Discovering San Francisco

[Carolyn Tillie]

Monday's Columbus Day was a gorgeous day in the city and I thought touring the Navy vessels as the latter part of Fleet Week might be fun. Sadly, there isn't much I'll do that involve standing in a queue for two hours so finding myself near Butterly [Pier 33 @ Bay Street, the Embarcadero, San Francisco = 415.864.8999] for a light lunch.

Despite an interesting cocktail menu, I was drawn to a three-glass Riesling sampler, what they call the Butterfly flight; Domaines Schlumberger "Les Princes Abbes" Alsace 2004, Gainey Vineyard Santa Ynes Valley 2003, and Saint M Dr. Loosen Pfaltz Germany 2005.

These went reasonably well with the two appetizers I ordered; Duck Confit Spring Rolls served with a Chinese hot mustard & honey dipping sauce and Kahlua Pig with Butter Lettuce Cups served with hoisin sauce and toasted cashews with green onions.

For Asian-inspired bar food, the spring rolls were quite good - very light, crispy wrappers, perfectly fried. Honestly, the meat inside could have been duck confit or pork or chicken. It really didn't matter. The sauce was interesting in that accompanied with the rolls, there was an obvious sweetness which I thought might overwhelm upon entry, but which expanded in the mouth to a pretty decent mustard spice.

The Kahlua Pig with lettuce cups was very ample and between the two dishes, far more food than one person could possibly eat. The butter lettuce was a nice change from the classic head lettuce used in lettuce cup offerings. The pork was riddled with a fine dice of assorted bell peppers; orange, yellow, and red. both the pork and the hoisin was topped with toasted cashews which were so finely chopped as to actually look like finely grated cheese or Brazilian yucca powder.

Not bad for an afternoon interpose because I stumbled on it, but hardly a destination restaurant for me.

[Carolyn Tillie]

There was a little skuttlebutt about Plumpjack Cafe when Chef James Syhabout decamped just weeks after receiving a Rising Chef award to return to his Manresa alma mater. The restaurant was handed over the Syhabout's sous, Tyson Greenwood, and for at least a few dishes, Greenwood is proving his worth.

I sat down alone last evening, a little overwhelmed at how many dishes I wanted to try. I spied what was described as a caramelized foie gras which sounded intriguing but so did the soup. In chatting with my waiter, he let me know that he would be more than happy to serve me half-portions of both soup and salad and so I ordered the foie and an entree as well.

While the foie was described as caramelized, it was actually two large slices of a thin torchon. Very creamy and well-accompanied with greens, cracked pepper, fresh apple slices, barley, hazelnuts, and a very lightly sweet fruit sauce. I am so used to (and frankly bored with) foie being prepared in an overly sweet manner and this was an extremely delightful start with the barley, nuts, and pepper adding great complementary components to the hint of sweetness in the sauce and perfectly prepared foie gras. This was started with a Riesling Auslese, the name of which I did not bother writing down.

The next course was a pea tendril soup with pickled huitlacoche. It will be absolutely impossible for me to not overemphasize the brilliance of this course. I was completely stunned, first with the presentation -- a small bowl of black pickled huitlacoche served as the waiter poured the magnificently dark green rich soup over the rare offering. I have never seen a green like this before in any food offering. The intensity of the soup was sparked by a spice which, when I asked, was informed to be a Spanish paprika. I can't remember having a soup of this complexity and brilliance before.

Next I had a half serving of salad of wild arugula with Pink Lady apples, Endigia endive & wweet Vermouth vinaigrette. Nice enough for a salad, but hardly awe inspiring.

I ordered a main entree knowing full well I would be bringing it home for lunch. In this case, Sonoma game hen with collard greens and mushrooms. I'm sorry I didn't jot down the mushroom breed as it was a most flavorful component on the plate. There was a sauce of some sort but not enough to add much to the dish. The game hen was well-prepared, juicy, and tender and I am always pleased with the addition of otherwise bourgeois vegetables like collards. Besides, I was still thinking about that soup...

I finished up the meal with a poached pear, honey yogurt, and burnt caramel madeleines. This was paired with a Bonny Doon late-harvest Roussanne. This was a very nice dessert in that -- again -- it was not too sweet. Normally, an ice cream would be served with the pear but the addition of a slightly tangy, obviously house-made frozen yogurt served to heighten the sweetness in the pear. Also, the miniature madeleines were obviously baked immediately upon ordering as they were warm and tender to the touch.

A word on service; as is often true, I was solo and the staff were very accommodating in offering me half-orders on a number of dishes. Also there was something I had never seen before; when I sat in the booth, facing the interior of the restaurant, the empty chair across the table from me was seamlessly removed. I didn't realize it until half-way through the meal but that is actually a very nice touch to not be reminded that one is dining alone.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Like most of us, I have very mixed feelings about buffets. I had a weekend guest from Portland and my friends had guests from Japan and the Philippines so we decided to pool our resources for a host a farewell party at Top of the Mark. Sadly the morning was a little foggy so the intent of showing off the skyline was somewhat lost on our friends. No worries, the food made up for it. I honestly was not anticipating much as I had been warned that "the caviar wasn't very impressive but the lox and house-cured gravlax was great. Oysters were decent too! They only serve one glass of champagne on the house so we brought two bottles..$25 corkage."

Well I found the caviar to be quite delightful and our glasses of champagne were refilled endlessly throughout the entire meal.

The lox and gravlax were great and the other fish enjoyed included tons of crab, oysters, and large shrimp. Two carving stations included a turkey and a rather decent prime rib. This standard upscale buffet also provided the standard omelet and waffles made to order. For cold service, there was a huge bounty of pre-made salads, a large platter of prosciutto with melon, cheeses which included Humboldt Fog, and roasted vegetables. I bypassed the mounds of bread products (sweet rolls, pastries, and small baguettes) as well as huge bowls of fresh fruit. The hot service included lamb chops, standard (but quality) breakfast meats, herbed potatoes, wild mushroom benedicts, chive-shirred eggs, and roast chicken. The dessert portion showed some freshly-made warm bread pudding, large cakes like green tea cheesecake, chocolate decadence, and creme caramel. I opted for smaller finger-sized eclairs, tarts, and macarons. My friends had never seen a chocolate fountain and enjoyed dunking some fresh fruit in that novelty.

[Carolyn Tillie]

My favorite hair dresser is located in the Lower Haight so it is only every six weeks or so that I get to that neighborhood. I am working on eating my way around that area though, but only just discovered RNM Restaurant [598 Haight St., SF, 94117, 415.551.7900].

I joined my hairdresser for a post-coif meal on Tuesday to much delight. We both ordered cocktails to start; he a Cosmopolitan and I, an "Aviation" with Gin, lime juice, and maraschino liqueur (quite tangy!) We both ordered salads to share; a grilled Romaine which was served with St. Agur blue cheese, hazelnuts, and sliced apples with a champagne vinaigrette and a baby spinach salad accompanied with pomegranate seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds, sliced Black Mission figs, persimmon, and a vinaigrette. The grilled Romaine was stunning -- I had not ever had grilled lettuce and the smokiness from the char was a nice complement to the melting cheese. Having the two salads side-by-side was nice as we could go from hot and melty to cool and refreshing, both well-dressed and nicely plated.

Again, we decided to share entrées - ordering the rib eye steak and duck confit. The rib eye was pan-grilled and served with "a twice baked white truffle scented potato, yellow wax and blue lake beans, and oakville ranch cabernet butter." This was a really great steak. The beans were very fresh and the steak, perfectly grilled rare and tender. I didn't even mind the clichéd truffle scent on the potatoes. The duck confit was served on butternut squash risotto with huckleberry gastrique, prosciutto, brussels sprout leaves and toasted pumpkin seeds. This was an interesting combination, if not a bit on the salty side. Most of it was eaten as a left-over breakfast the following day and perhaps the saltiness was accentuated at that point.

For dessert, we decided to share an apple/blueberry crisp served with dulce de leche ice cream. This was a really stellar example - served in a shallow-enough dish to give an equal portion of warm, roasted fruit to a lightly buttery crunchy top. I thought the dulce de leche might be too sweet but it worked well.

I can see this restaurant as a great neighborhood establishment, moreso than a destination restaurant. The ambience is both slightly futuristic, with its metal mesh drapes and moderne lighting. I noticed a nearby table being given better glassware than we were offered. I asked for more decent glasses for our Havens syrah and a little scrambling occurred as I guess they just recently started to upgrade their wine service. Make sure to ask! The serving sizes were ample, the plating and timing worked well, and overall, a reasonable meal. Two cocktails, two salads, two entrées, a bottle of wine, a dessert with a small glass of dessert wine and tip came to just over $200. I wouldn't hesitate to visit again!

[Carolyn Tillie]

Based on a CH recommended, I headed to Cocina Poblano [1109 Fillmore St., San Francisco, 94415 - 415.447.8420] for lunch today. That is pretty rare as I have eaten considerably less Mexican food the further away from the border I have been moving. Not wanting to steer off the menu my first few times around, I was intrigued with the Super Veggie Burrito. Not because I am a vegetarian -- because I am not -- but because the ingredients started with Grilled Cactus. It also included mushrooms, rajas, potatoes, zucchini, onions, rice & beans, sour cream, cheese, salsa poblana, and guacamole.

What a fabulous burrito! With so many ingredients, I couldn't necessarily pick out the cactus, but the combination was really great and especially with the addition of a pumpkin seed salsa from their salsa bar. Just a bit spicy for me but not overwhelmingly so. Curious if Rancho Gordo (or anyone else) has ever seen pumpkin seed salsa before? Slightly creamy, like a hummus with a bite.

A tall glass of Jamaica and some side chips brought this great lunch to just over $10 and I couldn't even eat HALF the burrito. I'll definitely be back!

[Carolyn Tillie]

1300 Fillmore [1300 Fillmore, San Francisco, 94115 - 415.771.7100]

It didn't take much encouragement for me to wander over to this new neighborhood haunt. Dining alone, I opted for the bar instead of a more formal sit-down meal and knew immediately that I would be returning often. The vaulted brown ceilings invoked warmth and the generous leather chairs -- reminiscent of a classic British men's club -- were inviting and comfortable. I settled down in the lounge area to bask in the glowing wall of historical photographs and a gin-based French 75 while I perused the menu.

To taste through several of their offerings, I opted for the BBQ shrimp and creamy grits and the bourbon-braised pork belly with shelled white bean purée. While I was waiting, my server was kind enough to bring me some fresh cornbread with honey-truffle butter and red pepper jelly. I was concerned about potential heat with the red pepper jelly and was assured it was quite palatable which it was. Truffle-honey? Minimal truffle flavor and I imagine they are using one of those pre-mixed truffle honeys which add little, if no flavor. However the cornbread biscuits were good an the red pepper jelly was chunky and a nice contrast to the sweet butter.

I was a little concerned about the delay in receiving my two dishes and while waiting, ordered a Sidecar. Sure enough, when the plates arrived, I could immediately detect that the shrimp and grits had sat for a while the pork was being prepared as it was obviously piping hot. Both dishes were quite appetizing but I had a few minor complaints; on the shrimp and grits, there were five shrimp (which is fine), a hefty pour of excellent house-made BBQ sauce, but only *maybe* a half-a-cup of grits... WAY too little for the rest of the ingredients offered. You need to be able to slather all that saucy goodness into the grits but I was left with ample sauce and no grits. The pork belly was perfectly grilled with a crusty exterior, a good hefty layer of fat, and a beautiful bourbon glaze. My complaint? Pretty minor, actually... two long, dried orange peels being used as garnish. Silly me - I think that garnish should be edible but these were entirely dried and bitterly inedible.

Over all, I am quite thrilled actually. My criticisms are minor and the space is stunning. With entrée prices north of $25, it is questionable how often I will get back there, but with such a fabulous lounge space and knowing I can order everything off the menu in the bar, I might be more inclined to sample sides (braised greens and mac-n-cheese!) with a great cocktail. Then again, a Bouillabaisse that sports lobster and crab next to short ribs might be worthy of spending a little extra money now and then...

[Carolyn Tillie]

I stumbled past David's Delicatessen [474 Geary, near Union Square] from a Doctor's appointment and thought I had a perfect opportunity to get some home-made chicken soup to soothe my antibiotic-required strep throat and flu.

Being the nice girlfriend I am, I thought I would order a pastrami sandwich on rye with swiss cheese for my BF since I was there, as well as a small container of chopped liver (comfort food for the sick!).

I got home and opened my $9.00(!!!) container of chicken soup to discover thin, watery broth, two chunks of cauliflower and one chunk of chicken. One taste of the flavorless broth and into the trash it went.

Needing to eat *something*, I opened the chopped liver only to discover it was completely turned -- you can smell the smell of rotten food immediately and this definitely had that putrid, sharp aroma.

Lastly, the BF opened his sandwich to discover that no only was there no cheese, but that the meat (while piled quite high), was mostly fat.

How does this place stay in business?

[grayelf]

I stumbled past David's Delicatessen [474 Geary, near Union Square] from a Doctor's appointment and thought I had a perfect opportunity to get some home-made chicken soup to soothe my antibiotic-required strep throat and flu.

Being the nice girlfriend I am, I thought I would order a pastrami sandwich on rye with swiss cheese for my BF since I was there, as well as a small container of chopped liver (comfort food for the sick!).

I got home and opened my $9.00(!!!) container of chicken soup to discover thin, watery broth, two chunks of cauliflower and one chunk of chicken. One taste of the flavorless broth and into the trash it went.

Needing to eat *something*, I opened the chopped liver only to discover it was completely turned -- you can smell the smell of rotten food immediately and this definitely had that putrid, sharp aroma.

Lastly, the BF opened his sandwich to discover that no only was there no cheese, but that the meat (while piled quite high), was mostly fat.

How does this place stay in business?

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Many thanks for the warning -- we'll be back in April/May for a visit and stay near Union Square!