escargot3's Profile
High Tea in SF and Peninsula?
Just to be accurate:
There's a huge difference between "high tea" (a working class meal served at the end of the day with heavy meats) vs. "afternoon tea" (or "low tea") which is served mid-afternoon and consists of dainty figner sandwiches, like cucumbers etc.
Fire at Great China?
now that's an interesting new twist to the tale of woes. here's hoping they maintain their same high quality standards. it might finally be a successful business in that forever doomed location.
92-yr old auntie seeks fresh dungeness crab in Denver
We just finished a most delicious meal at New Saigon. The crab was sensational. And auntie scooped up every last bit of the crab sauce.
Thanks so very much for the great suggestion. And let me know if i can return the favor when u are in the Bay Area.
92-yr old auntie seeks fresh dungeness crab in Denver
To clarify
We would like to find a restaurant that serves fresh crab served cooked and warm.
Good quality and price is not an obstacle, at that age...
92-yr old auntie seeks fresh dungeness crab in Denver
I'm visiting my aunt who moved to Denver from SF a few years ago, and she's asked if I could find anyplace to get cooked crab here -- perhaps at an Asian restaurant?
Looking at some prior posts, I'm wondering if Star Kitchen might be a destination? or Empress Seafood? Or possibly New Saigon?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Addie's Pizza Pie, South Berkeley (NY-style pizza & Frozen Custard) - Now Open, anyone try it?
or open on sunday.
Fior d'Italia closing
I will miss them. Yes the prices are high. But the portions were quite generous. The fish was fresh. And the meat, tender.
I suspect they'd fare better in the FiDi.
VERY Annoyed by Flash Targeted Ads -- PLEASE GET RID OF THEM
I completely agree -- these are ridiculously annoying ads.
Fior d'Italia closing
It's been a reliable go-to place to bring out of town visitors who lack an adventurous palette and prefer white tablecloth dining.
Great lamb chops. Classic Caesar salad. Quiet.
I hope they can re-invent themselves...once again.
Favorite all-day breakfast burrito in Santa Fe?
I fed my crew well with a selection of tamales from Posa's -- pork, green chile chicken and vegan.
Picked up a few dozen at breakfast time, and they were still warm and moist for our lunch break.
These tamales are yummy -- especially the vegan offering (and this is a rave review from an omnivore).
The Ranch House, Santa Fe: Top-notch Upscale American
My crew was thrilled with dinner here tonite. Baby back ribs, enchiladas, corn bread, slaw, oh and the beans --- all delicious. What a talented chef.
Betterday Coffee, Santa Fe: Stumptown Coffee, serious craft
I enjoyed an impeccable Gibralter (or what they called a "corto") at Betterday this afternoon. Thanks finlero for your post about them.
Santa Fe - Need to pick up lunch for my crew
I will be in Santa Fe for a day of work, and in the morning, around 9am, I need to pick up lunch to go for my crew of 5 people.
Any suggestions of a place where I can call in an order ahead of time and just stop in to pick up to go? could be burritos, or a plate, or a medley of salads.
Thanks from an SF Chowhound
Hayes St Bar & Grill for fresh fish
A few of us went to Hayes St last nite before an event in the area, and enjoyed the fresh fish and seafood. I especially appreciated the fried soft shell crab -- and I don't usually order fried stuff -- served on a bed of salad greens. it was delicious. Perfect for 2 of us to share. And the quail salad had lovely flavor.
I also really liked the grilled scallops with celery/fennel puree along with some fava beans. Dining companions reportedly enjoyed their grilled fish: one, a halibut and the other, yellowtail. Very fresh fish, straightforward presentation.
And though the restaurant was full (both rooms), it was quiet -- which I especially note for those who often are asking about a restaurant where you can have a conversation.
Lao New Year, UN Plaza, San Francisco
it's on my calendar! thanks for chatting it up with him and getting the info.
Canteen - A study of contrasts [San Francisco]
Ah Melanie, Sorry I missed your earlier post. But glad I had the good luck of chosing that lamb.
Urfa peppers ... now that's a new one to add to my spice shelf. Thanks for the tip. I wonder how it would go with fish.
Voluminous report from grayelf's spring 2012 trip to Bay Area
well done, greyelf! We all know you did amazing research before the trip, and appreciate the thorough report -- and now we will use it as our GPS to find good eats.
Breads of India- why is this place so empty? [Oakland]
I agree with Robert: Ajanta is the best Indian resto certainly in the Berkeley/Oakland area, but possibly one of the Bay Area's finest -- especially considering the dedication to representing diverse regional dishes of the country, and their commitment to organics as much as possible.
Viks Chaat Corner is what its name states: a chaat restaurant. It ain't a place to go for tandoori this or that. It's best at Indian street food: puris, dosas, etc. I especially love some of the new-ish items on the menu, like the sea bass. Spicing is excellent. Cooked to a tender perfection. When I'm lucky, they have an amazing lamb biryani. And I'm addicted to their dokla (kinda like corn bread but made from garbanzo bean flour served with a yummy dip replete with green chile and other goodies).
As an aside, their chai is among the best in the Bay Area, tho that might vary, depending on the batch.
Looking for cafe near BART, Oakland, quiet for mid-afternoon meeting
great idea. i haven't been to the museum cafe in ages.
Lao New Year, UN Plaza, San Francisco
I drive past Johnny's often. It is a totally non-descript place where a bus driver or someone waiting for the bus sometimes goes in to get a donut.
I suspect they don't serve Lao dishes at the store. But I wonder if enough of us stop by and put in a request, maybe they would heed the call...
Knife Sharpening in East Bay?
Any updates, Robert? Are you still going to Columbus Cutlery now?
Canteen - A study of contrasts [San Francisco]
I finally made it over to Canteen last nite – delighted to snag 2 seats at the counter on short notice. After wending our way over as the evening rains began, I was pleasantly surprised not so much by how tiny a location it is, but by the “library reading room” motif of bookshelves on the wall. Nice!
We started off with the chef’s offering of an amuse-bouche of duck confit that raised the bar: delicate, yet flavorful.
For appetizers, we chose seared sea scallops with sweet corn puree and a Muscat vinaigrette. Yowzah! It was an incredible medley of flavors and textures. We also shared the “Rabbit salad” (more of a “salad compose”) of peppered rabbit loin, with peas, mustard and aspic. It was enjoyable, but paled in comparison with the scallops. And the warm brioche and butter was delicious.
As an entrée, I opted for the lamb loin with faro, along with roasted peppers and raisins. The lamb was extraordinarily flavorful, juicy and tender — and best of all, it actually tasted like lamb, and had some kind of dusting of cayenne that gave it a bit of a kick. Among the best lamb I’ve had in the U.S. The faro tasted like it was spiced with a smokey Spanish pimenton. Loved it. My dining partner chose the yellowtail with potato crust, fava beans, spring onions, artichoke hearts, and a sauce “gribiche” which is like a tartare sauce. The fish was a smidgen over-cooked for my palette, but it had a wonderful flavor.
Chef Dennis Leary is playing with sweet ingredients added to the appetizer and entree, yet not cloyingly sweet -- rather, used as a complement and to attend to the other flavors of the dish.
So what’s the contrast? Dessert.
Simply put, the chocolate hazelnut custard was a tasteless disappointment, as was the
almond torte with rhubarb and citrus. As impeccable as we found the apps and entrees, is as disappointed we were in the desserts. That said, all around us, folks were “inhaling” the vanilla soufflé. Next time I visit Canteen – which I hope will be very soon -- I will opt for that crowd pleaser.
ps- Service was attentive, helpful and enjoyable. Our server led us to an enjoyable Cote du Rhone that only got more full-bodied and rich in flavor throughout the meal.
Bay Area Food Festivals and Events - April, 2012
hard to picture Novella Carpenter at Rockridge Market hall.
What an incongruous pairing of divergent values: the Queen of DIY at the most over-priced store in town.
"Restaurants" Database To Be Eliminated
and i will add that I really really really really miss that feature. It's totally ridiculous to have deleted it.
Flavor Brigade, Oakland
Thanks for the reminder. I haven't been there in a while. Time to re-visit.
Bay Area Food Festivals and Events - April, 2012
uh oh. didn't realize it's the eve of Lao New Year.
a few of us were planning to go to Vientien in Oakland tonite for dinner...
any thoughts?
