two magnificent loaves of Tartine country bread

If the line that’s constantly snaking out the door and around the block from Tartine is any indication, this wonderful bakery and café needs no real introduction. Located in the Mission District on the corner of Guerrero and 18th Streets on the same block as Delfina and a half block from Farina, Tartine is worth seeking out. You need to know the location for as far as I can tell, the shop has no sign facing the street at all. Perhaps they don’t really need one?

I couldn't find a sign for Tartine though you can always tell by the long line that you're there

there's always a huge line at Tartine

As much as we’re delighted to have Tartine country bread out, nothing beats getting a loaf, or two, or even three, fresh from their ovens (everything is baked right on site) and devouring some in the car as you’re driving madly home to eat more accompanied by your favorite glass of red wine! The line to get into Tartine is the only thing that prevents us from going there every single day for a fresh loaf.

thick slices of Tartine country bread

We’ve worked out an informal system with John for managing the line and enjoying the bread with some semi-regularity. If one of us happens by the bakery during the day, he might order a loaf picked up either later that evening or the next day. Then, we’ll call each other to coordinate who might be able to fetch it. Picking up is easier than ordering as you can cut the line right to the front.

Tartine bakes bread on Wednesdays through Sundays. It’s out of the oven at 5PM and ready to be picked up after that. The bread keeps well, so if you manage to resist eating the whole loaf the first night, you can have it again later. (John’s been known to get up in the middle of the night and sneak a few pieces more. I don’t know how he can stay so thin!)

The bread itself has a thick, chewy dark crust that hides a softer, stretchy, mildly sour interior that is truly amazing. Words fail me now and I cannot adequately describe the wonder of this bread. More than once I’ve ruined my dinner for eating too much of it. I’d never complain about just snacking on it alone. But I do like it with butter or cheese as well. I had some with a sundried tomato tapenade and olive oil cured artichoke hearts at John’s recently that was stunning. It goes pretty much with anything.

As I already mentioned before getting completely distracted, Tartine offers other things, too. So you can get pastry, cake, coffee, sandwiches, etc. All of these are also very good. In fact, we had their Passion Fruit Lime Bavarian Rectangle for our wedding reception at The Slanted Door in 2008. The cake is light and very passion-fruity and coconut-y. Really good!

crowded Tartine interior

Dining at Tartine takes a bit of energy and strategy. First there’s managing the line. Then there’s finding a table. The place is tiny so inevitably there’s hardly any seating free. I always feel like I’m at some super-trendy bakery in New York while there. I can’t think of anyplace else in San Francisco that’s as mobbed (or as good) as this. In New York you’d come across this kind of thing a bit more often.

Writing this has already made me crave some of the country bread. Aside from the “plain country” (that name seems so demeaning as a description of this culinary masterpiece!) they also make it with walnuts, sesame seeds and with olives. I didn’t know about the olive loaf! I’m going to have one of those very, very soon.

the Tartine Passion Fruit Lime Bavarian Rectangle was excellent at our wedding

welcome to Just for You

The web site for this super fun diner and breakfast hot-spot calls itself “Just for You Café” though my friends and I always call it Mabel’s. If you look at the upper left corner of the awning over the entrance, you can see “Mabel’s” written as clear as day. I’ve a good friend named Mabel so whenever I think of this place, I get warm thoughts of her, too. Strange how their site doesn’t really explain the Mabel sign?

Really, though, what’s in a name? This place is amazing no matter what you call it. Just for You is on 22nd Street off 3rd in Dogpatch. Apparently they used to be on 18th in Potrero Hill but moved to this larger location after it rocketed off into the stratosphere. If you ask me, the new spot is also too small. Be prepared to wait a while especially if you come for breakfast on a weekend morning.

Just for You is a New Orleans inspired diner offering “regular” diner-ish food like eggs served whatever way, coffee, oatmeal and pancakes with some Louisiana treats like the house made beignets as well as some fun California style stuff like the tofu-n-veggie stir fry.

Cooper's watching you!!

The eclectic menu goes well with the almost over-the-top kitschy décor. The walls are covered with exciting movie, food and random posters; deep sea fishing trophies and tongue-in-cheek warning signs for customers to remain on good behavior. My personal favorite is “We reserve the right to pour coffee on your cell phone.” I wonder if anyone ever tested that particular policy?

I’ll say right here that we’ve only ever eaten at “Mabel’s” for breakfast/brunch. I imagine that lunch proper and dinner must be good, too.

We went a couple weeks ago with some friends from Reno. Karen and Veronica came to the City for the weekend with their darling son, Cooper. He’s only 2 ½ so Just for You was perfect. It’s playful and its always loud and stimulating atmosphere offered plenty of distractions while we waited for our plates of beignets and pancakes.

Just for You beignets

Just for You oatmeal pancakes

Just for You interior with view of the fast paced open kitchen and classic diner bar

Just for You classic buttermilk pancakes

Everything comes piping hot from the open kitchen behind the old time diner bar fronted by a row of metal revolving stools with vinyl cushioned seats. The boy is so well bred! He remembered his parents’ instructions about hot foods and thoughtfully blew on his beignets to cool them a bit before tasting. Too bad the folks hadn’t thought to give the don’t-blow-on-things-covered-in-powdered-sugar exception to the rule as part of his education. Eh, well, live and learn. We didn’t care since we were slathering gallons of maple syrup over our hotcakes anyway. What’s a little more sugar?

I got the oatmeal pancakes with coffee and a large glass of grapefruit juice. I love oatmeal pancakes! I need to learn a recipe for these babies. Hegui stuck with the classic buttermilk ones. On other visits we’ve tried the whole range of egg dishes, the tofu-n-veggies stir-fry, you name it. The chef has even replaced eggs with tofu in some of the omelet plates for us before though I didn’t notice that on the menu this visit.

Hegui and Cooper bonding over a morning cup of Joe

Mabel’s Just for You is a good time and great food. If you haven’t been, they’ve just moved to the Outer Richmond. No! Only kidding! They’re still in Dogpatch. I just want the competition for a table to lighten up.

see the tiny sign in the upper left of the awning that says Mabel's?

Just for You is no place to check your apps!

We went with some out-of-town friends to Zuni Café the other day as a sort of special treat. K and V were visiting from Reno. They brought their darling two and a half year old son, Cooper with them. Hegui has been a long-time admirer of Zuni though we hadn’t been in a while. I made an early reservation on a Saturday and off we went.

welcome to Zuni

having fun at Zuni before even getting to the table

Zuni is a beautiful restaurant nestled on a peculiarly shaped corner of Market Street. From the entrance, I always imagine that we’re entering a large ocean liner that is gliding placidly across a calm sea as the building has such a sharp angle akin to the prow of a cruise ship. Inside there’s an expansive open bar with lots of windows facing the street. The restaurant is built on at least two levels. I say “at least” because the second floor has so many little raised and lowered sections with lots of small stairs connecting them together that you feel the building is much more intimate and simultaneously huge than you initially thought.

The restaurant is simply but stylishly fitted out with a gleaming brass bar, lots of contemporary and local art, white linens, sun filled windows and a cheery buzz from all of the delighted guests.

Burrata alla panna with cucumbers, tapenade and wild arugula

Zuni piccolo fritto: deep fried flounder, Yolo sweet onions and okra with tomatillo salsa

Zuni has an interesting history. I hadn’t realized that it started out as a Mexican inspired restaurant, for example. Though I did know that the owners had some connection to the legendary Chez Pannisse in Berkeley. These days it’s more French and Italian: generic international is what I’d call the style of food. But that doesn’t sound good, does it?

Nowadays, Zuni’s famous for its roasted chicken for two. That you have to order right when you sit down as they insist that it takes an hour to prepare. None of us had this on our recent visit. I did notice the table across form ours dining on this Zuni favorite.

Zuni Mt Eden Pinot Noir

We met our friends at the gleaming bar downstairs. Hegui had a glass of Quipé syrah-grenache-mourvedre while I tried the Sazerac cocktail. This refreshing, very adult drink was made of rye whisky with bitters and some kind of herbal flavorings. K didn’t like the taste at all so ended up sticking to a Chimay Red. V had a glass of the ZUNI Mount Eden Vineyards 2008 Pinot Noir. We ended up ordering a bottle of the pinot for the table. It was medium bodied, fruit forward, and delicate. I was charmed with the fact that the restaurant had their name right on the label of wine. That’s got to be a high recommendation from the management.

The service was attentive but not overbearing. I was mildly concerned about having a child in our party but it turns out that Zuni has a kids menu. Cooper loved the spaghetti in butter and his childish antics didn’t ruffle the staff at all. I don’t think that that would be the case everywhere.

The menu at Zuni changes frequently. The website says that they try to use organic and seasonal ingredients for their French and Italian inspired dishes. That evening we had a selection of appetizer and main dishes. I guiltily enjoyed the piccolo fritto: deep fried flounder with Yolo sweet onions and okra with tomatillo sauce. When can fried ever go wrong? Hegui tried the burrata alla panna with cucumbers, tapenade and wild arugula. The creamy cheese was delicious. We had the bowl of polenta with mascarpone, Zuni cesar salad and Hog Island manila clams with white wine, tomato, black limes, za’atar and harissa. That last was especially good. V had thegrilled Fort Bragg King salmon with eggplant, summer squash, Jimmy Nardello peppers and chervil salsa verde. The names for some of these dishes are a mouthful, aren’t they? Everything was good. We even enjoyed the bread that they brought to the table, thinking all along that it was from Tartine.

could this be Tartine bread!?!

Zuni cesar salad

Hog Island manila clams with white wine, tomato, black limes, za'atar and harissa

grilled Fort Bragg King salmon with eggplant, summer squash, Jimmy Nardello peppers and chervil salsa verde

Since we were having a good time, we splurged on dessert. We shared the Summer Lady peach tart with crème fraîche ice cream and the Gâteau Victoire with whipped cream and a glass each of Cynar and 2007 Muscat de Beaumes de Venise Domaine de Durban Rhône Valley. Yum!

Gateau Victoire with whipped cream

Summer Lady peach tart with creme fraiche ice cream

2007 Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and Cynar

Zuni is good. The atmosphere is excellent; it’s kid friendly; the service is attentive and the food is tasty. Hegui and I have been talking about our experience there for several days afterward. We enjoyed everything but we weren’t amazed. Why was that? I have the sense that Zuni was cutting edge when it opened but that it’s coasting a bit now on its past successes. Don’t get me wrong: I would definitely go here again. I just feel that Zuni lacks identity, somehow, let’s say compared to Delfina, Kokkari or Gary Danko. Hmm…

I had the good fortune to try The Moss Room last Thursday.

welcome to the Moss Room

This upscale restaurant is nestled in the basement of a corner of the new and much-talked-about California Academy of Sciences museum in Golden Gate Park across from the spectacular de Young Museum.

The Moss Room at the new California Academy of Sciences building

overlooking the Moss Room bar

main dining room at the Moss Room

Both museums are architectural masterpieces. It turns out that on Thursdays at the California Academy of Sciences there’s an evening admission for adults only where cocktails are served as singles meet and congregate among the giant fossilized dinosaurs, exotic sea creatures and the other various and sundry natural history exhibits at the museum. This party looked to be really fun and popular. There was a shockingly long queue to enter through the main doors. Fortunately, the Moss Room can be accessed from a side entrance.

This was another of those work-related dinners in a private room, like I recently went to at Gary Danko. Like that last time, it was a crowd of about fifteen. The menu was pre-selected by our gracious host.

I said that the restaurant is in the “basement” of the museum. And while that’s true in a strict sense, the Moss Room feels more like a romantic grotto out of ancient Greek mythology than a storage area for forgotten Christmas ornaments or college textbooks. The ambience here is incredible!

lazy fish swimming by the Moss Room

To enter, you start off at the Academy Café on the ground level. That’s a typical looking sort of museum cafeteria. There’s a stone covered stairway with little ferns growing out between the rocks decorating the far wall that leads you down into a large chamber filled with romantic lighting, an elegant bar and even a long aquarium replete with large silvery fish swimming lazily along. The place is really easy on the eyes.

2008 Stomping Girl Pinot Noir

I attended this dinner with my long-time friend and colleague, David P. We were worried about the cross town traffic so arrived a little early. That turned out well, as it gave us time to catch up over a glass of wine. The Moss Room wine menu is extensive though tends to be pricy and a little unusual. They offered pages and pages of red Burgundy in the multiple hundreds of dollars range: not practical even if someone else is paying. Surprisingly for a California restaurant, there were only about a half dozen zinfandels and only one by the glass. I settled on the most expensive red by the glass, the 2008 Stomping Girl Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. At $14 a pop, I thought that it would probably be good. It was a full bodied red with lots of fruit and some smoke on the nose. David had a glass of Roederer pink sparkling which he enjoyed. The host ended up ordering more of the pinot for the table.

We had three courses: appetizer, main and dessert.

I tried the yellowfin tuna sashimi. This was a beautifully presented dish with very fresh and delicate tuna to one side with a tiny elegant salad of cucumber, seaweed and fish roe balancing the plate. It came with a spicy sauce that tasted good on its own. But frankly, I thought that it overwhelmed the delicate dish and didn’t match well at all.

yellowfin tuna sashimi

creamy Maine lobster corn soup

David had the Maine lobster corn chowder. This was a large bowl of very rich creamy soup. I took a bite. It was good though seemed awfully heavy for July, even in San Francisco. He ended up picking out the morsels of lobster and left a lot of the creamy broth behind.

For my main I had the Tai snapper. This came with an elegant side of shaved zucchini, sweet peppers and eggplant. It was o.k. but not really memorable.

Dessert was good. I enjoyed my tiny Summer Berry Tart with lemon Bavarian, almond ice milk and praline crisp. I had this with a glass of Sauternes. Ah, heaven!

Tai snapper with zucchini, roasted pepper and eggplant

Summer Berry Tart

Afterward we walked through the museum to the main exit. We were enchanted by the marvelous building, breathtaking exhibits and the large crowd of lustful singles milling about.

The Moss Room is nice. The food is fine and the service less than top notch. I’ve the idea that it would be fun to come here for a drink and a visit to the science exhibits, perhaps on a Thursday evening.

Thursday evening happy hour at California Academy of Sciences

a Golden Gate Park tree-scape

We don’t go to Sausalito that often, which is a shame. This scenic Bay town hugs the coast just past the Golden Gate Bridge in southern Marin County. It has magnificent views of San Francisco, Alcatraz and Angel Island, but the town itself offers much for locals and tourists alike. We went recently on a balmy Sunday afternoon with my parents who were visiting from back East. Actually, it was Mom’s idea as we’d never have thought of this. And what a good one it turned out to be!

welcome to Scoma's, Sausalito

San Francisco view from Sausalito shore line

artistic stack of rocks

By then we were all craving some food. Our friend, John, recommended Scoma’s which turned out to be situated right on the water near the rock-stacker guy. The restaurant is on stilts so literally extends into the Bay. Inside it has a traditional look with a lot of natural light. We sat on the balcony outdoors since the weather was so perfect.

The menu at Scoma’s is old-fashioned traditional, too: mostly seafood, pasta, burgers and steak. But unlike many of these tourist-trap places, the food was all excellent with the freshest ingredients.

Breaking our wine-with-everything practice, we started with a round of Hefeweizen brewed locally in Berkeley. Dad was really into the wheat beer, as he stacked our cups for a photo op. Mom abstained with a diet Coke.

We shared the Scoma appetizer sampler: a plate with a crab cake, Cajun shrimp on a bed of arugula and batter-fried calamari tossed in a spicy marinara sauce. Mom had bread with butter as she’s not that into shellfish. She missed out though, as all of it was extremely tasty and flavorful. Hegui also shared a mixed green salad that came simply prepared with a shallot vinaigrette. The vegetables were all crisp and very fresh.

Scoma's three item appetizer with Cajun shrimp, crabcake and calamari in spicy tomato sauce

Scoma green salad

For our mains, Mom tried the artichoke and spinach ravioli; Dad had the fish and chips; Hegui got the linguine con Vongole and I ordered the Bay Area classic, Lazy Man’s Cioppino. Mine was delayed after the waiter brought something else by mistake. Perhaps that’s where the “lazy man” part of the name comes from? I was fine waiting though the others seemed anxious for me. I just sampled all of theirs and enjoyed the afternoon breeze off the Bay.

artichoke and spinach ravioli

fish and chips

linguini con vongole

The ravioli came in a lush tomato sauce that was a bit spicy. I really liked the crisp breading of the fish and chips. My folks weren’t that excited by the fries. They were those thin ones that you often see at French bistros. I liked them. The linguini with vongole was light in its white wine sauce. Yum.

The cioppino was simply marvelous. There were two kinds of fish, two types of shrimp, clams, crab and scallops all in a delightful tomato white wine sauce. Over top was a hearty slice of toasted bread slathered in butter and garlic. The serving was positively enormous. I didn’t think that I could finish though somehow prevailed. Of course, I felt like a whale afterward so we skipped dessert there.

lazy man's cioppino

On the walk back to the car we wandered into a candy store and then to an ice cream parlor. Both places were simply irresistible. I had mint chocolate chip in a cone. Wow! What a pig I’m becoming!

Sausalito mansions overlooking the San Francisco Bay

Steven and I have been shopping for Asian and other international food products in the Sunset area of San Francisco for quite some time now. Think Sunset Super and 22nd Ave and Irving Market. We never actually eat in that neighborhood.

Marnee Thai interior

Marnee Thai storefront

Marnee Thai is located on Irving between our two favorite food stores. Every time I pass by it, I think to myself that I want to try it. The thing is that whenever we’re there shopping, it’s always in the middle of the afternoon. We’re never hungry then. And when we’re at home ready to go out to eat somewhere, I always wonder if it’s worth the schlep.

Well that changed last Saturday. We were in the Castro for a pre-Paint-the-Town-Pink party for Gay Pride weekend at my workmate Dan’s place. The party was really fun but since it broke up around dinner time, we were hungry. Since with rare exceptions, restaurants in the Castro are less than exciting, we decided to go the last little ways by car to Marnee Thai. Steven thinks that people go to the Castro for reasons other than food.

Marnee Thai detail

It’s located at 2225 Irving Street, between 23rd and 24th Aves in the Sunset with another location on 9th Avenue. It doesn’t look like much from the street: just a hole-in-the-wall kind of spot. Inside the décor is very nice. The ceiling is peaked in a V-shape and covered with straw mats. The walls have lots of interesting Thai decorations, including elephant paintings, small shelves holding Thai orchids, Wat temple paintings and of course a picture of the revered King of Thailand.

The walls are also covered with various awards that the chef and restaurant have received over the years. And they’re well earned as the food was amazing. With the possible exception of the incredible food we had when we were actually in Thailand few years ago, I think that Marnee has the best Thai food anywhere I’ve ever been. Wow! I even like it better than Thai Pavilion in Astoria, Queens, New York, which until finding Marnee was my favorite anywhere.

Singha Thai beer

Since it was just the two of us, we shared everything. We ended up ordering four dishes which all came out one-at-a-time. We started with the special super fresh panko fried soft shell crab mango and lettuce salad dressed in a sour, sweet, tangy and slightly spicy sauce made with tamarind purée, lime, cilantro and fish sauce. It was simply amazing.

Next was marvelously fresh and light vegetable tom yum soup that was perfectly balanced with the flavors of kafir lime, fresh galangal, lemon grass, pepper and lots of vegetables. The broth, like a good soup consommé, was perfectly clear. It did have a bit of fish sauce which I don’t oppose. So it’s not vegetarian. However the wait person suggested that it could be made without it. I make tom yum soups at home, like this spicy Thai vegetable soup and this poached king salmon one. It’s magical when all the ingredients are in synch.

soft shell crab mango salad

vegetable tom yum soup

We took a risk and shared another salad after the soup made with gluten, iceberg lettuce, fresh mint, and cilantro dressed with a light delicious sauce. We’re ambivalent about gluten strips but here they were really good. They were flash boiled and then dusted with a spice powder mix that I cannot quite place. The texture was not rubbery or overly gelatinous; it was more like a slightly less firm chicken breast if you can imagine. Delicious!

Marnee Thai gluten salad

Marnee Thai vegetarian pad thai

We finished our dinner with a vegetarian pad Thai which was also cooked to perfection. It tasted savory, sour and sweet with some crunch from the bean sprouts. For this one you had the option of selecting how hot you wanted the dish. We requested medium as we weren’t sure how hot “hot” would be and we’ve been burned before. It was a bit too mild for us so next visit we’ll try for hotter. Even so, the dish was yummy.

We want to go back there soon to try some of the other dishes on their extensive menu. There’s a whole range of vegetarian, fish and even meaty dishes. Check Marnee Thai out! You will not be disappointed.

The chef, Chai Siriyam, has published an exciting cookbook: Thai Cuisine Beyond Curry, available only at the restaurant. Look for it.

Gary Danko is one of those must-go-to fine dining establishments in San Francisco, so it was a special treat to be invited to a private dinner there a couple weeks ago with some work friends and colleagues. Located near Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman’s Wharf, the restaurant could be the highlight of a sightseeing visit to the City. Or if you’re lucky enough to actually live here, then anytime is a good time to go.

Gary Danko at the corner of Hyde and North Pointe

I went on a Thursday evening after work. That was marvelous as I was able to stroll there from the office through the Financial District and North Beach. I even had time to peruse the offerings at the famous City Lights Bookstore on Columbus Avenue. By the time I arrived at GD, I’d built up an appetite from my “urban hike” and was relaxed and almost in tourist-mode myself. That sure lifts the spirits!

welcome to Gary Danko

Gary Danko is in an understated building at the corner of North Pointe and Hyde Streets. It’s very popular so I’d recommend a reservation. Also, it’s fairly expensive, so be prepared. That said, the rest is all good.

Jocelyn was our host for what turned out to be a wonderful evening. Thanks again, Jocelyn!

Jocelyn getting ready for the party

The dining room is divided into at least two main seating areas with an elegant and modern looking bar in between. The private room is just past the cheese display and kitchen entrance up a short flight of stairs across from a bathroom. (I don’t know about you, but to me, the way a restaurant’s bathroom looks tells me a lot about the establishment. If it’s a wreck without any design, that suggests that the place is superficial at best. If it’s stylish but dusty or dirty, that suggests that they’re slipping up. Well, GD’s unisex bathroom was beautiful! So that’s good news.)

GD is famous for their cheese course at the end of the meal. This time, though, everyone was too stuffed to avail ourselves of it. Maybe next visit.

private dining room with black glass hanging lamp

The cozy private room is dominated by a huge black glass chandelier that I found stunning. The table easily sat eleven. Service was good and attentive. Since the party was large, Jocelyn had made some menu choices for us and pre-selected the wines. I enjoyed the tart crispness of a California sauvignon blanc, though unfortunately never got the name. Since white’s not usually my thing, I switched to the food-friendly 2006 Green and Red zinfandel, also from California. Jocelyn started with the red, which was probably a good choice, too.

The meal came in three courses with an amuse bouche thrown in at the start. This was a tiny bowl of a vegetarian cauliflower corn soup. It was creamy, corny and slightly cauliflowery with a slight crunch from the vegetables: delicious and an excellent beginning.

Next I tried the seared Ahi tuna with avocado, nori and Enoki mushrooms in a lemon soy dressing. This dish was beautifully presented. It looked like a butterfly on the plate. Wow! As you might expect, this had a Japanese style flavor that I really enjoyed. The lemony soy dressing matched perfectly with the slightly seared ultra-fresh tuna. And when can a chef ever go wrong with sheets of nori on a dish? I wished that I could have had more of this mouth-watering appetizer. I’m getting hungry now just recalling it more than a week later.

cauliflower and corn soup amuse bouche

seared Ahi tuna shaped like a butterfly

Branzini with Sorrel gnocchi, asparagus etc.

For my main, I enjoyed the Branzini with Sorrel gnocchi, asparagus and fried capers. Usually I find Branzini a bit boring—sort of a generic white fish, but Gary Danko made it interesting bordering on exciting. The lightness of the fish matched well with the fatty starchy goodness of the gnocchi. I’d never considered deep frying capers, but that’s something I want to do at home sometime to accent a seafood recipe. These tiny salty crunchy treats added a brininess that made the fish seem even fresher, if that’s possible.

Gary Danko really shines with the dessert course. We had the choice of two, and since by then everyone was feeling stuffed, I shared tastes with my neighbors. I had the trio of crème brulée with assorted cookies. These came in three ample servings on a large dish: vanilla, chocolate and butterscotch. Of course, I most enjoyed the butterscotch. The cookies were an added treat that sent me over-the-edge into excessive fullness. These were irresistible, so what can one do? I tried Carey’s chocolate soufflé with two finishing sauces. I think that you would have adored both of these, Heavenly Housewife!

trio of crème brulée with assorted cookies

chocolate soufflé

Gary Danko bon-bons

With dessert was served elegant trays of assorted bon-bons, coffee and blueberry muffins wrapped in golden paper to take home for the morning. Hegui and I had ours watching Brazil play Portugal in the final qualifying match of the World Cup the next day. The game was thrilling and the muffins were scrumptious!

Gary Danko bluberry muffin for breakie

If you haven’t yet been to Gary Danko, then you should really try it. It’s a memorable restaurant with great food, ambiance and service.

elegant bathroom at Gary Danko

welcome to Frances

Located on 17th Street between Sanchez and Noe, this is an unlikely place for fine dining, yet here’s Frances, a stylish and very sought-after restaurant, breaking the cardinal rule of San Francisco: restaurants are never good in the Castro. I’ve been by there many times only to see long lines of folks spilling onto the street. Until I went myself, I never understood it. Were those people waiting to get into a trendy new gay bar or club? It never even occurred to me that it was a restaurant until our wonderful friend, S, made a reservation to check it out. Even then I was convinced that it was in Noe Valley, a place more recognized for fine dining. Who knew?

waiting to get into Frances

Frances is popular right now. S said that it takes two months to get a reservation. So we were pretty lucky to get in at all, even for the 8:30PM seating on a Tuesday.

The place is nestled at the end of a short block next to a chic hardware store and across a small side street from the Castro Mission Health Center. The dining room is small in a sort of L-shaped configuration that wraps around the kitchen. It’s got modern understated decoration but with comfortable seats!

The menu was stamped with the date which makes me think that it changes often. Though looking at the web site a few days later while writing this story, it has a new date but is exactly the same, so who knows? Apparently, the house wine changes seasonally. The restaurant works with the stylish winery, Miraflores, to make white and red blends that they vary to match the menu and time of year. We tried both but I only caught some of the details on the red. It was a blend including syrah, zinfandel, barbera and more. It was creamy and fruity and a little chewy. Pretty good.

Frances dining room

S posing with the Frances house white

I recommend trying the house wine at least as a novelty. It’s presented in a tall graduated carafe and you’re charged by the ounce. Presumably they do something with any leftover, though at our table that wasn’t much of an issue.

Our friends brought a 1980 Girard cabernet sauvignon from Napa and used corkage. That was a special treat! The cab made the Miraflores seem rather pedestrian. I’d never had a bottle of wine that old that still tastes delicious. Wow! Thanks T and S! It’s great to know that at least one good thing happened in 1980.

The menu is arranged into bouchées, which are small plates; appetizers and entrées with sides then dessert. We tried a few of each course but skipped dessert as we were so full by then. There’s a mix of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes to suit most diners. The menu has a small notation at the bottom “*bread available upon request.” We didn’t request it and didn’t need to. I do wonder what they serve though. Bread is one of my favorite parts of any meal and it surprises me now that I didn’t ask to try some.

1980 Girard cabernet sauvignon

We started with some bouchées: grilled calamari and panisse frites. The latter are chickpea fritters that appeared to be fried and served with a delightful Meyer lemon aioli. The center of the fritters was soft and creamy. I really enjoyed these. The calamari was more of a calamari bean salad, somewhat in the style of Delfina, without much sauce. It was good. S and T tried the applewood smoked bacon beignets, which they really liked.

Hegui and I shared the green market salad with herb vinaigrette and shaved spring vegetables. It was very flavorful and refreshing. I thought that shaving the vegetables for a salad was a fun idea that I’d like to try at home sometime. The four of us shared an order of the ricotta gnocchi with green garlic, English pea and morel mushrooms. That was decadent goodness.

grilled calamari at Frances

green market salad at Frances

The service was good and unobtrusive. Since the restaurant is small, tables were quite close to one another. I enjoyed feeling crowded together with our fellow diners. It made the experience seem more cosmopolitan, like we were in New York or London.

Frances is worth a look.

I’ve always liked Farina, though Hegui never has. We went there last week with a group and dined in the private room. True to our natures: I still liked it and he didn’t.

welcome to FARINA

If you’ve never been before, Farina’s located in 18th Street between Valencia and Guerrero in the Mission District of San Francisco. They’ve al fresco seating out front for clear warm days. The main dining area is on the ground level with the private room on the second floor. The restaurant is really beautiful. There’s a long white marble bar sweeping from the entrance around half the place. In the center between tables is a divider from floor to ceiling filled with sparkling stemware. The restaurant has a modern and spare feel that’s appealing and actually inviting. I like the understated red neon sign out front, all in caps, high up on the side of the building, proclaiming “FARINA.” The color and style is picked up by the mod red chandeliers over the tables inside. Opposite the entrance is a large display of various exciting cheeses and made-on-site breads.

main dining area at Farina. See the red lamps behind the stemware display?

Farina bread and cheese bar

let's order already!

Farina pan seared scallops

focaccia di recco

Unfortunately, I couldn’t access Farina’s web site for this story. Some kind of technical difficulty, apparently. The page wasn’t available. Therefore, I cannot comment on the marvelous cocktail that I had or be more specific about the wine. As I recall, they mostly offer Italian wines. One time we were there, we sat in the main dining room and got into a conversation with the couple next to us about valpolicellas. Turns out that the wine savvy gentleman worked for an Italian wine importing company! That was an education.

Since we were in a group, our lovely host ordered several antipasti for the table: seared scallops, braised baby octopus, some of the focacce along with sides of sautéed asparagus and salad. The breads were the biggest hit. Even Hegui, who overall objects to this place, enjoyed the cheese filled focaccia di recco. The salad and asparagus were good though fairly unoriginal. I didn’t care for the octopus. To me the sauce was peculiar, tasting almost like something from a Chinese restaurant rather than an Italian one.

pansotti al sugo di noci

we loved the handmade gnocchi

Farina swordfish

We had dessert. I hade a glass of a delightful mildly sweet vin santo from Tuscany that matched well with the selection that we tried. I especially enjoyed the panacotta with fresh berries.

The staff is friendly, attentive and, like the facility itself, easy on the eyes. I don’t go to Farina often. Just a block away from Delfina, generally Hegui wants to go there instead. To me, both restaurants have their pros and cons. And they’re both worth exploring.

welcome to Viks Chaat Corner

We went to Viks Chaat Corner at the suggestion of one of Hegui’s Indian colleague from work. Suhas couldn’t stop raving about it! It’s in Berkeley on the corner of Channing Way and Fourth Street, only a few blocks from wine.com’s retail outlet.

Viks is a combination Indian retail store and “fast food” Indian restaurant. According to their site, it started out primarily as a retail store in 1989 with a small “chaat corner” within the shop selling “street food.” Apparently the food was a real hit to the point that the place grew into this marvelous, large restaurant with a smaller store attached. “Chaat” apparently means “to lick” and refers to the finger-licking-goodness of the food. After our experience there, we couldn’t agree more with the name!

The shop offered a lot of the traditional Indian-food-store kinds of products: various dried spices, a large variety of basmati rice all in huge sacks, canned products, preserved spicy limes and mangoes, and some frozen pre-made dishes. They had a case of refrigerated fresh vegetables and herbs. We saw fresh fenugreek leaves, bitter melon, eggplant and some of the usual onions, garlic, cilantro, etc. In another refrigerated case they had a few kinds of paneer cheese and pre-mixed, uncooked batter for making dosas (a type of savory bread similar in shape to a crepe or large pancake) at home.

The shop’s pretty large but is dwarfed in comparison to the bustling restaurant. To order, you must stand in a long but fast moving line and pay in advance. Then you try to find an empty table, as you wait for your dishes to be prepared. Everything seemed to be made right on the spot from the freshest of ingredients. The place was completely mobbed when we were there on a Saturday in the mid-afternoon. Many of the customers appeared to be of Indian descent, perhaps suggesting that this was a popular and authentic Indian establishment. We needed little external reassurances after having our meal. It was simply divine!

some canned goods from Viks Chaat Corner

wide selection of basmati rice at Viks

Chaat Corner foods: Sev Puri, Pani Puri and Samosa Cholle

We ordered a few items from the “Chaat Menu:” Sev Puri, Pani Puri and Samosa Cholle. In addition, we tried the vegetable dosa on the weekend special menu. The dishes took about fifteen minutes to come out and were served on no-frills compostable paper plates with compostable sporks.

biodegradable sporks

Sev Puri came with little round “papdis,” which were sort of cracker-like things, topped by a potato onion topping, various chutneys and “sev” which looked like fried shredded wheat. Pani Puri were puffed crisp bite-sized “cracker balls” accompanied by a potato garbanzo mixture with a tamarind chutney and a spicy mint water. The menu recommends that you crack open the pani and fill it with the rest. It was really good. The samosa came with two pieces and accompanied by some sauces. The dosa arrived last. It reminded us of the ones from Udupi Palace or Dosa in San Francisco. It was a huge savory pancake stuffed with a spicy vegetable mixture with some chutneys and sauces on the side. The food was spicy, sweet, tart, with a variety of exciting textures as well: crunchy, soft, moist and dry. Exciting! The whole meal cost only about $20 and really hit the spot.

vegetable filled dosa

skylight at Viks Chaat Corner

The facility itself is beautiful. There are high ceilings with attractive hanging lamps. The walls are all painted in rich colors in a simple and pleasing design. It was very clean with neat modern looking restrooms. It has an open kitchen behind a long counter. We enjoyed watching the staff prepare some of the dishes while we waited for ours. Parking was plentiful. We’d definitely go back and probably will soon.

the corner of Viks Chaat Corner