Category: Food

Posted in Food, San Francisco

Oysters, Anyone?

Posted on by virgoinwonderland
Courtesy of http://www.waterbarsf.com/food

So my recent fabulous excursion with my regular group of “Foodinista” dining pals (@lickmyspoon, @joanneisafoodie, @istelleinad, @veradevera, & Nicole) inspired me to write about a couple of stellar San Francisco deals for those of you who love downing oysters like I do.

We ventured to Zuppa Restaurant on 4th Street in the city where they have a fabulous menu of happy hour specials (M-F, 5-7pm), including their ridiculously affordable deal of 50 cents an oyster (with the purchase of one drink minimum and no more than a dozen per person). The girls and I ordered a dozen each. Yup, we had 60 oysters at the table and we weren’t shy about it. That’s what happens when you eat with the Foodinistas. We know what we want and we eat what we like.

We also shared an order of the Salsicca ($5), Rigatoni ($10) and a couple of Margherita Pizzas ($7 each). They’ve also got $4 beers and $5 margheritas, pinot grigio and chianti. All the food was pretty good and a definite deal for the price. We were definitely a very lively and happy bunch of foodies that evening. 🙂

Another joint making news for their oyster specials is the Waterbar, also in San Francisco. Their “Come Unhinged” happy hour specials run from 11:30am-6pm, everyday. What can you score? Try $1 oysters! I have yet to go, but trust me, it’s on the list. And M-F, 3-6pm, you can enjoy special $5 cocktails, featured wines, and $3 featured beers.

This is definitely a good time to be an oyster-lover. And if you’re not, get on board!

Zuppa Restaurant – 564 Fourth St – San Francisco
Waterbar Restaurant – 399 The Embarcadero South – San Francisco

Posted in Food, Peninsula, Street Food

The Chowdermobile Rolls On…

Posted on by virgoinwonderland
Courtesy of http://www.samschowdermobile.com

Sam’s Chowder House is one of the many restaurants to jump on the street food bandwagon. Their “Chowdermobile” (@chowdermobile) travels to Brisbane, San Mateo, and Redwood City on a regular basis. I decided to give these guys a shot since I was in the mood for a nice bowl of chowder on a winter day.

Their menu is a truncated version of their restaurant’s. And like the restaurant, it’s also a bit overpriced. Between myself and my dining partner, we ordered their famous lobster roll, clam chowder, fried calamari, and fish tacos.

My fave dishes? The clam chowder would come in first and the fried calamari second.  Both were seasoned well and full of fresh seafood flavor.  I hate when calamari has too much breading or grainy cornmeal in the batter.  This was not the case here.  It was crispy and had great flavor to go with the perfectly fried calamari.

And the chowder wasn’t too thick, floury, or too rich with cream.  It had tons of fresh herbs, clams, potatoes, and great overall flavor.  If anything, it didn’t need the extra pinch of salt that was added.  It would’ve been perfect, otherwise.

Courtesy of http://www.samschowdermobile.com

The fish tacos weren’t anything to get excited about, however.  Though the fish was fresh, it was flavorless and the batter added nothing.  The tortillas were cold and bland.  A definite miss.

And surprisingly, I’m not a huge lobster fan, but the lobster roll did live up to it’s “Best Sandwich” reputation (it’s been rated as such by the folks at the Today Show).  They didn’t skimp on lobster meat and it was butter, tender and delish.

All in all, if you’re in the mood for this kind of fare, I’d definitely suggest you pay them a visit if they’re in your area.  However, be prepared to plunk down a pretty penny.  No one can eat just one fish taco and be satisfied.  So if you order just one small fish taco and a small bowl of chowder, that’ll set you back $10 for lunch.  Add an order of calamari and you’re talking $16 for lunch.  Definitely not, “street food-like” at all.

Sam’s Chowdermobile – Various locations (original restaurant located in HMB) – @chowdermobile on Twitter

Posted in Events, Food, San Francisco

7×7’s List of Ultimate SF Eats 2010

Posted on by virgoinwonderland

I usually don’t comment on “Best of” lists, but I made an exception.

“7×7’s The Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die” list for 2010 is intriguing because they single out some of the best dishes they’ve had the pleasure of eating as opposed to highlighting just the establishment.  After reading it, I’ve also realized how much farther I have to go!  I swear, a foodie’s job is never done ;).

Here’s what I’ve been fortunate enough to try and L-O-V-E on their list:

4. Fried chicken and waffles at Little Skillet
12. Porchetta sandwich at RoliRoti
13. Soup dumplings at Shanghai Dumpling King
20. Salumi misti plate at Perbacco
21. Pizza margherita at Pizzeria Delfina
33. Prime rib at House of Prime Rib
47. Ceviche on the patio at La Mar Cebichería Peruana
58. Chicharróns from 4505 Meats
61. Egg custard tart at Golden Gate Bakery
88. Buckwheat crepe and a French cider at Ti Couz
90. Korean taco at Namu’s market stand
95. Ube ice cream from Mitchell’s

Here’s what I’ve tried on the list that’s simply overrated IMHO:

31. Guajillo-braised beef short-rib taco at Tacolicious
40. Cheeseburger with sweet potato fries at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher
62. Dim sum at Ton Kiang
66. Pig parts at Incanto
87. Sesame balls at Yank Sing
89. Lettuce cups at Betelnut
100. Menage a Trois at Ike’s Place

And of course, what I’m dying to try:

1. Roast chicken and bread salad at Zuni
8. Morning bun at Tartine Bakery
11. Pork sugo with pappardelle at Delfina
14. Beef brisket sandwich at Il Cane Rosso
16. Katsu curry from Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill
17. Samusa soup at Burma Superstar
18. Oysters on the half shell at Swan Oyster Depot
19. Lobster pot pie at Michael Mina
22. Vietnamese roasted pork sandwich at Saigon Sandwich
42. Fried-shrimp po’boy at Brenda’s French Soul Food
60. The Little Star at Little Star Pizza
71. Scottish egg at Wexler’s
74. Corned-beef sandwich with Gruyère at The Sentinel
75. Fried green beans at Coco500
85. Pulled-pork sandwich at Roadside BBQ
86. A cheese slice at Arinell Pizza

I would LOVE to hear what you’ve tried, want to try, love or even hate on the list…

Posted in Events, Food, San Francisco, Street Food

Not Too Shabby for a Second Choice

Posted on by virgoinwonderland

Despite the herd of family and events over the holidays, I was able to carve out an afternoon to the San Francisco Ferry Building Street Food Farmers Market. This is my favorite place in the city for just wasting an afternoon enjoying the people, the view, the architecture, and the food, of course.

I was on a mission to get me some porchetta sammies from Roli Roti. I’ve been dreaming of them ever since the FoodBuzz food event late last year, and it’s been hard to get a hold of one ever since. Of course, once we got there at 1:30, they had JUST served the last sandwich. I was pissed, to say the least.

But since there were so many other vendors around, there had to be some other good eats. I picked up a Margherita pie at Pizza Politana, which served as a good appetizer. That’s when the hubby ordered some Korean tacos from the guys at Namu.

I should’ve known to come here from the start. They catered our final dinner at the big FoodBuzz event last Fall and the menu was was fresh, lively, inventive and surprising.

We ordered some Korean Tacos which had chopped up bits of Korean marinated shortribs (kalbi), short grain sticky rice with scallions, daikon, kimchee, and a bit of sweet soy and mayo. Oh…my…gawd. These things are the real deal! Forget all the other Korean taco posers that drive around in their trucks. These guys mean business! All the ingredients are super fresh, organic and melded together on two sheets of seaweed (nori) to create this fantastic Californian/Asian fusion “taco” that was just out of this world!

And as a side dish we also ordered the Korean Fries that were on special that day. They were tasty too, topped with the same shortribs, scallions, Asian inspired sauce on top of some wonderfully fresh fried potatoes.

Now, the porchetta sammie will always be the first reason why I make it down to the Ferry Building on Thursday or Saturday, but the guys at Namu have made it damn hard to say no to their fare if I ever get down there again.

And word has it, their actual restaurant has some killer Monday and Tuesday night specials, as well.

Namu – SF Ferry Building Farmers Market – Thursdays, 10am-2pm

Posted in Food, San Francisco, Shopping

English Sweet Treats

Posted on by virgoinwonderland

IMG_3923There’s something about modern candy shops that sends even the most jaded adult into a child-like state. They’re complete with retro decor, walls lined with jars of colorful treats, and pastel colored packaging.

I’ve admitted before that I’m not a huge sugar fiend, nor am I the kind of person who dreams of chocolate. But the candies and candy bars I DO enjoy, I enjoy greatly. They’ll send me into a nostalgic state complete with memories of  my youth (Fruit Stripe gum, Charms hard candies, bubble gum “cigarettes,” Charleston Chews and Jolly Rancher Stix), or of when I was living in Toronto or Hong Kong.

fionas-logoBecause both places have connections to Queen Elizabeth, common English candies and chocolate bars were easy to find at your nearest supermarket. That’s why I found Fiona’s Sweetshoppe just off Union Square in San Francisco to be delightful. It’s a tiny little shop opened by a British native who missed her favorite English sweet treats.

IMG_3925 They were stocked with sweets I haven’t seen in a while, like the full line of Cadbury chocolate products, Flake, Bounty, Aero, Smarties, Malteasers (both milk and white chocolate), the original Mars bars (which they don’t sell in America anymore), Rowntree Fruit Gums and Pastilles, and Fruittella chews. They also carry bulk candies that aren’t made in-house but shipped in from England.

Now, the English may not be known for their culinary genius, but they make some damn fine candy.

And though I was disappointed to see they didn’t carry my fave Coffee Crisp candy bars, I walked out with my pink bag full of sweet treats feeling like a kid in a…well, you know…

Fiona’s Sweetshoppe – 214 Sutter St., SF – www.fionassweetshoppe.com

Posted in Food, San Francisco, Shopping

A Top Chef Master’s Low End Venture

Posted on by virgoinwonderland
Image courtesy of http://www.rickbayless.com

I’m excited for the upcoming season of Top Chef Masters. There’s no word on who will be competing yet, but I had a blast rooting for Hubert Keller and Rick Bayless last time around.

Trips to Keller’s Burger Bar and Fleur de Lys will have to wait (though they’re on my list of restaurants to try), but Rick Bayless doesn’t have much of a presence around these parts.

He does, however, have a gourmet takeout joint in the cellar of Macy’s Union Square in SF called Frontera Fresco. His obsession with Mexican food and culture, along with his attention to detail told me that the place couldn’t be THAT bad. The man has a reputation to uphold. So my hubby and I gave it a try after a day of post-holiday retail returns.

We went for the Chipotle Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Salad with goat cheese, shredded chicken, and roasted zucchini and peppers. We also had the Pulled Pork Tacos and a Pulled Pork Torta, grilled panini style. (Can you tell pork is the new black around culinary circles? Not that I’m complaining.)

Everything was delicious. The flavors were surprisingly fresh for a takeout place. This stuff was better than most salads or sandwiches you’d get at a sitdown cafe. The pork was stewed and flavored nicely. It wasn’t bland or dry or too greasy either. It actually tasted like it had been cooked for a long time with a lot of care. Pretty impressive for this type of place.

And my husband LOVED his salad. There were no brown lettuce leaves or wilted arugula here. Every piece was fresh, crisp, and bright. The chicken and roasted zucchini gave great flavor and texture contrast to the crisp romaine.

The best part is that this place doesn’t skimp on portions or overcharge just because a celebrity chef’s name is attached to it. Now, of course, it’s not one of his famous restaurants in Chicago, but you could DEFINITELY do worse if you’re looking for a quick, easy, affordable takeout option.

Bayless’ attention to detail and respect for Mexican food really comes through. And fortunately, his reputation has not been compromised.

Frontera Fresco on Urbanspoon

Posted in Food, San Francisco

A Sea of Blue

Posted on by virgoinwonderland

The decor and color scheme of La Mar along the San Francisco Embarcadero waterfront is stunning. Bright crystal blue water tones, white, silver, and a stunning view of the bay make this restaurant a hip, sophisticated yet soothing place to dine.

And thankfully, the food was nothing to scoff at either. And the presentation for many of the five dishes we had was beautiful.

Super fresh seafood is the star here, obviously hence the name of the restaurant, which means “the sea”. This is the first American outlet of this Peruvian chain restaurant. But that doesn’t mean quality and service suffer for it.

We started with a basket full of housemade sweet potato, potato, and banana chips accompanied by three creamy and very different dipping sauces. What a way to start a meal! I’m a chip fiend so I loved this alternative to the boring bread basket, and so did my dining companions.

They are known for their cebiches (or ceviches, as know them) and our shared ahi tuna version was delicious. Big chunks of raw fish swam in a wonderful vinegary sauce with red onion and a touch of avocado. Ironically, however, the ahi lacked any exciting fresh taste of the sea that I was hoping for. It was fresh, but lacked character. But the dish was still delicious.

Our second starter was the “tiraditos”, or basically a sushi roll. Ours had fresh crabmeat, ahi tuna, and a passionfruit and honey sauce drizzled over it. It was fine, but again, the ahi lacked any clear strong flavor of the sea, and the dish was overall pretty boring. Nothing different from your standard sushi fare.

Our entrees included the antichucho de carne (skirt steak skewer), the causa limena (Peruvian whipped potato with dungeness crab and quail egg), and the stewed chicken empanadas. Everything was good, but nothing exceptional…except for the causa limena. The presentation, alone was impressive. But for me, the dish was my fave of the afternoon. There was real texture and flavor contrast and all the different elements just worked together. It was exotic, sophisticated, and yet somehow a comfort dish that was decadent.

Dessert was a wonderful revelation as well. We ordered the orange glazed chocolate beignets with banana passionfruit ice cream. I’m usually not into rich desserts but this was perfect! Not cloyingly sweet and the dark chocolate had real depth, almost a nutty flavor that wasn’t too bitter at all.

Service here was wonderfully friendly, yet expert and unobtrusive. I look forward to going back, hopefully on a warm sunny afternoon so I can sit in the large patio area out back and just look out on the water. Ahhh…

La Mar Cebicheria Peruana on Urbanspoon

Posted in Food

Off to the Lobster Shack

Posted on by virgoinwonderland

I’d had one too many days of Thanksgiving ham, potatoes, and creamed corn (no bird this year) and wanted something totally different.

How about seafood?

I’ve been wanting to try the Old Port Lobster Shack in Redwood City, anyway. And a couple of friends originally from New England had mentioned it wasn’t bad for this part of the country. So we loaded up the kid and headed over.

It’s an ‘order at the counter’ kinda joint, so it’s a good takeout option if that’s what you’re looking for. We ordered ourselves a side salad, a bowl of New England clam chowder, steamed littleneck clams, and the sauteed shrimp plate.

My chowder was good. Very creamy. Almost a little TOO much cream. It seemed to almost override the seafood flavor. Just a tad less would’ve done the chowder a lot of good.

Then I had my steamed clams. The flavor of the white wine, garlic, fennel seed, parsley and other seasonings were strong. The clams, themselves, were impressive. Meaty, big, juicy and delish. But again, they were a little heavy handed with the seasonings and salt. I would’ve loved a little more allowance to let the clams’ natural flavors come through.

My husband says his shrimp dish was clean and flavored well. The shrimp were fresh and plump. But the blueberry cole slaw was just plain weird. It was obvious they were trying too hard and it didn’t work. His salad, however, was pretty standard and the elements were all very fresh and melded together well.

I was impressed with the service and the quality and freshness of food. Big plus for being a family friendly joint that doesn’t compromise on food quality.

However, they really need to tone down the extras and let the seafood’s natural flavors shine through. A place like this needs to stick to the basics and do them well. Good quality seafood is already so flavorful that they do a big disservice to themselves by adding things it doesn’t need.

Old Port Lobster Shack on Urbanspoon

Posted in Food, San Francisco

Top 100?…Really?

Posted on by virgoinwonderland

Bar Bambino has been on the San Francisco Chronicle’s list of Top 100 Restaurants for the last two years. And since it’s close to BART, it was the perfect place for a get together between foodies. So, I met Jo (Taking Over the World One Bite at a Time), Stephanie (Lick My Spoon), and Danielle (Bon Vivant) for dinner and good conversation on a weekday night.

We started with a lovely small bowl of calamari dressed with a light lemony dressing that was delightful and studded with celery for crunch. Nice mix of textures. It went well with the pomegranate sparkling wine we all had.

We shared the pork belly with braised lentils and the chicken livers bruschetta to start. I was surprised by both, but in very different ways. The pork belly was seared for a crisp exterior, but it was boring, unimaginative and even slightly dry! Almost impossible for a piece of fatty pork belly. I was disappointed that it wasn’t more inventive. And the lentils were a little too “al dente” for my taste.

However, the chicken livers bruschetta was wonderful. I have to thank Steph or ordering this because I would never have otherwise. It was flavorful, not gamey, and the bread it was on was the perfect partner for the soft and flavorful livers. It was actually the highlight of the evening.

For entrees we ordered the pappardelle with braised rabbit, tagliatelle with bolognese, bucatini with cauliflower, panchetta, raisins and pine nuts, and the roasted and pan fried chicken.

Both the pappardelle and the tagliatelle were probably the highlights of the meal for me. The pastas were housemade, buttery and delicious. The meats were braised well and had a good flavor to them. However, the rabbit was less tender than I expected and I actually would’ve liked more sauce.

The bucatini was a good effort but it was a little discombobulated. And like with all the pastas we had, I think a larger portion, just slightly, would’ve been nice. This dish had great elements, but together, it didn’t quite work.

The chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside. I LOVED the exterior. It has the perfect texture and was more like fried chicken on a more gourmet level. However, the interior was dryer than I’d like and the was lacking flavor. A common problem with ordering chicken breast, but since this is a Top 100 restaurant, I expected a whole lot more. Again, great elements but overall, a failed dish collectively.

That was basically how I felt about the restaurant and the food. Service was off, as well. They were professional enough but not friendly or personable. There was something missing or lacking with just about everything. It was almost like the restaurant was doing what it knew well, but the food and the service had no soul.  Maybe it was an off night, but I don’t believe I’ll ever be back.

Bar Bambino on Urbanspoon

Posted in Events, Food, San Francisco, Street Food, Travel

Street Food Night for Foodbuzz Foodies

Posted on by virgoinwonderland

IMG_4248I was lucky enough to attend the inaugural Foodbuzz Blogger Festival in San Francisco this past weekend. What a crazy 48 hours! Free artisanal gourmet meals, the freshest ingredients, superior wines, specialty food purveyors, endless freebies, and most of all, amazing people!

After getting an over five pound free gift bag to start off the event, the weekend’s food festivities started with the Street Food “Fare” they arranged for us just outside the Ferry Building Marketplace. This was nothing ordinary being served out of a taco truck (no offense to some superior taco trucks). We had some of the most expertly prepared food you could have in the city, and that’s saying a lot.

IMG_4277We feasted and grazed from so many vendors, including chicharrones from 4505 Meats, neapolitan-style pies being made on the spot from Pizza Politana’s mobile wood-fire oven, cupcakes from Mission Minis, and fresh-shucked oysters from Hog Island Oyster Company.

IMG_4285But two vendors stood out from the crowd. I mean REALLY stood out.

First, the Beef and Gruyere pie from The Pie Truck. Since it’s like a mini pot pie, I figured I’d get some ground beef in a pastry shell and be done with it. Oh, how wrong I was! This was quality beef that was sauced wonderfully, moist, rich and so flavorful. And that pastry was light, flaky, buttery, and not at all too thick. I was kicking myself for not taking a few more to stuff in my purse!

But as good as The Pie Truck’s edibles were, it can’t compare to what was believed by most to be the best thing we had all night, by a mile! Frankly, I think it’s one of the best damn sandwiches I’ll ever have in my whole life. Seriously, it IS that good.

IMG_4262The folks at Roli Roti are genius. Their porchetta sandwich is just culinary genius! Now I know why people line up at the Ferry Building Farmers Market on Thursdays for 30-45 minutes just for one of these babies. It’s a rotisserie pork loin stuffed with pork belly (!) and herbs. Decadent, right? But it’s also got pieces of the pork’s crispy skin for texture. Wait, there’s more! They take the bread and use it to sop up the meat’s juices on their cutting board! They top it off with a wonderful onion marmalade and curly watercress. This is not a greasy, sloppy mess. It’s about as perfect as a delectable sandwich can get.

This event made me appreciate the artisan foodies, both consumers and producers, that make San Francisco’s culinary scene so exciting. We are spoiled. Truly.

Stay tuned for the memorable dinner we had to cap off the weekend.