San Francisco, where do the locals eat?

[Randall Stickrod]

Chowfun – Well. This is my first post here, and I hope I can be useful to you.

First things first. Lunch on the way to Point Reyes. My first choice is the Buckeye Roadhouse, just off the Stinson Beach exit (and you don’t have to drive all the way into Mill Valley). Buckeye is simply perfect, just what the name conjures up. I won’t even try to describe it.

You asked about Japanese, irrespective of cost. The coolest (and maybe priciest) Japanese in town is Ozumo on Steuart Street just off the Embarcadero. A gorgeous place with a matching menu and an impressive BP bar scene on weekday nights. Otherwise, my neighborhood favorite is Toraya on Fillmore near Pine. Interesting robata grill and impeccable dishes.

Breakfast? My favorite is Home Plate on Lombard at Pierce. Haven’t been there in awhile but they have creative and perfectly executed breakfast dishes that you’ll just not find anywhere else. Expect to wait outside on weekends.

Tana’s Habana is a good bet with the kids, though we go there to eat at the bar, which is a lively scene and great fun because of the very cool bartender, Jason (who is on the verge of buying the place) and who is developing a specialty in high-end rums. He treated me to a snifter of an amazing Venezuelan Aniversario recently, which was sublime in the way a very old cognac can be. A near-religious experience.

Mexican? My all-time fave is still Café Marimba on Chestnut Street (just off Lombard on the way to the GG Bridge). Exquisitely prepared Oaxacan and Yucatan specialties that I’ve never seen anywhere else. The best!

And just down the street a block or two, the only Chinese restaurant we go to any more, Dragon Well. Extremely popular, and for good reason.

Undecided? If you’re in the same neighborhood, the block of Steiner between Lombard and Chestnut has around a dozen restaurants, all fairly casual and all good to great, including Isa, which has achieved a certain iconic status here.

Speaking of neighborhoods, the four-block stretch of Polk between Union and Broaday is a treasure trove of terrific food opportunities, including the over-priced and (I think) over-rated La Folie. I think the best fish restaurant (except the Biggies, Aqua and Farallon ) in the City is there, Pesce, though it’s a bit small and maybe not so kid-friendly. If Pesce is full, a few doors down is my #2 choice, Yabbie’s Coastal Kitchen.

Probably our most consistent favorite, though, is Zuni. But only in a narrow window, Sunday afternoons between around 3 and 5. It’s somewhat calm, the transitional menu is limited but superb, and best of all, you can sit downstairs and watch the kitchen prep for dinner. It’s a show so good you should be charged extra for it, watching Judy Rogers making the rounds of the stations, tasting things, tweaking the preparations. And if you care about such things, the people watching there is first-rate. Visiting celebs like that time because they’re least likely to be hassled.

[tanabutler]

Well, well, well, folks, that is straight from my Most-Trusted Foodie Friend. Randall has lived in San Francisco since 1979, with an eight-year stint with a vineyard in the Alexander Valley (where he would stay on some weekends).

I know he dines out a couple of times a week, but even more amazing is that he does all the shopping and cooking in his house. Such a mensch!

He's got fabulous taste, and he is about as well-connected as a mortal in the city can be.

I'm glad he finally posted. Yay.

[ludja]

Also, because the next day is Christmas, we need to pick up some stuff for lunch  to keep in our hotel fridge.  Any suggestions for picking up some good lunch stuff, and snacks?  There is a gourmet shop in Olema, but I have to check the timing to see if we will make it before it closes.  Otherwise we need to pick something up in San Francisco or on the way.

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Pick up excellent sandwiches, salads, wines, cheeses, including cowgirl creamery cheeeses and a small selection of baked goods at Tomales Bay Foods in Pt. Reyes Station. They have wines also. Also, around the corner on the main drag is a regular supermarket that you could supplement supplies with.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Welcome aboard, Randall!

Great suggestions -- now I'm intrigued by Ozuma and will have to check it out (loving Japanese food probably more than any other cuisine!).

I also completely concur with the Zuni suggestion for Sundays. Squeat Mungry introduced Shawn and I to Zuni on a Sunday and having driven past it on other times, don't think I'll ever go anytime other than a Sunday afternoon. I was there last Sunday and there was something on the menu akin to Bread Soup to die for. And a special Pine Nut Tart that was complete perfection! (A crust ALMOST as good as Ludja's!)

[tanabutler]

Also, because the next day is Christmas, we need to pick up some stuff for lunch  to keep in our hotel fridge.  Any suggestions for picking up some good lunch stuff, and snacks?  There is a gourmet shop in Olema, but I have to check the timing to see if we will make it before it closes.  Otherwise we need to pick something up in San Francisco or on the way.

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Pick up excellent sandwiches, salads, wines, cheeses, including cowgirl creamery cheeeses and a small selection of baked goods at Tomales Bay Foods in Pt. Reyes Station. They have wines also. Also, around the corner on the main drag is a regular supermarket that you could supplement supplies with.

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If you're going for picnic supplies in San Francisco, your one-stop shop would be the Ferry Building Marketplace. Seriously. There is absolutely everything you could wish for there, and the variety is staggering. Cowgirl Creamery, the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, meats, fish, oysters, Lu Lu Petite (great pre-made sandwiches), Mistral (rosticcerie meats, etc.), Acme Bread Company, and chocolates and confections galore. And we all know that anyone who doesn't go there owes me a box of Kleenex.

Edited November 21, 2004 by tanabutler (log)

[chowfun]

Speaking of Lulu, is it still around? We have had some good meals there.

[Randall Stickrod]

Lulu is still there, last I looked. A perennial favorite, I've never been disappointed there.

[rancho_gordo]

Mexican? My all-time fave is still Café Marimba on Chestnut Street (just off Lombard on the way to the GG Bridge). Exquisitely prepared Oaxacan and Yucatan specialties that I’ve never seen anywhere else. The best!

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Hi and Welcome, Randall. I love your name.

When was the last time you ate at Marimba? I almost lived there when it first opened. It was the most exciting thing- my cuisine finally done right and beyond my expectations. They even catered my wedding* at the Maritime museum with a whole suckling pig. But then slowly it started going downhill and then Reed left and then there were burritos on the menu and the atmosphere was more like a Tijuana frat weekend than a culinary adventure. I haven't been in 5 years but I haven't heard anything positive since then either. I would love to hear that they've gone back to their roots.

*Buy me a drink sometime and I'll tell you THAT story!

[tanabutler]

*Buy me a drink sometime and I'll tell you THAT story!

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Bartender? Set 'em up!

[jschyun]

Yeah, waiter? Give him a double.

[Randall Stickrod]

RG - Yeah, well, not much I can do about the name thing. I'm too lazy to invent a pseud.

I think of Marimba as being very schizo. I stopped going there for dinner years ago, but we still love it for weekend lunches. The quality and uniqueness of the food is still right up there, though the service is mediocre and turnover seems high.

Hold that thought about the drink. I'm game.

Very cool about catering your wedding....

[ludja]

Welcome aboard, Randall!

Great suggestions -- now I'm intrigued by Ozuma and will have to check it out (loving Japanese food probably more than any other cuisine!).

I also completely concur with the Zuni suggestion for Sundays. Squeat Mungry introduced Shawn and I to Zuni on a Sunday and having driven past it on other times, don't think I'll ever go anytime other than a Sunday afternoon. I was there last Sunday and there was something on the menu akin to Bread Soup to die for. And a special Pine Nut Tart that was complete perfection!  (A crust ALMOST as good as Ludja's!)

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Thanks Carolyn!

I admit I like Zuni even during 'reg hours' --but I agree it is a great experience to be there on Sunday afternoons. It's very laid back and the bar and restaraunt are also very nice during the day; sunlight flooding through all the glass or fog swirling around outside. I have also had a good time there with the 'late menu' with the Zuni burger w/pickled red onions, etc and their great shoestring fries.

Welcome Randall and thanks for the reminder re:Pesce. I've been wanting to check that out for awhile but it fell off my radar.

Edited November 22, 2004 by ludja (log)

[Malik]

Great suggestions -- now I'm intrigued by Ozuma and will have to check it out (loving Japanese food probably more than any other cuisine!).

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Ozumo is very good, though it can get quite pricey depending on what you order. I find the non-sushi more interesting personally. They also have a very good sake list, most of which can be ordered by the glass.

For Southern California board members, it looks like they will be opening another location in Newport Beach soon.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Great suggestions -- now I'm intrigued by Ozuma and will have to check it out (loving Japanese food probably more than any other cuisine!).

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Ozumo is very good, though it can get quite pricey depending on what you order. I find the non-sushi more interesting personally. They also have a very good sake list, most of which can be ordered by the glass.

For Southern California board members, it looks like they will be opening another location in Newport Beach soon.

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Thanks, Malik! Can you tell me what sort of non-sushi items they might have that is a bit different? I'm used to the standard teriyaki this or that but I'm curious if they go to the extent of serving those mushroom-custard cups (sorry, I don't know the Japanese name)? Maybe even Sukiyaki with raw egg?

Also, have you ever eaten at Grasshopper? That was one place that impressed me with their sake list and I'd like to experiment more with various sakes...

Edited November 23, 2004 by Carolyn Tillie (log)

[Randall Stickrod]

You can check Ozumo's menu online (ozumo.com). A little pricey but interesting, complex, sophisticated. Plus it's simply a beautiful place to sit and indulge yourself.

I'm partial to unfiltered sakes served cold. I don't think I could ever drink an ordinary hot sake again. Some, like my favorite Shirikagawa (hope I spelled that right) come served in little square wooden boxes. It seems a bit precious but it works.

[Carolyn Tillie]

You can check Ozumo's menu online (ozumo.com). A little pricey but interesting, complex, sophisticated. Plus it's simply a beautiful place to sit and indulge yourself.

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That is a perfectly stunning website -- Foie Gras with Unagi is right up my alley! Looks as though I'll have to get there before the holidays.

Thanks, Randall!

[tanabutler]

There is a place called The House that I think is one of Randall's oft-visited places. We went there for a business lunch once, and the food was fantastic. He had pork-fried noodles, and I had quail because it was the last one left on the specials menu and I love quail. The salad was great, and they have a good assortment of sakes. I wish I could find my little Moleskine from earlier this year, so I could post a more detailed description, but I do remember that one of the descriptors in a very delicious sake: apricot blossoms. (I think.)

I don't know the name of the neighborhood, but the client is near Montgomery and Broadway, so it's around there. Walking distance, anyway.

But Randall can tell you more: it's his spot.

[Randall Stickrod]

Tana, The House is in North Beach on upper Grant, just off Columbus. It's a genuine treasure, best power-to-weight ratio in the City, I think. Wonderful, occasionally inventive dishes, always perfectly executed. I tend to forget about it, and can't imagine why.

I know they opened another one out in the Sunset somewhere, but I have no idea how that compares.

[Malik]

Tana, The House is in North Beach on upper Grant, just off Columbus. It's a genuine treasure, best power-to-weight ratio in the City, I think. Wonderful, occasionally inventive dishes, always perfectly executed.  I tend to forget about it, and can't imagine why.

I know they opened another one out in the Sunset somewhere, but I have no idea how that compares.

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The House and Cafe Kati are offen mentioned as successful Fusion restaurants. The branch of The House in the Sunset closed down a few months back, they've decided to focus on the original one in North Beach.

[Malik]

Also, have you ever eaten at Grasshopper? That was one place that impressed me with their sake list and I'd like to experiment more with various sakes...

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I have eaten at Grasshopper a few times, but I never ordered sake there, always ended up going for wine instead. One of the most unexpected places with a decent Sake list is Memphis Minnies, the barbecue restaurant in the Lower Haight in San Francisco. The owner feels that sake is the perfect match for barbecue.

[fiftydollars]

...then there were burritos on the menu...

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Well said!

[Malik]

I'm partial to unfiltered sakes served cold. I don't think I could ever drink an ordinary hot sake again. Some, like my favorite Shirikagawa (hope I spelled that right) come served in little square wooden boxes. It seems a bit precious but it works.

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Do you mean filtered sakes served cold? Unfiltered sake (Nigori-zake) is the cloudy one that's sometimes a little sweet. I didn't see any on the Ozumo website other than in the Sweet/Dessert Sake section.

As for sake served hot, it's almost always reserved for lower quality sake. Better sakes are normally served either chilled (but not too cold) or room temperature. For more info than you ever wanted to know about Sake, check out John Gauntner's website.

[chowfun]

Thank you, Malik, for the sake website. That is a dizzying amount of information.

[Randall Stickrod]

Malik - No, I meant unflitered cold sake. The one I like most is quite neutral, not sweet at all (to my taste, anyway). I've had others that I considered too sweet to accompany food, but not this one. I need to specify it properly and find a link .....

I've not had it at Ozumo, but regularly at Yoshida-ya on Webster off Union where we go now and then. The food is not particularly noteworthy, but the ryokan-like ambience is appealing on wintry San Francisco nights.

[bong]

Also, have you ever eaten at Grasshopper? That was one place that impressed me with their sake list and I'd like to experiment more with various sakes...

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Is this the Grasshopper in on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley/Oakland border?

They used to serve an awesome calamari dish. Sadly, I havent been to the place in the last 2 years or so, not sure how they are doing these days...