Category: Food

Beard Papa is in Japan what Krispy Kremes, in their hayday, were to us.  People go crazy over this stuff in Asia, and they’ve finally come to America.  The company’s logo is an animated character that’s a cross between the Gordan’s Fisherman and Santa Claus.  My husband says he kinda looks like Ernest Hemingway, but I digress…

They’ve got three Bay Area locations: two in San Francisco and one in Redwood City.  So what’s all the fuss?  It’s not like any other cream puff you’ll have.  First off, it’s much larger than the classic cream puff.  It’s somewhere between the size of a donut and a traditional puff.  Secondly, the pastry is composed of two layers: slightly crisp on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside.  Third, the cream inside really isn’t.  It’s more of a light custard.  It’s texture is silky, light, and perfectly airy.

They only come in chocolate and vanilla bean cream, but they also offer a weekly special flavor.  On this visit, it was Tiramisu.  The cream’s flavor was richer than the usual vanilla, yet the texture was still light.  It was really more of a coffee flavor than tiramisu, but it was a nice change from the usual. 

But I saved the best for last.  The vanilla bean flavor is still the best, in my opinion.  The filling is at once eggy and light, flavorful yet not too sweet.  It’s so mild and subtle and never overpowering.  I just love the texture of the cream and pastry.  And together it’s a great combination of crisp and creamy.

Japanese desserts are typically lighter than their western counterparts, and this cream puff is no exception.  It’s so delicate in its construction and flavors.  And they even claim to use all natural ingredients, no preservatives, and organic vanilla beans.  The puffs are made fresh everyday and filled with the cream when you order them, so they don’t get soggy.  You should eat them immediately after purchase. 

Even somebody like me who doesn’t have a big sweet tooth could easily have more than one.  Tasty!

Beard Papa – San Francisco Shopping Center / 99 Yerba Buena Ln, S.F. / 835 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City

Salt House’s sister restaurant, Town Hall, is one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco.  So, my dining companion and I had high hopes.

The space is very industrial, much like Town Hall’s, except with dimmer more intimate lighting.  Exposed brick walls and high ceilings make up the interior decor.  And little touches like the skull logo on their water jugs at every table, make it known that the owners have a sense of humor.  The vibe here is social, lively, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Doey and I ordered the Poutine, one of the few dishes the Canadians can claim as their own.  Salt House is known for this dish, and it was clearly the highlight of the evening for us.  The thick crisp fries were covered in short rib gravy and melted fontina cheese.  It was a heart attack on a plate and full of ooey gooey goodness.  It was tasty, rich, and hearty.  But surprisingly, it wasn’t…great. 

Doey then had the Monkfish entree with mussels and a light broth.  It was cooked well with a nice light brown sear on the fish and the mussels were perfect, even if they were a bit on the small side.  But the dish was largely…well…boring.  And the broth was way too salty.  (I know, the irony wasn’t lost on us.)

I had the Roasted Chicken, which everyone raves about.  It was good, juicy, but again, uninspired.  The fingerling potato mash was also good, but again, too salty!  The olives in the dish totally overpowered everything and made what could’ve been a tasty dish, way too strong.  There was no depth in any of these entrees, no layering of flavors.

We also shared the Raspberry Poppyseed Cake with Mint Granita.  The granita was refreshing and not too sweet.  It was the best part of the dessert.  The cake, however, resembled and tasted like a muffin.  It was way too dense and lacked the moisture to be called a cake.  A clear disappointment.  Fortunately, though, the raspberry flavor was fresh and sweet.  The only high note for this dessert.

Service was not terribly friendly or accomodating, but not notably bad, either.  It was obvious though, that while we were lingering over our dinner and having a good long conversation, the staff was ready for us to vacate our table.

If you’re a fan of Town Hall, stay there.  There’s no reason to stray, even if it is to their sister restaurant.  It’s just not worth the trip.

Salt House – Mission St. btwn. 1st and 2nd Streets – San Francisco – 415.543.8900

Scott Howard was recently named one of San Francisco’s Top 100 Restaurants by the Chronicle.  And after checking out their menu online, I was inspired to pay a visit.

The restaurant’s decor is dominated by warm orange, amber, and brown tones.  It’s just one big room, so if it gets crowded, it gets noisy.  Very warm and classy, but it wasn’t terribly inspired.

Anyways, my hubby and pal J. Lo started by sharing two appetizers between the three of us.  First up, the Tempura Tiger Shrimp with a spicy chipotle dipping sauce and mache salad.  The shrimp were big, juicy, and the coating crisp, not to heavy, and perfectly fried.  The dipping sauce had the bold flavor of chipotle and enough spice and zest to give it the perfect kick.  What a great dish!

We also shared the Crispy Duck Confit, though there wasn’t much that was crispy on the plate.  The duck meat had a good flavor that was slightly sweet and was accompanied by juicy cherries and earthy porchini mushrooms on the plate.  But the duck meat was slightly drier than I’d like, and like I said, there was no crispy duck skin to speak of anywhere.  It turned out to be the weakest dish of the night, though the presentation was still beautiful.

For the main course, J. and I both ordered the Short Ribs with creamed spinach and tomato jus.  Talk about tender!  The meat barely needed my knife!  It was marbled with enough fat to make it juicy and succulent.  And the creamed spinach was both fresh and decadent, without being overpowered by the cream.  A simply perfect combo.

We also ordered a side of Orzo Mac and Cheese.  Oh…my…gawd!  Decadent and creamy gooeyness!  And the tomato jus on top was like a squeeze of really good gourmet ketchup!  If you go, just get it.  Enough said.

My hubby had the Roasted Venison with wild asparagus.  It was cooked to a beautiful medium rare.  The meat was nice and lean, tender, and incredibly flavorful.  Not gamey at all.  And the wild asparagus was fresh and mild.  The perfect partner to the lean meat.

We finished off our meal with the Chocolate Lavender Ice Cream with Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies.  What a great spin on two classic desserts!  The lavender infused the mild chocolate ice cream with a floral note that was fresh and comforting.  Just like lavender should!  And the cardamom flavor was prominent in the cookies.  It made them incredibly different from any other chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had.  Very spicy and earthy.  Ice cream and cookies may seem ordinary, but this was a delightfully different dessert.

My biggest complaint?  The bathrooms!  One had a symbol of a man on the door, the other a woman, and the other two were apparently unisex!  Yet everyone was using all four individual bathrooms as unisex!  What confusion.  And a high end restaurant serving such interesting dishes should definitely do a better job of keeping their bathrooms clean.

Other than that, the service was friendly, pacing perfect, and the food was inventive and delicious.

Scott Howard – 500 Jackson St., San Francisco, 415.956.7040

I admit, I am a fried food junkie.  And even if you’re not, you will be once you try the Potato Croquettes at Delica rf-1 at the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco.  If you’re there, you HAVE to make a stop at this Japanese Delicatessen.

These guys know how to do fried food right.  And some of their other snacks, meals, and salads aren’t too shabby either!

My pal and I decided to treat ourselves to a tasty Japanese snack and got the legendary Potato Croquette and a Tofu Steak with Thick Miso Sauce to share.

Perfectly crisp on the outside and wonderfully flavorful on the inside, I’ve heard from others that these potato croquettes are better than even some you can get in Japan!  The panko breadcrumbs are made fresh daily from ACME pain de mie bread, and it makes all the difference.  The ultra light crisp breading on these things is absolute heaven.  And some croquettes are just a wad of bland potato.  Not this one.  It’s like having flavorful garlic and onion mashed potatoes.  It’s simply the best potato croquette you’ll ever have.

The tofu steak was definitely something to write home about, too!  The medium firm tofu steak was perfectly smooth and tender.  And the sauce was sweet, savory, and full of great texture from the green onion, bamboo shoots, shallots, and pine nuts.  I never knew anything vegan could ever taste so good!

There is so much care and attention that goes into all the dishes they make at Delica, and it shows in spades.  One visit and you’ll be hooked.

Delica rf-1 – San Francisco Ferry Building – 415.834.0344