Restaurants

Milano Inn's delicious pasta

Most Hoosiers in Central Indiana associate Milano Inn with great Italian food, particularly the lunch buffet. I think their food is fine, but I am rarely bored enough here to pay sole attention to it, honestly.

For some reason, I have been part of some of the more colorful conversations of my life in this restaurant. Take the meal where I joined friends the weekend my husband broke his kneecap last decade. I’d been awake for 42 hours, dealing with everything from surgeon recommendations to flat tires and dead car batteries. Pasta sounded like the carb boost I needed to survive.

Their daughter was being a typical toddler misbehaving in a restaurant, and they eventually took her to the parking lot for an attitude adjustment. It didn’t work. She continued whatever she was doing in her high chair until her mother asked in desperation, “Do you want another spanking?”

“Yep,” piped the little blonde enthusiastically. They obliged her. And nearly 15 years later, I still belly laugh every time I pull in the parking lot. Heck, I’m shaking just typing this story.

But this week, I may have topped that favorite in the Milano Inn Hall of Fame.

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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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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

When life starts to drag me down, there are two things that can always be counted on to cheer me:  listening to some good old-fashioned blues music and a thick, hearty soup.  In my younger years, my modus operandi after any break-up was to hole up in my house with some Jimmy Reed playing on the stereo and a pot of homemade minestrone bubbling on my stove.  It always made me feel better.

So when I heard about B.B.’s Jazz, Blues and Soups in St. Louis, Missouri, I knew I’d have to go – no matter what my mood might be.  The pairing of great live music and my all-time favorite comfort food was just too much to pass up.

Though B.B.’s might be best classified as a club or music venue, it has a full and varied menu.  You can eat your fill on a good ol’ Po’ Boy sandwich, some toasted ravioli (a St. Louis classic) or just some hot wings.  But the soups are the reason to eat here.  The place prides themselves on tasty, healthy offerings – in fact, they “stake their reputation on it.”  B.B.’s Louisiana File’ Gumbo is always available but the four other soups offered vary daily.  On my visit, I went with a fantastic ham and navy bean soup that was served with a hunk of fresh made cornbread.  I was not disappointed.

And the music?  The venue is perfectly sized so you can get up close and personal with some of St. Louis’ best local blues and jazz bands.  I was lucky enough to catch local artist Alvin Jett, whose rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing literally took my breath away. And from what I hear tell, all of the acts at B.B.’s are on the same level.  B.B.’s website offers a full calendar of performing acts.

But have I mentioned the soup?  I worry that no words of mine will do the soup justice.  I still dream about that soup.  I will return for the soup even if no acts are playing that night.  That’s how good that soup was.

So if you are in the mood for the kind of comfort that will warm you deep down to your core, I heartily recommend spending an evening at B.B.’s Jazz, Blues and Soups.

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B.B.’s Jazz, Blues and Soups
700 South Broadway
St. Louis, Missouri 63102

Tel: 314.436.5222

Photos courtesy of B.B.’s Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Not your typical soup kitchen..

Hayes Valley is an area in San Francisco that offers some of the best choices for great dinners whether casual or fine dining. It is a hip neighborhood that caters to those looking for delicious but reasonably priced dining options.

When I want to indulge in some hearty food, Suppenküche is one of my favorite places to go. I love the vibe and having been to both Germany and Austria, the place and food taste very authentic to me.

And given that Suppenküche means soup kitchen in German, yes they indeed serve delicious soups everyday.

It can be a bit noisy and not the best place to bring kids but its lively atmosphere goes well with the first-rate draft German beers available in two-liter boots!

They serve excellent Wiener schnitzel (giving you two large pieces), savory wild boar and Spätzle that goes with any of your dinner choices. The Spätzle I have tried is always mouth watering – a sort of German comfort food, with lots of flavorful gravy or sauce. These were some of my favorite foods in Vienna and Suppenküche doesn’t disappoint.

The service is amazing considering how busy they get and it can be pretty noisy, but a great spot to unwind after a long day.

I’m definitely going to return for brunch next time.  If you are looking for a lively atmosphere and casual crowd with authentic German food and an amazing selection of beers – Suppenküche is the place to go! Ja! Ja!

525 Laguna St
(between Fell St & Hayes St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 252-9289

Mon-Sun. 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.