Dining in San Francisco
Don and I have been spending a lot of time in San Francisco in the last several months because of my new job. We're enjoying being back in the area, and especially the wonderful food scene. Food is a serious subject in San Francisco, whether its an upscale restaurant, a little neighborhood place, a market, or in someone's home. What Alice Waters started at Chez Panisse more than 30 years ago - fresh, locally-grown ingredients - is now a mantra; waiters announce with pride that their dishes are made only with ingredients coming from within a 50-mile radius of the city! I have never been one for 'tricky' food - too artfully arranged, tall stacks of things that were never meant to be verticalized, flavored foam, - all a bit too trendy for me. I appreciate a well-arranged plate, good colors, simple presentation - but it is the perfect combination of flavors and textures, accompanied by a well-paired wine that makes a meal. And great company, of course, which turns even this simplest picnic into a memorable occasion.
Some of the places we've enjoyed in the past couple of months:
Myth is one of the most popular places in the city these days. I've been there twice, both for Burrill events, and have enjoyed the salad with pears, blue cheese and caramelized cashews as well as the grilled steak. Fellow diners seemed to be enjoying the braised short ribs which are served with a horseradish potato puree which looks good!
One of my favorite places is Azie, where we had dinner with Reg Kelly and his wife. Its a pretty restaurant and we got a booth which was really enjoyable and quiet enough to have a decent conversation - something which isn't always the case even in the best SF restaurants. The food is Asian-California fusion, and they encourage 'family style' service where everybody shares. We enjoyed a trio of fish tartares served with taro chips, and spicy prawns seared and served on an iron skillet for starters. For dinner we liked grilled sea scallops served with black coconut rice and 'seven flavor beef', which was seasoned with hoisin, lemongrass and basil and served on a bed of spinach. And a lovely dish of Chinese longbeans with sesame and black bean sauce, which is a particular favorite of mine.
Kelly and Steve took us to Nopa (stands for 'North of the Panhandle'), another very popular spot. We started with a wonderful flatbread with caramelized onions, bacon, radicchio and gruyere cheese. For dinner, Don uncharacteristically ordered vegetarian - which was a very interesting and delicious Moroccan vegetable tagine with almonds, lemon yogurt and couscous. Kelly's black cod was served over a bed of small green lentils that she raved about. Steve told me he went back several weeks later just to have the hamburger, which looked excellent. Its a little bit crowded and noisy, but the food is delicious and they also have a counter like the one I posted about at One Market, where you can watch the chefs at work.
And that reminds me of Boulevard, where we also sat at the counter while we enjoyed the beautiful art nouveau decor of the restaurant and relaxed in front of the wood-fired oven while the chefs were in perpetual motion in front of us putting our dinner together. I started with the sage and garlic roasted quail served with a bisque of butternut squash; Don chose the ahi tuna tartare. For dinner I had pan-roasted butterfish, a lovely firm-fleshed white fish that was served with half an artichoke stuffed with rock shrimp and lobster. Don had braised lamb - two kinds, a rib chop and cheeks - served with winter vegetables, fingerling potatoes and olives.
All this is making me hungry! I'm back in CT, wondering what I can whip up for dinner that could even come close to how good all the above meals were - and the answer is..... nothing!
Some of the places we've enjoyed in the past couple of months:
Myth is one of the most popular places in the city these days. I've been there twice, both for Burrill events, and have enjoyed the salad with pears, blue cheese and caramelized cashews as well as the grilled steak. Fellow diners seemed to be enjoying the braised short ribs which are served with a horseradish potato puree which looks good!
One of my favorite places is Azie, where we had dinner with Reg Kelly and his wife. Its a pretty restaurant and we got a booth which was really enjoyable and quiet enough to have a decent conversation - something which isn't always the case even in the best SF restaurants. The food is Asian-California fusion, and they encourage 'family style' service where everybody shares. We enjoyed a trio of fish tartares served with taro chips, and spicy prawns seared and served on an iron skillet for starters. For dinner we liked grilled sea scallops served with black coconut rice and 'seven flavor beef', which was seasoned with hoisin, lemongrass and basil and served on a bed of spinach. And a lovely dish of Chinese longbeans with sesame and black bean sauce, which is a particular favorite of mine.
Kelly and Steve took us to Nopa (stands for 'North of the Panhandle'), another very popular spot. We started with a wonderful flatbread with caramelized onions, bacon, radicchio and gruyere cheese. For dinner, Don uncharacteristically ordered vegetarian - which was a very interesting and delicious Moroccan vegetable tagine with almonds, lemon yogurt and couscous. Kelly's black cod was served over a bed of small green lentils that she raved about. Steve told me he went back several weeks later just to have the hamburger, which looked excellent. Its a little bit crowded and noisy, but the food is delicious and they also have a counter like the one I posted about at One Market, where you can watch the chefs at work.
And that reminds me of Boulevard, where we also sat at the counter while we enjoyed the beautiful art nouveau decor of the restaurant and relaxed in front of the wood-fired oven while the chefs were in perpetual motion in front of us putting our dinner together. I started with the sage and garlic roasted quail served with a bisque of butternut squash; Don chose the ahi tuna tartare. For dinner I had pan-roasted butterfish, a lovely firm-fleshed white fish that was served with half an artichoke stuffed with rock shrimp and lobster. Don had braised lamb - two kinds, a rib chop and cheeks - served with winter vegetables, fingerling potatoes and olives.
All this is making me hungry! I'm back in CT, wondering what I can whip up for dinner that could even come close to how good all the above meals were - and the answer is..... nothing!
posted by Carol at 12:54 PM
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