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Just got back from San Francisco/wine country -

Nothing makes you forget sitting on a plane for 6 hours quite like a burrito in the Mission. My sister's fave is Taqueria Cancun - yum. Lengua and carne asada were particularly good. This is one of my must-haves on any SF trip. As is Bi-Rite Creamery, which we also enjoyed - salted caramel goodness, hooray!

We hit the Ferry Building on Saturday morning as usual, and while I truly don't get the fascination with 4505 Meats, other than their sausages (burger AND chicken sandwich were average at best), the Mexican tent (cannot remember the name right now) is stellar. Chilaquiles and masa cakes were the perfect breakfast before hitting the road and heading north. Hint: unless you want to stand in line FOREVER, bring your own coffee.

Best "new" restaurant of the trip - Mission Chinese Food. My brother-in-law is a chef in SF, so he knows the folks who opened it (they also had affiliation with Mission Street Food and Commonwealth), and our very high expectations were met. It's a small place, and there was a wait on a Monday night, but you can BYOB. We had: cold sesame noodles (the only really average dish of the night - just bland), szechuan pickles, salt cod fried rice, broccoli beef cheek, ma po tofu, king pao pastrami, bok choy with mushrooms and garlic, xi'an lamb, lamb cheek biang biang mien, and the "chinese" BBQ platter. It. Was. AMAZING. If you don't like spicy food, it may not be the place for you, but if you do? Damn. I really can't pick a favorite, because the dishes were all ridiculous, but I lean toward the lamb cheek noodles and the broccoli beef cheek. Though, I will also say, the BBQ brisket may have been the absolute best example I've eaten since I was in San Antonio in 2008. Go. Go now.

Betty- Did the Mexican place have big plastic barrels of homemade tea and juice mixes on the side? If so it was Pimavera, I really enjoyed it too, the Chi Chi Rodriguez drink was fantastic.

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Betty- Did the Mexican place have big plastic barrels of homemade tea and juice mixes on the side? If so it was Pimavera, I really enjoyed it too, the Chi Chi Rodriguez drink was fantastic.

Yes, thank you! Primavera - exactly. We didn't get anything to drink, but darn it if the chilaquiles weren't the perfect breakfast. I would like some right about now!

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Need a couple of dinner reservations for a trip in a couple of weeks. We're staying near Union Square, but I'll have a car, so we can travel. Need something not over-the-top on price, as I'll be there with the kids. Don't need anything dumbed-down - they love good food - but I'm not dropping $100pp for my kids to have dinner.

Any ideas?

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Need a couple of dinner reservations for a trip in a couple of weeks. We're staying near Union Square, but I'll have a car, so we can travel. Need something not over-the-top on price, as I'll be there with the kids. Don't need anything dumbed-down - they love good food - but I'm not dropping $100pp for my kids to have dinner.

Any ideas?

Delfina or flour + water get my vote and if you go to Delfina you are near the Bi-rite Creamery for some excellent ice cream.

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Delfina or flour + water get my vote and if you go to Delfina you are near the Bi-rite Creamery for some excellent ice cream.

Seconded. Some other favorites in that same general price range: Nopa, Bar Crudo, Incanto, Frances.

Could also take them to get XLB...not sure if there are any places doing those in the DC area. Shanghai King and Shanghai House are both good in the Richmond, and Kingdom of Dumpling is v good in the Outer Sunset. Bamboo Garden in Mountain View is amazing if you happen to be that far south.

And no trip to SF should be complete without hitting a taqueria or three. La Taqueria for cabeza, San Jose for al pastor, Guadalajara for carnitas. Cancun for sesos if you have time.

ETA: And they don't really do reservations, but Mission Chinese Food is _killing_ it right now.

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If you're in the Mission getting tacos, stop by Humphry Slocombe for their unconventional ice cream flavors though my fave is still the Vietnamese iced coffee ice cream. Katana-ya has some decent ramen right by Union Square, and if you go to the Ferry Building on Thursday there are a bunch of food trucks there that are fantastic.

ETA: and I totally concur that Mission Chinese Food is AWESOME. The BBQ (yes BBQ) is meltingly tender and wonderful. And it's def. a really interesting take on Szechuan.

And I had a less than great experience with R&G Lounge for Chinese, which seems to be the one I've seen people recommend. But I don't know what else to recommend.

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Had a fantastic meal at the Slanted Door in the Ferry Building on Friday night. The oft-mentioned cellophane noodles with dungeness crab was very good, but the other entrees (we were in a private room with a family style set menu) composed of the shaking beef (really really good) and the pork chop (fantastic, and I hate pork chops) were even better. You also need to get the spare ribs here as an app, they were amazing.

Got a burrito at about 2am at Taqueria el Farolito in the Mission. So good. Carne Asada super burrito.

Ended up at Farmerbrown for brunch on Sunday. Decent brunch buffet (good sausage gravy) but, as has been described elsewhere, the Tenderloin (even just a block into it) is like an outdoor insane asylum. Stick to cleaner neighborhoods.

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Hi-- I have a work trip to SF this week and have one night where I think I can slip away for a solo meal. With a 1 year old at home, the opportunities for dining and travel are not what they used to be so I want to make the most of it. I've got a tentative reservation at Zuni Cafe (for the chicken!) but don't know what's new, exciting, etc. Also... I'll be staying out by SFO for a morning flight , but will come in for dinner (I vaguely remember that now you can take a train downtown?), so any recommendations that would leave me in an easy place to get back to SFO on public transit would be great.

Thanks!!

DC

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Does anyone have any good recommendations for wine tastings in Sonoma/Healdsburg? I am trying to head up there with 3 friends in a few weeks. 2 of us are above average in wine knowledge, 2 of us below average, and we are ideally trying to keep costs down. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Don't know if you've already been or not, but we were highly impressed by Michel-Schlumberger, right outside of Healdsburgh. Both the setting and the wines were superb.

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Don't know if you've already been or not, but we were highly impressed by Michel-Schlumberger, right outside of Healdsburgh. Both the setting and the wines were superb.

Ginny & I were there several (well, a little more than several actually) years ago. At that time, you couldnt just go on your own but needed someone local (a b&b or inn) to get you in. Can you now just call and reserve? And, by the way, I agree.... very nice place and excellent wines.

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Ginny & I were there several (well, a little more than several actually) years ago. At that time, you couldnt just go on your own but needed someone local (a b&b or inn) to get you in. Can you now just call and reserve? And, by the way, I agree.... very nice place and excellent wines.

No reservations needed; I was there just biking up West Dry Creek. They were superbly friendly and the setting is indeed gorgeous; they also had my favorite wines of the trip, because they're very Old World-y instead of New. Highly recommend.

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Had a nice trip into town a couple weeks ago, during which I had a mixed bag of food experiences:

A lunch at the bar at Luce was only OK. I had planned to return for a dinner if I really liked my lunch, but didn't go back. The baby beet salad was lovely, simply dressed and with gorgeous tiny beets, but the short ribs over pasta (granted, I chose incorrectly off the market menu for the weather) had a nice texture but were very bland. It needed salt and a touch of something else to accompany the beefy flavor (which did shine through). I also liked the peanut butter bar (basically a peanut butter mousse version of the kit kat bar dessert), but it wasn't enough to overcome my disappointment with the main course. The restaurant didn't seem to be at all busy during a weekday lunch.

Turns out I do like the cream puffs at Beard Papa. I had them once before and wasn't overwhelmed, but this time I liked them much better. The vanilla puff was nice and light for a cream-filled pastry, but didn't have a very strong vanilla flavor. The cocoa puff, with chocolate cream, had a much deeper flavor. Both were good, though, and they don't skimp on the cream!

I hear the food at Cha-Am (a Thai restaurant) is pretty good, but I didn't enjoy my eggplant and salmon special. The brown sauce was tasty enough, with lots of basil, but salmon and asian eggplants don't really mix. Plus the generous portion of salmon was quite dry and overcooked. Everyone else's food looked good, though, especially the curries.

I cobbled together a fabulous meal at the bar at Quince. Everything was just exactly to my taste and made me SO happy after a stressful work week. I started with the tomato salad, which featured by far the best tomatoes I’d had all year, possibly in years. Large and small tomatoes (some were skinned for me!) balanced perfectly with some burrata and basalmic vinegar. Then I had a classic steak tartare paired with house-made, waffle-cut potato chips, and a green garlic aoli. It was an unami explosion in my mouth. Finally, a late summer scallop dish (chanterelles, corn, creamy sauce) was a great finish to the meal. The scallops weren’t seared quite as much as I like, but I loved the composition of the dish. I had a glass of sparkling rose with all this and had no room for dessert. It. Was. Awesome.

The Out the Door outpost by my hotel (Westfield Center) was closed due to flooding? problems while I was there :( Disappointing, because I'd planned to grab a quick dinner there one night.

Working Girls Cafe (the kind with briefcases, not the other kind) is great place to grab sandwiches at lunchtime! I had a lovely chicken pesto on a soft (important!) focaccia-like bread that I enjoyed very much. I think there are several outposts scattered about town.

Yank Sing (Stevenson St.) is delicious and expensive. It is genuinely dangerous eating there, because everything looks so tempting and is so darn...available. Also, there's the lack of up-front pricing. I had some great dishes and was glad I got a chance to try it, but I might seek out cheaper dim sum next time! I had a wonderful hunk of sea bass, tasty and unbroken xiao long bao, a cunningly perfect, one-person serving of Peking Duck (this is genius, and worth every penny for not having to purchase the whole duck), and a nice pile of sautéed (still crisp) pea pods. I didn’t really care for the potstickers or chicken/mushroom dumplings, but they were fine. For my $, I did eat enough for two people, and I wasn’t hungry until the next day, so that is something to consider.

There are also a bunch of new flavors available at Ghiradelli. I'm not sure when (or if) they'll make it over to the east coast, but I tried a chocolate truffle, a dark chocolate with sea salt caramel (my new favorite), a milk chocolate with latte caramel (my new second favorite), a dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds, and a dark chocolate with truffle filling. They are all very good and I hope they make it into general circulation!!

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Managed to only eat stellar meals on this very short trip to town!

To everyone who has mentioned Sushi Sam's, thank you!!! I'd been to San Mateo a bunch of times, but never stayed to eat, and now I have a serious reason to visit. We started with the fried oysters and agadashi tofu, and they really know how to do the fried. Only light, crunchy, delicious bites for both apps. The salmon was nice and the hot dog roll (deep-fried yellowtail) was fine, but the sashimi is AMAZING. We had the toro (x2, yeah BRING IT), the black cod, and the butterfish. Those chefs know from lightly seared fish with acid and sea salt. Maybe next time we would branch into the non-seared pieces, but probobaly not, because each was perfectly composed in slightly different ways (in changing the acid - the cod has ultrathin slices of kiwi!). Our meal perfectly fulfilled a sushi craving we'd had all week. We were glad we got there early, because there was a line by the time we left @ 7 PM. As we left, we noted that all the other (nice-enough-looking) restaurants on the block were, at best, half full.

Lunch at the Slanted Door proved that I really do like it, and their cooks really are terrific. Noodles and rolls were both simple and perfectly cooked. My neighbor's caramel shrimp looked wonderful (seared with lots of dark sauce), so maybe next time...

Grabbed some goat cheese (Setzer? something like that - sharply tangy and creamy) at Cowgirl Creamery, a small rustic loaf at Acme Bread Co., and one of each of the macarons (incluing hazelnut, chocolate lavender, and mocha) at Miette. All that plus some satsuma oranges I bought at a farm stand earlier in the week, and I'm willing to bet that I had by far the best dinner on the plane!

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Will be heading to San Fran and surrounding wine country Memorial Day weekend. Any new suggestions?

Slanted Door is already on the list because both my friend and I have missed it on earlier trips, but otherwise, I'm a bit out of the loop on the scene out there. Last time I went our big meal was at Gary Danko's and was a total disappointment so please nobody suggest that one. :)

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Quince. Quuuuuuuuuuuince. Or Cotogna, its sister restaurant next door. Or both, as they are quite different experiences; first, you can get lunch at Cotogna. Also, it is noisy and energetic, to match the food, which is the more rustic and robust compared to the more languidly perfect food at Quince. I haven't been in town for a Sunday supper yet and I really want to try it.

If you are south of the City near SFO and in the mood for fish, Sushi Sam's is great. If you get the toro, be sure to ask them to sear it. If you don't ask they might sear it, or they might not. Searing it is definitely the way to go.

Also south of the City in Millbrae is a Vietnamese restaurant called La Petite Camille which, at least in the noodles and rolls department, can give the cooks at the Slanted Door a run for their money and you a break on the bill. Fantastic execution in a much more casual, almost dumpy setting.

Do tell what happened at Gary Danko - it used to be my favorite restaurant in SF.

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Do tell what happened at Gary Danko - it used to be my favorite restaurant in SF.

Thanks for the recs!

As for what happened at Gary Danko, some poor service in parts (waiting a REALLY long time to be waited on initially for instance) and some dishes that just weren't that special were the general gist.We just left completely underwhelmed and when I spend that kind of money(which is a treat for me) I expect a meal that while perhaps not flawless really impresses. I will give the caveat that that was one of the first meals where I spent that kind of money as it was earlier in my "foodie" days (we paid close to $350 for 2 people inclusive) so that may have affected my impression, but before or since then I've spent as much (or in some cases significantly more) at Charleston, Restaurant Eve, Minibar, Rogue 24, Wit & Wisdom, and Le Bernardin and never felt like I didn't get my money's worth like I did at Gary Danko. I have to assume it was a fluke as it's so highly regarded, but I'm not going to find out unless it's someone else's treat. :P

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Quince. Quuuuuuuuuuuince. Or Cotogna, its sister restaurant next door. Or both, as they are quite different experiences; first, you can get lunch at Cotogna. Also, it is noisy and energetic, to match the food, which is the more rustic and robust compared to the more languidly perfect food at Quince.

So, we were sitting at the bar at Cotogna earlier this week around noon when this hipster/businessman dude in a suit sits down beside us. Within 5 minutes he was gone. I asked the bartender if it was something we said. He told us that the guy looked at the menu and announced that none of the appetizers were speaking to him. "I don't know what he is talking about," said the bartender. "This is the best lunch in the city. Anyway, he'll be back. He'll take a walk around the neighborhood and end up right back here." Sure enough, 10 minutes later the bartender shoots us a knowing glance and here comes the same guy to grab the same stool next to us that he improvidently abandoned a short time earlier.

As immodest was his boast about being the best lunch in San Francisco, the bartender might not be far off the mark. The asparagus, sourced from Zuckerman Farm, served "alla Fiorentina" was delicious. It was 4 jumbo stalks cooked perfectly dressed with butter, a touch of balsamic, and topped with some bits of pancetta and shaved parmigiano. Very simple, but very good. Sticking with that theme, the tagliolini with dungeness crab and meyer lemon did not disappoint - al dente pasta tossed with a light dressing of lemon and oil with plump portions of crab. Sundae in the Park's assessment is spot on; the food has a rustic feel and this place bristles with energy. It is not a large space and nearly every chair was occupied the entire time we were there. This place serves solid, well-executed plates at a reasonable prices. Too bad it is not closer to home. It is the kind of place I would enjoy visiting regularly.

Other highlights:

Lunch at the Slanted Door, which lived up to its hype for us. We enjoyed the California yellowtail topped with crispy shallots and thai basil, the spring rolls with shrimp and pork that you wrap in lettuce and mint and dip into a peanut sauce, the cellophane noodles with green onion, dungeness crab, and sesame, and wood oven roasted arctic char with a jicama and blood orange slaw and cucumber lime dipping sauce.

Oysters and beer at the Hog Island Oyster Bar in the Ferry Building while looking out over the bay.

Hand-pulled mozarella, arancini, and margherita pizza at Pizzeria Delfina.

Surprisingly good Mexican fare at Tropisueno on Yerba Buena Lane. I think even middle-of-the-road Mexican restuarants in California probably are better than much of what you can find on the east coast. Nothing fancy here. Just well-made traditional Mexican food in abundant quantities at affordable prices. Excellent chips.

Acme Bread, which we sampled at MarketBar. Acme has a bakery right in the Ferry Building. They served the Acme epi bread. The food at this place was not bad, but none of it was nearly as good as this bread. This bread really was delicious. Photo here. The picture shows just about the size of the portion MarketBar sells for $2 (I think the picture cuts off a fourth section to the right which would make it the size I remember).

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I had a group dinner at the very highly rated Slanted Door in San Francisco a few months ago. About half the dishes we ordered were classic Vietnamese dishes, and for every one of those, Huong Viet kicked the Slanted Door's high end rump, at a fraction of the price.

I think the Slanted Door is over-rated, except for the dungeoness crab sauteed in garlic sauce.

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funny that there is a discussion right now on San Francisco. I was just about to ask for suggestions for one lunch in San Francisco. was thinking about going to The Ferry Building but am looking for other options. I don't want the Slanted Door- I've been and didn't love it. Help wanted!

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I think the Slanted Door is over-rated, except for the dungeoness crab sauteed in garlic sauce.

Over-rated or just over-priced? I've really liked everything I've had there, but feel a bit miffed to be paying that much for Asian food, especially the homestyle or classic Vietnamese dishes that I know I can get elsewhere just as well or almost as well-prepared for a fraction of the price (I feel the same way about Yank Sing). So I agree with Polly, though I note that the location is most excellent, and adds to the price!

funny that there is a discussion right now on San Francisco. I was just about to ask for suggestions for one lunch in San Francisco. was thinking about going to The Ferry Building but am looking for other options. I don't want the Slanted Door- I've been and didn't love it. Help wanted!

What type of food are you looking for? What area? Cotogna and Zuni both do lunch and are terrific.

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Based on my experience at Quince, I would definitely second the suggestion for Cotogna. I'm very sad we didn't have time to also eat at Cotogna and Zuni, but our other meal (lunch) was at Slanted Door. We really enjoyed it, but I see you've already done that.

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Was in SF on the front / back side of a trip to Monterey for a wedding, a few quick blurbs mostly stuck around the ferry building due to the short duration of the stop:

-Lunch at Hog Island Oyster Bar - Excellent oysters, great grilled cheese with pickled vegetables, all while seated outside overlooking the bay. An excellent start to the trip.

-Dinner at the Slanted Door - Once again seated outside looking out at the bay, started with crispy imperial rolls and the spare ribs which were both delicious. Split a bowl of the dungenous crab soup with corn, which was in a consume like broth that the +1 and I both really enjoyed. Rounded out the meal with the spicy squid with jalepeno and pineapple and the cellophane noodles, both of which hit the spot. All in all, the +1 was very pleased we ate here despite her initial protest about never having had this type of food before.

-Dessert at Bi Rite Creamery - Absolutely worth the wait (the line was around the block). I had the salted carmel (lived up to the hype) and roasted banana ice cream, she had the balsamic strawberry...all were amazing and have me contemplating the purchase of the cookbook to try these at home.

-Breakfast on the way to the airport at Cowgirl Creamery and Blue Bottle Coffee again in the Ferry Building - really enjoyed a double espresso at Blue Bottle, great fruity taste. Breakfast sandwhich on acme bread with aged gruere and a baked egg was an excellent end to the trip.

It was my first time in SF and I only had about 10 hours total there but I was really impressed. I can't wait to go back and visit when I'm not flying by the seat of my pants and have time to actually plan out my eating.

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-Dessert at Bi Rite Creamery - Absolutely worth the wait (the line was around the block). I had the salted carmel (lived up to the hype) and roasted banana ice cream, she had the balsamic strawberry...all were amazing and have me contemplating the purchase of the cookbook to try these at home.

I am so jealous - I dream about that salted caramel ice cream. The roasted banana is great, too. Let me know if you try them at home - if the recipes are doable, I might consider investing in an ice cream machine. :)

For anyone traveling to SF (especially if you do so regularly), allow me to get a quick plug in - my brother in law is the chef of Lazy Bear, an underground restaurant that has continued to gain steam since he started it a few years ago. You can see photos of his amazing food here: http://www.lazybearsf.com/blog/. He is in the process of securing a space to open a real, brick-and-mortar restaurant, so any and all support is welcomed! He is self-trained, but he has SERIOUS chops (and he has staged at a number of awesome restaurants in NY and SF to get additional experience). To get reservations, I believe you have to be on their mailing list - they have regularly been getting 300+ requests for 48 slots!

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Holy Smoleys... where to start. I guess at the beginning.

Hubby and I went to SF for a long weekend before his conference out there this week. We arrived Friday morning and check into Hotel Kabuki, which had really nice service. He had a suite with two beds, one Japanese, and a sauna which was much appreciated. Not as nice as say the Hotel Huntington, but very nice and right next to the Japan Cultural Center. The Japan Center has a bevy of sushi, izakaya and ramen joints.

We stopped into the SuZu Noodle House by chance, not realizing people rave about it and it is apparently hard to get into. We just happened to get there around 11:30 when it opened, saw a few people waiting to get in and thought, huh. I got the Miso Ramen and Hubby got the House broth, which is non-traditional pork broth with some chicken broth. I liked the texture of the homemade noodles, which were a bit al dente in a good way, and of course soften up as you eat it. The pork, egg and green onion gave it a bit of protein and crunch. I liked the Miso broth, but I love a good miso soup, I like the velvety quality of the broth. Hubby's broth was really good though, like eating bacon in soup form. It was delicious, I kept stealing spoon-fulls.

Later that day we visited the Press Club, one of our favorite wine bars in downtown. We thought about getting the tasting of empanadas, but wandered on to Anchor & Hope for dinner instead. I loved the casual vibe of the place and the industrialness of the building. I started with a very good caesar salad, the kind with good homemade dressing, actual anchovies and just really good ingredients. I then had the mussels in a fennel broth with shoe string potatoes. I was a bit disappointed the potatoes were like ridges potato chip crumbs and not french fries, but otherwise the mussels were good with a nice broth. Hubby had the shrimp and clam pasta. He was surprised how good the noodles and sauce were with a very nice punch of garlic to it and noodles cooked perfectly al dente and very good noodles, not sure if they are housemade, but tastes homemade to me.

The next morning we started at the Ferry Building nibbling our way through. Highlights were the Peeples doughnuts- nectarine vanilla bean being my favorite, cream-sickle was also good, Roli Roti for a porchetta sandwich that was crispy and juicy on bread that was just soft enough to soak up all the juice and just firm enough to hold up under the pressure. We also had juice from Primavera, and a sausage biscuit from Les Elements Patisserie. And green bean and carrot salad with a very nice light sesame dressing from Delicia. We picked up some dark chocolate toffee and dried fruit to take home with us from some of the stands.

We then ventured over towards Fisherman's Wharf where we were going to do a Go Car because it was so nice outside and it just looked fun and I could take pictures out of it. Instead we ended up finding a guy with a couple old VW bugs that he rents called Bugsters, we had a beautiful '69 pearly green bug that we cruised the city in. Between watching my husband drive an old standard transmission through the city, the amazing weather and views and all the compliments we got on the car it was so much fun, and just a hoot. We love old cars so this was right up our alley. We then went to Pe Yale up in the Filmore, Chestnut area for some wine (we were in search of a cocktail bar, but settled for a wine bar as a lot of the bars in this area were filled for the football game).

For dinner we went to Tacolicious, which was so so so good. The cocktails were fresh and smooth, the tuna tartare tostada was silky and fatty with crunch and salt from the tostada and really good. The chipotle salsa was very tasty. We had the short rib taco, fish taco and beer and a shot chicken taco. They were all very good, but the short rib was a real standout winner. I like the size of these tacos, which aren't huge, but not tiny, just right to try a couple different ones. This place is really worth the stop, very good and a lot of fun.

The next day we had brunch at Nopa. I just couldn't resist going back. We stopped at the Divisadero Farmer's Market first and had some juice from Juicy Lucy's. At Nopa we had a great seat upstairs overlooking the kitchen. The downfall on that is we could see all the plates coming out and it was near impossible to decide what to eat as everything there is really amazingly good. I settled on bratwurst, farro, grilled apples, poached eggs. The farro was cooked in broth, not sure exactly what kind, it was mild and homey, but good. I liked the bratwurst, not too spicy, good for breakfast with the apples and eggs. The whole dish went together so well. Hubby had the braised pork with butter beans and greens and biscuit. This reminded me of rural southern heaven. Good butter beans, slow braised pork, it was delicious.

Later that day I got my In N'Out Burger fix. I LOVE In N'Out Burger. I don't know why, I don't try to argue with it, I just eat it. But the one in downtown SF with the hoards of people just isn't quite the same as the normal drive through, it just takes some of the essence away, although I still adore the burger.

That night was Out the Door on Bush Street. We sat at the bar and watched the kitchen hum, cooking up all sorts of just really good looking stuff. It all looked so good. We got the black cod roll, which was crunchy, fresh and I don't know how they make their rolls so good, but they are always just amazingly good. I had the cellophane noodles with green onions and dungenesse crab, which was very good, more delicate flavors, but very tasty. Hubby had the clay pot chicken which was woooza good. Really nice carmelization with just amazing flavor. I wish I had more room or a bigger group here because everything was just really good.

And now my Hubby has a week out there of amazing eating... so jealous.

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Made it to Zuni which, in some sense, exceeded expectations by simply meeting them, serving up incredibly solid simple fare at a reasonable (for a famous restaurant in a big city) price. The onglet was indeed simply a better piece of meat that you usually get, the quail served in the style of their famous roast chicken rich and toothsome with a crackly skin, the lamb and merguez with harissa peasant fare at its finest and, again, made from tastier lamb than one usually (or, perhaps, ever) finds. The highlight was a a very simple soup of kale and onion in a fragrant broth, that took a second to appreciate and then ended up being fought over by the kids. No wines under $50 that I could see, though a 2005 James Johnson Vineyards “Câlin” was quite tasty -- so rare to find a decent cab with decent age and a decent price.

Bonus points to the restaurant for seating an incomplete party without fuss and not giving me the hairy eyeball when I rolled in 15 minutes late (Cali time?) and more bonus points because when they accidentally served us a pile of shoestring fries, and then took them back, apologizing, and we said "hey, no problem, you can serve us accidental shoestrings any time (or words to that effect)," they actually brought us out a pile with the entrees on the house.

A delightful time.

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Made it to Zuni which, in some sense, exceeded expectations by simply meeting them, serving up incredibly solid simple fare at a reasonable (for a famous restaurant in a big city) price. The onglet was indeed simply a better piece of meat that you usually get, the quail served in the style of their famous roast chicken rich and toothsome with a crackly skin, the lamb and merguez with harissa peasant fare at its finest and, again, made from tastier lamb than one usually (or, perhaps, ever) finds. The highlight was a a very simple soup of kale and onion in a fragrant broth, that took a second to appreciate and then ended up being fought over by the kids. No wines under $50 that I could see, though a 2005 James Johnson Vineyards “Câlin” was quite tasty -- so rare to find a decent cab with decent age and a decent price.

Bonus points to the restaurant for seating an incomplete party without fuss and not giving me the hairy eyeball when I rolled in 15 minutes late (Cali time?) and more bonus points because when they accidentally served us a pile of shoestring fries, and then took them back, apologizing, and we said "hey, no problem, you can serve us accidental shoestrings any time (or words to that effect)," they actually brought us out a pile with the entrees on the house.

A delightful time.

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It's difficult to branch out when you've had such wonderful meals in the past and I couldn't resist taking my spouse to some of my favorite spots. Cesar (get the fish over spinach and the iberico plate) in Berkeley (note: Chez Panisse is closed at the moment due to a kitchen fire but expected to open back up at the end of June), Catogna (get anything grilled/roasted, pasta, or pizza), and Acme Bakery and CowGirl Creamery in the Ferry Terminal Building are all still reliably terrific and worth revisiting. We tried Out the Door and were pleased, though not blown away by our chicken banh mi and wings.

Koi Palace, however, was a huge disappointment. Though they close at 10 PM, we expected to have a normal meal by coming in at 9:10. We placed our order by 9:15 (after having been told the kitchen would close at 9:30). Our beef with enoki mushrooms was boiling hot when it came out (almost immediately) and hadn't yet developed any color or flavor, plus the beef wasn't very high quality. The XLB were shrunken and dry and the pan-fried pork buns were barely fried on the bottom and the filling wasn't flavorful at all. It was nothing like my previous 4-5 visits :angry: I assume the issues were related to coming in so "late" but we were also concerned that the spiciness of the main dish had been nixed on behalf of my Caucasian husband. So...I guess the message is, if you bother to go, come in early and only with Asian people? Or, if you order a spicy dish, tell them that you're not afraid of flavor!

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It's difficult to branch out when you've had such wonderful meals in the past and I couldn't resist taking my spouse to some of my favorite spots. Cesar (get the fish over spinach and the iberico plate) in Berkeley (note: Chez Panisse is closed at the moment due to a kitchen fire but expected to open back up at the end of June), Catogna (get anything grilled/roasted, pasta, or pizza), and Acme Bakery and CowGirl Creamery in the Ferry Terminal Building are all still reliably terrific and worth revisiting. We tried Out the Door and were pleased, though not blown away by our chicken banh mi and wings.

Koi Palace, however, was a huge disappointment. Though they close at 10 PM, we expected to have a normal meal by coming in at 9:10. We placed our order by 9:15 (after having been told the kitchen would close at 9:30). Our beef with enoki mushrooms was boiling hot when it came out (almost immediately) and hadn't yet developed any color or flavor, plus the beef wasn't very high quality. The XLB were shrunken and dry and the pan-fried pork buns were barely fried on the bottom and the filling wasn't flavorful at all. It was nothing like my previous 4-5 visits :angry: I assume the issues were related to coming in so "late" but we were also concerned that the spiciness of the main dish had been nixed on behalf of my Caucasian husband. So...I guess the message is, if you bother to go, come in early and only with Asian people? Or, if you order a spicy dish, tell them that you're not afraid of flavor!

Did you go to the Out the Door in the ferry bldg? Just for info for the forum going forward, I think the location on Bush Street, is much better in terms of food and ambiance. After having his cookbook, I think there are certain things that are better than others, the rolls, the claypot dishes, etc.

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Did you go to the Out the Door in the ferry bldg? Just for info for the forum going forward, I think the location on Bush Street, is much better in terms of food and ambiance. After having his cookbook, I think there are certain things that are better than others, the rolls, the claypot dishes, etc.

Yep, that location. Our food was good, but not as good as I expected, having only ever eaten at the Slanted Door. Thanks, good to know for the future.

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Spent two nights in SF on the front and back ends of our wine country trip. The first night, we went to Bar Tartine (in the Mission) for dinner. It is a really cute space, and the food - which has a bit of an Eastern European tilt - was quite good. Smoked potatoes with ramp mayo and roasted chicken with creamed corn and huitlachoche were highlights. No liquor, just wine and beer (and some "cocktails" crafted from both). Service was pretty atrocious, unfortunately - the server just didn't read us well at all, so we spent a lot of time waiting and looking for her. Hopefully it was just a bad night for her. Luckily, we finished the evening with Bi-Rite ice cream - which is enough to make me forget about anything bad!

The last night, we ate at my brother-in-law's "underground" or "supper club" type restaurant, Lazy Bear. I know I am biased because I am family, but if you have any way to go, you should go. It was such a fun and delicious dining experience. If you're interested in the menu, it's posted here: http://www.lazybearsf.com/blog/ - my favorites were the soup, the fish, and the play on the ambrosia dessert.

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Spent two nights in SF on the front and back ends of our wine country trip. 

My husband just spent a few days in SF at the beginning and end of a month-long bike trip (1 1/2 days at each end).  I usually scout dining spots for him ahead of time, but this time did it very last minute, scanning through old posts here the day before he left.  He was staying very near Fisherman's Wharf, which I warned him away from, steering him instead to A 16, which looked near enough to me on a map to where he was staying to be feasible.  He said it was about a 20-minute walk from the hostel.  He and his biking friend from Germany ate dinner there twice, once at the beginning and once at the end of the trip, and had two good meals.  The first was a Monday, which is meatball night.  So he had (and enjoyed) the acqua sale appetizer, meatballs and sweet corn, and burnt caramel gelatto.  He seemed quite happy with the meal.

At the end of the end of the trip he got hanger steak and I don't recall what else (he didn't put that in writing ;-)  He and his German friend were both impressed with the restaurant.  They called ahead the second time and were able to get a table an hour later.  The beginning of their trip also coincided with the BART strike, but they had bikes!

He ate lunch at Zuni Cafe on his last day.  He forgot that I said to get chicken :rolleyes: .  (He orders chicken a lot in restaurants, so it seemed like a perfect fit, especially since there were two of them.)  He got the Caesar salad, which he thought was good (something else he orders everywhere, usually to his disappointment); a penne dish; and flourless chocolate cake.

My takeaway from this is that A 16 is a solid option if you want a restaurant within walking distance of Fisherman's Wharf, though you'll have to wait.

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La Ciccia is nice: I've only been once, but if you're into Sardinian, that's the place to go.

Just ate at Rich Table this week.  Delicious but spendy and difficult to get a table.  Good bread, great pasta, delightful cocktails.  Porcini doughnuts FTW.

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Oh dear Lord. I just put my name in for a 5PM seating at Coqueta, and, having three hours to kill, meandered into the Ferry Building Marketplace, where I haven't been in years.

Starving, I got a snack at Cowgirl Creamery Sidekick, a little cheese-sandwich counter next to the retail outlet (think of Cheesetique). A Weekend Raclette ($5.95) is only served Sat-Sun, 11-3. A gentleman is standing out in front, with a half wheel of Wagon Wheel cheese directly under a heat source (a metallic strip, shining down onto the exposed cheese, which is now boiling in its own rind). When it's time, he tilts the cheese, scraping and pouring it onto a little paper plate with a base-at-the-ready of thin, stale sorry, air-dried baguette slices, covering it with bubbling, burbling cheese, making everything soft and delightful. A couple pickles thrown onto the plate, and your name is called. This is $5.95 of awesome.

I now have over two hours before dinner, am satisfied but by no means full, and am unleashed in what must surely be the finest food court in the U.S.

I will not eat.

I will not eat.

Okay, maybe a cup of tea.

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I have had tapas in Madrid, Barcelona, Saint-Sebastian, Amada, Estadio, and Jaleo.

I have had tapas so many times that when I see the word "pasta," my brain inadvertently goes into deep anagram, and mentally rearranges it as tapas.

But I have never, ever had tapas even remotely approaching what I had last night at Coqueta.

One of the absolute toughest reservations in San Francisco, Coqueta is on The Embarcadero at Pier 5 - a stone's throw away from the Ferry Building Marketplace which could easily explain much, but not all, of its wild popularity.

I stopped by at 2 PM to put my name in for a 5 PM bar seating - if you want a spot here, you don't have to show up three hours in advance, but you *do* have to show up in advance, and come back later. Make sure to call them for details and some guidance.

At 5 on the dot, I walked in, and the gregarious host said I was down for 5:15. No problem, as the front area of the restaurant is a charming little bar area, glassed on three sides, overlooking The Embarcadero. To aid me through those lonesome fifteen minutes, I ordered a Gin and Tonic, and the bartender pointed to a multi-row presentation of gins, asked me which I wanted, and I said Plymouth Navy ($12). I know what you're thinking: $12 is a lot of money for a G&T, but this drink, with a single, large, lovingly made ice cube, served with (what I think was) Fever Tree, and finished with a few dried huckleberries, was served in a huge, stemless snifter, and was 50% larger than the average drink, not to mention of exceptional quality - it was worth $12.

The affable host came and tapped me on the shoulder, just as I was finishing my drink, and escorted me to my seat at the chef's bar in the next room. There was a bit of a wait getting a drink order, but it wasn't excessive, and they had just opened. Knowing the types of things I might order, I went with a .375 of La Cigarrera Manzanilla ($36). Yes, their wines are a bit on the pricey side, and are certainly a profit center for Coqueta.

I declined a very tempting assortment of pintxos because in the interim, I'd seen the menu and knew what I must do.

My very nice server told me that usually, 2-3 tapas suffice per person, the hot ones being a bit more ample than the cold ones. I went a bit overboard, of course, not knowing when I'd be back, and wanting to sample the wares of this wildly popular restaurant in the theme of a tapas bar.

The menu's description of Mar y Montaí±a ($14, sea and mountain) should be enough to have you calling your travel agent to book a ticket to San Francisco. It's a montadito (open-faced sandwich) in name, served on a split, somewhat crackery bun, and topped with Ibérico Lardo gently melted over sea urchin, and topped with Jamí³n Iberico de Bellota. Was it as good as it sounds? Indeed it was.

I only ordered the "Tattas" Bravas ($8) so I could compare it with what I've had at other tapas bars I've been to, the problem being that there was simply no comparison with any version of this dish that I've ever tasted in my life. I took two bites of this dish (the first bite being an entire whiteskin potato; the second being an entire blackskin potato), and then was so moved that I knew a written description would not do the dish justice. Described on the menu as crispy potato and jamí³n nuggets with bravas salsa and alioli, what it really was, was this:

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Nothing more needs to be said, other than my apologies for the laughably bad picture quality and the two absentee potatoes, and also that every dish was of this caliber. (Get on the phone with your travel agent.)

Sunny Side-Up Egg with Shrimp, Crispy Potato, and Chorizo Dressing ($13) was baked and properly served in a hot, clay vessel (Jaléo, are you listening?), and needed to be stirred together in order to get the potato stick-like straws saturated with the egg yolk, dressing, and juices from the shrimp. Although this may have been my least favorite dish of the evening (thinking about it, I'm not sure why I'm saying this), it was, nevertheless, outstanding.

Whole Monterrey Calamari on the Plancha with Onion Jam and Squid Ink Alioli ($10) was one of the finest squid dishes I've ever tasted, with the calamari seemingly pulled out of the sea an hour before, cooked *perfectly*, and presented and seasoned as well as you could possibly hope for. An outstanding dish that pushed me past the threshold from full to stuffed, I asked my server if they'd started firing my dessert yet (she said no, and it was unclear to me whether that order was even put in; I think she might have been being polite).

Since it hadn't been started, I went ahead and pulled the order because I just couldn't do it, but I do want to at least write down what I missed because it sounds, oh, so perfect: Warm Pimenton Chocolate Cake with Tamarind Crema and Candied Marcona Almonds ($10). Doesn't that sound delightful?

This is it, my new benchmark for tapas, and I have serious doubts of it ever being surpassed as such. The great Coqueta is a destination restaurant, and makes every other tapas bar I've ever experienced, without exception, absolutely pale in comparison. Bravo!

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On 10/28/2013 at 6:04 PM, DonRocks said:

One of the absolute toughest reservations in San Francisco, Coqueta is on The Embarcadero at Pier 5 - a stone's throw away from the Ferry Building Marketplace which could easily explain much, but not all, of its wild popularity.

As tough of a reservation as Coqueta is, Rich Table may be its equal in toughitude.

I'd made an Open Table reservation for Monday at 5:30, and called them to say I'd be about fifteen minutes late - it took them a moment to figure out the reservation, and I didn't understand why.

I arrived at around 5:45, and told them I'd be happy to take a bar seat, so I did. Shortly after I sat down, the hostess (is it proper to say "hostess" or "lady working the host stand?") came up to me, and said, "Mr. Rockwell, would you like us to cancel your reservation on the 18th?"

"Huh?"

Well, it turns that I *didn't* make a reservation for Monday night at 5:30; I'd made a reservation for November 18th at 5:30! All I can say is: it's a good thing I arrived before 6 because this place got crowded, and in retrospect, I was ultra-lucky to get a seat at all. I was embarrassed and apologized, and would like to thank the hostess for handling this with grace and kindness (I guess this is no big deal, but it's the first time it's ever happened to me, and I felt like something Dostoyevsky would write a novel about).

Rich Table's food is on the front half of their 8 1/2 x 11 menu, and their drinks are on the back half. It's an interesting list, with nine categories (Market Cocktails, Fancy Sodas, California Wines On Tap, Sparkling Wine, Local Beers On Draught, Bottled Beers, Refreshers, White Wine, and Red Wine). Whew!

I started with a carafe (exactly the size and shape of a half-bottle) of California Wine On Tap: the 2012 Margerum Grenache Blanc ($23) from Santa Barbera, a varietally true little gem that's worth seeking out and buying - it retails for $21 at the winery.

To accompany the wine (isn't this supposed to be vice-versa?), I started with two "Bites" and a small plate, and here is what I want you to remember: the "Bites" here aren't really bites, despite my nip (nice, and hip) bartender telling me they were small, and really just a couple of bites of food; they weren't - they were ample and more substantial, to the point where I'm glad I didn't order everything at once.

At ferment_everything's insistence, I ordered the Dried Porcini Donuts ($7) with Raclette dipping sauce, and hoo-ha I'm glad I did because they were magnificent! There were six of these beauties, and they were the size, shape, and virtual appearance of white Alban Truffles (I'm almost certain this was not by accident). Fairly plain in the middle (just good, solid, savory donuts), with a porcini dry rub clinging to the outside, the raclette dipping sauce (which seemed partially milk-based, and not made solely with Raclette cheese) just made these things soar. And with the wine? Perfect. Thank you, Eric!

Red Grapes, Tokyo Turnip, and Pancetta ($7) was another fine dish, with several varieties of grapes, chilled, served atop tiny cubes of pancetta, and topped with thin slices of lightly pickled Tokyo turnip. Too much pancetta would have ruined this dish, but that problem did not present itself, as it was a textural flavoring agent, not a prominent ingredient shoving aside the relatively delicate grapes and very delicate turnip.

These two dishes alone would have been perfect for a light lunch, but it was dinner, so I martyred myself and soldiered forward.

I wasn't sure if the Scarlet Turnip Soup ($12), poured atop a tiny mound of almonds and pickled black radish, was going to be hot or cold (the bartender affirmed it was hot), but it wouldn't have much mattered - I would have ordered it anyway, and I'm glad I did. The broth was pink (hence the name), and the scarlet turnip and black radish played off each other delicately and beautifully, with the sweetened almonds a controversial addition - they worked, but I'm not sure they'd have been my first choice since they tended to grab the microphone (but managed not to shout into it). You won't regret ordering this soup by any means.

I didn't need an entire second carafe of wine, but I didn't *not* need one either. A 2012 Unti Grenache Rosé ($25) from Healdsburg was smoking, and precisely, exactly, what Sebastian Zutant at Red Hen would call an "Orange Wine." It was so acidic that it gave the perception of being carbonated, even though it wasn't, and it wasn't a rosé; it was "¦ orange, perhaps too orange for my Bucatini ($18) with Pork Bolognese, Pomegranate, Arugula, and Hazelnut, the only failure of the evening - not because it was a failure, but because it wasn't what it was. The bucatini was a bit overcooked (which is really unfortunate with this pasta), and saying this was "pork Bolognese" when all it was, was a "passing thought of pork Bolognese," surely raised my Bolognese grandfather from the dead. What little Bolognese sauce existed was lurking at the bottom of the bowl, with a touch of glisten on the noodles, completely overwhelmed and overshadowed by the pomegranates - there were more pomegranate seeds than there were teeny-tiny bits of ground pork, and in no way would I have known that this was a Bolognese dish had it not been listed as such on the menu. "Bucatini with Pomegranate Seeds" is a more apt description for this Pasta Fail, which singlehandedly turned a great meal into a very good one.

Do not get me wrong: Rich Table is an excellent restaurant, and I'm delighted to have dined here, but it just didn't live up to its considerable hype on this particular evening - at this level of hype, there is almost no margin for error. Also note that I'm being particularly harsh on what is a reasonably priced restaurant within its genre - it's a restaurant well-worth criticizing, analyzing, scrutinizing, and this review must be taken in that context. If you're reading this about Rich Table, and don't know me, please understand that I'm writing this vis-a-vis the very best restaurants, thus all the little nitpicking. None of these comments are reasons you shouldn't make a special effort to go here.

If you come here, the two must-orders I had are the carafe of rosé and the dried porcini donuts (preferably to split amongst two people), with the grapes also highly recommended (the cost, both financial, and caloric, of ordering the grapes is quite low).

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'Twas the night before surgery

and all through the house

not a creature was stirring

not even a saucier.

For years, Eric Ziebold has told me about Sushi Sam's in San Mateo, about 20 miles south of San Francisco, and a good 75 miles from Yountville (where Eric used to live when he worked at The French Laundry). This was his special, getaway, sushi restaurant that he claims is as good as any in the U.S. - he was last here only about a month ago.

I called and asked for a reservation at the sushi bar, but they don't take reservations, so they put my name on a list. And it's a good thing I called because this restaurant is extremely popular, and the waits can be long. Call if you go and get your name on their waiting list.

I didn't get an itemized receipt with this meal, and just did not feel like thumbing notes on my iPhone, so I'm typing this entirely from memory, three days later.

Sam himself was in the center of the sushi bar, flanked by his two "underlings" (and I say that in quotes because these sushi chefs were hardly underlings). None of my food was made by Sam, but I don't feel that I missed out at all, especially because he is an absolute jokester (think Michel at Bistrot du Coin), and made his presence felt the entire length of the sushi bar - the place was bustling, and full of life.

My server came, and I ordered a Sapporo, and requested Omakase, both with sashimi and sushi. He advised me that the sashimi omakase would "be around forty bucks," seeking my approval, and yes, that was more than fine. I got about 10-12 pieces (I didn't count), including the single largest wedge of OOO-Toro (*) I've ever seen - I cut it into three different pieces instead of attempting to cram the entire thing in me' gullet. There was a little bowl of ponzu brought out for the whitefish, all the wasabi was fresh-grated, and there were several varieties of ground radish, shiso leaf, daikon, etc. Certainly a very complete plate of sashimi, but also certainly not the best I've ever had by any means.

As an intermezzo, I switched over to a 300 ml. bottle of sake, and ordered a kitchen dish: an Agedashi Tofu (Age = fried, Dashi = a staple stock) - this simple, classic dish was a bowl of several cubes of homemade, deep-fried tofu, bathing in a piping hot bowl of sweetish dashi. I didn't finish it, only because at some point, my sushi chef handed me the first sushi plate.

It was clear to me that things were going to arrive in twos, and my server came back and asked me how many pieces I wanted. I originally ordered eight, but he recommended six instead, and I'm glad he did because it was plenty.

Up until this point, I was enchanted with Sushi Sam's, certainly with Sam himself, but didn't quite see this as world-class. However, the restaurant isn't called "Sashimi Sam's," and as soon as I took hold of my first sushi plate, I saw exactly what I should have been ordering all along. Though I'm happy to have started with the sashimi, and certainly having ordered the Agedashi Tofu, the real strength at Sushi Sam's is the sushi itself.

Although the sushi was served two pieces at a time, all pieces were unique, and I very quickly realized I was in a temple of very serious Japanese cuisine. "No soy sauce for any of the sushi," my server said, to my surprise. The sushi is modern, complex, and masterful, with perfect rice, and gutsy use of sauces and seasoning - the first bite I took peppered me with a surprise attack of lemon juice accompanying my Chu-Toro, and things kept going from strength to strength from this point forward. My regret is that I only got a chance to be enthralled by six pieces, when I should have asked for a twenty-piece sushi omakase, regardless of cost (it was not an expensive restaurant considering its quality). My sushi chef named each piece in the order that it was to be eaten - not a surprise there, but useful to know.

Look at this piece of Japanese Snow Crab with Kani Miso:

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At this point in the meal, six pieces was indeed plenty, but I also got handed a dessert menu, my server explaining that dessert was included. I ordered a Pumpkin Custard because it just felt right after all this fish, citrus, soy, seasonings, and herbs, and I was delighted to see that it was served in the pumpkin rind - they had cut the pumpkin off its rind, made the custard, and put it back in place - it was a lovely dessert, delicious and well-presented.

I have absolutely no idea whether Eric would agree with me or not about the sushi being the biggest strength here (I haven't talked with him about the meal), but I'll be very curious to see what he thinks of my experience. I see Sushi Sam's as being a world-class sushi restaurant, one that merits a special trip for the sushi itself. And I'm willing to bet that if I'd asked for a twenty-piece sushi omakase, I would have gotten twenty different pieces, all orchestrated in a progression of harmony.

And as for Sam, here was his message for Eric ...

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(*) When I say OOO-Toro, I mean it was almost like Lardo Of The Sea. Has anyone else noticed an increasing use of extraordinarily fatty tuna lately, where it's so fatty that it almost looks like some sort of whitefish? Maybe it's the restaurants I've tended to frequent this summer (I've also been to Vancouver and Seattle), but I sure seem to be seeing it more and more.

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Twas the night after surgery

and all through the docks

not a creature was stirring

most certainly not DonRocks

My how things can change in 24 hours. Going out to a restaurant was suddenly impossible, and there was one, and only one, dining option: delivery, and even that was a challenge since it meant getting up and opening the door.

In Fremont, it isn't as if Thomas Keller is going to show up with a soufflé, so your choices are limited. However, I *did* manage to make the most of a desperate situation. Who would possibly think that Indian pizza could be good?

Well, it is!

Pizza and Curry is a restaurant I suspect none of our readers will ever frequent; yet, for me, it fit the bill perfectly on this painful, motionless evening. There are two sections of pizzas on their menu, "Gourmet Italian Specialty" and "Gourmet Desi Indian," and I strongly recommend the latter.

A Large Palak Paneer Pizza ($19.99) may sound off-putting, but not only was it not off-putting; it was actually pretty darned good, and just the comfort food I needed during this evening of tribulation and woe.

Listed as "Medium Spicy," it was really somewhat mild, and was made with fresh spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes, seasoned paneer, and cilantro on a "spicy" red sauce. It's difficult to picture such a thing, unless, of course, you actually have a picture:

IMG_0912.jpg

Doesn't that look good? Well, it was! Not life-changing, not even great, but certainly good, and bordering on very good.

Good enough so that the next evening, I was eagerly on the phone with Pizza and Curry again, this time being a bit more bold and adventurous - a Large Half-and-Half Tandoori Potato and Tandoori Chicken Pizza ($19.99) was listed as "Mild," and it was actually mild to a fault (I was leery about ordering spicy food, but in retrospect, I wish I'd gone a bit spicier than I did). Both halves were identical except for one ingredient: Creamy Garlic Sauce (Egg-Based), Mozzarella, Red Onions, Tomatoes, Fresh Cilantro on the whole thing, and Tandoori Potatoes on half; Tandoori Chicken (White Meat) on the other half. This pizza was merely "good," and the Palak Paneer Pizza of the night before was the better of the two - if you ever find yourself in the situation where you order from Pizza and Curry, take the "Mild" markings seriously.

But what a lifesaver this place was, and both the gentleman who took my orders and the lady who delivered my pizzas were as nice as they could be. I get the impression that this is a tiny little outfit, not necessarily even Indian-owned, that does a *lot* of delivery business - on both evenings, I called two hours in advance, and still couldn't get the exact delivery times that I wanted, so they're pretty popular. There's a $2 delivery charge, but they seem to have coupons in various places if you want to go discount hunting.

I may never have the chance to eat here again, but in the same situation, I'd execute the same solution: Pizza and Curry to the rescue.

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Local's Corner is quickly becoming one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants.  Great local seafood, both cooked and raw.  A solid CA-centric wine list and a few good beers on tap.  Tonight I had a couple of small bites: smoked sturgeon, trout roe.  Followed up with a raw brussels sprouts salad with almond breadcrumbs and Capricious cheese.  Finished with a stellar smoked trout terrine that I plan on trying to duplicate at home, having just smoked some trout a few days ago.  It's small, just a handful of tables and five barstools, which makes it perfect for a solo dinner at the bar since the other four seats are invariably occupied by couples.

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You know, I did a really good job of documenting my recent trip to beautiful San Francisco (followed by not-quite-as-beautiful Fremont), but there's one important meal I neglected to write about.

The first couple nights in Fremont, spent at the Holiday Inn Express, were, shall we say, "challenging." Saving me was the wonderful "Manager's Reception" offered Mon-Thu, 5:30-7:30 PM in the bar area, with two different games on TV, free (Pizza Hut-style) food which I passed on, but also free beer and wine. Isn't that a lovely perk for hotel guests? There's a reason that the Holiday Inn Express, Fremont, is rated so highly on Trip Advisor: it's a very clean hotel, and the entire staff was *so nice* to me - they were forewarned of my condition, so they may have been extra-nice, but you know what? They did it, and I'll never forget the service I got here. I hope at some point they see this.

Anyway, nights one and two consisted of sports, Miller Lite, and two consecutive deliveries from Pizza and Curry (see my previous post). On night three, I felt well enough again to drive, so mustered the strength to limp to the car, and drove to Xanadu, just two blocks away.

post-2-0-44593800-1385749178_thumb.jpg

So I did it: I lost my In-N-Out Virginity on this evening at 7:14 PM PST.

Well of *course* I was going to over-order! I'd never been to an In-N-Out in my entire life, and I didn't care if I'd have extra (my room had a microwave). And so, I ordered what every virile, red-blooded, American male should order: a Double-Double ($3.40), double-meat, double-cheese, with the works, and a second Double-Double, animal style. Also, an order of French Fries ($1.60) which are house-cut Kennebec potatoes cooked in vegetable oil. These were good, but I didn't have them straight from the fryer - in fact, I ended up microwaving them later that evening - so there really isn't much I can say other than sure, why not.

 

It was very hard for me to choose a preference: extra pickles and grilled onions are a must, extra sauce, not so much - these were "different," but I can't say I preferred one over the other. I suspect if I became an In-N-Out aficionado, I would quickly develop my personal topping loves, and they'd be some sort of hybrid between these.

What did I think overall? Honestly, I had *no* idea what to expect going in. None. Between Joe H's ravings and many others saying "It's nothing more than 5 Guys," I just didn't know. However, I see In-N-Out somewhere in between - it is a *great* fast food burger, and I loved it - *much* more than 5 Guys. It would be fun to have a Shake Shack, In-N-Out throw down to see which one emerges supreme.

But in summary? I say believe the hype, but take it with a grain of salt. This is one *very* tasty fast-food burger, pretty much setting a new standard for me, as I consider this more "fast-food" than Shake Shack (after peeking inside, I went back out to the car to go through the Drive-Thru so I could get the "total" In-N-Out experience).

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But in summary? I say believe the hype, but take it with a grain of salt. This is one *very* tasty fast-food burger, pretty much setting a new standard for me, as I consider this more "fast-food" than Shake Shack (after peeking inside, I went back out to the car to go through the Drive-Thru so I could get the "total" In-N-Out experience).

I wish you would have compared it to some local California chains like Habit Burger (http://www.habitburger.com/) or Buckhorn Grill (http://www.buckhorngrill.com/), and the up-and-coming and absolutely incredible Umami Burger (http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/), any of which will make it impossible for you to set foot in In-N-Out on any future excursion out west.

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On my final night in California, I had done some research about the restaurants in Fremont. There seems to be a preponderance of two types of restaurants: pizzerias, and Indian.

Although I'd already killed two birds with one stone by ordering a Palak Paneer Pizza from Pizza and Curry (scroll up to to my November 2nd post), I decided to give Indian another try, and after my In-N-Out meat-fest, wanted to stay vegetarian, so headed to the south (of India), and got carryout from Dosa Hut.

It's almost funny that I'm writing about Dosa Hut because, being a DC-based website, the odds of anyone ever going to Dosa Hut are something close to zero - unless, of course, we expand to San Francisco one day which is a distinct possibility. Nevertheless, if you do: don't.

I can't ever remember having a Paneer Dosa ($7.45), and now I can see why. Forgetting the paneer, the dosa itself looked exactly like this unfortunate photo from Yelp. Yes, it was that burned, to the point where after a couple of nibbles, I unraveled the rice paper, and ate nothing but the average-at-best paneer.

My benchmark, and the dish that I *always* get at Woodlands, is the Onion Rava Masala Dosa ($7.49), and once again, this dish - which can be so compelling and profound - was nothing more than ordinary. I nibbled, picked, and by the end of the evening, I still had some of both dosas left.

Dosa Hut was not horrible, but I cannot recommend it. In fact, it was the only meal of my entire trip that I didn't enjoy a great deal. I'd be very curious to hear others opinions about it, but I suspect that may not happen. Life is short, and I cannot envision a situation where I would find myself back here - then again? Who knows.

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Was in San Fran two weekends ago.  Hit up Rich Table for a pre-flight 5:30 reservation.  Restaurant was entirely packed at 5:30 on a Sunday.  Generally speaking lived up to the hype.  We had the porcini donuts which I didn't really like (the porcini was far to overpowering) but the octopus salad and pasta we had were delicious (and aesthetically beautiful).  

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