So What's the Real Story on Frommage?

As part of a nutrition consult one of the questions I ask clients is “what are your favorite foods?”  Invariably many will state “I love cheese but I know I’m not supposed to eat it.”  Cheese has a bad rap in America – too much fat, makes you constipated, only have the low fat kind.  The list goes on and on.

For the record I love cheese and eat it almost daily.  The more the better – fresh ricotta, Emmentaler, Gouda (especially goat Gouda) are some of my favorites.  Where did America get the idea that cheese is a bad food?  The French eat it every day and don’t have a problem with it.

In the 80’s it was widespread that one was to avoid fat at all costs to be healthy.  As a result many low fat foods emerged on the market including many types of low fat or nonfat cheese.  Unfortunately this left over mentality and altered food products have not gone away, perpetuating the idea that one is “sinning” if enjoying cheese.

Cheese contains fat and protein and calcium.  Many need a dietary calcium source which cheese provides.  Eating 2 ounces of cheese a day (2 nice sized chunks) can be a great snack along with a piece of fruit.

Cheese does contain saturated fat.  However, studies show the real villain is trans fat, which increases heart disease by at least 35%.  Trans fat is in processed packaged foods, a far cry from great cheese.  Consuming 10% of your diet as saturated fat will not break your health bank and provides pleasure and satisfaction with your food.

In addition, if you choose European cheese or cheese that comes from grass-fed cows it contains higher levels of omega 3 fats which is good for your health.

If you like cheese, eat some daily.  Have a reasonable portion and savor the taste of the real thing.  Just like processed food, the low or nonfat cheeses have been altered in some way and in my opinion are not worth the bite.  Having a little bit of France every day might not be such a bad thing.

A Lunch to Remember...boulettes larder

Jeffrey and I got off the plane in San Francisco hungry and looking for a place to eat lunch.  After checking into the hotel we decided to let the wind guide us to sustenance.

What better place to come every other year for a diabetes conference to learn the cutting edge research?  This year we decided to come early in the day Thursday to try to catch some fun before the conference started.  Little did we know where the afternoon would take us.

Our hotel just happens to be across the street from the Ferry building – an amazing array of culinary treats that could send you running to the gym the next day.  We found an amazing cheese store called Cowgirl Creamery where each cheese tastes like something out of France.  We bought a cheese called Abbaye de Belloc that melts in your mouth.  Fresh cottage and ricotta cheese for tomorrow’s breakfast with some fresh strawberries hit the spot.

Chocolate shops, bread bakeries, and other wonderful collection of culinary delicacies and unusual shops could leave you lingering all afternoon.

The most wonderful treat was the restaurant we happened upon – boulettes larder – a culinary delight serving clean gourmet food.  Inside the restaurant there is a romantic charm with a large farm table with a French atmospheric kitchen in which the diner feels like a participant in the food preparation.  There are small bistro tables on the outside which provide a more intimate setting.  Couple this with one of the most delightful lunches we have ever had comparable to something in Europe.

We started with Butternut Squash soup garnished with fresh ricotta.  I could have stopped there and been satisfied but we still had the entrees to go.  Jeffrey had Turkish lamb kofte boulettes – steamed mixed cracked wheat and quinoa, baby beets, black chickpeas, and yogurt with toasted cumin and dried mint.  I had north Indian spice braised chicken with a mango relish with yogurt.  Both dishes had the most amazing mix of intense complementary flavors, with appropriate balance of ingredients beyond what your imagination can fathom.

Even the tea was excellent and came with rose honey and milk. Of course we had to have dessert and John our waiter suggested the gateau a l’orange – a cake with the consistency of soft cornbread with a lingering flavor of soft orange after the bite was long gone-carbs worth having.

You might think one would feel too full after this amazing meal.  Surprisingly we felt light, content, and ready to explore the rest of the city.  This speaks to how one can eat more fresh food with organic sustainable ingredients.  John said the food was “thoughtful and fresh.”  Thoughtful food – I love that!  Indeed the food was thoughtful and I tasted it with each appreciative bite.  I spoke with one of the owners Lori and she could not have been lovelier.  Hopefully we can meet the chef before we depart the city.

Back in our hotel room we opened the Wall Street Journal to find an article in which Alice Waters from Chez Panisse was interviewed.  The journalist pressed her for where she likes to eat, and although hesitant about endorsements, she touted the salads at boulettes larder.  Who would have known?  Thank you boulettes larder for a wonderful start to our trip.  If you have a visit planned to San Francisco I would make this restaurant a priority of places to eat.  You won’t be disappointed and I wish I had found this treasure sooner.