Delfina or Bar Tartine

I love both, but have recently found Delfina to be a little bit uninspiring. Bar Tartine, on the other hand, has lately been fantastic. I was just there this past Friday and every dish was amazing. I started with the Santa Monica sea urchin over scrambled eggs with jalapeño peppers and asparagus on brioche. It was melt in your mouth delicious. That was followed by potato gnocchi with sweet corn, morels and truffle oil. Light and tasty. My dining companion had a starter of soft shell crab that was also excellent. So, if you haven't guessed already, I would say to go there!

chowragazza in San Francisco Bay Area

PNW trip - stop 1b of 3 (portland) - long

So after Sel Gris and Le Pigeon the bar had been set pretty high for the remainder of our stay in Portland. And unfortunately for us, no one really came close, but we did still have some good eats.

Breakfast for the next two days was had at Simpatica dining hall. It had been recommended to us by our great server from Le Pigeon and we were looking forward to the Ba-Gawk sandwich (fried chicken, gravy and egg on a biscuit). After an unexpectedly short wait (we had heard that people start lining up an hour before this place opens), we had a laid back breakfast of Stumptown coffee, the Ba-Gawk and Turkey Confit Hash with eggs over easy. The Hash added some extra dimension by combing parsnips and cauliflower to the traditional potatoes. [The proximity of the dining hall and the fact that they were open on x-mas eve, had us back again the next day for the biscuits & gravy and the waffles w/orange maple marmalade]

After that is was back to stomping around in the rain until dinner, when we headed to Clyde Common. It was again nice to be in such an open dining room, but after the cozy environments of Le Pigeon and Sel Gris, CC felt a little bit cold. We were keeping it pretty light so we shared the red salad of beet, cabbage, onion, sherry vinaigrette and razor clams. The salad was beautiful and the clams tender, we were off to a good start. I paired two pasta half orders for my entree: pasta puttanesca and the ravioli of beef tongue, cavolo nero with broth and my companion had the grilled whole dorade with winter tabbouleh, pistachio and pomegranate molasses. Overall a very satisfying meal.

The next big meal in Portland was also the most disappointing. We had made reservations over two months in advance for dinner at Paley's Place for Christmas Eve. Few other places were open on the 24th and we were compelled to try the food of one of the founders of the new wave of Portland cuisine. I will caveat my review by saying that this place was really not our style at all, it felt stuffy and pretentious, none of it in a very elegant way. The menu itself wasn't very compelling, nothing new or adventurous in site. We did have some great, plump mussels that were meaty and delicious. The Crab beignets had little flavor of crab and were only saved by the microgreen and herb salad. Our entrees, the squash mezzaluna and the fried razor clams with purgatorio bean cassoulet, were heavy and a little overwhelming. I had order the half portion of the clams, I can't even imagine getting through a full portion. Dessert was the best course: a shared brown sugar cake with poached pear and creme fraiche ice cream. Beautifully sweet with a great crust.

And that was Portland, next up Seattle and Vancouver.
Again, pictures and more details at:
http://www.mybrooklynisbetterthanyours.com/say_word/

chowragazza in Pacific Northwest

Any good food in Ashland or Rogue Valley?

We just stopped at Morning Glory cafe on Siskiyou Blvd for brunch on our way up to Portland and enjoyed it. A warm and inviting spot.

chowragazza in Pacific Northwest

PNW trip - stop 1a of 3 (portland) - long

So only on day two of our pacific northwest trip, but already have lots to write about the food scene here. Quick background: up from San Francisco for a 12 day holiday trip through Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. We did the drive from SF yesterday and had a nice lunch in Ashland, OR at Morning Glory cafe. The food was tasty and filling, perfect for the middle of a long drive. We shared the special buckwheat pancakes with candied walnuts and chai butter, and the salmon scrabble with potatoes, red onions and dill sour cream.

We arrived for rush hour in Portland, checked into the Jupiter Hotel and relaxed until our 9 pm dinner reservation at Sel Gris. I had read a lot about this new restaurant but it ended up being a last minute add to our itinerary. By my first course, I knew that it had been a great way to start the trip. For starters we had the ris au veau (sweetbreads with apple butter, bacon and a danish pancake wrapped egg) and endive salad with poached pears and humboldt fog cheese. The sweetbreads were fantastic and made so much better with a view from the bar.

The next course consisted of one order of the scallop special (diver scallops with wild mushrooms and fresh linguine carbonara) and steak frites with duck liver pate - roquefort butter. The scallops worked wonderfully with the al dente creaminess of the pasta, and the liver butter added a unique depth of flavor to the steak frites. With the exception of the blue light behind the bar, it was a welcoming introduction to the Portland food scene.

Today started with lattes from Stumptown and classic glazed donuts from Voodoo donuts. Both added a needed boost of energy to a cold and rainy day. We made the Portland farmer's market a destination for our morning tour of the city and sampled our way through the vendors. We had an amazing Chantarelle coated goat cheese and enjoyed watching the fire baked bagels getting made.

For lunch, we warmed up at Silk by Pho Van in the Pearl district. Classic beef Pho and Stir Fried Noodles hit the spot. They even elicited a "I want to come back here" from my hard-to-impress traveling companion.

Which brings us to dinner on day two. We had a very short walk from the Jupiter to Le Pigeon. Now I had done a lot of reading about where to eat in Portland, and Le Pigeon kept popping up. So it had a easy spot at the top of my restaurant list. Again we managed to score ourselves seats at the open kitchen bar, and it was well worth it. Before we even ordered, we witnessed Chef Gabriel Rucker recommend the Foie Gras Profiteroles dessert to another couple. Our dessert decision was made before we had even considered our appetizers. As an appetizer, we ended up sharing the egg noodles with truffles and parmesan. It's amazing how they're able to combine the texture of fresh pasta with the bite of dried.

Second course consisted of the beef cheeks bourgiugnon and the venison with blue cheese and hazelnut beer butter. The beef cheeks were lovely and meltingly tender. The venison had a very pleasant flavor and the combination with the hazelnuts made the dish exceptional. Besides the food we actually got to taste, watching Chef Rucker in his kitchen was a lot of fun. I definitely recommend a bar seat at this cozy and relaxed place.

Okay so more to come, two more days in Portland and then headed to Seattle and Vancouver....

Pictures and other details can be found on:
www.mybrooklynisbetterthanyours.com/say_word

chowragazza in Pacific Northwest

New Years Eve in Vancouver

We ended up making reservations at Fuel for NYE, but in general I'm looking forward to visiting Salt for a glass of wine and some bites.

chowragazza in Western Canada Archives

3 Nights in Napa w/ Fiance; Suggestions Needed

I know that you mentioned your fiance doesn't like french, but Angele is absolutely wonderful. Their french onion soup is great and the atmosphere is lovely.

http://www.angelerestaurant.com/

chowragazza in San Francisco Bay Area

Best Pizza in Bay Area

I recently tried Picco for the first time and after making the drive just to try it, was totally disappointed. We ordered two pizzas, the Seven and the Trek. I'm a huge mushroom fan, but the Seven is just too heavily loaded with mushrooms and besides the oregano, was completely bland. The Trek had some nice cherry tomatoes that gave it some flavor but the cheese again was flavorless. The crust on both pizzas was also chewier than I normally like.
Pizzeria Delfina on the other hand is always a treat. Their hen of the woods pizza, in comparison to the Seven, is what a mushroom pie should be. Great combination of mushroom, cheese, thyme and crust. And nothing beats their Margarita with some buffalo mozzarella.

chowragazza in San Francisco Bay Area

Visiting SF from NY

I would recommend:
Delfina for Italian or even Pizzeria Delifina next door for some great pizza (and this is coming from a native New Yorker)
Modern Tea is a nice place in Hayes Valley for Sunday brunch. The salmon hash is delicious and they have an extensive tea menu.
Sushi Ran in Sausalito is a good Japanese choice and they have a pretty good wine bar.
Other dinner options in SF: Salt House, Emmy's Spaghetti Shack (funky place with yummy spaghetti & meatballs for under $10), Firefly. Note: these last two will probably involve a taxi ride.
If you are in SF on a Saturday, do breakfast or lunch at the Ferry Building during the farmers market - wonderful experience.

chowragazza in San Francisco Bay Area

New Years Eve in Vancouver

Spending New Years Eve in Vancouver and looking for a nice place to have dinner. Ideally would like a place with a special tasting menu for the evening, but not incredibly expensive. We're willing to explore and be creative.

Does anyone have any past New Year's experiences that they would recommend?

Thanks!

chowragazza in Western Canada Archives

Holiday trip to PDX and SEA

I'm planning a roadtrip up from San Francisco up to Oregon over the holidays. I've created a short list of places to eat, mainly based on the recent NY Times article and some of the restaurants in the Gourmet restaurant issue. I was thinking about Paley's Place for Christmas Eve dinner. Any thoughts or alternatives? I would be interested in a place that was creating a special tasting menu or theme for the evening, but open to suggestions.

In the days prior, some of the places I was planning on trying include Le Pigeon, Pok Pok, Clyde Common and possibly clarklewis. Is there something fabulous that I'm missing? Any cheap eat alternatives to help offset some of the pricey dinners? Especially something that I might not be able to experience in SF?

Are there any Willamette Valley eateries that are worth making a short road trip to try?

Thanks!

chowragazza in Pacific Northwest