the scribbler's Profile
Fine dining alone?
Fine dining means different things to different people, so you might get more precision if you clarify. Do you mean Daniel/Per Se level dining, or would you say more Gramercy Tavern level? The latter is much more plentiful in Philly. I'd put the following as good options in the less-fancy category: Matyson, Chloe, 10 Arts, or Meme (the first and third being somewhat "fancier," but all have good food). I don't think of them as "fine dining," but I might also look at Koo Zee Doo, the assorted non-Amada Garces places, Barbuzzo, etc. None of them are terribly quiet, but they're all quite good.
Returning to SF: New American Favorites?
I'm a former SF 'hound returning to the city next month for a wedding. While I love my new city (Philadelphia), I'm excited to be returning home. I have two free dinners while I'm in town. One of them is a lock for Delfina (it, more than any other place, made me fall in love with food), but the other one is open. I'm hoping for new American food (if that's not too vague). Reading reviews on the board, I've more-or-less narrowed the choices to:
Range
Spruce
Beretta
Luce
To give you a sense of my preferences, some of my favorites while I lived here were Delfina, A16, Quince, Oliveto, Chez Panisse, Zuni, etc. I've got Chinese and Mexican covered elsewhere on the trip, and I can do fancy dining in NYC, so I'm hoping for fresh American/SF food.
Conditional on those parameters, which of the above would you recommend? Feel free to suggest others as well.
Thanks in advance!
Good ethnic near Rittenhouse Square?
That's a function of Rittenhouse: its one of the most upscale parts of Center City; its not a great spot for cheap eats. For Thai, some like Erawan on 23rd St (at Sansom), which is close to Rittenhouse. Its not bad, but I wouldn't rave about it either. I've heard good things about Mango Moon in Manayunk, a short train ride away (its good good buzz for Thai food recently).
If I wanted cheaper eats, I'd try South Philly (on Washington, by the Italian Market) for Mexican (or the Don Memos truck on 38th St. in West Philly). Chinatown also has some great cheap eats. Dim Sum Garden (on 11th in the underpass across from the Hilton Garden Inn) has excellent soup dumplings, and decent noodles. Banana Leaf and Vietnam are also good (and cheap), and City Paper just reviewed a Bahn Mi shop (QT, I think) that good good reviews in Chinatown as well.
Center City--2 nights in April
Let me recommend another place with really great fish options: Kanella. I've been there twice (once with a seafood-eating veg), and everyone's left happy. Its a small BYOB in Wash West (around 10th/Spruce). Its Greek (Cypriot), and won't break the bank.
Also, for breakfast, you can go to RTM for the Dutch Eating Place. Its am Amish breakfast/lunch place. Not fancy, but quite good and cheap.
Deciding between 4 Phila Restaurants-help!
In part it depends on what you want. I can only comment on Pumpkin and Twenty Manning. The former is a quiet, more subdued neighborhood place. Twenty Manning has a hipper vibe, nicer decor, good drinks, and edgier food (both have good food, they're just different. Pumpkin is homier). I Pumpkin is a BYOB, btw, if that influences the decision.
Help me understand New Haven Pizza!!
"apizza" (a-BEETS) is the term immigrants in New Haven chose for that style of pizza (a corruption of some word in the dialect of Naples, I guess). "Mutz" is the corruption of the word for mozz., but I forget what it is. From what I can tell, the words are pretty much only used right around New Haven.
New Haven, CT Top 5 Favorites
Don't come to New Haven expecting a world-class dining scene: it simply isn't New York, Chicago or SF. I've lived in two of the three and trust me, it simply isn't even close, even when you adjust for size, regardless of what people here say. That said, there are a few places worth trying.
Bespoke isn't bad, but its over-done. There's too much on every plate: restraint is a virtue. But there are still exciting dishes (like a cauliflower puree accented with sultanas, a nice touch). Roomba is okay as well, although I've never seen much reason to fuss.
Pacifico is good.
Union League isn't bad, although a bit over-salted.
Thali for Indian food, see also Bentara (Malaysian), and Miso (Japanese). They're all within about 2 blocks. And Skapo (Italian small plates) isn't bad either. There's also a great ethnic market (J-Mart, Asian products) next door to Miso.
Zinc is ok. I sometimes see flashes of inspiration (the use of tea leaves to add a hint of smokiness to chocolates), but other times they stumble of seemingly basic items (rapini so bitter as to be almost inedible). That said, it seems to have a cult following.
And if Baja is the same one I'm thinking of, it's a chain. And not a good one. I'd try to avoid Mexican here, I've not had good luck. Stick to CA (or Mexico). Southwestern food is quite different (although tasty).
Breakfast in/near Mountain View
Joanie's in Palo Alto is nice, and if you go at a reasonable time (say before 8:30) the wait isn't bad. Brioche is fine as well, although I personally prefer Joanie's for breakfast (although brioche otherwise).
The Los Altos coffee shop (in downtown Los Altos) is a retro choice for breakfast, with an old diner feel. Nothing fancy, but good nonetheless.
And Country Gourmet (MV) is also worth a try.
SD Hounding Looking For "Best" of SF
I haven't been to Foreign Cinema in some time, so perhaps it has gone downhill since the last time I was there (last May). But I always like it for brunch. The last time I was there I had a wonderful fromage blanc with berries and almonds, drizzled with honey. Simple, yet wonderful (they're not as good as CP, but I think its the same general idea: simple is best). On a nice day, it is quite enjoyable to sit outside on the patio with a cup of coffee.
Oh, and maybe A16 as well? I haven't been since the new chef came in, but its worth a thought.
HELP! Looking for restaurants in the Palo Alto area
A few more thoughts:
+ Get some pastries at the Prolific Oven (I'm partial to the carrot cake there, its one of the things I miss most about Palo Alto, other than the weather).
+ Go to Redwood City (El Camino Real/Middlefield, near downtown) for great Mexican. My favorites are La Casita Chillanga (great tortas, and also amazing barbacoa on the weekends) or La Pachanga (on Middefield) for a more sit-down meal. Neither one is fancy, but both are cheap and filling.
+ There's also good Turkish food in the area. There's New Kapodokia in RWC, and two newer places: one in Menlo Park (right on ECR) and one in Mountain View on Castro. The one in Mountain View (I'm blanking on the name) is quite good.
Palo Alto Recommendations Please
Rangoon is good and cheap, which isn't common in Palo Alto. Pasta is an ok cheap carb-heavy option, La Strada is a better (but pricier) one.
There's a good Thai place (Krung Thai) next to the Trader Joe's in the San Antonio Shopping Center, plus in Mountain View there's good Indian food (Saravana Bhavan, Amber India, Amber Cafe, Passage to India (not as good as the others)), and good Chinese (Hunan Home's, Queen House, and others). Plus good Mexican in RWC (La Casita Chilanga, La Pachanga, etc.). Back a Yard (Jamacian) in Menlo Park is praised on the board, and at one time, Uncle Frank's BBQ in Mountain View was highly regarded (I don't know if it still is).
For breakfast, try Joanie's or Cafe Nora (both on CA Ave. in Palo Alto), or go to Hobee's or Stacks (both are chains but are ok).
On the farm (aka Stanford) itself, the options are somewhat more limited (and frankly, expensive for what you get). The Alumni Cafe is ok, so is the Sports Cafe. Anyone on campus should be able to direct you to those locations.
Duck fat fries? Does anyone make them here in SF or the Bay Area?
Unless this has changed in the past year or so, Bistro Elan in Palo Alto used duck fat for their fries.
Redwood City Monday lunch?
A few other good places in RWC:
New Kapadokia (Turkish)
La Casita Chilanga (Mexican, particular emphasis on Mexico City-style street food)
There are also a whole bunch of really good Mexican places on Middlefield (like La Pachanga).
