vespaloon's Profile
Oliveto Birthday Banquet
Sounds wonderful! May I ask the approximate cost? I am trying to plan a similar event for our bon voyage party and would love to have various data points.
Thanks!
Jane
Dinner for 12 -- would any of these work?
We just did the Iron Chef tasting menu at Incanto in their back room (the Dante Room.) It was great... 10 of us, but it can accomodate up to 17. $1500 minimum food and bev before tax and tip. Highly recommended. They're really easy to work with and we all had a great time.
Oceanic Dinner at Oliveto - any reports?
Have to agree with everyone on the tagliarini with geoduck clams. The bitterness from the nettles was perfectly vegetal and the pasta itself was a beautful, bright green. The clams were razor thin and very flavorful. The buttery sauce was not too heavy and full of briny goodness.
We also had the panzerotti of socrpion fish ala livornese. Once our waiter dscribed its preparation, we were done for. We had to have it! These were plump almost wonton-looking pillows stuffed with braised scorpion fish (had a texture like crab) that had been braised in onions, tomatoes, and chili peppers. The chunky tomato sauce was made with the braising liquid. It was SO good. Pastas at Oliveto always shine. I wish I could have tried every pasta.
We shared the fritto misto to start. The kitchen has a deft hand when it comes to frying. Always very light and non-greasy and well-seasoned. I particularly liked the soft shell crab and the creamy cod.
We also had lobster bisque. So rich and thankfully in the small cappucino cup. More than that would have been too heavy. Really nice flavor, not too heavy on the brandy. Really beautiful color. I had to dunk some bread in it! We also had the cioppino - delicious and different than expected. Liked that it was a smallish portion and less soupy. Also had the side of potatoes & leek gratin. Mmmmmm.
This was our second Oceanic Dinner. We'll be back again next year. We love all the theme dinners at Oliveto!
Incanto
Absolutely! We had a similar preparation of Woodcock at Fergus Henderson's St. John in London. For those interested, Woodcock is a woodpecker so the split-down-the-middle effect is particularly stunning. Absolutely delicious. We were at the Marco Pierre White affair at Incanto recently and Chef Cosentino prepared the squab in a similar fashion. The table next to us had to ask what it was... all the while, we were happily slurping out the goodness!!! We are hoping to to try the Iron Chef menu before it ends... Cosentino has a way with squab, to be sure. :)
New pizza place in Glen Park
we tried it for take out tonight about 6:15pm... the place was packed and we got three pizzas to go... the three cheese, atomica, dandelion & fontina & sausage. The host was super friendly and accomodating with our take out order. We got the pizzas fresh out of the oven and, given we only live a 2 minute drive away, got to taste them fairly fresh and hot. I was really impressed, particularly relative to the previous pizza place ( i know, not saying much, but still the decor and the buzz was nice for GP.) The 3 cheese was great, with thin crust and chewy ends. It was very garlicky. Not my favorite, only because I like my "traditional" red sauced type pizzas, but it was a very tasty pizza. The atomica was more traditional, and the chiles were outstanding. However, parts of the pizza were extremely salty, and I didn't like that too much. The dandelion was my favorite. I will agree, that they didn't have the same "efffect" that dandelions often have in other dishes. I expected them more bitter and sparse as they often are elsewhere. They far more encompassed the pizza and were thickly layered, but if I thought of them as another green, such as spinach or collards, they were delish. The fontina and the sausage were FANTASTIC. It is exactly the type of sausage I personally enjoy in pizza. Nice chunkns of good fatty pork. Well seasoned, but not too fennel-y or otherwise overposering. in fact, that was my favorite pie of all. To be honest, this is a already a gem in the neighborhood and is reasonably priced and much better than any pizza place within a mile radious of our hood, so I will be back often. Not to mention that the cooking time was as prescribed (20 mins) and the host was so kind and responsive. I'll definitely be back. My crust was definitely not undercooked. It was perfect. :)
Toast Restaurant in Noe Valley
Totally agree- and let's not forget about Tyger's!!!! : )
Toast Restaurant in Noe Valley
I completely agree that they seem to want to be all things to all people. I hope they can make it work... the clientele is there!
Toast Restaurant in Noe Valley
Technically we only waited an additional 30 minutes since it was a take out order and we were told to come in 30 minutes.
Did you ever see the TV show The Restaurant? Although that place never recovered for other reasons, it was like that, just completely mobbed.
I still *would* give them a second chance. If it was your 3rd day or so being open and the place was packed with people sitting inside and outside and twice as many people spilling out onto the street, you'd be pleased but completely overwhelmed, in my opinion. I have a hard time being harsh on them in the first few days. Plus, their computer wasn't working - that isn't so unusual for a new place?
Toast Restaurant in Noe Valley
Toast Restaurant on Church Street in Noe Valley is now open in the old Hungry Joe's space across from the former Mikey Tom Market. I believe the cross street is Day Street. We saw it was open and nearly full as we were picking up our Friday night easy dinner from Deep Sushi. We decided to return the next day which was presumably their first weekend service. They were completely mobbed and very overwhelmed. Our take out order was supposed to take 30 minutes, but we ended up waiting another 30 minutes after that. I'm sure they're still working out the kinks, but they're going to do just fine and I'm sure folks in the 'hood are happy to have yet another new place to eat. Food was decent, but has the promise of being really good once they have their act sorted out. For example, they pretty much forgot to toast the toast (ironic, no?) and the fries were pretty limp. It's open daily until 9pm every day except Sunday, when they close at 4pm.
They have a variety of scramblers, omelettes, breakfast specials likechicken fried steak and corned beef hash. They also have deli and grilled sandwiches. They also have a kid's menu with mac and cheese, PBJ, etc.
We tried the reuben sandwich, which was tasty, but not very grilled as it had stated on the menu. The meat was nice and full of flavor, though. Good ratio of dressing, saurkraut and cheese. We also tried Hash Brown Hill, which is kind of like the spuds o rama from the old Spaghetti Western on Haight or Boogaloo's. It's a round pan fried cake of hashed browns topped with plenty of melty cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions, and olives. This one was delicious with crispy potatoes and tons of scallions. Also had a grilled cheese on sourdough. It was supposed to have cheddar cheese AND pepper jack, but I didn't detect any pepper jack which would have been nice. This was actually more grilled and pretty good -but when is grilled cheese really ever bad?! Fries on both sandwiches were fairly soggy. We also had a "delox" egg white omelette served with hash browns. Big omelette with plenty of smoked salmon, capers, cream cheese, and tomatoes. This was actually quite good. I love places that have hash browns (vs. home fries or skillet potatoes.) These were o.k., but needed to be crispier for my taste. I think they were just so crowded and new that things didn't stay in the oven/fryer/griddle long enough and their ovens may not be on full blast! However, it has good bones and I will definitely return.
Oh, we also tried a cup of their chili. Nice blend of kidney beans and ground beef and well-spiced. Topped with a good amount of melty cheddar and scallions. That was also a winner. They served it with a small hunk of sourdough baguette. It had a good flavor and chewy crust.
Where is this, Five Spiced Roast Chicken?
their version IS really good, but mostly because the chicken is VERY plump and moist. the flavors are right although not as strongly "spicy" as some I've had. That said, I would recommend Lotus Garden's. Great as part of the rice place with the fish sauce/dipping sauce.
Saturday Breakfast - San Francisco
Just last Saturday we had a buffalo burger from Prather Ranch (they have a beef AND a buffalo burger) as well as cornmeal pancakes with a britsh banger style pork sausage. Both the buffalo and sausage were REALLY flavorful and not greasy. Really yummy. The cornmeal pancakes came with a pat of butter and bourbon maple syrup. I'd have it again.
I also like the egg breakfasts at Rose Pistola (had one scramble with chanterelles and fontina once that was great!)
Acme Acme Acme bread!!!
Meatball Sandwiches 94123 (SF)
Speaking of meatball sandwiches (although not in the 94123), I had a really nice one at PastaGina on Diamond Street in Noe Valley last Friday. They use homemade, tender meaballs in a zippy sauce, with plenty of fresh basil in the sauce (or possibly added in the sandwich after it was assembled, I couldn't tell by the time I unwrapped it.) After heating several of these meatballs, they place it in an Acme rustic/ciabatta roll and add gooey full-fat (tasting) mozzarella cheese. A nice amount of it, too, as this type of sandwich warrants. It was really, really tasty.
Yum Yum Changes?
This is very very bad news... especially since I was going to order a party platter of sushi... if I can muster the courage to find out for sure, I'll certainly report back! : ( Damn!
Church/ethnic fairs
Yes, completely agree. I have only been to the buffet line once - likely the first year we went - we usually eat at all the grilled stands outside and then do the take out just inside the door to the gymnasium. I can't wait for this year's festival!
Church/ethnic fairs
The Greek Festival at the Annuciation Cathedral in the Mission District of San Francisco, 245 Valencia, is always a delight. We have gone for the past 4 years or so. This year's is Sept 29-Oct 1. We find Friday night the most lively. Food is great, different kind of spit roasted lamb and other appetizers like fried cheese one year. The gyros are wonderful as are the sausage sandwiches when they have them. We always get several boxes of food to take home with us. Can't beat the home cooking. : )
New Julie's Kitchen location open in SF FiDi
Exactly! My sushi/summer roll lunch never tops $8 and has been as low as $5. Really can't beat that. Avoid a few hunks of mango which, with the water weight, could add another $1-2!
Delicious Sonoma Weekend Report
Fig royale? Sounds incredible! And I am amazed it wasn't too sweet given the figs. You didn't mention this trip when we saw you last!?!? I am definitely going to try the biscuits and gravy the next time we are in Glen Ellen. I go ga ga over b&g!
New Julie's Kitchen location open in SF FiDi
I am there several times a week since it's across the street from my office and somewhat of a novelty for me at the moment. That said, I think I will still probably be going there months from now. I enjoy the nice, fresh pieces of sushi and the vietnamese summer rolls (although I think the peanut sauce is *actually* straight peanut butter.) I also am partial to the turkey meatloaf and the korean style glass noodles (can't remember the name now.) The ahi tuna is pretty nice, too, melt in your mouth delicious! The chicken parmesan is only so/so as are the egg rolls and pot stickers (o.k, not sure why I was eating that stuff, but I was craving the fried goods one day!) The korean kalbi was pretty tasty too... interestingly they don't seem to serve mashed potatoes (only roasted) which is kind of a bummer when you're having the meatloaf. Don't know what's up with that!
Where to buy spot prawns in SF?
Thanks everyone... I'm going to give it a test run this weekend! : )
Blue Jay Cafe
I thought this place closed and Jay Foster now owns Farmer Brown in former Belon space? Perhaps BlueJay is under different ownership?
La Corneta Taqueria (Glen Park Bart Station) - tasty tacos & great coffee across the street
The coffee shop is called Cafe Bello. Even though I live in the neighborhood, I have never managed to stop in. Good to know its a nice litte place.
goin to the ritz carlton tonight!!! What are the must haves!!!
salt and pepper tasting menu OR the chefs surprise tasting menu. you can't go wrong...
Where to buy spot prawns in SF?
Am cooking a dinner from my favorite cookbook du jour, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, in a couple of weeks and would like a good source for spot prawns? I'm gearing up to do my test run and have no clue where to get these? Farmers market? Elsewhere? Help me hounds, please! : )
Canteen, B-L-D
EGAD! I have been BESTED! James and I enjoyed a much deserved day off and spent lunch and dinner at Canteen on Friday - maybe we were there at the same time?!?!!?
OMG! I cannot add much to this except that James also had the nicoise at lunch and we were amazed at how soft and non-fishy the tuna was. I wanted to get more bites, but alas it disappeared off the plate much too quickly. I had the chicken salad for lunch, it was amazing with its soft pulled chicken and plump golden raisins, pinenuts and capers. Truly delicious and different with slices of buttered white rye toast.
I was a little uncomfortable there at lunch because I felt like a stalker (even though apparently I had nothing on you!!!), and thought we should have gone disguised. What can I say, I am insane!?!?
We brought friends for dinner, two locals and one special surprise guest from NY. We shared all the appetizers, very nice - steak tartare was fresh and flavorful. Figs were terrific and nutty. I think there was tuna tartare (I might be making it up - the combination of good friends and good wine made it a little bit crazy from a food reporting perspective) and the code in a filo kind of packet was innovative and delicious.
Artichoke soup was so savory and delicious. Similar to the artichocke soup served at the Wild Salmon dinner and yet not. Had nice little clams in the shell. I love Leary's soups. Savory yet light, perfect consistency and temperature. They are perfection in a bowl. Every one I have ever had.
The corn sauce with the salmon was great. Very naturally sweet. Kind of like the sweet corn soup with shrimp we had earlier in July. We asked for extra of the house special croissanty parkerhouse rolls to mop up the sauce. Best idea ever.
I tasted the lamb/lamb sausage combo. So beautifully pink on the lamb and very flavorful.
James had the wonderful veal scallopine with tuna sauce (similar to the vitello tonnato appetizer I had a month or so ago) which featured breaded and fried schnitzelly scallopine. REALLY REALLY nice.
Shared the two fruit desserts, a peach thingy and a strawberry shortcake. the shortcake had a hint of cinnamon (i think) that made it very special. also a beautifully light bitter chocolate mousse dessert with candied ginger. Perfect! Sorry I can't say more about the desserts in detail as I am not a dessert girl. However, I will eat anything DL puts in front of me.
We were also given a nice little portion to share of chanterelles. Lovely lovely...
Our wine theme was rose, a sparkling to start and a non-sparkling with dinner.
Service, as always, was impeccable. We hadn't planned the lunch visit, but were so glad we did.
The gauntlet has been thrown indeed. Talk about a cult following.
Canteen - Wild Salmon Dinner
Thank you for this tip. I am glad to know it might be WF and not just my supposed "aversion" to wild salmon.
Canteen - Wild Salmon Dinner
I'm on my last legs now, but thankfully today is my "Friday" - I think you're right - it sounds like knefeh, although I haven't had much experience with. Looked so nice with the pale green ice cream scoop on top. Yummy!!!
Canteen - Wild Salmon Dinner
Another amazing meal at Canteen. This was for their Wild Salmon prix fixe dinner. For $50 (I think) a head, we had:
Veal Carpaccio - lovely pink pieces of veal, capers, not heavy all, and very flavorful. Simple and delicious.
Crab and Artichoke Soup - extremely rich and yet light at the same time. This is very difficult to do! It was SOO good. very savory and a beautiful pale green color - I could have eaten bowls and bowls of it. Freshest crab and very of the sea! Perfectly hot. Thin consistency which I really enjoyed. James really liked this.
Wild Salmon with Sweet Corn and Morels. How can I not love anything with morels? Again, all the flavors just sang in perfect harmony. Salmon itself was extremely soft, buttery, and surprisingly mild for wild salmon. Maybe I don't know how to cook it, but in the two times I've tried, it's been remarkably fishy and strong (not for lack of freshness I think as I bought it at Whole Foods both times!?) Truly melted on the tongue.
Sweet gorgonzola on fig brown bread-puddingish base. The cheese was deliciously creamy and rich. Figs were nice and figgy. There was a llittle bit of honey-ish drops around the edge. Good contrast to the cheese.
Coriander ice cream on a roasted peach in a bird's nest made of katafi. At least I think it was katafi. Some really crunchy, filo-y, thready thing. This added great texture and a bit of savory to the dessert. This dessert was AMAZING in its creativity and taste. And this is coming from someone who doesn't typically like dessert. I'd much rather have a bowl of french fries. Plus, cilantro ice cream!?!? Who knew??? I have always liked cilantro (as an adult), but had never had it in a sweet form. It was not too strong and REALLY worked. The roasted peach underneath was nice, but a little softer than I like - maybe I just don't care for cooked peaches that much and I do actually prefer white peaches in raw form. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the dessert and commented to the chef on that and the rest of the meal.
We had a nice bottle of pink wine. Don't kill me, I don't recall the name. Already an exhausting week, I was a little bit loopy at the end.
What's in PEAK season in the Bay Area right now?
This is a great tip on the CUESA newletter. Thanks Sixy!
