DavidB's Profile
momofuku fried chicken - wow! incredible!
Is it Possible to make a reservation for 3? I mean, I'm not sure we can finish it, but are their any rules against that?
What to Order at Dovetail?
When I was there about a month ago, everything with seafood was excellent (lobster and crab dishes). They were very open to our request of dishes on the tasting menu being served a la carte. The Lamb's tongue was quite good.
the only entree we had was the duck, which was executed well but didn't stand out. I'd say stick to the specials and seafood. The appetizers appealed to me much more which is why we ordered 4 apps and 1 entree. I hope this helps.
Oliveto's Truffle Dinners
I too Attended Last night (Thursday). I thought everything ranged from very good to excellent and though this was my first Truffle dinner at Oliveto, I thought the TRuffles were very fragrant and very flavorful, though, admittedly, we had much shavings than we had anticipated, but at $7/gram, its seems like a steal for a once a year special kind of meal.
My table shared the plates below:
1) The Crostini with the snails - Excellent, a must order and definitely add some white truffle shavings to it (and be generous)
2) Sweetbreads on a bed of artichokes and cauliflower in a black truffle sauce - excellent and a must order
3) Crespelle of Dungeness crab and porcini mushrooms - I'm not a huge crepe fan but this was really good.
4) Papardelle with leeks and celery root - this was an absolute simple but excellent dish, the celery root provided a great flavor, plus the addition of the white truffles was great.
5) Wild Nettle Risotto - This was a really good dish but not so much a creamy risotto as more of a flavored rice. The nettles with the white truffles were really a good balance
6) Lobster Ravioli with roe sauce - An Excellent dish, a must order. It tastes of pure lobster goodness. Be generous with a good and sizeable addiiton of white truffles. They go great together.
Sunday Lunch on my way to LAX
I will be leaving town on Sunday Afternoon. I'm staying in Cerritos and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a delicious, cool, light lunch on the way to LAX, given the warm weather that I will be encountering this weekend ( I live in SF, so for me, it will be pretty warm). Somewhere in Torrance or Gardena would be great. Thanks in advance for your input.
My Eating Itinerary for weekend LA trip
I'm heading down to LA from SF in two weeks for the weekend and have a general eating itinerary while I'm there. I would like any advice on the places I'm heading to.
Friday night, around 10pm : Musha Torrance....Should I call and make reservations if its for 4 people? Will it be very crowded? What to Order
Saturday Lunch: LAnger's for PAstrami
Saturday Dinner: I have reservations at AOC. What to order?
Sunday lunch/brunch: Gardena Ramen or Shinsengumi Yakitori?
Thanks in advance.
Happy hour friday in downtown SF
Some fellow coworkers were considering going to happy hour somewhere after our team building day in downtown SF/SOMA this Friday.
Any suggestions for good happy hour places? Thanks in advance.
Comme Ca or Osteria Mozza
I tried calling the osteria mozza lines right at 10 but no one was picking up and I had to head into 1 hour meeting. I called after my meeting but the times available 1 month in advance just wouldn't work (5:30 or 9:30).
I also thought about what you all had said about comme ca and it made me miss Bistro Jeanty (yountville/napa) which I had about 3-4 months. I don't think it will measure up food wise, though. So I went with AOC. I recently heard good reports here on CH. So I feel positive about it. Its kinda compromise between osteria and comme ca in my mind.
Comme Ca or Osteria Mozza
I will be heading down to LA from SF over the weekend in late April and am deciding between the Comme Ca and Osteria Mozza.
We will be a party of 4, all in our mid-20s. I understand the basic differences: French Brasserie vs. Italian Rustic.
So Which shoud I choose?
This past Winter I was in NYC but tried a month in advance to get into Babbo but those phone lines were ridiculous and I was on hold for over 30 minutes (I started calling 5 minutes before opening). So Osteria Sounds good, for the Pasta and the Rustic food, similar somewhat to Babbo. I have been to Pizzeria Mozza and thought it was good, not great, but good.
As for Comme Ca, I haven't had French Brasserie food in awhile and I heard its a very loud and festive atmosphere with Good Food and drinks.
I seems like both a are in a similar price range.
My main priorities are good food and enjoyable surroundings to spend time with friends I don't see often. Thanks in Advance for your suggestions.
Favorite menu item at Zuni Cafe?
Roast chicken w. bread salad, raw oysters, the burger and the caesar. Often times the simplest things are the hardest to do right but Zuni does get it right, at least everytime I've been there (about 8 times in the last 2 years).
First Time NYC Visitor From SF
I currently reside in SF and go to Manahattan every so often. I would definitely recommend Degustation. It is spanish influenced, not traditional. It kind of depends on what you want. When I went, it was some of the best food I've easily ever had. We ordered about 66% of the dishes on the menu between 2 people. Every dish was excellent. The service was also excellent. The atmosphere is great.
I've also been to WD-50. If you call and make a reservation citing that you are going to be there for dessert, they might be able to work something out for you. I liked the desserts at WD-50, but I thought the appetizers and main courses were very tasty and interesting.
A Voce First Timer - Recs?
I was there about 2 weeks. They did not have the duck meatballs when I was around, so hopefully they will be there when you have dinner.
I thought the tripe dish with a poached egg and the duckling stood out.
Degustation
I too am going to Degustation for the 1st time this weekend. I will be in town for Christmas, I'm from the SF Bay Area. Would people recommend the tasting menu or just getting plates to share? Thanks for the help in advance.
Boccalone salumi tasting (what'd you think?)
I thought it was great. I really enjoyed the blood sausage on the fried quail egg with the thin crouton. The pate with mustard and the coppa di testa were my favorites. After then plentiful salumi tasting I could not resist joining.
Casual dining options in Westwood or Santa Monica?
I'll be heading down to LA next weekend and was meeting up a friend after work in West LA. What are some good, yet casual dining options (no business casual attire required) in Westwood or Santa Monica that won't be completely packed on a friday night? Entrees around the $10-15, drinks should be available as we should also be able to maybe go to a bar or two around there after dinner. Thanks in advance for any input or sugestions you may have.
LAwry's?
I Live in the SF Bay area and will be heading down to LA next weekend. I love the House of Prime Rib in SF, but some of my friends from LA say the quality of LAwry's in LA on La Cienage is better? Any Thoughts?
Also, Do they offer free slices of seconds for the prime rib (they do at house of prime rib, though the slices are thin)? Do they offer free seconds of the sides?
I'm planning on making reservations based upon your responses. Any input would be helpful. Thanks in Advance.
Seating at Pizzeria Mozza on a Sunday?
I will be visiting LA two weekends from now for a friend's Wedding. I was planning on going to Pizzeria Mozza for lunch on Sunday. Will it be difficult to grab 2 seats at the bar around noon or is it a mut for me to make reservations? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.
First Time at Cyrus, Recommendations?
I will be having dinner at Cyrus This Thursday and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on tackling the menu. It is a celebratory dinner. Is the tasting menu (7 courses) the best way to go? If not, is there anything particularly exceptional (ex:foie gras, seafood, lamb, steak...etc). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
My Trip to NYC from SF-Bay area
I was in Manhattan this past weekend, visiting my sister and spedning time with friends. I was able to make a couple of memborable stops at the following:
1) Sushi Yasuda
2) Momofuku
3) WD-50
4)Shake Shack
5)CAfecito
So here's a brief breakdown:
SUSHI YASUDA - Made an 8:00 pm reservation 1 month ago. My friends show up slightly late (10 mins) but everything was fine. We were seated in front of Yasuda, as I had requested. He was extremely friendly, despite what other posts have said. WE orderd a ton of food, all of which was excellent. I requested the Omakase for our group and these were the standouts:
-5 different types of toro
-3 different types of eel (He had actually fresh unagi and anago and
another type which I don't recall)
- 4 different parts of yellowtail
- Santa Barbara Uni
- handpicked fresh crab
- Tiny, adult Squid (in full form)
Service was excellent and Yasuda was very friendly and informative about everything he served. He even joked around with us. I will definitely come back. We probably had around 30 pieces of sushi per person, plus 3 different small orders of sake. Total per person without tip was around $170.
MOMOFUKU - I stopped and put in my name for a large group 1 hour ahead of time to put my name down. The Seat arrangements made it difficult for us to have six in our part, so we ended cutting our group size to 5. The food was very interesting and the flavor combinations were very good. WE had:
-The Steamed Pork Buns (Very Good)
- Snail and seawood Chawan Mushi (Excellent)
- Veal head terrine (Excellent, had a little kick to it)
- Milk Fed Chicken (I never order chicken but i was willing to give it and
it definitely paid off, it was some of the best tasting chicken I've had)
-Banh Mi (I was skeptical about it, being vietnamese and all, but it
was very good)
- Short Ribvs (WEll cooked, sauce was not too sweet)
Th service was pretty good. I was very impressed with the food, inexpensive, delicious and unique. I would definetly return.
WD-50 -- We ordered a lot of food. Apparently every party before was late, including us, so we were not seated till about 30 minutes after our reservation. But Service as very good, our waiter was very helpful. WE also ordered a lot of food. Some of the group wanted the tasting menu and others didn't so we didn't do it because restaurant policy requires that the entire table does, BUT they did allow us to order several dishes off it.
Here's what we got:
- Foie gras in the rounds with chocolate pebbles and balsamic vinegar
(This dish was excellent, I'm not a huge foie gras person, but the foie
came in rice sized pieces, and the chocolate and balsmaic vinegar
totally balanced out the food)
- Cow Tongue (tender and delicious)
-Langoustine with hisbiscus chips and popcorn (Very good, but unlike
the elements were better seperate than as a whole)
- Hangar tartare (some of the best beef tartare I've ever had)
-Foie gras with lentils( Very good and again, I'm not a huge foie gras
fan)
-Duck on crackers (tender duck and little chips)
- Lamb loin with potato noodles and pretzel consomme
(RAre cooked lamb, which was tender and moist, the potato
noodles, reminded me of jicama, and pretzel consomme really
tasted like pretzels)
-desconstructed short ribs with Cheddar cheese (The short ribs were
removed from the bone and reformed into whole, large pieces of
meat, which had just the right amount of fat to keep it tender and
juicy)
Dessert: Apricot Tart with apricot gellee (The best tart I've ever had)
The meal and service were excellent. The flavor combinations were good and Iwas really happy with some of the more unique dishes, especially the foie gras in the rounds. It is a must have.
SHAKE SHACK: waited in line for about 30 minutes (I got there at 11:45AM), got the double shackburger, fries and a lemonade. The meat is grounded just right and cooked just right. No wonder the lines are always long.
CAfeCito: Got the cubano, sweet fried plantains and ham croquettes. All excellent.
All in all, an excellent trip. I must reutrn soon.
Help! Another Berkeley/Oakland Graduation Dinner Query
Congrats. My friend is graduating and I suggested Zuni Cafe (on market) and LuLu (on Folsom, by 4th) to her. Both of them have valet parking. Both are nice and can accomodate a large party like yours but both are in the city.
LuLu has a room full of large tables and there menu is huge (lots of variety). I would definitely say try the daily specials, fritto misto of artichokes, mussels, pizzas, grilled meats...etc. Zuni is great too and you should be able to find decent street parking (free at meters after 6pm) but again, there is valet. I would suggest the Caesar salad, burger, fries, roasted chicken and oysters.
If you really don't want to venture into the city and would rather stay in east bay, two locations that do very good food, are fun and take reservations only for large groups are Sea Salt (san pablo, near dwight) and Fonda (solano Ave). Sea Salt is great except that it offers only seafood (everything I've had has been good, ex: clam chowder, BLT, fish n chips, lobster roll, any grilled fish) and Fonda
has excellent modern central american small plates (duck tacos, carnitas, steak, lamb, scallops were all good).
Hope this helps.
San Tung substitute?
Would anyone happen to have the address of Shanghai House? I tried searching for it on citysearch but nothing came up.
Going to Yummy Yummy (SF) Tonight
I'm going to grab dinner at yummy yummy tonight on Irving and 11th. I was wondering what are some of the must order items. I did a survey of recent posts regarding the restaurant and the Banh Khot and raw beef salad sound great, but what else would you suggest. By the way, I'm heading there with a group of about 6, so dishes that can be shared would be a plus. Thanks in advance.
Andrew Zimmern: chow-impostor?
I watched an episode and it was alright. He seemed very picky and choosy. I mean, he went to a lot of open markets with a lot of so-called bizarre foods (i.e lots of insects) but he really didn't try them. He ate bat and some different types of animal testicles (which I give him credit for) but not everything he pointed out was peculiar to the US. He gagged on Durian which is hardly a difficult thing to eat, although the smell can sometimes be off-putting. He also went to a sushi boat restaurant in tokyo and had some octopus (which is pretty prevalent here in the states). Don't get me wrong, it was just one episode and I'm curious enough to watch some others, but he just doesn't seem like the right host for this type of show.
Good Casual Dinner near the Punchline in FiDi
For some reason the recent posts concerning Bocadillos have not been positive (at least that's what I saw in the recent reviews when I searched the system).
I did end up at Bocadillos and thought the food and service were good.
The Tai Snapper Ceviche, Bavette Steak and Tripe were very good.
The ribs, though cooked well, were a little too sweet for me.
The slices of lomo and chorizo, pig trotter and the Patatas Bravas were pretty good.
All in all a good evening. The meal was paced well, which is often an issue at small plates restaurant and we got out with plenty of time to walk over to the Punchline and see a great show by Dave Chappelle.
Good Casual Dinner near the Punchline in FiDi
I was lucky enough to get tickets to see Dave Chappelle at the Punchline tonight at 10pm. Is there anywhere I can grab a casual dinner (preferable if no reservations are required) around 8pm in walkable distance to the Punchline. I looked into reports of Bocadillos, but chowhounders have not been fond of it and otherwise there's Tadich's as far as I know, but i'm not sure how long the wait would be for 2 people (again no reservations accepted). Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.
Public Restaurant
I went several months ago. I felt the food was mediocre. The lounge/bar area on the first floor is nice for grabbing some drinks and hanging out with friends though.
Must-order Dishes at Great Eastern in Chinatown?
My friends and I will be heading to Great Eastern Next week for a Friend's birthday. Are there any dishes that anyone could recommend, seafood and non-seafood please (there are some non-seafood eaters in the group)? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Must-Have Dishes at R & G Lounge?
I will be heading to dinner to R & G Lounge next week. Are there any must-have dishes besides the salt & pepper crab? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Anyone been to LALIME'S lately?
I was considering making reservations to Lalime's in Berkeley. No has has posted anything on the restaurant since 2005. Anyone been there recently (in the past year)? What is the quality of food, ambiance and is it a "business casual" kind of restaurant? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
an affordable, and trendy if possible, place for a birthday?
Happy 21st,
Here's a list of what I could think of off the top of my head:
1)Restaurant LuLu (california cusisine)on Folsom in SF, comes out to about $30 or so for food (it's always good), nice large space, somewhat casual but there are plenty of trendy people there as well, and also close to a bunch of clubs and bars in the SOMA. Everything I've had there has been good (quail, suckling pig, pizza, apps...etc). Go to XYZ bar at the W hotel (trendy Bar), Le Bar Rouge inside Supperclub (trendy Bar/club)
Mr Smiths on 7th.
2)Andalu (fusion small plates)on 16th in the Mission District in SF, comes to around $30 too. Lots of food choices, trendy, valet parking and close to a bunch on bars and such in the mission around 16th. Try the coca-cola spareribs and the ahi tartare tacos.
3)Betelnut (asian small plates)on Union St. in the MArina in SF, definitely under $30 for food, nice space, though I'm not sure if they can accomodate 12 people. Drinks are good. It is super trendy (it is union street after all), call way ahead of time b/c they'll probably be booked. Get the ribs and the green beans. Go to the Bluelight (casual), Matrix lounge (uber-trendy) or Bar None (college type Bar) after.
4)A16 on Chestnut (Italian), in the marina in SF. Good food, should cost no more than $30.00 for food alone. Nice restaurant, pretty trendy. The pizzas were excellent. See above for MArina Bar suggestions.
I have not been to Farmer Brown or Poleng lounge, but they both could fit your criteria especially since farmer brown has a DJ and Poleng Lounge turns into a club at like 10/10:30. Plus they are affordable and trendy.
If you go to Berkeley, there are a couple of places that actually are fairly close by as well. Caesar on Shattuck, Fonda on Solano. Both meet your criteria, except that there's no music and there not as trendy as those places in the city (especially those in the Marina).
Good Luck. Hope this helps.
