Restaurants

Latin Cafe 2000 snapshots

Some food simply doesn’t need an atmosphere to improve it.

While hanging out in South Florida before and after a conference (held on the Carnival Imagination no less, which reminds me of that classic Dire Straits song lyric “that ain’t working. That’s the way you do it.”) I managed to stumble into two different groups of attendees who invited me to dinner … at a Cuban restaurant.

This Midwest meat-and-potatoes gal had images of chicken heads floating in the chicken noodle soup, mainly because that’s what the waitress put in front of my friend the last time we ate off the beaten cultural path in Miami. I’ve considered counseling to erase the image from my mind.

But when you’re the organizer for a 3-day group event, you go along to get along on these issues. So I said yes, and hoped I passed a drugstore to stock up on Snicker bars in my room back at the Doubletree Grand Biscayne.

In Miami, we pored over recommendations here at Uptake, and wound up choosing Latin Cafe 2000 local franchise — my friend because the concierge recommended it, and then I nodded yes because it was close. I dislike driving our SUV in the first place, and downtown Miami doesn’t do a thing to improve that attitude. And remember, I figured I was headed toward some kind of voodoo dinner to boot.

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Buckhorn Grill in San Francisco

When you go to the movies, who doesn’t love a big bucket of popcorn, with all that sweet butter and salt? Nowadays though, the price of that popcorn is approaching ten bucks, especially if you add in a large drink to help wash it down. If you’re like me, sometimes you want more than the salty goodness of that popcorn. You want something meaty, like a good burger or a steak sandwich.

Here in San Francisco, there is a place where you can get that tasty sirloin with your movie ticket, at the Buckhorn Grill. In the Westfield Metreon Shopping Mall, besides its huge selection of movies, you will find a variety of delicious food options. Recently before our show time, I wanted to grab a bite of something substantial. Their tri-tip sandwich turned out to be one of the best reasons to skip the popcorn I have ever had. Read More »

Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co.

Next to myself and music, my husband Andy’s favorite things in the world are yummy pizza and tasty brews. So when the kind staff at the Grove Park Inn referred us to Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. during a recent visit to the area, I’m pretty sure Andy thought he was in heaven. Read More »

It must be a cold, drizzly day.  Sure enough, it is.  Cold, rainy and drab.

But I knew it was rainy before I even looked out the window.  How?  Because I’m dreaming of pizza again.  But not the pizza of my childhood from Rodolfo’s.  No, I’m guessing it’s just as blah and dreary in New Jersey this time of year.  I want to eat a slice of great pizza outside, with the sun shining on my face and a sweet beach nearby.  I want to fill my belly at the Pizza Garden in Saint Augustine, Florida.

Truth be told, I was thinking about Saint Augustine last week.  In my Halloween preparations, I was thinking about this old and supposedly haunted city.  The oldest city in the United States, you’ll hear a lot about the ghouls and ghosts that still reside in the area.  Many claim to Back in my life before kids, my husband and I would often head down to this town for the weekend, stay at a Bed and Breakfast and enjoy just walking around.  Never saw a ghost though.

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Bacon.

Just the mere mention of the word and I start drooling like Pavlov’s proverbial dog.  I’m not sure what it is about that tasty, cured meat, but I am not ashamed to say I might just be a bacon addict.  In fact, just thinking about bacon, it’s all I can do right now not to turn into that little cartoon dog from the old Beg’ums commercial and start hollering, “Bacon!”

BACON!  Oh wait, I guess I just did yell.  What can I say?  I love it that much.  Stop me before I yell again.

Because of my addiction, I don’t keep much bacon in the house.  I’d probably weigh 300 lbs. and not care because I’d be sitting on my couch munching on some bacon.  But when I visit a good restaurant and see a creative dish that uses bacon as an ingredient, I am compelled to give it a try.  I just can’t resist.

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The crouton makes it magic!

El Toreador in one sentence: Bright, cheery, always busy “sit down Mexican” place in West Portal, with bottomless bowls of chips, generous pitchers of Margaritas and big platters of comfort food.

Who you’ll see there: College students, families, couples before going to the movies.

Make sure to try: the sopa, the tasty tomato broth soup with one giant, yummy crouton floating in it. Also, the enchiladas will warm you up on the coldest, foggiest San Francisco night. Definitely go for the pitcher over the individual glasses of margaritas.

It’s okay to skip: the crispy taco plate. It’s a lot of fried, and they heat up the plate with the lettuce on it — not my favorite.

Service: The place is always busy, so they keep things moving. You’ll never have an empty plate sitting in front of you, and your water or soda will be refilled without you asking.

Average meal price:  Two people are in and out for $30 without booze, $45 if you get a pitcher.

Logistics:

• Be prepared for a line, you put your name on a list and wait
• No reservations
• It will be loud – it will not be romantic
• Kinda cramped, but in a friendly way
• Yes to credit cards

Parking:

On the street, can be tough to find, the smart move is to drop someone off to put your name on the list while you look for a spot

Location:

West Portal
50 W Portal Ave
(between Claremont Blvd & Portola Dr)
San Francisco, CA 94127
(415) 566-8104

Photos: Cat Lincoln

Mamacita's guacamole

A stranger named Jimmy is my new best friend.

Back in June, when I wrote about Cancun Mexican Grill in Hollywood, Florida, Jimmy suggested I also try Mamacita’s Mexican Bar & Grill on the Broadwalk. I agreed to stop in the next time I was in town.

I’m not a gal who takes such written commitments lightly, so finding this place was on my first night’s agenda. And since I had my husband along on this trip, he enthusiastically endorsed the idea after he heard the words “Mexican food” — even if I did have to talk him through how to drive a mile straight down Ocean Drive, turn right on Johnson Street and find a parking space with a meter. Duh.

I was excited to see the location: all tables at Mamacita’s have a wonderful view of the Atlantic Ocean, and we were ahead of the crowd so we could take our pick. Chips, salsa and the sea are really all it takes to make my soul content. My husband, however, contained his excitement until they handed him a menu, and then his eyes bugged out of his head.

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Here in Palo Alto, the UpTake office has been suffering through a major construction project around the corner. This means large trucks block all the good parking spots and we are subjected to loud banging and vibrating jackhammers on a regular basis. But, just the other day, we realized there is a tremendous up-side to all this chaos…where there is construction, there are also lunchtime taco trucks!!!

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San Francisco Landmark Tadich Grill

Another “must see and eat at” for any San Francisco visitors or new residents, is Tadich Grill in the Financial District.  I read somewhere that Tadich was referred to once as, “It’s kind of like the Peter Luger’s of Seafood”. Having eaten at both The Palm Restaurant on Second Avenue in New York and Peter Luger in Brooklyn, I have to agree.

When you dine at Tadich Grill be prepared to be served large portions by sometimes grumpy but always no-nonsense waiters. This is not your trendy super-friendly chain restaurant, this is a piece of San Francisco history that has survived a hundred trends. If you close your eyes, the atmosphere is a little Nick and Nora in The Thin Man, especially if you hear a cable car clang its bell on the up/down California Street outside the restaurant.

Now for lunch but especially for dinner, you have got to try the Cioppino, white bib around your neck and all. Read More »

Popular Restaurant in Santa Monica

I grew up in the Northeast, and spent many summer beach days munching on the lobster rolls, Blue Point oysters, fried clams, snapper, and other seafood ubiquitous to the East Coast. Moving to Southern California has its foodie benefits, but I’ve sorely missed the East Coast summertime crab shack atmosphere. If you’ve been to one, you know what I mean: The real deal has plastic tablecloths (if any), the morning’s catch of crabs, lobsters or clams, amazingly fresh fish, and almost no dress code. Makes sense; the best seafood joints are right by the beach after all. I hadn’t found a place in Southern California to quite fit this niche. When The Blue Plate Oysterette opened on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, I was quite hopeful. The food is really good at this restaurant, its popularity is by and large deserved.

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