We recently conducted a blind taste test of plain croissants and I was responsible for picking up from Butter & Crumble, where I had a fantastic corn-themed croissant. I’m usually apathetic toward filled croissants, which tend to prioritize interior flavor over exterior integrity, but the bakery is among the few that get it right. Twice-baked and filled with corn custard, cornmeal frangipane (almond cream) and garnished with salted caramel, the croissant skillfully balanced highlighting the flavor of corn without going overboard on sweetness.
Butter & Crumble. 271 Francisco St., San Francisco. butterandcrumble.com
On my last visit to Abacá, the Filipino restaurant in the Marina, my favorite dish — even beyond the fan-favorite sisig rice and crab noodles — was a not-so-secret menu item: isaw, a skewer of chewy, tremendously rich pork intestines. Each bite of the smoky, banana barbecue sauce-lacquered pork released a burst of buttery, slightly funky fat, cut through by a papaya atchara (pickle).
Abacá. 2700 Jones St., San Francisco. restaurantabaca.com
It had been years since my last visit to Ethiopian restaurant Mela Bistro in Oakland, and on a recent Tuesday night outing, the place was packed out. I discovered an unexpected new favorite: purple pickled cabbage, part of the veggie platter. The gingery, sour cabbage made for a lovely reset following the berbere-spiced beef and turmeric-ladden chickpea stew…