Yay... it just hit me that I have, in the past week, done exactly what I set out to do when this blog was created. And in case you are wondering what that groundbreaking thing was - it was to go through all(seriously?) the restaurants in the 2007 Michelin guide for San Francisco. I went to four of them last week - and what makes it even more fabulous is that it happened quite inadvertently.
Let me start with A16 - it's an Italian restaurant in the Marina that's wildly popular. So much so, that on a Tuesday night, we could only get reservations for 9:30pm. Their food is supposed to be excellent, and their wine list pretty impressive. But, I have to say... I was not blown away by the place. Maybe my expectations were too high.. maybe it's not the best place for vegetarians... maybe we ordered the wrong wine... maybe.
We started out with an arugula salad with olives and mandarin oranges. So, here's the thing about me and salad - I don't want to feel like a cow chewing grass when I'm eating my salad. I mean I am eating leaves, but it shouldn't feel like I'm eating leaves... makes sense? Anyway, after a very disappointing salad, we got a not-so-disappointing funghi pizza. The pizza was good... not awesome, but decent enough. As usual what saved the day was dessert - their most popular dessert is the "Chocolate budino tart with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil". The EVOO and sea salt added an interesting twist to the flavor, and the mousse was just perfect - the next time I think I'll skip directly to dessert.
Ok.. so I really didn't mean to slam this place so much. It is an awesome place to go on a date - the dining room is gorgeous, all candles and brick walls. It's romantic, but at the same time, not oppressively so - the crowd and the atmosphere make sure of that. And I guess if you know your wine (which clearly I don't) the experience will be better.
http://www.a16sf.com/home.html
Monday, December 17, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Mochica - Peruvian fusion
I am on a roll here aren't I? Three posts in one day... and I still have a few more places I'm itching to write about. I soooo happy :) The last couple of weeks have been great food-wise.
Mochica is a Peruvian restaurant on Harrison St, now when I think Peruvian food, I never think vegetarian. It's never been on my list of cuisines to try out because most other Peruvian restaurants in the city only have one vegetarian dish, some kind of veggie platter, which to me doesn't sound the most appetizing.
So, I was really excited about Mochica, when Latitha said they have an awesome vegetarian paella. Mochica has this warm, lively vibe to it... what ticked me off though, was the table we got. I have a problem with restaurants trying to squeeze in as many people as possible , resulting in someone having to sit painfully close to the kitchen. It really takes away from what would otherwise have been a great dining experience.
Anyway, except for the less than satisfactory seating arrangement, I was pretty happy with the place. They first brought out this salad made of chickpeas and corn fried in some batter, with onion and tomatoes.... very zesty. The menu has quite a few vegetarian appetizers, and of course the paella which we ordered for the main course. I have to say... the paella was awesome! It was so flavorful, hot and juicy, a real treat! Coconut flan followed for dessert.. and I forgave them for the crappy table... almost, ok, maybe if I went back and they gave me a nice table and the paella was still good, I would :)
http://www.mochicasf.com/
Mochica is a Peruvian restaurant on Harrison St, now when I think Peruvian food, I never think vegetarian. It's never been on my list of cuisines to try out because most other Peruvian restaurants in the city only have one vegetarian dish, some kind of veggie platter, which to me doesn't sound the most appetizing.
So, I was really excited about Mochica, when Latitha said they have an awesome vegetarian paella. Mochica has this warm, lively vibe to it... what ticked me off though, was the table we got. I have a problem with restaurants trying to squeeze in as many people as possible , resulting in someone having to sit painfully close to the kitchen. It really takes away from what would otherwise have been a great dining experience.
Anyway, except for the less than satisfactory seating arrangement, I was pretty happy with the place. They first brought out this salad made of chickpeas and corn fried in some batter, with onion and tomatoes.... very zesty. The menu has quite a few vegetarian appetizers, and of course the paella which we ordered for the main course. I have to say... the paella was awesome! It was so flavorful, hot and juicy, a real treat! Coconut flan followed for dessert.. and I forgave them for the crappy table... almost, ok, maybe if I went back and they gave me a nice table and the paella was still good, I would :)
http://www.mochicasf.com/
I left my heart.. in San Francisco
It felt so good to be back home after the "much-anticipated" road-trip through New Mexico, and I was so ready to try out some good old San Franciscan food in a good old San Franciscan restaurant.
And that's exactly what I did one lazy Sunday afternoon.... went down to the beach, stumbled upon this random band that was performing there (this is what I love about San Francisco, you never know what crazy thing you're going to come across next), had brunch at the Beach Chalet, and walked it off on the Lands End Trail. Ah... that was an awesome afternoon.
I wonder why I don't go down to Ocean Beach more often. There's something so romantic and beautiful about the beach, maybe it's the sound of the water, or the scent of the ocean, or just the constancy of the waves washing up on shore. Mesmerising... I like that word :)
Anyway.. this is a food blog, so I must focus... the Beach Chalet... it's this restaurant on the Great Highway which has great ocean views. I've heard that it can get really busy, so reservations are recommended. We just called in and put our names down while we walked on the beach - I thought that was pretty awesome of them to do that. A nice table for two by the window, and it makes for the perfect date spot. The food was really good... the omelette's fluffy, the bread soft and the orange juice freshly squeezed... what more could one want? I for one, always want dessert :) And I have to say... the creme brulee I had that day was one of the best I've had in a long, long time.
So... add this to your list of nice, romantic brunch places in the city, and remember... save room for dessert.
http://www.beachchalet.com/
And that's exactly what I did one lazy Sunday afternoon.... went down to the beach, stumbled upon this random band that was performing there (this is what I love about San Francisco, you never know what crazy thing you're going to come across next), had brunch at the Beach Chalet, and walked it off on the Lands End Trail. Ah... that was an awesome afternoon.
I wonder why I don't go down to Ocean Beach more often. There's something so romantic and beautiful about the beach, maybe it's the sound of the water, or the scent of the ocean, or just the constancy of the waves washing up on shore. Mesmerising... I like that word :)
Anyway.. this is a food blog, so I must focus... the Beach Chalet... it's this restaurant on the Great Highway which has great ocean views. I've heard that it can get really busy, so reservations are recommended. We just called in and put our names down while we walked on the beach - I thought that was pretty awesome of them to do that. A nice table for two by the window, and it makes for the perfect date spot. The food was really good... the omelette's fluffy, the bread soft and the orange juice freshly squeezed... what more could one want? I for one, always want dessert :) And I have to say... the creme brulee I had that day was one of the best I've had in a long, long time.
So... add this to your list of nice, romantic brunch places in the city, and remember... save room for dessert.
http://www.beachchalet.com/
Thai food... in New Mexico?
It's been soooo long since I got back from New Mexico, I wonder if I'll even remember all the food experiences we had there. Also considering the fact that I've been avoiding thinking about the trip all together, I'm not sure I'll remember anything good about it - but that's a different post for a different blog :)
The big food experience I was looking forward to in New Mexico was in Santa Fe. I had done my research, read reviews and done due diligence... or so I thought. Our first dinner in Santa Fe was supposed to be in the restaurant at the Inn of the Anasazi. All the tripadvisor reviews raved about it being one of the best restaurants Santa Fe has to offer. What the reviews didn't tell me though was that a. this place is fancy! and b. It doesn't have a single vegetarian dish on it's menu. Fancy I can take... but when fancy means a plate of boiled vegetables thrown together to look pretty, I can't. So, we walked out of there, and went to, of all places, a Thai restaurant, Ginja! Definitely not what I had in mind for an authentic Santa Fe dining experience... but I have to say, the food was really good.
The next day, after the fiasco of the previous night, I was beginning to doubt my restaurant shortlist. Should we go to Pasqual's which in addition to being on tripadvisor was also recommended by my clay teacher, Shelley. Or should we settle for the french crepe place on the square. Decisions... decisions.. I tell you, I have a tough life. In the end, we decided to take our chances on Pasqual's, and sure enough it was an awesome place. The waitress knew a few words in hindi, the decor was funky and they had some really interesting breakfast items. Overall definitely worth a visit if you are in Santa Fe.
Hmmm... so the rest of the trip is a little hazy in my head... selective amnesia? The only thing I seem to remember is the restaurant in El Paso, Texas. It was the last evening of our trip... and there was really no better way to spend it than drinking margarita's, listening to a Spanish band and eating authentic mexican food. Los Bandidos de Carlos & Mickey's, is the name of the restaurant, and if you are ever in El Paso, it's definitely worth a visit. The restaurant is huge, and looks to be immensely popular, we were there for close to 3 hours that evening, and it was packed throughout. The band was really cute... they played these obscure spanish songs that none of us had heard of, Nilu totally embarrassed them by requesting La Bamba, but they obliged. And got a roaring round of applause from us, and one other guy at the bar :)
Ohhh wait... there are some more hazy details resurfacing. The first restaurant we went to on this trip was in Chimayo - Leona's restuarant. It's right outside the Chimayo chapel. Run by Leona, it was this really cozy restaurant, couple of tables, completely unpretentious, with some really good food.
And of course there was Bamboo Garden - Carlsbad's finest Chinese restuarant, right next to the bowling alley where Nilu scored her highest bowling score (with no help whatsoever from the side rails ;-)).
I guess that's enough rambling about New Mexico... in a nutshell though, the two places I would really recommend are Pasqual's in Santa Fe, and the mexican place in Texas.
The big food experience I was looking forward to in New Mexico was in Santa Fe. I had done my research, read reviews and done due diligence... or so I thought. Our first dinner in Santa Fe was supposed to be in the restaurant at the Inn of the Anasazi. All the tripadvisor reviews raved about it being one of the best restaurants Santa Fe has to offer. What the reviews didn't tell me though was that a. this place is fancy! and b. It doesn't have a single vegetarian dish on it's menu. Fancy I can take... but when fancy means a plate of boiled vegetables thrown together to look pretty, I can't. So, we walked out of there, and went to, of all places, a Thai restaurant, Ginja! Definitely not what I had in mind for an authentic Santa Fe dining experience... but I have to say, the food was really good.
The next day, after the fiasco of the previous night, I was beginning to doubt my restaurant shortlist. Should we go to Pasqual's which in addition to being on tripadvisor was also recommended by my clay teacher, Shelley. Or should we settle for the french crepe place on the square. Decisions... decisions.. I tell you, I have a tough life. In the end, we decided to take our chances on Pasqual's, and sure enough it was an awesome place. The waitress knew a few words in hindi, the decor was funky and they had some really interesting breakfast items. Overall definitely worth a visit if you are in Santa Fe.
Hmmm... so the rest of the trip is a little hazy in my head... selective amnesia? The only thing I seem to remember is the restaurant in El Paso, Texas. It was the last evening of our trip... and there was really no better way to spend it than drinking margarita's, listening to a Spanish band and eating authentic mexican food. Los Bandidos de Carlos & Mickey's, is the name of the restaurant, and if you are ever in El Paso, it's definitely worth a visit. The restaurant is huge, and looks to be immensely popular, we were there for close to 3 hours that evening, and it was packed throughout. The band was really cute... they played these obscure spanish songs that none of us had heard of, Nilu totally embarrassed them by requesting La Bamba, but they obliged. And got a roaring round of applause from us, and one other guy at the bar :)
Ohhh wait... there are some more hazy details resurfacing. The first restaurant we went to on this trip was in Chimayo - Leona's restuarant. It's right outside the Chimayo chapel. Run by Leona, it was this really cozy restaurant, couple of tables, completely unpretentious, with some really good food.
And of course there was Bamboo Garden - Carlsbad's finest Chinese restuarant, right next to the bowling alley where Nilu scored her highest bowling score (with no help whatsoever from the side rails ;-)).
I guess that's enough rambling about New Mexico... in a nutshell though, the two places I would really recommend are Pasqual's in Santa Fe, and the mexican place in Texas.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Off to the Land of Enchantment
My much anticipated road trip through New Mexico is almost here :) I am sooooo excited!!! Hopefully I'll have some interesting places to blog about when I get back.
I know, I know ... this blog is supposed to be about foggy food, and there's no fog in New Mexico... but... there is food, and some good food from what I hear. And good food, foggy or not, deserves to be blogged.
I know, I know ... this blog is supposed to be about foggy food, and there's no fog in New Mexico... but... there is food, and some good food from what I hear. And good food, foggy or not, deserves to be blogged.
Slow down... take a deep breath....
.... and be prepared to spend a couple of hours from your busy life enjoying the simple things... a calming pot of tea, good food, and conversation. What more could one want on a Sunday afternoon? Laxmi and me decided that we've avoided each other long enough, and gossip must be shared, so a lunch/tea/gossip session was in order.... and this was the perfect place for it.
Samovar's menu warns you that their service is going to be slow... and they intend it to be that way. It's just what I needed though, after a grueling week at work, and walking ten blocks in the pouring rain the previous night.... I soooo needed the pot of Chill-Out Blend I ordered.
I've passed by Samovar so many times on my way to clay class, and I'm happy I finally got to try it out. It's a tea house in the Castro, and is pretty popular, so getting a table out front can be tough sometimes. We got a table in the back... which is not half bad. The great thing about this place, apart from the huge selection of teas (which really it should have, considering it's Samovar Tea Lounge :)), is that the food they serve is pretty awesome too. They have a good variety of smallish bites, and lunch size options, so if you are looking to hang out for a while, and just munch on something light, you have that option. Which is great, in this age of oversized portions everywhere else you look.
So, anyway, I had a tough time deciding what tea I wanted to get... they had some 50 different blends, and some interesting names too. I finally decided on the Chill out blend, and Laxmi got some Monkey madness something... both our teas were awesome, and I can't wait to go back and try one of the others. The food menu was pretty varied too... we ordered the butternut squash wontons (these are the best!), and the polenta waffles (Laxmi thought these were the best!), and the indian tofu curry (very avoidable). There were a bunch of other sides and main dishes, all of which looked really tempting.
Hmmm.. I think this is one of the most boring posts this blog has seen... what to do? I'm mellow. And if you want to be mellow too... go here.... on a day when you have some time to spare, and good company... or a book to read.... or thoughts to ponder....
http://www.samovartea.com/
Samovar's menu warns you that their service is going to be slow... and they intend it to be that way. It's just what I needed though, after a grueling week at work, and walking ten blocks in the pouring rain the previous night.... I soooo needed the pot of Chill-Out Blend I ordered.
I've passed by Samovar so many times on my way to clay class, and I'm happy I finally got to try it out. It's a tea house in the Castro, and is pretty popular, so getting a table out front can be tough sometimes. We got a table in the back... which is not half bad. The great thing about this place, apart from the huge selection of teas (which really it should have, considering it's Samovar Tea Lounge :)), is that the food they serve is pretty awesome too. They have a good variety of smallish bites, and lunch size options, so if you are looking to hang out for a while, and just munch on something light, you have that option. Which is great, in this age of oversized portions everywhere else you look.
So, anyway, I had a tough time deciding what tea I wanted to get... they had some 50 different blends, and some interesting names too. I finally decided on the Chill out blend, and Laxmi got some Monkey madness something... both our teas were awesome, and I can't wait to go back and try one of the others. The food menu was pretty varied too... we ordered the butternut squash wontons (these are the best!), and the polenta waffles (Laxmi thought these were the best!), and the indian tofu curry (very avoidable). There were a bunch of other sides and main dishes, all of which looked really tempting.
Hmmm.. I think this is one of the most boring posts this blog has seen... what to do? I'm mellow. And if you want to be mellow too... go here.... on a day when you have some time to spare, and good company... or a book to read.... or thoughts to ponder....
http://www.samovartea.com/
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Did someone say buffalo wings?
On a vegetarian food blog?!? Is nothing sacred any more?
Now, those of you that know me well... know, that if there's one thing that constantly tempts me to go over to the dark side it's buffalo wings and the orange chicken at Panda Express (I know... gross!) . So, then you can understand my joy on finding a restaurant that serves vegan buffalo wings a.k.a buffalo girls, in the Mission.
It's called Weird Fish, and has a kindof eclectic menu of tacos, bar food, and expensive and strictly avoidable sparkling wine (according to Nilu anyway). The beers were good though, beer is always good :)
On the menu for us that night was, obviously the buffalo girls - it's seitan, a dense soy product, coated with this buffalo wing sauce.... I could hardly wait! And some other tofu and yam thing, and tacos for the main course. I guess it's evident that the food was really not something I would be screaming from the rooftops about. But one sinful bite of the tangy, succulent, steaming, fake... umm... wings, and I thought I have to blog about this place, because even if the food is so-so, and the alochol is expensive, and the server ignores you half the time.... the buffalo girls were worth it!
http://weirdfishsf.com/
Now, those of you that know me well... know, that if there's one thing that constantly tempts me to go over to the dark side it's buffalo wings and the orange chicken at Panda Express (I know... gross!) . So, then you can understand my joy on finding a restaurant that serves vegan buffalo wings a.k.a buffalo girls, in the Mission.
It's called Weird Fish, and has a kindof eclectic menu of tacos, bar food, and expensive and strictly avoidable sparkling wine (according to Nilu anyway). The beers were good though, beer is always good :)
On the menu for us that night was, obviously the buffalo girls - it's seitan, a dense soy product, coated with this buffalo wing sauce.... I could hardly wait! And some other tofu and yam thing, and tacos for the main course. I guess it's evident that the food was really not something I would be screaming from the rooftops about. But one sinful bite of the tangy, succulent, steaming, fake... umm... wings, and I thought I have to blog about this place, because even if the food is so-so, and the alochol is expensive, and the server ignores you half the time.... the buffalo girls were worth it!
http://weirdfishsf.com/
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