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Posts Tagged ‘Food’

Great typical French brasserie. Thonet bentwood chairs, dimly lit, and chic menu typography. La nourriture…c’est TBD.UPDATE on Cafe des Amis (2000 Union at Buchanan):

  • Sauvignon Blance aux pichet (by the carafe!) . . . delicieux!
  • French onion soup . . . to die for!
  • Hanger steak-frites . . . overcooked (medium was medium well), semi-bland, but bearnaise sauce was scrumptious.
  • Upside down almond cake with plums . . . indulgent!
  • Complimentary mini 1″ square salted brownie . . . perhaps the definitive reason I’ll be returning asap!

P.S. The lovely Eggplant Elephant was my dinner date!

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    I’ve never eaten at the Afghan restaurant Helmand Palace (Van Ness between Union and Green), mostly because it just looks like a hole-in-the-wall and secondly because I don’t know much about Afghan cuisine. But, Michael of the S.O.F.A.T. blog (Stories of Food and Travel) dined there recently, and reading about his experience has convinced me to try it.
    Here’s how he describes the qabalee: “A mound of rice that, once uncovered, exposes juicy, moist and tender chunks of lamb. The carrots and raisins complement the rice and lamb with another dose of sweet, moist flavor. This was surprisingly more addicting that the aushak and bowlawni.” Yum! Looks good! Sounds good! Feels good?

    Have you tried Helmand Palace? What was your experience?

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    Cheese, Please!

    $10 for $20 worth of cheeeeeeez (or anything else) at Cheese Plus (2001 Polk at Pacific). Snag this deal before it vanishes like a piece of St. André on a plate in front of me. They have awesome sandwiches, too.

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    Today’s deal on FreshGuide is $5 for $10 worth of sweetness at rice pudding and frozen yogurt shop Loving Cup (2356 Polk at Union). The creamery of sorts takes a creative twist on dessert staples with flavors like rum raisin, pistachio, pumpkin pie, almond butter, English toffee, and chai-infused pudding, and also has a full coffee bar and other sweets like cupcakes and rice krispie treats. Go ahead. You deserve it.

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    Go to Golo

    I took a break from my beloved Polker’s this weekend and had brunch at Cafe Golo over on Lombard St. (at Gough). I tried my first breakfast burrito (First! I know!) there and was pleased, and my date had an omelette that was yummy — and both very affordable. But I must admit this is my new favorite spot because the customer service is downright delightful. The spot is family-owned, and to say our servers were sweet would be an understatement. I left with a serious case of “Will you be my mother?” after our adorable waitress said “thank you for your business” to every soul who walked out of the door.

    They also treated us with some complimentary pieces of delicious banana bread, and I couldn’t help but buy a loaf to take away. Yum! Turns out the owner also owns a bakery, and sells his breads at local farm markets, where is also where they pick up all of their fresh-as-can-be produce. They tossed a few extra veggies-of-the-day into my date’s omelette, which was a pleasant surprise. Get over to Cafe Golo (1602 Lombard) as soon as you can.

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    First of all, I apologize for being MIA lately . . . I’ve been traveling and busy with moving to a new apartment — sadly, I moved two blocks further from my beloved stretch of Polk Street.

    Moving on, I just discovered a wonderful new site called The Bold Italic that I wanted to share. The site publishes essays about local San Francisco discoveries that are downright wonderful; I haven’t yet found a contributor I don’t admire. Antonia Richmond’s story, The Cheese Stands Alone, about her efforts to transform from cheese enthusiast to cheesemaker was right up my alley — and will be yours, too, if you live in Russian Hill.

    Antonia consulted local cheese shop Cheese Plus (2001 Polk at Pacific) for advice when she began her quest to become a fromage createur. Here’s an excerpt:

    I spent a few hours observing from behind the counter, and watched as they solved a multitude of dairy dilemmas, from what to eat with specific wines to what cheese is best in fondue to what cheese would be good atop sliders.

    Lucky me – I was generously fed samples of a variety of different cheeses, the most memorable being a goat raclette (served both heated and unheated, to get a feel for the difference in texture). As I wolfed it down, a pair of Japanese tourists approached me. “Excuse me,” they said. “Where is stinky?” I started to tell them that I don’t work there, but, to my surprise, I realized that I could actually help them. “At the end of the counter, to your left – that’s where you’ll find stinky.”

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    1Everyday this week through Sunday, Nick’s Crispy Tacos (Broadway and Polk) will comp the entire order of their 100th customer each day — up to 100 smackers worth of finger-licking food. I’m not a mathematician or anything, but I’m thinking my chances are pretty slim. Perhaps the Walgreens’ panhandler can count the customers as they enter and alert me when he sees number 99.

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    Mayes Oyster House (Polk and Bush) was opened in 1867 by George Mayes. The space later became home to the Holy Grail which last year became Midpoint. I had a hat party at Midpoint on opening night, and then it closed within three months — due to IRS troubles, according to my sources. 2009_11_mayesSooo tonight at 5 p.m. the original Mayes Oyster House will reopen. Except that this time, you’ll likely see remnants of both the Holy Grail and Midpoint, such as the faux Gothic stained glass windows and some clubby light fixtures. Eek! Aaand it’ll serve “global delacacies” like salmon sashimi and bouillabaise, in addition to its signature $1 oysters.

    In closing, I don’t know what to think, except that Mayes might be a little like a co-ed with an “undecided” major, and that this territory might be cursed. I’ll let you know if I make a visit.

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    holiday tartsI love my local bakeries and boutiques. So much. So much I started a blog about them. But the charm of small businesses does not equate professional photography. So excuse my beloved La Boulange for novice photo skills — and while you’re at it, excuse my own. This pumpkin and crème fraîche tart photo may not be up to Martha’s standards, but it does sound divine. Pumpkin, brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, eggs, heavy cream, and crème fraîche.

    What are you waiting for? It’s available for tasting now at La Boulange on Polk and Green. Want to make it yourself? Here’s the recipe.

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    Ground-breaking! Way to dig deep.

    Lucas Gasco has been serving up superb Spanish food at this charming location for 15 years. His rustic Russian Hill restaurant features mostly small plates, but he breaks that tradition with excellent paella and a few other larger plates, including pork medallions in piquillo sauce. Top choices: shrimp sauteed with garlic; poached octopus; the restaurant’s namesake, zarzuela (seafood stew); and crema Catalana for dessert.

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