Coconut Curry, Spinach Salad

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A superbly seasoned Thai curry including potato, carrot, mushroom, eggplant, tomatoes, light coconut milk, and spices matched with a crisp spinach, avocado, and tomato side salad tossed with a lovely sesame-oil dressing. Colleen also prepared a pot of fragrant, filling brown basmati rice to round out our meal.

The Goods: Colleen's terrific Thai-inspired lunch was exactly what we needed to heat up our chilly San Francisco morning. For those not in the know, July is one of the coldest months of the year in SF, meaning that while the rest of the country tries to stay cool during hot spells, we're bundling up in our City by the Bay. While we're not exactly complaining—there are worse things than year-round mild temperatures—we're pretty sure we're also the only Americans ravenous for warming comfort foods.