It's been over a month since Mike moved into his new condo, but we finally introduced ourselves to his hood by having a food crawl down Piedmont Ave. We started at Adesso, Dopo's semi-new sister bar with quite a selection of salumi and other small plates. Very well aware that they have happy hour with free food from 5-7pm, we clocked in just before it ended but I guess they stop serving food around 6:30pm. My wallet was sad, but that didn't stop us from ordering.
One of the absolute best things about Adesso is the integrity of their menu. In both the drinks and food we tried, you could taste how each individual flavor component contributed to the dish/drink as a whole. It was straight and simple - transparent and exactly what you expected.
Salumi was essentially a similar experience to Dopo, rabbit pate was a bit dry, sardines w/ mozzarella were refreshing and not fishy at all, and the risotto balls w/ pork ragu in the middle were AMAZING. Good thing they only gave us 5 because I could eat them endlessly.
The drinks were also really tasty. They have a large selection of wine and beer in addition to their cocktail and aperitif menu. From the five we tasted, they were all deceptively strong and incredibly delicious. The pisco sour left a lasting impression on Mike - he was still talking about it the day after. The pisco sours I've had in the past usually have more of a frothy egg white on top, but this one was so thick that it almost seemed like they were whipped with some sugar. It was also topped with a sprinkling of spices that made me think of vanilla chai. The strawberry-cucumber-mint cocktail was my favorite. It was just a perfect summer drink, as girly as it may be.
Despite our hefty bill (about $100 for 2 ppl, inc. tax and tip), I would definitely return. The quality of the food is very high, and the atmosphere is still down to earth and chill. Too bad it's so far for me, because I would otherwise try to get there at 5!
After our delicious experience at Adesso, we somehow thought it would be a good idea to ruin it by going to Cesar. I'd been once before to the Berkeley location years ago (my 21st birthday, when my palate newly discovered a taste for "fine" food) and it was a terrible experience, but Mike had never been so we figured we'd stop in for some more tapas. The food was warm and comforting, with a lot of spreads, stews, and essentially anything you can dip your bread into. While satsfying, it was still another case of a menu far exceeding the actual execution of the dishes. Mike likened the atmosphere to Cheesecake Factory, but I wouldn't go that far. It was indeed much larger than its intimate Berkeley counterpart and the techno music didn't really help, but hey it's Piedmont. You can't be that picky. =)
We ended the gluttonous evening with, of course, Fenton's. I'm actually not a huge fan of their ice cream, but its popularity really stems from being a long-established institution of the community. Oh yeah, and I guess Up. Regardless, I enjoyed my second ice cream of the evening, coffee + cookies!
The next day, we also stopped into the new Berkeley Bowl (West) and its adjoining cafe. My first time was actually last week when I was picking up some fruit for a wedding, but this was my first time actually exploring it in its spacious glory. Selection is comparable, but it just feels like more because the warehouse is so Costco-like. The cafe is still working out many kinks in efficiency and menu (mostly sandwiches and salads), but the old burrito and Panda-Express-quality "Chinese" food is still available in the market-side.
So while we said many hellos this weekend, there were also many goodbyes. My absolute favorite shop and ice cream store closed its doors this weekend. The normally friendly chef-owners of Sketch were visibly stressed and not in the mood to chat, so it was a sad goodbye. I did leave with sweet memories and some nectarine sorbet swirled with vanilla bean ice cream, before the onset of our Piedmont run.
One of Mike's childhood friends is also leaving SF, so we said goodbye to him with lots of food including Little Star, fried chicken, lots of sangria, and much much more. I made some leche flan for a tasting earlier that day, and brought the leftovers with me. The ultimate compliment: tastes like a Filipino person made it. Success!
It was a bittersweet weekend, full of happy and sad moments, but great food wherever we went. RIP Michelle.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Hello, Goodbye
Monday, April 07, 2008
Laiola
2031 Chestnut (& Fillmore)
(415) 346-5641
Spanish tapas in the Marina (!)
Note: I think I'm going to stop with the rating... it just doesn't feel right anymore!
This tapas restaurant is in the heart of the Marina - not my favorite place, but I will go there for good food. We tried a LOT of food (thanks to Jen's very generous friend!), and there were definitely some standouts.
Highlights:
Braised beef cheeks w/ roasted cauliflower and a honey (?) raisin sauce - the beef was like butter (the only other time I've felt that way about beef was at French Laundry)
Asparagus - it was really quite perfect, with a bit of sweetness
Other notable dishes:
Lamb hearts & livers - I'm not really a liver person, but the combination was pretty good
Charcuterie - headcheese (my first time - not as gross as what I imagined), ham (really really good - comparable to prosciutto), pork confit, sausage
Chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon - the others had a problem with the balance (too much date), but I still liked it. bacon = you can't go wrong
House-made Ricotta
Cod cheeks
Headcheese, smelt, and the lamb hearts/liver
Other dishes we tried:
Piglet w/ pea shoot tendrils and quince aioli
Prawns
Bread & chocolate w/ sea salt + olive oil
Fromage blanc cheesecake w/ blood orange marmalade & sesame tuile
Fried smelt
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Andalu
Asian/Spanish/Fusion?? small plates in the Mission
This place is pretty popular and in a prime area of the mission district. Parking's a bitch, so carpool or take public transportation if you don't live in the area. I went here for the first time last night pretty much knowing what to expect, and I was actually a bit disappointed. I think I'm just used to going to small plates restaurants in parties of two, allowing me to taste more of the food. Regardless, the food was definitely solid, but it didn't blow me away.
- polenta fries: because the menu said "curly," I was expecting something along the lines of curly fries, i.e. spiced, but it was just literally curly in a half-moon shape. These were good though, and definitely a nice break from the grease of normal fries
- halibut: don't get this. I've had much better at chinese restaurants (yes, they were going for asian fare here)
- duck confit dumplings: tasty, but mostly because they were fried. There was just too much wrapper (like a won ton wrapper) and I couldn't taste the duck at all.
- mahi mahi: the fish itself was ordinary, but the artichokes were quite complimentary
- roasted portobello: there were only 2 pieces for a party of 4, but even my half-a-mushroom was meaty and savory. If only there were more....
- pork wrapped in bacon: is it possible for something to be wrapped in bacon and not taste good? I really liked the yam puree
- coke short-ribs: I actually didn't think they were anything special, although jess really likes them. The coke flavor was non-existent, but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be?
- donut holes + mexican hot chocolate: good stuff, although it would've been I'D HIT THAT-worthy if they were served fresh and HOT.
All in all, this place is pretty solid - food-wise, ambiance (although... what's up with the KOIT music?), wine list. Good for smaller groups (I'd say no more than 4).
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Alegrias Food from Spain
2018 Lombard St . (and Webster)
(415) 929-8888
Spanish tapas in the Marina/Cow Hollow
This is a good place if you're looking for authenticity (well, what I think is authenticity at least). The staff is Spanish and very knowledgable, and most importantly, very friendly! Our waiter was fabulous and so friendly =)
The food itself was so-so. We had the gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic sauce), pinchos morunos (pork skewers), the patatas bravas con alioli (think fancy shmancy garlic fries), and the seafood+chicken paella as our main dish. These were all just good, but nothing special. The shrimp was really nothing special at all. The potatoes were good... the paella was a bit too seafoody. We had the apple crepes (a flambe), which were pretty unique - not your typical crepes.
Even though the food wasn't spectacular, the service was wonderful. What brings it down is that the tables are way too small. When you have tapas, you're obviously going to have muliple plates on your table, on top of your own personal plate and bread plate and all the other stuff on the table. There just was not enough room!
B44
44 Belden Pl. (between Bush and Pine)
(415) 986-6287
Spanish in Financial
Went here for Valentine's Day, and as expected, the prices were jacked up for the commercial holiday =P. The service was pretty good (our waitress was so nice =), but it was INCREDIBLY LOUD in there! We would've sat outside to escape the noise, except that it was freezing.
The food was ok - for appetizer, we had lamb skewers mediterrean style, which were ok. The entrees included rabbit paella and the monkfish. The rabbit paella was good - the portion was really small though, only enough to feed one person who has a small appetite. The monkish was ok, but nothing special.
Overall, this is a pretty convenient place to go to after work, and the atmosphere (outside) is great, since belden is like a little Euro-style alley way. The foods not great though. I'd go back for the rabbit paella, but I heard that the other paellas aren't very good.