SHOW & RECIPE FOR AUG. 30

This Labor Day weekend broadcast of Delicious Mischief from San Francisco marks our farewell to our good friends at CNN 650. As of Sept. 6, Houston’s most respected and most fun food and wine radio show moves to NewsRadio 740 KTRH. In addition to its 50,000 watts of broadcast power, KTRH offers Houston a rich tradition of quality broadcasting going back to 1929. In fact, local icon Jesse Jones called the station KTRH to signify “Kome To Rice Hotel,” the downtown landmark he owned and operated across from the Houston Chronicle, which he also owned and operated. We will miss CNN 650 but we embrace NewsRadio 740 KTRH. Any station that carries the Astros games is a pretty good place to call home!

THEATER OF THE TASTE BUDS
People are always saying that restaurant dining is theater, but at Teatro Zin Zanni on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, the idea gets mighty literal. A bit like dinner theater on acid, with a serious side order of Cirque du Soleil, Zin Zanni offers a first-class multi-course meal with a show filled with thrills, spills and plenty of laughter. We chat with the managing director of this San Francisco destination (there’s another Teatro Zin Zanni in Seattle), as well as with the executive chef who watches the night-long performance on a monitor to choreograph each course coming out of the kitchen.

HOTEL WITH A HISTORY
Back in 1906, long before Chef Bernd Liebergesell was born in Germany, a terrible earthquake and fire brought San Francisco to its knees. In fact, one of the few places in the city capable of serving meals to hungry survivors was the then-new St. Francis Hotel, now operated as the Westin St. Francis. We sit down with Chef Bernd to talk about this amazing history spread over more than a century, as well as about the famous dignitaries from around the world he has fed within these walls. There’s even a Survivor’s Breakfast prepared here each year, for the few who were around for the Big One.

YOUR VERY FIRST CRUSH
In this case, we’re not talking about young love but about young wine – unless, that is, we’re talking about old wine. First Crush combines the better parts of Houston establishments like Cova and Max’s Wine Dive, letting a creative menu take orders from an impressive, all-California wine list. The place has a cool, hip, thoroughly downtown vibe and tends to attract a younger crowd with different interests than their parents and grandparents. We interview the eatery’s manager about the wine and its executive chef about the food – as the Gershwins would put it, who could ask for anything more?

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
GRILLED SHRIMP REMOULADE

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Romaine lettuce leaves

Remoulade:
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
½ cup diced celery
1 cup diced green onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Place the shrimp in a glass bowl with the oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt, mixing to coat thoroughly. Cover and set the bowl in the refrigerator to marinate for 3 hours. Prepare the remoulade by whisking together the mustard with the vinegar in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking constantly, followed by all remaining remoulade ingredients. When ready to serve, grill the shrimp over hot coals for 5-7 minutes, turning halfway through. Set shrimp on plates atop lettuce leaves and spoon remoulade over the top and sides. Serves 8.