Restaurants

Careful – if you are driving to the principality of Liechtenstein you may pass it.  This small Alpine country, nestled along the Rhein between Austria and Switzerland, can be easy to miss as with such distracting scenery all around you.  But you should take care to not miss it.

Given it’s location, it’s no surprise that it has some fantastic food.  The fact that the capital city of Vaduz (population approximately 5400 people) has so many great restaurants is a testament to the good eating you’ll do there.  With so many choices, it was hard to pick one.  But we finally did.  And we weren’t disappointed.

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La Mela in Little Italy

I was all for eating at a grocery store in Little Italy when we arrived in New York City a day early for the Carnival Dream inauguration last week. But my friend, who is a bit more of an upscale person, asked the concierge at Morgans Hotel for his recommendation.

This question, in my experience, usually gets you something far more expensive than ziti with marinara sauce from a deli counter.

“La Mela,” he said without hesitation as he pulled out a subway map and showed us how to find Mulberry Street. “It’s not overly expensive and still has the red-checked tablecloths on the table. Very charming, real Italian food.”

Well, so is the fare at my spot on the corner, but whatever. It’s only money, right?

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Homemade pasta makes your mouth water

It’s a sad fact of life: My husband will never be as crazy about an escape to Hollywood, Florida, as I am. The second he stepped off the plane, he began sweating — and then he walked outside to meet me pulling up to the curb. He opened the door, threw his bag in the back seat and started right in on the topic nearest and dearest to his heart.

“I forgot about the damn humidity down here.” Hi to you, too, honey.

Pre-vacation he talked about sitting under a beach umbrella with me (as long as he was wearing his t-shirt and slathered in Bullfrog sunscreen, of course), listening to my iPod beach tunes and reading a book. After he arrived, he hung out in the bedroom at the Manta Ray Inn, right underneath the air conditioning unit, with said book. I was shocked when he actually ventured out onto the sand while the sun was still in the sky to bring me a bottle of water from the fridge on the last day.

But at 5 p.m. every night, he did a Jekyll and Hyde turn-around. There’s nothing like dinner to change my man’s attitude for the better — and I’m well-endowed with a list of restaurants to tempt him even further into a good mood.

My most successful recommendation: Mama Mia Italian Ristorante.

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Grilled bread for the table and a crisp rose wine!

Pasta Pomodoro in one sentence: Sure, it’s part of a chain of Italian restaurants, but in the consistent, reliable sort of way, with a tasty menu, good sized portions and healthy options.

Who you’ll see there: Singles who don’t feel like cooking after work, couples who don’t feel like cooking after work, families who don’t feel like cooking after soccer practice and work…you get the idea. The cafe in Laurel Village is a well-known “child-friendly” spot, so it’s a big spot for the local nannies at lunch.

Make sure to try: The butternut squash ravioli, the chicken marsala, the broccoli sauteed with garlic and chile flakes, and the “mista” mixed green side salad, which has a wonderful mix of fresh vegetables and a light but tasty dressing. Also, the wine list is surprisingly extensive.

It’s okay to skip: The bruschetta. They bring you grilled bread and a garlickly dipping sauce for the table.

Best dessert: Simple but delicious affogato: espresso poured over vanilla gelato.

Seriously, isn't that a nice looking salad?

Service: It’s perfectly fine. They get your meal on the table without dropping it in your lap. There’s not a lot of variety on the menu for them to explain, but they’re nice kids, you know? Leave a nice tip, they try hard.

Average meal price: Pretty affordable and recession-friendly. The most expensive thing on the menu is the $16 steak. The Laurel Village cafe offers week night specials, half-price bottles of wine, and the servings are always big enough to bring home for left-overs.

Pasta Pomodoro Logistics:

• You can usually walk right in and get a seat
• Credit cards, yes
• It’s kid-friendly, which means there’s a good chance there will be a screaming child one or two tables over. There aren’t any fancy table cloths to absorb the sound. It can get loud. Be ready to roll with it, or get your order to go.
• Heated patio

Parking:

Officially street parking, but everyone parks in the Laurel Village parking lot.

Location:

Laurel Village
3611 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-831-0900

Photos: Cat Lincoln

Fried olives at Sociale

Sociale in one sentence: Neighborhood Italian trattoria tucked away down an alley off Sacramento Street, featuring a four course menu of local, sustainable and delectable dishes.

Who you’ll see there: Dressed up, slightly older, well-heeled (sorta rich) “Heights” crowd.

Make sure to try: the fried olives stuffed with fontina, the pasta Amatriciana with Guanciale, and the braised pork shank with maple glaze.

It’s okay to skip: it’s all delicious, so I have to go with “anything except dessert”

Best dessert: chocolate oblivion cake with olive oil, sea salt, amaretti cookie crumbles or the incredible house-made doughnuts with espresso shake — the doughnuts come out warm with the sugar melting off them.

Service: Unobtrusive but professional and attentive. You will never have a chance to pour your own wine.

Average meal price: On the medium/pricey side, with appetizers in the $8-12 range, pastas $15-18, and meat dishes $22-28. Desserts under $10, but the wine list will tempt you to overspend.

Chocolate oblivion cake

Sociale Logistics:

• You absolutely need reservations on the weekend, and most week nights
• Beer and wine only
• You will be tempted by the charming patio with twinkling lights, but even heat lamps have a hard time competing with cold San Francisco fog
• There are no high-chairs in evidence at Sociale. If you’re spending this much, it’s worth it to get a babysitter, too.

Parking:

Give yourself a few minutes to look, but street parking is surprisingly doable.

Location:

Laurel Heights
3665 Sacramento Street between Locust and Spruce Streets
San Francisco, CA
415.921.3200

Hours:

Lunch: Tues-Sat 11:30-2:30 PM

Dinner: Mon-Sat 5:30-10:00 PM

Photos: Cat Lincoln

Pasta Moto "Quick Taste of Italy" new in SF

San Francisco Metreon Shopping Center, in the San Francisco Center has a large lower floor filled with mini versions of larger restaurants as well as your basic food stalls.   Think International Terminal at SFO more than Harrod’s Department Store’s famous Food Halls.

Westfield – Metreon is a state of the art technology and entertainment marketplace covering over 350,000 square feet on four levels. It is the new home of the old Emporium-Capwell’s for you old school shoppers and citizens like me. Remember that crazy Ferris Wheel on the roof of the store at Christmas? How was that legal?

While shopping at Bloomingdale’s and checking out the Rosetta Stone kiosk in the mall, I got really hungry all of a sudden. Maybe from thinking of my trip to Spain and all the fresh seafood I was going to consume!  Deep down inside though, my craving was for simple comfort food rather than a balanced sensible meal.  Good thing I was at a mall because the lower level produced the perfect choice, Pasta Moto! Read More »

Feel Glamorous Lunch @ Armani Cafe

Do you have a group of friends that you like to meet up with for a little retail therapy?  I am part of this great group of girlfriends who like to meet regularly downtown.  Besides hitting the stores, we also use this time together to try out cafes and restaurants.

This time after we combed the sale racks at Banana Republic, Loehmann’s and H&M we decided to hit the Armani Cafe, just inside the Armani store on Grant Avenue in San Francisco.

We may live for sales but we also need to feel glamorous.  What better way to gaze at the gorgeous Giorgio Armani clothes without feeling the guilt of not buying them, then to grab a bite at his cafe.  We could have gone for the European feel and sat outside on the sidewalk but decided to up the style quotient and get a table overlooking the beautiful displays inside.

A few of us at the table were disappointed that it wasn’t 3:00 pm yet because the cafe has a happy hour with drink specials that include a $6 Cosmo or Martini.  I was excited to see my favorite summer food, a caprese salad (heirloom tomato, basil and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese!) on the menu for $9 as well as fried calamari for $10. Read More »

Risotto Rustica at Nonni's

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Chicken Parm, Pizza and a glass of red - the perfect combo at Giorgio's!

Giorgio’s Pizzeria in one sentence: East coast-style pizzeria where everyone is “from the neighborhood” and the jukebox plays classic rock.

Who you’ll see there: The high school drill team after practice, hipsters on dates, parents with crying toddlers, older couples … seriously the whole neighborhood.

Make sure to try: Perfect classic cheese pizza, the chicken parm with a side of spaghetti, the antipasto salad.

It’s okay to skip: Any flavor of calzone – for a place that does thin crust pizza so well, the calzone is a disappointing dough bomb.

Best dessert: Another slice of pizza

Service: Nice local girls in matching t-shirts who you can trust to tell you the truth about portion sizes, refill your Coke without asking, and will leave you in peace to eat your meal.

Average meal price: $22.10 for a large Giorgio’s Special (salami, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms) pizza, $14.25 for a chicken parm that can feed you for two-three meals.

Best time of day/meal to visit: It’s always busy, sometimes your best bet is to call and order take out.

Giorgio’s Pizzeria Logistics:

• No reservations
• No delivery
• Credit cards accepted
• Street parking

Location:
151 Clement St.
3rd Ave. and Clement Street
Phone: 415-668-1266
Richmond District

Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 11:00 am 10:00 pm
Friday – Saturday: 11:00 am 11:00 pm
Sunday – 11:00 am 9:00 pm

What kind of restaurant does a harried writer/Mom type like when craving a great meal in New York City?  According to Allison Winn Scotch, NYC resident, mother of two, and New York Times Bestselling Author of Time of My Life (now available in paperback), it’s a nice, quiet meal at a place like Cesca, a fantastic Italian joint on West 75th and Amsterdam. 
 
“The Upper West Side’s dining has really blossomed over the past few years,” she says.  “And Cesca is just one of those places where every dish you order is good.” 
 
When Scotch and her husband can get the babysitter to stay a few extra hours, they often meet up with friends at this charming and “fairly hip” eatery.  “The ambiance is really nice:  loud, but not too loud.  You don’t have to worry about talking over the noise but also don’t have to worry about laughing too hard after a glass or two of wine.”  

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