Syre

If you're in the neighborhood and want a Latin-American style breakfast, try Los Jarritos 901 S. Van Ness at 20th Street 415-648-8383 They're large, comfortable, inexpensive and pretty good. If your breakfast isn't quite as early, try Platanos on 18th and Guerrero for a more upscale version. The chilaquiles there are so fantastic...

I'd like to see you walk in and get a table at Lupa. I'd also like to see your check at the end of the meal. I think you'd find yourself saying "there's just no comparison at all" with a whole new tone. ← Actually, every time except one that I went to Lupa I DID walk in and get a table. Lucky me. Then again, I've also walked into French Laundry and gotten a table too. And the check price isn't really that different between the two places. Sure NYC is a bit more expensive, but in this case the quality difference much more than makes up for it.

It really seems rather generic in every way to me. The decor is mall-esque. The food I've had has been fairly good but tame, and not particularly creative. That's why I give it one star. One star means that it's good, nothing really wrong with it, but nothing memorable or great. It's safe, comfortable and boring. Compare Incanto to Lupa or L'impero in NYC and you'll see what I mean. There's just no comparison at all.

If you want to get really paranoid, think about this: Prions are not destroyed by cooking or by detergents. It takes a temperature of well over 1000 degrees F to make them inactive. There are documented cases of people being infected from surgical instruments which were autoclaved but not sufficiently cleaned. So if you go to a place that serves venison, and if the venison has prions and if it is communicable to humans (okay, 3 big ifs), you could be infected even if you don't order any venison, from prions which were on the frying pans or other cookware used to prepare your meal. Does that keep me away from restaurants that serve venison? Not necessarily. But I'm paranoid enough to think of it and take it into consideration...

One of my new favorite lunch/brunch places is Platanos in the Mission. It's on 18th and Guerrero and was dinner-only until fairly recently. They have a number of interesting options such as an open-faced chicken mole sandwich, pupusas, and a skillet of creamed corn with eggs. I think the cuisine is Salvadorian, but don't quote me. Also, friendly service and a relaxed pleasant cafe-like atmosphere.

This disease typically takes several years to develop, and it resembles other diseases so the source is often not obvious. From the article: Except now they know it's also in muscle. That's the point of the report. People have been warned not to eat tissue where prions have been found, now they've been found everywhere.

In what way is it misleading? - Chronic wasting disease prions were found in deer muscle. - The disease is endemic to 13 states in the US. - It has spread through farmed animals in the past. - Prion diseases have been known to be contagious when eating infected animals (or people in the case of kuru). - Prion diseases are universally incurable. - Eating deer meat could expose you to prions. Where's the error?

Admin: Threads merged. The infectious prions that cause Chronic Wasting Disease, an infection similar to BSE that afflicts North American deer and elk have been found in the parts of the animals that people eat ... in the 1990s it spread widely within the elk farming industry, jumped to wild deer, and now affects two provinces of Canada and 13 US states. For the full article go to: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8638 It's not completely clear that you can die from eating venison, but it seems likely. It's hard to tell what meat is affected, and since it has spread within farmed animals, and since CWD spreads from animal to animal (unlike mad cow, but like scrapie in sheep), eating venison is a real risk. Just so you know...

Prion disease found lurking in deer muscle * 19:00 26 January 2006 * NewScientist.com news service * Debora MacKenzie The infectious prions that cause Chronic Wasting Disease, an infection similar to BSE that afflicts North American deer and elk have been found in the parts of the animals that people eat. No one knows if CWD can jump to humans, but if it does hunters in affected areas might be at risk. See the full story here: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8638

This is my second negative thread reply today, so I'm sorry if I seem to be a grouch, but I've eaten at Incanto about 4 times since they opened, most recently two weeks ago. It's definitely a very "nice" and comfortable space, and they do try, but it's never impressed me as any more than one star (out of four). I had no intention of going back again until I read all the glowing reviews here and elsewhere, so I thought that perhaps things had changed for the better. No, still one star. And only just: not more.

I've only eaten at TFL twice, but I have to say that I think it's overpriced and uninspired. Out of 9 courses or so each time about 1/3 were great, 1/3 were okay and 1/3 were just not so hot. Also, their menu was very innovative when they started (my first visit was in 1997) but at my more recent dinner (in 2005) they seemed tired and uninspired. It's a lovely space, and the staff is great, and the ingredients are usually top-notch, but it just isn't worth the trip up from SF or the price, in my opinion.

There were a couple of objective comments and an at least semi-objective comment in my review. Objective: - Crepe burnt black: It was black. Therefore it was burnt. - Slow service: this was quantified with time durations, so one can judge for one's self whether a 15 minute delay between courses is "slow" or not. Subjective: - Fishy and old red mullet: some people do have a higher tolerance level for less-than-fresh seafood, so perhaps you or someone else would have found this to be fine. But objectively, it was old compared to really fresh seafood. So yes, perhaps there are differences of opinion, but not all of what I wrote was opinion.

I went to Hearth tonight with two companions. Short review: it was very satisfying! What we ate: Bread and butter: a nice seeded crust sourdough, very pleasant butter served in a large thick pat. Amuse: parsnip soup: this was lovely, with the natural sweetness of the root, a bit of earthy, and a nice smooth texture. Apps: We split three items. - pumpkin tortelli: a normal order is 5, but they kindly gave us one extra and split it into three plates of two. The sauce was tangy and complex, the pasta perfectly al dente, and the pumpkin filling was just a bit salty and savory. We all loved it, though I thought the filling wasn't quite as compelling as the sauce. Nonetheless, it was a great starter and made me smile. - hen of the woods mushrooms: these were delicious, crispy at the tips, dusted with herbs and olive oil. I thought the fine ends were perhaps just a bit too charred, but it's such a minor quibble. - baby lettuces salad with beets: very nice garlicky dressing, several varieties of beets, a fine salad. For main courses, two of us had the duck pappardelle. The third had been about to order that too, but then decided to get the roasted blue-foot chicken instead so that he could try at least two dishes. The pappardelle was very satisfying. The sauce was a simple matter of chopped up roasted duck, so soft that it must have fallen from the bone, a bit of wine, some oil, some parmigiano cheese, some fried rosemary and a few pitted black olives. I was sighing with contentment. The crispy-skinned chicken came on a bed of escarole and cranberry beans in a shallow broth, and had a few small spherical dumplings. I tasted it and enjoyed the dumplings, escarole and beans (though the beans were perhaps a little undercooked for my liking), but the chicken itself was heavily over-salted (yes, the chef is a smoker). For dessert I had the milk chocolate tart, substituting burnt sugar ice cream for the peanut brittle ice cream it normally comes with. I liked it, but wished it had been a dark chocolate tart. The ice cream was a nice idea -- very dark caramel flavoring with bits of crushed caramel strewn around it. One of my companions had the goat milk panna cotta with huckleberry compote. She was very happy. I liked it but prefer a richer panna cotta. My other companion had the marscarpone cheesecake, which turned out to be an individual New York - style cheesecake with candied cranberries stewed in ginger (it was billed as a compote, but to me they were more like candied). This was served with a cranberry sorbet on more cranberry compote. I thought the sorbet was fine but not really exceptional. But it was a really good dessert and a very nice cheesecake. Verdict: I preferred Hearth to L'impero (although it's hard to get the mushroom fricassee with creamy dreamy polenta out of my mind) and felt that it was equal to or close to Lupa (though not as traditionally Italian as Lupa by any means). Solid 2 stars or maybe 3 (if Lupa gets 3). I just wish I'd booked ahead last Tuesday for Lupa because I keep thinking of the crispy duck... *sigh*. And now I won't be back in NYC for a while. (Note: Cost was $179 for three, including two glasses of wine. This is about equal to what I paid at L'Impero for two people, with only one glass of wine.)

I had lunch with two companions yesterday at Fleur de Sel and was not impressed. Two of us had the four-course menu and one had the three-course. My starter was the lobster salad. The portion was miniscule. 3 tiny pieces of lobster and about 3 total grams of "salad". I'd estimate the entire portion size as well under 1 ounce. And it was weird. The lobster was okay (ie: completely flavorless), but the thick sauce underneath everything was a sugary vanilla paste which would have been more appropriate as filling for a sandwich cookie. I thought it was completely inappropriate for lobster. My three-course menu companion's starter was the crab crepe, which was quite nice in flavor, served in a good lobster or crab-shell reduction foam. But the crepe (probably potato flour) was burned black. For my second course I had ordered the red mullet. I asked the very friendly and helpful hostess if it was fresh and if it was light tasting or was fishy. She assured me that it was very fresh and wouldn't be fishy. I should have known, since it was not locally caught, that there was a real danger it would not be fresh, but given the restaurant's reputation I thought it was worth a try. Have you guessed that the fish was not fresh and was quite fishy and old tasting? I sent it back and was given the skate from the 3-course menu. The sauce, was a quite delicious combination of a lobster reduction foam and an herb-based green sauce, but the fish itself was soggy. The cheese course consisted of three tiny slices of cheese and a slice of quince paste. It was served with hot sliced nut bread. None of the cheeses were identified by our waiter, and only one was of any real quality. The other two were quite mediocre, and were presented with inedible rinds which had to be cut off. But no knives were provided for this course. I resorted to using the edge of a spoon. For dessert I'd ordered the chocolate cookie with chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was nice, and the cookie had a pleasant chocolate caramel filling, but it didn't wow me. And the service was exceedingly slow, with 5-15 minute gaps between courses. Everything was slow, even the coffee I'd ordered to go with my dessert. It was served when the ice cream was gone and I was already 3/4 done with the cookie. Perhaps the head chef was not present and/or some of the chefs were on vacation. If not, I am at a loss to explain why this restaurant receives the praise it does. Rating: between 0 stars and 1 star.

A new chinese restaurant called Big Lantern has opened up on 16th street between Valencia and Guerrero. At first glance, it would seem to be a typical place, but it's not. First, the chef is ex-Koi Palace. Second, they have dim sum all day long, until 11pm every night. Third, it's good. I ate there a few days ago and at Koi Palace yesterday for lunch. Comparing them, Big Lantern wasn't quite up to Koi Palace standards, but I was happy with it. And it's in SF, not crowded and less expensive. The main dishes I tried at Big Lantern are also nice. Flavorful pea shoots with garlic sauce, a quite credible Peiking duck served off the cuff at 10pm, etc. They also have a good number of vegetarian dishes, such as mock duck and the like. When you're looking for a low-key neighborhood place with interesting Chinese food, give them a try.

I don't know if we hit Sage & Onion on an off night, but this Sunday night it was very off. Our waitress was a doll, but nothing else was remotely on. First, we tried a sample of the wine she recommended. It was corked. This wasn't their fault, but unfortunately presaged what was to come. The amuse bouche was a saki-cup-sized portion of creame of broccoli soup, which was a bit salty and wholly uninteresting. Our starters were the foie gras and a stilton cheese souffle. The foie gras was watery and flavorless, somewhat undercooked, and was paired with a sauce that was extremely heavy and salty, and which would have completely overpowered even the best foie. The souffle was very odd and at first seemed appealing. It was a small, individual souffle, hugely puffed up and crisp. The puffed up part had almost no flavor of any kind, and only a trace of stilton could be detected in the center of the souffle. It was paired with a cloyingly sweet, very salty, relish-like sauce. For mains, I had ordered the duck breast and my companion the bacon-wrapped beef fillet. When they arrived we each took a bite and simultaneously said "this is too salty to eat." I explained the situation to our sever, and she didn't seem entirely shocked. She said we could order something else if we wanted, or if not that everything was comped. We chose the latter option and went elsewhere (leaving a dinner-sized tip). She was a total sweetie. The chef in charge that night was female, so definitely not the executive chef or sous chef listed on their web site (sageandonion.com). Perhaps she was new and having an off night. It does happen...