SFDude's Profile
Winery suggestions for Chalk Hill, Knights Valley and Dry Creek Valley?
Bella (for zinfandels) and Preston (for Rhone blends) are two top producers that are also very pleasant to visit. Picnics at Preston can be very enjoyable -- they sell some stuff there (particularly some excellent bread), but you would probably want to hit the Dry Creek general store on Dry Creek Road/
Russian River Valley and Sonoma area wineries
Heading up from SF, it doesn't matter too much whether you head to RRV or Healdsburg/Dry Creek. Many of the RRV wineries are farther off the highway, so that tends to cancel out the fact that they are further south. And you are probably only talking about 10 minutes or so anyway.
I usually allocate an hour or so per winery and don't try to taste at more than 4 or 5 in a day. You can certainly do more, but I enjoy taking the time to talk with the people pouring the wine, checking out the winery etc.
I think that the previous comments are right that you will need to push up your price point. On the other hand, there are lots of good zinfandels and pinot noirs available for $25 to $45, so you don't need to go crazy.
For less expensive wineries, you might try Balleto and Martin Ray (which has excellent but pricey cabs and a second label, Angeline that is a good sub $20 value). I also think that Hook and Ladder (mentioned previously) is really quite good and worth a stop.
Mission Community Market Open in San Francisco
The Mission Community Market on Bartlett Street between 21st and 22nd has re-opened again (Thursdays from 4 to 8 pm) and has expanded somewhat.
The vendors sell a good range of local seasonal produce (currently lots of lettuces, leeks, green garlic, carrots etc.). The strawberry vendor is particularly good -- usually offering different varieties.
New this year are 4505 meats (both cuts of meat and sausages) and a seller of ravioli.
The market is relatively small, so I wouldn't call it a destination. But if you live in the neighborhood it is an excellent resource.
Best foodie & wino restaurant one can eat alone at the bar?
The food is definitely more interesting at Gitane.
Are there any good real spanish tapas bars in the SF area.
I have generally been underwhelmed by Esperpento; If you are drunk or getting drunk, it is fine. But I wouldn't rate it as high quality or particularly interesting.
Weaver's Coffee?
I enjoy Weaver's coffee -- Their "Holiday Blend" this year was particularly nice. They are definitely in the Peet's style -- meaning a darker, richer roast than many of the newer artisanal roasters (for example, Ritual).
Dry Creek/Alexander recs - need more like Unti, Preston, Coffaro
Additional Dry Creek places to try are Mauritson and Meitz, both family owned producers of excellent zinfandel. In AV, I have enjoyed Meeker in the past, but haven't been there for awhile. I actually like Dry Creek better.
Looking for Fish Market / Sf Bay Area
It is definitely possible to buy off the boats in Half Moon Bay.
Need to buy dried, will Greek oregano on the Peninsula (if possible)
There is a greek imports store on Mission St. in San Francisco around 20th St. (Sorry that I can't be more specific). If you are in the City it might be worth checking out.
Wo Hing General Store (SF Mission) report
I have a much more positive take on Wo Hing than many others. While I would not call myself a true connoisseur of Chinese food, I have eaten lots of it in SF and NYC and lived for a year in HK.
Our meal was as follows:
Winter Melon Soup with Crab -- a very rich seafood/melon broth complemented with a nice amount of sweet crab. A bit of pepper spiciness rounded out the dish. Very good.
Shanghai Dumplings -- Very tender wrappers enclosed a vibrant soup and soft chunks of flavorful meat. Excellent
White Shrimp with rice noodles -- more subtle than the other dishes but still complex and satisfying. Excellent.
Szenchuan braised beef brisket -- the brisket was very tender and flavorful; the sauce was rich and had a real kick to it. Not as complex as other dishes. Very good.
Gai Lin -- Tender but still crisp with a good oyster sauce.
The portions seemed ample to me -- the foregoing was more than enough for two (I over ordered expecting smaller dishes).
The service was attentive maybe even trying too hard. And the atmosphere is quite nice.
No doubt Wo Hing is significantly more expensive than other places, but the dining experience is much more sophisticated than most Chinese restaurants. And I certainly think the food is more complex and better executed than Mission Chinese. I will go back, but don't feel the need to rush back.
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Wo Hing General Store
584 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Jole, Calistoga Ca
I haven't been to Jole for a while but I really liked it when I was last there. The small plates are well-complimented by the wine by the glass list. Good to hear that they are still doing well.
2011 - December seasonal specialties
The Holiday Ravioli from Lucca's Deli on Valencia Street is excellent -- even better than their regular ravioli. They make it several times during the year (also Easter, Mother's Day and T-Day), but it is special.
Recommendations for a late night meal in the Mission?
I would avoid Cava 22 at all costs; the food and service there are horrible. Velvet Cantina is a much better option.
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Velvet Cantina
3349 23rd St, San Francisco, CA 94110
One night in wine country - where would you eat?
Terra and the Farmhouse Inn are my favorites in the wine country (now that, sadly, the Martini House has closed).
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Farmhouse Inn
7871 River Rd, Forestville, CA 95436
Range, Prospect, or elsewhere?
It is really tough to go wrong with Range, particularly if you like nice cocktails. Canteen near Union Square is also excellent.
Best place to eat in Hayes Valley, pre-symphony
I would stay away from Indigo; they have been on auto-pilot for about a decade now and the food is really tired (and the wait staff too, judging from the service I got last time I was there).
Paul K' s would be a good choice; they always have at least one veggie entree and the appetizer selection leans towards Mediterranean veggie options.
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Paul K Restaurant
199 Gough St., San Francisco, CA 94102
Corked bottles
There are some advantages to cork, mainly that they allow a small amount of air into the bottle to allow them to age. Winemakers I have talked with have indicated that they think that screwcaps don't allow enough much air in (except for whites where one isn't looking to age) and that the plastic corks get loose after awhile.
But this is a very controversial topic and there is more opinion than evidence out there.
Alcohol level
I doubt the wine was centrifuged to reach 16% -- I just don't see what would be gained by that type of manipulation.
I expect that the winery just waited until the grapes had a very high brix level before picking. That might have been intentional, sometimes winemakers like the intensity that comes from super ripe grapes or, in a warmer climate, sometimes the sugar levels get ahead of the flavor ripeness of the grape. And, sometimes, there is a heat wave just before harvest and the brix spikes before the grapes can be brought in.
It takes a hardy yeast to ferment wine to 16%, but certainly many zinfandel producers have found such yeasts.
I always find looking at alcohol levels interesting, but the levels don't tell you that much about what the wine will be like.
Can bottle shock cause effervescence?
Hmmm, interesting. I have had a couple of bottle of Pinot that were made at Crushpad. They were from different brands but both had a touch of fizziness and then some excessively strong mushroomy flavors (not the nice earthiness one would like in a Pinot). I had thought the culprit might be bret, but your explanation sounds more likely. I wonder if a bug got into the winery.
Where can I buy affordable fresh local fish?
I agree that if you are in the Mission, either Mission Market Fish or Sun Fat are the places to go. They both have good quality and reasonable prices, plus they do enough volume that the fish is nicely fresh. Sun Fat also has live crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters etc.
Rhea's Deli
I love Rhea's Deli -- both the Korean Steak sandwich and the katsu (chicken or pork) are excellent. I usually get the mild versions because I find the spicy versions too much (and I enjoy zesty food). I am surprised that you didn't find the hot version at least reasonably spicy -- either you have a very high heat tolerance or you got the mild version.
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Rhea's Deli
800 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Quince or Jardiniere?
I would definitely go with Quince; Jardiniere is quite good but Quince is more inventive and interesting -- also the pastas at Quince are just amazing.
Mission District Restaurants
I definitely vote for La Oaxaquena. Very good and interesting food.
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La Oaxaquena
2128 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
Food near BART
You are barely scratching the surface of good stuff near the 24th and Mission BART Station. I would add Foreign Cinema, Lolos, Boogalos, Zaytoon, Garcon, Big Mouth Burger, B3, Papalote, La Provence, Aslam's
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Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94110
La Provence
1001 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Zaytoon
1136 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Big Mouth Burgers
3392 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
small winery recs in healdsburg? alexander valley? been to dry creek
I generally like the Dry Creek wineries better than Alexander Valley one; For a really nice non-commercial winery, try Yoakim Bridge (great zins plus other reds). Stryker is fine but I wouldn't rush over there.
Mission Community Market
There is a new farmer's market in the Mission District that operates from 4 to 8 in the evening on Thursdays. It is on Bartlett between 21st and 22nd. Bartlett is between Mission and Valencia.
There are probably about a dozen fruit and vegetable stands there -- enough to provide a complete range of produce plus some interesting specialty items (like padrone peppers).
There are also a some prepared food stands, craft vendors, and street performers.
Also right there is the building that houses the Mission Market food emporium. The fish and poultry vendor in there is really quite good.
I am very much enjoying being able to pick up fresh fruit and vegetables mid-week as, let's face it, stuff picked up at Ferry Plaza on Saturday is often losing its appeal by Thursday.
Details here: http://www.missioncommunitymarket.org/
Love Mama's - Where Else for Great Breakfasts
2223 Market does an excellent brunch.
You could also try Boogaloos on Valencia St.; you will probably have to wait, but the food is good and inexpensive and, if you haven't hung out in the Mission a lot, the people watching is fun.
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Boogaloos
3296 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Best Authentic Mexican
If you like regional cuisine La Oaxaqueña Bakery and Restaurant at 2128 Mission is excellent; the moles are wonderful.
I also like the Velvet Cantina for more traditional mexican,
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Velvet Cantina
3349 23rd St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Report from Heirloom Cafe (Mission District, SF)
Heirloom Cafe is a great addition to the Mission and at times the food soars, but it can also be inconsistent.
We had an excellent burrata appetizer with melon, proscuitto and herbs. The cheese and meat were of top quality and the herbs and melon provided an intriguing compliment. The salmon and creamed corn was also tasty; the salmon was perfectly roasted and the sweetness of the corn worked very well with it. Gnocchi with Italian sausage featured wonderfully fluffy gnocchi and intensely spicy sausage. The downside with this dish is that these two wonderful ingredients seemed to compete with each other; the sweet corn and various seasonings helped bring the dish together but it still seemed a bit unbalanced.
Overall, The chef seems to really focus on providing interesting textures as well as flavors. While his ingredients and approach are squarely California cuisine, he clearly has his own perspective that is apparent in each dish.
The only clunker was the chocolate bread pudding dessert; it was tough and still cold in the center. While the chocolate was excellent there was not much else of interest. Our waitress said it was new to the menu. Hopefully it will either be revamped or disappear.
The wine list is interesting and I appreciate the decreased corkage charge for older vintages.
The service was charming and helpful, though there were some coordination issues with the kitchen.
Be advised the the restaurant is very loud -- even when not that crowded. I would not go there with a party larger than 4 people.
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Heirloom Cafe
2500 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Vegetarian, staying in the Mission
Dosa's has one of the best wine lists of any Indian restaurants I have ever been to; it is interesting and well selected. So, IMHO, wine is more than just "available" there.
Another good choice would be Beretta -- an modern Italian place with lots of vegetarian options. Excellent cocktails and a nice selection of Italian wines by the glass.
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Beretta
1199 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
