The Critic wanted to introduce us to Hot Pot before we left for San Francisco. It's a ramen meets fondue idea. A friend of his took him to Swish Swish and so, as a last hurrah, we all went for a lunch one day.
We decided on the all-you-can-eat route. We were all pretty hungry. That ended up being a pretty good deal as we were able to try a variety of things. We weren't fans of really anything seafoodish (seafood meatballs, head-on shrimp) but otherwise it was delicious. I thought the beef was best. Everyone else really liked the pork belly (which I enjoyed but not as much as the beef). FIT and I had the onion broth and The Big Guy had the chicken broth. The Critic had a miso one, I think.
Hot pot makes a delicious dinner option for our whole family. Swish Swish really was a great place for us.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Il Fornaio
Today's dinner involved a visit to an old friend. 6 years ago we enjoyed Il Fornaio in San Francisco. There is one in Seattle but it's not the same -- not even on the list of chains with the name on it. Not sure why -- it's the same logo. But what I remember, six years later still, was the gnocchi.
This trip we discovered a three course "tasting" menu. The quotes have to do with the portion. I started with a bright, fresh, acidic salad that included garbanzo beans (yuck) and mostly deliciousness that I devoured. And then felt like I had dined enough. But that was not to be... out came THE GNOCCHI! Not as amazing as I remembered it -- it had a rabbit ragu which was very good but think 6 years ago I had a creamy cheesy sauce that pressed my happy buttons. I ate about 1/2 of the "small" portion before I was ready to be rolled out of the restaurant. Still, the third course came. Short ribs. Now, on any given day, one bite of short rib is really enough to fill my stomach completely. So an entire portion of it... however "small" they want to say it was... was too too much. Deliciousness. Thankful for the company dime because we had no way to reheat the food. It really was delicious. Just too much of it.
Also, to visit another old friend and welcome in a new life to come, we decided to order tiramisu. This dessert has its roots in our dating history and it was definitely a delicious way to end an indulgent meal.
The nice thing about this restaurant is the joy I would get bringing friends and family who visit us in the city. Hopefully the tasting menu continues. What a nice way to enjoy a wide variety of special food at a reasonable price.
Embarcadero -- Farmer's Market and Boccalone
No houses to look at today. Boo! What good is a house hunting trip where you can't hunt houses? And it was POURING all morning. Boo!
Eventually, and thankfully, the rain poured off and we began to get excited about the idea of moving to San Francisco, rather than being worried about what on earth we committed to! Luckily, on such a beautiful day, two able-bodied adults with NO children to wear them down were able to literally walk the city of San Francisco all day. We walked from Union Square to The Embarcadero/Ferry Terminal, then down the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf, up through Giradelli Square, back toward town, up through China town, and eventually back to Union Square. And it took us all day. That's ok... we were learning to explore our new home.
While at the Ferry Terminal we went to the Farmer's Market. We will be visiting this market with The Guys when we all get to SF. The Critic came up with the awesome idea of giving everyone a certain amount of cash and saying "find something to share". More later on how that ends up.
While there we ate at a stand that had some lamb merguez and hot dogs. They were quite tasty! And we went to Boccalone. This is a foodie stop for me as I've been intrigued by the "meat cone" idea for a while. It's pretty neat and we were able to get one easily. One of the meats was a bit soft/slimy for me, but the other two were good. At $5 it's not a ridiculous expense either.
Eventually, and thankfully, the rain poured off and we began to get excited about the idea of moving to San Francisco, rather than being worried about what on earth we committed to! Luckily, on such a beautiful day, two able-bodied adults with NO children to wear them down were able to literally walk the city of San Francisco all day. We walked from Union Square to The Embarcadero/Ferry Terminal, then down the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf, up through Giradelli Square, back toward town, up through China town, and eventually back to Union Square. And it took us all day. That's ok... we were learning to explore our new home.
While at the Ferry Terminal we went to the Farmer's Market. We will be visiting this market with The Guys when we all get to SF. The Critic came up with the awesome idea of giving everyone a certain amount of cash and saying "find something to share". More later on how that ends up.
While there we ate at a stand that had some lamb merguez and hot dogs. They were quite tasty! And we went to Boccalone. This is a foodie stop for me as I've been intrigued by the "meat cone" idea for a while. It's pretty neat and we were able to get one easily. One of the meats was a bit soft/slimy for me, but the other two were good. At $5 it's not a ridiculous expense either.
Friday, November 21, 2014
French Restaurant -- I think it was Bouche?
This is a perfect example of how to use the company dime to try a place you would never otherwise consider.
We needed a spot that was open late and found this little... and I mean little... French restaurant that was open until 1:00 or 2:00. And they had duck which The Critic was actually craving (weird thing to crave, don't you think?) so we went. HOW CUTE IS THIS PLACE??? I swear they can only seat 20 people total and possibly not even that many.
First up -- crispy pork belly. Very tasty.
Critic's dinner -- Duck. Delicious. Came on Farro that was quite tasty. The rillettes were not a texture The Critic enjoyed. I was fine with it.
My dinner -- Ummm... I don't remember. I'm not a main dish person. I remember my sides though. Polenta (yum) and fall veggies. It was great. It was also late. And we were VERY tired.
We also had dessert. What was dessert? I have no idea. Did I mention we were tired?
Such a cute little french restaurant -- get a reservation and try it at least once. I do recommend going when you aren't exhausted just so you can actually remember the experience.
We needed a spot that was open late and found this little... and I mean little... French restaurant that was open until 1:00 or 2:00. And they had duck which The Critic was actually craving (weird thing to crave, don't you think?) so we went. HOW CUTE IS THIS PLACE??? I swear they can only seat 20 people total and possibly not even that many.
First up -- crispy pork belly. Very tasty.
Critic's dinner -- Duck. Delicious. Came on Farro that was quite tasty. The rillettes were not a texture The Critic enjoyed. I was fine with it.
My dinner -- Ummm... I don't remember. I'm not a main dish person. I remember my sides though. Polenta (yum) and fall veggies. It was great. It was also late. And we were VERY tired.
We also had dessert. What was dessert? I have no idea. Did I mention we were tired?
Such a cute little french restaurant -- get a reservation and try it at least once. I do recommend going when you aren't exhausted just so you can actually remember the experience.
Daville Cafe
This is my post to remind me of the little cafe we ate in after enjoying the area of Danville. And still not finding a house. Sigh.
Cute little cafe, perfect for lunch. Noted clientele are women are mother's ages. Which, let's be honest, fits for Danville.
I think The Critic got a Cuban that was pretty good. I got the risotto which was VERY good.
A nice place to eat. But really, we want a house!
Cute little cafe, perfect for lunch. Noted clientele are women are mother's ages. Which, let's be honest, fits for Danville.
I think The Critic got a Cuban that was pretty good. I got the risotto which was VERY good.
A nice place to eat. But really, we want a house!
Tartine Bakery
Of all the "must eat" places I have come up with in San Francisco there is one that I just knew was going to be a winner. Tartine Bakery. A while back I saw someone on The Best Thing I Ever Ate talking about Pan au Chocolate and knew The Critic would need to try it. Then Tartine kept coming up in article after article of "must eat". Each time something else came up. I even sent him in an email with a list of places with an example item to try or a description of the food type. Here's what I put for Tartine.
Tartine bakery -- Just trust me
So he did. We went for breakfast on our first morning in San Francisco. It was a Friday morning and the line wasn't too bad. We got items to go so we could get to our realtor appointment. As I recall, we ate the following items:
Pan au Chocolate -- sublime and worth every rave it got. One is enough for both of us.
Morning bun -- essence of orange in a cinnamon croissant like muffin. Tasty, but not what I crave.
A savory egg and gruyere pastry -- Um, yes please. More please. Loved this! (It is better when heated I later learned)
Almond croissant -- stuffed and covered in powdered sugar. Good. VERY messy.
We also went a few days later and got the coconut tart (delicious).
The only thing not tasty and wonderful at Tartine is the coffee. Get your cup from somewhere else and plan to enjoy delicious pastries. Everyone who visits us in California will be getting a Tartine visit before they leave. If there is a line, it's fine. Totally worth the wait.
Tartine bakery -- Just trust me
So he did. We went for breakfast on our first morning in San Francisco. It was a Friday morning and the line wasn't too bad. We got items to go so we could get to our realtor appointment. As I recall, we ate the following items:
Pan au Chocolate -- sublime and worth every rave it got. One is enough for both of us.
Morning bun -- essence of orange in a cinnamon croissant like muffin. Tasty, but not what I crave.
A savory egg and gruyere pastry -- Um, yes please. More please. Loved this! (It is better when heated I later learned)
Almond croissant -- stuffed and covered in powdered sugar. Good. VERY messy.
We also went a few days later and got the coconut tart (delicious).
The only thing not tasty and wonderful at Tartine is the coffee. Get your cup from somewhere else and plan to enjoy delicious pastries. Everyone who visits us in California will be getting a Tartine visit before they leave. If there is a line, it's fine. Totally worth the wait.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
E&O Asian
Change is coming for us! We're headed to the Bay Area. Spent a weekend
house hunting and dining -- thanks to the company dime. First item on
the agenda upon finding a house (ok that's the first item on the agenda)
is getting BACK on the waistline friendly diet plan (a.k.a. eating at
home). But not this trip.
On our first night we hmmmed and hawed after a LONG day of looking at houses (and really skipping all meals... and having headaches as a result) and ultimately decided on E&O Asian. Asian food is our comfort food. And after a fairly discouraging day... we didn't find the house of our dreams... shocking I know... we decided we needed some comfort.
A bit of a back history to this point. First I wanted to eat at In Canto. It's closed. Also wanted to try Rick Bayless's mexican restaurant in the Macy's building. Closed. Same for several other places. Hey Food Network! Update your recommendations to places that stay open!!! I guess it truly is a sign of the times. It's tough to keep a restaurant open. Even for people who have recognizable names to the moderate Coach Bag Foodie.
So this place place did not register on our "must see" list because the recommendation came from Brian Boytano. Ummmm.... weird. Brian Boytano is welcome to recommend the best place I ever ice skated, but the best thing I ever ate? I don't know how much I believe you. As tasty as he made Indonesian corn fritters sound, it's still, well, a recommendation from Brian Boytano. But the name kept coming up... on Yelp, in the hotel directory... so we gave it a try.
Upon walking in I noticed it was near Banana Republic which we went to 6 years ago and I remembered eating at some restaurant that was laid back and fun at that point... and tasty. We sat at the bar and chatted with the bar tender. Couldn't have told you what kind of food they had, but I seem to remember small plates. And it was a nice place. But that's as much memory as I could muster.
Inside the decor was quite swanky and cool. Definitely had a young club-going vibe. The menu was intriguing. Lots of fusion items. And we were HUNGRY. Plus we basically had a "the world is your oyster" budget (and let me tell you that would have been worth a LOT of oysters... except we're not huge oysters fans. Come to think of it this place had oysters....). Anyway, we opted, nearly, to get "one of everything".
First up, butternut squash dumplings. They were good, spicy... strong curry flavor. Pretty good way to start!
Second up... Indonesian corn fritters. Ummmm... HELLO! So crazy good. The dipping sauce made everything better. Ok Brian Boytano... I'll take your recommendations more seriously now. Maybe.
Third. Short ribs. Pretty good. Very strong hoisin flavor. And a lot of pepper. The butternut squash dumplings had lots of pepper as well.
Fourth. Shaking beef. Um... perfectly cooked. Quite tasty. Very good.
Fifth. Green beans. They were fine. They were not Din Thai Fung green beans. We keep trying to find those somewhere else. There is nothing like DTF green beans. Sigh. So sad.
And last but NOT least, black cod. In a word... sublime. Just. So. Good.
Finally (because why not when the company is paying?) we had dessert. Chocolate devil's food cake with 5 spice ganache (couldn't taste the 5 spice) and salted caramel. Yum. And warm ginger cookies. Very good... but they didn't last into the next day.
So here's the best part of E&O. While we are eating The Critic starts to wonder if THIS was the cool, laid back place we went to six years ago. Before our foodie craze. And before our Asian food obsession. He said "I remember giraffes and bamboo decor". So we asked our server if they had remodeled in the past few years. Why yes they had... before it was covered in bamboo and jungle animals! How funny is that? Guess that's a way to welcome us (back and) to San Francisco!
On our first night we hmmmed and hawed after a LONG day of looking at houses (and really skipping all meals... and having headaches as a result) and ultimately decided on E&O Asian. Asian food is our comfort food. And after a fairly discouraging day... we didn't find the house of our dreams... shocking I know... we decided we needed some comfort.
A bit of a back history to this point. First I wanted to eat at In Canto. It's closed. Also wanted to try Rick Bayless's mexican restaurant in the Macy's building. Closed. Same for several other places. Hey Food Network! Update your recommendations to places that stay open!!! I guess it truly is a sign of the times. It's tough to keep a restaurant open. Even for people who have recognizable names to the moderate Coach Bag Foodie.
So this place place did not register on our "must see" list because the recommendation came from Brian Boytano. Ummmm.... weird. Brian Boytano is welcome to recommend the best place I ever ice skated, but the best thing I ever ate? I don't know how much I believe you. As tasty as he made Indonesian corn fritters sound, it's still, well, a recommendation from Brian Boytano. But the name kept coming up... on Yelp, in the hotel directory... so we gave it a try.
Upon walking in I noticed it was near Banana Republic which we went to 6 years ago and I remembered eating at some restaurant that was laid back and fun at that point... and tasty. We sat at the bar and chatted with the bar tender. Couldn't have told you what kind of food they had, but I seem to remember small plates. And it was a nice place. But that's as much memory as I could muster.
Inside the decor was quite swanky and cool. Definitely had a young club-going vibe. The menu was intriguing. Lots of fusion items. And we were HUNGRY. Plus we basically had a "the world is your oyster" budget (and let me tell you that would have been worth a LOT of oysters... except we're not huge oysters fans. Come to think of it this place had oysters....). Anyway, we opted, nearly, to get "one of everything".
First up, butternut squash dumplings. They were good, spicy... strong curry flavor. Pretty good way to start!
Second up... Indonesian corn fritters. Ummmm... HELLO! So crazy good. The dipping sauce made everything better. Ok Brian Boytano... I'll take your recommendations more seriously now. Maybe.
Third. Short ribs. Pretty good. Very strong hoisin flavor. And a lot of pepper. The butternut squash dumplings had lots of pepper as well.
Fourth. Shaking beef. Um... perfectly cooked. Quite tasty. Very good.
Fifth. Green beans. They were fine. They were not Din Thai Fung green beans. We keep trying to find those somewhere else. There is nothing like DTF green beans. Sigh. So sad.
And last but NOT least, black cod. In a word... sublime. Just. So. Good.
Finally (because why not when the company is paying?) we had dessert. Chocolate devil's food cake with 5 spice ganache (couldn't taste the 5 spice) and salted caramel. Yum. And warm ginger cookies. Very good... but they didn't last into the next day.
So here's the best part of E&O. While we are eating The Critic starts to wonder if THIS was the cool, laid back place we went to six years ago. Before our foodie craze. And before our Asian food obsession. He said "I remember giraffes and bamboo decor". So we asked our server if they had remodeled in the past few years. Why yes they had... before it was covered in bamboo and jungle animals! How funny is that? Guess that's a way to welcome us (back and) to San Francisco!
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