Saturday, August 18, 2007
Dinner at Jack Falstaff, San Francisco, CA
We had heard that Jack Falstaff had a patio, one of the few places in SOMA that offers that amenity. It was a beautiful afternoon and we wanted to have a few drinks and perhaps a couple of appetizers in the sun. When we got there we realized it was really a covered patio, and that we weren't going to be basking in the sun, so we decided that we'd just have dinner. It turned out to be a pretty good meal. Not as good as Plumpjack, which is under the same group, but still good enough to recommend if you are in the area.
Pickled Watermelon and Cantelope in Tomato Water (gratuit)
This was fresh, and delicious and really embodied summer.
Spicy Hummous and Olive Oil (gratuit)
For bread dipping. Fresh, fruity oil and a nice, if a bit chunky, hummous.
Tomato Soup with Parmasean Tuile $7
Clean, fresh and very, very smooth tasty.
Veal Sweetbreads and Fried Green Tomatoes and Pork Belly $13
This dish sounded much better than it than it turned out in practice. The fried green tomatoes were a bit soggy and the sweetbreads were under-seasoned, but the pork belly was very tasty.
Beef Carpaccio $12
Served with minced olives, chives, peppers, lemon zest and 1/2 a quail egg, the beef was tender and flavorful, but the olives were a bit too strong and overpowered the dish. The plating, however, was beautiful.
Heirloom Tomato Stuffed with Crab Salad
Very tasty. The marriage of the slightly briny crab and the sweet, ripe summer tomato was delicious.
Steak with Heirloom Tomato Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Although they didn't ask how Giao wanted his steak cooked, and ended up serving it well done, when he usually orders rare, this was an incredibly tender steak. The best well-done steak we've ever tasted. Again, the tomatoes from the farmer's market were sweet and ripe and really tasted like tomatoes.
Fig "Carpaccio" with Blue Cheese
Giao didn't really like this. Alexis thought it was OK. It wasn't the best note on which to end the meal.
Pickled Watermelon and Cantelope in Tomato Water (gratuit)
This was fresh, and delicious and really embodied summer.
Spicy Hummous and Olive Oil (gratuit)
For bread dipping. Fresh, fruity oil and a nice, if a bit chunky, hummous.
Tomato Soup with Parmasean Tuile $7
Clean, fresh and very, very smooth tasty.
Veal Sweetbreads and Fried Green Tomatoes and Pork Belly $13
This dish sounded much better than it than it turned out in practice. The fried green tomatoes were a bit soggy and the sweetbreads were under-seasoned, but the pork belly was very tasty.
Beef Carpaccio $12
Served with minced olives, chives, peppers, lemon zest and 1/2 a quail egg, the beef was tender and flavorful, but the olives were a bit too strong and overpowered the dish. The plating, however, was beautiful.
Giao ordered the Farmer's Market Menu for $55, which included all of the dishes below as well as an order of the soup above.
Heirloom Tomato Stuffed with Crab Salad
Very tasty. The marriage of the slightly briny crab and the sweet, ripe summer tomato was delicious.
Steak with Heirloom Tomato Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Although they didn't ask how Giao wanted his steak cooked, and ended up serving it well done, when he usually orders rare, this was an incredibly tender steak. The best well-done steak we've ever tasted. Again, the tomatoes from the farmer's market were sweet and ripe and really tasted like tomatoes.
Fig "Carpaccio" with Blue Cheese
Giao didn't really like this. Alexis thought it was OK. It wasn't the best note on which to end the meal.
Jack Falstaff
598 2nd St
San Francisco, CA 94107
Ratings:
Food: 2
Decor: 2
Service: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
598 2nd St
San Francisco, CA 94107
Ratings:
Food: 2
Decor: 2
Service: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Labels: Decor: 2, dinner recipes, Food: 2, nouveau American, restaurant, Service: 1
Lunch at BarCampBlock, Palo Alto, CA
Breakfast at BarCampBlock, Palo Alto, CA
Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Carmelized Onions
We were running late so we threw the breakfast in a tupperware and ate it when we got to BarCampBlock.
Labels: breakfast recipe, eggs, homemade
Friday, August 17, 2007
Dinner at B Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
B Restaurant has an awful location for foot traffic, but they seem to be attracting quite a happy hour crowd. They have a happy hour food and cocktail menu that are reasonable and tasty, and although it's crowded, it's not so crowded that you can't get a seat or have to wait to be served. Also, it's one of the only bars in SOMA with al fresco seating.
Pulled Pork with Slaw $7
The meat was actually served in bread, as a sandwich, although the menu did not mention this. We tossed the bread away and were left with tender, flavorful meat and a refreshing slaw.
Crab Ratatouille $7
There was very little crab in this, maybe two bites. Had we not been expecting more crab, we might have been pleased with this dish.
Fried Vegetables $7
This dish was also served with fried bread, and it was a bit of a let down. It was completely monochromatic and not served with any sort of sauce at all.
B Restaurant
Previous Post
Pulled Pork with Slaw $7
The meat was actually served in bread, as a sandwich, although the menu did not mention this. We tossed the bread away and were left with tender, flavorful meat and a refreshing slaw.
Crab Ratatouille $7
There was very little crab in this, maybe two bites. Had we not been expecting more crab, we might have been pleased with this dish.
Fried Vegetables $7
This dish was also served with fried bread, and it was a bit of a let down. It was completely monochromatic and not served with any sort of sauce at all.
720 Howard St
San Francisco, CA, 94107
Previous Post
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 1, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Lunch from Gambino's San Francisco, CA
Alexis had an appointment, so she wolfed down the following lunch on the run.
Meatball Hot Plate $8
These meatballs are typically very good, but today they were just not up to snuff. They were hard and dense and a bit off-tasting.
Side Salad (served with the meatball platter)
A decent little side salad with artichokes.
Meatball Hot Plate $8
These meatballs are typically very good, but today they were just not up to snuff. They were hard and dense and a bit off-tasting.
Side Salad (served with the meatball platter)
A decent little side salad with artichokes.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 0, Italian, restaurant, review, Service: 1, take-out
Lunch at Kokkari, San Francisco, CA
Giao went to Kokkari for lunch, a place we haven't been to since our office was right next to it.
Grilled Lamb Riblets $9.25
Tender, gamey in a good way, and flavored with oregano.
Fried Smelts with Garlic Aioli $7.50
Mmm. There's not a whole lot better than fried fish that resemble french fried in shape and are just as easy to eat.
Kokkari
Previous Post
Grilled Lamb Riblets $9.25
Tender, gamey in a good way, and flavored with oregano.
Fried Smelts with Garlic Aioli $7.50
Mmm. There's not a whole lot better than fried fish that resemble french fried in shape and are just as easy to eat.
200 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA, 94111
Previous Post
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 1, Greek, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Breakfast from Katz Bagels, San Francisco, CA
We decided to pick up some low carb bagels on the way to work for a change of pace...
Everything Low Carb Bagel with Lox Spread, Tomato and Onion $3.50
Not too bad for a low carb baked good. The spread was also plentiful, which was much appreciated.
Everything Low Carb Lox Bagel with the Works $6.50
Hearty, and tasty.
Previous Post
Everything Low Carb Bagel with Lox Spread, Tomato and Onion $3.50
Not too bad for a low carb baked good. The spread was also plentiful, which was much appreciated.
Everything Low Carb Lox Bagel with the Works $6.50
Hearty, and tasty.
Katz Bagels
606 Mission Street
606 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105
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Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 0, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Dinner at Home
Tomato-Zuchinni Salad with Baked Pesto Dover Sole
These baby veggies from the farmer's market make a delicious, fresh summer salad, dressed simply with balsamic and salt. Alexis likes to make batches of homemade pesto and freeze it, so that when we need an easy dinner, we just smother some fish with it and bake.
Pesto Dover Sole
-3 tb homemade pesto
-3 filets Dover sole
-salt and pepper to taste
Season the fish with salt and pepper. Spread the pesto on top. Bake on 400 for about 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes.
-3 tb homemade pesto
-3 filets Dover sole
-salt and pepper to taste
Season the fish with salt and pepper. Spread the pesto on top. Bake on 400 for about 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes.
Labels: dinner recipes, fish, homemade, salad, tomatos, zuchinni
Lunch at Work
Sun-dried Tomato and Artichoke Crustless Mini-Quiche
A tasty, filling lunch.
-8 eggs
-1 cup cream
-1 cup grated cheese
-1 cup artichoke hearts, drained and diced
-1/2 cup sun-dried tomatos, minced
-salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients and bake in a well greased muffin tin for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and puffed and a toothpick comes out clean.
-1 cup cream
-1 cup grated cheese
-1 cup artichoke hearts, drained and diced
-1/2 cup sun-dried tomatos, minced
-salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients and bake in a well greased muffin tin for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and puffed and a toothpick comes out clean.
Labels: eggs, homemade, lunch recipes, quiche
Breakfast at Home
Steak, Eggs and Horseradish Turnips
A hearty breakfast of leftover steak and horseradish turnips served with simple cheesy scrambled eggs.
Labels: beef, breakfast recipe, eggs, homemade, leftovers, turnip
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Dinner at Home
Turnips with Horseradish and Pan Fried NY Strip Steak
A twist on the standard American meat and potatos dinner.
Horseradish Turnips
-8 baby turnips
-2 tb cream
-1 ts horseradish
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 tb butter
Peel and quarter the turnips. Put a pot of water on to boil with some salt. When the water is boiling, add the turnips and boil until just fork tender. Drain immediately. In a frying pan melt the butter and dump in the turnips. Sautee until browned. Mix the cream and horseradish together and pour over the turnips. Stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Steaks
-2 steaks
-1 tb steak seasoning
-2 tb worcestershire sauce
-1 tb butter
-1 ts olive oil
Poke the steaks with a fork on both sides, season with worcestershire and steak seasoning. Let sit for 15 minutes or so. Heat a pan with the butter and olive oil. When hot, cook the steaks for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare.
-8 baby turnips
-2 tb cream
-1 ts horseradish
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 tb butter
Peel and quarter the turnips. Put a pot of water on to boil with some salt. When the water is boiling, add the turnips and boil until just fork tender. Drain immediately. In a frying pan melt the butter and dump in the turnips. Sautee until browned. Mix the cream and horseradish together and pour over the turnips. Stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Steaks
-2 steaks
-1 tb steak seasoning
-2 tb worcestershire sauce
-1 tb butter
-1 ts olive oil
Poke the steaks with a fork on both sides, season with worcestershire and steak seasoning. Let sit for 15 minutes or so. Heat a pan with the butter and olive oil. When hot, cook the steaks for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare.
Labels: beef, dinner recipes, homemade, turnip
Lunch from Mixt Greens, San Francisco, CA
Baby Spinach Salad with Filet Mignon, Cucumber, Bacon, Tomato and Red Onion with Blue Cheese DressingA filling and tasty salad, but far too expensive if you had to pay for it yourself.
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 1, restaurant, review, salad, Service: 1
Breakfast at Home
Salmon and Cheese Omelette
Giao requested an omelette for breakfast for a change, and so Alexis whipped one up with some leftover salmon from last night. Yum.
Giao requested an omelette for breakfast for a change, and so Alexis whipped one up with some leftover salmon from last night. Yum.
Labels: breakfast recipe, eggs, fish, homemade
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Dinner at Home
Salad of Yellow Pear Tomatos, Mozzerella, Purple Scallion, Lemon Cucumber and Radish
Seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Wild Salmon with Lemon and Capers
A filet of wild salmon, baked for about 15 minutes on 375 with lemon, capers, salt and pepper. Delicious.
Labels: dinner recipes, fish, homemade, salad
Lunch at Work
Labels: homemade, leftovers, long beans, pork, stirfry
Breakfast at Home
Monday, August 13, 2007
Dinner at Home
Black Bean Pork with Chinese Long Beans
A quick stir-fry that will hold up for lunch tomorrow.
-1 pork loin, cut in bite size pieces
-3/4 lb long beans, cut in 2 inch lengths
-3 purple scallions, thinly sliced
-2 tb garlic black bean sauce
-2 tb chili garlic sauce
-1 tb oyster sauce
-3/4 lb long beans, cut in 2 inch lengths
-3 purple scallions, thinly sliced
-2 tb garlic black bean sauce
-2 tb chili garlic sauce
-1 tb oyster sauce
Marinate the pork in the chili garlic sauce, oyster sauce and soy sauce for about 15 minutes. Then sautee pork in a pan on medium high for a few minutes, until about half cooked and mostly browned. Add the long beans and cover for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic black bean sauce and the scallions. Remove cover and continue to sautee until most of the moisture has evaporated and a thick sauce has formed.
Labels: dinner recipes, homemade, long beans, pork, stirfry
Lunch at Work
Hot and Sour Meatball Soup
This is a take on hot and sour thai prawn soup and it was quite delicious.
Meatballs:
-1 lb ground beef
-1 tb soy sauce
-1 egg
-1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, bruised and minced
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
-1 ts white pepper
-1 handful fresh basil, minced
-1 handful fresh cilantro, minced
-2 tb fish sauce
-salt to taste
Mix it all together with your hands and roll into 1 inch diameter balls. Set aside.
Soup:
-6 can chicken broth
-juice of 1 lime
-1 gobo root, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths
-1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and cut into 2 inch lengths
-one inch piece of ginger, sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
-1 tb fish sauce
-1 batch meatballs (see above)
-6 celery stalks, diced
-2 packages kelp noodles, roughly chopped
-1 tb red chili paste
-5 scallions, diced
-1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Sautee the scallions and celery in a bit of olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, gobo, lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, chili paste and kelp noodles and bring to a boil. When noodles are soft, add the meatballs, dropping them in one at a time. When meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes, pick out the gobo, ginger and lemongrass pieces and toss. Add the lime juice and the cilantro, stir and serve.
-1 lb ground beef
-1 tb soy sauce
-1 egg
-1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, bruised and minced
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
-1 ts white pepper
-1 handful fresh basil, minced
-1 handful fresh cilantro, minced
-2 tb fish sauce
-salt to taste
Mix it all together with your hands and roll into 1 inch diameter balls. Set aside.
Soup:
-6 can chicken broth
-juice of 1 lime
-1 gobo root, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths
-1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and cut into 2 inch lengths
-one inch piece of ginger, sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
-1 tb fish sauce
-1 batch meatballs (see above)
-6 celery stalks, diced
-2 packages kelp noodles, roughly chopped
-1 tb red chili paste
-5 scallions, diced
-1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Sautee the scallions and celery in a bit of olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, gobo, lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, chili paste and kelp noodles and bring to a boil. When noodles are soft, add the meatballs, dropping them in one at a time. When meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes, pick out the gobo, ginger and lemongrass pieces and toss. Add the lime juice and the cilantro, stir and serve.
Labels: beef, homemade, kelp noodles, meatballs, soup, thai
Breakfast at Home
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Dinner at Home
Chili Rubbed Baby Back Ribs
We cook these in the Ron Popeil "Set it and forget it" Showtime Rotisserie Grill for exactly 38 minutes. We parboil them for 15 minutes prior, then rub them with Alexis' no-fail wet rub and in less than an hour we have succulent, spicy ribs.
Farmer's Market Salad
Another dish inspired by the farmer's market. This salad contained little yellow pear tomatos, baby radishes, lemon cucumbers and chiffonade of squash blossoms and was simply dressed with balsamic vinegar and seasoned with salt.
Labels: dinner recipes, homemade, pork, ribs, salad
Brunch at Home
Egg and Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Artichoke-Red Pepper-Balsamic Dipping Sauce
Alexis got inspired at the farmers market and came home with a box of lovely squash blossoms. All the recipes she found called for deep frying them, but she wanted something lighter and figured that broiling might work. She gave it a shot and they turned out beautifully, all puffed up from the eggs.
-20 squash blossoms, stems removed
-4 eggs
-1 cup grated cheese (I used goat and Dubliner, but you could use whatever you've got)
-salt and pepper to taste
Grease a cookie sheet. Whisk the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper together and pour mixture into a zip lock bag. Cut off a corner of the zip lock bag and use it to fill each squash blossom. Twist the tips of the squash blossom together to lock the egg mixture in and place the filled blossoms on the cookie sheet. Broil on low for a few minutes, then flip the squash blossoms over and broil a few more minutes. They are done when slightly puffed, yet firm, and when the tips are just a touch crispy. Although these are tasty enough to be eaten alone, we dipped them in the following sauce.
-3 tb artichoke red pepper tapenade
-2 tb balsamic vinegar
Mix and serve as a dipping sauce.
-4 eggs
-1 cup grated cheese (I used goat and Dubliner, but you could use whatever you've got)
-salt and pepper to taste
Grease a cookie sheet. Whisk the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper together and pour mixture into a zip lock bag. Cut off a corner of the zip lock bag and use it to fill each squash blossom. Twist the tips of the squash blossom together to lock the egg mixture in and place the filled blossoms on the cookie sheet. Broil on low for a few minutes, then flip the squash blossoms over and broil a few more minutes. They are done when slightly puffed, yet firm, and when the tips are just a touch crispy. Although these are tasty enough to be eaten alone, we dipped them in the following sauce.
-3 tb artichoke red pepper tapenade
-2 tb balsamic vinegar
Mix and serve as a dipping sauce.
Century Egg with Pickled Asparagus and Preserved Bamboo Shoots
Giao was still hungry, so he ate one of his favorite snacks, preserved duck egg with pickled anything.
Labels: breakfast recipe, eggs, homemade, squash
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