photos of peach menu by Jojo Soriano

 peach-blueberry cobbler with peach pistachio rosewater sorbet

Marcy Masumoto charmed us between courses, telling stories about the family, the farm, peaches and reading from the wonderful writings by her, her daugher Nikiko and her amazing husband, David "Mas" Masumoto, one of California's brilliant farmers!

 vietnamese style spring roll with peach mustard and peach sweet and sour sauce.

grilled peach with cashew "chevre" coated with peppercorns, chervil and chives with mizuna and cherry balsamic reduction

homemade tempeh in peach barbecue sauce on baquette pieces with radichio salad and sauteed corn, chilis and squash.

peach set in blueberry kanten with peaches and blueberries marinated in 10 year old Niku Jaya (Japanese brandy)

Almond garlic gazpacho with peaches, cucumbers and olive oil

with my A-team, sous chef Cori and server, Isabelle.

These photos were taken by Jojo Soriano! From the Masumoto farms peach menu at the underground restaurant, july, 2013

Persian cooking class, August 18, 2013

The wonderful flavors of the Ancient culture of Persia! Saffron, dill, tarragon, olive oil and other delightful ingredients will permeate this class as we explore some summer vegetable dishes from and inspired by Persian cuisine and its surrounding areas.
These are some of my personal favorite summer dishes!

Hands on class. We will be creating the following:

Eggplant stewed with tomatos
Basmati Rice baked with dill, cilantro, parsley and olive oil
Smoked eggplant dip
peppers stuffed with lentils and herbs
cold cucumber soup

Sunday, August 18, 2013
noon
limited space for 8
$50/person
for more information or to register, vegshaku8 at gmail

Thai/Vietnamese cooking class August 11, 2013

Another in our series of exploring  delicious food and culinary ideas from around the globe.
This time we will be preparing dishes from Thailand and Vietnam, examining a variety of techniques; stir frying, deep frying, steaming including the following:

summer rolls: fresh rice noodles and fried tempeh in rice paper with vietnamese herbs.
spicy, sweet and sour dipping sauce
lemongrass tofu
sticky rice steamed in lotus leaf
rice noodles stir fried with sprouts and gai lan
stir fried ong choy with garlic

and more

Sunday, August 11, 2013
noon
limited space for 8
$50/person
for more information or to register, vegshaku8 at gmail

Tempeh class August 4

If there is one thing i have become known for as a chef, it is the homemade tempeh i have been making for almost a decade. It is easier than you think and requires less special equipment than you may be concerned about.  The difference between freshly made tempeh and the pasteurized, industrially produced stuff, wrapped in plastic on market shelves is vast! It is beyond worth the effort to create this amazing source of protein.

Tempeh is a traditional food made by fermenting soybeans from Indonesia. Other types of beans can be used to create different types of tempeh.

I will be demonstrating how to make homemade tempeh, explaining all the different steps of the 2 day process. Then we will use some of my tempeh to make several delightful summer dishes using various techniques, smoking, stir frying, sauteeing, roasting and deep frying. This, like all my classes is hands on; you will be creating all the dishes along with the other students in a very friendly and fun kitchen atmosphere.

We will be creating:
homemade tempeh
smoked tempeh burgers
tempeh "bacon"
blackberry roasted tempeh
fried tempeh with blueberry mustard and plum sweet and sour sauce


Sunday, August 4, 2013
noon
limited space for 8
$50/class
for more information or to register, vegshaku8 at gmail

Spanish cooking class, August 25, 2013

Another in our series exploring international cuisines. This time we return to Spain for some wonderful summer flavors.
Hands on class, where we will be creating the following dishes:

White Gazpacho (cold, almond, garlic soup)
Romesco sauce (roasted red pepper sauce)
Paella (classic spanish style rice dish with saffron and vegetables)
bean salad made with rancho gordo heirloom beans
Mushrooms cooked with sherry

and more

Sunday, august 25
noon
$50/person
limited space for 8
for more information or to register, vegshaku8@gmail.com

September 29, 2013, Lisa Lynn/Aryeh Frankfurter duet dinner/concert

Sunday, September 29, 2013
8 pm
limited seating for 20
$60/person
for more information or to register, vegshaku8@gmail.com

Please to announce our first fall dinner/concert for 2013, a stunningly beautiful duet of harps! Lisa Lynne Franco (harp) and Aryeh Frankfurter (harp, nickelharper).


menu coming soon.

Frank Gratkowski dinner/concert August 3, 2013

Thrilled to have Frank return! One of the most fascinating and innovative clarinet/sax players of our times returns for his 4th appearance on the dinner/concert series, to begin our 9th year of underground restaurants paired with world renowned musicians. Frank Gratkowski, visiting from Berlin will be performing solo on clarinet, bass clarinet and alto saxophone.

Menu to be developed, soon but expect summer flavors of tomatos, blueberries, eggplants, fresh beans, chilis and of course, our famous homemade tempeh and much more.

Saturday August 3
8 pm
limited space for 20
$60/person, byob
for more information or to make reservations, vegshaku8 at gmail.

in a private loft in oakland

first course
sichuan style corn soup flavored with star anise, fresh chilis and sichuan peppercorns


second course
dim sum plate
smoked tofu wrapped in yuba, steamed
steamed buns filled with smoked tempeh (homemade tempeh)
spicy, tangy plum sauce
blueberry mustard

interlude:
watermelon sorbet

entree
eggplant napoleon layered with smoked eggplant spread, roasted zucchini, baby eggplants stuffed with basil and homemade cashew cheese; heirloom beans sauteed with corn; roasted cherry tomatos with pine nuts; pasta; heirloom tomato sauce

dessert
nectarine blackberry cobbler (le gran nectarines from Masumoto Farms!)
blackberry pistachio sorbet

Tofu Class, July 21

Back by popular demand is our tofu making class.
Learn how to make homemade tofu! And several wonderful tofu dishes from various cultures.

Hands on class!

Sunday, July 21
noon
limited space for 8
$50/person
for more information or to register, vegshaku8 at gmail

we will be preparing the following:

homemade tofu w/ fresh mustard sauce, seaweed and shoyu
tofu burgers
thai style Tofu Laarb, a delightful salad with herbs and toasted rice wrapped in romaine
Chawan Mushi (tofu custard)
Smoked tofu wrapped in yuba
and more