No salad as a meal – Eat vicariously

Commis, Oakland

2009-11-22T05:42:00.000-08:00

As you walk down the dark sidewalks of Piedmont Avenue looking for the right address, what you’ll find is not your typical neighborhood restaurant. There are no signs or menus outside, just a brightly lit white awning topping the all-glass facade. At first glance, it looks more like an art gallery space than a standard dining room. But what lies inside is a gastronomical oasis enclosed by stark white walls.

Step in and you’ll see a modern open kitchen framed by a 6-seat counter. With orchestrated precision, the chefs move graciously in the small space that resembles a cross of a sushi bar and a modern laboratory. Absolutely pristine and quiet except for the occasional hissing sound of liquids squirted into hot stainless steel saucepans. Each dish is artfully assembled with surgical tongs. A captivating process that, not coincidentally, is staged right in the middle of the dining room.

Commis’ design is minimalist. Not a single piece of art or decoration adorn the walls and there’s no bar or lounge distraction. Diners that arrive early are encouraged to watch the kitchen while standing by the entrance. No one complains.

Including the counter seats, only 31 guests fill the dining room. The restaurant’s minimalist personality is reflected in every detail. From the naked tables to the über modern dinnerware. But here modern doesn’t mean cold. Service, for example, is extremely efficient yet very approachable.

And while most diners arrive with reservations, the bright space that once housed a more traditional eatery still draws a handful of curious walk-ins unfamiliar with Commis’ more unconventional dining experience. Some look at the menu and decide that’s not for them (more on that later).

The menu

Commis’ nightly selection changes often based on the seasonality of local sustainable ingredients. The prix fixe menu ($59) includes three courses plus amuse bouches and mignardises. There are nine options in total, four appetizers, three entrées and three desserts. A wine pairing is also available ($29).

The meal

James Syhabout’s career includes stints in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the world. Restaurants recognized for their unparalleled excellence and creativity that have earned them countless awards, Michelin stars and critic praises. Restaurants like El Bulli, The Fat Duck and Mugaritz.

Back in the Bay Area, the chef worked at COI and Manresa before opening his own place overseas (across the bridge, that is). In kitchen ranks, commis is a junior chef. A position of apprenticeship–there to learn, to absorb. And that’s what Syhabout believes every chef should be, no matter how experienced he/she is. That’s how he approaches his work, with the humbleness and eagerness of a commis. That’s how he named his restaurant.

Syhabout’s cuisine is inventive, flavorful and precise. The chef’s influences can be seen reflected in some of his dishes.

Commis serves tasty small house baked rolls with Humboldt County butter.

To begin, Red shiso soda. Infused with Japanese basil leaves, the foamy drink has a sweet, brisk taste with an aroma reminiscent of green grass after the rain. It awakens and entices your palate to what comes next.

As an amuse bouche, A delicate concoction of poached farm egg, date purée, white onion soup, malt vinegar, chives and house made granola. A beautiful combination of complex flavors and textures with each individual element cooked perfectly. A memorable dish.

Braised lamb cheeks with anise purée. Oyster vinaigrette and young radishes. The tender lamb cheeks are paired with ingredients of contrasting temperatures and textures, like the crunchiness of cold watermelon and French radishes against the creamy purée.

Soft farm egg with potatoes and alliums. Fermented black garlic and pork jowl. In what may very well become Syhabout’s signature dish (it seems to be the critics’ favorite), the chef blends together contrasting ingredients that couldn’t work better together. A beautifully cooked egg that appears as glossy as porcelain yields a bright soft orange yolk. The ebony-black fermented garlic is brushed on the plate as a sweet, balsamic-like paste. Fatty cubes of pork add richness to the dish.

Guinea fowl with natural renderings. Toasted wheat berries with walnuts and maroon carrots, gourd mustard. Cooked sous-vide and finished in the pan, the lean fowl is juicy and tender. Intertwined together to form a yin and yang of dark and white meats, it is served over the contrasting texture of wheat berries cooked al dente and complemented by the sweet mustard.

Slow roasted pork loin and belly, pomegranate juice. Creamed escarole and tarragon bread crust. Once again, a nice play on contrasting flavors and textures also featuring caramelized sunchokes and spinach.

Apple-thyme tatin. Amber ale caramel, English cheddar ice cream. This minimalist version of the classic French dessert may not be as luscious as the original but the cheddar ice cream is a worthy complement.

Warm pumpkin custard. Licorice cream, root beer reduction, pepitas. A delicious warm custard, soft and sweet. Paired with a velvety licorice cream, a caramel-like reduction and crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds.

In short

In what became a controversial move (you may have followed the tweets), Michael Bauer recently gave Commis a lukewarm review. The SF Chronicle food critic called the restaurant pretentious and concluded that Syhabout’s cuisine may not please everyone. Here’s my take. Innovation, by definition, is the art or the unexpected. And everything that surprises can be uncomfortable at first. But if done right, the surprise becomes exceptionally enjoyable. Because it brings together emotional memories of flavors you know with combinations and preparations that challenge the status quo. In my opinion, Commis does it well. Yes, the prix fixe menu, the stark dining room and the unconventional preparations may not please everyone. So what? Taste is not a universal thing. If popularity were a sign of quality, McDonald’s would be the world’s best restaurant. So Mr. Bauer, I agree that the restaurant is not for everyone but I’d say that’s a good thing. We need more chefs with strong points of view. As for being pretentious, I beg to differ.

Commis is at 3859 Piedmont Ave
Online reservations

Aziza, San Francisco

2009-11-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

In the heart of the Richmond district, Geary Boulevard transforms itself into an ethnically diverse urban-suburbia of 45º parking and wall-to-wall storefront displays. Among Russian shops, Korean BBQ joints and dim sum eateries you’ll find a discreet corner restaurant that attracts foodies from all over town. Now more than ever.

Since it opened its doors 8 years ago, Aziza has become a popular restaurant among foodies and the local press. But the recently awarded (fans would say, long overdue) Michelin star is likely to propel the restaurant’s fame nationwide.

Aziza’s main dining room may not be the hippest in town but it’s all-around welcoming. Designed with a simple yet thematically honest Moroccan flair, the atmosphere is colorful and warm. Arabesques adorn the floor and tabletops; Moorish arches frame cozy booths that can fit a romantic couple as well as a cozy party of six.

The restaurant also features two other more traditional dining rooms with tables set closely together. Service is attentive and efficient. Dishes are not described upon arrival but the wait staff will answer any queries.

The menu

Neighborhood and atmosphere aside, Aziza’s claim to fame is all about its food. Prepared by the talented Mourad Lahlou, the restaurant’s fare is an inventive and contemporary take on Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine. Inventive yet never gratuitous. Lahlou’s creativity lies in putting together outstanding flavor combinations, perfect preparations and beautiful presentations.

The menu features 17 appetizers ($5 to $18) and 11 entrées ($18 to $28). Each dish is described only by listing its ingredients. A five-course tasting menu is also available ($62).

The meal

At first sight, Mourad Lahlou may look like a fashion model or a nicer version of the villain in Dan Brown’s latest novel. With tattooed arms and a shaved head, the Moroccan-born chef sees his body as a living journal of his life, according to a recent profile in the Chronicle. Self-taught and deeply influenced by his family, Lahlou is one of the most talented chefs in town. His food is at the same time sophisticated and highly approachable.

Sardines, sea lettuce, fennel, brioche. Delicate filets of fresh sardines with a nice acidity and the aroma of fennel make this dish very successful.

Hen egg, charmoula, crispy beans. In contrast to the sardines, this dish is hearty and layered with delicious Moroccan flavors.

Couscous, chicken, prawn, lamb sausage, vegetables. Each ingredient in this dish is perfectly cooked, from the surf-and-turf of proteins to the fluffy couscous. Together they create a very well-balanced dish full of lusty flavors.

Spanish mackerel, vadouvan, marble potatoes, leaves, octopus. Another very successful dish. The tasty fish is complemented by a velvety vadouvan emulsion and nicely balanced accompaniments.

Aziza’s pastry chef, Melissa Chou, has the difficult challenge of following Mourad Lahlou’s outstanding cuisine. And she does it brilliantly. Her desserts are delicious and artfully presented–it is no coincidence Chou’s started her studies in art school.

Yogurt, mousse napoleon, walnut nougatine, fig, blackberry. A delicate and rich dessert layered beautifully in complementing textures and flavors.

Hazelnut, dacquoise, pear, burnt honey ice cream. Deliciously complex and satisfying, a great way to finish a remarkable meal.

In short

Mourad Lahlou came to San Francisco over 20 years ago to get his masters in Economics. Opening a restaurant was a welcomed accident. An accident that gave us one of the city’s best-hidden restaurants and is giving Moroccan cuisine an inventive, modern flair. If you have never been, Aziza is definitely worth a drive across town–or around the world, depending on how you look at it.

Aziza is at 5800 Geary Blvd
Online reservations

Burger Bar, San Francisco

2009-11-01T15:48:00.001-08:00

Hubert Keller’s CV is impressive. Born in Alsace, France, he started his career as a pastry chef and worked in several Michelin 3-star restaurants shadowing culinary icons like Paul Bocuse and Gaston Lenôtre. Since then, Keller–who you may wonder–bears no relation to Thomas Keller, has collected a myriad of awards including James Beard’s best chef in California and Food and Wine’s top 10 chefs in America. His charming personality also made him a celebrity chef with his own TV show on PBS and several appearances on Bravo’s Top Chef. But Keller’s claim to fame can be attributed to his 23-year tenure at Fleur de Lys, one of San Francisco’s most renowned fine dining restaurants.

When I heard Keller had opened a burger restaurant in Las Vegas I knew I had to try it. Fine-dining restaurant burgers have been around for a while; a whole restaurant dedicated to it sounded like a great idea. And that it seemed was exactly what everyone else thought. Unfortunately the 2-hour wait didn’t fit my tight schedule and I had to leave it for another time. Before I finally gave up though, I remember looking around and feeling something wasn’t right. It looked cheap, not in a good way. I blamed it on Vegas.

After several months of rumors and anticipation, Burger Bar finally opened in San Francisco. Despite the questionable location, I couldn’t wait to finally give it a try.

I put my preconceptions aside and tried to forget for a moment that I was going to dine at Macy’s–there are great restaurants in the city that have managed to keep their atmosphere independent from the monolithic buildings in which they’re housed. Luce and RN74 come to mind. Burger Bar is accessible by elevator from Macy’s main lobby, right across from the entrance to The Cheesecake Factory. No preconceptions, right? You can’t judge a restaurant by its neighbors; just remember, COI is surrounded by strip clubs.

As the elevator moved up, stopping on every floor, keeping an open mind was becoming more and more difficult. Fragrance & Beauty, Sportswear, Wedding Registry and, there it was, Burger Bar.

The design of the 235-seat dining room makes no effort to keep its privacy from the retail environment that surrounds it. A large glass wall serves as a constant reminder that the dinnerware department is right outside. Floor to ceiling windows give diners a wide view of Union Square. But other than the outside views, what you see inside is puzzling at best.

Non-descript granite tables, leatherette chairs, mahogany booths with table-level TV screens and a handful of beer brands neon signs. A hodgepodge of sports bar paraphernalia with faux casual elegance that lacks personality and style. Like a themed restaurant that hasn’t found its theme. Or simply, a sad version of TGI Friday’s. However you look at it, it looks cheap and tacky. Las-Vegas-tacky.

Perhaps one of the most glaring indications that the restaurant carries the stylistic heritage of its birthplace is the dismembered torso that proudly displays the chain’s classy merchandise. For sale, black bikini underwear with a prominent Burger Bar logo in front–perfect for using with sweatpants that say “Juicy” on the back. Again, classy.

The menu

The laminated multi-page menu is as colorful as a theme park brochure. Complete with mouth-watering pictures of burgers and the more questionable photo of Mr. Keller by his motorcycle. But unlike The Cheesecake Factory or Friday’s (both feature similar-looking menus), here the fare is focused. As the name suggests, this is a place for burgers. Burgers of all kinds.

There are 8 burgers recommended by the chef. From the simpler American classic–a plain cheeseburger ($14.50) to the famously expensive Rossini–made with Kobe beef, foie gras and truffles ($60). Substitutions on these burgers can’t be made–why would the chef’s integrity to be compromised anyway?

Diners can customize their own burgers form countless combinations of 8 meat patties and 46 accompaniments. There are toppings for all tastes, from bacon ($1.15) to black truffles ($30). Even a half lobster ($12) can be piled on for a true surf-and-turf experience; Vegas style. Your final burger cost will depend on how excited you get when placing your order but in average expect to pay between $13 and $20, not including fries. Definitely not cheap.

The meal

A chef’s burger is often distinguished by the quality of its ingredients and the care in its preparation. And that’s something that, for the most part, you won’t miss at Burger Bar. Keller’s patties are tall, meaty and juicy. Accompaniments are well prepared and nicely balanced.

Hubert Keller Burger. Made with buffalo meat, served with caramelized onions, baby spinach and blue cheese on a ciabatta bun. Keller’s namesake sandwich is noted on the menu as his favorite choice. Although I ordered mine medium and what I got was well over medium well, this is a good burger. With a nice layering of flavors and textures.

From the custom menu, Country Natural beef patty with cheddar on a sesame bun. On the side, Fleur de Lys’ Peppercorn Cream Sauce. Once again, a good burger with a nicely shaped patty but nothing extraordinaire. The best thing here is definitely the sauce.

Black-and-white shake. Served at almost room temperature, with a thick, emulsified texture and a Disneyland-like presentation, it resembles a dessert more than what you would expect from a classic American shake.

The restaurant also serves a couple of “sweet burgers” for dessert. But after an underwhelming meal and a large shake, none of them looked that appealing.

In short

Hubert Keller is a great chef and his home, San Francisco, is one of the best gastronomic destinations in the country. A city that offers outstanding restaurant burgers. Burgers that are made with high-quality ingredients and exceptional talent by also great chefs. Burger Bar is a good idea but its execution is a big let down. The cheap ambiance doesn’t help, but even if you can ignore it, for what it is, the food is overpriced. If you want to try Keller’s cuisine, go to Fleur de Lys. For the best burger in town, go to Spruce. But beware, there you won’t find branded underwear.

Burger Bar is at Macy’s Union Square
No reservations are taken for parties under 13

Saison, San Francisco

2009-09-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

Located in a quiet block in the Mission district, Saison is tucked away in the back of an 1800’s stable that once served as the Mayor’s carriage house. The space today houses a coffee shop and serves as incubator for a collective of small local businesses. On weekend nights, Saison takes over the kitchen and transform the remodeled stable into one of San Francisco’s most exciting dining innovations.

Reservations are taken one month in advance on its website and upfront payment is required before confirmation. Guests are asked to arrive promptly at either 5 or 8pm as the restaurant only provides 2 scheduled seatings a night.

Diners gather in a small patio outside surrounded by lemon trees and bougainvillea vines. The hostess checks names on a guest list. Champagne is served. The dining room awaits quietly inside, the sound of clinking pots and pans can be heard in the distance. There’s a sense of exclusivity and excitement driven by the mystery of what comes next.

Thirty minutes after arrival, each party is taken to their table, one by one. And even though the dining room is accessible from the patio through a wide sliding door, the path of choice takes diners through the ample kitchen. A move that opens the curtains to the chef’s realm and turns foodies into groupies with a backstage pass.

Season’s concept is about fine dining sans its formality. Traditions are demystified to prove that you can eat extremely well without what they consider unnecessary fuss. The rustic ambiance is designed to celebrate simplicity and focus diners on the luxuriousness of the food. Wall art choices are questionable–what’s intended to look like a gallery feels more like a collection of objects from an arts-and-crafts fair. But all in all, the atmosphere is welcoming enough to make you feel comfortably at home.

This balanced informal elegance is present in many details. From the well-trained wait staff wearing pristine white shirts and ripped designer jeans to the constant changing of brand new silverware placed on the bare wood table, no white linen in sight.

The menu

Saison serves a true menu confiance, one of the only ones in San Francisco. A tasting menu carefully conceived by the chef but not revealed in advance so every dish is presented as a surprise. Food allergies and restrictions can be accommodated but no vegetarian options are available. Like many Michelin starred restaurants in Europe, this is a place for open-minded diners that are willing to put their palates in the hands of the talented chef.

Chef Joshua Skenes started his culinary career working for Jean-George Vongerichtten and later headed the kitchens of Chez TJ and Michael Mina’s Stonehill Tavern. At Saison, he creates an ever-changing menu based on the freshest offers from the restaurant’s network of small purveyors. The six-course meal is priced at $70, a wine pairing is optional for $40.

Somelier Mark Bright serves thoughtful pairings from organic producers around the world. And in another successful attempt to break restaurant conventions, refills here are free.

The meal

The sight of Saison’s open kitchen is as distracting to a culinary enthusiast as a blackberry is to a workaholic. After each course, you can’t help but watch the nonstop movement of cooks skillfully plating dish after dish, and try to guess what will come next.

The meal begins with warm bread and soft butter with salt crystals.

For amuse bouche, 2 dishes are served, each dinner gets one of them. Yellow watermelon with vadouvan spices and paneer cheese.

Or red watermelon with Pedro Jimenez vinegar and black olive. A refreshing start with mild flavors.

Slow cooked Sonoma Farms egg with Osetra caviar and dashi zabaglione served with brioche toasted with seaweed butter. A delicate dish with complex savory flavors.

Crispy vegetables salad with ice lettuce, shaved cucumbers and borage. Beautifully arranged in a Kandinsky-like abstract composition. Underneath it, raw slices or golden eye snapper with Meyer lemon crème fraîche. Delicate flavors and a nice balance of textures.

Monterey Albacore with dashi butter froth and seaweed bouillon. Tender like butter, the fresh fish is nicely complemented by the crunchiness of the seaweed and the aroma of dill.

Four Story Hills Suckling Pig with Perigord truffle jus. Prepared 3 ways; loin, fromage de tête and leg. Served with a small watercress, ice lettuce and gala apples salad on the side. A very flavorful dish that, even though not perfect (the head cheese’s texture was a miss) has outstanding elements. The leg meat literally melts in your mouth, its flavor only trumped by a crisped pork skin that accompanies it–what I’d describe as a heaven’s bonbon filled with pork fat ganache. Or in other words, something to die for.

For dessert, lemon thyme panna cotta with diced Frog Hollow Farm Peaches macerated in lemon, peach peel gelée and lemon thyme froth. On the side, a crunchy Meyer lemon sea salt cookie complements its textures and flavors. A very good dessert that celebrates the end of summer.

After the mignardises, the moment comes when you stand up and leave without dealing with the bill. Everything is taken care of, and even though you paid it in advance yourself, there’s a strange feeling of privilege. Like if you were a very important guest in an exclusive dining club. And, just as you came in, you leave through the kitchen, as only an insider would.

In short

Saison is an exciting restaurant in principle and execution. The concept brings together exclusivity and warmth, fine dining and unfussiness. Chef Skenes’ cuisine is sophisticated yet approachable. Considering all that is included–6 courses, sparkling water, French press coffee and wine, the prix fixe meal is also a great deal. Come to think of it, dining at Saison is more than a choice, it’s a privilege.

Saison is at 2124 Folsom St.
Online reservations

Maverick, San Francisco

2009-09-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

This small eatery in the Mission district is the brainchild of Scott Youkilis and Michael Pierce. Both chef and general manager worked together at Sociale before they decided to open a restaurant named after the 1800’s Southwestern cattle rancher whose name now defines the independently minded (not to be confused with senator McCain).

The L-shaped dining room is simple and welcoming with wood and warm colors creating the main visual palette. Despite the Mission-hip atmosphere, there’s no fuss inside. Step in and you’ll feel right at home.

I’ve been to Maverick countless times, always for brunch. Their morning fare is inventive and full of flavor. I was happy to find that dinner is just as good.

The menu

Maverick serves regional American fare with Southern emphasis and San Francisco sensibility. The menu features 8 appetizers ($8 to $14), 6 main courses ($18 to $28) and a handful of side dishes ($6 each).

The meal

Chef Youkilis’ cuisine is sophisticatedly soulful. In good Bay Area fashion, ingredients are celebrated seasonally and purveyors are credited prominently.

The first amuse bouche is a raspberry, mint mimosa shot. It has a light effervescence and a fresh taste in a cough-syrup size dose.

The second amuse bouche contrasts the sweetness of the mimosa with a flavorful savory crostini gratin of fennel, artichoke and dry Jack cheese.

As an appetizer, Baltimore crab fluffs. Chicory salad, spicy remoulade. Think crab cake without breadcrumbs, hushpuppies sized. Fresh crabmeat lightly coated in tempura batter and deep-fried. Rich and tasty.

On the lighter side, Grape and arugula salad. Read flame grapes, arugula, roasted gypsy peppers, pickled fennel and red onion, fresh chèvre, McEvoy olive oil. Complex and refreshing.

As a main course, Eden Farms pork loin. Baked Rancho Gordo “Lila” beans, red mustard greens, pickled tokyo turnips, pork jus. A delicious dish, full of flavor and masterfully prepared.

Southern fried chicken. Buttermilk soaked Field to Family Farm chicken, roasted okra, jasmine rice pilaf with country ham, brown chicken gravy. The super crispy, golden brown crust is the perfect pairing for a juicy, tender meat. I’m not a fan of okra, especially when the cooking process keeps its characteristic sliminess. So, to be fair, I’ll withhold judgment on the accoutrements. That said, this is one of Bay Area’s best fried chickens, maybe second only to Ad Hoc’s.

For dessert, Chocolate Devil's Food Cake. Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee ice cream, salted caramel sauce. The moist cake is perfectly paired with the delicious coffee ice cream–that, by itself, is an outstanding dessert.

Concord grape pie. Peanut butter curry ice cream, crème anglaise. A classic mini pie with homey crust and a scoop of subtly flavored ice cream.

In short

One of my favorite brunch spots in the city offers comforting yet sophisticated dinner fare. Maverick may not quite be at the same level of Town Hall or Ad Hoc but with its attentive service and a relaxed atmosphere, this is a place you’ll eat well and feel at home. Home savory home.

Maverick is at 3316 17th Street
Online reservations

Sebo, San Francisco

2009-09-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Much has been said and written about Sebo. The small Japanese restaurant in Hayes Valley was reviewed by most food publications, appeared in Anthony Bourdain’s show “No Reservations” and was declared the best sushi in San Francisco by Alice Waters. Bourdain and Waters may disagree over shark fin soup, but not over sushi. All the media attention drew flocks of diners and countless bloggers with their snappy cameras and sharp pens; ready to put the high expectations to the test. I, for one, decided to await the dust to settle.

Nine months after the restaurant made the cover of San Francisco magazine I visited Sebo for the first time. Since no reservations are taken, the wait for a table during peak hours can be quite intimidating.

Although most of the media fuss has passed, the restaurant is still busy every night. The crowd is a mix of local habitués and food enthusiasts trying it for the first time. On my second visit, a diner equipped with a large SLR nonchalantly stood on his chair in the middle of the dining room to get an overhead shot of his sushi plate. A move that made me feel a lot less embarrassed about my own photographic table manners.

Even though I love sushi, I don’t often write about it. The reason is simple, my idea of good sushi is, well, just good sushi–no fancy or fussy rolls. And truth be told, there’s so much you can show or talk about fish over rice, besides freshness, variety and the chef’s skills.

The preference for simple, traditional nigiri is something not everyone agrees. Personal reviews on Sebo are polarizing. The high expectations created misleading images that the restaurant not necessarily fulfills. For a Californian sushi restaurant, what you find here is not what some would expect. No spicy dragon rolls or burrito-like makis. This is sushi at its best and only the best of sushi. This is a purists’ paradise.

But purists beware, at first sight Sebo may take you by surprise. The casual atmosphere and hip crowd resembles more of a neighborhood eatery than a traditional Japanese restaurant. Michael Black and Daniel Dunham are also not what you have come to expect of typical sushi chefs. While black has spent the first 6 years of his life in Japan, Dunham is from New Jersey. Both stand behind the 6-people counter on t-shirts; none look Japanese. But what the restaurant lacks in traditional appearances it delivers in its cuisine.

The menu

The one-sheet menu changes daily to reflect the chefs’ freshest seasonal catches from several fish markets in Japan. There are about 20 varieties of Nigiri sushi (fish on rice); each order of 2 pieces priced around $10. There are also 5 Maki rolls ($6 to $12); Sashimi plates ($16 for 5 pieces, $26 for 9); and small plates ($4 to $18). More adventurous diners can order the chefs’ Omakase at the sushi counter. Sushi is served from Tuesday to Saturday–Sebo is closed Monday, the day Bourdain made famous for saying you should never eat Sushi. Sunday, the restaurant offers Izakaya, about 12 small plates of Japanese pub food priced from $5 to $10.

The meal

This review would be redundant if I described the quality and freshness of every fish. So let me get it all out now so you can eat vicariously through the pictures. Every single sushi I had was outstanding. Masterfully cut, skillfully assembled and perfectly portioned. The fish always extremely fresh with a clean smell and delicate flavors.

The restaurant seasons its own shoyu (soy sauce) and recommends using it sparingly to avoid overpowering the fish flavors. The menu notes “Please don’t drown your fish”.

On sushi nights, the meal starts with edamame. Water is served in recycled green and blue Sake bottles.

From the small plates menu, Sunomono. Vinegared cucumber and wakame seaweed salad. A refreshing appetizer said to enhance the appetite.

From the Nigiri menu, Saba (mackerel) from Shizuoka in Japan.

Mebachi Maguro (big eye tuna) from the Pacific; Shimaaji (striped jack) from Kenagawa, Japan; and Inada (young yellowtail) from Tottori, Japan.

Tachiuo (cutlass fish) from Ooita and Iwashi (wild sardines) from Chiba, both Japan. The sardines are lightly seared with a blowtorch and topped with yuzu chili paste.

Anago (wild salt water eel) from Kagoshima, Japan. Deliciously tender, never slimy.

Hotategai (scallops) from Hokkaido, Japan. So good I could eat a dozen of them.

On Sundays the already welcoming restaurant becomes even more approachable with its Izakaya menu. The angular 2-tops come together like a tangram puzzle to form large communal tables. The reasonably priced small plates are perfect for sharing–although may not be recommended for a first date (more on that later).

Maguro Zuke. Marinated big eye tuna with tomato shiso sauce. The beautiful tuna slices are so tender they melt in your mouth.

Ceviche. Marinated yellowtail kingfish. A delicious ceviche with nice acidity and fresh, tender fish.

Ohitashi. Mustard greens with karashi su-miso. A nice combination of flavors from the crunchy, peppery greens, umami-rich sauce and nutty sesame seeds.

Takikomi gohan. Rice steamed with dashi and giant clam. Infused with dashi broth and with meaty pieces of clam, this sticky rice is the closest thing on the menu to Japanese comfort food.

Ika geso. Fried squid legs. Lightly battered and fried, they are very tasty but can be somewhat challenging to eat with just chopsticks–you may need to resort to your hands.

Devils shrimp. Spicy marinated shrimp. Speaking of using your hands, you’ll need both here. The tasty shrimp are served whole so getting to the meat will be messy. That’s what I meant by not necessarily suited for a first date.

Like many traditional restaurants in Japan, Sebo does not serve desserts; a small bowl of fresh fruit will be brought to the table at the end your meal to close it on a naturally sweet note.

In short

If you like Tabasco on your tuna, dinosaur-named rainbow-like rolls or even soaking your sushi in soy sauce, that’s okay, and Sebo is not right for you. But if like me you love traditional nigiri prepared with melt-in-your-mouth fresh fish and perfect rice, then there’s no better place in San Francisco. Black and Dunham’s may not look like typical sushi chefs but their talent is unquestionable. Alice Waters’ favorite is now a favorite of mine.

Sebo is at 517 hayes street
No reservations are taken

Presidio Social Club, San Francisco

2009-09-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

Building 563 at The Presidio National Park is a long, rectangular wood-framed structure erected in 1903 as enlisted men’s barracks. A hundred years and a few architectural renovations later, it now houses the Presidio Social Club–a Californian restaurant open for dinner and weekend brunch.

Inside the charming building, a welcoming space transports you away from the city and to another time. It’s like entering a time machine and stepping into a place that resembles the setting of Mad Men’s episode portraying Don Draper’s escapades in California. Long live the '60s.

Ample windows flood the dining room with natural light and give diners an enviable view of the park’s oak trees and grassy fields. In the bright space, solid wood tables, straw chairs and chesterfield banquettes. A long white marble bar with leather stools and adjacent palm trees give it the ultimate old California flair. You feel in Palm Springs, even if it’s foggy outside.

The menu

The laminated menu carries on the mid-century theme in its design and features a simple brunch fare with classic American staples, nothing too inventive. About 13 main courses ranging from $10 to $17. Side dishes and helpers go form $2.50 to 7.

The meal

Presidio Social Club’s posh west coast atmosphere doesn’t quite translate into its cuisine. Some dishes are more successful than others but overall the food seems to be stuck in time, in an era when brunch was simply a meatier breakfast. Long before Alice Waters transformed California’s cuisine.

Coffee from Mr. Espresso is brewed strong with a bitter aftertaste. The latte is, well, just a latte, no frothy artistry.

Some of the most interesting dishes are those you order on the side. Like the Brioche Beignets served with maple syrup. Light and fluffy.

The Caramel sticky bun is also very good. Fluffy and sweet.

From the main courses, the Eggs Benedict is a safe bet. The poached eggs are cooked well and you have a choice of spicy Yukon potatoes wedges, hash browns or fries.

The menu’s most adventurous dish is the Oxtail Red Flannel Hash w/ Poached Eggs, Beets, Fresh Horseradish. The tender, tasty oxtail meat is accompanied by sweet beets, wilted spinach and fragrant horseradish.

More traditional palates will prefer the Weekend Breakfast – 2 eggs any style, sausage or bacon. But don’t expect a nice touch (like the freshness of chopped parsley) or a welcomed twist (say, a touch of cream); this is your classic Grand Slam, Denny’s style. With slightly overcooked eggs and dry sausage–albeit it house made, the best thing here are the crispy hash browns.

Also on the traditional side, Cream Biscuits w/ Sausage Gravy & eggs any style. A hearty dish of big proportions. The hamburger bun size biscuits, gravy and potatoes make for quite a starch fest.

The restaurant also offers daily Frittatas like this one, topped with mushrooms and arugula.

In short

I’ll be honest; the brunch fare at Presidio Social Club won’t attract adventurous foodies or convert casual eaters into epicurean enthusiasts. Its food doesn’t have the creativity of Foreign Cinema’s or the care of Canteen’s. But its atmosphere makes it well worth a visit. Let the jazz music play, sip your Ramoz Fizz and enjoy the feeling of being in a mid-century private club. No membership required. But before you light your cigarette, remember, no smoking allowed.

Presidio Social Club is at 563 Ruger St.
Online reservations

Bay Area Stars Map

2009-08-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

View No Salad Bay Area Stars Map in a larger map

Incanto, San Francisco

2009-08-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Some chefs’ legacies extend far beyond their restaurants or cookbooks. Julia Child can be credited for making French cooking accessible to the home cook. Juan Mari Arzak spearheaded the New Spanish Cuisine; José Andrés made it popular in America. Chris Consentino will be known as a proponent of what most cooks leave out: offal.

Offal includes everything that, as the name suggests, falls off the butchering process; organs, entrails, brain, trotters and tongue to name a few. And while variety meats have been popular for generations in Europe and Asia, their presence in fine dining menus in America is now bigger than ever. They attract the more adventurous foodies and create a sense of bravery. In an era of home butchery and extreme cooking, offal is the ultimate manly trophy.

For some foodies, gobbling up a plate of tripe is as exciting as savoring a priceless Wagyu steak. For others, it’s akin to a reality show challenge in which bravery must be proved for self and social praise. As if ordering cod milt or veal sweetbreads was a definitive proof of epicure achievement. The Purple Heart of foodies. If you ever watched “No Reservations” with Anthony Bourdain, you know what I mean; it’s all about sucking the poor shrimp’s head.

I grew up eating skewered chicken hearts and many other offal items. But while I agree that many variety meats make exquisite delicacies (Range’s chicken liver mousse comes to mind), I don’t think you need to like every animal organ to say you like food. I certainly don’t. But if you think you can stomach it, you may as well try it.

Consentino’s passion for offal is contagious. The charismatic chef behind one of my favorite food brands–Boccalone is trading time in the back of the house to be in front of the cameras. His name doesn’t show up on IMDB yet but his TV appearances include "Iron Chef America" and his own show on the Food network, "Chefs vs. City"–a mix between Amazing Race and a hot dog eating contest.

Consentino is said to be writing a book on the joy of offal cooking and currently sells a line of branded merchandise under the "Offal Good" brand. His persona is as big as his appetite, and he’s not shy about it. The perpetual Twitterer often promotes his daily specials and public appearances to about 3,500 followers. But despite his booming career, the chef hasn’t abandoned the place where he still holds the title of Executive Chef.

As you enter the Noe Valley restaurant, an irresistible aroma of olives, herbs and cured meats blend together teasing your appetite. A poster stands on an easel promoting the chef’s TV show as Consentino himself stands behind the bar wearing a brand new Offal Good hat.

Incanto’s welcoming atmosphere is peppered with Italian clichés and ornaments of faux authenticity like the hanging Latin parchments posters. The dining room design is simple; solid wood tables and straw chairs under an arched ceiling. Nothing to be excited about. But this is a place to feel comfortable and eat well. If offal is acquired taste, Incanto is the place to acquire it.

The menu

The restaurant serves more than offal, despite Consentino’s passion, specialty meats normally appear in only 2 or 3 dishes every night. A special 5-course head-to-tail tasting option is sometimes available. The rustic Italian fare includes about 12 starters ($4 to $13), one of them is an Antipasto platter for 2 featuring Boccalone’s artisanal salumi ($20). Five pasta dishes can be ordered as appetizers or main courses (about $10 and $16). For entrées, 6 options include meats, fish and a vegetarian dish ($17 to $25).

The meal

Like many San Francisco restaurants, Incanto promotes its support for sustainability. Complimentary water is filtered and carbonated in house and served in reusable carafes. Most ingredients come from local purveyors.

To start, a tasty selection of bread and black olive tapenade.

Spicy trippa Napolitano, tomato, red onion & mint. A classic offal dish made with beef honeycomb tripe (from the cow’s second stomach chamber). After meticulously washed and cooked for hours in salted water and vinegar, the tripe is simmered in an aromatic marinara sauce that gives it a sweet and spicy flavor.

If you never had tripe, its tender, gelatinous, slightly spongy texture may be the biggest barrier to entry. But 2 ingredients in this dish add a welcomed contrast in both flavor and texture; fresh mint and onions. Try it with some bread; despite the large portion, you may find yourself asking for more. If not, you don’t need to eat the whole thing–I didn’t. Tripe is definitely an acquired taste; I’m still in the process of acquiring it.

Potato gnocchi, green zebra tomatoes, cherry tomatoes & basil. In total contrast to an offal dish, Consentino’s vegetarian gnocchi is creamy and tasty. Season’s peak sweet tomatoes and olive oil give it a fresh summer flair.

Boccalone sausage, cranberry beans, San Marzanos & soft cooked egg. From the chef’s salumeria, the pork sausage with a hint of fennel is flavorful and juicy. The soft egg yolk dissolves into the delicious sauce guaranteeing no been shall be left behind. A very successful dish.

Braised pork shoulder, grilled peaches, pickled baby peaches & rucola. A hearty meat dish contrasted by fresh accompaniments that highlight the pork shoulder flavor.

After a fulfilling meal, I was hopping for more appetizing desserts. Of the 7 options ($7 to $8), I can’t say anything is mouthwatering.

"Milk & cookies"-chocolate chip cookies & vanilla egg cream. The freshly baked cookies are good, served warm, gooey, they melt in your mouth. But the vanilla egg cream falls flat on the palate.

Prosciutto panna cotta, melon & maple. Unfortunately the prosciutto flavor is too subtle, almost imperceptible. Not to mention the not so flattering presentation.

In short

Chris Consentino’s flavorful Italian fare makes Incanto worth a visit. For offal enthusiasts this is a Mecca; for first-timers, there’s no better place to try. But if you are not ready for offal, no worries, most dishes on the menu are suitable for squeamish diners. Here, no guts doesn’t necessarily mean no glory.

Incanto is at 1550 Church Street
Online reservations

Contigo, San Francisco

2009-08-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

Spain is one of my favorite gastronomic destinations. Its food is outstanding in absolute simplicity–like a slice of Jamón Ibérico de Bellota; or in the ever-evolving complexity of avant-garde molecular gastronomy.

And even though only 2 restaurants there made to No Salad, Arzak and Asador Etxebarri, many more live brightly in my memory. Among them, countless tapas and pintxos bars in Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastian and Barcelona. On my last trip to Spain earlier this year, small plates were the bulk of my diet. How can you resist?

The neatly arranged arrays of bite-sized treats and appetizing tapas menus will make any foodie feel like a bride to be entering Tiffany to pick her engagement ring. The variety and approachability of small portions is an invitation to never stop eating. A feast of deliciousness in all kinds of carbs, fats, and proteins. But after 3 days, I began to crave something green. My kingdom for a broccoli! Let’s just say vegetables are not as popular in Spain, at least not in tapas bars. After each bite of chorizo frito dripping with oil and queso fundido melted on a slice of bread, I couldn’t help but long for San Francisco’s passion for organic produce. Only if I could have both.

Welcome to Contigo. The Noe Valley brainchild of Elan Drucker and Brett Emerson (Greens, LuLu, and Chez Panisse) is a much-welcomed addition to the city’s dining scene. This is not the only Spanish tapas restaurant in San Francisco but it’s the first one to get me excited about.

The lively atmosphere is welcoming. Its design, homey and modern with juxtapositions of warm redwood and dark concrete, patterned banquettes and stainless steal.

Reservations are only taken for parties of 6 or more but walk-in guests can choose between dining room tables, counter seats or a heated back patio surrounded by a vegetable garden and the firewood that feeds the restaurant’s oven.

With Brett running the kitchen and Elan managing the front of the house, service is friendly and sharp. The well-trained wait staff has the much-appreciated honesty of recommending dishes and wines based on what you like, not what the restaurant wants to sell.

The menu

Contigo’s menu features 10 appetizers including Spanish cheeses and artisanal hams (from $2 to $9). The restaurant claims to be the only place in the city you can order Jamón Ibérico de Belotta, the Kobe beef of hams ($29). There are 17 small plates ($6 to $12) and 4 or so entrée-sized options ($14 to $24). On the back of the menu, purveyors are proudly listed–a nod to San Francisco’s sustainable locavorism.

The meal

Dining at Contigo is a social experience. Dishes are meant for sharing; think of it as a continuous tasting menu or a series of conversation starters. The more you try, the more you want to go back to try more. You may not find Spanish staples like Gazpacho, Sangria or Gambas a la plancha but Emerson’s small plates are a fresh take on classic Iberian dishes

Before I wrote this review, I visited the restaurant 3 times. The following are some of my favorite dishes.

Pa amb Tomàquet – Catalunya’s National snack of toasted bread, tomato, olive oil. Crunchy, toasted to order firebrand bread topped with sweet tomato sauce.

Add Anchoas del Cantábrico for a special treat. Three fillets of the world’s finest cured anchovies imported from Cantabria.

Torta de la serena – raw sheep’s milk, soft ripened. A delicious gooey Spanish cheese from Extremadura served with Membrillo (quince paste), bread and hazelnuts.

Pork belly bocadillo with harissa allioli, pickled onions, chips. Presented like a miniature burger, accompanied by nickel-sized spiced chips, this is a very tasty dish in which the tender and fatty pork belly is further enriched by the flavorful allioli. If you are planning on sharing, order more than one.

Oxtail croquetas with pine nuts, raisings, Martin’s mizuna. Deep-fried croquettes filled with tender braised oxtail. Perfectly cooked, rich and juicy inside and crispy outside.

Albóndigas – pork and jamón meatballs in tomato sherry sauce. Mild meatballs in a tasty tomato sauce.

Calamares and pimientos de pardon a ala plancha. Tasty and tender, seasoned with lemon and olive oil.

Sardine and roasted eggplant escalivada toasts from our wood oven. The Fresh sardines are nicely complemented by the acidity of pickled onions and tasty eggplant.

Pulpo salad with cucumbers, pickled lipstick peppers, onions, capers, mint. A perfect summer salad of tender octopus and refreshing flavors.

Whatever you order, make sure to leave some room for dessert. Contigo’s sweets are sure to end any meal on a high note.

Chocolate caliente – cup of thick, rich Barcelona-style chocolate con churros. Let me be clear, this is no ordinary hot chocolate. This is a decadent liquid ganache of good quality chocolate served hot. Kept in constant stir and at a precise temperature, the drink is served with crispy churros that are, listen to this, fried to order and sprinkled with sugar crystals and a pinch of salt to highlight its flavors. This is a dessert (often a breakfast dish) I can’t resist ordering when in Spain. Contigo’s is second to none. One of the best desserts in San Francisco.

Dirty Girl strawberries in an almond meringue nest with crema fresca. Season’s peak strawberries served with whipped cream and crunchy meringue.

Flam – catalan-style vanilla custard with salted caramel. Deliciously creamy and tasty, Contigo’s flam is also exceptional.

In short

With a lively, welcoming atmosphere and a menu fit for casual diners and foodies, Contigo brings together Spanish flavors and San Francisco sensibility. It's like eating in Spain and feeling at home. In the Best of No Salad list, no restaurant made to the top on the Best small plates category. I’m happy to say that spot is now taken.

Contigo is at 1320 Castro Street
For reservations (6 or more) 415.285.0250

RN74, San Francisco

2009-08-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

If you read this site frequently you may be tired of my complaints about San Francisco’s lack of original restaurant designs. So I’ll spare you the redundancy and go directly to the point. Welcome to New San Francisco. Welcome to RN74.

The ambitious Michael Mina venture in South of Market is the first restaurant in the city that is as exciting as its food. RN74’s interior, designed by the award winning AvroKO, is on par with some of New York’s most exciting projects. For San Francisco, it’s something long overdue.

In one of the world’s gastronomic capitals, design has always taken a back seat. While all the focus went on the food, ambience originality was often seen as less important, unnecessary and even referred to as distracting.

But the point is not how it distracts the dining experience but how it can complement and enhance it; much like the presentation of food can influence how you perceive it.

We live in an era where art and gastronomy blend in seamlessly. The idea of multisensory experiences has been explored by many avant-garde chefs creating surprising combinations of flavors, aromas and visual presentations. But why should your focus be limited to what’s under your nose and in front of your eyes, and not take into account what’s around you? It shouldn’t. The concept of distracting surroundings is only true when its design is poorly conceived.

Inside the Opéra Garnier in Paris, an amazing ceiling painting by Marc Chagall gives the audience an elevated sense of exclusivity and awe. At the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Frank Gehry’s architectural masterpiece gives artists an unparallel canvas for remarkable installations. Although the relationship between these buildings and the art it houses is subject of great controversy, one thing is clear: together they create a unique experience. An experience that, when successful, enhances one’s enjoyment of all its elements, with all senses.

Let me get this straight, I’m not saying RN74’s design project is a great architectural achievement nor am I comparing it to a museum or opera house. All I’m saying is that its design brings San Francisco a much welcomed originality that stands far above most local conterparts. And in no way distracts you from the dining experience, quite the opposite.

The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Millennium Tower, a gigantic–at least for Bay Area standards– glass monolith that by itself is not particularly exciting. But as you enter RN74, what you see is pleasantly contrasting. Vintage lanterns hanging in chains create a delicate curtain that separates the bar on the right from the modern dining room. The all-glass façade is disguised with the privacy of elegant dark wood shutters.

The atmosphere is a casual chic blend of industrial coolness and modern warmth. Walnut tables branded in classic Helvetica, each with its assigned number. Topping each, texturized brown paper placemats, modern flatware and water glasses in the restaurant’s signature red. From the hangar-like ceiling hang perfectly aligned arrays of amber pendant lights. On the walls, the über graphic wine list designed like classic train station signage.

The space fits 186 people between the dining room, the bar and an ample lounge. Permeating them all is an outstanding music selection that is uplifting and cosmopolitan.

The menu

RN74 opened a few months ago with a very different proposition; a wine bar with fine dining small plates. But the idea only lasted a couple of days and Mina changed course (no pun intended) to reflect diners desire for larger portions. The wine focus hasn’t changed but now the restaurant offers regular-size appetizers ($11 to $17), main courses ($24 to $29), cheeses and desserts ($9). Curiously, the actual plates didn’t seem to have been updated as some of the dishes clearly deserve wider ware. Chef and winemaker Jason Berthold, who once worked at The French Laundry, created a modern French fare that, in good California fashion, celebrates each of its ingredients with respect.

The meal

Sliced sourdough and soft butter topped with fleur de sel start the meal.

Pâté de campagne. Burgundian mustard, cornichons, French prune. A delicate and rich starter from the “Anytime” menu.

Sautéed pork belly & manila clams. Spring onion, smoked paprika, parsley. An outstanding appetizer made with fatty, tender sous-vide-cooked pork belly that is then sautéed to achieve perfect crispiness. Served with tasty clams and a paprika butter sauce.

On the lighter side, Hamachi sashimi. Hawaiian hearts of palm, watermelon, yuzu, shiso. The fresh hamachi is served with hearts of palm in 3 ways and contrasted with the sweetness of compressed watermelon cubes. A dish that seems inspired by Berthold’s old master, Thomas Keller.

Liberty farm duck “cassoulet”. Barley, shiitake mushrooms, sweet carrots, spinach. This is RN74’s reinterpretation of the classic French stew–one of my all-time favorite dishes. Instead of white beans, barley and shitake serve as the base for the duck confit which is cooked for 10-hours, then crispied to order. The result is an original and deliciously flavorful dish, lighter than the classic cassoulet yet more complex in texture.

Bacon-wrapped pork loin. Corn, fennel, cornbread financier, mission figs, green peppercorn. The thin, golden brown bacon works like a crispy, tasty skin on the tender loin meat. Among the accoutrements, the sweet cornbread is hard to beat. A very good dish although it would have benefited from a sauce.

For dessert, Warm beignets. Mascarpone, blueberry, lemon thyme, ras al hanout sorbet. The small deep fried treats go very well with the creamy mascarpone and fragrant ras al hanout sorbet–a blend of herbs and spices popular across the Middle East.

Chocolate delice. Banana, caramel, brown butter-cashew ice cream. A deliciously rich dessert.

To end, black currant financiers with a touch of honey.

In short

RN74 is one of the most exciting restaurant projects in San Francisco. Beyond its very good food with roots in French cuisine and typical San Francisco flair, the interior and graphic design is simply outstanding. New York outstanding. Michael Mina managed to create a dining experience that, simply put, brings together the best of both coasts.

RN74 is at 301 Mission Street
Online reservations

Nopalito, San Francisco

2009-08-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Only a few blocks away from its sister restaurant, Nopa, Nopalito serves an authentic San Francisco take on south of the border cuisine. Mexican fare meets slow food.

Not unlike Pizzeria Delfina–also located next to a popular park, waiting time is directly proportional to the temperature outside. In foggy weekends, getting a table shouldn’t take too long; but if it’s sunny outside, be prepared to wait up to 1 hour and a half. Ouch.

While the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, you can call in advance to put your name on the waitlist. When your table is about to become available, they will give you a call.

The atmosphere is hip and modern, San Francisco casual style. A welcoming dining room features a high communal table and counter seats in addition to the regular 2 and 4-tops.

Designed in earthy tones and small green tiles on the walls, the room benefits from the direct sunlight of the ample windows. Additional seating is available in a covered patio outside.

The menu

If you come expecting staples of Mexican-American fare, Nopalito’s menu may take you by surprise. There’s only one taco option and no burrito in sight. Instead, the restaurant offers a fresh take on it, including slow-cooked rustic dishes; all made with organic, locally sourced ingredients. Appetizers are priced from $5 to $9.50 and main courses from $10 to $15–more than your average Mexican eatery but definitely worth the price. The same menu is available for takeout in a convenient side counter that lets you skip the waiting crowd.

The meal

Sangría de Fresas ~ Strawberry Sangría. Topped with a generous amount of diced fresh strawberries, this is a very refreshing drink, by the glass or bottle.

Instead of bread and butter, crunchy spicy garbanzo beans are served as a snack.

Ceviche Verde de Pescado y Calamari. Marinated halibut, calamari, lime, tomatillo, cilantro and avocado. Although fresh, this dish is too acidic; the lemon marinate overpowers every other flavor. If ceviche is your thing, try La Mar.

Quesadilla Roja con Chicharrón. Chile ancho corn tortilla, crispy pork belly, salsa guajillo, jack cheese, onions and cilantro. Nopalito’s quesadillas are lighter than the traditional crispy-gooey tortilla sandwiches with cheese dripping from its side. More like a savory French crêpe, the folded tortilla is filled with a nice layering of flavors; definitely worth a try.

Carnitas. Long braised pork, orange, bay leaf, cinnamon and beer. Cabbage salad, pickled jalapeños, salsa de tomatillo. One of Nopalito’s signature dishes, the braised pork is tasty and very tender.

Guiso de Pescado al Estilo Toluca. Ling cod poached in tomato, green olives, capers, pickled jalapeños and cilantro. Another tasty dish with fresh fish, Mexican flavors and a lovely hint of comfort food.

Pozole Rojo. Stew of pork shoulder, hominy, chile mulato, radishes, cabbage and onion. Unfortunately, a bit of a letdown. The broth is watery and almost too mild, there’s not enough pork and too much garbanzo beans inside.

What somewhat saves this dish is the plate of accoutrements. Dried oregano, red onions and lime make up for the lack of flavor intensity of the broth.

If like me, you think no meal is complete without a rich dessert, then Nopalito may let you down. The restaurant only offers popsicles. Yes, they are house-made popsicles, but popsicles nonetheless.

In short

Nopalito is not your traditional Mexican eatery. While you won’t find some staples on its menu, the restaurant offers a fresh take on authentic Mexican cuisine, prepared San Francisco style. Some dishes are better than others but, all in all, Nopalito brings a welcoming sophistication to one of California’s most popular cuisines.

Nopalito is at 306 Broderick St
To get your name on the waitlist, call 415-437-0303

Le Garage, Sausalito

2009-07-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of great brunch options in San Francisco; Foreign Cinema, Canteen and Maverick to name a few. Point is, there is really no reason to leave the city for a good morning meal, except one, the fog.

Just a few minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge you’ll find this small restaurant somewhat hidden in one of Sausalito’s posh docks. It may take some driving around to actually find the place but you will quickly realize it’s well worth the trip. As you take out the fleece jacket and give your skin some welcomed vitamin D, the sight of the city covered in fog in the distance is curiously rewarding.

The restaurant itself is unpretentious and welcoming. During the summer, its large garage doors remain rolled up merging the dining room with an open outside patio. The ambiance is a mix of sports bar and yacht club; simple and unfussy.

Sunlit tables run out quickly when brunch service starts at 10am. After that, you may have to wait a little; but don’t worry, thanks to efficient service and maybe the somewhat uncomfortable chairs, table turnover shouldn’t take too long.

Le Garage is the brainchild of the ex-chef and ex-general manager of Chef Papa–curiously, the place I had one of the most disappointed brunches in the city. But not here.

The menu

Le Garage offers classic brunch dishes with a few French twists. The menu has about 11 options; between savory and sweet, the selection is very appetizing. Prices range from $8 (for a bowl of yogurt with granola and fruit) to $15 for more elaborate dishes. The regular dessert menu is also available during the morning hours and, before 10am you can order coffee and pastries.

The meal

The drip coffee is brewed on the weak side, diner style. For a more flavorful drink order an Americano; it comes with frothed milk on the side. Lattes are also fairly mild.

Eggs Benedict – Smoked salmon, hollandaise on a baguette w/ roasted potatoes. Perfectly poached eggs and tasty potatoes with plenty of roasted garlic cloves make this a very successful dish.

Oeuf à la coque -2 soft-boiled eggs and black truffle butter mouillettes served w/ proscuitto, grilled asparagus + shaved parmesan. This inventive dish is a nice option for foodies with a lighter appetite–it will leave you happy but maybe a little bit hungry.

Omlette w/ St. Nectaire, cured duck and caramelized onions served with roasted potatoes. A perfectly cooked omelet with savory duck, sweet onions and the deliciously nutty, rich St. Nectaire–a French, semi-soft cow’s milk cheese.

Omelette w/goat cheese, Loch Duart Salmon, crème fraîche, red onions, dill, served with mixed greens. Not quite as successful as its counterpart but still very good.

Pain Perdu - brioche French toast with crème fraîche & a house made fresh berry compote. Good as a main course or as dessert, but not as good as Canteen’s.

From the appetizing dessert menu, Grilled stone fruit w/ organic pinot blanc jus, crème fraiche & a palet Breton. Even though I was expecting a warm dessert, the chilled dish is pleasantly surprising. Flavorful and refreshing.

In short

All in all, there are better brunch options in the city but Le Garage offers a good alternative with higher chances of sunshine. It’s worth going, if for nothing else, to see the San Francisco fog far in the distance as you enjoy a good French fare outside. No vest required.

Le Garage is at 85 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 109
For reservations, call 415.332.5625

A16, San Francisco

2009-07-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Last week San Francisco diners and foodies all around received the surprising news that Nate Appleman had resigned his position heading the kitchen at A16 and SPQR. Appleman, a 30-year-old from Ohio recently received a Best rising star chef award by the James Beard Foundation–the Oscars of the culinary world. Appleman’s popularity is in large due to his work at A16, the hip Italian eatery in the Marina where he spent the last 3 years.

The small facade on Chestnut Street hides a long dining room that extends through 3 different areas and ends on a small covered patio. The space is packed with tables like a discount airliner that tries to squeeze in a few extra seats on an already crowded plane.

The atmosphere is casual and warm. Figuratively and literally speaking. The wood-burning oven in the middle of the room produces some of San Francisco’s best pizzas but also one of the city’s hottest dining rooms. Add to that poor air circulation and the heat inside can be quite uncomfortable.

If you can choose where to sit, the cooler areas are the patio and the bar; both benefit from an occasional outside breeze. Next comes the main dining room where the slightly higher ceilings shave off a few degrees. But one area in particular offers less fortunate diners an especially unpleasant atmosphere. The mid dining room is so dark and hot that sweating is guaranteed. On my second visit, I had to ask to move to the bar after 5 minutes of full body roasting.

If you can ignore the heat, the interior design is welcoming and unfussy. Service is friendly and sharp, even under abnormal circumstances. On my first visit, our server kept her cool while two tables down a team of paramedics removed a diner who became ill. Could it have been the heat?

But there’s a good reason A16 is such a hot spot–figuratively speaking. It’s all about Appleman’s cuisine.

The menu

The restaurant, named after a highway in the south of Italy, offers a soulful Italian fare created with seasonal ingredients from a careful selection of local purveyors. Appleman’s menu includes his famous Neapolitan pizzas ($11 to $16) and house-made salumi (about $10 per serving or $15 for a tasting). It also features 9 appetizers ($4 to $12), 4 pasta dishes ($10, $18 for entrée size) and 5 meat entrées ($22 to $24). Each main course includes a side dish.

The meal

A16 serves their sliced bread with a generous portion of peppery olive oil. Save some of the oil if you order a pizza, there’s nothing better than dipping its crust in it.

Marinated San Remo and Castelvetrano olives. The bright green olives imported from Italy are even better marinated in olive oil and spices.

A great starter is the Zuchinni, olives and shaved parmesan salad. A very successful appetizer; light, fresh and crunchy.

Roasted Monterey sardines with fried breadcrumbs, currants, pickled chiles and herbs. Here, the tender, fresh sardines meet the crunchiness of breadcrumbs. The only missing element; acidity.

The restaurant’s wood burning oven produces an amazing pizza crust, beautifully charred and deliciously chewy. It’s not as crispy as Gialina’s but as good as Flour + Water’s. Seven toppings and a few add-ons are available; among them, Funghi – roasted mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, grana padano, garlic, oregano, wild arugula. Layered with flavors, this pie is just great.

Squid ink tonnarelli with octopus, black olives, tomato, chiles and garlic. In this tasty pasta, the same fried breadcrumbs found on the sardines are added for texture.

Appleman’s roasted meats are also worth trying. His house-made lamb sausage is exceptional. Served with root vegetables and paired with any of the restaurant’s side dishes. I recommend the Cannellini beans with garlic and oregano. Flavorful and creamy.

Desserts at A16 won’t disappoint. Selections change daily and include house-made gelatos in addition to more sophisticated sweets like a parfait made with candied rhubarb and mint.

The restaurant semifredos are also very good, this one made with macadamias and caramel.

In short

One of the most popular restaurants in the northern part of the city is packed with locals in a hip and a little too warm atmosphere. Its Italian cuisine was made famous by the talented Nate Appleman. For the restaurant, it remains to be seen how its food will fare with the departure of its star chef. For Appleman, foodies everywhere wait anxiously to hear where he’ll stop next. Wherever that is, it’s guaranteed to become another hot spot. But hopefully one that is also cool; literally, not figuratively speaking.

A16 is at 2355 Chestnut St.
Online reservations

Bushi-Tei, San Francisco

2009-07-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

In the heart of Japan Town, amidst traditional eateries and authentic Asian markets is a small, modern restaurant that stands in contrast with the local heritage. Its all-glass façade provides passersby a full view into the 40-seat dining room, a space that blends elements of contemporary design with Japanese wooden planks dating back to 1863.

A communal table takes center stage surrounded by a handful of 2-tops covered in pristine white linen tablecloth. At the end of the room, a mezzanine gives those looking for more privacy a place to hide.

Despite the modern flair, the dining experience at Bushi-Tei is rooted in traditional Japanese fine dining with formal, attentive service and great attention to details. From the dining room design to the tableware, each element was carefully selected or originally designed by the 2 partners Tak Matsuba & Seiji 'Waka' Wakabayashi.

Chef Waka’s cuisine brings together disparate culinary cultures in beautiful synergy. Japanese fare meets French technique with appetizing concoctions but a somewhat anachronistic sense of inventiveness. Waka’s innovations seem to take more cues from a decade or so ago than from contemporary cuisine. A time before foams, airs and liquid spheres. A time when tuna tartare and molten chocolate cakes could be found in pretty much any restaurant menu.

The menu

The à la carte selection at Bushi-Tei includes 6 appetizers ($6 to $20) and 5 main courses ($28 to $35). Two prix fixe options are also available; curiously, prices are not printed on the menu. A 3-course omakase ($49) or the 5-course Waka’s omakase ($95) put diners in the hands of the talented chef.

The meal

The attention to details you see in the interior design is mirrored in Waka’s cuisine. The water, for example, is purified in-house and served with a pH of 8.5 to 9.5; a level above average which the restaurant guarantees to make for a more velvety and smoother drink. Meanwhile, all produce is washed in acidic water at pH 3.

The meal starts with a basket of brown rice bread and paper-thin crushed seaweed chips.

An amuse bouche of marinated scallops on crispy toast comes next.

One of Waka’s signature appetizers is the Miso-marinated wagyu beef, upland cress, apple, fennel, French blue cheese. A delicate concoction of crispy salad rolled on carpaccio-like slices of beef.

Big eye tuna tartare, tobiko, wasabi crème fraîche, coriander seed, herb oil. Presented in a neat tower layering its rich ingredients, this appetizer has a mild, fresh taste but lacks in originality of flavors.

Lobster and crab, chrysanthemum leaf, papaya, bacon, ginger cream, curry oil. While I expected a lobster and crab salad, this dish is more of a green salad with lobster and crab. Although generously portioned, the amount of greens could be easily cut in half.

From the main courses, my favorite was the Kurobuta (Berkshire pork), coco blanc beans, bacon apple-ginger chutney. Called Kuronuta (black hog) in Japan, it is referred to as the Kobe beef of pork. Its finer marbling and shorter muscle fibers yield a much more tender and flavorful meat. In this dish, it’s complemented by flavorful, aromatic beans and a crispy, thin bacon strip.

Sonoma duck breast, baby mizuna, mascarpone mustard, dried chutney. A tasty dish albeit somewhat on the dry side.

Bushi-Tei offers a good selection of desserts–a welcoming French addition to the Japanese cuisine. Among them, Mocha parfait. Berry confiture. A semifredo-like dessert, creamy and rich.

Flourless chocolate soufflé cake. Roasted strawberry, organic milk ice cream. Not very original but quite satisfying.

Apple dumpling. French vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce. A more filling dessert, tasty and sweet.

Black sesame blancmange. Pineapple salsa, coconut milk reduction. A lighter option with French technique and Japanese sensibility.

In short

Bushi-Tei’s Modern, elegant atmosphere is a fresh addition to Japan Town’s traditional restaurant landscape. Waka’s progressive Japanese/French cuisine is worth trying, even if its inventiveness seems a bit stuck in time.

Bushi-Tei is at 1638 Post Street
Online reservations

La Mar, San Francisco

2009-07-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

You may not have heard of Gastón Acurio, but in his homeland the celebrity chef is a mix of George Clooney and Emeril Lagasse. His popularity is enough to draw cameras and handshakes everywhere he goes. The 41-year-old chef has 29 restaurants worldwide, over 20 books and several TV shows with his name. He is doing for Peruvian food what Paul Bocuse did for French cuisine–evolving it in the kitchen and changing its role to the rest of the world. But curiously, it all happened by chance.

Son of a prominent Peruvian politician, Gastón was sent to Madrid to attend law school. It was a few hours drive from the capital, in the small town of San Sebastian, that one dinner changed his life forever. A meal that pushed Gastón to embrace his lifelong passion, drop out of law school and enroll at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. A meal cooked by Juan Mari Arzak; a Spanish chef that, like Bocuse, redefined his homeland cuisine and gave it worldwide appeal.

La Mar is Acurio’s first step in turning Peruvian food into an international sensation. Fifteen years after opening his first restaurant, the chef has taken his new franchise to Brazil, Chile, Mexico and US. San Francisco was selected as his first North American address and New York, Dallas and Las Vegas are in the planning stage. Assuming all goes well, Gastón is destined to put Peruvian gastronomy in Uncle Sam’s map.

Located at Pier 1 ½, just a few steps from the Ferry Building, La Mar has one of the most enviable spaces in San Francisco. Flooded with natural light, the ample dining room is complemented by a lively bar, a lounge and a coveted patio with views of the bay.

The interior design is simple, combining earthy colors with a bright beach-like palette of cyan, orange and green. The colorful theme is repeated on menus and paper placemats printed with La Mar’s logo–a design choice normally associated with large restaurant chains, something that I believe cheapens its image. The atmosphere is informal and welcoming albeit with a slight touristic flair.

Almost as big as the dining room is the open kitchen equipped to serve about 200 diners.

The good-looking wait staff is attentive and well trained. In my two visits, curiously the female servers seemed more enthusiastic than their male counterparts.

The menu

La Mar’s menu offers an appetizing selection of revisited Peruvian classics prepared with great technique and fresh, seasonal ingredients. Ceviches are a must. There are 6 types (priced around $17 or $10 for a smaller portion during lunchtime). A ceviche tasting ($28) gives diners the option to try 4 of them. Other specialties include about 30 appetizer-sized dishes ($9 to $16) and main courses ($17 to $29). Sharing is highly recommended, mostly so you can try multiple things.

The meal

Crispy potato, sweet potato and plantain chips served with 3 dipping sauces color coded by heat level. Green for mild, yellow for medium and red for spicy. Each one made with a different Peruvian chili pepper, spices, queso fresco, milk, olive oil and thickened with ground crackers.

Some signature ingredients in Acurio’s Peruvian cuisine make an appearance in several of his dishes. These 3 sauces are among them.

You can’t leave La Mar without trying a ceviche (called on the menu as cebiches). They are unlike most ceviches in San Francisco in which the acidity of the lime completely overpowers all other flavors. Gastón’s are made with leche de tigre (tiger’s milk), a light marinate of lime juice and chili peppers. The liquid from the ceviche is so flavorful that the restaurant offers a tasting of 5 leches de tigre shots–said but not guaranteed to have aphrodisiac properties.

Cebiche clásico. California Halibut and red onions in habanero pepper leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Simple and delicious.

Cebiche chipotle. Scallops, calamari, shrimp, red onion, cilantro, habanero, in a chipotle leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Beware, as the red color suggests, this one is flavorful but very spicy.

Empanadas de lomo saltado. Stuffed with beef tenderloin, red onions and tomato. The classic Latin American pastry turnover is filled with chopped grass fed beef and baked until crispy. A tasty appetizer.

Anticuchos de pulpo. Grilled octopus skewers, herbed mashed potato with chimichurri sauce and ají panca. La Mar offers a variety of anticuchos–barbecued skewers similar to kebabs. The octopus is tender and smoky but the herbed mashed potatoes is a bit on the dry side.

Anticuchos de lomo. Grilled marinated skirt steak served with shaved red onions and Peruvian corn. Flavorful and tender, the meat is simply exceptional.

Arroz Norteño. North Peruvian seafood combination with mussels, shrimp, octopus, clams, and fried rice with cilantro and Huancaína sauce. The majority of La Mar’s menu is made of appetizer-size dishes perfect for sharing. A few main courses are available like this Peruvian version of a Paella in which cilantro is used instead of saffron to give the rice a rich color and flavor.

Picarones. Traditional warm pumpkin and sweet potato fritters with spiced Chancaca honey. Desserts at La Mar are generously portioned. Denser than the traditional American doughnut, the Picarones have a pronounced pumpkin flavor and can be easily shared by 2 or 3 diners.

Suspiro limeño. Classic dulce de leche mousse with port wine meringue. This dessert is more like a runny pudding than a mousse but, consistency aside, it’s tasty and sweet.

In short

Beyond its impressive looks, La Mar is the best Peruvian restaurant in San Francisco. Gastón Acurio’s food brings a contemporary flair to classic dishes. His cuisine is at the same time authentic and highly approachable. Go to La Mar if you love Peruvian fare and if you don’t think you do. The accidental chef may change how you see his hometown cuisine after all.

La Mar is at Pier 1 ½
Online reservations

Borough Market, London

2009-06-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

Let’s admit it, England is not a country known for its epicurean heritage. Yes, there are some notable exceptions like The Fat Duck; but overall, you’ll likely find more appetizing cuisines in other European countries. Maybe for that reason, the one place in London where food can be exciting is where Europe comes together under one roof. Welcome to Borough Market.

Started by the Romans about 1000 years back, the oldest food market in the city is also recognized as the best. Here you’ll find a maze of about 150 food stalls selling specialty products from every corner in Europe. Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala Campana from Italy, canned escargots from France, dried chilies from Spain and, of course, Her Majesty’s meat pies.

Like popular markets in Europe or Asia, early hours are preferred if you want to avoid the flock of tourists that flood the place. By noon, when visitors are joined by the local lunch crowd, the sight is closer to a theme park than a food market. Busy enough that you may miss the ubiquitous “High risk pickpocket area” signs. But if you are a food enthusiast like I am, no matter what time you arrive you are sure to have a blast. And maybe, just maybe, change the way they think of London after all.

Flour + Water, San Francisco

2009-06-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

In San Francisco, the city with the highest count of declared foodies and food critics per capita, restaurant openings are akin to blockbuster movie premieres. With much anticipation, they command great buzz, long lines and instant hip status. At least until the dust settles. In the end, few places endure through the fad to become a favorite. Flour + Water is sure to be one of them.

Inside the new Mission district restaurant, the ample high-ceilings space features a bar, a communal table and solid wood 2 and 4-tops crafted with recycled redwood from old wine fermentation tanks. The walls are painted in muted shades of green and, at the end of the room, colored glass tiles and a large mural painting create a surreal natural sciences backdrop. The interior design is straightforward and contemporary; call it urban chic barn.

A few curious macabre artifacts are peppered around the restaurant; like in the restroom, where skulls and seashells are found neatly displayed in a cabinet of curiosities. They come from the Flour + Water’s designer, Sean Quigley, who also owns one of San Francisco’s most authentic stores; Paxton Gate.

Bustling with locals, the atmosphere is inviting and unfussy. Friendly servers dressed in civilian clothes make sure you feel right at home. Service was a little out of sync on my first visit–main courses arrived while we were still working on our appetizers; but things seemed better the second time around.

All in all, the main attraction here is definitely the food. Chef Thomas McNaughton (Gary Danko, La Folie, Quince) brings his sophisticated cuisine background to a welcoming homey fare.

The menu

Flour + Water specializes in fresh house made pastas, cured meats and thin crust Neapolitan pizzas. The chef has imported from Italy an enviable wood-burning oven capable of achieving 800ºF–according to the restaurant, about the same temperature as hell. The one-page menu also features flavorful meat entrées that benefit from McNaughton’s Franco-Italian techniques. Appetizers are priced around $10 and main courses range from $12 to $22.

The meal

To start, a nice house baked rosemary foccaccia served solo.

House cured salumi – chili Toscana, cacciatore, finnochiona. McNaughton’s charcuterie is tasty, I’d say on par with Boccalone’s.

Shaved asparagus & arugula salad with quail egg & a pancetta-caper vinaigrette. A fresh salad with crunchy vegetables and rich, carefully poached quail eggs.

Margherita pizza - tomato, basil, fior di latte, extra virgin olive oil. There are only 4 options for toppings and arguably less inventive combinations than Gialina and Delfina. But at Flour + Water, only 2 minutes in the wood-burning oven produces an unparallel crust with a nice balance of chewy and crisp and aromatics from the wood. Worthy every bite.

Corzetti stampati with braised monterey squid & castelvetrano olives. The pastas are made fresh every day. In this dish, flat pasta discs are served with a flavorful sauce and the coveted mild Italian olives that seem to have taken San Francisco’s epicurean scene by storm. I just wish there was an option for a bigger portion.

Braised pork cheek with sweet pea & erbette chard. The best dish I had. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork served with a flavorful wine reduction and nicely balanced by the slight bitterness of chard.

Roast leg & loin of lamb with spring shallot, rabe leaves & green olives jus. Also very tender, the leg is thinly sliced and served with sweet roasted onions and a tasty reduction.

The desserts at Flour + Water are anything but afterthoughts. The 3 options on the menu are all very good.

Chocolate budino with espresso-caramel cream & sea salt. With a consistency between a pot de crème and a mousse, the rich chocolate budino is complemented beautifully by the flavored whipped cream and highlighted by sea salt crystals. An outstanding dessert.

Olive oil cake with macerated strawberries, honey thyme ice cream and candied fennel. Another great combination of fluffy, moist cake and creamy Humphry Slocombe ice cream.

Cherry ricotta tart with saba and torn mint. A delicate tart with fresh cherries on a crunchy crust, served with grape syrup.

In short

With a warm atmosphere and a flavorful cuisine that I’d compare to Delfina and its pizzeria all under one roof, this brand new Mission spot is worth trying and going back to. Opened less than a month ago, Flour + Water is already the most exciting new restaurant in the city. One that this foodie and food critic hopes is here to stay.

Flour + Water is at 2401 Harrison Street
Online reservations

Brenda's, San Francisco

2009-06-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

It was 9:30am when I arrived at the small eatery in the Tenderloin. Early enough to avoid the vagrant crowd that makes the neighborhood not so family-friendly but clearly not early enough to beat the family brunch crowd. About 30 people already stood in front of the building; a façade tightly squeezed between a Laundromat and a KFC/Taco Bell combo. And while it was Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff of summer, the prospective diners stood shivering outside under overcast skies and 44 degrees. Mark Twain was right.

At every gust of wind, people walked towards the door, checked their place on the clipboard and peaked inside the dining room. A helpless gesture repeated over and over akin to an anxious father to be, pacing outside the delivery room. Watched pot never boils.

And while the frequency in which names were crossed was painfully slow, the number of new ones added seemed to grow at full speed. Soon enough it was up to 3 pages long. “It must be worth it”, I kept repeating to myself as I battled the half of my mind trying to convince me otherwise. With few exceptions, I rarely wait long for a table. Curiously, it was the excessive wait time that compelled me to stay.

As I jumped up and down to keep my body temperature up, the stubborn optimistic in me kept thinking it would be any minute now. But it took one and a half hours for me to see my name crossed from that pesky list. I rushed inside like that anxious father, finally allowed to see his newborn son.

The dining room is packed with glass-covered tables, squeezing the maximum number of people in the tiny space; 30 in total. The room that already looks small from the outside reveals itself as half the perceived size once you get inside and realize a wall-to-wall mirror gives it a false sense of scale. Seating at the counter puts you about 10 inches from that very mirror–not recommended for diners with low self-esteem.

The atmosphere is cozy, like a small town diner. Service is friendly and fast; turning tables here is a must.

The menu

Brenda’s takes pride in offering a Creole-inspired menu in which no item sells for over ten bucks. In addition to the à la carte selection of beignets, egg plates and off the griddle dishes; daily specials are written on the mirror wall. The restaurant brings together New Orleans soul with refined French technique. There are plenty of options to choose from and some room for customization.

The meal

Brenda’s serves the traditional New Orleans blend of coffee and Chicory from Community Coffee. Full bodied and very rich, it has a bittersweet flavor that, although smooth, can be too bold for diners with a lighter palate.

If you like beignets, there is no shortage of options. Plain, filled with Ghirardelli chocolate, Granny Smith apple or Crawfish. If in doubt, the Beignet flight will guarantee you a taste of each.

Unlike the lighter, hollow plain beignets; their filled counterparts are as hearty as a small meal. The apple filling above is nicely spiced with cinnamon, honey and butter.

Daily specials often include Eggs benedict prepared 3 different ways; with molasses ham, florentine (spinach) or fried catfish. Instead of the classic English muffin, Brenda’s serves their benedicts on incredibly flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. The combination of perfectly cooked eggs topped with a lightly spicy Creole hollandaise and biscuits is delicious.

While the molasses ham is tasty, it’s a little too sweet. The fried catfish on the other hand makes for a great complement adding a crispy texture and an additional southern flair.

Andouille and Cheddar Omelette. Filled with spicy sausage, cheddar, mushrooms, scallions and topped with sauce piquant. Served with soft hash browns or grits and a baseball-size biscuit.

Banana’s Foster French Toast. Thick slices of brioche served with caramelized bananas, butter rum sauce and whipped cream. Tasty but very sweet.

In short

Breanda’s French soul food brings a fresh angle to the San Francisco brunch scene. The appetizing menu offers flavorful, hearty dishes at more than fair prices. No wonder its popularity. You may consider getting off bed earlier and arriving before 9am, it will shave one hour or so of wait time. You’ll still have to hang outside a good 30 or 40 minutes–enough to wake you up in the cold morning breeze.

Brenda's is at 652 Polk St
No reservations are taken for brunch

Follow that taco truck!

2009-05-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

Mobile eateries have been around for generations feeding blue-collar workers who crave a filling meal on a limited time and budget. On the west coast, the iconic taco trucks are sure to be found at lunchtime near any construction site. But beyond white-collars with the late night munchies and more open-minded foodies, few considered them as epicurean destinations. Now, what happened to other American classics like cupcakes and doughnuts, is happening to the taco truck. Gourmetization by gentrification.

In LA, the media darling Kogi BBQ serves handheld Korean-Mexican fare with a fine dining pedigree. Behind the wheels is Roy Choi, a chef who started out cooking at Le Bernardin in NY and more recently ran the kitchen at the 4-star Beverly Hilton restaurant in LA. Choi’s mobile menu includes Korean short ribs, spicy pork and tofu tacos prepared with high-end ingredients and packed with the flavor of carefully created marinates. But the food quality is responsible for only half of Kogi’s astronomical popularity–the truck commands lines of over one-hour wait and serves up to 600 customers a night. The other half comes from its 140-character marketing strategy.

In a curious twist on business economics, the one service that is yet to find its business model is empowering Kogi’s business to thrive. The truck has over 26 thousand Twitter followers that signed up to receive updates on where it will show up next. There’s no set agenda, locations are announced on the day; sometimes only a few hours ahead. Foodies and fans flock to tweeted addresses from all over town. Chasing the chef’s 2 trucks feels like the quest for “Where’s Fluffy” from “Nick and Norah’s infinite playlist”.

Kogi’s cult success inspired a myriad of copycats ranging from pure plagiarism to more original interpretations, kicking off a gastromobile trend.

In San Francisco, the Crème Brûlée Cart roams around the Mission district at night serving à la minute caramelized custards. Boccalone, purveyor of “tasty salted pig parts”, is sending its Salumi-Cycle to the Financial District during lunch hours. In its inaugural trip last week, the full load of 25 prosciutto paninis sold out in just 2 minutes–leaving dozens of hungry customers empty-handed. Other roaming food carts in the city include Sexy Soup Lady, Magic Curry Man and Mobile Pho Truck. Like Kogi, they all use Twitter to broadcast their locations, albeit to a much smaller audience.

Even Chez Spencer, the renowned French restaurant in the city, has launched a takeaway spin off in a converted taco truck. The concept follows the same gentrified gourmetization but isn’t quite as successful–the menu doesn’t have much of a street food flair and orders are said to take up to 45 minutes to be done.

This week in New York a converted pizza truck is hitting the road as Cupcake Stop. The owner is a law school dropout who put his bar exam on hold to sell cupcakes. He guarantees the confections are baked from scratch daily and expects to sell about 1,500 a day. Beyond announcing the truck’s location on Twitter, he is also using the social network to ask his followers for flavor suggestions. Over 500 submissions have already been sent.

But the idea of mobile eateries has always spurred some controversy. Neighborhood associations and local restaurants often see them as nuisances or threats. In mid 2008, Los Angeles passed an ordinance that required taco trucks to change location every hour (30 minutes in residential areas). A few weeks later a judge ruled the law unconstitutional allowing the trucks to conduct business in set locations. No shuffle required. The city of San Francisco, which has strict polices about street food, is constantly threatening to shut down unlicensed trucks and carts. Twitter is allowing mobile businesses to cultivate an ever-growing customer base while constantly changing their location.

But in the end, this is still restaurant business. A few months from now, many of these ventures will likely go out of business as fast as they hit the road. Diners will grow tired of niche menus and realize the long lines are not always worth braving. Unlike restaurants though, mobile eateries have the advantage of easily moving to a new spot and taking their fare to new fans. The most loyal Twitter fans will follow.

For now, until the fad goes out of fashion or legislators discover the wonders of 140-character social networking, we can enjoy the creativity and convenience of technology-powered gourmet street food. So get on Twitter and follow that truck.

Where to find?

In LA
@kogiBBQ

In NY
@CupcakeStop

In SF
@cremebruleecart
@sexysoupcart
@magiccurrykart
@boccalone
@whatthepho
@chezspencergo

The Moss Room, San Francisco

2009-05-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Moss Room was inaugurated as part of the ambitious Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. A groundbreaking architectural project featuring a living roof that was praised by design publications all around the globe. The restaurant occupies an underground space accessible through the building’s northwest corner. Make a note of that because at night, when the museum is closed, there’s little indication of where to go. With not a single person at sight, you may feel like in teenager horror movie, getting inside the deserted museum after hours when clearly something is about to go wrong. Cut to black.

Even inside, as you walk through the ground floor where the Academy Café unoccupied dining room rests quietly during closed hours, it makes you wonder if this is where you should be.

But keep walking and you’ll see the imposing living wall of stone, fern and moss that frames a sleek staircase leading one floor down.

Underneath it, a large pond refracts shimmering rays of light onto the room. A collection of beautiful Asian river fish swimming slowly.

As you walk downstairs, a modern dining room is revealed on your left. Handmade Douglas fir tables and diner booths well spaced under hand-blown glass pendants that appear to float in the air.

At the bar, a Carrara marble countertop is set over a red backlit frame. To its left, a glass-enclosed private dining room. The fish on the other side call it an aquarium for the human kind.

Lighting design is carefully laid out. Beyond the delicate pendants, spherical sconces pepper the walls in an organic sculpture that gives movement and depth to the space. The dimly lit room is intimate and warm. The atmosphere has an unfussy elegance only broken by the somewhat dysfunctional soundtrack–featuring anachronistic classics like Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Born to be Wild and California Dreaming.

The only two drawbacks are the office-like carpet and tall concrete columns that, despite adding a modern coolness to the space, dining at the small 2-top next to one of them makes you feel like eating in a parking garage. But overall, the interior design at The Moss Room is definitely something to be experienced and celebrated. Especially in San Francisco.

The menu

The Californian-Mediterranean fare is the work of Loretta Keller, the chef behind Coco500. By her side is Justin Simoneaux, a Louisiana-born chef who she brought with her from her SoMa restaurant. The seasonal menu is based on organic, sustainable ingredients and features about 22 items including starts (to share), appetizers, entrées and sides. Prices range from $8 to $14 for appetizers and $20 to $28 for main courses.

The meal

Sliced sourdough bread and soft butter kick off the meal. The small open kitchen works busily preparing all dishes but front of the house service still needs improvement.

To start, Crispy Squash Blossoms, salt cod, piquillo peppers, frisée. The salt cod brandade filling is tasty but the batter on the fried blossoms could be lighter and, honestly, crispier. You can barely notice the flower.

As an appetizer, Monterey Squid Spaghetti, squid ink, oven dried tomatoes, chilis, herbs. Without a doubt the best dish I had. Flavorful and lightly spicy, it has a nice balance of sweetness from the tomatoes and heat from the chilis. The presentation though is somewhat sloppy as the dish is covered in way too many parsley leaves.

Soup of the day: Potatoes and leeks. Lighter than a classic vichyssoise, the creamy soup is complemented with the two, diced vegetables for texture.

For entrée, Liberty Farms Duck Breast, “dirty” farro, pecans, cherries, balsamic. Tender, with a nice crispy skin, the duck outshines its accompaniment. Although the farro is done well, it does make you feel like eating something for its health benefits more than for its flavor. To be fair, farro is a popular Mediterranean ingredient that also happens to be good for your health.

Devil’s Gulch Rabbit Ravioli English peas, morel mushrooms, spring onions, pecorino. In this case, the accompaniments outshine the main ingredient. Morels and peas were great; the ravioli, okay at best.

To finish, Vacherin. Swiss meringue, coffee gelato, candied almonds, chocolate sauce. A rich dessert that despite the expected flavor combination is tasty and well made.

Chocolate Cherry Tart. Chocolate custard, brooks cherries, crème fraîche. Here, a must needed ice cream is absent. The tart is rich and tasty but is dry by itself. The crème fraîche refered on the name is nothing more than a ¼ of a teaspoon.

In short

The Moss Room has, hands down, the most original interior design in San Francisco. Arguably the first one to be excited about. Service and food still need maturing; while the restaurant is on par with the best designs in NY and LA, its fare is not quite there with the best of San Francisco. Places like Range, Town Hall and Spruce that also use sustainable ingredients are far more satisfying when it comes to the food. I often complaint about the lack of originality in San Francisco’s restaurant designs. Finally, for once, I stand corrected.

The Moss Room is at 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park
(Also unlike most SF restaurants, parking is abundant).
Online reservations

Asador Etxebarri, Spain

2009-05-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

“After 4 kms, you will pass through Abadino, and should look out for a sign on the right marked "ATXONDO" and "Axpe". Taking this road, you will pass through Apatamonasterio and after 1 km, you will notice another turning for "Axpe" on your right. Following this winding road for another 1 km, you will arrive into the village.”

The trip to Asador Etxebarri is an experience on itself. Sometimes, even turn-by-turn GPS doesn’t seem to find its way. But with a bit of patience (and luck), you’ll spot the 70 people village of Axpe; and right in the main square–between the church and the bocce ball court, stands the one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Number 39 in fact, ahead of NYC’s Daniel and Paris’ Louis XV.

The quaint 18th century building blends in with the peaceful scenery of green pasture and Basque mountains around it. From outside, you hear the sound of sheep and running spring water. As you get closer, you notice the crackle hiss and aromas of the restaurant’s signature charcoal grill.

It’s said that nowhere else in the world you can experience such sophistication in what is the oldest form of cooking. Thanks to Victor Arguinzoniz, who since 1989 commands the kitchen at Etxebarri.

By his side is a personable Australian sous chef who built his career in Michelin starred restaurants before moving to Axpe for 6 moths and never leaving. Lennox is as passionate about his craft as his mentor. With scorched hands, he speaks about their culinary innovations with great excitement; and for a good reason. Victor has not only redefined charcoal grilling, he has reinvented it. He designed and built from scratch a state of the art kitchen, complete with 2 wood-fired ovens and a sleek customizable grill.

Only the 2 chefs run the grill during service hours giving each order their undivided attention. There’s a small prep kitchen in the back where a tank provides them with fresh oysters, prawns, eels, lobsters and other live seafood ingredients. And this is really what it’s all about; the ingredients.

Fresh seafood, local meat from neighborhood farms, eggs from passersby chicken; even the water comes from the local springs. Each ingredient is treated with utmost respect and prepared on the grill until just cooked. The chef uses different types of wood for each protein and each order gets its own batch of charcoal. It takes the concept of “grilled to perfection” to a whole new level.

The chef has designed custom tools that allow him to grill things not usually put over charcoal. Caviar and risotto come to mind. And the result will blow you away (more on that later).

In the main dining room, about 10 well-spaced tables dressed in pristine white linens fill the quaint, minimalist space. A few scattered plants and that's it for interior design. The atmosphere reflects the simplicity of the restaurant’s cuisine. Through the windows, you can see the pastures outside. Victor’s wife runs the front of the house. The feeling is of eating in a rustic home in a small Basque village. Very different from Arzak's sleek atmosphere. To complete, no English is spoken by the wait staff.

The menu

The wood bound menu is presented in Spanish, Euskara and English. It is printed every morning based on what’s available that day. Twenty dishes are listed with no categorization of appetizers or entrées. Descriptions are brief, often just pointing out the main ingredient. The prices may intimidate the unadvised tourist that stopped here without knowing what to expect. One curious thing is that, of all the items on the menu, there’s not a single vegetable dish, not even a side dish. But this is Spain after all.

The meal

To start, house made Chorizo. Delicate and buttery, the deep red of pimentón bleeding on the plate.

Next, Caviar Assado. Etxebarri’s signature dish is a result of several years of experience on the grill. A special pan was designed with a thin wire mesh as the base where the roe is carefully laid. The pan is placed over seaweed and grilled on applewood charcoal. It took some trial and error to find the ideal caviar as it requires a higher natural fat content to survive the grilling process. The answer came from Iran. Every other week, a fresh batch of unpasteurized organic beluga comes from the Middle East and stays on the menu just for a few days thereafter.

The grilled caviar is simply served on a white porcelain dish. The appearance doesn’t differ much from its raw state but when you put it in your mouth, the flavor is jaw dropping. Warm, lightly smoky, sweet and buttery. Fantastic, unlike anything I ever had. About a tablespoon of it goes for 50 Euros; it’s worth every cent.

As an appetizer, Grilled baby octopus. Perfectly cooked, moist and tasty.

For entrée, Grilled salt-cod. A generous cut of cod grilled until just cooked to keep the flesh moist and tender. Served with roasted sweet onions, red peppers and a dash of pil pil sauce–an emulsion of fish juices, olive oil and garlic.

Desserts at Etxebarri are also surprisingly good. Curiously, the dessert menu is not available in English so some deciphering may be necessary. If in doubt, let the wait staff choose or you.

Flan de queso fresco. A delicious custard made with fresh cheese and local eggs. Creamy and lightly tart.

Rulo crujiente relleno de helado de queso Idiazabal granizado de txakolí. Like a canolli, but thinner, it’s filled with sheep’s cheese ice cream, topped with sparkling white wine granita and served with whipped cream.

To finish, house made milk and honey muffins.

In short

In one of the most inventive culinary regions in the world, at a time where avant garde cooking is more popular than ever, there’s something to be said about Victor Arguinzoniz’s choice to perfect to the simplest form of cooking. The chef is a friend of Ferran Adrià who often comes here to enjoy the simplicity of “la brasa” cuisine. Etxebarri’s innovations are focused on making the most out of each ingredient with respect and perfectionism. Even though spheres, foams and airs won’t be found here, Etxebarri’s sophisticated simplicity will likely take you by surprise.

Asador Etxebarri is at Plaza San Juan, 48291 Axpe
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Arzak, Spain

2009-05-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

Arzak’s 1897 building blends in with most taverns in the Basque country; a simple structure that while some would say bears little reference to modern fine dining, is just like many outstanding Relais & Châteaux restaurants in Europe; authentic and discreet. But I have to admit I was somewhat suspicious when I first saw the nondescript building and its quirky sign depicting a food tray in its still life glory. Can this be the address of one of the most celebrated Michelin 3-stars restaurants of all time; number 8 in the Worlds’ 50 Best Restaurants list? But somehow it all made sense; after all, I was in San Sebastian.

The seaside resort town of San Sebastian is, if not the gastronomical capital of the world, one of the most sought after epicurean destinations. Donostia, how it’s called in the Basque language, has the highest number of Michelin stars per capita and over 30 gastronomic clubs–curiously, all for men only. About 100km east of Bilbao, this small town attracts foodies from all around the planet that come here to experience gastronomy like nowhere else. That’s exactly why I came.

Inside Arzak’s building, the experience is anything but nondescript. As you walk in, you see a small waiting room with a hotel-like front desk. Check in and “Swoosh!” Two sleek frosted glass doors slid open automatically revealing a modern dining room in stark contrast to what you had seen so far. One step forward and you’re a century ahead.

The dining room expands 2 floors with a circular staircase in the middle, about 20 well-spaced tables in total. Their pristine linen tablecloth glowing white against the dark palette with minimalist flower arrangements adding subtle warmth. Close-up photos of pots and pans blown up in black and white on the walls.

The atmosphere is elegant, modern and intimate. And even though this is fine dining at its best, it’s not overly formal; jackets are not required, the lighting is brighter than usual and you’ll find salt and pepper on the table.

The most popular table in the restaurant though is not in the fancy dining room but right in the kitchen. The chef’s table is where personalities, friends and family come to experience Arzak’s cuisine right where it all happens. If you watched Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations in Spain, this is where he ate.

Back in the dining room, service is sharp but approachable; the wait staff is courteous and efficient yet there’s no excessive formality. But here too innovation and tradition come together flawlessly. Dressed in modern titanium-colored aprons, the servers take an active role in each dish’s presentation; many times finishing the preparation by pouring the sauces at the table. The chef himself makes sure his guests are happy coming to each table at the beginning and end of the meal and talking to English-speaking diners with the help of an interpreter. He is personable and enthusiastic, a man you can’t help but want to meet, even if you don’t know who he is. But in Spain and in epicurean circles, it seems everyone knows Juan Mari Arzak.

The 66-year-old chef is credited for creating the modern Spanish cuisine. In 1976, after being exposed to the French Nouvelle Cuisine at a roundtable that included luminaries like Paul Bocuse, Juan Mari returned to San Sebastian determined to change the path of his cuisine–and with that he changed the whole culinary world. The New Basque Cuisine was born and in 1989 Arzak became Spain’s first Michelin 3-star restaurant–a status held until this day, 20 years in a roll. In the years that followed, Arzak’s innovations inspired a myriad of chefs around the country; one of them, Ferran Adrià. Today, Juan Mari runs the restaurant together with his daughter, Elena, who is being prepared to continue her family’s legacy for the 4th generation–even though her father has no plans to retire.

The menu

The menu changes constantly based on seasonal ingredients and latest innovations. A visit to San Sebastian’s market reveals an amazing breadth of ingredients fresh from the ocean. Just off the boat fish, unrecognizable mollusks and lobsters the size of lab puppies. Like Thomas Keller, Arzak also has long-term relationships with local purveyors that guarantee the restaurant with the freshest produce.

Innovation on the other hand comes from inside; from Juan Mari and Elena’s relentless desire to invent. In the sleek stainless steel kitchen, 30 cooks work nonstop, meticulously preparing each dish and constantly learning from the master. On the top floor of the building is the “Flavor Bank”; a kitchen laboratory containing over 1000 ingredients where the chefs concept and test new concoctions.

Even though à la carte dining is available, you hardly see a table divert from the chef’s tasting menu. Why would you? The tasting menu is described with simplicity and a curious playfulness. “Eggs of the moment”, “Fish of the day”, “Meat”. It’s a menu confiance. Like at The French Laundry, to experience the best of the chef’s cuisine, you should simply let yourself in the hands of the chef.

The meal

The experience of eating at Arzak is unlike any other. The enthusiasm of the chef is translated to the wait staff and contagious to the guests. It creates anticipation and higher and higher expectations at every dish. Yet it never disappoints.

The meal starts going back to traditional Spanish roots; bread and olive oil. From there, a myriad of avant-garde amuse bouches are served together, some on custom-made backlit trays that resemble photographic light boxes. Suddenly, you are surrounded by bite-sized treats that peak your curiosity and tease your appetite. You feel like a kid in a candy store.

Caldito de alubia negra con queso. Black bean cream with cheese on a shot glass.

Puding de kabrarroka con fideos fritos. Rockfish pudding fried in a crispy noodles crust.

Raíz de loto con mousse de arraitxiki. Toasted lotus root slivers with fish mousse.

Morcilla en tempura. Blood sausage tempura.

The first course; Manzana con aceite de foie. An exceptional combination of crispy apples with a foamy caramelized foie gras. The rich foie is nicely complemented by the acidity of the apples, raspberry segments and finished with foie oil.

Alternatively, Ostras vegetales. The name of this dish (vegetable oysters) is a play on a Spanish vegetable called “oja de ostra” (oyster leaf); a single crunchy leaf is served with 2 beautiful plump oysters over a delicate tartar, sea beans and olive oil.

For the second course, Patata, bogavante y copaiba. Lobster in a crunchy potato shell served with a flavorful lobster sauce.

On the side, a delicate tapioca and orange salad.

Alternatively, Las formas del asparrágo. A minimalist presentation of peak of the season white asparagus in all its forms. And here’s when you realize how the simple respect for the ingredient can result in outstanding flavors. How can asparagus be this good?

Next, Del huevo a la gallina (from the egg to the chicken, or “Egg of the minute” as called on the English menu). A play on what came first; the chicken or the egg. Here, the beautifully poached egg is served under a thin yolk film and finished at the table with a rich chicken broth. Delicate yet intensively flavorful.

Then, the fish of the day. A filet of monkfish so perfect it appears it took a whole fish of carving to get to it. Accompanied by a lightly gelatinous vegetable sauce so flavorful it could convert the most devoted of carnivores. The Rape bronceado (bronzed monkfish) as it’s called, is brushed with a metallic bronze color that complements its perfectly seared flesh. I don’t recall ever in my life eating a fish dish this good.

On the side, a blade of onions and bronze that packs the surprising flavor of the sweetest of onions when it dissolves in your mouth. Let me be clear, this is no gold leaf garnish–those you see on top of chocolate cakes. It has form and function. Prize and purpose. Here, what looks beautiful tastes even better.

As an option to the monkfish; Lenguado con aceite de jengibre y pan de coco. Also perfectly done, the sole is served with ginger oil and coconut bread–think meringue.

Diners can select the protein in the meat course between beef, lamb, foie or pigeon. I had the latter; Pichón con perdigones dulces. Another playful title that pairs the bird with “sweet birdshot pellets”.

A sweet rice vinegar reduction is encapsulated in metallic lead colored spheres. Mixed with round cut potatoes and blue potato spheres, they form a colorful backdrop to what may very well be the best meat dish I ever had. Tender, juicy and deliciously seared with a salty, crispy skin. Absolutely unforgettable, in every flavor note.

For dessert, Sopa y chocolate “entre viñedos”. A wonderful combination of warm liquid chocolate spheres and basil ice cream on a red berries soup.

Chocolate y lombarda. Thin, colorful red cabbage pastry crisps surrounding a rich, creamy chocolate ganache. Served with chocolate and rosemary ice cream.

To finish, Dulce lunático. A bonbon of caramel and orange juice served with red wine reduction. Each bonbon explodes at first bite releasing the sweet juice. On the side, pumpkin ice cream.

The chef’s take on a pina colada. Piña assada pomposa. Grilled pineapple served with coconut milk poured over dry ice to creates a frothy, sauce à la minute. On the side, grilled pineapple ice cream.

The meal ends how it begins; with a myriad of bite-sized sweets that are impossible to resist–even if by now you are completely full. The mignardises include Dulce de pina (pineapple preserve), Bean truffle with white chocolate, chocolate with caramel, chocolate with beet film and a rice pudding on a thin apricot blade.

When Juan Mari Arzak returned to the dining room and stopped at our table, he was grinning cheerfully. Like a maestro that had just finished a perfect performance. His satisfaction only second to mine.

In short

In Europe some of the best restaurants are far from the main cities. Arzak is one of them. And possibly the reason it is so successful is because of exactly where it stands. In San Sebastian, and nowhere else. There are no other addresses, no branches, no franchises. The chef on the cover of the cookbook is the chef in the kitchen. Everyday, for every dish.

In an interview with the Spanish magazine Club de Gourmets, Juan Mari was quoted by saying “Beyond stomachs, we feed the souls.” Arzak’s cuisine goes far beyond surprising, it is endlessly rewarding. A beautiful play of flavors, textures and temperatures that involve all senses like no other cuisine I have ever tried. Everything has a purpose, innovation is never gratuitous.

In rare occasions I use a tape recorder instead of taking quick notes, I let it running in my pocket for the whole duration of the meal and later play it through to jot down my impressions. When listening to this 3-hour long recording, it was amusing to hear my spontaneous, almost child-like reactions dish after dish. Among exclamations that are not quite fit to print, what I kept saying over and over was a single word: “Wow”. And for someone that tends to dwell at length about exceptional dining experiences, I have to admit that that sums it up better than anything else I could possibly say.

Arzak is at Avda. Alcalde Jose Elosegui, 273, San Sebastian
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Best Bay Area restaurant. Period.

2009-04-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

The French Laundry
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Thomas Keller’s flagship restaurant takes the top prize. No other restaurant is as outstanding in every aspect of dining experience. From impeccable service to exceptional cuisine, dining at The French Laundry is an experience impossible to forget. Maybe because of its unparallel level or perfection; maybe because it challenges your preconceptions of how perfect a dining experience can be.

Best Bay Area original design

2009-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

No winner
You may have read my frequent criticisms San Francisco’s dining scene. Point is, I think the Bay Area has some of the best restaurants in the world. Period. But while all the focus seems to go on the food and service, the architecture and design are, simply put, boring. Read on.

Runner-up

Foreign Cinema
Foreign Cinema wins points more for the originality of its concept than for the execution. But the idea of a fine dining drive-in is great; and even if you never look at the screen, the atmosphere it creates its absolutely worth it.

Honorable mentions

Spruce
The elegant dining room at Spruce makes one of the most beautiful restaurant interiors in the city. With imposing high ceilings, a bright skylight and remarkable art on the walls, it’s less about originality but definitely about good taste.

Pizzeria Delfina
There’s nothing fancy about this tiny restaurant. Every nook is taken, no space is left unused. People pack inside and outside waiting for their turn to sit. So what’s so original about Pizzeria Delfina? The atmosphere. And it’s all about the loud soundtrack.

Well worth a trip

Bazaar, LA
In the signature Philippe Starck look, a whimsical mix and match of styles where antique and hyper-modern are curiously rendered together. Four distinct dining rooms, each one with its own personality offer guests an immersive, fun dining experience. I call it a dining and design wonderland.

Lever House, NY
The restaurant was designed from the ground up by Marc Newson, one of the most prolific designers of his generation. With an investment of 5 Million dollars, Newson created a retro modern interior that paid homage to the 50s’ vision of the future while being enviously contemporary. In my opinion, the most beautifully designed restaurant in NY. Unfortunately, Lever House closed its doors in April leaving behind just the memory of an outstanding space.