Hello, San Fransisco!
I don't need an excuse to go eating in the San Francisco Bay area. But around the holidays it's nice to have an unavoidable reason for leaving town. So when I got the invitation for a wedding that would take place the 17th of December at Jardiniere, one of San Francisco's top restaurants, it didn't take a whole lot of convincing to get me on the plane. What follows is a (not-so-brief) rundown of where I ate and drank, and first impressions.
My Rating Scale
is based on food. Taking atmosphere and service into account.
* OK
** Pretty good
***Tasty
****Worth a trip
*****Perfection on a plate
Plates of Food
Tommaso's ****
Tomasso's offers a nice respite from the San Francisco hipster scene. It is a small, old-school Italian-American restaurant. There is no pretension about this place: it is all about the food. We had a very large group and ate dinner family style. (Meaning: I got to try a lot of food!) We started with an antipasto assortment of marinated vegetables (peppers, broccoli, string beans, garbanzo beans, eggplant) which was a nice, light way to start the evening. That said, they were a bit on the boring side compared with what followed. The garlic bread was heavenly. We had the calamari fried as well as sauted in marinara. I have a fried food addiction so naturally I preferred the fried (but both were quite tasty). The marinara sauce had a nice spicy kick to it. The baked fresh Coo-coo clams were delicious in a bath of white wine, olive oil, garlic, red pepper, and herbs. Following the seafood we had cheese ravioli with pesto (yum!) and the spaghetti with pesto. Others tried the meat pastas, but I was too busy eating to ask how these tasted. After pasta came pizza. And they make a super tasty wood-fired pizza. To finish off the meal we had biscotti with amaretto.
Dynamo Donuts ****
This is a whole-in-the-wall donut and coffee shop in the Mission. Blink and you'll walk right past it. (At least I did.) You order outside at the counter and, if you feel like hanging out, you can take your treats inside and have a seat. The open kitchen enables you to watch donuts and other tasty sweets in the making. I had a ginger and orange donut and a well made macciato. They use quality coffee beans and you can taste the difference. The donut had only a small amount of candied ginger in it (the perfect amount as far as I'm concerned) and an orange sugar glaze on top. The staff is super friendly. You'll want to try all the donuts but at $2-3 a piece they add up. All the more reason to keep going back. Or gather some to share with your friends.
Flour and Water***
I had a fun dinner here with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. This restaurant has gotten a lot of hype in the press, and not all of it is merited. That said, I had an enjoyable dinner and am glad I had an opportunity to try this place for myself. We started with the cured steelhead with marinated beets, meyer lemon, and horseradish. The beets overpowered the fish and I believe they substituted dill for horseradish. In any case, the dominant flavors were beet and dill. I liked the steelhead, but a different dish composition would have highlighted its flavor more. We followed that with the beet chitarra with Dungeness crab and cauliflower. As it's Dungeness season right now we were compelled to try this dish. But being a Gulf Coast girl, I have a bias for Blue crabs (more work, more flavor). The pasta was good, but again, not outstanding. The couple next to us raved about their pasta, so maybe we just picked wrong! The Neapolitan-style pizza margherita was delicious. They used a simple tomato coulis which tasted perfect. We thought there was no way we would be able to eat the whole pizza but somehow we managed to gobble up every last morsel. I think with a few more years of practice their pizza will be awesome (it was pretty tasty).
Jardiniere (unscored)
This is one beautiful, sexy restaurant, and we had it entirely to ourselves for the wedding ceremony and brunch. I don't know who designed the restaurant and lounge, but I would hire them in a heart beat. It's old school classy meets modern chic, and it works. I am not rating this restaurant because I dined as part of a private party, eating from a preselected menu.
The service was impeccable. As was the food. The passed hors d'oeuvres included a sea bass ceviche, gougeres (very tasty, very flavorful), spring rolls w/ a dipping sauce (clean and light, a bit boring), and mushroom truffle tartlettes (very tasty, but a bit too much truffle oil). Once seated, I opted for the warm bread salad, which included a salad of predominantly chicory-based greens, roasted artichokes, and a soft cheese (crescenza, but I was told goat--so maybe a goat milk crescenza?). The salad was good, but not wow worthy. The fish dish on the other hand was divinely prepared and supremely conceived. I had been well served on mimosas, and then on wine, so my memory starts to waver at this point. The fish was farm-raised sea bass but I don't remember exactly how it was prepared. It was mighty tasty though!
The two-tiered wedding cake was gorgeous. The flowers matched the colors and pattern on the bride's dress. The cake itself was a bit on the dry side. But it was served with a divine ice cream and creme anglaise with a hint of orange; the composition won me over. What a fun, beautiful, and tasty place to have a wedding! I'd love to go back and eat a meal here.
Pomelo**
A friend and I ate dinner here the day of the wedding. We needed something simple that we could walk to (it was a long day!). Pomelo is a good choice if you are in the neighborhood and don't quite know where to eat. You won't break the bank and you'll have a satisfying, filling meal. We split the "Ulsan" scallion pancake with scallops and prawns. It was quite good, and would have been even better if we hadn't ordered it without the chiles (my friend can't handle spicy). We each ordered a noodle dish after that. I had "Sanuki," a buckwheat noodle stir fry with prawns, scallops, mushrooms, and bonito flakes. This dish proved a bit overwhelming in contrasting flavors. Sometimes simplicity is just flat out underrated. It was highly edible, but I wouldn't get it again. The "Lanzhou" ordered by my friend consisted of egg noodles stir fried with ginger and scallions and topped with seared (supposedly rare) Ahi. This was a much simpler dish, and I preferred it. But the tuna was over (and thoroughly) cooked.
La Mar Cebicheria***
This ranking is based purely on the cebiche. I went late (9pm!--it was a slow night) and they said they could handle me as long as I ordered quickly. The service was somewhat spotty, so I don't recommend going during off hours or when they are about to close (we should all know better--and not forget it!). I would recommend going for the cebiche and skipping the rest--including the cocktails! I had one of the worst drinks I've tried in a while, and am wondering why it's even on the menu. (It was the Apocalipto made from Pisco, rye, averno, falernum, and grapefruit bitters. A more apt name for it would be Disaster In a Glass.) But maybe the regular bartender had already gone home. I ordered relatively quickly, and then they brought it all out together, which I had not been expecting. The cebiche mixto of yellowtail, shrimp, and calamari with pieces of yam (not sweet potato) and Peruvian corn (giant corn kernels) was absolutely delicious. The leche del tigre has a spicy, addictive kick. It was served with fried plantains and yam (not the sweet potato variety). I also had the Causo limena, which came recommended. La Mar's causas are whipped potatos, in this case yellow, with either seafood or vegetables on top. The Limena has Dungeness crab salad on top. It was rather on the bland and boring side. Eating it alongside the spicy cebiche could have created a misleading sense of blandness. In any case, I am tainted by my clear preference for Gulf Blue Crab. (My one lesson of the weekend: Dungeness is overrated. Always opt for Blue crab!)
How to enjoy this restaurant (and I do believe it can be done, and done well): Go with a group. Order for the table. Try many cebiches. (They offer a cebiche tasting.) And maybe order a few other things to share. Stear clear of the Apocalipto (sound advice for anything with such a name).
Out the Door***
This is the take out restaurant of the large and swanky Slanted Door. It is the perfect place to grab a quickish bite if you are in the Embarcadero and don't want to sit down to a full meal. They have quite a large selection to choose from including noodle dishes, salads, and steamed buns. I ordered the Fresh Vegetarian Spring Rolls--I tried these at Slanted Door a few years ago and had been craving them ever since. They are tasty and made more so by the peanut dipping sauce. That said, they were not as good as I remember (O Memory, thou fond deceiver). The Crispy Vegetarian Imperial Rolls are my new constant craving. (Living in New Orleans has clearly intensified my need and love of fried food.) The rolls were super hot, and full of flavor. They come with lettuce, mint, thin rice noodles, and a dipping sauce. Yum.
Thirst Quenchers Worth Their Weight
I loved all of the places listed below. If you're in the neighborhood, you can safely drop into any one of them. And if you're not in the neighborhood, I'm sure you're only a short Muni or bus ride away!
Blue-Bottle Coffee. This is a chain of coffee shops that actually provide high quality coffee. The coffee is all roasted less than 48 hours before being served. If there is one near you don't be afraid to wait in the long line! It's worth it. (And if you happen to be at the Embarcadero, here's a hint: There's a secret side window.)
Alembic This is a fun, crowded bar on Haight Street. They can make a mean cocktail. The beer list is expensive so you might as well let the bartender work some mixology magic for you.
Vesuvio A classic San Francisco saloon right across from City Lights bookstore. Vesuvio offers quirky San Francisco charm at its finest. This drinking spot found fame when Jack Kerouac and other Beat poets comfortably installed themselves around the bar. Take your drinks up the rickety stairs and make yourself at home on the rickety inside balcony. Reasonably priced drinks and a great atmosphere. Perfect for a conversation and some fun. (Make sure to hit City Lights across the street! A true gem of a bookstore and worth a trip to the neighborhood.)
Absinthe A hip San Francisco bar and brasserie, right around the corner from Jardiniere! (How convenient for some post-wedding sipping!) This is a fun, crowded spot with an extensive bar and a solid beer selection. I had a beer (or two?) but in hind sight would opt for a classy cocktail. Definitely a place I'd love to go back to under more sober circumstances!
Enjoy!
Coming Soon: Sunday in Berkeley!
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