Radicchio Roundup 8/3/25

Welcome to the Radicchio Roundup, where we round up the hottest things we’ve experienced this week. In no particular order:

Cherry Pistachio Biscotti

Cherry Pistachio Biscotti is a pro treat to indulge in, especially with your little coffee in the morning. I followed a recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook for Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti but subbed the dried cranberries for dried cherries. They’re super easy to make and 10/10 would recommend. NOTE: the dough should be wayy stickier than you think, and when you shape the logs they should be toight like a toiger.

Peameal Bacon Sandwich

Patty from Toronto is a “Bay Area food popup serving Canadian classics,” and their Peameal Bacon Sandwich is our latest obsession. Consisting of Peameal Bacon aka Canadian Bacon (lean pork loin rolled in cornmeal sliced thin and crisped up, not smoked), maple mayo, and a “country bun,” it is the most satisfying sandwich we’ve had in recent memory. They also have Jamaican beef patties and iced maple coffee. More Canadian food please.

Crispy Fingerlings

We had some more gently-boiled fingerlings from my papas bravas video in the freezer, and they just needed to be crisped up. I grabbed in a 9x9 pan and put enough olive oil in it to coat the bottom generously, put the pan in the oven and then turned the oven on to 400° F (204° C), put the frozen potatoes in the hot pan (be careful of splatter), tossed them in the hot oil, put them back in the oven for 10 minutes, took them out to toss them in the oil again, put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes, took them out of the oven and put them on a paper towel-lined plate, and then sprinkled Kosher salt all over them. One of the most potato-y ways to eat a potato.

Lana’s (Old Oakland)

For better or worse, beef tallow is having a moment. But in Lana’s case, it’s definitely for the better. Patties are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and packed with rich, beefy flavor that only beef tallow can provide. Don’t skip on house-made tots, also fried in beef tallow, and the ube ice cream or calamansi sorbet (or a scoop of each).

Clowns

As a gay guy, I had thought I’d seen it all. But this year at Dore Alley, I saw a clown getting Eiffel-Towered who had a horn placed just right for it to squeak with each thrust. If you are the clown and happen to be reading this… thank you.