BREAKFAST Oakland’s brand new Aunt Mary’s serves up soul/Southern food with East Bay flair in their weekend brunches: I liked the “Stuff in the Pepper” Poblanofilled with chorizo cornbread stuffing (with cherries, nuts, pear) over black beans ($10). SAVORY – VEGETARIAN Tropisueno just debuted in Yerba Buena Lane, acting as a super-fresh taqueria for lunch, and a more creative-flair Mexican restaurant and… Read more →
Category: Top Tastes
Top Tastes: From Vegetarian Feasts to Pisco Cocktails
BREAKFAST At The Hungry Cat’s brunch in Santa Barbara,Yellowtail Confit ($14) on rustic bread/toast, topped by a poached egg, with a potato/green bean/peppers salad in buttermilk dill dressing. SAVORY – VEGETARIAN Fresh, flavorful Curried Couscous Edamame Salad ($8) at Lilah Belle’s, the Castro’s cute new take-out serving healthy meals and salads on the go – great concept! Vegetarian master, Millennium wowed me, as usual, with… Read more →
Top Tastes
SAVORY / SWEET Crispy Pork Rinds sprinkled with chile powder, dipped in a dark chocolate sauce (also rich with spice) at a private tasting at Orson. The addictive snack I’ll dream of in my sleep… more! More! SAVORY – VEGETARIAN Elote (traditional Mexican grilled corn-on-the-cob covered in grated Cotija cheese, Mayo, Lime and Arbol Chili powder; $6) at the always pleasant Regalito Rosticeria – though toned down both… Read more →
Top Tastes
BREAKFAST Luxurious brunch at my fave 1300 on Fillmore; order a generous entrée portion of Barbecue Shrimp & Creamy Grits (one of their best dishes, $14), perfect Scones (Three: Lemon, Blueberry, Raisin w/ Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves, $4), or a Hang Town Fry with egg, fried oysters (yes!), potato, bacon and toast ($9). SAVORY – VEGETARIAN At slick new Urban Tavern, I dined two nights… Read more →
Top Tastes
BREAKFAST Spongy sweet w/ a hint of savory: Lemon Thyme Donuts at Dynamo Donuts (24th at Hampshire). Beware, as they usually serve only two flavors a day and run out quickly. But on top of gourmet donuts (a, thus far, untapped market in SF), they serve Stumptown Coffee, soon to be our fabulous local Four Barrel. Good morning to you (open 7a-5p daily)! SAVORY –… Read more →
Top Tastes
BREAKFAST Fresh-baked daily, Coffee Cake from Dennis Leary’s (of Canteen) sweet new countertop breakfast/lunch take-out spot, The Sentinel (37 New Montgomery at Stevenson; 415-284-9960) Lavender Country Bread French Toast with bananas at Bar Tartine “Take two” on French Toast (with homemade crème fraiche and fresh berries) at Sausalito’s new Le Garage SAVORY Texas Style (sliced) Brisket at brand new Bluegrass Bar & Grill in Glen Ellen (Sonoma) Beer Braised… Read more →
Two Crustacean Kings: Swan Oyster Depot & Sotto Mare
I’m a fanatic of all things shellfish, especially crustaceans. It doesn’t get better than fresh, sweet crabmeat! Summer is not crab season in these parts but it’s one of my favorite times to eat crab with a refreshing rose, sparkling wine or minty lemonade. There are amazing whole roasted crabs at classic spots like Thanh Long or oyster king, Hog Island Oyster… Read more →
Top Tastes
FOOD Indian Pumpkin (there’s also Chicken Pumpkin) Enchilada with jack & cheddar cheese, curry sauce, yoghurt and tamarind drizzle at Avatars in Sausalito (it’s not on the menu, but trust me and ask for it!) Crawfish in spicy Cajun hot sauce with lime, pepper & salt at CoCo’s Crawfish (messy work to get a little meat, but a unique taste experience) in the… Read more →
Top Tastes: Ethiopian Favorites in SF & Berkeley
Ethiopian is a comforting, homey cuisine: spicy, filling and best when made fresh by a loving hand. Though there are a number of decent Ethiopian spots in San Francisco, and more broadly, the East Bay, many blend into each other as fairly average (like Lower Haight’s Axum Café, Café Ethiopia in the Mission, or Western Addition’s quirky dive bar, Club Waziema). Here… Read more →
Dim Sum Around SF
After you’ve tried the hyped, delicious, but overpriced local dim sum kings Yank Sing, Ton Kiang or Daly City’s Koi Palace, check out these much cheaper options and see if they don’t fit the bill for your dim sum craving (minus the roving carts at all three spots): Shanghai Dumpling King3319 Balboa Street (between 34th & 35th Avenues)415.387.2088Mon, Wed-Fri 11am-9pm,… Read more →