Restaurants

Bar Altamirano, Marbella Spain

Marbella is a town on the Costa del Sol of Spain, well known for being a playground for the rich and famous. In 1981 actress Joan Collins accepted her iconic role in the hugely popular Dynasty (my mom’s favorite!), while living in her Marbella vacation home. It has been used in movies like the George Clooney political thriller, Syriana. Its seasonal residents and visitors include Antonio Banderas whose daughter was born in Marbella in 1999.

What I found on a recent vacation to this area was that Marbella is also the home to one of the best tapas bars! Located in the old quarter of this seaside resort town you will find one of the best seafood tapas bars around – that is not on the beach. We stopped into Bar Altamirano at 3:30 pm, 30 minutes before closing and had one of our best meals of our vacation. Small paper covered tables are surrounded by football (soccer) memorabilia, tiled walls and photos taken of successful fishing trips.

We started with a bottle of vino blanco and a tomato salad. Read More »

Look! A round chimichanga

It took me less than 24 hours to find the weak spot in iPhone’s GPS app,  Co-Pilot.

Sure, it could tell me there was a Mexican restaurant in Kennesaw, Georgia. It could talk me there turn-by-turn off the interstate. But it couldn’t give me a clue as to whether this was the same-old authentic menu I’m heartily sick of seeing in Mexican restaurants. (Pssst, Uptake: we need an iPhone app!)

So my husband and I cautiously followed Lee’s disembodied voice to Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant and sat in the parking lot a few minutes assessing the situation. We finally agreed it looked more like a steakhouse from the outside, so odds were good we had stumbled on an original instead of an authentic.

We were greeted with a colorful interior complimented by sombreros nailed the wall (ought-oh … sure sign of THAT menu) but with big-screen TVs tuned to ESPN scattered around, and clowns and magicians walking among the tables to entertain the kids. The signboard announced open mic hours, so perhaps we were safe after all.

What the hell. We asked for a table for two.

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Black Angus, wow that’s a blast from the past. We used to go there when I was a kid. We even went there the night I graduated from high-school. Our friends always made fun of us because we called it Stuart Anderson’s like we knew him or something.

The reason we went back this time was for a solid meal after being in the hospital all day at my dad’s bedside. We needed a meal we felt was going to sustain us and this was the place to go.
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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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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 »

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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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

Spicy Vegan Pad Thai @ Loving Hut in San Francisco

Though my dislike of vegetables evaporated decades ago, I cannot really say that I search for vegetarian restaurants for my meals when I’m hungry.  However today I was with a girlfriend looking of a nice clean spot offering noodle dishes for a good bargain.  Not only did I walk into a delicious restaurant, but now I have a great recommendation for my vegan friends and family!

The Loving Hut is a relatively new addition to Chinatown in San Francisco.  This corner restaurant has a 100% vegan menu.  They cleverly disguise their meat or seafood with soy shaped substitutes.  I had Pad Thai for $7 that was out of this world. Spicy but not hot, and a huge portion!  The “shrimp” included was actually soy though it totally looked like medium size ocean shrimp. Read More »