Pre-Thanksgiving

November is always insanely busy, even before Thanksgiving. This year... bachelorette in Napa, 24 hrs in LA, Mike's birthday + his family visit, lots of potlucks, Mom's birthday, my birthday!

Dinner at Redd: not as amazing as I thought it would be, but it was a solid meal

San Tung and Zuni - SF classics

Dishdash lamb marinated in yogurt... amazing and much tastier than 53rd+6th halal cart; Citizen Cake pudding pop... chocolate overpowers all other flavors

Other things...
Savory bread pudding
Zankou chicken
Soup galore: butternut, split pea w/ ham, lentils + chard
Hobees

Tanto

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A Cote

5478 College Ave (& Taft)
(510) 655-6469

Californian/Mediterranean small plates in Oakland

Technically it's Oakland, but I still think of the Rockridge area as part of Berkeley. Regardless, this is an incredible restaurant. I don't know anyone who's dined here and left unsatisfied. Maybe I'm feeling generous, and have just been on reliving-Berkeley-glory-days overload, but I just couldn't think of anything bad enough about A Cote to give it less than 5 stars. The one thing is the hostess. She's kind of spacey - on a recent visit here, my friend and I walked in without a reservation, and after waiting a good 20 minutes, the hostess asked us if we were quiet people, or planning to cause a ruckus. I don't see the relevance in that at all, because the table she took us to was in the back in their outdoor patio area, surrounded by other tables talking loudly... whatever.

Even on a Monday night there was a crowded wait, so it would probably be good to make reservations for a more popular day of the week. The staff is great - our waitress was totally chill and friendly. They have a fairly extensive drink list (separate menus for Belgian ales and rose flights), and we decided to try some Belgian ales on tap. I don't remember what they were called, but one was blonde but pretty thick (Mike really liked that one), and the other was darker and Guinness-like, which I liked, except for the slightly metallic aftertaste. I can't imagine what the $20 bottled beer tastes like.

So this place is small plates style, and the website claims it's Mediterranean cuisine... yet it's just so Californian that I don't really see a strong Med influence. Regardless, the food is amazing.
- "tango salad" w/ hazelnuts, ricotta shavings, pluots (plum-apricot hybrid): the ricotta was sparse but salty enough to contrast the sweetness of the fruit (seasonal is always the best)
- mushroom+leek tart: basically a quiche, this was amazing. I LOVE quiche, and this was not too eggy or cheesy = perfect
- pancetta-wrapped quail w/ porcini bread pudding: the quail was ok (moist, tasted like quail...), but the bread pudding was laden with mushroom and buttery goodness. I had never really had a savory bread pudding before, but I like!
- grilled pork chop w/corn, fava beans, and this cherry sauce: juicy (Mike was in love). Alice would've liked the corn.

We were going to do a cheese course, but by this time, we were both incredibly full. However, being the dessert snob I am, I had to at least try one. I recently took a pastry class on seasonal fruit desserts, and it was coincidental that we went over clafoutis and noyau, which were both on the menu. I'm whatever about clafoutis because it's so easy to make, but noyau gelato? How often do you see that? So we got a "warm peach pie" that had that as an accompaniment, and it definitely hit the spot. The gelato was definitely spot-on for the flavor - basically tastes like almond extract (different from almonds themselves). Simple, but good stuff.

*** Edit: I went here again over the weekend for my sister's birthday, and as a party of 6, we sampled practically the entire menu! Since this restaurant changes its menu seasonally (if not more often), the only familiar item was the fries (pommes frites) which my dad really enjoyed. Since we tried so many different things, I'll just highlight the good ones.

- duck sausage (Karen's fave)
- gazpacho verde (Lucy's fave)
- fig (both green and black mission varieties) & pancetta flatbread
- chanterelles with fingerling potatoes, leeks, and truffle oil * (my fave)
- pink apple galette with mascarpone filling: a tad dry (needed more sauce), but we all liked it
- mussells (dad's fave)

* Mike began his bitterness towards truffle oil after reading this times article on what it's actually made out of. I still like it! =P

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Zuni Cafe

1658 Market St (between Franklin & Gough)
(415) 552-2522

Mediterranean/Californian in Hayes Valley

I went here on a fellow foodie's recommendation, and I was extremely disappointed! The ambience is great - right on Market, with big glass windows and a woodsy feel - very classic. This place is definitely happening, and popular for its oyster bar. Yes, the oysters were good. However, the rest of the food, was not so much. I don't quite remember what we had, but I remember getting the sea bass, which wasn't anything special. Risotto was actually pretty good - not too cheesy (risottos are usually too cheesy for me), and shinie's poultry (I think it might have been hen... not sure) was nothing special, either.

Go for the ambience, but don't expect anything spectacular from the food (except for the oysters).

** Edit: I wrote this original review about over a year ago and gave this place 2 stars. However, after a recent visit, I've increased it to 3 because this time the food was very good. My friend and I shared their 1 hr chicken (roasted to perfection) served with these giant crouton-like pieces of toasted and buttery bread and some greens. Other people had veal which was amazing (but the beans accompanying it were kind of an off-putting grainy texture), and someone had the salmon which I didn't try but they liked. We also shared marinated olives where the oil was great for dipping.

The service, however, was questionable. I originally made the reservation for a party of 4, then changed it to 5, then when we got there, we changed it back to 4 because we thought one person wasn't showing up, but she decided to show up after all! So understandably, the staff might have been a little frustrated, but after that, our waiter wasn't nearly as friendly. He was almost snotty which definitely didn't make me feel at ease. It might have just been me, but despite the fact that I've been to very nice restaurants, the waiter made me feel like I didn't belong here. He even served us our chicken (which he had beforehand made it a point that it be "presented" to us) while we were in the bathroom. Rude! Whatever.

But yes, the food has been redeemed since my first visit. I really liked it and it would've been worthy of more than just 3 stars, except that I'd have to go again to actually know for sure since my first time sucked so badly.

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Hayes & Kebab

406 Hayes St (& Gough)
(415) 861-2977

Mediterranean in Hayes Valley

This is a very busy place on the weekends, especially for after church lunches (saw everyone there, including my pastor and his family!). In the center of Hayes Valley, it's great to sit outside on a nice day and just people watch with good food.

We just had lamb gyros - the meat was moist and flavorful, unlike a lot of mediocre gyros I've had in the past. The only caveat was that since this place was so busy, we had to wait FOREVER for our food. The staff felt bad though and gave us free baklava (score! either that, or they heard Jesse say that he wanted some).

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Taverna

52 Belden Place
415-986-8887

Mediterranean in Financial (Belden Lane)

Went here for a work lunch, and the food was decent but like the rest of Belden Lane's restaurants, nothing special. Belden Lane is really just about convenience (i.e. during or after work) and the ambiance. You feel like you're in a little strip of Europe here since it's lined with outdoor seating. Unfortunately, the food does not match its hype.

Taverna is no exception. The only thing memorable about that meal was the dessert. My friend's friend WAS the pastry chef there, and her desserts were amazing! The fried custard was definitely the highlight - light and flavorful. Unfortunately, she doesn't work there anymore, so I don't know what the dessert menu is like now.

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Kan Zaman

1793 Haight St. (at Shrader)
(415) 751-9656

Mediterranean in the Haight

Went here for a friend's birthday on a Saturday night and it was PACKED. The host is kind of snotty - it takes forever to talk to him because (1) it's so crowded in the entryway that it takes forever to get through, and (2) he doesn't even give you a chance to ask for a table because he's too busy talking to staff or staring into space. =P

However, our waitress was friendly and accommodating. One person didn't get her drink until after asking for it twice, but other than that, the service was pretty decent. Our large party of 13 sat in a booth aka raised floor, cross-legged style. If only there was enough room to actually sit cross-legged.... =P They have a pretty interesting drink menu; the spiced wine (served HOT) is realllly good! It's like spiked apple cider. =) You can order it by the glass or liter.

The food itself was ok; I've had better middle eastern food. For cold appetizers, we got hummus, baba ganoush, and tabouleh, which were just ok spreads. Some of the pita were a bit burnt. Our hot appetizers were meat pie (not good) and falafel - really good! I've had falafel in berkeley before and thought it was disgusting, but this one I liked. For main dishes we got beef and veggie skewers. Beef was eh; veggie was good and coated in this garlic stuff mmm....

Overall, this is a very trendy and popular place (it's the Haight - what do you expect) with a loud but fun atmosphere (oh yeah, they also have belly dancing every 1-2 hrs). The food is just ok, but if anything, go for the spiced wine. =) For birthdays, they give you a little piece of baklava with a candle in it hehe. This place isn't great on the food side, but a good experience anyway.

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Kokkari

200 Jackson Street (at Front)
San Francisco, CA 94111

Greek in Jackson Square (more like the edge of Financial)



I visited this bustling place sometime last November or December for dinner. I went with my friend Frank, his roommate, and Frank's friend Jason who was in San Francisco for business. That meant, of course, that some corporation would be paying for our meal. Sweet.

The environs of the restaurant are great: The lighting and interior color scheme are set such that the evening can be romantic or corporate. In addition, the decor follows a cohesive and conservative theme that helps make the patron feel a little like a traveller. The four of us sat in a booth like the ones of the right side of the following picture (the restaurant is more dimly lit in real life than in the photo):



Because none of us would be personally footing the bill, each of us ordered with minimal restraint. We got a variety of dishes and two bottles of wine. One dish I remember was arnisia paidakia -- grilled lamb riblets with lemon and oregano accompanied by potatoes. The meat was succulent and seasoned perfectly. The horiatiki -- a tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, oregano, olive and feta salad -- was crisp, fresh, and sharp-tasting at all the right notes. We also got a fish dish, but that was forgettable (as you can see). The appetizers were good. Totally don't remember what I got though.

The highlight was the dessert: galaktoboureko -- semolina custard wrapped in filo with huckleberry compote and pear sorbet. This was the best dessert I've ever had in my life. It was refined but not snobby, rich but not corpulent, and sweet but not sickening. It was a successful balancing of tastes, textures, and temperatures. When dining at restaurants, I don't order dessert that often, so take my review of galaktoboureko with a grain of salt. I thought it was pretty good, but maybe my expectations were too high. It's definitely not the best I've had, but I'm probably also more picky than jesse is =P

Go to Kokkari at least once in your life, if just for the dessert. They also serve Greek coffee, which is stone-ground coffee heated over hot sand.



-J - k

(All photos courtesy www.kokkari.com.)

I like how jesse is so careful about copyrighting/giving credit haha

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