Saturday, October 29, 2005
Dinner at Home
Baby Back Ribs
Again, these ribs were cooked rotisserie-style in the Ron Popiel "Set It and Forget It". They were first parboiled, then marinated in worcestershire, lemon juice, splenda, chile, salt and pepper. Sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy...bone suckingly good.
Lunch at Home
Mockaroni and Cheese with Ham
This is a low carb approximation of mac and cheese, substituting cauliflower for the macaroni. The flavor was good, but next time I will not bake the whole dish. I will prepare the cauliflower and cheese sause separately, then mix them together at the last second. Baking the dish seems to leech water from the cauliflower and make the whole thing watery. The addition of crumbled bacon on the top added a nice crunch though.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Dinner at Tablespoon, San Francisco, CA
We tried out a new restaurant, Tablespoon, tonight. Judging by the long wait, we falsely assumed the food would be good. But this place was a huge disappointment.
Macaroni and Cheese $10
This was a complimentary side brought to the tale at the beginning of the meal. It was actually the best thing we had all night--creamy and crunchy, all at the same time.
Tomato Soup (Alexis) $9
This soup was fine. Nothing special. In the middle sat grilled cheese bread and chopped chicken.
Tuna Tartare (Alexis) $12
This was easily the worst tuna tartare I've ever had (and I eat a lot of tuna tartare). Tuna should be the star of this dish, but somehow it was relegated to the background. Carrots and curcumber, of all things, took center stage.
Crab Salad (Alexis) $13
This was so horrible I can't even beleive I finished it. The crab was both watery and flavorless, as if it came out of a can. The artichoke hearts were also flavorless.
Salmon Tartare (Giao) $13
Again, in a tartare, the fish should be the main ingredient, but it was not here. This was a oddly creamy, flavorless mess.
Hanger Steak (Giao) $23
This was actually pretty good, but not amazing. They did manage to cook it to the right temperature.
Ratings:
Food: 0
Decor: 1
Service: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Macaroni and Cheese $10This was a complimentary side brought to the tale at the beginning of the meal. It was actually the best thing we had all night--creamy and crunchy, all at the same time.
Tomato Soup (Alexis) $9This soup was fine. Nothing special. In the middle sat grilled cheese bread and chopped chicken.
Tuna Tartare (Alexis) $12This was easily the worst tuna tartare I've ever had (and I eat a lot of tuna tartare). Tuna should be the star of this dish, but somehow it was relegated to the background. Carrots and curcumber, of all things, took center stage.
Crab Salad (Alexis) $13This was so horrible I can't even beleive I finished it. The crab was both watery and flavorless, as if it came out of a can. The artichoke hearts were also flavorless.
Salmon Tartare (Giao) $13Again, in a tartare, the fish should be the main ingredient, but it was not here. This was a oddly creamy, flavorless mess.
Hanger Steak (Giao) $23This was actually pretty good, but not amazing. They did manage to cook it to the right temperature.
Food: 0
Decor: 1
Service: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Lunch at Gold Mountain, San Francisco, CA
Since our favorite dim sum place seemed to have disappeared into thin air, we are trying out new places. Gold Mountain was one of them and it was pretty good and came to only $12 per person.
Spinich and Shrimp Dumpling
Very clean tasting.
Spare Ribs
These were ok, a little too chewy for my taste. I did like the addition of black beans.
Meatballs
Usually the server will cut these up into smaller pieces, but here, these huge meatballs were left whole. They were tasty though.
Pork Shu Mai
These yummy little shu mai were topped with shrimn and little crunchy bits.
Tripe
This was ok, but not great.
Fish Balls, Squid, and Tendon
This dish was supplemented with gross fish balls and there was not enough tendon for Giao.
Har Gow
These little shrimp dumplings were quite good, the skins quite tender.
Seaweed SaladThis seaweed salad paled in comparison to any Japanese.
Food: 1
Service: 0 (Typical Dim Sum cart pushers)
Decor: 0
Website
Health Code Violations
Breakfast at Home
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Dinner at Home
Stirfry of shrimp, squid, broccoli, tofu, tofu noodles, garlic, onions and while basil leaves,
Lunch at Work
Leftovers for lunch.
Broccoli, Spinach and Cheese soup
Tuna Salad in Romain Lettuce Cups
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Dinner at Home
Caprese Salad (mozzeralla, tomato, basil, balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper)
Balsamic glazed chicken thighs with basil and french green beans sauteed with butter, garlic and freshly grated parmasean.
Lunch at Work
Tuna salad (with pickles and onions) in a lettuce wrap
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Dinner at Town Hall, San Francisco, CA
We decided to try out Town Hall today. It constantly listed on the most booked list on opentable.com, so we decided to try it out. The decor was an odd melange of styles. It combined the simple brick of the building, beautiful, spidery chandeliers, home-y style touches like an old country butcher block, and art-deco pieces. Each style was very well done, but the combination didn't gel. The open kitchen looks out on to the bar, wait station and the large noisy dining room.
The service was off. It seemed like they weren't in sync with the kitchen or each other. The food temperature was off, the cold dishes too warm, the hot dishes tepid. It seemed like the dishes probably lingered at the waiting station during the too-long pauses between each course. The waitstaff themselves were personable and nice, but such inefficiency in operation is not acceptable for a restaurant that has been open for over a year. The waitress also had no idea what the soup of the day was, or if substitutions were possible.
The actual food had generous portions (and that was by far the best element of the restaurant), and the menu is Creole influenced American.
Tuna Tartare with Fried Green Tomatoes $12
The batter they used here and on the oysters below was actually absolutely amazing. It was perfectly crunchy but incredibly thin. I need to know how they do that. The tartare itself was certainly decent, with a tabasco-esque flavor, and it had those tiny homemade potato chips on it (the same kind they use at Oola on the seared tuna).
Fondue with Brocolli, Paramasean Breadsticks and Potatos $10
The temperature problem was particulary noticeable here. Fondue is supposed to be served up steamy and hot, and instead this was just warm, instead of Sterno or something hot, they also only used a votive to keep it warm at the table. The texture of the fondue was perfect though, smooth and creamy. Of the dipping options, only the Parmasean breadstick added the right tanginess to the understated flavor of the fondue.
Charred Ribeye with Chanterelle-Crayfish Melange $24
Again, temperature was a problem here. However, they did make an exception for me and served me the melange sans baked potato.
Crab Jumbalaya with Fried Oysters and Sausage. $12
I could have used a bit more heat (both in temperature and seasoning) but the fried oysters were the highlight of the meal for me.
Veal Meatballs $10
The texture was right, the flavor was right, but somehow this dish was missing something.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Tart with Carmelized Bananas $8
This was served at room temparture and was mediocre. The crust was not flaky and the side sauce was chalky
The service was off. It seemed like they weren't in sync with the kitchen or each other. The food temperature was off, the cold dishes too warm, the hot dishes tepid. It seemed like the dishes probably lingered at the waiting station during the too-long pauses between each course. The waitstaff themselves were personable and nice, but such inefficiency in operation is not acceptable for a restaurant that has been open for over a year. The waitress also had no idea what the soup of the day was, or if substitutions were possible.
The actual food had generous portions (and that was by far the best element of the restaurant), and the menu is Creole influenced American.
Tuna Tartare with Fried Green Tomatoes $12
The batter they used here and on the oysters below was actually absolutely amazing. It was perfectly crunchy but incredibly thin. I need to know how they do that. The tartare itself was certainly decent, with a tabasco-esque flavor, and it had those tiny homemade potato chips on it (the same kind they use at Oola on the seared tuna).
Fondue with Brocolli, Paramasean Breadsticks and Potatos $10
The temperature problem was particulary noticeable here. Fondue is supposed to be served up steamy and hot, and instead this was just warm, instead of Sterno or something hot, they also only used a votive to keep it warm at the table. The texture of the fondue was perfect though, smooth and creamy. Of the dipping options, only the Parmasean breadstick added the right tanginess to the understated flavor of the fondue.
Charred Ribeye with Chanterelle-Crayfish Melange $24
Again, temperature was a problem here. However, they did make an exception for me and served me the melange sans baked potato.
Crab Jumbalaya with Fried Oysters and Sausage. $12
I could have used a bit more heat (both in temperature and seasoning) but the fried oysters were the highlight of the meal for me.
Veal Meatballs $10
The texture was right, the flavor was right, but somehow this dish was missing something.
Brussel Sprouts with Baby Turnips and Bacon $5
Due to a mishap with the ordering this one actually showed up piping hot from the kitchen.
Due to a mishap with the ordering this one actually showed up piping hot from the kitchen.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Tart with Carmelized Bananas $8This was served at room temparture and was mediocre. The crust was not flaky and the side sauce was chalky
Lunch at Work
Breakfast at Home
Monday, October 24, 2005
Dinner at Home
Chili Rubbed Steak with Mixed Green Salad dressed with Balsamic Vinagrette
Lunch at Work
Just leftover Italian Wedding Soup.
Breakfast at Home
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Dinner at Home
Fridge clearing time. We had soup, chicken and spinach left overs.
Lunch at Tony's House, San Mateo, CA
Grilled SausagesWe bought some bratwurst, spicy italian and chicken apples sausages at the butcher shop next to the hair-cutting place. The brats were the best.
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