sumi's Profile
The Dogs merits its name
Hmm - had a very disappointing lunch at The Dogs in Edinburgh - it's recommended in several local guides but can't say I'd ever go back. Carrot and ginger soup was so full of ginger it was almost inedible - and I really like ginger. The equivalent of a shepherd's pie was adequate. Homemade bread (for which they charge extra) is worth ordering and the only thing that I liked. You know you're in trouble when the bread is the highlight of the meal.
HELP! I fly back to DC at 1pm tomorrow - where is best bakery downtown?
I'm pretty sure there's no Acme Bread store at SFO - there is a Boudin Cafe though in one of the food courts.
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Acme Bread
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
SFO Restaurants
San Francisco International Airport South San Francisco, CA, San Francisco International Airport South San Francisco, CA
HELP! I fly back to DC at 1pm tomorrow - where is best bakery downtown?
You're in Union Square, and walking to a decent bakery will take longer than the 5 min it'll take to get in a cab and drive the 1/2 a mile to the Ferry Plaza. There are many wonderful bakeries, but just not within 5 min walk of Union Square. I suppose you could get a pastry at Emporio Rulli in Union Square proper, but not bread, and the pastry will just be ok, not special. You really only need 30 minutes total to grab a cab, go to Acme, buy some bread and round up sweets since Frog Hollow and Boulette's are in the same building, then hit the airport. You could even do this w/ your roller bag in tow. If you like sourdough, Boudin is decent for a chain, but not Acme quality or variety. There really aren't very many quality bakeries closer to where you are than Acme. Brioche is the only other one I can think of sort of not too too far away, and Acme is closer than that, a straight shot down Market.
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Emporio Rulli
464 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur, CA
30 Cafe
9850 Cabrillo Hwy N, Moss Beach, CA
Round Up
3553 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette, CA 94549
Need some help with restaurants...for a non-foodie.
I'm not a fan of Papalote to be honest. If you want Mexican in the Mssion, I would recommend Poc Chuc, which serves very good Yucatecan cuisine, which you don't get every day, and is terrific. It is not upscale but pleasant, clean and painted, unlike most Mexican restaurants in the Mission, and in a somewhat hidden location on 16th St. @ South Van Ness (there's a big tree that hides the entrance). It is comfortable home cooking where the tortillas are handmade and fresh, and does meats and stews very well. The poc chuc, carne asada, pibil and agua frescas (homemade, not in a bottle) are of very high quality, very fresh and a bargain.
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Poc Chuc
2886 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Fresca Restaurant
24 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127
Share Your SF Top Three Under $10pp (without drinks)
Any of the soups at Turtle Tower in the Tenderloin; breakfast at Dotties esp. if you get the homemade dill bread that's toasted; veggie burrito at Taqueria Cancun on Mission & 19th. I'll cheat and add a fourth - the combo special @ Balompie -- a pupusa, yucca and pastel for $10.
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Taqueria Cancun
2288 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Turtle Tower Restaurant
631 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Papusas and Donuts in SF
Balompie, on 18th and Capp is good. Don't forget to order their pasteles as well - like a meat fritter (you can get chicken or pork). They're fried, but not greasy, very fresh and served hot. Yummy. Their pupusas are good and less lardy than La Santaneca on Mission St.
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Balompie Cafe
3349 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
HELP! I fly back to DC at 1pm tomorrow - where is best bakery downtown?
you could walk or take the F Market to the Ferry Plaza in the morning, as Acme is there, and will have a wide selection of breads to take home. And while you're there, Frog Hollow has some very delicious pastries (the risotto tartlet is really good, and maybe you can get a good fall fruit tart since unfortunately, peach season is over) and I'd also suggest picking up their peach jam to take home. It's terrific. Boulette's Larder has very good cannele's as well. That might be a good, one stop place to go in the morning.
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Boulettes Larder
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
Suggestions for a quieter restaurant
Thanks everyone - we're on the same wavelength and all of these are terrific suggestions. Le Charm was on the list and La Folie may be perfect since it's a special occasion and I've yet to try it. Hopefully the reservation situation will be ok given that we've now grown to 7 people. On a side note, had dinner at Gary Danko last night and that wouldn't be a bad choice either (the bar area is deafening though), although curiously, I found the service good and the food solid but not amazing, which was slightly disappointing. Maybe it was an off night.
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La Folie
2316 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109
Where should I eat by myself tonight?
Zuni is a very good suggestion because you basically just catch any of the F Markets trains which will drop you right in front of the restaurant. And very yummy food.
Suggestions for a quieter restaurant
Folks -
A buddy of mine is coming in from Philadelphia. We haven't seen her in quite a long time and about 6 of us have a lot of catching up to do. We'll be getting together next Monday, so that will help somewhat, but several places that I'd like to go to are simply too loud. So help me think of a few places where a) our group will be able to actually hear one another and not shout; b) we won't be rushed in and out; c) has terrific food and nice ambience; d) isn't in the Outer Richmond.
Right now, all I can think is trying to get a corner table at Aziza (although I have to say, in the last couple of recent visits, food has been fine but not mindblowing and it's pretty far out in the Richmond); one of the nooks at Kokkari; ....umm, any more suggestions?
Zuni, A16, Delfina, Bar Tartine - way too loud. Anyone have thoughts on how loud it will be at L'Ardoise or Gitane?
Thanks.
casual Sacramento downtown dinner
I would recommend a few places, as I often dine solo and like places where I can sit at the bar and eat and not feel weird. Also, please note this comes from a foodie perspective - ambience is important but way below quality of food.
Mulvaney's - 19th St. between Capitol and L. Sit on the patio, as this will be more casual and single diner friendly. Trends toward New American cuisine. Moderate - $25 - $30ish for one.
Waterboy - 20th and Capitol. Tends toward Cal-Mediterranean, but quality, seasonal cuisine. $35ish for one.
Magpie Cafe - R St. between 14th& 15th. Very casual cafe with high quality salads, meats and serves dinner as well. Probably the most single friendly because of the counter, but it's so casual,not even an issue as there are lots of single diners on the patio and inside. Very good blueberry/lavender scones for breakfast as well. You can get lunch or dinner here for under $20 easily.
Hot Italian - yes, groan inducing name and the decor is so overly conscious and annoying. But to be honest, very good, artisanal and authentic pizza. Very casual. You can get dinner under $20.
I'm on the fence with Tulli's Bistro - I've had some good and some surprisingly bad things to eat there, so consistency is an issue. S St. at 21st St.
Don't bother walking all the way to Tower - the food isn't very good and it's a long walk. It would be fine for a casual breakfast or lunch if you're in the neighborhood but I wouldn't go out of my way.
Cafe Bernardo on 15th and R only for a very, very casual breakfast or lunch. FYI - The fries tend to be oversalted.
Masons - I haven't been impressed here. Maybe lunch but there are many better options.
Spataro - I find this to be very uneven at best. Only if you have to - Mulvaneys and Waterboy are much better options.
There are tons of other places you simply shouldn't bother with as well, but this should be helpful given you're only here for 1 night.
Berlin recommendations?
Hi - just got back from Berlin. Renger-Patzsch was good, very reasonable, mellow, and nice ambience. I had the lamb with thyme mashed potatoes. The lamb was a bit fatty for me, but with a lovely reduction. I noticed a lot of folks ordering some type of flat bread with veggies and meat on top that resembled a pizza. Very nice service and the restaurant is very cute with old schoolhouse style lamps. I tried Altes Europa as well - while I loved the comfortable vibe, friendly staff and design of the place, I had a pretty subpar meal there. It's in a cute neighborhood with lots of boutiques, so if you happen to be there anyway, maybe just plan on a simple lunch or afternoon coffee. Great, comfortable space, not so great food.
I could use a really good meal in Berlin
Thanks Marc and linguafood for the suggestions! I particularly appreciate the Renger-Patzsch suggestion - had a very good meal there this evening. Cheers!
I could use a really good meal in Berlin
Kind, fellow foodies out there - it's my version of spring break (not in college, but hell, why not?) and so I took a quick trip to Prague and Berlin. Prague is a wonderful city and I could really spend more time there - but if I did, I think I would cook a lot. The eating in Prague was...disappointing. I tried, and hard. I ended up kinda giving up on the restaurants and just doing a tour of the various cafes because the eating was so not good but the cafes are so beautiful at least I would have that. Ate at Chez Marcel - friendly people, but lousy food and dessert. Had a terrible lamb dish at Cafe Louvre which I basically ordered because white asparagus was served with it -- unfortunately, they grilled them to mush. Had a really awful chicken salad and salty soup at Mlejnice. The one place I didn't get to that looked yummy was La Degustation, which I wish I had realized was just down the street, but I ran out of time. Maybe Czech food isn't my thing. Anyway, on to the present.
Am staying in Mitte (I know, I know, but it was convenient), near the Gendarmenmarkt and Checkpoint Charlie. Haven't been in Berlin for about 7 years, so I can't remember any good places. Am dining alone - but in SF, I do that all the time, having a great meal at the bar (like @ Bar Tartine, Pizzeria Delfina, etc) or or doing the bistro thing and it's never weird. Arrived tonight starving, went to an Italian place down the street called Malatesta. Ate alone and it was weird. They didn't seem to serve at their bar. The food was really average and the service was indifferent. Started with an appetizer of white asparagus. It came baked with some type of cheese (it would have been a much better dish simply grilled for a few minutes with olive oil, salt, pepper but it was ok) and this bizzare pile of prosciutto on the side. They tasted weird together and weird separately. Pasta dish was 2 types of mushroom - noodles (and I say noodles because they were literally German egg noodles that would go in stroganoff) were odd tasting and textured, and the whole dish just didn't work for me, and I adore mushrooms. Overall, another very dissatisfying meal. I'm feeling very good-food deprived, which for foodie-me, basically turns what could be a great vacation into a sucky vacation.
So, please, some suggestions - they don't have to be fancy. Single diner friendly, casual or mid-range, even low budget - just good. I'm wiling to travel around. I will go to KaDeWe's food hall for a lunch but I'd like 2 good, even terrific dinners. Any and all suggestions would be welcome. I searched the postings and most were pretty old...
Ice Cream in San Francisco
I'd really recommend the chocolate smore pie. I know, I know, it sounds gross, and I was really doubtful. Thought it would be oversweet and icky. But it was damn good. Chocolate ice cream on a graham cracker crust with a nice layer of real caramel in between, topped by nicely browned meringue. Amazing.
BTW, I found the salted caramel ice cream a bit too...salty. Balsamic strawberry wasn't bad. My advice is skip 'em both and head straight for the pie.
Solo San Franciscan in Paris
Whoops -- sorry! Thanks to all of you for your recommendations! Next time, I'm going to be much more prepared before I go. The fallafels at both L'As au Fallafel and Chez Marianne were delicious. I had a nice lunch at Le P'tit Troquet. You're right - perfectly fine for a solo diner. Lovely atmosphere, particularly appreciated the attentive service and 100% non-smoking atmosphere. My meal was ok - pumpkin soup was a bit bland, pork in wine sauce overly salty, but the clafoutis was good, and the bread was great. I'd definitely go again and try some different things. Sadly, I never got to Cafe Constant, Spring or Les Bouquinistes -- all closed for the holidays. And tried to have tea at Laduree twice, but the Royale location was a mob scene and got to the Champs Elysee location a bit late. Had a nice chocolat chaud at the St. Honore branch of Jean Paul Hevin - friendly service in the tea room (vs. the somewhat supercilious attitude at the chocolate counter) and amazing chocolate cakes.
Solo San Franciscan in Paris
FYI Folks: Cafe Constant is closed throught Dec. 30. Also, think Bouquinistes is as well. Called today and got a message that I think said they're closed.
Solo San Franciscan in Paris
His blog is interesting - but damn, I missed him. Spring is closed until Jan. 5. Thanks for the tip - next time...
Solo San Franciscan in Paris
Thanks Missmoo -- i'm happy to travel around, just bummed about the not too impressive bites of late. Will give it a try.
Solo San Franciscan in Paris
Looking for some suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Paris -- really, I'm not joking. Have been underwhelmed by my choices so far. I'm staying in the 5th, but am moving over to the 4th, across from the Pompidou at the end of the week. For me, the quality of the food is the #1 priority, as well as being solo diner friendly. Doesn't have to be a swanky place.
In SF, I generally grab a seat at the bar -- many an enjoyable dinner has been had that way at Bar Tartine, Delfina, Pizzeria Delfina, Clementine, etc...
Am done with the picnics -- have had lots of those, and disappointed by some of the very lousy bistros I've wandered into so far. So clearly spontaneity isn't working.
I'll try Les Bouquinistes this week -- anyone know if it's single diner friendly? Really, am not super fussy. Yes, I've got a good handle on the croissants and bread. But want good coffee, a good breakfast of something other than croissant or bread sometime this week, a simple light lunch (good soups? good salads? good quiche?), and a kick ass dinner (don't eat seafood though).
Help. (I can't believe I'm in Paris and writing this but really -- it's day 3 and I'm kind of getting desperate.)
Best markets for when we cook.
was just at the market on rue Mouffetard yesterday and there were tons of cockles St. Michel -- I'm sure I have the name mangled, but they were these very interesting, large shelled things.
Breakfast or Lunch near Andy Warhol Museum
John:
Probably not super helpful, but I'm a San Franciscan currently in Pittsburgh for a conference, and just visited the Andy Warhol museum today. The museum is interesting, but I found good food choices to be somewhat slim directly around the museum (it was raining today though, so perhaps I missed something).
Re: breakfast - Someone may mention P&G Pamela's which is in the Strip District and while not in the Warhol Museum neighborhood, it's just a few miles away and close to all of the downtown hotels. It is highly regarded by Pittsburghers on the chowhound boards as well as several other boards. If I might just add my 2 cents based on breakfast there yesterday - if you decide to go, avoid what apparently everyone orders, the crepe pancakes. A couple of friends and I ate there, and 2 of us ordered the crepe pancakes with fresh strawberries. We both really disliked them - they're kind of like deep fried pancakes (the edges are very crispy, but in a super deep fried way and greasy). Blech. Our other friend ordered the usual egg/bacon/toast which she thought was good. But since I think this crepe pancake is somewhat unique to Pittsburgh & Pamela's, you might want to try something else. The side of sausage I had was ok, and the coffee was ok.
Another tip re: the Warhol museuem - park in the high rise parking structure just past the Warhol museum open parking lot on Sandusky. It's only $2 for 2 hours vs. $6 at the Warhol museum lot and you'll stay dry. The Warhol cafe has a yummy crunchy chocolate chip cookie with cornflakes or something (weird sounding but very tasty). However, if you're at all picky about your lattes, skip it - the guy downstairs doesn't know how to steam milk.
Guadalajara - Try These Places
Thanks - left Guadalajara very early on the 11th and have been on the road for the last several days (am currently sampling the artery clogging cuisine in Pittsburgh).
Actually, I ate at Ma Come No at about 4 p.m. (and I was starving) but clearly they were really having a bad day.
Some friends and I went to a place on Monday night called Sacromonte, which was a short cab ride away from the Camino Real (weird hotel by the way - much preferred the Hotel Morales downtown). I ordered the pork pibil - it was terrific. Everyone else seemed to like their dishes as well. Don't know whether or not you've tried that.
Had a wonderful time in your fair city - thanks again for the chow suggestions. If you're ever traveling in SF, have lots of recoommendation (although one look at the Bay Area board and you'll have plenty of advice).
Guadalajara - Try These Places
DD & Christina:
Thanks for the recommendation of El Pescador Rojas. Had a good meal there yesterday. Didn't realize they closed at 6:00, as I arrived pretty much about that time, and they were really nice and let me order. The guacamole was very fresh, although I tend to like mine with a bit more in it (particularly garlic). The ceviche was quite good, as were the empanadas. By the way, the sign says that they're now open 7 days a week.
Sorry to be contrary, but have to say a couple (or more) words about Ma Come No. I had one of the worst meals there that I've had in a really long time. It really was. I had the salad bar, which was ok, but no great shakes (although yes, it was a nice change to get a fresh salad and veggies.) But the chicken and pasta dish I had was simply inedible. Really and truly. And it wasn't just me - the people at the next table had ordered it too and didn't eat theirs. The chicken breast was overcooked, way too salty and you honestly couldn't taste any of the stuffing (cheese and squash blossoms). The sauce over the chicken was awful - the cook put a lot of sugar in a chunky tomato sauce. Blech. I tried - I really did, but after a few bites I couldn't take any more. The flat bread that came out was pretty good. However, the bread that came with the chicken entree was pretty bad too - it sort of had some type of ricotta like cheese inside, but it was cold in the middle and the whole thing was generally tasteless. I stuck to the flat bread.
For dessert, had an ok creme brulee (quite a large portion size). Ordered a coffee - mistake. Probably should have stuck to espresso. The coffee was watery. Service was quite friendly, but alternated between super attentive and completely absent (and mostly absent, and the restaurant was half empty).
Had breakfast this morning at Cafe Madrid which was a couple of blocks away from my hotel. Wasn't bad, with good coffee, small portions. Had chorizo and eggs, which were quite tasty. But the beans that came with them were stone cold. Good people watching spot, particularly on Sunday, when the street is pedestrian only until the afternoon, and everyone is out on their bikes and rollerblades.
Have to say the best meals so far have been the numerous fresh fruit stands and taco joints around town. Everything has been fresh and really tasty.
Guadalajara - Try These Places
Cristina:
Sorry for the late reply. I've been on the road and didn't check back. Just got to Guadalajara - any suggestions for good coffee/breakfast/er, anything around Hotel Morales?
Thanks!
Guadalajara - Try These Places
Thanks DD for the helpful post - I'm headed to Guadalajara in 2 weeks, and yours was the only recent (and helpful) posting. Los Altenos and Ma Come No are definitely on the list. Any good bakeries of note?
Oi vey, not another one of these...
Yank Sing is really, really, really bad. And being overpriced just adds insult to injury. Try Koi Palace in Daly City -- ain't cheap either, but there's a reason the Chinese grandmas are elbowing you out of a place in line.
