lovebitessf's Profile
Life & Limb Beer in SF
Has anyone tried the new collaboration beer between Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada, Life & Limb? How is it? Who sells it? No, haven't started calling around to find it yet. Taking the shortcut of asking.
Ironside
Ironside is a welcome addition to SOMA (2nd near Brannan) from the District folks. In its fourth week. Great space, good prices.
Have enjoyed the following so far...
Breakfast - featuring Four Barrel coffee, breakfast bun (bite size) and breakfast empanada. Unfortunately they don't open until 8 AM.
Lunch sandwiches - fantastic pressed Cubano (veggie version available), cheese steak, cold pulled chicken (delicious). Looking forward to trying the grilled snapper sandwich.
Pizza - The Ironside (arugula, olives, white anchovy, sausage, pepperoni and fresh mozzarella). Unique and very tasty. Other interesting choices include ratatouille and wild boar sausage (2 separate pies) Anyone tried them yet?
Soup - Butternut squash with cauliflower, honey crème fraîche & toasted hazelnut. Very nice.
If you work in the area, you can order online and pick up at an assigned time. Also weekday happy hour from 3 to 6PM. Pizza and pitchers.
Has anyone been for dinner?
http://ironsidesf.com/
Where to buy salt cod in SF?
Bacaloa - 22nd & Irving. Usually $8.99 lb.
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22nd & Irving Produce
2101 Irving St, San Francisco, CA
Ommegang at Costco (SF) $15.99 three pack
It was still available as of yesterday. Nicely packaged too. Good host gift for beer lovers.
Business cocktail party for 40-50
Perbacco on California. The Barbaresco Room, semi-private on the mezzanine level, up to 65 for standing reception. Great service, fantastic food, great Italian wines and a helpful sommelier.
I also book their Barolo room (also on the mezzanine level) for seated corporate dinners - between 12 and 18 people. One long table, overlooks their open kitchen (enclosed by glass so not noisy).
Two on Hawthorne Lane has private options. Have hosted and attended events there and they do a nice job. I prefer Perbacco, though.
One I haven't tried yet, but will when the right event comes up: Tony's Pizza in North Beach at Washington Park corner. They are closed Monday and Tuesday nights and make the place available for private functions up to about 60 people. They will even split the group in two and conduct Pizza School in the room with the oven and Bar School in the room with the long bar. The Bar Manager knows his stuff and has done themed events, like "Cocktails enjoyed by Hemingway". Not sure about pricing, though.
Good luck.
Sunday Brunch in the City
Brenda's French Soul Food on Polk at Eddy. 8 AM to 3 PM on weekends.
http://www.frenchsoulfood.com/brunch.htm
Not a high end location like the Ritz or Mark. Also no view like the Cliff House. But different and delicious. New Orleans French/Creole. Great beignets, nice egg plates.
It's a small place and the wait can be long, but it's worth a visit.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana in North Beach is great
So true. And let me underscore that point even more...
There are no less than 7 varied and interesting salads which can be enjoyed family style or as an entree (add chicken to any for $5). The Classic Caesar is very good. I like mine with more pronounced anchovy-ness, but I have no doubt I could ask for that next time.
And if pasta is your wish, they have good variety including Angel Hair Pomodoro, Rigatoni Bolonese or Pesto, Lasagne, Ravioli. My daughter had the Rotelli w/ pesto, sundried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, mozzarella and parmigiano. (we all tried it. Yummy.) Want chicken with your pasta? No problem. Prefer whole wheat pasta? They have that, too.
And they have a kids menu making it very family friendly.
My only complaint? Pepsi, no Coke. Bummer. But my Maker's Manhattan (up) was perfect....and they have Chimay Red.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana in North Beach is great
After two dinners at Tony's in the last two weeks (3 for my husband who took visitors from India) with daughter, husband and in-laws, I enthusiastically second the sentiments of the OP. Tony's is great.
For reference: we enjoy Delfina's, Tommaso's, Gialina, Flour + Water, and A16. As transplanted New Yorkers and tough pizza customers, the hubby and in-laws avoid most east coast style pizza in the Bay Area. Speederia in San Carlos is one exception.
Will try and avoid redundancy, but yes, the Margherita and Cal Italia are both fantastic. And yes, it's endlessly fascinating watching Tony and team work their magic in the beautiful 900 wood fire oven.
Other highlights
Starters: Deep Fried Green Beans - delicious and not as heavy as they sound. Nice Bruchetta. Lardo (my fav) with crostini, honey and walnuts. No, not the Boccalone...Tony said he gets it from Utah. The Meatballs are outstanding and a great value at $5 for 6 meatballs.
Pizzas: We had pies from 3 out of the 4 ovens. My New Yorkers were in heaven! In addition to the Margharita and Cal Italia, we had...
The Bronx (my fav, if I have to pick one) - thin crust topped with large paper-thin slices of Columbus Toscano Salami.
The Original Tomato Pie - New Jersey De Lorenzo style with sausage. The collective group favorite.
Classic Cheese - nuf said!
And after 18 years in SF my husband finally found a calzone that he loves - the Manhattan with mozzarella, garlic, meatball, and ricotta...marinara on the side, of course!
Next time, Sicilian style.
Pizza, not the precious Californian kind
I wouldn't write off Tomasso's. If you're winding down the day in North Beach you could show up right when they open at 5PM (4 on Sundays, closed Mondays) or soon thereafter. No wait, and they have a long table that runs down the middle of the room that's great for a large group. Fun place to end of a day in NB.
But I have not tried Tony's Pizza yet...looking forward to it.
Been to Tommaso's lately?
We did go Friday night, and won't wait another 3 years to go back. It was as good as ever. Very good food and friendly efficient service from all the familiar faces.
About when to go, early is key. This has always been the case. Got there at 6 and had a 20 minute wait for a table for 4. It was clearly over an hour wait by the time we left at 7:30.
Tommaso's pizza is still my favorite of all the Italian style options around. And I would say the other dishes we had are (still) better than adequate. Baked Fresh Coo-Coo Clams dish remains bread-dunking heaven. Makes a great starter along with the chilled string beans in olive oil/lemon. We enjoyed the pizza, and the in-laws had perfectly al dente spaghetti in marinara and a very tasty baked eggplant parm dish.
We were in the mood for beer, but the wine list is much better than average...small, but a great range of options. Has anyone tried the family label wines - VinNostro Cellars?
Depending on your vino choice, Tommaso's remains an excellent value.
Been to Tommaso's lately?
The hubby and I realized it's been at least 3 years since we've been to our old favorite spot, focusing instead on Delfina's and Gialina's when in the mood for Italian style pizza. Thinking of heading down to North Beach tonight. Anyone been to Tommaso's lately? Same old warm, yummy experience?
Ben and Nick's or Luka's Taproom
We will be back in this neighborhood on Monday 4/13 for a concert at the Paramount. Was planning to go back to Luka's before the show. Are any of these other places worth checking out? Are any closed on Mondays?
Ben and Nick's or Luka's Taproom
We had a great time at Luka's Taproom. They still have the Dogfish Head 90 min IPA, which I enjoyed immensely.
Called at 4:30 and got a 6:30 reservation. They recommend reservations, especially when there is a show at the Paramount (one block away). But it never did get what I would call crowded. While the dining room remained full throughout the evening, a wait for a table never developed. Maybe it's a sign of the times, or maybe it's because we were there on the early side - 6:30 to 9:30. We had the pool table and jukebox to ourselves.
The food was very good - delicious asparagus soup with preserved lemon oil, the pork loin was perfectly medium (as requested) and served atop nice artichoke mashed potatoes, mac & cheese was yummy.
Will go back...
Ben and Nick's or Luka's Taproom
Going out in the East Bay with another couple tonight. I want to try one of these places because both feature Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA on tap. (Thanks to Chowhounds for letting me know in another post.)
Yes, food quality matters, but it's not the ultimate criteria for tonight. Luka's menu looks good, but we'd also be happy with more standard pub fare (featured at Ben and Nick's) as long as the quality is above average.
None of us have been to either of these places. Which one should we choose and why?
Four barrel in the outer mission
From what I understand, Four Four Barrel coffee is actually Stumptown beans from Portland. Or are they roasting their own now? In any case, the Stumptown beans are very good.
Looking forward to trying the new coffee place.
Dogfish Head on Draft plus food
Yes, this is a very tall order, I know. Just enjoyed it on draft at some very nice eateries in DC this past week...and since Toronado has it...well, wishful thinking I suppose.
I've been seeing bottles around a bit more at places like Anchor & Hope and Alembic, and recently bought a 4-pack at Andronico's.
Ah yes! We often bring the Rosamunde sausages into Toronado. Always a great plan....
Looking for a wine store with good selection of ports
Wine Impression in Laurel Village on California.
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Wine Impression
3461 California St, San Francisco, CA
Dogfish Head on Draft plus food
Has anyone had Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA on draft lately at a place that also has decent food? I can get it bottled at Alembic...and on draft at Toronado, but no food there.
SF source for Buddha's hand
Anyone seen any Buddha's hand in SF stores right now? Do I need to head to Berkeley Bowl, perhaps?
Where do I get really good feta in SF?
Greek Imports at Top of the Hill Daly City (mentioned by walker) is a great store. They are celebrating 100 years in business. Worth the trip just for the cheese, but they have so much more. When I'm short on time I rely on them for excellent spanakopita and baklava for holiday meals.
http://www.greekimportsinc.com/
Where do I get really good feta in SF?
There is always feta in my house. Parkside Market is a good source. 22nd and Irving Market also has an extensive selection of feta - Greek, Bulgarian, French and Domestic. The Bulgarian in very good, definitely the saltiest of the bunch. I like to cook with for that very reason - use it for dips, bake it in phyllo, crumble on salads. For the table alongside some olives, French Valbreso brand is my favorite - great flavor, creamy, but doesn't fall apart. It's available at the stores mentioned as well as Costco.
I've never tried a domestic feta that I like, but open to suggetions.
San Francisco source for duck fat
Bryan's at Laurel Village always carries duck fat - around $8 lb., 16oz containers - at the grocery store, not the butcher. They used to carry chicken schmaltz, but no longer, as far as I know.
I picked up some chicken schmaltz from Andronico's on Irving last week for my mother in law. I've also special ordered it from Guerra's on Taraval in the past. They usually have enough raw chicken fat on hand and can prep it for you if you give them a few days. Not sure how busy they are this week, though.
Restaurants Open on New Years Day??
oops!! would help if I could read. Sorry for spam, all!
Restaurants Open on New Years Day??
I am surprised that Zuni is closed. Had some wonderful New Year's Eve meals there back in the day.
May I suggest Incanto in Noe Valley. Always wonderful. Four course meal, $95 per person fixed, excluding drinks. http://www.incanto.biz/nye.html
With a young kid, now we stay home with another family with young kids and munch on crab all night long, but Incanto is where we'd go if we could. Will be going on Christmas Eve for the Feast of Seven Fishes instead.
Foodie host gifts
Very timely topic. Was just discussing this with friends last night.
All lovely ideas from cmvan. A trip to the Ferry Building on a Saturday or Tuesday will provide you with many wonderful local choices, to be sure. Picked up some great local artisan chocolates at a stand there for a host gift last week. NeoCocoa. www.neococoa.com
But let me say that there is absolutely no shame in gifting a box of See's Candy, imho. Obviously I can't speak for all locals, but this native is always thrilled to accept a box of See's.
Some thoughts on beverages:
For the coffee lover: Blue Bottle white ceramic dripper adorned with the blue bottle image - available at the cafe on Mint. (I want one!) Throw in a bag of beans. They have Jamaican Blue Mountain at the moment.
For the beer lover, head to City Beer. Tons to choose from and knowledgeable staff. Bound to find some not-so-common beers for your hosts. http://www.citybeerstore.com/
How about sake instead of wine? This is a nice change for some of us. There's a great store on Hayes in SF. True Sake. http://www.truesake.com/
Best in San Diego Old Town?
Someone here mentioned Cafe Pacifica for a team dinner tomorrow night. Feedback?
Best in San Diego Old Town?
Here is SD for a couple of days on business. Not much time to enjoy the sites, but would like to make it to Old Town tonight for a stroll and a meal. Love all types of food. What is the overall "best" in Old Town in terms of quality of ingredients, preparation, service? Again, no cuisine is off limits. Casual or upscale...doesn't matter.
Thanks!
Cowgirl's SF Drake washed-rind cheese
Seems a healthy supply of SF Drake has recently hit SF. Found it at Whole Foods on California yesterday, and today at Cowgirl in the Ferry Building as well as Andronico's in the Inner Sunset. Andronico's has quite a bit at the moment. It disappears quickly, so I bought enough to get me through some upcoming holiday entertaining. Now if I can just resist eating it all...
Also found some Cowgirl Pierce Pt. at Andronico's, available only this time of year.
Ebisu closed for renovation
This Inner Sunset neighborhood institution will be closed for major renovations (about time!) starting on 11/2. We were told it will take about 6 weeks, maybe 2 months.
Gialina: Loved It.
Love this place, too.
We get take out from here often. Not on the printed menu, but worth mentioning - they will do custom kids pizzas, smaller and less expensive the the main pies.
And leave some room for dessert! I think the dessert selections are excellent. If you didn't get your fill of the crust, try the chocolate hazelnut dessert pizza. For all I know, it's Nutella from a jar, but whatever it is, it tastes great on that crust along with a cup of espresso. They serve Bi-Rite ice cream, and if you like your ice cream and espresso together - Affogato! But my favorite is the housemade Italian ice. The flavors vary. Recently had a delicious Ruby Grapefruit Italian ice with Campari
