Carolyn Tillie

Dunkin Doughnuts is an East Coast thing and doesn't exist here. We are a land of Starbucks, Pete's, and local mom-and-pop joints. You can't throw a dead cat in this town and NOT hit some form of a coffeehouse. I am currently exploring the joy of doughnuts on my new FriedDoughHo blog and the place I have not written up yet which is worthy of a visit is Dynamo in the Mission. Great coffee and "artisinal" doughnuts.

I am big fan of Frog Hollow Farms' pastries; they make a leek and mushroom tart that I adore. Both savory and sweet... Literally across the way from Frog Hollow is Boulette's Larder; another place you should stop in at and, if you don't mind the wait, sit at their communal table (they make great fresh doughnuts!) Boccalone has these Cones of Joy (my words); paper cones filled with sliced salumi products and I'm not sure you can get better than their mortadella. For lunch, I would get some meat from Boccalone, some bread from Acme, some cheese from Cowgirl Creamy, some fruit from Frog Hollow, and a cannele from Boulette's Larder. Head out back and sit by the water.

I've tried twice and the wait has been in excess of 90 minutes and I am not that patient. Lisa and I have been talking about being there when they open at 5:00 just to get a counter seat (the actual tables have been booked more than 90 days in advance). Its just been too much work...

You could also take the BART subway to 16th Street Mission or 24th Street Mission. The BART ride might be easier with kids. (A fast ride, cleaner, better chance of finding seats.) The MUNI buses are slower and sometimes crowded, though when I'm in SF, I take MUNI to watch people and the street scene. Thanks for reminding me of that; even living here in the city, I tend to walk EVERYWHERE, just to get exercise and see new things. I live near J-Town and once a week, I walk to the Mission - sometimes via The Castro and sometimes through Tenderloin and Downtown. I only use BART to get to the East Bay...

Don't worry at all about where your hotel is; you are so far away from the the "ugly part of the Tenderloin" as to make it a non-issue. You are only a block or so away from Union Square and the Theater District, where HUNDREDS of well-dressed, well-to-do people are out walking. I am down in that area all the time at night and you will not have a problem whatsoever. For lunch, I would heartily recommend Larkin Express Deli in the Tenderloin because it is so affordable and great food. Also a few blocks away for breakfast, I would recommend Brenda's Soul Food. With three kids, you probably don't want to walk to the Mission because -- as therippa indicated, it is a 45- to 60-minute walk. There are good buses that will get you there and you walk it then. The latest hot spot to consider for the Mission is Gracias Madres; small plates of Organic Mexican. I also think you should consider getting reservations for Mission Street Food; the floating restaurant that only serves on Thursday and Saturday evenings. That will be one of the best bargains you could get for dinner AND get great food. The menu changes weekly and it is a true San Francisco experience.

I would recommend looking at Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Cake Bible. She goes into great depth about which recipes work well for wedding cakes due to the production time. She also covers fondant, ganache, and everything involving large cake production.

Ever since the team of Lori Baker and Jeff Banker took over the old Quince locale, I've been meaning to visit. Now named Baker & Banker, the space is darkly elegant, albeit a little cramped (it only seats 40-some diners at a time). My eating buddy, Lisa, had helped me through a hard day at the Cherry Blossom Festival and we were in the classic quandary of where to eat on a Saturday night. Lisa mentioned she became acquainted with Jeff Banker by occasionally sitting next to him at a mutually-favorite sushi restaurant, Koo. It was a long-shot to get a table and calling, we confirmed they couldn't provide a table until 9:00 p.m. but there was always the possibility of grabbing a seat at the bar. We decided to risk it and walked up the hill, we were rewarded with two of the remaining four bar seats. I think when I go back, I will never bother with a table as we had much more fun chatting with our server, David, the sommelier, Colin, and occasionally Jeff Banker would stick his head out to say hello. While an extensive five-course prix fixe with wine pairing is available, we opted for a smaller tasting menu we which put together ourselves and the restaurant was more than accommodating in pouring us miniature carafes of wine (single pours, actually) for us to share. While waiting for our first official course, an amuse was sent out of spicy ahi tuna with Vietnamese slaw, crispy shallots, and peanuts. We were very happy a taste of this as it was high on our list of one of the courses we wanted. There was just enough light creamy dressing on the bright fresh ahi to complement the crunchy goodness of the slaw and shallots. To accompany our first course, we ordered a 2008 Matthiasson White Wine from the Napa Valley. A blend of semillon, sauvignon blanc, and ribolla gialla, the nose provided a clean aroma of lemon peel and stone fruit. The entry was clean and engaging and was a spectacular pairing with the house smoked trout on celery root latke with horseradish crème fraîche, pickled beets, and shaved fennel. The sauce was made from concentrated beets but it was the crunchy celery root latke which marveled. This was a great combination of fresh ingredients with rich trout and horseradish cream which could have overwhelmed, but did not. The wine brought out the smokiness of the trout without being oppressive yet also heightened the collection of vegetables. A really great beginning. Our next course was a torchon of foie gras served with pickled rhubarb, house-made brioche, and Sausalito Springs watercress which we paired with a wine recommended by Colin, a 2007 Domaine Belliviere l'Effraie chenin blanc. The wine produced a rich, tropical aroma and gave a bright entry of kumquat. The foie was simply prepared; a classic example of a properly-prepared torchon, yet heightened with large grilled slabs of the house-made brioche. The true stroke of genius was the pickled rhubarb and watercress. The tangy goodness made the foie that much creamier and also emphasized the exquisite nature of the kumquat tones in the wine. Absolutely lovely pairing with a foie offering that was both wholesome and delectable. After our two starters, we decided to share an entrée; Black pepper pappardelle with braised shortribs, wild mushrooms, English peas, and shaved pecorino. This was paired with a 2006 Occhipinti Siccagno Nero d'Avola. While we were pretty happy with our first two courses, here we reached a new level of richness. The pappardelle was handkerchief thin, laden with earthy mushrooms which were punctuated by the bright spurts of the English peas. Once again, we had a wine pairing that blew us out of the water; muted fruit of dark cherry and black olive on the nose opened up to earthy tastes of smoky tobacco, mushroom, and a delicate eucalyptus at the very finish. The creamy sauce in our entrée had a touch of truffle oil which provided an exciting counter-balance to the earthiness in the wine. This is a very rich dish and I could definitely see myself ordering it again on my own, but just to assure I had leftovers for breakfast. I am not sure I could see ordering and consuming an entire order in one sitting, but it could be fun to try. Of course we ordered dessert, strawberry-filled PB&J doughnuts with peanut butter dipping sauce. Our diner completed, David advised us that the doughnuts are normally served in threes and would we like four on our order since we were sharing. Trying to watch the ever-growing waistline, three should be more than enough, thanks. The elongated plate arrived with perfectly round globes of wonder. Warm and crunchy, this was Jelly Doughnut Nirvana with warm, house-made strawberry jam filling oozing out with the first bite (a rarity!). So often with a jelly doughnut, one must eat through a third or a half of the doughnut before the jelly appears. Encrusted with granulated sugar, we took our first bites naked, without the dipping sauce and with that first unctuous fruit hitting our taste buds, smiles and groans were immediately emitted. The cake structure was light and spongy with a superb amount of tooth to the crunchy exterior. The dipping sauce was made of three simple ingredients; peanut butter, cream, and powdered sugar. The doughnut-alone-bite was perfectly lovely, but laden with the creamy sauce, one is transported back to childhood with a primal memory of wholesome goodness which has been elevated to elegance while still maintaining that sense of familial comfort. The biggest problem for me is that these are available to me within walking distance and I could see a serious addiction burgeoning. Dinner pics on Feast and doughnuts pics on FriedDoughHo.

I have not been to the new Quince yet. I did got to Baker and Banker last evening (in the old Quince space) and was VERY pleasantly surprised. I'll be writing a full report with pictures in the next day or so, but quickly, I'll say that hanging out at the bar for a quick meal will be very easy for me to do. A girlfriend and I shared a smoked trout salad, foie, pappardale with short rib and mushrooms and English peas, and jelly doughnuts for dessert. Spectacular. I think you would be happy trying some West Coast seafood and I would recommend you hit a sushi bar (if you like it raw) or one of our better fish restaurants; Bar Crudo, Ame, Anchor & Hope, or Tadich Grill. The latter two are open for lunch.

Tonto, you are hitting all the "biggies" and I wonder if you aren't going to suffer from a little palate fatigue with so much haute cuisine on your list. And Quince is far from low key. The latest Ubuntu rumors is that it is just fine, but there is no new innovation; new chef Aaron London is relying on those tried and true recipes which he learned under Chef Jeremy Fox. But these are reports from people who have never been there and are impressed with the innovation of what is being done with vegetables. I'll be going back at the end of the month (probably just for lunch) to see how it is holding up, but I am far more interesting to learn where Chef Jeremy lands. Some recommendations I would make for your spare dinner would be Aziza, Canteen, or something that showcases a cuisine you can't get where you live (which is???). We have some really great Burmese restaurants which is great for lunch, many are hot-and-bothered for Slanted Door as one of America's premiere Vietnamese. I'm also a huge fan of SPQR, a small plates restaurant with a Roman theme.

What else have you put on your list?

Nope. We are all still waiting, with baited breath. Not even a word on location yet. But you should probably consider Commis in Oakland. The chef, James Syhabout, just won Top 10 new Chef in the country for Food and Wine Magazine.

It is called Fried Dough Ho. It is not limited to doughnuts, but I will be eating and reviewing beignets, churros, and Korean yakgwa. While I know there are a handful of doughnut blogs out there, I'll be investigating the historical and cultural existence of fried dough in all its glory. I don't think there is an ethnicity that DOESN'T have fried dough in some form. Join me for the adventure!

I imagine that there are some decent restaurants which offer take-out sushi, but I've never bothered with them. When I get lazy and want take-out sushi, I usually just buy it at Nijiya Market in J-Town. Not sure what to say about Rolls; I don't get those much any more since I moved out of Fairfield (I had a soft spot for Yo Sushi and their rolls). For Creative, I go to Koo and their Spoonfulls of Happiness. <sigh> Best Omakase is Kiss, but that is more than just sushi. Best Kaiseki is Kappa, hands-down. I will add that Kappou Gomi is worthy of note. They don't have sushi. But they *do* serve sashimi and are hands-down, THE most authentic Japanese restaurant in San Francisco proper. They are also an amazing Kaiseki, but larger than the more intimate Kappa -- possibly better...

Kristin ~ the best and most prolific Mexican and South American is found in the Mission district which is a little outside the 2-mile parameter, unfortunately. But, bear in mind, the entire city of San Francisco is really only about six miles from end-to-end, so the entire city is very easily accessible by a bus or two. The Mission is about 3.5 miles from the Wharf. Also, the BEST ban minh in the city is Saigon Sandwich on Larkin, which is adjacent to the Tenderloin which some people are sketchy about walking through, but I have honestly never had any problems. VERY near the Mission (less than six blocks) is Tartine bakery as well as Bi-Rite Ice Cream, which you should definitely try. I've heard rumor of a few new sandwich shops so I'll get back to you on those.

Instead of Kitchen Calculator, I use Convert because it includes lots of over conversion possibilities. I am one of those freaky people who categorize my applications; I have a page for Food apps, one for travel, one for games, one for maps, one for news, one for art, one for tech, and one for communication. Oh yeah, the first page for all the other stuff. My Food Page has: AroundMe Cheap Eats Crazy Menu Epicurious Foodbuzz GoMeals GrubHub Urbanspoon iSushi OpenTable Vintages WinePrices 42Lite BigOven

My first thought would be Zare at the Flytrap. Hoss Zare is one of those Middle Eastern chefs doing slightly upscale, California cuisine with a twist. I love his smoked trout and cucumber salad and I have had great solo meals dining at the bar and noshing my way through appetizers. Consider the lamb tongue... Zare Menu

I would normally agree, but a visitor from another country is unlikely to want to rent a car when this is such a walkable city. They are much better off going to Larkin Express Deli for Burmese since it is only a few blocks away from Union Square. I prefer LIttle Yangon, but I would never recommend it to tourists as it involves so much travel time and a vehicle. Yes. Well, mostly. It is just horrifically over-priced for what you get (a $50 chicken????) when there is so much better in the city for the price.

Patrick, that helps a lot! Do you eat oysters? When I was in Britain last year and loved how oysters from Ireland tastes so much different and you might want to consider tasting some from the West Coast (I recommend Swan's Oyster Bar). Also, yes, you might want to consider some Mexican food in the Mission. Definitely go to the Ferry Plaza on Saturday morning and just nosh your way through the whole place for breakfast and into lunch.

I'm afraid that I am a Coi detractor. If you read through the entire Coi thread, my post from last year while dining with Ulterior Epicure had him loving it and me feeling pretty disappointed. Patrick, you didn't state where you are coming from which, for me, has a great impact on what to recommend. There is no way I would suggest a Mexican restaurant to someone who is visiting from Los Angeles, for example. Way better down south. What I will recommend because we seem to have cornered the market and no one else has mentioned is Burmese food. On a budget, you can't beat Larkin Express Deli near Union Square but if you want a fancier, slightly more expensive version (in a less shaky neighborhood), then you should definitely hit Burma Superstar. Quite honestly, I don't know why anyone would recommend a French restaurant in San Francisco (note: NOT "San Fran"). Good French can be found in most major metropolitan cities and while our offerings are just fine (Fleur de Lys, Chapeau, et al), if you are only here for a few days, than I think there are better restaurants to try. Aziza, for example; high-end, exceptional Moroccan in a haute cuisine presentation (no belly dancers, thank goodness!) Annachan's recommendation on Kappou Gomi is spot on; the most AUTHENTIC Japanese in California (and I tend to recommend Japanese restaurants in Gardena over any in San Francisco). Exceptional and unusual. SPQR for great Roman food. And around town nibbles which are highly suggested: Tartine bakery for breakfast foods, Bi-Rite creamery and/or Humphrey Slocumbe is a MUST for ice cream, and the Ferry Plaza on a Saturday morning.

I've been a terrine maker for years and I heartily recommend the collapsible ones; just a regular loaf pan and you risk not being able to get it out cleanly. I personally don't like the Le Creuset unless it is one that I am going to serve from the pan, but the pics you provided are fully removed and would be better suited to a collapsible model. This kind has been used for years and is similar to some of the models I use.

I haven't been a La Toque fan for some time and I'm not sure the move did them any good. *The* Restaurant to try when visiting Napa is Ubuntu; yes, it is vegetarian, but what Jeremy Fox is doing with vegetables is nothing short of revolutionary and I defy anyone to miss eating meat (I'm an omnivore). With very few exceptions, Ubuntu is on my Top-Five Restaurant list in the whole country. Alternately, for me, I don't see the purpose of going to Rutherford Grill. It is nothing more than a glorified Houston's and not that special compared to other restaurants in the valley.

You can't go to Santa Barbara and NOT eat at La Super-Rica.

Ditto on Geofrey's -- What time is your reservation? Only if it is clear and you are seated by 4:30 or 5:00 will it be worthwhile to see a sunset. If it is cloudy or rainy, you aren't going to see anything but a big, black span and not get very good food.

Any body know anything about this? Lots of famous folks in attendance... Clickety

I am heading to Vegas this weekend and when I was there last June, went to Alex for my "special" birthday meal (solo) but met a bunch of people at Boulud which ended up being more memorable. Alex was stunning and I had no problem being a single diner there and it was certainly exceptional. Boulud worked better with a group because the portions were large and benefited from sharing. You can search back into my blog for Boulud pics and I'm ashamed to say I never got around to writing up the Alex meal (I will soon, I promise). However, check about the status of Boulud as it is scheduled to close soon. I may check on it this weekend, but am deliberately NOT planning on where I am eating this time and leaving it to whimsy.