Swicks

I second Tapenade.

Funny, I have been thinking the opposite. ← Which part? That it was good or that it was food-centric?

Lets hope for your sake this doesn't become the bane of your existence....

Only 14 seats? wow...good luck eating there anytime soon. Sounds vaguely familiar to what Schwa in Chicago was like.

I thought London/Edinburgh was phenomenal. I am really like that this season seems to be more "food-centric" than some of the previous seasons which to me were more generally "travel-centric".

Not sure if it is too late here but... Definitely check out this thread with lots of suggestions, its a great source of current and past places from a local: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=79681 Unfortunately its locked now but it was always very helpful for me as a regular visitor of San Francisco.

I would agree with going to both, as I did when I visited. Though, I think it is important to note that many consider the noodles at Noodle Bar to be merely ok. (Im no connosiour so when I went I thought they were awesome), so maybe a plan is to go to Ssam Bar then go to another noodle place because most of the interesting non-noodle type items can be found at Ssam Bar as well. But if you want noodles as well as some "haute items" then the noodle bar warrants a trip. Can any regulars lend some opinions on this? I have only been to each once and it was last year, so I am hardly an expert. *edited cause I am an etrocious speeler.

I thought the Greece show was a little bit disappointing...it was more like just Crete... I really liked the cookout on the beach though.

Can we talk about how amazing it would be to be in the kitchen cooking with David Chang? Man those pork dishes looked amazing.....

You might want to consider a16 as well though i think it is similar to Perbacco

I'm surprised there hasn't been much discussion of the new season of NR, I think it has been really really great so far, light years better than some of the weak episodes of last season. Vancouver last night was awesome. Nari Kye.... ...cuter than a basket of baby koalas.

As far as I'm concerned one of the only reasons left to watch the Food Network.

Nice report Jason, I am not even going to comment on that list of wines.... Good to know about RJ, I'll have to ask for him next time around.

Had two meals recently.... Dinner, had the bangers and mash. Very good, great sausage from Fra Mani, perfectly creamy potatoes and the linchpin of the dish, sweet caramelized leeks in a light gravy. It was perfect with a beer on a cold evening, savory, warm and very homey. While portion size up to this point had been pretty right on I thought this serving was just a little bit too small. Lunch, had the cubano. Pretty straight forward interpretation, great bread and nicely crisped on the press. I also sampled the fish and chips which were great as well, light batter and moist fish. The curry tartar sauce was a nice touch. The fries were good as always. A $2 charge for a small cup of tomato marmalade to go with the fries I thought was completely unnecessary and disappointing. As of today they are now open for lunch which was delightfully uncrowded today. It is a separate menu with more salads and most of the favorites from the dinner menu. I expect most of my next few visits will be during lunch due to previously mentioned issues with the crowds. Unfortunately I haven't made it in for brunch yet but I am going to try this weekend...

When we went the 3-course lunch deal had a starter (salad), your choice of one of two entrees (steak or scallops) and a dessert. The only "choice" was in the entree. I think they've been offering it for some time as I've seen it on previous trips. ← Interesting....its been awhile since I have been back, yet another reason to get in there! Sounds like a steal, its $20 not including drinks, tax and tip? Also....Russell...looks like you finally made the trip, I look forward to your report.

This lunch menu sounds like quite the deal! Can someone give me a bit more info? Is it just a set few items from the menu or is it the whole menu?

Ughh . . . no kidding! There's something to be said about ordering the right drink in the right environment. A high-end steakhouse? A nice cold martini. A Mexican restaurant? A margarita. Japanese beer or Sake seem to be appropriate for Sushi. A pub? Umm . . . maybe a beer? As in, they spent a ton of time and energy putting a nice list of draft and bottle beer together, specifically designed to compliment the food? Maybe you might want to skip the "Cosmopolitan", and go for a wheat beer. ← Amen to that, couldn't have said it better myself. I think I am going to check out their brunch tomorrow.

Interesting... As a non-native who visited last year in March for the first time I can say there are some really good suggestions on here that should be heeded. Personally I think if you visit NYC and skip Momo Ssam Bar you are missing out big time. I literally still crave it to this day, it is extraordinary. I had dim sum at Chinatown Brasserie, it was excellent.

Yes, well thankfully I wasn't sitting at the bar directly so i didn't have people pushing up against me trying to order Grey Goose and Tonics.

Went in for dinner last night, some hits and misses. I got there about 5:45 and it was moderately crowded but by the time I left and hour later it was getting packed and annoying. I sat at one of the high tables rather than the bar itself and I can definitely echo Jason's sentiments about how it would be annoying to eat directly at the bar with people jostling for drinks. This is a shame. I hope that in a few months the major crowds die down and it develops into a comfortable level in which regulars don't have to fight the hoards. Onto the food....I started with the blue crab deviled eggs, just delicious. This was the perfect bar snack and went great with the beer. I then moved onto the mussels which can be hit or miss depending on freshness and preparation. These unfortunately were a miss for me. Primarily I think they were past their peak as they had a bit of "funk" that didn't seem totally right. Additionally the preparation didn't really deliver, it was a basic preparation with garlic, wheat beer, saffron and tomatos that sounded good on the menu but flavorwise it just didn't deliver, the broth (arguably the best part) was lacking that big flavor punch. Additionally the bowl was way too small which made it difficult to access the broth itself. The fries it was served with were however very delicious and served with a tomato jam and an garlic aioli. As mentioned before portion sizes were right on. I enjoyed two different beers, Hoegarten, a german white beer and a Heavenly Hefewiezen from a Pasadena brewery, both were excellent and complemented the food well. So on the whole a bit of a disappointing second visit but mainly due to the poor quality of the mussels. I may try and get in for brunch this weekend as their brunch menu looks awesome.

As always, another nice report Jason. I am going in for a bite tonight. They now have their brunch menu up on the website, some awesome selections: http://www.crowbarcdm.com/pdf/crowbar_brunch.pdf

Ame, Quince, and A16, all excellent choices I forgot to mention, I heartily second those.

Unfortunately I am in Newport Beach (SoCal) so no D&D acess, though there is one coming right near me at Fashion Island in 2009.

I'm with kiliki on this. Part of it is they now have a whole hour to fill, whereas CT was only a half-hour. It still seems like they struggle for content to fill up that time. I liked the part with Ariane Daguin, and the segment on foie gras. Loved the opening of the champagne! ← How could I forget....Ariane Daguin is a goddess, a force of good in a world that is increasingly becoming evil. I salute her.

I have been catching up on this thread as I am doing some pork belly for christmas dinner to accompany a rack of pork. Does anyone have a few good recipes? I would prefer one that braises (for tenderness) and then with a crisp up at the end. What about sauce ideas? I like the ideah of one on the sweeter side with some acid to cut the richness, perhaps fruit based? Thanks for the the help!