allsouls's Profile
Italian in San Francisco for 8 +1 toddler
I've seen groups this large and more than a few kids at La Ciccia. We were there just a few weeks ago with our 6 month old niece, and she was practially doted on. And the food is utterly authentic Sardinian, so I really think even your uncle will be pleased.
Best Romantic Italian Restaurant
Define "romantic". It's pretty darn hard to find places with, e.g., much in the way of privacy -- everything is too small. That being said, La Ciccia is where we go for just about all of our special occasion dinners (and rather frequently in between). The food is utterly authentic Sardinian, and you will not find a warmer hostess than Laurella. Ask for one of the tables in the windows in front -- those are about as secluded as you can get in most SF restaurants. And be sure to tell 'em it's your anniversary when making the reservation.
Must-eat SF restaurants around $25 per person?
Pagan is also better than Burma Superstar and isn't in the Tenderloin -- that would be my vote for Burmese.
Tartine Bakery Review - Impressed!
My wonderful bride got me the Tartine cookbook for Vday. The pudding was the first thing I made from it -- it is dead simple and wonderfully delicious. I used El Rey chocolate rather than Valrhona, because, well, I have to pay the rent too.
Funny thing -- neither of us have trouble finishing a portion. :)
Eating in Noe Valley & the Castro
No, no, a million times no to Tangerine. We went there once and it was beyond awful. That place must live on bar receipts -- that's the only possible way I can imagine it stays open.
We've never done brunch at Firefly, but dinner there was solid.
If you don't mind venturing to the other end of Noe, La Ciccia (Church and 30th) is fantastic -- well done and utterly authentic Sardinian (thus, a lot of seafood on the menu) food.
Relatively inexpensive, fun eats in the Mission - Lolo or Specchio?
We found Lolo to be pretty boring. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly good either. Seems to be the case a lot around these parts.
We've never been to Specchio.
Roasted decaf coffee by the pound in the East Bay?
If you're still willing to do mail order, my favorite is Counter Culture: http://www.counterculturecoffee.com/
Great folks, and damn good coffees. Boy do I wish I still lived 5 minutes away from them.
Shocked: bored of Mission favs; want change. esp. lunch
SWMBO and I went there for the first time a couple of months ago with an out of town guest, and we all found it thoroughly average. Nothing was bad, but the only thing that was solidly good was the cheesecake we had for dessert (and that I can do at home). My duck confit tacos were, well, boring (and scant -- I was still quite hungry after finishing them plus my appetizer). The flank steak looked solid (but again, I can do that at home), and the scallops were just OK. We don't plan on returning.
Best Cappucino in Bay Area
The standard recipe is equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foam. Given Americans' desire for volume, however, it's pretty rare to get one with the right ratios.
Flip answer to the OP: I do. ;) What makes them good is fresh beans from a great roaster (Counter Culture Coffee), a good machine, and the proper ratio of ingredients (as above).
On The Haunt for Great Italian Places in San Francisco and Beyond
I think it's bad because everything I and SWMBO had there was either just fine (salads), excessively bland (her fish, my pork shoulder) or actively bad (profiteroles, "panna" cotta). I realize I'm in the minority on this, but that was our experience.
OP was looking for authentic Italian, which Delfina themselves don't claim to be. It's very much Cal-influenced. Looking at your list above, e.g., under the pastas you have "mint tagliatelle" listed. If I interpret that as mint in the actual pasta dough (I could be wrong), then I would classify that as much more Cal than Italian -- I've never seen that in Italy. Similarly, I refer above to "panna" cotta. The "panna" is in quotes because, for some odd reason, they felt the need to use buttermilk in place of cream. I love buttermilk. But panna cotta without cream is, well, not panna cotta. Why mess with something that is classic for a reason?
Maybe I just hit Delfina on an off night or picked the wrong menu items to order. *shrug* The problem is that I don't tend to give places I disliked this much a second chance, especially when they're in this price range. And their menu has way too much tinkering and tweaks to, IMO, be called classic Italian (which, again, is what the OP was after). Why send someone in search of actual Italian to Delfina when literally just down the road is La Ciccia, which is as authentic as you get?
Now how I'm going to survive La Ciccia's 3 week vacation, I just don't know...
On The Haunt for Great Italian Places in San Francisco and Beyond
Delfina is emphatically not Italian. Beyond that, it's just plain bad.
Delfina or Bar Tartine
Delfina isn't Italian. It's Californian that once, maybe, read an article about Italy in some poorly written magazine. Personally, I found it bland (the entrees) to outright bad (dessert). Oh, and did I mention that it isn't Italian? I find its popularity inexplicable.
Unfortunately, I haven't been to Bar Tartine yet, so I can't compare. But I do rather enjoy a number of Tartine's baked goods (when they aren't trying too hard). I would have to imagine that Bar Tartine draws on those for dessert at least.
What to buy at Miette?
I've not tried any of their baked goods, but it is one of the very few places I've found that (on occasion) carries Caffarel 1865 giandujas at something resembling a decent price. Be sure to buy them in bulk -- the boxes are overpriced. They sometimes have some other interesting chocolates as well (including other wonderful Caffarel products).
Note that I've mainly been to the Hayes Valley location.
How did we like Delfina?
Delfina's panna cotta, a revelation? But, but, but... there's buttermilk in it! Panna=cream, not buttermilk. Personally, I found their panna cotta actively bad (rather than just inoffensive, like most of the rest of the meal we had there).
As suggested below, if you actually want Italian food (rather than what Delfina serves), I'd strongly recommend La Ciccia. They serve truly wonderful and *authentic* Sardinian food.
Breakfast places with real maple syrup
My favorites are at Elmo's Diner... in Durham, NC. Sorry. Like you, I just haven't found any good ones here.
Breakfast places with real maple syrup
Erm, I'd say you need to try more hash browns. ;) Maybe it's just me, but Toast's are way too greasy (and not in a good way). The nice thing is that you can sub a bowl of fruit for them (for a bit of an upcharge), and Toast consistently has excellent fruit salad. Overall, Toast is solid if not outstanding (then again, I haven't found any breakfast in this town that's outstanding).
Pesce or A16? Terzo or Delfina?
Personally, my one visit to Delfina (this was about a month or so ago) was extraordinarily underwhelming. In the first place, it is *far* more Californian than Italian. If you go in expecting Italian, you'll be disappointed. Secondly, I found the food bland and boring. SWMBO and I can cook far better at home (and for much less, obviously). The profiteroles (mentioned above) were terrible. *shrug* I don't get that place.
If you want actual Italian (Sardinian, actually), I strongly recommend La Ciccia at Church and 30th. We've been there often and have never been disappointed.
4 chicks staying in noe valley seek houndworthy recs.
To pick nits, La Ciccia is Sardinian, not Sicilian. And yes, it is brilliant. Consistently, wonderfully brilliant.
