd cheers them on, and the man from Arkansas makes an entertaining host. It's good for all ages. For more details, visit the San Mateo County Fair website.