Restaurants

Contigo San Francisco Jamon Serrano

The Noe Valley neighborhood in San Francisco has another new restaurant that is so good, when you add in the recently opened Whole Foods Market; the area seems to be turning into a destination for foodies. The area can definitely support more good restaurants, and when the menu is created with local and organic products and sourced from humane farmers, ranchers, fishermen and artisans; locals applaud and line up at the front door.

Contigo Kitchen + Cava is a fabulous restaurant that serves only dinner and they do not take reservations. It is worth arriving early but if have to wait, they have a counter you can stand at sipping wine while you watch their kitchen cook everything from scratch.

Contigo is the only restaurant in San Francisco where you can sample the fabled jamón iberico de bellota — and an assortment of Catalan coques (flatbreads) from the wood-burning oven. Having had this ham in Barcelona, what we tasted at dinner was a flashback to our amazing trip years earlier. Read More »

Are you a big sports fan? Can’t wait until football season starts? If you live in San Francisco then you can’t miss the Kezar Pub & Restaurant across from Kezar Stadium near Golden Gate Park.

Kezar Stadium is a legend among locals. Originally built in the 1920’s (before being replaced with a smaller version in 1989), the stadium back then still holds the attendance record for a high school football game in Northern California, with over 50,000 showing up for a game between big rivals Lowell High School and San Francisco Polytechnic.

Did you know that both the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers began their professional NFL existence in the original Kezar Stadium? Given this legendary status, it is no wonder that the Kezar Pub and Restaurant opened its doors across the street. Read More »

Mama's Fish House, Pa'ia, Maui, Hawaii

by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl

After surviving a trip on the Road to Hana, we decided a fancy lunch was in order, and fortunately, we were able to sneak into Mama’s Fish House in Pa’ia for that lunch experience. And sneak we did, since we had spent the better part of the morning scrambling up muddy hills in search of water falls! Read More »

California Wine Merchant in SF

After work this is one of my favorite places to meet my husband or a friend for a drink and snacks.  The California Wine Merchant is in the Marina neighborhood of San Francisco.  They have wine tastings all the time and they sell bottles in their retail shop. They are a real wine bar that has been around for years, not a restaurant with a wine list.

All of the staff are very knowledgeable about the wines they pour as well as the bottles that they sell.  You can rely on their ability to answer all of your questions – I don’t know anything about wine but I always learn something new when we stop in here.  It is enjoyable to come here, relax with a glass of wine and sometimes find a great gift for my more wine-savvy friends and family. Read More »

Pho Garden - Great Outer Richmond Spot

I love noodles and last month I wrote about a favorite pho noodle house. Yesterday we discovered a new place for lunch and delicious savory noodles and cold beer.  Pho Garden is a very clean and fresh looking place, and its look matched the freshness of the wonderful bowl of seafood pho that we both had.  Lots of fresh and clean tasting fish in abundance. Yum!

Our stomachs were very happy because the freshness of the fish is sometimes questionable at other local spots we walked into before. We were not disappointed this time but pleasantly surprised. The noodles had a very tasty broth served piping hot. 

My husband was in the mood for a beer, and the waiter came over and mentioned that he was “out of 33 beer”.  “It was caught up in customs!”  My husband chose a Stella.  Not your typical Asian beer, but crisp and clean, to go with his seafood noodles.  He asked the waiter to make sure that his beer was ice cold.  Our waiter brought out a very frosty bottle and a frozen mug.  ”You can’t get it any colder than this!” he proclaimed.  ”I’m a beer drinker too, so I know how it’s best,” he added. My husband was a very happy man.

Coldest Beer and Hottest Noodles

The pho and consistency of the noodles was very good, and since we both ordered the same dish, I will be going back again to give you an update on other dishes off of their menu.  The location is way out there, but they try very hard.  And actually, in this part of the Outer Richmond neighborhood they are close to the local 4 Star Theater, an independent movie theater that shows a lot of cool alternative movies with many from Hong Kong.

If you live in the area or plan to see a movie in the neighborhood, Pho Garden is definitely worth a stop. We’re certainly going to try them again.

2109 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 379-8677
www.phogardensf.com

Open Everyday 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Except Wednesdays.

Foodies demand freshness in their meals, whether they eat in or out. While flash-frozen food is surprisingly

Tomkat in Kauai Serves Locally Caught Fish

good (how else do you expect the sushi heavens of Nobu and Tao in Las Vegas to possibly serve anything but desert-grown produce?), the energy it takes to fly produce to far away destinations can be seen as detrimental to the environment. Concerned restaurant aficionados lately have been interested in ensuring that locally grown produce, and locally raised meat, is served whenever feasible. The 100 Mile Diet promotes eating food grown within a hundred-mile radius, and the National Resources Defense Council has a nifty calculator on its site, that allows users to find what’s fresh near them, by season and state. The same site has a farmer’s market finder search bar – very useful for those of us that demand freshness in our ingredients!

Helping travel planners figure out where to go, and what to do once they get there, is what Uptake is all about. Vacations can leave a pretty serious carbon footprint, of course, and damage the habitats travel lovers want future generations to enjoy. Part of an easy green vacation is seeking out our intended destinations’ restaurants that use local ingredients: By eating there, we’re reducing our carbon load and promoting the eco-friendly tourism concept.  A meal that is fresh and delicious, and better for the planet? Sounds like it’s win-win to me.

So this is the hardest post for me to write. Why? Well, I worked for Chili’s for almost 15 years and I have a lot of prejudice’s, for and against this popular chain. So,  here we goooo…

One thing I love, love, love about Chili’s is, no matter which one you go to, it’s going to be the same. They use all the same recipes, and the standard for food quality is very high.

Mesquite Chicken Salad

My favorite dish, gosh I don’t know, I’ve definitely tried everything on the menu and I do have a few favorites. You can’t go wrong with the Cajun Chicken Sandwich, it has ancho ranch and onion strings which compliment each other. The Mesquite Chicken Salad is pretty good too. Yum!

So many people came in for the Chicken Crispers, not my favorite, but they are so popular that they will never leave the menu.

Another great thing about Chili’s is that, quite a few of them have Braille menus and foreign language menus. That’s huge! Not only do they have foreign language menus, but they also have allergy menus, all you have to do is ask and they will print one out for you. Again, awesome!

The only issue I have with Chili’s is sometimes the service is lacking. Like many other restaurants, it’s a great draw for the college age student, because they are so forgiving with their scheduling.

Chili

It’s just so hard to go wrong with Chili’s, there is a  little something for everyone on the menu. The kids still ask for it all the time.

Me, I could definitely go for a Presidente Margarita right about now.

Chili’s– Your Local City

Another good reason to visit Chili’s, especially during the month of September.

Photo Credit – Me and My iphone

Shabby Chic Interior

This was a last minute dinner decision that turned out to be just perfect. My husband and I were in Calistoga for an overnight mid-week respite.

Being iPhone users, like many other Uptake travelers, we used the free OpenTable app to quickly (seriously, it had to be really fast because I was starving!) find a dinner place within walking distance and reasonably priced.

The Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery turned out to be a perfect choice. We had been to the pub next door on previous trips to Calistoga but had never been to the restaurant. During the hot summer months the restaurant is usually very busy with lots of people opting for outdoor tables.

We arrived early and they gave a cozy and intimate table off to the side, away from the other two occupied tables. The decor is very rustic French countryside meets Shabby Chic with lots of ceramic platters along the wall, distressed farm tables and starched dish cloths hanging near the ceiling.

They serve you immediately a bowl of soft and crusty rosemary bread which we gobbled up. We both then had yummy salads with lots of greens and mine had a nice dry-aged Sonoma cheese sliced into it. Deelish.

Fresh Salads

With Easter here, I chose their lamb shank with mashed potatoes and braised greens. It was savory and very delicious. My husband had their country paella that they offered mild or spicy, he went for the heat and was in heaven.

Spicy Paella

Our Wednesday dinner had a relaxing mid-week local vibe to it, very casual and probably more quiet than the weekends. A very nice evening and a great way to end the day – and our overnight getaway – in this relaxing hot springs town.

1250 Lincoln Ave
Calistoga, CA 94515
(707) 942-4101

Photos taken by Sharon’s iPhone.

Crave is clean and cozy

Near the Broadway tunnel on Polk Street is a stretch of lower Russian Hill that provides a steady stream of great San Francisco restaurants, shops and other local businesses.

You can find on one end a super fancy restaurant like Yabbies Coastal Kitchen and on the other, a casual place like the always delicious Little Thai.

On the corner of Polk and Filbert is a wonderful new addition to the area called Crave. This cafe is run by a very hardworking family – during my visit I saw what looked like a father with his little daughter bring more eggs into the kitchen while the mother busily cleaned tables and chatted with customers. Very cute and cozy, especially given the unsettled weather that day.

We were in the neighborhood recently when my stomach started loudly growling. Walking into this corner spot (formerly a bank then a tea shop) we discovered quite a nice menu and atmosphere – though we did have someone sitting at the next table who clearly did not get the memo about not talking loudly on a cell phone in cafes.

They offer lots of savory choices for any time of the day. I plan to go again and try the raved about mac and cheese. This is a perfect spot to bring kids too. We had breakfast burritos and they were a little on the “thin” side. However the chorizo was not too fatty or spicy which my stomach appreciated after I ate it all. They did not steam the tortillas which was my only complaint. I will definitely eat at Crave again when we are back in the ‘hood.

If you like coffee definitely try their French press coffee from Ritual Roasters – a local favorite – you will love it.

2164 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 440-FOOD (3663)

www.eatatcrave.com (website coming soon)

Le Central is San Francisco's First French Bistro

Down the street from Cafe de la Presse, up the street from Cafe Claude and across the street from Roots Restaurant is the final but equally amazing San Francisco restaurant known as the city’s “First French Bistro”.

Le Central is an authentic Parisian restaurant in downtown San Francisco. It is also a long time meeting place for movers and shakers. On any given day expect to see and maybe sit next to former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown as he holds court with the Mayor of Paris — or maybe his long time friend, local clothier to the elite Wilkes Bashford.

The atmosphere of Le Central has all the ingredients you are looking for in an authentic French bistro, starting with a fabulous menu and ending with the sizzle, the spirit and the sparkle of San Francisco’s sister city Paris.

Whenever you have lunch or dinner at Le Central expect to feel as if you just landed in Paris. Their menu offers everything required to transport your taste buds across the Atlantic Ocean with Escargots, Onion Tarte, Rack of Lamb, Haricots Verts and Creme Brulee…ooh-la-la!

If you have never been to Paris this restaurant should not only fill in as a wonderful substitute but convince you to go. The place maintains a cozy and comfortable feeling but with a pleasant hum from the constant flow of customers. I think you will also enjoy that Le Central has not only customers from downtown hotels like the Orchard Garden Hotel but also locals regularly making reservations for a casual lunch or intimate dinner.

453 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 391-2233

Mon-Sat. 11:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.