Restaurants

Mifune Noodle House in SF

Do you want to experience Japan but without the ten-hour flight? For anyone visiting San Francisco, you can find all things Japanese at Japantown near the lower Pacific Heights neighborhood.  This cultural center has not only annual festivals, like the Nihonmachi Street Fair on August 8, but everyday you will find lots of authentic shops and dining choices giving you a real taste of Japan.

One of the best noodle houses with an authentic Japanese flavor and atmosphere is Mifune, located on the upper level of the center’s two city-blocks.  They are known for their homemade noodles.  The service is not very gung-ho but that is part of the authentic atmosphere, efficient vs. friendly. Read More »

Dinner at Applebee's

In my “order the same thing every visit” mindset, I’ve come to count on Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar as my chicken fajita roll-up source. So when we couldn’t get a timely table at the new Acapulco Joe’s the other night, my husband and I started aimless driving down the street, trying to figure out what would be a good substitute.

Two miles beyond restaurant row, as we like to call State Road 135, and we needed to just make a choice already. We were staring at a right-hand turn into a parking lot that led to both O’Charley’s and Applebee’s.

Chicken fajita rollups won the split-second decision.

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It seems that farm-to-table restaurants are all the rage these days.  In an age of too many steps between the farm and our plates, many staunchly embrace the idea of going back to the good old days where we knew just where our eats were coming from.  And who can blame them?  Sarah Rose, noted food and travel writer, and author of the forthcoming book, “For All the Tea in China:  Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula of the Worlds Favorite Drink,” certainly appreciates the idea.

And because of that, when asked for a favorite restaurant, Rose strongly recommended Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, New York.  Despite her travels across the globe for her work.

“There is a Blue Hill in New York and a companion restaurant in Tarrytown at Stone Barns, both of which are Dan Barber’s restaurants,” she says.  “He is the chef at both and he’s as good as it gets by my lights.”

Rose says that the food at both restaurants is incredibly fresh – all produce comes fresh from the local Blue Hill farm.  “The farm-to-table ethic is very hard core at Blue Hill.  And you really can taste it in every bite.”

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I have a confession – I’m not sure what makes up Dutch cuisine.  I’m more than a little embarrassed about this.  But, I’ll be honest, I’m not sure any visitor to Amsterdam can learn easily what constitutes the city’s true food heritage.  The place is about as close as you get to a true melting pot as you can get.  There are simply too many chains, ethnic joints and touristy restaurants to distract from its traditional fare.  And when you ask about good Dutch food?  Someone usually makes a joke about making sure to always eat your french fries with mayonnaise.  That’s not quite what I’m looking for.

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Welcome to Chili

Have you heard about Chili’s Grill and Bar recession-busting deal? If you haven’t, scoot over. My husband and I drove over there the other night to hold one of our skillet queso discussions, and couldn’t find a parking place. We were seated at the last empty table in the restaurant.

I haven’t seen things hopping like this on a weeknight in five years. “Oh, haven’t you heard about our 3 courses for $20 deal?” our server, Dan, asked. “We’ve been running crazy ever since they brought out the menu.”

In a nutshell, they serve an appetizer (your choice: Skillet Queso, Bottomless Tostada Chips & Salsa, Half Order of Texas Cheese Fries, Onion String & Crispy Jalapeno Stack or Eight Kickin’ Jack Nachos), two entrees from a long list and a dessert. We looked over the menu, shrugged and went whole hog.

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The infamous beignets at Just For You Cafe in San Francisco.

Whenever my boyfriend David and I told people that we were moving into San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood, we usually got three different responses:

“Where’s Dogpatch?”
“Oh! You will be near Just For You Cafe! They have the best beignets.”
“OK, listen to me, this is important. You must go to Just For You Cafe and get the beignets!”

With so many recommendations, expectations were high for Just For You Cafe, which is also known as Mabel’s. It did not disappoint. In fact, our first week in our new place, David and I ate at Just For You Cafe three times, hitting the restaurant for brunch, dinner and a happy hour.

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Double Play Scores in SF!

Double Play Bar & Grill is one of the coolest old school bars and restaurants in San Francisco.  From 1931 through 1957 people would stop by to grab food on their way to or from seeing a baseball game at the Seals Stadium.

The San Francisco Seals were a great Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League.  The stadium was across the street where you now see the huge Safeway shopping center.

After more than 100 years this sports bar is still serving great burgers, homemade spaghetti on Tuesdays and fresh fish on the border between the Mission District and Potrero Hill in San Francisco.

This landmark is on the busy corner of 16th Street and Bryant Street, but you’ll find their free parking lot entrance on 16th Street.  Besides the food, the huge bar and event space, you will love the wall-to-wall baseball memorabilia.  Read More »

The peppered bacon cheddar burger with fries at the Steelhead Brewing Company in Burlingame.

There are only a handful of destination restaurants in Burlingame. Steelhead Brewing Company is one of them.

My boyfriend David and I met up with his best buddy Joe at the Steelhead Brewing Company because we were in the mood for some beer and some meat. It was a Friday night, so we were mentally preparing ourselves for a hefty wait and were surprised when we got a table right away. It was all about timing, because you will most likely have to wait for a table on a Friday or Saturday night.

I ordered the grilled chicken breast sandwich, which was served on a whole wheat bun with a slightly spiced honey mustard sauce and crispy fries. I paired it with Steelhead’s Hairy Weasel Hefeweizen, which — let’s be honest — is just fun to order. “Yeah, I’ll have the Hairy Weasel” [snickering]. The beer was light and served with lemon. It was perfection with the grilled chicken breast. The fries were yummy. I inhaled all of my fries and most of David’s.

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so many bagels

Two things spring to mind when someone mentions Panera Bread: 1. It’s within walking distance of my house. Not that I’ve taken advantage of that much, seeing as how it’s still more time efficient in the middle of a work day to hop behind the wheel of my Miata, but the few times I’ve hoofed it apparently have left an impression on me.

Second, it would be a poor journalist who worked for years for Fast Casual magazine and didn’t know that Panera Bread and Chipotle are considered the sparkle darlings of this restaurant niche. BusinessWeek put it on its list of hot companies to watch in 2005. Health magazine recently voted it America’s most healthy fast food restaurant (we’ll have to forgive a consumer title for not understanding the business hair-splitting that puts Panera in a different niche category).

“We like the pickup in revenue growth in the past quarter, and we especially like the improvement in the profit margin, a sign of capable management. The number of mutual funds that own the stock continues to grow, and is nearing 200,” analyst Stephen Halpern said this spring. In other words, when it comes to making money, Panera Bread is rolling in the dough.

I’m not that complicated. I like it because it’s rolling dough.

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Hahn's Hibachi Korean BBQ @ Noe Valley

For all of you meat eaters, this is THE place for tasty Korean barbecue and other grilled delights at a bargain price! Hahn’s Hibachi serves up family style lunches and dinners at several locations in the Bay Area.  They have a huge selection of dishes including my favorite, the Korean classic Bibimbop. I am in their Noe Valley restaurant in San Francisco on a regular basis.

Hahn’s Hibachi has been a neighborhood anchor in Noe Valley for years, with its bright green awning you can’t miss it. A great spot when you are starving, cold and want warm comfort food or just need food to take home to the family. Read More »