Wine Bar Walking Tours

This is pretty cool.

Three different walking tours from wine bar to wine bar.

http://brucecasswinelab.com/?q=wineinfo/winebarmaps

Dosa Review - SF Chronicle

Michael Bauer wrote a review of the Dosa on Fillmore - 2.5 stars

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/08/FDHQ15HT7G.DTL&type=food

Perello

We went to Melissa Perillo's Monday night four-courser at Sebo (have not tried Sebo yet).

Perello was the chef at 5th Floor and now takes over the kitchen on occasional Mondays.

The food was excellent and will change each time she cooks. However, I think the concept: soup, seafood, meat, dessert with optional wine to go with it will stay.

They put sea salt on top of the butter to go with the bread which was a nice little touch. The crackery-flatbread they had reminded us of pappadam a bit.

The soup was not the highlight for me, it was a nice way to start the meal. Nothing memorable though.

The skate was an excellent combination of flavors, but the highlight was the coq au vin which came with a little crepe filled with additional delights.

The dessert was a ricotta tarte.

The wine list had some great choices on it. GIven the coq au vin, I chose a pinot which complimented most of the dishes.

Absolutely well worth making a reservation next time she does this (get on her e-mail list).

neighborhood sushi

We had a great meal earlier tonight at tataki, a great small sushi place on California. A more full write-up on the great ambiance and excellent food (ahi tuna poke, shrimp tempura/spicy tuna roll, a signature tataki dish, seaweed salad, and more). Nice selection of sakes plus friendly peeps working there round it out.

Stay tuned!

Many, many posts coming soon about favorite restaurants in and around SF. I've got a lot of them stored up.

Brenda's French Soul Food

Tucked away in the Tenderloin, is a tiny (I counted 7 tables + a bar) breakfast and lunch spot. Brenda hails from N'Awlins so the food has a Creole bent to it. Here's the link - http://www.frenchsoulfood.com/

We went on New Year's Day and they had the classic Southern options of black-eyed peas and collard greens. We opted for the collard greens, which even had bits of bacon in it.

We went savory / sweet. For the savory, we had a shrimp po'boy - slathered with spicy dressing, fried shrimp, on a baguette. For sweet, we went with pancakes with butter pecan sauce (as if someone had melted the inside of a pecan pie, added butter to it and poured it over the pancake).

While we waited outside (at times mingling with the homeless), we popped in to bring a coffee outside to warm us up. With brunch, we sampled some of the watermelon iced tea - a great refreshing way to start the day.

We skipped the beignets for now, as we were so full. But we will be back to try all four kinds: original, chocolate, granny smith/cinnamon, and the intriguing crawfish!

Mmmmmm...Dosa on Fillmore!

Last year, I ate at Dosa in the Mission and you can read all about it right here.

A little bit ago, Dosa opened up their second branch over on Fillmore. It's a much bigger space, in the former Goodwill store. You can look in the windows and see a mix of foodies, pre- and post-Kabuki moviegoers, and the general assortment of people you see in SF.

You walk in the door, are greeted by the hostess and then it's a bit strange. There's a long banquette along one side of the hostess area, which in the back of it has a large empty space. There are tables set aside near the bar, but those are not first-come-first-serve.

The bar, though, is first-come-first-serve and is a great spot to grab a bite. They also have a liquor license (the Dosa on Valencia only has wine and beer) and they have a tremendous bar lining one side of the restaurant. The drinks were strong and inventive: the former Absinthe and Nopa mixologist has created the cocktails and took hints from the food. Therefore, expect spices and fruits and exotic ingredients, Indian twists on classics.

The menu is more expansive, but the dosas are still here as well as other favorites from the menu in the Mission. We had the dahi vada (which was curiously not as good as the one on Valencia - too much yoghurt we felt), but the rest of the food was fantastic. We had one of the dosas of course.

We also tried a lamb curry: succulent, spicy, and a great balance of flavors. We also had a chicken biryani and the meat fell off the bone. While we had cocktails before eating, we paired the food with Indian beer. They have an extensive wine list. We were too full for dessert.

One final thought: I love that they make the following claim on their website, "DOSA is the only Indian restaurant in the Bay Area that has a holistic commitment to primarily organic, bio-dynamic and sustainable ingredients and products."

For a more intimate setting, go to the Mission. For a grander experience, go to Fillmore and then go see a movie (perfect pairing would be with slumdog millionaire, of course).

Free visit to the California Academy of Science

There are SAN FRANCISCO NEIGHBORHOOD FREE DAYS in 2009

For example, if you live in 94115 like I do you can visit for free on May 15, 16, 17 and again on Oct. 2, 3, 4, 2009.

Go to their website (click on the title of this post) to find out when living where you do lets you in for free.

Flight of the Conchords! Season 2 premiere

Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

Cavallo Point

Over the past six months, this place has become a new favorite of mine.

It's located across the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito: not the touristy part and not even the more-in-the-know Caledonia Street part. Instead, it's located in Fort Baker.

I've been here now several times (not stayed in any of the rooms). The first time was during their soft opening for a party. Then, there were a few times spent either in the bar, on the porch, or by their fire pits having a drink. Most recently, I was taken there as a surprise for my birthday and was able to go to the spa, the bar, and the restaurant (Murray Circle).

A few must-do's:
Soak in the view of SF Bay and the GG Bridge by sitting on the porch
Enjoy you staying warm while the air cools by sitting by the fire pits
Walk the grounds
Have a massage
Sit by the fireplace inside the bar
Ask to see the cooking school
Have a meal at Murray Circle

I would like to visit it one more time and then a more full review will be posted

Tasty Treats

We found some amazing butter at the Ferry Building's farmer market. I don't have the name but they are located across from Sur La Table. It's creamy and salty - perfect for cooking or for lathering a hot baguette with some preserves.

Michael Minna!

Wow! Any reviews of this restaurant would not do it justice.

Save up some ducats and go for the experience!

What to do in Pescadero?

http://www.normsmarket.com/store/ - go by Arcangeli Grocery to pick up hot-from-the-oven bread and delimeats from the deli in the back.

http://www.duartestavern.com/ - Duarte's is a classic old diner/restaurant/bar that's been around since the late 1800's. We had dinner there one night - go early (4/5) if you want to be in all the madness, or wait a bit ( 7.30/8) and you'll have the place to yourself. Pick up a strawberry-rhubarb jam on the way out.

There's some other shops to browse in town, as well - but probably a total of 6 businesses (including the above 2).

http://www.harleyfarms.com/ - swing by here to try some awesome goat cheese. Make sure to check out the upstairs for the cool dining room-in-a-barn which she uses to partner up with SF-based chefs and create dinner parties. To get here, follow the signs of the little girl pointing (you'll see what I mean when you get there).

Drive over to the http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=533 (Pigeon Point Light House) and explore it। Park near it or anywhere along the coast to watch the surf crash the shore and eat the picnic (bread & deli meat from Arcangeli, goatcheese from Harley, etc।) If you look back over across the 1, you'll see a house/cabins perched (that's where we stayed).

Nua in North Beach

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about Kokkari.

I neglected to mention that we went somewhere else for dessert. Nua is a wine bar and restaurant in North Beach that also features some delectable desserts.

The design features lots of woodwork and clean lines. We had a dessert wine and a chocolatey creation whose name escapes me at the moment. Very friendly people.

French bistro

We had come from Wine - where we had appetizers with a variety of great wines - and were on our way to Burma Superstar. However, the wait would be over 90 minutes, so we decided to check out what else Clement Street had to offer.

Tucked behind some trees on Clement Street between 2nd and 3rd lies Clementine, a warm inviting restaurant that specializes in French fare. We were welcomed by the Dutch hostess (yes, we ended speaking with her at the end of the meal) and decided to take some seats at the bar where the French bartender looked after us.

He generously poured our wines (we went with some Burgundy and Cotes du Rhone) and took our order. They had creamy butter and warm French bread for while we waited. As we had just had appetizers, we went with the main dishes.

As I was drinking a pinot noir, I went with the duck breast (try that sometime: FIRST order your wine and then figure out what you'll have to eat with it). There was a rich, creamy sauce that accompanied it. I believe other dishes ordered were steak and pork, although I don't remember exactly how they were prepared.

What I do remember, though, is that everyone raved about their food - this is classic French cooking. As we continued to dine, a group of French people walked in and were greeted boisterously by the bartender who soon summoned the chef. Chef came out and it was a true Gallic reception.

Their dessert menu looked tasty, but we headed down the street to Toy Boat.

Tawan's Thai Food

One evening we had Thai food. I had been meaning to try a place I'd heard very good things about: Tawan's Thai Food (no website, 4403 Geary Blvd between 8th Ave & 9th Ave).

Tawan is the owner's son. He was a little kid when they opened the place and his drawings adorn the walls and the menu. While he gets pushed front-and-center, his mom is the real star here. My mom commented that with her cheery demeanor and pleasant voice, how could anyone ever possibly get upset with her? She's just constantly smiling while taking our orders.

We had a meal of excellent satay with a sweet peanut sauce. Then, we had a panang curry filled with veggies and chicken that was the right balance of sweet and spicy (we went medium). We also had a portion of sauteed pork in a sweet/sour/spicy sauce that came with fruit and vegetables.

You can order sodas or the ubiquitous Thai iced tea, or go next door and pick up some beer as they allow you to BYO.

For dessert, you can't go wrong with the FBI: fried banana with coconut ice cream.

Excellent, well-priced place that deserves multiple repeat visits.

Bar Crudo Revisited

We went to Bar Crudo one night and it was as good as it had been before. This time, we sat upstairs rather than at the bar. Click on the link for my previous review.

Florio - bistro on Fillmore

The wait at SPQR was going to be 45 minutes, so we walked back up Fillmore and went to Florio, which I've been to several times and they are always consistently good. The name suggests Italian food - and there are hints - but think gourmet bistro:

For appetizers, we had
-chicken liver pate with crostini
-melon with prosciutto
-marinated olives
-virgin olive oil to dunk the bread in

For mains, we had
-steak frites
-seafood stew
-a corn rissotto
-roasted chicken

They have an excellent wine list and we had a bottle of the Navarro Pinot Noir.

Everything was fresh, well executed.

We skipped the dessert menu and instead walked down the street to Tango Gelato.

Over the past 2 weeks, my parents were in town. We managed to hit some favorite places of mine plus tried out some new ones. Over the next few days, I'll update where we went.

Wine Bars and Restaurants

Pretty good article about wine bars in SF by the NY Times. Also, the Tablehopper posted an entry about her favorite dishes at 20 restaurants. Both good guides.