I understand that the next SF market will be Saturday, December 18th.

My mom did this for us as we were growing up. My sister and I spent the night at a friends house and come breakfast time, my mom received a frantic call. What did she do to make the oatmeal yellow? We wouldn't eat our breakfast because it looked wrong.

Has anyone had problems with 100% grass fed and finished tasting "fishy"? I've found that I am very sensitive to Omega-3 and find high levels to taste unpleasant. For me, grass fed but grain finished drops the O-3 levels enough to be tasty without the fishy flavor.

I agree with C_Oliver. The oval will fit more shapes of meat items than the round.

Claudette, I am with you. the carnitas and lengua are downright delicious.

I found them last week at the Russian grocery stores along Geary last week. They were not organic but they were very fresh. I also got a bunch of gooseberries and currants.

I managed to get some at my neighborhood grocery store "Haight Ashbury Market". They are packaged through Spicely - those little green cardboard boxes. I've also picked up Long Peppers from them.

Good Luck!

My Husband went to Alfred's Steak House for steak and cocktails for his bachelor party. Pricey but very nice, old-world, and classy.

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Alfred's Steak House
659 Merchant St., San Francisco, CA 94111

I have to say that the Trader Joe's pie crusts are relly good - but only for sweet items. I tried using one for the base of a beef pot pie and I found it too sweet for my taste. For a sweet pie that needs to be in the oven in the next hour, the crusts are perfect.

Congratulations. We spent our honeymoon in Elk as well.

You have to try Queenies for Breakfast or lunch. While it isn't all about the wine, it is about the food. For instance, if you want oatmeal, you will have a 20 minute wait because it is made from scratch. It is a great place with wonderful food.

DO NOT go to the restaurant next to Brigid Dolans. It is mediocre at best and way too expensive.

my mom still uses one when she makes her German recipes. I had to buy one from the German store when she sent her recipes to me.

We had reservations for 6 pm and went to Luka's before the Spinal tap show and found it acceptable.
The wait staff was friendly. Cocktails took around 10 minutes from order to delivery. We got 2 orders of the mussels- yummy. they were prepared well, the broth was delicious and not too many unopened ones. A burger - yummy as well - it was nicely charred on the outside and med rare on the inside as ordered. The burger seems to be the popular choice based on the plates coming out of the kitchen. We also got a large side of the fries - meh - i prefer crispy exteriors and soft interiors, and something else that I cannot for the life of me remember. We were able to get in and out within the timetable we had. The price point was fair. My only complaint was with the fries and the wait staff to table ratio. It could take some time to get the staff's attention, however, once we did, the request was honored in a timely manner.

is it a Pignoli? I know they are more drop shape than bar shape but is this what they are looking for?

I saw some at the Ferry Building Farmers Market last Saturday. I think it was at Terra (the chili pepper lady).

I would love to hear your report of the meal.

the Big Four restaurant in the Huntington hotel usually has at least one wild game dish on their menu. They are also having their wild game week from May 12 - 16. I have never been so I cannot vouch for their preparation or value.

http://www.big4restaurant.com/pdf/Wil...

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Big Four
1075 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94108

I have to admit I love the dutch crunch (it's a guilty pleasure). I really enjoy the liverwurst, or the roast beef with avacado, I also like the salami. The daily sausage are always good but I never find myself ordering them just eating the samples on the counter tops. I also never seem to be able to leave without a smooked ham hock or bacon or frankfurter or touristenwurst or........... got to stop before I drool and short out my keyboard.

I second Dittmers

I love Prather ranch. I am very sensitive to Omega-3's and if the meat is finished on grass it tend to taste fishy to me. Prather Ranch finishes on grain and the Omega-3 levels are only minimally lowered (enough) so that I get the meat flavor and not that fishy flavor.

We really love The Richmond for burgers and fries. Their other items can be a little more pricey but you can tell they really care about their food.

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The Richmond Restaurant
615 Balboa, San Francisco, CA 94118

Marin Sun Farms has a CSA Meat Club
http://www.marinsunfarms.com/meatclub.html

There is a bay area meat CSA
http://bamcsa.ning.com/notes/Buy_Meat

it isn't in the immediate neighborhood but right off the expressway. I really love the jerk pork. If you order in advance, they will have it ready for you.

http://www.backayard.net/menu_18/Rest...

The Pasta Shop does have a stand at the Ferry Building. They are in the far back next to the knife sharpener.

I also like Dittmer's in Mountain View. If you talk to Mark, he can tell you where they get their pork and what the abattoir is like. I've seen pork belly there as well as European cuts of beef and pork. They also make and smoke their own sausage, ham hocks and bacon. If you have a specific request, they will do their best to cut it to order or will let you know when they can get it in for you.

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Dittmer's Gourmet Meats
400 San Antonio Rd Ste 4, Mountain View, CA 94040

You may want to check out Le Sanctuaire. It's a great place for information on unusual spices, high end food magazines and books, and molecular gastronomy. I have not come across a store like this anywhere else.

T: 415.986.4216
F: 415.986.4217
Hours: Mon-Fri: 10:30 am - 4:30 pm BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

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Le Sanctuaire
315 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94108