San Francisco Bay Area

Merguez, a spicy, delicious Tunisian sausage traditionally made from lamb and beef, has many fans. Depending on your wallet and your willingness to consume trafe, you have several excellent merguez options around the Bay Area.

A huge hound favorite is Fatted Calf. They sell merguez (and other charcuterie so good it would entitle the maker to knighthood in certain countries) at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market and the Berkeley Farmer’s Market. Of course, merguez is traditionally halal, but the Fatted Calf version is full of tasty pork fat. You are warned. It costs about $9 per pound.

Fabrique Delices merguez, which is sold at farmers’ markets around the area (and often appears on the menu at restaurants such as Chez Maman and Couleur Café), is of top quality but dubious halal-ness. It costs $10 to $15 per pound.

Baron’s Meats offers a house-made, halal version, made entirely of lamb–even the casings. It costs about $5.99 per pound.

Finally, Salama Halal Butcher sells a bona fide halal merguez, made of a combination of beef and lamb, for $3.99 per pound. Gary Soup notes that it’s less spicy and less fatty than the Fatted Calf merguez, and not quite as tasty, but it’s reasonably priced and assuredly authentic, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Fatted Calf
510-653-4327

Salama Halal Butcher
604 Geary St., San Francisco
415-474-0359
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Will work for merguez sausages.

Wing Lee Bakery might have some of the best har gow in town, says niki rothman. They’re really big, with thick, tender, lovely rice dough–and they let you taste before ordering. Siu mai is also excellent, bigger than you usually see, with a clean, subtle sweetness. Chunks of rehydrated straw mushrooms add a nice smokiness. Custard tarts are top-notch, and pot stickers are large and delectable. Prices are extremely reasonable–siu mai are 3 for $1.40 and $28 will buy you more than you can carry.

Wing Lee Bakery [Richmond]
503 Clement St., San Francisco
415-668-9481
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Superior Take-Out on Inner Clement

rworange is so impressed with Mezzo Mezzo that after only one visit, it’s firmly among her top five restaurants in the Bay Area. This place is a gem, and the food is extraordinary, displaying not only attention to quality but soul.

The name of the restaurant translates as something like “half and half,” and the half-cream of spinach, half-cream of tomato soup is a work of art. Neither soup is assertively flavored, but there is a richness to them that is very soulful and satisfying, especially accompanied by the wonderful bread. Dense yet light, soft, flour-dusted slices of bread are so good rworange wishes they’d open a bakery.

Panini with speck, roasted eggplant, and cheese is outstanding. “I haven’t had a better sandwich even on my trips to Italy,” says rworange. Surprisingly, the vegetarian panini is even better, with pesto, greens, and softly smoky provolone. House-made cannoli are also a standout, thick shells filled with ricotta and the suggestion of candied fruit.

ItaloChick rates the food as truly spectacular, and praises the warm, inviting atmosphere. rworange gives extra points in that area, too, noting that she got great service while inadvertently doing her worst impression of a bag lady.

Mezzo Mezzo Ristorante
1025 C St., San Rafael
415-459-0330
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MAJOR Marin gem–Nothing half & half about San Rafael’s Mezzo Mezzo … Top-class Sicilian ciao
Mezzo Mezzo in San Rafael?

You would not believe the stuff that is going on at Bi-Rite Creamery. For one, they’re serving double ginger ice cream, which is hot, intense, and the soul of ginger, says rworange–she’s never had better, period. But Sam’s Sundae ($4.50) will make you realize the point of pouring a golden drizzle of olive oil over ice cream. It adds rich velvetiness to the experience, especially when married with Maldon sea salt and chocolate ice cream. It’s all about the whole flavor of the dish, not the frou-frou aesthetic of daring-for-the-sake-of daring. The ice cream itself is solid, so “if it gets tarted up a little, it doesn’t matter because the foundation is good,” says rworange.

Whipped cream is of excellent quality, reminiscent of creme fraiche–but it’s misplaced on this sundae. Have it on something else. And davina loves Sam’s Sundae, too, but thinks it’s so intense in flavor that it should be half the size.

Emily Hope loves the salted caramel ice cream. The intense, rich, perfectly salty flavor is outstanding, with a caramel taste that stays just this side of burnt caramel. Totally worth the $8.00 a pint.

Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th Street, San Francisco
415-626-5600
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SF–Bi-Rite Creamery update–Chocolate olive oil sundae with Malden salt, popsicles & the best ginger ice cream ever

Do you need a yummy cake to feed a crowd? One South Bay option is Prolific Oven, which can make you a large sheet cake of very good quality. jkg notes that if you’re not sure which flavor to get, they sell slices, so you can do “research.”

katg likes the Asian-style cakes sold by Sheng Kee Bakeries, with light, yummy frosting and fruit inside. They sell cakes big enough to feed 25-30 people.

And Lori SF likes the cakes at Fleur de Cocoa.

Prolific Oven [Peninsula]
550 Waverley St., Palo Alto 94301
650-326-8485
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Fleur de Cocoa [South Bay]
39 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos
408-354-3574
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Where to get a yummy big cake?

If you’re seeking cuisine featuring grass-fed meat, organic produce, and sustainable fish and poultry, Gregoire is the best deal in town, says Morton the Mousse. Gregoire makes delicious food from organic ingredients at a very reasonable price–around $25 per person for dinner.

Australian lamb chops, served with garlic and herb vinaigrette, are incredible–very fresh, with a clean flavor, and none of the gamy qualities associated with less-than-perfect meat. Order them rare and hey, they actually cook them rare. Moroccan-style braised short ribs are perfect comfort food; falling-off-the-bone tender meat with enough substance to make for an enjoyable chew. The meat used is very high-quality grass-fed beef from Montana, and you won’t find many cuts with such a well-balanced flavor profile.

Finally, don’t miss the potatoes that Gregoire does so well, and check out the banana bread pudding for dessert.

Gregoire [Piedmont]
4001 B Piedmont Ave, at 40th St., Oakland
510-547-3555
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Gregoire in Piedmont–Still Doing Things Right

Tucked away in a surprisingly unpretentious neighborhood is Sociale. Bettey thinks that chef Tia Harrison makes a real mean meat sauce–lasagna bolognese is absolutely delicious, though it’s clearly intended for those with a strong palate for salt. If you’re not into salt, steer yourself to more appropriate dishes. Sociale also offers really tasty wine at a variety of price points.

Sociale [Laurel Heights]
3665 Sacramento St., San Francisco
415-921-3200
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Meat sauce

The Mountain View farmers’ market has a lot going for it–great prices, huge selection, good hours. And now, they’ve got a real butcher’s stand, selling all sorts of pig products, says thejulia. Country pate is incredible–very garlicky but still clean-tasting, and totally addictive. “I started eating it without the bread,” says thejulia.

zartemis is familiar with the butcher’s work, and likes what he did with the two pasture-raised pigs she bought from TLC Ranch. She particularly recommends the rilettes he makes from TLC chickens.

TLC Ranch and Severino’s Community Butcher
at the Mountain View Farmers’ Market [Peninsula]
600 West Evelyn, between Hope and View Streets, Mountain View
831-254-7159
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Severino’s Community Butcher-SERIOUSLY GOOD- Mt View Farmer’s Mkt.

Chaat, tasty Indian snacks, of excellent quality can be had from several establishments around town. saucy_girl likes Chaat Café, which, while a chain, is one of the tastiest places for chaat in the Bay Area. Pei loves the papri chaat there and would eat it every other day if she still worked nearby. Atomica seconds the recommendation for the papri chaat, and suggests the bhel puri.

katya thinks Real Ice Cream is a great choice for traditional chaat, with a large menu of chaat to choose from. Especially try the sev puri and ragada pattis, and don’t miss the ice cream if you have room, in flavors like rose petal and cardamom. Amber Café is another choice for excellent chaat, though the menu is small.

Sebby likes Chaat Paradise–its divey atmosphere doesn’t detract in the slightest from the great chaat. Unlike many chaat places, they have table service.

Lots of hounds recommend Vik’s Chaat Corner for masala dosa and other snacks that taste “just like home”–if you’re from Mumbai. sfoperalover says the best time to go is a weekend afternoon at around 5 p.m., for minimum crowds and maximum bounty of the kitchen.

Melanie Wong’s absolute favorite place for chaat is Chaat Patta Corner, whose delicate pani puri shell are individually made to order. They’re incredibly thin and absolutely fresh, and you can choose the heat and sweetness level of your toppings. Everything is of remarkably high quality and freshness, and the proprietors are very sweet.

Chaat Cafe [Financial District]
320 3rd Street, San Francisco
415-979-9946
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Chat Patta Corner [East Bay]
in Dana Bazar
5113 Mowry Ave., Fremont
510-742-0555
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Favorite Chaat places in the bay area??

rln is very impressed with the hors d’oeuvres at Rocker Oysterfellers, like delicious pulled pork sandwiches and duck on crostini. (Even the crostini themselves are tasty, delicately flavored with olive oil.) Baked oysters in butter and garlic are perfectly cooked, and prepared so as not to overwhelm the flavor of the oysters.

The standouts at this place, though, are the fancy-shmancy takes on American classics, like macaroni and cheese topped with dungeness crab, or French fries with aioli. ChefGirl412 sums it up: “This place is awesome.”

Rocker Oysterfellers [Sonoma County]
in Valley Ford Hotel
14415 Highway 1, Valley Ford
707-876-3600
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Rocker Oysterfellers, Valley Ford Hotel