Category: San Francisco

My friends know I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but I’ve always had a sweet spot for cupcakes :).  There’s something so happy and perfect about a little serving of cake and frosting.  A good cupcake is just a lovely thing.

So I’ve been to a couple of cupcake joints in the city, but have never been able to get to Kara’s to see if all the recent hype about this place is warranted.  I always seem to get there after they close or after they’ve sold the last cupcake.  But last week, I finally made it  And I didn’t try just one!

I got the Chocolate Velvet, Vanilla with Chocolate Frosting, and the Fleur de Sel, which was filled with creamy caramel (talk about decadent!).  All of them were rich and full of flavor.  The cakes were super moist and had great flavor.  You could taste the quality in the local ingredients they used. 

But my favorite was surprisingly the Vanilla with Chocolate Frosting.  I loved how the cake had REAL vanilla flavor that didn’t taste like a synthetic flavoring.  And the frosting was super sweet, rich, and had a sophisticated chocolate flavor because of the high grade chocolate.

This is not a subtle or light cupcake.  It is sweet, rich and decadent so pace yourself!  It is a true sweet tooth’s dream come true.  For someone like me, it was a wonderful treat and definitely worth going back to.

Kara’s Cupcakes – San Francisco (Chestnut @ Scott and Ghirardelli Square) and Palo Alto (coming soon) – www.karascupcakes.com

A nice big bowl of Vietnamese rice noodle soup (pho) may seem like a simple thing, but there are so many elements to the broth that’s much easier to find a “sub-par” bowl of pho than it is to find a really good one.

So a good broth is simmered all day with beef bones and parts, and spices like star anise, cinnamon and five spice.  Mediocre bowls of pho have broths that are not simmered for long periods and lack depth, spice and true meaty flavor.  Boring.

PPQ (Pho Phu Quoc) in the Sunset District is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco.  They make a lovely pho with a broth that has lots of complex deep flavors.  They even use Angus quality beef, which makes a big difference over other places.

But, what I really love to order is their Chicken Curry Pho.  Man, is that a nice hot bowl of yumminess.  It is so damn tasty with that mild broth base that’s full of a Southeast Asian style curry (think Thai or Singaporean).  Along with that is the subtle flavor of lemongrass and kaffir lime and a whole lot of chili oil!  Man it’s spicy!  But it is so worth it.

They even simmer the white meat chicken pieces in that broth, they don’t just dump it in when you order it.  You can tell because the meat is so tender and totally tastes like the broth.  I hate when white meat chicken tastes like rubber or is dry and flavorless (blech!).

My husband loves their Crispy Five Spice Chicken, and I can’t blame him.  It is so incredibly tender, juicy, and full of sweet tasty flavor.  It’s so good.  You can get it with cold rice noodles, over rice, with a bowl of pho, or as a side dish.  Order it.  It IS that good.

I love a bowl of classic beef pho and PPQ does it well, but these other dishes can sometimes steal the show.  But that’s not such a bad thing. 🙂

PPQ (Pho Phu Quoc) – 1936 Irving St. (@ 19th Ave), San Francisco – 415.661.8869

It was time to celebrate Miss J. Low’s birthday and I let her have her pick of any restaurant in the Bay Area. It’s no surprise she picked one with a hearty menu that would scare most ladies away.

Welcome to Maverick, a place where two chicks can order a plate of Baby Back Ribs, Fried Chicken, a side of Mac & Cheese, and still have room for dessert. (Did I mention we love food?…)

Things started off easy and elegant with a shared appetizer of Fresh Asparagus w/Poached Egg and Fresh Mozzerella. It’s spring which is prime asparagus season, and the flavors didn’t disappoint. They did a great job of keeping the flavor of the asparagus intact: sweet and bright. The richness of the poached egg and creaminess of the cheese made for a great textural and flavor contrast. The perfect spring dish.

Then we got down to the gourmet rib stickin’ food…

She went with the Fried Chicken served with a rich brown gravy and grits. It was delicious. Again, another very different fried chicken dish than the ones we’ve tried at Town Hall (more traditional buttermilk), Jack Falstaff (more of a light flour batter) or 900 Grayson (just plain good). This one had a Shake and Bake kinda texture that was breaded. It was crispy and seasoned well, so the crust had real flavor and depth. And we both mentioned how juicy the meat was. Very good.

I had the special of the night, which was St. Louis Style Baby Back Ribs with a side of baked beans and arugula salad. Though the sauce was sweet and smokey, the ribs weren’t as meaty as I would have liked, and seemed slightly dryer than they could have been. I would’ve been more impressed had they been juicer meatier ribs. Oh well, it was still pretty tasty.

We probably should have ended it there, but when there’s Mac and Cheese on the menu, J. and I can never turn it down. Though this version was good, it wasn’t exactly up to snuff (we measure all gourmet mac and cheeses to the one they serve at “Home” restaurant in SF on Market Street). It came out hot out of the broiler, but the sauce was a bit thin and slightly grainy with not enough strong cheese flavor to provide any distinctive contrast between the cheeses. But as we let the dish sit, it got thicker as it cooled so when we picked at it towards the end of the meal, the flavors of the cheeses came out and the sauce was nice and thick and gooey.

As you can imagine we were pretty full, but the staff managed to pull out a little dish of Sea Salt Caramel Gelato in celebration of J’s birthday. It had a great savory bite when you first tasted it, but then mellowed out into the sweet rich caramel flavor. I could only stomach a bite but J. finished it up in a minute. The perfect ending to an already rich meal.

The space is small but rich with brown and deep red tones. It has a “down home” edge without being kitschy, and is very aware of its gourmet identity. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the mood for that type of food, but I wouldn’t exactly make a special trip just to eat there again.

Maverick – 3316 Seventeenth St., San Francisco – 415.863.3061

My husband and I recently spent a late sunny afternoon on Fillmore Street in San Francisco.  We were without reservations, and after hitting a few spots, snagged the last two top at Elite Cafe.

The place is very San Francisco old school (in the style of Tadich Grill).  So much so that you’d expect legendary columnist Herb Caen to walk out of one of the enclosed booths.  Lots of woods and a ceiling fan.

The food however, is modern and sassy.  Their menu has a New Orleans slant with lots of rich meats and fried foods, but all done elegantly.

We started with an order of their legendary Meetinghouse Biscuits.  They were warm, fresh, soft and must’ve had buttermilk.  Really yummy.  I had two in the span of five minutes.  Decadent, indeed.

We also shared an order of the Cajun French Fries with Chipotle Mayo.  Those were hot and fresh out of the fryer, crispy and delish.

For an entree, I got the Braised Kobe Beef Brisket with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Fried Okra.  Those who know me know I don’t hate much in the way of food, but I hate okra.  Even fried (which is usually enough for me) I couldn’t eat more than one.  Such a shame because I’m sure they’d be tasty to someone else (my hubby is trying to stay away from bread and breaded items).

The beef was rich and had a distinct element of cloves and cinnamon.  Along with the light yet distinctly flavored garlic mashed potatoes, it was a hearty, but not heavy meal, perfect for a chilly evening. 

My husband had the Slow Roasted Pulled Pork with Garlic Grits and Collard Greens.  Though he enjoyed the pork, it were the sides that really impressed us.  The pork was moist and tender, but lacked depth of flavor.  It was a little one dimentional.  The grits and greens were definitely worth having again.

All in all, it wasn’t anything spectacular, but a reliably good meal.  It was a bit pricier than we’d like for the kind of food we had (our entrees averaged $30 each), but it was a good meal.  And service was attentive and professional. 

If you’re in the area, it’s a good reliable choice.  But don’t expect it to wow you.

Elite Cafe – 2049 Fillmore St., San Francisco – 415.67.ELITE

Foodies all over the Bay Area have complained frequently that you can’t get several seemingly simple dishes around here. They would include:

A good, authentic pastrami/corned beef sandwich

A great thin crust, New York-style pizza (many say it’s the water)

Pinkberry (though I’m not sure it’s worth the hype since I’ve never tried it)

Good BBQ (Memphis, Texas, South Carolina, OR Kansas City style)

Sure there are BBQ joints in the Bay Area, but not many are worth returning to or authentic. My husband has tried a few around here (he’s from Kansas City and lived in Memphis for many years), some foodie friends have tried a few, and I’ve only tried a couple.  But none of us have been impressed with any of them.

I have to add Memphis Minnie’s in San Francisco to that unfortunate list.

My husband and I took some friends of ours who moved here from Texas. Needless to say, they were dying for some good southern BBQ. And…we didn’t find it here.

We ordered an array of ribs, pulled pork, and brisket to try, along with a big basket of fries. When we were debating what to order, we had some enthusiastic regulars suggest several items highly. It seemed promising at first…but things went south from there.

There were three different kinds of sauces at the table. We tried all three before getting our food and we should have ran after that. One was way too sweet, the other too watery, and another that just tasted strange. We weren’t impressed.

And things didn’t change after we got our food. Though the quality of meat was good all around, the flavor was all wrong. My husband commented that he didn’t understand why one of the sauces was supposedly “South Carolina” based, the ribs were “Texas-style,” but the joint was called “Memphis Minnie’s.” And that basically summed up our experience. It was a mess of flavors and strange, unusual taste combinations.  Overall, it was very poorly executed.  And parking in the Haight was no picnic either.

But the worst part was having that awful MSG dry mouth for the rest of the night after our meal. The only highlight was the surprisingly friendly service. At least they have that going for them.

Avoid this place at all costs. If you’re really desperate for something, try the local chain Armadillo Willy’s. Even their BBQ is more authentic than Minnie’s.

Memphis Minnie’s – 576 Haight St., S.F. – 415.864.PORK

Courtesy of www.chowrestaurant.com

It was good to return to one of my favorite restaurants, Park Chow in San Francisco. I used to go there all the time, but since moving out of that area, I haven’t been in a while.

The best time to visit this place is definitely during the colder months. The wood floors, casual decor and service, and roaring fireplace always makes for a mountain lodge kind of feel. And the menu with Spaghetti and Meatballs, Fusilli Pasta w/Chicken, Roasted Chicken & Mashed Potatoes, and Pot Roast always makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They’re so yummy.

The biggest pain, though, is the battle for street parking in this area. That and the wait during peak times. But I digress…

I love how affordable this place is. Especially for the quality of food they serve. I’ve always loved all the dishes I mentioned, but this time, I decided to try the Petrale Sole Fish Sandwich (the sandwich of the day). It was seasoned very well and dressed with some mango salsa and fresh guacamole on a soft toasted bun. It was fresh and delicious. The fish was cooked perfectly moist and wasn’t breaded, which was a nice change.

It came with a wonderful hearty minestrone. But in place of the pasta they used croutons, which I wasn’t crazy about. Regardless, the soup had depth from a stock/soup base that had some good meaty flavor.

I had a spiced apple cider with my meal, which only added to the homey feeling of the place. And I usually end with a slice of their organic apple pie (which is truly my favorite apple pie in SF), but there was no room left in this tummy. It was lunch, afterall. A little restraint was in order. 🙂

Park Chow – 1240 9th Ave (btwn. Irving & Lincoln) – SF – 415.665-9912