Salsa and Meatballs

If you continue up Mission, when you cross Cezar Chavez you enter the Bernal Heights area. There, you will find a restaurant specializing in "urban Italian 4-star ghetto dining" called Emmy's Spaghetti Shack (no website). It is a small, intimate setting with a DJ spinning records from the 70's and 80's. Think comfort food like bbq ribs, risotto, spaghetti with meatballs, and the best brussels sprouts you've ever had. There's no reservations, so you'll have to wait. What you should do is head towards the restrooms and then go through the unmarked door which takes you into the local Latino dive bar next door. Play a game of pool, have a corona, and listen to some reggaeton. After that little appetizer of Latino music and after you've had your fill, walk down Mission a few blocks for a stroll into what-could-be-another-country: Roccapulco. With a live 10-piece band churning out salsa, meringue, mambo, and everything in between, you'll be dancing all night long even if (like me) you have no idea what the right steps are. When you get tired, kick back in the many booths and tables arrayed around and watch the floor show of people dancing.

Boogaloo

If you wake up hung over, head on over to 22nd and Valencia in the Mission for some greasy breakfast at Boogaloos, where watching the hipster assortment of freaks and free spirits is half the fun. Diagonally across the street is an amazing old school, NY-style deli called Lucca, which has fresh homemade ravioli, lasagna, and pesto; imported parma ham and other prosciutto; and other delicacies. Finally, back across the street again is a very cool t-shirt shop called Fabric8, which features local artists.

Coachella 2007

Damn, that's a tasty lineup.

Before or after the Indpendent

Heading down Haight and then taking a right on Divisadero takes you to the slowly-but-surely gentrifying part of the Western Addition now dubbed NoPa (North of Panhandle). This designation was further cemented with the opening of the same-named restaurant. Anchoring this stretch of Divis is The Independent, a great place to see a show. On Friday the Onion had their Celebration of Broken Resolutions with many local bands performing, including The Lovemakers, Chow Nasty, and Persephone's Bees. A couple blocks further north is Fly Bar (no website) where you can have unfiltered sakes, sake & soju cocktails and a healthy assortment of beers either before or after the show. If you go before, have one of their salads or pizzas.

beer & sausage

The Lower Haight is not the hippie-touristy section of the Haight, but rather has a more hipster vibe - sort of a mini-Mission. Toronado is a great place to grab a beer. Their selection is legendary and ever-changing. Rosamunde (no website) is located right next door. All they do is sausages (except on Tuesday afternoons when they serve up burgers). You can eat the sausage at the limited seating, take it to go, or take it next door to Toronado. Beer & sausage? Doesn't get much better than that.

Best films of the year

[Update - Oscar nominations announced http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/noms.html]

Little Miss Sunshine is my favorite movie of 2006.
Just your typical black comedy about a dysfunctional family that goes on a roadtrip to enter their child in a beauty pageant. Death, Nitzsche, drugs, failed suicide attempts, and motivational speakers were never this darkly funny

Half Nelson
Ryan Gosling shines in this look at a drug addict who is a teacher at an inner city school

The Departed
While I still prefer the original Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs on which Scorcese based this movie, this was quite possibly the best movie of 2006

United 93
Moving and extremely well done, which points out the breakdowns in communication on 9/11 and serves as an homage to the passengers on this airplane (the only one of the 4 hijacked planes not to reach its target)

Borat
Wa wa wee wa! I like this cinemafilm very much. If you were Youtubing every scene before seeing the movie, it may not have lived up to expectations. This was a movie you needed to see early in a packed theater.

Babel
Intricate layered film that looks at how connected the world now is, while questioning the larger war on terror

Children of Men
Bleak vision of the future which actually takes a hard look at the current governments in power and terrorism

Pan's Labyrinth
A fairy tale for adults that intersperses a disturbing story about World War II with a darkly fantastic tale of a princess, a faun, fairies, and a monster.

Volver
I'm a big fan of Almadovar's movies and this was my favorite foreign film of the year. Penelope Cruz shines in this movie (as she always does in Spanish-language films).

An Inconvenient Truth
Best documentary of the year that is a must-see to understand global warming

Thank You for Smoking
Darkly funny and very politically incorrect

V for Vendetta
The movie I most anticipated in the early part of 2006 was a topical, intelligent take on the comic adaptation

Brick
Film noir (nods to Maltese Falcon) in a modern high school setting

Hard Candy
A disturbing, psychological thriller that heralds the emergence of Ellen Page

Sausalito Overview

A lot of people head over to Sausalito, not exactly sure of where they should go. They take the ferry or drive over the bridge and head to the main street downtown. There's a lot more to it than bad food and overpriced tsotchkes.

I'm not completely against the main portion of Bridgeway in Sausalito, though I do think that it's very touristy and that there could be more emphasis on real local touches as opposed to overpriced bad food and bad art in stores. Some of my favorite stops include

*The hole in the wall that does not have a name but simply serves hamburgers - these are some of the best hamburgers I've had (fresh high quality beef fired up on a grill). Always a long line. Eat them on a nice day in front of the fountain.

*Lappert's Ice Cream - it's not really local, but it's damn good. Lappert's is from Kauai, but they opened up a factory in Richmond (across the Bay) and so the ice cream is very fresh. Grab a cone and pretend you're a tourist.

*The candy store - I don't know the name, but I like the candy store. They have bins set up - old school style - where you can pick and choose which candy you want. They don't really mind you sampling a piece here and there. They have very good salt-water taffy.

*The Philipino guy balancing rocks - I always stop by to watch the Philipino guy balance rocks along the water. He's pretty cool.

Caledonia Street - most tourists stay on Bridgeway and along the water. Locals and SFers-in-the-know head one street back. If you're not in the mood for sushi, there's a great Italian place with live music, a tasty Thai restaurant, and an Indian restaurant as well. In addition, there's a movie theater that usually shows independent movies plus shops and art galleries. An organic-focused health and grocery store is located here too.

Sushi Ran - one of the best sushi restaurants in the entire Bay Area, and located on Caledonia. The restaurant side has a (slightly) longer menu, but you need reservatons. The more boisterous, relaxed cafe side does not need reservations. Besides the fresj sashimi and sushi, they have excellent, inventive cooked dishes.

Caffe Trieste - while I prefer the Caffe Trieste in North Beach (the original), this Caffe Trieste is really friendly and laid back. They have jazz some nights and it's a spot where locals, tourists, and bikers converge. Years ago, it changed hands and became an Italian restaurant. When it became a Caffe Trieste again, they kept the wood-burning oven so their pizzas are pretty good.

Bike trail to Tiburon & Mike's Bikes - Mike's Bikes is a great place to buy a bike and you can also rent them here. It's a good place to start the trail, which will wend its way through wetlands, cross over the 101 and then through Blackie's Pasture and end up in Tiburon. If you feel agressive, continue it all the way along Paradise Road and back. Otherwise, turn around and come back same way you came - end up at Caffe Trieste for a snack or a drink.

Fish - see my post yesterday.

Hiking trail at the top of Donahue Street - This hiking trail (and popular dog walking spot) runs along the top of a hill in the Marin Headlands. You have spectacular views over the water towards Tiburon. To get there: take the 101 and take the latter exit into Sausalito, continue past Marin City (home of Tupac!) and the shopping center, up to the top of Donahue Street.

Drive through the Marin Headlands to Rodeo Beach - This is probably one of the most beautiful drives in the world. You're on 101 and heading back to SF. Before you cross the GG Bridge, take a right for some amazing views through the GG Bridge back across to San Francisco. There's pullouts along the way. Continue on to Hawk Hill (look over at the birds flying south gathering up the courage to cross the SF Bay) and then plunge down a one-way road that hugs the side of the headlands. You can continue on to Point Bonita Lighthouse or turn inland a bit, along a lagoon and over to a black sandy beach to either surf (or watch the surfers surf). Climb up the hill for beautiful sunsets.

Fish.

Last night I was in Sausalito and went to my favorite restaurant. No, it's not overlooking the Bay (like Scoma's or Horizon's). It's not one of the best sushi restaurants in the Bay Area (Sushi Ran). It's tucked down a street that dead-ends in a parking lot, past the Mollie Stone's (directions on a cocktail napkin to the right).

This restaurant is very simple: think redwood picnic tables and drinks served in mason jars. They take cash only. Even the name is simple and to the point: Fish.

The seafood they serve though is a combination of comfort food (fish & chips, tuna melt) to haute cuisine (freshest fish prepared in inventive ways). They are very interested in sustainable farming, organic materials, overfishing issues, and focus on wild fish as opposed to farmed fish. The ingredients are always the freshest as possible and their specials are ever-changing.

Last night was typical. You order up at the counter, pay your cash and then find your own table. When it's a nice night or during the day, I prefer to sit outside on the patio overlooking the sailboats. On a cold night and when there's only 2 of you, grab one of the smaller round tables next to the fireplace. Don't forget to pick up your cutlery.

We started with one of their chowders (I prefer the red portugese). They had a few oysters and so we tried some of those (mix of small/flavorful and large/fresh-tasting). Simple adornments of lemon, vinegar, cocktail sauce, or tabasco are all that's needed.

Our main dish was a large crab prepared in a broth with noodles. They used lots of Asian ingredients (think ginger and lemongrass) to create a delectable spicy/sweet mixture. Putting on the crab bib, cracking crab legs and pulling out the tender meat is half the fun. Best to roll up your sleeves on this one.

They always have great sides too. This time we had a butternut squash which seemed to have been prepared with some type of butter/brown sugar/cinnamon for a real sweet vegetable.

To wash down all of this food, I usually go for one of the beers. The Newcastle Brown Ale is my personal favorite.

While they do have desserts, you may want to instead head into Sausalito itself and stop off at one of the ice cream shops and have a stroll around downtown, look at the Philipino guy placing rocks on top of each other, or watch the moon rise over San Francisco lit up in the distance, moonbeams cascading off the water in the Bay.

Laloop

Nai, a Thai woman I work with, recommended to me her favorite Thai restaurants in the city. Writing of Sai Jai Thai, she said, "My favorite in San Francisco. I usually get Pork Shoulder Salad but other things are also delicous."

Since then, I've been wanting to check out SAI JAI Thai Restaurant (no website - 771 Ofarrell St (at Hyde) / 415.673.5774). A month ago, I had a chance to go and today we had food from it delivered in for our company lunch.

I loved it. It was very authentic - everyone in the restaurant is Thai. It reminds me of going to a night market and just getting some food from the different vendors. The food was delicious. Although, they could turn down the lights some and the yellow/orange decor leaves something to be desired. You're there for the food, though.

Start with meng come (sometimes spelled mieng khum at other restaurants) which are laloop leaves topped with peanuts, coconut, onion, ginger, chili, and lime. You add a sweet tasting sauce to it and the different textures and flavors are a great introduction to Thai cuisine. The laloop leaves grow on the laloop tree, which is actually a bush, or a shrub. They don't grow in the city. There's a picture of the dish in the upper right hand corner of this post.

I've had several dishes now and every single one has been a great balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy. Their chicken satay was typical. Tasty, good peanut sauce to accompany it. The penang curry was very delicious, while the green curry (which I usually don't get) was a mix of creamy, spicy, and had a freshness to it. I've now also had some of their chicken and tofu dishes, which also highlighted the important balancing act.

Their pad thai and other noodle dishes I've had there were very good. Sometimes you get the noodles that seem to have been sitting around (sticking together), but these felt and tasted freshlymade and had the requisite chopped peanuts, lime, beansprouts and other tidbits arrayed over it.

I highly recommend going. Make sure you get the laloop leaves!

Kiss Seafood

Kiss is tiny. Think of the smallest restaurant you have been in. Now halve it. That's the size of it. When we went, we arrived and there were 2 tables pushed together for 4 Japanese businessmen and the remaining table was taken up by a couple. There was one couple at the counter. When we sat down, the place was full.

We went for the tasting menus (or the omakase). You essentially put yourself in the chef's hands. Because of that, I highly recommend sitting at the counter, so that you can see him at work and ask him questions about what you are about to eat. He's also very interesting to talk to - we spoke about his youth in Sapporo, his love of skiing, and just helped continue the feel that you are in someone's kitchen.

Be prepared to be there for a while as the omakase are 6-course tasting menu. You never will quite know exactly what you will receive, but it will be some form of the following.

A little salad to start with (probably consisting of some seaweed). Then we had a platter of various dishes, including eggplant and roe.

The fish is fresh, unique, and varied. We received a large assortment of sashimi: various types of tuna, hamachi, salmon, toro, mackerel, and other fish that we did not know existed.

There was a tempura-battered creation at one point. Later there was a custard soup type of dish. We had sushi as well - again, a wide assortment of fish.

In classic Japanese dining, dessert consisted of one single fruit.

You can enjoy a variety of Japanese beers here (we went for a Sapporo) and then you can go for the sake. They have sweet to dry and they are poured in rather large sake glasses.

By the way, the symbol they use is one of a fish and joy, which together are pronounced Ki-Su. However, they chose to go with "Kiss." And, if you go on a date here, you will certainly receive one.

Superstar!

Burma Superstar is located on Clement Street near 3rd Street amongst lots of Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnames and other East Asian restaurants. What makes Burma Superstar stand out, though, is the interesting Burmese cuisine it produces with such high quality on a night-in, night-out basis.

There is a no-reservation policy, and people are willing to wait in line for a coveted table for hours. The smells emanating from inside only help stoke your hunger more. Keep that in mind: if you're starving head down the road a bit for a pint at the Plough and Stars so that your stomach does not drive you crazy.

So, what is Burmese food? Keep in mind that Burma touches China and Laos and is located in between Thailand and India, so you see influences of both South Asia and South East Asia. You'll see samusa on the menu next to egg rolls, for example.

You'll be smelling the amazing flavors and looking over at what your neighbors are having, and be tempted to try everything on the menu. A good way to approach it is to have an appetizer (the aformentioned samusas for example) followed by one of their salads.

The salads are amazing! Almost sublime. Try a salad made with tea leaves. Or one with pickled gingers. All of them have a tremendous amount of ingredients, but the Rainbow Salad -weighing in at 22 ingredients- is the heavyweight. Four types of noodles, green papaya, tofu, onions, dried shrimp, and a tamarind dressing.

Moving up to the main dishes, I highly recommend the Burmese Chicken Casserole with Cardamon Cinnamon Rice. It's actually not just chicken, there's shrimp in it as well. Plus a smattering of raisins and nuts. The flavors infuse each other and it hits the spicy/sweet mix just right.

The restaurant really warrants multiple visits as the menu is so extensive. What do you drink with this? They have a lemon/ginger infused beer which goes really well with the food. They also have an assortment of other beers and wines.

Dine about town 2007

Don't forget it's Dine About Town 2007 in January. That means three course prix fixe meals priced at $32 (dinner) and $22 (lunch). There is a very big list of great restaurants (bacar, Rubicon, Campton Place, Absinthe, to name a few) which you can find at both the official site and at OpenTable.