According to a recent report by Redfin, there’s quite a bit of relocation going on in the United States. People are leaving cities like San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles in large numbers and are heading for warmer climates and lower housing costs.

While some destinations are seeing a great deal of net inflows of new households, the city that topped the list in the second quarter of 2023 is none other than Las Vegas, Nevada.

People are downsizing their housing costs, not their lifestyles

Las Vegas has become a popular relocation destination for a few reasons, but the most likely factor is home affordability. With mortgage rates more than double where they were in early 2022 and home prices spiking higher compared with pre-pandemic levels, affordability has become a much larger factor when people are deciding where to live.

In the case of Las Vegas, consider that the top three markets home buyers are choosing to move away from are Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. And all three are very expensive.

For example, the median home sale price in San Francisco is over $1.4 million and the median mortgage payment is $9,281 based on a 6.7% rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage. Simply put, many people can’t afford that. In both Los Angeles and Seattle, home prices are more than double what they are in Las Vegas.

In Las Vegas, the median home sale price was $412,000 in June, according to Redfin’s data, which translates to a far more affordable monthly payment of $2,721.

More: Check out our picks for the best mortgage lenders

So, for first-time buyers who had been renting in one of those markets, Las Vegas is a much more affordable place to buy a first home. And for people who owned a home in one of those markets and are now relocating, now could be a smart time for them to sell at an elevated price and roll the proceeds into a more affordable home in Las Vegas.

Other reasons why Las Vegas tops the list

Beyond the affordability factor, there are a few other likely reasons why Las Vegas has become such a popular destination:

• The availability of remote work has surged, and that’s especially true for companies based on the West Coast. This means more people are able to work from wherever they want.
• Las Vegas is within driving distance of the major California cities. There are other affordable markets in the United States, but Las Vegas allows people to live in a major metropolitan area without moving too far away.
• Las Vegas has a warm climate. Of the top 10 cities people are relocating to, all of them are in warm areas. For example, Tampa and Orlando are both on the list, and the top market people are relocating from is the New York metro area.

This could be a sustained trend

As a final thought, it’s important to note that people aren’t just starting to leave expensive cities in favor of lower-cost areas with nice weather. In fact, the net inflows to the Las Vegas area are actually lower than they were in the second quarter of last year, and that was before the worst of the mortgage rate increases worked their way into the market. All 10 of the cities on the new list also had positive net migration a year ago. So, this is a continuation of a long-tailed trend and could potentially last for years to come.

Having said all that, although Las Vegas is an affordable and warm place to live, that doesn’t mean it’s a great fit for you. If you’re looking for a new place to live, be sure to explore a few cities that have characteristics that matter to you before making a decision.

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The Scarlet Sage Herb Co., a nearly 30-year-old small business, has found itself on the verge of closure just three months after reopening in a new location in San Francisco’s Fillmore District.

According to owner Laura Ash, onerous city bureaucracy has dried up a key source of the business’ revenue: bulk dried herbs.

Earlier this month, the San Francisco Department of Public Health issued a cease-and-desist order to the store, prohibiting Scarlet Sage from selling herbs until it fulfills the requirements for a food permit. 

Having joined the company as an employee in 2009, Ash took over as owner in 2015 and has operated Scarlet Sage since then. The store is known for its focus on wellness, holistic medicine and witchery. Think tarot cards, healing crystals and sacred talismans. 

After a 28-year run on Valencia Street in the city’s Mission District, the store moved to its new location at 1903 Fillmore St. earlier this summer. Ash said a number of factors spurred her to relocate, including low foot traffic, increasing crime and difficulties renegotiating a lease with her landlord. 

After a pricey build-out, Scarlet Sage opened its doors in July. Business in the new location was slowly picking up just as the store was hit with what Ash called “an existential threat.” 

A Department of Public Health inspector visited the location in response to a complaint that scoops were being washed in the bathroom sink. Ash noted that the bathroom is currently the only source of running water available in the store, and the utensils were taken out to the herb table for further sanitizing and drying.

In Scarlet Sage’s previous location, a hand-washing sink outside the bathroom was used to clean utensils. Ash said the business was in the process of saving the funds necessary to add a similar appliance in the new location.

Ash said when she explained her situation, she was told to get an official food permit, the same as any restaurant, bar or bakery. That would require tens of thousands of dollars in additional costs as well as the inclusion of a food prep sink, a mop sink and a three-compartment sink. 

“We’re not heating or preparing food, and what they’re asking for us to do is pay $20,000 to $100,000 to comply by getting a general contractor, preparing an architectural drawing and adding five sinks,” Ash said.

She estimated the store is losing about $1,000 a day from the halt in sales. Although herbs make up only around 10% of the store’s total revenue, they serve as a gateway to bigger-budget purchases. Many customers often leave after seeing that the herbs are no longer for sale, Ash said.

The Department of Public Health confirmed to The Standard that its staff had recently inspected Scarlet Sage, which resulted in a notice to cease and desist food handling of “open (non-prepackaged) food” and to apply for a health permit. In other words, the department considers Scarlet Sage on par with any other business that serves food.

Ash said she has around two weeks of funds left, so she’s readying a fundraising effort to keep the store open as she works out a permanent solution. In the meantime, Ash said she’s working with the city to obtain a permit to package the herbs in her home kitchen.

“I’m asking for time, resources and support to comply with these new laws,” Ash said. “Let’s work on a solution together. That’s how we move forward.”

The public health department said it offered education first and will work directly with Scarlet Sage on its options, such as temporarily renting a commercial kitchen space to handle and package the merchandise and transport it back to the store for sale.

Some small-business owners are warily watching this play out and debating the idea of categorizing herb stores as restaurants. Kenny Lau, an herb store owner in Chinatown and the chairman of the Chinese Herb Trade Association of America, estimated that 90% of the herb stores in Chinatown do not have an independent sink outside of the bathroom.

“Some of the old buildings in Chinatown are not feasible to make the changes,” Lau said in Cantonese. “And a sink would cost at least $20,000.”

Lau acknowledged that certain sanitation rules should be followed to the letter of the law. But herb stores should not be required for any special permit unless they are importing rare herbs from overseas, he said.

The health department explained that it did not target Scarlet Sage but is required to investigate complaints received with respect to potential health code violations.

Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the district where Scarlet Sage is located, said he’s aware of the issue but has not heard back from the health department for further clarification.

“My office is committed to helping small businesses recover from the pandemic,” Preston said. “[The department] should be more forthcoming about their enforcement priorities and reasons for demanding costly changes at a time when small businesses are struggling to survive.”

Ash agreed with Lau and argued for a new category for businesses like hers—one that would include herbal medicine shops, tea shops and bulk candy retailers—to balance public health protections with the realities of operating a small business.

“For me, this is a survival story, and it’s not been easy,” she said. “This is a whole other level of bureaucracy that I’ve never seen before.”

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SAN FRANCISCO — With all the talk about homelessness, drug addiction and “doom loops” in San Francisco, there is at least one very popular bright spot — the weekly farmers’ market at UN Plaza. Now, even that is facing unwelcome changes.

The elegant, brick-lined beauty of United Nations Plaza has changed in recent years. Now, most days, it has become a gathering place for the homeless and drug-addicted. Yet one day each week, the atmosphere changes, thanks to the Sunday farmers’ market.

“I mean, this market was founded on the principal that this was a food desert. There was no full-service grocery store and, from day one, we had a line of people in this neighborhood waiting to purchase fresh produce,” said Steve Pulliam, executive director of Heart of the City Farmers’ Market.

The presence of so many people discourages the troubled element from congregating and officials have taken notice. They asked if the market could operate seven days a week but, when that wasn’t possible, the city quietly developed a plan to move the farmers out. Instead, the plaza will soon contain a public recreation area for skateboarding and pickleball with Teqball courts and ping-pong and chess tables.

“What we’ve been told is that it is an experimental pilot project to try to improve conditions on UN Plaza ,” Pulliam said. “We’ve been told if it does not work, if it proves to be unsuccessful, they’ll put the bricks back and we can come back on the plaza. We have our doubts about that but that’s what we’ve been told.”

As for the farmers? They will be moved to the parking lot on Fulton Street across the street from UN Plaza, but they’re not happy about it. They say the space, which market customers currently use for parking, is smaller and will not allow the same size vendor tents or space for their work trucks.

That would make a difference for Morgan Hill farmer Tony Mellow. He’s been offering a variety of produce ever since the first day the market opened in 1981. He doesn’t see the equity in displacing the farmers because of the actions of others.

“Isn’t it normal to leave something that’s there, there?” Mellow asked. “And do it where they want us to go. Put their little park for skateboards and things over there.”

Customer Ramon Zaniba agrees. He thinks the city is looking for an easy way out, rather than dealing with the real problem.

“Why bring in a different element — a skatepark and so forth? Why not allow this to be as it is and help those that need the help instead of trying to move them to — nowhere?” Zaniba said.

The farmers are asking the public to speak out but they realize it’s probably a done deal. Demolition of a statue in the Fulton Street parking lot has already begun and farmer Ken Phan is trying to keep an open mind about the move.

“More customers? Maybe?  Maybe we might be more busy, who knows?” he said. “So, this could be pro and con. We’ll see. I don’t know yet.  For now, we’ll just have to go along and work together.”

Pulliam said that, even if the current farmers can squeeze into the new space, it will eliminate the possibility of growth, preventing the market from ever fully recovering from the pandemic. He said that when they decided not to fight the plan, the city portrayed them as being supportive of it. 

Pulliam said he will not be attending a public meeting on Monday because he doesn’t want to be seen as endorsing a plan that is being forced on them.

More from CBS News

John Ramos

John Ramos accidentally launched a lifelong career in journalism when he began drawing editorial cartoons and writing smart-alecky satire pieces for the Bakersfield High School newspaper.

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• Net inflow (Q2 2023): 5,700
• Net inflow (Q2 2022): 6,700
• Top origin location: Los Angeles, CA
• Top out-of-state origin location: Los Angeles, CA

The median sales price of property in Las Vegas is $415,000, lower than the national average. The overall cost-of-living index is about on par with the rest of the country. However, Las Vegas tops this list for many reasons.

“Las Vegas is already one of the world’s top travel destinations; but as of late, it has definitely become more of a final destination for many,” said Daniel Del Pozo, Las Vegas native and local real estate agent at Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. “Over the past 40 years, the city has been one of the fastest growing in the country, but more recent aspects of the city’s growth have become more prominent beacons attracting more and more people to want to move here.”

He continued, “As with most of Nevada, Las Vegas residents benefit from having no state income tax, no recurring natural disasters, and a pretty resilient housing market. Along with the current ‘mass exodus’ of California because the cost of living has risen so high over the past decade, the job market in Las Vegas has been growing beyond that of just the Strip as we now have giants like Google, Amazon, Switch Communications, and more offering tech avenues for careers in addition to the thousands of casino/resort opportunities. Also, Las Vegas homes over the past 30 years have an average yearly appreciation of 8%-12% in the most popular areas.”

Zimbelman corroborated this by noting Las Vegas’s lack of state income tax, good corporate tax rates, affordable housing, and great weather.

Note: Cost of living data compiled from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center

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Mexican restaurant Don Pisto’s says goodbye to North Beach. The 14-year-old restaurant will close permanently on June 23, they announced on Instagram, Tablehopper first discovered.

But that’s not the end of Don Pisto’s — in 16 months, the restaurant will reopen in Baja California.

“We want to thank all of our loyal guests, amazing neighbors and friends we’ve made along the way,” Don Pisto’s Instagram post read. “We would like to say a special thank you to all of our amazing employees and friends in the North Beach restaurant industry for their support. It’s been a great 14 years and we hope to see you all at our new location in Baja.”

SFGATE was unable to reach Don Pisto’s owner, Pete Mrabe, for comment in time for publication.

Don Pisto’s opened in 2010 and turned heads with its guacamole-topped hamburguesa and bottomless brunch. In 2018, former San Francisco Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer praised Don Pisto’s for its unique take on Mexican dishes, specifically a 2-pound lobster cooked in pork fat and served with tortillas, beans, and rice.

“I don’t know of any other Mexican restaurant that offers a hamburger, but then again, I don’t know of any other Mexican restaurant like Don Pisto’s in North Beach,” Bauer wrote.

Mrabe also owns Asian fusion spot Chubby Noodle with locations in North Beach and Cabo San Lucas. When Chubby Noodle moved from the marina to its current North Beach location in 2019, Mrabe was met with displeasure from investors. They claimed they were pushed out of the resettlement, Eater reported at the time. That same year, a former colleague filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Mrabe and Chubby Noodle, but it was eventually settled.

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The Santa Cruz Unique Theater was converted from a hay and feed store. But Charlie Alisky saw it as the core of his own vaudeville circuit. (City of Santa Cruz Directory of 1904).

Famed theater impresario Sid Grauman began founding the Unique Vaudeville & Film Circuit for his Unique Theater chain in San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Watsonville. He ended up converting a hay and forage store into the hugely successful Santa Cruz Unique Theater. But it was soon taken over by a Hollister man who misjudged local entertainment tastes, and attendance plummeted.

Then, in mid-April 1905, a baby-faced man in a suit asked if it was possible to buy the theater rent. The man with the boyish grin looked like a child despite his 39 years. But his card identified him as Charlie Alisky, company president of the California Amusement Co. He was on his way to sign artists from the Louis & Clark International Exposition in Portland, Oregon. He had stopped to see if Unique wanted to book its performances, but was so impressed with the possibilities of a theater in a tourist town that he persuaded the tenant to enter into negotiations with theater owner Miss Mary Neary. Alisky bought the lease after extending it to nine years, providing her with a reliable income, and Alisky did not raise the price until 1914.

Alisky saw Santa Cruz as ideal for his vaudeville circle’s flagship theater. Charlie and his artist wife, Charlotte, found an apartment a block away in the three-story Alta Building above Chesnutwood’s business college. Alisky’s California Amusement Co. was advertised as “High Class Vaudeville,” and the quality was immediately remarkable. He banned smoking, spitting, hats in the theater, tipping, and crying children. He lengthened the shows to 90 minutes at the same prices as before (10¢) and mixed vaudeville performances with scenes from opera, plays and Shakespeare.

background

Alisky’s sense of culture goes back to his grandfather Wilhelm, who studied composition in Paris with friends Richard Wagner and Karl von Weber and then became musical director of one of the largest theaters in Germany. But when his patron died, Wilhelm’s career ended, and in 1844 he lost his life trying to build a canal through Panama. Alisky’s father was a candy maker in San Francisco when Charlie was born in 1866. The big confectionery operation was moved to Portland, Oregon, where young Charlie served in all branches of theater from opera to vaudeville. In 1883, the 17-year-old went to college in Europe, eventually leading several large pantomime and vaudeville companies that toured the continent.

Charlie returned to the United States with his own booking agency in 1893 to exhibit artists at Chicago’s great “Columbian Exposition” and ran the Casino Opera Co. In San Francisco he ran the old Stockwell Theater on Powell Street, then produced two Adelina Patti in 1904 Concerts at Walter Morosco’s Grand Opera House and broke theater records at the time, taking in $25,000 for just two shows. He then took over the management of the Casino Theater in Los Angeles. By 1905, Alisky’s firm controlled bookings for the Lyceum and Chutes theaters in San Francisco, Fischer’s Theater in Los Angeles, and other state vaudeville houses.

When Charlie W. Alisky booked acts for vaudeville stages in 1905, he saw potential in a modest Santa Cruz theater. (Ross Eric Gibson Collection).

In Santa Cruz, Alisky knew he needed rewarding performances and publicity. The Royal Hawaiian Quartet had a bill with scenes from the operas “Il Trovatore” and “Faust”. Another night trapeze artist, Leora, did amazing stunts, such as walking across the ceiling. Between evening shows, he appeared to fly out of a window across the street and land in front of the theater. This was dubbed “Slide for Life” and performed on a cable, a performance emulated by locals for the next half century. Amateur Night was a hit with the locals, one number was Googoo the Great, a milk drinker champion. Now the theater’s problem was standing room only, so Alisky began selling advance tickets at Howe’s Music Store and Model Drug Store. How do I find the theatre? “Follow the crowds and go to the Unique.” His nickname became “Popular Charlie” Alisky.

Alisky gained a chain of vaudeville houses beginning in Santa Cruz and including San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and Stockton, bringing down the cost of touring shows. When San Francisco singer Madame Addington performed at the Santa Cruz Unique, she was so impressed by the enthusiastic local audience that she suggested building a 2,000-seat opera house there. Alisky feared competition, so he looked for a way to push his boundaries to build an elegant 1,200-seat hall and host Klaw & Erlanger’s larger shows. Unable to purchase adjacent land, he hoped to build on the combined site of the Unique Theater and the Unique Hotel for Actors.

Not ready

However, demolition began before it was finished. On April 18, 1906, the San Francisco earthquake struck the Central Coast at 5:07 am. Unreinforced brick structures suffered the most, destroying many chimneys, while flexible timber-frame buildings tended to survive the tremors. But standing next to you was just as bad as being in an unreinforced masonry building. The Farmer’s Union building at the corner of Pacific and Soquel Avenues dropped portions of the brick wall through the Unique Theater’s roof, and portions of the parapet for the trolley offices were dropped through the stage’s roof. It was a blessing that the theater was empty.

While the Unique Hotel was thrown out of whack, it was quickly repaired to accommodate the now-stranded artists without putting on shows. While some had to find friends and family, most realized they were better off where they were as refugees poured into Santa Cruz’s summer homes and campgrounds.

Not a single theater in San Francisco escaped destruction, and only the Bell Theater was scheduled to reopen in less than six months. San Jose theaters were badly damaged or, like the San Jose Unique, a total loss. But Alisky’s Sacramento Unique was still open, and to keep it operational as long as possible, the steel frame of the new building rose around the old. The first San Francisco theater to open after the quake was David Grauman’s Unique Theater on May 5 at King Solomon’s Hall in Filmore. With tight money, Grauman ran his Unique as a 10¢ Vaudeville. Fifteen days later, the Orphium reopened in temporary quarters at the Chutes Theatre. Other city theaters opened in tents with elaborately painted stage set facades.

Rare footage of a San Francisco variety and movie theater following a disaster. (Ross Eric Gibson Collection)

On May 6, the Farmer’s Union building, which sent bricks through the roof of the Unique theater, reopened its second-floor ballroom. And the business school was back in business 12 days after the quake. The Santa Cruz Opera House reopened May 9 with a slide and film presentation entitled “The Ruins of San Francisco.” It was narrated by a former deputy editor of the Chronicle who was brought to Santa Cruz by local journalist John P. Cooper.

Since all were rebuilt at the same time, labor was scarce. So Alisky hired his lazy actors, like comedy team Douthitt & Jones, to help rebuild the Santa Cruz Unique, adding a promise to feature them at the grand reopening. Alisky felt there were so many once-exclusive acts rarely seen outside of San Francisco that he had to open his theater quickly. But even with round-the-clock operation, he had to postpone the opening to June 18th, then to June 25th. He had raised the roof of the Unique on a steel frame clad in corrugated iron.

Santa Cruz booked a fraternal order downtown as well as the State Republican Convention at Boardwalk’s Casino. But then, three days before Unique reopened, the Boardwalk Casino burned down from a grease fire in the restaurant. A circus tent was put up for the Republicans, and Fred Swanton said he would rebuild his beach palace, but Santa Cruz residents feared the funds weren’t there to bring something so beautiful back.

The Unique finally reopened and mobs rushed in, smashing a ticket office window in the crowd. It was so packed that nobody noticed that the capacity had been expanded to 900 seats. White-clad ushers looked like angels, while set designer William Lemos redesigned the auditorium in a sea-green neoclassical sky and added a horseshoe-shaped balcony with boxes at either end. But there was breathing space as people saw the art on the asbestos curtain, which showed the Santa Cruz Mountains and coastline, including the recently destroyed Boardwalk Casino.

The program included a female impersonator, Steamboat Stewart the ventriloquist, a trapeze act, comedians Douthitt & Jones, singer Gene King and moving images of the San Francisco earthquake and fire with flickering red and yellow flame effects.

By December, thanks to funding from PG&E founder John Martin, the walls of a larger Boardwalk casino had been built on the beach. That month, Al Watson stopped writing 10-minute comedy skits, split a story into two 15-minute sections with an interlude (today’s sitcom format), and ended up with a film. Alisky opened his magnificent new theater in Sacramento and intended to build more in Oakland and Santa Cruz. He changed the name of the Santa Cruz Unique to the Alisky Theater. Ironically, however, this marked the beginning of Alisky making his Santa Cruz Theater famous for someone else entirely.

The 1906 disaster turned from a traumatic experience into an educational spectacle. (Ross Eric Gibson Collection)

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Amy Brown of the popular Marla Bakery in Windsor has announced that her shop will take over the former Miracle Plum space at 208 Davis St. at Railroad Square in Santa Rosa.

Brown and her partner Joe Wolf sold baked goods at Miracle Plum between October and December 2022 before the wine and grocery store closed permanently in January. They hope to reopen the space as a bakery and cafe in early May.

“Gwen and Sallie (the owners of Miracle Plum) were the main reason we thought we could even open a bakery here in Sonoma County. They’ve always been an inspiration and we’ve always loved the space,” Brown said.

Brown and Wolf were San Francisco bakery favorites before moving to Santa Rosa in 2019. In 2020 they opened the production bakery in Windsor where they sell homemade bagels, cakes and bread.

Marla also offers special dishes and seasonal meals that can be announced on her Instagram page (@marla_sr) and pre-ordered through her website (marlabakery.com). Upcoming specials include Fried Chicken (March 11). Past meals have included a Valentine’s Day picnic for two and sufganiyot (donuts) for Hanukkah.

The production kitchen will remain in Windsor, but the new location will also offer sandwiches and salads for lunch. Brown hopes to add Sunday Suppers this summer.

A selection of freshly baked bagels and other baked goods from Marla Bakery, a weekend pop-up brunch at Spinster Sisters restaurant in Santa Rosa. (Beth Slimmer/The Press Democrat)

“It’s always scary opening a brick and mortar store, but we’ve wanted one since we moved here,” Brown said.

“The place has good bones, good light and it feels like home there,” she added.

Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming Santa Rosa Bakery and Cafe. Marla’s Rolling Window in Windsor is open Thursdays from 10am to 1pm and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. 399 Business Park Court, Windsor.

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These San Francisco-style noodles are an American blend of Vietnamese and Italian cuisine

The other night I made the most popular recipe of the year, at least according to the New York Times. The recipe, which has been viewed more than 1.2 million times, is a San Francisco-style pasta dish by food writer J. Kenji López-Alt.

Its simple ingredient list includes eye-opening 20 cloves of garlic, plus fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Since garlic is pretty much a food group in my house, and I always have parmesan, fish sauce, and oyster sauce in my fridge, I thought I’d give it a try.

What is San Francisco-style Vietnamese-American Garlic Noodles?

This garlic noodle recipe is a twist on a classic San Francisco dish that Helene An created in the early 1970s at her restaurant, Thanh Long, where it has been famously served with baked Dungeness crabs for the past five decades. An fled Vietnam during the war, settled in the Bay Area and eventually started a restaurant empire.

In the early days, as López-Alt writes, An “felt that the restaurant would thrive by sacrificing authenticity in favor of dishes specifically designed to appeal to the local clientele.” She was inspired to create her own take on a disappointing garlic pasta dish at an Italian restaurant.

Although popular, the real recipe remains a mystery. In López-Alt’s interpretation, he calls for spaghetti rather than Asian noodles, and foreshadows the use of Southeast Asian sauces such as fish sauce and oyster sauce as ingredients. Paired with soy sauce, parmesan cheese, and all that garlic, it’s an intense, unique dish.

Why do you need 20 cloves of garlic?

Since this dish has become so popular this year, there has been an online debate about how to prepare it. One of the biggest points of debate is how to handle the 20 cloves of garlic, which are said to be “crushed or pounded in a mortar and pestle.”

Minced garlic can be obtained in a number of ways. Chopping with a knife can be tricky if you don’t have good knife skills, and you run the risk of not having consistent pieces that cook evenly. Crushing the garlic before chopping makes things quicker and a little easier. I decide to use a microplane grater instead of a knife for convenience. The risk with a grater is that the garlic can be a bit spicier or more bitter, but since I would cook the garlic for a few minutes I wasn’t concerned about that. If you have a mini food processor, that will work too. However, avoid a larger food processor, which will chop the garlic too large and unevenly.

How to make San Francisco-style Vietnamese-American Garlic Noodles

The great thing about cooking this dish is that once you learn the basics, you don’t need a recipe. Two quirks of the recipe involve cooking the spaghetti. First, the Times suggests cooking the pasta in a skillet or skillet covered with 2 inches of boiling water, rather than in a large pot of boiling water. The reason here is to get starchier pasta water that you want to reserve to toss with the pasta. The other quirk is removing the pasta from the boiling water before it’s completely al dente (about 2 minutes less than the package says). The pasta will continue to cook as you add it to the sauce to toss over high heat.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 20 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 pound dry spaghetti
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• A bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced

directions

Step 1: Combine the ingredients

Melt butter in a saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce, stir and remove from heat.

Step 2: Cook pasta

Bring a few inches of salted water to a boil in a pan or saucepan over high heat. Add the spaghetti. Stir the pasta a few times as it cooks until almost al dente (about 2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time on the package).

Step 3: Bring everything together

Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta to the garlic umami sauce, along with the water that is sticking to it (make sure to save the pasta water!). Bring the heat to high and add cheese. Stir and toss vigorously until the sauce is creamy and emulsified. Add reserved pasta water if it looks too greasy or dry. Stir in the spring onions and serve immediately.

Vietnamese dishes that everyone should know

xuanhuongho/Getty Images

Bread

Popular around the world, this Vietnamese baguette combines cold, grilled or fried meat with pickled radish and carrots, chili, cucumber, cilantro, pate, mayonnaise and maggi seasoning for a multidimensional bite. You can make this Chicken Banh Mi at home.

asab974/Getty Images

pancakes

With golden, crispy edges, this fried crepe made with rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric encases minced pork, bean sprouts and shrimp. Wrap with lettuce and fresh herbs and dip in sweet, sour and salty Nước Chấm sauce for best effect.

taste of home

Lettuce Wraps

There are many Vietnamese dishes that are best enjoyed wrapped in lettuce and herbs before dipping in a sauce, such as bánh xèo, cuốn giấm bổng (pork and shrimp wraps), and chả giò (fried spring rolls). If you’re inspired by crunchy emerald leaves and savory sauces, prepare our Vietnamese Pork Salad Wraps.

simonlong/Getty Images

spring rolls

Often referred to as “fresh spring rolls,” goi cuốn are soft, translucent rice paper rolls filled with rice noodles, fresh herbs, leafy greens, and shrimp or pork. Dipped in nước chấm, or peanut sauce, they make a great appetizer for lunch or dinner. Learn how to make spring rolls at home.

ISS Photography/Getty Images

Bun Cha

Although there are several amazing Vietnamese dishes made with bún (vermicelli), bún cha is a refreshing noodle bowl soaked in warm grilled pork, fresh herbs and nước chấm sauce. It’s an all-day favorite in Hanoi!

YinYang/Getty Images

noodle soup

We bet Pho is a Vietnamese recipe you’ve heard of before. So what is pho? With its fragrant broth flavored with star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves and cardamom, this rice noodle soup is enjoyed across the country. You’ll find countless toppings, from wafer-thin slices of raw beef to a handful of fresh herbs like cilantro, sliced ​​onions, basil and mint, all smothered with a squeeze of lime juice.

baoquang/Getty Images

Bun Bo Hue

With notes of lemongrass, shrimp paste, chili and rock candy, this flavorful noodle soup features vermicelli with a choice of beef and pork cuts. Garnished with onions, spring onions, Vietnamese coriander and banana blossoms, this dish is characteristic of Huế Imperial cuisine.

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broken rice

This “broken rice” dish typically combines softer steamed rice grains with various types of grilled meat and either a fried egg or Chả trứng (Vietnamese steamed omelet). It is usually served with any meal with a side of sliced ​​cucumber, tomato, and oil infused with scallions.

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Chinese braised meat

Combining sweet and savory, this warming stew of caramelized pork and eggs braised in coconut water is a popular lunch or dinner staple with a side of steamed jasmine rice and spicy dưa giá (pickled bean sprouts).

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Soup

A true Vietnamese meal is not complete without canh, an everyday Vietnamese soup made with water instead of broth. While some can be simple, more complex canh recipes combine either meat or seafood with an abundance of different vegetables to create sweet, sour, and savory profiles.

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tea

Why choose one type of dessert when you can have them all in one multi-layered rainbow? Chè are traditional Vietnamese sweet drinks, puddings, or dessert soups that mix fruits, beans, and jellies soaked in sugar syrup or coconut cream. They are served hot or cold.

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egg coffee

Though only served in cafes in Hanoi, Cà phê trứng is where a quick pick-me-up meets delicious dessert decadence. Made with Robusta coffee, egg yolk and creamy condensed milk, Cà phê trứng is an experience that is simultaneously reminiscent of tiramisu, eggnog and fluffy egg custard.

The post San Francisco-Model Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles Are the Most Common Recipe of the Yr appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

These San Francisco style noodles are an American mashup of Vietnamese and Italian cuisine

The other evening, I made the most popular recipe of the year, at least according to the New York Times. The recipe, which was viewed more than 1.2 million times, is a San Francisco-style noodle dish from food writer J. Kenji López-Alt.

Among its simple list of ingredients is an eye-opening 20 cloves of garlic, as well as fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and Parmesan cheese. Since garlic is pretty much a food group in my house, and I always have parm, fish sauce and oyster sauce in my fridge, I figured I would give it whirl.

What Are San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles?

This garlicky noodle recipe is a twist on a classic San Francisco dish, created by Helene An at her Thanh Long restaurant in the early 1970s, where it has been famously served with baked Dungeness crab for the past five decades. An fled Vietnam during the war, settling in the Bay Area and eventually launching a restaurant empire.

In the early days, as López-Alt writes, An “felt that the restaurant would find more success by eschewing authenticity in favor of dishes that were designed specifically to appeal to the local clientele.” She was inspired by a disappointing garlic pasta dish at an Italian restaurant to create her own rendition.

Though popular, the real recipe remains a secret. In López-Alt’s interpretation, he calls for spaghetti rather than Asian noodles and intuitively the use of Southeast Asian sauces such as fish sauce and oyster sauce as ingredients. Coupled with soy sauce, Parmesan cheese and all that garlic, it’s an intense, unique dish.

Why Do You Need 20 Cloves of Minced Garlic?

Since this dish became so popular this year, there has been online debate on how to make it. One of the biggest points of discussion is how to handle the 20 cloves of garlic, which are to be “minced or smashed in a mortar and pestle.”

Minced garlic can be achieved in a number of ways. Mincing with a knife can be tricky if you don’t have good knife skills, and you run the risk of not having uniform pieces that cook evenly. Smashing the garlic before you mince makes things faster and slightly easier. I choose to use a microplane grater instead of a knife for ease. The risk with a grater is that the garlic can be a little more spicy or bitter, but since I’d be cooking the garlic for a few minutes, I wasn’t worried about that. If you have a mini food processor, that works too. But avoid a larger food processor, which will chop the garlic too big and unevenly.

How to Make San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles

The great thing about cooking this dish is that once you learn the basics, you don’t really need a recipe anymore. Two quirks of the recipe involve cooking the spaghetti. First, the Times’ suggests cooking the pasta in a skillet or sauté pan, covered by 2 inches of boiling water, rather than a big pot of boiling water. The reason here is to get starchier pasta water, which you’ll want to reserve to toss with the pasta. The other quirk is to remove the pasta from the boiling water before it’s totally al dente (about 2 minutes less than the time on the package). The pasta will continue to cook as you add it to the sauce to toss over high heat.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 20 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tea spoons fish sauce
• 1 pound dry spaghetti
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• One bunch of scallions, thinly sliced

directions

Step 1: Combine ingredients

Melt butter in a saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce, stir to combine, then remove from heat.

Step 2: Cook the pasta

Bring a couple of inches of salted water to a boil in a skillet or saucepan, over high heat. Add the spaghetti. Stir the pasta a few times as it cooks until it’s almost al dente (about 2 minutes less than the recommended cook time on the package).

Step 3: Bring it all together

Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta to the garlic-umami sauce, along with whatever water clings to it (be sure to reserve the pasta water!). Bring heat to high, and add cheese. Stir and toss vigorously until the sauce is creamy and emulsified. Add reserved pasta water if it looks too greasy or dry. Stir in scallions and serve immediately.

Vietnamese Dishes Everyone Should Know

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Banh mi

Loved around the world, these Vietnamese baguette sandwiches together cold, grilled or roasted meats, along with pickled daikon and carrots, chiles, cucumbers, cilantro, smears of pâté, mayonnaise and Maggi seasoning for a multidimensional bite each time. You can make this Chicken Banh Mi at home.

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Banh xèo

With its golden crispy edges, this pan-fried crepe of rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric envelopes minced pork, bean sprouts and shrimp. Wrap with lettuce and fresh herbs and dunk in sweet, sour and salty nước chấm sauce for best effect.

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Lettuce wraps

There are many Vietnamese dishes that are best enjoyed wrapped in lettuce and herbs before dipped into a sauce such as Bánh xèo, Cuốn giấm bổng (pork and shrimp wraps) and Chả giò (fried spring rolls). If you’re feeling inspired by crisp emerald leaves and zesty sauces, make our Vietnamese Pork Lettuce Wraps.

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Gỏi cuốn

Often called “fresh spring rolls,” Gỏi cuốn are soft, translucent rice paper rolls stuffed with rice noodles, fresh herbs, leafy greens and shrimp or pork. Dipped in nước chấm or peanut sauce, they make a great lunch or dinner party appetizer. Learn how to make spring rolls at home.

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Bun Cha

Although there are several amazing Vietnamese dishes that feature Bún (vermicelli noodles), Bún Cha is a refreshing noodle bowl topped with warm grilled pork, fresh herbs and drenched in nước chấm sauce. It’s an all-day favorite in Hanoi!

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Phở

We bet that pho is one Vietnamese recipe you’ve already heard of. So, what is pho? With its fragrant broth seasoned with star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves and cardamom, this rice noodle soup is widely enjoyed across the country. You’ll find a myriad of toppings, from paper-thin slices of raw beef to handfuls of fresh herbs like coriander, sliced ​​onions, basil and mint all doused in a spritz of lime juice.

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Bun Bo Hue

With notes of lemongrass, shrimp paste, chili and rock sugar, this spicy noodle soup features vermicelli noodles with an assortment of beef and pork cuts. Garnished with onions, scallions, Vietnamese coriander and banana blossoms, this dish is characteristic of the Imperial cuisine of Huế.

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Cơm Tấm

This “broken rice” dish typically pairs softer steamed rice grains with different types of grilled meats and either a fried egg or Chả trứng (Vietnamese steamed omelet). It is usually served at any mealtime with a side of sliced ​​cucumbers, tomatoes and scallion-infused oil.

Zoe Life Photography/Getty Images

Thịt Kho Tau

Blending sweet and savory, this warming stew of caramelized pork and eggs braised in coconut water is a beloved lunch or dinnertime staple with an accompaniment of steamed jasmine rice and tangy Dưa giá (pickled bean sprouts).

Duy Doan/Getty Images

Canh

A true Vietnamese meal is not complete without Canh, an everyday Vietnamese soup made from water instead of stock. While some can be simple, more complex Canh recipes marry together either meat or seafood with an abundance of different vegetables to create sweet, sour and savory profiles.

NguyenDucQuang/Getty Images

Che

Why choose one type of dessert when you can have them all in a singular, multi-layered, rainbow? Chè are traditional Vietnamese sweet beverages, puddings or dessert soups that mix fruits, beans and jellies soaked in sugary syrup or coconut cream. They are served hot or cold.

Photo by Rafa Elias/Getty Images

Cà phê trứng

Although only served at cafes in Hanoi, Cà phê trứng is where a quick pick-me-up meets delightful dessert decadence. Made with robusta coffee, egg yolk and creamy condensed milk, Cà phê trứng is an experience simultaneously reminiscent of tiramisu, eggnog and fluffy egg custard.

The post San Francisco-Fashion Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles Are the Most Well-liked Recipe of the Yr appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.