Off to Vallarta

I'm off to Puerto Vallarta from tomorrow through July 31. I'll have some posts in August about things to do there.

Neecha Thai

A quick overview before heading into the weekend.

I'd passed by Neecha Thai (no website, 2100 Sutter, corner of Steiner) many times. Across from what-was-Winterland-and-is-now-Cassis, this Thai place always seemed full of people. A little while ago, we ordered in from Neecha and were very pleasantly surprised.

We ordered some pad thai, a curry, spring rolls, a calamari salad, and a cucumber salad. The pad thai was a balance of spicy and sweet, and lots of bean sprouts, tofu, shrimp, peanuts, and other excellent tastes. The curry was the highlight - creamy, sweet, spicy. The calamari salad was a lot spicier than we expected, though. The spring rolls were an excellent way to start the meal.

We'll be back to eat in the restaurant itself.

Tokyo Go-Go

Along 16th Street, there's a host of different cuisines on offer. Last night, we had some Japanese. When you walk in, there's a long bar and several high tables. Beyond this set of tables, there's a sushi bar where we chose to sit. In the back is another collection of tables. The music was house, and there's a Japanese movie playing against one wall.

The happy hour hand rolls at Tokyo Go-Go are one of the best deals in the city. Every day from 5.30 to 7.00, they offer a selection of ten hand rolls for $3 each.

Between the two of us, we had the crab & salmon, unagi, spicy tuna, albacore poke, shrimp tempura, and hamachi with quail egg hand rolls. Each came with generous portions of fresh fish, interesting flavor combinations, and of course the price is unbeatable.

We tried only two other things off the menu: a unique Japanese twist on an oyster shooter and a straightforward california roll. That was more than enough for an early dinner.

The bill total came to $36 (including tip) for the two of us as we only had water to drink. It's not often that you can have a great sushi dinner for under $20 per person.

Some music I've been listening to

Check out the following. Some great new music.

http://www.youngbabyrecords.com/ - Coconut Records is Jason Schwartzman (you saw him in Rushmore).

http://www.kdouble.com/ - Coco B's is a band out of LA. And they give mad props to Boom Dizzle and the W's. You gotta like that.

http://www.myspace.com/meiko - Meiko's from Georgia, but now in LA. Cool voice.

http://www.myspace.com/kerenann - Keren Ann's from Israel and has mainly sung in French, but now's got an album out in English.

http://www.spoontheband.com/ - Spoon, from Austin, TX, just put out their latest album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

Ferry Building - quick guide

The Ferry Building has some great restaurants and places to buy food.

For all your fresh produce needs, stock up on Saturdays at the Farmer's Market. You can sign up here to be kept in the loop. You can get farm fresh produce at any of the produce places inside the Ferry Building on any day, too.

Here's how you can make your own picnic:
Pop into Acme Bread for some bread. For great artisinal cheese, stop by Cowgirl Creamery. If you would like some ham, stop by Golden Gate Meat Company. To drink, how about a bottle of wine from Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant? Get some dessert at Miette or Ciao Bella Gelato. Eat it outside watching the ferries come and go, or across the way in the grassy park.

However, you may prefer to leave the food-making to the experts at Slanted Door (interesting takes on Vietnamese food), Hog Island Oyster Company (excellent oysters from Tomales Bay), Mastrelli's Delicatessen (a classic Italian deli), delica rf-1 (a Japanese deli), or a burger, fries & a shake from Taylor's Refresher.

If you're after something a bit different, stop by Far West Fungi for msurhooms, Imperial Tea Court for teas, or Stonehouse for olive oils.

That still leaves over 20 other places to check out.

Cole Valley Neighborhood Spot

When we were in Cole Valley to eat brunch at Zazie a couple months ago, we stopped by to look at the menu and realized that Eos could be a great dining experience: excellent wines, lots of Asian-influenced small plates.

We finally had a chance to go last Friday. It has a local, neighborhood feel but also has a smart vibe to it. The wine list is one of the best ones in the city, and it should not be a surprise that the people behind Bacar opened up Eos before they opened up Bacar. Similar to Bacar, you can choose bottles or stick to the by-the-glass menu. There you can have tastes, glasses, or flights.

We started with fresh oysters on the half shell (from Puget Sound when we went) and decided to have some sauvignon blanc to accompany the oysters. It paired perfectly. The mignonette and horseradish sauce helped bring out the flavors even more. Next, we had a goat cheese salad. While the goat cheese was excellent, the salad underneath left more to desire. We actually wondered if the salad was more a garnish.


By now we had finished the sauvignon blanc and we switched over to a shiraz flight. The shirahs came from all over the world: Australia, South Africa, Chile, and Northern California. These wines would end up pairing well with the next hot dishes we had. We then had the highlight of the meal: the shitake mushroom dumplings, pictured above. This rich, creamy, somewhat spicy dish is bursting with flavor. We used our bread to mop up the last bit of the sauce. Definitely order these when you go.


We thought the ahi tuna and mango rolls would be something similar to the delectable ahi tuna and mango tacos at Andalu. These rolls, though, were deep-fried. The dipping sauce was a nice spicy blend of wasabi and mustard. The last dish was a Pekin duck breast with a quince and pink peppercorn compote. The sweet compote spread over the rich duck worked well together.


We looked at the dessert menu, but we had seen the couple next to us have the dessert we wanted: molten dark chocolate cake with a milk chocolate center. The cake also came with salted caramel ice cream and peanut brittle. The hot / cold, different textures, salty/sweet, rich combinations worked their magic. I recommend Eos for its wine list, setting, and its great Asian-inspired small plates. As the above shows, there may be a bit of unevenness in the dishes. Overall, though, the food shines.

Burma's Baby Sister

Burma Superstar (see my previous writeup here) has an offshoot called B Star Bar (no website 172 Clement Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue).

While there are many similarities, there are some big differences. Burma Superstar is an established, long-standing place where the smells are ingrained in the walls and ceilings. B Star Bar is a newer place that does not yet have a lived-in feel to it yet.

Burma Superstar offers a long list of Burmese dishes prepared the traditional way. While B Star Bar has a lot of similar dishes, they are not exactly the same. In addition, B Star Bar extends beyond Burma to hit upon interesting food combinations that might have influences elsewhere in South East Asia or Northern California.

B Star Bar's look is cleaner lines, more modern. That's reflected in the food as well. The food tastes very fresh and may be toned down somewhat from what you might expect at Burma Superstar. The differences may be subtle, such as no dried shrimp in the tea leaf salad.

We had the above-mentioned tea leaf salad and also the chicken biryani, which we had enjoyed at Burma Superstar. They were both very good, but as noted above, had something slightly different - I felt it left a bit lacking, but it certainly was a fresher crisper taste.

We tried other things such as the mango tacos with portabella mushroom and some very tasty appetizers whose name I forgot (sorry). For drinks, they have the Burmese coolor (beer + ginger) and a host of soju drinks - such as a Thai Iced Tea-ni. All in all, a good meal. Not as good as Burma Superstar, though.

When the weather's nice, make sure to check out the patio. I'd go back and this time also have the chocolate cake with ginger ice cream for dessert (we instead went down the street for ice cream filled crepes).

The best brunch spot in town?

The Tenderloin not only has some of the best bars and South East Asian food, it's also got one of the best brunch spots - if not THE best - in town.

Dottie's True Blue Cafe (no website, 522 Jones Street between Geary and O'Farrell) is a small, somewhat cramped spot (maybe 10 tables?) located in the heart of the Tenderloin. You should expect to stand in line for at least an hour and the wait is definitely worth it.

Their menu runs the gamet from eggs (any way you like them) with hash browns and bacon to a variety of omelets stuffed with things like sausage, feta, bell peppers, and a host of other choices. On your table, you can spice up your selection with a variety of tabascos (I didn't know there was a chipotle tabasco).

They make amazing pancakes and other baked goods if you crave something sweeter. The list changes constantly, but to get an idea, have a look at the picture of the menu up above in the right hand corner.

SLUSHO!

Slusho / Cloverfield / Abrams / 1-18-08

Before Transformers, there was a trailer for a mysterious movie. It immediately got people buzzing. Many filmed it and put it on Youtube (which were then pulled down by Paramount). Paramount then released the trailer for download and viewing at Apple. Watch it, listen carefully, look for clues. Is it a Godzilla movie? A Voltron movie? A Rampage movie? Something else?

Note that the movie is produced by J. J. Abrams. Any info on IMDB? IMDB refers to it as Untitled J.J. Abrams Project but also has put up the a/k/a's of Cloverfield and Slusho.

Note also that the movie is in theaters on 1-18-08 and that means, of course head on over to http://www.1-18-08.com/ and you will see two pictures (update: three pictures as of July 12). What do they mean?

There's an ARG related to Ethan Haas which somehow people speculated was linked to this movie (it likely is for something else, though). On AICN Abrams has disavowed any connection to any sites related to Ethan Haas. Go there anyway, there are weird videos, fun games, and who knows if Abrams is simply misdirecting.
http://www.ethanhaaswasright.com/
and the inevitable "response" at http://ethanhaaswaswrong.blogspot.com/

If you solve all the puzzles, you will get a chance to enter your name and e-mail address and there's a reference to August 1.

What Abrams does say on AICN is that there are other sites out there. In the trailer, Rob is heading off to Japan. So, what do we find but a weird Japanese website (in English) extolling the virtues of Slusho at http://slusho.jp/ which has a history and downloads. Read them and start googling the names. Similar to Ethan Haas, there's a chance to e-mail Satoshi AT slusho DOT jp (you'll get a simple e-mail back).

Sites at cloverfield.com and cloverfield.jp seem to have absolutely no connection to the movie.

There's a lot of speculation on the interwebs and, besides the above mentioned websites, you can head over to the following for more information:
http://www.slashfilm.com/tag/cloverfield/
http://projectcloverfield.com/
http://www.jasonwindsor.com/blog/

Meanwhile, there have been a lot of fake websites set up by now, which is inevitable.

After a break for the 4th of July and helping my girlfriend get ready to go to Nicaragua, I'll be putting up posts again this week.

Five and Ten

From zagat's

A “true find” in Athens, Hugh Acheson’s “high-end” New American is “worth the drive from Atlanta even on a ‘school’ night” for his “exquisite” cuisine that makes “clever use” of “local and seasonal ingredients”, “rivaling” big-city counterparts at “lower prices”; the wine list is “outstanding” and the service “charming”, but the “neat old house” is rather “small”, so reservations are advisable

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Restaurant of the Year: Works of art, pure and simple
Tattoo shows a whimsical side, but Acheson's thoughtfulness shines on menu at Five & Ten
Published on: 10/04/2007

Chef-owner Hugh Acheson has a gloriously detailed tattoo of a radish on the inside of his left forearm. "I borrowed the image from Alice Waters' "Chez Panisse Vegetables" cookbook," he says in a kind of mock explanation, since it's easy to surmise from talking with Acheson about food, tattoos and the restaurant business that the tattoo is more about Acheson than Waters.

A self-made chef, Acheson is likely to answer "why not?" whenever he is asked why. "At least I know no one else will ever have a tattoo like mine," he quips over the phone.

His restaurant, Athens' Five & Ten, is one of the best destinations in the Southeast. Acheson's take on modern American cooking has loads of classical French influence with a heavy slant toward all things Southern, and it's this year's pick for Restaurant of the Year. Most Atlantans looking for a dose of his house-made pickles (okra, green tomatoes, bread-and-butters), frogmore stew and sticky date pudding don't find the 45-minute to an hour drive to Athens a hurdle — Athens has become a backyard to Atlanta, and folks are willing to drive for a fix of this kind of thoughtful, approachable cooking.

That's what Restaurant of the Year is all about — a chef-owned, chef-driven small spot that puts food first. There's no wait for the unisex bathrooms; the design didn't cost more than a Lamborghini and a mortgage off Tuxedo Road. It may not even show up on a critic's top 10 list. But after several years of proving itself, it has become a destination. A place people will go out of their way for, simply because the food — and the attitude — is worth it.

This defines Five & Ten, a simple spot Acheson opened in March of 2000 with Athens' restaurateur rigour Melissa Clegg (who is behind the city's successful Last Resort Grill). Acheson, who helped open Gary Danko's Danko in San Francisco, also chefed and managed Last Resort for Clegg for two years. He bought out her claim to Five & Ten several years ago, and it's been smooth sailing for this little restaurant that could.

Acheson has the two finest qualities that make a great chef: He's curious and he's not afraid to make mistakes. He may push the envelope from time to time, but he creates a stable of well-prepared menu items that his regulars — and Athens loves him— can always rely on. The culmination of his efforts resulted in a James Beard nomination this year for best chef, Southeast. (The award went to fellow Georgia chef Scott Peacock of Watershed.)

Acheson is a big believer in using well-sourced products — he procures Allan Benton's bacon from Madisonville, Tenn., and serves Red Mule grits from a local miller in Athens. He gets Tybee Island shrimp when they are available. His influences range from Paula Wolfert (his new restaurant, the National, opened in downtown Athens last month and has a notably Spanish-North African theme) to Alice Waters.

When his menu says local tomatoes, expect big, ripe fresh fruit simply combined with yummies such as arugula, fresh basil, shards of Parmesan cheese and a little drizzle of balsamic with some olive oil. Fresh. Pure. Simple. No reinvention of the wheel. Yet when he cooks veal sweetbreads, expect tender meats dredged through a batter of cornmeal, over a bed of hedonistically creamy Red Mule grits custard and a succotash of field peas and okra — an offering that turns any classic rendering of sweetbreads on its Southern ear.

The agreeable attitude of the kitchen is expressed throughout the restaurant: in the bric-a-brac décor — fuzzy umbrellas hanging from the front room, pressed tin ceilings, chunky wooden tables and fun blackboard toward the bar that espouses the daily specials — to the affably affordable wine list that offers everything from Old World reds to whites such as a grenache blanc-roussane from Tensley Vineyards.

"The best restaurants are the kind I leave and say, 'Man I wanna come back tomorrow,'" explains Acheson. Five & Ten is just that kind of destination.

Five & Ten, 1653 S. Lumpkin St., Athens, 706-546-7300, http://www.fiveandten.com/.