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 »

Beautifull in one sentence: Healthy, clean, mostly organic prepared food that you can pick up on the fly and not feel guilty about eating.

Who you’ll see there: Neighborhood moms, after-work professionals, after-workout couples, the occasional girlfriends at lunch.

Make sure to try: The red quinoa and edamame salad, tea smoked salmon, turkey meatballs and always check the daily specials.

It’s okay to skip: Trying to sit and eat in the cafe which can get busy, loud and crowded.

Best dessert: Yummy and kinda guilt-free cookies, especially the chocolate chip cookie made with cocoa nibs.

Service: Friendly counter help, polite cashiers and attentive managers.

Average meal price: Deli prices, in the neighborhood of $8 sandwiches, $7-10/lb salads, $10-12/lb entrees.

Beautifull Logistics: You can do pick up, delivery, or curbside – as in you call in your order, and they have someone standing on the corner, ready to toss it through your window as you drive by. Located at the Laurel Village Shopping Center, so you can grab dinner, shop for kids’ clothes or drop by the bookstore.

Parking: A big and beautiful free parking lot in the back, meters in the front

Location: Laurel Village

3401 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 728-9080

Hours:

Open 7 days a week
9:00am – 8:00pm

Photos: Cat Lincoln

Organic spirits, organic garnish, delicious drink!

Brunch at The Plant Cafe Organic in one sentence: The kind of organic, sustainable, local, foodie-centric, waterfront place everyone imagines they will find in San Francisco, but hardly ever exists, in a surprisingly touristy neighborhood.

Who you’ll see there: A mix of adventurous tourists and in-the know locals who’ve wandered up from the Ferry Building trying to get away from crowds, or down from Pier 39, in search of a non-chain restaurant.

Make sure to try: Baguette French Toast in an orange vanilla batter served with seasonal fruit, blackberry sauce & whipped cream or the Italian Grilled Cheese  with basil oil, fresh mozzarella & diced tomato, especially during tomato season. Also check out the unique cocktail menu with organic spirits and juices.

It’s okay to skip: Vegan sausage. Just have the side of fruit or vegetables and stop playing make believe.

So delicious you forget it's raw and vegan!

Best dessert: Raspberry Cashew-Cheesecake with blackberry black pepper sauce — it’s raw, vegan and gluten-free but somehow manages to be delicious!

Service: Three hostesses clustered at the entrance made up for their cluelessness by being sweet. The waitress was very helpful, offering to make off-menu changes.

Average meal price: Surprisingly affordable. Breakfast plates run from $5-12, sandwiches $8.50-12, dessert $4-6.

The Plant Logistics: Sheltered seating is available right on the water, which is nice during the five hot days during the year. The rest of the time, bring a sweater. And try to sit under the heat lamp. Also, you have to walk across a kind of alley, and go down a hallway to get to the bathroom, which is sort of public, although not that busy.

Parking: In theory you can find metered parking across the street, around Maritime Plaza with surprisingly better chances on the weekend. Definitely easier to walk from your hotel, and Muni back to Union Square.

Location:

Pier 3, The Embarcadero

Mailing Address
Suite 108, Pier 3, The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94111

Cafe & Take Out 415 984 0437
Restaurant (& reservations) 415 984 1973
Fax 415 984 1962
Email contactpier3@theplantcafe.com

Hours:

Cafe Hours of Operation
Mon – Sun 7:30am – 10:00pm

Restaurant Hours of Operation
Mon – Thur 11am – 10pm
Fri 11am – 11pm
Sat 10am – 11pm
Sun 10am – 10pm

Photos: Cat Lincoln

Delicious red wine at Yield Wine Bar in San Francisco.

I am a bit of a wine-o.

Now, I’m not saying I’m some sort of wine expert. In fact, my wine knowledge is limited at best. I usually stalk the aisles of Trader Joe’s and Beverages & More and buy my wine based on price. That said, I drink a lot of wine, and I know what I like. I really liked the wine at Yield Wine Bar in San Francisco’s historic Dogpatch neighborhood.

My boyfriend David and I recently moved into the Dogpatch neighborhood, so you can imagine my wine-soaked delight at discovering a wine bar just down the street from our new place. We decided to check out the happy hour, which is Tuesday through Thursday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

When we walked in, I instantly felt comfortable. I find most wine bars to be, well, pretentious and kinda stiff, which can be off-putting. Yield has an inviting vibe that put me at ease. It is a small space, but it feels cozy, almost like we are in someone’s living room. It could be the dive bar of wine bars, except it’s not dark and dank. It’s open and sunny. We were told to take a seat where we wanted. The staff was very friendly, attentive and clearly knowledgeable.

Read More »

The Bianca pizza at Piccino in San Francisco

One of the first restaurants my boyfriend and I ate at in our new neighborhood was Piccino, a small, locally owned restaurant located in the Dogpatch neighborhood in San Francisco. It serves delicious thin-style pizza made from fresh ingredients from small, local and organic suppliers.

This restaurant is literally two blocks from our new apartment, so David and I have eaten here a few times since we moved into the neighborhood, and we have never been disappointed.

So far, our favorite has been the Bianca pizza, a three-cheese white pizza with garlic and parsley. Another table-pleaser is the Salciccia, a white pizza but with sausage, mozzarella and red onions.

Read More »

The delicious organic vegan macrobiotic moderate meal at Manzanita Restaurant in Oakland.

During the work week, I can guarantee that I will eat a healthy lunch if I pack it myself, so I usually eat lunch in my cubicle. So when my friend Erin suggested we meet up for lunch at an organic vegan macrobiotic restaurant, I jumped at the chance to get out of my cube and have a healthy lunch prepared by someone else.

Manzanita Restaurant in Oakland is one of Erin’s favorite places to eat, so she was more than happy to introduce it to someone new.

This mellow, little restaurant is truly unique. It’s hidden on a corner under vines and trees. I don’t imagine it gets a lot of customers who just so happened to walk past it and decided to check it out. There’s no big sign alerting you to its presence, but it is worth searching for.

Read More »

Santa Monica has many great restaurants, as it’s a popular part of the Los Angeles area. Tourists seeking

The Fig at Fairmont Miramar

high-end vacations like to stay at one of several luxury hotels along Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, as these offer knock-out views of the Pacific. One such luxury hotel, the Fairmont Miramar, is lucky enough to house The Fig, a restaurant in the hotel that has my favorite area Happy Hour.

This restaurant is named for the iconic fig tree in the Fairmont Miramar’s rounded driveway. The Fig is a fantastic restaurant with a creative, innovative chef. Ray Garcia uses as many fresh, organic ingredients from the local Santa Monica farmers’ market as he can (it’s in walking distance from the Fairmont Miramar), so The Fig easily fall under the 100 Miles Diet rubric.

Happy Hour at the Miramar, Santa Monica

The Fig at Five, which is (obviously) at 5:00PM, offers charcuterie (you know, high-end prosciutto and other fine preserved meats) and the best cheese variety I’ve had outside France and Scotland. The staff is well very versed in suggesting wines to complement the artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and fruits offered at the bar. I enjoyed a fantastic Pinot Noir, and later some Merlot. I didn’t try any of the cocktails (I was driving ,after all), but a companion mentioned the fig mojito as being unique and interesting.

The Fig is California casual, as befits this Southern California hotel right across the street from the Pacific Ocean. The fresh, terrific food and the amazing Fig at Five menu would fit right in a snootier, jackets-required restaurant – I’m so glad it’s at the Fairmont Miramar instead! This Happy Hour lives up to its name, and more.

The Fig
at Fairmont Miramar

The Fig at Five Happy Hour Spread

101 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401

The Border Grill at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

There are two Border Grills; one in Las Vegas, the other in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Border Grill, on 4th Street, is always bustling and festive during peak dining hours. I’ve tried many things on its menu, and I’ve never been disappointed. I ate twice at the Border Grill in Las Vegas, in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and found the entrees there to be just as consistently good as at its counterpart in Southern California.

I strongly recommend making reservations for the Santa Monica Border Grill; while there are several other popular restaurants in its immediate vicinity, this is the only one that serves fresh, authentic Mexican food – not the greasy stuff you’ll find at fast food Mexican restaurants, but the real deal. The Border Grill in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas Nevada is a bit off the beaten path – near the convention center, a 5 minute walk from the other resort restaurants – but I found this refreshing. There was no wait, and no reservations needed for either meal I ate there.

The food at the Border Grill is, naturally, the standout. No trans fats, organic chicken and beef (I wonder if

Great Skirt Steak at the Border Grill Restaurants in Las Vegas and Santa Monica

happy cows also make better steak) and hormone and antibiotic-free pork. The seafood is sustainably harvested. Empanadas with organic black beans and the Green Corn Tamales are among my favorite appetizers, while the Baja Ceviche (halibut and shrimp), Portobello Mushroom Mulitas, and Grilled Skirt Steak are main courses return to again and again.

The authentic recipes result in meals that taste the way high-end Mexican food is meant to taste. That is, complex and flavorful, spicy when appropriate, and delicate too. The variety is notable as well; Please don’t stick with the basic quesadilla and burrito here – although they’re quite good. Instead, expand your fine Mexican dining experience and get menu items characteristic of the Yucatan, Oaxaca, and other distinct regions of Mexico. Your taste buds will thank you!

Border Grill
1445 4th St.
Santa Monica, CA
(310) 451-1655
Hours vary

Border Grill
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd., South
Las Vegas, Nevada
(702) 632-7403
Open every day at 11:30 AM