Lunch – Page 5 – Virgo in Wonderland

Dinner, Food, For Kids/Parent, Lunch, Peninsula, South Bay

Going to Town

Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2011Tuesday, January 4, 2011 by virgoinwonderland

The peninsula has a shortage of higher-end, hip, sophisticated eateries. It’s just the nature of suburbia, and a trek to San Francisco is less than 30 minutes away.

That’s why Town Restaurant on Laurel Street in San Carlos is the hippest place to be on a Friday or Saturday night. They do a good job of combining family-friendly eatery (good kids menu and service) with hot nightspot and bar (after 8pm the noise level is overwhelming with all the crowding around the centralized bar). If you have kids, you’re only safe from 5:30-8pm.

That being said, I’ve never had a bad meal at Town. If you love a hearty meat and potatoes meal, this is the place for you. Portions are large, prices are equal to a joint in the city, and the cocktails are tasty. You should definitely go with one of their suggested martinis (love the pear flavored one w/Gray Goose vodka).

I’ve had the Chicken and Ribs, Meatloaf, and their Pork Chop on previous visits. But this time around, I had the newly added Bourbon Glazed Flank Steak. It was cooked a perfect medium rare and had a delicious sweet yet tangy glaze with bourbon and brown sugar. It was the best steak I’ve had in a long time. Juicy and tender, there was a great balance of flavors and it didn’t mask the flavor of a quality piece of beef. (My husband makes a MEAN steak so I don’t compare restaurant steaks to his :).)

If that wasn’t enough for you, the meal came with two hugely portioned sides. You can choose from a laundry list of enticing sides, which is half the dilemma when ordering, like heirloom tomatoes with bleu cheese, broccoli bernaise, garlic mashed potatoes or a fully loaded baked potato.

I went with the fresh buttered corn and the mac and cheese. Man, these sides were good! This is my kind of meal. The kind you’ll regret when you get home but it’s damn good going down. This is like “last meal on earth” good. I love how the corn was fresh off the cob, tender, still slightly crisp, and full of good buttery goodness. And the mac and cheese is now my favorite on the peninsula: creamy and gooey, but enough baked breadcrumbs on top to give it texture. LOVE IT!

It’s great to have a spot to go to where the food is always reliably fantastic and the scene is definitely hipper than the usual hole in the wall.

Sometimes suburbia needs a touch of the city life.

Dinner, Events, Food, For Kids/Parent, Lunch, San Francisco

A Foodie Feast at Bruce Hill’s Zero Zero

Posted on Thursday, November 18, 2010Tuesday, January 4, 2011 by virgoinwonderland

Hopes were high for famous pizza master, Bruce Hill’s new San Francisco outpost, Zero Zero. He’s most known for his legendary pies at Larkspur’s Pizzeria Picco, and San Francisco Chronicle’s Michael Bauer recently declared Zero Zero the “French Laundry of pizza”.

I’m sorry Mr. Bauer, but I have to kindly disagree.

We’d notified the Zero Zero staff that our table of 15 food bloggers were planning on descending on his new restaurant for Saturday brunch, so there was full disclosure. We are a critical, fun-loving, pizza loving bunch and Bruce himself decided to come out and say hello. His only request?…That we get loud and have fun while we were there. Check!

Food bloggers @virgoblue @istelleinad @lickmyspoon @brittanypiehl @joanneisafoodie @bonni_bella @inuyaki @mrfredbriones

The space is perfect for large groups and beer loving, bar-hopping foodies. They’ve got two bars and plenty of space for large tables. The decor is very pub-like, but nothing particularly special or sophisticated. Just casual and comfortable.

So we ordered just about every pizza on the menu, including the Margherita, which is the standard by which all Neapolitan pizzas should be judged. This one had a good charred crust, fantastically flavorful yet mild and creamy mozzarella cheese and a fresh tomato sauce. I would’ve liked a little more zest or overall flavor from the sauce, though.

Zero Zero's Mission pizza w/broccoli rabe

We also ordered the Townsend (garlic, potato and prosciutto), Mission (broccoli rabe, garlic, olives) and Fillmore pies (Hen of the Woods mushrooms, leeks, fontina). All were somewhat unspectacular and not particularly memorable.

But I really enjoyed the Geary, which had clams, tomato sauce, garlic and bacon. The combo of flavors on this one popped and made for the most memorable pie on the table.

We also ordered some Fried Chicken Thighs with Semolina Waffles. The waffles were slightly grainy because of the semolina but had a great flavor. The chicken, however, had a strange flavor that just didn’t work. One of the plates was even so disturbingly flavored that we informed the kitchen. It could’ve been rancid oil, or a dirty skillet that had leftover bits of flavor from a previous night. The staff was kind enough to offer a second plate of chicken on the house (and comped our other plate as well). I wish I could say it was good but it wasn’t. The breading was too thick and oddly flavored. But the chicken thigh itself was super juicy, tender and delicious.

All in all, I’d highly recommend this place for large parties or as a place to kick back at the bar that’s a definite step up from Bucca di Beppo or your neighborhood dive bar. A good place for groups is a great thing to have in your back pocket.

However, as a food blogger, I can’t say I’d ever go back for the pizza itself.

Food, Lunch, San Francisco

The Sentinel Doesn’t Impress

Posted on Monday, October 4, 2010 by virgoinwonderland

I’ll start by saying this: it was a good sandwich, but by no means is it great. I don’t agree with the countless “Best of” lists that say the corned beef is the best sandwich in San Francisco.

It’s a take out counter that moves fast but is still amazingly friendly. I ordered their famous corned beef sandwich with cabbage, russian dressing and melted gruyere on housemade foccacia. Perhaps it was the foccacia that lost me. I’m not a fan since it was a bit of a greasy mess. I would’ve preferred it on some other type of bread that didn’t compete so much with the other elements of the sandwich. I did like the crisp fresh texture of the cabbage, and the meat was tender, but it wasn’t buttery like corned beef should be.

Granted, I haven’t yet tried the roast beef sammie, which people say is also damn tasty. But I would easily take a sandwich at Naked Lunch (YUM!) over another one here. Plus, it’s overpriced at $8.75 a pop.

Food, For Kids/Parent, Lunch, San Francisco

Comfort Food, Elevated

Posted on Monday, September 20, 2010Friday, January 21, 2011 by virgoinwonderland

Can a grilled cheese be…subtle? Can it become “artisan”? After a visit to The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in San Francisco, the answer is YES. And it can be damn tasty too.

Let me clarify and say that this is not a Kraft American Singles on Wonder Bread kinda grilled cheese, although I’d love one of those right about now. In other words, the grilled cheese has been elevated here to a higher status. The place is basically a takeout counter, so there’s no pretension here. Good thing because nothing goes worse with a grilled cheese than pretension.

My foodie pal Anne Marie and I ordered the Red, White and Blue Plate special, which gives you your choice of a nice sized sammie and small bowl of housemade roasted tomato soup with creme fraiche. Everything here is homemade with primo ingredients, right down to the lemonade and freshly baked sweets and breakfast breads.

We ordered the Mousetrap w/tomatoes, which is their traditional grilled cheese with sharp cheddar, havarti, and monterey jack on artisan sourdough, and the Mushroom Gruyere with fontina, gruyere, roasted wild mushrooms, sauteed onions, leeks and thyme butter on fresh country-style wheat.

The Mushroom Gruyere was my favorite. Despite having a lot of ingredients including leeks, mushrooms, potatoes, caramelized onions, and gruyere and fontina cheeses, the sandwich was the perfect texture and had amazing subtlety in its flavors. Everything just worked and was incredibly flavorful. And the country-style bread had the perfect crunch and texture. It was hearty but didn’t compete with all the flavors going on. I was amazed that it didn’t leave me feeling heavy or like I’d just eaten a pound of grease.

The Mousetrap was mighty tasty as well, though it was almost too much cheese. So much so that they all started to blend together and I begged for a different element to break up the cheesy party. The tomatoes, unfortunately, didn’t help and got a little lost, flavor-wise. I would, however, recommend it if you are a traditionalist and love your grilled cheese on sourdough. There’s definitely something to be said for that.

The soup was perfectly tangy and smoky, and ideal for dipping the sammies in. Throw in the big giant crunchy house-made croutons, and it could’ve been a meal in itself.

I think this place does a great job of showing how you can elevate something so seemingly one-dimensional, to new heights. The staff are helpful, friendly and work quickly to get the line moving during peak times.

This is not your mother’s grilled cheese, for sure, but it’s also not Sunday brunch, either. Regardless, you’ll definitely leave happy.

Dinner, Events, Food, Lunch, Shopping, Street Food, Travel

I Heart New York

Posted on Tuesday, September 7, 2010Tuesday, September 7, 2010 by virgoinwonderland

It seems like ages since BlogHer ’10 came and went, but a lot has happened in that time, hence this extremely late post about my travels to NYC. Man, I love that town. Everytime I go I threaten to move there.

There are so many different ways to eat cheap, eat well, and find creative new things to try (this is also true when it comes to shopping and fashion there, too). Because I was busy working BlogHer ’10 for about five days, I literally saw daylight Wednesday early evening when I arrived, and then Sunday morning once the conference was over. Crazy, huh?

Fortunately, New York is one town that never sleeps, so I didn’t have a shortage of things to do or places to eat. I also squeezed in a trip to the Top of the Rock, which I’ve been wanting to go to for a while. So much cooler than the touristy Empire State Building, in my opinion.

I’m sorry, I was talking about food… I apologize for the lack of photos since I lost my Blackberry in a cab. Typical, I know.

The Famous Halal Cart
Had the chicken and white sauce and it’s something you really should try. The chicken was super moist and the fabulous creamy sauce that is worth the raves. There are several “imposters” across the street, but the one you want is closest to the Hilton Hotel’s front entrance (Midtown, not Times Square), just across the street (where we were lucky enough to be staying).

Limelight Marketplace
I am so happy I decided to make the trip down to Chelsea to visit this place. It is the cutest “mall”, for lack of a better term. It’s an old church that was then turned into a nightclub, and is now an adorable building that houses the cutest and most eclectic shops, boutiques, and artisan food shops! You can’t get a meal here but you can definitely walk away with snacks and hard-to-find food goodies.

Balthazar Cafe
Now, I didn’t have lunch in the bistro like I’d wanted, but I did make it to the cafe. Had a ham and cheese panini and it was a big “so what”. Next.

The Legendary Katz Deli
I think Katz has seen better days. Many food bloggers have commented that their pastrami and corned beef have been dry on recent visits, and I have to agree. Regardless, it was still a solid pastrami sandwich, just nothing to write home about. But “When Harry Met Sally” is one of my fave movies of all time, so it was nice just to go and check it off my list. The pickles are damn good and the service is quintessential NYC (know what you want and make it quick). It’s probably the most touristy thing I’ll ever do in the Big Apple.

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Truck
I was so excited when I happened to see this truck on my way back from Uniqlo in SoHo. (Someone please open a Uniqlo in Northern California! It’s like a Japanese H&M and I miss it!) I’d seen a piece on these guys on some food show and they had some very interesting flavors like Currents and Cream (which they were out of!), and Ginger. I decided to share the Cane Sugar special with my friend Monique. It was creamy, bordering on a gelato texture, but not as elastic and smooth. The ingredients were obviously quality (they apparently only use the finest milk, eggs, and cane sugar, no additives), and it had a lovely butterscotch aftertaste which was delightful. But it was overpriced, in my opinion. Again, something to cross off the list. No regrets.

After all those good eats, it was ironic that my last meal in town was at Panda Express at JFK. I guess not every meal in NYC can be a winner :).

Dinner, Events, Food, For Kids/Parent, Lunch, Peninsula, San Francisco, Street Food, Travel

I’ve had BBQ from a truck…and it is good.

Posted on Monday, August 2, 2010 by virgoinwonderland

“People want good food for less than 10 bucks.”

And with that, brothers Brett (a classically trained chef) and Nate (“front of the house”) Neibergall closed up their San Francisco restaurant, Frisee, and set up culinary shop in a food truck. It’s less glamorous, yes, but the food is damn tasty and reaching much more of the masses.

These Texas born, Carolinas-raised boys know their BBQ. But getting Southern Sandwich Co. up and running, as all food truck vendors know, has been a challenge. The permits, repairs, and inspections to get their business going in San Francisco has been never-ending. Which is why they decided to drive down to Redwood City to give their business a test run.

Their BBQ is distinctive in that the preparation and ingredients are gourmet, indeed. The quality is evident and the flavors are very specific to their background.

The Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich is tangy, vinegary and distinctively spiced. I LOVE a tangy BBQ much more than a sweet sauce, so I was loving this. And just like they do in the Carolinas, they threw some coleslaw onto the sandwich. The added tang, freshness and crunch was perfect for this gourmet BBQ.

The Texas-style Beef Brisket had a lot going for it too. The meat was tender, juicy, perfectly pink and had a nice smoky blackened crust and melt in your mouth buttery fat. The meat-lover in me was in heaven. Smoky caramelized onions rounded out the sandwich perfectly.

Add to that some spicy, peppery macaroni salad and some pork and beans (serious meat is in these beans and they’re fantastic), and you’ve got a sandwich and two sides for 8 bucks. And trust me, you won’t be left hungry.

I know these guys have their sights set on San Francisco (they’re already at Off the Grid in Fort Mason every Friday), but I REALLY hope they stay true to Redwood City at least once a week. This is going to become an addiction, I can tell.

And by the way, the pork and beans are Brett’s favorite. “They’re made with love,” he says, and you can taste it.

Southern Sandwich Co. – @southrnsandwich for daily location updates – www.southernsandwich.com

Dinner, Food, Lunch, Wine Country

Don’t Let This Shack Fool You!

Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2010Saturday, July 3, 2010 by virgoinwonderland

After staying in Sonoma for the weekend, we wanted something low key for breakfast before heading back out on the road. I had hoped to head to one of my favorite places in the area, Red Grape, but they weren’t open until 11:30. The Girl and the Fig was a little too fancy for what we were looking for. And the Black Bear Diner was a little too “chain restaurant.” I was hoping for something different.

We’d passed by The Fremont Diner on Highway 121, and after reading some rave reviews online, that’s where we headed.

It’s a dinky old shack basically, with signs for “Whole Hog” and “Fried Pies” on the exterior, which would obviously make me and the Hubby take notice given our affinity for all things meat. It’s a great place where you can stop in, order at the counter, and take a seat inside or out. But don’t let its modest surroundings fool you.

The details are everywhere if you look carefully, from the wildflowers on the table, the homemade jams and condiments for sale, to the mason jar water glasses.

This place is known for their meats and brisket is the thing to have here. So since it was breakfast, I got the Brisket Hash with carmelized onions, roasted potatoes and a perfectly runny fried egg on top.

Boy was I not only pleased with this dish, I was utterly floored! These guys (and gals) were churning out some gourmet dishes secretly back there! The hash was out of this world, peppery and smoky. The onions and sage created a wonderful base for the dish, and those potatoes were perfectly soft and delicious. The gravy from the hash made everything perfectly moist. There was so much detail and depth to the elements in this dish and it all blended together wonderfully.

My Hubby ordered the traditional egg breakfast, but it came with some fantastic homemade fennel sausage that was, again, out of this world. These people sure know their way around meat. And the side order of bacon we got for the toddler was also fantastic.

Top that off with some perfectly toasted artisan french bread, and we were totally amazed at the level of skill and detail that this kitchen was able to produce. I LOVE being surprised by a place and this was the best surprise surprise I’d eaten at in a very long time.

Dinner, Food, Lunch, San Francisco, Wine Country

Taylor’s New Name

Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010Saturday, July 3, 2010 by virgoinwonderland

Taylor’s Refresher in St. Helena has been a Wine Country staple for years. It’s THE place to grab a stellar burger and shake, and more recently, their San Francisco location in the Ferry Building, as well.

Recently, they changed their name to “Gott’s Roadside Tray Gourmet.” Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Fortunately, the food hasn’t changed.

I visited the Ferry Building location for some greasy goodness and a side of fries. For whatever reason, I wasn’t in the mood for a cheeseburger. These days, I consider the In N Out Double Double the standard, so nothing’s been living up to it. Why disappoint myself?

I went for the Wisconsin Sourdough Burger, which had BBQ sauce, sauteed mushrooms, Wisconsin cheddar and bacon, all on toasty sourdough. No way I could pass that up! I decided to go for broke and add to that an order of Garlic Fries, too. Mmmmm, Garlic Fries…

And they didn’t disappoint! They were thin and perfectly crispy. And I love when they pile on the garlic and herbs. This was a total winner.

And the burger? Fortunately, it was no slouch either. I’m not usually a fan of bacon, but I left it on there. The combination of all those elements was total overkill but oh so good. I am a sucker for a burger on sourdough, and add to that mushrooms? I was in greasy, toasty, heart attack heaven.

My only complaint is that it’s a tad bit pricer than most casual burger joints. Again, I think I’m spoiled by the value that In N Out delivers. Other than that, if you’re in the city and are craving a casual burger on a nice warm day/night, you could do a LOT worse.

Food, Lunch, Peninsula, San Francisco, Street Food

All Hail the Chairman!

Posted on Wednesday, June 9, 2010Saturday, July 3, 2010 by virgoinwonderland

A new food truck has hit the now popular peninsula street food scene run by the folks at @MobiMunch. Chairman Bao specializes in Chinese “buns”, meaning steamed white buns or glossy baked buns, both with various tasty Asian fusion fillings.

I chose the steamed versions, purely based on volume and cost. They’re both cheaper and smaller than the baked variety and I could try more of them out.

I’ve tried the Chinese Spiced Duck Confit with Fresh Mango Salad with a gingery, oniony orange sauce (that looks like it belongs on a Big Mac), Crispy Tofu with Miso Greens and a wasabi-like green sauce, Lionshead Meatballs with Kimchee, Red Sesame Chicken with Scallions and Bokchoi, and Pork Belly with Pickled Daikon Radish.

All in all, I was impressed. The quality of ingredients was definitely top-notch. And eventhough these combinations were rather unconventional, all their elements were fairly authentic, which is surprising. The flavors were extremely bold though, meaning they were heavy handed in their spices and saucing. That’s alright, since they’re trying to pack a lot of flavor into a little bun.

Surprisingly, my favorite of all of them was the Crispy Tofu with Miso Greens. The crispness of the greens and the nice soft silken tofu patty (love how it was perfectly browned) were a great contrast. And the flavor of that wasabi sauce was fantastic. It was all very fresh tasting yet flavorful and different.

The Meatball and Kimchee came in second with the tangy, saucy kimchee giving it a lot of texture and flavor. And fortunately the meatball was flavored well and cooked perfectly, though it didn’t taste like the traditional Lionshead meatball you’d get at a Chinese restaurant.

I was NOT a fan of the Pork Belly and Daikon, though. Disappointing really, because pork belly is one of my favorite things to eat. It was horribly dry and boring.

The guys running the truck were super nice and even gave me a Lychee Ginger Shaved Ice with Boba to try. It was yummy and I loved the fresh lychee pieces on the bottom. But if they’d made it just a tad less sweet, it would be truly awesome.

I hear they’re hoping to add Brisbane and Redwood City to their weekly rotation, along with the usual San Francisco stops. Let’s hope so!

Chairman Bao – Mobile truck parks at various locations – www.facebook.com/chairmanbao

East Bay, Events, Food, For Kids/Parent, Lunch, Street Food

Street Food En Masse

Posted on Sunday, August 30, 2009Wednesday, July 14, 2010 by virgoinwonderland

The Bay Area’s first Eat Real Festival happened this past weekend in Oakland’s Jack London Square. An estimated 30,000 foodies from all over the Bay Area came to enjoy live music, support local farmers and food purveyors, and sample food from over 50 different street food vendors. I couldn’t wait!

Jen and I arrived at around 10:30 am, which was about 30 minutes before showtime, so we could avoid what would be the inevitable long lines later in the day. We came on the last day of the event to avoid the heat from the past two days and avoid the mistakes of others who had ventured there before us. It was nice being there that early. The area had a distinct energy but it was quiet with just the right trickle of people milling about. Vendors were smiling, friendly, and getting their food and selling areas ready for the day’s crowds.

Although there were some other vendors I didn’t get to try, simply because there just isn’t that much room in this tummy, I did try the following vendors:

Urban Nectar (Lemonade & Strawberry fresh juices)

Adobo Hobo (Chicken Wings Over Rice)

Seoul on Wheels BBQ (Spicy Korean BBQ Pork Tacos)

SLRP Street Ramen (Pork Broth Ramen w/Sweet corn & Homemade Kimchee)

Liba Falafel Truck (Falafel ball w/Roasted Eggplant)

Kika’s Treats (Chocolate Covered Graham Cracker S’mores)

Gerard’s Paella (Seafood & Chicken)

Creme Brulee Man (Vanilla Bean & Lavender Flavors)

Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed with Liba’s Falafels. The accompanying roasted eggplant mixture was delightful, but the falafel balls themselves, were so overfried that their outer shells had been become dark brown and were more hard and crunchy than thin and crisp. And the accompanying flatbread was stale, doughy, and flavorless.

The three dishes that had notable elements were Seoul on Wheel’s Spicy Pork Taco (warmed tortillas that didn’t taste store-bought would’ve GREATLY helped), SLRP’s Pork Ramen (the noodles were soggy and flavorless, but the pork belly and homemade kimchee were delicious), and Gerard’s Paella (fresher shrimp and non-burnt ends would’ve made it great).

The one thing that DID live up to the cult following was the Creme Brulee Man’s vanilla bean dessert. It had the perfect crunch from the torched top and the flavor was rich and creamy like an ice cream and smooth and luxurious like a pudding. Pure heaven.

I wish I could’ve tried Roli Roti’s porchetta sandwich, Gobba Gobba Hey’s sweet treats, Jim n Nick’s BBQ (they drove all the way up from the South), roasted pig from Chop Bar, 4505 Meats, Wholesome Bakery’s doughnut bites, and Pizza Politana’s margherita pizza slices.

I have to admit that nothing I had blew me away. It was all good, but nothing was extremely noteworthy. Amazingly, though, I wasn’t disappointed. I was just happy to be there and share in the positive energy of the day from both purveyors and consumers. I enjoyed the company, the weather, the variety of food, the environment overall. And I can’t wait to try more next year…