Larry Stein's Profile
Best / Worst things to eat in Marina / Cow Hollow.
In the excellent category, I'd add the huevos rancheros for brunch at Tipsy Pig..
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Tipsy Pig
2231 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA 94123
Weirdest Tasting Notes in Wine Reviews
There are those who think this is the "best...tasting...note...ever". Jason has seen this before. We both know the author who shall remain anonymous. A mutual friend of ours was at the offline where this was poured. He told me that the wine was way worse than what was written below.
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1993 Overnoy Arbois Pupillon
Nathan pulls out an odd-looking bottle, the infamous ’93 Overnoy Arbois Pupillon. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, but at the same time, no need to stick your face in its butt. Lightish color, showing plenty of signs of oxidation, despite the huge sulfur content, both free and bound, not to mention an interesting mix of mercaptans. Imagine, if you will, shoving an M-80 up the hind parts of a skunk, shoving the skunk up the hind parts of a sweaty shepherdess with a yeast infection and on her period. Now the explosion ensues- catch her week-old thong (a gift from Brad K) as it flies by. Give it a good hard sniff and contemplate the layers of aroma. Voila! You have the Overnoy. It was all I could do to actually taste it. And I’m (gag!) pleased to report that (gag!) the flavor was consistent with the aroma. Well, at least if you mix in some battery acid. A wine too dirty for me to enjoy- contemplate that and be very, very afraid.
Good Sources of Great Stone Fruit, Especially SF/Peninsula?
Check out the San Mateo Farmers Market on Saturday. As far as stone fruit goes, I pretty much purchase from Kashiwase Farms. In fact, I saw something I hadn't seen which was an aprium. Yup, an apricot/plum hybrid. It was terrific and definitely tasted like both. You can taste samples of everything they offer. What I purchase from them definitely changes from week to week. They told me they're running several weeks behind on their normal offerings.
There is one strawberry vendor (sorry, can't recall name) that does label the varieties. They typically offer Seascape, Chandler and Albion. Last Sat, Albion was the best. Week before, it was Chandler.
I only buy fruit at farmers markets unless it's an emergency purchase for a recipe.
Bakesale Betty- Fried chicken sandwich, am I missing something?
My wife and I went about a month ago with friends who live in Oakland and love the place. I thought the chicken sandwich was excellent. The chicken was not dry. I'm not a big cole slaw fan (I could go without cabbage for the rest of my life and not miss it). BB's cole slaw was excellent. We tried to duplicate it at home using their recipe. What we couldn't duplicate was how BB manages to get the flavor of jalapeno in the slaw, but not the heat. Yes, we did remove all the innards from the peppers.
The best thing we had there? The ginger cookie. Easily the best I've ever had.
Chowdown Report: Crab•Crab•Crab + Duck Dinner at Yum’s Bistro in Fremont
OK, your friendly neighborhood wine scribe finally found some time this weekend....
First wine opened was '10 Rose of Pinot Noir from Navarro Winery. Thirst quenching and well balanced.
Next was non-vintage Gruet Brut from New Mexico. Very nice, but I can't say I paid too much attention to this one.
Then there were a series of German Rieslings.
'02 Serriger Schloss Saarsteiner Kabinett, Schloss Saarstein (Mosel, specifically Saar) - This was lovely. Nice acidity and minerality. Real Kabinett which these days is not so common (most Kabinett tastes like declassified Spatlese nowadays).
'02 Rauenthaler Baiken Spatlese, Kloster Eberbach (Rheingau) - Fuller and richer than the previous wine. More peaches and ripe apples. 2 very different expressions of Riesling.
'09 Dr L Riesling, Dr Loosen (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) - Nice wine, especially given its pedigree. '09 was a riper vintage which helps non-vineyard designated wines not seem as severe as they can be.
'90 Hochheimer Domdechaney Spatlese, Schloss Schonborn (Rheingau) - Unfortunately, this particular bottle was over-the-hill, showing no fruit notes whatsoever
Next was a BADLY corked bottle of '04 Trimbach Riesling (yellow label) from Alsace.
Then it was onto the two reds
'09 Syrah collines rhodaniennes, Faury (Northern Rhone) - Excellent expression of Syrah (some olive and bacon notes), but some fairly fierce tannins at this stage.
'07 Bourgueil "Franc de Pied", Breton (Loire) - Dynamite Cabernet Franc. Some brett, but it came across as a nice backing note rather than being a dominant feature.
Oh yes, the food.... :)
Of the three crab preps, it's hard to choose between the soy sauce/garlic and Hunan clay pot as my favorite. I loved both. As spicy as the Hunan one was, the spice didn't cover up the sweetness of the crab meat. Both were truly finger lickin' good!
I could say more about the food (the duck and soup!!), but I gotta run. Melanie, thanks so much for organizing this. Simply terrific!
Sunday Brunch in SF with private room
I'm looking for suggestions. There will be 15 of us. We'd like to keep this on the reasonable side, around $25. One thought is Foreign Cinema.
Any others?
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Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94110
**$15.99 Luigi Einaudi Rosso delle Langhe & Wine Warehouse Close-outs @ Grocery Outlet**
Holy crap, that Qupe price is unreal.
Four Great SF Restaurants Needed
What were your issues with Frances? I've never been and have a res in a couple of months.
Bay Area Wine Bargains [split from Kermit Lynch bargain bin thread]
In the past couple of months, there have been two Premier Cru emails where they've been selling grower Champagnes (Agrapart, Hebrart, Gaston Chiquet, Vilmart) from $24-29. I didn't even know Vilmart had a wine at that price point.
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Premier Cru
1011 University Ave, Berkeley, CA
Looking for fresh-squeezed lime juice ( on the Peninsula)
My wife and I are hosting a taco bar and margarita party in a couple of weeks. I don't want to spend an inordinate amount of time squeezing limes for 6 thirsty adults.
Where can I buy this? Thanks!
Where to find good yellow corn on the cob? [moved from General Topics board]
There's a vendor who sells at the San Mateo farmers market (Sat) and Belmont market (Sun). He doesn't always have yellow corn as it ripens less regularly than his white.
Moving to San Mateo - any recs on restos & markets?
IMO, the best pizza is Speederia in downtown San Carlos. You can probably get Italian grocer non-perishables at Draeger's For a fishmonger, Crystal Springs Fish & Poultry.
Moving to San Mateo - any recs on restos & markets?
There is also one in San Mateo, near the Belmont border
Any good strawberries yet this year?
Their was a vendor at Sat's San Mateo Farmers Market that was selling Chandler, Albion and Sea-something(?) varities. Sorry, didn't catch the name. Except for one vendor who was selling 3 boxes/$5, everyone else was 3 for $7. This vendor was 3 for $8. The Chandlers were astounding. Well worth the extra buck.
Also, it was Galetti Bros' first week selling cherries (Brooks). However, I thought they were too tart and passed.
Nice food, wine and friends at Sunny Shanghai in San Bruno
The buns in the photo are the Dry Cooked Soup Buns. The XLB came in the dim sum basket.
The stinky tofu was no stinkier than a ripe piece of Epoisse. Unlike Epoisse, the smell doesn't fill up the room when you cut into it! The tofu was good, but I wouldn't necessarily order it again. It didn't wow me like most of the other dishes. The soup, kidney, and intestine dishes were tremendous. Don't think I'd order the intestines more than once a month. They're a heart attack waiting to happen. ;-)
We were also served red bean paste in a wonderfully flaky crust for dessert.
Terroir reopening Jan. 15
Steve G is correct. Guillaume is no longer involved in the operation.
NY Slices @ Pizzeria Avellino in SF (Lombard Gate)
How much seating is there inside? My girlfriend lives about a 5 min. walk away. We might want to eat there rather than bring a pie home.
Also, do you foresee any issue with bringing wine?
SF Street Food Festival 8/22 - Aziza, Delfina, Heaven's Dog, La Mar, Laiola, etc are out on the street
My girlfriend's sister and husband were in town and when we were thinking of things to do today, I didn't even mention this. I would never buy ver. 1.0 of a piece of software or buy a new car in its first year of a new design. Too many bugs. Wait until they're fixed and buy the next version.
I put festivals such as these, in their debut, in it that same category. Until the kinks are worked out, I avoid 'em like the plague.
Buying best quality prosciutto (San Mateo area)
What market should I go to? My first thought is Draeger's. Is there a better choice? I'll be in a bit of a time crunch, so somewhere in San Mateo/Belmont/San Carlos/Foster City would be the most helpful.
Picnic area for pig roast?
I attended a birthday celebration a couple of years ago that had a pig roast. The birthday boy is an East Bay winemaker so there was no shortage of alcohol to drink (and it was allowed).
After looking at the East Bay parks map, I'm pretty darn sure it was at Kennedy Grove.
Yummy Yummy lives up to its name
I recall it was $25. There wasn't any issue with the freshness of the crab we ate.
Taqueria in Redwood City
Uh, thanks for the tips, but note the date on my original post...
That job ended in Sept. that year.
SPQR report: one thumb up, one thumb down
You pretty much hit it from my perspective. I went with 3 friends a few weeks ago. We had 5 apps, all of which were at least very good. A couple (octopus and fried cauliflower) were great. I also had the carbonara and my reaction was the same as yours. I will say that quality of the spaghetti itself was excellent. One friend had the brisket, which although was a bit chewy, was very flavorful.
I may go back when I go to Yoshi's again in a week, but it'll be when it opens at 5:30. It was crowded enough at 6 on a weeknight. I can only imagine it's gotten way worse since Bauer's review.
Casual eats near Mountain Winery?
I looked online and it still appears to be south of Stevens Creek and about a block north of 85, between Bollinger and Rainbow. Has it moved?
I definitely remember the San Mateo place and was sad when it closed.
Casual eats near Mountain Winery?
Going to a concert there on Saturday. Looking for someplace that's nearby (Saratoga, ideally, or Cupertino on De Anza, south of Stevens Creek). There might be as many as 8 of us so someplace that'll be easy to walk into or make a reservation in the 5-530 range. Obvious choices are Asian or Mexican.
Thanks!
Sushi in the Avenues?
My usual go-to spot is Shimo on Clement & 25th. Is there better or as good in the area? My tastes are fairly traditional when it comes to sushi. Fish quality is paramount. I don't like weird combo rolls just for the sake of being different. Actually, I tend to go more towards nigiri or chirashi when I order, and skip rolls entirely.
Thanks!
Everyday Beijing Chowdown
Lord, there was SO much food...
Of the cold dishes, the bean curd strips and beef tendon were my favorites.
The only dish that didn't thrill me of the hot ones was the shredded pork. The texture wasn't to my liking. It involved chewing, chewing and even more chewing. It seemed to keep the same amount of mass in my mouth no matter how much I chewed. It was like continually working over the same piece of gum for too long. I thought the eggplant was merely good compared to the other dishes. After trying it for a second time, the porkcakes are simply too rich for more than 2 bites.
The rest of the hot dishes were just terrific. However, if I had to choose one, it would be the fish head soup.
Yimster and Marlon, thanks for organizing this!
4/18 Chowdown @ Everyday Beijing in San Mateo
I felt OK afterwards and I'm also sensitive to MSG.
4/18 Chowdown @ Everyday Beijing in San Mateo
Yes, it was quite a feast and stupidly cheap. Only $14?!?
My favorite cold dishes were the 1000 yr egg/bean curd, cucumber salad, and beef cartilage. I very much enjoyed the others. I'd gladly order any of those again.
As Eugene explained, the clay pot was more like a soup than a stew. It was excellent. I did like the family style noodle soup. However, if I were going with a smaller party and there was room for only one soup-type dish, I'd choose the clay pot. I gave a slight edge to the bean sauce noodles with pork over the egg. Definitely a matter of preference. I didn't detect much sweet in the s&s cabbage. In fact, I didn't even know it was listed on the menu as a s&s dish! I detected more black bean saltiness than anything else. Given all that, it was still excellent.
Fish dumplings were great! I didn't notice much radish note in the other dumplings, either by flavor or texture. Loved the cumin lamb, too.
The only dish that left me flat was the Jing Dong pork cake. Flavors were fine, I just found it too heavy and ponderous on the palate. A couple of bites were sufficient for me.
